Red Bulls’ Lewis Morgan expected to be ready for preseason: Source

New York Red Bulls star winger Lewis Morgan is expected to be fully fit and ready for the start of preseason in January after contending with multiple injuries in 2025, a source with knowledge of the situation told amNewYork on Thursday.

The 28-year-old Scotland international has recently resumed running on grass, with the recovered areas of his lower body feeling “good.”

Morgan appeared in just three matches this season. After recovering from a knee injury that required surgery in March, a lingering quad issue sidelined him from June on, despite the hope that he would be able to return in September.

The Red Bulls struggled mightily in his absence, ultimately failing to make the MLS Playoffs for the first time since 2009.

This was the second time in the last three years that injuries derailed the majority of Morgan’s season. In 2023, a rare and recurring hip issue that also required surgery limited his campaign to just five games.

He provided a reminder of just how invaluable he is when healthy last season, though, winning the 2024 MLS Comeback Player of the Year Award by scoring 13 goals, serving as a key cog in the Red Bulls’ Cinderella run to an Eastern Conference title, and appearing for the Scottish national team at the famed European Championships.

That season ultimately earned him a two-year deal through the 2026 season with options for 2027 and 2028.

Despite the recent injury issues, new Red Bulls head of sport Julian de Guzman implored that Morgan can be relied on moving forward.

”I’m seeing Lewis Morgan every day. You can see the smile grow more and more when he’s getting closer to kicking the ball again,” de Guzman said on Oct. 28. “It’s been frustrating for him. I feel for a player like Lewis because he’s gone through this already. The fire he has to come back onto the field as to what he’s shown in 2024. This is the hope that we have for him in 2026.”

Morgan is expected to factor into a Red Bulls attack that will receive significant investment this offseason. While ex-Bayern Munich star Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting carried the scoring load with 17 goals in his debut season in New York, the next-leading forward had just five goals.

“We could add more flavor, we could add more style, we could add more creativity, especially on attack, and not be so dependent on [Choupo-Moting and veteran midfielder Emil Forsberg] to convert goals for us. I think there’s a lot more we can add to the roster.”

For more on Lewis Morgan and the Red Bulls, visit AMNY.com