Cedric Itten has relished scoring his first Bundesliga goal, but the Rangers loanee admits the challenge to impress is far from over at Greuther Furth, via quotes by the Daily Record.
The Swiss moved to the Trolli-Arena on a season-long deal this summer and has featured in all three available games. However, Stefan Leitl dropped the 24-year-old to the Kleeblatter bench last Friday. Only for Itten to enter the action and score against Bayern Munich.
Greuther Furth still lost the game 3-1, with Itten’s 87th-minute strike only a consolation for the Bundesliga’s basement boys. The Rangers forward is now determined to use his goal as a springboard for overcoming the setback of being benched.
Itten keen to prove himself at Greuther Furth
Itten’s debut Greuther Furth goal came after the forward scored in Rangers’ friendlies with Real Madrid and Arsenal this summer. Netting against Bayern Munich means more to the Gers’ £3m attacker, though, who now wants to prove himself to Leitl.
“It was a very proud moment for me to not only score my first Bundesliga goal, but also to score against Bayern Munich is something really special,” Itten said. “For me, personally, it was nice to score against another world-class team and this one meant more because it was a competitive match.
“It was a wonderful feeling and we deserved to score a goal. It is one of the highlights of my career. Of course, I would have liked to have started and that is my challenge now to prove to the manager that I can be trusted to play for 90-minutes. I always want to play every minute, but the most important thing is always the team.”
Does he have a future at Rangers?
Itten was a regular, if not pivotal, part of Steven Gerrard’s plans last season and will hope his Greuther Furth stay proves he has a long-term future back at Rangers. The four-cap centre-forward made 38 appearances with the Gers last term, but only scored six times.
He now has a one-in-three record in the Bundesliga this term, scoring in the only game he did not start. But Itten will hope for further opening roles and goals to come, starting on Friday against Koln. With the Kleeblatter on just one point after six Bundesliga fixtures.
Rangers, meanwhile, are yet to see the best from those Gerrard kept in Glasgow this summer. Only Joe Aribo and Kemar Roofe have score more than one goal with two each in the Premiership this season. Alfredo Morelos and Fashion Sakala have both scored once.
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