Rangers' Alfredo Morelos backed to regain confidence after being dropped to bench after Celtic miss

Rangers forward Alfredo Morelos paid the price for his notorious miss against Celtic last week when he was relegated to the bench for the visit of Kilmarnock on Saturday. However, the 21-year-old Colombian, who was the subject of an £8 million bid by Beijing Renhe, which Rangers rejected during the January transfer window, will regain his confidence, according to the Ibrox assistant coach, Jonatan Johansson.

The Finn was speaking both from the point of view of a former Rangers striker – he played for the club between 1997 and 2000 – and as the man whose assessment of Morelos was crucial in persuading ex-Ibrox manager Pedro Caixinha to bring him to Glasgow from HJK Helsinki last summer.

“People forget sometimes how young Alfredo is because he plays such a physical game,” Johansson said.

“In the last two or three years he has moved countries and had to learn new languages, so these have been big changes for him. Moving from Finland to Rangers is a huge step up. Missing chances will make him angry.

“No one at this club doubts what Alfredo can do. The fans seem to love the way he plays. Every career has highs and lows, so that is something that will make him stronger. He is such an important player for us.

“Alfredo is very strong in what he gives to the team. His movement is good, he is a goalscorer and he creates chances for others.

“In every game he gets into three or four positions to score and that’s what you want from your striker. As long as he keeps making those chances his goals will keep coming.”

One unavoidable assessment passed on all Rangers forwards is their effectiveness against Celtic. Last weekend, aside from missing an open goal from close range, Morelos failed to beat the stand-in Hoops goalkeeper, Scott Bain, with another gift chance. He also had three excellent chances in the Old Firm derby at Celtic Park in December, none of which he converted.

“You want to score against your big rivals in any league,” Johansson said. “I think the way he has played in the two games and the way he has created chances in them and caused problems shows how good he is.

“The goals unfortunately didn’t come but I’m sure they will. He has been on a long journey for such a young lad, but he is a tough boy. He has a great personality but he doesn’t speak English that well, so he is taking lessons.

“Once he gets the language it will help him even more. He loves playing football and you see him coming alive in games and even in training. He is very happy with life right now.”

When the bid for Morelos came from China there was speculation that the player was unsettled in Glasgow, especially after Caixinha was sacked in October,  depriving the player of a Spanish-speaking mentor. Johansson, however, dismissed the notion.

“With Alfredo it was never that he was desperate to move on because he didn’t like Rangers. It just so happened that a big offer came in for him. That is great in one way because it means he is doing well for Rangers and that we as a club are doing something right.

“At that period of time the interest was back and forward and it didn’t help, but now he has committed himself to the club with a new contract and that shows just how happy he is to be here at Rangers.

“I felt his good points would suit the Scottish game quite well. He is strong and likes to hold the ball up and battles with defenders, plus he scores goals. How quickly he has fitted in and the number of goals he has scored is brilliant. You never know with transfers how they will turn out but Alfredo has been great.”

By half-time on Saturday, the Rangers v Kilmarnock fixture was the only Scottish Premiership fixture to remain goalless. When the deadlock was broken nine minutes after the break it was Kris Boyd – a former Rangers striker – who found the net for his 20th goal of the season after he was first to react to the rebound from a Youssouf Mulumbu effort that was blocked by Wes Foderingham.

Boyd was replaced by Rory McKenzie shortly afterwards and Rangers sent on Morelos for Josh Windass at the same time but there was no further scoring, although Russell Martin came agonisingly close to an equaliser with a header that came off the underside of the Killie crossbar and then clipped the inside of a post.

Elsewhere, it proved a tough afternoon for the bottom three clubs.

Ross County, without a permanent manager, might have supposed that their luck had turned at home to Hamilton when Jamie Lindsay put them ahead midway through the first half.

Accies, though, responded with Doug Imrie’s equaliser from the penalty spot four minutes after the break and the visitors went ahead with a shot from Marios Ogboe in the 52nd minute. Andrew Davies salvaged a point for the Staggies when he made it 2-2 with 13 minutes left to play.

At Tynecastle, Partick Thistle were beaten 3-0 and the damage was done before the break. Kyle Lafferty opened the scoring for Hearts after 17 minutes and, within four minutes of that strike, the Jags were further behind when Joaquim Adao supplied Steven Naismith for Hearts’ second goal. John Souttar added another a few seconds before the interval.

Dundee have endured turbulence lately and their situation deteriorated when a fumble by their goalkeeper,  Elliot Parish, allowed Graeme Shinnie to put Aberdeen ahead at Pittodrie in the 35th minute, with what proved to be the only goal of the game.