Rangers boss Philippe Clement has praised winger Oscar Cortes after a promising performance against Ayr United on Saturday evening.
Rangers have advanced in the Scottish Cup after beating Scott Brown’s Ayr United side at Ibrox.
The Gers got the job done with goals from Borna Barisic and Fabio Silva, securing a passage into the quarter-finals.
Philippe Clement won’t be getting too far ahead of himself but will surely have dreams of winning another trophy after clinching the Scottish League Cup earlier in the season.
This could have been a much more convincing victory on the scoreline but the performance was strong – especially from new boy Oscar Cortes.
Philippe Clement praises Rangers talent Oscar Cortes
Colombian winger Cortes joined Rangers on loan from Lens before the transfer deadline and is looking to get back on track at Ibrox.
Cortes only joined Lens over the summer having impressed in Colombia, but he wasn’t really given much of a chance in France.
Now looking to earn a permanent move to Glasgow, Cortes certainly impressed on Saturday.
Cortes hit the post with just over a minute on the clock and had a fizzing strike saved just five minutes later.
The 20-year-old then teed up Barisic to score the opener and continued to terrorise the Ayr back line, firing a left-footed strike wide of the post before half-time.
This was a fine first start for Cortes after two substitute appearances and Rangers boss Clement seems happy with what he has seen.
Speaking to BBC Sport after Saturday’s win, Clement praised Cortes for his performances both on the pitch and in training.
Clement also claims that the Rangers recruitment team have had Cortes on their radar for a while now, believing that he would fit in well at Ibrox.
“We see why we bring him,” said Clement. “He is somebody who can help the team and who feels good in his way of football. He had six months in Lens, where they had a different style and he didn’t play many minutes – or almost nothing – but it’s good that our recruitment knew him already for a long time and they said he would fit the team and the squad and he could give something that we need for the next couple of months.”
“It’s clear already from the first training that he can help us with achieving our goals,” he added.
Cortes is still a raw talent and Rangers fans will be keen to him shine against Scottish Premiership action, a real step up from facing Ayr.
We are bound to see some rustiness from Cortes after such a disappointing first half of the season with Lens but there are exciting signs.
Clement has been dazzled by Cortes in training and his impact against Ayr was clear for all to see, so we are just looking forward to seeing even more of him in a Rangers shirt.
