New Celtic signing Lewis Morgan has revealed he was relieved when he was released by Rangers as a kid.

The 21-year-old has completed a four-and-a-half year deal with Celtic yesterday, but will spend the remainder of this season with St Mirren.

And the winger believes that being rejected by the Ibrox club was the best thing that happened to him in his career after believing that the last two years at Rangers was two years lost to his development.

“It was probably more of a relief when I left there, to be honest,” said Morgan. “It was a weight off my shoulders because the last two years there were pretty much pointless me being there.

“The head of youth at the time put me back a year so I was playing with the younger age groups. Even at that, I was probably only playing 10 minutes here or there.

“He didn’t take a fancy to me at all. Going to a club like St Mirren was great for me. It gave me that chance to kick on again.

“I probably lost a couple of years at that club so I can’t wait to get start at this one, the biggest club.

“I was16 or 17 at the time and if can be demoralising to get released.

But at the time I saw it as more of a relief. I just wanted to get back to enjoying my football again and St Mirren gave me that platform.

“To have amassed over 100 games as a young player was an achievement, I can’t thank them [St Mirren] enough.”

One of the reasons for Morgan’s release at Rangers was attributed to the slightness of his frame. The player explained that at the time the Ibrox club were looking for the biggest teenagers at every age group, a strategy he reflected has not entirely come to fruition.

“Was I too slight?” he said. “That was probably a factor. One of the philosophies at Rangers at the time was the wanted the biggest boys in the country at my age.

“It didn’t really work out for them, to be fair.

“I’ve always used it to motivate me and push me to prove people wrong. It’s got me to here so I’m delighted.”

Morgan discovered via a letter inviting him to an exit trial that he would be released by Rangers, before the club formally broke the news.

“I knew I wanted to leave anyway, but I got a letter in for the exit trials before I had been released by Rangers,” he said.

“I already knew I was being released and it was kind of a pointless meeting in the end.

“I was just happy to get out and get back to enjoying football.

“St Mirren have been great for me and hopefully set me up for the next stage of my career.”

Former Gers manager Mark Warburton was keen on Morgan before he was sacked earlier this week by Nottingham Forrest, while there were also suggestions that Rangers were interested in the Scotland under-21 internationalist.

“Out of courtesy and peace of mind you do meet a couple of clubs,” he said. “But I always knew this was where I wanted to be.

“By the time Mark was sacked I had already informed Forest this was where I wanted to come.

“His departure didn’t really play a part in anything.

“As soon as I knew Celtic were interested that was game over.

“It was quite early that my agent let me know about Celtic and ever since he did I told him that was where I pretty much wanted to go.”