Alfredo Morelos may have been left at home by Rangers, but the striker isn't sitting in the house sulking.
Giovanni van Bronckhorst sensationally left the Colombian out of the squad to face PSV in Wednesday night's Champions League playoff round second leg clash over in Eindhoven. The Ibrox boss has concerns over Morelos' fitness and attitude and doesn't believe he's ready to take part against Ruud van Nistelrooy's men.
A needless sending off in the weekend's 2-2 draw with Hibs didn't help his case. However, van Bronckhorst admitted that the issues had been building up over time rather than his decision being a direct reaction to his costly ordering off at Easter Road. Now the Light Blues will fight it out for a place in the group stages without El Bufalo in the Netherlands. Antonio Colak will lead the line in Eindhoven with the tie in the balance after last week's 2-2 draw in Govan.
Van Bronckhorst said in his pre-match press conference that he knows Morelos wants to play for Rangers, but needs to start showing him that if he is to save his career at the club. And with his fitness levels being one of the main concerns for the manager, staff and fans alike will be encouraged to see the 26-year-old seemingly taking that on board immediately.
He was pictured in Glasgow's The Village Gym in the city's Pacific Quay area. While his teammates are in Holland preparing for their showdown with PSV, Morelos was working out alongside teammate and compatriot Juan Alegria, currently on loan at Falkirk.
Talks over a new deal for Morelos have reportedly been halted after his exile from the first team squad. His deal is sue to expire next summer and hopes had been high that he'd put pen to paper and extend his stay at the club.
But the latest developments have thrown that into doubt. With just over a week remaining of the transfer window, potential suitors could start circling if they smell the chance of doing a cut-price deal should Rangers decide to follow Graeme Souness' advice and move Morelos on.
But there's still a chance he can get himself back into van Bronckhorst's good books. Should the Light Blues triumph against PSV and go through, then a first crack at the Champions League group stages could provide extra motivation for Morelos, who won;t want to miss out on taking on Europe's best.
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