Alan Shearer has warned Jadon Sancho he is the Premier League last chance saloon following a difficult start to his Aston Villa career.
The England international’s career has been on a downward trajectory almost from the moment he joined the Red Devils four years ago.
Sancho had already spent two periods out on loan at Borussia Dortmund and Chelsea before he was again deemed surplus to requirements by United back in the summer after the Blues opted against taking up an option to sign him on a permanent basis.
The 25-year-old has made five appearances for this latest temporary club but appears some way from earning the full trust of Villa boss Unai Emery.
Indeed, Sancho suffered the ignominy of being taken off in last week’s win over Manchester City having been introduced as a substitute in the 29th minute.
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Asked about the winger’s disappointing form, Shearer told Betfair: ‘I don’t know what’s going on with Jadon Sancho in terms of his training or his life, but he’s got an opportunity at Villa now, and if it doesn’t work out here, people will look back and say, ‘Hang on, you’ve been given so many opportunities.’ You can only have so many.
‘I guess it is humiliating when you’re put on as a sub and then taken off again. It hasn’t worked out yet for him, but there’s only one way around it and that is hard work.
‘Get your head down, get your attitude right, and if you do that, things will turn around.’
Emery, meanwhile, says his side cannot afford to relax following a decent run of Premier League results.
Matty Cash scored the only goal of the game last week which earned victory over City and gave them a fourth successive league win to lift them up to eighth following a slow start to the campaign.
Emery’s side face Liverpool in the late kick-off on Saturday and says his team have no room to take their foot off the gas.
He said: ‘Something we have to avoid now is relaxing because we’re in a position where we are feeling good, but it’s not enough.
‘I was worried one month ago how we were performing because it was a bad, bad moment and our performances were poor.
‘Progressively we are getting better.”
Liverpool are on a run of six defeats from their last seven in all competitions, but Emery still knows the dangers they pose on any given day.
He added: ‘I have massive respect for them. They can have some moments where they’re not getting good results, but the coach showed last year his capacity and experience.
‘To stop them is very difficult. They have some injuries like we have. I’m excited and motivated, even more for the difficulties we will face against them.’