Philippe Clement breaks silence on Ianis Hagi Rangers return but ducks one question over contract resolution
Romanian international returns to the fold
Rangers manager Philippe Clement welcomed the return of Ianis Hagi as effectively a "new signing" following the resolution of a long-standing contract dispute.
The Romania international has not featured for Rangers for more than a year after spending most of last season on loan at Spanish side Alaves and then being frozen out at the start of this season, with speculation suggesting that another appearance would trigger a significant wage rise.
Hagi - the son of Romania legend Gheorge - has continued to play for his country despite his persona non grata status at Ibrox, making appearances at Euro 2024 and in recent Nations League fixtures.
Clement said during the summer transfer window that the 25-year-old was free “to look out for other opportunities” but he remained at the club and has been training and playing with the B team.
Hagi has now re-joined the Rangers first-team squad ahead of the Europa League clash with Lyon at Ibrox on Thursday night, albeit he is not in the European squad.
“It was a contract issue from before my time, so the issue is solved,” said boss Clement, who confirmed midfielder midfielder Mohamed Diomande is back in the squad after recovering from a knock.
“So both parties, the club and Hagi, came together and now it’s resolved. Clearly I’m happy then that this situation that I didn’t like to have, is resolved now.
“So it’s normal, he’s back in the squad training and getting him back to his best level is now the job.
“He’s not an option yet, so there’s a way to go of course, but the more players you can have that can make a difference for your team, the better as a gaffer.
“He behaved all the time well and our contact was good all the time, so there was never a problem between us.
“We met each other a lot of times here in the building, so he did everything what you expect from a professional player. In those situations it’s maybe not always the case, but he’s been an example in that way for sure.
“He trained with the second team and we let him play games with the second team to keep his fitness as high as possible.
“So we will see the next days, the next weeks, how that is. And it’s about fighting for the places in the squad, in the team. It’s the same for him as for other players.”
Asked if he got involved in trying to get both parties to find a solution, Clement said: “I don’t want to respond to that, that’s internal business.”
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