The English Balotelli, prodigiously talented with temperament question marks - but is he worth a punt, if only to royally piss Ferguson off?
http://menmedia.co.uk/manchestereveningnews/sport/football/manchester_united/s/1470604_teen-ace-ravel-morrison-was-tipped-for-bright-future-at-manchester-united--but-may-be-on-his-way-out-of-old-trafford
Teen ace Ravel Morrison was tipped for bright future at Manchester United – but may be on his way out of Old Trafford
James Robson
January 13, 2012
The one that got away? Ravel Morrison is a star in the making but has Sir Alex Ferguson run out of patience with him?
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If Ravel Morrison is allowed to leave Old Trafford it will mark a significant moment in Sir Alex Ferguson’s United reign.
Not since Keith Gillespie went to Newcastle as part of the £7m deal to sign Andy Cole in 1995 has such a prodigious talent been shown the exit door before being given the chance to establish himself.
Newcastle are confident once more that they can be the benefactors of United’s famed production line, despite having a £500,000 bid for Wythenshawe-born Morrison rejected.
An offer closer to £1m is thought to be enough to convince Ferguson to sell a player considered to be the most outstanding natural talent generated by the club since Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes.
But a series of off-field issues and questions about the 18-year-old’s temperament appear to have convinced Ferguson to cash in on the midfielder.
In isolation it’s a decision that flies in the face of Ferguson’s very footballing ethos, which has always been to develop home-grown talents who will go on to become the core of the club.
Players like Giggs, Scholes and the Neville brothers engendered an empathy among supporters that has been a hallmark of the club since the days of the Busby Babes.
Morrison’s value could inflate should Tottenham, Arsenal or even Real Madrid join Newcastle in bidding for his services.
The very fact that such illustrious names are monitoring the player, who was a key part of United’s FA Youth Cup-winning side last season, is evidence enough of his
potential.
And it only emphasises the difficulty Ferguson has had in reluctantly accepting that his future lies away from Old Trafford. Many promising talents have come and gone in the 25 years Ferguson has been at the helm – but Morrison represents a different situation.
Rather than someone who has failed to make the grade in the most exacting standards of Old Trafford, he is set to leave before United have seen anything like his best.
From the moment he stole the show as a 15-year-old among players several years his elder in the Youth Cup, he was tipped for greatness.
Pace, balance and trickery, he appeared to have it all.
And it is still the view at the club that he has the ability to play at the very highest level.
Ferguson has long-believed the player is the jewel in the crown of his latest generation of starlets that he expects to secure glory for United long after he has retired.
Future
Along with players like Paul Pogba – whose future is also in doubt – Will Keane and Larnell Cole, Morrison is part of the brightest group of academy graduates since the famed class of 1992.
But it is the off-field side of his character that has proved most troubling in his fledgling career after two court appearances within five months.
His Twitter offerings have also caused some controversy.
In November, he was angered when left on the bench for a reserves match.
He tweeted: “**** take,” adding, “I cannot wait till the end of the season.”
Wayne Rooney responded: “might come sooner than you think!!!!” in a public dressing down of his team-mate.
The closest comparison to Morrison would be Gillespie’s situation when leaving 17 years ago.
Again Ferguson was reluctant to lose someone he had such faith in, but Kevin Keegan was adamant the Northern Ireland winger be included as a makeweight in the Cole deal.
Given that United already had Andrei Kanchelskis and the emerging David Beckham on the right, he could afford to let Gillespie go.
He regretted the decision the following summer when Kanchelskis also left, but that proved to speed up Beckham’s progress.
More recently foreign prospects like Gerard Pique and Guiseppi Rossi were sold on before establishing themselves. In the case of Barcelona and Spain defender Pique, he wanted to return to his homeland, while it was decided that Italian Rossi wasn’t suited to the English game at the time.
Fans are sure to be disappointed to lose a talent – a Mancunian one at that – they were convinced would become the type of marquee player they have been desperate for Ferguson to sign since the departures of Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez.
But the club’s patience has been tested as Morrison’s indiscretions have generated as much publicity as his unquestionable talent. Out of contract at the end of the season, it is understood United want to capitalise now rather than risk his fee being set by a tribunal at the end of the season.
And on Wednesday night he tweeted about his current situation, saying: “No contract offer to talk about.”
If Ferguson monitors the world of social network sites it would be further evidence that he is fighting a losing battle to keep a handle on the prospect.
