Rangers striker Alfredo Morelos has missed out on a place in the Colombia squad for their upcoming friendlies with Venezuela and Brazil.
It’ll be a bitter disappointment to the striker who has scored nine goals so far this season and appears to be on the right track discipline-wise.
It’s a major disappointment for Alfredo Morelos and fans will be hoping it has no bearing on his decision-making in the coming days.
Morelos’ future has been the subject of much debate after Steven Gerrard claimed he was expecting someone to launch a bid for a key player before the window shuts on the 2nd of September.
Couple that with French reports Rangers had bid close to £9m for Amiens and Senegal striker Moussa Konate [L’Equipe] and plenty of fans were worried.
Sky Sports reporter Charles Paterson has also claimed Rangers have slapped an £18m price tag on Alfredo Morelos’ head [Daily Express].
It really feels like the player’s future isn’t yet decided and won’t be until the window closes.
Rangers fans will be hoping Morelos will understand that despite the disappointment of missing out the squad, he has a lot of proving himself to do after missing out on the Copa America in the summer for missing matches through suspension.
It’s also difficult to say if playing in another league or for another club would increase the 23-year-old’s chances of making the squad.
With the likes of Duvan Zapata, Luis Muriel and Roger Martinez in the squad, and Carlos Bacca and Falcao missing out, there’s plenty of competition up front.
Morelos has also already proved he can get into the squad at Rangers, earning three caps for Colombia during his time at Ibrox.
What you’re hoping is that Steven Gerrard uses this to focus the player on the pitch. If Morelos can keep firing he can force his way into the side.
It’ll take time to get back into Carlos Queiroz’s squad but if he continues the form that he’s been showing for the Glasgow club the Portuguese won’t be able to ignore him for future call-ups.
For both Morelos’ club and international future, the key word here is patience.
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