Van Bronckhorst 'excited' to land Diallo after selling winger on move

Rangers manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst says new signing Amad Diallo is keen to get on the pitch at Ibrox and he’s excited to see the Manchester United loanee in action.

Diallo joined Rangers on Thursday in a loan deal that Ibrox sporting director Ross Wilson described as “really exciting” with a number of other clubs also vying for his signature.

The former Atalanta winger has found game time limited at Old Trafford but had options as he considered his next move. Van Bronckhorst said it was easy to lay out why Rangers felt they were the best choice for the player and was delighted that Diallo and his representative agreed.

“We’re very excited,” the Rangers manager said. “We started the talks with him and his agent on Monday.

“I’m very happy that he wanted to come to us for the remainder of the season.

We were looking to add a player in the front because we lost Ianis Hagi for the season, so I’m happy we could bring in a player with his qualities.

“I’m sure he will give us a lot of strength in the coming months.

“When we talked with him and his agent and we really just explained how we are as a club, what kind of environment he would come into as a player.

“For us, that was easy to do because it’s just talking about who we are. And as a coach, I explained to him the way we play and the way we want to use him in games. That was all part of it but you just have to explain who you are and how you play and you hope that your message will come across and that the positive feelings you have are mutual.

“In this case it was so we were very happy that he chose us to play for.”

Diallo arrived with a huge reputation after Manchester United paid Atalanta what was reported as an initial £20m with the potential to rise to near double that figure with add-ons. Van Bronckhorst dismissed that aspect of the move and said that what was important was the player’s attitude and desire to make a contribution.

The Rangers boss added that nobody was guaranteed a starting spot but that Diallo had been brought to Ibrox to improve the team.

“Looking at his price tag, I think for him as well it’s not a thing he’s thinking about,” he said. “He’s still a young player who wants to play games.

“You can feel it when you talk to him, the only thing he wants is to be on the pitch. Of course we are bringing him in to this club to be a value to the team.

“Of course he’s going to play but he’s part of the squad and he has to perform, just like any other player in the squad. I’m full of confidence that he will give that.”

The January transfer window closes in just a few days time and though the club has made a move to replace Hagi after the Romanian was ruled out for the season, the manager still has his eyes on potential additions, and says that there could yet be exits before the deadline.

“It’s the last days and we can still do some business but I don’t know,” he said. “I don’t know who’s going.

“Anything can happen, especially in the last days of the transfer window and sometimes it gets a little bit crazy.

“I hope that in this window for us it stays calm but you never know. We will see in a couple of days how our squad will be for the remainder of the season but I’m confident we will leave this window better than we started it.

“We spoke with many players and possibilities we want to add and so far I don’t have any news. We’re still open and have to be ready for the next days but I won’t confirm or talk about individuals.”