Roberto Martinez salutes savvy Rangers recruitment as Nicolas Raskin 'very close' to senior Belgium call

Roberto Martinez knows a few things about clever moves.

He’s a man of letters having taken the time during his playing days to study for degrees in physiotherapy and business management. Leading unfancied Wigan to FA Cup glory and Everton into Europe requires some serious football intellect too. With his canny communications and tactical skills, he’s also been able to manoeuvre his way into a couple of the most sought-after coaching gigs in world football.

And it was while managing the Belgian national side that Martinez - now Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal gaffer - first came across Nico Raskin. He saw in the Standard Liege kid a midfielder with the potential to be a star He wasn’t the only one, with the likes of Leeds, Napoli, Marseille and even Barcelona credited with an interested in the 22-year-old at various points.

But it was Rangers who beat the chasing pack to land the young midfielder’s signature after agreeing a £1.75million deal back in January. And Martinez believes that shrewd signing could have handsome rewards for both parties in the years to come.

“Firstly, I think it is a very clever signing, a fantastic signing for Rangers,” said the man who led Belgium to the top of the FIFA rankings. “It's a clever signing because he's a player that was highly rated by all the top European clubs and I think Rangers were very quick in the acquisition and that shows always a good structure, a good recruitment department and being ahead of the trends.

“You need to be proactive to sign players like this. Nicolas was a standout at Standard Liege and all the teams were following him.

“Rangers were prepared to take a risk and take the player a lot earlier because he was finishing his contract at the end of the season. He is