Some Rangers supporters may have been taken aback when Dujon Sterling entered the Rangers midfield against Dundee.
The adaptable right-back has frequently played in the middle of the pitch for the Ibrox team, but maybe someone else had better attributes in a match that Rangers were supposed to win.
The choice to start Sterling was retracted at halftime when Philippe Clement took Mohamed Diomande’s position as the starting defender.
However, some concerns have been raised over the condition of a once highly-rated young German who has his sights set on Stamford Bridge due to the inclusion of former Chelsea player Sterling in the starting lineup.
Nicolas Raskin stops at Rangers
We have previously discussed the circumstances surrounding Nicolas Raskin at the Rangers.
The 23-year-old Belgian midfielder, who departed Standard Liege to join the Gers more than 20 months ago, has not yet lived up to the excitement surrounding his arrival in Glasgow.
Former Belgium manager Roberto Martinez, who was linked to teams like Napoli and Barcelona, praised Rangers for acquiring Raskin and even likened the Standard prodigy to the heir apparent to Gennaro Gattuso’s football throne.
Even Raskin expressed his intention to use Rangers as a springboard to the Premier League and Chelsea Football Club.
But Raskin’s progress at Ibrox has been disrupted by injuries over the past 18 months, and the midfielder has found it difficult to settle in despite the club’s limited middle-of-the-park options.
ruled out once more thanks to a pivotal challenge in a preseason friendly against Ajax, Raskin has gradually been added back to the squad in recent weeks.
The midfielder did not come off the bench against Dundee.
Although many may have believed that Nicolas Raskin would have been a better fit for the match against Dundee than Sterling, Philippe Clement’s previous remarks imply that the Belgian is directly competing with a starter in form.
The manager of Rangers maintains that a strategy exists with Belgian
Dujon Sterling moved into the middle of the pitch while Rangers’ Mohamed Diomande left it.
We anticipate seeing a little more of this in the coming weeks and months, since Clement obviously believes he can switch the two in and out of his system with little to no effect.
On the opposing side of midfield, that starting spot has been claimed by the outstanding Connor Barron.
Barron joined Rangers in the summer after leaving Aberdeen, and he has made great success so far. The Gers fan base has come to love his tigerish, aggressive, and forward-thinking plays.
And Nicolas Raskin needs to knock out Barron, not Diomande, if he wants to succeed at the Rangers.
At least according to Philippe Clement, who only a few weeks before made the same statement.
Clement is adamant about Raskin’s ability and has said that the Belgian has what it takes to have a significant influence in Glasgow, even though the player hasn’t played much.
The manager of Ibrox is also certain that the Belgian will have opportunities as the following few weeks’ busy schedule picks up speed.
On September 14, Clement stated, as reported by the Herald, “I hope [he can have] a really big one [season].” “Nico is a very talented golfer, but he faces tough competition from talented players like Connor Barron.
Thus, things with the two of them will be fascinating.
“But we have a lot of games. That means that until the end of January, this will be the season. Thus, for the next four and a half months, we will regularly play every three days.
For the international team, it’s undoubtedly something unprecedented in football history. Without a winter break, there were an abundance of games.
We therefore have goals in all four tournaments, therefore we will need all those players to perform at their highest level. We include more than one competition.
Naturally, he’s not at his best right now because of his ailment. However, he is improving steadily to return to his previous level of performance.
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