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Barcelona cruised to a comfortable 4-1 victory over Celta Vigo on Saturday night at the Camp Nou.

And while Lionel Messi was once again the star of the show, bagging a rather impressive hat-trick in the process, Ernesto Valverde can be happy with some other performances from his squad players as well.

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One such ace was Junior Firpo, a newcomer to the team that was finally given a chance in the side.

With that game against Celta Vigo, the young full-back now has a total of just 324 minutes under his belt.

But needless to say, he embraced this opportunity with both hands and fully repaid Valverde’s trust.

Many Barcelona fans swarmed Twitter with their messages of support for the young defender and simply showered him with praise.

One fan even compared Firpo to Eric Abidal, a Blaugrana icon from back in the day, and there were even shouts of him starting ahead of Jordi Alba.

You can see some of their replies down in the tweets below.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…

According to The Athletic’s David Ornstein, Manchester United turned down the chance to sign Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

What’s the word?

The Gabon international signed for Arsenal back in January 2018 for a fee in the region of £56m, after it was suggested he wanted to leave Bundesliga giants Borussia Dortmund.

Ornstein claims that despite recognising the striker’s intentions on departing Germany, the Red Devils decided against making a move for him. It is claimed the United hierarchy had concerns over his age – he was 28 at the time – and whether there was any significant value in shelling out £56m.

How much money could you make busking for a week as a freestyle footballer? Find out in the video below…

It is also suggested former boss Jose Mourinho had been sceptical about Aubameyang’s ability to lead the line as a lone striker, and that he was not particularly strong enough with his back to goal.

The right decision

Make no mistake about it, the 30-year-old’s goal-record is unparalleled, certainly when it comes to some of the forwards United currently have at their disposal. In 77 games for rivals Arsenal, he has scored 49 times, whilst as per Transfermarkt, he has an unbelievable ratio of 173 goals in 266 games in the number nine role.

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But, quite crucially, there would have been an element of whether he fits this current approach United are going for under Solskjaer. Now, the Red Devils are seemingly intent on signing young, exciting players with a lot of potential to grow, and are prioritising a game-plan that focuses on pressing from the front.

Aubameyang arguably fits none of that remit. And just like Romelu Lukaku, no matter how proven of a goal-scorer he is, if he doesn’t suit the team’s current needs and desires, there simply wouldn’t be a point in having him.

Solskjaer is admirably trying to refresh the United squad with players who are young and hungry for success. Signing Aubameyang would simply have killed off any hopes of the likes of Anthony Martial and Mason Greenwood establishing themselves as the club’s first-choice centre-forwards. So whilst the 30-year-old may be firing in the goals in north London, United shouldn’t feel too regretful on missing out.

Manchester United fans have been looking back at Cristiano Ronaldo’s first goal for the club as Friday marked the anniversary.

The Old Trafford faithful were in need of a goal and were 1-0 down at home to Portsmouth in the Premier League.

The Portuguese forward, as an 18-year-old, used the occasion to open his account for Sir Alex Ferguson’s side.

The Scottish manager completed the deal for the teenager for a fee of just £12.24m from Sporting Lisbon and he was presented with the No. 7 shirt, formerly worn by David Beckham who moved to Real Madrid shortly before the deal.

Ferguson described Ronaldo as one of the most exciting young players he’d ever seen at the time and his instinct was not wrong.

He went on to score 118 goals in 292 appearances for Manchester United before moving to Real Madrid for £80m in 2009.

Supporters collectively rejoiced as they saw footage of Ronaldo’s first goal for the club and showed their appreciation on social media.

Here you will find some of the best responses from Manchester United fans:

Borussia Dortmund captain Marco Reus has conceded that Lucien Favre’s Die Schwarzgelben are lacking in confidence, which sparked SC Freiburg’s belief in taking a point on Saturday, as told to Kicker.

Reus has worn the captain’s armband in each Bundesliga fixture so far this season, but was unable to inspire a win over Freiburg at the weekend like he had against FC Augsburg, FC Koln and Bayer Leverkusen.

Dortmund held a lead over Freiburg twice on Saturday thanks to Axel Witsel striking his second of the term to open the scoring early on, before Achraf Hakimi put the visitors back ahead after Luca Waldschmidt found the net for an equaliser shortly after the break.

