THE Pedro Caixinha era, if a seven-month managerial spell can even be called that, didn’t bear much fruit for Rangers, but it did produce Alfredo Morelos.

The Colombian was among the spattering of largely unsuccessful signings made by the Ibrox club in the summer of 2017, making the move to Govan from HJK Helsinki for just £1 million. That now looks to be a shrewd piece of business, to say the least.

Morelos has since struck 73 times in two-and-a-half seasons for Rangers, with 25 of those goals coming this season alone. Indeed, the red hot Colombian has been unstoppable of late, scoring 11 times in his last 10 appearances to propel Steven Gerrard’s side into title contention at the top of the Scottish Premiership table.

Alfredo Morelos has now scored in every one of his last ten starts for Rangers.

— Jordan Campbell (@JordanC1107) December 1, 2019

It’s not just domestically that Morelos has caught the eye. He has 13 goals in the Europa League this season having found the net in big games against Feyenoord, Young Boys and Porto. His double against Feyenoord last week saw him better Henrik Larsson’s Scottish record of 12 European goals in one season, and Rangers aren’t even in the knockout rounds yet. If Europe is the true gauge of quality for players plying their trade in the top heavy Scottish top flight, Morelos has more than proved himself there too.

This weekend could see the 23-year-old, an irrepressible hub of attacking energy, fire Rangers to their first piece of silverware under Gerrard, their first major trophy in eight years, with the Ibrox side up against Celtic in the final of the Scottish League Cup. It could be the first part of an unfolding duel between the two Glasgow rivals this season.

No matter the outcome, symbolism will be avoidable. Celtic would further underline their dominance of the Scottish game with a victory, while Rangers can validate their status as genuine challengers with a win of their own. Silverware would accentuate the good job Gerrard has done since taking over at Ibrox two summers ago and another Morelos masterclass would showcase the level at which he is playing right now.

The progression in Morelos’ game even from last season has been astonishing. Last term, the Colombian’s biggest flaw was his temperament as he picked up an incredible five red cards over the 2018/19 campaign, most of them in big games. Now, however, he has eliminated that element from his game, also becoming a more rounded forward in the progress. Morelos is much more than just a six-yard box opportunist.

53 – Under Steven Gerrard, Alfredo Morelos has scored 53 goals in all competitions, at least 32 more than any other Rangers player since he took over at the start of last season (Jermain Defoe, 21). Pivotal. pic.twitter.com/ZLitlzYOmk

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) November 28, 2019

“Alfredo needs to keep doing what he is doing,” Gerrard said in a recent interview. “He has realised over the summer and maybe even the back end of last year, that the only people he is hurting is his own people with his disciplinary record. He is the one who is behaving and performing at the moment and long may it continue because he can go on and break many more records if he continues to do that.”

Questions over Morelos to Gerrard have been replaced with questions over the striker’s future. Premier League clubs like Aston Villa and Crystal Palace are reportedly circling and with the January transfer window just a matter of weeks away Rangers appear braced for at least some interest. “No – and you can add another £10m on as well,” Gerrard replied last week when asked whether he would accept £40 million for his top scorer.

Of course, Rangers would surely struggle to refuse £50 million for any player, even one as important to them as Morelos, but such figures illustrate the level at which he is playing. Remarkably, Morelos has yet to score in 10 appearances against Celtic as a Rangers player. It remains the only asterisk against his name, a stick used by rival fans with which to beat him. 

On recent form, though, Morelos could take that stick and batter Celtic with it. The Hoops are a good team with a strong chance of victory at Hampden this Sunday, but for all that they boast a talented squad they don’t have a player with the unstoppable momentum of the one time hot head, now just red hot.