Why Connor Barron must start ahead of Joe Rothwell as Rangers seek Nicolas Raskin replacement
Rangers are set to face Hearts at Ibrox in a must-win game on Saturday, but they will still be without star midfielder Nicolas Raskin.
Russell Martin confirmed that Raskin will not be in the squad despite pleas from the fanbase to bring him back into the team, with the midfielder previously dropped amid a rift with the manager.
The midfielder was absent from the squad for the 0-0 draw with Celtic before the international break, but Raskin started and scored for Belgium during that time.
Connor Barron started in place of Raskin as Rangers drew against Celtic, but there now remains a decision over whether to stick with him or play the more experienced Joe Rothwell instead.
Russell Martin faces decision over Rangers midfield
Barron joined Rangers on a free transfer from Aberdeen last year, but despite appearing a lot throughout all competitions, he failed to nail down a starting spot in the Scottish Premiership.
It has been a mixed spell at Rangers for the 23-year-old, but Barron did perform fairly well when called upon against Celtic.
Martin’s vision for the midfield earlier this summer would have included Rothwell, who arrived to a lot of fanfare after impressing at Leeds and Bournemouth.
| Stat | Rothwell | Barron |
| Appearances | 39 | 46 |
| Starts | 27 | 36 |
| Assists | 4 | 2 |
However, Rothwell has been one of Rangers’ worst signings of the summer, with the midfielder failing to remotely impress since his debut, and he dropped out of the team alongside Raskin.
Martin may therefore have a fairly obvious decision to make over his midfield choice against Hearts, but there is a wider concern.
Rangers have Joe Rothwell problem
Rothwell arrived as an experienced midfielder who was seemingly capable of dictating a game from deep midfield and taking set-pieces, but fitness has been a massive problem for him so far.
Whenever Rothwell has played for Rangers, he has looked physically wiped out even before the 90 minutes are up, and does not have the legs to play as a defensive midfielder.
There is clearly a problem if one of the experienced, high-profile signings cannot make the starting XI when a key player like Raskin is absent, but Rothwell will need to show major signs of improvement if he is to be in contention again.
This does allow Barron to make a name for himself, but Rangers fans will be frustrated that the best midfielder of them all will not be included in the squad.
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