Raskin dispute casts shadow over Rangers as Martin prepares for Hearts at Ibrox

Russell Martin faces renewed pressure as Rangers prepare to host Hearts at Ibrox on Saturday with Nico Raskin back in first‑team training but omitted from the squad. The exclusion prolongs a public dispute between the manager and his club’s most valuable player at a time when results and cohesion are already under scrutiny.

Raskin scored for Belgium during the international break, but remains unavailable for Rangers selection after Martin said in a pre-match interview that the midfielder’s “head had been turned” by transfer interest. The relationship between manager and player has been publicly strained since Martin made that comment before a Champions League qualifier against Viktoria Plzen, and Raskin’s last appearance for the club came in a Champions League defeat at Club Brugge.

Supporters and some media commentators have criticised Martin’s handling of the situation, saying the matter could have been dealt with internally rather than aired publicly. The Daily Mail wrote that the dispute is the last thing the under‑fire manager needs, arguing that continuing to exclude the club’s best player risks undermining Rangers’ season.

Martin has maintained that Raskin must earn back the trust of team‑mates. He told reporters that the club had “hit the reset button” over the transfer window and that the squad was settled, adding: “I think things can change very much by winning tomorrow. Ultimately, we need to win games.” He described the next month as “a brilliant opportunity” and praised the energy and aggression shown in the Old Firm draw with Celtic, while saying he wanted more creativity and attacking play.

The timing of the dispute compounds wider problems for Martin. Rangers have failed to win any of their opening four league matches, a run the club has not endured at the start of a league season for 42 years. That poor start has intensified scrutiny of Martin after a summer squad overhaul that produced a net spend of about £20 million and clear backing from chairman Andrew Cavenagh and sporting director Kevin Thelwell.

Rangers face a pivotal sequence of fixtures in the coming weeks: Saturday’s game against Hearts at Ibrox, a Premier Sports Cup tie with Hibernian, the opening Europa League match against Genk in Glasgow and a league trip to Livingston, where the artificial surface has been a historical challenge for Rangers. Failure to pick up points in that run would deepen calls for change among sections of the club’s support.

Fans voiced their frustration visibly in the Old Firm fixture earlier this month, when chants in support of Raskin were among the loudest in an otherwise forgettable match. Martin’s handling of that episode drew further criticism after he said he did not hear the supporters’ calls for the midfielder’s return to the side.

Raskin’s situation has been sharpened by reported interest from clubs across Europe. Martin’s pre‑match comments that the player’s focus had shifted followed those transfer links, and the public nature of the manager’s assessment marked a turning point in perceptions of their relationship.

While Martin insists the squad has settled and that he wants to build on what he described as a step in the right direction against Celtic, supporters and pundits remain sceptical that the team is creating enough to feed striker Bojan Miovski, who had limited service in that fixture. Critics note Rangers managed no shots on target in the Old Firm match, a statistic that has fuelled questions about tactical coherence.

The club’s hierarchy has reiterated support for Martin since his appointment, but patience may erode if poor results continue and public disputes with key players persist. Martin said he welcomed greater domestic competition, acknowledging that rival managers such as Derek McInnes will see opportunities this season, and insisting: “So I think it’s up to us to make sure that it doesn’t become that. It’s as simple as that.”

For now, the immediate focus is on the pitch. A win against Hearts would give Martin breathing space and offer a chance to reset momentum; defeat would increase pressure on the manager and deepen the narrative that off‑field issues are spilling into team performance. Rangers subsequently must balance internal management of player relationships with the urgent need for results as the season’s competitive demands intensify.