Rangers have been dealt a major blow this week as Gio van Bronckhorst has confirmed that Ianis Hagi will miss the rest of the season at Ibrox through injury.

The Romania international went off with a knock against Stirling Albion and the Dutch head coach has now revealed that he will not play again this season.

He said: “Ianis needed an operation.

“He went for this yesterday and we will sadly be missing Ianis for the season. I spoke to Ianis yesterday and he is positive and focused on his recovery.”

Forget Hagi

As sad as this news is for the Gers, it is now time to forget about Hagi for now and focus on solving the nightmare his injury has caused.

He has been a consistent performer for the club this season, with an average SofaScore rating of 7.10 across 15 starts in the Premiership, and has left a huge hole in the XI, with van Bronckhorst now needing to find a way to fill it.

One player who has been linked with a switch to Ibrox is Galatasaray midfielder Olimpiu Morutan and he could be an ideal replacement for Hagi. The club must look to snap him up before the transfer window slams shut next week as he could fill the gap left in the starting XI.

He has three goals and three assists in 12 league starts for Galatasaray, which means that he is averaging a goal contribution every other match so far this term. Morutan has also won 51% of his individual duels, showing that he can hold his own in physical battles, albeit not by dominating them, and would not be a lightweight for the Gers.

The attacker's agent, Florin Vulturar, lauded his client back in 2021, saying: “He is an innate talent, probably the most technical Romanian player since Gheorghe Hagi.

“He is a pure number 10, capable of creating opportunities for his teammates, but who can also do well in the defensive phase of every match if necessary.

“He is fast, has a great vision and is good at passing. He easily surpasses his opponents in one-on-one situations.

“Paulo Dybala and Lionel Messi are the models to follow in his role, we can probably assimilate his style of play with the play of these players.”

These comments highlight how similar he is to the injured Gers star in terms of his position and his style of play, with both players wanting to get on the ball and create chances with their vision and creativity in the number 10 role, or out wide. This is why the £4.5m-rated gem could be an ideal replacement for his compatriot this month.

Ross Wilson and van Bronckhorst must now look to strike a deal with Galatasaray to bring him in to solve the nightmare they are currently in following Hagi's knee injury. He has shown that he can score and create goals and has potential to improve further at the age of 22, which suggests that he could be a fine addition to the squad.

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