BOY CAN BE BEST
FROM BACK PAGE eye-catching loan deal earlier this year.
Dad Gheorghe has gone down as one of the all-time greats on the back of glittering spells at Real Madrid and Barcelona at club level and spellbinding displays for his national side at World Cups.
But the playmaker – nicknamed the Maradona of the Carpathians – is sure his kid could even surpass his achievements under the guidance of Liverpool great Gerrard.
Hagi Snr said: “I’m confident Ianis will be a better player than I was.
“I trust Ianis. I am convinced he is part of a generation of young Romanian players who will make the national team great again.
“He has progressed, gained experience, he’s become more mature and he’s worked hard to get this transfer. He’s had to suffer a lot and he’s learned a lot.
“Ianis has signed for the ideal club for him because he is working with an extraordinary manager who appreciates him very much and he’s playing for a great side.
“Rangers are perfect for him because they have the best mentality I have ever seen at a club – they are a big club who have to win.
“He is working with a great manager in a perfect environment because the Rangers’ mindset is to win.
“His manager believes in him and thinks he can make him one of the best players in the world.
“Steven Gerrard has lived through this before. He knows what to do with Ianis and I know he will make him a better player.
“He will get better every day. He will be a bigger player than me if he keeps working hard and learning.”