Rangers made Ianis Hagi’s stay permanent in the summer of 2020, months after initially taking him on loan from Genk.
The 22-year-old struggled during the start of his first full season at Ibrox, but finished the campaign on a brighter note, managing eight goals and 15 assists in all competitions for Steven Gerrard’s side.
This term, he has managed two goals and two assists in seven matches for Rangers. His latest assist came in his side’s 2-0 win over Livingston in Scottish League Cup on Wednesday.
It was the Romania international’s first appearance for Gerrard’s side since testing positive for Covid-19 during the international break.
The attacking midfielder was forced to miss Rangers’ last three clashes before coming off the bench against Livingston. Hagi made an instant impact, setting up Kemar Roofe’s opener, to break the deadlock in the 48th minute.
“Congratulations to Ianis, not me. What did I have to do? He was wanted by the club, he trained as much as he could. He sat there, he proved to be a number 10, who has an assist,” Hagi Sr told Digi Sport.
“Even though he was in quarantine for 12 days and couldn’t do anything, in two days, as long as he could get out, he got there, he went alone, he wanted that. Well done!
“He loves football and shows that he is a player who progresses and succeeds abroad in a Western country where the demands are very high.
“He is one of Rangers’ top players. It is a team that didn’t lose in the whole season and came out the best. He is on the right track, he loves football… I wrote that I was proud of him. Well done! He made a difference for Rangers tonight; I don’t know how many times.”
