Kenny Miller knows better than most what fuels the fires that rage inside the belly of Alfredo Morelos.
Which is why the former Ibrox striker hopes his one-time team-mate grabs the olive branch being offered to him by Giovanni van Bronckhors t as the Colombian’s Rangers future hangs in the balance. Morelos has been left on the outside looking in since a red card at Easter Road left his team in the lurch and led to him being axed from a crunch Champions League play-off win against PSV Eindhoven. With the transfer window shutting down for business on Thursday night, it remains to be seen whether Morelos will be hanging around for the long haul this season.
Or if he’s bundled out the door as damaged goods at the 11th hour. But Miller believes the 26-year-old still has a great deal to offer even despite the long list of misdemeanours which have led to this crisis point."The ball is entirely in Alfredo’s court,” Miller said yesterday when asked if Morelos’ time might be up. Where he’s fortunate is that he has the chance to do something about it. He is in complete control of his own destiny. If he changes his attitude and shows he’s fully committed then it’ll change quickly for him. He’s not sitting there relying on a manager to get the sack.
“He can get back in based on the choices he makes and how hard he’s prepared to work for it. But I’d be surprised if he left for a couple of reasons. First, obviously he’s just coming back from an injury and he’s not match fit. He’s not the best version of himself so I’d be surprised if someone would take him at this point.
“But secondly – and most importantly – I still believe he has a big part to play for Rangers. Gio obviously felt he needed to make a big decision last week by leaving him out of the squad. Gio must have seen things he wasn’t particularly happy with because it was a huge call.
“But you just need to look at Alfredo’s record over the last five years to see what he brings to the team. That would need to be replaced before the window shuts if they did decide to let him go. I know the club is flush with cash right now after selling a couple of players and bringing in the Champions League money but, really, what is it going to cost to replace Alfredo? You could spend £10m on a striker and there are no guarantees he’d come in and do the job that we know Alfredo can do. He has 10 months left on his contract and I believe, if he gets himself fit, he’ll get back into the team. So there is a future there for him.
“By the same token, if he feels he’s ready to move then what better time to do it than on a free transfer at the end of a season when you’ve had the chance to play Champions League football and showcase what you can do at that level? That’s why it’s all in his court now.
“But if he wants to play at the highest possible level then he needs to get himself back fit and firing again.”
Miller is no stranger to the man-child tendencies which have punctuated Morelos’ time at Ibrox. The back catalogue of mood swings and tardiness do little to help the South American’s case. At the age of 26, the penny is taking too long to drop.
Miller smiled and said: “At some points he’s been more like a 14-year-old! Listen, he still has a lot of football in front of him. He has a good move in him if he wants it and time to achieve whatever targets he’s set. But he’ll only get that opportunity if he is doing what we know he can do and what he has done over the last five years.”
And Miller believes van Bronckhorst will be keen to give his brooding frontman one last shot at redemption nonetheless.
He went on: “Gio has played it really well – it was really bold – but he obviously felt as if he had had enough of whatever was going on, whether it was a lack of professionalism or a lack of application.
“If it was down to his attitude then Alfredo can quickly fix that by changing his own behaviour.
“He has to realise it’s also disrespectful to his team-mates. They’re working hard every day and making sacrifices to perform at the best levels they can to get the club into the Champions League for the first time in 12 years. If he’s not been matching that then it’s not fair on his team-mates. And Gio had to show there are standards which will not be acceptable.
“I’ve got a fair idea how he reacts to certain situations and how he’ll be thinking. He’ll be looking at Antonio Colak scoring and taking his place in the team. Previously, any time he was injured or suspended, he’d walk straight back into the starting line-up. But now you have someone there who is scoring goals. Can Colak do what Alfredo does? No, he’s a completely different player.
“But what he is doing at the moment, he’s doing pretty well.
“He’s also 10 games in with fitness and confidence flying. He’ll be feeling really good about himself and really sharp.
“But Alfredo has still got all that work to do. He’s only had 10 minutes here and 20 minutes there. When he got half an hour against Hibs, he got sent off after 13 minutes so even that knocks him back. He’s now gone another two weeks with no game time.
“So there’s a lot of hard work to do. The sports scientists will push him but Alfredo has to do the work for himself.”
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