Alfredo Morelos was especially fired-up ahead of Rangers' match over the weekend, The 4th Official have claimed. 

The lowdown

The 25-year-old marked his return to Giovanni van Bronckhorst's side with two goals, as well an assist for Glen Kamara, as they thumped Hearts 5-0 to move back within a point of the Premiership summit.

The £33,000-per-week striker had missed the Gers' three previous matches after being called up to the Colombia squad for their World Cup qualifiers. In his absence, Van Bronckhorst's side had conceded a 96th-minute equaliser to Ross County and been dealt a 3-0 Old Firm beating at Parkhead.

All the while, Morelos didn't so much as make the bench for his country's games against Peru and Argentina.

The latest

Morelos apparently viewed the clash with the Edinburgh outfit as an 'outlet' for the frustration he had experienced in recent weeks.

A snippet of The 4th Official's Patreon article posted on Twitter on Sunday read: "I had a conversation with someone close to Morelos, and he told me how much the Rangers forward was looking forward to the game today vs Hearts.

"It would not surprise you in the least to know that Morelos had been fuming this week and wanted an outlet."

The verdict

This observation tallies with something that former Rangers hitman Kenny Miller spotted on Sunday. The 42-year-old told BBC Sportsound [via Ibrox News] that Morelos looked like he wanted 'to fight somebody in the crowd' after opening the scoring in the 11th minute.

Miller wasn't sure if there was 'a Hearts fan giving him a bit of stick', but he was pleased by the Colombian's display of hunger upon his return to action.

Rangers fans will surely hope that an energised Morelos proves to be the difference in the coming months as they battle to retain their Premiership title against a resurgent Celtic.

In other news, this BBC journalist slammed one Rangers player over a 'huge' error in Sunday's win