Barry Ferguson has warned Rangers chiefs the last thing Philippe Clement needs at Ibrox is the return of Alfredo Morelos.

The Colombian striker is reportedly free to leave Brazilian club Santos after relegation from the top-flight.

A clause in Morelos' deal in Brazil could see him move on for nothing after the nightmare season for Santos.

And the possibility of a move back to Ibrox - where he left in the summer - has been touted by supporters and pundits.

However, former Rangers captain Ferguson has stated any desire to sign Morelos back would be the "wrong move".

In his Daily Record column, Ferguson states: "But, as much as I might naturally like the idea, I also believe it would be the wrong move for my old club and new boss Philippe Clement who is trying to drive Rangers forward in a different direction.

"Clement is already having to work with players he inherited from previous managers. The last thing he needs right now is to bring even more of them back, even if the likes of Morelos and Ryan Kent were huge contributors during their time in Glasgow.

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"The truth is, I watched the performance at Tynecastle on Wednesday night and I saw two players on that pitch who might be better options when it comes to filling the main striker’s role in Clement’s team. And only one of them was wearing a blue shirt."

For Ferguson, the obvious recruitment option at striker for Rangers is Hearts captain Lawrence Shankland.

In fact, Ferguson reckons Shankland is perfectly suited to walk in and perform as a Rangers number nine.

He commented: "This guy has improved his game to such an extent over the last couple of years that I’m surprised he’s not been snapped up already but, watching him on Wednesday, I saw a ready made Rangers centre forward."

While Ferguson was majorly complimentary of Shankland as he offered a Teddy Sheringham comparison, he also suggested Abdallah Sima could be the answer as a central striker at Ibrox.