Rangers flop Fabio Cardoso has been linked with a return to Portugal with Estoril.
Unfairly or not, it appears that Fabio Cardoso has been written off already by some Rangers fans.
It is certainly true that the Portuguese centre-back has endured a difficult start to life in Scottish football since joining from Vitoria Setubal for £1.3 million in July. He has been made to look like a mug by the likes of Connor Sammon and Rakish Bingham with the pace and power of the British game looking a little too much for the lightweight defender to handle.
Then again, Rangers should seriously think about whether they are willing to sell Cardoso already. The Daily Record reports that Primeira Liga strugglers Estoril are keen to take the 23-year-old back home and, considering that Cardoso has played just 45 minutes of football since Pedro Caixinha was sacked in October, it would be little surprise if Rangers said yes.
But if there is one centre-back Rangers should sell in January, it is not Cardoso.
Fellow Portuguese Bruno Alves has also found himself out-of-favour under interim boss Graeme Murty and even told the Daily Record recently that he would consider his future if he struggles for game time – a World Cup swansong is on the horizon after all.
At 36, Alves is 13 years older than Cardoso and, if rumours are to be believed, is picking up a far bigger weekly wage.
Cardoso can improve, he has a lot of time ahead of him. Alves’ best years are well behind him, however, and there is little point him hoovering up the dough while he is whiling away his autumn years on the bench.
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