Jose Cifuentes mystery as Rangers drops from squad despite Dumbarton attendancePhoto by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images
Jose Cifuentes mystery as Rangers drops from squad despite Dumbarton attendance
Rangers will be investigating every avenue to rectify the consistently bad injury list with Philippe Clement missing another first team regular in Jose Cifuentes.
The Ecuador international has been seen in the two mid-season friendlies, however, his name was missing from the team news for the trip to Dumbarton.
With Rangers needing as many players available as possible, Jose Cifuentes being unavailable is the last thing manager Philippe Clement wants, a cryptic social media post doing little to calm fears either.
Rangers v Livingston – Viaplay Cup
Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images
Rangers could do without Jose Cifuentes absence
The 24-year old midfielder hasn’t quite made the impact that Michael Beale predicted when he said he would take the club to the next level but he did show signs of improvement before the winter break.
📍Checked in.#ScottishCup pic.twitter.com/ig2fpEDVXx
— Rangers Football Club (@RangersFC) January 20, 2024
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Writing on Instagram, a long piece of text only added to the confusion:
“Surgical removal procedures are done to remove things that are considered life threatening to the body.
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“After a surgery, you’re not expected to jump back into your usual routine like everything is perfect.
“You have to go through a healing process, and prayer is an essential part of this.”
No sign of Cifuentes in the squad but at the ground. 🤷🏼♂️ pic.twitter.com/jBKUhVG6TY
— Gavin Kelly (@gmkelly1979) January 20, 2024
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With Kieran Dowell out and Ryan Jack unable to stay consistently fit, another injury in midfield isn’t what the manager will want.
Strangely though, in Rangers pre-match media content, Jose Cifuentes could be seen signing autographs for fans outside the ground.
There was no mention of the summer arrival by Philippe Clement before the game and it looks as though we will need to wait until the final whistle to get an answer.
Having traveled, it might be that Jose Cifuentes has suffered an emotional breakdown rather than a physical one and Philippe Clement has given the afternoon off hoping that Rangers have enough without him.
