Andrew Dickson was among those to criticise the performance of Rangers’ on-loan winger Amad Diallo on Sunday.
The lowdown
In the final days of the January transfer window, Rangers brought in Diallo on loan from Manchester United until the end of the campaign.
It took him just five minutes to open his account for the club on his debut against Ross County last month, but he was hooked at half-time in the subsequent Old Firm derby as the Gers went 3-0 down in the first 45 minutes against their fiercest rivals.
He has only played a total of 22 minutes in their four games since, including a 17-minute cameo off the bench in the 1-1 draw at Dundee United on Sunday.
Diallo spurned a glorious opportunity to snatch three points for Rangers after Joe Aribo’s equaliser at Tannadice, going alone and hitting the post when he could have squared to Fashion Sakala.
The latest
On Twitter, Dickson questioned Diallo’s commitment after the loanee allegedly backed out of a tackle he ought to have won, saying: “Can only assume United want to toughen Diallo up, hence they sent him to Scotland. Backing out of a challenge you’re favourite to win (then not bothering because you think you’re offside when you’re not) never sits well with Rangers fans, really poor from a player of his profile.”
Similarly, BBC Sportsound pundit Derek Ferguson said that the Ivorian looked ‘half-hearted’ after he came on.
The Athletic’s Jordan Campbell added of the 19-year-old: “He’s clearly got the ability but the question is always whether they are ready to contribute when they haven’t been out on loan before. It looked like the speed of the game and the physicality of it overwhelmed him when he came on but you’d back him to finish that chance – however it was very poor not to square the ball for an easy tap in.”
The verdict
If Diallo was hoping to regain his starting spot by impressing as a substitute, then he may be left disappointed.
In addition to missing the big chance, he failed to complete any of his four dribbles and lost 100% of his duels. That contributed to a SofaScore rating of 6.0/10, the second lowest of any player who featured from either side.
This was a risky signing for Rangers because, while the teenager is clearly talented (as evidenced by 43 goals and 28 assists at youth level), he had only made 14 senior career appearances before moving to Ibrox. Perhaps moments like the late chance at Tannadice illustrate his inexperience.
In other news, this Rangers player is ‘quite happy’ at the club despite uncertainty over his contract