OPINION
Alfredo Morelos is the definition of a Jekyll and Hyde footballer.
On his day, he is unplayable, a shining beacon of light at Ibrox, spearheading the attack and generally making a nuisance of himself for opposition defences everywhere.
On other occasions, he is a managerial nightmare, a ticking time bomb dictated to by his emotions, roaming round the pitch looking for trouble and waiting to be dismissed.
This, unfortunately, has become the abiding image of Morelos. No matter how many goals he scores in a Blue shirt from now until the end of time, he will be universally recognised as hothead, a disciplinary headache.
And that’s a crying shame. It was easy to defend him the first time he was sent off, easy to suggest that it was a reputation unfairly accrued that saw him sent off the second or third time, but we’re now at a point where there is no defence left.
His dismissal in the Old Firm, the latest in a long line, was unnecessary and inexcusable. He didn’t have to get involved with Scott Brown, he knew what would happen if he did, and then he went and did it anyways.
It’s little wonder that Steven Gerrard has finally lost patience with him.
After Jermain Defoe’s goalscoring turn against Hearts on Saturday, as quoted in the Daily Mail, the manager said: “At times we have been too reliant on Alfredo but I’m not surprised by Jermain’s performance. He’s got unbelievable quality and if you play a system that suits Jermain, he will get you goals.
“He’s got the number nine shirt at the moment, it’ll be interesting how he performs from now until the end of the season.
“The first six months of the season Alfredo was in that good form it just made sense to bring him back after being out, there wasn’t really anyone challenging for that number nine. There’s a challenge there now.”
These comments don’t bode well for Morelos. If Defoe can get up and running properly – and let’s face it, he really should – the Colombian could be ushered out the door in the summer for a decent fee rather than allowing him to sit on the bench.
His future hangs in the balance, and if he does go, he will have been the architect of his own downfall.