For Morton, leaving his hometown club was a wrench. He had been at Liverpool since the age of five, rising through the academy to be hailed as one of the club's brightest prospects after breaking into Jurgen Klopp's side in 2021-22.

But after promising loan spells at Blackburn and Hull, opportunities dried up under Arne Slot and Morton found himself at a crossroads.

The decision to move abroad was not simply a change of scene, but a pivotal moment - a chance to expand his horizons and add new dimensions to his game.

"As soon as Lyon came in, there was nothing else on my mind," says Morton, who moved to France after helping England Under-21s win the Euros. "It's a massive club and the support here is incredible. It was always going to be a big challenge moving away from home but that's what I wanted, and I felt ready. I wanted to show people I could be a leader and hopefully that's what I've done."

Morton arrived at Lyon at a time of significant uncertainty. France's dominant force in the 2000s, they had fallen on hard times and were even...