Former Rangers captain Craig Moore has claimed that Alfredo Morelos is badly out of shape which is preventing the Colombian from making a greater contribution to the team.
The Gers frontman notched his 100th goal for the club yesterday against St Mirren and whilst the Australian praised the efforts and talents of Morelos, he is sure that he is out of shape and could be doing much better on that front.
Moore was speaking as part of a discussion on Go Radio, specifically on the merits of the latest entry to Rangers ‘100 club’.
🗣️"I'm not knocking the talent of the boy, but I think he can be in better shape"@CraigMoore_18 thinks Rangers aren't seeing the best of Morelos because the striker is out of shape.
Do you agree?🤔 @thetaxicentre pic.twitter.com/rG6WmkyZtE
— The Go Radio Football Show (@GoFootballShow) October 25, 2021
The central defender known as ‘Oz’ played under three Rangers managers – Walter Smith, Dick Advocaat, Alex McLeish – across two spells for the club in the 90s and early 00s.
He said about Morelos:
“I still think we’re not seeing Morelos anywhere near his best, (In terms of) conditioning, I think he can be so much better.”
“Im not knocking the talent of the boy because you dont hit 100 goals at any club if you dont have talent and the ability to score goals but I think he can be in better shape, that needs to come from him.”
Moore continued, “For me, he needs to be five-ten kilos lighter”, which in British imperial terms is around one to two stone, a considerable difference.
Questions
Some have questioned the shape of Morelos and whilst has has previously had a slighter frame during his time at Ibrox, his body shape can give a misleading impression.
Then there is the ‘Buffalo’ nickname which also points to his natural bulk.
So, what part do the Rangers coaching staff have to play on this? Overseen by Steven Gerrard, the likes of Jordan Milsom and Craig Flanagan in regard to fitness, conditioning and output will have all of the numbers covered.
Have they previously advised Morelos to put on the muscle to increase his power and bulk? Has this been to the detriment of his agility and running power?
Only those inside the Rangers camp will truly know the answer to those questions, however it appears misleading and to an extent, insulting to claim that the player, a Colombian international, is out of shape and essentially, overweight.