Mohamed Diomande in emotional Rangers transfer send off as he holds back tears in aching goodbye address

Rangers new recruit Mohamed Diomande was on the brink of tears over his Nordsjaelland send off as boss Johannes Hoff Thorup delivered an emotional monologue paying tribute to the star.

The 22-year-old has penned an initial loan deal with Rangers which will become permanent in £4.5m deal in the summer after he impressed in Denmark. He is the second signing of the January window for boss Philippe Clement after Fabio Silva joined on loan from Wolves until the end of the season - and looks set to be a big loss for his former club with Hoff Thorup gushing over the star.

During the winter training camp in San Diego, Nordsjaelland boss Thorup gathered the squad to deliver a speech. He said: "I hope that if you are for some reason in need of some advice or some support or just a clap on the shoulder - I will be there. And I know that I speak on behalf of the staff and the players when I say we will all be there. And I hope that when you take this next step you maybe consider me as your friend.

"And I know that is speaking on behalf of the whole group here because you have played a very, very important role in the whole organisation. So on behalf of all the staff, the players we wish you all the best of luck. We hope to see you again in the future. Maybe here, maybe in Farum, maybe in Egypt, maybe in Ghana - you will always be a part of the family."

Diomande then received an applause from the staff and teammates at his now former club before delivering his own speech. He said: "It's a tough one for me, leaving you guys. And you don't know how much you guys mean to me. For the past few years I have had many challenges and I was able to overcome them because of you guys. But I will say the last six months has been very good for