A Rangers midfielder is looking forward to what could be a ‘very special’ game this weekend. But not the one you might think.
Philippe Clement’s side will host Old Firm rivals Celtic at Ibrox knowing that a win, while hardly guaranteeing them the Scottish Premiership title, will put Rangers in the driving seat for only their second top-flight title in over a decade.
But while a player who was shunted out by Clement in January has been denied the chance to play his part in a clash some have dubbed the most important Old Firm derby in years, Jose Cifuentes can at least console himself with the prospect of a starring role in ‘very special’ fixture of his own.
Cifuentes’ Cruzeiro side will take on Universidad Catolica on Friday. The 25-year-old started his career at the Ecuadorian outfit, and will reunite with the coach who gave him his big break in senior football.
Rangers loanee set for a ‘very special’ reunion
“An exceptional person,” Jorge Celico, now back for a second spell as the head coach of Universidad Catolica, tells Globo Esporte. “He deserves everything that is happening in his career.
“(Cifuentes) arrived at the club very small. He arrived, they brought me to observe him, and he quickly signed. He stayed at the club’s guesthouse.”
Years on, Celico now finds himself going up against his former charge. And while things might not have worked out at Rangers – he made only nine Scottish Premiership appearances before returning to South America on loan – the Universidad boss is not exactly looking thrilled about the prospect of witnessing Cifuentes’ talents again at close quarters with a place in the Copa quarter-finals on the line.
‘A complete player’
“I’m worried about facing Cifuentes, but I’m also worried about facing Cruzeiro,” Celico adds. “(Cifuentes is) a constant contributor to the game. He has good technique, can play in attack, but can also play and support in the midfield, making those close to him play well.
“He also has a good mid-range shot, close to the area. For me, a complete player.”
The Rangers supporters who watched on underwhelmed during Cifuentes’ short-lived spell in Glasgow may not remember the former LAFC ace quite so fondly. With three wins and two draws from his first five appearances at Cruzeiro, however, Cifuentes can give his chances of a permanent £2.5 million move to the Brazilian outfit a boost during that reunion with Celico and Catolica.
