Philippe Clement has a clear idea of how he wants his Rangers team to play with mentality being every bit as important as technical ability.
The Gers boss has been squeezing every ounce of the latter out of a squad that is imbalanced and not fit for purpose as well as having to cope with a crippling injury list.
There is one area of the park where Philippe Clement has been particularly restricted, however, one phone decision in the summer and the Rangers manager will be better off already.
Philippe Clement can make Rangers upgrade with Ianis Hagi call
In the final third, the gaffer has had to dig deep into the academy to fill holes.
Ross McCausland has been a consistent presence with Cole McKinnon also doing well when he has had the chance.
Clement gave everyone a chance when he first arrived but it was clear that Sam Lammers and Jose Cifuentes were quickly ruled out as being good enough and sent out on loan.
Hopefully, both or their loan moves can be made permanent to fund other recruitment.
Lammers played over 30 games at number ten due mainly to Michael Beale’s stubbornness and injuries to Todd Cantwell and Tom Lawrence.
What also hasn’t helped was the decision to send Ianis Hagi out on loan to Deportivo Alves to get his fitness back up.
With 24 appearances, he has been getting minutes, even if not as many as he would have hoped when he first moved to La Liga.
How Ianis Hagi can be Clement’s go-to man
What is impressive though, is how he continues to be an asset for his country.
Coming off the bench against Colombia with Romania already 3-0 down, there wasn’t much that Hagi could do, however, he did everything in his powers to reduce the defecit.
Rated 8/10 on Sofascore, goalscorer Hagi was Romania’s best player and his statistics paint the picture as to why.
He had a 100% pass completion rate, made 2/2 crosses and was successful with his only long ball attempt.
Not only this, but he won 6/7 ground duels and made four tackles in what was an all-action display from the 25-year old.
The £4m signing remains one of Rangers most valuable assets and a season in La Liga will, at least, help to keep his price tag high but this doesn’t mean that Ianis Hagi should be sold.
Next season, having Hagi capable of rotating with Cantwell immediately strengthens the attack.
There is also his ability to play on the right-hand side of the forward line too.
Being able to use both feet means that he is just as comfortable tucking inside which frees up more space for James Tavernier to overlap.
In Hagi’s best season, 2020/21, the mercurial playmaker managed over 20 goals and assists and these are the type of numbers that we need.
Every player has their price but, Rangers should be in no rush to sell a player who has both the quality and work rate that Hagi brings to a team.
