There was a brief spell in Ianis Hagi’s Rangers career where he looked destined for the top of the game.
Once amongst the most promising young players in Europe, Rangers pulled off something of a coup to sign the kid on loan from KRC Genk in the January of 2020.
A stunning comeback double in the Europa League win over Braga proved that Ianis Hagi had bags of talent and only a few months later did we complete a £3m permanent deal.
Fast forward a season and a 55-winning medal later and Ianis Hagi was emerging as a key piece in Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s Ibrox puzzle.
But after disaster struck in the shape of a cruciate ligament injury, Hagi has never recovered at Rangers.
Having spent last season out on loan at Spanish side Alavés, the playmaker’s future is certainly up in the air and now the 25-year-old has been putting himself in the Euro 2024 shop window.
Hagi plays in Romania romp
Ianis Hagi is of course the son of legendary Romanian playmaker Gheorghe Hagi.
Therefore it is written in the footballing stars that the attacking midfielder would play a part at Euro 2024 with Romania this summer.
After scoring the crucial goal which fired the nation to Germany – a fairytale story after the Rangers star’s injury problems – even diminished playing time in Spain wasn’t likely to curtail a call-up.
Now, Hagi has just come off the bench as an impressive Romania side thump Ukraine 3-0 to get their first Euros since 2016 off to a flying start.
Nicolae Stanciu opened the scoring for Romania in the first half before Razvan Marin and Denis Dragus completed the scoring in the second period.
Ianis Hagi came on for Denis Man just after the hour mark and was spotted leading the celebrations come full-time.
Rangers future undecided
The Euro 2024 appearance comes after Ianis Hagi cast doubts over his Rangers future this summer.
Insisting that his full focus is on Romania duties, the situation surrounding Hagi remains unclear despite previous suggestions that he’d be returning to Rangers.
There is much debate in Ibrox circles regarding Ianis’s future but for the time being, the playmaker cannot definitively say if he’ll be back at Rangers or not after the tournament in Germany.
“My focus is on the Euros,” said Hagi at the start of June. “I had talks with my agents and the pressure is on them.
“They know what I want for my future, it’s a pretty important summer for me from all points of view. I told them before going to the national team what I wanted.
“I expect them to work as well as possible, to find the right team and the right manager for me.
“I can’t say if I’ll be at Rangers or somewhere else. My future depends on my agents.”
Ianis Hagi has made 99 appearances for Rangers in total, scoring 16 goals and laying on 21 assists.
The playmaker also has 36 caps and five goals for the Romanian national team.
