BlueMeanie
Well-Known Member
RANGERS star Ianis Hagi is "one of the top 10 players in the world" for his age group, according to a former Romanian international.
The 22-year-old attacker joined Steven Gerrard's squad permanently last summer, having arrived on an initial loan from Genk in January 2020.
He's managed a decent return during this campaign, noticing nine assists and five goals in the Premiership.
He has also impressed in the Europa League, with big showings in the two wins over Royal Antwerp.
Interest is high in the Gers star back in Romania, as he is of course the son of the country's greatest footballer Gheorghe Hagi.
And ex-internationalist Ianis Zicu believes the Rangers talent must be judged on his own skills rather than he famous father.
Zicu told GSP.RO: "Hagi's name is definitely a burden, and it put a strain on me too.
"Because when I was young a lot of people compared me to Gica and it affected me negatively because I thought I was better than I was at that level.
"In my opinion we need to judge Ianis strictly on the qualities he has.
"He has some really high level qualities in terms of his vision, how he strikes the ball and how he handles situations on the pitch.
"There's no point expecting Ianis to dribble past three or four players and go straight to the goal, or to run with it at full pace.
"He can't do those things, but in terms of what he can do I think he's in the top 10 players in the world in his age category.
"By which I mean how he hits the ball, how he passes, how he thinks about the game."