Wayne Rooney believes Ravel Morrison was a 'country mile better' than Paul Pogba

With players like Paul Scholes, David Beckham, Marcus Rashford, Ryan Giggs and Paul Pogba coming through the ranks over the years, the Man United academy is regarded as one of the best in the world. The Man United academy holds the record of having at least one graduate in the club's matchday squad for more than 4,000 senior matches in succession. One among their youth prospects was Ravel Morrison, who was touted as a 'generational talent' before things went haywire for the academy prospect, who currently finds himself at Middlesborough on loan from Premier high-flyers Sheffield United. 

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Wayne Rooney claims Ravel Morrisson was better than Paul Pogba

In his column for the Sunday Times, Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney spoke about former Man United academy graduate Ravel Morrison. Rooney wrote that Morrisson was 'a country mile better' than current first-team star Paul Pogba and recalled an incident when Ravel Morrison nutmegged Nemanja Vidic thrice in the space of a minute. Wayne Rooney wrote that Ravel Morrison had all the traits to become the best player in his position but struggled with attitude and lifestyle problems. Man United's leading scorer added that it is sad that the former Man United academy graduate who was in the batch Paul Pogba and Jesse Lingard graduated from has not made it to the top in world football.

Wayne Rooney added that Ravel Morrison was proof that players can't escape the guidelines and added that some live on the edge and stick just inside to succeed. He added that legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson used to say that the hardest part of being a footballer was working hard every day. Wayne Rooney added that the former Man United boss told them to strip their ability and work hard in order to be successful. 

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What happened to Ravel Morrison?

Ravel Morrison was once touted as one of the most exciting talents of his generation, with Sir Alex Ferguson describing him as the "best kid you'll ever see", according to Rio Ferdinand. However, after three first-team appearances, Morrison has had spells at Lazio, Ostersunds, West Ham and QPR. Morrison enjoyed a great start to life at West Ham but a series of loan moves followed before he fell out of favour with Sam Allardyce.

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Ravel Morrison, who was part of the last United side with Paul Pogba to lift the FA Youth Cup then moved to Lazio where he remained unsettled despite an initial run in the first team. Loan moves followed before making a name for himself in the Liga MX. A move to Ostersund followed and Sheffield United snapped him up ahead of the current Premier League season. After the initial promise, Morrison struggled and was shipped out on a loan to Middlesbrough in January. 

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