Alex Ferguson expresses regret as he brands player his ‘saddest case’

Sir Alex Ferguson's time at Manchester United saw the Scot bring a number of talented young players into the club's first team.

The likes of Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes were central to much of United's success under Ferguson. While he acknowledges this in his latest book, Leading, the former manager also expresses his disappointment that another of United's academy graduates failed to reach the same heights. Branding Ravel Morrison's time at the club as the 'saddest case' he's dealt with, Ferguson describes how the youngster had the ability to become a top success. 'Sadly, there are examples of players who have similar backgrounds to Giggs or Cristiano Ronaldo, who, despite enormous talent, just aren't emotionally or mentally strong enough to overcome the hurts of their childhood and their inner demons. 'Ravel Morrison might be the saddest case. He possessed as much natural talent as any youngster we ever signed, but kept getting into trouble. 'It was very painful to sell him to West Ham in 2012 because he could have been a fantastic player. But, over a period of years, the problems off the pitch continued to escalate and we had little option but to cut the cord.' After a spell with West Ham, Morrison is now plying his trade for Lazio in Italy where he has struggled to break into the first team.