Michael Beale provides Morelos Rangers update amid Sevilla rumours

Here is everything he had to say.

What is your reaction to the Scottish Cup semi-final draw?

It’s going to be a good game. Obviously, it guarantees three games between Rangers and Celtic between now and the end of the season, in the last 11 or 12 games, which I think is good for us as a squad moving forward.

Does it give you that opportunity for revenge for the League Cup final?

I’m one of the more fortunate people in that game really because I think that was my first defeat in quite a few. Listen, it wasn't a nice one, but there are three to go between now and the end of the season. We certainly want to show a better face in them games and we need to, but before then, there's a lot of football to be played. There are two more league games then there’s an international break, and then after the first league game on the 8th of April, that's quite a long time until the end of the month, so we just keep improving every day.

Does your season hang on the semi-final?

Well, it's a big game, isn't it? When it comes around? As I say, there are a lot of games between now and then. It's how you arrive at it that I’m more interested in. We need to make sure that we arrive there in a good place. We've got a big league game this weekend and a home game against Dundee United before the game away to Celtic and they're all important, as they have been since I've come back in. Our form has been fantastic in the league, certainly our way form. So let's hope we can keep that going against Motherwell, which is the main focus right now and we'll deal with those games when they come around.

What’s been the key away from home that’s allowed your team to play with a bit more style?

A lot of clean sheets away from home. There's been a mixed bag in terms of a little bit of everything. There's been some free-flowing football at times. There have been some really good defensive performances as well, where we've used the counterattack really effectively. So we've managed to find a solution to the problems that we're facing. We go away to Motherwell this weekend, they're in good form similar to when we went away to Hearts and Hibs in the last couple of big away games. Stuart's done really well since he's gone in there. They've had an up-pick. He was manager of the month. They didn't play last week, so they've had their eyes on us for a little while now and we look forward to the game.

The intensity that you played with the Hibs and Hearts, how do you replicate that at home?

Listen, if we weren't creating chances, I'd be more worried. But it was a completely different game that Raith gave us in terms of problems to solve. Even after we scored the first goal, it didn't change their resolve. They sort of did stay there. We had 24 shots in the game and 18 corners, so what you could say is, can we be a bit more ruthless in the boxes? Certainly, it wasn't a lack of getting into the right areas. In our last away game at Hibs, I think we had 31 shots, so we're certainly not struggling in terms of our output in the final third. Then it's just a matter of our quality, which is something that we're working on for sure.

Have you spoken with Alfredo Morelos since the reports came out that he had signed a pre-contract with Sevilla?

Yeah, we spoke obviously after the game on Sunday and there's no truth in that. So I was pretty cool about it beforehand anyway because we have such a strong relationship and we're both committed to each other until the end of the season. We'll sit down and have a chat then and if Alfredo's here and offered a new contract, great. If he moves on, he's our record goal scorer in Europe. We've had a lot of big days together and he'll get a hug and on he goes, but at this moment in time, we're just focused on the games ahead. There's no truth in the situation with Seville.

You’ve said you want Ryan Jack and Ryan Kent to stay, can you say the same about Alfredo Morelos?

Yeah, I can. The big thing is, is that where do we see the club going moving forward and who do we want to build around for the next three or four years? So I need to think when I’m making these offers, do I feel that I want to build someone for the next three or four years? It's a moment where there are a lot of players out of contract and therefore there are a lot of salaries coming back in. If we weren't to renew with some of the players, it which gives the club a lot of options this summer. I've identified a few players to the club that we're away working on now and doing our scouting. There are almost two jobs going on. There's the team now and trying to improve that and continue with the good form and improve the style and identity of every game and every training session. Then behind the scenes, there's working towards what Rangers going to look like for the 1st of July next year when we return for pre-season. They’re big decisions to make. Alfredo's had a huge part of this football club in the last few years, contributed really well on the pitch and is our record goal scorer in Europe. There are certainly only nice things for me to say about him and our relationship, but at the end of the season there'll be a chance for us to have a conversation about whether we continue or not, and that's very open at this moment in time.

