Europe calling
Morgan is aiming to wing his way into Celtic team
BRENDAN RODGERS was being flippant in reaction to the signing of Maryan Shved last January but Lewis Morgan accepted the point. A week later and the former St Mirren player was heading out on loan to Sunderland in search of the game time which would restore sharpness after an injury-blighted first six months at Celtic.
Morgan had made an outstanding contribution to St Mirren’s Championship-winning season before checking in a year ago but knew he would need to take his game to a new level to establish himself at Parkhead.
He never really got a chance. Injured in the wake of his debut in a Champions League qualifier away to Alashkert, he underwent keyhole surgery to his knee and found
himself back at square one and down the pecking order.
Rodgers gave him the odd start, notably away to Leipzig in the Europa League, but it was impossible for the wide man to establish any rhythm.
His time at Sunderland may have ended in the crushing disappointment of a play-off defeat to Charlton at Wembley but it did wonders for his mental and physical readiness to start again in Glasgow.
Rodgers’ comments on Shved were a flag to the underlying obstacles that still lie in his path, however.
He has a new manager to impress and a tough job to elbow his way in front of James Forrest, Scott Sinclair, Mikey Johnston and now Shved for a place in Neil Lennon’s team but he has adopted a driven approach to his pre-season work.
‘I am desperate to play at this club,’ said the 22-year-old. ‘That was my aim when I signed and it hasn’t changed.
‘I need to stake a claim this pre-season and hit the ground running. There are a lot of wide players here but I knew that when I came to the club.
‘The thing I do have in my favour is that I’m adaptable. I can play in any of those three positions behind the striker and that will hopefully help the manager.
‘He has just told me to be myself and take people on. That’s what I’m here to do.’
Morgan signed on at Sunderland hopeful that a renewed alliance with Ross would result in another promotion.
Relegated in successive seasons, the Black Cats stabilised in League One and put up a challenge yet their third-place finish sent them into the notoriously unpredictable shoot-out of the play-offs.
They got past Portsmouth in the semi-finals but came undone in London. Morgan started the final on the bench but was forced into action early, as a ninth-minute substitute for the injured Max Power.
In front of around 40,000 travelling fans, Sunderland were drawn into a tense match which ended in heartbreak as Charlton scored the winning goal four minutes into stoppage-time.
‘You learn lessons in football whether times are good or bad,’ reflects Morgan. ‘Obviously I had that big disappointment down there but that’s only something I am going to learn from.
‘I am going to be a stronger character for the experience and I’ll use that experience in any way I
can. I did enjoy my time there. I got the chance to play for a big club in some pressure games and I learned a lot.
‘And most importantly I got a run of games, which every player needs. I had the injury last pre-season and that meant I never got that run here. ‘When you suffer an injury, you need a spell in the team to get yourself going again and that’s what happened at Sunderland. ‘I was excited to come back. I had a few months away in which time I was able to take stock. ‘I’m ready and hoping to get a chance and grab it when it comes.’
‘WE have about a million wingers and we don’t need another one’
The thing I do have in my favour is that I’m adaptable. Hopefully that will help me
Just as he flew to Armenia with high hopes 12 months ago, so Morgan will board Celtic’s charter to Bosnia feeling a sense of expectation.
Beyond those dreams of establishing himself at his new club, Morgan also envisaged Champions League nights under the lights at Celtic Park.
‘The European element was all new to me,’ he reflects. ‘I had experienced international football with Scotland but European club football was new to me.
‘There was a pressure around the qualifiers but there is always going to be pressure to win games at this club and that’s something everyone here thrives on. We didn’t qualify last year so we want to go that step further this time and get into the group stage. ‘I hope I can contribute and to do that I need to make sure I’m at it. ‘I need to get on the ball and try to take the play to the opposition. That’s my game and that’s what I need to bring to the team. ‘We have loads of exciting players going forward and the competition for places is as high as ever. ‘It makes it tough for us all but that can only benefit the team. The standard has been brilliant in pre-season, the boys are breaking their necks every day in training to get as much out of it as they can.’
9 Morgan made just nine first-team appearances for Celtic before being sent out on loan to Sunderland, but is now back at Parkhead