RANGERS assistant manager David Weir has admitted he is shocked that Lee Wallace has not been called up by Scotland. Gordon Strachan has named two distinct squads for the forthcoming friendlies against Czech Republic and Denmark but did not include anyone from the Ibrox team in either group. Given the consistent form of his captain on the left of the Rangers defence this season, that omission took Weir by surprise.

“I think I find it hard to believe,” said the man who was capped 69 times for Scotland. “Obviously watching Lee closely day in day out – how he trains, watching him in the games and how he has been playing – it’s credit to the lads who are in the squad because they must be doing really well if they are performing better than Lee Wallace, because he really hasn’t put a foot wrong. He has contributed defensively and offensively; some people might say it’s the Scottish Championship but Lee’s performances have stood on their own two feet.

“He’s been head and shoulders in regards to his performances and the level he has been at, so I’ve got nothing but compliments to pay to Lee in regards to how well he has done. It’s been consistent as well, it’s been from day one in the season and he hasn’t dropped below his levels at any stage at all.”

Manager Mark Warburton had felt that others including Andy Halliday and Danny Wilson should also have been under consideration for international duty and his assistant agreed.

“There’s no doubt,” Weir told Rangers TV. “At the end of the day we can’t pick the national team, that’s not our job. Everybody will have an opinion and obviously we’ll have favourites in regards to the players who are in our team.

“Gordon Strachan has got a difficult job to limit it to the players that he can actually pick. But I think it’s great that our lads are knocking on the door, which undoubtedly they are by their performances and we see them at close quarters and day in day out. Maybe I’m a bit biased but there is no doubt about it, there is definitely an incentive there to be involved in that.”

Weir was also full of praise for another former Scotland player. Kenny Miller elected some time ago to call time on his international career but the 36 year-old continues to perform week after week at club level, scoring 15 goals this season and making a vital contribution in the absence of the injured Martyn Waghorn.

“It is massive for us in the games and day-in, day-out having the senior players such as Kenny, Lee and Dean Shiels,” added Weir. “They set the tempo in training every day. Kenny’s level of play recently has been fantastic. We have lost a lot of goals with Waggy being injured and Kenny has stepped up to the plate. He trains like a demon every single day and takes that into the games. In my experience, when you are that age, you don’t look too far ahead, but he is the consummate professional and he gives himself the best opportunity. We won’t put limits on it in regard to how long he can play. He has a lot of football left in him. No doubt about it.”