Rudi Garcia has been taking the plaudits after selecting Nicolas Raskin for the Belgium national side during the March international break.
The French coach, 61, has just taken the reins with the Red Devils following the sacking of Domenico Tedesco, selecting Nicolas Raskin for his maiden Belgium call-up in the process.
It’s a decision which has reaped substantial rewards.
Whilst Nico was powerless to resist Belgium’s 3-1 defeat to Ukraine in the first leg of the UEFA Nations League playoff, the midfielder was exemplary in the second.
Handed a first start for his country, the Belgium fans have lauded Raskin for a commanding performance in the middle of the pitch.
The Belgian press too have praised Nico, alongside Garcia, for finding a way to turn things around in a 3-0 second leg victory.
The former Lille, Roma and Marseille manager is a wily operator and knows a top player when he sees one.
Rudi Garcia on Nicolas Raskin qualities
Speaking to the press after Belgium’s comeback victory over Ukraine, Rudi Garcia was full of praise for his players.
The Frenchman is convinced there is ‘soul’ in his confidence-stricken team and believes they have what it takes to go unbeaten in FIFA World Cup qualification.
Hailing his team come full-time, Garcia singled out several players for their performances including Rangers midfielder Nicolas Raskin.
When it comes to the Ibrox star, Garcia singled out two main qualities in particular that made Raskin stand out in Genk.
“We also achieved the result with the reserves,” explained Garcia, as quoted by RTBF.
“The substitutes succeeded in revitalizing the team. We could have thought that we were going to bring on a striker, but we have a very attacking left-back in the squad, Maxim De Cuyper.
“Leandro Trossard played a lot in both matches so we had to bring some dynamism in attack as well. Alexis Saelemaekers is a hard-hitting player.
“We know the qualities that Romelu Lukaku and Kevin De Bruyne possess. They are two very high-level players. They were very good in their roles. Everyone was good.
“Nicolas Raskin in recovery and technical accuracy. Hans Vanaken was excellent too. There was the impact of Jérémy Roku. The central hinge was solid and complementary: the strength of Wout Faes and the speed of Zeno Debast.”
Garcia has also explained that he’s ‘going to miss’ training with the group as they return to their clubs ahead of the World Cup Qualifiers kicking off later in the season.
Explaining that ‘everything is positive’ with the result v Ukraine, Garcia touched on the hectic schedule and explained that ‘player must be present’ with the national side if they want to be involved with his team.
“The players must be present with the national team, but when you play every three days at club level, it’s understandable that some might lack freshness,” said Garcia. “Physical or motivation.
“It will be my role to remind people that it is an honor to play for your country. When I call someone, they must come running.”
Nicolas Raskin rates his own Belgium performance out of 10
Nicolas Raskin has been reacting to his first start for Belgium following the victory over Ukraine.
Whilst Nico never got on the scoresheet, the midfielder’s impressive display at the base of the nation’s midfield has turned heads all over the country.
It’s that selflessness that embodied Raskin’s display and the delighted midfielder admits he doesn’t mind doing the hard yards to allow the likes of Kevin de Bruyne and Hans Vanaken to go and shine.
“I am happy, my family was there and everything went well. It is nothing but happiness ” said Raskin, as quoted by RTL.
”We had an attacking team because we had to score three goals, but I don’t mind working for these two great players so that they create chances and goals for us.
“It was good to show a strong reaction, we were able to show ourselves that we were a very good team when we all pulled in the same direction and went all out to achieve our goal. It’s on these foundations that we will have to build for the future.”
Speaking to RTBF, Nicolas Raskin reflected on his performance and rated himself out of 10.
Whilst the midfielder isn’t one to play these ‘games’, Nico reckons his performance is worth at least a 7/10.
“I try never to hide,” Nico explains. “I think I was pretty good. If I had to give myself a grade? I don’t like these kinds of games, but I deserve more than 6 out of 10, yes.
“It’s been a long time since I last played in Belgium. I remember the result, the qualification, and the team’s good performance!”
