Gary McAllister reckons it’s Ianis Hagi’ s ability to stand still which helped get Rangers moving against Livingston.
The champions found themselves bogged down against Davie Martindale’s dogged Lions on Wednesday night during the opening period.
But after being introduced at the interval, Hagi immediately provided the key to open up Livi as he laid on Kemar Roofe ’s opener in the 2-0 Premier Sports Cup quarter-final win.
And assistant boss McAllister paid tribute to Hagi - son of Romania legend Gheorgie - and his ability to find space in amongst the midfield log-jam.
He said: “There is a cleverness about Ianis and it’s positional, it’s his awareness of how to play the role.
“Sometimes you see players that are really busy, running from box to box. But sometimes it’s actually advantageous to stand still and get your positioning right.
"He’s somebody who’s watched a lot of football and obviously his dad wasn’t bad either.
“He has learned from the fact you don’t have to be flying around the pitch to make an impact."
John Lundstram was involved in both Rangers goals and McAllister says the former Sheffield United battler is improving all the time.
“Sometimes his eagerness to try and impact the game or influence the game [means] he’s running around too much. He’s maybe trying too hard.
“I suppose with more experience and coaching from the guys in and around the football club he’ll definitely get better. I thought he played very well.”
