Derek Cornelius' Rangers future examined as exile continues under Rohl

Derek Cornelius has not featured as much as he probably expected at Rangers this season.

The Canadian defender was signed on loan with an option to buy last summer from Olympique Marseille, but he has made just 12 appearances for the Ibrox side.

He had a falling out with Danny Rohl, but was seen training during the camp in Spain last week, suggesting that he is back from injury.

However, he was not selected for the squad for the 3-2 loss to Motherwell as his exile from the Gers team continued.

Rangers face a decision on Cornelius’ future in the coming weeks, and it looks increasingly likely to go one way, with him not linking up with them.

What is Cornelius’ situation at Rangers and Marseille?

Cornelius could have a say on Rangers’ title aspirations, but that does not look as though it will happen due to his continued exile.

His loan contract with the Gers will end at the end of the season, while his deal with the French side runs until the summer of 2028.

However, with the buy option held within his loan, the Light Blues could secure him on a permanent transfer before that expiry date.

Will Rangers buy Cornelius permanently?

Rangers seem unlikely to trigger the option at the moment, which is believed to be in the region of £3.5million, according to reports in France.

He has not been able to work his way into Rohl’s plans very often, with fellow summer additions Nasser Djiga and Emmanuel Fernandez outshining him, and earning places in the team.

Given that there is interest in the latter and the former is only on loan, and will be heading back to Wolves, signing the Canada star would have been a clever move, but he has not proved himself in Scottish football.

Therefore, it would be a surprise if he earned a move to Govan anytime soon, despite how cheap it would be for the 49ers Enterprises group and Andrew Cavenagh to make the deal happen and bring him in permanently.

That is a damning indictment of his spell in G51, which has not been up to the level that was expected when he joined.

Updated 24/7 with expert analysis from the heart of Govan.