Rangers Fan View: Carlos Pena can be a hit – if he is given time

He came with a big reputation over the summer; he cost an outlay of £2.2m from Chivas and he’s been the most talked about signing within the Rangers fanbase all season long. Granted, he has gone off the boil and has a reputation for being a bit of a party animal. However, we must give Carlos Pena some time to settle and find his feet in Scottish football. He’s not the only player that’s needed time to adapt and he won’t be the last.

Let’s be honest about it, if he was an established Mexican international playing at the top of his game, he wouldn’t be playing in Scotland; he would be plying his trade in La Liga or Serie A or a league of that calibre.

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I must admit, alongside Bruno Alves, he was the signing that intrigued me most. However, Caixinha described him as a box-to-box midfielder. I won’t pretend to know much about Liga MX or say that I can remember any of his appearances for the Mexican national side. If I said I did, I would be lying.

But from anything I have seen of him in a Rangers shirt so far, nothing at all suggests to me that he is a box-to-box midfielder or anything close to it. When he has played, he’s been used as a no.10 – most of the time playing behind Alfredo Morelos.

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I can see why Caixinha brought him to the club. He’s clever – gets himself into good positions in between the lines, and most of all he is a good finisher. His two goals in three starts back that up. I wouldn’t be shocked if he managed to score more than double figures such as the goal threat he possesses; something we have lacked from the side for a very long time.

In his last appearance against Hamilton, it would not be obtuse of me to suggest that he was awful. His touch was all over the place and it looked as if he had never played on a plastic pitch before. Furthermore, he could easily have been sent off on two occasions.

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I know big things are expected of him. However, I am sure he is aware of the pressure that is on his shoulders. It could be a case of him trying too hard to impress instead of doing what comes naturally to him. This, in fact, could be the reason why is touch has been so slack. Surely under normal circumstances, his touch cannot be that poor, can it?

The next few months for Pena should be about adjusting to the pace of the game in Scotland. Many players from England have had a period of adjustment, such as Mark Hateley for example. It took him almost six months to show his true form. Even the legendary Ally McCoist needed a period of adjustment to life at Ibrox. The same might just be the same of Pena.

I firmly believe there is a good footballer in there. I just hope he is afforded the time and patience to really show what he is made of.

Caixinha really needs Pena to work. I think we will see the best of him in the second half of the season. Whether that be as a no.10 or being one of the midfield two that remains to be seen. I have seen enough from his movement and his goal-scoring ability that he will be a success here. I’m sure over the next few months, he will prove his worth and prove Caixinha’s judgement to be correct on his signing.