Glasgow Rangers are in an excellent place at the moment, winning ten out of 11 matches following the appointment of Michael Beale late last year, and the move is paying off so far.

Although a title challenge may prove to be out of the question considering the nine-point deficit to the top of the Premiership table, the two domestic cups will very much be in the sights of everyone at Ibrox.

Beale will no doubt be planning ahead for next season, and signing Todd Cantwell and Nicolas Raskin in January is an encouraging start. However, he may face a problem when it comes to retaining certain players for 2023/24, with eight first-team squad members out of contract at the end of the campaign.

The likes of Allan McGregor, Steven Davis and Scott Arfield will most likely be released, but Beale must do everything that he can to keep Alfredo Morelos at the club, especially considering his recent form.

The Colombian striker was linked with a move to La Liga outfit Sevilla last summer, and with his future uncertain heading into the final year of his contract, many felt that the Ibrox club would cash in on him.

No such move materialised though, and as the 26-year-old struggled to regain confidence following his recovery from a season-ending injury in April 2022, Giovanni van Bronckhorst used him sparingly at the beginning of this campaign.

Indeed, Morelos scored just three goals before December and there were even accusations that he had downed tools, but since Beale has arrived at Rangers, the striker has been a man reborn.

Six goals and three assists in 11 games under the 42-year-old has rejuvenated the player, and there is no doubt that the regular run of matches has helped him to get back to his best.

Morelos was described by one former Premiership player – who wished to remain anonymous – as “a nightmare for defenders”, while Jordan Campbell once dubbed the £33k-per-week hitman “lethal”. With Beale building a Gers side which is much more fluid in attack compared to his predecessor, imagine how many goals the Colombian could get next season.

Rangers need Morelos in top form for 2023/24 if they plan on ending Celtic’s recent dominance of the Scottish game; and if he can use the remainder of this campaign as a springboard to get himself back to the leanness and sharpness that he showed between 2018 and 2021 – where he scored 76 goals in three seasons - then he will almost be like a new signing for the Light Blues.