Steven Gerrard reveals about Alfredo Morelos as Rangers manager (Image: Overlap/YouTube)
Steven Gerrard has named former Rangers striker Alfredo Morelos as the most difficult player to manage. He spoke about the tough times he had managing the controversial Colombian player.
Morelos suffered from disciplinary problems during his time at Rangers, but proved to be a key asset as the club won the Scottish Premiership title, scoring 17 goals under Gerrard. Gerrard revealed he had to bring in Kemar Roofe and Jermain Defoe as alternative options as he could not rely on the unpredictable Morelos.
During his time at Rangers, Morelos was shown eight red cards for various incidents. He left the club in 2023 to join Brazilian side Santos and currently plays for Atlético Nacional in his native Colombia.
In an interview with Overlap newspaper, Gerrard named Morelos as the toughest player he has ever managed, saying: “Morelos at Rangers was tough to manage.” “Maverick action. He scored goals but was defiant so it was very important for Rangers.
“He bent the rules and after he scored two goals, you always knew something was resolved after he was late or some incident happened. When you go into a job, you want to set the rules and have the values of the team and so on.
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Steven Gerrard and Alfredo Morelos (Image: Getty)
“Sometimes you have to bite your tongue and turn a blind eye to one or two guys. It’s just to keep the players from finding out. But yeah, he was important to Rangers and I knew he was very important. I knew there would come a time when I could step in where he probably wasn’t that important.”
“That’s why I brought in Jermain Defoe. That’s why I brought in Kemar Roofe. Because when he was going through a period where he was challenging and breaking rules and values, Defoe and Kemar Roofe were playing. They were just as good as he was. Jermaine was much better than him at that age, but that’s why they won the league, because the team and their goals on the team are ultimately how we win.”
The Liverpool and England icon shocked Ibrox when he left for Aston Villa just six months after leading the Light Blues to the Scottish Premiership title. He has now admitted he regrets leaving Rangers prematurely.
He admitted it was too early to leave Rangers, but insisted the Rangers board had no intention of going any further than that.
Reflecting on his move from Rangers to Villa, he said: “The level has increased a lot, and I probably didn’t realize it at the time when I made that decision.
“Again, in hindsight, we’re talking about hindsight. We’re all good with hindsight, right? I would have stayed at Rangers longer, gained more experience, been there longer.”
“So I sit here and regret now that I didn’t do it back then. It was tough.
“Also, in the conversations we had with the Rangers after we won the championship and the recruiting and financial discussions, it didn’t feel like the Rangers were ready to be active again. It was more like, ‘Oh, let’s fix this, fix that, do that.’
“The commitments weren’t as strong as I expected. Then the Premier League offers and opportunities came in. It’s tough. It’s hard to say no to Villa, who are a great club. I can’t say anything bad about them.”
Gerrard was in talks to make a sensational return to Rangers earlier this season, but the move fell through and the Ibrox bosses turned to Danny Rolle.
