Frank McAvennie has aimed a pop at 'wind-up merchant' Kris Boyd after the Rangers hero claimed Greg Taylor was as good as Diego Laxalt.

Boyd reckons Taylor offers as much to the Hoops as AC Milan loan star Laxalt having played with the Scot at Kilmarnock.

Taylor has been forced to bide his time on the bench since Uruguayan Laxalt arrived at Parkhead, but Boyd believes the young left-back can feel hard done by.

Speaking in his Scottish Sun column recently, Boyd said: "Another of my former Rugby Park team-mates, Greg Taylor, appears to have been made the scapegoat for some of the woeful displays.

"Diego Laxalt was brought in to replace him but, while he has a more glamorous name and backstory, I doubt very much whether he is an upgrade on Taylor."

But ex-Celtic striker Macca was having none of it and put Boyd's comments down to wanting to have a little fun at his rival supporters' expense.

Speaking to Football Insider, McAvennie said: "Don’t be silly. Come on – Kris must be having a laugh. He is just trying to wind people up because he is a big Rangers fan.

“Good luck to him because in all honesty, myself included, we have been winding them up for nine years so we have to take it.

“Laxalt is a better crosser and tackler than Laxalt, that is for sure.

“I feel sorry for him though because at times he has been asked to play in the midfield and he has never played there for AC Milan.

“He is still getting used to the way Celtic play but from what I have seen he is a whole-hearted player who puts his foot in. I really like the boy.”