Rangers made the wrong call over Ianis Hagi, Beale could do with him now
Rangers made the call to send Ianis Hagi out on loan for the season, but after the recent injury crisis at Ibrox, Michael Beale would have benefited from the Romanian staying in Glasgow.
There are injuries to midfield trio Todd Cantwell, Nicolas Raskin and Kieran Dowell, with each of the attacking midfield options suffering injuries around the same time leading to heavy rotation from Beale in midfield.
The lack of creative midfielders as a result of this injury crisis means Hagi would have been able to slot straight into the team, with his skillset ideal to replace the likes of Cantwell’s creativity and on-the-ball talent.
Hagi is currently on loan at Alaves in Spain and made his first start for his temporary club on 28 September in the La Liga fixture as Alaves visited Celta Vigo, which ended in a 1-1 draw. Hagi impressed on his first start, earning positive reviews from Spanish media.
As reported by the Daily Record, Noticias de Alaca described how the attacking midfield player had started slowly and struggled to get a grip on the game, before bursting to life with a free kick that almost found the back of the net, and pushed on from there in his performance.
In fact, Hagi displayed a level of confidence and bravery in his performance that had rarely been seen in his recent spell at Rangers, particularly following his injury issues. It is a good sign that he can take confidence from the loan ahead of a return to Glasgow next year.
Hagi attempted five shots in the game, with two hitting the target, two off target and one blocked, while he drew three fouls [Sofascore], including one that saw Celta Vigo midfielder Luca De La Torre sent off.
The midfielder also won four of his five ground duels, provided three crosses and five long balls, as well as registering a key pass as he looked to create chances for his side, racking up an expected goal and assist total of 0.57 from 69 minutes of play.
In other Rangers news, Beale has made a new demand to the SFA after injuries against Livingston.