Neil McCann backed referee Nick Walsh’s decision to send off Ryan Porteous in Hibs' match against Rangers at Ibrox and claimed the defender went out “to do” Joe Aribo.

Porteous was sent from the field on the 30th minute after he lunged to tackle the Nigerian midfielder in the middle of the pitch.

Replays showed while he won the ball, the defender was off the ground as he threw himself into the challenge with significant force.

And while the moment provoked controversy amongst fans on social media, McCann was in no doubt a red card was the right call.

He told Rangers TV: “Yes, absolutely it’s the correct decision.

“Unfortunately, young Ryan, 22-years-old has got a switch where it just goes red. He sees it and he thinks he has the opportunity to win the ball. He’s apologising there to Alfredo Morelos (after the foul) and he knows he’s done wrong.

“Unfortunately, he can’t recover it because he’s committing to the tackle and it’s over the ball. He probably wins the ball with the back of his hamstring.

“He’s trying to do Joe Aribo there. And that is a switch I’d like to see Ryan remove from his game because he gets himself involved in that. It’s a rush of blood. He’s actually a really nice young man but on the pitch, a nasty streak comes out.

“I like a nasty streak in a player, an aggressive touch (but not like that). He’s endangering the player and could have given Aribo a real bad one.”