PROVING GROUND
Pittodrie trip offers platform for Morgan to shine but the presence of Christie is clear example of challenge ahead
ASUPERB Scotland debut, a standout most weeks for Aberdeen. Yet will Ryan Christie kick on to be considered a Celtic firstteam fixture next season? That might be a question for Lewis Morgan to consider as he prepares to face top-flight opposition next weekend for the first time since signing on at Parkhead.
The 21-year-old can gain a handle on the level of a Celtic fringe man on Saturday when St Mirren take on Christie’s Aberdeen in the televised lunchtime curtain-raiser to the William Hill Scottish Cup fourth round.
Having penned a three-and-a-halfyear deal with the Treble winners last week, Morgan was immediately loaned back to Saints.
He will join up with Brendan Rodgers and his Champions League hopefuls this summer seeking to persuade the Celtic manager he is worthy of instant promotion.
Christie will be one of his rivals in that regard because the 22-year-old will be itching, after 18 months on loan at Aberdeen, to convince Rodgers that he has improved enough to merit regular inclusion.
Ex-St Mirren coach David Farrell has been hugely impressed with Morgan’s progress but cautions that the tale of Christie confirms the scale of the task facing his former Paisley prospect.
‘I think the fact that Ryan Christie is Aberdeen’s best player tells you that it takes a hell of a lot more to then be a regular at Celtic,’ said Farrell. ‘He does really well with Aberdeen and plays most weeks and yet he can’t
get into Celtic’s team. I think the reason Christie doesn’t get in there is because he doesn’t have that extra burst of pace. Brendan Rodgers is well documented in saying that every player in the Celtic team has to be able to run.
‘Until Ryan perhaps gets Lewis Morgan’s pace, then he might never get himself a place in Celtic’s first team.
‘Your lifestyle changes too when you go there but Lewis will be able to handle that because he’s a good kid.
‘He’s not ready for Celtic’s first team right now. But you never know. A summer of pre-season, a couple of qualifiers for the Champions League, a couple of games in the League Cup. He could then hit the ground running.
‘He will probably look at the Aberdeen game as a good measure of what he could do next season. It will be the first test for him at that level since signing for Celtic.
‘But remember that Lewis went to play against England Under-21s a few months ago and was the best player on the pitch in the second half. Not just with Scotland. He was actually better than a lot of the England players.
‘So he will have a confidence in himself right now so that, if he goes up there and doesn’t have a great game in Aberdeen, I don’t think that will be able to knock him too much in terms of his future with Celtic.’
Only three of Morgan’s 16 appearances for Saints in 2015/16 had come as a starter in the side when Farrell and Alex Rae took over from Ian Murray in December of that season.
The winger was injured within a fortnight and out for three months before returning a more imposing figure ready for the rigours of Championship football.
‘He’d featured as a sub quite a lot when we got there, and was one where you weren’t quite sure because he had great pace but the end product wasn’t really there,’ recalled Farrell.
‘He didn’t have a final ball or a cross. While he was out injured, he really bulked himself up. He came back like a boxer. He already had pace but he ultimately gave himself an extra yard.
‘When he came back, we put him back in the team and he was literally bouncing people out the way. He gave us a real spark.
‘That made a huge difference to his self-belief. You felt, all of a sudden, that he’d became a man. People had always told him, certainly at Rangers, that he was a bit lightweight.
‘I think he felt it was like a coming of age. He felt strong, he felt confident. He’s really kicked on from there. He’s a great kid with a brilliant attitude to the game.
‘You’ve got to have the base ingredients and ability in the first place to get so far. But a lot of it comes from within, that wee bit of desire to push to make the best of yourself. That’s what he’s done.
‘He’s very grounded, nothing really bothers him. I’ve no fears about him making the best of the move.’ It was in a Scottish Cup quarter-final tie last season — a 4-1 defeat at Parkhead — where two-footed Morgan rose to prominence in the mind of Rodgers.
Farrell reveals that the Celtic boss would not have been short of glowing reports to read up on by that stage because Celtic had tracked his talent throughout St Mirren’s second-tier struggles.
‘He did very well at Celtic Park and I think that was the game that first really brought him to the attention of Brendan,’ said Farrell.
‘Celtic were aware of him before that because we had Willie McStay in to watch him a few times when we were at St Mirren, so they were very aware of the talent.’
Meanwhile, Farrell, a former Hibs defender with a luckless derby record of no wins in eight, believes that Neil Lennon’s team will extend their unbeaten record to double figures in the tie next Sunday.
‘It seems incredible that they keep managing to draw each other in the cup,’ said Farrell. ‘Hibs are unbeaten in nine derbies, but Hearts have had a really good run recently.
‘I know Lenny’s teams like to be quite open and attacking, while Craig Levein’s sides look obviously well organised.
‘I actually think that Hibs can go there and get something and I fancy them to get back to Easter Road for a replay.’