Alex Scott heralds barely-known Liverpool star the ‘next De Bruyne’ in new message
England Under-21s’ victory over Germany in the Under-21 European Championship final saw several players underline their reputations including multiple Liverpool youngsters.
Lee Carsley‘s side emulated the Young Lions teams of 1982 and 1984 by successfully defending their 2023 title, beating their arch-rivals 3-2 after extra time in a dramatic decider at Tehelne pole in Slovakia.
Exit-linked Liverpool midfielder Harvey Elliott’s opener in the fifth minute was quickly followed up by Omari Hutchinson, but Germany brought themselves level at 2-2 with strikes either side of half-time.
Extra time beckoned in a game of even narrower margins than England Under-21s’ 1-0 victory over Spain two years prior, but Jonathan Rowe netted the winning goal just two minutes into the added half-hour.
Tyler Morton earns De Bruyne comparison after England success
Carsley’s substitutions in the decider paid dividends for England Under-21s, as Rowe replaced midfield talisman Elliott prior to the extra time period and headed home the winner barely 90 seconds later.
Rowe’s glancing header into the far corner came after an inch-perfect cross from Tyler Morton, who had replaced Alex Scott late in the first-half and found the Marseille striker with a pinpoint first-time ball.
Little-known Morton failed to feature in a single minute of Liverpool’s league-winning campaign last season and was restricted to six appearances in cup competitions, but Scott compared him to a Premier League great.
The Bournemouth midfielder posted on his Instagram story (29 June) from England’s plane trip back from Bratislava, and labelled Morton as; “Tyler De Bruyne”, after the former Manchester City star.
Morton makes his case for Liverpool as Anfield exits loom
Football Insider Verdict
For the first time since 2014–15, the Premier League will be without the world-class contributions of De Bruyne next season after his move to Napoli was finally confirmed, and he leaves behind big shoes to fill.
Morton may be behind Ryan Gravenberch, Curtis Jones, Alexis Mac Allister and Wataru Endo at Anfield, but he’ll hope his display for England against Germany will give Arne Slot food for thought next term.
Elliott’s seemingly imminent departure does give Morton a greater chance of minutes, but the onus is on the 22-year-old to kick on from this summer’s success and force his way into Liverpool’s first-team plans.