Paul Warne talks to www.themillers.co.uk...
Boss Paul Warne has stated that the returning Carlton Morris is a perfect example of the type of player that Rotherham United are committed to recruiting, following the news that the Norwich City frontman had signed a loan deal which will see him enjoy a second stint at AESSEAL New York Stadium.
Morris marks the club’s first signing of the summer window and Warne has been delighted to see one of his primary targets through the door at such an early date, reserving special praise for the staff at the Carrow Road-club for accommodating the move.
The Millers boss explains that he has closely followed the forward’s progress since his first temporary switch came to an end and is looking forward to once again linking up with a player that he believes embodies all of the necessary credentials to become a success in a Rotherham United shirt.
“It's a win-win for me. I really like him as a kid, he's got the perfect character for us and he's worked for us before. He knows the club and I've been in contact with him ever since that first loan spell finished,” Warne told www.themillers.co.uk.
“He plays off-the-shoulder, he's nice and quick but big and strong. He has a great work ethic and he is exactly the sort of striker that thrives at this club so he'll join a pretty impressive front line and we'll be looking to add another one there as well.
“He definitely knows what it means to look after himself. He's a really unselfish player, not dissimilar to Smudge in that respect but he can play up front on his own, or up there in a two or three.
“He's a left-footer and he brings us another element. He is someone who will just work, run and want to improve and they are the players that we want here.”
The loan switch of defender Sean Raggett last season helped to further strengthen the relationship with the staff in the setup at Norwich City following Morris’ initial loan and Warne was quick to express his gratitude to those involved in facilitating the forward’s return at such an early date in the window.
“It’s a good club and they're in a really good position but we genuinely appreciate them allowing us to loan their player before the dust has settled on their promotion,” he told www.themillers.co.uk.
“I'm really pleased. We need to pump up our strike force and Carlton is someone that I have wanted to sign.
“I've been speaking to him for a while now and I went down to sit with Norwich last week and explained what it is that I like about him, how we play and that I thought he would fit in.
“I'd like to thank Norwich for their help, from Daniel Farke through to everyone that helped facilitate the loan. We're really grateful for the fact that they were happy to do it this early because sometimes teams want to get the lads back in pre-season, see where they're at and then let you know.
“They were really happy to sort it early for us. Stuart Webber the football director played a massive part in allowing us to take him. We've had a relationship with Neil Adams the loan manager for years now because we've had Carlton and Sean Raggett with us previously.
“He knows how we work and how we look after the players here, so he was happy for him to come back and he was a massive help to us. Then obviously the manager would have had a say on Carlton coming here and I text him [Farke] to congratulate him on taking Norwich to the Premier League and wished him all the best for the season."
Despite being impressed by the short stint that Morris enjoyed with the Millers previously, Warne has ensured that he has done his due diligence on the striker’s development since then and having spoken with former Shrewsbury Town boss Paul Hurst for a further reference, the Rotherham United manager is looking forward to linking up with a player that he believes has developed even further since his last appearance in a red shirt.
“When he came before I was desperate to sign him then. He was never really fully fit, so I don't think the Rotherham fans saw the best of him in his first spell, but he was unbelievable the following season for Shrewsbury,” he continued.
“He didn't play as much football as he would have liked last year but he played well in a really hard-working Shrews team with Hursty. Hursty loves him as well and I spoke to him about Carlton.
“He has improved and he's two years on from when we had him. The difference between between being a 28-year-old footballer and one at 30 isn't a great deal, but when you're in your early 20s it makes a massive difference.
“Unfortunately, he got injured in the final against us and didn't get back to fitness until near the end of the season.
“He is absolutely desperate to get playing again and he is doing all the close season programme in keeping with the rest of our lads and he will come back in all guns blazing.”
The loan capture of the 23-year-old has been made even more satisfying for the Rotherham United hierarchy as a result of the interest shown in his services from elsewhere.
Warne explained that the Millers’ early organisation in the transfer window and the blessing of the player’s parent club has ensured that AESSEAL New York Stadium will be Morris’ home for the 2019/20 campaign.
“I know that he had around 15 other clubs enquiring about him, so the fact that he has chosen us on top of all of them, with Norwich's endorsement means a lot,” he enthused.
“We'll look forward to meeting up with him at the end of June.
“For him to choose us over all of the other options that he had is massive kudos to our club.