Alfredo Morelos urged by Steven Gerrard to 'reach for the stars' and emulate Radamel Falcao

Colombian team-mates go head-to-head as Rangers face Galatasaray in Europa League showdown

Alfredo Morelos has scored 20 European goals for Rangers, just one less than the all-time club record held by Ally McCoist (Photo by Willie Vass/Pool via Getty Images)

Next week, they hope to join together to help Colombia make a winning start on the road to the 2022 World Cup Finals.

But on Thursday night at Ibrox, Alfredo Morelos and Radamel Falcao will set their friendship aside for at least 90 minutes as they pursue rival ambitions in the Europa League with Rangers and Galatasaray.

It is a tournament which has helped define the careers of both strikers. Back in 2010-11, Falcao set an all-time record for the most goals in a single European campaign when he scored 18 times in Porto’s triumphant campaign.

Last season, Morelos made more than a decent fist of trying to emulate the man he idolised as a youngster. His 14 goals in Rangers’ run to the last 16 of the Europa League eclipsed the previous record achieved in a season by a player with a Scottish club, Henrik Larsson’s tally of 12 for Celtic in 2002-03.

Morelos has another landmark firmly in his sights as Steven Gerrard’s men try to overcome Galatasaray and reach the group stage of the competition for a third consecutive season. The 24-year-old is just one goal short of equalling Ally McCoist’s club record of 21 European goals for Rangers.

Gerrard has been delighted by Morelos’ recent form and mentality after a spell in which the player clearly appeared to have been distracted and unsettled by French club Lille’s interest in him during the current transfer window.

The Rangers manager now hopes Morelos can make another significant contribution on the European stage and has urged him to keep trying to match the standards of his illustrious compatriot.

“I’ve read that Alfredo has an incredible amount of respect for Falcao, which is great,” said Gerrard.

“He should use Falcao as a role model and a hero for the level he is striving for, to have a similar type of career.

“Interestingly, I’ve had a conversation with the Colombian national coach, Carlos Queiroz, who tells me he will be watching both players on Thursday night.

“I think the only incentive for Alfredo is to impress the Rangers fans and to impress me, the coaching staff and his team-mates with another fantastic performance at this level.

“Because we know when he’s at his best how important he can be for the team. That should be his only focus.

“But, of course, before the game and after the game it’s good for him to have a role model in Falcao.

“It’s something as a young player, in the place Alfredo is, that he should always strive to be the best he can be. He should always strive for the top, I don’t think there is any harm in reaching for the stars.

“Falcao has been a world class player for many, many years. He’s someone I myself admit looking up to as a player.

“In the game, every player has heroes and inspirations to try and follow. I’m sure that’s what Alfredo is doing because Falcao deserves all the credit he gets in the game. He has stayed at the top and delivered at the top for so long.

“Alfredo’s best form has been there for certainly a couple of weeks now, if not a bit longer. You can see he looks in better shape, he’s looking sharp and his all-round game has come back.

“But the biggest and most obvious thing I’ve noticed is that he looks happy. He’s smiling, he’s better around the place, he looks focused. His professional attitude has been spot-on.

“Normally, when you have that approach, good performances come out on the pitch and that’s certainly what we are seeing of late.”

Gerrard is personally relishing the assignment against a Galatasaray side managed by one of world football’s most durable and respected coaches, Fatih Terim.

The 67-year-old former Turkey, Fiorentina and AC Milan boss is now in his fourth spell in charge of Galatasaray, his 17 major honours with the Istanbul giants including their UEFA Cup Final triumph over Arsenal in 2000.

“It will be a proud moment for me to come up against him,” said Gerrard. “He’s a manager I have looked up to for many years. He’s had many spells at Galatasaray and that’s for a reason. He’s highly regarded and has had success there on numerous occasions.

“He is certainly a figurehead for young coaches in the game and is someone I have huge respect for. It will be nice to meet him in the flesh.

“But I’m on the side of the pitch to do a job. I certainly won’t be looking to my left on Thursday night, I’ll be looking to my team to see if we can get the right result.”

Gerrard has midfielder Ryan Jack and winger Brandon Barker available again after both missed Rangers’ last four games through injury, but striker Cedric Itten is rated a ‘major doubt’ after suffering a knee issue in training.

“This is a huge game,” added Gerrard. “Galatasaray are a world-renowned team with big experience on the European stage. They have a really strong spine to their team.

“We know it is going to be a tough test for us. Galatasaray are probably everyone’s favourites but what I would say is that we are going into this game in a good place.

“We are in good form at home so our plan is to leave everything out there and see where it takes us.”

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