It’s tough but I can still get my big break at Bayern!
Scots kid Morrison eager to overcome setbacks and make his mark with German giants
THREE years into a German adventure hampered by two big injuries, a pandemic and the odd bout of self doubt, Liam Morrison remains boldly confident that he can yet make the big breakthrough at Bayern Munich. Fast-tracked towards a first-team debut for Celtic in his mid-teens, Morrison was pinched by Bayern before Neil Lennon had the chance to blood the central defender in a competitive game at Parkhead.
The lure of the Bundesliga was obvious. The chance to experience the care, facilities and sports science at the disposal of one of the elite clubs in world football was not something many 16-year-olds would feel inclined to turn down.
Energised by his huge opportunity, he publicly declared his ambition of becoming the best defender in the world.
Bayern’s kids are encouraged to think big and Jamal Musiala, another of that same summer’s intake, is now a first-team regular at the Allianz and a full German international ready to take the World Cup by storm.
Still a teenager and now playing for Bayern’s B team, Morrison is grateful to be taking smaller — yet still significant — steps forward.
He earned his first Scotland Under-21 cap against Iceland in midweek and did so as captain to boot. Despite everything he has been through, the overarching goal remains.
‘Nothing’s changed,’ he declares. ‘I’ve had things go against me but I am not going to play for Bayern if I don’t believe that one day I can be the best centre-back or be playing in that team every week.’
Midway through Morrison’s first season, a back injury laid him low. Then Covid swept through Europe and the Bayern campus at which he and his fellow starlets were residents was locked down before he had the chance to secure a flight home.
Most recently, a knee problem kept him out for an extended period.
Even for someone with supreme confidence in his ability, doubts were inevitable.
‘There were so many times I’d phone my dad, saying: “Have I done the right thing here?”,’ he confesses. ‘I was watching boys I’d previously played with getting first-team games at Celtic while I was only playing Under-19s.
‘If I stayed, would I be playing first team now? Or would I not be injured as much if I’d stayed? So there were doubts. But as things got back to normal, it clicked that I’d made the right decision.
‘I’ve learned so much. I’ve worked under Miroslav Klose, who was top scorer at the World Cup, and Martin Demichelis.
‘I’ve trained with the first team at times and came through with boys like Jamal Musiala, who has played 100 games for Bayern.
‘It’s harder to break into the first team at a club like Bayern. But I’m still learning.’
As well as his father, Morrison has also been able to call on Billy Gilmour, a fellow Ayrshire lad, for advice. The two started on opposite sides of the Glasgow divide but have maintained a friendship since childhood.
‘Billy grew up round the corner from me, so we played football all the time,’ adds Morrison. ‘He’s a great guy and I went to him for advice before leaving Celtic because he had moved away from his family when he signed for Chelsea.
‘We’ve helped each other out as he’s also had some problems.
‘That’s football. Last year, he was flying, man of the match for Scotland against England, playing for Chelsea — and then he wasn’t playing.
‘That can happen to anyone. It can be a manager fancying you or your luck’s not there but I am sure he will bounce back.’
Now at Brighton, Gilmour is pursuing an alternative career route. Musiala too used to be on Chelsea’s books but took his talents to Germany before exploding on to the scene with Bayern.
Morrison, physically imposing and comfortable on the ball, had sailed through the age groups in Scotland, catching the eye of numerous UK and European scouts along the way.
The past three years have been tough but he is also grateful for the challenges that he believes will ultimately help him forge his own path.
‘My dad has always been my guidance in football,’ he says. ‘He didn’t make it at a high level but he knows the game.
‘He told me I’d need to go through a stage like this at some point in my career.
‘All through Celtic everything was great. I was training with the first team, playing up an age level and I didn’t have bad injuries.
‘At Bayern, it didn’t work out in the beginning. Finally, I’m back playing. It’s been tough but a good learning curve for me.
‘The standard at Bayern when I trained with the first team for the first time? Wow.
‘I felt a bit off it at first because you’re up against top players, some of the best in the world.
‘After being out for six months my first bounce game was against Leroy Sane.
I think Kingsley Coman was on the other side. What chance have I got? But playing against them every day just improves you and helps you get to that level.
‘You need the mentality of the Germans. Stay strong, work for everything.
‘They helped me so much. If I was struggling, I’d go to the coaches. They’d been through it already because they were top players. So the advice was top class.
‘In Germany, everyone is there to help you. My German’s not bad but it’s a very difficult language. I did languages in school — Chinese, Gaelic, French — but this is by far the hardest. It’s so aggressive.
‘When I first entered the physios’ room, I thought they were screaming at each other but they were just talking to each other normally.
‘If the coach is speaking to me on the pitch I understand it all.’
Out of contract in the summer, Morrison dearly hopes to do enough to merit an extension.
If that means agreeing to a loan transfer, then he’s up for it, saying: ‘At this moment in time, Bayern is the only thing on my mind but I’d definitely be open to a loan.
‘At 19/20, it’s important to get proper first-team experience. Playing in the fourth league you are playing against men but it’s not a high standard.
‘I need to be learning from an experienced centre-back, a guy who’s done it, who is better than me, older than me and knows what he’s talking about.
‘So the loan option is beneficial for anyone.
‘We’re still in discussions about extending my deal. I haven’t thought too much about it because I just wanted to get back playing.
‘I want to make sure that even if it doesn’t work out at Bayern that I gave it everything.’