What do his figures say in terms of his fitness and what do you see on the training ground?

There's no real difference in physical output between him and Tony. Obviously, it's a little bit more high speed in terms of what Fashion gives us when you play at Ibrox against some teams, it's more short, sharp movements. In terms of his work ethic, he’s fine, he's got his own programme, he goes off and works in the gym as well. I've got to be honest since I've come back in, Alfredo's been fantastic in all aspects and there have not been any issues whatsoever. I think sometimes people try to force and find one. I think I said last week he’s scored seven goals and five assists in the time I've been here and he hasn't played every game. For example, he didn't play the three last week and there were a couple of other games he hasn't played in. If you look at his goal contribution per game, I think he's probably one-to-one. There’s nothing in that. I've just got a decision in terms of where I want to take the team in the future and Alfredo's got a decision on where he sees his long-term future as well. So it's going to be a summer where he's not the only one we're discussing that with, and there are other players in contract that I've had conversations with as well.

Has Alfredo said to you that he wants to say?

No, we said we're going to concentrate on the rest of the season. Stay committed to each other and talk in the summer, and that's fine. I'm happy with that. He reiterated that there's no truth in the Seville situation whatsoever.

Do you still think you get plenty out of Alfredo?

With Alfredo, I think it’s a bit like the team. The team was on a rise for two or three years and has had a difficult six months and in that everybody's open to criticism. No one's speaking about the goalkeeper situation when three or four weeks ago it was the only thing we spoke about and about injuries and they're sort of clearing up. Now, we’re on to Alfredo so it's never a dull day being the manager of the football club. What I can say is that there are a lot of misconceptions about Alfredo. Every day he comes in, he works hard, he's a good teammate, he’s supporting the team and he reiterated to me that's how he wants it to stay between now and the end of the season. And I assured him that there was nothing that can happen between now and our last game which would change my energy towards him either.

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Will Malik Tillman be back for the weekend?

Malik Tillman trained today so I'm delighted that he's back within the group. He trained well this morning, so he's available for selection.

What’s Borna’s situation?

Borna’s wife is due to give birth, it’s her first child. She's running a couple of days late, but obviously, then he goes well on international duty, so we're running tight on that one. But Ridvan’s fit and available and young Adam Devine and you may see a change of formation where we play with somebody else out there as well.

Can you clarify what’s going on with Nnamdi Ofoborh?

It's a really personal matter, that one. Obviously, Nnamdi’s a boy that we signed originally from Bournemouth and I was here in and around the scouting when we signed Nnamdi. He was a player that I was quite excited about. He then went to Wycombe and had the problem after doing the medical with Rangers. Since he's come to Rangers, it’s been difficult. He's never been out to train with the group, he's never been able to play with the group. He's been away and seen the best cardiologists we could find. He's seen two different and we're now supporting him to see a third opinion as well. It’s fair to say that those opinions have not always been perfect so he's managed to get back into light training, but our advice as a club from the specialists is just light training at this moment in time that me, you or anybody could do and nothing more than that. So that's where we're at. Nnamdi’s a boy that I'm close to, and I really feel for his situation. He's a young man that's had his whole life turned upside down in the last two years and he's finding it really difficult with the feedback that he's been getting. He’s away to see a third specialist now and the club’s supporting him on that. The club’s been fantastic in their support for him the whole way through the two years. It's just a really difficult situation and I'm certainly not an expert on it. I'm just trying to support the young boy through what you can imagine is a really, really difficult period for him.

So his comments weren’t against the club?

