An “exciting” Rangers talent is now expected to return from his injury doubt for his side’s Europa League clash with Lyon at Ibrox, according to manager Philippe Clement.
Rangers face another key week
The Gers picked up three important points in the Scottish Premiership on Sunday afternoon, winning 1-0 at home to Hibernian to close the gap on Celtic back to five points again. It was far from convincing, however, with Jack Butland saving a first-half penalty and the performance far from the most dominant.
For that reason, there is still an element of pressure on Clement, whose job has been under scrutiny in recent weeks, following some hit-and-miss performances in all competitions, not least when Rangers got knocked out of the Champions League at the expense of Dynamo Kiev.
Up next for the Gers is a Europa League meeting with Ligue 1 side Lyon on Thursday night, having picked up an impressive 2-0 victory away to Malmo last week.
It represents a good chance for Rangers to pick up some momentum and improve upon Sunday’s display against Hibs, prior to Sunday evening’s visit of St Johnstone in the league. There are fitness issues for the Scottish giants to deal with, however, and now a new update has emerged regarding one player’s potential involvement.
“Exciting” Rangers ace expected to feature vs Lyon
Speaking RangersTV [via Rangers News], Clement admitted that Mohamed Diomande is an injury doubt for Rangers’ clash with Lyon this week, but he expects to call on him: “Diomande got a knock on Thursday. So he was not available for today. I hope to have him back on Thursday but we will see. Probably yes, with no guarantees.”
Not having Diomande would be a big blow, with the 22-year-old impressing this season after making a permanent switch to Ibrox during the summer transfer window. He has averaged 1.6 tackles per game across five SPL appearances, as well as bagging one assist, while Barry Ferguson has spoken of his happiness at the £4.5m deal to sign the youngster permanently.
“The signing of Diomande looks particularly shrewd and not just because of the way the numbers were structured. They’ve landed an exciting talent on loan without having to stump up a significant fee until the summer.”
The fact that Rangers failed to hit top gear against Hibs without Diomande in the team arguably highlights his importance to Clement, so having him back available for Lyon would feel like a massive shot in the arm. On the flip side, the Gers’ midfield would be lacking his quality both on and off the ball against challenging opponents if he is ruled out, so supporters will be keeping their fingers crossed.
Either way, he is going to be a vital player for Rangers as this season goes on, and the fact that he is still so young means that there is also still so much more to come for him as the years pass.
