Nacho Novo urges Kemar Roofe to prove he can fill the huge void that Alfredo Morelos has left whilst Rangers are without the striker through injury, via quotes by the Glasgow Times.
Morelos has missed the Glasgow giants’ last two Premiership matches after returning from the international break nursing a thigh issue. The blow forced Giovanni van Bronckhorst to recall Roofe, who had only played 45 minutes over three of the Gers’ prior seven fixtures.
But Roofe now has a huge opportunity to show himself in a positive light with Morelos out for the rest of the season. The Ibrox outfit confirmed last week that the Colombian needed surgery. He will now miss the Europa League quarter-final and the Scottish Cup semi-final.
Perhaps lacking match sharpness, Roofe left a lot on the table during the Old Firm derby at Ibrox this month. He struggled to influence proceedings, but responded away to St Mirren on Sunday with a hat-trick. Joe Aribo followed up Roofe’s efforts to round out the 4-0 win.
Having lost Van Bronckhorst’s support after an injury of his own last December, Roofe had only scored once in seven top-flight games through 2022 before facing St Mirren. Morelos, meanwhile, had struck four and created three over eight outings since the turn of the year.
Nacho Novo urges Roofe to ‘prove’ he can replace injury-hit Morelos at Rangers
Novo has no doubt that Van Bronckhorst will miss Morelos while the Rangers star recovers from his injury. But Roofe’s movement to break the deadlock and stretch the margin at the SMISA Stadium impressed the Gers legend. Now, Novo urges Roofe to dispel any doubts.
“Roofe is a great player,” Novo said. “Morelos will be a big miss as he is one of the best players in the team. Since he has come to Rangers, he is getting better and better every year. But he is injured now and Roofe has to prove he can play every game and score.
“I think it will be good for him to get the chance to show he can be Rangers No.1 striker. He is always in the right place and he showed that against St Mirren on Sunday. For his first two goals on Sunday, he found a yard of space inside the area and he is so clever.”
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