The Rangers star has suffered a torrid time since returning from the winter break and his fitness has been questioned ahead of next Sunday’s Derby against Celtic.
Just a few months back, he was the apple of everyone’s eye around Ibrox. They even went as far as to claim that he was worth a staggering £50 million. But heading into next Sunday’s Celtic clash, some Rangers fans are even calling for the Colombian to be dropped after the terrible form that he has showcased since returning from the winter break.
Morelos has never been a great player against Celtic. In fact, he has never found the back of the net against the Hoops and even missed a penalty in the Scottish League Cup final earlier this season. And then he drew a blank at Parkhead as well and was sent off late in the game. But since Rangers managed to win that game, his missed chances were swept under the rug.
Rangers fans have always been behind though through his ups and downs. But his recent form would be a cause for concern for even his most ardent fans. In his last 10 games, Morelos has scored just once – a terrible run for a man who is considered to be the most lethal finisher in all of Scotland by many at Ibrox.
And Keith Jackson believes that it is down to the Colombian’s lack of fitness. He wrote in the Daily Record:
"“Morelos returned Gerrard’s favour by moping around looking horribly out of shape and almost entirely disinterested.“Perhaps it was telling that the manager stayed in his seat, arms folded and looking in the opposite direction as this Insufferable Sulk made his way to the sidelines after contributing next to nothing in his 89 minutes on the pitch.“Gerrard had been banking on a big response from Morelos but the only thing that appears to have increased any over the last couple of weeks is the waistband on the striker’s shorts.“How can the manager realistically rely upon this version of Morelos to do serious damage to the defensive might of Leverkusen when he could hardly raise the pulse of Liam Fontaine?“How, for that matter, can Gerrard place any faith in him to break his duck against Celtic when he can’t hit the net against Accies?’"
Morelos has certainly appeared to have a ballooned up over the past few months. And his commitment to the club can even be questioned after he was dropped by Steven Gerrard recently for failing to turn up to training.
Whatever may be the case, Celtic must go into Ibrox with the mindset that the Colombian is in top form. Rangers have shown this season that they can turn up on Derby day. And the Hoops should be extra motivated to avenge their defeat from earlier this season.