They are tag-team partners off the pitch.
Now Nico Raskin hopes he and best bud Todd Cantwell can form an all-action pairing on it as Rangers look to wrestle back control of Scottish football. The Ibrox new boys have struck up an immediate friendship having checked in on Edmiston Drive only eight days apart.
It’s not quite been an inseparable relationship so far with the two January recruits living on opposite sides of their new home town. But through the wonders of modern technology and a shared love of UFC, former Standard Liege midfield ace Raskin and ex-Norwich playmaker Cantwell have been able to stay in touch even when they’re not joined at the hip at the club’s Auchenhowie training base.
They've been keeping in contact through online PlayStation sessions, and Raskin reckons their virtual scraps are every bit as competitive as the fight for places in Michael Beale’s midfield engine room. The Belgian Under-21 star grinned as he hinted so far he’s the one with the upper hand in the console grapple games.
But together with his new pal, he’s serious about their intention to mount a successful takedown of Celtic’s era of domestic domination. He said: “Todd’s helped me a lot because we came in the same situation.
“We're both new so we stay a bit together but I think everybody in the team is very kind with me. They help us a lot and we’re starting to enjoy being here with the boys, winning games and playing well, so everything is very good.
“We want to win something this year. At Rangers, we need to win every year. Is Todd my buddy? Yeah, that’s the description, I think everyone in my buddy. Ianis Hagi, Rabbi Matando too.
"The team is very close and we all help each other, I couldn’t imagine a better atmosphere, of course that’s important to help you settle in. If you come over here and you don’t talk to nobody and you don’t laugh it can be difficult when you’re new.
“I was imagining it to be more difficult (to settle in) than it has been. The boys are very good and I’m very happy, we don’t spend so much time together away from training because Todd lives so far away from me.
“But we play PlayStation together in the afternoon and we pass time together when we are here (at the training centre). We are fans of UFC and we’ve been playing UFC online. It’s good to have some contact outside the club also. Who wins? Ask Todd who wins…!”
The tight team spirit has been essential to shaking off the deep disappointment of last month’s Hampden defeat to Celtic. The Viaplay Cup final loss was a sobering reminder of just how far Beale and his team still have to travel if they are to displace Ange Postecoglou’s team from the top of Scottish football’s pecking order.
The sides have set a repeat collision course for the national stadium after being paired together in next month’s Scottish Cup semis. But there’s been little sign of a Hampden hangover so far, with Gers sweeping past Kilmarnock, Hibs and Raith Rovers in their three games since, netting 10 goals in the process.
“Yes of course (that team spirit has been) very important,” said the 22-year-old. “When you lose something you feel sad. Everyone is feeling sad.
“If you want to achieve something in your career that (feeling of being sad) gives you power for the next time. The last couple of games I think were good and that gives us confidence and now we are looking forward.”
Ryan Kent may have been the only Rangers player to have caught Raskin’s eye in recent years but the young Belgian is no stranger to Fashion Sakala either having come up against the Zambian during his stint with Juplier Pro League outfit Oostende. The striker has notched five goals and seven assists since Beale’s appointment.
Raskin saw for himself what the African ace is capable of during a January 2021 clash when his Liege side had to rely on a stoppage-time equaliser to snatch a 2-2 draw after Sakala had twice put his team in front. But Raskin reckons the player he now calls a team-mate is a more effective version than the one he previously squared up against.
He said: “Fashion is more confident in the way he plays these days. He trusts more in his qualities. You can see on the pitch he is very happy and he is making a difference in games. He’s very good for the team.
“I think for every player the most important thing is confidence. You can watch a player with confidence and without confidence and they are different even though they are the same player.
“With Fashion, you will see the best in him when he has confidence and I’m very happy for him. He was already very good in Belgium. He caused us trouble, I remember.”
READ NEXT
