BURNLEY will get a quick reunion with Joey Barton at Ibrox as they come face-to-face with the midfielder who opted for a move north of the border this summer, ending his one-year association with the Clarets.

Although his spell at Turf Moor lasted just one season Barton made a huge impression on his teammates, staff and the Burnley fans, being voted player of the year at the official awards dinner and playing a crucial role in the Championship-winning campaign.

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But he opted for a new challenge in the summer, signing a two-year deal with Mark Warburton’s side.

Sean Dyche revealed Barton spoke to him before making a decision on his future, and said he had loved his time with the Clarets.

“He made a decision, simple as that,” said Dyche. “He spoke to me about it, it was a different life change and experience, in what probably are the last couple of years of his career. He loved it here and we totally enjoyed having him here.

“He was well thought of, we loved what he did and he loved being here, it was just a connection that was made between us as staff and his fellow players, and the crowd.

“In a weird way, it’s just the way it was, him leaving for a new challenge, just one of those things.”

Burnley’s penultimate pre-season friendly will present a different challenge for Dyche’s side, in a much bigger stadium and in front of a larger crowd.

The two sides also met at Ibrox last pre-season when Scott Arfield scored the only goal of the game in front of 22,344 people.

And Dyche believes his men will get a stiff test against the Scottish Premiership outfit.

“We want a real challenge, against teams who are pushing,” he said. “We’ve seen it a million times, you can play teams who on paper look like being a real game, then they end up being really slow. We want real games.

“At Ibrox last year, it was a big pitch and they played expansive, they opened it up but it could be slow at times, and the Premier League can be like that, and we experienced that in the Championship.

“Each challenge is thought of differently, to get us ready for the Premier League.

“It was good on and off the pitch last year, the fans really enjoyed it, I know Warbo and his teams work properly and efficiently.

“They’ve signed nine or 10, including Joey of course, and he’s just figuring now, so they’ve got some quality as well.

“It’s a bit of travel as well so it gets you back in the mindset of travelling to a game, it’s all these little things we try and think through.”

Rangers have already played four competitive fixtures this season in their League Cup group, securing two 3-0 wins and two 2-0 wins.

“We’re now two weeks away, Rangers are active already playing competitive games, that all went into the thinking,” said Dyche.