‘Rangers will pay a heavy price if they sell Morelos’ says Mark Walters

Ibrox icon says sale would harm chances of stopping Celtic’s 10-in-a-row bid

“No point in having money in the bank when it should be on the pitch in players” says Mark Walters. Picture: SNS.

Former Rangers winger Mark Walters believes his old club will harm their prospects of stopping Celtic from winning ten-in-a-row this season if they agree to sell Alfredo Morelos.

The Colombian international striker remains a target for French club Lille who have yet to meet Rangers’ valuation of the player, understood to be in the region of £20 million.

While Ibrox icon Walters appreciates the financial lift Rangers would receive from what would be a record transfer fee, he fears the departure of Morelos would cost Steven Gerrard’s team dearly on the pitch as they attempt to win a first league title since 2011.

“I don’t think selling Morelos is a good situation for Rangers,” said Walters. “He’s still a young player with a lot to show. There’s no point in having the money in the bank when it should be on the pitch in players. I feel at the moment they need to keep players of that calibre. The money will come through playing in Europe and so on.

“It’s a chicken and egg situation. They need to keep these kinds of player, then they will win trophies and get more money in anyway. I’m sure the supporters would rather him be here scoring goals. Rangers have always had exciting centre forwards. When Morelos is on his game and scoring, he’s a fantastic player.”

Morelos scored his first goals of the season with a double in Rangers’ 3-0 win over St Mirren at Ibrox on Sunday.

Walters admits he still has some doubts over the 23-year-old’s temperament. But despite that, and even though Rangers manager Gerrard has bolstered his striking options with the recent signings of Kemar Roofe and Cedric Itten, three-times Scottish title winner Walters insists Morelos should be retained. “I hope he stays because competition is the best motivation for any team,” he added. “If there’s a guy in the changing room who will take your place if you don’t perform, then that improves your own game.

“Hopefully he stays but he also needs to be reliable. You need to know he won’t get sent off for something stupid.

“I have to say, at the moment, I’m not 100 percent certain Stevie can rely on Morelos not to do something silly that might cost him a game or two-game suspension. I believe the league this season will be down to fine margins. It could be a point, two points or even goal difference. If Morelos has learned from his mistakes he can be a vital part of this team. But you need reliability in any team. You can’t afford for him to be sent off.”

Walters is hopeful Rangers can embrace the pressure of dethroning Celtic in such a momentous season and hopeful they have the mental strength needed to see out the job if they can establish a lead over their Old Firm rivals in the table.

“It is a different kind of pressure when you are out in front,” said Walters. “They have been second for a long time which is not good enough and that adds even more pressure.

“They will be walking around the stadium and seeing all the things the club has won before. They will be wanting to emulate the

success of previous teams. At Rangers, you cannot accept second best.

“It has been so long since they were champions and it’s a bit like Liverpool who went 30-years without winning the title in England. Now Rangers have gone nine years without winning it here.

“But, if you want to become a legend at the club, you need to do that. There are some good players at Rangers and hopefully they will show that this season.”

• Mark Walters was speaking yesterday at the launch of Premier Sports’ live and exclusive coverage of the Betfred Cup and Celtic’s first three European qualifiers. Premier Sports is available on Sky, Virgin TV and the Premier Player. Prices start from £9.99 per month.

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