Rangers icon Alfredo Morelos took to social media with a cryptic message before manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst admitted it was a difficult decision to drop him from the squad for Wednesday night's Champions League showdown with PSV Eindhoven.
Morelos, 26, was an unused substitute as the Gers drew 2-2 with the Dutch giants at Ibrox last week. They face PSV in the return leg in the Netherlands on Wednesday night and a spot in the Champions League group stage awaits the victor.
However, Morelos will play no part in the fixture as Van Bronckhorst has made the bold decision to drop him from his matchday squad. There are serious concerns over the Colombian striker's fitness and attitude, with the latter issue suggesting there may have been a falling-out behind the scenes at Rangers.
Morelos has been a key player for the Glasgow giants since his arrival in 2017 and has a brilliant record of 114 goals and 52 assists in 228 appearances. However, he is yet to start a game this season and was one of two Rangers players sent off in Saturday's 2-2 Scottish Premiership draw at Hibernian.
Explaining the decision to leave him out of the squad for the tie against PSV, Van Brockhorst said: "We have a lot of important games at the moment, it is for me as the manager to bring the players I think are ready to play.
"As a person, it was a hard decision but as a manager, an easier one. We are here to represent our club and reach the Champions League. To play for Rangers you have to have a certain level mentally, physically. At the moment, I don't think he is."
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Prior to his manager's comments, Morelos had his own say as he posted a message in Spanish on Instagram which translates to: "The best warrior is not the one who always triumphs but the one who returns without fear to battle." He captioned the image: "Fear of God."
Morelos will no doubt be a big miss for Rangers as they take on PSV. He is Rangers' top scorer in European competition, with 29 goals in 58 continental games to his name.
During his time in Scotland, he has won the Scottish Premiership and Scottish Cup, while Rangers fell agonisingly short in the Europa League last season, losing to Eintracht Frankfurt in the final. Morelos missed the fixture with a thigh injury but joined fans in the streets of Seville prior to the showdown with the German club.
