Rangers boss, Steven Gerrard, has poured cold water on the possibility of Alfredo Morelos having his head turned by recent transfer speculation with the news that the Colombian international is fit and ready to go for tonight’s Europa League match against Bayer Leverkusen.
Speaking during the pre-game press conference, Gerrard played down fears that his number 20 could sit out the tie with the German’s current holding a 3-1 advantage, as reported by The Daily Record:
“It’s a game we are looking forward to, we are disappointed with the result from the first-leg but we are over here to give it everything we have got.
“Alfredo is focused on the game tomorrow. He is fit to play and wants to play. You will have to wait until tomorrow to see what our team is.”
With Jermain Defoe still unavailable and new arrivals Kemar Roofe and Cedric Itten not eligible, it would be a huge surprise if Gerrard decided to leave Morelos on the bench, especially given the deficit that they have to claw back and his talisman’s form in continental competition.
Can Rangers progress to the quarter-finals?
Yes
No
The game is very much a free hit for Rangers and there certainly won’t be any shame in being knocked out by one of Germany’s top sides, with Morelos edging closer to the exit at Ibrox though, few would be surprised if he went out with a bang and at least led his club to a positive result.
Few players in either Champions League or Europa League history have scored more goals than El Bufalo has this season – especially not before Christmas – and to see him go out on a high would be a fitting end to an always eventful Rangers career.