Rangers boss has seen what happens when a star player is not effectively replaced.
Rangers boss Steven Gerrard has once again made clear he does not wish to sell star striker Alfredo Morelos.
Speaking to BBC Sport, Gerrard says he will fight to keep hold of the Rangers forward.
It’s understandable. Morelos is Rangers’ top scorer, and the side look so much more dangerous when he is on the pitch.
The Colombian is their talisman in attack and Rangers would be a lot more predictable without him in their squad.
Gerrard knows what it is like to lose a star player.
At Liverpool he was witness to the departure of superstar striker Luis Suarez.
Brendan Rodgers, now of Celtic, was Liverpool manager at the time, and he was not prepared to lose the Uruguayan, even though he should have been.
Suarez had been linked with an exit for 12 months prior to his eventual sale, but Liverpool were caught short.
They had no replacement lined up, and spent the money ineffectively – with Mario Balotelli a poor signing who Rodgers later admitted he did not even want.
Gerrard has witnessed this worst case scenario of losing a star player, and must help Rangers get ahead of it.
Whether Morelos leaves next year, in two years, or three or four years time, Gerrard must get busy trying to sign his successor already.
If Rangers can find a player capable of replacing Morelos, it won’t necessarily force the Colombian out the door, but it will put them in a better place if he does leave.
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