Morgan Boyes
{{short description|Welsh footballer (born 2001)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2019}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name = Morgan Boyes
| image =
| caption =
| fullname = Morgan Marc Boyes{{cite news |url=https://www.premierleague.com/news/1335777 |title=2019/20 Premier League squads confirmed |publisher=Premier League |date=3 September 2019 |access-date=17 December 2019 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191210090811/https://www.premierleague.com/news/1335777 |archive-date=10 December 2019}}{{ENFA}}
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=y|2001|4|22}}
| birth_place = St Asaph, Wales
| height =
| position = Defender
| currentclub = St Johnstone
| clubnumber =
| youthyears1 =
| youthclubs1 = Liverpool
| years1 = 2019–2022
| clubs1 = Liverpool
| caps1 = 0
| goals1 = 0
| years2 = 2020–2021
| clubs2 = → Fleetwood Town (loan)
| caps2 = 2
| goals2 = 0
| years3 = 2022–2024
| clubs3 = Livingston
| caps3 = 32
| goals3 = 1
| years4 = 2023–2024
| clubs4 = → Inverness Caledonian Thistle (loan)
| caps4 = 25
| goals4 = 3
| years5 = 2024–2025
| clubs5 = Greenock Morton
| caps5 = 31
| goals5 = 2
| nationalyears1 = 2018–2019
| nationalteam1 = Wales U19
| nationalcaps1 = 7
| nationalgoals1 = 0
| nationalyears2 = 2020–2022
| nationalteam2 = Wales U21
| nationalcaps2 = 11
| nationalgoals2 = 0
| club-update = 01:24, 1 June 2025 (UTC)
| ntupdate = 20 February 2024
| years6 = 2025–
| clubs6 = St Johnstone
| caps6 = 0
| goals6 = 0
}}
Morgan Marc Boyes (born 22 April 2001) is a Welsh professional footballer who plays as a defender for {{Scottish football updater|StJohnst}} club St Johnstone. Mainly a centre-back, he can also play as a left-back. He is a former Wales under-21 international.
Early life
Boyes was born in the Welsh city of St Asaph and moved to Chester in England at the age of five.{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/54467576|title=Morgan Boyes: Liverpool and Wales youngster aims to follow Neco Williams' lead|first=Gareth|last=Vincent|publisher=BBC Sport|date=9 October 2020|access-date=1 June 2021}}{{cite news|url=https://www.leaderlive.co.uk/news/17682166.liverpool-fc-academy-climbs-mount-snowdon-stephen-darby-foundation/|title=Liverpool FC Academy climbs Mount Snowdon for Stephen Darby Foundation|first=Keiran|last=Samra|newspaper=The Leader|date=4 June 2019|access-date=1 June 2021}}
Club career
=Liverpool=
Boyes made his professional debut for Liverpool on 17 December 2019, starting in the away match against Aston Villa in the quarter-finals of the EFL Cup, which finished as a 5–0 loss. He scored an own goal in the match, after blocking a ball from Ahmed Elmohamady, to find it looped over the goalkeeper's head into the corner of the net.{{Soccerway}}{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2019/dec/17/aston-villa-liverpool-carabao-cup-match-report |title=Aston Villa's Jonathan Kodjia shows no mercy to knock out Liverpool's kids |author=Paul Doyle |newspaper=The Guardian|date=17 December 2019|accessdate=19 December 2019}}{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/50723225 |title=Aston Villa 5 – Liverpool 0 |author=Simon Stone |publisher=BBC |date=17 December 2019|accessdate=19 December 2019}} Boyes made another appearance for Liverpool in the 2019–20 season, as he appeared in stoppage time against Shrewsbury Town in the fourth round replay of the FA Cup.
On 12 August 2020, Boyes joined League One side Fleetwood Town on a season-long loan.{{Cite web |date=12 August 2020 |title=Morgan Boyes: Fleetwood Town sign young Liverpool defender on loan |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/53756235 |access-date=12 August 2020 |website=BBC Sport |language=en-gb}} On 23 September, he made his debut for the Cod Army. Starting at left centre-back in a EFL Cup Third round tie against Everton. He played the full match in a 2–5 defeat.{{cite web |url=https://www.thisisanfield.com/2020/09/liverpool-loanee-given-tough-start-as-senior-debut-ends-in-defeat-to-everton/ |title=Liverpool loanee given tough start as senior debut ends in defeat to Everton |first=Jack |last=Lusby |work=This is Anfield.com |date=24 September 2020 |accessdate=22 September 2021}} He made kept his place in the squad for the next game. A 0–1 defeat against AFC Wimbledon in the League One.{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/54215155 |title=Fleetwood Town 0-1 AFC Wimbledon |work=BBC Sport |date=26 September 2020 |accessdate=22 September 2021}} However, he would only make two more appearances before being recalled by Liverpool on 2 January 2021.{{cite web |url=https://www.soccerbase.com/players/player.sd?player_id=123802&season_id=153 |title=Games played by Morgan Boyes in the 2020/21 season |website=Soccerbase.com |accessdate=22 September 2021}}{{cite news |title=Morgan Boyes returns from loan spell at Fleetwood Town |url=https://www.liverpoolfc.com/news/academy/421838-morgan-boyes-returns-from-loan-spell-at-fleetwood-town? |access-date=2 January 2021 |publisher=Liverpool FC |date=2 January 2021}}
=Livingston=
On 4 January 2022, Boyes joined Scottish Premiership side Livingston on an 18-month contract, with an option of a further year.{{Cite web|last=Black|first=Dave|date=2022-01-04|title=Morgan Boyes joins the Lions from Liverpool.|url=https://livingstonfc.co.uk/morgan-boyes-joins-the-lions-from-liverpool/|access-date=2022-01-04|website=Livingston FC|language=en-GB}}
==Inverness==
On 1 September 2023 Boyes joined Scottish Championship club Inverness on a loan deal till the end of the 2023/24 season.
