Glasgow Rangers may have romped to victory regardless on Saturday afternoon, although the absence of Tuur Rommens will have provided an unwanted headache for manager Danny Rohl.
The 23-year-old has picked up a “muscle injury” that will leave him out of action for at least the next two games, according to Rohl, with the Gers likely to be sweating over his potential involvement in the run-in.
Arguably the standout performer from the crop of January arrivals, Rommens has settled in so smoothly in recent weeks, notably looking particularly menacing in that 2-2 draw in the Glasgow derby last month.
In just six Premiership outings, the Belgian has scored once, provided one assist and created four ‘big chances’, leaving big boots for young Jayden Meghoma to fill. Is the on-loan Brentford man the right solution?
How Meghoma fared as Rangers beat Dundee United
Left-back had long been something of an issue at Ibrox, prior to Rommens’ arrival, with the likes of Ridvan Yilmaz and Jefte failing to nail down a regular role in recent years, while even Max Aarons was deployed on that side in the early weeks of the season.
Fellow loanee, Meghoma, has provided a far more stable presence when he has been called upon, although the 19-year-old is simply not at Rommens’ level, scoring once, registering four assists and creating only four ‘big chances’ in 2025/26, despite starting 23 games.
The teenager is lacking that real attacking thrust that the Belgian provides, a fact that was evident last time out against Dundee United, even as the hosts romped to a 4-2 victory.
Indeed, Meghoma notably provided just a solitary key pass, successfully completed only one of his four attempted crosses and failed to register a single successful dribble in that 90-minute outing.
Defensively too, he was also found wanting to a degree, winning just three of his nine total duels, while caught napping in the build-up to Zac Sapsford’s second-half strike, after failing to track reported Gers target Luca Stephenson behind him.
|
Meghoma vs Rommens – 25/26 SPFL |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Meghoma |
Stat (*per game) |
Rommens |
|
26 |
Games |
6 |
|
1 |
Goals |
1 |
|
4 |
Assists |
1 |
|
4 |
Big chances created |
4 |
|
84% |
Pass accuracy* |
81% |
|
0.7 |
Key passes* |
2.7 |
|
0.7 |
Succ. crosses* |
2.0 |
|
0.3 |
Succ. dribbles* |
0.3 |
|
3 |
Errors |
0 |
|
2.1 |
Tackles & interceptions* |
2.8 |
Such a lapse in concentration ultimately didn’t prove costly, but whether he can be relied upon moving forward remains to be seen, having already made three errors leading to a shot this season.
Hopefully, Rommens will return sooner rather than later, although in the meantime, Rohl could get creative with a wildcard solution.
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If Rohl is to find an alternate option on that side, a more orthodox tweak might be to deploy the versatile Dujon Sterling at left-back, while bringing James Tavernier back into the starting lineup on his favoured right flank.
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That said, if looking for a natural left-footer to be deployed in place of Meghoma, and one who can provide a real attacking thrust, then Ivorian midfielder, Mohamed Diomande, could be a left-field choice.
The 24-year-old – signed from Nordsjaelland on a £4m deal – has featured primarily in central midfield or on the flanks during his senior career thus far, already up to ten goals in 113 games for the Gers to date.
Back in Denmark, however, of his 111 appearances for his former employers, two of those did actually come at left-back back in 2020, with Diomande notably registering an assist to boot.
At one stage a mainstay of this Rangers side alongside Nico Raskin, the eight-cap international has faded from view somewhat in recent weeks, with Tochi Chukwuani typically the preferred pick alongside the Belgian.
Diomande hasn’t actually featured at all in the league since his ten-minute cameo against Hearts, although he had registered two assists in the two league games prior to that, including in the away draw at Motherwell.
The left-footer teed up Raskin to open the scoring that night following a stunning solo run from deep, showcasing the kind of ball-carrying skills that could make him a useful asset as Rommens’ replacement from a full-back berth.
On the ball, as that assist showcased, he is a threat in a creative sense, while he’s no slouch defensively either, averaging 1.9 tackles and interceptions per game in the Premiership, while having been dribbled past just 0.7 times per game.
In comparison to Meghoma too, Diomande has won 50% of his total duels and 43% of his aerial duels, alongside losing the ball just 7.4 times per game. The Englishman, meanwhile, has averaged just 48%, 23% and 11.1 for those same three metrics, respectively.
Of course, moving Diomande may not be a long-term fit, but it would be a way to get such a talent back into the team, while his ability to move inside and join the midfield could provide greater control for Rohl’s men in that department.
With a trip to Falkirk next on the agenda, could it be time for the German to experiment?
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