I haven't spoken to him about that since the weekend. When Nnamdi’s here and he's able to work, he’s here and there are periods when he's away from here doing his gym programme as well. You can imagine moving up from the South to Glasgow and then not having a daily programme playing football. He's not being able to breathe as a football player so we don't ask him to come in here every single day if he's not working. He’s been away now seeing the best people possible. He's been away and seeing the specialist that dealt with Daley Blind and Christian Eriksen as well. So there's everything I feel we could have done as a football club, we've done. It's just really frustrating for Nnamdi that he can't do as much as he would like, but that's us acting on the advice that we're given and sometimes that's difficult.

Are you confident he’s not referring to the club but to medical advice?

I can’t see how he could be commenting on the club.

Is there any truth the club have signed off on a new contract for Scott Arfield?

There’s no truth in any player being offered or signed off on any new contract. We haven't moved anywhere on Sunday. Scott Arfield’s a player that I've got a lot of time for, a man that I've got a hell of a lot of time for. He gives a lot around there, but that's not true.

What’s your take on a potential new fifth-tier of Scottish football?

There's a huge opinion on this for and against and I get that in football. Without being the manager of Rangers, this is my own personal opinion, it happens in Portugal, it happens in Holland, it happens in Germany. I think Italy, now with Juventus have got it as well and I think it would be good for the development of young Scottish players. That's my personal opinion. It will divide opinion, of course, but most countries outside England have it, and there's a reason why they have it. So I think we need to start looking at some models in other countries that we feel can help and help our young players. If I speak now about our club as the manager of our club, do I think our young players have benefited from a stronger or a bigger games programme? Yes. Do I think the level is helping them play for Rangers? Possibly not. Other than playing against men and for three points and having a regular games programme, it hasn't always helped. In having players coming back from injury but not being able to play them in those games, i.e. Ridvan, John Souttar, Ianis Hagi, that's not always helped either. It's a mixed bag, it’s not ideal both ways, certainly, before the Old Reserve League that these boys were playing in wasn't fit for purpose, in my opinion. We have to, in this country, find a way that we think helps our young players develop. It could be that you would say to me? Well, Rangers can send players out on loan to different teams in the league, but it's whether those teams are playing in the style and that's developing the players to play for Rangers. There's an argument for and an argument against, but I think we need to look at some of the other countries that are doing that and ask the questions why. There are enough countries doing it and it being successful, whether that's Germany, Portugal, Holland, as I say, Italy, now with Juventus B team also in the pyramid as well.

Will you seek clarity from Nnamdi and what he meant by his comments?

We’re speaking every day and I don't want to put words in anyone's mouth, but it's important that it's a private matter. Now all of a sudden the questions go out and I have to be very careful in terms of how I answer them because obviously, it's Nnamdi’s future that's at stake. I don't want to answer in a positive or negative. All I can say is that he's getting the best help possible and the clubs helped him and enabled him to do that. The club’s continued to support Nnamdi and he's been out for two years, so it's difficult for the young man and I try to give him the support like I did when I sat in front of him and was about to sign him and he was coming into Rangers to play. This wasn't the story that any of us wanted. This is not the reality any of us wanted but at this moment in time, the less said about his personal and his medical situation, I think the better for Nnamdi.

What’s your reaction to Mark Hateley’s comments that the pressure will increase on you if Celtic win the next league game?

The pressure is on me to win every single game. That's what I signed up for as well. So you know when you're having the rough days, you remember, you knew all about this when you signed up for it. It's a game we're looking forward to because we underperformed in the last one, we should have probably won the one before that. There’s not been a big gap in terms of quality or the scoreline, which there probably was earlier in the season. We've shown that we can now consistently win against most of the teams in the league and go on a strong run. It's important with three games coming up in a big derby out of the last 11-12 games of the season that we tried to win more than we lose and we're all focused on that but before that, it's a lot of football to be played. I haven't got a magic ball that tells me who's going to be fit and available so I'll deal with that game when it comes around. I agree with Mark, it's fine, it's par for the course. It's what you guys would say as well and it's probably what I would say so there's no issue.