You only get one chance to make a first impression and they don’t come much better than the one that Nicolas Raskin has made.
In his ten-minute cameo on his debut, he made an instant impact looking like a hybrid between Rino Gattuso and Barry Ferguson, in his first start against Partick Thistle we really got to see what he was capable of and was unlucky not to be named man of the match such was the quality of his performance.
In case you missed it, or only saw the highlights, Rangers fan @PenaCartel on Twitter has provided a two-minute compilation of his best bits and, safe to say, it is hugely impressive.
The first start for @n_raskin
A complete midfield performance: passing, ball winning, drive, creativity… 💎 pic.twitter.com/t1hVoiSreG
— Pena Cartel (@PenaCartel) February 16, 2023
Biting into tackles, driving forwards with the ball, defence-splitting passes and the all-important assist for the first goal, Raskin displayed the attributes of an all-action midfielder and one that Michael Beale’s Rangers team could be built around.
What impressed me the most was how quickly the diminutive Belgian goes from breaking up an attack to starting one himself. His first thought is to go forwards, unlike Glen Kamara, Ryan Jack and John Lundstram who have a tendency to make sure possession is retained safely first – there is nothing wrong with this but it can slow the game down unnecessarily at times and ruin potential opportunities to get behind opposition teams.
His full range of passing was also on display – with both feet – played at pace, through the lines to the forwards or switching play to full-backs. Aside from his assist for Colak, Ryan Kent should also have done better with a clipped ball to the back post, a simple knock down and Alfredo Morelos has a tap in.
A few more minutes in his legs against Livingston and he has to start at Hampden. Raskin is, arguably, the player we’ve ben looking for since Steven Gerrard rolled into Ibrox and some were arguing about whether or not we should pay the £2million…