Liverpool youngster Tyler Morton reflects on 'the toughest season mentally' of his career... and reveals the advice he got from Arne Slot
Tyler Morton is looking ahead to the Under-21 European Championships with a smile on his face as he sits down to chat here at St George's Park.
But before he looks forward he first he casts his mind back to a season at Liverpool that was the 'toughest mentally' to deal with in his career so far.
Morton, 22, was not allowed to leave on loan and so he stayed at Anfield, making only 11 appearances all season. He did not appear once in the Premier League en route to the league title.
'I think it's been the toughest season mentally for me,' Morton explained.
'Obviously, I've coped with it very well because I've got good people around me, but it's been very tough. I think I've coped with it as well as I possibly could.
'I think when you're not playing as a footballer who's as hungry as I am, it does hurt.
'It's tough, especially when, in my opinion, I wanted to go out and I wanted to play and I wanted to go on loan and get my game time.
'But having chatted with the manager, having to stay, it could have worked out a lot worse than it did. It probably could have worked out a lot better than it did.'
Morton is a glass half-full kind of guy, though.
'It's still been a good season,' he said. 'I've still developed and, as you said, I still feel really sharp and really ready to go.'
In the background of this interview Liverpool team-mates Harvey Elliott and Jarrell Quansah are playing around as they wait for their turn in the player photoshoots.
Elliott and Quansah have been vital to help Morton navigate a season of frustration.
'We've literally not left each other's side!' Morton laughed.
'So it's been lovely, it's been lovely. It's nice to have them here and I can't wait to play with them.
'I'm just really excited for them to show the fans, everyone, what they've done.'
Has the lack of game-time been an elephant in the room?
'That's the main topic of conversation, isn't it?' he said. 'Game time, especially with two players as quality as they are. It's hard to not play every game, but it's hard to get minutes.
'Yes, the minutes have been very limited for all of us youngsters this year. But that's just, there's different playing styles with different managers. And yes, it's been a learning season.
'I think you've got to have these types of seasons where you're trying to learn and I think it's been massive for us.'
Morton picked out Johnny Heitinga, Aaron Briggs and Sipke Hulshoff as crucial figures in his development over the course of the season. He was also effusive in his praise for boss Arne Slot.
'He's a very good manager with his tactical side of the game, the best I've probably seen,' Morton said.
'To be honest, tactics-wise, he's so on it and it's unbelievable.
'He's asked me just to be myself and to play the way he likes to play with his teams and I think I've done that when I've played, so it's been a good season.'
Morton could talk Liverpool all day but he is here in his England kit eager to use all the conserved energy to help carry Lee Carsley's Under-21s to back to back Euros successes.
He is eager to see England's youngsters show their talent on the biggest stage at the Euros
'I just want to show that it's England and we've got special players that are coming up through the ranks and players that are playing at top levels,' Morton said of his motivation in Slovakia, where England kick off their title defence on Thursday against Czechia, live on Channel 4.
'I think we've got a massive chance of going far in the tournament and maybe even winning it. I don't want to jinx anything, but we've got a long way to go.
'There's going to be some top players here, top teams. So I'm just excited to see where it goes and I'm ready to show everyone what we've got as a team.'
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