BRUNO URGES BOSS TO LET KENNY PLAY
BRUNO ALVES reckons Rangers will get a fully motivated Kenny Miller if the striker returns to action against Motherwell this weekend.
The 37-year-old was dropped by boss Pedro Caixinha last month after a dressing-room inquest in the aftermath of the Old Firm defeat at Ibrox.
Miller was sent to play with the Light Blues’ Under-20s at Brentford after Caixinha’s side beat Hamilton and was then left out of the squad for the trip to St Johnstone on Friday night.
After back-to-back topflight wins, Rangers now have a Betfred Cup final spot in their sights when they face Motherwell on Sunday afternoon.
And Alves is in line to lead the Gers out at the National Stadium if Miller is once again overlooked for a starting spot against the Steelmen.
He said: ‘I don’t know [if I will have the armband until Lee Wallace is back]. I just received the armband. I am one of the captains but Lee and Kenny are the captains.
“He has trained as
normal. He is doing his job like always.
“He is training very well and is very motivated all the time. Nothing has changed from before.”
The situation surrounding Miller has come under increasing scrutiny in recent weeks after Caixinha adopted a ‘what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas’ stance to questions about his future.
The forward has scored just two goals in his 10 appearances for Caixinha’s side this term but could still have a key role to play in the remaining months of the campaign if he can return to the Ibrox fold.
Only time will tell what the future holds for Miller but Alves insists his Gers team-mates haven’t had to pick him up during a difficult few weeks.
He said: “We don’t need to motivate Kenny. From what I know of him he motivates himself.
“He always shows his character in training and in the matches so none of us needs to say anything to him. He has been like this in training all this week.”
While Miller was left out of the squad for the win over St Johnstone, Alves handed Caixinha a boost as he returned to action after a calf strain.
His experience could be crucial at Hampden and the Portuguese admits it is important to have the likes of Miller, Graham Dorrans and Niko Kranjcar also leading the way in Light Blue.
He said: “I think it’s important to give knowledge to the players. To tell them what they should do.
“These games can be emotional and sometimes you need to let the emotions out and play football.
We have a mix of young and experienced players. For the players who know so much about the Scottish competitions, the cups are very important.”