Oscar Cortes has had a 2024 that he will want to put behind him after signing for Rangers nearly a year ago.
The Colombia youth international arrived with a sterling reputation and with the potential to be a top-quality addition to the squad.
Philippe Clement’s job as manager is hard enough without having a £4m winger unavailable for most of his tenure but it is time for Rangers to let the 20-year old loose.
Time for Oscar Cortés to make Rangers impact
Against Celtic, Clement probably would have wanted to bring Ridvan Yilmaz on higher up the park instead of making Ianis Hagi play 120 minutes, however, the circumstances dictated otherwise.
There is a feeling that the left-wing role is being kept warm until Cortes is fit, and the Gers boss has said that he is available for selection:
”Oscar Cortes is coming closer, but that’s for a few minutes then. Not for too long, but he is available for a squad,” Clement said ahead of the Europa League clash with Spurs.
Whilst Celtic were able to replace like for like, Rangers had to put square pegs into round holes when the game went into extra time.
Being able to bring on Cortes, and even Rabbi Matondo, would have made a big difference with the game stretched.
There has been a shortage of ball carriers in the starting XI and matchday squads since the summer and having a player who can add balance to Vaclav Cerny on the opposite flank will make a difference.
The knock-on effect will allow Hagi to rotate with Nedim Bajrami or for him to give Cerny a rest on the right-hand side.
What game should Cortés target for full fitness?
At Hampden, Rangers ran out of steam and out of ideas when Clement was crying out for someone who could make something happen out of nothing.
The target for Clement and Cortes now must be to build up his minutes ahead of the next Old Firm derby and minutes for Rangers B team is a start.
He looked sharp setting up Paul Nsio for the Light Blues’ opener.
After a year of frustration, starting 2025 with a match winning performance against Celtic wouldn’t be a bad way to kick off the new year.
