Mohamed Diomande thanks Rangers as star opens up on international tug of war dilemma after Ghana no-show

Mohamed Diomande looks set to snub Ghana and choose the Ivory Coast with the Rangers star at the centre of an international tug of war.

The 22-year-old, who joined the Scottish Premiership outfit in January, was called up this week for both the Ivory Coast's Under 23s team and the Ghana full squad for friendly matches. He has no family ties to Ghana, although he holds a Ghanaian passport because he was brought up in the country and attended their Right to Dream Academy.

Ghana were expecting him to turn up to their Marrakech base for their training camp ahead of friendlies against Nigeria and Uganda after paying for flights for him, but he has yet to show. And top football officials at the Ivorian FA reportedly urgently contacted Diomande and asked him to change his mind. Now he's hinted he looks set to stick with the Ivory Coast, whom he earned one Under 23s cap against Morocco a year ago.

In a social media post, the Ibrox star stated: "As a child who was passionate about football, my dream was to become a professional footballer and thus defend the colours of my country wherever I went and to play with the national team.

"Today I am truly grateful to Allah for having achieved part of this dream - that of becoming a professional footballer. There remains the other part, that of joining the national team and also of making my parents proud. Furthermore, I am also aware of the interest shown in me by my host country Ghana where I spent more than seven years of my life and my training as a footballer.

"However, a lot of things have been said, but I am in direct contact with the manager affected by my decision and he is the one who has the real information regarding my choice. I would like to thank my club Rangers for