Bryn has a second chance to impress Brewers
HASSELBAINK BRINGS BACK LOANEE OF SIX YEARS PAST
JIMMY Floyd Hasselbaink has brought back the first player he signed for Burton Albion with the arrival of midfielder Bryn Morris on a two-year deal.
Morris came in on loan from Middlesbrough in November, 2014, when he was 18 and had captained England’s Under-19s. The loan lasted only a month but Hasselbaink liked what he saw and never forgot.
“It’s good to be back!” Morris told the club’s website. “I was only here for a month back then, a short time, but I remember really enjoying it. Things have changed a lot and I’m looking forward to getting back into it at a club I know.
“The manager got in touch with me and that was a big point for me in coming back – it showed he was keen to get me and he didn’t need to sell the club or anything.
“I’m looking forward to working with him again.”
Hasselbaink added: “Obviously, with Bryn, we know him as he’s been with us once before.
“He’s grown significantly since that first loan with us.
“He’s established himself in the League as one of the better central midfielders and we are happy to be able to bring him back to the club, this time on a permanent basis.”
Morris is still only 25 and will come in on a free transfer when his contract with Portsmouth expires but he had already been named on their released list and that alerted Hasselbaink.
Morris played twice against Burton last season, for Portsmouth when a Marcus Harness hat-trick gave them a 4-2 win at the Pirelli Stadium, then for Northampton Town on loan in February, when Burton won 2-0 at the Sixfields Stadium. He played for England at youth level up to the under-20s and follows Cameron Borthwick-jackson, Omari Patrick and Deji Oshilaja in signing for Albion so far this summer.
Morris began his career with Middlesbrough before spending time with Coventry City, York City and Walsall. Upon leaving Middlesbrough, he spent 18 months with Shrewsbury Town, which included a loan with Wycombe Wanderers, before signing for Portsmouth for an undisclosed fee in January 2019, spending the second half of last season on loan at Northampton. Hasselbaink felt he had a player of the highest promise during his first spell with Burton.
Back then, he said: “He’s a very good professional and he has a bright future ahead. He’s also the England Under-19 captain but he’s still learning the game.
“It’s his first loan so you do have to be careful with him and you do have to protect him.
“He’s all about pure football and
He’s established himself in the League as one of the better central midfielders. Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink
he’s always looking to pass even when we can’t pass, so he’s still learning that side.
“But he’s somebody who can make us better. He’s a good passer of the ball with a good work ethic.”
With the future of Ryan Edwards uncertain and Sean Clare having returned to parent club Oxford United, it was clear that Burton needed to strengthen in midfield.
Both Edwards’ and Clare’s games revolve around their high energy, while Hasselbaink’s comments about Morris suggest he sees him as more of a craftsman with the ball at his feet.
He has not reached the heights that Hasselbaink predicted for him back in 2014 but, at 25, those heights are not necessarily beyond him yet.
After eight years as a pro, he has reached only 137 career appearances and clearly would have hoped to play more football than that.
The opportunity is there for him to fulfil his potential under the Dutchman’s tutelage once again.