For legendary Rangers striker Kenny Miller, the similarities are difficult to shake.
Few on the blue side of Glasgow had even heard of the relatively little-known youngster when he sealed his £1 million move to Ibrox during the summer of 2017.
Five years on, and while his Rangers career may have ended with less of a roar and more of a whimper, Alfredo Morelos most certainly secured a place in the club’s history books during a largely excellent half-decade in Scottish football.
The talismanic centre-forward during Rangers’ Scottish Premiership title success under Steven Gerrard and the catalyst for so many glorious nights under the lights in Europe, Morelos – at £1 million – will surely go down as one of the best pound-for-pound signings in the club’s history.
Now, can Hamza Igamane make a similar impression?
Miller is not getting carried away just yet. Though he feels there are certainly shades of Morelos in the £1.7 million deal which brings another young, promising and rather left-field centre-forward to Britain.
Rangers confirm Hamza Igamane signing from RAF Rabat
“Hamza Igamane might make Rangers a lot of money in the future. He could go on to become a legendary number nine at Ibrox,” Miller tells the Daily Record. “But right now, to ask a 21-year-old Moroccan kid to take the weight of that jersey on his shoulders?
“That would just be unfair.
“(But) Igamane’s signing might be inspired. He’s clearly a talented boy with an eye for goal.”
Igamane is far from the finished article.
With only seven goals in 23 games for Moroccan outfit RAF Rabat last term, his record is nowhere near as impressive as Morelos’ was over in Finland for HJK Helsinki.
But the swagger and strength that typified ‘El Bufalo’ in his days as a growing calf appear to be shared by Igamane; bold and brave on the ball and physically strong enough to ‘succeed’ amidst the hustle and considerable bustle of Scottish football.
Comparisons drawn with Alfredo Morelos
“This acquisition reminds me a bit of when the club plucked Alfredo Morelos from relative obscurity in the Finnish league,” adds Miller, who won three successive Scottish Premiership titles for Rangers between 2009 and 2011.
“I was in the Rangers dressing-room at the time and it was difficult for Alfredo to settle early on. He also didn’t speak any English but luckily for him we had a few players at the club at that time who helped him.
“Morelos arrived as an unknown for £1 million and would go on to become Rangers’ all-time top European goalscorer.
“It proved to be a shrewd bit of business, even if he was allowed to leave for free a year ago. But when Alfredo first arrived, he needed help and time. We could see he had all the raw attributes to be a good player. He always had that brute strength and aggression. But he didn’t start games immediately.
“We don’t know too much about Igamane but there are definite similarities between the pair. And he’ll need a settling-in period too.
“Pre-season will be crucial for him because that’s when the players have real bonding time.”
Speaking to Rangers’ official website when the transfer became official, director Nils Koppen highlighted Igamane’s ‘skill and determination’ while calling the North African an ‘exciting young talent’.
