The 8/10 Rangers star gave Clement the perfect excuse to release Lundstram

Glasgow Rangers played their last game at Ibrox in the 2023/24 campaign and won 5-2 on Tuesday night against Dundee in the Scottish Premiership.

It was a thoroughly comfortable night for the Gers, however, as they found themselves 2-0 away in the first 40 minutes.

Ross McCausland scored, pouncing on mistake after mistake after defensive error, just before the break to give the Light Blues a chance to pull back in the second 45.

A Cyril Dessers header, a stunning top corner finish from Todd Cantwell's direct cross, and Scott Wright's late brace ensured the home side took all three points on the night.

Philippe Clement was there except for 11 players for the game; including John Souttar, Abdallah Sima, Bailey Rice, Rabbi Matondo, Leon Balogun, John Lundstram, Connor Goldson, Dujon Sterling, Danilo, Oscar Cortes, and Tom Lawrence.

The remaining players have stepped up to the plate, however, and one player recently proved that the club can no longer survive without keeping Lundstram.

The latest on John Lundstram's future

The English maestro is out of contract at the end of May and is currently set to leave Ibrox on a free transfer ahead of next summer's transfer window.

It is said that the club were locked in talks with the former Sheffield United star to extend his stay in Glasgow, but he has yet to put pen to paper on a new deal at this time.

Now there is interest from elsewhere which could see him decide to take over and leave the Scottish giants for free this summer, to explore other opportunities elsewhere.

It was recently reported by the Scottish Daily Mail print edition, via Ibrox News, that Turkish side Trabzonspor are interested in a deal to sign the midfielder at the end of the season to strengthen their options in the middle of the park.

The Scottish Sun also reported that newly promoted Premier League side Ipswich Town are also looking to swoop for the Englishman on a free transfer from Rangers.

That report revealed that Lundstram, who was sent off against Celtic last weekend, was in talks with Trabzonspor over a move to the Super Lig for the 2024/25 campaign, with the Bulls apparently hoping to offer competition for his signature.

Instead of fighting to keep the midfielder, Clement and the Rangers should keep him permanently by letting his contract expire this summer. This will free up space in midfield for Nicolas Raskin to emerge as a key player for the club going forward.

The Belgian talent is a promising young dynamo who caught the eye with an impressive display alongside Mohammed Diomande in place of Lundstram against Dundee on Tuesday night.

Nicolas Raskin's game against Dundee in numbers

The Englishman's red card against Celtic, due to Alistair Johnston's poor performance in the first half, meant there was space to be filled in the middle of the park alongside Diomande as part of a double pivot.

Raskin has endured a difficult season as he battled two injuries, one that kept him out for seven games and one that kept him out for 15 games, and this has hampered his progress at Ibrox.

However, when he is fit, the 23-year-old whiz is a very good talent and he proved that with his impressive performance against Dundee in Glasgow on Tuesday night.

As you can see in the table above, Raskin was outstanding among the Scottish giants park as he touched the ball more, competed and won more duels, and won more tackles than his partner in the middle.

The former Standard Liege player was awarded a player rating of 8/10 for his performance by Glasgow World writer Lewis Anderson, who cited his 'intense' play off the ball and his ability to spark attacks on the ball.

Raskin set the tempo for Rangers with his continuous passing from deep, often looking to find Dessers between the lines to start the attack, rather than playing safe and simple passes that were empty.

He has also won three of his four duels on the floor and this shows that the Belgian star has the physical attributes and position to dominate opposition players in 50/50 contests.

Why Clement now has to throw Lundstram for good

The Belgian manager could make a good move for Lundstram now that Raskin's performance this week has given him the perfect excuse to tell the club he can afford to let the midfielder move on this summer.

He could be quickly replaced by giving the former Pro League player a leading role in midfield from next season onwards, as the talented gem has the potential to improve the Scottish giants.

As you can see from the table above, Raskin has overtaken Lundstram for his record without a hand in the entire 2023/24 Premiership season this season.

The young ace won a high percentage of his duels on the deck and in the air, had fewer tackles, and won more tackles per game.

This means opposition players get far less joy playing the Belgian star than they did against Lundstram in the Premiership, suggesting Rangers could improve their defensive performance if they ditch the Englishman and make Raskin a key player.

The former Liege whiz, however, will need to work on his creative quality as his 0.8 key passes per game are less than the out-of-contract star's 1.5 per game.

He has plenty of time, however, at 23, to develop and improve on that. The talented maestro is seven years younger than Lundstram and time is on his side for growth in the coming years.

Raskin has already improved for England with his work off the ball and his excellent performance on Tuesday has now given the manager the perfect excuse to challenge Lundstram for good this summer.