Five youngsters who can make it to Roy Hodgson's World Cup party

Ravel Morrison

Ravel Morrison

Upon Morrison’s move from Old Trafford to Upton Park after a series of controversies in Manchester, Sir Alex Ferguson told Sam Allardyce: “I hope you can sort him out, because if you can he’ll be a genius.”

The combustible 20-year-old was said to have been United’s most promising youth player in years, yet his volatile nature saw him squander the many chances the Premier League champions afforded him. Yet we are perhaps now beginning to see the rich promise of Ravel Morrison at West Ham, after he spectacularly netted in the surprise 3-0 rout at Tottenham.

Two goals and three chances created for a struggling Hammers side suggest he will see plenty more game time this season if he keeps his head; a tackle success rate of 5/6 (83%) and an average of two defensive actions per game (including seven interceptions) also highlight his heightened sense of positional discipline, and taking him as an unknown quantity could certainly have an appeal for Hodgson given the predictability of England during recent tournaments.

There is no doubting Morrison’s quality, but as Tuesday’s ridiculous on-field bust-up with England team-mate Wilfried Zaha showed, it is perhaps too early to expect more from Morrison.

On talent alone, Ravel would undoubtedly be pushing for a starting place in Brazil, yet given the pressure and importance of the situation, he looks like a red card waiting to happen against experienced opponents.