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Rohl gives banished Rangers star one final chance to save his Ibrox career
Tom Weber
- 20 Mar 2026 17:01 GMT
- 5 min read
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Rangers boss Danny Rohl has confirmed that on-loan defender Derek Cornelius has been removed from the first team, but the coach is ready to give him one final chance to save his Ibrox career.
The Canada international has not played a competitive game since November due to injury. Cornelius is now back training, but reports earlier this week suggested that he may have already played his final game for the club.
It was asserted that the 28-year-old had been banished to the reserves, effectively ending his chance of playing for the club again before the expiration of his loan from Marseille in the summer.
Despite this, Cornelius has been called up to the Canadian national team for the upcoming break. Jesse Marsch previously said that he wanted the injured players who would be certainties for the World Cup to be with the group this month, even if they wouldn't be able to play.
Both Marsch and Rohl have now confirmed that Cornelius is no longer with the Rangers first team. However, Rohl, who allowed the defender to travel to Canada early, has revealed that he will hold one final clear-the-air talk with Cornelius when he returns from international duty.
Rohl, Marsch on Cornelius
“Derek will travel to the national team. I’ve given him the opportunity to go early," Rohl explained. “I had two conversations in the last couple of days with him, and I will have a conversation again when he comes back.
"All these things and what it means will be between me and Derek, this is crucial. I have my principles, that is very important. Derek and me are very clear and that’s the reason we need to have one more conversation after the national break.
"Then we will see which direction it goes. I’ve had a conversation with Jesse [Marsch] two or three times. I know him very well, we are good friends who trust each other. In the end, it’s about the club, Rangers.
"I’ve been with a national team, so I know what it means to play in a World Cup. That is also a part where I will support Derek, so he’s available for the World Cup.
"He trained with us and then in the last couple of days, individually. We’ll see after the break which direction it goes."
Marsch, meanwhile, said at this squad unveiling: "Derek is coming off a long injury, has now had himself healthy and training for a number of weeks.
"It’s been documented or reported that he's been training with the academy there at Rangers. I've been in contact with his coach and Derek. We've been working through this for all parties to do what's best for Derek.
"Their coach feels confident with the group that he has, which has meant that Derek hasn't had the opportunity to win his spot back in the team. I spoke to Danny first. I know Danny, Danny and I are friends.
"A lot of these situations where I know the coaches, or know people in the club, I've really tried to help facilitate good relationships and good communication.
"And I'll be honest, in this one, as I was trying to work with both Danny and Derek, some of the conversation that I translated from one to the other got lost in translation and led to, like, a situation that wasn't advantageous for Derek or for the team.
"In the end, whether Derek stays and trains with the academy, or trains with the first team at Rangers, whether he eventually, then, something happens with someone ahead of him, or he winds up establishing himself in the lineup at one point.
"Whether Derek stays and gets some matches with the U19s, which is effectively their de facto second team, we're gonna find a way to continue to push Derek to be ready for what we need for this summer."
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