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Sunderland look to have won the race to sign Lewis Morgan on loan, according to a report in The Scottish Sun.

What's the word?

The Celtic winger had looked like joining SPFL rivals Aberdeen until the end of the season but according to The Sun, he has opted to rejoin his old St Mirren boss Jack Ross at the League One outfit.

Morgan was a vital factor as Ross rescued St Mirren from a relegation battle in 2016/17 to winning the second-tier title the following season, with the winger contributing 18 goals. Last January he completed a move to Celtic but returned to Paisley on loan for the remainder of the season.

Sunderland are sitting in fifth place in League One but have two matches in hand over leaders Luton.

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Smart move for all parties

Morgan has shown in glimpses that he has the ability and attitude to succeed at Celtic but what he now needs is game time, and lots of it. The arrivals of Oliver Burke and Timo Weah have reduced his Celtic prospects even further after making one start and 12 substitute appearances in the first part of the season.

Aberdeen have shown with Ryan Christie, Lee Maddison and Danny Ward that they can give players the environment to accelerate their development but they aren't the only option.

Like Celtic, Sunderland have huge expectations - Ross is under pressure to restore the club to the Championship after the misery of back-to-back relegations. As a bonus the Black Cats boss knows Morgan better than anyone from their time at St Mirren and should be able to get the best out of him.

This move could well be a winner for both clubs and the player.