Football League World
·21 December 2024
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Yahoo sportsFootball League World
·21 December 2024
The midfielder spent just one season at Pride Park, playing for the Rams during their administration campaign.
Ravel Morrison's career has not quite panned out how many thought it would have after he made his professional debut as a 17-year-old for Manchester United, and at the time was touted as one of the world's wonderkids.
The midfielder made just three appearances for the Premier League giants before leaving for West Ham United, where he struggled for minutes, and spent time out on loan.
Morrison found it difficult to settle wherever he went, and spent time in Italy, Mexico, Netherlands and Sweden before eventually joining Derby County in the summer of 2021 to help his former teammate, Wayne Rooney, in their fight against relegation to League One.
While with the Rams, the 31-year-old played the most games that he has done in a season, playing a key role behind the striker while also scoring five goals and picking up four assists in all competitions. Football League World has taken a look at where he is now, two-and-a-half years after leaving Pride Park.
Following his time at Derby, he joined back up with Rooney in the USA at D.C. United, but it was a move that did not pay off, with Morrison playing just 14 games as his side finished with the lowest number of points in both the Eastern and Western Conferences.
He departed from the MLS at the end of 2022, and spent a couple of years as a free agent, while still playing for the Jamaica National Team.
In September, he made the surprise decision to drop down a number of levels to join Precision FC in the United Arab Emirates.
The club, who are sponsored by global giants Adidas and also boast an academy system, play in the second tier of the UAE's footballing pyramid after they won promotion from Division Three in their first season as a club.
He is not the only ex-Derby player to ply their trade for Precision, with Ben Pringle and Jamie Ward also turning out for the Dubai-based outfit. Former Aston Villa right-back Matthew Lowton, and Harry Arter, who was previously of Nottingham Forest, also feature.
Despite the ages of their players, they are on the up once again, and have made an excellent start to the 2024/25 campaign. They are on course for successive promotions, although crowd sizes are negligible.
Nevertheless, it is clear to see that Morrison is enjoying his football once again after a difficult time in the USA, and it has allowed him to continue playing for Jamaica.
Although he may be happy playing for Precision, Morrison has the ability to play at a higher level, and proved during his time at Derby that he would still be competitive in the EFL.
Many hoped for him to continue with the Rams following their relegation to League One, and he would have been the creative force that they needed during their first season in the division.
Under Paul Warne, the East Midlands club failed in their bid to make an instant return to the Championship, losing to Sheffield Wednesday on the final day of the 2022/23 campaign to deny them the chance of playing in the play-offs.
Operating in a role behind David McGoldrick, Morrison would have excelled, and he could have been the difference that Derby needed to win the promotion that they so much desired, and eventually won the year after.