The sight of Ianis Hagi finally returning to gentle training… makes very little difference to Rangers and our current malaise, sadly.

When readers of Ibrox Noise were informed the club was said to be looking into Blackpool striker Jerry Yates, the response was a universal derision ranging from ‘is he injured then’ to ‘we need defenders and midfielders, not attackers’.

And that’s why, of all the players returning from injury, Hagi is probably the most unimportant because we’re hardly short in attacking midfield or attack, with a hundred wingers and forwards and playmakers in there.

Yes, he’s a talented young man and a hard worker, but it’s the Helanders, the Souttars, the Jacks – these are the kind of guys we need fit and available, not front men.

Which is of course not to say Hagi’s return is unwelcome, because it is not – you want all your best players available if possible and we are missing so so many of them. But it’s not a return we especially crave above all else to get us out of this hole.

All great teams are built from their defence (well, aside anything under Pep, anyway) and Rangers need to sort that part out first before we can hope to have a fruitful midfield and attack – and adding Hagi may be a wee morale boost for supporters but we’re not sure it’s going to make a tonne of difference.

That said, we know we’re also being a little harsh – he’s been missing approaching a year and his return will of course be welcome and hopefully he can add a bit of the sparkle that’s missing up front. We just cannot see Ianis Hagi’s return making a lot of difference to Rangers’ fortunes alone without his being accompanied by the base spine of the team.

That said, we do feel the return of Tom Lawrence, while also an attacker, would add a bit more than Hagi, because Lawrence produces goals, assists, and he works pretty hard in midfield. Ditto Kemar Roofe, a tough cookie who has pace and grafts for the team.

Hagi is a different kind of player, far more focused on the front end, and creativity, and that’s hardly unwanted in a time where we have little, but it’s probably the least effective fix to our general bad form.

No, we need a lot more than Hagi, and indeed Lawrence and Roofe firing on all cylinders to get Rangers into some form again.

Lord knows what that is right now.