Manchester United recorded a narrow 1-0 victory against Burnley at Turf Moor in the Premier League on Saturday to stay in second position, but Red Devils fans were left unimpressed with Marcus Rashford’s late contribution from the substitutes’ bench.
The 20-year-old forward is struggling for form at the moment with only one goal in his last 15 top flight appearances, and he replaced Jesse Lingard in the 80th minute of the clash in Lancashire.
However, the England international’s lack of confidence showed and while he decided to go on his own instead of setting up Romelu Lukaku for a second United goal because of some poor decision-making, he was also booked for a challenge on Georges-Kevin Nkoudou in injury-time.
Man United supporters were quick to have their say on the attacker’s latest display via social media, and while one said “I fear for him”, another said he “needs the Mkhi treatment”.
As reported by The Scottish Sun, Rangers defender Danny Wilson is on the brink of an exit from Ibrox this week, with the player set to undergo a medical at Major League Soccer side Colorado Rapids later today.
The homegrown talent’s contract is set to expire at the end of the season and that’s forced the move, according to the paper.
Wilson has had his ups and downs at Rangers since rejoining the club from Liverpool in 2015, but recently has strung together some consistent performances with Graeme Murty making him a trusted member of his starting eleven.
Having made over 100 appearances for the Ibrox outfit, it appears his time in Glasgow is coming to an end, but it’s not an exit that supporters are particularly happy with.
Many would much rather he stay on and sign a new contract rather than move elsewhere, preferring to see fellow defenders like Bruno Alves make an exit instead.
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Fans took to Twitter to share their thoughts on the exit reports this week…
Everton boss Sam Allardyce has said that January arrival Eliaquim Mangala will give the Toffees ‘better balance’ on the left-side of the field.
Mangala joined Everton on loan from Manchester City in the latter stages of January transfer window.
The 26-year-old has made 15 appearances for City during the 2017-18 campaign, but was deemed surplus to requirements following the arrival of Aymeric Laporte from Athletic Bilbao.
Mangala, who is valued at £13.5m by transfermarkt.co.uk, could make his Toffees debut in Saturday’s Premier League clash against Arsenal.
Allardyce’s side have had a problem down the left in recent weeks, and the former England boss is delighted to have been able to bring the Frenchman to Goodison Park.
Allardyce told reporters:
“He is naturally left footed, who will not only be defensively be better but also better in both areas. He will give us better balance.
“You can see the other night that our strength lay down the right hand side. Our left was pretty good but…”
Seamus Coleman and Theo Walcott impressed down the right during Wednesday’s 2-1 win over Leicester City in the Premier League.
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The left-hand side of the field, however, has been the source of frustration for a lot of Everton supporters over the last few months.
As reported by Italian outlet CalcioMercato.it, Arsenal have recently sent scouts to the track the progress of Napoli attacker Lorenzo Insigne.
What’s the story?
With the departures of Alexis Sanchez, Theo Walcott and Olivier Giroud in January, Arsenal could do with summer reinforcements in attack, even after the arrivals of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Henrikh Mkhitaryan.
CalcioMercato.it report that the Gunners recently sent scouts to Napoli’s match with RB Leipzig, with one of the players they were there to watch being Lorenzo Insigne.
Rated at £54m by Transfermarkt, any deal to bring the Italian international to the Emirates would be significant, but is he the direct Sanchez replacement that could turn Arsenal into a top four force again?
How good is he?
While Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Mesut Ozil provide pure creativity and Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang offer raw firepower, Insigne is the kind of player that blends the two in a manner similar to Alexis Sanchez’s contributions at the Gunners.
This season so far the 26-year-old has scored 10 goals and provided eight assists, helping his side to the top of the Serie A table, following on from last term’s impressive return of 20 goals and 12 assists.
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The Italian has been an absolute stand-out at Napoli for three years now and securing his signature would be quite a coup considering his potential to improve most teams around Europe.
A player who excels predominately on the left, a front four of Insigne, Ozil, Mkhitaryan and Aubameyang could provide the Gunners with an unstoppable attacking force next season if they follow up their reported interest.
Southampton moved out of the Premier League relegation zone when substitute Manolo Gabbiadini scored a late equaliser in his side’s 1-1 draw against Burnley at Turf Moor on Saturday, and it came when they had two strikers on the pitch.
While the 4-2-3-1 formation helped Saints achieve some of their best ever top flight campaigns and qualify for the Europa League twice in recent years, they haven’t looked the like the same team that played so successfully using that system when they had Rickie Lambert and then Graziano Pelle as a focal point.