=Greenock Morton=
Following his departure from Livi, Boyes signed for Greenock Morton.{{Cite web|date=6 July 2024|title=Defender is third former Inverness Caley Thistle player to join same Championship club this summer|url=https://www.inverness-courier.co.uk/sport/defender-is-third-former-caley-thistle-player-to-join-same-c-355039/|website=inverness-courier.co.uk}}
= St Johnstone =
On 29 May 2025, Boyes signed for Scottish Championship club St Johnstone on a two-year deal.{{Cite web |title=Morgan Boyes signs for Saints! |url=https://www.perthstjohnstonefc.co.uk/ |access-date=2025-06-01 |website=St Johnstone Football Club |language=en}}
International career
Boyes has Wales caps at both under-19 and under-21 levels. In March 2021, he was called up to the Wales national under-21 football team,{{cite web |url=https://www.faw.cymru/en/news/u21-squad-announced-face-republic-ireland/ |title=U21 squad announced to face Republic of Ireland |publisher=Football Association of Wales |date=16 March 2021 |accessdate=16 March 2021 }}[https://twitter.com/Cymru/status/1371792612982624257 Wales U21 squad] playing all 90 minutes in Wales's 2–1 defeat by Ireland at Colliers Park, Wrexham on 26 March 2021.{{cite web |title=FRUSTRATION FOR CYMRU U21 IN IRISH DEFEAT |url=https://www.faw.cymru/en/news/frustration-cymru-u21-irish-defeat/?back=/en/news/&pos=28 |website=FAW |access-date=20 April 2021}} Manager Paul Bodin then selected a largely unchanged squad, including Boyes, for the side's Euro 2023 qualifying game against Moldova on 4 June 2021.{{cite web |title=CYMRU U21 SQUAD ANNOUNCED TO FACE MOLDOVA |url=https://www.faw.cymru/en/news/cymru-u21-squad-announced-face-moldova/?back=/en/news/&pos=11 |website=FAW |access-date=2 June 2021}}
Style of play
Boyes is a centre-back but has also been deployed as a left back so far during his career.{{cite web |url=https://www.liverpoolfc.com/team/academy/player/morgan-boyes |title=Player profile: Morgan Boyes |publisher=Liverpool FC |accessdate=22 September 2021}} He has described himself as a "calm defender who likes to play and build up from the back.".{{cite web |url=https://www.fleetwoodtownfc.com/news/2020/august/boyes-i-want-to-get-going-straight-away/ |title=Boyes: I want to get going straight away |publisher=Fleetwood Town FC |date=12 August 2020 |accessdate=22 September 2021}} Joey Barton, who managed Boyes during his loan spell at Fleetwood, described him as "a young player with plenty of potential".{{cite web |url=https://www.fleetwoodtownfc.com/news/2020/august/liverpool-youngster-boyes-joins-town/ |title=Liverpool youngster Boyes joins Town |publisher=Fleetwood Town FC |date=12 August 2020 |accessdate=22 September 2021}}
Career statistics
=Club=
{{updated|match played 21 January 2023}}
| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competition | ||||||||||||
| rowspan=2|Club
!rowspan=2|Season !colspan=3|League !colspan=2|National Cup !colspan=2|League Cup !colspan=2|Europe !colspan=2|Other !colspan=2|Total | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| Liverpool U21
|colspan=3|— | colspan=2|— | colspan=2|— | colspan=2|— | 2{{efn|name=EFLT|Appearances in EFL Trophy}} | 0 | 2 | 0 | |||||
| Liverpool
|0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | colspan=2|— | colspan=2|— | 2 | 0 | |||
| Fleetwood Town (loan)
|2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | colspan=2|— | 1{{efn|name=EFLT}} | 0 | 4 | 0 | ||
| rowspan="3"|Livingston
|rowspan="2"|Scottish Premiership |9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | colspan=2|— | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | ||
| 2022–23
|9 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | colspan=2|— | 0 | 0 | 10 | 1 | ||
| colspan=2| Total
!18 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 1 | |
| colspan=3|Total
!20||1||2||0||2||0||0||0||3||0||27||1 |
{{notelist}}
Honours
Liverpool
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{UEFA player}}
- {{WorldFootball.net}}
- {{Soccerbase}}
{{St Johnstone F.C. squad}}{{DEFAULTSORT:Boyes, Morgan}}
Category:Footballers from St Asaph
Category:Welsh men's footballers
Category:Wales men's youth international footballers
Category:Wales men's under-21 international footballers
Category:Men's association football defenders
Category:Liverpool F.C. players
Category:Fleetwood Town F.C. players
Category:English Football League players
Category:Livingston F.C. players
Category:Inverness Caledonian Thistle F.C. players