Oscar Cortes enjoyed one of his most encouraging displays since leaving Ibrox, playing almost the full 90 minutes as Huracan beat San Lorenzo 2-0 in a fiery Buenos Aires derby.
The Rangers loanee started the contest and stayed on the pitch throughout as his Argentine side claimed local bragging rights in one of the domestic game’s most intense fixtures.
A double injury blow has meant Cortes has never truly got his Rangers career underway, with doubts if that will ever happen.
What the derby win means for Oscar Cortes
Cortes is spending the campaign at Huracan, one of several Rangers players sent out on loan as the club reshapes its squad during a busy summer window.
The winger has found game time and rhythm hard to come by at Ibrox, so a full shift in a derby of that intensity is exactly the sort of outing the move was designed to deliver.
A clean win in such a charged setting can only sharpen his sharpness and confidence for the months ahead, and it kept Huracan among the contenders at the top end of the Argentine table.
The result was welcomed back on Clydeside too, where supporters are keeping a close eye on the loan crop while Rangers push on with their summer squad overhaul.
As Inside Ibrox reported, the 90-minute outing was a statement of intent from a player determined to force his way back into the picture.
With Derek McInnes still fine-tuning his options and the Gers hunting reinforcements before the window shuts, form like this out on loan is a timely reminder of the talent Rangers still hold a stake in.
Oscar Cortes. Remember him?
The positive report shouldn’t be interpreted as cause for the Colombian to return to Ibrox, as things are probably too far gone now.
What it does is help restore the player’s reputation and value for a permanent sale, after Rangers paid Lens a reported £4.5 million fee last summer, after the initial loan deal.
If he can find consistency, the rest should take care of itself.
Cortes penned a four-year deal, but he spent most of last season on loan at Sporting Gijon which was an unsuccesful stint.
Thankfully, he is faring better in Argentina.
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