Ravel Morrison enjoyed his first appearance in a West Ham United shirt on Friday and is looking forward to getting started for real now.
The nineteen-year-old played 90 minutes as he captained the West Ham United Development squad to a 2-1 victory over Queens Park Rangers at Chadwell Heath. Playing in a central midfield role alongside Gary O'Neil, the deadline-day signing from Manchester United showed good composure throughout and came close to scoring on three occasions, only to be denied by the Hoops' goalkeeper on each occasion.
"I really enjoyed it. I think I played OK but I think I can do better as it was my first game for a long while," Morrison told whufc.com. "I nearly scored a couple of goals. I think my best effort was the one the keeper managed to parry out or the chip right at the end."
Morrison has been gradually building up his fitness in training and this was his first match in claret and blue since signing on 31 January. After a cautious start from both sides, the Hammers' new No23 grew into the game and looked confident in possession with a couple of superbly executed cross-field-balls really catching the eye.
"I can feel myself getting sharper and stronger with each training session. I'm not sure how long it'll be until I'm ready for the first team but I'm looking forward to it when it happens."
Morrison was at the Boleyn Ground to take in all of the drama of West Ham's 1-1 draw with second-placed Southampton on Tuesday night. The match served as a good example of the power and passion of the Boleyn Ground crowd and the 2011 FA Youth Cup winner cannot wait to play in front of them.
"I was at the Southampton match the other night and it was a great game. Robert Green was superb and pulled off some world-class saves. The atmosphere was electric and I'm really looking forward to playing in front of the crowd even more now."