Of course, the south coast outfit also had the likes of Adam Lallana, Jay Rodriguez and Sadio Mane supporting the centre-forward, but it’s fair to say that Southampton have been a completely different outfit since Pelle left for China in 2016 and Claude Puel took the reins from Ronald Koeman.
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They certainly haven’t been the same from an attacking point of view and they have largely struggled to score goals in the 18 months since then, while the striker – whoever it may be – is often left too isolated with the attacking midfielders not close enough to them.
Whether that is down to those individuals or the tactics of the manager – this is a theme that has continued since Mauricio Pellegrino succeeded Puel last summer – isn’t entirely clear, but both bosses should take some of the blame for perhaps being too negative and not committing enough men forward.
Saints have already lost at home to Watford, Crystal Palace, Leicester City and Burnley and only drawn with Newcastle United, Huddersfield Town, Swansea City and Brighton and Hove Albion at St Mary’s this term, and in all of those fixtures they haven’t had the firepower required to break the opposition down considering they haven’t been as good defensively as in previous years.
Southampton supporters have often called out for Pellegrino to play two strikers up top to give them more of a threat, and that was even more apparent following the 1-0 home defeat against the Clarets on the south coast in November.
With the game goalless after 65 minutes, the crucial moment of the match happened as Manolo Gabbiadini was replaced by Charlie Austin for the hosts, while Sean Dyche saw an opportunity and decided to be bold by bringing on two strikers and taking one striker and a midfielder off.
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Burnley went two up top and they got their reward as Sam Vokes scored the winner nine minutes from time, to leave the St Mary’s crowd disappointed – a recurring theme this term.
It was clear from that incidence that putting two up top can be effective, but despite the fans wanting it and Pellegrino often being questioned about it at his various press conferences, he has never taken the plunge even though he will have Gabbiadini, Austin, Shane Long and new boy Guido Carrillo to pick from when everyone is fit.
Southampton had put in yet another poor performance on the road against Burnley at the weekend, and when they fell behind to Ashley Barnes’ 67th-minue goal Pellegrino decided to act by bringing on Sofiane Boufal for Oriol Romeu, Josh Sims for James Ward-Prowse and Manolo Gabbiadini for Dusan Tadic over the course of the following 15 minutes.
That left the visitors with Gabbiadini and Carrillo as the two strikers, as the Argentine boss finally took a risk to try and salvage a point.
It was something that the Saints fans have barely seen during Pellegrino’s time at the helm, and they would have been delighted when the decision paid off as Sims crossed to Carrillo, who nodded it down for Gabbiadini to fire home his first Premier League goal since October.
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For many supporters it would have been no surprise that the tactical change worked and it is something that they have been calling out for a while, but now their boss needs to learn from it too.
Southampton face a huge match against 19th-placed Stoke City at St Mary’s on Saturday, and in all honesty it is a must-win encounter if they are to secure their top flight status for another season given some of the tricky fixtures – mostly away – that they still have to come.
Pellegrino’s men need to have an attacking threat and take the game to the Potters, and Carrillo and Gabbiadini should be starting as a front two after their fine link-up for the goal at Turf Moor.
It’s not as though the Argentine boss doesn’t have the options to play 3-5-2 or 4-4-2 either because he does, and playing both up top on Saturday could be the difference between one point or three points, which could ultimately decide the south coast outfit’s fate this season.
The pressure increased on Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger on Sunday after his side fell to a 2-1 defeat away to Brighton & Hove Albion in the English Premier League.
It was the Gunners first defeat to the Seagulls since 1982 and the 11th successive match they’ve failed to keep a clean sheet in the top-flight, their joint longest run in the competition.
Fans are questioning the short and long-term future of the club under the guidance of Wenger with many, as you’d expect, now wanting him him to leave the club.
The players haven’t escaped criticism either though, with many established first team stars taking plenty of flak in the wake of Sunday’s result.
One of those most heavily criticised was Arsenal defender Laurent Koscielny, who looked shaky at the back all afternoon and gave away possession which led to the home side’s second goal.
Supporters are wondering where it’s all gone wrong for the 32-year-old, with others hoping he is axed this summer as they look to improve on their current woes.
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According to ESPN FC, Southampton are one of the Premier League clubs considering making a move for FC Basel forward Mohamed Elyounoussi, who is rated at £6.75m according to Transfermarkt, this summer.
What’s the word, then?
