'Absolutely Bonkers' – Keith Jackson lambasts Rangers for treating player 'Terribly'

Ianis Hagi’s situation at Rangers has been handled in an “absolutely bonkers” fashion as he makes his return to the first team, Keith Jackson has said.

Speaking on Daily Record Sport’s Hotline (1 October), Jackson lambasted the Gers for treating Hagi “terribly” in recent months, after the Romanian playmaker was dropped to the club’s B team squad.

Having impressed in regular appearances for the reserves at Auchenhowie, Hagi and Philippe Clement have finally come to an agreement for him to return to the fold after a months-long standoff [Rangers Review, 1 October].

Jackson said: “It was absolutely bonkers for Rangers to allow this situation to develop.

“He’s been playing for this B team – he’s not been throwing one in, he’s played every minute.

“His attitude has been exemplary – he’s absolutely an example of what a professional footballer should look like, and Rangers have treated him terribly.”

Ianis Hagi must build on B team form ahead of Rangers return

Hagi being back in the first-team fold at Ibrox represents a significant U-turn on Clement’s part, but the onus will now be on both parties to ensure the 25-year-old’s return pays dividends.

Having scored a free-kick and hat-trick in respective B team matches so far this season, Hagi’s form could not be ignored for much longer by Clement, who does have a hole to fill in the number 10 role.

Had a young player on the fringes of the first team, such as Zak Lovelace or Alex Lowry, been in a similar vein of form across recent weeks, the clamour for Clement to pick them would have been unavoidable.

Tom Lawrence’s form in the past few games, as well as the Deadline Day signing of Nedim Bajrami, mean that for the time being at least, Hagi’s path into the starting XI will not be a straightforward one.

However, with Clement still needing depth in this crucial area of the pitch, a fit and firing Hagi gives the Belgian an option which hadn’t looked possible just a matter of weeks ago.

In other Rangers news, Clement got animated in his post-match press conference v Hibernian to address a controversial moment.

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