LEWIS MORGAN is hoping to pick up where he left off last season after renewing his relationship with Sunderland manager Jack Ross at the Stadium of Light.

Morgan made his Black Cats debut in Saturday’s 1-0 win over AFC Wimbledon, a matter of days after joining the club on a season-long loan from Celtic.

Last season, the 22-year-old played under Ross at St Mirren, with his attacking performances playing a key role in the club’s successful claiming of the Scottish Championship title.

Sunderland are in the midst of a promotion push of their own with Saturday’s win having lifted them to within three points of the top two in League One, and Morgan is hoping history will repeat itself now he is back working with Ross.

“I’ve had great success with the manager in the past, and there’s no reason why that can’t be the case again down here,” said the midfielder. “Momentum’s massive in football and sometimes when you get into that habit of winning matches, it’s hard to get out of. We had that last season at St Mirren, and it’s something we’ll be hoping to emulate down here.”

Morgan clearly enjoyed working under Ross last season, and the feeling was mutual, with the Sunderland boss highlighting the Scot’s attacking threat as a key component of the way in which his St Mirren side liked to play.

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Aberdeen offered the youngster an opportunity to stay in the Scottish Premier League, and clubs in the English Championship also inquired about his availability, but his mind was made up as soon as Ross made a personal plea for him to head to Wearside.

“I think it’s well documented that there was interest from the Championship down here and the Premiership up north, but this is a massive club with great people,” he said. “I’m very happy to be part of it.

“As soon as the chance came up to come here my mind was made up. This is a huge club, and I’m working with a coaching staff I’ve got massive respect for.

“I think Jack and his staff improve every player. The training sessions are great and they give you that licence to express yourself in the final third. As an attacking player, that’s what you want, he takes the reins off you.”

Morgan was only supposed to be on the bench for Saturday’s game, but found himself promoted to the starting line-up when family issues forced Lynden Gooch to drop out of the starting side.

It was a case of ‘sink or swim’ for the wide man, and while he wasn’t at his absolute best after two training sessions with his new team-mates, he was still able to reflect on a decent debut.

“It was probably the best way to do it,” said Morgan. “You just want to come down and play games. I had a good chance to do that, and hopefully I can keep my place in the team.

“I know there’s good players here with good quality, so there’s always going to be competition for places. The squad has been doing well, so I had to respect that regardless of the manager’s decision. But it was good to get my start and hopefully there’s many more to come.

“It’s an exciting time for the club, challenging at the top end of the table.”