Well, ESPN FC says that Saints scouts, along with ones from their top flight rivals Arsenal and Leicester City, watched the 23-year-old attacker put in a man-of-the-match display in his side’s 2-1 win against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday night.
The Norway international scored one and assisted the other in the victory, and the south coast outfit are said to be long-term admirers of the influential forward, as they look to bolster their attacking options over the summer.
The report adds that Basel are bracing themselves to receive offers for the versatile player, who could be the next Basel product to make a big impact in England.
How well has Elyounoussi done this season?
The left-sided player has been brilliant, and he has scored seven goals and provided a further 13 assists in 31 appearances in all competitions for the Swiss outfit.
According to WhoScored.com, two of his main strengths are his dribbling and his ability to play through balls, and he has successfully completed 17 of the 26 take-ons he attempted in eight Champions League outings this term, while he may three key passes.
Would he be a good signing for Southampton?
He certainly would be, and it isn’t the first time they have been linked with him.
Saints have once again come up short from an attacking point of view this season and they need wide players that are going to bring goals and more creativity.
Elyounoussi’s record certainly suggests that he can do that, and the fact that he played so well against Manchester City and Manchester United in the Champions League more than hints that he can be a big success in the Premier League too.
Will they get him?
Of course, a lot will depend on whether they secure their Premier League status for another year as they are in real danger of going down right now.
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In reality, even if they do stay up they may have missed the boat on bringing the Norway international to St Mary’s as now he has impressed in the Champions League and against Manchester City, he will likely be being eyed by much bigger clubs that Saints aren’t able to compete with.
Friday night proved to be a special occasion for Scott Hogan as the Aston Villa forward made his Republic of Ireland debut.
The 25-year-old played 75 minutes of his team’s 1-0 defeat to Turkey, and will now be looking to make a serious impression for Martin O’Neill’s side moving forward.
Hogan joined Villa from Brentford in January 2017, and the forward managed just one goal in 13 appearances in the second half of the 2016-17 Championship campaign.
Hogan has netted eight goals in 35 appearances for Steve Bruce’s side this term, however, and was rewarded with a call-up to the latest Republic of Ireland squad.
It would be fair to say that a number of Villa fans have been split on Hogan’s overall contribution this season, but many were delighted that the attacker was able to make his international bow.
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A selection of the Twitter reaction from the Villa supporters, who have watched their team lose their last two Championship fixtures to Queens Park Rangers and Bolton Wanderers, can be seen below:
Always finding room for young players in his first team squad, regardless of age or experience, being loaned out by Mauricio Pochettino is effectively a snub for any Tottenham player. But that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the end of their careers with the north London club – provided they can use the loan spell to prove the Argentine wrong.
Earlier this week, we looked at four players Tottenham have loaned out this season – Vincent Janssen, Cameron Carter-Vickers, Josh Onomah and Georges-Kevin N’Koudou – and then asked Spurs supporters to vote for which has the best chance of making an impact for the Lilywhites at first team level in 2018/19.
And the result of our poll was largely unanimous.
Perhaps because Toby Alderweireld’s potential departure will create an obvious void for him to fill, perhaps because he’s already a full international with the USA, perhaps because he’s shown decent form for Sheffield United and Ipswich in the Championship this season, Carter-Vickers took a whopping 88% of the vote.
Do you think the 20-year-old, who Transfermarkt value at £900k, is ready to provide cover for the likes of Jan Vertonghen and Davinson Sanchez, Tottenham fans? Let us know by commenting below…
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Manchester United fans are worried over rumours that France international Anthony Martial wants out of Old Trafford.The 22-year-old has been on the fringes in recent games after the arrival of Chilean forward Alexis Sanchez in the January transfer window.The former Monaco man has had a relatively good season in Manchester, scoring 11 goals and linking up well with Romelu Lukaku and Paul Pogba.However, Martial has not scored since the 1-0 win at Burnley in January and has been on the bench in the last couple of games.According to French media outletÂRMC Sport, the Frenchman is unhappy with his lack of minutes under Jose Mourinho and has rejected a new five-year contract.RMC Sport also claim that his relationship with the Portuguese has soured since the turn of the year.It’s safe to say that Manchester United fans are not happy with the news…[EMBED_TWITTER]https://twitter.com/hesham786/status/983698286262571008[/EMBED_TWITTER][EMBED_TWITTER]https://twitter.com/RealTalkMUFC/status/983702219001290752[/EMBED_TWITTER]