
Hamza Igamane has left Rangers to join Lille in a £10.4m deal.
The 22-year-old’s departure comes just days after he refused to play for the club in a Scottish Premiership match at St Mirren, claiming he was injured.
Following that game, Rangers head coach Russell Martin told Sky Sports: “We had a bid this week for Hamza, we rejected it. All was fine. Trained fine yesterday [Saturday], warmed up fine. I turned around to him at 60 minutes because I wanted two strikers on the pitch. Hamza told me he was injured.”
Two days later, the Morocco international was missing from training – despite scans showing there was no injury – as Rangers prepared for their Champions League play-off second leg away to Club Brugge.
Hours later on Tuesday, Rangers confirmed they had accepted a bid from Lille after Igamane’s release clause was met.
Martin said Igamane “got what he wanted” before adding: “Ideally it wouldn’t have happened but it did and now we’ve moved forward and we can move on.
“It’s not the players’ fault, it’s really not.
“It’s really difficult for a young man, a young man that doesn’t speak the language, that’s being told, ‘Don’t worry, your future is going to be elsewhere’ and then I’m asking him to be all in and do this and ‘this is what we need from you’ and all that stuff. So difficult, so I don’t take it personally.”
Igamane has signed a five-year deal at the French club, departing Ibrox just one year on from his move from AS FAR.
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