‘I love being here’ – Ex-Liverpool midfielder reflects on ‘good decision’ to leave Anfield | OneFootball

One player who departed Liverpool during the summer has said that it was a ‘good decision’ to take the plunge and move on from Anfield.

After two previous loan spells in the EFL Championship with Blackburn and Hull City, Tyler Morton left the Reds permanently at the beginning of August as he joined Lyon in a £15m transfer (BBC) which includes a 20% sell-on clause.

He’s already just one match away from equalling his tally of first-team appearances for LFC in the whole of last season (Transfermarkt), and the 22-year-old is glad that he opted to test himself on the continent in search of more regular game-time.

Morton reflects on leaving Liverpool for Lyon

In an interview with French outlet Le Progres reflecting on his first few weeks in Ligue 1, the former Liverpool midfielder said: “It’s difficult, yes, because of the increasing number of good players coming from abroad, especially from France.

“Succeeding at your club is really not easy. If you have the opportunity, and you’re young like me, and you really want to play football. I think that to have more chances, you absolutely have to go abroad.

“The quality and intensity of French football is comparable to the Premier League, from what I’ve already seen. To make yourself known, to develop, you have to play in different leagues, to test yourself.

“Last season, I didn’t have so many opportunities in the Premier League. Coming here was a good decision and I wouldn’t change anything today. I love being here, I love the fans and the players at the club. I’m living in a really exciting time.”

(Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty Images)

Morton’s decision to leave Liverpool already being justified

When Morton broke into the Liverpool first team towards the end of 2021, starting in Champions League and Premier League games, it looked as though he could emulate the likes of Curtis Jones and Trent Alexander-Arnold by emerging from the academy to become a senior mainstay.

However, despite impressing on loan at Blackburn and Hull in the subsequent two seasons, his opportunities under Arne Slot were extremely limited, and nobody could blame him for wanting to go elsewhere for a more realistic crack at earning regular game-time.

So far, Lyon appears to have been an ideal move for him, with the 22-year-old already starting every match for which he’s been available and playing in a strong domestic league, while he’ll also have the opportunity to feature in the Europa League throughout the campaign.

We don’t doubt that it must’ve been an incredibly difficult decision for Morton to leave Liverpool for good, having been with the club for 15 years as he rose from academy youngster to Premier League starter, but it appears to be paying immediate dividends for the European under-21 champion.

Hopefully he can continue to thrive in France and, if his team were to qualify for next season’s Champions League and be handed a trip to Anfield, he’d be welcomed back to his native Merseyside with open arms.