WHEN Barry Ferguson was asked about Nico Raskin's Belgium call-up he couldn't resist a typical Glaswegian wisecrack.
"I've told Nico that's the difference I've made to him in two-and-a-half weeks."
It was tongue in cheek, of course, but there was a serious side to what the Rangers interim boss was saying too.
That's because Ferguson has impacted Raskin's displays at Ibrox.
Neil McCann and Billy Dodds will have had a role to play in that as well.
But as a former top-class midfielder himself, the manager will have deliberately tried to influence the 24-year-old since taking over.
And you have to say - even though it's still early days - whatever Ferguson has done with Raskin, it's worked.
On Sunday night he was part of a three-man Red Devils midfield that featured Manchester City superstar Kevin de Bruyne and Club Brugge captain Hans Vanaken.
With two-goal Romelu Lukaku up front, flanked by City and Arsenal wide men, Jeremy Doku and Leandro Trossard the Belgians over-turned a two-goal defeat to dump Ukraine 3-0 and remain in the Nations League top tier.
Raskin was eventually taken off 89 minutes into his first start and given a standing ovation from the crowd.
The biggest compliment you can pay him is he didn't look out of place in that kind of company.
And therefore you have to ask yourself, would that have been possible if Ferguson hadn't been given the caretaker role at Ibrox? Incredibly, it appears doubtful.
When Philippe Clement arrived as a replacement to Michael Beale in October 2023, you sensed it would be the perfect appointment for Raskin and one that could take his game to another level.
Instead, his career went backwards.
Injuries didn't help but even last season, Clement used his countryman sparingly. When he did play, his performances were one-dimensional.
Was Raskin a sitting midfielder, adept at breaking up opposition attacks?
Or was he a box-to-box player, capable of hurting teams going the other way?
Under Clement, he was neither. With Ferguson guiding him? It seems he can be both.
That was evident during victories over Fenerbahce and Celtic, especially in the 3-2 Old Firm derby win at Parkhead during which Raskin was the best player on the pitch by a mile.
He proved that day he can hound and harass rivals to the point of submission.
With Rangers deploying a five-man defence, the little Belgian had to fill in, help his full-backs and cover every blade of grass.
But we already knew he could do that. The key to Raskin's display was his ability to affect the result going forward, something we've yet to see from him in Glasgow.
The timing of his run and spring to outjump Jeffrey Schlupp and put Rangers in front with a terrific header four minutes in was eye-catching.
So too was a darting run off fellow Belgian Arne Engels and his awarene...
"I've told Nico that's the difference I've made to him in two-and-a-half weeks."
It was tongue in cheek, of course, but there was a serious side to what the Rangers interim boss was saying too.
That's because Ferguson has impacted Raskin's displays at Ibrox.
Neil McCann and Billy Dodds will have had a role to play in that as well.
But as a former top-class midfielder himself, the manager will have deliberately tried to influence the 24-year-old since taking over.
And you have to say - even though it's still early days - whatever Ferguson has done with Raskin, it's worked.
On Sunday night he was part of a three-man Red Devils midfield that featured Manchester City superstar Kevin de Bruyne and Club Brugge captain Hans Vanaken.
With two-goal Romelu Lukaku up front, flanked by City and Arsenal wide men, Jeremy Doku and Leandro Trossard the Belgians over-turned a two-goal defeat to dump Ukraine 3-0 and remain in the Nations League top tier.
Raskin was eventually taken off 89 minutes into his first start and given a standing ovation from the crowd.
The biggest compliment you can pay him is he didn't look out of place in that kind of company.
And therefore you have to ask yourself, would that have been possible if Ferguson hadn't been given the caretaker role at Ibrox? Incredibly, it appears doubtful.
When Philippe Clement arrived as a replacement to Michael Beale in October 2023, you sensed it would be the perfect appointment for Raskin and one that could take his game to another level.
Instead, his career went backwards.
Injuries didn't help but even last season, Clement used his countryman sparingly. When he did play, his performances were one-dimensional.
Was Raskin a sitting midfielder, adept at breaking up opposition attacks?
Or was he a box-to-box player, capable of hurting teams going the other way?
Under Clement, he was neither. With Ferguson guiding him? It seems he can be both.
That was evident during victories over Fenerbahce and Celtic, especially in the 3-2 Old Firm derby win at Parkhead during which Raskin was the best player on the pitch by a mile.
He proved that day he can hound and harass rivals to the point of submission.
With Rangers deploying a five-man defence, the little Belgian had to fill in, help his full-backs and cover every blade of grass.
But we already knew he could do that. The key to Raskin's display was his ability to affect the result going forward, something we've yet to see from him in Glasgow.
The timing of his run and spring to outjump Jeffrey Schlupp and put Rangers in front with a terrific header four minutes in was eye-catching.
So too was a darting run off fellow Belgian Arne Engels and his awarene...
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Daily Record (Digital) - 1 Issue, March 27, 2025