Michael Beale excited to have Ianis Hagi and Todd Cantwell available for Rangers

Rangers manager Michael Beale described himself as “a really happy manager” after confirming that Ianis Hagi and Todd Cantwell are both in his playing squad.

Playmaker Cantwell completed his move from Norwich City earlier this week, while Hagi is now available for selection a year after sustaining a serious knee injury and going through a lengthy rehab process.

The addition of both players to his attacking options, along with the easing of the injury situation overall, has Beale excited for the future. He was especially pleased to welcome Hagi back, having worked with the young Romanian in his previous spell at the club.

“I’m delighted to have him back, he looks really sharp,” Beale said. “He’s not ready for 90 minutes but to have Ianis Hagi and Todd Cantwell in the squad, I’m a really happy manager.

“Ianis and I are really close. He is a special young person to have around the place, as a professional and a kid, to have him back is massive. He has been missing for a year and he would have been a big player for us.

“Kemar Roofe is not far from returning to training, we have Antonio Colak fitter, and with Ianis and Todd in there, we look a better Rangers.

“All of a sudden we are starting to look like we have numbers up the pitch, and good variety. There is not a lot missing in the final third if they are all fit and happy.”

With the transfer window closing on Tuesday, Rangers are still keen to make more additions, with interest remaining in Swansea City striker Morgan Whittaker and Standard Liege midfielder Nicolas Raskin. Other names have been linked to the club but Beale warned that some stories were untrue.

“There’s a lot of noise around one or two players out there, so there are lots of things growing arms and legs that are maybe not so true,” Beale said. “All I would say is we are busy in the background.

“It’s not true that we have signed a pre-contract with anybody. He (Raskin) is obviously a player we like, there are negotiations going on between the clubs but they are not the only ones we are speaking to.

“They are not the only two names we are looking at. I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s different names or no one at all.

“I knew coming into the club that this window was round the corner but the club might have targets that don’t fit in with my ideas or plans, and vice versa, the ones I want might not be available now.

“We managed to get Todd and if we manage to get one or two of the names that you’re mentioning – or one or two that you haven’t quite got the scent on – then that will be great.

“If not, I think our squad is strong enough to get to the end of the season. So it’s not like I am going to be devastated come next week if we don’t get another one in.

“There’s money to be spent but it’s there to be spent on the right ones.”

While young midfielder Charlie McCann left for Forest Green Rovers in search of game time last week, Beale doesn’t anticipate any first team stars departing before the deadline.

“No one has come to me yet unhappy so as it stands the senior players are staying,” he said.

“We have only really had 18 players training until this week. It was nice to get up to 20 this week. So I don’t think we have got that many numbers that we can be moving players on right now.”