Ex-Man Utd coach admits best academy player only got a few games before leaving
Manchester United coach Neil Harris departed Old Trafford earlier this year but helped nuture some of the club's most exciting homegrown talents and has named who he believes was best
by Scott Trotter · The MirrorFormer Manchester United coach Neil Harris has claimed that Ravel Morrison is the best player he has worked with at the club.
It's an impressive statement from a 21-year veteran of the club's academy who worked with the likes of Scott McTominay, Anthony Elanga, Marcus Rashford and Kobbie Mainoo. Morrison made just three cup appearances for United before moving on to West Ham and playing for a collection of teams including Birmingham City, Lazio, Atlas, ADO Den Haag and D.C. United.
The 31-year-old now represents Precision FC in the third tier of the United Arab Emirates, alongside Premier League veterans Matt Lowton and Harry Arter. While it may not have been the career many envisaged for him, Harris believes Morrison's journey can only be deemed as a success.
The ex-United Lead Youth Development Phase Coach left the academy earlier this year after a club-wide restructure initiated that saw 250 members of staff made redundant.
"Ravel Morrison is the best I've worked with," Harris said in a wide-ranging interview with the Manchester Evening News. "Mason Greenwood was very, very close to that level, if not on par with him.
"The manager [Sir Alex Ferguson] always said he was the best kid he saw and when people say Ravel didn't fulfil his potential, that's not true. Paul McGuiness always talks well and he says because of where he came from and his circumstances, he was one of the biggest successes you can have."
Harris also had plenty of kind words for Scott McTominay, who also departed the 13-times Premier League champions in the summer. The midfielder joined Antonio Conte's Napoli side and has hit the ground running.
McTominay endured a difficult development but Harris believes the Scotland international exhibited key tenets that allows academy players to succeed.
"It's not a coincidence that most of the people who 'make it' have support networks, people who are relaxed around them. His dad, Frank, is a brilliant person and his mum trusted us impeccably with him. If we didn't bring him on a tour, we explained why and there was no fuss.
"Scott was an early developer in terms of his talent, but he stalled a bit because of his growth and injuries, but that's why I think he'll have a career until he's 34 or 35. He looks after himself and because his maturation was so late, he can probably play until whenever he wants.
"And I am telling you now, he will be an unbelievable success in Naples. I spoke to him the other day and he's loving it. I told him when he was moving that they'd love him over there because his DNA is work rate and desire and honestly, I think his career has been very underrated."
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