Rangers misfit Carlos Pena joins new club in Mexico

Troubled Rangers midfielder Carlos Pena has signed for Necaxa after the Mexican club took over his loan deal, following his axe from Cruz Azul.

Carlos Pena will join a new Mexican team after being axed by Pedro Caixinha at Cruz Azul. Picture: SNS/Ross MacDonald

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The 28-year-old vowed this week he would return better than ever after he checked into a Baja el Sol rehabilitation clinic in the Mexican state of Sinaloa in a bid to recover from his alcohol addiction.

And despite Pena expected to be in the clinic for at least a month, Liga MX outfit Necaxa have taken over the remaining six months of his loan contract.

The Aguascalientes outfit will be in the bottom half of the table for Mexico’s second part of the season following their mid-season split.

And it means Pena will go head-to-head with his former Rangers and Cruz Azul boss Pedro Caixinha who axed him from his Mexico City club last month.

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Pena was dismissed following a variety of off-the-field mishaps and he took action himself to check into the addiction clinic.

He stressed: “I want to come out of this and be the best midfielder in Mexico again.

“I left home when I was 13 to fulfil my dream of being a footballer and I’ve won titles and played in the World Cup. Now I want to get back to those days.

The Mexican international will stay with Necaxa until January and could return to Ibrox after that in theory because he would still have 18 months left of his contract.