Morgan, Lewis

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Fullname: Lewis Morgan
aka: –
Born: 30 September 1996
Birthplace: Greenock
Signed: 5 January 2018 (300k from St Mirren)
Left: 31 January 2020 (to Inter Miami)
Position: Midfielder, Winger
Debut: Celtic 3-0 Motherwell, League, 19 Dec 2018
Squad No.: 16
Internationals: Scotland
International Caps: 2 [complete at end of career]
International Goals: 0 [complete at end of career]

Biog

Signed as a future prospect from St Mirren in January 2018, he was loaned back to St Mirren to enable him to gain further first team experience. He had actually started in Sevco’s youth teams but had been cut.

“I am here to make an impact” he said positively as he arrived at Celtic.

He was then sent on loan to Sunderland in Jan 2019 to help give him more run-outs. There was hope for him at Celtic, just that the squad was crowded with midfielders. At Sunderland, he had shown some talent but not enough, and back at Celtic he had to now contend to compete with a wealth of youth players and a new manager at the helm (Neil Lennon).

Young and spritely, he won chances beginning from the 2018/19 season and was bright, challenging and enthusiastic, which was doubly good in light of that the first team was actually hitting a poor run as he came onto the scene.

However, he was struggling in his opportunities. Young and inexperienced, he was out of his depth too often which was a shame as you could see the commitment. The fact that both Rodgers & Lennon had persevered with him, showed faith in him, but he needed time & opportunities.

His performances as a striker were often lacklustre so had to move positions on-field to keep a place in the first team. He wasn’t big or strong enough at this age in his physical development and was never going to be able to hold the ball up whilst the midfield pushed up, so it wasn’t fair to play him in that role at this stage in his career. As a winger the support saw the pace he had but his final ball and decision making were often poor, but he was learning his trade at the deep end.

His most difficult day was when he started as a striker v Sevco in the 2019-20 league cup final ahead of the injured Edouard. He had a poor game, but so did the rest of the first team. Celtic still came through and won the match & the title but admittedly only once Edouard came on late in the game.

He needed time, but Celtic were finding it difficult to provide this given the lack of available on-form strikers at the time and due to injuries etc. Sevco were also in the hunt for the league title and challenging Celtic, giving less room for leeway for young players like Morgan.

His proudest moment was scoring the opener for Celtic in a 3-1 win v Rennes in November 2019 in the Europa League. Rennes were a class side, but Celtic topped the group against the odds, and in this match Morgan opened the scoring which set things up nicely. Morgan’s opener came as Celtic started to take a firm grip after a lively start from Rennes. On his first chance, Morgan was unable to react sharply enough to take advantage after the Rennes keeper could only parry a long-range effort from Ntcham, but Morgan produced an instinctive finish which any striker would be proud of. He deserved this moment of glory.

A big surprise came in January 2020 when the cringingly & comically named Inter Miami of the burgeoning US MLS league came in for Lewis Morgan. That club was monied with celebrity backing (e.g. ex-England player & fashionable media star David Beckham) and they saw the same potential with Lewis Morgan as Celtic had. In fairness, it was going to be an enticing role for anyone, especially as he was struggling to make the grade at Celtic.

He was young and needed more time, but sadly Celtic were struggling to give him that as needed; he was still given every outing possible, even at the expense of others like Shved & Griffiths. Further loans out are always double edged which are best avoided. He had proven he had potential, but not enough in returns with the chances he had been given to date on the field.

Curiously he never scored once domestically for Celtic, but did score twice for Celtic in Europe which was a good note. However, he did win his first international cap for Scotland whilst a Celtic player, in a friendly on 29 May 2018 in a 2-0 defeat to Peru, the Scotland management under ex-Rangers manager & dodgy EBT taker Alex McLeish who should never have been allowed near that Scotland job for so many reasons.

Lewis Morgan was a decent prospect player but to sign someone from the Scottish Championship and expect them to be of a standard good enough for the rigmorales at the top end of the top league from the get-go when still young was a huge ask. There wasn’t much convincing some of the more opinionated in the support that he would make it at Celtic, but there was no angst against him and there was much patience. He at least got to play for Celtic in a golden period that saw Celtic lift ten domestic trophies in a row, something very much to treasure.

He took the plunge and moved to Inter Miami in January 2020, and we wished him the very best as Celtic continued on the chase to complete nine titles in a row.

Post-Celtic

Soon after arriving, the COVID-19 epidemidic hit globally in March 2020 and all football was halted, but he managed to carry on, and after a positive spell with Inter Miami, he moved to New York Red Bulls.

