Rangers striker Alfredo Morelos to return to Colombia for challenge match
Alfredo Morelos is set to put his own winter break on hold as the Rangers striker will return to Colombia for a challenge match, according to the Daily Record.
The 25-year-old will play in the ‘Day of the Stars’ for a Cordoba select XI in the annual match at the Estadio Jaraguay in Montería where a huge crowd is expected with COVID passports and masks required for attendees.
Cordoba will play a team from the Sucre region in the North of Colombia with players such as Gremio’s Miguel Borja and Colombian international Darwin Andrade also featuring.
No intention of relaxing
Morelos will be the only European-based player to feature in the ‘Day of the Stars’ game while the rest of the Scottish Premiership enjoys some time off over the winter break.
The winter break means Rangers don’t play again until they face Aberdeen at Pittodrie on 18th January allowing Morelos the chance to return to his native homeland for the friendly game and make it back to Ibrox before the league resumes.
He also returned from Europe for the game in two previous years but last year’s match was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
His determination to play as often as possible knows no bounds and he goes home with the blessing of manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst who will need him back for the second half of the SPFL season with back-to-back titles on the agenda.
Morelos is currently second in the race for the Scottish Premiership golden boot with eight goals, but Motherwell’s Tony Watt is just one goal clear of Morelos, Christian Ramirez (Aberdeen) and Kyogo Furuhashi (Celtic) who also have eight goals this season.
Crucially though, Rangers sit top of the league by six points over Glasgow rivals Celtic with the second old-firm derby, previously set for New Years Day, now scheduled for 2nd February.
In other Rangers news, this Rangers ace is ready to quit Ibrox in January.