Ianis Hagi might only be 26 but he’s amongst the most experienced footballers at Rangers.
Beyond just the Romanian playmaker’s time in Glasgow, Hagi has also been a professional since he was a teenager and has played in Romania, Italy and Belgium.
It’s also fair to say the Rangers star knows a good player when he sees one and was recently asked about similarities between Hamza Igamane and Alfredo Morelos.
Ianis Hagi played with both at Ibrox and had some interesting words to say about the young Moroccan hitman and his Colombian predecessor.
Ianis Hagi on Hamza Igamane and Alfredo Morelos
Rangers fans have a new hero in Hamza Igamane with the Moroccan filling the void left by Alfredo Morelos in 2022.
Both have developed massively at Rangers and whilst it never quite happened with Alfredo, Rangers are hoping to bank big on Igamane in the future.
Whilst both Hamza Igamane and Alfredo Morelos have a ruthlessness and cheeky character which endears them to Rangers fans, Ianis Hagi insists both players are ‘different’ in terms of their qualities.
But they do share one crucial similarity.
“Are they natural goal scorers? Yes they are,” Hagi said after the win over Aberdeen.
”Are they different in terms of qualities? Probably yes.
”As a striker when you sign for Rangers you need to score goals and at the moment Hamza is doing that.
”We need to keep him fit, work for him, obviously myself and the other players that play behind him, try to create as many opportunities for him as possible.
”As I said, hopefully he stays fit and he’ll definitely score goals.”
Rangers talent ‘can achieve so much’
Whilst Alfredo Morelos and Hamza Igamane have both fired their way into the hearts of Rangers fans, Ianis Hagi reckons the two are not one and the same.
In fact, the Romanian refused to compare characters given ‘everybody has their own’ and claims his job is to provide Hamza with the ammunition to shoot Rangers to glory.
”Everybody has a different character,” said Hagi. “It’s not just Buff or Hamza.
”Everybody has their own character.
”Obviously he’s a young lad and hopefully guys like myself and other players who have more experience can help him whenever he has tough situations or certain situation which he didn’t really face before.
”So yeah hopefully we can help him as much as possible and as long as he scores goals, that where we need him.“
There was also a chance for Ianis Hagi to heap the praise on Hamza Igamane come full-time.
The son of legendary Romanian Gheorghe Hagi, Ianis knows all too well the pressure of expectation and coping with the demands of life at Rangers.
Suggesting that not everyone is made of the right stuff to lead the Rangers frontline at 22, Hagi reckons big things await the Moroccan striker.
”I don’t think there’s many players around the world that can cope with this type of pressure,” said Hagi.
“Where you have to not only perform, but perform and win every three days. It’s tough.
”So as you said, at 22 to be able to do that you can’t really find it around the world that much.
”And those who can cope, then obviously they can achieve so much stuff moving forward.”
