Ravel Morrison
Ravel Morrison (Image: UTC)
Ravel Morrison. Does that name ring a bell? Sir Alex Ferguson once described the former Manchester United youngster as 'the best kid you will ever see'. Wayne Rooney said Morrison was 'a country mile' better than Paul Pogba and Jesse Lingard. Rio Ferdinand hailed the midfielder as the 'most naturally gifted' wonderkid he had laid eyes on.
However, a player of such incredible promise, would go on to make just 18 Premier League appearances. For West Ham and Sheffield United.
Morrison has had stints at 14 clubs all told in England, the Netherlands, Sweden, Italy, Mexico, the U.S. and Dubai, but there is one side he regretted missing out on. Morrison said he 'should have gone to Newcastle United' before joining West Ham in 2012 and the 32-year-old revealed he was 'supposed to go on loan' to the Magpies a few seasons later - only for the move to fall through.
"I was at Lazio and I was close to going to Newcastle when Rafa Benitez was there and they were in the Championship," he told Under the Cosh this week. "But we couldn't get it over the line...I should have gone there twice. That would have been good."
Morrison, who now plays in the UAE Second Division, never fulfilled his undoubted potential. Gary Neville revealed that Morrison had 'significant complexities and challenges in his life than any of us would have found difficult to deal with'. Ferdinand said there was a 'troubled boy in there whose home life wasn't as perfect as many'. Former West Ham boss Sam Allardyce noted how Morrison, who was diagnosed with ADHD, 'just wasn't capable of being a full-time professional mentally'.
There were instances where Morrison would miss training, having been up until 4am playing the PlayStation, in his own words, and others where he would disappear back to Manchester. Kevin Nolan knew that more than most after trying to take Morrison under his wing during their time together at West Ham.
"He was one of the most special players I've seen on a training pitch," the ex-West Ham and Newcastle captain added. "He just used to go missing and no one could get in touch with him.
"The liaison officer would come to me going, 'Kevin. I can't get in touch with Ravel again. He's not in his flat. Where is he?' I'm trying to ring him and he wouldn't answer. He would just come in four days later with this cheeky smile and want to nutmeg everyone in training. We would all have steam coming out of our ears because he could do it.
"An unbelievable talent. Just a shame because he should have made his mark. We talk about Cole Palmer and that's where I'd put him if he had that drive because he had everything else. He could make you look like a silly footballer and he did to a lot of us in training."