Barry Ferguson has urged Nico Raskin to abandon any plans for a January exit, insisting his midfield partnership with Dan Neil can spearhead Rangers' push for the Premiership title in May.
The Belgian international admitted this week that he had "mentally prepared" himself for a move away from Ibrox as the summer transfer deadline approached. Raskin had expected a big-money opportunity elsewhere following his performances at the World Cup, but the only offer lodged was an 11th-hour bid from Turkish club Besiktas.
Raskin rejected the move to Istanbul, but his manager has vowed to work with him to see if new opportunities arise before the winter window. Ferguson, who coached the 25-year-old during his short stint as caretaker boss the season before last, is hoping Raskin will stay after seeing his budding relationship with Neil bear fruit in this month's derby double header with Celtic.
Old Firm wins transform mood
Back-to-back Old Firm victories have transformed the mood around Ibrox and sparked fresh hopes that Rangers can topple Celtic from the top of the Premiership. Ferguson insists Raskin will be crucial to that charge.
"I've always maintained he's a player that I would always want to see stay at Rangers," the Record Sport columnist said. "Sometimes people have got different thoughts, maybe they want to try a different league, but now the window's shut, Nico has to concentrate.
"I think when Nico gets his head down and he concentrates, you see the levels he brings. He's got all the attributes you would want in a midfielder. I think good teams and successful teams build relationships and I think him and Dan in the middle of the pitch are certainly building one just now."
Six wins reignite belief
Rangers' season appeared to be in danger of collapse when they found themselves five points adrift of Celtic and out of both European competitions just four weeks into the campaign. But six successive wins, including a Premier Sports Cup quarter-final triumph, have reignited belief that the squad can compete for silverware.
"I've been really impressed since exiting in Europe," Ferguson said. "I think the reaction, not just the manager and the coaching staff, the players, I've been very impressed.
"Even before the two Celtic games, they played well in parts of it, other parts they didn't, but they found a way to win, and that's so important. I thought the two Celtic games, I was so impressed tactically. I thought Derek came up with a brilliant tactical idea in the cup game. But I just thought the attitude, the desire, and the determination of the players shone through, and I thought the two Celtic games, they were so impressive and thoroughly deserved their two wins.
"It was always going to take a bit of time because there was a big turnaround of players in the summer. Some players hit the ground running. It takes others a wee bit of time to get going. But now I think you're starting to see a team that's got a real togetherness. That's the biggest thing for me as well. The only disappointing thing is there's a break that's come at the wrong time in my opinion. It was six games, five in the league.
"Five wins out of five domestically, beating Celtic in the League Cup. Now the international break comes, but it's a good time for them to go away and have a bit of rest and come back ready to go for the next few games."
Chasing a clean sweep
Rangers are now chasing a clean sweep of trophies, with some fans demanding a quadruple. It will be Derek McInnes' job to deliver the three major domestic prizes, but Ferguson insists he is not feeling the pressure after being named manager for Rangers' Tennent's Sixes bid.
"I'm fine with the pressure, don't worry about that," grinned the retired midfield ace. "I'm looking forward to it. I've not seen a lot of the guys for a while. It was difficult to pick a team because you've got to understand a lot of them are in jobs.
"A lot of them are suffering injuries that they can't play so it was hard to get a squad together but we eventually got it together. So, looking forward to spending the weekend with them and then going and trying to win it.
"As for Derek's side, you've got to remember it's only September. I'll never get carried away, but what I do like is what I've seen the last six games. That's everything you would want in a Rangers team and that comes down to the manager, the coaching staff, and the players.
"I see something building but it's still early days. There's a lot of football to be played. They're in three competitions domestically, that's what you want."
