Croatian playmaker Lovro Majer showed Rangers what might’ve been as he put Europa League rivals Lyon to the sword with new side Stade Rennais in Ligue 1.
The ex-Dinamo Zagreb midfielder was extensively linked to Rangers back in January 2020 with the Ibrox side said to be scouting the Balkans for talent.
However, Rangers opted for a loan move for Romanian attacking midfielder Ianis Hagi and after a successful – if not Covid-19 disrupted – first stint in Glasgow moved for him full time in the summer of the same year.
Ianis, 23, has gone on to become a very important player for the Gers and Lovro Majer, also 23, would eventually move on from Dinamo in the summer.
Signing a five-year deal in France after a move reported to be worth anywhere up to £13m (€15m) [GFFN] the Croatian international impressed as Rennes dismantled Lyon 4-1 over the weekend.
The Ligue 1 side steamrollered Les Gones in an emphatic result with the official Stade Rennais Twitter account taking their hats off to “maestro Lovro”.
The two-minute clip highlights the midfielder’s passing range, vision, technique and dribbling ability in what was clearly an impressive performance in France.
Rangers could’ve used Lovro Majer-like inspiration in Europa League defeat to Lyon
Majer was involved in all three of Rennes’ second-half goal and as you can tell by the clip, Lyon were ridiculously lucky that the result wasn’t a cricket score.
Rangers fans might take some encouragement from the lax Lyon defending ahead of a Europa League trip to France in December but might also be asking what might’ve been with Majer.
The Gers toiled in a 2-0 opening day Europa League defeat to Lyon at Ibrox and maybe things would’ve been different if Croatian maestro Lovro was in the middle.
Majer is clearly a major talent and perhaps finances played a part in the move, but if the choice was between the Croatian and Hagi, then surely we can be happy with our decision.
The attacking midfielder has taken to life at Ibrox and the player’s clear development is part of the reason why some reports are valuing the player at up to £17m.
