Ecuador World Cup star Jose Cifuentes made quite the noise when he arrived at Rangers but since then we’ve barely heard a whisper.
The 24-year-old midfielder arrived from MLS outfit LAFC with a decent pedigree amid claims Rangers reportedly pipped Premier League clubs to his signature.
After initially impressing in the Scottish Premiership, Jose Cifuentes toiled in the Champions League qualifiers before an injury halted a mixed start to life in Glasgow.
But as the Rangers squad’s gears finally start to turn courtesy of the grease applied by Philippe Clement, the emergence of Jose Cifuentes after the next international break could be a title game-changer for the club’s new manager.
There is a reason Jose Cifuentes arrived with some hype to Rangers and whilst Michael Beale’s summer transfer business – which amounted to some £21m – has been heavily criticised there are shoots of recovery in several of those who’ve joined the ranks at Ibrox.
Jose Cifuentes challenged to find Rangers form
Joining a new club is never easy and whilst Jack Butland, Abdallah Sima and more recently Danilo have bucked the trend, the rest who swapped shifts at the changing of the Ibrox guards have been found wanting.
But with Kieran Dowell returning from injury and even Cyriel Dessers and Sam Lammers, whisper it quietly, showing shoots of recovery the next period promises to be different.
The returning Leon Balogun has also begun to show exactly why Michael Beale re-signed him in the first place.
But out of all the new signings Jose Cifuentes is the name proving perhaps most enigmatic having arrived with sizeable hype and so far failing to get enough minutes to live up to it.
Whilst the Ecuadorean has played at the World Cup, Rangers, Scottish football and the European game are a step-up in competitiveness for the midfielder.
An injury during the last international break also cost the player precious time at Rangers and fans will hope the next two weeks go a little smoother.
Whilst some are busy writing Jose Cifuentes off, the addition of the midfielder to the Rangers team could be a potential game changer in the title race.
But until the South American finds a way to make some noise in Glasgow expect plenty in the stands to start filling the void of silence with questions.
Jose Cifuentes has made 15 appearances for Rangers and appeared as a later substitute in the club’s recent wins over Dundee, Sparta Prague and Livingston.
