Right after scoring his second goal of the game against Ross County, Steven Gerrard brought off Alfredo Morelos for Jermain Defoe. The Colombian striker has been in fine form on the weekend and was likely being rested for the week ahead. Next week, Rangers play Hearts and Porto in the UEFA Europa League.
But with just under 20 minutes left in the game, the 23-year-old was in search of a hat-trick. When pulled off, the South American showed obvious signs of displeasure at the manager’s decision before reluctantly coming off. The reaction prompted Gerrard and Defoe to chuckle along.
Fans seemingly loved the interaction. The love was there for everyone to see, with one fan insinuating that the relationship mirrored that of two proud big brothers.
The way Defoe and Gerrard are laughing at him
— ???? (@Warrender_Iain) October 31, 2019
Like 2 proud big brothers
— Ryan Walker (@RyanWal59543002) October 31, 2019
Was hilarious
The reaction from Gerrard and Defoe made it even better
— SevcOjo (@Pena_Cartel) October 31, 2019
You can see the love right there
— Rutherglen Loyalist QS (@jayd1872) October 31, 2019
Other supporters joked that the manager and striker were bullying the young Colombian. One fan reckons that Defoe and Gerrard won’t be receiving any cards from Morelos come Christmas time. However, this was all in good fun.
Look at those two bullies on the sideline laughing at our Alfredo.
— RFC (@BroBobbyTait) October 31, 2019
The Gaffer and JD taking the mickey out of El Bufalo That’s them both off of Alfie’s Christmas card list!!
— Lennox Richardson (@lennyrfc) October 31, 2019
Another fan suggests that this shows the mentality of the team, with players wanting to play and contribute all the time. The job was basically done in the 70th minute, but Morelos was hungry for more.
Sums up so much of what our club is about. Hungry players, camaraderie and an avuncular manager.
— Taitinho (@Taitinho1) October 31, 2019
What do we think?
The fact that Gerrard has two top-class strikers at his disposal means that one is usually sitting out in favour of the other. It is a problem that the manager will be happy to have. Both players will be hoping to win a spot in the starting lineup for this weekend’s fixture against Hearts.