Alfredo Morelos’ time in Scotland has been the most colourful and eye-popping spell in Scotland since Paul Gascoigne’s in the mid-90s.

The Colombian’s transfer from Finnish giants Helsinki came with a few trumpets, indeed, Ibrox Noise suggested we’d found our own Moussa Dembele.

In time we were proven notably correct, but it’s come at a cost. For right or for wrong, Alfredo Morelos has been shamefully demonised in Scotland, in a way akin to his English predecessor of 20 years ago. Both slammed all over the papers, their private lives exposed/destroyed by papers determined to sell more and get more clicks as these two found themselves used for the red tops’ gain.

And after achieving a zenith last year of form, where Morelos was literally one of Europe’s most in-form strikers and most lucrative commodities, worth easily in today’s crazy cash of £100M+, ever since he bit back at Fir Park and gave a little ‘banter’ of his own, the striker’s form has shockingly plummeted and now he looks a pale shadow of his old self, and is looking like he’d rather be anywhere but Scotland.

Not so much Ibrox, he clearly appreciates this club and the platform we’ve given him towards global exposure, but the country, and the treatment it’s saved for him.

Make no mistake, Morelos’ loss of form is massively down to how he’s been castigated by the press, the league, and the authorities – and we concede defeat. They wanted to break him, and going by his performances since that gesture at Motherwell, it looks like they’ve done it.

Well done red tops, Scotland, and the authorities – you’ve ruined a young man’s Rangers career and affected his personal life while at it. Par for the course north of the border.

But what happens now? This is the problem Rangers must deal with. We can’t see the striker signing a new deal – and for the first time there’s a sizable chunk of Rangers fans who would be ok with the club parting ways with Alfie.

Naturally if his form returns, that chunk will reduce, but it’s the first time since he acclimatised to Scottish football in late 2017 that a number of fans have advocated a sale.

But he doesn’t look now like a player who cares any more. And we don’t entirely blame him. He has a kid on the way, more important things on his mind, and he played out his skin late last year. Now that is a memory. A nice one, but a memory.

He’s had a slump before – he went 10 games without a goal in 2017 – but that was in the very beginning following such a fast domestic start with 6 goals in 6.

And he came back from it – but he didn’t look unhappy, he didn’t look lost. He does now.

Well done Scottish football and your ways for completely wrecking what should have been a sensational striking star for Rangers.