Carlos Pena’s loan spell at Necaxa has been close to an unmitigated disaster so far.
The Mexican midfielder is due back at Ibrox in January, and he hasn’t done much to impress Steven Gerrard so far. After being sent out on loan back to his homeland in the summer, this looked like Pena’s big chance to impress.
Instead, the midfielder has made just five starts out of 15 competitive fixtures for Necaxa. His latest blow comes in the form of him being dropped from the last two match-day squads as a whole.
The drop from first-team action is a huge concern for Pena. After all, he hasn’t been omitted completely since the first four matches on his return to Mexico.
Added to that, the midfielder has yet to provide a goal or an assist. He’s now completed just two full matches so far. If he was looking to impress the Rangers manager and challenge for a place in the Gers midfield, that looks a long way away.
Where does he go now?
There’s not a lot Pena can do at this point to impress. Having been dropped from the last two squads, he only has less than two months to work his way back into the side and make an impression. Considering Necaxa sit 16th in the 18-team division, they’re hardly likely to put their faith in a player only there for a few more weeks.
Gerrard will now have to make a big decision on what to do with the midfielder. He’s speculated to be on around £25k-per-week at Ibrox. If those figures are true then a decision simply has to be one way or another.
There is the small chance that the Rangers manager tries to get use out of him in the first team. Several stars such as Andy Halliday and Graham Dorrans looked to have little future at Ibrox. Gerrard, however, has given them a fair shot to impress.
It’ll be interesting to see if he gives Pena that same opportunity. But the most preferable option would be to find him another loan spell or cut ties completely.
As it stands, however, the midfielder has had a terrible time of it back in Mexico.
