LIGA MX
What are Lainez’s stats since he returned to Liga MX to join Tigres?
Diego Lainez returned to Mexico to much fanfare when he joined Tigres on loan in January, but the winger has struggled to make his mark so far.
Tigres new boy Diego Lainez’s return to Mexico generated plenty of excitement, but so far the 22-year-old hasn’t made much of an impact.
Lainez, who joined on loan from Spanish club Real Betis in January, has endured the struggle for game time that also blighted his time in Europe. Since arriving back in the Liga MX, he has mustered just 128 minutes of action.
Lainez yet to force way into Tigres line-up
The winger, a Mexican champion with Club América in the Apertura 2018 tournament, is yet to start for Tigres.
Lainez made his debut in the Clausura 2023 matchday-five win over Cruz Azul, coming off the bench to replace Nicolás Ibáñez in the 52nd minute. That 38-minute run-out was the most he’s played in a single game thus far, and he came close to marking his bow for Los Felinos with a goal.
The Mexico international was then given 25 minutes against Pumas, 32 against Juárez, six against Atlas and 27 against Chivas. After his promising start against Cruz Azul, these four appearances saw him offer little in the way of attacking threat.
Lainez: Tigres stats at a glance
- Appearances: 5
- Starts: 0
- Minutes played: 128
- Goals: 0
- Assists: 0
Over four years since Lainez’s last Liga MX start
The last time Lainez started a Liga MX match was back in December 2018, in América’s Apertura 2018 semi-final win over Pumas. He was on target as Las Águilas thumped Los Universitarios 6-1.
Prior to that, you have to go back to August of that year to find the most recent occasion on which he played a full regular-season game, in América’s 3-0 matchday-four victory over Monterrey.
While Lainez still has time to find form in the Clausura 2023, the Tigres’ supporters are growing restless - they’re eager to see the youngster establish himself in Marco Antonio Ruiz’s side. As things stand, his figures aren’t justifying the $10m cost of taking him to the Estadio Universitario.