Daniel Feliciano

Tue 23 August 2022 18:10, UK

Rangers fans were rocked on Tuesday by news that star man Alfredo Morelos won’t be travelling to Eindhoven because of concerns of his attitude and fitness.

The Colombian suffered a thigh injury in March of this year and only returned to first-team action earlier this month, scoring on his comeback as a substitute against Kilmarnock.

But the 26-year-old has continued his comeback to full fitness from the substitutes bench this season, until yet another flare up occurred at the weekend against Hibernian that saw him sent off.

It was the eighth time in his Ibrox career that he has seen a red card, more than anyone else at the club since his arrival, and was a flashback to the old Morelos that we thought had been somewhat tamed in recent years.

A raised arm for no reason resulted in a red card and left Rangers with nine men, which eventually cost them as they conceded a late equaliser and dropped their first two points of the campaign to fall behind Celtic in the title race.

But it now seems as though that was the final straw for manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst, as he has decided to leave the club’s top goalscorer for four of the last five seasons at home ahead of the crunch clash.

The concerns are very valid too, because the player hasn’t looked himself this season while trying to build his fitness after his long-term injury and it’s obviously made an impression on the boss.

Now with less than 12 months to go on his contract, the club have a big decision to make.

If Morelos’ head and heart aren’t in it, then it could be the right call to let him leave this summer to get some cash in for him and use that money to bring in someone who wants to be here.

Colak has made a huge impression on the fans and the team since joining, with his overall play and nose for goal fitting in seamlessly to the way that Van Bronckhorst wants his team to play.

With just ten days remaining the window, this is a situation that could accelerate quickly depending on the decisions made.

Rangers Review are reporting that contract talks have been stalled, and it’s well known how much Steven Gerrard likes him while clubs like Everton, Brighton and Nottingham Forest in the Premier League are all keen on signing a striker.

It could be the perfect opportunity for the club to use that interest to get a good deal and bring in a forward to replace him and move forward without him, knowing that he could potentially leave for nothing in less than a year.

If his attitude and fitness isn’t good enough for Wednesday, then the likelihood is that it won’t have improved much before Saturday’s clash with Ross County and if a sale does happen it means we may have seen the last of “El Buffalo” in a blue shirt.

In other Rangers news, Brian Laudrup admits to being “worried” over star man’s form ahead of PSV clash