BBC Sport pundit ‘hugely encouraged’ by ‘excellent’ Rangers midfielder Nico Raskin v Celtic
Kenny Miller has praised the “excellent” Nicolas Raskin for his display in the match between Rangers and Celtic on Saturday (8 April).
Celtic extended their lead at the top of the Scottish Premiership table to 12 points with the 3-2 victory at Parkhead, with the clubs set to meet again later this month in the Scottish Cup semi-final.
Former Rangers striker Miller has singled out young midfielder Raskin for his performance against the Bhoys, despite an ultimately disappointing loss for Michael Beale's side.
“Listen, I can only talk positively to a certain extent when you’ve lost an Old Firm game,” Miller wrote for the Daily Record. “But irrespective of the result, the league was still gone.
“So I’m trying to look at the bigger picture. And there are definitely positives Rangers can take into the Scottish Cup semi-final in three weeks' time. There won’t be 60,000 Celtic fans that day.
“And I was hugely encouraged by the performance of someone like Nico Raskin yesterday. I thought he was excellent.”
Impressive display
It was a battle at Parkhead for Rangers, particularly given that no away fans were in attendance due to safety issues, with the away side therefore up against it from the very start.
But Beale’s men put up a good fight against a strong Celtic side, with mistakes often their own downfall in the five-goal thriller.
Starring in midfield, Raskin can definitely hold his head high after his display, with the 22-year-old impressing in his first league encounter with Celtic.
The Belgian was previously handed 25 minutes from the bench in February’s Viaplay Cup final loss to the Bhoys.
But Beale handed the midfielder a start against the same opposition on Saturday (8 April), with the youngster playing the entire 90 minutes and putting in a top shift despite the loss.
Raskin has become a key player for the Gers since his January move from Standard Liege, with his ability both on and off the ball clear to see.
The midfielder has impressed supporters despite an injury-hit start to his spell at the club.