10 Football Wonderkids Who Failed Miserably

7. Ravel Morrison

It seems absurd to think that Ravel Morrison was once in the same Manchester United youth team as Paul Pogba, and was described by Sir Alex Ferguson as the best player he had seen in that age group. But while Pogba bestrides Serie A midfields for Juventus and is set to be a key player for France at this summer's Euros, Morrison is kicking his heels as a bit-part player at Lazio. Where did it go wrong? In Morrison's case, his downfall has been due to his own attitude problems. He was given plenty of leeway at United due to his obvious natural talent, but numerous Court appearances for assault, harassment and criminal damage, as well as alleged involvement with local gangs, meant he was cut loose from Old Trafford after just three League Cup appearances in two seasons. He signed for West Ham United but initially struggled to break into the first team. He impressed in a loan spell at Birmingham City before making his Premier League bow back at West Ham in the 2013/14 season. A few flair-filled performances and some excellent goals saw Morrison talked about as an outside bet for a spot in England's squad for World Cup 2014, but by February of that year he had already fallen out of favour at Upton Park, with Allardyce commenting on Morrison's lack of a "disciplined" lifestyle. Unimpressive loan moves to QPR and Cardiff City followed, and he could not break back into The Hammers' team. By February 2015 Morrison's contract at West Ham had been terminated and he began training with Serie A side Lazio, whom he joined officially in July of that year. To date he has made just six appearances for the Rome club, with his manager citing a lack of effort and the player's inability to adapt and learn the language as his main problems. Though he has been frequently linked with a move back to England, it's hard to imagine how many more chances he will be given at the top level.