Rangers’ player Nicolas Raskin received mixed opinions for his cameo appearance in Belgium’s 4-3 victory over Wales on Friday.
The Ibrox star was introduced in the 75th minute of the match, after the Red Devils had already blown a three-goal lead.
Kevin De Bruyne was on hand to save Rudi Garcia, and the result places them third in Group J of the World Cup Qualifiers, three points behind their opponents on June 9.
However, Raskin’s team has only played two games and would lead the group if they won their next two, so it’s not all doom and gloom.
Raskin gets mixed reviews for Belgium showing
The Belgium star has been the main man in the Scottish Premiership for the Gers, in a wonderful personal campaign despite his team’s struggles.
His form was noticed by Garcia, who handed the Govan ace his international debut in the UEFA Nations League in a 10-minute cameo against Ukraine (20 March).
He then made his full debut in the reverse fixture, impressing as he started and played 89 minutes in a 3-0 victory.
Raskin played the full 90 minutes in the 1-1 draw with North Macedonia on 6 June but was restricted to a 15-minute cameo on this occasion.
That was enough for him to earn plaudits from Voetbal 24, who said: “In between all the enthusiasm surrounding De Bruyne, it was also noticeable that Nicolas Raskin received a lot of praise. He was even declared an ‘absolute goat’ by a number of viewers.”
However, not all media outlets were impressed, with Nieuwsblad criticising his impact from the bench, saying: “Tried to bring more stability to the team. Gave many instructions. That didn’t turn the tide anymore,” as they awarded him a five out of 10 rating.
Rangers face tough task to keep Raskin
The 24-year-old notched four goals and 10 assists for the Light Blues this season, which was enough to earn the attention of his country.
His exploits for the national team will only serve to increase the interest in his services, which is mostly coming from the Premier League, with the likes of Leeds and Aston Villa chasing his signature.
Russell Martin would love to keep hold of Raskin and utilise his impact on the pitch, but whether that is a realistic possibility or not remains to be seen.
The Auchenhowie outfit would likely have to make a significant new contract offer to have any hope of keeping him around.
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