Rangers boss Giovanni van Bronckhorst acknowledged the “difficult” club versus country issue as he prepares to lose Alfredo Morelos to Colombia.
The 25-year-old Gers striker, with four goals in his last six matches, has been included in his national squad for the upcoming World Cup qualifying double-header against Peru on January 28 and Argentina on February 1 and is set to miss the trip to Celtic on February 2.
With in-form midfielder Joe Aribo away at the Africa Cup of Nations with Nigeria until they are knocked out, Van Bronckhorst, who won 106 caps for Holland and captained them in the 2010 World Cup final, revealed his thoughts on the increasingly regular situation that successful players and clubs find themselves in.
Ahead of Friday’s Scottish Cup tie against Stirling Albion at Ibrox, where striker Kemar Roofe and defender Leon Balogun return to the squad after injuries, the Dutchman said: “Obviously you want to have your full squad for every game.
“At the moment we miss Aribo and we miss Morelos, so that’s not what you want but it is the way it is.
“If you have international games during the league, it always gives you a difficult situation not only for me or as a club but also for players because they are stuck in between playing for their country and for the club.
“I know what the club means for Joe and for Alfredo but as an international player I also know how important it is to be successful for your national team. It is a battle you can’t win as a player.
“He (Morelos) has been in really good form, especially in the last months.
“Since I came in he has had a great development in every aspect of the game so I am really happy for him and also for Rangers that he is in good momentum.
“When he is playing well he gets called up by Colombia national team so he won’t be with us for the coming weeks as he tries to qualify for Qatar at the end of the year.”
Van Bronckhorst will still be without midfielders Ryan Jack, Scott Arfield and Steven Davis as they battle their way back from injuries and he will take the opportunity to utilise his squad against the League Two outfit
The former Gers player said: “It is a chance for me to rotate my squad a little bit. It is always nice when you are able to do that.
“It is also a chance for giving minutes to players who need them, or have come back from injury or didn’t play as much in the last months.
“It is an opportunity to use more players.
“It (cup) is very important, it is the least amount of games to win a major prize. We will do everything to win this cup.”
