Back in July, Rangers confirmed Ianis Hagi’s transfer as permanent after initially taking him on loan from Genk in the winter 2020 market.
The Romania international enjoyed regular minutes in the first two months of this campaign under Steven Gerrard, before being left out of the starting XI.
Since the end of September, the 22-year-old has started only once in the league and was given opportunities to start four more times in other competitions.
Hagi’s limited playing time for Steven Gerrard’s side has concerned those in his country, with one journalist even suggesting him to change the name behind his shirt from ‘Hagi’ to ‘Ianis’.
Former Romanian footballer Nicolae Stanciu gave his view on why the Rangers player has struggled with the Scottish side this season.
“From my point of view and that’s what I mean, this boy has not yet reached the sporting maturity. It’s not a matter of what he’s asked to do,” Stanciu told PRO X.
“He has not reached sporting maturity. He is in great demand for his age. Good, 21-22 years old, well, others have not been at this age and have left in the meantime without saying anything more. Whether it’s in Romanian football or in the world.”
“So, this boy did not reach sports maturity, for God’s sake. Maradona, won the World Youth Championship. From 1979 to 1986, some years passed. In 1982 he played for the national team with Kempes, they didn’t do much, or well, as expected.”
Valeriu Rachita, the director and scout at Romania side Astra Giurgiu has urged his compatriot to leave Rangers in the winter market and return to his former club, Viitorul Constanța, to boost his chances of representing his country next summer.
“I think that if he leaves, he will come back to Ovidiu. Because Viitorul is not in the playoffs and he should be there,” Rachita said.
“He’s going to help the club that enshrined him. Instead of staying at Rangers, I saw that the last period was a reserve, it is better to come, to play a match and to be a captain at Viitorul, taking into account the fact that in summer there is also the European Championship.”
“There are also the Olympic Games, where Ianis Hagi will probably be in the team. If he plays less and less for Rangers, Radoi and Mutu will think twice before calling him, because there are other players playing in his position.”
It’s clear the Romania media, former players, coaches and officials in his country are worried about Hagi’s situation at Rangers.
Should Hagi decide to continue with Gerrard’s side beyond the January window and if there’s no improvement in his situation at Rangers, those in Romania would only continue to worry more about him.
