Andy Burke
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter in Athens
Mohamed Diomande feels he has developed the mental strength required to be a success at Rangers after initially finding the demands at Ibrox “a shock”.
The Ivorian midfielder arrived in Glasgow in 2024 on an initial loan deal from Danish side FC Nordsjælland before making the move permanent.
And he believes he is now ready to show the best of himself as he gears up to take on Panathinaikos in the second leg of the second round of Champions League qualifying in Athens on Wednesday.
“I’m learning and progressing as a player every day,” Diomande told BBC Scotland.
“So I’m happy that I’m playing at this level because it’s also something I have wanted since I was young, to experience all of this, to play in a bigger club and to play in front of 50,000 fans.
“I feel like there’s still more for me that I need to show. Maybe the people have not seen it. Maybe some people have, but I think there’s still more I can give.”
Diomande says he is relishing working under Russell Martin and explained that the new head coach wants to make only subtle changes to his game.
“I would say he wants me to not do much different, but to be patient and to stay in the position, to trust that my team-mates are going to find me in the right position, then I can do the damage, I can maybe give the final pass,” he said.
“I’m just doing what he has asked me to do. It would be amazing [to progress] because we want to do everything we can to get in the Champions League, to be part of it.”
Listen: Diomande & Martin on Panathinaikos test
