As Rangers kicked off their pre-season against Standard Liege, the inclusion of Oscar Cortes in the starting XI served as a major boost.
The Colombian winger, 21, has extended his stay in Glasgow after initially impressing following a January loan move from Ligue 1 side RC Lens.
Struck down by the Rangers injury curse within weeks of arriving, Cortes was forced to undergo surgery following a mid-season win away to Kilmarnock in late February.
It was a moment which sent a ripple effect across Govan as Rangers won one match in five following the injury and the club’s league title tilt collapsed.
With the Ibrox hierarchy seeing enough to strike a permanent loan-to-buy deal with Cortes this summer, the return of the attacker after more than four months was a welcome sight.
But Rangers fans will note that the forward’s return has been caveated by the absences of five first-team players from the first friendly of the season.
Cortes back after over fourth months
Rangers fans will be delighted to see Oscar Cortes back in action for the club.
The Colombian winger looks like an exciting talent and Rangers will be hoping the kid can take his next steps in the game at Ibrox.
Certainly fitting the Nils Koppen transfer mould – Rangers in part discovered Cortes via the TransferRoom conferences – big things are expected of the winger this season.
But before we can see Cortes at his swashbuckling best the kid needs to work back up to full fitness and that is what pre-season training is all about.
Playing 30 minutes before being subbed off for Robbie Fraser, it was a welcome reintroduction to the first team squad and Rangers fans will be keen to see what Cortes can bring to the club this season.
Five missing for Rangers pre-season friendly
At the same time as Oscar Cortes returned to action for Rangers, there were a number of notable absentees from the squad for the Standard Liege clash.
The most notable was Rangers captain James Tavernier, who watched the game from the side of the pitch.
Tav has been strongly linked with a move to Saudi Arabia and for the time being it’s not clear why the skipper was not included v Standard.
The Ibrox captain was joined by fellow right-back and Gers utility man Dujon Sterling, who also wasn’t involved against the Belgians.
Brazilian striker Danilo is still working his way back to full fitness, similarly to Oscar Cortes, but was not risked for this pre-season friendly.
Neither was fellow striker Zak Lovelace, another struck down by serious injuries last season, as the England youth international builds his way back to his best.
The final player who wasn’t involved in the game was want-away midfielder Todd Cantwell, who has been the subject of much criticism from Rangers fans.
Cantwell’s agent even offered the player to a random Instagram account he thought belonged to Lecce manager Luca Gotti.
