Rangers' Ianis Hagi will need 'two months' to reach his highest level after he returns from his long-term injury, his father Gheorghe has warned. 

The lowdown: Injury blow

Giovanni van Bronckhorst revealed last month that Hagi will miss the remainder of the 2021/22 season after undergoing knee surgery.

He picked up the injury in the early stages of a Scottish Cup win over Stirling Albion on 21 January.

The Romanian apparently anticipates a six-month spell on the sidelines, which would see him return to team training in July.

Hagi had started 15 of Rangers' first 21 league matches before the injury and recorded eight goals/assists in all competitions (via Transfermarkt).

The latest: Add two months

Hagi offered assurances that his son was in good spirits in the wake of his injury blow.

But he thinks patience will be required when the 23-year-old does return to the field.

"He's confident of a full recovery and I can tell you he's much stronger than I was when I was injured," he said, as quoted by Rangers Review. "He is 100 per cent professional.

"But although he will want to play immediately, he will need time to get back to his previous form.

"At Rangers, he has people who love him and care for him.

"But once he returns you have to give him two months to get back to top form I think."

The verdict: Worrying

This is something that really ought to be considered when it comes to serious injuries. There's the return to play timeline, but beyond that there's an extended window for the return to true full fitness, which it now appears could be all the way in September.

That only compounds the blow for Rangers, who are already missing a 'brave' and 'outstanding' talent (in the words of Steven Gerrard) as they battle Celtic for the title.

It's also worth considering the possibility that Hagi has played his last game for The Gers. AS Roma are said to be willing to pay £17million to sign him, and pundit Danny Mills reckons the Gers would take that kind of money in an instant.

In other news, this BBC man backs Rangers to pursue an 'incredible' transfer.