Daniel Feliciano

Mon 9 January 2023 7:40, UK

Keith Jackson has blasted Ross Wilson for “spectacularly” mishandling Alfredo Morelos’ contract situation at Rangers with a major decision looming on his future.

The Colombian forward has long been linked with an Ibrox exit after shining for several years in Scotland, but is now in the final six months of his contract and looks set to leave on a free transfer in the summer.

But when asked by the Daily Record (9 January) whether or not Rangers should look to cash in early during the January transfer window, Jackson claimed it didn’t really matter at this point because the sporting director had already mishandled the situation.

“That’s a bit like shutting the barn door after the horse has bolted,” he said.

“Wilson has mishandled the Morelos situation quite spectacularly. What difference does it make now if he takes a £500,000 fee or keeps him on board for the remainder of the season?

“In any case, the decision should be Michael Beale’s to make.”

Shocking

It’s crazy that we seem to be in this situation every summer with at least one key player from the first-team and we haven’t learnt our lesson.

Last year it was Connor Goldson, and we managed to just about cling on to him by getting a renewal over the line at the 11th hour, but we’ve done the same now with Morelos and Ryan Kent.

Morelos has brought plenty of problems since coming to Ibrox, but his quality has rarely been in question and he continues to be one of the top strikers in the country.

The league title looks like a stretch at this point, but there are still two cup competitions to play for and having a player like “El Buffalo” at the club could be the difference between silverware or not, but only if Beale wants to keep him around.

The manager seems to believe he can still get something out of him, so it’s worth keeping him, and maybe then terms can be agreed on a new deal.

In other Rangers news, the club suffered a fresh injury blow in the win over Dundee United