Sheffield United: 'I hope Ravel Morrison can settle at Blades' says Manchester United legend Gary Neville - after revealing he made cheeky bid to sign him for Salford City

Gary Neville, the Manchester United legend, admits he hopes Ravel Morrison can settle at Sheffield United - after revealing he made a cheeky attempt to sign him for Salford City.
Ravel Morrison of Sheffield Utd: Simon Bellis/SportimageRavel Morrison of Sheffield Utd: Simon Bellis/Sportimage
Ravel Morrison of Sheffield Utd: Simon Bellis/Sportimage

Neville, who was in the United first-team when Morrison was coming through the academy at Old Trafford, is now a succesful pundit on Sky Sports and co-owns Salford, along with his fellow 'Class of 92' members David Beckham, Ryan Giggs, Nicky Butt and his brother, Phil.

Morrison, once described by Sir Alex Ferguson as the most gifted youngster he had ever seen, signed a one-year deal at United in the summer after his short spell in Sweden with Ostersund.

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Since leaving Old Trafford in 2012, Morrison has had spells at clubs including West Ham, Lazio and Mexican club Atlas. Last week Chris Wilder, the Blades boss, suggested that Morrison could go on to establish himself as a £40m player at Bramall Lane.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Gary Neville (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Gary Neville (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Gary Neville (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)

And Neville, speaking on Sky's 'Big Season Debate', said of Morrison: "I had a little cheeky nibble at him for Salford... sent him a little direct message on Twitter. 'What you up to, Ravel?'

"He told me he was signing for a Premier League club. I said 'Ah, okay... all the best mate!'

"How will he do? I remember the first five months of one season when he was at West Ham, under Sam Allardyce. He'd got to a point where he was consistent, he was in the England U21s and was doing well.

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"Then, over Christmas, he fell off it a little bit and it didn't quite happen for him after Christmas.

"It seemed to happen every year. If you can get 20 good games out of him, because he's that type of player anyway, and he wins two, three or four matches, then that would be a successful season.

"The main thing for Ravel is making sure he's there, he's fit and he's training and available.

"He has had a tough time and needs to settle. I hope Sheffield is that place for him."

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United have the option to extend Morrison's contract if he proves a success this season. He played in a behind-closed-doors game against the Red Devils on Tuesday and could make his first competitive appearance for the Blades this weekend when they face Leicester City at Bramall Lane.

“Financially it was a great deal for us. We are not tied in for two or three years. He’s got the chance, if he succeeds, of improving and lifting,” Wilder said recently.

“At the moment we are at a level where a Ravel Morrison fully firing, playing at the top of his game, is someone we get nowhere near – that’s possibly a £40m, £50m, £60m player.

“There’s definitely something in him, and he does things out of the ordinary, which is what I was after. We are a possession-based team that creates momentum and creates pressure but we’ve never felt we had someone that could do something out of the ordinary.”

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