Mohamed Diomande called ’embarrassing’ after what he did in Rangers win vs Hibernian
Mohamed Diomande started as Rangers beat Hibernian 2-0 at Ibrox in their Premier Sports Cup quarter-final on Saturday.
Diomande faced criticism after a woeful display against Hearts, with the midfielder at fault for Lawrence Shankland’s first goal due to his defensive ineptitude.
The midfielder put in a much better display, as he lined up alongside the returning Nicolas Raskin, who was Rangers’ best player on the day.
Rangers secured what was a fairly comfortable win against Hibs to reach the semi-final, but Diomande has now been criticised for one aspect of his display on 20 September.
Tam McManus slams Mohamed Diomande despite Rangers win
Diomande had a battling display in the middle of the park and gave away several fouls before being booked in the 57th minute.
Hibernian felt aggrieved that the midfielder was not booked sooner, after several clear fouls were allowed before he was eventually penalised.
- Diomande was booked in the 57th minute after a string of fouls.
- This came one minute after captain James Tavernier was booked.
- Diomande came off for Connor Barron in the 68th minute.
Former Hibs star Tam McManus was clearly unhappy with Diomande, and he took to X to express his fury with the Rangers star during the game.
“How many fouls, Diomande? It’s embarrassing,” McManus posted.
Rangers find best midfield trio vs Hibernian
It is now clear to Russell Martin what his best midfield trio is, with Thelo Aasgaard, Raskin, and Diomande all starting together for the very first time.
While there is still room for improvement, out of the current options in the squad, this has to be the first-choice trio going forward, with Connor Barron and Joe Rothwell as rotation options.
Martin did himself a disservice in dropping Raskin, and the Belgian has helped Diomande improve his own game, but he will need to be more careful with his tendency to give fouls away going forward.
A harsher referee may have booked Diomande earlier on, and this would have likely led to an earlier substitution for Barron for fear of a red card.
The Ivory Coast International has made 85 appearances for Rangers, scoring eight goals, and is now a crucial part of the team.
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