Rangers star Ianis Hagi has told how he “fell in love” with the Light Blues after holding talks with Ibrox boss Steven Gerrard before he moved to Scotland in 2020, and confessed he was “really hyped” to be speaking with the iconic Gers boss.
Hagi joined Rangers on loan from Belgian side Genk in January 2020, having only moved to Belgium six months earlier, and detailed how he tried to find out where he would fit in Gerrard’s plans.
After impressing on loan, Hagi’s move was made permanent last summer and, the Romanian explained his brief stint in Belgium by confessing he felt like he needed to move on.
“Obviously I was really hyped to be speaking to Steven Gerrard,” Hagi told The Guardian.
“I just tried to keep cool and ask the right questions to find out where I fitted in his plans.
“We talked about small tactical details and how he wanted to take the club back to the highest level where they belong. I just fell in love with Rangers.
“It felt like I needed to move on and Rangers were knocking at the door.”
Massive season for Hagi at Rangers
Despite being a regular feature in the side for Rangers last season, you can’t help feel that Hagi still hasn’t quite won over Gerrard in the same way others have.
While the likes of Joe Aribo are in the side whenever possible, Hagi has found himself often having to make way for some of the bigger games.
As Rangers go into the new campaign, Hagi will be desperate to prove to Gerrard that he deserves to be one of the first names on the teamsheet.
The prospect of Champions League football is also something that help Hagi with the Romanian seeming to come alive on European nights and delivering some of his best performances as a Rangers player on the continental stage.
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