Ianis Hagi has been backed to return stronger than ever after putting the nightmare of his Ibrox exile behind him.
The Romanian ace has been given the green light to rejoin Philippe Clement’s Rangers first-team after thrashing out a contract compromise. As Record Sport revealed earlier this summer, the 25-year-old was due a hefty wage rise once he hit the 100 appearance mark.
That saw him frozen out as Rangers chiefs looked to offload his salary. But when no offers materialised, the Govan outfit were forced back to the negotiating table. A solution was eventually thrashed out that included Hagi sacrificing a large chunk of his wage increase and he was able to register his Rangers century as he made his return against St Johnstone on Sunday.
He made an immediate impact as a half-time sub as he teed up Vaclav Cerny to hit the second goal in a 2-0 win over the Perth men. But he’s facing another short stint on the sidelines after picking up a red card which means he will miss this month’s Premiership clashes against Kilmarnock and St Mirren.
With the former Fiorentina ace also ineligible for next the Europa League showdown against his countrymen Steaua Bucharest, it means Hagi won’t be back in a blue jersey until the October 30 trip to face Aberdeen at Pittodrie. However, his uncle and former Barcelona defender Gheorghe Popescu is convinced the Ibrox ace will quickly rediscover top form once he returns from this week’s international duty with Romania.
Speaking to ProSport, he said: “Now that Ianis is back playing for Rangers, things have finally gone back to normal. Players should be evaluated by individual value, not by certain clauses in their contracts. I’m glad that the nightmare ended for him and he returned to the team.
“I’m convinced that all this time has helped him and strengthened him, returning to the player we all know. With a lot of quality, with the ambition to perform. I am very close to Ianis and I am convinced that he will have a very good season.”