IT was the moment Jamie Murphy had waited his whole life for as he put pen-to-paper at Ibrox and held aloft his Rangers shirt.

A delay of a couple of hours didn’t take the shine off the occasion and nothing was going to take the smile off Murphy’s face.

He has watched Rangers from the terraces and on the television. Now the boyhood Light Blue has a chance to write his own chapters in Ibrox folklore.

Read more: Jamie Murphy relieved his dream move to Rangers didn't fall through at the eleventh hour

The loan deal that brought Murphy north of the border from Brighton was finalised on Saturday evening, a couple of hours after Graeme Murty’s side had left Edinburgh airport bound for Florida. With the paperwork done, Murphy has now taken his place in the Gers squad.

Officially, the move from the Amex to Ibrox won’t become a permanent arrangement until the summer. In his heart and his head, and in reality, Murphy is a Rangers player, though.

“I spoke to Chris Hughton about Rangers before,” he said. “He knew how big a fan I was because he had seen me before Brighton matches sitting watching Rangers’ games on the television.

“The gaffer was great with me and I never left on bad terms. It is a guaranteed permanent transfer and I am a Rangers player as far as I am concerned.

“I am just glad to have joined the club. It is what I wanted from the start as soon as I knew the club wanted me to join.

“It was a no-brainer. It is a club myself and my family have supported all our lives.

“When I heard they were interested and I wasn’t playing at Brighton there was only one place I wanted to go.

“My wife and kids can get back up the road and my dad can get to my games more easily now.

“He always used to come down to every game, even at Brighton, even though it was difficult for him. He would fly down and I know he is delighted.”

Murphy shared pictures of himself as a kid with his Gers strips on Twitter as he thanked fans for their well wishes whilst the ink dried on his contract.

The striker has returned to Scottish football after a successful five year spell in England that saw him impress for Sheffield United and Brighton. In more ways than one, he is home.

“Brian Laudrup was always my favourite but that full team was brilliant,” Murphy said.

Read more: Jimmy Nicholl delighted to be back in blue after returning to Rangers

“People like Gazza, Laudrup and Jorg Albertz were all players I loved to watch.

“I have been lucky enough to meet some of them. I had Stuart McCall as my manager and I met Mark Hateley through Tom and these guys are still remembered throughout Ibrox, especially amongst my generation.”

Murphy has known for some time that he would have to leave Brighton this month if he was to play regularly in the second half of the season. There were other suitors that sought his signature, but only one deal he wanted to sign.

He is one of a handful of Gers fans that are now living the dream by pulling on the famous blue jersey. Having watched from afar, he must now produce on the park.

“If I had a weekend off and never had a game then I would make the effort to get to the Rangers game or at least watch it on television,” Murphy said.

“I am quite lucky that most Rangers games are on the television. I would sit and relax on a Saturday or a Sunday and take in their games.

“It won’t be [important to have Rangers supporters in the team] if we are losing.

“Football is all about winning. No matter what team you support or where you come from. “If you are winning games then that is what we all want to do. There are lots of nationalities but we all want to do well for Rangers.”

Murphy could make his Light Blues bow in the Florida Cup clash with Atletico Mineiro on Thursday as boss Murty sees his side in action for the first time since their Old Firm draw at Parkhead.

Read more: Jamie Murphy relieved his dream move to Rangers didn't fall through at the eleventh hour

The Gers will also face Corinthians during their time Stateside before they return home to prepare for the Scottish Cup fixture with Fraserburgh.

Supporters are keen to see what Murphy can add to the team and the former Motherwell star is confident he has plenty to offer at Ibrox this term.

He said: “I have changed a lot. I feel I am a lot better player. I felt I was okay at the time.

“You learn things from playing in different places. I have worked up the hard way.

“I went down to League One, did well at Sheffield United, went to the Championship and got promoted with Brighton, which was what we were trying to achieve.

“As a player, you want to achieve success and to play in the Premier League. All these experiences have helped to make me a better player.”

Murphy is one of two new faces – midfielder Sean Goss being the other - in the Gers ranks this week, but there were a couple of familiar ones for him to meet and greet when he landed in Florida.

Rangers are based at the IMG Academy in Bradenton ahead of their matches on Thursday and Saturday and Murphy has quickly settled into his new surroundings.

He said: “I know a couple. I played with Jason Holt at Sheffield United and Danny Wilson coming through the Scotland ranks.

“I have also played against a lot of them up here and down in England.

“I played against Graham Dorrans last season at Norwich. He is a great player.

“He did well in England and has started his Rangers career very well also before the injury. He is the type of player you want in the team.”