'I disagreed with how I was treated at Liverpool – I don't think Arne Slot trusted me'

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Tyler Morton has explained how Liverpool prevented him from joining Bayer Leverkusen despite conducting discussions with the Bundesliga club's former boss, Xabi Alonso. The 22-year-old brought his Reds stint to a close this summer when he secured a transfer to Lyon potentially worth £15million .

He had opportunities to leave Anfield the previous year, only to discover his exit aspirations were thwarted by incoming head coach Arne Slot . Morton, who was subject to an offer from Middlesbrough last winter , was eventually restricted to a peripheral role under the Dutchman during his final season on Merseyside.

He registered five outings across all competitions and remained an unused substitute on a further 14 occasions but failed to feature in the Premier League . The midfielder has now confessed he disagreed with his restricted playing time under Slot but harbours no resentment towards his former head coach as he revealed how he was refused a transfer to Alonso's Leverkusen.

"I was on a golf course with my mates at the time. I got a text from my agent, who said, 'Xabi Alonso's going to call you soon,'" said Morton. "I'd heard about the move but didn't speak about it too much because I'd been told I wasn't leaving Liverpool.

"He [Alonso] told me how highly he rates me as a player. They wanted to sign me. They [Leverkusen] came in quite late that summer, but I spoke to the manager [Slot] about it and Liverpool wanted me to stay.

"I spoke to my agent, and we were pushing a move, but it was difficult. Liverpool told me I couldn't leave at the time, which was fair enough, but if you want to go and play, then you've got to push it.

"I asked the manager. He was open with me and said he was going to keep me around. Nothing was going to change his mind. He needed me around the team as back-up. Some players have to take that role, and that's the role he decided for me.

"I'll be honest, it wasn't ideal. I wanted to be starting games. If that was at Liverpool – the club I love – then incredible. But it wasn't going to be."

Morton ended up leaving Liverpool as part of an exodus , having made 14 senior appearances for the club in total, though only two of those came in the Premier League. And he believes Slot perhaps didn't think he was quite up to the standard.

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"I think he [Slot] thought I was a good player, but I don't feel the trust was there as much," he continued. "In my opinion, the limited opportunities were down to trust and not ability.

"When I got my opportunity in the cup, I felt like I played well. That's all I could say. I stuck at it, stayed focused, got through to the end of the season and played in the under-21 Euros, which was amazing.

"I had a few conversations with him during the season. A lot of footballers can be bitter about not playing and let their egos get in the way, but I'm not that type of lad.

"I personally disagreed with the limited amount of game time I got last season, but that was out of my control. I did everything I could. I played for the Under-21s when a lot of players wouldn't. I did everything in my power to stay fit and mentally focused for when my time came, and I still got limited opportunities."

While Morton was blocked from joining Leverkusen, this summer proved entirely different. With Lyon expressing early interest in his services, the playmaker was determined to make the transfer happen.

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"I was in Japan at the time," he told SPORTbible . "After what happened the previous season, where I didn't play much, the club respected that's what was going to happen. Liverpool were great with me. I don't know whether it was them being like, 'Thank you for what you've done, go and enjoy your football.' Maybe it was a bit of humility.

"I was speaking to a few teams. It was an exciting time. My agent called me and said, 'Lyon want to buy you.' Sometimes it can be slow with clubs; they might say, 'Maybe if this lad leaves, we'll get you in.' That's the reality of transfers. But Lyon were really serious.

"I asked the obvious questions [to manager Paulo Fonseca]. He really wanted me and said I'd be playing straight away. As soon as I touched down from Japan, I was on the phone every minute to my agent, trying to push the move because it was an amazing one for me.

"It was difficult [to leave Liverpool]. Mentally, I was kind of checked out in the end. I knew it was going to happen. My emotions didn't come too much on the day; it was more like 'I need to get this move done, get myself out and go play some football.'"

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