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Were Utd Right To Let Ravel Morrison Go?

Ravel Morrison West HamIf there’s one thing you never do, it’s question Fergie. But in the wake of Ravel Morrison’s impressive start to the season, netting a wonder goal in West Ham’s 3-0 triumph against Tottenham, it does make you wonder if it was the right call.

Whilst United have been crying out for midfielders, Morrison has, finally, been doing all his talking on the pitch -with two goals in four starts for the Hammers- warranting a call up from Gareth Southgate to the England Under-21’s where he again impressed.

The 20-year-old joined the East London club in January for an initial £650,000 following a spate of off-field incidents dating back to 2011. Recognised early as a problem child by Sir Alex, the boss was confronted on a weekly basis with news that the midfielder had stepped out of line in training but his talent kept him at the club until it was no longer feasible.

Unlike Beckham, Stam and the like, Morrison was given chance after chance in the hope he’d change his ways but ultimately, following further misdemeanours, he was shown the Old Trafford exit door.

It was a big call by Ferguson. Sir Alex believed in his abilities to become one of the best in the world if he tempered his attitude. In the space of a few years the young man from Wythenshawe has gone from being on the brink of a prison sentence to the brink of his first full-international cap.

Mike Phelan and Alex FergusonHowever, Mike Phelan, Sir Alex’s former right hand man, told BBC Five Live that the midfielder just wasn’t worth the hassle.

“It really was a day-to-day project with him. One day he was there and then another he wasn’t. He is a nice guy when he is with you, when he is around football, but obviously there were distractions.

“At the end of the day is it too much work to put into one person and keep the harmony and the balance? That was a decision that the club had to make. It is easy to say we let our most promising player leave but is it worth the hassle to wait and maybe not see fruition to it?” Phelan added.

Ferguson once said letting Jaap Stam go was one of his biggest mistakes. Despite his trials and tribulations, if Morrison continues to impress on the field, it could be another ‘one that got away’.

Regardless, Ravel Morrison is not here anymore and a certain bright spark of our own, Januzaj is not doing half- badly. That’s why the bookies, including sportingbet, have us down to pick up the first honour of the season, the League Cup. Not bad for starters.