THE century is in sight for Alfredo Morelos. Time will tell if the striker is 100 and out at Ibrox.

Goals against Malmo, Alashkert and Ross County over the last fortnight have taken Morelos’ tally to 97 for Rangers. There would be no better week to reach the three-digit landmark as Steven Gerrard’s side gear up for a defining Europa League clash and pivotal Old Firm encounter.

Should the Colombian write his name in the Ibrox record books, he would become just the second non-British born player - after the late, great Johnny Hubbard - to hit the century for Rangers.

Remarkably, more than a quarter of his goals have come in European competition after he surpassed the record held by Ally McCoist last season. A couple of months later, his derby duck was broken at long last.

Morelos may be the man that opposition players and supporters love to hate, but he is cherished by Rangers fans and respected by his Ibrox peers. His record speaks for itself, although he will surely admit that it should be even better than it is.

The medal that was earned for the Premiership title win last season was a major moment in the career of the 25-year-old and Rangers legend Mark Hateley knows what a personal accomplishment will mean to Morelos.

“It is a great club to be in,” Hateley, the nine-in-a-row hero who scored 115 times for Rangers, told Herald and Times Sport. “It is an achievement in itself.

“He has had four full seasons, and a couple of games this season, and is now just three goals away from 100.

“That is value for the team and, right there, that is a big part of why Rangers have been so successful.

“He got 46 over the last two seasons and has three already this season, and that coincides with the team picking up and looking to move onto the next level.

“The goals improve the confidence, which then improves the all-round game and that is what we were looking for a while back with Alfredo.

“We wanted his game to rise to the level of a top European striker and scoring goals brings confidence and brings a more relaxed approach to playing the game.

“Sometimes he looks a bit too relaxed, I must admit, but when you are relaxed, you are producing your best stuff.

“A massive part of being a successful football club is having a goal scorer or two or three goal scorers in the same side, which we have managed to produce over the last couple of seasons, and Alfredo is clearly a key part of that.”

There have been times when Gerrard has been exasperated with his star striker and sounded like he couldn’t live with Morelos as his antics and actions cost himself and his team on several occasions. At his best, he is a presence that Rangers cannot live without, though.

The champions are a very different prospect, and certainly a more dangerous one, with Morelos in the side and he remains a talisman for the big occasions.

Gerrard has mellowed and moulded Morelos. He is a largely changed character, while undoubtedly a more refined forward as his game as evolved and developed.

“I think a lot of people do get frustrated with him at times because everyone knows how good he can be,” Hateley said. “It is down to consistency, but age, experience, it is all part of the big learning process that a striker has to go through.

“Scoring goals is a natural thing for good goal scorers, like Alastair. He was always a goal scorer, but with age and experience came more goals.

“And obviously he was playing with a great centre-forward! It all evolves and you grow with experience and confidence.

“Once he gets to the 100, I would like to see him then go again because the confidence of reaching that milestone can take him further along his journey to becoming the top striker that he wants to be.

“Listen, it is no secret that he wants to get to a bigger league or a bigger club, however you see it. The way he is going at the moment, he is doing all the right things.

“That confidence and experience will allow him to go again. I am sure he will go again. He is learning the game as he goes along, and he is improving all the time.”

That growth in Morelos’ game has been such an integral part of the European and domestic successes that Rangers have enjoyed under Gerrard’s guidance over the last three seasons.

The natural downside, of course, is that his talents will not go unrecognised by managers with lofty ambitions and clubs with bank balances more substantial than the Premiership champions.

The meetings with Alashkert and Celtic this week give Morelos the chance to further enshrine his place in the hearts of supporters and in Rangers’ recent history. They may yet prove to be his final outings in Light Blue as the transfer window clock ticks on.

“He is a massive part of the club going forward, but needs must in certain situations,” Hateley said. “One player is not bigger than the club, any club, and if an offer does come for Morelos then it is a difficult situation to be in.

“You look back to last year, he chipped in but he wasn’t the top scorer and we had a couple of players in double figures.

“It was shared around the team more but, without a shadow of a doubt, Alfredo is so important to what Rangers are doing right now.

“But it is football and people come and go, whether that is for the betterment of themselves or the club. It is what it is.

“If somebody comes and makes an offer, then Steven will have to sit down and work through it and decide if the selling of Alfredo will improve the club.

“Could he use that money to make it stronger? Or do they knock it back because Alfredo is such a major part of the machine? That is the dilemma they could face.”