HIS age is just a number. Other figures tell the more complete story of Bruno Alves.

The 35-year-old has plenty of miles on the clock and his made several stops on a journey that has taken him across the continent and to the top of the game. Now he has another home from home after he became Pedro Caixinha’s first signing of the summer at Ibrox.

Rangers are the eighth club of Alves’ career and his move to Glasgow could be his last chance to add to a glittering medal haul. The Portuguese has savoured success at Porto, Zenit and Fenerbahce and collected 14 major honours at club level. Last summer, he was part of the Selecção squad that clinched European Championship glory.

Read more: Bruno Alves: I want to have that winning feeling again and become a champion with Rangers

He arrives in Scotland having helped Cagliari retain their Serie A status last season as he made 36 appearances in Italy. He is an old dog that could add new tricks to the Rangers defensive line. And former Light Blues hero Lorenzo Amoruso believes the acquisition of Alves will prove to be a shrewd bit of business by Caixinha as he begins his summer rebuilding job.

“I was doing commentary in France last summer so I saw him play for Portugal and I watched him a lot this season,” Amoruso told Herald Sport.

“I thought he did very well considering he is not a young player anymore. He is in good shape and he performed well.

“Cagliari were just promoted to Serie A and they stayed up comfortably and without any stress.

“They lost a few games when they conceded a lot of goals but his performances were still good. He is a danger from set-pieces as well.

“When you consider everything, I think Cagliari were more than happy with him. He did extremely well and he is a physical guy. Considering his age, he is definitely very fit and that is a good thing for Rangers.

“I don’t know how long he can keep performing at that level but he can do a good job for Rangers.

“They need someone hard and tough at the back and Bruno’s history speaks for itself. He keeps himself in great shape and that is important.”

There are no doubts over Alves’ pedigree or his CV but only time will tell if he can become a central figure for Caixinha’s side in the Premiership. He adds experience and quality to an area of the team that has been criticised at Ibrox and beyond for some time. On and off the pitch, he will need to lead by example.

His physicality and no-nonsense approach will be welcome assets but Amoruso reckons his mentality and professionalism will be just as important in the coming months.

Read more: Bruno Alves: I want to have that winning feeling again and become a champion with Rangers

“If you look at his past, he is very experienced and he has been very successful,” he said.

“If you want to be successful and be a winning team you need players like that in the dressing room. They know the mentality, they know how to speak, they know how to play, they know how to behave on and off the pitch.

“If you want to be a winning team it is important to have players like that and they are an example for the others. Rangers definitely needed a couple of players like that.

“The manager will know him well and that relationship will be important. They can speak their own language and the manager can explain what Rangers are all about.

“Bruno has the kind of strength, not just physical but mentally as well, to bring the quality to the Rangers defence that they have needed for some time.”

The capture of Alves is the first deal of the summer that Caixinha has completed but it certainly won’t be the last as he looks to overhaul the squad he inherited at Ibrox. The 46-year-old will recruit reinforcements for every area of the side in an attempt to add quality and quantity ahead of his first crack at the Premiership and Rangers’ return to the Europa League.

With Alves now on board, the first building block is in place and Amoruso hopes the foundations will be strong at Ibrox.

Read more: Bruno Alves: I want to have that winning feeling again and become a champion with Rangers

“Normally when you build a new team you start from the back because you must have a solid defence,” he said.

“Then you can add midfield players and strikers.

“The defence is a different part of the team and sometimes they need to be training on their own. I know it is a squad and a team game but the defence has to work closely together as a unit. They need to know how to move, how to talk.

“They need to be strong, they need to be solid and they need to be comfortable with each other to give the team a foundation.

“If you can then have a midfield and strikers that do defensive work, even better. But you need a couple of important, responsible, experienced players at the back to lead by example for the team.”

The side that takes to the field in the Europa League later this month will, if Caixinha has his way, have little resemblance to the one that rounded off a poor campaign against St Johnstone a couple of weeks ago.

After finishing third in the Premiership and losing to Celtic in the semi-finals of both cup competitions this term, there is plenty of room for improvement for Rangers next time out.

Amoruso won three SPL titles, three League Cups and three Scottish Cups during his time at Ibrox and hopes the Light Blue legions will have more reasons to be cheerful in the coming months.

“It is still early to say but I think the aim will be to at least get second in the league, we will see if they can do any better, and to try and get some trophies,” he said.

“To get the League Cup or the Scottish Cup I think is vital to bring a bit of success back to Ibrox. The supporters need that as well. I really hope they can do it.

“Celtic are still ahead in the league and Rangers need a better squad. The transfer market has just started so we need to see what kind of players Rangers will have. But I think the aim will be to challenge Celtic as much as they can. Whether they can do it this soon, I don’t know.

“In a couple of months we will see because unless you have a lot of money it is difficult. Rangers need to try.

“It is important that they get as close to Celtic as possible and bring a trophy back to Ibrox. That is important for the supporters and for everyone at the club.

“When you win, you get the happy feelings and you know what it takes for the next year. Hopefully this season is much better for Rangers.”