Article by Alexandru Stanciu – Published on Thursday, 12 February 2026, 07:37 / Updated on Thursday, 12 February 2026 07:56
Former international Florin Prunea (57 years old) came up with a novel proposal for the position of Romania's coach, despite the fact that the Romanian Football Federation's main option for replacing Mircea Lucescu (80 years old) is Gică Hagi (61 years old).
The goalkeeper with 40 caps in the Romanian national team believes that the best option is “Jerry” Gane (54 years old), the second of “Il Luce” in the national team, reasoning that he already knows the expanded group and that it is difficult for someone else to take on the play-off matches in March, decisive for the eventual qualification to the World Championship.
Context:
-
The future of Mircea Lucescu on the national bank of Romania, considering that “Il Luce” was hospitalized for a week at the Bucharest University Hospital, being discharged the other day
-
“The selector will go to Belgium, to one of the first specialists in molecular oncology in the world, a Romanian”, wrote Gazeta Sporturilor
-
The main option of the Romanian Football Federation is Gică Hagi, in case Mircea Lucescu cannot continue as a selector, information revealed exclusively by Gazeta Sporturilor
Florin Prunea proposes “Jerry Gane” as a selector: “What other options do you have?”
“Why not? Now it's important to have someone on the bench. What other options do you have? Do you still have options? You don't have any more. I see this option.
It is difficult for anyone to assume the match against Turkey. I wouldn't see anyone taking on that dam. If you sign him for two and a half years, then yes“, said Florin Prunea, according to digisport.ro.
Ionel Gane PHOTO: Ionuţ Iordache (GSP)
“Jerry Gane” performed as a forward in teams such as Craiova University, Osasuna, Dinamo, St. Gallen, Grasshopper, Tianjin Teda, FCU Craiova, Rapid, Bochum and FC Arges. He has 8 selections for the Romanian national team.
As a coach, he worked at Turnu Severin, Corona Brașov, Craiova University, Petrolul and Râmnicu Vâlcea. Gane is second in command of the national team since February 18, 2022, after holding the same position between September 2017 and November 2019.
