The Rangers board may be relieved after CONMEBOL took the decision to postpone upcoming World Cup qualifiers that Ibrox star Alfredo Morelos was expected to be involved in.
Colombia were due to face both Brazil and Paraguay later this month and 9-cap striker Morelos was likely to be selected for the squad.
El Bufalo is in excellent form with five goals in his last six Gers matches and has regularly been involved with the national team since making his debut in 2018.
It seems Rangers had some fears about their talisman flying to South America for the matches due to the current Covid-19 situation, though, with Gerrard hinting earlier in the weekend that the club could take steps to stop the player from leaving.
“That decision might be taken out of my hands by the board,” said the Gers boss when asked whether or not Morelos would be allowed to travel [Glasgow Times]. “You’ve got to respect the club first and foremost who pay the players’ wages.”
“A decision hasn’t been made yet but I think we’re going to have to do some more work in terms of [assessing] the risks, where the players are going to be and what effect that could have further down the line. One thing we won’t do is put this club or the people at this club in jeopardy. We won’t take any risks with anybody else.
“So we’ll try to make decisions based on common sense and the safety of everyone really. We’ll come to that… It has come up but we haven’t made a 100 per cent decision on that. But I’m sure the board will want the players to stay put.”
While it would have been entirely understandable if the Rangers board had stepped in, such a move may have created tension with the Colombian Football Federation, had their national team been left understrength for a pair of major fixtures.
Any potential conflict has been avoided though, with CONMEBOL postponing the matches due to the “impossibility of having all the South American players in good time” [RTE].
The absence of international duty ensures that Morelos will have a rare extended rest following the Old Firm at Celtic Park on 21 March.
Rangers fans have reacted to footage of Steven Gerrard celebrating inside the dressing room after Saturday’s win over St Mirren.
