Carlton Morris


Carlton John Morris is an English professional footballer who plays as a striker for club Derby County.
Morris has previously played for Norwich City, Oxford United, York City, Hamilton Academical, Rotherham United, Shrewsbury Town and Milton Keynes Dons, Barnsley and Luton Town, and had represented England at under-19 football team|under-19] level.

Club career

Norwich City

Early years and breakthrough

Born in Cambridge, Morris began his career in the youth system at Norwich City at the age of 11. He became an academy scholar in the summer of 2012 and won the FA Youth Cup with Norwich in May 2013. In December 2013, he signed a professional contract until the summer of 2016.

2014–15

On 4 August 2014, Morris joined Oxford United on loan until 1 January 2015. He made his debut on 9 August 2014, starting in a 1–0 defeat to Burton Albion in League Two. He scored his first goal in professional football in his next appearance on 12 August 2014, starting again as Oxford defeated Bristol City in the first round of the League Cup. After 10 appearances, he was recalled by Norwich on 23 October 2014.
On 27 November 2014, Morris joined another League Two club, York City, on loan until 4 January 2015. He made his debut two days later as a 77th-minute substitute for Wes Fletcher in a 1–1 away draw with Plymouth Argyle. His loan was extended for another month in January 2015 before returning to Norwich on 9 February having made eight appearances for York.

2015–16

On 15 July 2015, Morris joined Hamilton Academical on a six-month loan, shortly after signing a contract extension with Norwich to 2017. He made his Scottish Premiership debut on 1 August in a 0–0 home draw with Partick Thistle. On 18 August, Morris scored his first goal for Hamilton in a 4–0 home victory over Dundee United. On 2 January 2016, he extended his stay until the end of the Hamilton Academical F.C. season|2015–16 season]. Morris returned to Norwich in May 2016, having featured in 33 matches, scoring eight goals.

2016–17

After featuring for Norwich under-23s in the EFL Trophy, Morris joined Championship club Rotherham United on 31 January 2017 on loan until the end of Rotherham United F.C. season|2016–17]. He was unable to link up with Rotherham until mid-March due to injury, but did sign a contract to 2020 with Norwich earlier in the month. He made his Rotherham debut as a substitute in the 5–1 defeat away to Queens Park Rangers on 18 March 2017.

2017–18

On 11 July 2017, Morris joined League One club Shrewsbury Town on a season-long loan, becoming their ninth summer signing. He scored his first goal for the club in a 3−2 victory over Rochdale at New Meadow on 19 August. Morris suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in Shrewsbury Town's League One play-off final defeat to Rotherham United.

2018–19

Morris missed almost the entire season while recovering from his ACL injury, only making a few appearances for Norwich City's Under-23 squad.

2019–20

In May 2019 Morris signed a contract extension with Norwich to 2021 and was simultaneously loaned out to League One side Rotherham United, for whom he'd previously played in the 2016–17 season. The loan was cut short after Morris scored three league goals for them in the first half of the season. Morris then signed for Milton Keynes Dons on 7 January 2020 on a loan deal for the rest of the season.

2020–21

Following a successful loan spell, Morris re-joined Milton Keynes Dons on loan for the duration of the 2020–21 season. After scoring three goals from eighteen league games for the Dons, Morris was recalled by Norwich City on 6 January 2021. Later that day, Morris signed for Championship side Barnsley on a two-and-a-half-year deal, for an undisclosed fee. He scored his first goal for Barnsley in a 2–0 win against Brentford on 14 February 2021.

Luton Town

On 6 July 2022, Morris returned to the Championship when he signed for Luton Town for a fee of £1.3 million. Morris was awarded the EFL Championship Player of the Month for September 2022 having scored four goals during the month. Carlton Morris managed to get 20 goals in his first season at Luton as Luton got promoted to the Premier league.
Morris scored Luton Town's first ever Premier League goal on 12 August 2023 in a 4–1 away loss to Brighton and Hove Albion when he converted a penalty kick in the 81st minute. On 30 September 2023, he scored the winning goal against Everton at Goodison Park to give Luton Town its first ever Premier League victory. Morris was an ever present in Luton's Premier League campaign, scoring 11 goals as they were relegated back to the Championship; he was the club's top scorer during the season.
During the 2024–25 season, Morris scored eight times in 43 appearances from Luton as the club suffered back-to-back relegations, this time dropping down to League One. In three years at Luton, Morris scored 39 goals in 137 appearances.

Derby County

On 26 June 2025, it was confirmed the Morris had left Luton and joined fellow Championship side Derby County for an undisclosed fee, signing a three-year contract. He scored on his debut for the club, an acrobatic volley in a 3-1 defeat to Stoke City on the opening day of the Championship season. On 1 November, Morris scored his first career hat-trick in a 3–1 victory away at Sheffield United. Morrisscored 10 goals in his first 16 appearances for Derby. On 22 November 2025, he picked up an ankle injury during a game against Watford, with an expected time on the sidelines being three months.

International career

Having been a former youth international, Morris represented England at U19 level, earning 3 caps across 2013.

Style of play

Morris has often been noted for his physicality, having been described by his coaches at Oxford United as strong and able to hold up the ball.

Honours

Shrewsbury Town
Luton Town
Individual