STEVEN GERRARD has hailed 'ultimate professional' Ianis Hagi as the Romanian continues to catch the eye at Ibrox.

Hagi has made an impressive start to his second full season with Rangers and was one of the few players to emerge from the win over Alashkert on Thursday night with any real credit.

Goals against Livingston on the opening day of the Premiership campaign and in the League Cup win at home to Dunfermline are the personal highlights for Hagi so far this term.

But Gerrard knows there is still plenty more to come from the 22-year-old as he looks to live up to the standards that his father Gheorghe set during a distinguished career with the likes of Real Madrid, Barcelona and Galatasaray.

Gerrard said: “I thought Ianis was superb for the majority of the game. He’s in a fantastic place.

"He’s had a full pre-season. He got that unfortunate kick against Livingston which set him back a bit.

“But the kid just seems to be growing and evolving every year.

“He’s the ultimate professional, he wants to learn, he wants to grow, he wants to get better.

“We’re all aware of the stable he comes from. He’s got a real iconic father figure who he wants to follow in the footsteps of.

“We don’t want to put that pressure on him but there’s a lot of traits in terms of his professionalism and how he goes about it.

"He loves the game and just wants to improve and get to the top.

“He’s a pleasure to work with and we can see the development in him every single season.

“He seems to be getting stronger, he’s adapted to the league a lot better now and his performances have been strong so far.

"I expect him to have a real strong season if we can keep him healthy."