Gerrard delivers verdict on ‘Quality’ Rangers player after father makes headlines for outburst
Steven Gerrard has defended the form of Rangers attacker Ianis Hagi this season with the Romania international attracting criticism from some quarters.
Hagi, 22, turned in one of his better Scottish Premiership performances on Sunday when he played a key role in the 2-0 win over Livingston at Ibrox.
The former Genk ace has now scored or assisted in each of his last six league appearances for Rangers but there are still some fans who are not entirely satisfied by his displays.
Hagi has been known to blow hot and cold for both his club and country with his father Gheorghe Hagi, who used to play for Real Madrid and Barcelona, defending his son amid criticism from Romania.
Hagi Snr made headlines last week when he told pundits to stop comparing his son to himself [Daily Record].
Speaking ahead of Rangers’ Europa League clash with Lech Poznan at Ibrox on Thursday, Gerrard has backed Hagi Jnr, claiming that he has the ability to pick apart defences when the opportunity presents itself.
“Ianis is in a good place and he is really settled here in Glasgow, we could see his quality and ability and that is why we wanted him here in the summer. He can open the door at any given moment if you give him space,” said Gerrard, as quoted by Rangers’ official Twitter account on Wednesday afternoon.
Hagi’s displays have been hit and miss this season, even though the young attacker has scored one goal and assisted eight in 15 appearances across all competitions.
Gerrard needs to take some of the flak for that with the Rangers manager playing the Romanian on the right-wing a number of times, which isn’t his preferred position.
Hagi is at his best when he’s playing behind the striker in a number 10 role like he was on Sunday in the 2-0 win over Livingston.
Rangers do have options to play on the right-wing so it doesn’t make sense to keep sticking Hagi out there when he’s clearly better inside.
But, with the Gers squad almost fully fit again, Gerrard has a number of central midfielders who could take that role.
We’ll see how things pan out in the coming weeks but we feel as though Hagi is one of the most talented players at Ibrox.
In other Rangers news, there’s been an update on this player’s period of quarantine.