Glasgow Rangers return to action in the Scottish Premiership after the October international break with a trip away from Ibrox to take on Kilmarnock on Sunday.
Philippe Clement has had two weeks to assess his team’s start to the season and reflect on their recent performances, both domestically and in Europe.
The Light Blues were hammered 4-1 by Lyon at Ibrox in their second Europa League match of the campaign shortly before the international break, after winning their first league phase clash with Malmo, whilst they are currently third in the Premiership table.
Aberdeen and Celtic have both won all seven of their games in the division and Rangers are currently five points behind their rivals after seven games.
The Scottish giants did win their last game before the break, however, as they secured all three points with a 2-0 win over St Johnstone at Ibrox, their fifth win in the top-flight.
Vaclav Cerny scored both of Rangers’ goals on the night, with one in either half, but Ianis Hagi stole the show from the Wolfsburg loanee with his eventful cameo off the bench in the second half, after a difficult summer.
Ianis Hagi's difficult situation at Ibrox
The Romania international spent the 2023/24 campaign on loan at Alaves after Michael Beale decided that he would not be a part of his squad in the summer of 2023.
Hagi produced two goals and two assists in 26 appearances for the Spanish side on loan, after recovering from a knee injury that kept him out of action for 69 matches for Rangers.
The attacking midfielder was exiled from the first-team squad upon his return due to a contract clause that would have seen his wage increase if he had played a certain number of matches.
This meant that the 25-year-old dynamo had to train and play with the B team throughout the summer as the Light Blues attempted to move him on from Ibrox, with no luck in the end.
The Daily Record reported that Clement was reluctant to bring him back into the squad but several senior players pleaded his case and that the player worked hard to make it clear that he wanted to be involved.
It was claimed that there was ‘increasing pressure’ from some of the club’s stars for Hagi to be re-integrated and the player also agreed to forgo the clause in his contract that would have seen his wage increase, which then allowed the Gers to add him to their first-team group.
He had not been named in their Europa League squad for the league phase and that meant that he could not feature against Lyon, which made the recent clash with St Johnstone his first game under Clement.
Ianis Hagi's performance against St Johnstone
The 25-year-old, who played twice for his country in the October international break, was initially named on the bench in the Premiership match at Ibrox, but was introduced after just 45 minutes.
Clement placed his faith in the Romanian whiz to come on for Ross McCausland at the break and it is fair to say that he had a mixed evening in Glasgow.
After spending all summer and the first six games of the league season with the B team and away from the senior group, it would have been reasonable to expect some rust on his part.
Minutes played
36
Pass accuracy
83%
Key passes
2
Assists
1
Touches
26
As you can see in the table above, that was not the case with his use of the ball as the midfielder was reliable and creative in possession, assisting Cerny’s second goal.
The attacking midfielder fizzed a superb pass through the lines to find the winger in the box, registering an assist on his return to action for Rangers.
However, his performance ended on a sour note as he was sent off for a studs-up challenge in midfield, which will now see him out of action for the next two matches through suspension. After such a difficult time through injury and contract issues, his sending-off was a less than ideal end to his return.
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Clement could, however, already move on from Hagi by unleashing a teen star from the academy to take his place on the bench, or possibly even start, in the next two games – Zak Lovelace.
Why Zak Lovelace should be unleashed
The 18-year-old forward, like the Romanian midfielder, has struggled with injuries during his time at Ibrox, missing 320 days through a hamstring issue last season.
However, he has been named on the bench in both of the club’s Europa League matches, which shows that the youngster is fit and available for selection.
The former Millwall starlet has not made a matchday squad in the Premiership so far this season and that should change against Kilmarnock on Sunday, as the winger should take Hagi’s place on the bench after his red card last time out.
Lovelace’s form for Rangers at youth level prior to his long-term injury absence suggests that the potential is there for him to be a lethal operator for Clement out wide, or through the middle, if he can adapt his game to senior level.
He joined the Scottish giants from Millwall on a permanent deal in the summer of 2022, described as an “exciting” player by Ross Wilson at the time, and hit the ground running for the B team in the 2022/23 campaign.
Appearances
26
3
6
Goals
15
1
2
Assists
6
0
4
As you can see in the table above, Lovelace provided regular quality as a scorer and a creator of goals across all competitions for the academy side that term, racking up 18 goals and ten assists.
His main position was on the left wing, but he also played centrally and on the right, and this means that the youngster could slot straight into where Hagi featured out wide against St Johnstone.
It is now down to Clement to bring the teen star into the first-team group in the Premiership against Kilmarnock, as he could forget all about Hagi if Lovelace makes the step up and starts to replicate his youth team form for Rangers.
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