Rangers striker Kemar Roofe has had a quietly good season for the Glasgow giants, racking up an impressive 15 goals in all competitions, but is seemingly still not seen as the next man up, according to PLZ Soccer presenter Peter Martin.
Roofe excelled in the Gers’ latest win away at St Mirren, scoring a hat-trick during their emphatic 4-0 win which saw them close the gap at the top of the table. Rangers now find themselves six points behind the league leaders just as the split is upon us.
However, despite the great recent performances, there are still questions over whether he is the man to replace currently injured talisman Alfredo Morelos in the starting striker role as Rangers enter the business end of the season, making their charge for the SPFL title and the Scottish Cup.
Talking on the latest episode of PLZ Soccer’s The Football Show, host Martin suggested Roofe has played well this season and returned a good number of goals, with him confused over the lack of faith.
He said: “He’s been here a couple of years, doesn’t need to prove anything to anybody. I think he deserves credit because, for me, he scored the best Europa League goal I’ve seen in the last 10 years. He’s got himself a hat-trick. I think he’s bagged himself something like 15 goals this season. And still, people don’t consider him the answer to Alfredo Morelos.”
TIF Thoughts on Roofe…
While Roofe, who is valued at £3.6 million (as per Transfermarkt), has impressed this season with his 15 goals in all competitions, there is no doubt that he is second in line to Morelos, who has outshone the Jamaican forward. Prior to his thigh injury, the Colombian bagged 19 goals and eight assists in all competitions, including four key goals in Rangers’ Europa League campaign.
Morelos also usurps Roofe when you look at the deeper stats. Morelos has averaged four shots, 1.7 key passes, 0.7 dribbles and earns 1.3 fouls per game (WhoScored), while Roofe has 1.9 shots, 0.5 key passes, 0.4 dribbles and 0.6 fouls per match.
Is Roofe the answer to Morleos?
Yes
No
Roofe is a good striker who you would want coming off the bench for your team, but it is unfair to suggest he should be performing at the level of Morelos because he is just not as good – the facts suggest this. Also, considering Roofe is 29 while Morelos is 25, the Jamaican does not have time on his side, whereas Morelos has more time to develop and get even better.