£26m star hails Rangers ace for shouldering 'incredible responsibility' at Euro 2024
07/02/2024 08:30 AM
When you’re heading into a major tournament – the 2024 European Championships, in this instance – it always helps when your star players are fit and firing, playing week-in, week-out at club level.
The struggles of Rangers’ £3 million man throughout the season just gone, then, rather summed up the concerns of his nation heading over to Germany.
Ianis Hagi has not really featured with any regularity since midway through the 2021/22 season, when he suffered a serious knee injury that would restrict him to just eight Scottish Premiership appearances over the next 18 months.
A loan spell at Deportivo Alaves in La Liga was supposed to get Hagi back on the right track again.
But, after starting fewer than ten games over in Spain and being labelled a ‘big disappointment’ by the local press, the concerns were understandable amongst a Romania fanbase praying for a return to form for a man who’s goal against Israel in the qualifiers took them to the Euros in the first place.
Rangers’ Ianis Hagi set for Euro knockout clash
Fortunately, while Hagi has begun only one match so far in Romania’s first XI, the 25-year-old son of Tricolor legend Gheorghe has still succeeded in making his father – and his country – proud.
Romania might not have had a round-of-16 clash against the Netherlands to look forward to tonight without Hagi’s influence.
It was Rangers’ forgotten man who earned the penalty slammed home by Razvan Marin as Edward Iordanescu’s team topped the group containing Ukraine, Slovakia and one of the pre-tournament favourites in Belgium.
For Radu Dragusin, another stand-out Romania performance who has excelled in Germany despite struggling for games at Tottenham Hotspur, Hagi deserves major credit for the way he has dealt with the expectations placed upon him by a fanbase who still view his father as something of a deity figure.
“I see it as a matter of absolute pride for him to be able to be here at the national team with us and wear the number ten,” Dragusin, who joined Tottenham in a £26 million deal back in January despite interest from Bayern Munich and Napoli, tells FRF.
“It is a huge responsibility. Especially for him (being Gheorghe’s son). But, in the last match, he won the penalty which was ultimately decisive. Both he and our colleagues in the attack have an incredible responsibility.”
A responsibility Hagi, during his only start of the tournament so far, shouldered very impressively against Slovakia.
It remains to be seen if the former KRC Genk man is given the nod by Iordanescu again versus. a Dutch side who flattered to deceive so far and were given the runaround by an exceptional Austria last time out.
Ibrox exit seems likely for former La Liga loanee
Hagi’s future at club level, meanwhile, remains uncertain.
"He has a contract with Rangers," agent Giovanni Becali tells Fanatik, the final call likely to be made on Hagi's future in July. "He will go there (for pre-season), start training and then the decision will be made if they will loan him. He has a bigger contract. It's hard (to find a buyer).
"He needs continuity."
Becali’s brother – and a close friend of Jose Mourinho – recently suggested Hagi could join the iconic Portuguese at Fenerbahce. His agent insists that, as things stand, a potential move to Turkey is nothing more than pure speculation however.
"There is no discussion with Fenerbahce," Becali explains. "If there was a Romanian player at Fener, I would be called immediately. Mourinho only started (pre-season) training yesterday.
"I know the situation very well. If Mourinho needs a player, he would contact me. About Ianis, there were simple speculations.
"That doesn't mean that if I had an offer for Ianis, I wouldn't be interested."
Rapid Bucharest’s new manager – a certain Neil Lennon – has already expressed a desire to offer Hagi a fresh start.
