Rangers forward Ianis Hagi has promised to get fit before May 18
Rangers forward Ianis Hagi has promised his father Gheorghe that he will be fit to play if the Gers make it to the final of the Europa League.
Hagi junior was ruled out for the season by Giovanni van Bronckhorst after he picked up a serious knee injury in January.
Recently, Gheorghe revealed that his son has been working on his fitness levels [Daily Record, 30 March].
He told Sport Arena: “After eliminating Dortmund, Rangers have a very good chance. I see the same run as we had with Galatasaray.
“It’s the fourth year since Gerrard has built a very good, winning team that has never lost in the league. After that, in Europe, the wins didn’t come, but now I see that this year they have continuity and very good results.
“If they got past Dortmund, they have the ability to play in the final. Ianis told me that he will play the final. There are still two strong teams, Barcelona and Lyon, who are on the other side.”
Unlikely
Hagi ruptured his cruciate ligament in Gers’ Scottish Cup win against Stirling back in January, and it was suggested that he would miss out for nine months.
In his absence, Rangers have enjoyed a fairy-tale campaign in Europe, where they eliminated Borussia Dortmund and Red Star Belgrade to reach the quarter-finals.
Braga now stands in the way of a place in the semi-final. They will face either Atalanta or RB Leipzig in the last four if they move to the next round.
Although Hagi has vowed to be back in May despite his injury troubles, it looks highly unlikely that he can make it to the squad.
First of all, Rangers won’t take any risk with him this season. It takes time to return to full fitness after major surgery, and he won’t be in proper physical shape.
Secondly, even if he is fit, which is unlikely, Van Bronckhorst won’t disrupt the winning combination just to bring him back.
In other Rangers news, Michael Stewart has shared his reaction to a “huge” development at Ibrox to come in April.