At the beginning of the season, bringing in Lassana Coulibaly on loan from Ligue 1 side Angers, seemed like a major coup.
The powerful and combative Mali international hit the ground running with eye-catching displays in the opening weeks of the season.
However, an untimely knock then sidelined the 22-year-old for a number of weeks. Ever since, he hasn’t been the same player.
In fact, he looks a shadow of his former self, a point picked up on by Rangers legend Ally McCoist on commentary, on Thursday night.
Strong and athletic, it is a mystery as to why he fails to impose himself on matches.
Against Rapid, there were flashes of brilliance. Reading the game well, he would latch onto errand passes and begin to drive forward. Yet, somewhere along the way, it always broke down.
The ball would get stuck under his feet, or a heavy touch would give the opposition defenders a sniff. He raises excitement levels and almost simultaneously disappoints.
Angers undoubtedly knew that their man wasn’t the finished product. Perhaps they hoped that time away in another league would help him find consistency.
Sure, he will be learning all the time, but the performances that impressed everyone at the beginning of the year seem long gone.
Dropped for last weekend’s league match at Dundee, it remains to be seen what role he will play tomorrow.
At the minute, it looks like he will be heading back to France at the end of his loan. While there is certainly a player there, he hasn’t shown enough so far, to justify Rangers looking to make the deal permanent in the summer.
