Romanian super agent Victor Becali has claimed Ianis Hagi could faced a major blow to his confidence after being snubbed for an international recall.
The Rangers playmaker has returned after spending 13 months out with a serious knee injury, with manager Michael Beale slowly easing him back into the Ibrox fold with a string of substitute appearances. The 22-year-old started the Scottish Cup clash with Partick Thistle but was hooked at half-time, and has since been given more time to work back to match fitness behind the scenes at Auchenhowie.
The lack of game time saw him snubbed by Romania boss Edi Iordanescu for the double header with Andorra and Belarus this month, leading to a furious response from his dad Gheorghe Hagi who declared he "must not be that important to the team." Becali backed up the fury from the Barcelona and Real Madrid legend, as he insisted he should be included to allow Hagi Jr to "build a little confidence."
Becali told Romanian radio station Sport Total FM: "Even though he hasn't played for so long, he's been through a tougher time, we're not that great a team now and to say that you're doing someone wrong. A coach has to find his way at certain times. A player who has been through a period of this, you have to give him some credit, that's my opinion and trust me I'm not being subjective.
"That's my opinion, doesn't mean anyone has to do it that way. Normally, regarding Ianis, I could be subjective, because I know him since he was a child, I am friends with his father, he grew up under my eyes.
"In certain situations, you have to give a player a little confidence, he could have needed a helping hand at this moment. We have to help the footballers, because he is a very important player for the national team.
"Sure he can't be what his father was, but he's a player we can count on for years to come. He may not play as a starter, that's what I think a coach would do, give the player confidence, many coaches have done things like that. Iordanescu is the one who decides, he is responsible for these things"
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