Rangers frontman Alfredo Morelos hasn't been far from the headlines throughout his Ibrox career whether it is under former boss Steven Gerrard or Gio van Bronckhorst.
The Colombian has reached the highest of highs at Ibrox making history as the club's record European goalscorer, but is currently enduring the low point of his time in Govan having been bombed out of the squad for the crucial Champions League playoff second leg against PSV Eindhoven. Van Bronckhorst has told the striker he must get himself ready to play for Rangers both "mentally and physically" having dropped the frontman after consulting senior members of the dressing room.
The Dutchman will know all too well the problems his predecessor had with Morelos during his time at Ibrox. Those issues hit boiling point under Gerrard when the Rangers talisman for returned back late from a trip to Colombia in March 2020. Gerrard dropped Morelos for the Scottish Cup quarter-final against Hearts, which ended in a 1-0 defeat.
Morelos was hit with disciplinary action from the club, with the current Aston Villa boss stating at the time: "He's showed a lot of remorse for his actions, letting his team-mates down and the supporters down. He's accepted his punishment, which will stay private for obvious reasons, so yes he's available for selection.
"As a club, we're very united from top to bottom in terms of our standards and what is expected. That goes for all of us. When someone goes against that trust it's important that they're punished for it. So that's what's happened."
The following season, Morelos was back to his best and earned gushing praise from Gerrard following the 2-1 win over Aberdeen at Pittodrie. Despite having recovered from the lowest ebb in their relationship, the boss confessed the player was tough to handle.
Gerrard said: "He is a challenge, of course. There is the language thing. He hasn’t always got things right. But you have to take into consideration his age (aged 24 at the time).
"He needs a manager and a coaching staff who are going to support him at the right time. You can’t expect him to be perfect, he’s a human being."
The evidence appears to have been there for Van Bronckhorst to know that he would be handed over a tough player to manage. Patience appears to have worn thin for the Dutchman just days after his red card against Hibs at Easter Road.
However, Gerrard dropping Morelos from the Scottish Cup clash at Tynecastle acted as a caveat to bring the striker back to his best. Could the tough love lesson work again? With the 26-year-old in the final year of his contract, only time will tell if he can win back the trust of his boss and teammates.
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