Thomas Buffel doesn’t make the comparison lightly.
But the Ibrox legend reckons he has every justification when he tells Rangers boss Michael Beale that in Nico Raskin, he’s just landed the new Barry Ferguson. The former Gers playmaker speaks as someone who’s had the privilege of working with both men at close quarters. He stood shoulder to shoulder with Ferguson at the heart of the Rangers midfield on 59 occasions during his time in Glasgow.
It was a partnership which helped deliver the club’s most famous of title wins on Helicopter Sunday and allowed Buffel an insight into the ex-skipper’s mix of steeliness and style. Since retiring, Buffel has been able to form just as close a bond with Beale’s latest Ibrox recruit through his current role assisting Belgium Under-21 boss Jacky Mathijssen. He knows likening Raskin to one of the club’s all-time greats poses the risk of heaping unwanted pressure on the young man’s shoulders.
