Ianis Hagi was so far out of the first-team picture at Rangers that Barry Ferguson forgot about him.

The Ibrox hero has admitted Hagi slipped his mind until watching him in action for Romania at Euro 2024.

In his Daily Record column, Ferguson revealed: "I must be honest, I’d almost forgotten all about him.

"It wasn’t until the Euros began in Germany and I saw him representing his country that I remembered Ianis Hagi is still actually a Rangers player."

The Romanian internationalist spent the last season on loan in La Liga after Michael Beale shipped him out to Alaves.

This summer, Hagi will return to Rangers but speculation has already begun over a permanent transfer exit for the 25-year-old.

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For Ferguson, though, there is merit in Philippe Clement considering Hagi's position at the club as he insisted the playmaker could be a "major asset" for Rangers - either in the transfer market or on the pitch.

"Clement will certainly have been paying attention and it will be interesting to see what the manager has in mind for Hagi’s next step," wrote Ferguson. "Does he cash in on a player whose value will have shot up? Or does he see a player there who is ready-made to step into his own team?

"Hagi will probably be given some extra time off but he strikes me as a young man who will want to get back to work as quickly as possible and impress the new man in charge. There has never been any doubt about his talent and he’s shown over the last few weeks he’s fully fit and firing again.

"He could come back in from the cold to become a major unexpected positive at what’s been a tricky time for my old club."