Striker blows wide open long-held Rangers myth
GLASGOW, SCOTLAND - FEBRUARY 21: Alfredo Morelos of Rangers celebrates after scoring his team's fourth goal during the Ladbrokes Scottish Premier League match between Rangers and Dundee United at Ibrox Stadium on February 21, 2021 in Glasgow, Scotland. Sporting stadiums around the UK remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)
One further fascinatingly telling revelation from Jermain Defoe’s confessions about team mate traits was to rather violate a long-held myth about Alfredo Morelos and he:
They are not particularly close.
It’s been long-claimed that Defoe is like a mentor to Morelos, that the two of them are very close and got closer since Daniel Candeias’ departure, and while the ex-England man admitted they did bond a bit more after Candeias moved on, they’re hardly best friends.
And, in fact, Defoe admitted his closest buddy in the squad by a fair distance is Glen Kamara.
So not Morelos.
In fact, Filip Helander made a joke at Morelos’ expense by admitting he was the team mate he’d least want to be stuck on a desert island with because neither of them would be able to talk to the other, with such a language barrier.
And Defoe’s admission that it’s Kamara his best buddy and not Morelos does suggest the two strikers have a decent professional relationship but that is pretty much it.
In truth, the veteran hitman is so well respected in the game that everyone finds him approachable and easy to get on with, so it’s not like he and the Colombian are at odds with each other – far from it.
But they’re not best mates, and he’s not really his mentor it seems.
No, Defoe’s comments probably show more why Kamara has developed so well at Ibrox, despite the two being different positions.
Defoe could teach anyone a lot, and we suspect the Finn is the biggest beneficiary.