Callum Morris

Callum Morris (born 3 February 1990) is a former professional footballer who played as a centre-back.

Released by Newcastle United as a youngster, Morris played for Blyth Spartans then went to the Glenn Hoddle Academy in Spain, where he also played for Jerez Industrial.

He was given a twelve-month extension to his scholarship in 2008.

While with Newcastle United reserves, Morris and teammate Darren Lough were described by coach Adam Sadler as "the next big thing", but he was released by the club in 2010, having never featured in the first team.

Following his release from Newcastle, Morris had an unsuccessful trial with Gateshead, before joining Blyth Spartans on 13 August 2010.

After making five appearances for Blyth, Morris left the club to join the Glenn Hoddle Academy in Spain.

While at the Glenn Hoddle Academy, Morris also played for Spanish Fourth Division side Jerez Industrial CF, where he gained full-time, senior football experience.

In November 2011, Morris joined Hayes & Yeading United, making three appearances for the club before being released in January 2012.

Returning to England, he joined Hayes & Yeading United before moving to Scotland in 2012, initially with Dunfermline Athletic before joining Dundee United in 2014.

Following unsuccessful trials in England, Portugal and Greece, Morris had considered giving up professional football before signing for Dunfermline Athletic in the Scottish First Division on 31 August 2012.

He made his debut for the club in a 3–1 win against Raith Rovers and went on to be a first team regular.

On 8 December 2012, he received a straight red card after a foul on Stefan Scougall, in a 2–1 loss against Livingston.

On his return on 29 December 2012, Morris scored his first goal, in a 4–2 loss against Morton.

His second goal was also against Morton on 23 February 2013, when Dunfermline Athletic lost 4–1.

The season was marked with financial problems, which led to the club entering administration.

Morris wrote on Twitter of his frustrations over wage delays.

The club were relegated following a defeat in the play-offs, where Morris was absent for all four matches due to a hamstring injury.

Despite relegation, he was named in the PFA Scotland Team of the Year for the First Division.

He was also named the club's player of the season.

In his second season at Dunfermline Athletic, Morris rejected rumours that he had left the club by appearing in the opening friendly against Hearts.

In his first competitive appearance of the season, Morris scored the club's first goal in League One, as the club lost 3–2 against Arbroath.

As the season progressed, Morris continued to be a regular in the first team until mid-December when he suffered an Achilles tendon injury.

After returning to the first team, Morris was offered a new contract with the club.

His rejection of the offer led to interest from Dundee United.

Morris helped Dunfermline to finish second in League One, qualifying for the Championship play-offs and then winning against Stranraer on aggregate.

The club remained in League One after losing 4–1 on aggregate to Cowdenbeath in the play-off final, in which Morris made his final appearance for the club.

Morris signed a two-year contract with Scottish Premiership side Dundee United on 17 June 2014.

He made his debut on 10 August 2014, as Dundee United beat Aberdeen 3–0 in the opening game of the season.

His first goal for the club came on 21 September 2014, as Dundee United won 4–1 against city rivals Dundee in the Dundee derby.

Having established himself in central defence alongside Jarosław Fojut, Morris soon suffered an Achilles injury during a match against St Johnstone which kept him out for several weeks.

Morris made his return to the first team on 24 January 2015 in a 3–1 win over Motherwell.

He scored in the next game, in the semi-final of the Scottish League Cup, which saw Dundee United beat Aberdeen 2–1 to send them through to the final.

Morris then injured his knee, but recovered in time to start in the League Cup Final as Dundee United lost 2–0 to Celtic.

Morris sustained a hamstring injury which kept him out for three weeks, then made his return to the first team and played six matches before suffering another injury, ruling him out for the rest of the season.

Despite his injuries, Morris made 30 appearances and scored twice in all competitions.

Morris moved to Aberdeen in the summer 2016, but did not play for the club.

Morris returned to Dunfermline in December 2016, then moved to Ross County in June 2018.

Morris returned to England in 2021 with Morpeth Town.

Born in England, Morris is of Irish descent and received his first call up to the Northern Ireland squad in 2016, having previously played for the Republic of Ireland under-21 team.

Morris started his career as a youth player with Premier League side Newcastle United.