Gio van Bronckhorst has backed Alfredo Morelos to get Ibrox bouncing for the do or die Champions League showdown with Union Saint-Gilloise.
The Colombian grabbed a goal from the bench in the 2-0 Premiership win against Killie yesterday on his return to the side after five months out with a thigh tear. Antonio Colak nabbed his first competitive strike in the victory and van Bronckhorst has a decision to make for Tuesday’s Euro clash with the Belgians.
Rangers should also have Ryan Kent back after missing the last week and the manager has a call to make up top. But van Bronckhorst knows Morelos will be a goal threat even if he’s not fully match fit – and he has the ability to lift the entire stadium with his presence. The Light Blues gaffer said: “It is his first minutes for Rangers after five months. If you think about it, it is a really long time and almost half a year.
"It was good to have him in the squad. You can see what he brings, not only to the squad but also the way the fans treated him when he came on. That is also what you have when he plays and he is always capable of scoring goals. For him, I think these first minutes of the season and after five months was very important and I am sure he will only get stronger with each game that he is going to be involved in.”
Van Bronckhorst revealed he should have Kent on board for the Belgium salvage mission. He said: “Ryan was too early for today but we are pushing hard to have him ready for Union.”
Rangers searched for a cutting edge at times against Killie but eventually found a way through. Van Bronckhorst said: “We had some players who played really well and gave the team what was needed.
“Steven Davis, it was his first start this season but you see still the ability and quality that he has. He showed that again today. I’m pleased with his performance. I thought Tom Lawrence played really well in the pockets and gave us the threat we needed up front together with Malik.
“Those players you need in the team to create if you’re playing against a deep block. And I’m happy for my two strikers. Antonio’s first goal and Morelos as well. So that’s always good to have them on the scoresheet.”
Van Bronckhorst admitted his side needed to be sharper in the final third but he’s convinced it will come. He said: “I think we will improve in those areas, for sure. We have many new players in and it is also adjusting to the new system for them and different teammates.
“We had two clear chances maybe with the goals we scored but in the first five minutes we came through their defence quite a lot and were a bit unlucky not score earlier. As long as we keep working hard in training and keep trying to create as many chances as we can, I think we will improve with each game we play.”
Rangers had to be patient to crack Derek McInnes ’ organised Killie but van Bronckhorst was delighted with his side’s perseverance in front of goal and he’s hoping for a more lethal display against USG He said: “I’m happy with the three points. That’s what we need every week. The way that you get to the three points is different every week. In the first half we were struggling to get some real good opportunities.
“We started really well against a Kilmarnock team who were delaying the play and making it really difficult for us to create any chances. But we’ve played many games like this before.
"In the second half you hope it will open up with all the energy you give in the first half to make sure you create more space in the second. That happened today. We scored some good goals and got a clean sheet. It’s good we got a second win and now we’re working hard for Tuesday.”
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