Morgan hopes for more Scotland cap chances

Lewis Morgan ended a whirlwind season with an appetite for international football after winning Scotland caps against Peru and Mexico.

The 21-year-old attacker signed a four-and-a-half year deal with Celtic from St Mirren in January and was then immediately loaned back to help the Buddies get promoted the Ladbrokes Premiership while collecting the PFA Scotland Championship player of the year award to boot.

To conclude a memorable campaign, he was called up by Scotland boss Alex McLeish for the post-season challenge matches in the Americas against two sides going to the World Cup.

Morgan came off the bench in the 2-0 midweek defeat by Peru before making another second-half substitute appearance, this time for Oli McBurnie, in the 1-0 loss to Mexico on Saturday night. Although his game time was limited, Morgan – linked with a potential loan to Sunderland – told how keen he is to stay in McLeish’s plans. “Of course, I got the first taste of it in Peru and I would love to have had more minutes on the park against Mexico because I am hungry for it.

“I can only thank the manager for giving me the opportunity to go out and play.

“I don’t set caps on what I want to achieve, I aim as high as I can and to end the season like this – OK, we didn’t get the results we wanted, but the team will take a lot from it.

“The conditions were hard and the boys equipped themselves very well.

“From the start of the season in the Betfred Cup, to end it at an arena like the Azteca Stadium has been incredible for me. It has been great.

“I always knew that if I reached the targets I set myself I could get here. Obviously I owe a lot to the manager for calling me up. It is an experience I hope to learn from.”

Keepers Jon McLaughlin and Scott Bain, who came on at half-time, both won their first caps, with Giovani Dos Santos scoring the winner in the 12th minute. The spirited Scots improved markedly after the break and McBurnie headed against the post.