Rangers star Alfredo Morelos was snubbed again by Colombia manager Reinaldo Rueda for their Copa America quarter-final clash against Uruguay overnight.
Morelos had dreamt for some time of getting the opportunity to represent his country at a Copa.
However, while that dream was fulfilled when he made an appearance off the bench against Peru last month, the tournament is hardly going the way he would have hoped.
That nine-minute outing – in a 2-1 defeat – is the only chance he’s been given in five fixtures and he hasn’t even made the matchday squad on several occasions.
Initially, it looked as though he was being given extra time to recover after testing positive for Covid-19.
However, it’s now clear that he’s simply down the pecking order behind the likes of Duvan Zapata, Luis Muriel, Miguel Borja and Rafael Santos Borré.
El Bufalo didn’t even make the 12-man subs bench for the last-eight tie against Uruguay, a dull 0-0 draw he could possibly have added some life to.
At this point, Steven Gerrard and Rangers fans are likely hoping that Colombia are knocked out of the competition, so the striker can have a short break before returning to Glasgow to catch the back end of pre-season.
La Tricolor‘s stay has been extended, though, as, after the draw, they triumphed 4-2 on penalties over their star-studded opponents to seal progression to the semi-finals.
They will face Argentina in the last four on Wednesday night in Brasilia and based on how the tournament has gone for him so far, Morelos is more likely to watch that game from the stand than to play any part in it on the pitch.
The 25-year-old’s club future continues to be uncertain, too, with conflicting reports emerging over the past week.
