Manchester United's all-time leading scorer and current DC United head coach Wayne Rooney has explained his decision to omit former Old Trafford man Ravel Morrison from the club's Major League Soccer squad, leaving the midfielder seemingly at another career crossroads.
Morrison was not involved in the season opener against Toronto, which Rooney's side won 3-2 after scoring twice in injury time. And reports Stateside in the build-up to the game claimed the 30-year-old is not in the club's plans or even in their roster of players, meaning he would be ineligible to play despite still being under contract.
Morrison appeared to have revived his career under Rooney at Derby County last season, scoring five goals and assisting a further four in 38 appearances for the then Championship club. After the club's relegation to League One, he left at the end of his contract and reunited with Rooney in the MLS. The Jamaica international featured in all 14 of the remaining matches of last season, scoring twice.
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The midfielder remains under contract until the end of the year but players not named in the roster are ineligible to play and so Morrison would only be able to train with his team-mates. The transfer window remains open until April 24 should a move arise for the Manchester-born player.
For the United academy graduate, seeking pastures new is a familiar prospect. He has played for 13 clubs across seven different countries and three continents since his career threatened to take off at Old Trafford. He was highly regarded coming through the Academy and made three senior appearances.
But he ultimately departed as Sir Alex Ferguson, somewhat reluctantly, sanctioned a move for Morrison when he left to join West Ham United in 2012. Rooney was a then team-mate of Morrison and has now seemingly taken the same decision.
Speaking about Morrison over the weekend, Rooney said: "I felt with players we were bringing in and different things you need to look at in terms of the budget, international slots, et cetera; it was more important I got different players in for different positions, which we felt were more important to me."
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