The Black and Yellow were set to take the win thanks to Hakimi’s goal until late into proceedings when Manuel Akanji put the ball into his own net, but Reus feels Favre’s side can only blame themselves for not creating more chances to put the game to bed.

“Freiburg simply had, I believe, more confidence in their own game,” he told Kicker. “We did not show that, at least in the second half. Then it is difficult to survive here.

“If you take the lead 2-1, you have to give more confidence and more playful solutions. We had too little in the second half. So, of course, the result is disappointing and, above all, the way that we did not play well in the second half, [we] did not create many chances.

“It is very, very bitter, because you have played a draw again.”

Dortmund travelled to Freiburg looking to win their first game of the league campaign since putting four past Bayer Leverkusen in September, with draws against Eintracht Frankfurt and SV Werder Bremen immediately following the result at home to Peter Bosz’s side.

Reus now hopes the international break will offer Die Borussen a chance to reset and come out strongly when they face Borussia Monchengladbach before clashes with Inter Milan, FC Schalke 04 and Monchengladbach again in the DFB Cup, all in the space of seven days.

“You can always improve a lot, even in good times,” he added, when asked what areas Dortmund need to be improved on. “Even guided tours do not give us the confidence that is normally the case here.

“I hope that the international break will do us some good, to clear our heads, so that we can go to the next period with new wind, because then we have even stronger opponents in front of our chest, then the English weeks really start. We have to be prepared differently and behave differently, especially when we take the lead.”

It could easily be argued that Dortmund are entering a make or break segment of the Bundesliga season, as the door to mount a title challenge is wide open with Bayern Munich somewhat struggling and Monchengladbach leading the table but only four points better off.

If Favre cannot stop watching BVB drop points, the Westfalenstadion natives’ hopes of a first title since 2012 will be blown away.

Reus clearly knows this threat, and is right in saying that he and his teammates must find a way to clear their minds and ditch the low confidence levels he feels deprived them of a stronger result against Freiburg.

Dortmund fans, is Favre the man to instil confidence in the players at the Signal Iduna Park? Let us know in the comments below…

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In today’s Everton roundup, we take a look at the news doing the rounds regarding the Toffees. Marco Silva says he will not hide after losing at home to Sheffield United, Djibril Sidibe is ‘pushing’ Seamus Coleman out of the side, and Jamie Redknapp believes Everton are missing Idrissa Gueye too much this season.

Redknapp believes Gueye is a huge miss

Report: Pundit Jamie Redknapp believes the club are missing defensive midfielder Gueye after letting him go to Paris Saint-Germain in the summer. Redknapp said in his Daily Mail column: “No player in the Premier League made more tackles than Idrissa Gueye’s 142 last season.

“I look at Everton now and can see how much they are missing the defensive midfielder who joined PSG for £30m in the summer. The fans at Goodison Park are passionate and want to see good performances. Saturday was not that.”

Verdict: Gueye was one of the stand out performers for Everton last season, as the club finished eighth. As Redknapp stated, Gueye made 142 tackles in the season and considering the Toffees have conceded nine goals already, perhaps he is being missed as heavily as Redknapp believes.

Now at PSG, the Senegal international has continued this wonderful defensive form, completing 3.5 tackles per game and two interceptions per match for the French champions (as per WhoScored).

Although his replacement, Fabian Delph, has averaged an impressive four tackles per game, Andre Gomes has just 1.5 and Gylfi Sigurdsson just 0.8, which perhaps vindicates Redknapp’s view.

‘I will not hide’, says Silva

Report: Just days after the dreadful performance against the Blades, Marco Silva told the press: “It is not the moment for anyone to hide.

“I said it inside the dressing room, too (after the Sheffield United defeat), there is nowhere we can hide, we have to show stronger character, personality.

“It is a moment for us to go and play football and to take responsibility as well… I am always here for our fans, I will not hide, no one can hide.”

Verdict: Silva has become desperate to change things around once again, as he has now conceded nine goals and scored just five in the Premier League. To add insult to injury, the Toffees have now let in at least two goals in five of their last six games, which even includes conceding two to League One side Lincoln City.

Last season, Everton ended up finishing eighth, but even after acquiring Moise Kean, Alex Iwobi and Fabian Delph during the summer, there is still a feeling that there is an impending doom over Silva’s job. Currently, it seems the Portuguese manager is just a couple of bad results away from departing Goodison Park, and with Manchester City up next, things are not looking good for the Everton boss.

