RANGERS will line up a series of glamour friendlies for their brightest young stars to pit them against the best teams and top up and coming talents from across Europe.

Boss Mark Warburton was at the forefront of the NextGen series that revolutionised youth football in Britain and abroad as clubs were able to pitch their Academy sides up against their continental counterparts in a competitive arena.

Warburton and Head of Academy Craig Mulholland are determined to nurture home grown talents through the Murray Park ranks.

And Under-20 boss Ian Durrant hopes his budding Light Blues can reap the rewards of going head-to-head with some of the hottest properties in European football.

He told SportTimes: “We have got games lined up, through Craig and the manager, and we are going to play some teams abroad and go down south to play the likes of Man Utd, Man City and Tottenham.

“We have got a couple planned, Inter Milan and Anderlecht have been mentioned, and they are games we will look for in the New Year.

“We will take them on and see how far we have progressed. When we go to youth tournaments, we hold our own.

“You can be the best at 13, 14, but if you want to make it in football you need to be the best at 18, 19, 20. It is a project and a work in progress for us.

Glasgow Times: Rangers Manager Mark Warburton gives instructions at training

“No disrespect to the teams in Scotland, but we want to go and test ourselves elsewhere as well. If we get a chance of playing abroad, we will go and take it.

“If you get that kind of test at this level then it stands you in good stead. You have to be the best you can.

“The way the manager wants the club to go, we have got to be on the ball all the time. We have to be on the front foot and be progressing all the time.”

Rangers have produced a number of players that have gone on to establish themselves at Ibrox and further afield in recent years as their endeavours at Auchenhowie have paid off.

The likes of Barrie McKay and Ryan Hardie are regular members of Warburton’s first team squad this term and Durrant hopes the current crop can shine on the big stage.

He said: “Already this season we have had five or six in and around the first team and they have got to prove that they can play in the first team.

“Once you do, you can’t be a one hit wonder. You need a level of consistency and they have got to prove that they are better than the players we can bring in.

“It is hard but they have to show that they are capable of playing for Rangers.”