GUADALAJARA -- Former Manchester United player Ravel Morrison wants to draw a line under the past and start afresh at Liga MX club Atlas.
The 24-year-old signed a one-year loan deal from Lazio last week in a surprise transfer, with the midfielder struggling for playing time in Serie A last season.
Morrison was let go by Sir Alex Ferguson in 2012 and his career has been plagued by reports of off-field indiscipline, although the Manchester native is now focused on making sure that he stays on track in Mexico.
"I'm looking forward to coming here to play. The past is the past," stated Morrison in his introductory news conference in Guadalajara on Wednesday morning. "It's different when we get on the field. [I'll] just let football do the talking. The other negative side is in the past."
Morrison described himself as a midfielder who likes to play the ball, keep possession and burst forward to create and score goals. Relegation-threatened Atlas will be hoping for him to make a rapid impact, with the club down in 13th position and with only one point in its last five matches.
The former West Ham player said he didn't know much about Mexican football before signing for Atlas and had only just found out about how the relegation system works.
Morrison said the English media was responsible for bringing up stories of his past misdemeanors and suggested that people don't know the full story.
"Once again, it's what you hear, not what you know," said Morrison, who will wear the number 33 shirt for Atlas. "Anyone can be judged on anything. I could do one thing and be great and I can do one thing and it could be bad, but I'm the same person just judged different ways."
Morrison could make his Atlas debut this Friday when Los Rojinegros take on Tigres in week 8 of matches of the Apertura 2017.