Matt Gilks looking forward to reuniting with old friends at Rangers

Goalkeeper Matt Gilks believes he can hit the ground running at Rangers after linking up with some familiar faces.

The Scotland cap will be reunited with former Burnley team-mate Joey Barton and former international colleagues after signing a two-year contract.

Gilks only made two appearances for Burnley in two seasons but the 34-year-old has been brought in to challenge Wes Foderingham for a first-team place following Cammy Bell's move to Dundee United.

The former Blackpool player told Rangers TV: I know quite a few of the players from the Scotland set-up and I played with Danny Wilson and Andy Halliday at Blackpool.

"So I know a lot of them, including David Weir as well previously with Scotland.

"It's not a home from home but it's not like coming in for your first day at school where you don't know anybody.

"I'm kind of hitting the ground running in that respect, rather than getting to know everybody, so it will make it slightly easier for me."

Three-times capped Gilks feels his Scotland experience will help him adapt to the demands at Rangers, where he joins former international team-mate Kenny Miller.

"I always use an example of when I was first in the Scotland squad with Kenny Miller and Darren Fletcher," he said.

"I saw them train and I thought I was doing well at the time, but it really made me think 'this is another level now'.

"I watched them train and the enthusiasm and the endeavour that they still have at their age and at their stage of the careers, after everything they've achieved, is great.

"I think the additions we are making to the squad now (at Rangers), the young lads here are going to benefit massively from it."

Gilks also learned from the example of Barton, who is set to join up with Rangers on July 1.

"I know Joey very well,'' said Gilks, who is Mark Warburton's seventh summer signing. "We got on really well at Burnley actually and he probably helped me through the last year.

"He's a great guy and I think he's one of the most misunderstood footballers that has ever played.

"He's very intelligent, he's a very good footballer and he absolutely loves the game.

"The experience and what he can bring to this team, you can't buy that.

"At Burnley he was the one that kept saying 'we're going to win the league lads, we're going to win the league'.

"He said it every week, every day and hey presto we did win the league and he was a massive, massive part of that."