When Rangers signed Nicolas Raskin from Standard Liege, the Ibrox side were said to have pulled off something of a coup.
The young Belgian U21 midfielder was moving into a crucial stage of his career with teams from across Europe’s top leagues apparently casting glances towards Nico.
Rangers were said to have held off interest from the likes of Marseille, Napoli and even Barcelona to secure Nicolas Raskin’s signature and the excitement was genuine.
Raskin had been signposted as a future Belgian international, with former Red Devils manager Roberto Martinez even likening the 23-year-old to ex-Gers midfielder Gennaro Gattuso.
“It’s a clever signing,” said Martinez. “He’s a player that was highly rated by all the top European clubs. And I think Rangers were very quick in the acquisition.
“He reminds me of another former Rangers player; Gennaro Gattuso.”
The midfielder too insisted that Rangers were a stepping stone to bigger things, with Raskin setting his sights on the brights lights of Chelsea.
But 18 months on from making the switch to Rangers, time is running out for Nicolas Raskin to prove he has what it takes to reach this potential and the Premier League land of milk and honey.
Injury stymies Nicolas Raskin at Rangers
Nicolas Raskin is one of several players for whom injury has been a major problem at Rangers in recent seasons.
Whenever the midfielder has had a run in the team and begun to show some of the talents which had him so highly-regarded as a Belgian youth international another problem has struck.
The situation with the Rangers squad has brought into question both the club’s transfer strategy, which has targeted players unsuitable for the rigours and intensity of life at Rangers, as well as an underachieving medical department.
Heading into this season, there were hopes that Nicolas Raskin had overcome his issues before a pre-season horror challenge v Ajax derailed his campaign before it even got started.
Naturally, the fact that Philippe Clement is a countryman of Nicolas Raskin has raised hopes of the kid achieving his potential but so far the manager is yet to harness that potential.
Coming back into the team in the Old Firm defeat to Celtic, Rangers will likely take their time reintroducing Raskin as is the policy of an apprehensive Clement.
But as we approach two years at Ibrox, there will be major questions raised over the success of the transfer with Rangers yet to activate the talent which had those big names looking.
Opportunities at Rangers for Nicolas Raskin this season
There should be opportunities for Nicolas Raskin at Rangers in the weeks and months ahead.
Rangers are short in the middle of the pitch, with youthful midfield duo Mohamed Diomande and Connor Barron starting the bulk of the club’s games this season.
Rangers’ summer failure to sign a more experienced ‘number six’ has been well documented with the club currently relying on utility man Dujon Sterling for first-team back-up.
Kieran Dowell and Tom Lawrence are other options but given they are generally more advanced footballers, the chance is there for Raskin to impress.
Part of the Rangers Europa League squad, it suggests Raskin is ready to return to the first-team fold but this transfer which promised so much has so far delivered so little.
How the rest of this season goes could prove definitive for Nicolas Raskin who is looking at two years in Glasgow which have so far failed to live up to the hype.
Michael Beale confirmed Rangers paid £800k to sign Nicolas Raskin in January 2022 but so far the midfielder has been limited to 48 appearances.
