Ianis Hagi names the missed Rangers chance he is determined to recover from as European hangover lingers

Ianis Hagi can take satisfaction from the face he helped set Rangers’ ball rolling on the run to Seville.

And the Ibrox playmaker reckons his team are building a similar head of steam to the surge that took them to within a whisker of Europa League glory three years ago. Injury robbed the Romanian of the chance to take part in the later stages of that adventure. A devastating knee ligament rupture meant Hagi was left stranded on the sidelines as Gio van Bronckhorst’s daring outfit stormed past Borussia Dortmund, Red Star Belgrade, Braga and RB Leipzig to set up that date with destiny against Eintracht Frankfurt.

It was a deflating period for Hagi as he missed out on that thrill ride across the continent. But the 26-year-old still looks back proudly on the goal he netted against Brondby to earn a 1-1 draw in Denmark, a result that kept the side on course to qualify for the knock-out stages.

While Hagi felt he could rightly claim to have played his own key role back then, he can’t say this same about this year’s Euro bid having been left out of Philippe Clement’s UEFA squad list following a summer contract wrangle. Despite having to do without his defence-splitting abilities, Rangers still managed upset the odds by claiming a slot in the last 16 - with a clash against either Anderlecht, Bodo/Glimt, Twente or Fenerbahce to come next month.

And that means there’s still time for Hagi to make a contribution to this year’s cause having brokered a peace deal with the Ibrox paymasters. Hagi - certain to be one of three names Clement is allowed to add to his squad for the knock-out stages - said: “I've always enjoyed a European night and hopefully I can help the team in those nights as well and not only in domestic games.

“It's