Pedro Caixinha’s agent Nuno Batista has claimed that Mexican pair Carlos Pena and Eduardo Herrera have been made scapegoats for Rangers’ struggles this season.
Caixinha was sacked last Thursday after a home Scottish Premiership draw against Kilmarnock followed the team’s Scottish League Cup exit against Motherwell at the semi-final stage.
Rangers chiefs dismissed the Portugese after a torrent of criticism at his man-management and ability to motivate the players for the marquee matches.
Caixinha was also criticised for his summer signings, with most of the opprobrium reserved for expensive Mexican acquisitions, midfielder Pena and striker Herrera.
Batista has launched a defence of Caixinha’s imports from central America.
He told the Scottish Sun: “What happened with Pedro? That’s life in the football world. Carlos and Eduardo have both done very well for Rangers.
“Pedro’s exit had nothing to do with them. They have both being doing their job and are important members of the team.
“The problem was the media were looking for someone to blame and chose them.”
OPINION
Batista is stretching credulity by claiming that Herrera and Pena “have both done very well” for the Scottish giants. As anyone with a pair of eyes and half an understanding of football can see, that is absolute nonsense. The pair arrived for £1million-plus fees and big wages that took up much of the summer budget. Both have had fitness issues and struggled to adapt to the unique rhythms of the Scottish Premiership. It is not fair to blame them for Rangers’ failure to close the gap on Celtic. The blame should instead be directed at the person who signed them, and Caixinha paid with his job last week.