BORNA Barisic gives off the impression that he's so hard he can watch the first ten minutes of the cartoon film Up and not shed a single tear.

In fact, Rangers’ new player would probably laugh as the kindly old women dies.

If you have never seen it before and have therefore no clue what this is referencing then go and watch the opening of one of Pixar’s best and if your eyes are not damp then check for a pulse.

Barisic is a seriously big guy who played with a bandage on his head last week – always a good look for a defender - as he captained NK Osijek against Rangers in the Europa League qualifying tie. He won tackles, drove on his team, scored a goal and got about the pitch.

And this is exactly what Steven Gerrard is looking for in a player.

That the 25-year-old is also a good footballer helps, of course, but the Rangers manager is on record in saying his team needs to be more physical, which is what Barisic should give him.

The Croatian is going to be Gerrard’s first choice left-back or left wing-back of he goes with a 3-5-2 system. His clips show that he knows how to send in a cross as well.

Jon Flannigan has been filling in there but he’s a right footed which means he has been cutting in onto his right in the games so far which a team can get away with over a few games but not a whole season.

Barisic is a Croatian international who came close to making the final squad which got to a World Cup final just a few weeks ago. Even without having seen him kick a ball, the Rangers fans would like to think that part of his CV along meant their club had signed a good ‘un.

However, the fact they watched him star for his now former team over both legs of the second round qualifier against Rangers, the second game being less than a week ago, means the reaction to this latest addition to an increasingly new look squad has been one of excitement.

Rangers had so many problems on the pitch last season, and the one before that, that it is difficult to know where to begin when critiquing their performances.

But an obvious failure, and one spoken about by Gerrard, was their soft centre.

When the tough got going, Rangers simply weren’t up to it. And being a physical side does help when you ply your trade in Scottish football.

Gerrard isn’t finished just yet. He has his eyes on a more players but few will generate as much positivity.

“I want to thank the manager, Steven Gerrard, the directors, Mark Allen and to all the fans of course because they have believed in me and now I need to pay that back on the pitch,” said Barisic who speaks good English and used his linguistic skills to say all the right things yesterday when speaking to Rangers TV.

“I am very ready. I want to give everything back to the fans who have sent me so many messages, and I need to pay back the manager and everyone in the club who has believed in me. I need to pay that back on the pitch, and I will do that.

“I know all about Rangers. They won the league 54 times and I know that the big derby is between Celtic and Rangers.

“I am very excited to be part of Rangers – it’s such a big family and it’s the club with the most trophies in the world.”

He might have been reading from a script but he delivered his lines perfectly.

At least the new boy has had a taste of playing at Ibrox, as he did just that last Thursday when he scored in Rangers’ 1-1 draw with their Croatian opposition.

“I was very excited to play in an atmosphere like it was at Ibrox with 50,000 fans singing who are very positively crazy and very passionate, and I like that very much,” said Barisic.

“We played last week and the game was very, not for us, for Rangers, but that is okay.”

It certainly is okay now for the left-back who might even make the bench for this Thursday’s home game against Maribor of Slovenia.

Barisic joins up with fellow Croatian Nikola Katic, and the hope for both is their time at Rangers can help then cement a place in the squad of one of world football’s best and most exciting squads.

“Nikola is my friend from Croatia," said Barisic. “I have played with him in the national team. He is a great player, a great guy, and I am very excited to play with him again."

Rangers fans are pretty excited themselves.