Mark Hateley doesn’t want Alfredo Morelos and Kemar Roofe to play together for Rangers
Giovanni van Bronckhorst should leave Alfredo Morelos as a lone striker for Rangers and not pair him with Kemar Roofe says Mark Hateley.
The Colombian has been in excellent form this season, having developed his all round game, and scored again against Red Star Belgrade in midweek.
Jamaican international Roofe also has a strong goalscoring return this season considering he missed a significant chunk through injury, and came off the bench in place of Morelos to score a late winner against Aberdeen last weekend, but the ex-Ibrox hero doesn’t see them working together.
He told Premier Sports, via The Scottish Sun: “I don’t know if I would want to see Alfredo and Roofe playing together.
“[Morelos] is someone who likes to lead the line as the club’s No 9.
“He has players around him who are willing to go beyond him and support him.
“I think that suits him best and I would play him up front on his own.
“To get Roofe into the team you would have to play him in the wider area or as a No 10 so he is floating in behind Alfredo. We have seen it a lot this season how much his game has improved in terms of his link-up play and finding players with his first touch.
“That’s been a great progression for him this season.”
Tough call
There’s no denying that “El Bufalo” has been a stand-out performer for Giovanni van Bronckhorst.
The Dutchman’s arrival has brought the best out of the Gers striker, and his development from a battering ram goalscorer into a complete player has been one of the main successes of the new boss’ tenure.
It has been tough on Roofe to become somewhat of an afterthought for many weeks, but he made a telling contribution against the Dons and there is sure to be a role for him during the run-in.
It would not be a surprise to see the pair operating in tandem at some point if the Light Blues are chasing a goal.
And there’s no reason to think that the new version of Morelos cannot flourish linking up with him.
While both are at their best as central attackers, the leading scorer has dropped deep frequently to knit play together, and it isn’t hard to picture him laying on assists for a strike partner in the same way he did for Glen Kamara against Hearts last month.
In other Rangers news, one prominent name in Red Star’s history was so impressed by the Ibrox night he wants his side to “learn from them”.