WELSH fans will be full of excitment to watch Tom Lawrence and Rabbi Matondo in action for Rangers.
That's according to former Dragons hero Nathan Blake.
Lawrence joined the club last week, as per Herald & Times' exclusive story.
The 28-year-old was drafted in as a replacement for Joe Aribo, who completed his transfer to Southampton over the weekend.
Matondo has yet to join Rangers, but is expected to link up with his fellow Welshman this week in a £3million deal.
And Blake reckons the pair's potential exploits at Ibrox could see Lawrence and Matondo force their way into Rob Page's nation team squad for this winter's World Cup in Qatar.
He told the Scottish Sun: “It’s brilliant for Welsh football, two lads playing at the highest level in Scotland.
“I would prefer them to be playing there than in Belgium, for instance — and that’s no disrespect to Belgium.
“But I know the Scottish league and I know it’s a tough league. OK, one of the top two tends to win it, but it’s competition.
“If you’re at Rangers you still have to beat Celtic, and winning and drawing isn’t really good enough. It’s a mentality you have to buy into.
“I used to do a bit of agent work and I always told the kids if you’re going to Scotland — no disrespect to other teams — then you’ve got to play for one of the big two.
“Whether it’s Rangers or Celtic, it’s the pinnacle of Scottish football.
“I just think it’s brilliant for Wales these two guys could be there together now. But more importantly it’s brilliant for those players to have that sort of opportunity.”
Blake added: “Tom is experienced and a very good player. He’ll do brilliantly for Rangers.
“I think he’s an underrated player. He’s a better player than a lot of people give him credit for.
“I’ve touted him for the Welsh squad and why he hasn’t been in it more, I’m not sure. I understand the situation at Derby and he might have had one or two issues himself.
“But I think it’s a great chance for him. If he can go and hit 15 goals, and he’s more than capable of that, by the World Cup?
“Even if he scores 12 or 13 and has five or six assists, he puts himself in a great position to get in that squad.
“He was flavour of the month two or three years ago. He’s proved himself at international level. Can he do it? Yes. Did he do it consistently enough for Wales? Yes.
“It’s just unfortunate he’s gone through a bad patch with his club. But I know Rob Page well, I know Tom isn’t far from his mind.
“Rabbi is obviously on the edge. He’s got to go and play well, score goals, assist and make sure he puts himself on that flight to Qatar. It bodes well for Rangers and Wales.”
