Aye ready/morelos fit to face Leverkusen
● Gerrard applauds board for sanctioning the new arrivals for reported combined fee of £7m ● With both unavailable tonight, manager has no concerns over Morelos leading the line
Steven Gerrard says he has “no issues” with using Alfredo Morelos in Rangers’ Europa League meeting with Bayer Leverkusen in Germany tonight.
Morelos has been linked strongly with French side Lille and speculation that he could be sold intensified when Rangers signed forwards Cedric Itten and Kemar Roofe on Tuesday.
“I have no issues with using Alfredo,” said Rangers manager Gerrard, whose side trail Leverkusen 3-1 in the last16 tie.
“Alfredo’s still a Rangers player. He’s with us over here, he’s focussed on the game and he’ll continue to be a Rangers player until things change and the only way that’ll change is if a bid is met that the board and myself are happy with. At the moment, that hasn’t happened.
“He’s fit, he’s available. He wants to play, he’s ready to play.”
B LEVERKUSEN (3) V RANGERS (1)
Europa League, round of 16, second leg Bay Arena Today, 5:55pm Live on BT Sport
Steven Gerrard believes Rangers are ready to come out shooting after solving their firepower issues.
It is only two weeks since Gerrard went public with fears that his team did not have enough strength in depth to halt Celtic’s charge for 10 titles in a row.
But the Ibrox board have acted swiftly to ease their manager’s concerns after sanctioning the purchases of Kemar Roofe and Cedric Itten for a combined sum of around £7 million.
Roofe, below left, arrives after a year at Anderlecht but previously excelled with Leeds, while Gerrard will hope Switzerland international Itten, below right, can replicate the formthatsawhimnotch19goalsin34 games for St Gallen last term.
Gerrard said: “I’m extremely happy with the two players we got in yesterday. I made it well known we were quite vulnerable with the options we had prior to getting the two new lads through the door.
“But now we’ve got a lot of options in the forward areas, we’ve got a lot of firepower and I’m really excited about working with them. In terms of the club, they have given us good backing and that has always been the same since day one.
“We’re on the same page in terms of the board and myself and the main thing is to try to improve us as an XI and a squad. With the calibre of player we got in yesterday, it certainly helps us get closer towards that.
“Roofe has incredible quality around the box and is very capable of scoring goals in numbers. Our fans will know more and will have seen more of him because of his spell at Leeds before he moved to Anderlecht.
“But Cedric is one who comes with huge potential. He’s a little younger but has real strong numbers when it comes to goals per game so far.
“The good thing is they can play together in terms of how we play. They fit into our system.
“They are both hungry. They both understand where the club is at and trying to achieve. It’s real positive news for Rangers and I’m delighted to get them done.”
However, Gerrard will not be able to call upon either of his new recruits as they return to Europa League action after a five-month hiatus.
It will instead be down to Alfredo Morelos to lead the line against Bayer
Leverkusen as Rangers look to overturn March’s 3-1 first-leg defeat at the Bay Arena. But Gerrard has no concerns about starting the Colombian despite the widely held belief that his days in Glasgow are numbered now that tangers have secured a couple of replacement options up front.
“If it’s a signal for other people there is nothing I can do about that,” said Gerrard. “Alfredo is still a Rangers player.
“He is with us over here, he’s focused on the game tomorrow and he’ll continue to be a Rangers player until things change. The only way things will change is if a bid comes in that the board and myself are happy with.
“At the moment that hasn’t happened, so we move ahead together, we stay professional and we keep trying to get this football club results. Alfredo Morelos is our player. He’s the player that I need to focus on. He’s fit, he’s available. He wants to play, he’s ready to play. You’ll see tomorrow whether I decide to play him but I have no issues with using Alfredo tomorrow.”
Rangers need at least three away goals if they are to rescue the tie and set up an unlikely last-eight meeting with either Inter Milan or Getafe.
Gerrard said: “We’re over here to give everything we’ve got and give it our best shot. We know it’s going to be tough, we know the deficit we’re trying to plug, but the plan is to start on the front foot, get the first goal and then make it an interesting tie.”