Belgium boss explains Nico Raskin call-up as Rangers star leapfrogs £50m star
03/15/2025 11:00 AM
Nico Raskin’s Belgium dream is about to come true, and the Rangers star fully deserves it too.
Back at the start of February, Raskin spoke about his burning desire to represent Belgium at senior level.
If Arne Engels can force his way into the Rote Duivels squad while playing in Scotland – the £11 million playmaker made his Belgium bow shortly after joining Celtic from Augsburg last summer – then why could Nico Raskin not do the same?
The little midfielder did his chances no harm at all when scoring in front of the Belgian media as Rangers beat Union Saint-Gilloise and set up that Europa League last-16 tie against Fenerbahce.
The former Standard Liege man was brilliant against Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United too on the continental stage, with his father claiming that Nico Raskin ‘deserved a chance’ when new Belgium boss Rudi Garcia picked his squad for the March internationals.
And there he was, his name on the Rote Duivels list for the very first time.
- READ MORE:Rangers Europa League Record Since 2017
Belgium boss explains Nico Raskin call-up as Rangers star gets his chance
Garcia, the one-time Lyon, Marseille and Roma boss, unveiled his roster on Friday for the UEFA Nations League double header with Ukraine during the March international break.
Not only was Raskin included in the Belgium squad, Garcia also appeared to confirm that he will make his debut in the first leg on Thursday.
The French tactician also indicated that Raskin found himself climbing the ladder following a hamstring injury to Amadou Onana. The £50 million enforcer was back on the bench as Aston Villa beat Club Brugge 3-0 in the Champions League in midweek but Garcia felt the time was right to give Onana a couple more weeks to recover fully.
“We can’t take everyone!” Garcia says. “That’s why there are players who could have been with us who are not. We must find the solution to replacing Amadou Onana, who is not part of the list because he has not played. He is not ready for the moment. He is not 100 per cent.
“So that’s why there are players who are part of the squad for the first time, like Nico Raskin.
“[Raskin] played 120 minutes [against Fenerbahce] and will play against Celtic this weekend. So we will focus on this from Monday so he is ready for Thursday.”
Barry Ferguson raves about Raskin’s Ibrox influence
Raskin was ‘unbelievable’ over two legs as Rangers secured a spot in the Europa League quarter-finals at the expense of Jose Mourinho’s side.
Regardless of whether Callum McGregor is passed fit for Celtic ahead of Sunday’s early kick-off, Raskin will be central to Rangers hopes of a first win at Parkhead since 2020.
"Yeah, I’ve seen Nico today and I told him that’s the difference that I’ve made to him in two and a half weeks," Ferguson quipped during his pre-Celtic press conference on Friday.
"Nico, since I've come in, I've thought that he has so many good attributes, but also he has a few things he has to work on and he’s open to that. I like that quality, it's the same with a number of my players.
"I'll spend time with him individually but because of the amount of football he's played I've not been able to get many [sessions in with him on the training pitch]. He's probably happy with that, that I can’t get him one-to-on!
“But I’m delighted for him. Nico has had a run now of games, he’s been injury free. Now, I need to see more because I think there’s more in him.
"I really do believe there’s more in him and I’m going to try and squeeze every single bit out of him that I can, because I think Nico can go far in the game."
