JONATAN JOHANSSON is delighted to see Alfredo Morelos making the most of his move to Rangers and showcasing his talents at Ibrox.
The former Light Blues striker played a key role in bringing Morelos to Glasgow two years ago as part of Pedro Caixinha’s backroom coaching staff.
Rangers shelled out just £1million to secure Morelos’ services following a successful stint with HJK Helsinki and the deal has paid off for both parties.
Morelos wrote his name in the history books as he hit the 30-goal barrier for the season by netting in the final Premiership game of the campaign against Kilmarnock.
And now the Gers will bank a significant fee should boss Steven Gerrard look to cash in on his most valuable asset this summer.
Morelos has often made headlines for all the wrong reasons as his disciplinary record has been called into question.
But that is unlikely to put off many suitors in the coming weeks as Rangers prepare for bids for a striker that has often professed his desire to play in one of the top leagues in Europe.
The loss of the 22-year-old would be a blow to Gerrard but his former mentor Johansson is pleased to see Morelos doing what he does best and proving his worth in the final third this term.
He said: “It was a fantastic season goal wise for him and his overall game was very good as well, which of course is pleasing.
“As I have said before many times, when you bring someone over to a club you feel a bit of personal responsibility and you want him to do really well.
“Alfredo has done well for himself and for Rangers.
“It is one of those things, you want your players to do well and you want them to have interest from other clubs because it means they are doing well.
“That is part of football and it is up to the club and to the player to decide what is best for the future.
“One thing I will say about Alfredo is how well he has done moving to different cultures, going from Colombia to Finland and then to Scotland with Rangers.
“They are three quite different cultures and he arrived there not speaking the language.
“It shows a lot of character and a lot of strength to be able to handle that and then at Rangers he is playing in a pressure situation with the crowd at a young age.
“You sometimes forget how young Alfredo still is.
“It shows a lot of character and he shows that will to succeed and will to well on the pitch.
“I am very pleased for him and pleased to see him doing well for Rangers. I think everybody can appreciate what a good player he is and how good he could be.”
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