McInnes seems to understand what makes Raskin tick having taken over in the summer where it looked like the Belgian might be off

In many ways it would have been a travesty if Nico Raskin and Derek McInnes had never crossed paths at Rangers.

In the summer, it looked like the Belgian star was about to leave Ibrox before the new manager had got his brown brogues under the manager’s desk.

But given the affection they have for each other - along with how well McInnes has got Raskin performing this season - it feels right that the midfielder stayed put in Glasgow for a few months more at least.

The Rangers gaffer has previously said how he’d always wanted to work with Raskin. And it turns out the feeling was mutual.

Throughout his time at the club, it has always felt that for Raskin to be at his very best he needed to feel some love from his gaffer. He certainly didn’t get that from Russell Martin during his ill-fated spell in Govan.

On the flip side, you could argue the 25-year-old’s best form came when Barry Ferguson took over as interim boss - and immediately put an arm around his star man. It seems that McInnes has done the same this season. He’s made Raskin one of his key figures as he leads a Rangers title charge.

Along with fellow central midfielder, Dan Neil, he’s become the fulcrum of this new-look side. And irrespective of where his future might lie, in January or beyond, Raskin is loving every minute of working for McInnes.

He’d always admired his teams in the past from playing against them, in terms of their organisation and work ethic. But the Belgium World Cup star says his new gaffer has surprised him by how good he is tactically as well.

Speaking for the first time at Rangers since the summer, Raskin said: “I remember playing against his teams at Kilmarnock and Hearts.

“It was always the toughest games we had since I arrived here. So now I'm happy with him coming in here.

“From the first time I spoke with him, I could feel the love he had for this club. I could feel the ambition he had. I think the club is in good hands now, so I'm very happy for that.

“As for our relationship, he just understands us. He understands what we've been through and he's helping everyone as much as he can. It’s great for us.”

When asked how important it was to feel a manager’s faith and trust - unlike when Martin was at the helm - Raskin said: “Yeah, actually I only had one down (moment), the rest was quite good!

“But it's good to directly feel the support and feel the love from the manager. That just gives you the willingness to give everything for him on the pitch.

“I think he's a top manager. If you speak with all the players he's managed, they probably would all say the same. I also have to say he did surprise me a few times with the tactical part.

“It’s amazing to work under him. Now, we must look to bounce back from our last game and try to create a new momentum that will bring us success.”

In January, Raskin will have been at Rangers for four years since being signed by ex-gaffer Michael Beale in 2023. He’s yet to lay his hands on silverware having missed the club’s League Cup triumph later that year at Hampden.

He won’t want to leave without a Rangers trophy on his CV.

As he reflected on what the club means to him, he believes this current crop are ready to become winners.

Raskin said: “Oh, it’s big. This club means a lot to me.

“Playing for your country is probably the highest you can have and the club has helped me.

“The performances we’ve had as a club helped me to reach that level. And yeah, it's probably the club I've spent the most time in now as a professional.

“I’m very proud of that achievement. But now, I wish we can have some success to add to that.

“I see the group growing. I see the personality in the group.

“You could see in the Celtic games recently that we showed character and personality on the pitch, playing man for man.

“We played really good, winning all those 50-50 duels and it’s something you don't see very often.

“So it's good, and we need to build on that.

“I know everyone's speaking about how we drew last week (v Dundee), but it's just a one-off - or we need to make sure it was just a one-off.

“There's no panic because we lost two points. I don't think there'll be any team winning every game this season.

“We will lose games, we will drop points. But it's a matter of how do you bounce back from that? How many victories can you put together in a row to help you be in the best way at the end of the season?”

Raskin knows the 2-2 draw at Dens Park has to be a rare blip if Rangers are going to win the title.

The new momentum he talks about must start with victory over St Johnstone at Ibrox. After that, they face Hearts at Tynecastle then a Premier Sports Cup semi-final against Aberdeen.

And when asked what would constitute a successful campaign, he was unequivocal with his response.

He said: “Winning the cup, winning the league, then winning the other cup.

“That’s what a good season is at Rangers. You can’t be satisfied with one, you have to want more.”