Having been frozen out of the first team during the short and ill-fated reign of Russell Martin, Clinton Nsiala now looks set to return to the Rangers matchday squad for the first time this season as the Gers travel to Dundee tomorrow.
The French defender, who joined last summer from AC Milan on a Bosman deal, will travel with the first-team squad ahead of the trip to Dens Park.
It remains to be seen, however, whether he will make new head coach Danny Röhl’s final team sheet.
The 21-year-old has not featured for Rangers since playing 87 minutes in the 2-2 draw against St Mirren in Paisley at the end of April.
His last appearance in a matchday squad came in the 2-2 draw at Easter Road on the final day of the campaign, both during Barry Ferguson’s interim tenure.
Nsiala was controversially frozen out by the now-sacked Martin during pre-season.
The former Southampton boss stated, “He needs to play at this stage of his career,” confirming he was not part of his plans before excluding him from the club’s training camp at St George’s Park.
He was subsequently made to train separately from the squad, placed in the so-called “bomb squad,” and offered to several clubs during the window.
He rejected a proposed loan move to Dynamo Kyiv late in the summer window, leaving his future uncertain.
Throughout this period, Nsiala posted a number of cryptic messages on social media, seemingly aimed at Martin and his situation at Rangers, before openly celebrating his return to first-team training following Martin’s dismissal.
Despite being reintegrated, Röhl has yet to use him.
However, following a pair of poor showing from John Souttar and Nasser Djiga in the midweek defeat to AS Roma in the UEFA Europa League, Nsiala may now be in line for a second chance to prove his worth.
Nothing is confirmed yet, but for the former Nantes youth product, there is at least a renewed sense of hope that his Rangers career is not over just yet.