Ravel Morrison is becoming something of a journeyman at the tender of age of 26, after announcing he has joined Swedish side Ostersunds.
It is the eighth club of his professional career and is a far cry from the days he was backed to become a world beater at Manchester United.
So what’s gone wrong for Morrison and will he ever scale the heights he was once tipped to reach?
Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs, David Beckham, and Cristiano Ronaldo, is not simply a list of United legends, but a small selection of some of the most talented footballers to ever work under Sir Alex Ferguson.
Yet, remarkably, it was a then 14-year-old Morrison, who Ferguson would tell senior players was the best he had ever seen.
Rio Ferdinand recalls one particular moment: “Sir Alex Ferguson, I remember, he called me and Wazza [Wayne Rooney] over one day and said: “look at this kid, he’s better than you, Rooney when you were a kid, he’s better than you, Rio, better than Ryan Giggs when you were kids. This is the best kid you will ever see.”
When legendary United defender Gary Neville was contemplating retirement, he had begun his first steps into commentary, beginning with MUTV.
He watched numerous youth team matches at Altrincham’s Moss Lane which would play host to the next generation of stars hoping to make the breakthrough. Paul Pogba and Jesse Lingard also featured.
“Ravel Morrison’s ability was just a scandal,” proclaimed Neville after one such performance. “He was playing in a midfield three with Pogba and Ryan Tunnicliffe. All of them were outstanding, but Ravel was the principal game changer.
“He was an unbelievable talent, a Paul Gascoigne-type who could beat men and score some incredible goals. There are few players in central midfield who can beat people – Ravel could drift past them.”
In a two-legged final, United faced Sheffield United. They had eliminated Liverpool and Chelsea en route. The match ended 4-1, 6-3 on aggregate, Morrison scored twice to help earn a record 10th FA Youth Cup. After, he along with Lingard,Pogba and Tunnicliffe were all smiles as they held the trophy. The future was in safe hands.
Instead of pushing on, questions were soon being asked about Morrison’s behaviour. His portrayal of troublesome teen was no longer a secret, external influences were becoming an issue.
Witness intimidation, criminal damage, Morrison escaped prison time with a 12-month referral order and instructed to pay £2,000 in compensation.
Over the years, only a select few academy graduates make it into the senior squad. The FA Youth Cup win had opened the doors for Pogba and Morrison to make the deserved step up.
Seven months prior to that triumph, Morrison had in fact made his debut for the first-team, a cameo appearance in the League Cup against Wolves in October 2010. However, further chances failed to materialise.
In his debut season, his first out of the academy, Morrison would play only twice more, as a substitute; in the same competition he made his senior bow the previous year.
Frustrations kicked in and Morrison grew fed up on the side-lines. His lack of self-awareness meant it never registered he was to blame, the failure to push on and take his chance, the attitude. All of which proved his downfall. Ferguson had no choice but to part company, his greatest talent no longer manageable.
“Ravel Morrison might be the saddest case,” Ferguson wrote, candidly in his 2015 book, Leading. “He possessed as much natural talent as any youngster we ever signed, but kept getting into trouble. It was very painful to sell him… he could have been a fantastic player. But, over a period of years, the problems off the pitch continued to escalate and we had little option but to cut the cord.”
Sam Allardyce was the man tasked with getting the best from Morrison, keeping him on the straight and narrow. “I hope you can sort him out, because if you can he will be a genius,” Ferguson told the West Ham boss.
A month after signing, Morrison was fined £7,000 and warned by the FA over his conduct. His misdemeanours this time were uncovered on social media, the use of abuse/insulting language. Life in east London had begun in familiarly troubling fashion.
Shipped out to Birmingham City, Allardyce hoped the step down would be a culture shock for the talented, but wayward Morrison, instil professionalism and urgency. Discipline issues reared their head, poor attitude and timekeeping the main issues.
Perseverance and strong words from manager Lee Clark were needed. It appeared to have worked.
He returned to Upton Park for the start of the 2013/14 season, he was assigned the number 15 and opted to have ‘Ravel’ instead of his surname. Special dispensation was granted from the Premier League for this, personal reason cited, it was all part of his fresh start.
The faith was being repaid, two goals in five appearances, Morrison’s breakout moment came against Tottenham.
On YouTube, it is the first suggestion next to his name and with good reason. Collecting the ball in his own half, he drives at the Spurs defence, goes past Michael Dawson before lifting the ball over Hugo Lloris. It was wonderful and to those back in Manchester it was nothing they hadn’t seen before.
It earned him an inclusion in the England Under-21 squad. Two more goals in a brilliant display against Lithuania meant Morrison was even being spoken of as a shock inclusion for the World Cup in Brazil. There was also time for an altercation with Wilfried Zaha, although more was made of this, it was Morrison after all.
Allardyce again sent Morrison back to the Championship, this time with Queens Park Rangers. The club won promotion via the play-offs. Morrison was an unused substitute that day in Wembley.
A three-month loan at Cardiff yielded just seven appearances, before he was sent back to London and placed on the transfer list. The Hammers terminated his contract and he moved to Italy with Lazio. “I pick those who deserve to play, who train consistently, professionally and openly. Morrison has to work harder. He still doesn’t speak a word of Italian.” Stefano Pioli, the Lazio manager said.
Morrison was used sparingly, there was no Pogba-esque impact in Serie A and he was soon back at QPR. His career had alarmingly stalled. While his former team-mate moved to Old Trafford for a then world-record fee in 2016, the call to Morrison from Manchester never came.
A spell with Atlas in Mexico has recently been followed by his latest destination, Ostersunds in Sweden. Morrison embodies the belief that talent alone is not enough to get you by, he has it in abundance, if Sir Alex says so, who are we to disagree?
Somewhere along the way, Morrison got lost, not literally, caught up in the hype, the pressure perhaps. He put thousands of miles between himself and home to try and make good on his early potential. It remains to be seen if he will ever get there.