Russell Martin explains why Nico Raskin won't return for Rangers v Hearts as Ibrox team-mate has say

Raskin was a surprise omission from the side that drew with Celtic prior to the international break in which he played and scored for Belgium in a 6-0 victory over Kazakhstan.

His dad exacerbated the situation by criticising Martin’s tactics and squad selections, saying the manager had an “oversized ego”.

The situation seemed to have been defused this week when Raskin returned to training after reportedly holding clear-the-air talks with the coaching staff.

Martin, however, has again left him out of the squad for this weekend’s game at Ibrox when Rangers will look to clinch their first league victory of the season against Derek McInnes’ side.

And the manager explained that Raskin still had a bit to do before he would be considered for future selection.

He said: “He won't be in the squad tomorrow. We have a lot of conversations, as we do with every player, but he's back training with the squad which is a good step.

“And now, like every player, he has a duty to make sure that he earns the trust of all his other teammates and the coaching staff and the staff in the building to help us win football matches. It's the same for every player here.

“We have to be on the pitch with trust and feeling and clarity. And that's it. And I think the most important thing is that Nico knows why.

“The players know why. We all move forward and we have to win football matches now. And he's part of the squad in training and needs to help with that and put himself back in the squad with the team to help us win matches.”

Martin was reluctant to offer more insight into the reason for Raskin’s continued omission but insisted it was professional rather than personal.

He added: “He’s still here and he's training with the group now. So it's fine. It's never a personal thing. It's always professional. My job is to do what I feel is best for the team, for the club. It's not about me. It's not about Nico. It's about everyone.”

Asked what it would take for the player to get back into his plans, Martin added: “I think that's between us really. I think he knows. And I know. I think that's the most important bit. He's back training with the squad.

“So I think that's probably, at the moment, enough of a step. And then we'll move the rest forward as and when. I'm confident we'll start winning football matches with the squad that we have. I couldn't tell you how much any player is going to be involved between now and the end of the season. It's impossible to predict.”

Thelo Aasgaard said the rest of the Rangers players were aware of the decision but not directly involved in the process.

The Norwegian said: “Nico's in another place. He's not out of the way or anything, but that's just down to the manager and Nico to be honest. I'm just focusing on the game tomorrow and I think everyone else is as well.”