HE’S DEFO AS GOOD AS ALF
Stevie G: Jermain’s no stand-in
Steven Gerrard has praised the impact of Jermain Defoe, insisting he’s not just back up to Alfredo Morelos.
The former England striker yesterday put Rangers on easy street here as they thrashed Lokomotiv Tashkent 6-1.
The Light Blues return to Scotland tomorrow to fine tune preparations for their Scottish Cup tie with Stranraer on Friday.
And Ibrox bos s Gerrard (below) admits Defoe will come into his own in the coming weeks with Morelos banned.
But he said: “Jermain
Defoe is no understudy, that is disrespectful. We see him as a really valuable member and asset in the squad.
“We can’t be successful this season without Jermain. We can’t be successful without Alfredo.
“We don’t play with two No.9s unless we are trying to force something or we’re trying to get more goals on the pitch. They are both as important as each other.”
Rangers ended their warmweather training camp with a thumping win over the Uzbeki champions as Gerrard played a different team in each half.
Defoe and Sheyi Ojo put Rangers two goals up at the break and a Greg Stewart double and goals by Steven Davis and James Tavernier underlined the gulf in class as Morelos watched on.
Rangers are keen to make Defoe’s loan from Bournemouth permanent and Gerrard insists it’s all down to the player.
He added: “We want Jermain to stay. He knows exactly what the situation is. It’s in Jermain’s hands.
“Going off what I see, I am hopeful something can be done. He’s loving it.”
Gerrard, who gave run-outs to teenagers Nathan Patterson, James Maxwell and Kai Kennedy, added: “We’re healthy, we have no problems and this finishes a strong week for us.”