Wayne Rooney has swiftly decided to bring former Manchester United academy product Ravel Morrison to DC United on a free transfer.
Morrison, 29, rejoins his former Derby County manager by signing for the MLS club as a free agent.
The Jamaica international made 38 appearances under Rooney at Pride Park and scored five goals following his arrival in 2021.
“Wayne worked closely with Ravel during his time as manager of Derby County,” Dave Kasper, D.C. United President of Soccer Operations, told DC United’s official website. “Ravel is an incredible talent and his ability to create and score goals is impressive. He has played at the highest levels during his career and his vision, creativity and ability on the ball will be a huge asset for us.”
Welcome to the Black-and-Red Family, Ravel 👏#DCU || @MorrisonRavel
— D.C. United (@dcunited) July 21, 2022
DC United claim Morrison has joined on a free transfer using Targeted Allocation Money (TAM) pending receipt of his P-1 visa and International Transfer Certificate (ITC).
It’s a shrewd bit of business if Rooney can maintain Morrison’s levels at Derby, where he struck a bond with the player, who has proven difficult for other players in the past.
Morrison is 29 now and I was delighted when Rooney took him under his wing at Pride Park. Now, he is doing the same in Washington, and I’m sure they’ll both enjoy the experience together.
It will forever be a shame that things never worked out for Morrison at United, but I will always maintain that he is the best player I have seen in the youth teams. He was terrific in 2011 when we won the FA Youth Cup.
