Dele Alli brought up as Marcus Rashford hit with both barrels after Man Utd transfer

Marcus Rashford has been criticised and compared to Dele Alli for allegedly "letting Manchester United down" after his move to Barcelona FC. The striker finalised his season-long loan to the current La Liga champions after being unveiled to supporters on Wednesday. The 27-year-old has once again temporarily left Old Trafford, following his four-month spell at Aston Villa last season.

Rashford found himself out of favour at United under head coach Ruben Amorim after his appointment in November last year. A transfer to Barcelona was believed to be the England star's preferred choice after losing his spot in the national team, and he has now realised his dream, with his new club having the option to purchase him next summer for £26m. The agreement will see Barcelona take on Rashford's substantial wages for the duration of the loan after he agreed to a 25 per cent reduction on his £325,000-a-week salary. Despite the financial relief, former Liverpool and Villa forward Dean Saunders has now criticised Rashford, questioning his dedication and arguing he hasn't earned the right to play for Barcelona.

The ex-Wolves and Wrexham manager also questioned the Catalan club's rationale behind the signing. Saunders said he was surprised by the move after revealing he was expecting Rashford's career to follow the same downward trajectory as former Spurs star Alli.

Speaking on talkSPORT, he said: "I think a lot of people are baffled. Hansi Flick is the manager and Deco is his director of football. I don't know what's going through their heads. What have they been watching that we haven't?

"I thought Rashford was nearer to going down the same road as Dele Alli than he was of going to Barcelona. Whether he deserves that move? Well, basically, he doesn't.

"I don't think he can produce brilliance. I think a talent is turning up every week. That's the biggest talent you've got, having the mindset to turn up and perform every week.

"There's a lot of players at Man United who have let the club down. In my era, Man United were the biggest club. If you played for them, you had to be the best player in the world in your position, with the best attitude."

Saunders added: "He [Rashford] has had years of [people] getting behind him and he's let the club down. In five years, he's had one good season."

Rashford's lacklustre attitude was previously flagged by Amorim as grounds for axing him from the squad for the Manchester derby last December. During his banishment from the team, the Portuguese manager delivered a scathing assessment, declaring he'd rather deploy his 63-year-old goalkeeping coach than pick a player who shows no commitment.

Barcelona boss Flick gave the green light for Rashford's arrival following talks with him. The Catalan giants have been searching for a left-wing attacker this summer, with Rashford emerging as a prime candidate alongside Liverpool's Luis Diaz and Athletic Bilbao's Nico Williams.

Diaz's enormous valuation became a major obstacle, while Williams recently committed his long-term future to his present club with a fresh contract. Consequently, Rashford became the most realistic and attainable option. United are eager to move on unwanted players to fund a major squad overhaul. The rebuilding has already commenced, with Matheus Cunha arriving for £62.5million and Bryan Mbeumo completing a £70m switch.