"I don't think he will make it there" - Mark Lawrenson delivers verdict on Liverpool player
Former Liverpool defender Mark Lawrenson wasn't impressed with Tyler Morton during the Merseyside outfit's EFL Cup victory over Leicester City last night.
The 19-year-old was among the many young players Jurgen Klopp started in a heavily rotated side against the Foxes.
He was firmly off the pace and struggled to cope with the intensity of the match. Morton was also lucky to have escaped a red card for a nasty challenge on Ricardo Pereira.
Brendan Rodgers wasn't impressed! 😠
Should Tyler Morton have seen red for this challenge in the 🔟th minute? 🟥
#CarabaoCupOnQuest #CarabaoCup #EFL #lcfc @LCFC
Stream free on demand with @discoveryplusUK: bit.ly/DiscoveryEFL https://t.co/bk6esOkiWv
Despite his promising displays in some other games, Lawrenson doesn't think the youngster has a future at Anfield. In an honest assessment of Morton, he said:
"Yes, so far so good. I mean he was not particularly great at Tottenham, but his debut perhaps against Porto was really, really good. But I do not think he will make it there eventually because the competition for places is so strong.
"The lad is going to make a really good living from the game, but I just do not see him ever really being a number one pick for Liverpool."
Morton is a regular in Liverpool's under-23 squad but has only been seen in the senior team whenever there's a rotation or a player is out injured.
Although he's highly rated, Lawrenson feels Morton doesn't have the Champions League quality that a club of Liverpool's stature normally looks for in a player.
However, the 64-year-old feels he could still be a successful player somewhere else. He said:
"See, if you are a Liverpool player or obviously Chelsea, Manchester City, Manchester United, you have got to be Champions League standard and I just do not think he is going to get there, but I do think he is going to have a good career somewhere.”
Liverpool beat Leicester City 5-4 on penalties after the sides played out a thrilling 3-3 draw in normal time. The Merseyside club have been drawn to face Arsenal in a two-legged semi-final in January.
Morton still has a lot of time to prove himself to Liverpool
While competition for places in Klopp's squad sure is tough, Morton still has time on his side to improve his performance.
Despite playing seven times in the 2021-22 season, he remains largely inexperienced.
James Milner made his Premier League debut in 2002, just 10 days after Tyler Morton was born.
Yesterday, they started together in Liverpool's midfield 👶👴 https://t.co/NSFarALl97
As the youngster has shown on a few occasions, he sure has the talent to cut it, but needs to play more to refine it.