Lewis Morgan’s Celtic career didn’t look great before tonight, but his cameo appearance against Sarajevo may have changed that opinion.
Celtic kicked off their competitive action with a fine 3-1 win in the heat of Sarajevo in Bosnia. Goals from Mikey Johnston, Odsonne Edouard, and Scott Sinclair sealed the deal for the Hoops. Granted, it came after an early scare when Mirko Oremus put the Bosnian champions ahead.
There were plenty of stars for Celtic throughout the 90 minutes. Johnston, in particular, stands out with his stunning equaliser and quick feet. But another winger in Morgan also left an impression on proceedings.
Morgan came into the match tonight just after the hour mark for Johnston. A few may have rolled their eyes considering Leigh Griffiths was also available on the bench too. But Morgan showed a real confidence when on the ball despite the surface being dreadful in Sarajevo.
The pitch was fair cut up, but Morgan constantly darted past the full-backs down both flanks. He started on the left, and provided some dangerous crosses and positive inventiveness at first.
Lennon then decided to switch Morgan over to the right after the introduction of Sinclair. It was then Morgan himself who assisted Sinclair for Celtic’s third goal of the night. It was a fine, deep delivery from the winger, and it wasn’t his first of the night either. He showed he has real two-footed ability from the cross, and that also bodes well for him.
Lewis Morgan’s Celtic career took a boost tonight
It’s not unfair to say he did more in his half-hour cameo than James Forrest managed on the night. Forrest will be back for more the fitter he gets, but Morgan deserves another run-out after tonight’s showing.
With Marian Shved joining and Johnston really shining at left-mid, Morgan’s place at Parkhead looked pretty bleak. But he really did come out from the blue tonight to make a positive impression. You could also see with his determination that there was an eagerness there.
Even when other players were perhaps looking to slow down the tempo, Morgan wasn’t interested. He just picked the ball up and ran with it. That’s the kind of attacking football Celtic fans want to see from their wingers. It’s fair to say the former St Mirren man did himself no harm tonight.
It doesn’t mean he’ll be a regular. It also doesn’t even mean he’ll start in the second-leg. But what it does surely guarantee him is another chance to shine for the Hoops.
He struggled in his few appearances during the first half of last season. That was then followed by an unspectacular second half of the campaign with Sunderland.
But now, we’ll likely see more of him again. Hopefully, he can start what would be a surprising renaissance after a positive display tonight.
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