A big claim has emerged on Glasgow Rangers gem Alfredo Morelos and his potential return from injury…
What’s the talk?
Giovanni van Bronckhorst has hinted at the striker being available for the second leg of the club’s Champions League qualifying tie with Royale Union Saint-Gilloise next week.
When asked if the attacker will be fit for the match next Tuesday, he said: “Yeah I think that’s realistic.
“He’s been training with us for quite some time and is getting better and sharper every day.
“We also had him in the UEFA list for this round so hopefully he will continue and will be there next week.”
Morelos has been out of action since suffering a thigh injury back in April and now appears to be closing in on his return for the Light Blues.
Van Bronckhorst could axe Antonio Colak
The Gers head coach could now axe Colak from the starting XI with this news, after two worrying performances from the summer arrival.
Ex-Gers man Mark Hateley was strong in his criticism of the Croatian on Tuesday night as they lost 2-0, saying: “Colak, for me, was a waste of time. If Morelos is playing there, the ball goes into him. Colak didn’t demand the ball.”
This came after journalist Andrew Dickson said that he was “anonymous” against Livingston at the weekend, going on to Tweet: “Appreciate Colak needs service but has to impose himself more too. Didn’t think he did very much at all against Spurs either and hope that’s not to be a regular thing.”
In the 2-1 Premiership win, the 28-year-old had just nine touches of the ball and completed only three passes as he failed to register a goal or assist – as per SofaScore.
These quotes and statistics suggest that he needs more time to adapt to the way Rangers play and that is why Morelos, if fit, should start ahead of him next week.
The Colombian predator is a proven performer for the Light Blues who knows exactly what it takes to lead the line up front in this team.
In the Premiership last term, he produced 11 goals and seven assists in 26 appearances as he averaged a SofaScore rating of 7.32.
This, along with his four goals in eight Europa League starts, shows that he has the quality and consistency to make a huge impact at the top end of the pitch. He is a player van Bronckhorst can rely upon in the final third and Colak is yet to prove that he is in that bracket.
Therefore, Morelos coming back from injury should allow the head coach to axe the Croatian from the XI for the second leg, taking pressure off the new signing in the process.
