Colak vs Morelos: Who wins the battle of Rangers' strikers?

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It didn't take a rocket scientist to work out that Antonio Colak had pleased his manager last weekend. Michael Beale was effusive in his praise for the Croatian despite his failure to hit the net in the 3-1 win over Kilmarnock and wasn't shy in making a point of it to the awaiting media.

For those who have watched the manager closely, his comments seemed deliberately pitched to convey a message and when the positivity continued before visiting Easter Road the identity of his starting striker in Edinburgh became obvious.

It wasn't altogether surprising to see a few grumbles about this selection ahead of the match. There remains considerable affection for Alfredo Morelos in the Rangers support despite his obvious issues with fitness and a failure to recapture anything like the form he's capable of.

Like the best players often do, Colak answered the doubters with not words, but action. He marked an outstanding performance with two excellent goals and really should have walked away with the match ball after racking up a few more. His first in particular was instinctive, incisive forward play that showed he's capable of devastating sudden movement across markers, not to mention, deft finishing.

As important as hitting the net, his all-around play helped connect the team middle to front and his graft to cover space and hit the right note from the front of the press set the tone for the rest of the team.

Beale again talked enthusiastically to the press to salute his striker after the 4-1 win, saying: "He's got natural enthusiasm to go and press and work with his teammates. He's part of the team. I'm delighted for him because he didn't score at the weekend. 

"His whole game is not all about scoring goals though. Some of his link play and movement were excellent. He's infectious in terms of his energy. He's not been able to show me what he has because he got injured before I came in and he's been playing bit parts here and there. The last few weeks he's started to look really fit and I've seen his personality come out in the group. I'm delighted for him."

There are a few words here that stand out; "energy", "part of the team", "natural enthusiasm" and "movement". Is it safe to say these are elements that have been lacking in the Beale era where Colak hasn't been fit enough to contribute?

At one point a few months ago Beale pointed out it should be hard for people to judge what players he favours because he's been forced to pick from a limited pool with some becoming certain starters due to a lack of alternatives. You wonder whether Alfredo Morelos has been quietly in that category all along.

The Colombian has scored six goals and assisted five since Beale's arrival, giving him a goal contribution every 91 minutes - not terrible. Delve deeper into just goals scored, the primary key performance indicator of any Rangers striker, and you'd have to ask if a player who scores once every 145 minutes in domestic games is hitting form that's good enough to be picked regularly as an attacking fulcrum. Colak, by comparison, is hitting the net once every 83 minutes.

This is made all the more stark by the performance of Celtic's keys striker Kyogo Furuhashi who has already hit 25 goals in domestic competitions this season. He's scoring every 80 minutes in the East End. It seems obvious that to win the league, Rangers will have to find a way to be more prolific than their bitter rivals. It's hard to imagine how that might be possible if Morelos remains the club's go-to no.9 on these stats alone. It really is a no-brainer. 

With no contract signed despite lengthy talks, the Colombian's future looks likely to be elsewhere. His form and conditioning in the last two years have varied wildly, something anyone looking at him on a Bosman transfer will have noted. That's set to be someone else's problem in the years ahead. 

None of this will diminish his legacy as the club's top European goalscorer. He was an inspired £1m signing by Pedro Caixinha and has more than paid back the faith shown in him. Regardless of what you think of his attitude to elite sporting professionalism, he will walk down the marble staircase with a strong legacy of achievement behind him and will have earned the right to be in the discussion when people assess club legends. 

But every player whose name is inked in folklore has to leave at some point. Regardless, Rangers have to move on and secure a striker who can guarantee 25-30 league goals every season. Morelos' best tally in the Premiership is 18. Everyone knows he saves his best for European nights, something his old boss Steven Gerrard openly joked about, but as thrilling as that's been it's not sustainable if titles are to be held aloft. It feels like now is Morloes' time to go.

Colak's emphatic re-emergence and finally proving he can fit into a Beale system will somewhat soften a blow that feels long in the making.