Delighted Rangers boss Gio van Bronckhorst reckons Alfredo Morelos is back packing a punch now the striker is starting to box clever.
The Colombian has looked fresher and fitter since the Dutchman took over and he’s landing killer blows too.
He’s rattled in five goals in his six appearances under Steven Gerrard’s successor and van Bronckhorst reckons that’s because Morelos is back operating where he's most dangerous - in the 18-yard box.
During the previous regime’s time in charge, Morelos was given instructions to drop deep and lend a hand to Gers build-up play.
But Van Bronckhorst would rather he focuses on having the final say on his side’s attacks.
Saluting the striker who grabbed a goal and an assist in Wednesday's win over St Johnstone, the Ibrox boss said: “Alfredo’s a striker so normally he will get a lot of chances in each game. He had good positioning at the post from the corner kick [to score his goal] and also got an assist for Ryan. He was very important again.
"I want him to be in the box to score and he is scoring a lot of goals lately, which I am very happy for.
“In moments of the game, he needs to be there to be available when teams are pressing us.
“For the second goal, he was there to receive the ball and many times he was there to receive the ball. We needed that in moments of the game but overall he needs to be in the box for those dangerous moments.”
Morelos got the goal which sent Gers on their way to victory against Saints but it was Joe Aribo walking off with yet another bottle of champagne after the nimble-footed playmaker earned his latest man-of-the-match award.
The Nigeria international came close to handing the champions a sensational opener as he crashed a fierce hit off the woodwork early on, while he left the home support open mouthed with a sensational second-half piece of skill as he tamed a high ball stone dead with one touch.
It was jaw-dropping stuff but his boss has seen it all before.
“I don’t know how many times he’s going to be man of the match,” said Van Bronckhorst. “He’s very important because he's very versatile. He has great stamina and is very important for the connection between defence and offence.
“We’re really happy with him, with his performance and the team’s performance.
“I am just happy with his performance. That is the most important thing. He did really well and when he controlled that ball from the air I knew he was going to be man of the match.
“He is so important and I have said before that he is a very versatile midfield player. He can play anywhere on the pitch but also defensively he is very stable. It was a good performance by him.”
Van Bronckhorst wasn’t quite so fulsome with his praise as he assessed the performance of Aribo’s midfield partner Glen Kamara.
It was a rare off night for the Finland ace but his manager is willing to cut him some slack after his team completed their fifth shut-out of his short Ibrox tenure.
“I’m really pleased with Glen’s overall performance in the last few weeks but I told him that for me, he lost too many balls [against St Johnstone]. That’s not really how I see him.
“He’s very important because he’s a player who sits just in front of the defence. He wants the ball, he wants to move forward, he’s not afraid when he receives the ball and gets pressured.
“The players are learning that and improving each game to know which moment needs which kind of play.”
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