'Disappointing' - Pundit claims Hagi to leave Rangers after suspension despite return

Ianis Hagi will leave Rangers at the end of the season despite finally agreeing a return to the first team, Tam McManus believes.

The ex-Hibs striker predicted on PLZ Soccer on 7 October that the Ibrox attacker’s 100th appearance against St. Johnstone the night before, in which he was sent off, is the start of a build up to finding him a new home in the summer.

Hagi had never played for Philippe Clement prior to the 2-0 win as he was on loan at Alaves last year and frozen out in the B Team upon his return due to a contract stand-off which only ended at the beginning of the month when he agreed to give up a wage increase his contract previously entitled him to [Daily Record, 1 October].

McManus said (32m 20s): “He’s in the shop window from now until the end of the season, Hagi.

“I don’t think long-term he’ll be at Rangers, but [the suspension’s] disappointing for the Rangers supporters who I believe think he can come in and make a real impact in the team.”

Tam McManus predicts Rangers exit for Ianis Hagi

The past few months certainly suggested there wasn’t a major appetite at Ibrox to retain Hagi’s services, but it is unclear whether that was entirely due to the wage-rise clause in his deal.

His current contract is set to expire in the summer [Daily Record] and should be depart for nothing it would be the latest in a long line of senior players to leave Ibrox for no return.

Clement himself has cited that practice as something which must end, with Dujon Sterling recently given an extra year and an extension imminent for John Souttar [Daily Record, 1 October] seemingly for the express purpose of avoiding future free transfer exits.

Selling Hagi in the January window is the only way they will get anything for him as things stand, and if that is the plan it only raises more questions as to why the Light Blues wasted two months of the season with him in the reserves.

But since the 25-year-old has made abundantly clear during the stand off that his priority was to play for Rangers there is surely now scope for him to secure a new deal, albeit one that presumably won’t become such a baffling issue within 18-months of signing it.

Hagi rejected the chance to move to Rapid Bucharest in his home country [Sky Sports, 26 August] and by all accounts was nothing but professional towards the Gers while turning out for the B Team, so he if can back that attitude up on the park he looks like an ideal asset to lock down for further years.

An assist for Vaclav Cerny vs St. Johnstone was a decent start and makes his sending off all the more frustrating all round.

But if he can return from suspension and prove the red card was a product of rustiness at this level then he may be able to convince Clement that he can be a factor next season and beyond.

In other Rangers news, Clement’s protests have fallen on deaf ears as his claims were unanimously ruled against.

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