There was no happy ending for Nico Raskin’s Standard Liege story - but the Ibrox new boy is excited to see where his Rangers adventure takes him as he begins a new chapter in Glasgow.
Michael Beale’s latest addition spent almost half of his young life on the books of his hometown club, forming a close bond that can trace its beginnings back to the day he joined Les Rouches’ ranks aged only seven. It was a partnership that took the dynamic midfield dictator from the nursery to the fringes of the national team but a breakdown in relations with the Juniper Pro League outfit’s top brass provided a plot twist that continues to sting with the 21-year-old Belgian. Feeling under appreciated as well as under paid, Raskin announced just before Christmas that he would not be signing new terms when his contract expired in the summer.
Leige’s response was anything but standard, with the club’s hardline hierarchy deciding to banish their star midfielder to the youth team as the insisted upon only fielding players who were totally committed to the cause. If it was a move designed to browbeat the Belgian Under-21 ace into rethinking his future, it didn’t work and Raskin is now enthusiastically looking forward to turning over a new page with Gers.
The new Light Blues signing said: "You know, I can understand Standard’s position. But I also have my position. It’s a long story.
“If you play for four years with the lowest contract in the team and you are one of the best players in the team, you cannot ask me too much on the other side. Honestly, I wanted this story to end differently. But with life sometimes you don’t have a choice. Life just goes on.
“Of course (I feel like my talented is now respected here by Rangers). I like to be here. All the people are very good and very kind to me. I’m very happy to be here.
“I heard about Rangers’ interest last summer. Then I heard again at the end of November.
“Of course, it interested me straight away. I have known this club for a long time. Also, last season’s performance in the Europa League makes the club even more attractive.”
Raskin’s relations with his former employers may have soured during his Liege limbo but he doesn’t have a bad word to say about his old boss, ex-Celtic gaffer Ronny Deila.
And mercifully for Rangers, the Norwegian could only offer positives when Raskin let slip about his own move to Glasgow.
Grinning, Raskin said: “Ronny said very good things about the city. He told me there is way more passion and ambition here.
"Both clubs are in a big battle. Did he try and steer me? No, no. He’s working for Standard now. He’s got enough to do there!
“My relationship with Ronny was very good, he is a very good guy, a very good coach and I think he’s done great with Standard. We were good together.”
Raskin hasn’t played since before the Qatar World Cup break but hopes he’ll be given the chance to introduce himself to his new fanbase when Beale’s side host Ross County this afternoon.
“I’m ready to play,” he said. "I really just missed the month of January because it was the World Cup before then.
"Of course, it’s always tough to stop playing when you have been playing every week. It was tough but I knew I had options, I was just preparing myself and keeping my body fit to try and make the perfect move for me.”
Today’s Staggies showdown won’t be his first experience of Ibrox but it will be the first time he’s seen it packed to the rafters having visited Glasgow for a behind-closed-doors Europa League clash with Liege during the the covid-hit 2020-21 season. But he believes the prospect of potentially staring on the Champions League stage with the Light Blues next term could open up pathways to become a Red Devil.
Raskin received a call-up to the senior Belgian squad from former boss Roberto Martinez ahead of the Nations League finals in 2021. There was no place for him in Qatar as Martinez chose to stick by the golden generation that had taken the side to the top of the FIFA rankings.
But with Martinez gone and former RB Leipzig coach Domenico Tedesco now in charge, it may be time for a new crop to emerge. He said: “I’ve trained with the senior squad before but I’m still waiting for my first cap.
"We’ve got some good players in the national team! Now in Belgium, things with the national team are going to change because of the new manager.
“Maybe a new generation is coming with a lot of players. I knew I had to move to a big club to have more chance of being a part of that.
“I’m sure Rangers can be the club to help me make that step. We will play in Europe next year so I think this can be very good to help.
“There was a chance (for me to go to the World Cup) because we did great in the first part of the season with Standard. But the coach decided something else. OK, it’s like that.
"It’s not something I can change so I just continue to work with myself and with the team. I hope that I’m playing at one of the biggest clubs in the world can help me get there.”
Raskin has no shortage of countrymen for role models but hopes he can develop his own style in Glasgow.
He said: “I looked up to Kevin de Bruyne and the way he can make assists and get the ball forward. But I also liked how Radja Nainggolan defends and how Axel Witsel handles the ball under pressure.
“I’m not looking to one player and trying to be him. I just want to look around and take a little bit from everyone. I can surprise people. I like to play football and enjoy playing good football.
“But when it’s getting hard it’s no problem to roll my sleeves up and get into the battle. That’s something in my DNA. In Belgium we have that same spirit as here in Scotland.
“We’re very passionate and the fans were always happy as long as you gave everything on the pitch. So I know how it feels to give everything for the fans and for the club.”
