Morrison Makes Move To Scandinavia
Midfielder under Jamaica’s radar to add steel to squad
Ravel Morrison, the ex-Manchester United and West Ham midfielder being courted by Jamaica, has signed with Swedish top-tier club Ostersunds FK for the rest of their season.
The 26-year-old, who recently got his Jamaica passport sorted following delays, signed from Italian giants Lazio on a six-month deal with the Swedish side.
Morrison, a target for Jamaica’s Reggae Boyz since last November, had been on trial with Ostersunds FK during their winter break training camp in Marbella, Spain.
And he is on Jamaica’s wanted list to tackle El Salvador next month in their key CONCACAF Nations League tie, with victory securing a place in this year’s Gold Cup finals for head coach Theodore Whitmore and his trusty troops.
But it is the CONCACAF Gold Cup competition, played in June and July primarily in the United States, that Morrison is likely to tackle as one of the Boyz if he accepts the call-up.
The British-born ace, with a bad boy reputation both on and off the pitch, had not played for Lazio since April 2016 and last season was sent out on loan to Mexican top-flight outfit Atlas.
His dogged Liga MX displays alerted Jamaica to approach Morrison, but he turned down the chance to represent Jamaica against Suriname last November, citing injury problems. However, even had he accepted the challenge there was an issue with his fast-track passport application, which did not go through until recently due to missing paperwork.
Jamaican Football Federation (JFF) president Michael Ricketts is eager to strengthen the Boyz and said about Morrison: “We are still tracking his progress because we are going to need him for the next game.
“The Central Americans can be really tough at times, especially when the game is being played there, so we would welcome his presence in the side.”
JFF team manager Roy Simpson added: “He [Morrison] has indicated to us that hopefully he will be ready at the start of the Gold Cup.
“So it’s now up to him and his agent to do what they need to do to come on board.”
Jamaica, runner-up in the past two CONCACAF Gold Cup tournaments, only need to secure a victory over hosts El Salvador next month to seal their spot as one of the 16 nations in the lucrative tournament that will feature Mexico and the US.
The prestigious competition, and the FIFA World Cup finals, are the goals for head coach Whitmore.
And because he has finely tuned so many new players into the senior squad since returning to the role, he has been handed the task of setting up a style of play across the set-up of the national teams.
Whitmore now has the added responsibility of overseeing the playing styles of both the U20 and U23 squads, so that everyone has that familiarity and is ready to take the step up to the senior side if given the nod.
It is now precocious talent Morrison who has been given the nod to don a golden shirt to represent Jamaica, and maybe if he joins will be able to help kick-off a new golden era for the battling Boyz.
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