There is no better time to judge the character of a player than when Rangers need them to make a difference.
In Ianis Hagi, few are more willing, or capable, to roll their sleeves up and go the extra mile for their club and those around them.
There is an acceptance that he will never be his old man Gheorghe, but one thing that Hagi Jnr has on the mercurial Romanian genius, is that he will run himself into the ground trying.
Since signing from Genk in 2020, Hagi has enjoyed/endured a rollercoaster Rangers career with his contract approaching the final weeks and his future uncertain.
Hagi’s desire to stay at Rangers is clear, but it could well be out of his hands given the imminent changes behind the scenes at Ibrox with BBC pundit and former St Johnstone manager Callum Davidson convinced about what the club wants.
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Hagi had posted on social media that reports suggesting he had told Rangers he wanted to leave were “fake news”.
A point reiterated by the 26-year old in his post-match interview after scoring a dramatic late equaliser against Aberdeen.
Davidson, speaking on Sunday 13th of April’s Sportscene, is clearly a fan:
“Yeah, I think so, he’s been through a wee tough time at Rangers lately and I think his attitude, every time I’ve watched him, and I’ve watched him a lot this season, and I think his attitude is terrific,” he replied when asked about Hagi’s work rate.
“He’s also a wide player with a lot of technical quality, he’s working really hard for the team, and I think he’s a cracking player.
“They’d definitely want him to stay.”
Does Hagi deserve a new deal after this season?
Hagi has four goals and seven assists in 23 Scottish Premiership appearances this season.
This doesn’t sound that impressive until you dig a little deeper. In terms of minutes, Hagi has played just under 16 full games, started 48% of Rangers’ league games and played just 48% of minutes.
What makes these numbers impressive, is that Hagi has contributed to 16% of Rangers’ goals despite only returning to the team in October and not starting a league match until December.
Nils Koppen does need to cut the wage bill, however, with Vaclav Cerny leaving in the summer, there needs to be some degree of consistency and someone who can be relied upon.
Hagi is that player. He is also a leader, a player who knows what it takes to win a league title for Rangers and what it takes to beat Celtic.
It’s not always about ability, it is about the sort of attitude that saw Hagi score his late equaliser against Aberdeen but still be disappointed.
