Rohl could dispose of Skov Olsen by relieving the struggling Rangers player in a new role

Glasgow Rangers fans were rightly delighted when the club announced the signing of Andreas Skov Olsen on loan from Wolfsburg in the January transfer window.

It felt like a statement signing at the time by the Light Blues due to his worldwide reputation in Europe in recent seasons, signing from the German side for £12m last year.

The Danish international joined Wolfsburg after three-and-a-half seasons in different form in Belgium with Club Brugge, scoring at least 16 goals and assists combined in each season.

Unfortunately, though, the Gers haven’t seen the best of Skov Olsen at Ibrox yet. The Danish international has scored one goal and provided two assists in eight games in all competitions.

With no goals in his last five games, it doesn’t look likely that the Light Blues will open their option to sign him permanently for around £8.7m.

Why Andreas Skov Olsen is struggling at Rangers

Unlike Tochi Chukwuani and Tuur Rommens, both of whom scored in Glasgow, Skov Olsen arrived at the club without many games under his belt.

The Danish striker made just eight Bundesliga appearances in the first half of Wolfsburg’s season, starting four games, and started just four of his 12 league games last season.

This meant that Skov Olsen joined Rangers after just eight league starts in 12 months, leaving him lacking in confidence, fitness and sharpness.

So it shouldn’t be too surprising to see him panic when attacking, opting to drive defenders and play a lot of safe passes when he’s out of rhythm.

While this makes Skov Olsen’s struggles understandable, Danny Rohl needs players who can still contribute in the middle of the title race, which is why he should be dropped when they face St Mirren on Sunday.

Who Rangers should replace Andreas Skov Olsen

The Light Blues are short of top-flight options at the moment, with Djeidi Gassama and Oliver Antman having combined for three goals in the Scottish Premiership this season, but the German coach may be able to replace Skov Olsen.

Rohl showed a willingness to play with his team and try new things, fielding Antman as a right-back at Queen’s Park and experimenting with a number of different formations, including 3-5-2, 3-4-3, 4-2-3-1, 4-3-3, and 4-4-2.

The former Sheffield Wednesday boss could produce another managerial moment by introducing Mohamed Diomande in a new role on the right wing ahead of Skov Olsen.

In the last three Premiership games, Diomande came off the bench twice and played once without being used. In the two games he was brought in, the Ivory Coast player conceded three of four goals and failed to create ‘big chances’ for the team.

The left-footed star is struggling in these games at the moment and that may be why moving him out on the right wing would be an effective call for the manager, as he will be able to receive the ball with his back to the side, facing the whole field on his preferred foot.

Since the start of last season, Diomande has scored five goals, created 13 ‘big chances’, and assisted ten goals in 48 games in the Premiership as a central midfielder, showing that he can do something in the final third.

Unfortunately, his struggles with the intensity of the game in the middle of the park prevented him from being able to get into enough areas to impact the game as much as he would have liked in recent months.

On top of that, only Nicolas Raskin (13) and James Tavernier (32) have created ‘big chances’ for the team in the Premiership than what Diomande has done since the start of last season.

The Ivorian star has the attacking arsenal to be a wide player who works well in the right system, and has played enough football to be sharp enough to hit the ground running in that role, having made 71 league appearances in the last 20 months.

Being a left-footed player on the right wing opens up many exciting opportunities for Diomande, as it would for the confident and sharp Skov Olsen, as he can drift into midfield to create space for Tavernier to overlap, and avoid the many physical duels he has to face in midfield.

It would be an ideal role for Diomande, who has never played as a defender under Rohl, because it would allow him to focus on showing his best qualities, his ability to score and create goals, without worrying too much about the game side.

Therefore, the German manager should relieve the struggling midfielder in a new role in order to finally ditch Skov Olsen in the right-wing position.

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