Adnan Januzaj shines to highlight Ravel Morrison’s loss

It is all too easy to go overboard in effusive praise of a bright new star. Manchester United supporters have seen many briefly burn over the years, only for hope to fade and die, expectation collapsing into the blackest hole. None burned brighter than Ravel Morrison, whose ability to glide across the turf as if skating effortlessly on a winter lake marked the Mancunian out as a youth player of real class. All touch, flicks, tricks, and genuine creativity, Morrison was born to play for United.

Except, of course, he wasn’t. Not really. The excitement of those who watched Morrison develop through the academy and reserves simply disappeared into a raft of troubles that eventually drove a huge talent away from Manchester.

Morrison’s move to West Ham United ended one of the most enduring dramas at the club. Yet, the youngster’s transfer south was inevitable only once Sir Alex Ferguson came to the realisation in late 2011 year that he could do little more to help the player.

The Scot was the last of United’s coaching staff to give up on a youngster whose story has never held a clear narrative. Here is a challenged young man who many simply expected to disappear out of the game, talent wasted forever, once Sir Alex decided to let him go.

Morrison moved south for just £650,000 up front, rising to £2 million should certain performance targets be met. With Morrison’s contract running down, United had no stomach for the transfer tribunal lottery, and the Hammers secured a low-risk talent who has now bloomed into something far more valuable.

The transfer details are the easy part in the multi-faceted story of how one of the finest talents of the past generation left Old Trafford only to rise once again. Paraphrasing Paddy Crerand: Morrison was always ‘too good to fail’, unless his own troubles dragged him under.

Yet, here is a player, no matter the talent, who too often gave the impression of caring little for the game during four years spent in United’s academy. While Morrison’s tendency to drift out of matches has improved since appearing regularly for the east Londoners, the player’s attitude to training irked far too many at both Carrington and West Ham.

It took a loan spell in the Championship for the penny to finally drop – not just on the pitch and the training ground, but in his private life too. It seems as if Sir Alex’ promise to Allardyce has come true – that if the Midlander could “sort this lad out” he would “have one of the best players he’d ever had” on his hands.

“Sir Alex let Ravel go for his own benefit,” Allardyce said ahead of West Ham’s trip to United on Saturday.

“He said that if he comes down to you, hopefully he will find a new life and a new way of living. His ability will then start to come through because all he asks and all he wants in his life is to play first-team football, that was all he said he wanted to do and why he wanted to leave.

“In actual fact, he struggled to look like he was capable of playing football in the first team with us. That’s why we sent him on loan to Birmingham and I thought since that year, he’s grown up. Somewhere along the line, the lad has woken up and I think he’s changed himself and delivered.”

In a sense any comparison with Morrison is to Adnan Januzaj’s detriment. After all, Morrison made just three substitute appearances in the United first team. The Englishman did little at the highest level to garner such excitement from United’s support – even if that is a fatuous observation given the talent available.

Januzaj, by contrast, has already sparkled during his début season in the first team. The Belgian-born youngster spent just one campaign at each of the academy and reserve levels before progressing under new manager David Moyes.