Outgoing Rangers man and summer signing fail to impress for B team in heavy Blackburn Rovers defeat

Ianis Hagi, Alex Lowry and Clinton Nsiala were all in action for Rangers B-team this afternoon

Outgoing Rangers man Ianis Hagi and summer recruit Clinton Nsiala both failed to impress in B-team action during a heavy 6-2 defeat against Blackburn Rovers on Monday afternoon.

 

The second-string Ibrox outfit travelled down south aiming to make it five wins in a row and fans were keeping a close eye on proceedings in Lancashire with a number of first-team fringe players on display for David McCallum’s side.

But the end scoreline didn’t make for positive reading with exit-linked Hagi, in particular, struggling to make an impact during a 90 minute run out amid increased speculation over his future in Glasgow. One player who did catch the eye during the opening 45 minutes was Alex Lowry, with the attacking midfielder creating several opportunities in a lively outing. Centre-back Nsiala also built up his fitness with more minutes in the tank following a move from Serie A giants AC Milan earlier this summer, but was part of a leaky backline.

The visitors got off to the perfect starts inside the opening five minutes when Chris Eadie’s overhead kick flew beyond the keeper into the back of the net, but the English Championship side then started to dominate, finding themselves 3-1 ahead at half-time. The second half was only two minutes old when Blackburn increased their lead before striker Findlay Curtis handed Rangers a glimmer of hope with a powerful finish inside the box just shy of the hour mark. However, two late goals for the hosts ensured the hosts ran out comfortable winners.

Hagi and Lowry’s futures at Rangers remain a top of substantial debate, with both attacking midfielders currently not involved with Philippe Clement’s senior squad as the Belgian tries to free up funds to bring in new signings. The inclusion of Hagi – one week on from scoring a hat-trick against Derby County at Auchenhowie – was once again most noteworthy, with the Romanian international still linked with a return to Italian side Fiorentina.

It was recently claimed that Rangers could allow the £4 million man leave for nothing to get him off the wage bill and those suggestions were backed up by Clement who confirmed the 25-year-old would be sold before the transfer window closes later this month. Many supporters had hoped recent eye-catching performances against Derby and Middlesbrough were enough to earn him a recall to the first-team, but that hasn’t materialised.