Rangers boss Phillipe Clement has admitted that midfielder Mohamed Diomande won’t stay at Ibrox if he reaches his full potential.

The Ivorian has effectively signed for the Light Blues on a permanent basis from FC Nordsjaelland, with the club having agreed to buy the player for £4.3m when his loan spell ends this summer. However, when asked about Diomande’s long-term future, Clement said:

“For sure [he can improve further]. Not only the next weeks, the next months and years. He’s a high-potential player and I don’t think Rangers will be his last step. Of course, you need some luck with injuries in your career. But, if he steers clear of that, he’s going to make bigger steps.”

“He has talent but also the right mentality to work for the team, be very concentrated and very focused. Those are the things you are looking for when you go into talks with players.”

Rangers will be keen to keep hold of Diomande for as long as possible

Based on his early performances for the Gers, fans will be hoping that the 22-year-old doesn’t leave the club any time soon.

Diomande announced himself in Scottish football with a fantastic goal against St Johnstone earlier this month, before following it up with another strike in the subsequent 5-0 win over Hearts.

The Gers don’t have the best track record when raising funds from player sales

As we saw with the departures of Ryan Kent and Alfredo Morelos on free transfers last summer, the club haven’t always been great at selling their star names at the right time.

With Diomande, there is a clear acceptance that he will get a move to another team at some point but not before he has increased his value by performing well for Rangers over a sustained period of time.