And it’s a battle that he appears to have given up on.
http://menmedia.co.uk/manchestereveningnews/sport/football/manchester_united/s/1470604_teen-ace-ravel-morrison-was-tipped-for-bright-future-at-manchester-united--but-may-be-on-his-way-out-of-old-trafford
Teen ace Ravel Morrison was tipped for bright future at Manchester United – but may be on his way out of Old Trafford
James Robson
January 13, 2012
The one that got away? Ravel Morrison is a star in the making but has Sir Alex Ferguson run out of patience with him?
Get Cash in One Hour!
If Ravel Morrison is allowed to leave Old Trafford it will mark a significant moment in Sir Alex Ferguson’s United reign.
Not since Keith Gillespie went to Newcastle as part of the £7m deal to sign Andy Cole in 1995 has such a prodigious talent been shown the exit door before being given the chance to establish himself.
Newcastle are confident once more that they can be the benefactors of United’s famed production line, despite having a £500,000 bid for Wythenshawe-born Morrison rejected.
An offer closer to £1m is thought to be enough to convince Ferguson to sell a player considered to be the most outstanding natural talent generated by the club since Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes.
But a series of off-field issues and questions about the 18-year-old’s temperament appear to have convinced Ferguson to cash in on the midfielder.
In isolation it’s a decision that flies in the face of Ferguson’s very footballing ethos, which has always been to develop home-grown talents who will go on to become the core of the club.
Players like Giggs, Scholes and the Neville brothers engendered an empathy among supporters that has been a hallmark of the club since the days of the Busby Babes.
Morrison’s value could inflate should Tottenham, Arsenal or even Real Madrid join Newcastle in bidding for his services.
The very fact that such illustrious names are monitoring the player, who was a key part of United’s FA Youth Cup-winning side last season, is evidence enough of his
potential.
And it only emphasises the difficulty Ferguson has had in reluctantly accepting that his future lies away from Old Trafford. Many promising talents have come and gone in the 25 years Ferguson has been at the helm – but Morrison represents a different situation.
Rather than someone who has failed to make the grade in the most exacting standards of Old Trafford, he is set to leave before United have seen anything like his best.
From the moment he stole the show as a 15-year-old among players several years his elder in the Youth Cup, he was tipped for greatness.
Pace, balance and trickery, he appeared to have it all.
And it is still the view at the club that he has the ability to play at the very highest level.
Ferguson has long-believed the player is the jewel in the crown of his latest generation of starlets that he expects to secure glory for United long after he has retired.
Future
Along with players like Paul Pogba – whose future is also in doubt – Will Keane and Larnell Cole, Morrison is part of the brightest group of academy graduates since the famed class of 1992.
But it is the off-field side of his character that has proved most troubling in his fledgling career after two court appearances within five months.
His Twitter offerings have also caused some controversy.
In November, he was angered when left on the bench for a reserves match.
He tweeted: “**** take,” adding, “I cannot wait till the end of the season.”
Wayne Rooney responded: “might come sooner than you think!!!!” in a public dressing down of his team-mate.
The closest comparison to Morrison would be Gillespie’s situation when leaving 17 years ago.
Again Ferguson was reluctant to lose someone he had such faith in, but Kevin Keegan was adamant the Northern Ireland winger be included as a makeweight in the Cole deal.
Given that United already had Andrei Kanchelskis and the emerging David Beckham on the right, he could afford to let Gillespie go.
He regretted the decision the following summer when Kanchelskis also left, but that proved to speed up Beckham’s progress.
More recently foreign prospects like Gerard Pique and Guiseppi Rossi were sold on before establishing themselves. In the case of Barcelona and Spain defender Pique, he wanted to return to his homeland, while it was decided that Italian Rossi wasn’t suited to the English game at the time.
Fans are sure to be disappointed to lose a talent – a Mancunian one at that – they were convinced would become the type of marquee player they have been desperate for Ferguson to sign since the departures of Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez.
But the club’s patience has been tested as Morrison’s indiscretions have generated as much publicity as his unquestionable talent. Out of contract at the end of the season, it is understood United want to capitalise now rather than risk his fee being set by a tribunal at the end of the season.
And on Wednesday night he tweeted about his current situation, saying: “No contract offer to talk about.”
If Ferguson monitors the world of social network sites it would be further evidence that he is fighting a losing battle to keep a handle on the prospect.
And it’s a battle that he appears to have given up on.
