The forgotten Rangers weapon Clement is still to unlock as transfer conundrum answer stares right at him

For thousands of onlookers, it wasn’t until the son of legendary former Barcelona and Real Madrid midfielder Gheorghe starred while representing his country at this summer’s European Championships in Germany that fans actually remembered Hagi remains contracted to the Ibrox club until 2026.

He’s been out of the first-team picture for such a lengthy period of time, largely owing to a serious knee injury that ruled him out of action for an entire year. Shipped out on loan to Spanish outfit Deportivo Alaves due to a lack of minutes by Michael Beale last summer, the 25-year-old hardly set the heather alight in La Liga. And it’s for that reason that his name will have slipped fans’ minds completely.

Undoubtedly, the last two years of Hagi’s playing career haven’t gone to plan at all. He would be the first person to admit that. Yet there he was impressing for Romania in the quarter-finals of the tournament against the Netherlands - sticking out like a sore thumb sporting a rather unflattering string tea cosy on his head.

Gers boss Philippe Clement will have been among those onlookers paying close attention on the Euros and Hagi’s performances would surely have made him sit up and take note. Has he done enough to convince the Belgian that he has a huge asset back on his hands? Time will tell given the vast overhaul of players Clement and new director of recruitment Nils Koppen are in the process of working through.

Could Ianis Hagi return to the Rangers fold under Clement?

Some fans will already have written off Hagi and that’s understandable considering he has contributed next to nothing in recent memory. You arguably have to go back to the 2020/21 season when he played an integral role in helping the Light Blues win the Scottish Premiership title. Individually, he scooped the club’s ‘Young Player of the Year’ award and also won the Premiership ‘Playmaker of the Season’ award for providing the most assists (11) for his last meaningful contribution.

There appeared to be a strange rush to push Hagi out of the door last summer amid a wave of new arrivals. That was despite showing up well in a couple of pre-season matches. He returned to the pitch after 12 gruelling months of rehabilitation towards the end of the previous campaign and was still finding his feet again before Beale made his decision to get rid of him. However, the way Hagi worked his socks off to come back sharper and stronger spoke volumes of his strength, character and desire to pull on the Gers shirt again.

Beale’s recruitment flattered to deceive. There’s no doubt about that. Let’s face it, he bought some players for a vast sum of money on long-term contracts who have failed to hit the heights and are nowhere near the required standard to be competing of trophies. The likes of Sam Lammers, Kieran Dowell and Jose Cifuentes are all facing the prospect of having their deals terminated. Others would add Hagi to the list of flops who would benefit from moving on elsewhere.

Had he been tearing it up in Spain on a weekly basis then it’s likely that Clement would have seriously considering bringing him back into the fold in January. That wasn’t the case but more importantly Hagi will return to Glasgow in the coming weeks after his short break with vital game time under his belt and having caught the eye on the biggest stage this summer.

It will be interesting to see what Clement decides is the best next step for Hagi to take, whether that be as part of his new-look squad as a ready-made starter for the upcoming season or potentially another loan spell abroad. The other option would be to cash in on a player whose value will have increased as a result of his displays at the Euros.

At this stage, Hagi has done everything he can to impress the new man in charge in Govan. No one has ever questioned his supreme talent and when he’s fully fit and firing on all cylinders, how big of an attacking threat he can pose. Will he be afforded the opportunity to prove his worth and come back in from the cold during a testing time for Rangers both on and off the field?

Clement has outlined his intention to add more experience campaigners to his core group of players - guys who can hit the ground running and lead by example as soon as the season gets underway on August 3. There’s no question in my mind that a player such as Hagi - who is entering the prime of his career - should fall into that category. A fully-fledged international football who still has a lot to offer, he will hope that his representatives can iron out his uncertain future as soon as possible.