Lawrie Sanchez, who handed the 20-year-old his first call-up for his country two years ago, and current Irish boss Nigel Worthington believe the Light Blues have landed a star in the making.

Lafferty was on the verge of his dream move, after Burnley and Rangers agreed a cash-plus-player deal on Tuesday, hinging on forward Alan Gow agreeing terms to move the opposite way.

The Clarets formally agreed a £3m fee, with a further £250,000 payable on appearances, a sell-on clause that includes 10% of any future profit.

The deal also includes 25-year-old Gow, who played with Clarets boss Owen Coyle at Airdrie and Falkirk, as part of the package.

Comparisons have been made in the Scottish press with Lafferty Liverpool and England frontman Peter Crouch, while Alan Mahon revealed two summers ago in Italy that the Kesh youngster had been likened to Sweden's Internazionale striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic by his teammates at Burnley – praise indeed.

Sanchez agrees: "He is 6ft 4ins, and that is a huge plus in the modern game.

"Look at Jan Koller for the Czech Republic – okay, he's getting on a bit, but he is still a real handful because of his height.

"I know Rangers have plenty of strikers, but with the greatest of respect, none of them are that tall, and Kyle can give you that.

"Ironically, I feel Kyle still needs to work on his heading ability, but he is far better on the ground that you would think.

"I know it is an obvious tag, but he is very Peter Crouch-ish."

However, Worthington, who signed Crouch on loan from Aston Villa almost five years ago, scoring on his debut for Norwich against the Clarets at Carrow Road, offered another viewpoint: "I was fortunate enough to work with Peter Crouch at Norwich, and Kyle isn't that type of striker.

"Peter was a little older and more experienced, and Kyle isn't in the same vein as I'd class him as more of a good old-fashioned centre forward.

"His work ethic is tremendous and he can give and take a bump.

"He has good energy and he's awkward to defend against. He likes to ge a shot off as well – centre backs won't be given a moment's peace.

"He has such a lot of potential, and once he settles in I'm sure he'll do very well."

Both do agree though that Lafferty will prove a bargain for the SPL and UEFA Cup runners-up.

Sanchez, who failed with a £4m bid to land him at Fulham last summer, said: "He will be a good signing for Rangers.

"Burnley wanted £6 million for him a year ago, and we felt that was a bit too much because he probably needed a year to develop.

"Rangers are not getting the finished product yet, but he is one for the future.

"He will be working and being coached by Ally McCoist, and that's got to be a good thing."

And Worthington added: "I'm sure he'll find the net because he has a wonderful knack of scoring goals.

"If he signs, he must make sure he remains focused on the job at Rangers.

"He's not the type to be turned by the bright lights of Glasgow but Rangers, like Celtic, are a huge club, and he's got to make sure he delivers on what he's capable.

"If he does, the transfer fee will prove a snip."