OPINION
It’s becoming quite a regular occurrence, Alfredo Morelos getting sent off.
The Colombian was shown his fourth red card of the season, and his third against Aberdeen, in the hotblooded 4-2 Rangers win over the Dons last week.
Whether he deserved to be dismissed is a matter of contention, and a sore point for many Gers fans, but the fact of the matter is that the 22-year-old will now face a three game suspension in the Scottish Premiership, and that could be very problematic.
In the five matches Morelos has missed through suspension this season, the Ibrox club the one just once, and even that came by the narrowest of margins against a spirited Hamilton side.
For that reason alone, Rangers supporters would have very right to be worried.
But things are different now, because now the Gers have Jermain Defoe.
The veteran striker has impressed since sealing his loan move north of the border in January, and there should be absolutely no doubts about his capability to step up to the plate and deputise for the 23 goal Morelos.
Some fans may question his ability to lead a line by himself given his diminutive stature, but the reality is that Defoe has plenty of experience playing as a lone front man.
During the majority of his wildly successful time at Sunderland Defoe was forced to operate alone, predominantly through a lack of a decent strike partner, and he flourished in that role.
It may not be the way he prefers to play, but his intelligence and surprising physicality mean that he is more than adept at stretching a defence by himself, or linking up with runners around.
And when he does get into the box and a chance presents itself then there are few, if any, finishers as naturally gifted as he is in the entirety of Scotland.
It’s certainly not an ideal situation for Rangers to find themselves in, but Defoe is more than capable of holding the fort while Morelos watches from the stands.