Rangers loanee Thelo Aasgaard has found himself squarely in the crosshairs of the Belgian media after Anderlecht suffered a shock 2-1 defeat against second-division outfit Beerschot on Sunday (18 October) to crash out of the Belgian Cup.

The 24-year-old Rangers midfielder endured a harrowing moment midway through the first half when he failed to deal with a routine corner delivery into the box. Aasgaard awkwardly allowed the ball to bounce off his knee, letting Anaj Has Mohamed fire home Beerschot’s 22nd-minute opening goal.

The lapse triggered a wave of scathing player ratings and critical press reactions across Brussels and regional publications, raising fresh questions about his adaptability away from Ibrox.

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What do you make of the ratings?

Rangers loanee Thelo Aasgaard slapped with 4/10 after Anderlecht error

Leading Belgian media organisation Sudinfo handed Aasgaard a brutal 4/10 rating, with only former Rangers attacker Oliver Antman and one other player faring worse. In their report, the publication noted:

“A ball that bounced off his knee and an involuntary ‘assist’ for the opening goal. He nevertheless tried to keep his head up, but it remained insufficient.”

The harsh criticism continued in L’Avenir, where Aasgaard was slapped with a 4.5/10 score. Journalist Yves Taildeman drew a stark contrast between his sluggish display at the weekend and his previous outing in the 1-0 UEFA Europa League loss against Dinamo Zagreb on Thursday (15 October), writing:

“He was the one caught off guard on the corner leading to the 1-0. Not the Aasgaard from Thursday in Zagreb.”

Outlets in Flanders were equally unforgiving. Het Belang van Limburg (HBVL) assigned him a 5/10 rating, questioning what the Rangers loanee‘s neat technical skills are actually producing when matches grow chaotic:

“What are we supposed to think of him? In principle, he is a very good footballer – nice style – but what do his good touches and ball control actually deliver? He needs to have much more impact. He was also constantly slipping on this pitch.”

Meanwhile, Het Laatste Nieuws (HLN) highlighted the sheer clumsiness of the incident, reporting that Aasgaard “clumsily let a corner glance off his foot” before Beerschot pulled the trigger.

It comes after Belgian national team legend Gert Verheyen also ripped into the Rangers castaway, declaring him “not ready enough” and “clumsy” during television analysis.

For Derek McInnes and the Rangers coaching staff keeping close tabs on their loan cohort, these scathing press reviews will make for uncomfortable reading. Aasgaard was sent to the Belgian Pro League with a £5.5million buy option, but Anderlecht may pass up on the option at this rate.

With Anderlecht now out of the Belgian Cup so early in the season, Aasgaard faces immense pressure from local press and supporters to raise his game as his loan spell away from Ibrox continues.