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Former Premier League manager Sam Allardyce has urged Manchester United star Marcus Rashford not to make the same costly mistake that Jesse Lingard made a few years ago.
Rashford left United in the January transfer window to join Aston Villa on loan, having fallen out of favour under Ruben Amorim.
The forward had not looked the same since a prolific 2023/24 season, in which he plundered a career-high 30 goals across all competitions. Last term, he managed just eight in 43 appearances across all competitions – a return that came off the back of a new bumper contract worth in excess of £325,000 per week.
His inconsistencies spilled over into the current campaign and Amorim eventually elected to sanction his loan exit after exiling him from the team for a few weeks.
Rashford has enjoyed somewhat of a renaissance at Villa, with his best performance being last weekend’s electric 45-minute cameo against Chelsea. He registered two assists to propel Villa to a 2-1 comeback win over Chelsea.
Speaking on the No Tippy Tappy Football podcast, Allardyce insisted we might see the best version of Rashford under Unai Emery.
Allardyce also urged the 27-year-old not to make the same mistake Lingard committed, when the midfielder elected to remain at United following a brilliant spell at West Ham. The Hammers were interested in signing Lingard permanently but he stayed at Old Trafford. This decision proved to be a poor one, as he failed to break into Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s plans.
Lingard eventually left for Nottingham Forest but his time there was hampered by injuries and they released him after just one year. He is now on loan at South Korea outfit FC Seoul, where he is slowly but surely getting back to his best.
Allardyce said, “He [Rashford] doesn’t fit into that type of system. He’s got to prove himself for the first time in a long time.”
“As a kid, he had to prove himself by being good enough to break into United’s first team, now he has to prove himself to the Aston Villa players.”
“He’s going out there with a new manager and new teammates and that’s got to inspire him, rather than languishing at Man United.”
“It reminds me of Jesse Lingard, he was languishing at Man United and then Moyes rescued him.”
“Lingard made the worst mistake ever not going with Moyes to West Ham. He went to Forest and just petered out again and now he’s somewhere obscure in South Korea.”
Allardyce added, “This was an England international player in his early 20s. Players moving is the biggest thing you can do. If you’re stagnating at your football club, pack your bag and move on, because your football career will soon be finished before you know it.”
Meanwhile, United are back in action on Sunday when they welcome Fulham to Old Trafford in the fifth round of the FA Cup.
Featured image Gareth Copley via Getty Images
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