Jayden Meghoma faces Rangers D-Day as Danny Rohl holds all the cards vs Celtic
Jayden Meghoma’s Rangers career is at a crossroads ahead of Sunday’s clash with Celtic.
Having joined on a season-long loan deal from Brentford, the 19-year-old has provided six assists in 37 games this season.
Meghoma’s move to Rangers was initially scrutinised, yet he turned out to be one of the more impressive summer signings during the first half of the season.
However, despite being the first-choice left-back at the start of Danny Rohl‘s spell in charge, the arrival of Tuur Rommens has completely disrupted his development at Ibrox.
And if he doesn’t play against Celtic on Sunday, then it could be curtains for his time in G51.
- Read more: Rangers tipped to make Brentford approach over Jayden Meghoma deal after Tuur Rommens development
Jayden Meghoma isn’t rated highly by Danny Rohl anymore
Rohl clearly values the Rommens’ attacking prowess, and he has already shown his ability to cause some real problems out wide.
However, it’s his defensive qualities that have made him stand out, with Meghoma facing criticism throughout the season for his deficiencies in the air.
The English defender hasn’t featured in the last two games, and if he isn’t brought on as a sub against the Hoops, then it seems he will hardly play again before returning to Brentford at the end of the season.
| Stat | Meghoma |
| Appearances | 23 |
| Aerial duels won | 49.6% |
| Ground duels won | 21.1% |
| Tackles | 38 |
| Blocked shots | 3 |
His only goal for the Ibrox outfit came in the 2-2 draw with Dundee United on 3 December, and according to Sofascore, he has makes only two clearances per game, which shows that he hasn’t got the defensive mindset that Rohl needs from a left-back.
With Rangers fighting for the Scottish Premiership title, Rohl will look to change his backline as little as possible during the run-in.
As they have also been eliminated from the Europa League, Rangers will hardly rotate in domestic competitions, which is terrible news for Meghoma.
A lot of credit must go to the Brentford loanee, who accepted the responsibility that was placed on him by both Rohl and Russell Martin.
However, Rommens is currently a level above, and Meghoma’s loan spell in Govan is set to end in a disappointing way.
Why has Tuur Rommens been a perfect match for Rangers?
Although Rommens had to wait a couple of weeks before featuring for Rangers, he certainly made a positive impression on the Ibrox faithful.
He was excellent in both games against Livingston and Hearts, and it’s no surprise that Meghoma has had to watch on from the bench.
The Sofascore graphic below shows how well he played in last Sunday’s 2-2 draw, and that’s hopefully just a sign of things to come.
Rommens won 10 of his 14 duels against Livi, as well as losing just one of his five aerial duels, and if he performs at the same level in the Old Firm derby, then Rangers have an even bigger chance of securing all three points.
He showcases all the attributes of an old-school defender, which is a strong contrast from Meghoma, who should definitely be concerned about his playing time.
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