Wise Head On Young Shoulders

- Tony Connelly

THERE are plenty of confident young players in football but it’s rare to find one as judicious and down-to-earth as Lewis Morgan. It’s been a long journey for the young winger to get to this point and, if he continues on the path he has laid out before him, Celtic fans have much to be excited about when he pulls on the green and white jersey.

Morgan is now beginning to break into the Celtic team eight months after signing a four-and-a-half year deal with the Scottish champions in January. Of course, the first six months of his Hoops career were spent with St Mirren who he immediately returned to on loan after agreeing terms with Celtic.

He rounded off his time with the Paisley club, who he joined at under-17 level, by helping them clinch the Scottish Championship and gain promotion to the Premiership. While his stats from last season - 18 goals and 13 assists in 42 games - point to his contribution towards that success, they do little justice to highlight his plethora of talents on the pitch.

Celtic fans are now beginning to see those talents as Morgan starts to build momentum in his Hoops career. He made his fourth competitive appearance for Celtic at the weekend against Aberdeen when he came on as a second-half substitute for James Forrest, and he is pleased to be making the breakthrough.

“We have players in abundance that can play in forward positions and that’s healthy competition for the squad,” said the 22-year-old. “There are a few players who can play out on the left too, so I’m working as hard as I possibly can to stake a claim for a place in the starting XI.