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MLS D.C. United

D.C. United Sign Former Derby County Midfielder and Jamaican International Ravel Morrison on a Free Permanent Transfer

July 21, 2022 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
D.C. United News Release


WASHINGTON, DC - D.C. United have signed Jamaican International and former Derby County midfielder Ravel Morrison on a free permanent transfer using Targeted Allocation Money (TAM) pending receipt of his P-1 Visa and International Transfer Certificate (ITC). The Black-and-Red have signed Morrison through 2023 with an option in 2024.

"Wayne worked closely with Ravel during his time as manager of Derby County," Dave Kasper, D.C. United President of Soccer Operations, said. "Ravel is an incredible talent and his ability to create and score goals is impressive. He has played at the highest levels during his career and his vision, creativity and ability on the ball will be a huge asset for us."

The midfielder joins the Black-and-Red after spending last season with Derby County in the English Championship, the second division of English soccer. During his stint at Derby County, Morrison was managed by new D.C. United Head Coach, Wayne Rooney. He made his debut for the club on Aug. 14, 2021 against Peterborough United and recorded an assist in the match. Under Rooney, Morrison scored five goals and recorded four assists in 38 appearances across all competitions. In a 10-year career, Morrison has scored 29 goals and recorded 13 assists in 190 games.

"Ravel is a dynamic and exciting player who has experience performing at the elite levels in Europe and Mexico," Lucy Rushton, D.C. United General Manager, said. "He is a top-class midfielder with excellent technical ability and positional versatility. His game intelligence and all-round attacking ability allow him to fit perfectly in the system and style that Wayne wants to play. We look forward to integrating him with the roster and having him contribute on the field as soon as possible."

The 29-year-old started his career with Manchester United's U-18 team where he played in the FA Youth Cup final against Sheffield United. He helped Manchester United win the FA Youth final by scoring two goals in the second leg on May 23, 2011, in a 4-1 win. The midfielder was promoted to Manchester United's U-23 team where he played in 11 games, scoring four goals and recording one assist, leading to his promotion to first team for the English League Cup on Oct. 26, 2010. He played a total of three games for Manchester United before being signed by West Ham United on Jan. 21, 2012.

While at West Ham United, he went on three loan spells at Birmingham City, Queens Park Rangers, and Cardiff City, all in the English Championship. He made his debut for Birmingham City on Aug. 18, 2012 in a 1-1 draw with Charlton Athletic. Morrison then scored his first goal for the club on Nov. 17, 2012 in a 3-2 loss to Hull City. In total, the midfielder played 30 games for Birmingham City and scored three goals. Morrison returned to West Ham United from his loan spell and made his debut on Aug. 24, 2013 in the Premier League in a 0-0 draw with Newcastle United. He scored his first Premier League goal for West Ham United on Sep. 21, 2013 against Everton. Morrison then went on loan to Queens Park Rangers and made his debut for the club on Feb. 22, 2014 in a 1-0 loss to Charlton Athletic. Three games later, he scored his first two goals for the club in a 2-0 win over former club Birmingham City on March 8, 2014. He was loaned to Cardiff City on Sep. 24, 2014 from West Ham United and made his debut on Sep. 27, 2014. He played a total of seven games for Cardiff City before returning to West Ham United on Dec. 16, 2014. During his time with West Ham United, Morrison played in 24 games across all competitions, scoring five goals and recording two assists.

The following season, Morrison signed with SS Lazio in the Italian Serie A on July 1, 2015. He went on two loan spells with Queens Park Rangers of the English Championship and Atlas Guadalajara of Liga MX. Morrison played a total of 22 games with Queens Park Rangers, scoring six goals and recording two assists. He played a total of 25 games with Atlas Guadalajara and scored three goals.

In 2019, Morrison played for Ostersunds FK in the second division of Swedish soccer after signing with the club from Lazio on Feb. 14, 2019. He played a total of six games for Ostersunds FK after making his debut on March 31, 2019, in a 0-0 draw against AIK. He signed for Sheffield United on July 16, 2019 and played in four games, recording one assist before being loaned to Middlesbrough FC of the English Championship on Jan. 31, 2020. He appeared in three games for Middlesbrough FC before returning to Sheffield United on July 31, 2020.

Morrison then played for ADO Den Haag in the Dutch first division (Eredivisie) after signing from Sheffield United on Sept. 1, 2020. He made five appearances for the side during his time in Holland. The following season, Morrison joined Derby County for the 2021-2022 English Championship season.

Morrison has represented England at the youth level for their U-16, U-17, U-18 and U-21 sides, playing in nine games and scoring three goals. He then switched to the Jamaican national team in 2018 where he made his debut on Nov. 14, 2020 in a 3-0 friendly loss to Saudi Arabia. Morrison scored his first goal for Jamaica on March 31, 2022, in a CONCACAF World Cup qualifying match against Honduras, helping them to a 2-1 victory. In total, he has scored two goals and recorded one assist in 13 caps for Jamaica.

Player: Ravel Morrison

Position: Midfield

Birthplace: Manchester, England

Country: England/Jamaica

Birthdate: 02/02/1993

Age: 29

Height: 5'8''

Weight: 157 lbs

Status: International

Transaction: D.C. United Sign Midfielder Ravel Morrison on a free permanent transfer using Targeted Allocation Money (TAM) pending receipt of his P-1 Visa and International Transfer Certificate (ITC). The Black-and-Red have signed Morrison through 2023 with an option in 2024.

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