Ex-Man Utd prodigy Ravel Morrison joins Middlesbrough on loan from Sheffield United in transfer deadline day swoop

FORMER Manchester United prodigy Ravel Morrison has joined Middlesbrough on-loan from Sheffield United.

The 26-year-old attacking midfielder links up with Jonathan Woodgate’s Championship outfit, his ninth club in six years, after failing to make the breakthrough at the Blades.

Now Morrison will be hoping to resurrect his talents on Teesside following stints in Italy, Mexico and Norway after rejecting another chance to overseas.

He said: “I was close to going abroad again, and my agent rang me up and said that Middlesbrough were interested.

“As soon as he said Middlesbrough were interested, I told him to cut everything else out and I wanted to get going.

“I just want to get playing and get a run of games. If you put a run of games together now, there's no reason why we can't go for promotion or get around there.”

Woodgate, whose side are 12 points off the top six, said: “Ravel is a terrific signing for us. He is a real quality player with plenty of experience, and will give us something different to what we have.

“He has a desire to do well and succeed, and that attitude fits in with in well with our ethos here. I met him this week, we had a really good talk, and I think he we will be really good addition to our squad.”

He is Boro's second deadline day acquisition after defender Harold Moukoudi also moved to the Riverside from St Etienne on loan.

and Lukas Nmecha also arrived until the season from Manchester City earlier this month along with the £1m signing of goalkeeper Dejan Stojanovic from St Gallen.

Morrison was regarded as one of the hottest talents in United’s academy during Sir Alex Ferguson’s heyday.

He was handed a senior debut in the League Cup but off-field problems continued to plague him.

Fergie eventually sold Morrison to Sam Allardyce at West Ham, telling Big Sam: “A brilliant footballer. Brilliant ability. Top class ability.

“Needs to get away from Manchester and start a new life.”

After a spell on loan at Birmingham, he returned to Upton Park and shone at the start of the 2013/14 campaign in the Prem.

But a fall-out with Allardyce ensued and his nomadic spell continued as he was sent on loan to QPR and Cardiff.

Morrison then sealed a surprise move to Serie A with Lazio but once again never made the breakthrough, returning to QPR for a stint before heading on loan to Mexico at Atlas.

Last year he then moved to Swedish side Ostersund before impressing in a trial at Sheff United in the summer.

That earned him a deal from Wilder, but the ex-England U21 international has only made four first-team appearances, most recently in the FA Cup on 5 January.