Rory McIlroy says he is concentrating solely on his own game despite reaching the halfway stage of the Dubai Desert Classic tied with American rival Patrick Reed.

Northern Irishman McIlroy will tee off in the group immediately behind Reed in Sunday’s third round at Emirates Golf Club.

“I focus on myself when I’m out there,” McIlroy told BBC Sport when asked about potentially playing alongside Reed during the remainder of this rain-affected tournament, which finishes on Monday.

Each player carded a two-under-par 70 in the delayed second round, with McIlroy saying his game still has plenty of rust having not played competitively in the past month.

“I need to sort my game out, that’s what I think,” he said. “I need to go to the range and sort out my tee shots to give myself a chance over the next couple of days.”

Having missed plenty of tee shots to the right in his opening 66, McIlroy hit only two fairways with his drives flying to the left for much of his second round.

“I had three holes that literally glossed over everything else. It’s not been great,” he said.

“Obviously it is early in the year, first tournament back so I’m trying to figure something out, go with a feel over the next couple of days and see if I can straighten it out.”

Reed tossed a tee in McIlroy’s direction when the world number one blanked his American rival’s approach on the range at the start of the week, and accused the Northern Irishman of behaving “like a child”.

McIlroy was angered by being served with a subpoena from Reed’s lawyer on Christmas Eve and said the 2018 Masters winner, who is a member of the breakaway LIV tour, was not “living in reality”.

Bland says he has no extra motivation to post a win on the DP World Tour despite now also being a member of the Saudi Arabia-funded LIV circuit. “I’m not trying to get one over on the guys that are out here,” he told BBC Sport.

“I’ve got a lot of good friends out here and a lot of them have shown support,” added the 49-year-old, who along with McIlroy lost in a play-off to Viktor Hovland in this event last year.

“I’m just here to do the best I can and hopefully give myself a chance to go one better on Sunday than I did last year.

“I’m not out here to make any enemies with any comments that I make. If other people want to make comments then that’s down to them.”

Scotland’s Connor Syme moved to nine under with six birdies in a fine 67, while Wakefield’s Dan Bradbury, recent winner of the Joburg Open, carded the day’s lowest round, a 63 that took him into the group at eight under.

“I can’t really complain,” said the 23-year-old Yorkshireman. “Out here playing great golf courses, great fields.

“I was coming down nine, my last hole, Rory is just starting, and can barely see them. So that’s quite strange watching that.”

Bradbury can now look forward to playing alongside McElroy in the third round, along with another LIV recruit Bernd Wiesberger. They are among 14 players within two shots of the lead at the halfway stage.

Former Open champion Shane Lowry was among those who missed the cut after suffering a quadrupole bogey seven at the par-three seventh in a disappointing 75.