Ibrox View: What does shock Gerrard decision mean for Rangers favourite?
RANGERS OPINION
When the Rangers starting XI to face Hearts was announced on Saturday afternoon, there was, of course, one glaring omission that got tongues wagging everywhere.
Alfredo Morelos, star man and most lethal threat, was nowhere to be seen despite being injury-free and not serving a suspension.
What followed was a brief period of confusion that was quickly cleared up by manager Steven Gerrard.
Speaking to Premier Sports, as per BBC Sport, he said: “I’ve decided to pick players that have done the full preparation and that are desperate to be here and help us get through to the next round.
“Alfredo’s not with us today because of a disciplinary issue. He was given permission last week to go to Colombia on Sunday until Wednesday to deal with a family matter, which we supported and agreed to.
“He’s reported back 24 hours late from that and due to that he’s failed to report to training on Thursday, which means he’s missed a lot of the preparation going into this game.”
If we’re being completely honest, that doesn’t sound good at all, and the big question now is what exactly it means for Morelos going forward.
Ultimately, there are two ways of looking at it.
On the one hand, there is every chance that Gerrard has enacted this punishment because he has to be seen to be abiding by the rules that he will have no doubt laid down for all of his players, and he has every intention of drawing a line under it after this weekend is through.
On the other, we are all aware of how troublesome Morelos can be on the pitch, and there is a possibility that the manager could view this as the straw that breaks the camel’s back.
There are no shortage of suitors for Morelos, with Tottenham Hotspur and Inter Milan reportedly interested last month, as per Football Insider, and if that is the line that Gerrard plans on taking a summer move could be a real concern.
Has Morelos played his last game for Rangers? Almost certainly not.
But, is there a chance that every little drip of dissent is accumulating to form a reservoir that could one day break his manager’s patience? It would be naive to rule it out entirely.
In other Rangers news, ‘Standout’ – Peter Crouch blown away by what he saw in Gers win v Braga.