Philippe Clement has broken his silence on Ianis Hagi's return to the Rangers first-team fold.

The playmaker had been dropped to the B team this season after failing to seal a permanent transfer exit in the summer.

A contract clause - believed to include a wage hike - had seen Hagi left out of the first-team picture but after a resolution to the issue the 26-year-old is back training with his team-mates.

On the return for the Romanian internationalist, Clement said:  "That it was a contract issue from before my time so the issue is solved. Both parties, the club and Hagi, came together and now it is resolved.

"It’s normal he is back in the squad training and it’s getting him back to his best level, that’s the job to do.

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"Yes it’s not an option yet, there is a way to go. The more players you can have to make a difference the better as a gaffer. Clearly I am happy this situation that I didn’t like to have is resolved.

"He has behaved all the time well, our contact was good all the time. There was never a problem between us, we met a lot in the building. He did everything you’d expect from a professional player. In those situations it is not always the case but he has been an example in that way for sure.

"It doesn’t work that way, he has trained one time. He trained all the time with second team and the games to keep his fitness high as possible. We will see the next days and weeks how that is. It’s about fighting for the places in the squad and the team."