Thelo Aasgaard has been warned he faces a battle to force his way into Anderlecht's starting XI after a difficult first appearance for the Belgian side.
The Rangers loanee was introduced after 71 minutes during Anderlecht's 1-0 victory over KV Mechelen, but his 23-minute cameo failed to impress head coach Vitor Bruno, according to Belgian outlet DH.
Aasgaard arrived at Anderlecht on loan from Rangers on deadline day. Despite scoring against Dundee United at Tannadice on the opening day of the Scottish Premiership, he failed to impress new Gers’ boss Derek McInnes.
He was also linked with a move to Norway, with champions Bodo/Glimt noted with an interest.
However, despite making a huge impression for Norway at the World Cup, including scoring against France, the 24-year-old has yet to establish himself in Bruno's plans.
The Norwegian had previously missed Anderlecht's meeting with Genk through suspension due to his red card in last season’s Premier Sports Cup semi-final with Celtic, although the report claims he would not have started that fixture regardless.
Aasgaard struggles at new club
Bruno had already explained that Aasgaard was still adapting to his tactical demands.
"He's one of the boys who still has to assimilate our system of play," the Anderlecht boss said.
That issue was again evident against Mechelen. There were flashes of quality from Aasgaard during his 23 minutes, but his performance also contained several moments which frustrated Bruno.
His first involvement was a positive one, immediately releasing Tawfik Bentayeb with a first-time pass that sent the striker through on goal.
Later, Aasgaard produced an impressive run from the halfway line, beating three players before finding winger Tristian Degreef.
But there were also mistakes. A blind pass intended for Bentayeb allowed Mechelen to launch a counter attack, while two poor corners failed to provide Anderlecht with the expected threat.
A needless foul also almost allowed Mechelen to equalise, with the resulting free-kick eventually creating a dangerous opportunity.
The report claims Bruno subsequently used an injury stoppage to bring Aasgaard over and coach him through some of the basic principles of his system using a small piece of paper and Bruno did not wait to be asked about the Rangers loanee before addressing his performance in his post-match comments.
"Aasgaard is an international, but he had difficulty understanding where he had to move,” he revealed.
"He has to come more between the lines, into midfield, to take control of the game.
"These are details that he and others have to learn. We move forward day by day but we can't expect them to understand everything in the blink of an eye."
Pedigree of Aasgaard
Despite the criticism, there were still signs of the qualities which persuaded Rangers to sanction his move to Belgium.
Aasgaard's international pedigree is particularly notable. He played the full 90 minutes for Norway against France at the World Cup and scored in the 4-1 defeat, producing one of the standout individual performances for his country.
However, his immediate challenge is to translate those qualities into Bruno's Anderlecht system.
According to DH, Aasgaard is unlikely to start Wednesday's European clash with Lyon, with Lukas Ambros expected to return to the XI.
That would represent a setback for the Rangers loanee as he attempts to establish himself at his temporary club, and earn a permanent move via the club’s loan-to-buy option.
Aasgaard's situation is therefore one Rangers will be watching closely.
The midfielder remains a full Norway international and has already demonstrated his ability to perform on a major stage.
But in Belgium, he is currently learning that international pedigree alone will not guarantee him a starting place.
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