Transfer Centre

Sam Allardyce backtracks on Ravel Morrison comments

By Daniel Lewis, Senior Reporter | 26 July 2014

West Ham United manager Sam Allardyce backtracks on previous comments made about Ravel Morrison, saying that he wants the midfielder to stay at Upton Park.

Sam Allardyce has revealed that he wants midfielder Ravel Morrison to stay at Upton Park this summer.

The Hammers manager said earlier this week that the former Manchester United player, who spent the second half of last season on loan at Queens Park Rangers, was not part of his plans.

However, after club owner David Sullivan hit back at these comments, Allardyce has taken a different stance on the matter.

"He's contracted to West Ham," the 59-year-old is quoted as saying by the Daily Mail. "I think he's had a hernia operation. Once that's healed up I hope he becomes a better player because he has been playing with it for a while. The groins have been causing him a problem for a while.

"If you've got pain, I don't think you perform to your best. Hopefully that pain will have ended and he'll be a much freer, more active player for us. If he could do what he did last season, that would be great because, when he broke in to the side early last year, he had a great spell. Unfortunately he couldn't sustain it.

"If he continues to do what he did last season then yes [we want to keep him] but that does depend on how much players want, how much they demand. If that demand is far too great then that becomes a difficulty for us."

Morrison joined West Ham in 2012.