All Glasgow Rangers and Scotland fans will have enjoyed their Tuesday night after former Gers academy prospect Kenny McLean scored in a 4-2 win over Denmark to qualify for the World Cup.
With McLean scoring from the halfway line, Scott McTominay grabbed the headlines with an outstanding spot-kick early in the match which put Scotland up 1-0.
The attacking midfielder has now scored 14 goals for Scotland, with this strike against Denmark arguably the best of the lot, and his rise to prominence for his country is a story the Gers could learn from.
What Rangers can learn from Scott McTominay’s Scottish exploits
According to Transfermarkt, McTominay started more matches as a defensive midfielder (134) than in any other position during his time at Manchester United and scored 29 goals in 255 matches.
The Premier League giants sold him to Napoli for a fee of £25.7 million in the summer of 2024, and a role change by the Italian side has revealed his true potential, as the majority of his starts for the Serie A champions, according to Transfermarkt, have been as a central or attacking midfielder.
McTominay has not started a single match as a defensive midfielder for Napoli, according to Transfermarkt, and has scored 17 goals in 50 matches for the club due to their decision to release him higher up the pitch.
Rangers can learn from his rise to stardom at Napoli as it is proof that a player can sometimes be hampered by the position he plays in, and that may be the case with Mohamed Diomande.
Why Rangers must change Mohamed Diomandé’s position
Football FanCast recently published an article suggesting that January could be a good time to cash in on the Ivorian midfielder, due to his regression on the pitch this season.
McTominay’s resurgence at club and country could play a role in changing that opinion, however, as Diomande could revive his career at Ibrox by unleashing himself higher up the pitch.
Former Rangers boss Philippe Clement, who recently landed a new job at Norwich, criticized the midfielder and Cyriel Dessers for being “not brave enough” in November last year, but that tough love led to Diomande finishing the season with six goals and nine assists, according to Transfermarkt.
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Mo Diomandé’s change of position with the Rangers |
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|---|---|---|
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Position |
Starts in 24/25 |
Starts 25/26 |
|
All positions |
48 |
14 |
|
Central midfielder |
19 (40%) |
7 (50%) |
|
Attacking midfielder |
16 (33%) |
1 (7%) |
|
Defensive midfielder |
13 (27%) |
6 (43%) |
|
Statistics via Transfermarkt |
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As you can see in the table above, the 24-year-old star has been asked to play in much more defensive positions than when he excelled last season under Clement and Barry Ferguson.
Diomande has not scored a goal or assist in 18 games, according to Transfermarkt, following his 15 goals in the 2024/25 campaign, making it clear that the change in position has had a negative impact on his performances.
The left-footed star, who showed his attacking qualities at Parkhead in March, is capable of much more than he has shown this season, as evidenced by his form last season.
That’s why Danny Rohl should look to release Diomande further up the pitch, into an attacking midfielder role, as his attacking instincts could see him reignite his career at Ibrox in the same way McTominay’s positional change sparked his club and country career.
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