New Rangers signing Nicolas Raskin, who could be set to make his debut today after work permit issues were cleared, has confirmed his exact position on the pitch, and it’s what Ibrox Noise told you in recent articles.
Despite some fans seeming to get it in their heads he was an attacking midfielder akin to fellow new recruit Todd Cantwell, Raskin confirmed his position:
“I like to recover the ball, play forward, one or two touches, playing in between players and breaking the lines. I like a fast tempo. That suits me. I can play anywhere the coach wants me to. If he wants me as a six, I’ll play six, if he wants me in the eight, I’ll play eight.”
In short, a defensive but forward-thinking midfielder akin to Glen Kamara in position but with more than a hint of Barry Ferguson in terms of how he plays.
Raskin admits he’s adaptable, and that despite his main position being a 6 (Ferguson) that he’s quite happy to play the Gazza 8 as well, a more advanced midfielder, even if he probably lacks the genius and creativity of the legendary Rangers star.
The ‘recover the ball’ is a huge deal – he will press opposition, work hard on pushing them and stealing the ball – expect a few tackles and blocks from Raskin deep in midfield. But when he gets the ball, he’s going forward, and he’s doing it quickly.
Do we have a player like him already? Well, Ryan Jack has actually evolved into more of an 8 these days himself, playing in the Gazza slot more than he used to – he just doesn’t have the running defensive power in his body any more to cover James Tavernier like in the old days. Of course he does actually wear 8, but never played that understood slot in his ‘younger’ days.
Lundstram? He’s a 6, but also tubthumps forward a fair bit too. Even Kamara himself got forward more v Hearts than we can remember for a long time, so he’s capable of that adaptation as well.
Raskin is clearly a fine asset, and we hope to see a bit of action from him today.