'You can't say that' - Keown blasts Clement for what he said about Rangers star

Gary Keown has slammed Philippe Clement in the wake of Ianis Hagi’s Rangers U-turn, as the Romanian is welcomed back into the first-team fold.

In his column on MailOnline [6 October], Keown laid into the Gers manager over how the prolonged episode with Hagi has panned out as he prepares his side to take on St. Johnstone at Ibrox on Sunday.

Clement has been accused of coming across as confusing over Hagi’s situation, with the attacking midfielder having been stuck one appearance shy of 100 for the club, which would have triggered a hike in wages – a clause the player reportedly agreed to forego to get him back into the fold at Ibrox (Daily Record).

Keown raged: “The midweek U-turn over Ianis Hagi is just the latest in a long list of confusing episodes. It is unfathomable that a bloke who made four appearances for Romania in the Euros – and that the club were looking to sell – was left to rot in the B-squad because another first-team outing would have triggered a wage rise.

“Asked before that Old Firm pasting whether there was any way back for Hagi, though, Clement was clear. Contractual issues weren’t mentioned. Hagi had been told months earlier he couldn’t play as a No 10 with the arrival of Nedim Bajrami only reinforcing that position.

“You can’t say that and then react to him renegotiating his terms by bringing him into first-team training and insisting he is ‘like a new signing’. Yes, a new signing you have already stated is not good enough. And who is now just three months away from being able to agree a pre-contract to walk away for zilch – something that was supposed to stop under your watch.”

Ianis Hagi set for Rangers return

For the most part, there has actually been clarity over Hagi – he was out of the squad, and now he’s back in. But it’s what has happened behind the scenes and the real reasons behind such that have irked many.

Clement has come across as inconsistent – as Keown says, how is a man who appeared in the knockout stages of Euro 2024 with his nation not good enough for a single minute as a number 10 in a Gers side looking for momentum?

The financial aspect of the matter was well-established. Hagi has been stuck on 99 games for the club for an age, and his loan spell at Alaves last season has – while underwhelming – almost forged an excuse for Clement not to use him if he needs one.

Hagi will provide a boost to the team if he is on his game – there is no doubt about it. During his time with the B team, he has looked like exactly what he was – an international footballer playing alongside the youngsters.

The 25-year-old’s contract expires in 2026, and the timeframe in which the Gers could recoup any sort of reasonable fee to sell him is dwindling, so strong performances are required.

In other Rangers news, a “tipping point” in the career of James Tavernier.

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