Ianis Hagi gives brutally honest Rangers injury update

Here is everything he had to say. 

How do you sum up what life has been like for you as a Rangers player recently? 

Mixed feelings. I've been really positive regarding my health. I've been back since January and since then things and training on a daily basis are really good. I can see progression every day and I think that was the focus to just get healthy and get fit so that I can play every week a little bit more. So I was positive on this but then obviously regarding the team, regarding the performances, I think that's a clear disappointment for every single person out here that surrounds this football club.  Look, we've got five games left, four weeks to go until the season ends for Rangers, I've got hopefully another two games with the national team and that's my only focus right now. 

Are you hoping to get more first-team football? 

Definitely, I think it’s a good opportunity for players that come back from big injuries like myself, players that haven't played too many minutes. It's an opportunity to just see where you're at and just try to win your Rangers shirt. I think it's nothing new for the players around here and the ones that came from January on, I think they felt it on their own skin. This is life at Rangers, right? We’ve got to accept what has happened this season and move forward and try to build on this. We have five games, end as strong as possible, and from next season try to build it up. 

Can you explain your recovery from injury behind the scenes? 

Before I got injured, I thought long-term injuries are quite straightforward, but they're not, especially ACL injuries. Honestly, they're no joke. It's really hard, you go through so many emotions and once you're back you have to realise that I've come back in the middle of the season basically, when every single player just hits their heights. They’re at their peak, physically wise whereas I basically start from zero. So I'm basically at the beginning of a preseason. There's not much time for training because at this football club, you play almost every three days, four days and there's not much time for training. If you play, you have to deliver. You can't just get on the pitch and we've got time for you. So it's a really tricky one where you have to basically just fight yourself through it, try to find minutes every now and then. I've got minutes with the second team as well. So just trying to be in constant communication with the manager, see what's best for me but at the same time the team comes first. You try to win at the same time so it's mixed feelings. Plus, I'm not used to a situation where I'm not playing where I'm not starting. I've always been used to starting. I've been trying to fight myself through it, but at the same time, accept the situation and understand that I've been out for a year. That's not a month, that's not two months, that's 12 months. I'm not taking that as an excuse, but I'm definitely trying to work myself through it and push myself to the limits to get to where I want to be. 

Do you feel physically now that you're back to where you were before, perhaps even better and sometimes? 

In terms of my knee, I’ve been fit since January. If not I wouldn’t have been able to train or play but in terms of aerobic fitness, I don't think I'm able to play 90 minutes, I have to be true on that, but I'm definitely better than where I was three months ago. I've been playing, as I said, 75 minutes with the second team. I've been coming in every now and then, 10/15 minutes with the first team, so I'm building up. I feel like my fitness is getting better every week, but it feels like now I'm enjoying my football more and more. It's unfortunate because the season ends really quick, but these five games, hopefully two more games with the national team and try to make the best of it. 

Do you think you’ll be able to play 90 minutes from the start of next season? 

Well, I think it depends on the minutes. If I build it up, I can play even by the end of the season. It's a matter of just how you build up minutes. Usually when you start from zero in the preseason, you basically build up with 30, 45, 75, 90 so things can happen in a few games, or it might happen from next season. This is not for me to decide, obviously, the minutes I get on the pitch, I’ll try to give 100 per cent and try to make something out of it and hopefully push the gaffer to play me more and more. 

Where do you see yourself in Michael Beale’s Rangers team? 

My relationship with him is a really good one. He knows what type of player I am and what I can bring to this football club. I know what t I can bring at this football club. I know I've been here for almost three and a half years, but I've been injured for a year and I know what I've done previously and what I brought to this football club. It's no difference on being the number 10, this is who I am. I bring goals, I bring assists, I create for the team even though I don't always have the numbers. My biggest quality is the vision and the knowledge on the football pitch and this is who I am. Obviously fitness wise I have to fight back but the qualities, I never lost them. 

Are you stronger mentally? 

Yeah, 100 per cent. Since the first week after my surgery, I knew this recovery would be more mental than physical. Physically, you'll get there at the end, but it's about mentally if you recover from what you're going through a year of this disappointment and being away from what you basically love to do. I'm definitely in a better place. Mentally stronger than what I was prior to this. 

Do you think you could be a central part of this Rangers rebuild? 

Yeah, this is the belief I had since I started playing football. I know what I can bring to my team football-wise. I know my qualities, as I said, and I think the communication and also the advantage that I've worked with the gaffer previously. He knows what I like and what position I can play. In my opinion, it's down to just getting back to full fitness in terms of minutes. Afterwards, I don’t really have doubts about my football qualities. 

The manager has spoken about bringing in fresh faces for next season, how big a motivator is that for you to get in the team? 

Everybody knows publicly that it's going to be a big change in the summer. What I can talk about is it's about myself and what I can control. So for me, it's as I said, five games with Rangers, two more games with the national team, try to get the best out of it, try to get a really good fitness in these seven games and then have a really good and strong off-season. I won't really take off too much, probably a week and then just focus on my football because I've been away for a year. Basically, this is what I can control. I think everything else, it’s down to the board and the gaffer. That's a question for them.