Steven Gerrard, the former Rangers manager, has said Alfredo Morelos was the most challenging player he has managed, with the Colombian forward receiving eight red cards during his time at the club. According to Gerrard, Morelos exhibited maverick behaviors and would bend the rules, forcing the manager to sometimes bite his tongue and turn a blind eye to maintain team harmony. Gerrard brought in Jermain Defoe and Kemar Roofe as alternative options because he could not always depend on Morelos, though the specific incidents leading to the red cards and how these disciplinary issues impacted team dynamics beyond goal-scoring remain unclear.
Despite these challenges, Morelos was instrumental to Rangers, becoming the club's all-time top goalscorer in European competition with 29 goals in 63 matches and scoring 17 goals during the campaign under Gerrard when Rangers won the Scottish Premiership title. Gerrard left Rangers for Aston Villa six months after that title victory and now says he regrets leaving prematurely, adding that the Rangers board were not willing to go the extra mile, though the exact reasons for this perception are not detailed. After departing Rangers in 2023, Morelos joined Santos and currently plays for Atletico Nacional, with the current terms or performance details of his contract there unknown.
Morelos at Rangers was tough to manage. Maverick behaviours. He'd bend the rules. When you're going into a job, you want to try and set rules and have values of your team and stuff like that. Sometimes you'd have to bite your tongue and turn a blind eye to one or two, it's just trying to not get caught by the players when you're doing it. But, yeah, he was important to Rangers. I knew he was so important.
According to Andy Halliday, Morelos was the worst he had ever seen at running in training, often placed in his own group during fitness tests.
Morelos at Rangers was tough to manage. Maverick behaviours. So important to Rangers because he was the goals but he was challenging. He'd bend the rules and after he'd scored a brace, you always knew something was sorted in the post-either him being late or some incident. When you're going into a job, you want to try and set rules and have values of your team and stuff like that. Sometimes you'd have to bite your tongue and turn a blind eye to one or two, it's just trying to not get caught by the players when you're doing it. But yeah, he was important to Rangers and I knew he was so important. I knew the time would come where I could get into a place where he's maybe less as important. That's why I brought Jermain Defoe in. That's why I brought Kemar Roofe in because when he was having these periods, where he would be challenging or break your rules and your values, Defoe and Kemar Roofe were itching to play and they were as good as him. Jermaine was much better than him at the age but they were the reason why we won the league because their goals in the team and the squad is how we eventually won.
The level was a big jump. Probably