Beale May Have New Star After Hibs Masterclass

Glasgow Rangers ended their penultimate away match of the Scottish Premiership campaign with a 3-1 win against Hibernian at Easter Road.

James Tavernier, Ianis Hagi, and Todd Cantwell scored the goals as the Light Blues followed up on their 3-0 win over Celtic in the Old Firm the previous weekend.

Cantwell has now scored five goals and provided four assists in 14 appearances in the top-flight since making the permanent switch to Ibrox from Norwich in January.

The English attacking midfielder has quickly established himself as one of the big stars of Michael Beale’s side with his ability to impact games at the top end of the pitch by finishing or creating chances from a midfield position.

However, a new star could be on the horizon after the head coach unleashed Romanian international Ianis Hagi from the start against Hibernian.

How did Ianis Hagi perform against Hibernian?

The 24-year-old made just his second start in the Premiership this season and produced a masterclass as part of the interchangeable frontline.

When speaking about what he wants to see in his attackers in 23/24, Beale recently stated:

“I like the forwards not to be one position but interchange and move around and have a lot of freedom.”

Hagi showcased his ability to fulfil that remit in his display against Hibs as the 24-year-old popped up in positions all over the pitch; on the right, on the left, and through the middle.

The midfield maestro was able to use his quality in possession to recycle the ball and allow Rangers to dominate the match. He completed 85% of his attempted passes and all five of his long passes as his side had 67% of the play.

Hagi kept picking up intelligent positions for his teammates to use him as a rebounding passer, which allowed them to break lines and progress the play with quick passes in succession as he found space in between the defence and midfield.

The talented 6-foot ace also produced a moment of brilliance to score the second goal of the game. His initial shot cannoned back to him off the defender and the ex-Genk star used his technical quality to brilliantly rifle a volley into the bottom corner.

In the 2020/21 campaign, the magician scored seven goals and created 11 in 23 league starts and this shows that the midfielder has the ability to be a star for the Gers moving forward as he can contribute with goals and assists on a regular basis.

He missed a whopping 69 competitive matches with a knee injury over the last two seasons and his performance against Hibs was a reminder of what the gem was capable of prior to his fitness issues.

If Hagi can remain fit and enjoy a strong pre-season ahead of the 2023/24 campaign then the Romanian wizard could emerge as a new star for Beale and the Gers, after two heavily disrupted years on the sidelines, next term.