Credit: Imago

Samuel Fabre

Tue 24 March 2026 9:40, UK

Rangers midfielder Mohamed Diomande has found himself out of favour under Danny Rohl.

The 24-year-old has failed to showcase his quality consistently since making the £4.5million move from FC Nordsjaelland in January 2024.

Diomande has been sent off twice for Rangers this season, struggled with injuries, and has been left out of the Ivory Coast’s AFCON squad due to his poor run of form.

Rohl has the likes of Nicolas Raskin, Connor Barron and Tochi Chukwuani at his disposal, and it’s not a shock that the Ivorian has dropped down the pecking order.

And with Rangers firmly in a title race, it’s incredibly telling that Diomande isn’t being counted on.

Mohamed Diomande hasn’t started the last four games

Since Chukwuani arrived in the winter transfer window, he’s hardly put a foot wrong, and it remains to be seen whether Diomande will accept being a substitute.

And with Barron now back from his long-term injury, the 24-year-old’s minutes aren’t set to improve.

According to Sofascore, the versatile midfielder has only won 43.5 per cent of his aerial duels in the Scottish Premiership, and his lack of physicality has become a big problem in Rohl’s eyes.

In fact, Diomande hasn’t started any of the last four Scottish Premiership games, and he was subbed off at half-time in the penalty-shootout loss to Celtic in the Scottish Cup.

Having won only 49.7 per cent of his ground duels, Rohl expects a lot more from one of his midfielders, and he clearly doesn’t fit the German head coach’s system.

The Bears have played in a 4-2-4 system in recent weeks, which doesn’t suit Diomande, who is more of a box-to-box midfielder.

Unfortunately, that has left him on the bench, and given his unimpressive numbers in the league, his game time looks set to remain limited.

Why Tochi Chukwuani is a better midfield partner for Nico Raskin

While this tactical change could spell the end of his career in Govan, it’s Chukwuani’s arrival that has shaken things up.

The 23-year-old brings a lot more defensive stability to the Glaswegian outfit, and with their formation being so open, his presence in the starting lineup is required.

And Chukwuani has been fantastic since joining from Sturm Graz for a fee of £4m in January, winning 56.1 per cent of his ground duels in the Scottish Premiership so far.

Rohl specifically targeted someone more physical to play alongside Raskin, and his stats from his time out in Austria show how valuable he can be.

Chukwuani has also scored three goals in all competitions for the Light Blues, which is more than Diomande has managed in 29 fewer appearances.

Unfortunately for the Ivorian, there’s not much he can do to find his way back into the side, especially as the January signing continues to flourish in defensive midfield.

His versatility allows Raskin to roam further forward, and that’s just something Diomande can’t offer to the team.

Updated 24/7 with expert analysis from the heart of Govan.