Lewis Morgan setting sights on Celtic starting spot next season
Lewis Morgan insists he is going to Celtic to claim a place in Brendan Rodgers' team.
The 21-year-old clinched a £300,000 switch to Parkhead in January but was sent back to former club St Mirren to see out the season.
Now having been named Ladbrokes Championship player of the year after leading the Buddies' title charge, the new Scotland call-up is setting his sights on a starting slot with the double-treble winners.
Morgan knows the step-up from the Championship to potentially playing in the Champions League is huge but the confident playmaker is backing himself to make the leap.
"Since I signed a deal in January I've been champing at the bit to get going,'' he said after collecting his latest prize. "We have a few weeks off then we'll be ready to go for pre-season. I'm really looking forward to it.
"I've got to look up to guys likes Callum McGregor and James Forrest who've broken through here and become part of the first team.
"The manager has got an ethos of bringing through young players and making sure they're mainstays of his team. You can see how successful they have been and how many homegrown lads were part of that - that was definitely a selling point for me.
"Hopefully I can be the next one.
"That is definitely achievable. I wouldn't have signed otherwise. The manager's brought me here for a reason, so it's up to myself to get into the team.
"The boys have been doing so well and I need to respect the fact I might need to bide my time.
"But when my chance comes I need to take it.''
Making the breakthrough at Celtic is easier said than done. The likes of Ryan Christie, Nadir Ciftci and Scott Allan have been forced to head out on loan to grab game time after slipping down Rodgers' pecking order.
But Morgan is adamant he can prove to his new boss he is worth keeping around.
"The first thing is for me to come back in for pre-season and get assessed from there,'' he said. "All being well going back out on loan won't be the case and I can kick on here.
"That is what is on my mind at the moment. I'm planning on coming back for the new season to make sure I get into the team.''
If Morgan does force his way into Rodgers' plans he will be expected to make a contribution as the Hoops chase more glory following two straight clean sweeps.
But he reckons having a title win under his belt with St Mirren will help him cope with the demands at Celtic Park.
He said: "Winning the league with Saints was great for me. I took my game to the next level and having that winning mentality will be something I need when I come back here.
"Obviously I've gained experience in that aspect over the last year. At this club you need to be winning games and winning trophies so hopefully that will stand me in good stead.'