ROHL'S WORD TO WISE ABOUT BABY OWL

Danny could see the potential in Gassama when others did not

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IF Danny Rohl had listened to some people at Sheffield Wednesday he'd have given up on Djeidi Gassama.

In October 2023, when he turned up at Hillsborough as their new gaffer, he had to quickly decide which players could be game-changers for him.

And the references he got on the club's young French winger weren't exactly glowing.

Gassama had moved from PSG that summer but had failed to make a big impression.

At that point, Rohl could have written him off. But the German coach saw something in Gassama that others didn't.

Instead of discarding him, he nurtured him, worked with him and turned him into one of Wednesday's most valuable assets.

In his second season in the Championship under Rohl, Gassama excelled and was vital in the club defying the odds to secure a 12th-place finish in the table.

His performances were so impressive that Rangers decided to pay £2.3million for him in July.

Rohl had left Hillsborough by then and couldn't have imagined that, three months later, he'd have Gassama under his wing again.

The 22-year-old has been one of Rangers' few bright sparks in a dismal campaign so far.

Especially in Europe, Gassama has been outstanding, scoring five goals in Champions League qualifiers and the Europa League.

He's been Russell Martin's best signing but now he's been reunited with old boss Rohl. And against Brann Bergen, they'll hope to get the new manager's Rangers reign off to a flying start.