Despite receiving a start, which he had not received at Ibrox in recent weeks, the 24-year-old was unable to have a significant impact on the World Cup qualifier at Estadio Monumental de Maturin.
After struggling to get minutes at the club level recently—a situation that hasn’t been helped by an injury layoff—Cifuentes would have aimed for Ecuador’s doubleheader this international window as an opportunity to show off his skills.
Philippe Clement, a summer signing from Los Angeles FC, has only played 15 minutes of football since arriving in Glasgow on October 15. That consists of three appearances as a substitute in the seven games the Gers have played under Clement.
However, because of the yellow card he received during the Venezuelan impasse, Cifuentes will not be playing in Ecuador’s match against Chile on Tuesday, November 21.
Due to a string of warnings this qualifying campaign, Cifuentes will serve a one-match ban, as reported by the Ecuadorian publication Las 24 Horas de Jujuy [17 November].
From a self-serving perspective, that is excellent news for the Gers because it suggests the midfield player will likely return to Glasgow before the scheduled meeting with Aberdeen next week.
That is good news for the Gers from a selfish point of view, as it may well mean the midfielder returns to Glasgow ahead of schedule prior to next week’s meeting with Aberdeen
Though Cifuentes won’t have the opportunity to do so, it would have been good for him to gain some more experience and confidence.
More encouragingly, Cifuentes seems to be recovered from his injury sustained during the previous international window. Hopefully, he can contribute right away when the Gers play again.
