Ravel Morrison had all the talent and left Sir Alex 'gobsmacked' with heartwarming letter

But one thing everyone seems to agree on is that he had all the tools to become a top player in the game.

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He was a star as a Manchester United youngster and was a key to the side that won the FA Youth Cup in 2011, winning it alongside Paul Pogba and Jesse Lingard.

Morrison was not just thought to be better than World Cup winner Pogba, but he was compared to Paul Gascoigne, while legendary Old Trafford manager Sir Alex Ferguson reportedly said he was the best kid he'd ever seen on the ball.

It's not turned out the way Sir Alex hoped, with Morrison failing to make a real impact with the Red Devils at senior level or any of the other clubs he's represented during his journeyman career.

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Most recently at DC United, he was left out of the squad for the coming season by manager Wayne Rooney, whom he previously played for at Derby. His latest exit will mark his 13th club - and he's only just turned 30.

All sorts has been said about Morrison's antics off the pitch, but Bernie White, who works as a teaching assistant at the school Morrison attended as a child and was a mentor for the aspiring footballer, knew him at a more innocent time in his life.

Speaking to talkSPORT.com in 2021, she recalled: "I talked to the boys to see if they'd done their coursework which in Ravel's case was probably not… he got in trouble a few times but he wasn't as bad as people made out.

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"He sat in the car with me for about half an hour and I thought he was all right. He was a bit of a handful but a very talented footballer."

Mrs White adds that both Man United and the school (St Anthony's Roman Catholic School) gave Morrison 'every chance' to succeed. And while he dazzled at times, there were increasing concerns about his attitude.

It led to a one-on-one meeting with the big boss, who spoke frankly at the youngster in an attempt to get through to the talented boy who was at serious risk of falling away.

"He had a meeting with Sir Alex and I was in the meeting," White added.

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"Alex Ferguson quite openly said to him 'Ravel, I didn't get all of this for not working hard and making sacrifices.'

"Ravel just looked at him and took it all in. He was quite in awe of Alex Ferguson calling him in.

"I thought he'd taken it on board, as we did every time but he was actually quite shocked Alex Ferguson was addressing him. It was a big thing."

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The message from the Old Trafford legend didn't hit home enough as Morrison eventually left the club in 2012, having made just three appearances for their first team, none in the Premier League.

Enough had been said about him by this stage to encourage other clubs to take a chance on him, however. West Ham were the first to do so.

It looked like Sir Alex had dropped a clanger when Morrison scored a stunning solo goal at Tottenham in October 2013, the strike earning West Ham's goal of the season award.

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Mrs White managed to get a ticket for that match and looked on with pride as the boy she used to drive from St Anthony's to Man United's Carrington training ground was now doing his things at the highest level. There was a brief reunion between her and Morrison afterwards too.

"He was made Man of the Match that day and as I left the ground I waited at hospitality," White said.

"The crowds were going 'Ravel, Ravel' and I went 'RAVEL!' and he was so pleased to see me.

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"He asked me to go down the town with him and have a drink with him but I didn't go. He really appreciated me being at the ground. He used to try to give me all these coats and jackets he got from his agents, although I couldn't take them off him."

Exchanges like this shed light on the Morrison we seldom hear about and his former mentor is in no doubt that there are plenty of misconceptions about him.

"He had a good heart, he was nice, especially to his mum and brother," White said.

"People annoy me because most don't know him and I did, he's a nice boy. Some might think I'm mad for saying that and yes we had tricky moments with him but you do with everybody else. Life wasn't easy for him and that's it.

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"Unfortunately it didn't happen for him but to watch him play was unbelievable."

Rooney was someone who also thought he was misunderstood, taking him to Derby and the DC United and did not hint his decision was based on any attitude problem when sidelining him for the season.

But time will tell where his next stop is, having played in Sweden (Ostersunds), Italy (Lazio) and Mexico (Atlas) among others in his short career so far.

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Despite letting him go, Fergie even has strong memories of the lad nobody saw, as former defender Rio Ferdinand recalled during a chat with him.

"I asked for five words from Sir Alex Ferguson," he told Morrison.

"He texted me back this: 'Rio, my first and last impression of Ravel as a young lad was he has always got time and space.

"Always available to be on the ball. So unusual for a lad of his age. Give my regards to him, please.

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"Another thing about Ravel which I've always treasured, which no other player who made their debut did it, after the first game in the first team that he played, the next morning he came to my office and gave me a letter thanking me for giving him his debut. I was gobsmacked, Rio.

"'The boy had a good heart. He was just beaten by his background."

It almost reduced Ferdinand to tears, while Morrison said if he had a time machine he would make very different choices.

Sadly, we've only got one life.