Tyler Morton had a loan spell at Blackburn which ended early due to injury. The Liverpool loanee had mixed reviews, so how did he perform? In August, Morton followed Harvey Elliott and Leighton Clarkson in swapping Anfield for Ewood Park. The hope was that the young midfielder would emulate Elliott’s breakout success, rather than Clarkson’s spell that saw him return early due to a lack of game time. Prior to his foot surgery, Morton played 46 times for Blackburn and had four assists as Rovers finished seventh in the Championship. He signed a new long-term contract with Liverpool in January, but it remains to be seen how he fits into Jurgen Klopp’s plans for next season and beyond.
To hear more about Morton’s time at Ewood Park and his future prospects, Lancs Live’s Blackburn reporter Elliott Jackson was consulted. Jackson said that Morton did well, but the issues were not about the player per se, but more his suitability to the existing players Rovers already had. There were matches where he was very good and stood out, but in others, particularly away from home, he struggled to command the centre of midfield. This was due to his skillset and profile being very similar to John Buckley and Adam Wharton, two homegrown, academy talents.
Morton looked far more comfortable playing a midfield two and had obvious strengths on the ball with good technique and vision. He needs to work on his physical attributes and defensive side of the game, which is natural for a player of his age. His best moments came earlier in the season when he put in a man-of-the-match performance at home to Rotherham and he copped some unfair criticism due to the makeup of Rovers’ midfield options. He was also at fault for Wigan’s winning goal in a tight 1-0 defeat in October and there was an incident at Sheffield United where he went down ‘softly’ in the eye of supporters and the Blades broke to score a 90th-minute winner in the FA Cup quarter-final.
Morton was always a pleasure to interview, being down to earth and keen for feedback from the coaching team. He showed a willingness and intelligence to take on different tactical instructions. Jackson believes that the up-and-down nature of his loan at Rovers was circumstantial, rather than a reflection of the player himself. It is hard to say if Morton will make it at Liverpool as he is not ready for the first team yet, but he needs another loan, perhaps in the Championship or abroad, then in the Premier League. Thanks again to Elliott Jackson for his insight on Morton’s time at Blackburn.