Kris Boyd urges Alfredo Morelos to ‘work like never before’ to reclaim Rangers starting XI spot
Kris Boyd believes striker Alfredo Morelos must prove his fitness if he wants to get his place back in the Rangers playing XI.
The Colombia international did not take part in the side’s 2-2 draw against PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League qualification playoffs on Tuesday.
In a column for Scottish Sun, Boyd was of the opinion that manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst sent a message to Morelos by not selecting him
“At 2-2 on Tuesday night, Rangers could have been doing with a lift in the closing minutes,” he wrote. “Whether it was anxiety or not, the crowd had fallen flat after the Dutch side’s late equaliser and Morelos could have given everyone a boost.
“But Van Bronckhorst didn’t turn to him and, for me, that was him sending the Colombian a message. Everyone can see he’s a few pounds overweight.
“Okay, he’s been out injured for a while but he’s been back training for weeks now. It’s as clear as day and Morelos has to do something about it — and quickly.
“Morelos is very similar but until now he’s always relied on game time to trim down. But he can’t use that if he’s not getting back in the team.
“He has to get his head down in training — and away from the club — and work like never before to get back to the level he was at when Gio first arrived.”
Time running out
Not long ago, Morelos was the first name on the team sheet and has played a huge part in the club’s success, both on the domestic front as well as in continental competitions as well.
However, it seems that manager Van Bronckhorst is slowly but surely now finding a way to play with the veteran striker who is in the final year of his contract and has not signed an extension.
While Morelos has done enough in his career at the Ibrox to show what he is capable of, but time is clearly running out for him to get his place back in the playing XI, especially with the arrival of new players like Antonio Colak.
The 26-year-old has been a Rangers player since the summer of 2017 when he moved from HJK Helsinki in a deal worth £1.08 million.
Since then, Morelos has represented his current club in 227 matches across all competitions where he has managed to score 114 goals and provided 52 assists in the process [Transfermarkt].
In other Rangers news, this Ibrox star has been dubbed as a realistic late summer signing for Aston Villa.