DICK ADVOCAAT, the former Rangers manager, believes Kenny Miller will be a good signing for the Ibrox side second time around, even though it was he who offloaded the Scotland international seven years ago.

The Dutchman paid Hibernian £2m in June 2000 to take Miller to Rangers on a five-year contract, but the striker failed to hold down a first-team place and was sold to Wolverhampton Wanderers the following season. After experiencing mixed fortunes during later spells at Celtic and Derby County, Miller rejoined Rangers last month. Advocaat, whose Zenit St Petersburg side beat Rangers in the final of the UEFA Cup in Manchester last season, believes the 28-year-old is worth another chance.

He said "Miller is a different player now from when he was at Ibrox the first time. I signed him from Hibs when he was young, but there was too much competition for him at the time. He is more experienced now, he has done well for the national team and he is a very strong player. He will be a good player for Rangers."

Meanwhile, current Rangers manager Walter Smith has expressed his satisfaction at extending the contracts of David Weir and Christian Dailly for another year.

Smith said: "It's good news for everyone. They showed they can still play extremely well, David over the past 18 months and Christian for the last six months. We're delighted to have them both coming back for another year."

Smith also revealed he had no worries about the fitness of his players after the summer break. He said: "Most players nowadays are in decent condition when they come back. Gone are the days when players turn up half-a-stone heavier - that doesn't happen any more. It's just a matter of working in the first fortnight to top everything up."

That view was echoed by Andreas Hinkel, the Celtic defender, who admitted he had no gripes about having to endure a pre-season slog.

Hinkel said: "Pre-season training is just part of the job. It's never easy, but at least in Scotland you only have to do it once every season. In Germany, because of the winter break, we basically do two pre-seasons and that's even worse. I think the players are happy to be back in the routine.

"We had a long break of six weeks and that's enough. Now, we've got hard work ahead of us but it's all part of being a professional player. The sessions are hard, but if you are tired afterwards, that's a good sign. The players are all working hard and will be ready when the games start."