After missing over a year of football through injury, it’s no surprise to witness a glint in Ianis Hagi’s eye as he details his Champions League dream.
The Romanian international has recently returned from a devastating ACL injury and the attacking midfielder is determined to showcase his unquestionable talent.
Rangers season came to an abrupt halt last weekend at Hampden when Celtic edged closer to domestic treble with victory in the Scottish Cup semi-final.
The Ibrox club’s remaining five games are effectively meaningless with their rivals destined to win the title and attention has already turned towards a summer rebuild and next season.
A revolving door will be in operation in Govan with Michael Beale expected to make major changes to his squad ahead of next season.
The first challenge for a new-look Rangers will be to emulate this season’s achievements of navigating the Champions League qualifiers to reach the lucrative group stages.
Giovanni van Bronckhorst impressively claimed the scalp over PSV across two legs before overseeing the worst-ever group stage performance in the competition’s history but Hagi has his sights firmly set on returning to the pinnacle of European football.
“Yes, 100 percent,” Hagi replied when asked if Champions League qualification was now a main focus.
“Not only that but there are also three other trophies next season to fight for. I think you have to understand what it takes to win for this football club.
“It is not easy when the fans expect you to win every single one. But, when you put pen to paper on the contract here you know what you sign up for. It is exciting to play for four trophies and to be on the Champions League stage would be a privilege.
“I played in the Champions League with Genk three seasons ago. Unfortunately, I wasn't fit to play this season with Rangers.
“It is huge for every single player, huge for the fans, huge for the club from a financial point of view as well and football-wise.
“It is the biggest stage in football at the end of the day and everybody wants to have that in their CV.
“It is definitely a big excitement to have the opportunity to fight for a place there.
“And hopefully we can do it the same as this season when we qualified and then try to do much better.”
Hagi was forced to observe from the stands as Rangers recorded an unwanted record in this season's Champions League.
Liverpool, Napoli and Ajax were the opponents in an incredibly tough group but Van Bronckhorst’s side suffered some heavy defeats as they failed to pick up a single point, while conceding 22 goals.
Hagi’s inability to help his teammates was a source of frustration and the 24-year-old has only been fully fit for one full season - Rangers title-winning success under Steven Gerrard - since moving to Glasgow in 2020.
The creative midfielder registered 15 assists and eight goals during an impressive campaign but he also missed out on the majority of Rangers’ stunning run to the Europa League final last season.
Hagi’s skillset has the potential to flourish against continental opponents and he wants to help his teammates to recreate some famous European nights under the lights at Ibrox.
He said: “It was tough but I kind of accepted it after I got injured.
“I knew I would not have been able to play for Rangers in the Champions League this season. I just tried to help my teammateI in any other way at the training ground.
“I just hoped we could get some European football come February or March but unfortunately we couldn’t. It is what it is and sometimes things are out of your control.
“I have been here for three and a half years. But, it is a crazy stat that I have just had one full season.
“I know what I did that season and the trophy we won and I won as the top assister in the league.
“I know what I am capable of and right now I want to get myself into a position where I can play a full 90 minutes and play every three days. There are some boxes I still need to tick and that is my focus now.
“I’ve not watched too much of my football as I’ve never had doubts about what I can do on the football pitch. I just enjoyed watching Rangers play when I was injured.
“Last season in Europe especially we did great all the way to the final. That was such a fantastic run. I enjoy playing in Europe a lot.
“My goal contributions are really good there. It’s just about pulling that shirt on every single time I can and get as many minutes as possible for Rangers. That makes me happy.”
Hagi’s long-term future remains uncertain at Ibrox with speculation lingering that clubs could look to prise him away in the summer.
The Romanian remains under contract until 2026 and he’s excited about a potential rebuild under Beale with a host of new signings expected to arrive.
He admitted: “When the gaffer talks about needing to bring the team to the next level, to bring more quality to the team and needing to win trophies next season – these are positive signs. This is a club where we’re privileged to be at.
“You don’t want to be at a team where they’re trying to save themselves from relegation or can’t sign any new players. These are positive talks from the manager. It happens in football and we’re at a team that’s fighting for four competitions and to me that’s a privilege. It’s exciting, definitely.”
Two players who are guaranteed to be at Ibrox next season are Nicolas Raskin and Todd Cantwell.
The midfield duo were Beale’s first two signings as Rangers boss and Hagi hopes the summer arrivals can match Raskin and Cantwell’s ‘positive vibes’.
He added: “I’ve been in that position of coming into the club in January and you come with some fresh oxygen and a positive vibe. I think they brought that to the team. They came into the team really well and you can see their qualities as well.
“As the gaffer said there will be changes in the summer and players will come in. If they come with the same positive vibes and hunger to win games then that’s really good. That’s what we need. We have to work on our chemistry from day one and integrate every player as soon as possible and then kick on.”
