Ianis Hagi felt he was fighting for his Rangers career earlier this summer.
The Ibrox attacker spent last season on loan at Alaves in La Liga after Michael Beale had sanctioned the switch and he managed two goals and as many assists in 26 outings.
Hagi had an inconsistent spell in Spain and has only wanted a return to Glasgow to put his best foot forward and chip in with his club and their desire to push up the table.
It has not been easy for the Romanian, though, with manager Philippe Clement unconvinced initially as to the 26-year-old’s talents and how they would fit into his squad.
The player was even relegated to the B team where he found some good form and scored big goals for the youngsters.
Now the attacking midfielder has broken his silence on what he missed most about his time at Rangers and insisted he has always had a desire to return.
And it was ironically the demands and mental toughness and winning mentality he has had to learn at Ibrox which he feels perhaps made his time at Alaves more difficult.
At Gers there is a need to win week in, week out which did not exist when Hagi was starring in Spain’s top flight.
And he believes that was tough to adapt to having had a four-year grounding in Glasgow before his move.
Hagi was told he was not part of Rangers’ plans this season
Speaking to the club’s official TV channel for the first time since his return, Hagi opened up on his loan as well as his efforts to make it back home to play for Gers once again.
“Well it was definitely different,” Hagi said. “Starting from the city, the country, weather. Just everything was different.
“I enjoyed my time in Spain just because I appreciate a lot how they think about football and how they coach you. But at the same time I found it quite hard to adapt to the mentality of not winning every single game and the day-to-day mentality which was definitely tough.
Why Ianis Hagi had a failed loan stint at Alaves in La Liga
“With all due respect I think there’s different type of people out there, different type of football mentalities out there which people enjoy more, less you know, in different environments.
“At the age of 26, I’ve actually found a lot about myself up until now and I know what I enjoy and I know what environments make me a better person, a better player.
“I’m in a moment where I’ve discovered myself quite a lot and I just I’m really happy that I’m back.
“I missed everything about Rangers so, yeah, it’s just good to be back.”
