Rangers now set for 'big injury boost' over £3m star at Ibrox | OneFootball

Rangers will be provided with “a big, big boost” when Ianis Hagi returns to full fitness at Ibrox, journalist Pete O’Rourke has suggested to GiveMeSport.

The versatile attacker has recently made his comeback from injury after over 12 months on the sidelines.

Rangers injury news – Ianis Hagi

Back in January of last year, Hagi suffered a serious knee injury in a 4-0 Scottish Cup victory over Stirling Albion, which went on to rule the attacker out for over a year’s worth of action.

However, last month the 24-year-old returned to the pitch as a substitute in the Gers’ victory over St. Johnstone, ending what has been a tumultuous year for the son of icon Gheorghe Hagi.

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Romanian football legend Gica Popescu has expressed his joy at his countryman’s return (via The Herald): "Ianis Hagi being back on the football pitch is a very important moment for Romanian football. He is back after a year of torment. It's important for him, it's important for Rangers and it is very important for our national team.”

And O’Rourke believes that Hagi has been “sorely missed” by the Gers in his absence at Ibrox.

What has O’Rourke said about Rangers and Hagi?

O’Rourke told GiveMeSport: “It will be a big, big boost to get him back. He's been sorely missed for Rangers in the last year after that long-term knee injury he suffered just over a year ago.

"He was a key player in that side for Steven Gerrard when he was on form and playing well for Rangers, scoring goals and providing assists. They've missed his presence in that side.”

Hagi – who has been described as a “student of the game” by former manager Steven Gerrard – has generally impressed when on the pitch during his time at Ibrox.

The £3m signing has made 86 appearances for the Glasgow giants, hitting the back of the net 15 times whilst providing 21 assists, suggesting that he has acted as a frequent supplier of goals since his arrival.

In his full season (2020/21) the 23-cap Romania international achieved an impressive Sofascore rating of 7.02 for his displays in the Premiership, scoring at a frequency of 282 minutes and providing one key pass per game, indicating that he has been a big miss for both Giovanni van Bronckhorst and now Beale.

Therefore, Beale is likely to be delighted at Hagi’s return from injury and will hope he can regain his match sharpness before long as the Gers look to claw back the nine-point deficit to rivals Celtic in the race for the league title.