CROCK JORDAN A EURO DOUBT
EXCLUSIVE
JORDAN ROSSITER’S hopes of relaunching his Rangers career under Steven Gerrard have been hammered by a new injury blow.
The 21-year-old is a major doubt for next week’s Europa League qualifier against Macedonian minnows Shkupi after suffering ankle damage in a training ground incident.
Rossiter has made just six appearances for the Ibrox club since joining from Liverpool two
JOHN MacDONALD believes Rangers could be striking fools gold by selling Alfredo Morelos to Fenerbahce.
The former Ibrox favourite insists his old club need to weigh up the consequences of cashing in on the Colombian who could be the new Ally McCoist.
Fenerbahce director of football Damien Comolli was reportedly in Glasgow yesterday to thrash out a deal to take the 22-year-old to Istanbul.
But MacDonald is adamant it’s a decision which could make or break Steven Gerrard’s aim of hitting the ground running with Europa League qualifiers against Macedonians Shkupi just around the corner.
The former Rangers striker said: “Morelos is still a young boy who scored a lot of goals last season and clearly has all the potential in the world.
“He also missed a load of chances but he’s a good player who is only going to get better.
“He’s strong and holds the ball up well, he gets into people’s faces and is exactly the type of striker Rangers need. Who knows, if he stays then he could well be the next Ally McCoist.
“But if he wants to go they would be better letting him go and bringing in someone who really wants to be there.
“It’s a difficult one. He’s a talent and one of the best strikers I have seen at Rangers for a long time.
“At the end of last season all the signs coming from him were of a player who was wanting to move on. His body language and demeanour all pointed towards that. The market is so confused that it’s difficult to gauge what the going rate is for Morelos.
“It could be something which suits all parties. If Rangers can sell Morelos for the amount of money being talked about then that can be used to bring in better players.
“It’s one thing being able to strengthen the squad but the downside is it’s leaving it awfully late to recruit players so close to the start of the European campaign.
“Morelos as it stands just now is the biggest scoring threat at Rangers and it’s a huge gamble to be able to bring someone in at such short notice before the two ties against the Macedonians.”
Morelos finished last season as Rangers’ top scorer, hitting 18 goals in his debut campaign after his move from Helsinki, and was a January target for mega-rich Chinese outfit Beijing Renhe with a price of £10million quoted.
Rangers are closing in on a loan move for Roma striker Umar Sadiq and MacDonald is convinced getting that deal over the line would cushion the blow of losing their biggest asset – but only if the transfer fee is of stratospheric proportions.
He said: “The key for any move for Morelos could be if Rangers manage to get Sadiq as that appears to be gaining momentum and he looks a decent player.
“If that happens then it would be a huge step in offsetting the loss of Morelos. Rangers would certainly need that loan to go through before losing any of their strikers as they would need to have someone in before Europe.
“These are two massive games and we need to have everything loaded in our favour in attack to give ourselves the best chance possible of getting through.
“We all remember what happened last season against Progres to have to be as prepared as possible. The ideal scenario appears to be that if Rangers get in the money for Morelos which is being suggested and bring in a like-for-like replacement then the fans would accept that.
“It’s also easier said than done as decent strikers don’t come cheap. If Rangers aren’t able to bring in someone on loan then they’re going have to pay a right few quid for someone to score goals.”
No matter how the Morelos saga plays out, MacDonald is adamant Rangers should be applauded if they can bank a huge fee for a player who appears eager to edge himself towards the exit door.
He said: “If Rangers can get top dollar then you’d have to say it would be a brilliant piece of business as they’ve already knocked back mega-millions for him from China.
“If he wants to go then he’d be as well leaving. The last thing Rangers need is a player who gets itchy feet every time the transfer window comes around.
“That’s not a good situation. There was talk of £10m and if that’s still the figure clubs are willing to spend then Rangers should bite their hand off.
“Scottish-based players traditionally don’t sell for much as all the big-money deals appear to be happening in England. English clubs think they can come up here for cheap buys and Rangers can’t allow that to happen.”
He’s a talent and one of the best strikers I’ve seen at Rangers for a long time JOHN MacDONALD