MIDFIELD powerhouse Amdy Faye joined Rangers 24 hours before the summer window shut on a season long loan from Charlton.

A mobile, hard-working and tough-tackling midfielder, Faye was a youngster at Monaco but properly began his career in the French lower leagues with Frejus before hitting the big time with a dream move to Le Championnat side Auxerre in 2001.

He spent two years in the French top division - helping the club to a third-place finish in 2001/02 - before Portsmouth boss Harry Redknapp shelled out £1.5m on the midfield enforcer in August 2003.

With his all-action style Faye, 30,  was an instant hit on the South Coast, and was recognised as a key factor in Pompey's last-ditch survival success the following year.

And it wasn't long before he was tickling the interest of then St James' Park boss Graeme Souness, and he moved to Tyneside for £2m during the 2005 January transfer window.

He moved to Charlton in the summer of 2006 but the Addicks were relegated last seasons and he jumped at the chance of moving to Rangers.

Faye's honours include the French Cup that he helped Auxerre win in 2003, and a year earlier he was part of the Senegal squad that reached the quarter-finals of the World Cup in Japan and South Korea - the nation's best ever showing in football's most famous tournament.

Having made his debut against Egypt in May 2001, Faye was on the bench for the famous 1-0 victory against 1998 champions France in Seoul but made his World Cup finals debut as a substitute in the third group match against Uruguay.

He also started in the 2-1 extra-time victory against Sweden in the knockout last-16 stage but was on the bench again for their quarter-final exit to Turkey.

Earlier the same year Faye featured for his country in the final of the African Nations Cup against Cameroon, but was among the players to miss the target in the penalty shootout.

Although he has No 14 in the SPL, Amdy will wear No 39 in European competition.