Graeme Murty explains Bruno Alves’ absence from Rangers squad for Hamilton clash

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Glasgow Rangers caretaker boss Graeme Murty confirmed ahead of the game at Ibrox why Bruno Alves was missing from the squad.

Graeme Murty explained to Rangers’ official Twitter account ahead of Rangers’ Scottish Premiership clash with Hamilton that a fall in training during the week was the reason that Bruno Alves was not involved in the squad for the game.

Alves is yet to feature for the Gers since Murty took temporary charge in the wake of Pedro Caixinha’s departure. And in his absence, Rangers had conceded one goal in two games with Danny Wilson and Ross McCrorie forming a promising partnership at the heart of the defence before the international break.

So while it was probably not a surprise to see the Portuguese missing from the starting XI against Accies, the fact that he was absent from the entire squad may have stunned some supporters ahead of the clash.

But speaking ahead of the game, Murty has explained that the veteran suffered an injury in the build up to the game and that is why he was left out.

“He had a fall in training this week and hurt his back. So his back’s feeling really stiff. We’ve excluded him on those grounds and we’ll assess him later on the week,” he said, as reported by Rangers’ official Twitter account.

Of course, it was a hugely disappointing afternoon for the Gers and for Murty as Hamilton came away from Ibrox with the three points despite the home side dominating much of the game.

And while Alves would have preferred to have seen the side continuing to win even if he was not involved, the defeat may be the result he needed to ensure, if he can get fit for the next game, that he will come back into the side.