Rangers loan flop is now a “superstar” & similar to a £100m sensation

A few weeks ago, it looked as though Glasgow Rangers were going to remain in the vicious cycle which had seen three managers depart before December over the previous three years.

Philippe Clement was teetering on the edge after a dismal start to the season. Premiership defeats to Celtic, Aberdeen and Kilmarnock ensured the Gers’ title challenge was over before it really began.

Wins over Nice and Killie recently have slightly eased the pressure, but the next seven days will likely define the season. The Light Blues face Tottenham Hotspur in the Europa League, before a League Cup final clash against Celtic three days later.

If Clement can somehow win both of these, he may just remain in the Ibrox hot seat beyond 2024, which seemed unthinkable a few weeks ago.

Michael Beale and Giovanni Van Bronckhorst weren’t so lucky, with the Dutchman perhaps sacked slightly too hasty.

Giovanni Van Bronckhorst’s record at Rangers

The former Feyenoord manager arrived in November 2021 following Steven Gerrard’s departure to Aston Villa.

Having spent three years at Ibrox as a player, the Dutchman knew all about the club, which was looked on as a major advantage.

Domestically, the Gers struggled in the title race, eventually blowing a lead to let Celtic sneak through and win the Premiership. They did win the Scottish Cup, but it was scant consolation.

The greatest success came in Europe. Having secured qualification from the group stages in the Europa League, Van Bronckhorst led the Light Blues to wins over Borussia Dortmund, Red Star Belgrade, Braga and RB Leipzig before succumbing to Eintracht Frankfurt in the final.

The next step was Champions League qualification, and the club got it after an aggregate win over PSV Eindhoven. They ended up finishing bottom of the group with zero wins from six games, however, and soon after, Van Bronckhorst was sacked.

He didn’t enjoy much success in the transfer market, but one of his signings has since gone on to make the breakthrough at Manchester United – Amad Diallo.

Amad Diallo’s Rangers statistics

In January 2022, the Gers made three loan signings which the manager hoped would give his side a boost during the second half of the season.

James Sands failed to make an impact, so did Aaron Ramsey, who missed a penalty in the Europa League final shootout. The final signing was that of Diallo, who arrived from Man United.

He was looked upon as a wildcard option given his tender age and lack of experience in the game. Indeed, prior to this loan spell, the former Atalanta gem had played just nine times for the Old Trafford side and a temporary move would help him secure more game time.

The youngster took just two minutes to make his mark, scoring on his debut against Ross County, and it looked like the club had a wonderful gem ready to spark their title challenge into life.

Unfortunately, this was about as good as it got for the Ivorian, as he scored just twice more for the club. Diallo did win the Scottish Cup, but failed to make it off the bench in the Europa League final.

Since then, however, the winger has gone on to make his mark at United.

Amad Diallo now looks like a £100m player

Another loan spell during 2022/23 at Sunderland saw Diallo showcase his true talents, scoring 14 goals and grabbing four assists as the Black Cats just missed out on securing a place in the Premier League.

Injury issues hampered his 2023/24 campaign, but the 22-year-old did net the winner against Liverpool in the FA Cup quarter-final and this was the catalyst for the player to finally star for United this term.

Diallo has featured in 20 games for the Red Devils this term, registering eight goal contributions in all competitions, and he could go from strength to strength under Ruben Amorim, that’s for sure.

Dubbed a “superstar” earlier this year by journalist Liam Canning, Diallo looks like he is on the right path towards greatness.

Not only that, but he is similar in style to one of the finest wingers on the continent in Bukayo Saka.

The Arsenal star has registered 126 goal contributions – 65 goals and 61 assists – during his time with the Gunners, proving to be one of the most consistent attacking talents in the Premier League.

This is the level that Diallo will be looking to reach, and he certainly isn’t far from it, especially after a positive start to the season. According to FBref, Saka is the seventh-most comparable player to Diallo in Europe’s top five leagues, which proves that the duo are alike in many ways.

Furthermore, the pair have registered similar statistics across a variety of metrics domestically this season with regard to assists (five vs ten), shot on target percentage (31.3% vs 37.5%), shot-creating actions per 90 (4.84 vs 6.76), goal creating actions per 90 (1.02 vs 1.77) and successful take-on percentage (46.9% vs 41.4%) which suggests these two wingers enjoy plenty of success in the final third.

Saka is in a league of his own right now, and he is currently valued at €140m (£116m) according to Transfermarkt, and this value will continue to rise as long as the winger is delivering for Arsenal and Mikel Arteta on a consistent basis.

Diallo could become a player who is valued at over £100m, as it looks like he could emerge as a key player under Amorim’s leadership.

While he may not have enjoyed the most productive of spells at Ibrox, Diallo did manage to secure a Scottish Cup winners medal while gaining experience in a league that thrives on how physical it is.

This may well have made the winger stronger, being able to cope with a lot more on the field, which appears to be evident in his performances for United this campaign.