GIOVANNI VAN BRONCKHORST has urged the next generation of Rangers stars to use Nathan Patterson's Premier League switch as inspiration at Ibrox.

The right-back clinched a record-breaking £12million move to Everton last week as he became the most expensive player ever to be sold by Rangers and penned a long-term deal at Goodison Park.

Van Bronckhorst has promoted youngster Leon King into his first team squad after he committed his future to Rangers by signing a new contract until the summer of 2024.

And the Dutchman has vowed to give the most promising kids in the Auchenhowie academy a chance to prove themselves as the champions attempt to produce their own stars of the future in the coming years.

Van Bronckhorst told RangersTV: "That is what we want. We want the pathway for talents, once they are from the academy, to take a step to the first team. I think that is very important for the club.

"It is really good for Leon to come to the first team now. He has been around for a couple of years but now he is with us with the first team.

"The young players also look to Nathan because it was not long that he was in the first team. Still, his talent is recognised by a big club in England and that is why he is playing for Everton now. I think that pathway for the youth players is there for them to take.

"I think it is important. With my former clubs, I liked to get the talents involved in first team training so every time we have a chance to bring some talents to the first team for training I will.

"It gives me a good view of the talents that we have at the moment and, for them of course an opportunity to train at a higher level.

"You always recognise the talents so I am very happy and pleased with the talents coming into the first team training once in a while."