Rangers midfielder Jose Cifuentes is on his way back to Glasgow having been sent home from international duty.
Don’t worry though – Cifuentes isn’t injured, nor is he in any trouble from his time with Ecuador.
The Rangers summer signing came with a decent reputation having impressed in Major League Soccer with LAFC.
Premier League clubs had looked at Cifuentes but Rangers pulled off a deal, signing him for around £1.2million.
So far, Rangers fans have yet to see what all the fuss is about.
Cifuentes has managed just six league appearances this term and only 15 minutes since Philippe Clement’s arrival last month.
Jose Cifuentes sent home from Ecuador duty
Cifuentes really needed a positive international break in order to kick-start his season, but it hasn’t really gone to plan.
The 24-year-old started against Venezuela on Thursday and picked up a yellow card.
That means Cifuentes is now suspended for Tuesday’s game against Chile, so there is effectively no need for him to stick around.
Boss Felix Sanchez has now decided to send both Cifuentes and Bayer Leverkusen’s Piero Hincapie back home with both ruled out, as noted by ESPN.
Cifuentes has taken to Instagram to send a message, sharing his love for Ecuador following the draw with Venezuela.
“Nothing more beautiful than defending these colours. Insist, persist, resist and never give up,” said Cifuentes.
Cifuentes really needs to kick on now
This has been a slow start for Cifuentes, who doesn’t really seem to have settled into Scottish football just yet.
We know the talent is there; Cifuentes was superb for LAFC and continues to feature prominently for Ecuador.
Adjusting to Scottish football can be tricky though and Cifuentes really needs to kick on in the coming weeks.
Returning to training earlier than planned may help matters, giving Cifuentes more time to impress Clement.
The Rangers boss will be analysing his squad ahead of the January transfer window and midfield is a key area given that John Lundstram and Ryan Jack are out of contract next summer.
Cifuentes needs to prove that he can be the man for the long-term in Clement’s engine room, rather than see Rangers add another midfielder.
