Nicolas Raskin and the Rangers squad captured the imaginations the Europa League this week and it appears Belgium have taken notice.
Rangers have boxed well above their weight on the Europa League stage this season and have teed up a Quarter Final clash with Athletic Bilbao in April.
But before then club football is set to take a well-earned breather with the upcoming international break set to see teams compete in the UEFA Nations League and World Cup Qualifiers.
Nicolas Raskin has been one of Rangers’ top performers this season and now the young Belgium talent could soon be flying the Ibrox flag in Brussels.
Photo by Richard Martin-Roberts - CameraSport/CameraSport via Getty Images
Photo by Richard Martin-Roberts – CameraSport/CameraSport via Getty Images
Nicolas Raskin called up to Belgium international squad
Nicolas Raskin was being tailed by Barcelona before Rangers pounced and brought the Belgian U21 international to Ibrox in the winter window of 2023.
The midfielder’s early promise even had former Belgian boss Roberto Martinez comparing Raskin to Gennaro Gattuso, once briefly of the Ibrox parish.
It’s been a rollercoaster two years in Glasgow for Nico, 24, who has seen his spell interrupted by injuries and a much-publicised issue with the midfielder’s diet.
But over the course of this season, Raskin has been a Europa League stand-out with the midfielder’s expert reading of the game crucial to Rangers’ progress.
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And those immense performances in Glasgow have not gone unnoticed by new Belgium head coach Rudy Garcia, with Raskin earning his first call-up to the Red Devils squad.
Belgium are set to continue their UEFA Nations League campaign with a double header against Ukraine in the upcoming international break (A: 20th March, H: 23rd March).
Rangers star lands early £11m Old Firm Celtic blow
The call-up means that Nicolas Raskin will soon be rubbing shoulders with some of the biggest names in Belgian football.
Manchester City legend Kevin de Bruyne is the nation’s captain, whilst the Rangers star will also be sharing a dressing room with Real Madrid stopper Thibout Courtais, Arsenal winger Leandro Trossard and Napoli striker Romelu Lukaku.
Those are just a few of the talented players Belgium have at their disposal but it’s interesting to note that Raskin’s call up appears to come at the expense of a Celtic rival.
In an early Old Firm blow, Raskin has pipped £11m record Celtic signing Arne Engels (BBC Sport) to a place in the Belgium national side set-up.
The Parkhead midfielder, 21, has four caps for the Belgian national team but has been dropped from the squad having played in a run of three straight defeats for the country.
Nicolas Raskin also isn’t the only newcomer to the Belgian squad, with Ajax teenager Jorthy Mokio handed his first ever call-up.