Andy Little: Rangers can't afford to lose Nicolas Raskin this summer

Rangers should be doing all they can to keep midfielder Nicolas Raskin at Ibrox this season.

That’s the view of Andy Little, who believes Raskin is one player that would be too difficult to replace for the upcoming campaign as they look to challenge Celtic at the top of the table.

The Belgium international was voted Rangers’ Player of the Year last season and has recently burst into the international scene, making him one of the club’s most valuable assets.

The 24-year-old has two years remaining on his contract at Ibrox, and, while he acknowledges the need for Scottish clubs to sell their biggest assets when the time is right, Little believes Russell Martin can’t afford to lose Raskin just yet.

He said: “I know it’s a business, and you have to try and cash in on players at the right time, and I think both sides of the Old Firm are looking to do that, Celtic have certainly done it better than Rangers.

“That is the business model now, however, you can’t go losing your best players, especially considering there are so few ready to step into that position this season.

“So I don’t think they should (consider selling), it would need to be serious money to let him go.”

Max Aarons was Russell Martin’s first signing as Rangers manager, with the right-back joining on a season-long loan from Bournemouth.

Lyall Cameron has also joined on a pre-contract agreement from Dundee, while Oscar Cortes has turned his loan into a permanent deal.

And Little believes they have to be the first of many additions.

He said: “I think you are talking five or six maybe, at least five out-and-out starters.

“There hasn’t been that strong nucleus of tried and tested players, who have been there and done it and won games, there hasn’t been that for five or six years, and Rangers need to find that, and find it very quickly.”

Martin’s first competitive match, against Panathinaikos in a Champions League qualifier, is less than four weeks away.