Jose Cifuentes ‘extremely unlikely’ to make Rangers debut v Kilmarnock
Jose Cifuentes is “extremely unlikely” to make his Rangers debut against Kilmarnock as he closes in on a transfer this week, according to The Sun.
Writing on their official website (2 August), the newspaper report that the Ecuador international midfielder is due in Glasgow to pen a four-year-deal at Ibrox to bring to an end one of the longest transfer sagas of the summer.
But while he will be available for the opening fixture of the season in the SPFL, manager Michael Beale is likely to leave him out until he gets at least a week of training with the team.
“In theory that could put him in the frame to play in the club’s SPFL season-opener against Kilmarnock, but in practice he’s extremely unlikely to be risked until he has a good week of training under his belt,” they wrote.
Expected
Cifuentes has been a signing that Rangers have been chasing since before the window even officially opened, and it’s clear that he is one of the manager’s favourite targets for the summer.
So to get it over the line is the perfect way to mark transfer number nine of the window, but it’s certainly a shame that he won’t be able to go straight into the team.
Cifuentes’ fitness is unlikely to be the issue because he has been playing throughout the summer for LA FC and for the Ecuador national team, but the lack of understanding of what Beale will want is likely to be a bigger influence on the decision.
It’s certainly possible that Beale names him on the bench just in case for the game, with Glen Kamara already told he won’t be involved in the game which leaves the club’s midfield options short.
But the important thing is that the deal is set to be completed and Rangers will have a new midfield general for the rest of the season as we look for number 56.
In other Rangers news, player expected to complete transfer abroad after bid accepted.