Mohamed Diomande should have sealed Rangers future with Celtic performance
Mohamed Diomande surely can’t be seen as a starting calibre player for Rangers any longer after his display against Celtic.
Sunday 10 May 2026 is a day that everyone connected with Rangers will wish they could forget in a hurry.
Parkhead was the setting for Gers’ 2025-26 Scottish Premiership title hopes to vanish, in another hugely disappointing 3-1 defeat.
Danny Rohl is now the first Rangers manager to lose three successive league games since Dick Advocaat’s side managed that same unwanted feat in the year 2000.
Many wearing royal blue shirts in Sunday’s Old Firm derby loss put in performances that were way below the standard required, and one of those was Diomande.
⚽Rangers match day ⚽
Team news, line-ups, expert previews and tactical analysis for every Rangers fixture.
How did Mohamed Diomande perform in Celtic vs Rangers?
Having started and played 83 minutes against Hearts prior to last weekend’s Old Firm, Rohl decided to keep Diomande in his team at Celtic Park.
The 24-year-old midfielder was solid at Tynecastle without being spectacular either, and so it wasn’t a shock to see him retain his place in the Gers XI.
| Diomande’s 25-26 league stats | Result |
| Shots | 34 |
| Pass accuracy | 85.6% |
| Big chances created | 3 |
| Dribble success | 44.8% |
| Duels won | 48.7% |
| Defensive contributions | 66 |
Against Hearts, he was deployed on the right of a midfield three alongside Nicolas Raskin and Tochi Chukwuani respectively, but for Celtic, Rohl pushed him on as a number 10.
Unfortunately though, the Ivorian international didn’t provide that essential creative node to link midfield and attack together, as he wasn’t really in the game at all.
As per FotMob, Diomande created zero chances, took zero shots on goal, played only one pass into the final third and was dispossessed once.
He also won just the one tackle, made three recoveries, won only three of his seven ground duels and none of his three aerial duels, whilst also giving away three fouls.
Diomande was eventually dragged off in the 59th minute in place of Djeidi Gassama, who, whilst did offer slightly more than what the Ivorian did, also was unable to truly leave his impression on the match.
Diomande has had enough Rangers chances now
Having moved to Ibrox on an initial loan deal in January 2024 from Danish side Nordsjælland, Diomande has now been in Glasgow for two-and-a-half years.
Starting 32 of his 36 Scottish Premiership games last season, he’s only been able to start 18 from his 29 league outings this term, taking a noticeable step back in his Rangers role.
His production has mirrored that too, with just the one goal and four assists in the league in 2025-26, and his inconsistent performances have continued to see the midfielder blow hot and cold.
If Rangers are to win a league title again in the near future, Rohl, or indeed whoever is in the dug out, needs players that can be relied upon to only drop the one poor performance in every 10 or so games.
Gers have too few of those in this current group, and if standing at the top of the Scottish football mountain again is the goal, then the likes of Diomande can’t be viable starting options going forward.
Diomande should be benched for Hibernian on Wednesday night.
Don’t Miss a Beat: Your Rangers Insider Access
Updated 24/7 with expert analysis from the heart of Govan.