Rangers playmaker Ianis Hagi starts for Deportivo Alaves as Michael Beale counts the cost of injuries in his Ibrox squad.
The Romanian international attacking midfielder, 24, is on loan at the Spanish side for the rest of the season in a deal which is looking more peculiar from a Rangers point of view by the injury sicknote.
Playing the best part of 70 minutes in a 1-1 draw away to Celta Vigo, the result has Alaves 15th in the La Liga table and Ianis Hagi very much in the thick of their domestic season.
It comes after the player made his first start for the side in the weekend’s 2-0 home defeat to Athletic Bilbao.
Rangers are facing something of a midfield crisis heading into a crucial run of games with Nicolas Raskin, Todd Cantwell, Kieran Dowell, Tom Lawrence and Rabbi Matondo all sidelined.
Doubts surround Ianis Hagi Alaves exit
Ianis Hagi was battling for a place in the Rangers XI against all these players but with minutes hard to come by at the beginning of the season, the player was sent on loan to Alaves.
This was after a high profile public appeal where Ianis Hagi – fit again after a year out with a cruciate ligament injury – made it clear he wanted to play football.
Rangers boss Michael Beale would then give him his wish by sending him out on loan to Alaves, with the Ianis Hagi deal appearing to benefit everyone but the Ibrox side.
There’s no option to buy and Rangers – having let a £3m international leave their squad – are undoubtedly weaker having failed to replace the Romanian.
With the injuries mounting, it’s a decision which has brought Michael Beale’s management of the situation under the microscope and we really are scratching our heads with this one.
Is the Rangers attacker blunter than last season?
Pointing to the player’s exit – with the absences of nine attacking players apparently blunting the team’s prowess in the final third – there are doubts that Rangers are better off than the last campaign.
Whilst the exits of Ryan Kent, Alfredo Morelos, Scott Arfield and Malik Tillman appeared either inevitable or unavoidable, the exits of the rest have raised eyebrows.
Alongside Alaves loanee Ianis Hagi, Rangers have let Zambian international Fashion Sakala move on from Ibrox without replacing either player.
Croatian striker Antonio Colak – who scored 18 goals last season – has started impressively at Parma whilst Cyriel Dessers has at times looked like a competition winner.
It’s looking a little bit disjointed at the moment and with Rangers fans unconvinced that we’re better off than last season, seeing Ianis Hagi start for Alaves is an ominous warning.
