Rangers star gives brutally honest assessment of season and 'tough message' received prior to FIFA World Cup
Ibrox ace to kick off World Cup campaign alongside Man City and Arsenal stars as Norway take on Iraq.
Scotland kicked off their 2026 FIFA World Cup finals campaign with a 1-0 win over Haiti at the weekend as Steve Clarke’s side now sit top of Group C.
Rangers striker Lawrence Shankland started the match while Findlay Curtis was a late substitute with John Souttar and Liam Kelly on the bench. Another Ibrox star is also set to step up to world football’s biggest stage as the tournament continues at pace in North America.
Norway being their campaign against Iraq with many tipping the European nation as a ‘dark horse’ at this tournament. That is, of course, due to the immense quality brought by Manchester City striker Erling Braut Haaland and Arsenal playmaker Martin Ødegaard.
Rangers midfielder says debut Ibrox season ‘wasn’t ideal’ with worry he could miss World Cup
The Scandinavian nation have plenty of other quality players to supplement the world class duo and Rangers midfielder Thelo Aasgaard is one of those hoping to make a run deep into the competition. It comes on the back of what was ultimately a frustrating debut season at Ibrox as the 24-year old recently spoke about.
Giving an honest assessment on the season gone by, Aasgaard said: “People can say what they want. It wasn't an ideal season at Rangers, but I'm here for a reason. It has been difficult when the criticism has poured in, but I have also learned a lot from it and I am proud of how I have handled it.”
The domestic season was so difficult for the former Wigan Athletic and Luton Town man that he very nearly missed out on playing at the World Cup this summer, The Liverpool born midfielder was left out of the squad for their March friendlies against Estonia and Switzerland.
Aasgaard explained that not being included for those games was a ‘tough message’ to take. However, he was able to turn things around ad secure his place at the finals.
He continued: “When I wasn't in the squad in March it was a tough message, but I had two months to prove what I'm good at. I always give one hundred percent, so it's nice that it's noticed. At my first national team training camp in Spain, I trained well and got straight into the team, so I always try to do that.”
Rangers snapped Aasgaard up from Luton Town last summer after the Hatters were relegated from the Premier League. He had only moved to Bedfordshire the previous January from Wigan Athletic.
The Gers paid a reported £3.5 million for his services and he would go on to play 55 times for club and country last season in all competitions while scoring 11 goals. His most inauspicious moment came in the semi-final of the Premier Sports Cup where he was shown a red card in the 38th minute against rivals Celtic who went on to win the match at Hampden Park 3-1 after extra time.
Norway will also face Senegal and France in their World Cup group this summer. Their opening match against Iraq kicks off at 11pm UK time on Tuesday, June 16.