Madjid Bougherra to return home for scan

Bougherra was left out of the 3-0 friendly defeat by Bochum on Saturday and will fly back to Glasgow today Kyle Lafferty has already returned home to see a specialist about the groin problem that will force him to miss the SPL opener against Hearts on 23 July.

However, McCoist, whose team face Bayer Leverkusen tomorrow, expects Algeria defender Bougherra to make the league game..

McCoist told the club's official website: "It's just a little niggle Madjid has more than anything and he has still been able to do the extra work we've asked him to do with physio Stevie Walker. He has been running but he just feels it is a little bit tight so we'll get him home, have the problem scanned and see what happens. It's not a massive issue.

"We don't want Madjid to miss the Hearts game and that is why we've not been asking him to push himself too much.

"Everything he has done with us up until now has been well within his capabilities as we don't want to risk inflaming the problem."

Bougherra's future remains the subject of speculation, with the player thought to be keen on a summer exit.

McCoist, though, has admitted he would rather see the 28-year-old leave for nothing next summer than sell him now.

The Rangers manager had better news for the club's fans as he raised hopes he would add to his squad in the coming days.

"I'd hope we might have news on the transfer front in the next 24-48 hours," he said.

"I'm desperate to be able to tell people we're going to be getting someone else in and I know everybody wants to hear that.

"I want to deliver on that front for the players as much as anyone because the boys have been great and I know it would give them a lift."

Director of football Gordon Smith said on Sunday that talks had been held with Espanyol over a deal for 23-year-old defender Raul Rodriguez, who has made ten first-team appearances for the La Liga club.

McCoist's only signing to date has been another Spaniard, former Almeria winger Juan Manuel Ortiz.

Meanwhile, Jamie Ness hopes a return to fitness will allow him to score more goals to match his spectacular strike against Celtic last season.

The Ibrox youngster made his full debut in the 2-0 leage defeat by Celtic at Ibrox in January.However, a month later at the same venue the 20-year-old midfielder made more of an impact against Celtic with a wonder goal in the third minute of their Scottish Cup fifth-round clash, which ended 2-2.

A groin injury subsequently curtailed his season but the goal still sticks in the minds of Rangers fans - and the former Ibrox youth player admits to watching it regularly himself.

Speaking at the club's Murray Park training ground, where he helped launch Rangers' official Facebook page, the 20-year-old said: "The goal was special and hopefully I can do it again next year. People come up to me all the time and talk about it and I don't think I'll ever tire of that.

"It was a great moment and I hope there are more of them to come. I have watched it a few times myself to be honest, it was just unbelievable and I still can't quite get my head around it. But now I am looking to get back in the team now and play more games, first and foremost."

Ness missed Rangers' pre-season trip to Germany to continue his rehabilitation but although he says he is on the mend, he refused to put a date on his comeback. "I thought I did well when I came in and it was disappointing to get the injury," he said. "It has been frustrating but this is the best that I have felt in the last three or four months. It was a groin problem and it was down to me growing, but hopefully I have it sorted now for next season.

"I went to Germany to see Dr (Hans-Wilhelm) Muller-Wohlfahrt and got some injection treatment which I thought was beneficial. I'm working hard at the moment with the physios. I don't want to put a date on it, I will see how it goes.

"But I am feeling good so hopefully it's not going to be too long now."