‘You guys in the media…’ – Gerrard delivers verdict on under-fire Rangers ace
Steven Gerrard has declared that he doesn’t judge Alfredo Morelos on how many goals he scores as the Rangers striker suffers a goal drought.
Morelos has now gone eight appearances in a Gers shirt without finding the net, his last goal coming in September’s 2-2 draw away at Hibernian.
But, speaking to the Daily Record, the Gers boss defended his star striker and claimed that he doesn’t judge the Colombian solely on his goal tally.
He said, “You guys in the media judge him on goals, numbers and records, which is fine. You are doing your job.
“But I judge Alfredo on what he gives the team in and out of possession. Do the players want him in the team? Do they feel like they need him? Does he help in different ways? Of course, we all want goals and that is a big part of his job.
“But just because he’s not on the scoresheet doesn’t mean he hasn’t done the job for the team or we’re not happy with the job he has given.”
The 24-year-old forward has especially come in for criticism for his recent displays after failing to break his derby duck against Celtic and for being off the pace against Standard Liege.
There have also been calls for Morelos to be dropped for Sunday’s game against Livingston with Kemar Roofe returning from injury and getting himself on the scoresheet in spectacular fashion against Liege on Thursday.
While there is no doubting the talent that Morelos possesses, it is fair to say he has been underperforming compared to his usual standards, with just five goals in 13 competitive appearances this season. Though in those games he has also registered four assists, which helps back up Gerrard’s point about how Morelos contributes to his side even if he isn’t on the scoresheet.
Should Morelos get the nod to start on Sunday he will be looking to contribute to his side again and break his eight-game drought. If he doesn’t there are plenty of options to replace him, with Roofe, Cedric Itten and Jermain Defoe waiting in the wings.
In other Rangers news, outstanding starlet’s cameo proves that Rangers can cope as key man faces late fitness test ahead of the Livingston game.