Doncaster Rovers: Liam Mandeville joins Morecambe on loan

Liam Mandeville's career at Doncaster Rovers could be over after he joined Morecambe on a season-long loan.
Liam MandevilleLiam Mandeville
Liam Mandeville

Mandeville's contract at the Keepmoat Stadium expires next summer.

With the 21-year-old placed on the transfer list at Rovers at the end of last season, the likelihood appears slim that he would feature for the club again.

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Mandeville was initially transfer-listed by Darren Ferguson and while his successor Gavin McCann pledged to give him an opportunity to change his fate, the Rovers boss revealed earlier this week that he had told the striker to find another club.

It brings to an end a highly promising but equally frustrating few years for Mandeville, who was one of the most exciting players to emerge from the Rovers Academy in recent years.

Technically proficient, he brought goals, particularly in the first half of the 2016/17 campaign when he netted eight goals in a nine game stretch before an injury on New Year's Eve blighted the rest of his campaign.

He had looked set to partner John Marquis in attack last season and did start the campaign well only to find himself out of the side following the first few months.

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Ferguson grew increasingly frustrated with the forward, and made a point of dropping him from his matchday squad entirely for November's trip to Wigan Athletic after Mandeville failed to react disappointed to being dropped to the bench.

In January, Mandeville was sent out on loan for the remainder of the season to Colchester United.,

But it proved a disappointing spell as he managed only seven appearances while in Essex and failed to score.

He heads back into League Two looking to reignite a promising career.

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And Morecambe boss Jim Bentley is excited at what Mandeville could bring to his side.

“He’s scored goals at the level and technically he’s a very good player," he said.

“We’ve always been impressed with him when we’ve seen him play and we tried to get him in the January transfer window but unfortunately it didn’t develop.

“He can play in numerous positions in the forward areas and he’ll add something different to what we already have.”