Soon Rangers should say goodbye to Alfredo Morelos - Jonny McFarlane

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It's always hard to say goodbye to the good ones, no matter what the head says. For football fans, it's a matter of the heart wanting what it wants. 

As Alfredo Morelos' contract ebbs away, there will be some Rangers fans out there, perhaps many, who will wish he'd hang around Govan a few more years yet.

Fuelled by memories of what was, they will look at a 26-year-old striker and think there should be plenty of scope to keep the Colombian in the building.

I understand and accept this point of view. It may even be right. If Morelos was to return to the form that made Lille bid £16.5m to entice the striker to Ligue 1, his retention would be a no-brainer.

But what rational, tangible evidence are we using to measure that as a likely outcome?

Morelos blows perennially hot and cold,  going through prolific patches where his form is blistering before tailing off. And yet, his naturally mercurial nature has seemed somehow magnified in recent years.

He had well and truly lost his way in Steven Gerrard's final season before the 55th title-winning manager left for Aston Villa. It was a change that would fuel Morelos to better form once again under Giovanni van Bronckhorst and to be fair, it was a rare serious injury that stopped his season last term following superb performances in the Europa League.

You thought from the outside looking in that Morelos had created a special bond with his new Dutch boss and coaching team, perhaps spurned on by working with striking legend and Spanish speaker Roy Makaay. But this fairy tale was to have an unhappy ending.

Barely back from injury at the start of this term, there was no bang. Morelos was to find himself dramatically left out of the crucial second-leg Champions League qualifier against PSV. Van Bronckhorst had lost patience with his errant star's lack of professionalism.

Rangers would win that game while Morelos remained at home and it wasn't until Michael Beale returned that some individual form has been recaptured. 

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Morelos' stats read nine goals and five assists in 31 appearances, that's 171 minutes per goal in all competitions. By comparison, Kyogo of Celtic has played a game more and scored 22 goals with four assists, a goal in every 97 minutes of football. Some will say that's not a fair comparison but Glasgow is not a fair city.

Morelos is understood to be one of the highest earners at the club. His current deal was handed out in an effort to secure his signature over the long term in lieu of a huge transfer bonanza that was never to materialise.

A wage of over £40k per week would be needed to strike a new deal, with bonuses and add-ons sure to make that weekly salary even more lucrative for the player.

That represents a huge outlay for any Scottish club, especially on a player who, nearing 27, might be on a physical downslope.

Beale will surely be mulling that over, pondering whether the money could be better utilised to secure a talent who is more prolific domestically and less prone to antagonism.

For this writer at least, the time has come to swallow a bitter pill and assess the actual evidence. And the numbers in terms of goals and assists show Morelos has been on a downward curve for some time.

He may be a hero for some. His European record will make him a legend for others, especially those who are too young to remember glories past. But in the here and now, it's surely a good time for everyone to shake hands and move on.

Morelos has been a fine Rangers player. For a £1m signing, he's given the club far more than anyone could have imagined when Pedro Caixinha paraded him as a backup to the quickly lesser-spotted Eduardo Herrera.

If you love something though, sometimes you need to let it go. With Morelos, it's time.