Sidibe is ‘pushing’ Coleman out of the side, says SilvaReport: When Silva was asked about his right-back options, the Toffees manager stated Coleman “knows” that he faces competition for his spot from Sidibe, as reported by the Liverpool Echo. Silva said: “He is pushing, he is pushing,” when asked if the 27-year-old is set to come in.The boss added: “You are talking about an experienced player. He didn’t do the pre-season with us but he is the type of player who you don’t have doubts about his quality. He’s been champion of the world, he has played at a high, high level in the Champions League, all these things.”If you can see him playing in some games in pre-season then it is a little bit different but he is pushing, he is pushing. He always come here to work hard and get his space in the team. Seamus knows he has a player there trying to get his place in the starting XI, trying to get his place, so it is good for us.”Verdict: Sidibe joined Everton on loan from AS Monaco this season, with the club short on right-back options. The Frenchman did play in the League Cup against Lincoln, although he has yet to make an appearance in the Premier League.Coleman, on the other hand, has played each of the six games so far, averaging an admirable 6.70 performance rating, making it tough for Sidibe to come in over the Irishman.Indeed the Frenchman, who is known for his speed and versatility, has a World Cup medal after playing for France during the summer of last year. He has also totted up a decent goal tally for himself, netting six times in 114 games for Monaco.Right now it is hard for Coleman to be taken out the team, as he has started the season relatively well. However, with Sidibe on Merseyside until the end of the season, it will be worth giving him some minutes during domestic cup ties.

[ad_pod ]Arsenal’s visit to Vicarage Road on Sunday was an absolute disaster.

From leading the game at halftime to scrapping for their lives against a lively Hornets side who registered a total of 31 shots, a statistic Opta claim to be the most Arsenal have registered since they started collecting data in 2003/04. You know, around about the time that whole invincible thing happened.

For those of you who are Twitter-savvy and football friendly, you may be aware of a particular brand of users who hide behind accounts dedicated to their favourite footballers.

These individuals are usually the most active on matchdays – from trolling opponents and making the most outlandish claims about how X is better than Y, you can bet your bottom dollar that they’ll be relentlessly attacking your timeline like a sugar frenzied wasp on a hot summers day. Every. Single. Weekend.

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An Arsenal fan thought he’d got the better of AS Roma’s official Twitter account when he responded to their post about loanee Henrikh Mkhitaryan; unfortunately for that supporter, it didn’t end well…

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Manchester City fans rejoice! Aymeric Laporte may finally be set to earn his first senior cap for France. And about time too.

The 25-year-old has failed to make a Les Bleus squad since making the bench for the side’s 2-0 defeat to Spain back in March 2017.

Now, this personal boost for the City ace is quite unexpected, as the centre-back even suggested the previous lack of international recognition could be put down to a personal vendetta against him from France manager Didier Deschamps.

Speaking back in December, he said, as quoted by The Manchester Evening News: “Of course I don’t think it’s because of a sporting issue, you’d have to ask him personally. I don’t have anything personal against him, but if someone has a problem it’s him and not me.

“I could be a world champion… but these are the decisions of the coach, who is not calling me for, I think, personal reasons, and I have to respect him.”

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After hearing the news of Laporte being called up for the upcoming EURO 2020 qualifiers, City fans flooded to Twitter to voice their reaction to the matter.

Many admitted the call-up is “long overdue” and were relieved his performances at City are finally being rewarded.

Some supporters of the Manchester side revealed their shock at Laporte’s ‘exile’ finally being ended and insisted they couldn’t believe their eyes.

Check out some of the reaction of City fans below:

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The year of 1966 remains the greatest year in English footballing history.

Victory over West Germany in the final, 4-2 after extra time, is the biggest, most famous, most memorable game in the country’s long-standing relationship with the beautiful game and until it is achieved again will remain that way.

Everyone has seen the iconic photo of Bobby Moore being held aloft with the Jules Rimet trophy at Wembley following the triumph.

But what many people will not have seen is some of the lesser publicised photos from what was a marvelous year for the Three Lions.

This gallery looks at some of the behind-the-scenes snaps taken from that year – mainly involving the frenzy that went on during that wonderful summer in July – but also from before the tournament and what happened following the final on July 30th 1966.

And we start with the legendary Bobby Charlton taking some time out of a pre-tournament training session to relax on the grass and chat with a few idolising fans…

June 1966

Bobby Charlton chatting to fans while he takes a breather from training in Shropshire before the World Cup.

