The missing link that Rangers badly crave
THERE’S been very little to cheer about with regards Rangers of late but the sight of Ianis Hagi with a pair of football boots back on has provided a crumb of comfort.
The Romanian has been out of action since suffering a knee injury in the Scottish Cup win over Stirling Albion in January.
The 24- year- old has given supporters an insight into his recovery thus far during a sit- down interview with Rangers TV.
In it, he describes the mental and physical challenges he has had to overcome to reach the point where he is now.
He has been seen back on the grass at the Rangers Training Centre and he beamed with excitement when recalling his first foray onto the pitch. “I remember the first day when I put my boots on and started running and just touching the grass, feeling the grass and smelling the grass,” he enthused.
“It just felt like home. It’s a different feeling that you can never have anywhere else.”
Hagi is someone who is always so eloquently spoken, he possesses a mature head on young shoulders, perhaps unsurprising given his father is footballing royalty but Rangers have a master technician on their books and the sooner he is available for selection the better.
Footballers often get stereotyped as not being the smartest tools in the box but Hagi doesn’t fit that narrative. When asked if the injury lay- off has allowed him an opportunity to grow as an individual he responded by stating: “I think it opened different doors. I like coaching so even though I’m young I’m always keen. I’ve grown up beside my father and him being a coach. I always looked at games differently and even now, having more free time, I’ve been reading different books trying to understand the perspective of a coach and trying to look at games from different angles.
“Individually, I’ve been trying to learn another language so I’m better with my Spanish now. I’ve just been trying to develop myself as a person. I knew I had a lot of time away from the pitch and I knew I had to grow in these nine months and not stagnate.”
Here speaks a man who is determined to improve and interestingly is already thinking about that transition into coaching. Having someone of this intellect and willingness to learn in the dressing room is huge and, on the pitch, a knowledgeable football brain can often be the difference between winning and losing.
There will be some who say Hagi was in a poor run of form before suffering his injury but the fact remains, he is someone Rangers have sorely missed in terms of his creativity and ability to turn a game on its head. There will also be a likely conundrum for the manager as to where to play him and if he and Malik Tillman can play in the same team.
Hagi is best suited as a No. 10, the failed experiment of him featuring on the righthand side of the attack should be confined to history.
But just having him back in contention again will be a welcome boost.
He outlined his desire to get back as soon as possible and hit the ground running but it’s likely his introduction back into the first team will be a gradual process so patience will undoubtedly be key.
Whether he returns for the pre- Christmas fixtures remains to be seen but the footage and interview released by the club seem to suggest he is close.
Of course, he is one of a number of long- term absentees that Rangers will be hoping to have back by the time Hibs visit Ibrox on December 15.
It cannot be underestimated how big a boost a fit- again Hagi will provide, particularly given the limpness and distinct lack of cutting edge in the final third.
He is someone who has clearly bought into Rangers from the day he arrived and one can only hope it’s a relationship that continues long after he pulls on the blue jersey once again.