Keith Jackson has put the boot into Alfredo Morelos- calling out the conditioning of the striker who hasn’t scored an SPFL goal since December.
The Colombian remains the top scorer at Ibrox but there are serious question marks over whether he will be selected to face Celtic on Sunday.
Back in December Morelos was barely out of the headlines in two eventful Glasgow derbies.
At Hampden Fraser Forster saved a penalty from the striker as his scoring duck against Celtic was extended.
Later in the month he drew another blank at Celtic Park but that looked like being irrelevant as his side took full points, in stoppage time Morelos turned the spotlight on himself with a second yellow card for simulation and a cut-throat gesture at home supporters as he left the pitch.
To say that 2020 has started disastrously for Morelos would be an understatement.
After serving a three match SFA suspension he was booked at home to Braga meaning that he was suspended for the return leg. A visit to his sick mother in Colombia brought about a club suspension after he returned late, missing the Scottish Cup defeat to Hearts.
Gerrard restored Morelos to his starting XI against Hamilton and Ross County where his ballooning size attracted more comments than his goal-grabbing instincts.
Taking aim in the Daily Record after watching Morelos against Ross County, Jackson states:
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?
With Jermain Defoe injured Gerrard looks like having to choose between Morelos and Flo Kamberi for the match against the league leaders on Sunday.
In contrast to Morelos, Neil Lennon will have a fully fit and in form Leigh Griffiths available for his first Glasgow derby of the season after managing just 10 minutes in Celtic’s 2-1 December defeat.