Rangers can secure a place in the last-16 of the Europa League with a win against Union Saint-Gilloise during Thursday’s matchday eight clash at Ibrox.
But, for one member of Philippe Clement’s top-eight-chasing squad, progression to the knockout rounds is not the only ambition.
With last season’s Jupiler League runners’ up heading to Glasgow, Nico Raskin has the opportunity to show those back home in Belgium just how far he has come since swapping Standard Liege for Rangers two years ago this month.
Raskin left Belgium as a boy, but he has grown into a man in Scotland. Not only that, but a blood-thirsty, chest-thumping battleaxe of a midfielder.
No midfielder in the Europa League averages more successful tackles per game than him [four].
And during a period of transition for the Belgian national team – former Roma and Lyon coach Rudi Garcia takes over a side looking build a new era out of the ruins of the old one – this has the makings of an audition for a footballer dreaming of one day nailing down the spot that once belonged to Axel Witsel at the base of the Rote Duivels engine room.
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Nico Raskin’s father thinks Rangers transfer has been justified
Thierry Raskin, Nico’s father, spoke to Belgian publication DH Net in the build-up to Thursday’s clash.
Thierry watched on from the Old Trafford terraces as the 23-year-old held his own against Manchester United last week, and the sight of Raskin Jr going toe-to-toe with the likes of Bruno Fernandes felt like a coming of age moment for a player who’s development over the last few months has been little short of staggering.
“[Moving to] Rangers was a good choice,” Thierry now agrees. “I was in Manchester for the Europa League match with friends and we were saying to each other; ‘How far he’s come since he was a kid at the Standard Academy!’.”
Raskin’s slow start to the campaign owes much to an injury which kept him on the sidelines for the first nine months of last year.
And, when making his long-awaited return, some below-par displays did little to suggest he deserved a place above Mohamed Diomande and Connor Barron in Philippe Clement’s pecking order.
How times have changed.
Raskin is likely to be just about the first name on Rangers’ team sheet when Union Saint Gilloise come to town. Philippe Clement attributes the 23-year-old’s recent improvement partly down to a change in his diet, something Thierry Raskin was also keen to highlight when discussing his son’s emergence from squad player to guaranteed starter.
“When you miss two months and the pre-season, it takes time to come back [to your best form],” Thierry adds.
“When he arrived [at Rangers], people saw a promising youngster. But, after his return from injury, he wasn’t as fast as he used to be. He himself recently admitted that he hired a personal chef to try to lose weight and minimise the risk of injury.
“He prepared specific dishes for him. It’s something we’d been talking about for a while. The kind of detail that can make a difference.”
Such has been the speed of his ascent, Raskin was given the honour of captaining Rangers in the absence of usual skipper James Tavernier when Old Firm rivals Celtic made the short trip across the city at the beginning of 2025.
Repaying Clement’s trust with considerable interest, Raskin was the ‘outstanding’ performer as Rangers beat Celtic 3-0 at Ibrox. Clement’s first Old Firm derby victory at the seventh attempt.
Raskin hoping for Belgium chance after getting Rangers armband
“It is a very strong mark of recognition. He wore the armband for the derby,” Thierry smiles. “You have to realise what that represents in a club of [such] traditions.”
Raskin has ten caps for Belgium at Under-21 level but he is yet to be called up into the senior squad. That could change, however, with Rudi Garcia expected to continue the transition towards a more youthful, forward-thinking selection.
There were ten players under the age of 23 in Belgium’s most recent squad – including Celtic’s record signing Arne Engels – and Raskin will be hoping that another stand-out European showing against the second-best team in his homeland will provide the boost his international prospects deserve.
“We talk about [playing for Belgium] sometimes,” Thierry concludes. “But we tell ourselves that he just has to do the maximum and that the rest is not in his hands.
“Some will say that the Scottish league is not enough but, when we see his matches against Manchester United, Tottenham or Lyon, we can say that he deserves a chance, especially since others have received one by playing less.”
Rangers’ goal difference of plus-five means they still have a shot at securing a top-eight finish on Thursday. Though Clement’s team need to win and hope that results go their way.
