Wayne Rooney Makes Former Man United Teammate His First Signing As DC United Manager

Well, that didn't take long. Wayne Rooney has moved quickly to make former Manchester United teammate Ravel Morrison his first signing as DC United manager.

Rooney, who quit his role at Derby County last month after admitting the club needed someone with "fresh energy", was announced as head coach of the MLS side on July 12.

And his first move in the transfer window has already come to fruition with the addition of Morrison, who made 38 appearances under Rooney at Pride Park last season.

The Major League Soccer outfit have signed the player on a free permanent transfer using Targeted Allocation Money (TAM) pending receipt of his P-1 Visa and International Transfer Certificate.

Morrison has penned a deal until 2023 with an option to extend until 2024.

The Jamaica international scored five goals following his arrival in 2021 and clearly, Rooney enjoyed managing the former Manchester United youngster.

In the past, the 36-year-old has lavished praise on the gifted midfielder. In his Sunday Times column, United's all-time top goalscorer said Morrison was better than Paul Pogba by "a country mile".

"I remember watching Ravel Morrison thinking he had everything required for a player in his position," he wrote. "He nutmegged Nemanja Vidic three times in the space of a minute in one training game. 

"But he struggled with lifestyle and his environment which was sad for him - because I saw Paul Pogba come through, Jesse Lingard, all these players and Ravel was better than any of them by a country mile.

"He's proof that you can't escape the fact there are guidelines every player has to obey in professional football. 

"Then you think how far you can go by being ultra-professional. Gary Neville, for instance. Gary's not a great football player but he worked in every minute of every training session and made the most of everything he had. 

"Sir Alex Ferguson used to say the hardest thing in life is to work hard every day. Forget all your ability, strip everything back: if you can work hard every day, in whatever job you do you'll be successful." 

Rooney has managed to get the best out of Morrison in recent times, and that relationship was mentioned by D.C. United President of Soccer Operations, Dave Kasper, after the deal was announced.

“Wayne worked closely with Ravel during his time as manager of Derby County,” he 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."

Lucy Rushton, who is the D.C. United General Manager, believes DC have a "top-class midfielder" on their hands.

“Ravel is a dynamic and exciting player who has experience performing at the elite levels in Europe and Mexico,” she 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.”

Thoughts on the signing?

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