da leao： Ravel Morrison is part of the ever-growing stream of young talents to slip through the clutches of the academy at Manchester United. A wild child with undoubted ability, he ended his tumultuous apprenticeship with the Premier League club by joining West Ham for an initial fee of less than £1million back in 2012.
da poker： Few have ever doubted the abilities of the young Englishman, but many have been quick to point out his many unsavoury traits that have seen his career so far be littered with disappointments. Domestic abuse, homophobic tweets and witness intimidation; it has been a bumpy ride in the career of the 20-year-old midfielder so far.
When asked about why he left United, former assistant Mike Phelan had the following to say:
“It was something going on between his ears.”
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This underlines the issue for Morrison, a man with incredible ability who just needs to get his head down and apply himself. With his United career firmly behind him now, it is definitely time for Sam Allardyce to get the very best out of this precocious young talent.
Maybe we are already starting to see signs of this resurgence already. 3 goals in just 5 starts, he has added a creative element to a West Ham midfield that has been somewhat bereft of it in recent times. His footballing style mirrors his enigmatic personality, rarely adopting a fixed position he has been able to float in and out during matches.
Morrison is flourishing in the role that Allardyce has afforded him, and his keenness to be involved as much as possible during games is refreshing. Rightly criticised for perhaps over-playing instead of looking for a teammate, Allardyce does still have a lot of work on his hands to continue Morrison’s development. Some may argue that if Fergie couldn’t tame the boy then who can? Few are better at instilling the traditional English footballing ethics into youngsters than ‘Big Sam’ and he couldn’t really be at a better place than West Ham right now.
A club celebrated as the ‘Academy of Football’ and rightly so in my opinion, West Ham will offer Morrison first team opportunities going forward at the standard required for his development. His off field debacles have become less and less prominent as his football has begun now to finally do the talking. This may finally be the young Englishman’s coming of age.
West Ham aren’t the only ones who believe that the Englishman has turned a corner, selection by new boss Gareth Southgate for the England u-21s is a clear sign that many in the game now think Morrison has changed. Upcoming friendlies against San Marino and Lithuania will be a good barometer of where the youngster is at with his game.
Joining up with Southgate will do the midfielder no harm either. Widely regarded as one of the best coaches in England, his insight will be invaluable for Morrison as he looks to accelerate his progress.
It is important to remember the boy is still 20; it is unlikely that his rise to prominence will be immediate. In fact it is probably best for his own sake that he is treated in a more cautious way than he was during his ‘wonderkid’ days at Manchester United. Caught up in his own ego, Allardyce will be keen to ensure that no repeat is made.
If West Ham play their cards right they may well have the next Paul Scholes on their hands. A difficult balancing act that both fans of West Ham and England will be keen to see working out. We so painfully lack creative English midfielders and someone like Morrison needs to be cherished rather than barracked.
It is difficult to tell if Morrison has really changed, but evidently progress is being made. This is potentially the biggest year of his footballing life coming up as he is gifted a second opportunity to prove his worth.
I have faith in both Allardyce and the club as a whole that this can work. For the sake of our national game it is probably something we should all be hoping for.
Has Ravel Morrison finally turned a corner?
Let us know what you think below
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