Manchester United

Wayne Rooney: 'Ravel Morrison was better than Paul Pogba'

By Darren Plant, Senior Reporter | 03 May 2020

Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney claims that Ravel Morrison was a better player than Paul Pogba during their days in the academy setup.

Wayne Rooney has revealed that he rated Ravel Morrison as a better player than Paul Pogba during their days in the Manchester United academy.

While Pogba has progressed into one of the biggest stars in world football, Morrison has failed to make the transition into the professional ranks, already accumulating 11 clubs by the age of 27.

However, Rooney has claimed that the playmaker possessed more ability than the likes of Pogba and Jesse Lingard when they were attempting to break into the United first team.

Speaking to The Times, Rooney said: "I remember watching Ravel Morrison thinking he had everything required for a player in his position. He nutmegged Nemanja Vidic three times in the space of a minute in one training game.

"But he struggled with lifestyle and his environment which was sad for him - because I saw Paul Pogba come through, Jesse Lingard, all these players and Ravel was better than any of them by a country mile.

"He's proof that you can't escape the fact there are guidelines every player has to obey in professional football."

Morrison made just three substitute appearances for United, all of which came in the EFL Cup.