Even though the game was marred with four sending off’s and more crowd trouble involving Liverpool and Manchester United fans, for United at least, something positive did come out of the 3-2 Youth Cup quarter final at Anfield. A victory is always sweet against your rivals, especially after being 2-0 down, but Ravel Morrison once again managed to force himself into the thought process of first team manager, Sir Alex Ferguson. He’s been on the radar for a while now and after his brace for the youth team, it may be time to unleash the talent on the Premier League.
It’s a tough call to make, because the youngster is obviously going to attract a lot of attention. But there is only so long the 18-year-old can continue to make other youth teams look stupid. He’s definitely got the talent, so you would have thought his first team bow would be sooner rather than later. Given United’s below par performances, it may not be such a bad time anyway. We’ve all come to recognise that Fergie’s men sit top of the league by default, and his midfield is in desperate need of freshening up. The return of Antonio Valencia will be like having a new signing, and Park Ji-Sung will also add some much needed energy. But even so, fighting on three fronts with the form United are in is going to be incredibly difficult. Against Arsenal in the FA Cup, it was pleasing to see the Da Silva twins get a start because you know you’re going to get energy and commitment – which is more than can be said for some of the laborious displays we’ve witnessed whenever United play away from home.
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Ravel Morrison would fit into that bracket of player who will ensure of a full-blooded performance. The best part about it though, is he wouldn’t be picked to make a point to some of the other regulars, Morrison could make a huge difference as he’s quick, confident and has plenty of tricks up his sleeve. His second goal against Liverpool was one of real quality, and it isn’t something which has come out of nowhere. He has been doing it all season, and if you believe some stories, they only reason he hasn’t found himself warming the first-team bench more often than he has done, is because his attitude has let him down somewhat.
I’d argue that if that is one side of his game he needs to rectify, being under the watchful eye of Alex Ferguson will soon pay dividends. He wouldn’t be the first problem player to grace Old Trafford, in fact he would just become another on a long list, so it isn’t something Ferguson can’t handle.
United have a difficult run in to secure a 19th league crown, and add on top of that an FA cup semi-final against Manchester City and possible further Champions League involvement, the stronger their squad the better. Ravel Morrison is proving himself to be quite the player, and now could be the time for Fergie to finally unleash the prestigious talent on the rest of the Premier League, starting with Bolton on Saturday.
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