Rangers boss Danny Rohl insists that defender Derek Cornelius will have one last chance to knuckle down and play a part in the club’s title challenge.
All is clearly not well between the pair, with the 28-year-old having been exiled from the first-team squad over recent days and made to train on his own.
Currently on a season-long loan from Marseille, Cornelius only recently returned from a lengthy injury lay-off, with his last appearance coming back in November.
Rohl then told him to head off early to join up with the Canadian national team ahead of their upcoming games against Iceland and Tunisia.
The centre back, who had looked a decent acquisition for Rangers prior to his injury, will face crunch talks with the manager on his return to Glasgow.
‘Derek will travel to the national team, I’ve given him the opportunity to go early,’ said Rohl, whose side host Aberdeen at Ibrox on Saturday evening.
Derek Cornelius celebrates a goal for Rangers against Kilmarnock back in October
‘I had 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 international break. Then we will see which direction it goes.
‘I’ve had a conversation with Jesse Marsch (Canada manager) 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.’
Rohl’s side are firmly back in title contention after a 1-0 win at St Mirren last weekend saw them close the gap on leaders Hearts to three points.
It was far from a vintage display in Paisley but Rohl believes the high-pressure stakes of the title race now mean that points matter far more than performances.
‘Time is running, less games to go, and, for us, it’s about winning games,’ he said ‘A good performance without a win is nothing. We need wins.
‘It was not always the nicest game (against St Mirren) but, after the game, I took the three points instead of a good performance and a draw again.
Cornelius has been exiled from first team, with all clearly not well between him and manager Danny Rohl
‘I think all the three clubs (Hearts, Celtic and Rangers) now know what it means. Every point that you drop now is crucial. That’s the reason why it’s all about the next cup final, and cup finals you have to win.’
Rohl confirmed that Andreas Skov Olsen is unlikely to feature on Saturday due to an illness, with Mikey Moore also nursing a small problem. Mohamed Diomande and Tuur Rommens should both be okay after injury scares.
On the challenge of facing an Aberdeen side now under the management of Stephen Robinson, Rohl added: ‘A new manager gives new ideas and new energy. I think they will have a clear structure.
‘I think the manager had a clear structure in St. Mirren and now he’s in Aberdeen. Honestly, the last final eight games there is not an easy game.
‘You look at it on paper and you say: “Yes, it should be a win”. This is what we expect and what we have to do. There’s no question mark.
‘But all of these games are difficult. You have to handle the different challenges and that’s what we have to prepare. My team knows exactly at the moment what we have to do and the kind of results.’
