Stuart McCall ‘mystified’ by what’s happened to Nicolas Raskin at Rangers
Stuart McCall has admitted he is “mystified” by a lack of opportunities for Rangers midfielder Nicolas Raskin under Philippe Clement.
Raskin, 23, has been used sparingly by Clement this season and has seemingly struggled to convince the manager of his qualities.
McCall feels the midfielder has been impressive in his cameos and deserves more game-time than he has received.
Speaking to BBC Sportsound, McCall said: “I’m a wee bit mystified by it. Every time I see him come on, even for 10 minutes, he seems really busy and gets about the game.
“I liked him when he first came in and then he did have a dip like a lot of them did. Under Mr Clement, he just doesn’t seem to have got a look in.”
Should Philippe Clement give Nicolas Raskin more Rangers opportunities?
Belgian midfielder Raskin impressed after joining Rangers from Standard Liege in January 2023 and was widely expected to kick on under his compatriot Clement, who took the reins in the summer.
The 23-year-old began the campaign as a regular starter but was sidelined through November and December last year and has since struggled to reclaim his place, making just seven Scottish Premiership appearances in 2024 and played less than an hour in all of them [Transfermarkt].
Even the Scottish FA Cup has not provided the platform for minutes he would have hoped for, managing just 162 minutes in the competition.
Raskin has acquitted himself well in his time on the pitch, though. He has won 2.48 tackles per 90 on average in the Scottish Premiership this season for a tackle success rate of 80 per cent, as well as making 8.26 recoveries per game [FotMob].
The Belgian has been useful on the ball, too, averaging 45.41 successful passes per 90 in the league with a pass accuracy of 85.6 per cent.
Raskin will certainly hope to impress sufficiently to earn more regular minutes – or he may begin to think about revitalising his career elsewhere.
In other Rangers news, rumours of a bust-up between Alex Rae and Fabio Silva Rangers have been dismissed as “fantasy”.
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