The Rangers’ decision to trade Alfredo Morelos was warranted because of the injury that could end Santos’ career.
Rangers had to make some room on their roster before the massive inflow of players into Ibrox this summer, and Alfredo Morelos was one player that left Glasgow.
Following his release at the end of the previous season, the Colombian striker spent several months without a club until joining Brazilian team Santos, where he has made just one start and two outings in a Sunday (8 October) victory over Palmeiras.
Santos is one of three Brazilian teams that have never experienced relegation. However, they are in the thick of a relegation struggle, sitting 17th in Serie A and holding the final relegation spot with 12 games remaining.
The Daily Record revealed on Thursday, October 19, that Morelos may be out until 2024 due to a calf injury he sustained while practicing for the team’s pivotal match against Red Bull Bragantino.
Even though a three-month injury might not seem like the worst thing a player could have at this time of year, the Brazilian season ends in December, with Santos’ last matchup with Fortaleza taking place on December 3.
There is currently a good potential that the 27-year-old may not stay in Brazil for the full two years of his initial contract because he has a clause in his contract that allows him to leave at the end of the season should they fail to avoid relegation.
It doesn’t seem like it would have been wise to keep Morelos in Glasgow this season, despite Rangers’ struggles in front of goal this season, with Sam Lammers, Cyriel Dessers, and Danilo all finding it difficult to settle at Ibrox and receiving a lot of criticism from fans and pundits.
Should they start to shine in the upcoming weeks, there won’t be many Rangers supporters who regret selling the Colombian, as Danilo and Abdallah Sima have shown flashes of brilliance this season, suggesting that they could provide Philippe Clement the crucial goals he needs to succeed with the Light Blues.
After Michael Beale replaced Giovanni van Bronckhorst, there were many doubts about his fitness during his final season in the Scottish Premiership. It appears that many of them were correct to doubt his suitability.
After suffering a cheekbone fracture, Danilo has been seen returning to Rangers training. It would be fantastic to see the Brazilian regain his confidence in light blue and eventually replace the goal-scoring gap left by Morelos.
