The Ianis Hagi qualities that could define his Rangers future and the key improvement he must make

Rangers suffered their heaviest Old Firm defeat since 2018 just a few weeks later, before responding with a momentous two-legged victory over Bundesliga giants Borussia Dortmund in the Europa League play-off round.

They harnessed that self-belief and tactical pragmatism to reach a first European final since 2008, tasting penalty shootout heartbreak before similarly responding by ending their 12-year wait to lift the Scottish Cup with an extra-time triumph over Hearts.

van Bronckhorst’s Ibrox blueprint has been ripped up, pieced back together, tweaked and amended - all of which has happened at breakneck speed since the turn of the year.

It leaves the returning Hagi in a slightly awkward position, with the Dutchman having constructed a seemingly settled side heading into next season barring any movement in the summer transfer window.

But where does the 23-year-old’s immediate future lie under the Dutchman?

The change in his role under the former Feyenoord boss compared to his predecessor at Ibrox is laid out in the numbers. The top image depicts the Romanian’s attacking profile under Gerrard, while the the bottom radar chart represents his time under van Bronckhorst before his injury in January.

It is apparent that Hagi carries a bigger goal threat under the Dutchman despite his paltry goal return last season on paper, with his xG per 90 enjoying a sizeable increase following Gerrard’s departure. Similarly, the Romanian’s xG per shot increased considerably, which suggests that he's attempting shots from historically more favourable locations.

The Romanian’s shot map during his time under van Bronckhorst last season offers greater credence to that suggestion.

If we first take a look at Hagi’s shot locations under Gerrard last season, the 23-year-old was largely restricted to shots from the edge of the penalty area.

However, the Romanian was able to threaten closer to goal under van Bronckhorst before his season was curtailed, with a cluster of lower xG shots from the right-hand side of the penalty area and a selection of higher xG attempts tilted towards the left.

It stands to reason that, with van Bronckhorst employing a more transition-based style of play compared to Gerrard, Hagi has benefitted from the greater space afforded to attack the penalty box.

No longer was it incumbent upon the Romanian to find the killer pass to unlock tight defences. With his Passing percentage increasing under van Bronckhorst, Hagi less often tried to thread through compact defensive lines and upped his forays into pockets of space.

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When van Bronckhorst first arrived he made it immediately clear that his plan was to introduce the lesser-heard concept around Ibrox of wide wingers.

With Ryan Kent providing an obvious solution on the left of the pitch, Hagi assumed a similar role on the right. His comfort on both feet allowed the Romanian to retain the element of unpredictability which characterised Kent on the opposite flank.

However, Hagi doesn’t move particularly quickly in possession of the ball, typically shortening his strides with a high volume of dribbling actions.

As a result, it limited Rangers’ ability to transition forward quickly, which was highlighted by the Rangers Review in the side’s 1-0 win over Hibernian at Easter Road less than a week into van Bronckhorst’s reign.

Equally, however, it was evident that the Dutchman was seeking to repurpose Hagi’s movement off the ball. There was little responsibility on the Romanian to break beyond the opposition’s defensive line under Gerrard, yet it was exactly that movement which created Rangers’ first goal of the van Bronckhorst era.

They recover the ball in midfield before Glen Kamara can immediately place a pass into Hagi between the lines.

Hagi lays the ball back, dragging a defender forward before space opens up through the heart of the Sparta Prague rearguard.

The Romanian identifies the gap and is fed by James Tavernier in-behind the defence…

…Before he squares the ball to Alfredo Morelos to stroke home.

It was also noteworthy that the final goal Rangers scored prior to Hagi’s injury was from the 23-year-old himself at Pittodrie, displaying impressive anticipation in the penalty area.

As Rangers break forward on Aberdeen, it’s interesting to spot Hagi making a central run as opposed to picking up the ball on the right-hand side.

Scott Wright then finds Kent on the opposite side with a diagonal switch, where Hagi is occupying the penalty box as a quasi-number nine.

The Romanian ghosts into the space between the defensive line and the goalkeeper from Kent’s delivery, exploiting a bout of hesitation in the Aberdeen ranks to sidefoot the ball beyond Joe Lewis.

Refining Hagi’s off-the-ball movement will be key in determining the Romanian’s role under van Bronckhorst next season.

Similarly, the 23-year-old’s two-footedness could unlock greater attacking potential for the Gers, with his ability to switch the direction of attacks in one fell swoop.

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Under van Bronckhorst, Rangers don’t tend to move the opposition’s defensive blocks with numerous short passes. Instead, they look to go over opponents with more progressive – and higher risk – pass selections.

It helps explain the rise of John Lundstram as a deep-lying midfielder under the Dutchman, while John Souttar was recruited given his similar ball-playing profile to Connor Goldson in defence.

Hagi, likewise, can execute long passes with great regularity, changing the dynamic of the attack with his excellent vision.

The Romanian played a starring role in Joe Aribo’s strike against Livingston in van Bronckhorst’s first league outing as Rangers boss.

An up-back-and-through combination leads to Scott Arfield feeding a pass into Hagi on the right-hand side.

Aribo’s movement infield then leaves Kent (out of frame) isolated on the left-hand side in an extremely wide starting position.

Hagi’s strength on both feet allows him to quickly shift the ball onto his right, before he sprays a diagonal pass out to Kent.

Through Alfredo Morelos, Rangers eventually work the ball onto Aribo who curls a sumptuous effort into the top corner.

Hagi’s ambipedality – a player’s ability to use both feet to an equal level – allows van Bronckhorst to retain Kent’s threat on the left-hand side at all times.

His ability to spray long passes from one flank to the other prevents opponents from shifting their defensive block over to box Rangers in, maximising one-on-one opportunities for the former Liverpool man on the left.

Were Hagi to assume a central role under van Bronckhorst, you could envisage a scenario where Rangers become even more orientated around the right-hand side, with Hagi in an advanced area – and Lundstram in a deeper part of the pitch – both boasting the capacity to arrow diagonal switches out to the left.

Hagi also retains an ability to link in tight areas of the pitch – as he did to tremendous effect in Kent’s goal against St. Johnstone in the 2-0 win at Ibrox last season. 

Developing Hagi into a more physically robust athlete will lie at the top of van Bronckhorst’s priorities in relation to the Romanian, with Rangers underlining their impressive athleticism in-and-out of possession in their run to the Europa League final last season.

Coming off the back of a serious knee injury, expectations will naturally be tempered for the midfielder heading into next season.

That may also afford van Bronckhorst the time to carve out a defined role for the talented Romanian.