Derek Cornelius injury update emerges at Rangers after Danny Rohl snub in loss vs Roma
Danny Rohl may have been forced to bench Derek Cornelius against Roma due to an injury issue at Rangers on Thursday.
Gian Piero Gasperini’s team won at Ibrox on 6 November, with Matias Soule and Lorenzo Pellegrini’s first-half goals enough to get a comfortable victory over the Gers.
James Tavernier, Nasser Djiga and John Souttar started for Rohl, with the centre-back partnership struggling against the Serie A giants.
Cornelius has arguably been one of the better defenders at the Glaswegian outfit this season, but he could potentially have been nursing a knock after playing 120 minutes in the 3-1 loss to Celtic in the Premier Sports Cup semi-final on 2 November.
Danny Rohl forced into Rangers change due to Derek Cornelius injury
It was surprising to see Rohl make changes to the Gers’ backline against Roma, with Djiga playing as the left centre-back.
The Wolves loanee has been woeful for the Light Blues in recent months and was once again all over the place at Ibrox against Roma.
Souttar has also not been at his best for the Glaswegian outfit, but journalist Joshua Barrie has revealed Rohl may have been forced to drop Cornelius due to fitness worries.
Speaking on The Rangers Review on 7 November, Barrie said: “I think he had a bit of a knock. So if you look at the end of the game against Celtic at the weekend, he was down in extra time, wasn’t he? He was on the bench, but perhaps carrying just a bit of a knock because of the fact that he went down in extra time at the end of that game on the weekend.”
Djiga’s inclusion in the starting lineup against Roma was a surprise, with the 22-year-old Burkina Faso international clearly not good enough for the Gers.
With the Light Blues’ defensive struggles on show this season, it would make sense to strengthen the backline in the winter transfer window.
Danny Rohl has in-house solution to defensive worries at Ibrox
Emmanuel Fernandez’s move to Ibrox from Peterborough United in the summer now seems unnecessary, considering the centre-back has hardly featured for the Glaswegian outfit.
It looks like the move to Rangers was a step too far for the Englishman right now, raising questions over Kevin Thelwell’s recruitment strategy.
| Appearances | Goals | Assists | Minutes played |
| 13 | 1 | 1 | 971 |
While it arguably won’t be easy to recruit quality players in the winter transfer window, the Gers could use Clinton Nsiala as a short-term solution.
The French youngster came into the team last season during an injury crisis in defence and held his own before losing his place under Barry Ferguson and Russell Martin, but the left-footed centre-back may be set for redemption in G51.
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