The intensity in Rangers midfield has gone up a notch or two since Nicolas Raskin arrived at the club.
Adding Jose Cifuentes, as we saw against Servette, made a big difference too but the issue with good scouting is that fans shouldn’t get too attached to the combative pair.
One man who knows what it takes to be a Rangers midfielder is Barry Ferguson, and the former skipper has high expectations for Nicolas Raskin, speaking on the Go Radio Football Show.
Ferguson was no stranger to rolling his sleeves up and doing the dirty work, however, he also had the quality in possession too.
These are traits that Rangers fans are seeing in Nicolas Raskin and Ferguson has clearly been impressed.
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There is one thing that concerns him though:
“Raskin is one of my favourites since they brought him in in January. It took him a few weeks to get up to speed which is a natural thing that happens, but I do like him.
“I think he’s a good footballer, he wants the ball all the time and takes up great angles. His first thought is always to play that ball forward and he’s got a wee bit of aggression in him as well which I like.
“In time, I think he could be [a Rangers captain]. My only worry is, if Raskin keeps producing very good performances, I think Rangers could struggle to keep a hold of him.
“[But] I don’t think it will happen. I can’t see it happening. If it was ever going to happen, it would be during the close season.”
Rangers fans can’t get too attached to Nicolas Raskin
Ferguson is right, however, this is exactly the sort of situation that Rangers should be looking for, players like Nicolas Raskin are key to a successful player trading model.
The midfield three that started against Servette cost a grand total of £3m, if reports are accurate, add Todd Cantwell and Rangers paid less than £5m for four key players with three of them having massive sell-on potential.
Mentality is such a big part of elite level football.
Jude Bellingham is the perfect example for a young footballer in the modern game.
Rangers have their own Madrista in Nicolas Raskin though, a player who is determined to drive his team forward at every opportunity and win the ball back every time it is lost.
When Barry Ferguson first broke into the Rangers team, he had a certain Rino Gattuso for company, Raskin is a combination of both of them.
Ferguson is right, enjoy him while you can, he won’t be here for long.