SAM Allardyce has urged Zurab Khizanishvili to quit Ewood Park for the sake of his own career – insisting footballing motives should cancel out any financial concerns.

Blackburn Rovers’ Georgian international didn’t make a single Premier League appearance last campaign, and only made three the season before, with Allardyce admitting his chances will remain limited in East Lancashire.

The 28-year-old defender enjoyed loan spells in the Championship last season with Reading and Newcastle United, but failure to secure a permanent move has left him in limbo at Rovers.

Khizanishvili still has a year left on his Rovers contract though, with the chances of him remaining at Ewood looking increasingly likely, but Allardyce admits it is time for him to move.

"He is one to let go for our sake and for his," he said.

"He has played far too little football at this club over the last two years to be wanting to stay and for us to be wanting to keep him.

“I think wherever a football club would like to take him on, we wouldn’t be standing in his way.

"We would not want to loan him again. We want him to build a future for himself.

"He has still got a few good years of playing football in him.

“Of course one of the problems is he can’t match the salary at other clubs that he gets at Blackburn Rovers now.

"That is one of the major reasons he hasn’t moved on in the past two years.

“But now is the time to move for the football rather than thinking about the money.”

Khizanishvili joined Rovers from Glasgow Rangers initially on loan in August 2005, before making the move permanent in April 2006 for in the region of £500,000.

He has made 93 appearances since but has struggled to force his way into the side in recent seasons.