How Nasser Djiga fared on his Rangers debut two weeks after Wolves exit, the verdict is unanimous

Just two weeks after signing for Rangers on loan, Nasser Djiga was named in Russell Martin’s starting XI.

Wolves allowed Djiga to leave on loan in order to gain experience ahead of his return to Molineux next summer.

The centre-back was thrown into competitive action almost immediately, as the Burkina Faso international played 90 minutes in the first leg of the Champions League second-round qualifier.

Wolves would’ve been watching their loanee closely against Panathinaikos, a game that Djiga contributed to a clean sheet in.

• READ MORE: Russell Martin outlines plans for Nasser Djiga

Scottish media react to Nasser Djiga’s debut for Rangers

Russell Martin is off to a good start at Rangers, sealing a 2-0 win in the Champions League qualifiers first leg.

Wolves’ loanee played a sizeable part in the victory, but it wasn’t a perfect performance from the centre-back, as expected, having played just 151 minutes since January.

The Scottish Sun gave Djiga a 6/10 match rating, noting that despite looking ‘shaky’ in some instances, he grew into the game.

• “The Wolves loan star had a tussle with Fotis Ioannidis. Looked shaky at times and will need to improve on the ball. Looked more composed as the game went on.” 

An identical match rating was shared by The Herald, who also passed comment on what they thought of the centre-back’s display.

• “Thrown in for his debut in a high-pressure situation and with clear instructions to play out from the back. Guided through by John Souttar and willing to put himself about. Had to be bailed out after being robbed of the ball on the edge of the box but rallied to regain his composure.” 

It was sixes across the board as The Scotsman also applauded Djiga for turning the game around in his favour.

• “Gave the ball away in a dangerous position and almost cost the team a cheap goal. Strong otherwise, and assured, even against tough opposition. Played his part in the clean sheet.”

Soon after his Wolves arrival, it was clear that Djiga would benefit from a loan, with Rangers having the ability to test the defender in a competitive squad with European football.

Djiga’s stats from his Rangers debut

Wolves were delighted to send Djiga on loan to Rangers, seeing the potential that could come from the time away.

The early assessment shows that there’s a talent there to be tested, but first, the defender will need to get back into the swing of playing regularly.

Putting media comment aside, Djiga’s statistics were mostly positive, providing strong defensive cover to Martin’s back line.

As well as his defensive duties, the Wolves loanee showcased his distribution strengths, misplacing only three of his 105 attempted passes and completing all of his long balls.

It’s set to be a testing season for Djiga, who has got things off to an impressive start in Glasgow.