Ianis Hagi breaks silence on his Rangers exile and the team-mate who helped him through it

Ianis Hagi admits “things were up in the air” at Rangers but he is glad to be back in the first team at Ibrox.

The Romania international appeared to be surplus to requirements after returning from a loan spell at Spanish side Alaves and then being frozen out at the start of this season, with another start for the Light Blues reportedly set to trigger a wage rise.

Hagi found himself playing for the B team and was not included in Philippe Clement’s European squad but the Rangers boss announced early in October that the contract issue had been resolved to everyone’s satisfaction.

Hagi would not go into details at the media conference ahead of the home game against Kilmarnock on Wednesday – “those are details that should be kept between myself, my agents, and the club, the gaffer as well” but he did say: “Obviously, you’re in the transfer market so anything can happen at that point.

“And knowing the situation that I was in, obviously, my age as well, being 25, 26. So things were up in the air. No one can deny that. Everybody knows that. But what I made it clear is that wherever I am, I’m going to be 100 per cent: B team, first team, or somewhere else.

Rangers' Ianis Hagi arrives ahead of the William Hill Premiership match against St Johnstone on Sunday. (Photo by Alan Harvey / SNS Group) | SNS Group

“I’m just going to respect football because it gave me so much. And it’s the only thing that I love to do. In football, everything changes every 24 hours. It’s just crazy how the dynamics change in football. So for me, it was just about respecting football, playing football, being physically in the best shape possible every day, and then see where that brings me. And we’re here now.

“It’s definitely good (to be back). Just a nice feeling, pulling on the shirt again, having competition again. I just love every second of it, so yeah, it’s good. It’s tough when you don’t play football. And I’ve been in worse situations than this one with my injury, being away for a year and not being able to play.

“I was able to train and play with the B team. And a shout out to them because they’ve been unbelievable with me for two or three months. So it was a different experience, obviously. But you want to play professional football. So that’s why I’m here. And, yeah, I’m just happy that I’m back.”

Hagi also paid tribute to his father, Romania icon Gheorghe, and his Rangers captain James Tavernier for helping him through his first-team exile.

“My father was important, obviously,” he said. “He didn't really go through these types of situations in his career. But with so much experience in football, he definitely helped me. Not only him but my family as well. And a big shout-out to Tav, the skip.

“People know him on the pitch and what he’s done for the last few years at Rangers. His stats are just mad for a full-back. But he has helped me a lot and behind the scenes and he does a lot for this football club.

“I have to thank him for being there and being a captain. I will never forget what he did for me during the summer, helping me in situations where it's not about a player-to-player relationship - it’s more about a man-to-man relationship. He’s been there for me so people have to know that. He’s a great skipper.

"We’ve been through quite a few battles alongside each other, obviously playing together under Steven Gerrard and then with Gio van Bronckhorst before I got injured. We’ve had plenty of games together and different situations that we’ve got around the season. People see what Tav does on the pitch but he does so much more behind the scenes.”