Rangers striker Alfredo Morelos missing the Old Firm derby would be a tough blow for Giovanni van Bronckhorst's side, according to journalist Pete O'Rourke.

Morelos has been a standout performer for Rangers since he joined the club in 2017, but his participation in the side's game against Celtic on Sunday is currently up in the air.

What has happened to Morelos?

The 25-year-old was called up for international duty by Colombia ahead of their crucial World Cup qualifiers against Bolivia and Venezuela.

However, after not playing a single minute in the 3-0 win at home to Bolivia, Morelos was sent home with a thigh injury.

He could only watch on as Colombia edged past Venezuela 1-0 in the early hours of Wednesday morning (UK time), but it was not enough to secure them a place in the World Cup play-offs as that spot was taken by Peru.

With it being confirmed that Morelos has a muscle issue, he has emerged as a doubt for Sunday's top-of-the-table clash.

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What has O'Rourke said about Morelos potentially missing out?

O'Rourke thinks it would be a significant setback for Rangers if Morelos fails to prove his fitness in time for the match.

He told GIVEMESPORT: “It would be a huge blow for Rangers to be without their star striker for this one. You want your best players fit for the biggest games, and they don’t come much bigger than this one.”

Would Rangers be able to cope without Morelos?

This could ultimately be a title-deciding match, with just three points separating the two teams heading into the final seven games of the season.

Morelos has featured in 26 of Rangers' 31 Scottish Premiership matches, managing to score 12 goals and providing seven assists for van Bronckhorst's team.

From the 26 matches that Morelos has played in Rangers have picked up 63 points, an average of 2.42 points per game.

Meanwhile, in the five fixtures that the £11.7m-rated striker has missed, they have collected 10 points, an average of 2 points per match.

Admittedly, this is a fairly small sample size, but it does suggest that Rangers are clearly a better team when Morelos is in it, so they will be hoping that he recovers in time to make the starting XI at Ibrox.