Lyon star gloats, Europa League mauling post mortem and inside track on Hagi redemption - Rangers news bulletin

Jubilant Lyon star Moussa Niakhate insisted they blew Rangers away with a "brilliant" performance in their Europa League demolition.

It was an abrupt reality check for Philippe Clement's side after they kicked off the league phase with a win in Sweden against Malmo as the Ligue 1 side cruised to a 4-1 win and extended Rangers' home hoodoo to 53 years since their last victory against French opposition. And Senegal international defender and former Nottingham Forest star Niakhate couldn't resists basking in the victory - as he declared it a turning point in the season.

He said: "We always want to play matches to the limit and in the Europa League, it was important to make a statement after last week's win against Olympiacos. It's never easy to win in British stadiums, but I thought we did it brilliantly against Rangers. A special mention must be made for Malick Fofana, who is just a phenomenon. He's a great guy too.

"We have six points out of six and a goal difference of +5 so we have started very well. Our ambitions are to be in the top eight, qualify and take it from there. We are going to do everything we can to win it.

"We are on a run of three games won in a row and I think we can play better. The important thing is to play to this standard every game."

Hotline Live: Tune in and have your say In case you haven't heard, we've launched a new Hotline Live show, airing at 6pm every day, with the exception of Fridays and Saturdays. Join our panel for a laugh, a moan and a look at all things Scottish football, as well as having your say on the biggest issues in the game. Subscribe to our YouTube channel so you never miss a single episode. Alternatively, you can watch on Facebook or Twitter. Need to get something off your chest? Have your say on what's happening in the world of Scottish football by contacting us at hotline@dailyrecord.co.uk. You can find out more about the show here and also catch up on previous episodes with our full Hotline Live playlist on YouTube.

Meanwhile, former Ibrox star Charlie Adam has blamed the heavy defeat on the standard of the Scottish Premiership. The former Rangers and Dundee man conceded that his old club and Celtic were both behind when it comes to the European stage.

But he didn't put all the blame at their door, telling talkSPORT: "We are behind, that is the simple facts. The league that we are in and the teams the big two in Scotland are playing against week in and week out, to then replicate that in Europe is very tough. English teams do, but the quality of the league is there. Celtic and Rangers - that could have happened to anyone."

One positive for Rangers this week is the resolution of Ianis Hagi's situation at the club, And dad Gheorghe has revealed he is thrilled to see the Romania international back in the fold at Ibrox.

Record Sport revealed that a clause in the 25-year-old's contract would see him receive a wage rise should he play one more game for Rangers - with the midfielder currently sitting on 99 appearances. But that situation has been resolved and his legendary father - who slaughtered Rangers about his son's treatment last month and slammed boss Clement - said: "Ianis is at a huge club. Ianis is happy and I am at peace now. I can sleep peacefully."

And Ianis' uncle - former Barcelona star Gheorge Popescu - believes he can hit the ground running on his return. He said: "I knew that sending him to the second team was not a decision based on football reasons. It was about different clauses in his contract, there was even a statement from their manager confirming this. It was not a sporting problem.

"There were no acts of indiscipline at Ianis. Let's hope that things will return to normal, it was not a very pleasant time for him. It was undeserved. Maybe that made him stronger, maybe it will be better for Ianis from now on.

"He behaved impeccably. He accepted the decisions. From a physical point of view, he is extremely fit and ready to go. Did you see him last month for the national team?"

Click here to read article