One of Rangers biggest issues so far this season is not taking chances or being clinical enough, a problem that Philippe Clement can’t just fix with coaching.
Danilo not being fully fit hasn’t helped and Oscar Cortés being injured on matchday one also reduced the chances of progress in the Champions League qualifiers.
The depth just isn’t there to have key players missing, however, seeing Todd Cantwell and Ianis Hagi at Auchenhowie but not playing for Rangers is hugely frustrating.
Rangers need to count the cost and pay for Ianis Hagi return
The latter has been in fine form for the B team with one assist and a hat-trick of well taken goals against Derby County.
With Tom Lawrence running on empty and the player intimating that he wants to stay, any talks of a £6,000 per week contract clause as per The Daily Record should be swallowed, regardless of any previous discussions.
Before the season kicked off, Clement explained why Hagi wasn’t training with the senior squad as doubts over his Ibrox future circulated.
When asked if the Romania international was in his plans, he said:
“No, we had clear talks before the pre-season with his agents about that.
When asked if Hagi could change his mind, Clement said:
“We need to look, like I said, at a lot of things in the club about wages, how many you can have in.
“So, it was really clear towards him that the idea was to sell him.
“That is what we wanted also so that is the clear situation.”
Ianis Hagi return would be immediate Rangers upgrade
With only Lawrence available as a natural number 10, now that Hagi has more training sessions and game time under his belt, Clement has to about turn and rethink his plans.
Hagi had an outstanding European Championships which only makes the lack of interest more surprising but what it did do was show the level of football he is still capable of.
The 25-year old is more talented than any of Rangers wingers other than Vaclav Cerny and maybe Oscar Cortés, and he is definitely an upgrade on Tom Lawrence too.
Clement wants experience in his team and Hagi has plenty as an international, a league winner at Rangers and in both Serie A and La Liga.
Few will ever forget how he dragged Rangers kicking and screaming past Braga or his interview after scoring against Brøndby when he expressed his frustration at the performance and result.
Is he the answer to all of Rangers problems in the final third? No.
What he is though, is a readily available improvement that might just make the manager’s job easier.
