Liverpool midfielder Tyler Morton has revealed a “wake-up call” in his early training sessions, and hailed the impact of working alongside Thiago.
Morton is currently on loan with Blackburn in the Championship, and is standing out as one of Rovers’ key players in his first season as first-team regular.
It should serve the 20-year-old well as he sets his sights on a long-term role at Liverpool, with there clearly high hopes within the senior staff after nine appearances last time out.
Having stepped up to training with Jurgen Klopp‘s side during the international break in March of last year, Morton received a “wake-up call” in an inter-squad game.
“They told me I was playing centre-mid against a midfield three of Trent, Fabinho and Ox,” he told The Athletic‘s Caoimhe O’Neill.
“It was me, Leighton Clarkson and Jake Cain. It was the first time I’d ever been up there and just realising the quality – it shook me and was a bit of a wake-up call.
“I was like I need to switch on because I’m getting dizzy here. We were getting absolutely battered.
“I don’t remember us scoring and I think we had to pick the ball out of the net about three times.
“But it was that game when I switched on and kicked on.”
It was a wake-up call in the most positive of senses, as Morton caught the manager’s eye and began training with the first team on a full-time basis.
There, he fulfilled a dream of training alongside Thiago, who he had previously hailed as a “magician” having watched him with a close eye while at Bayern Munich.
“It is unreal playing with people like Thiago,” Morton continued.
“Just training alongside him and seeing the way he moves and his vision and awareness is just second to none.
“It keeps you on your toes because if you are on his team he is going to play you a pass when even you don’t think it is possible.
“When you first go up [to first-team training] you are a bit starstruck and you feel like you have to impress everyone.
“But when you get to know them as people you realise how down to earth they are, how normal they are.”
Morton’s words speak to how comfortable he has grown in the senior setup, which has helped him make a smooth transition into a new dressing room at Blackburn.
In 22 games for Jon Dahl Tomasson’s side so far, he has shone, which should go a long way to earning a place back at Liverpool when he returns next summer.
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