HAGI PAYING THE PRICE FOR ‘RAISING BAR TOO HIGH’

THE scene played out at Ibrox last Saturday was not one many Rangers fans would have predicted as Scottish football waited to emerge from lockdown. With four minutes left to play, Brandon Barker exits after making a strong contribution to the starting line-up in a solid 2-0 win over Kilmarnock. The replacement for this often disregarded attacking midfielder is given only a brief cameo. There is little time for Ianis Hagi to impress. Signed for £3million from Genk in May, expectation was on Hagi to give Rangers a creative edge after impressive Europa League displays in a previous loan spell. Being dropped to the bench for the fifth game of the season obviously wasn’t part of the plan. After four matches in which the 21-year-old Romanian (right) struggled to make his mark, Steven Gerrard decided a change was needed. The success of the new line-up suggests Hagi is not guaranteed a return when Rangers seek to strengthen their early position as top-flight leaders in Saturday’s visit to Hamilton. Finding flow or rhythm was absent in the first few games of the campaign, but those who understand Hagi’s mentality believe he will flourish. Former Romania defender Gica Popescu is president of Viitorul Constanta, where Hagi started his career under the guidance of his famous father, Gheorghe. Popescu says Ianis set a lofty standard during his loan spell at Ibrox — particularly in an epic two-goal display against Braga — that could work against impressions of his current form. In the long run, however, he fully expects Hagi to live up to expectations. ‘Ianis’s bad luck was that he was so extraordinary when he first joined Rangers,’ claimed Popescu, who is also brother-in-law of Hagi senior. ‘He raised the bar high and everyone expects him to stay at that level. ‘Steven Gerrard has given him confidence, though, and will make him a better player. He knows he must work hard to get into the Rangers team. He knows all about the expectations there. ‘But the pressure he faces at Rangers now, or Fiorentina or at Genk in the past, was nothing compared with the pressure that faced him when he played for us. ‘When he was at Viitorul and his father was manager... now that really was pressure. He will handle everything thrown at him.’