RANGERS interim manager Graeme Murty has insisted that Bruno Alves’ absence for Saturday’s defeat to Hamilton Academical was injury-enforced.

The Portugal internationalist did not feature in the squad for the 2-0 Ladbrokes Premiership defeat at Ibrox, leading to reports that the veteran had refused to be named as a substitute.

However, Murty underlined that the centre-back is still struggling with a back problem that ruled him out of the Accies game.

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He told Rangers TV: “Bruno Alves wasn’t fit for Saturday with a sore back, and he has stepped-up his rehab but it is very-much a day-by-day process for him and we will see how he reports in tomorrow.”

The Light Blues travel to Dens Park on Friday for their next league encounter against Dundee and Murty delivered a fitness report on a number of Gers players nursing knocks ahead of the clash.

“Graham Dorrans has started the process on his ankle rehab, so that is an ongoing process,” he said. “We’ll have more definitive dates as we see how he progresses through this phase.

“Jordan Rossiter is progressing on. I get loads of Tweets all the time about how he is doing, and we are just having to make sure we keep Jordan informed, and make sure he is ready to go when his body is ready, and make sure we don’t get too frustrated as he could get really frustrated.

“He wants to be on the pitch and he wants to be playing all the time. We just have to make sure we get him ready and he is ready to go when his body is good and done.

“Lee Wallace is doing some really good numbers – we just have to make sure his specifics for his groin are all hit, and we make sure he is fully fit and firing when he comes back.

“It is encouraging seeing him open up and seeing him hit the speeds which he is hitting at the moment.

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“And Lee Hodson came out of training today with a bruised bottom part of his foot which he got on Saturday, so we’ll just be monitoring him and making sure we try to get him back as well.”

Club captain Wallace has been absent since the 2-2 draw with Partick Thistle on September 15 and while Murty is encouraged by the left-back’s recovery, he was not able to give an estimated return date.

He said: “I don’t, and while I’m not relaxed about it, I know he is in really good hands. Stevie gives me really good reports on what he is doing and how he is progressing so we know when he is due to come back into training, he will be ready to handle the load.

“It’ll then be a question of getting his match fitness and his sharpness up, and getting some more volume into him so he can go and train with the players flat-out.

“The worst thing I experienced when coming back from being injured is you need to get on the pitch with your teammates.

“You want that and to get that decision-making process back. As soon as you get that ball at your feet, you have people in and around you pressing you.

“It doesn’t matter how much running you have done – all it comes down to is if your brain is a little bit tired and it can’t make that critical decision it has to do.

“So we have to get him a game situation and a match situation so we can extend that part of his rehab.”