Watch: Ravel Morrison opens Atlas account with deft strike

Manchester United prodigy-cum-footballing globetrotter Ravel Morrison opened his LIGA MX account with Guadalajara lot Atlas courtesy of a series of slick dribbles and strike on the edge of the area Sunday versus Club America.

Morrison, who joined the Mexican side on loan from Lazio in one of the summer transfer window's unforeseen moves, has become the poster boy for a footballer rife with talent and technique who never met lofty expectations.

Once described by Rio Ferdinand as "the best young kid that I've ever seen in my life," Morrison progressed through the Red Devils' ranks alongside the likes of Paul Pogba, Jesse Lingard, and Adnan Januzaj. It wasn't to be for the fleet-footed midfielder, and after failing to make a first-team appearance with the Lancashire lot, off-field issues saw Morrison shipped to West Ham before spells with Birmingham City, QPR, Cardiff City, and an unconventional move to Lazio.

(Photo courtesy: Getty Images)

Morrison's struggles are a tale as old as association football itself, but the move to Mexico's top flight has become a lifeline of sorts for European based players looking for a change of pace. French international striker Andre-Pierre Gignac has starred for Mexican monolith Tigres after a successful tenure at Marseille, with countryman Timothee Kolodziejczak (Tigres), and Keisuke Honda (Pachuca) following suit this summer.

With the near-obscurity of the Mexican top-tier providing a veil for a fight for form, Morrison has a season abroad to reestablish his footballing virtues and again meet the promise that typified his teenage years.

Perhaps it was legendary United gaffer Sir Alex Ferguson who characterised Morrison's career arc the best when he offered, "He possessed as much natural talent as any youngster we ever signed, but kept getting into trouble." For the 24-year-old gifted midfielder, there's no time like the present.