James Sands has made an instant impact after returning to New York City, according to his manager Nick Cushing.

The former Rangers utility man recently cut his loan deal from the MLS short due to a lack of game time and he is now back in his homeland.

Sands was thrown straight in as New York earned a 1-1 draw away to Chicago Fire on Sunday and Cushing has hailed the performance of the midfielder.

He said: “I think you see he gives us control in the game, you can see his understanding of how we want to play, and how he really contributes to our build-up.

“I can see the maturity that he's gained being over in Scotland, and playing in Champions League, and the Europa League, and in the Scottish Premier League. He's constantly talking, and he's solving problems; he's helping other guys, and definitely taking a leadership role in the team.

“You see what he brings us, and how he controls the game – he regains the ball a lot, he's in the right positions for most of the game. He keeps the ball for periods so that we don't have to defend our goal because we have the ball.”

Sands was replaced late on, and Cushing revealed he was struggling with cramp due to a lack of minutes in his legs.

He added: “He was just cramping. He hasn't played a lot of football over the last two, three months, and we know the nature of MLS is very intense. He started cramping and in the end, he needed to come off.

“We lost a little bit of control in the game when he went off but hopefully, he'll be back next week and will keep going.”

Sands thanked Rangers for affording him “a fantastic opportunity” over the past 13 months after his loan deal with the Ibrox club was ended prematurely.

The American made 41 appearances for Rangers – 27 as a starter – but had started only three matches since the World Cup break. Upon returning to New York, he signed a new contract with his hometown club until 2027.

“I am excited to return to New York,” he told their website. “As someone who grew up in New York and played for local youth teams and the NYCFC academy, it was and continues to be a great honour to represent this club.

“NYCFC has had a tremendous impact on my development, the club’s support of my initial step in Europe and continued understanding of my career goals has been very important to me.

“I would like to thank Rangers for the fantastic opportunity to play with a top-notch European team.

“Reaching the Europa League final, playing in the Champions League and winning the Scottish Cup are just a few of the many positive memories that I will take away with me. The level of support from the Rangers fans is second to none.

“I hope I can use my experience abroad to help the club achieve its goals and bring home some more silverware for our incredible fans.”