Former Newcastle United and England boss Sam Allardyce has called for his old employers to bring in Marcus Rashford from Manchester United.
Matthias Jaissle's side are running out of time to add to their squad before deadline day but Allardyce believes Rashford would be a good fit. Barcelona passed up on an option to bring the England forward to Catalunya over the summer, instead raiding Newcastle for Anthony Gordon.
Allardyce's case for Rashford
The Magpies have invested in youth, with Ivorian winger Bazoumana Toure joining from Hoffenheim, but Allardyce has made the case for Rashford to follow him to St James' Park to further make up for Gordon's exit. "They've got all this money for Gordon, Manchester United are looking at £26m," Allardyce said on No Tippy Tappy Football.
"If Rashford's on more... they can more than make up with the money they've saved on the transfer. If Marcus Rashford's on £250,000, £300,000 a week and that's more than the players get at Newcastle, they can make that up with the money they've made off Gordon," the 71-year-old added.
Financial concerns and loan possibility
He accepted financial fair play concerns could factor into plans for someone on wages as high as Rashford's but suggested a loan deal could solve that problem if the Red Devils are prepared to play ball. Michael Carrick has welcomed Rashford back into the fold after a season and a half out on loan.
The 28-year-old played half an hour against AC Milan in the Manchester club's final pre-season friendly. "He's our player," Carrick said in the lead-up to the Milan clash. "It is not a unique situation at all and [we] treat him exactly like any other player.
"Football's got different directions. You've got to manage through the states to have a career for 10 or 15 years. It's never going to be smooth sailing."
"But you've got to keep moving forward. If you keep looking back too much, it doesn't do anyone any favours. It's been good to have Marcus around this week. He's our player. He's a good player, and he gives us something a little bit different."
Newcastle's other signings
Newcastle will kick off the new Premier League campaign at home to Liverpool on Sunday. They have continued to add to their squad in the lead-up to the game, with right-back Amar Dedic joining from Benfica for just over £30m.
Dedic was the first new signing since Jaissle took over as manager following Eddie Howe's exit. The new boss worked with the Bosnia international in Austria and moved quickly to secure a reunion. "Working with Matthias again was a big factor for me," Dedic said. "We know each other well, he knows what I can bring on the pitch and I'm really happy to be playing for him again."
