LEWIS McGrattan hopes his return to pre-season training will provide him with a real opportunity to impress Morton boss Dougie Imrie.

The Ton players will take part in their first training session of the summer tomorrow less than seven weeks since their final Championship outing of 2021-22 away at Arbroath.

The midfielder ended last season by starting in the defeat at Gayfield Park after seeing limited first team action, making 15 leagues outings in total but starting just twice.

McGrattan is aiming to hit the ground running ahead of their first League Cup group game on July 9 against Falkirk as he aims to make the breakthrough in the Ton first team.

He told the Tele: "Hopefully I can just go in and show what I can do in pre-season, and then get a chance.

"Friendlies are always a good chance to show what I can do, so hopefully I can get some game time in them and impress.

"I am really looking forward to it.

"It has been a long break for us this year, so it was good to get a wee break at first but now it is just a case of looking forward to getting back into it."

With the 21-year-old being one of only nine players contracted at the end of last season, McGrattan says it has been reassuring knowing he’ll remain at Cappielow.

He believes it is key to keep the core of the team that brought Championship safety together for the upcoming campaign.

He said: "It is always nice when you have your deal sorted before going off, because it would be horrible to be waiting all summer and not knowing what is happening.

"It gives you a bit of peace of mind knowing you are safe for the next season.

"It is good to get a few of the boys tied up again.

"Since the gaffer came in at Christmas the boys have been brilliant, so we need to try and get the base of that team together and build on it."

With Gozie Ugwu, Brian McLean and Gary Oliver all departing last week, McGrattan knows how hard it will be for the club to find replacements.

But he has been impressed with manager Imrie’s work in the market, with Jack Baird, Darragh O'Connor and Carlo Pignatiello checking into Cappielow so far.

He added: "The three of them were all brilliant for Morton in their own ways, so it will be tough to replace them.

"But I am sure the gaffer will do what's necessary to identify the right signings.

"The three signings so far have been good. I know all three of them and I have watched them all play.

"They are good players, so it's a good start to the signings and hopefully there will be more to come."

While the midfielder says it's important for the players to get up to speed in training and friendlies, he says he already has one eye on the Premier Sports Cup group games which kick off next month.

McGrattan said: "I can’t wait for it.

"Obviously friendlies are good to get back playing but we want to be playing the real stuff with the cups and the league.

"The Hibs tie is the standout one. We want to be playing against the best teams and testing ourselves against them."