By Harry Mail
Copyright glasgowworld
Pressure continues to mount on Rangers head coach Russell Martin following their 2-0 loss to Hearts on Saturday. Lawrence Shankland scored twice for the visitors at Ibrox. The Gers have made a slow start to the new season. They are back in action on Saturday against Hibs in the Scottish League Cup. As for Celtic, they face a cup away trip to Partick Thistle. The Hoops’ upcoming opponents have won three out of their first five Championship fixtures. RB Leipzig new boy Yan Diomande has revealed that he nearly joined Rangers after a trial spell. The 18-year-old has recently joined the Bundesliga giants for a fee of around £20million. He left Leganes for a new challenge in Germany. The teenager had a trial with the Gers’ B team two years ago. However, they decided not to hand him a deal. The Glasgow side may well be kicking themselves now though after his recent big money transfer. Diomande has said: “I was scouted at an international tournament. To prepare for a professional career in Europe, I transferred to an academy in Florida. Two years later, I was on trial at Glasgow Rangers. It’s not true that I didn’t want to sign for them – my agent at the time demanded too much money. “After that, I went to Olympiacos on trial, but that didn’t work out either. Eventually, I went to Spain and signed a contract with Leganes. I was alone when I went on those trials, but I’m grateful for those experiences. They helped me understand that I can make it through life on my own if I have to. I sometimes find it hard to grasp what has happened in the past few years.” He added: “The other day, for example, Jurgen Klopp was talking with us. He is the club’s head of football. I only knew him from TV, a legend. And there he was, we shook hands, he hugged me, we talked a bit. I was extremely impressed. He told me to be patient.” Go Ahead Eagles midfielder Jakob Breum, 21, has insisted he hasn’t put too much thought into Celtic’s summer interest. The Hoops were interested in luring the Eredivisie man over to Scotland in the past window. However, nothing materialised in the end and he stayed put in Holland. Breum has opened up about the links to Brendan Rodgers’ side and has said: “There was a lot of talk about a transfer to Celtic, but it’s not something I’ve thought about much recently, because we’re playing eight very big matches in the Europa League and I need to concentrate on that. “To be honest, it wasn’t a huge issue for me. Of course, when reports appear in the media after you haven’t heard anything for a month and family members ask if you’re going, it’s strange. But I tried to remain professional and also told the manager that I really wanted to play for this club. Hopefully, everyone saw that during that period. “I’m here now and that’s all I’m thinking about. In football, you never know how things will turn out, so I can’t say anything about a winter transfer. In February, I thought I might make a summer transfer, but then I got injured. If I want to take the next step, I have to do well here. That’s what I’m focusing on. “The Europa League will be a great platform for me to show what I can do because I can show that I can compete at the same level against top teams. When you achieve good results, you get noticed and that’s great for everyone, of course.”
