Cagliari manager Massimo Rastelli has admitted he would have loved to have held on to new Rangers signing Bruno Alves.
Alves became the Gers’ first signing of the summer last month when he left Cagliari and put pen-to-paper on a two-year deal at the Glasgow giants.
The 35-year-old centre-back had only been with the Italian outfit for one season, but he was a mainstay in their back line during that time, making 37 appearances in all competitions.
He helped the club to a 11th-place finish in Serie A, and Rastelli has now revealed that he wanted to hold onto the experienced defender.
He told the Sunday Post: “Had it been up to me, Bruno would certainly have stayed with us until the end of his career.
“He was the perfect professional in his time with us, and is someone we miss both as a player and as a man.
“He has great technique, is physically strong and has a very well-developed sense of position as a result of all his experience playing at a high level in the game.
“As I say, Cagliari will miss him but our loss can really be Rangers’ gain. He can be a big leader in Scotland.”
Alves is a true veteran having made more than 100 appearances in all competitions for the likes of Fenerbahce, Porto and Zenit St Petersburg.
He has a glittering CV having won four league titles with Porto, a further two at Zenit and one during his spell at Fenerbahce.
The 35-year-old has also been capped 85 times by Portugal, and was part of the 2016 European Championship winning side.
Alves was Rangers manager Pedro Caixinha’s first summer signing, but he has since been joined at the club by Ryan Jack, Daniel Candeias, Dalcio and Fabio Cardoso.