World news – GB – Dons ace Taylor ready to take on the role of McKenna if Morelos becomes physical in Ibrox

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ABERDEEN defender Ash Taylor insists he is ready to take on the role of Scott McKenna if Alfredo Morelos decides to physically play with Dons in Ibrox on Sunday.

Former Dons defender McKenna shared several scratches with the Colombian Rangers before moving to Nottingham Forest earlier this season..

He admitted that they « injured him » and their team benefited many times.

The famous duo clashed in a Premier League unveiling match two years ago, as the Rangers striker received a red card after being sent off against his opponent, the Reds.. .

Both men found themselves on their way to a shower early again after another ugly collision in the next Pettodrey showdown a few months later.

But even when he’s out of trouble, Morelos likes nothing better than facing his direct opponents in physical strife..

With McKenna now doing his trade south of the border at City Ground, Taylor says he’s ready to step in the breach as he vowed to deal with Morelos when he visits Aberdeen Govan on Sunday..

“I enjoy this kind of battle,” said the English center-back. “We defenders love this physical aspect of the game and I’m definitely still a great player.

« There are different challenges depending on the attacker you’re facing. I now have a lot more experience so I know how to tweak my game depending on who I’m playing against.

However, Taylor might not stand a great chance of wrestling the Light Blues player if Morelos continued his latest trick of backing down closely to reach out to Steven Gerrard’s midfield..

This tactic was key when the Rangers began the season with their victory over Petodrie in August. Morelos walked away from his marker before turning into a hatch through a rushing Ryan Kent to score the only goal.

That was the only time Taylor felt his squad was paused on opening day, but he admitted they would have to do a lot at Half Skulls if they wanted to hand over Gerrard’s side who hadn’t beaten his bloody first nose in the campaign.

He said, « I’m not quite sure how Morelos will play this weekend. ». “When we played Rangers at the start of the season, he was pulling back a little, allowing the other runners to go forward..

“It was difficult to face him at those times because you don’t want to go to those areas as a defender.

« You just have to reach out and make sure everyone in front of you is ready to cancel it.

“But I noticed a difference in Morelos game and he is pulling back a bit this season. Not sure if that was the thing he was asked to do or the change he wanted to do.

« We were good from a defensive standpoint, but a little hold of the ball and reaching the final third was disappointing..

« But we’ve been dealing with it since then, we’ve looked at the threat more and we’ll look forward to taking that into Sunday’s game..

Rangers are soaring at the top of the table but Derek McCain’s team performed well themselves, unbeaten since their surprise defeat to Motherwell in September.

Taylor added, « It’s going to be a tough challenge against Rangers, it’s always going to be, especially away from home. ».

« But we are Aberdeen Football Club, we ourselves are a big team, and we have a team that can win there as we did before.. We need to follow the confidence and positive mindset that we have shown in recent matches and look forward to the three points.

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Alfredo Morelos, Rangers FC. C. , Ash Taylor, Aberdeen Football Club, Scott McKenna, Scottish Premier League, Steven Gerrard