Rangers striker Alfredo Morelos defied Colombia injury orders ahead of the season-defining knock which has had a ripple effect through the player’s Ibrox career.
Alfie was initially a player reborn under Giovanni van Bronckhorst and was a monumental miss as the club reached the Europa league Final but slipped behind in the title race.
Many believe that had the Colombia striker been available, then Alfredo Morelos would’ve made a monumental difference for Rangers against Eintracht Frankfurt and Celtic last season.
But now there is some confusion surrounding the injury, which came during an international break and which was eventually announced by Colombia.
This was after Alfredo Morelos had travelled to South America months before for an international break where he was not even named in any Colombia squads.
Alfredo Morelos shouldn’t have travelled with Colombia in March 2022
Legendary ex-Colombia goalkeeper Faryd Mondragon is claiming that Alfredo Morelos was actually ordered not to show up for international duty, but did so anyway.
This will raise a few eyebrows amongst Rangers fans, with the player’s absence proving costly last season and heading into this, as Alfredo toils to get back to his best.
“I know for a fact that a player travelled for international duty with us last year when he was expressly told not to come because he was injured,” said Mondragón.
“That player was Alfredo Morelos.
“The former fitness coach of the national team, Carlos Velasco, told me he joined up without permission.
“I asked him why Morelos got on the plane without permission and he said he didn’t know.”
As Rangers fans are left wondering what might’ve been, there will be some asking the question of Alfredo Morelos being potentially irresponsible here.
The forward is out of contract in the summer, with Michael Beale already telling Morelos to buck up his ideas, and at the moment there’s scant evidence to suggest El Bufalo is deserving of a bumper new contract.
Alfredo Morelos has also been linked with a host of clubs in recent weeks, with La Liga side Sevilla and Turkish giants Galatasaray topping the list.
