It’s time game put the players first, says Rangers boss Graeme Murty

Graham Dorrans has spent several months on the sidelines (SNS Group)

RANGERS manager Graeme Murty has called for injured players to be given quicker treatment.

The Ibrox boss is delighted to have midfielder Graeme Dorrans back after three months on the sidelines.

Dorrans limped out of his side’s draw with Kilmarnock, last December, and subsequently underwent ankle surgery.

Murty was unhappy about the challenge that crocked his player, and believes it’s vital for players to get treatment as soon as possible.

He said: “He was taken out of our season by a bad tackle which was unpunished.

“It frustrates me for the player.

“Players need to walk out on to the football pitch knowing they are safe.

“We would never want to take away the contest element and the physical element. But we need to get a little safety and security on the pitch commensurate to the task the players have.

“They are playing at a faster pace and at more intense levels.

“Collisions are greater than they have been in the past because their athletic prowess is greater.

“Don’t get me wrong, I’m not in any way, shape or form decrying players of the past and their manly-attitude to challenges.

“We really need to make sure that when they walk out on to a football pitch players’ safety is one of our pre-eminent concerns.

“I said that to a couple of the referees when challenges happen I would be more than happy, as a manager, for the referee, first and foremost, to get a physio or a doctor on the pitch and then deal with any situation or punishment, thereafter.

“Get the guys on the pitch to sort out the players first, then deal with the foul or whatever it was after.”

Now that he’s fit again, Murty says it’s a fresh start for Dorrans. He went on: “What Graeme has to understand is I see the game differently from Pedro Caixinha. I’m not averse to playing him further up the pitch.

“He was really good against Motherwell yesterday. He’s going to get sharper but it was a credit to his professionalism that he lasted 90 minutes.”

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