Manchester United: Ravel Morrison was way better than Paul Pogba, says Wayne Rooney
Paul Pogba is regarded as one of the best midfielders in the world but Wayne Rooney thought United youth academy product Ravel Morrison was a better player.
Wayne Rooney admits that he walys considered Ravel Morrison to be a better player than Paul Pogba when they were just young players were trying to make their mark at Manchester United.
Pogba and Morrison's early days at United
Morrison and Pogba each joined the United academy in 2009, yet they have experienced contrasting fortunes. While Pogba later moved on and went on to star for Juventus before returning to United and has won the World Cup ith France, Morrison has failed to live up to his potential in a career that has taken him to Italy, Mexico and Sweden.
Morrison joined Championship side Middlesbrough in January on loan from Sheffield United for the remainder of the season, which is on hold due to the coronavirus pandemic. United legend Rooney, now at Derby County, believes it could have been a different story for Morrison had he possessed the commitment of Gary Neville.
When Morrison megged Vidic
Rooney wrote in his Sunday Times column: "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. Then you think how far you can go by being ultra-professional. Gary Neville, for instance. Gary's not a great football player but he worked in every minute of every training session and made the most of everything he had. Sir Alex Ferguson used to say the hardest thing in life is to work hard every day. Forget all your ability, strip everything back: if you can work hard every day, in whatever job you do you'll be successful."