Will Hartlepool United make transfer return for ex-Middlesbrough and Portsmouth midfielder

Morris spent the second half of last season on-loan with his hometown club, arriving from League One side Burton Albion in the January transfer window.

Pools had the option of retaining the 26-year-old’s services beyond that loan spell with the club understood to have agreed a two-year deal in principle with the Brewers for the former Middlesbrough man.

But after the dismissal of manager Graeme Lee in May, it now looks unlikely Morris will return to the Suit Direct Stadium with Hartley keen to explore other avenues in the transfer market.

“At this moment in time it’s not something that’s at the top of my list,” Hartley told The Mail.

“I’ve got other targets. Bryn was a player that was in the building before I came in. I’ve got to bring my own type of player in who I want to bring in.”

Morris made 11 appearances for Pools during the final three months of the campaign and that might have been more but for an ankle injury picked up in the draw with Sutton United in February.

Morris was out of action for several weeks and was plagued by the injury for the remainder of the campaign.

Despite the injury however, Morris impressed during his time with the club.

But while Hartley looks set to overlook the option of a return for Morris, he remains confident his squad will be ready for their season opener at Walsall.

“There was an initial discussion, but I just wanted to get my feet under the table to be quite honest and I’m looking at what I can improve on and what kind of players I can bring in,” Hartley explained to The Mail on Morris.

“We’re trying to bring some good players into the building, we’ve been speaking to a lot of players and over the coming days and weeks we’ll have enough players in the squad to be ready for the game against Walsall that’s for sure.

“We’ll have a lot of quality within the group and that’s the important thing, you can’t just bring players in for the sake of it.”