RANGERS will continue to assess defender Bruno Alves ahead of the trip to Hamilton Accies on Friday night.

The 35-year-old missed the Old Firm defeat to Celtic at the weekend after travelling to Madrid for treatment on a calf injury.

Alves picked up the knock during the Betfred Cup win over Partick Thistle last week and spent time with Cristiano Ronaldo’s medical team in a bid to get back to full fitness.

The defender is now back in Glasgow and will work with Gers medical staff in the coming days as boss Pedro Caixinha prepares his side for a crucial Premiership clash.

Youngster Ross McCrorie deputised for Alves against Celtic and earned plenty of plaudits for his performance alongside Fabio Cardoso.

And the 19-year-old could now be handed his third appearance for the Light Blues if Alves doesn’t recover in time for the final top flight match before the international break.

Rangers head into the Accies clash eight points off the pace in the Premiership and in need of a win to kick-start their campaign after a frustrating few weeks for boss Caixinha.

The return of Alves would be a major boost to the Portuguese but he faces an anxious wait to discover if his marquee summer signing will be fit to turn out at the SuperSeal Stadium.