Kenny Miller not ruled out even if he agrees switch

WALTER Smith has insisted that Kenny Miller will continue to be picked for Rangers, even if he signs a pre-contract agreement elsewhere, and called for a swift end to his January contract saga.

• Kenny Miller: Still in the frame for Rangers

Rangers accepted an offer from Birmingham City last Friday, worth an initial 600,000, but the Scotland striker has so far stalled on a move to St Andrew's. Miller and his representatives have also held talks with Fiorentina but the Serie A club are unlikely to follow up their initial interest.

Ibrox manager Smith yesterday moved to clarify his comments on pre-contract deals earlier in the week. He said: "We made it clear we didn't want Kenny to leave but these decisions are taken out of the club's hands at the moment.

"Kenny Miller has been terrific for Rangers. The situation with pre-contracts and players leaving in the January transfer window is complicated. This is what we are going through with him.

"I read in the papers that I have said he won't play for Rangers again. What I said was it would be very difficult, if someone signs a lucrative contract to play somewhere else, for him to put himself in a situation where he's going to get injured, knowing it might affect his summer move. I never said he wouldn't play for Rangers.

"If Kenny stays, he will be involved in our games and that will be the end of it. If he leaves in the summertime, that's fine, that's football. It's just the whole thing around it that can be a distraction for the club. That's why I want the issue resolved as quickly as possible."

Rangers coach Ian Durrant also remains optimistic Miller will stay for the rest of the season. "We're still hopeful he will stay," Durrant told Blues News. "He has been in all week training with us and nothing has fazed him. Hopefully we can keep him on board as he has been in integral part of the team."