In an interview in April 2023, he admitted that despite having a spell at Celtic,  he had grown up a Rangers fan, and for the Celtic v Sevco match that month, he was supporting Sevco. Celtic still won 1-0, but there was no issue with most Celtic fans from him on it who just rolled their eyes.

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Quotes

“I am here to make an impact.”
Lewis Morgan (July 2018)

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The Scotsman

28 Jun 2018

The future of Lewis Morgan is one of the intriguing matter at Celtic this season. While fans are always on the lookout for a new signing to sate their quench for transfers, the club may already have an answer at the club already.It was understandable if there were expectations that Morgan would find himself out on loan in the Ladbrokes Premiership for this season. However, in his fleeting appearances for Scotland last month, plus starring in a video where he expertly set up Leigh Griffiths for a magnificent overhead kick, there are signs that he is ready to handle the next step.The issue is that his favoured left-sided position in attack is well catered for at Celtic Park with Scott Sinclair, Jonny Hayes and Callum McGregor. Sitting on the bench only getting a few minutes here or there would be detrimental to his trajectory.He has that dribbling ability which will endear him to fans, plus the confidence of shooting from either foot. Celtic fans should be wanting to see more of him.

Read more at: https://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/teams/celtic/what-s-in-store-for-celtic-s-raft-of-attacking-midfielders-next-season-1-4761792

Can Lewis Morgan save his Celtic career? The verdict from Sunderland on winger’s future

Lewis Morgan in action.Lewis Morgan in action.James CopleyEmailPublished: 11:40Updated: 12:02 Thursday 06 June 2019Share this articlehttps://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/can-lewis-morgan-save-his-celtic-career-the-verdict-from-sunderland-on-winger-s-future-1-4942244

Lewis Morgan is hoping to resurrect his Celtic career after a spell on loan at Sunderland.The Scotland winger revealed yesterday that Hoops boss Neil Lennon has held talks with his agent over his future, and is set to welcome the former St Mirren man back into the Parkhead fold this summer.But is Morgan good enough to break into Lennon’s treble treble-winning team?James Copley, who watched Morgan in action for six months at Sunderland, gives his verdict on the 22-year-old’s time at the Stadium of Light.The verdict from SunderlandMany Wearsiders lament Morgan’s frustrating inability to consistently perform at the level expected.

Consensus is that the Greenock-born winger should have done more during his time south of the border. Just two goals and four assists in his spell hint at unfulfilled promise.And when asked to describe his time in the North East, fans of the Black Cats turn to phrases such as hit and miss, mediocre and inconsistent.Morgan did play at Wembley twice for Sunderland, shining in the first half in the Checkatrade Trophy final before fading badly. His spell on Wearside almost mirrored Sunderland’s season as a whole.ContextIt is, however, worth noting that two talismanic figures, former Celtic attacker Aiden McGeady and ex-Aberdeen forward Chris Maguire, stole the show at the Stadium of Light last season – and possession of the ball.It was always going to be difficult for Morgan to compete with two seasoned professionals who, between them, often dictated most of Sunderland’s successful attacking play.However, if Morgan really does believe he can break in to Celtic’s first team, he’ll have to usurp proven goal-getters and assist-makers – a fact he acknowledges.

]“There is big competition for places but I knew when I signed for the club it would be like that,” he explained.“I look at guys like Ryan Christie, Callum McGregor and Kris Ajer who all went out on loan then came back to really push themselves into the Celtic first team.“That’s what I want to do now,” Morgan added.Bold talk, but there lies an obvious sticking point with the nine-time Scottish U21 international’s best laid plans.The former Rangers man struggled to outshine McGeady and Maguire, remaining on the periphery in terms of creativity for most of his time in League One.So how does he go about the mammoth task of dethroning Scott Sinclair, McGregor, and Christie in the Scottish Premiership?Youth on his sideDespite Sunderland fans’ frustration, many are quick to recognise Morgan’s obvious talent and potential.And it’s worth noting that the two-time Scottish international bagged a vital goal in Sunderland’s Checkatrade Trophy semi-final over Bristol Rovers.With more game time Morgan, still only 22, could further develop his pace, dribbling and confidence as well as adding that crucial end product.

He said: “I had to go out on loan to get games in my legs again.

“It’s been a positive because it’s got me back into the international scene but I still feel there are higher levels to come from me.”

He has time on his side.

Conclusion

Morgan needs minutes to develop his weaknesses with his decision-making leaving a lot to be desired despite rare glimpses of quality.He’ll no doubt have to improve on last season’s hot and cold performances to force his way into Lennon’s starting XI.