Rangers edged out a victory over Hibs at Ibrox in the Scottish Premiership without several of their key first-team stars.
Heading into the game, Rangers fans knew that Oscar Cortes had already joined a swelling list of over £17m of Ibrox talent which is currently sidelined with injury.
But whilst Ridvan Yilmaz, Rabbi Matondo and Danilo also had no chance of playing v Hibs, there was a fresh absence which has Rangers fans chewing their fingernails.
What’s more, there are ‘no guarantees’ the influential Ibrox star will be ready to return against Lyon on Europa League duties later in the week.
Mohamed Diomande could miss Rangers v Lyon
Mohamed Diomande has become the poster boy of the Rangers transfer revolution currently taking place under Philippe Clement and Nils Koppen.
The Ivorian midfielder has bags of talent and put in a stellar display as Rangers ran out 2-0 winners over Malmo in Sweden this week.
But Rangers fans would’ve noticed the absence of Mohamed Diomande from the starting XI and the bench as the Gers battled through for a 1-0 victory over Hibs at Ibrox.
Speaking before the game, manager Clement confirmed that Diomande was missing through injury and suggested the 22-year-old is still a doubt for this week’s Europa League clash with Lyon.
Rangers are set to host the Ligue 1 outfit at Ibrox on Thursday evening.
“Diomande got a knock on Thursday,” Clement told RangersTV. “So he was not available for today.
“I hope to have him back on Thursday but we will see. Probably yes, with no guarantees.”
Rangers face nervous Europa League injury wait
Mohamed Diomande put in one of his best appearances in a Rangers jersey against Malmo and will hope to return to the side for the Europa League visit of Lyon.
On his day one of the best players in the Rangers squad, Diomande is a classy, technical footballer with a superb engine and clear star quality.
Rangers might have been able to cope against Hibs without the Ivorian, but the Ligue 1 visit of Lyon will present another challenge altogether.
The Gers will have to be at their best to get anything from the Europa League clash at Ibrox and it’s fair to say, Diomande gets in our best XI.
Rangers made four changes for the win over Hibs and whilst the performance left a lot to be desired, the Ibrox side made it four wins on the bounce.
