TALKING RANGERS

BRUNO ALVES became the first signing of the summer for Rangers when he completed his move to Ibrox on a two-year deal this week.

And the supporters are rightly delighted to see a player of his calibre join Pedro Caixinha’s side. On and off the park, he could have a big part to play for Rangers.

His CV is certainly impressive and you don’t get called up for Portugal at the age of 35 if you are not a good player. He is in the squad once again for their World Cup qualifiers and the Confederations Cup over the next couple of weeks.

He is a physical and committed player and he is someone that just wants to go and win the ball, clear his lines and keep clean sheets.

He is not a long-term solution but he has signed for a couple of years and Pedro will hope that he can play an influential role this season.

The manager knows him better than anybody and knows what he can bring to the team. He is a fit lad and a born winner. That is what Rangers need.

I would have no qualms if Pedro said ‘Bruno, you are my captain’. He will be at the heart of that defence, he can talk to everyone around him and he can lead by example. That is maybe what Rangers have been lacking.

That is no disrespect to Lee Wallace. He has been a good captain of the club and his performances are the inspiration for those around him.

But if you are looking for somebody that is going to galvanise people, being at centre-half certainly helps. For me, Bruno would be the ideal captain.

It would be a big call to take the armband from Lee because he has stood by the club for the last few years and he was a big figure for Rangers as we made our way from the Third Division back to the Premiership.

PLee missed a few games towards the end of the season and Pedro hasn’t really had a chance to see what he brings to the team from left-back.

That isn’t the case with Alves. He knows his quality on the park and off the park and knows that he is a leader.

If he wants to change it, he will change it. He will have