Glasgow Rangers striker Alfredo Morelos is taking fire after his performance at Ibrox on Thursday.
Alfredo Morelos has been described as a “very dirty player” by someone who the Rangers hitman will come up against once more over the coming days.
Mitja Viler was given the unenviable task of defending against the in-form Rangers star on Thursday as the Gers put one foot in the next round of Europa League qualification with a 3-1 win over Maribor in Glasgow.
It was Morelos who opened the scoring after only six minutes, and the 22-year-old marksman also won a second-half penalty for Steven Gerrard’s side after Viler himself had equalised.
But the 31-year-old Maribor full-back says that the Colombian – who was sent off for the Blues domestically last weekend, before the red card was overturned – employed elements of gamesmanship against them on Thursday.
He told The Scottish Sun: “We expected the Scots to be hard to play against, but we never expected it to be as bad as it was.
“They were very, very aggressive, especially their striker Alfredo Morelos. He is a very dirty player.
“All the time he was trying to kick us and every time he got the slightest knock, his feet seemed to go from underneath him.”
Morelos certainly has shady elements to his game, but Rangers fans won’t care.
He is something of a throwback to the generation of wily-but-lethal strikers that Scotland once boasted in abundance.
Gerrard claimed on Saturday that he had seen a ‘massive improvement’ in his attitude during the summer months and it’s clear that he is enjoying his football at the moment, even if his opponents aren’t enjoying playing against him.
Viler and his defensive team-mates do it all again in Slovenia on Thursday as Gerrard’s side look to protect their two-goal lead, though Maribor’s away goal will make it a nervy night for the visitors.
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