Copyright: MirrorPix

July 1966

England World Cup Squad relax at HQ. Bobby Charlton and Jack with Peter Bonetti, Martin Peters and Bobby Moore playing cards.

Copyright: MirrorPix

July 1966

Cassius Clay watches the crowds arrive at Wembley Stadium for the World Cup final – England v West Germany. It was before his August title fight against Brain London.

Copyright: MirrorPix

July 1966

Brazilian football star Pele signing autographs for fans outside his hotel in Lymm, Cheshire during the World Cup tournament in England.

Copyright: MirrorPix

17th July 1966

Bobby and Jack Charlton trying their hand at cricket at an England training session during the World Cup tournament.

Copyright: MirrorPix

July 1966

World Cup Final match at Wembley Stadium. England 4 v West Germany 2 after extra time. American heavyweight boxer Cassius Clay watches the crowds arrive at Wembley before the match.

Copyright: MirrorPix

30th July 1966

World Cup Final match at Wembley Stadium. England 4 v West Germany 2 after extra time. American heavyweight boxer Cassius Clay watches the crowds arrive at Wembley before the match.

Copyright: MirrorPix

31st July 1966

A World cup banquet was held for the victorious England team at the Royal Garden Hotel following their victory over West Germany in the Final at Wembley.

Wives of the players who had to eat a separate dinner from their husbands, including Mrs Tina Moore, Mrs Peters, Mrs Hurst, Mrs Springett and Mrs Bonetti reading the Sunday Mirror newspaper.

Copyright: MirrorPix

July 1966

Portugal star Eusebio surrounded by autograph hunters at Manchester’s Piccadilly railway station as the team make their way to London.

Copyright: MirrorPix

30th July 1966

World Cup banquet held at the Royal Garden Hotel in Kensington, London in honour of the victorious England team following their victory over West Germany in the 1966 World Cup Final. Wives of the English players eating separate dinner from their husbands at the hotel.

They are left to right: Tina Moore, Mrs Peters, Mrs Hurst, Mrs Springett and Mrs Bonetti.

Copyright: MirrorPix

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Eric Bailly suffered a meniscus injury to his left knee during Manchester United’s pre-season clash with Tottenham Hotspur on Thursday, according to Spanish journalist Jose Alvarez.

It had been feared that Bailly had picked up a serious ligament injury when he limped off the field in the pre-season clash with Mauricio Pochettino’s side.

However, according to Alvarez, scans showed that the Ivory Coast international had picked up a meniscus injury rather than a potentially long-term ligament issue.

ESPN FC have since claimed that the centre-back will miss the start of the 2019-20 Premier League campaign, placing his absence at around six weeks.

It is certainly better news than initially feared, with United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer revealing his concern after the clash with Tottenham.

Is Neymar a footballing genius or overhyped brat? Fans discuss whether they’d want him at their club in the video below…

The English club’s fans have been on social media reacting to the latest developments surrounding the 25-year-old.

And a selection of the tweets can be viewed below:

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أبدى نجم آرسنال بيير إيميريك أوباميانج، سعادته بتسجيله “هاتريك” في مباراة اليوم أمام ليدز يونايتد، في بطولة الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز.

وفاز الجانرز بأربعة أهداف مقابل هدفين، على ملعب الإمارات، في إطار منافسات الجولة الرابعة والعشرين.

وقدم أوباميانج أداءً رائعًا في تلك المباراة حيث نجح في تسجيل ثلاثة أهداف. هاتريك أوباميانج أمام ليدز

وقال أوباميانج في تصريحات نشرتها صحيفة “مترو” الإنجليزية: “سعيد حقًا، سيكون أطفالي سعداء كذلك لأنهم سيحصلون على كرة المباراة”.

وأضاف الجابوني: “أنا سعيد بالأداء، كنت أعلم أنها ستكون مباراة صعبة، لم يستسلم ليدز أبدًا، لكننا تعاملنا مع اللقاء بشكل جيد”.

وواصل: “(الهاتريك) يعني الكثير بالنسبة لي، أنا رجل يعمل دائمًا بجد، وكانت فترة عصيبة بالنسبة لي”.

وتابع: “كان الجميع، وأمي وعائلتي، يمنحونني الكثير من الحب، يجب أن أقول شكرًا للجميع في النادي والجماهير”.