The timing of Ianis Hagi’s anterior cruciate knee ligament injury in January couldn’t have been much worse, not only did we have a new manager in place trying to find his best team, but we knew that we were losing Joe Aribo for a period of time which meant there was going to be a massive hole to be filled in the number ten position.
Hagi seemed the natural fit but didn’t even make it to the half hour mark against Stirling Albion before an accidental collision meant that he had to be replaced by Alex Lowry.
The 23-year old Romanian international underwent surgery and will be targeting pre-season for a return to full training with the playmaker’s recovery being documented in a mini-series on the player’s Instagram account.
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Speaking as part of the first episode, Hagi reveals just how happy he is at Rangers and why he feels that it is the perfect fit for him as a player and a person:
“It’s the club I’ve been looking for since I turned pro at 16. I’ve always wanted to be part of a club that wants to win any type of competition, any game that we’re playing in. The joy that you have when you win, when you have that trophy over your head it’s like no other and being able to do that with an historic team at a huge club and the history that we have.”
There’s no doubt that we’ve missed Hagi in certain games this season. He is a player that can frustrate but he is also a player that can provide one moment of magic in a game that can turn a draw into a win be it through a pass or a well executed finish.
The system that Giovanni van Bronckhorst plays is perfect for the mercurial Romanian too, playing centrally negates his relative lack of pace compared to the likes of Ryan Kent, Fashion Sakala or Scott Wright, and he would see more of the ball with a greater freedom to find space in between opposition defence’s lines.
Let’s hope the rest of his rehabilitation continues to go well and we see him back in a Light Blue shirt doing what he does best sooner, rather than later.