Kris Boyd has welcomed Ianis Hagi’s return to the Rangers first team fold but reckons it should have happened long before now.
The Romanian had been banished to the B team after being told he was free to find a new club as Philippe Clement tried to get him off the Ibrox wage bill in order to free up funds to bring in new faces. But Hagi, who Record Sport revealed is in line for a wage hike when he makes his 100th appearance for the club, remained determined to force his way back into contention and Clement and the club have now performed a major u-turn.
And while Boyd is pleased to see a quality player available again, he feels it should have been the case as soon as the transfer window closed and Hagi had failed to secure a switch away from Govan. He told Sky Sports: “It’s huge and I’m surprised it’s taken so long to be honest with you.
“We’re led to believe there were contract issues but it’s not helping the player and it’s not helping the club. You’re having to pay him anyway. If Rangers were trying to move him on or Ianis Hagi wanted to move on, as soon as that window shut, that’s when the negotiations should have started to come to some agreement. There’s no point in paying someone anyway. Come to an agreement, get him back in the team.
“I touched on at the weekend that Rangers made a few changes. Tom Lawrence has been key to Rangers in recent times and a kind of get the feeling that with Ianis Hagi coming back in, he could easily go into that no 10 role and pay there and he can play off the wings as well.
“He’s totally different to what Rangers have got there right now. Very good with both feet and I’m delighted that he’s back in the fold. But it should have been done a long time before now because I do think that Hagi still has a place at Rangers.
“He’ll be hoping that between now and January if that is the case, to go and put on performances. If he’s going to get that move in January or next summer, then he has to be performing tand that can only be a good thing for Rangers as well.”