Rangers star Ianis Hagi has been snapped back in pre-season training in a massive boost to the club as he works his way back from a devastating cruciate ligament injury.
Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s team are currently in Portugal as part of a pre-season training camp and the presence of the 23-year-old was a welcome sight in the baking heat of Albufeira.
Ianis Hagi was videoed being put through his paces as hopes build of a return to the Rangers squad sooner rather than later [RangersTV].
Hagi is working his way back from a devastating cruciate ligament injury which was sustained in the 4-0 win over Stirling Albion as the season restarted in January.
The player’s influence at Ibrox would be symbolised by a downturn in domestic form as Rangers slipped out of the title race and meekly surrendered the title to Celtic.
The role of Ianis Hagi’s absence in this happening has been somewhat understated, the midfielder not only being the Premiership’s top assister in the title-winning 20/21 campaign, but the ex-Fiorentina star was also so-often a matchwinner.
In 1-0 wins against St Johnstone and Hibs during that season, it was Ianis Hagi who scored the winning goal and Rangers certainly missed him as the last campaign bottlenecked.
Ianis Hagi Rangers training camp presence a welcome sight amid Aribo reports
The Romanian playmaker has been a key member of the first-team squad since initially joining on loan from KRC Genk in January 2020 but his status at Ibrox about to take on added significance.
Rangers paid £3m to sign the midfielder the following summer and now is the time for Iain Hagi to go from influential squad player to key first team starter as Joe Aribo prepares to leave the club.
Nigerian international Joe looks increasingly likely to join Premier League Southampton and given the 25-year-old made 57 appearances last season these are huge boots to fill.
Rangers might recoup up to £10m as part of the deal but as part of the player trading model the club will look to buy low in the hope of replacing the midfielder.
There are hopes that Joe’s influence can be replaced from within the squad with plenty looking at Ianis Hagi as the man to to do so for Rangers.
As part of this, it’s a welcome sight to see the midfielder in pre-season and let’s hope that he’s fit enough to play an important role in the early part of the season.
Meanwhile, one move is reportedly nearing completion as an international target prepares to jet into Scotland with a view to a having a medical.
