Steven Gerrard’s decision not to bring former Man United starlet Ravel Morrison to Rangers in 2019 looks to have been the right one after the player’s latest failed stint abroad.
Morrison came through the United Academy and was described by Sir Alex Ferguson as having “as much natural talent as any youngster we’ve ever signed”, while Gary Neville said one of his youth team performances, in which he outshone Paul Pogba in a midfield three, was a “scandal” [talkSPORT].
Based on those comments alone, it would seem crazy that despite the player allegedly sitting down for talks with Gerrard two years ago [talkSPORT], he ended up signing for low-profile Swedish club Ostersunds FK.
However, Morrison has failed to convert his ability into consistent performances at senior level and now aged 27, he’s yet to make more than 30 appearances for a single club.
The attacking midfielder spent six months in Sweden before returning to the UK and signing for Sheffield United. He only turned out five times for the Blades before joining Middlesbrough on loan, where he also failed to settle, making just three appearances at the Riverside and returning early to Bramall Lane to be released.
After spending months as a free agent, Dutch Eredivisie side ADO Den Haag handed him a one-year deal in September.
However, he made just five appearances before it was confirmed on Saturday that his deal had been terminated by mutual consent.
It’s sad to see such top-level talent go unfulfilled but Gerrard will likely be breathing a sigh of relief that he wasn’t one of the many managers to take a gamble on the former England youth international.
The Gers boss has assembled a stable group of players at Ibrox with very little in the way of contract drama played out since his arrival in May 2018.
Morrison might have lit up the Premiership had he moved to Scotland rather than Sweden, but his failure to produce at multiple clubs since then suggests that Rangers were right not to follow up on initial interest.
