I CAN BE THE NEW LUBO
CELTIC LATEST Two-footed Lew a rare specimen
The 21-year-old is a rare breed in modern football, hitting corners and free-kicks from both sides in his rise up the ranks with St Mirren to earn his £ 300,000 Hoops move.
But it was nurture, not nature, which gave him the gift, with hours of graft as a kid getting him to the point he wanted – where no fullback knew which side he was going.
It’s a throwback to the days of the magical Slovakian playmaker at Parkhead and Morgan admitted: “It’s big name to live up to but I take set-pieces from both sides and if I get do it here, I’d be the same.
“It wasn’t natural for me – it was something from a young age I wanted to do to give myself the biggest chance to progress.
“I’ve got to a stage now where they’re pretty much identical so I don’t need to think about receiving the ball with a certain foot. It’s something I base my game around.
“When I was younger football was everything so I just spent hour upon hour every day working on my weaker side. Now you can’t tell.”
Asked what actually is his weaker foot, he joked: “If you put a gun to my head, if I was hitting a penalty I’d hit it with my left. That’s the only way I can put it.
“The first club I joined was a n academy called First Touch. We didn’t really play games, it was all just training.
“There would be sessions where you were only allowed to use your weak foot. They produced a number of players who went on to play at pro youth level. I owe a lot to them.”
Morgan doesn’t just play with two feet - he’s using his head as well, visualising a step-by- step future with club and country.
The Scotland Under-21 winger admitted: “The first thing I have to do in the summer is impress in pre-season and get into the team.
“Playing for a club like Celtic highlights what you’re doing on a weekly basis so if I come in here and hit the ground running, that can propel me on to the national team.
“The fact the core of the Scotland team is mainly Celtic already is understandable considering how well Celtic have done. It’s important for the national team to have players from the biggest club.”
Morgan’s pathway has been one of dedication and hard work to get to where he is – but there were times when he went overboard.
Told he was too wee when he was released by Rangers, he revealed: “I got injured a couple of years ago and I was quite slight so I took it upon myself to go to the gym a lot.
“Since then I’ve slimmed down again but I remember coming back from the injury double my size!
“It was important to me at the time. It was one of the main factors I got into the first team.
“They thought I could be trusted to handle myself and since then I’ve really kicked on. It still helps me now. For a winger to be explosive and have endurance is important.
“I feel just as strong now, albeit more mobile and athletic. I couldn’t move when I first came back!
“I was going to the g ym probably about three times a day which any sports scientist would tell you is absolute nonsense.
“But when you’re injured you just want to improve. I thought it was the only thing I could do.”
Af ter eight year s in the Rangers academy, which he described as a relief to leave, Morgan had two clubs after him following a high- stakes exit trial for pro-youth rejects.
He said: “Looking back on that game, there was pressure. It was full of boys all just released from their clubs but I played well. I thrive in pressure situations.
“I trained with Patrick Thistle but it wasn’t for me. I much preferred St Mirren. They had a reputation for having academy players in the team and that was important. “I knew there would
be a pathway.”