Nicolas Raskin says he knows all about the magnitude of Rangers as a football club - and all about the Old Firm derby.
The 21-year-old midfielder sealed a long-term move to Ibrox on transfer deadline day in a deal worth a reported £1.7m from Standard Liege. Raskin had long been a target for the Glasgow side after Michael Beale picked up the interest in his services from former boss Gio Van Bronckhorst who wanted a move for the nifty midfielder in the summer.
Raskin has joined new recruit Todd Cantwell in penning a long-term deal at the club. He is no stranger to the Light Blues having faced them with his former club in the Europa League and also admitted the final in Seville in May caught his eye. But the youngster revealed in Belgium there are a lot of eyes on the derby with Celtic which he is 'excited' for.
READ MORE: Nicolas Raskin Rangers transfer complete as midfielder signs long-term deal at Ibrox
He told Rangers TV: "I'm very excited and proud to be joining this big club. I'm looking forward to playing at Ibrox.
"When my lawyer told me about this move I was excited because I watched the Europa League final. I knew this was a big club. In Belgium we also look to the big derby so for sure I was very excited."
He added: “I was playing at a club in Belgium that was almost the little brother of this club. When the manager was talking to me and explaining everything, I said to him that it looked like the big brother of the club I was at.
“We spoke about my position in the squad. The manager convinced me to come because I had a few other offers, but it was good how the manager spoke to me. I wanted to come directly after he spoke to me. I wanted to come here because I feel that the manager can improve me. It’s a big club so you can always improve a lot.
“In my young career I have played once in the Europa League. It was crazy, and I remember we played against Rangers. I was sad because it was COVID-19 and when we came here there wasn’t fans in the stadium. I knew the fans here were incredible. I was so happy when we drew Rangers, but after that I had to say OK. I remember Ibrox as a very big stadium and Rangers were a very good team, so now I’m happy to be part of this team. I’m looking forward to playing at this level."
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