It was a bit of a Rangers return to forget for Alfredo Morelos this afternoon.
Steven Gerrard delighted Rangers fans by naming him in his first XI for the trip to Dundee United today.
But Morelos, making his first appearance for the Gers since last season, couldn’t vindicate his coach and produced quite a sluggish performance.
The Colombia international, who was given an extended break at the Copa America, was largely anonymous for the game and was substituted for Jermain Defoe with 10 minutes to go.
And Willie Miller has described the hitman – a £1 million signing by the Ibrox side in 2017 – as an absentee.
He told BBC Sport: “Rangers look as though they’re stunned and searching for what they do next. They’re not getting any time on the ball. They’ve created very few chances. Morelos has been an absentee. The midfield has been very poor.”
When he got subbed, Mark Hateley added: “Not before time [the substitution] as well, he’s been pretty poor from the start. He’s still a couple of weeks away from being a starter in this team.”
Early slip-up
Despite going through the whole 2020-21 campaign unbeaten, Gerrard’s side slipped up early on with what was a 1-0 defeat at Tannadice.
The former midfielder will be absolutely livid with what was a low-octane display from the title winners in just their second league game.
Jamie Robson’s goal on 64 minutes was enough to end Rangers’ unbeaten streak in the Premiership – a run that lasted 40 games in total – and this is the last thing Gerrard needed ahead of Tuesday’s huge Champions League qualifier with Malmo.
The light Blues welcome the Swedes to Glasgow after losing the first leg 2-1.
And Gerrard will demand a huge response from not only all of his players, but particularly Morelos.
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