JEFTE insists he’s not surprised that Russell Martin was sacked by Rangers.
The Brazilian left-back, 21, departed Ibrox a short period after Martin took the reins as boss and moved back to his home country with Palmeiras.
In the short time he played under Martin, Jefte could see the style the manager wanted his team playing.
And the defender always felt it would not suit the squad he had at his disposal.
Jefte knew his own time was up in Glasgow when Max Aarons was shuffled to the left hand side.
And the Brazilian was stuck on the sidelines more often than not.
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Yet, he held his hands up and accepted the manager’s decision.
But that didn’t prevent him from seeing the writing on the wall early on for Martin as the now unemployed head coach struggled to adapt his tactics to complement his players.
“I respect the work of coach Russell Martin, but my style of play didn’t fit with what he asked for,” Jefte said.
“And I respect the decision he made while I was playing for Rangers.
“But the fans have every right to criticise when the squad isn’t winning important games.
“I’d be lying if I said I was surprised (he was sacked), but I’m not.
“Every coach has his own style, and no matter how much he tried to fit his style of play with the players, it didn’t work.
“Sometimes, unfortunately, this happens.”
Jefte’s £6million switch to Palmeiras came as a surprise to some supporters, particularly in how fast it came about.
And while the full-back was not actively seeking an exit from Ibrox, he admits the move was too good to turn down when it presented itself.
“Palmeiras is a giant, the biggest club in Brazil,” Jefte added.
“Of course, one of the biggest reasons I came to this club was to win titles.
“Palmeiras reaches practically all the finals and I wanted to take a bigger leap in my career.
“The move was very smooth for me. It’s the country where I’ve lived practically my whole life.
“So it was very smooth, but quite quick. I didn’t imagine returning to Brazilian football so quickly.
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“I thank Rangers for everything they did for me, they made me a new player.
“I learned a lot but when you have an offer you can’t refuse, you can’t waste it.
“I needed to come to Palmeiras.”
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