The former academy star was bombed out after landing himself in trouble on too many occasions and he is now on the verge of joining Swedish side Ostersunds

Ravel Morrison is on the verge of joining Swedish side Ostersunds, as his time at Lazio nears an end.

He was a player who once outshone Paul Pogba and Jesse Lingard in Manchester United’s youth team, but while they’ve since cemented their places in the first team, Morrison has had a string of loan spells.

Birmingham, QPR and Mexican side Atlas have been among them, as well as sporadic appearances in Serie A.

3 Morrison was sold to West Ham in January 2012

It should have been different. Sir Alex Ferguson thought he was better than Wayne Rooney and Rio Ferdinand as teenagers.

The legendary manager finally lost patience and decided to sell the 18-year-old to West Ham for £650,000 in 2012.

Ferguson had worked with numerous players from tough backgrounds in the past and cites Carlos Tevez, Cristiano Ronaldo and Ryan Giggs as examples.

However, as explained about the former boy wonder in his 2015 book, Leading, some people are just not mentally strong enough to overcome these obstacles in life.

3 Morrison possessed more natural talent than Wayne Rooney and Ryan Giggs when they were kids

“Ravel Morrison might be the saddest case,” he wrote.

“He possessed as much natural talent as any youngster we ever signed, but he kept getting into trouble.

“It was painful to sell him to West Ham in January 2012 because he could have been a fantastic player. But, over a period of several years, the problems off the pitch continued to escalate and so we had little option but to cut the cord.”

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Paddy Crerand went even further when he told Four Four Two: “Ravel was the best youngster I’d seen since George Best.”

As a pundit for MUTV, the former Man United player had watched almost every game Morrison played for the United youth and reserve teams.

“Even in a side with Pogba, Ravel stood out,” he added. “He was fast and had a quick football brain – everything a big star should have.”

3 In a youth team that included Jesse Lingard and Paul Pogba, Morrison, right, was the biggest star as they won the FA Youth Cup in 2011

West Ham decided to follow United and rid themselves of him, with Lazio taking a chance on the playmaker next in 2015.

It hasn’t worked out and the 26-year-old is now on the move again.