FOR a player who took a step backwards to go two further forward, it is little wonder that Lewis Morgan is two-footed when it comes to kicking a football.
The latest addition to Brendan Rodgers’ squad has some pretty big boots to fill when confirmation that he is comfortable with either foot, from set-pieces or open play, brought a comparison with Lubomir Moravcik, the little Slovakian playmaker who cultivated legendary status at the Parkhead club with four creative years of flicks and feints.
“It wasn’t natural for me. It was something from a young age I wanted to do to give myself the biggest chance to progress in the game,” said the 21-year-old. “I’ve got to a stage now where they’re pretty much identical so I don’t really need to think about receiving the ball with a certain foot and it gives me the ability to go either side. It’s a big tool for me and something I base my game around.
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“It’s [Moravcik] a big name to live up to but I do take set-pieces from both sides, depending on what kind of delivery St Mirren are looking for.”
The late Jimmy Johnstone once recalled putting an old mining boot on his stronger foot to make him use his weaker leg with the ball, but there was a more modern feel to Morgan’s tuition.
“The first club I joined as a kid was an academy called First Touch, and we didn’t really play games, it was all based around training,” the Scotland Under-21 internationalist said. “There would be certain sessions where you were only allowed to use your weak foot. They produced a really high number of players who went on to play at pro youth level.”
In any case, Morgan will be required to put his best foot forward at Celtic this summer if he is to dislodge the current players in his position. The winger will remain in Paisley until the end of the season as St Mirren look to push for promotion from the Championship before he then joins up with Rodgers’ side.
“That’s what I’ll be trying to do in the summer, impressing in pre-season and trying to get myself into the team,” he said. “From there, I’ll probably assess and make goals of what I want to achieve. But first is breaking into the team.”
One of the reasons why Morgan was released by Rangers in his teens was attributed to the slightness of his build, but his perseverance to rectify that suggests a drive that will sit well with the Celtic manager.
“I got injured a couple of years ago,” he said. “I was quite slight and I took it upon myself to go to the gym a lot. I came back from injury about double the size.
“I was going to the gym probably about three times a day which any sports scientist would tell you is absolute nonsense. But when you’re injured, you just want to improve. I thought it was the only thing I could do at that time.”
Morgan impressed at under-21 level with Scotland against Holland recently, and the player says he thrives under pressure. However, it is one thing to play under the spotlight when it becomes an open secret that you are on your way to Celtic, but another to cope with the expectation levels at Celtic, even in terms of training with players who carry significant reputations of their own. To that end, the experience gained in the international arena ought to stand him in good stead.
“I’m sure testing myself against players held in a big regard holds more weight probably for anyone watching,” said Morgan. “If they hold the opposition in high regard and then you go on to do well against them.
“I remember the night [against Holland] and I did perform well. People maybe did take notice of me after that. Even the England game in Middlesbrough I did really well again.”
The bar will rise again this summer.