Last April, Nicolas Raskin was left out of the Rangers squad for an Old Firm match at Ibrox. When asked about his absence after the game, Philippe Clement namechecked Mohamed Diomande, Kieran Dowell, Tom Lawrence and Dujon Sterling as players ahead of him in the pecking order for a place in the midfield.
The appointment of his compatriot as Ibrox manager had seemed to lay the groundwork for Raskin to emerge as a key figure for Rangers. But after a promising start – whether through injury issues or some ill-advised comments in the Belgian media about using Rangers as a stepping stone to the Chelsea – he found himself out of favour, and largely out of sight.
There was never any danger that he was going to be left out of the team when Celtic travelled back across the city for Sunday’s New Year fixture, and what’s more, in the absence of club captain James Tavernier, he was handed the armband.
He didn’t shirk from the responsibility, nor the battle. For so many years, Rangers fans have watched Callum McGregor lording it over any number of combinations of Rangers midfielders, but it was the diminutive Raskin who stood head and shoulders above anyone else in the middle of the park on Thursday.
He may be small in stature, but he showed huge heart. He was tenacious, relentless in the press and he snapped into tackles. He was even unfortunate not to score with a header from a corner after an aggressive, well-timed run, with the ball breaking to Robin Propper to bag Rangers’ second on the day.
When on the ball, he passed it with purpose, and precision. His first thought was to look forward, and not only did that allow him to catch the eye himself, but it also brought the best out of Diomande.
Suddenly, it looks as though Rangers may have a formidable pairing in there, while Nedim Bajrami did a good job of tracking McGregor. But it is Raskin who now appears to be their jewel in the crown, and still just 23, he is becoming the player that everyone thought Rangers were getting when his signing was hailed as a massive coup almost two years ago.
Furthermore, he exhibited real personality. How important such things are in the grand scheme of things may be open to debate, but Raskin was constantly interacting with the referee and the crowd, which brought a raucous Ibrox with their team and seemed to rattle a Celtic side who have so often appeared unruffled in these fixtures.
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It is important not to get too carried away, of course. Rangers remain 11 points adrift of Celtic at the top of the table, and while Raskin’s absence no doubt contributed to that below-par performance in Paisley, he did play the entire match when Rangers also disappointed and dropped more points at Fir Park a few days later.
However, with the destination of the title looking to be a foregone conclusion already this season despite the impressive win over Celtic, thoughts among the Rangers support are already turning towards next term, and how Clement can lay the foundations for a credible assault on the Premiership crown.
There is no doubt that a desire for their manager to build his team around Raskin is at the forefront of their minds, and as part of that, there is a growing clamour for the armband he wore on Thursday to be permanently handed to the young Belgian.
In respect of James Tavernier’s service to Rangers, it may be difficult for Clement to do that in mid-season. Tavernier’s ability to have a positive impact for Rangers on the field may have waned, but even if your stance on his overall contribution over his decade at the club is negative, he remains a respected figure within the Ibrox dressing room.
Tavernier’s contract runs to next summer, and if he does remain at Rangers next term, the likelihood is that he may have to accept that minutes are harder to come by. In such circumstances, the right back remaining as club captain, but mainly playing a supporting role with Raskin as the on-field skipper, may be a potential and more palatable solution.
No matter when it happens though, it appears that Raskin is at last fulfilling his Rangers destiny. He also seems destined to assume the armband at Ibrox sooner or later.
And if Raskin can continue to perform at this level at the heart of their midfield, or even progress further along his current trajectory, Rangers appear destined for some better times ahead at long last.
