JERMAIN DEFOE reckons striker Alfredo Morelos has the potential to star in the Premier League as Rangers prepare for a summer battle to retain their prized asset.
Morelos took his tally for the campaign to 27 goals as he netted four times in the Scottish Cup victory over Kilmarnock on Wednesday night.
The Colombian has gone from strength to strength under the guidance of boss Steven Gerrard this term and will attract interest from potential suitors in the summer.
Morelos has made an instant impression on Defoe following his move to Ibrox and the former England striker has tipped his team-mate for a bright future in the game.
Defoe said: “He’s got huge potential. He’s only 22. He’s still young. He’s going to learn.
“It’s not easy playing for a big club when the spotlight is on you. You make a few wrong decisions. You get judged.
“I’ve been there to be honest. I was lucky enough at West Ham to have the likes of Ian Wright, Les Ferdinand, Trevor Sinclair, all these sort of senior players who helped me.
“There were times in games when I would get frustrated. I would lash out and do things. They would basically say to me ‘you can’t do that, just focus on what you are good at, focus on scoring goals, don’t get involved in all the other stuff.
“It took time but you learn. You want to stay on the pitch and score as many goals as you can.
“He’s got huge potential. I knew about him before but you don’t realise how good he is till you see him train and you see him in games. Look at the goals last night.
“The first two were tap-ins but sometimes they are the best goals. They look easy, but as a forward, it’s that awareness of where to be in the box and being clever. He’s got good movement. The sky’s the limit for him.”
Morelos has made no secret of his desire to one day play south of the border and Rangers will bank a significant fee when they decide to cash in on the 22-year-old.
Defoe earned a reputation as one of the Premier League’s finest strikers before joining the Gers and has backed Morelos to make a name for himself in England.
He said: “As a Rangers player, all the fans and the club would want him to stay here as long as possible. We want to go and win trophies.
“But, of course, as players you are ambitious. You want to play in every league and compete against the best.
“If you are asking me if he is good enough to play in the Premier League, of course. I believe that if he played in the Premier League, he would score goals.
“I don’t think anything would change. He is a natural goal scorer. I remember at Tottenham, when we had Harry Kane as a youngster, he went out on loan to different clubs.
“I remember saying to one of the players that I believed he should play more and that, at some point, he would go on to score a lot of goals for this football club.
“What he has done is unbelievable. I think Alfredo’s got that. He’s a goal scorer. When you’re a goal scorer, you score goals at any level in any league.”
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