The legend of Ravel Morrison appears as strong as ever, which is to say that almost nine years since he made his professional debut for Manchester United he remains the great unfulfilled talent whom the English game still hopes will emerge from that troublesome past.

When he signed for Sheffield United on Wednesday, the wave of enthusiasm for his Premier League return from fans as well as the players of his generation, was hard to ignore. Even at 26 he is the last lost prodigy of Sir Alex Ferguson, a player who has come to represent more than his very modest career CV. The perception is of the rebel street footballer, a ludicrously talented misfit from Stretford untamed by the modern game. His highlights reel is the stuff of folklore, as is his tendency to go missing from a training ground for days without explanation. None of it seems to matter while clubs keep taking a chance on him.

His previous manager is Ian Burchnall, a 36-year-old Englishman whose coaching career began with the University of Leeds team and, via English academy football and a stint in Norway is now in charge of the Swedish-top flight club Ostersunds. Morrison signed for them in February. A heel injury from a bad tackle that is still affecting him, combined with the club’s early cup exit and the Allsvenskan’s summer break, meant his appearances were limited to nine games. Even so, he left on very good terms and it has not always been that way in Morrison’s career.