One of the more notable omissions from the first-team squad in recent weeks has been Lewis Morgan.
The former St Mirren winger was part of a failed Celtic experiment earlier on this season. Neil Lennon looked to try to shoehorn him into the striker’s position over a period of games over the course of November and early-December.
It all culminated with him starting up top in the Betfred Cup final at the beginning of the month. Morgan would prove to be anonymous against Rangers, and as Odsonne Edouard returned to fitness, the winger hasn’t been given another shot up top.
Since then, he’s only been given one further outing against Cluj when Lenny changed the entire team. He wasn’t impressive in Romania either despite playing in a wide position.
And it looks as though the frustrating experiment of him playing up top is now all but over. After the Cluj match, Morgan found himself on the bench for games against Hibernian and Hearts respectively. In the last three against Aberdeen, St Mirren, and Rangers respectively, Morgan hasn’t been in the squads at all.
Has Morgan had his chance?
There have been no reports of any injury concerns for the wide man. No reason for him not to be getting squad calls. It simply looks as though he’s dropped too far down the pecking order all of a sudden to be considered for selection.
And it now looks a real tricky battle for him to get back into contention. He’s no longer a back-up option to Edouard either. Leigh Griffiths now has that role, even if he hasn’t shown anywhere near his full capabilities in recent times.
It also looks a lost cause for him at left-mid too. When Mohamed Elyounoussi returns, it’ll surely be between him and Mikey Johnston to battle it out down that flank.
You could argue that Morgan could become the main rival to James Forrest for his position. However, even then, you can’t see Jimmy losing his spot to the former Sunderland loan star permanently.
The sad truth is that Morgan has had his opportunities this season. He’s played on 18 occasions this season over a variety of positions (Transfermarkt). There haven’t been enough standout performances in those games from him.
The fact that nobody has been asking questions of his recent omissions also tells a story. He isn’t a player who’s been missed since he dropped out. As we tick towards January, Morgan could have a decision to make given his current situation at Parkhead. Another loan spell surely wouldn’t be the worst thing for his development.
Receive a digest of our best Celtic content each week direct to your mailbox
