City star Drysdale happy to pocket praise for taming Morelos
DEFENDER ADMITS HE’S STILL LEARNING DESPITE CAGING IN-DEMAND RANGERS STRIKER
RANGERS striker Alfredo Morelos is one of European football’s most sought-after forwards.
Lille, Leicester City, Aston Villa and West Ham United have all been linked with summer swoops for his services after the Colombian hit 29 goals for Steven Gerrard’s side last season.
His temperament often makes the headlines over his goalscoring exploits, though, having been sent off seven times in his Ibrox career so far.
And that red mist was on display on Saturday evening against Coventry City when, after being substituted by his manager, Morelos threw his armband to the ground and stormed down the tunnel. But what is he like to play against? Sky Blues youngster Declan Drysdale didn’t struggle too much in Glasgow as he put in a heroic pre-season display to keep the 24-year-old at bay.
Since full-time, Drysdale has been inundated with tweets from fans asking if Morelos is still “in his pocket” but for the former Tranmere Rovers man, Morelos was just another striker to pit his wits against.
“It was a good test for myself, playing against Morelos,” Drysdale said.
“He’s one the best strikers in Scotland and I thought he was good, he’s aggressive and he’s always moving so it was a good test for me.
“But I’m still young and I’m still developing my game and I’ve got loads to work on,” he said.
Drysdale, whose City career has so far been hindered by injuries, had a brief spell on loan with Solihull Moors in the National League last term.
Now back with the Sky Blues, the 20-year-old is looking to strengthen his game by watching
Mark Robins’ titlewinning defence closely in action both in the Championship and at their Ryton-ondunsmore training base.
“I’m going to be open-minded and keep learning from the gaffer, Adi and all the other coaching staff.”
“I want to learn as much as I can from [Kyle] Mcfadzean, [Michael] Rose and Dom [Hyam],” he said. “They were pivotal to what we achieved last season and I’m hoping to learn from them and be a sponge and take everything in.” He added: “I’ve set myself some targets but I would like to keep them to myself.” Meanwhile Hyam and Rose have been tipped to play for Scotland. Sky Blues’ midfielder Liam Kelly believes his team-mates could make the step up to the senior national
He’s one the best strikers in Scotland and I thought he was good, so it was a good test for me. Declan Drysdale
squad. Kelly’s one cap for Scotland came as a substitute in a friendly against Luxembourg in November 2012 and he says Coventry’s centre-back pairing of Hyam and Rose are ready.
“I would definitely say they are capable, as they had the best defensive record in the league last season,” Kelly said. “They were two that played near enough every single game, and won the league, so it is a natural progression for them.
“The Championship they are going into is one of the best leagues in Europe. You look at Rose, it is his first season down in England, while Dom is in probably only his second or third full season playing, and they’ve been fantastic and got better as the season went on.
“[When it comes to telling them what it is like to represent Scotland] I only played briefly, 45 minutes. But I’m sure if they get the opportunity, they’d love to.
“They have spoken about it and they would love to get the call-up, and I think they deserve the call-up. It would be nice for them to get it.”