New arrivals don't change Morelos situation, says Gerrard

Rangers boss Steven Gerrard has said that Alfredo Morelos’ place at the club is not affected by the arrival of two new strikers.

The Ibrox club announced the signings of Kemar Roofe and Cedric Itten on Tuesday, just before the squad flew to Germany for the second leg of their Europa League quarter final against Bayer Leverkusen.

The transfers come at a time when Morelos is being linked with a move to Lille but Gerrard said that new signings won’t hasten his departure.

“If it’s a sign to other people [that Morelos is leaving] then there’s nothing I can do about that,” he said.

“Alfredo is still a Rangers player. He’s with us over here and focused on the game tomorrow.

“He’ll continue to be a Rangers player until things change. The only way that will change is if a bid is made that’s acceptable to the board and me.

“At the moment, that hasn’t happened so we move ahead together, stay professional and keep working to get this football club positive results.”

Roofe and Itten are both ineligible for the European match and Gerrard said he has no reservations about playing Morelos.

“He’s fit, he’s available. He wants to play, he’s ready to play. Once we pick a team you will see tomorrow if you pick him.

“I have no issues with using Alfredo tomorrow.”

Rangers face an uphill task in Germany, having lost the first leg 3-1 at Ibrox five months ago. The match against Leverkusen will take place behind closed doors as football continues to deal with the effects of the Covid pandemic and Gerrard said his side has coped well with the situation so far.

“I’d certainly prefer a full stadium and I think everyone would but the reality is the situation around the world decides that at the moment,” he said. “We know our support will be watching back home and we hope we give them a performance to make them proud tomorrow.

“We’ve prepared in pre-season with no fans and played at the weekend behind closed doors. Up until now the performances have been really strong so hopefully we can build on that tomorrow.

“The plan is to try and start on the front foot and get that first goal to make it an interesting tie.”