Rangers manager Steven Gerrard is to hold imminent talks with veteran defender Bruno Alves over his future at Ibrox, according to the Daily Record.
The newspaper state on their website that the Portuguese star’s situation in Glasgow is in serious doubt, and that he will sit down with the new boss for the first time to have crunch discussions about if he has a part to play next season.
The reported talks come over a month after Gerrard’s arrival at the club thanks to Alves, who stands at 6’2″ (source: Transfermarkt) being on international duty with Portugal at the World Cup, where they were knocked out at the round of 16 stage by Uruguay.
Opinion
With Gerrard having already made a foray into the transfer market for some central defensive reinforcements, Alves’ future at Rangers is looking under serious threat. Of course, he has a year left on his contract penned 12 months ago and at 36 is coming to the end of his career. He may look to leave if he is told that he is not going to see much first team action, or alternatively he may be happy to sit back for a year and pick up his wages from the substitute’s bench. He has divided opinion among the Light Blues faithful, many criticising his lack of pace and mobility, while some have backed his inclusion based on his experience and know how. Both are valid points, which makes Gerrard’s decision on whether to keep or bin him this summer a little more difficult. Still, it seems as though the new boss may have already made his mind up, and now Alves is back from Russia, it will not be long until he knows where he stands.