With news that Alfredo Morelos has been dropped from the squad ahead of the trip to Eindhoven, it creates a major talking point on the extent and the truth of the situation.
The seriousness of the matter cannot be overstated, especially on the eve of such a massive game for the club.
It has been stated that the red card against Hibs on Saturday was not the sole reason for the act of discipline against the striker, but rather another issue. How did we get here?
Back on 25th July, Gio van Bronckhorst briefed Sky Sports News that Morelos was looking very sharp in training, having just returned and able to take part in the open day at Ibrox in front of the fans. Now around three weeks later, we have this significant u-turn.
Gio on Morelos, live now on @ScotlandSky:
"He's sharper and sharper, we're monitoring his development over the next couple of weeks."
"He's very positive about signing a new contract, hopefully we'll sort it out in the next coupe of weeks" 🙂
— Graeme Hanna (@graeme818) July 25, 2022
That can’t happen without major developments so why the change in application and attitude?
Antonio Colak has assumed the striker role, thriving over a run of games where his goals and impact have been obvious. On the outside, not much else has changed and Morelos was expected to build his fitness, to get into a position to challenge the Croatian.
He was overlooked altogether against PSV last week, then he failed and let down the team with the red card on Saturday. You would expect that he would have returned looking to immediately make amends but that is clearly not the case.
Rangers now only have one recognised senior striker available for the Champions League showdown in the Netherlands but the manager has decided that he can’t tolerate what has happened. Tough decisions and strength are admirable but at what cost?
The response to this issue on several levels – Morelos, the squad, transfer activity – will be wide ranging with the first and most critical coming tomorrow night at the Philips Stadium.