Football
Giovanni van Bronckhorst is set for more talks with Alfredo Morelos; the striker was left out of the squad due to fitness issues and other concerns; he is suspended for Saturday’s game against Ross County; Rangers will play Ajax, Liverpool and Napoli in Champions League group A
By Alison Conroy
Friday 26 August 2022 17:06, UK
Giovanni van Bronckhorst will hold talks with Alfredo Morelos in the coming days but the Rangers manager insists the Colombia striker still has a future at the club.
Morelos was left out of the Gers squad for the Champions League play-off win against PSV Eindhoven in the Netherlands on Wednesday night due to fitness issues and other concerns, including attitude.
The Gers striker is suspended for the home cinch Premiership game against Ross County on Saturday after being sent off last week against Hibernian – soon after coming on as a second-half substitute – but he will soon meet with Van Bronckhorst to plot a way forward.
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The Dutchman told Sky Sports: “I spoke to him briefly today but we will have a longer sit down in the coming days and then we will see what happens in the future.
“I sat down with him before we went to Eindhoven and I said before in a press conference that Alfredo, if he wants to come back, needs to do things differently and that is what he is doing at the moment.
“For me, it is the case of sitting with him in the next days and talk to him about his future.
“But he still has a future with us, he is still a Rangers player.
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“As a manager, I want to make sure I will get him back to the levels we need and that I know he can reach.”
Van Bronckhorst won the Champions League as a player with Barcelona and wants to make an impact in this season’s competition after Rangers drawn in Group A with Premier League side Liverpool, Napoli and Ajax, which will again see him return home to the Netherlands.
“I’m looking forward to all of the Champions League games,” he said.
“I’m happy with the draw and we can play some great games against tough opponents. It will be great to travel to Anfield and the Diego Maradona Stadium and the home games will also be fantastic.
“We have built this squad to be competitive in domestic competition but also for the Champions League.
“I’m really happy with how my squad is looking. It is great for our development to play against really good opposition.”
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Rangers midfielder Scott Arfield insists they will face Ajax, Liverpool and Napoli without fear as they mix with Europe’s elite for the first time in over a decade.
“It’s going to be some achievement to get through that group but, as always when you play here, you’re optimistic about your chances.
“The club’s built on success, the club’s built on going the extra distance and we’re really looking forward to this.
“I think you would probably want to avoid us (Rangers) due to our progression over the last few seasons, going to the Europa League final last season stands us in good stead.
“This season we had to do it the hard way, but we’ve come through against a good PSV team and we feel we can be competitive to anybody.”
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