Mohamed Diomande sustained a hand injury during the Old Firm draw with Celtic, and the subsequent surgery kept him off the pitch at a critical juncture.
It speaks for itself that the Rangers gave up points in the two games in which the Ivory Coast international was benched.
When Dio made his comeback against Hearts at Hampden, he played brilliantly in the middle of the park, and at full time, Philippe Clement broke ranks to single out the midfield player.
Clement: Diomande is “missed” by the Rangers
Although Philippe Clement doesn’t frequently single out players on his own, Mohamed Diomande was an exception after Hearts.
Although the Rangers defeated the Jambos 2-0 at Hampden, there were a number of standout performances, but Clement specifically mentioned the 23-year-old.
The manager of the Rangers feels that injuries and a lack of “rhythm” cost his team during a pivotal point in the season, but he also claims that the midfielder’s return had a significant impact.
“It helps a lot to have players back like (Mohamed) Diomande,” Clement said at a press conference after the game. “We missed him after he sustained an injury against Celtic.
Additionally, there were other players who performed passably but not at their peak yet as they recovered from injuries and lost their rhythm.
Therefore, you must consider each of these factors and refrain from discarding anything. You must consider the situation.
Diomande Hearts commends Koppen and company.
When Philippe Clement was later asked specifically about Mohamed Diomande’s performance against Hearts, the midfielder for Rangers was showered with praise.
While asserting that Rangers won’t be Dio’s final football destination, the Ibrox boss also gave credit to Director of Recruitment Nils Koppen and his staff for landing the young player.
Despite facing financial constraints in January, Rangers managed to sign a £4.5 million loan-to-buy agreement with FC Nordsjaelland for the midfield player.
“Yes, we’ve witnessed what we’ve been missing in Mohamed Diomande v. Hearts,” Clement remarked.
Because of this, the recruitment team deserves a lot of praise because it’s extremely difficult to find someone with his qualifications in January without funding.
“As I mentioned earlier, this is not going to be the young player’s final stop. He will ascend further.
He therefore possesses a great deal of quality along with a strong mentality and personality to act honourably on the field.
In addition, Clement brought up the Rangers team’s struggles to find consistency in recent weeks, including injuries.
Rangers’ depth in the squad and injury history have been major factors in the campaign’s current state, despite the team’s assertion that those who took Diomande’s place were not even close to their best.
“It’s also because guys like Nico Raskin, Kieran Dowell, and Tom Lawrence were guys who were coming off injuries and didn’t have rhythm,” added Clement.
“Because they also performed a really good job in the past, so I am excited for these final weeks of the season where everyone will be fighting for spots on the team.
“I’m excited for everyone to push in the entire squad and for our level to rise again—to start, to be on the bench, and to be in the squad.”
With 13 appearances since joining Rangers in January, Mohamed Diomande has contributed an assist and two goals.
Rangers will now take on Celtic at Hampden in the Scottish Cup Final, which is scheduled for May 25.
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