LIAM MORRISON may have been coached by a German World Cup-winner and played for one of Europe’s biggest clubs — but he is happy plying his trade in League One.The Scottish defender joined Wigan this summer on a season-long loan from Bayern Munich.
Liam Morrison is delighted to be at Wigan after learning from some of the best in the gameCredit: Getty
Morrison, 20, was coached by icon Miroslav Klose after signing for the Bavarian giants in the summer of 2019.
Both Klose — who holds the record for most World Cup goals (16) and lifted the trophy in 2014 – and former Manchester City star Martin Demichelis have helped him hone his skills in Germany.
Morrison, a regular for Bayern’s second team, said: “The amount of stuff I learned from them was incredible. Klose is one of the best strikers of all time, so it was weird being coached by him.
“Because Demichelis was also a centre-half, he helped me so much with the smaller details that someone who isn’t a defender might not be aware of.”
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Saltcoats-born Morrison was the first signing of the Mike Danson era at Wigan, after the billionaire bought the club in June. Relegated from the Championship, they were handed an eight-point deduction from the EFL for failing to pay players’ wages on time.
It means that, although the Latics — who host league leaders Portsmouth on Saturday — have won four of their opening eight games, they remain in the relegation zone on five points.
Morrison and his team-mates gave already given Wigan fans plenty to smile about, having thrashed arch-rivals Bolton 4-0 away from home last month.
He said: “Those kind of games are the ones which can define your season.
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“I came here because I wanted to experience first-team professional football.
“The minute I spoke to (Wigan manager) Shaun Maloney, I knew I wanted to be part of his journey.
“He had a set plan for me and the way he wants us to play as a team suits me to a tee.
“We are a young group, and will get better as the season goes on.”
The boyhood Celtic fan began his career on the other side of Glasgow with Rangers, before moving to Parkhead.
And he was only 16 when Bayern came calling in August 2019 — barely four months after his 16th birthday.
Morrison said: “Bayern had watched me play for Scotland at youth level and their offer was too good to turn down.
“My family came with me for the first month and then I moved into the club’s campus, which is similar to a university campus, for those players who didn’t come from the area.
“I struggled for the first week after my family left, but I knew the amount of stuff I was going to learn would be incredible.”
Morrison also formed a close bond with current Bayern superstar Jamal Musiala, who has already won four Bundesliga titles and a Champions League.
He said: “Jamal can do things with a football which never cease to amaze me, but he is an even better person.
“We are close to this day and we still talk.”
He was also in the same age group as Chris Richards, now at Crystal Palace, and has twice been called up to the Bayern first-team squad, first under Julian Nagelsmann and then by current boss Thomas Tuchel.
He was on the bench, too, when Bayern travelled to Werder Bremen in May.
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Morrison, who has two years left on his contract at Bayern, added: “I’ve been given amazing opportunities.
“For now, I am gaining as much experience at first-team level with Wigan as I can and am becoming an all-round better player.” More
