Morrison Ups His Fitness To Stay On Reggae Boyz’ Radar
Jamaica international wannabe trains with England ace
Ravel Morrison, the former Manchester United midfielder, could make a move to English Premier League new boys Sheffield United to potentially earn his international debut for Jamaica.
The British-born 26-year-old, who has a Jamaican passport after a prolonged battle, was named in the initial 40-player squad to tackle the CONCACAF Gold Cup.
However, Jamaica head coach Theodore Whitmore excluded Morrison from his trimmed down 24-strong squad for the prestigious tournament that kicked off this month due to his inability to secure a US visa.
Morrison, who has just parted ways with Swedish top-flight side Ostersunds FK after six months, was spotted at Sheffield United’s Bramall Lane stadium on Thursday.
And over the weekend England midfield star Jesse Lingard posted on his social media account of Instagram the fact that he was in training with Morrison ahead of pre-season training with his club Manchester United.
Morrison was on loan from Italian giants Lazio at Mexican side Atlas last season, with his fine form in the Liga MX alerting Jamaica’s Reggae Boyz to approach him.
And Morrison, seeking the ninth club of his checkered professional career, is keen to prove his worth for the Boyz. By plying his trade in the Premier League should enhance the situation of getting an international call-up.
Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) president Mchael Ricketts has for sometime had Morrison in his sights for a senior debut, and he has constantly admitted that the JFF were tracking his progress.
Yet Morrison may soon be getting the nod from Whitmore as the Gold Cup squad have been in talks with the JFF regarding their dissatisfaction about their financial rewards in the lucrative competition.
Jamaica kicked off their Gold Cup with a thrilling 3-2 triumph over Honduras in Kingston, but following monetary talks with the JFF put in a docile display to produce a scoreless stalemate against El Salvador.
Whitmore made four changes for their must-win contest against Curaçao. The Boyz misfired in front of goal and were fortunate to pick up a precious point with a 1-1 draw to top the group and progress.
Jamaica were methodical to polish off Panama 1-0 in Sunday’s quarter-finals to earn a third Gold Cup semi-final slot on the bounce.
However, what is happening behind the scenes between the squad and the JFF has been kept under wraps. So whether the Boyz seal a hat-trick of successive Gold Cup finals, having tasted defeat at the final hurdle to Mexico in 2015 and the US in 2017, will depend on the team selected when Jamaica tackle the reigning champions on Thursday.
And if there is unrest with some of the current crop of Boyz, then Morrison’s potential return to the Premier League will be a blessing for Whitmore.
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