In a big boost for Rangers, Alfredo Morelos looks to be back in the UK, but fans may need to wait a while longer before they see him in action.
Morelos posted a selfie to his Instagram story on Tuesday night which shows him wearing 2021/22 Rangers training kit in what looks to be a hotel room.
The striker had been back home in Colombia having been given extra time off following the completion of the Copa America earlier this month.
Steven Gerrard recently claimed he didn’t know when El Bufalo would be back [The Times], but his wife Yesenia was snapped in El Dorado International Airport at the weekend and this latest update suggests he’s returned to UK soil.
In pre-Covid times, the timing of his return would have allowed him to get a few training sessions under his belt and potentially go straight into the matchday squad for Saturday’s Premiership opener against Livingston.
However, Colombia is on the UK’s red list for travel, meaning that unless a special exemption of some kind was granted, the 25-year-old would have to complete ten days of self-isolation before returning to training.
Therefore, it looks like he’ll have to miss both the Livingston clash and Rangers’ Champions League qualifying first leg against Malmo next Wednesday.
If that is the case, it’s going to be tough for fans to take, given the importance of those matches.
However, Gerrard isn’t short of options at the top end of the pitch even in Morelos’ absence, with Cedric Itten, Fashion Sakala, Jermain Defoe and Kemar Roofe all potential options.
Roofe missed the last few pre-season matches with a mystery problem, but Itten in particular has been in impressive form in front of goal.
