James Sands holds lingering Rangers regret as he gets honest over US international exile

New York City FC star James Sands believes he has been forgotten by the US national side because he no longer plays in Europe after an ill-fated spell at Rangers.

The 23-year-old penned an 18-month loan deal with the Light Blues in January 2022 while Gio van Bronckhorst was in charge at Ibrox, but made little impact during his time at Ibrox and failed to hold down a regular starting spot at the club despite gaining Champions League and Europa League experience. The versatile midfielder saw his loan cut short by Michael Beale just a year into his deal with Rangers unwilling to pick up an £4million option to buy.

After leaving the Premiership behind Sands was critical of the Scottish top flight – stating he would get more "challenges" in the MLS. However, he appears to have changed his tune as the 13-time America cap reckons he is being overlooked by boss Gregg Berhalter due to not playing in Europe – as he admitted he was eyeing a return to the continent from NYC FC.

He told the Daily Mail: "A lot of time with a national team, it’s just not something you can control day to day. I can't be calling him every day. He's not watching me in training every day. So you find a way to sort of put it in the back of your mind and focus on how you’re playing with your club team.

"I am always trying to get called up to the national team, but I understand now that most of those guys are playing in Europe. So it does make it hard playing in the MLS.

"It's always going to be the coach's decision for the national team. And he's always going to place a little more value on the guys who are playing in the top European leagues, which I would too. That's how the world works. All I can do is put in good performances here and hopefully they