Carlton Morris urged to make the most of his talent at Shrewsbury Town
Paul Hurst has urged Carlton Morris to make the most of his natural talent by working hard on the training ground.
The on-loan Norwich hitman has shown Shrewsbury fans glimpses of his ability in recent weeks and has shone in outings against Portsmouth and Wigan.
And Hurst reckons Morris, 22, may have to up his work levels behind the scenes to fulfil the potential he has.
Morris, whose loan deal runs for the entire season, has six goals so far but has failed to find the net in 10 outings.
“A lot of it with Carlton is in his own hands,” Hurst admitted. “We can try and help with bits of guidance and advice but a lot of it it down to Carlton. That’s my honest belief. One hundred per cent he can have a long career in the game if he wants it.
“It’s just a case of what level he chooses to play at.
“You can do so much as a manager, with Chris (Doig) on the training ground, but players have to take a lot of responsibility themselves.
“It’s that understanding, that work ethic day in day out that can be improved, maybe it has improved slightly.
“He’s certainly not unwilling to work, I think it’s just understanding the importance of it as a young player and not letting any opportunity pass you by.”
Morris has previously had loan spells at Oxford, York, Hamilton and Rotherham. He netted eight times with the Scottish side in 2015/16 and looks set to challenge that target with Town.
The six ft two ins centre-forward was offered a route back into Hurst’s starting line-up as the boss offered top scorer Stefan Payne a breather and Morris caught the eye of supporters with his technique. speed and hold-up play.
Hurst added: “The good thing is the ball sticks and I’m not really sure if it was just Carlton’s pace that got him in (for the penalty against Portsmouth) – but he’s quicker than people maybe envisage and think because of his size and style.
“Carlton’s done fantastically well. He tires (in games), I know I keep saying this, he’s been coming off. But the strength we’ve got in that position it’s not like we’re taking a senior pro off and putting a youth teamer on. It’s pretty much like-for-like.”
