Rangers have been handed a hammer blow over Ianis Hagi's injury, as an insider has dropped a big claim on the Ibrox player's comeback...

What's the talk?

Gheorghe Hagi has revealed that his son may not return to action for another four months as he is only halfway through his recovery.

The Glasgow Times quote him as saying: "Ianis is very well, I went to the Europa League Final to see him and I will see him for longer because he is coming on holiday with us too.

"He has done about 50 per cent of his recovery and still has 50 per cent of work to do. His knee is as strong as it was before and actually probably stronger than before the injury.

"He's on the right track and his rehabilitation has worked very well. But it's still going to take three or four more months for him to return. Ianis will get over this difficult moment in his career though."

Gio van Bronckhorst will be fuming

The Rangers head coach will be fuming with this claim, as it suggests that Ianis Hagi may not play for the Light Blues until September or October.

This means that the 23-year-old is now set to miss the start of the 2022/23 campaign and all of the club's Champions League qualifiers. The Gers need to qualify for the group stage after missing out on the Europa League and Premiership crowns this year, and this latest update has ruled out Hagi's involvement in those matches.

His absence is a big blow for Van Bronckhorst, as the Romania international is an excellent midfielder who has proven himself in Glasgow, thriving in the Premiership since his move from Belgium.

In the 2020/21 title-winning campaign, Hagi produced seven goals and 11 assists in 33 games as he proved that he can make a big impact in the final third. He has the quality to score and set up goals for the Gers, playing on either flank or in the number 10 position.

He has also showcased his ability in Europe for the Light Blues. In the memorable 2021/22 Europa League run, the 23-year-old provided one goal and one assist in five games, also creating three 'big chances', and this shows that he can perform well on the continental stage too.

Van Bronckhorst will therefore be gutted by this latest update. It comes as a hammer blow to Rangers, as they will now be without the talented midfielder's quality for crucial matches later in the summer, and the head coach will now be hoping that his other players can step up to make sure that Hagi's absence does not have a telling impact.

AND in other news, Imagine him & Lundstram: Wilson must land Rangers deal for "fabulous" £28k-p/w maestro...