Celtic should consider Ravel Morrison swoop

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Should Celtic move for the 23-year-old midfielder?

According to The Sun, Lazio are willing to accept bids in the region of £600,000 for the hugely-talented, but flawed, English midfielder Ravel Morrison.

Morrison, a Manchester United academy product, has endured a disappointing 18-month stint in the Italian capital, making just four Serie A appearances as he looks set to return to Britain.

Any club that takes him will do so in the knowledge that it is a gamble, given that his questionable attitude has stifled his promising career, but his potential suggests that it is a gamble worth taking and Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers should join the queue – because there will be one.

At 23, there is still time for Morrison to fashion a very decent career for himself, providing he happens upon the right manager.

Sir Alex Ferguson, who wrote in his book Leading that the midfielder had “as much natural talent as any youngster we ever signed, but kept getting into trouble”, failed to set him straight, as did former West Ham boss Sam Allardyce, whose gamble on Morrison ultimately backfired despite hugely encouraging signs early on.

Whether Rodgers can offer a different approach remains to be seen, but the Northern Irishman did manage to keep Luis Suarez out of trouble during his final season at Liverpool, and the 43-year-old, who spent two years working in Chelsea’s youth team, may be able to relate better to young talent than the two veterans.

Plus, the Celtic manager seems to know how good Morrison can be. In 2013, he told The Telegraph: “If you over-coach players, you lose the fluidity. Look at the talent there is. Look at the young boy Morrison. What a mover! The balance.”

The Hoops should also have one eye on a midfielder. Scott Brown and Tom Rogic have been excellent under Rodgers, but Brown will be 32 by the time next season begins, while Rogic – who has seven goals so far – might well attract interest down South come next summer.

One concern for Rodgers could be introducing a potential disruptive influence into a very harmonious Celtic side at the moment. Scottish football doesn’t need another maverick like Joey Barton making headlines for the wrong reasons. That being said, it is ever so difficult to ignore how effective Morrison could be.

West Ham’s trip to Tottenham this Saturday evokes memories of what Morrison did at White Hart Lane three years ago; embarking on a 40-yard dribble and clipping the ball over Hugo Lloris to cap a 3-0 win for the Hammers that day. Three months later he was on loan at QPR after falling out with Allardyce.

But at 23, and on the back of a sobering stint in Italy, he might return to Britain a wiser, more serious man, and Rodgers should offer him the chance to rebuild a career which could still bear fruit and lots of it. If it doesn’t work then, well, £600,000 isn’t detrimental to a club with a £30 million Champions League windfall and a number of major assets.