Derek McInnes addresses Rangers 'character' question from Olwethu Makhanya in bristling press conference

McInnes defended his Rangers squad's character after Makhanya's post-match criticism following the Hearts draw, acknowledging technical and physical shortcomings but insisting the team showed resilience.

Rangers manager Derek McInnes held a press conference on Thursday, still visibly frustrated by the 1-1 draw at Hearts. When asked about centre-back Olwethu Makhanya's post-match comments questioning the character of some teammates—made moments after Makhanya scored a last-minute equaliser—McInnes pushed back firmly.

McInnes acknowledged that Hearts had been on the front foot at times and that Rangers were outmuscled physically and slow to anticipate, but he rejected the notion that character was the issue. "It's too easy to point fingers at 'character'. It's just a word that gets banded about here," he said. "We've got plenty of character and we've shown that already this season. We had the character to bounce back and get a result last night when it looked as if we weren't going to get that."

The, former Rangers boss is focused on the Premier Sports Cup semi-final against Aberdeen on Saturday, viewing it as a critical opportunity to win the club's first trophy of the season and build momentum with a young squad he assembled over the summer.