Rangers manager Steven Gerrard has praised Ibrox star Ianis Hagi after a “brilliant” performance in last night’s 1-0 win over Alashkert in the Europa League playoff and tipped the Romanian to have a “really strong season” this term.
Hagi was one of the standout performers on a tough night for the Light Blues as Alfredo Morelos scored his 25th European goal for Rangers to give them a 1-0 first-leg lead.
Despite Rangers’ sluggish start to the season, Hagi has been one of the real bright spots so far this term and Gerrard confessed that the Ibrox star is a “pleasure to work with” as he reflected on the 1-0 win over Alashkert.
“Hagi was brilliant yesterday,” Gerrard said.
“He always wants to work hard and improve. His professionalism is top class and he is a pleasure to work with.
“He seems to be getting stronger and I expect him to have a really strong season if he can stay healthy.”
Hagi was replaced in the final minutes by Stephen Kelly but the Gers’ number 7 put in an excellent display, showing fantastic energy and creativity in the middle of the pitch.
The Romanian has bulked up a bit over the summer and put his added strength to good use a number of times, muscling Alashkert players off the ball and driving Rangers on.
Despite having been overlooked by Gerrard at points last season, Hagi was one of Rangers’ most important attacking assets in the surge to the title.
This season he needs to show a little bit more consistency and prove why he deserves to be one of the first names on the teamsheet every week.
If he can do that, there’s no limit on just how far he can go and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Rangers having to fend off bids from clubs abroad in the near future.
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