Former Everton and Sunderland defender Morgan Feeney opens up on his move to Carlisle United

Feeney joined the Blues from Sunderland, after many years with Everton, his boyhood club. The defender captained the Toffees at Under-23 level as well as being an England youth international, and all this career needs now is the groove of regular first-team play.

“It’s massive,” the 21-year-old says of his move to Cumbria. “I just want to knuckle down and get as many games as possible. For me, Carlisle was the perfect club for me to be able to do that so that I can take my career forward.”

Feeney joins centre-half ranks at United than include Rhys Bennett, Rod McDonald and Aaron Hayden. The young addition to that group might not stride straight into Chris Beech’s team but nor is Feeney here to be a long-lasting support act. 

He joins Carlisle after a frustrating half-season at Sunderland which was affected by injury. If this gives him additional fire to do well in League Two, so does ability which has been rated highly by many since Feeney was a much younger player. 

“I was with [Everton] from a very young age,” says the Bootle-born defender, who joined the Goodison Park club at seven. “I went through the whole academy system there and I was fortunate enough to get a couple of games in the first team in the Europa League [against Atalanta and Apollon Limassol in 2017, when he played in the same side as Wayne Rooney].

Morgan Feeney, second left, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Tom Davies and Nikola Vlasic during Everton's Europa League game against Atalanta in 2017 (photo: PA)

“That was unbelievable. It was my boyhood club, I’ve supported them all my life, so it was a very proud moment to be in the first team. They were European nights as well, so it was a great experience. We played one in Cyprus and one in Goodison. The fans have different feelings and sing different songs, and it was really good to experience something like that.” 

Feeney was exposed to some outstanding players on his journey at Everton. “I’d say I’ve taken a little bit of something from everyone who I’ve been fortunate enough to train and play with from the first team,” he says. “I took a lot in terms of leadership, and those sorts of qualities, from Seamus Coleman. He was always very good with myself and all of the other young lads, and I looked up to him because he was a very good captain. He was very vocal on the pitch and a really good player. The way he went about his business in the gym and on the training pitch was admirable and great for the young lads to see. 

“It’s a club that produces so many good players, no matter what they’ve gone on to do in their careers. It’s more than just being a good player – they make you a good person as well because they teach you from a very young age about how to act and how to conduct yourself. They make sure that you work hard and that you’re polite, and that you’re going about things in the right way. I’d like to think I’ve taken a lot of those qualities with me.” 

Feeney, who played alongside United’s George Tanner for England’s Under-18s, saw a loan to Tranmere curtailed by a hamstring injury. He moved on to Sunderland last summer but another such injury, as well as the departure of the man who signed him (Phil Parkinson), made it a short-lived time on Wearside. 

“With the types of injuries they were, it’s not something I could have done anything about,” he says. “It was a little bit unlucky also with the way they came about because they weren’t really preventable injuries at the time. It’s part and parcel of being a footballer, I suppose, and you’ve got to be mentally strong to move on from it.” 

One of Feeney’s Sunderland outings came against Carlisle in pre-season. It was a 3-1 win for the Black Cats but the defender remembered United’s performance when the Blues came calling this winter. “It stood out that they were very aggressive in how they went about things,” he says. “They were constantly on the front foot and they put us under a lot of pressure that day. I admired it and that style of play is something I remembered. I said to myself back then that it was a club that was going to do well. It’s no surprise to me that they’re up at the top [of League Two].” 

Carlisle have been keen on Feeney ever since Chris Beech took charge more than a year ago, with interest stepped up once it became clear the defender would be leaving Sunderland. “I was just very excited to know that a club like Carlisle were interested in me,” he says. “Once things progressed I was keen to jump at the chance and I’m pleased that we’ve got it done in the end. 

“I was fortunate enough to have a fair bit of interest but, for me, Carlisle was a club with ambitions similar to mine. When I spoke to David [Holdsworth, director of football] and the manager, it made me realise that this is a project I want to get involved with and I know it’ll be a good place for me to be at the moment.” 

Head coach Beech, and his keenness to have Feeney on board, was a key factor. “He spoke about the fact he’d known me for many years, since I was a young boy, and he’d seen me play a bit when I was a kid. He talked about what he knew about how I play and then he told me about what he believes in, and what the squad here at the moment believes in.

Chris Beech (photo: PA)

“It’s always nice when the manager has a portfolio on you and he knows what your strengths and weaknesses are. It was good to hear where he thinks he can help me to improve. Honest conversations like that are really refreshing and it was a big part of why I’m here. 

“The style of football was a big thing [too] and it didn’t take much to convince me, if I’m being honest. He [Beech] made it clear what it was I was coming to and how hard I’m going to have to work to make sure I’m part of it. People can say as much as they want but it needs to feel right, beyond the words, and that’s certainly how I was made to feel about this move.” 

Feeney says he was so confident about coming to Carlisle that he did not take many soundings about the place – even from another promising young defender whose path he crossed at Goodison last year.

“I played a few matches with Jarrad [Branthwaite] when he came [from Carlisle] in January, and he’s a really good lad,” Feeney says. “He’s a good player and it’s brilliant that he got a few games last season. He’s got a good loan move this season [to Blackburn] and hopefully he’ll have a good career with Everton. 

“I didn’t speak to him about Carlisle, though, because he’s been on the move himself, and this all happened so quickly that I didn’t have time to reach out to too many people. I didn’t really have to, in a sense, because I was in no doubt that this was the right place for me. I didn’t need any reassurance on that.” 

Feeney describes himself as a defender with traditional values. It is as simple as this: “First and foremost I like to defend. That’s the job of a centre-half and I pride myself on clean sheets, winning headers and tackles and working hard as a defensive unit. I’m adaptable in a sense that I’ll do whatever the manager asks me to do, and if that means playing in a slightly different way then I’ll do it.” 

Having captained teams at a young age, Feeney will not shrink in the leadership department next to more experienced players. “It’s a massive part of my game, being vocal on the pitch, organising, talking. Wherever I go I take that with me and I’d like to think I’ll have it here. Hopefully that will be a benefit rather than something that gets in the way.” 

Feeney says he feels "fitter than I’ve ever felt and stronger than I’ve ever felt”, a tribute to his efforts to return in the best possible condition from injury. As for stepping down another division - that is simply part of the challenge and, in any case, “I honestly see Carlisle as a big club anyway. They shouldn’t be in the league they’re in, they should be higher, and I think everybody at the club will agree with that. Hopefully I can be a part of helping that to happen. 

“With Carlisle it’s now three big clubs [I’ve been at] that want to be as high as they can be. I know Everton are doing well in the Premier League at the moment, but Sunderland and Carlisle definitely aren’t doing as well as they would like. Carlisle are doing really well this season but the fact is they want to be in League One and pushing for the Championship, and it’s good for a player to know you’re coming to a place that has that kind of ambition. 

“I know they want to be as high up as possible and maybe pushing for the Premier League one day. That’s the ambition I’ve certainly got so it’s a project I’m really excited about.” 

The top-flight might, to say the least, feel a long way off just now. But it’s certainly good to hear from a young player prepared to think big. “I’ll support the lads all the way whatever happens, but I want to be a big part of it,” Feeney says of United’s promotion challenge in League Two. “I’d like to think I’ll add something to the team once I get up and running. Hopefully I’ll be able to show that when I get the opportunity to play.”