GLASGOW, SCOTLAND - JULY 18: A general view during the pre-season friendly match between Rangers and Newcastle at Ibrox Stadium on July 18, 2023 in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Serena Taylor/Newcastle United via Getty Images)
Rangers boss Philippe Clement has revealed the five players keeping Nicolas Raskin out of the side.
There were high hopes for Raskin after his Belgian compatriot Clement took the reins, but the young midfielder has not been able to nail down a regular place in the side.
Furthermore, the 23-year-old has been an unused substitute in six of the club’s last 10 league matches – including the 3-2 defeat against Ross County (14 April) – and was left out of the squad altogether for the Old Firm derby against Celtic at Ibrox on 7 April.
Rangers Review report Clement as saying [13 April]: “Nico has been unlucky. He started really well and played the first game [after I was appointed] and scored. He was one of our best players that day.
“Afterwards, he got an injury and was out for a longer time and then there became more competition in the midfield. We have a lot of guys who did a lot of good things and Nico is among them, with Lunny [John Lundstram] the stable factor all the time.
“Kieran Dowell did good things in midfield, Tom Lawrence in the number eight role, Dio [Mohammed Diomande] came in, Dujon Sterling did good things – so there’s a lot of competition. It’s not that Nico is doing things bad now or not good. No. He’s working really hard.
“I see him evolving also. He’s better than when I saw him in October. He is a better player. But there is more competition also. That’s what you need in a top team to perform and to win a lot of games.”
Is Nicolas Raskin the sixth-choice central midfielder at Rangers?
Clement’s five-man list of Lundstram, Dowell, Lawrence, Diomande and Sterling lends clarity to the battle Raskin faces to earn a regular starting spot at Rangers.
Interestingly, Raskin has actually played more minutes across all competitions than every member of that list bar Lundstram – but that does not tell the full story.
Dowell’s season has been hampered by injury since his arrival on a free transfer in the summer, as has Lawrence’s, while Diomande only joined in January and Sterling has been utilised as something of a utility man.
Diomande has established himself as Clement’s preferred partner for Lundstram and Dowell has just made his comeback, while Raskin has found himself increasingly on the fringes.
However, there is still hope that the Belgian can develop into a more prominent member of the squad. With both Lawrence and Sterling capable of being used in positions other than central midfield, impressive performances in training could lead to a greater share of first-team minutes and open the door for a larger role.
It is up to Raskin to convince Clement that he deserves to play more than his peers.
