Rangers have announced that James Sands will return to his parent club, New York City, a little earlier than expected.
The makeshift centre-back was due to stay at Ibrox until at least the summer, with an option to buy included in his contract at Ibrox, for roughly £5m.
Since the introduction of Michael Beale in the Rangers hot seat, Sands had only made three starts - with his most recent coming in the Scottish Cup victory against championship Partick Thistle.
It would be hard to describe the 22-year-old’s year in Scotland as anything other than underwhelming, making 41 appearances and grabbing his only goal in his last start. Sands’ departure signals the start of many cogs turning as Michael Beale aims to ‘revamp’ his squad and make improvements after another final defeat to Celtic on Sunday.
The manager has made Connor Goldson and Ben Davies his mainstays at centre-back, whilst the additions of Nicolas Raskin and Todd Cantwell in January have bolstered midfield options, leaving James Sands minimal opportunities, if any, to find any sort of way into the first XI.
In Rangers’ statement, Michael Beale said he believes that: “he will go on to have an excellent career.
“The opportunity to return to NYCFC for the start of the MLS season, where he will be a key player in their squad, was something that we felt was correct for all parties. Everyone at Rangers wishes him well moving forwards.”
The fan reaction was one mostly of relief, as the Gers faithful try to hold on to what little hope is left for a successful turnaround in this season for their club.
Rangers face Kilmarnock at Ibrox on Saturday as they look to temporarily close the gap between them and rivals Celtic to six points, ahead of their trip to Paisley on Sunday.
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