Barry Bannan says that he hopes Djeidi Gassama does well at Rangers after leaving Sheffield Wednesday - but not too well.

Bannan, who is a diehard Celtic supporter, will have been gutted to see his teammate make the switch to the Gers this week after they agreed terms with the Owls, but he’s told fans of the attacker’s new club that they have signed a player with ‘some serious potential’.

The Owls skipper, who is currently training with Wednesday despite not having a contract for next season yet, was speaking to the Daily Record about the player’s transfer, and was honest in his description of what fans at Ibrox can expect to see.

“I was really close with Djeidi,” he said. “We had a laugh and a joke when the deal was completed last week at St George's Park. I wished him all the best... But I said to him, ‘If you need any help in Glasgow, don't phone me!’‌

Barry Bannan’s Djeidi Gassama assessment

“But no, he's a lovely kid. I've got family members who are Rangers fans and no doubt I’ll be looking to him to sort me out with some tickets - but for them, not me personally! I got on with him really well, he was like a kid brother to me. There’s a big age gap between us and he looked up to me a bit, so I'd love to see him do well - but not too well!

“I’d say the Rangers fans are probably still going to have to be patient with him because he's still a young boy, only 21. I know that's probably not young in football terms but he's still got a lot to learn. He's not shy. He's a lovely kid who just wants to have a good laugh. There will be games where you'll be frustrated with him - and then there'll be games where you think, ‘Wow, we've got some player on our hands here. He has got some serious potential and last season we saw that at Wednesday.”

Gassama’s transfer fee is believed to have helped pay the players and staff that were owed wages by the club, and the money that came in from Anthony Musaba’s move to Samsunspor may also have played a part in that as well. Wednesday remain under embargo, but only for money owed to other teams now after settling debts with HMRC as well as playing staff.

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