Hamza Igamane: EXPLOSIVE truth behind Rangers exit as ‘very different version’ revealed

Rangers’ start to the season has been dogged with problems, yet one of the most controversial decisions the Ibrox club has taken was the one to sell Hamza Igamane to Ligue 1 side Lille.

Igamane has made an explosive start to life in France, coming off the bench on debut and scoring twice in a 7-1 win away at Lorient before the international break. After netting a spectacular goal for Morocco against Zambia, the 22-year-old is already being hailed as a star of the future.

And now the real reason for his Ibrox exit has been disclosed in the French media – and it’s not one that reflects well on Rangers boss Russell Martin.

The circumstances behind Igamane’s departure from Rangers have variously been explained in Glasgow as resulting from the player’s desire to leave and his refusal to come off the bench for Martin in a Premiership clash against St Mirren.

But L’Equipe reports on Saturday a different side to the story.

It states: “While his departure from Rangers to Lille, after playing one last match, tarnished his image in Glasgow, those close to him put forward a very different version – that of a staff at the Scottish club who no longer gave him much confidence.”

Philippe Clement on Igamane’s Rangers impact

Former Rangers boss Philippe Clement hailed what Igamane achieved in Glasgow.

“At the beginning, he was a bit raw, you could see that he hadn’t followed a traditional training path, he played a bit like with his friends at school,” Clement said.

“He is always in an even mood, calm, smiling. We see that he escaped poverty thanks to football and that he loves it deeply, the material things around him do not interest him too much.”

Lille coach Fernando Da Cruz has been following Igamane’s progress since his younger days, when both worked together at FAR Rabat.

He added: “What he did in a short time at Rangers, with a radical change of culture, climate and without speaking the language is extraordinary.”

Rangers signed Igamane from FAR Rabat for €2.4 million and sold him a year later to Lille for €11m, making a healthy profit out of the player, yet it appears they could have got more still from the promising youngster.

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