"This is his moment" - Michael Beale tips Jose Cifuentes to kick on

The midfielder could be set for a bigger role after an injury to Nicolas Raskin

Published 20th Sep 2023

Michael Beale believes it is time for Jose Cifuentes to step up after revealing Nicolas Raskin would miss the Europa League opener against Real Betis at Ibrox on Thursday night.

The Gers midfielder picked up a calf injury in the 2-0 cinch Premiership win over St Johnstone at McDiarmid Park on Saturday.

Raskin joins fellow midfielder Todd Cantwell and Brazilian striker Danilo on the sidelines, the latter having an operation on a fractured cheekbone sustained in scoring the first goal in Perth.

Ecuador international Cifuentes has had an unconvincing beginning to his Gers career after signing from Los Angeles FC in the summer and will vie with Ryan Jack for a midfield berth in the coming weeks.

Gers boss Beale said: "Nico is out until after the international break with a calf problem.

"He took a kick in the game and it has given him a problem. So him, Todd and Danilo are missing.

"I saw Danilo yesterday, he still looks sore if I'm honest. He had successful surgery on the areas, it is not just one area.

"He will be back in non-contact training at the back end of the international break, so ideally he will be back the first week after the October international break, but it might be a couple of weeks after that.

"The reason Cifuentes didn't play at the weekend is that he didn't arrive back from South America until the Friday morning where he played at altitude, so he is ready to go and Ryan Jack is there as well so it doesn't change in us having options.

"He (Jose) came in very late and did some good things in his first couple of games. And then he was away on international duty.

"This is his moment, he has been here for a while now.

"I said recently that the new players have been here long enough now. He was the last one to come in, but I still think he is ready."

--

Hear the latest news on Clyde 1 on FM, DAB, smart speaker or the Rayo app.

Rangers Top Scorers

Ally McCoist

Ally McCoist scored 355 goals in his 581 appearances for Rangers between 1983-1998.

Bob McPhail

Bob McPhail scored 261 goals in all competitions for Rangers between 1927-1940.

Jimmy Smith

Jimmy Smith scored 249 goals in between 1930-1946.

Jimmy Fleming

Fleming scored 220 goals between 1925-1934.

Derek Johnstone

Derek Johnstone scored 210 goals for Rangers in his 549 appearances for the club. He played from 1970-1983, then again in the 1985/86 season.

Ralph Brand

Brand scored 206 goals in all competitions from 1954-1965.

Willie Reid

He scored 195 goals between 1909-1920.

Willie Thornton

Thornton scored 194 goals for Rangers between 1936-1954.

Robert C. Hamilton

Hamilton scored 184 goals in his 164 appearances. He played from 1897-1908.

Andy Cunningham

He scored 182 goals in his 350 appearances. Cunningham played from 1915-1928.