I liked the look of Lewis Morgan in a Celtic shirt yesterday.
He had a good strong game. He moved well. He beat players easily.
We have a good one on our hands here, but of course that was most definitely the wrong game for telling us just how good.
Tougher tests will come.
We’ll find out if he excels in them.
Morgan is one of those players who’s done it the hard way. He’s come up through the ranks, and served his apprenticeships. All the graft was geared towards a move like this, a move to a big club with a high profile, regularly playing in Europe. It’s all in front of this kid now, Champions League nights, going up against the best, even playing for his country.
And he’s confident about it all. He’s determined. Celtic wanted him to train with the squad and I’d like to think we would never have sanctioned a move to Sunderland on loan even if Morgan had wanted it. But it’s to the kid’s credit that he didn’t, that he wants to break into this Celtic team. Anyone that determined, and with his skill-set, has a shot.
He played wide right yesterday, which I found interesting. I knew he had before and that he could, but it confirms a suspicion on mine; that Jonny Hayes perhaps has a future at the club as well. Hayes plays primarily on the left. He’s going up against Sinclair and that’s tough enough, but if he was going up against Morgan as well something would have to give.
Hayes had a good game yesterday too, and although he’s played on the right, like Morgan, the young ex-St Mirren player looked more comfortable there than Hayes ever has.
We must not assume too much. This was a debut against an amateur team, but he spent last season playing against good sides and professional players and did just fine. Everything we saw yesterday hints at his talent, and versatility.
We’re going to enjoy watching him in bigger games.