Manchester United fans react to Wayne Rooney’s famous goal vs Manchester City

Times are tough over at Manchester United as the team is struggling to keep up with the rest of the Premier League’s best with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at the helm.

Of course, the recent defeat to Watford didn’t really help lighten up the mood at Old Trafford and something will definitely have to change rather soon.

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Still, they have their memories and throwbacks to pick them back up when everything else seems gloomy and that’s exactly what they have done with another Goal of the Day on their official Twitter account.

This time, it was Wayne Rooney’s sensational overhead kick vs Manchester City that sent some fans into meltdown, drooling over the strike and showering the player with praise.

The fact that it was scored against bitter rivals Man City of all clubs makes it even better – the fans called it “sensational” and even the “goal of the century”.

No clues: Can you name the Man Utd result purely based on these images? Give it a go now…

Despite that wonderful moment, some of the fans still couldn’t help but think that big goals like this are fundamentally a thing of the past, and didn’t allow it to distract them from the fact that something needs to change at Old Trafford.

Although they still acknowledged the quality of the goal, it only seemed to remind some fans of the club’s current predicament and how far away United are from the glory days of the Sir Alex Ferguson era.

Meanwhile, there are two things Manchester United should prioritise come the January transfer window…

Alan Nixon provides update on the future of Sheffield Wednesday-linked Eddie Nketiah

Sheffield Wednesday loan target Eddie Nketiah still appears to be mulling over his immediate future after he was recalled from a frustrating spell at Leeds United, and The Sun’s Alan Nixon has provided a fresh update on the matter.

What’s he said?

The 20-year-old has been back at his parent club Arsenal for just over a week now but is yet to go directly back out on loan.

It has been reported elsewhere that the Owls, along with Bristol City, Brentford and another unnamed Championship side are all keen on landing him this month.

The Athletic’s David Ornstein then claimed it was between three clubs, two mentioned above (Wednesday, Bristol City) and Nottingham Forest with a decision due very imminently.

Now Nixon has given a new update, suggesting that the young striker has spoken to a number of teams and could have conversations with a few more, while there is even interest from abroad.

Statement of intent?

Garry Monk has already missed out on one potential loan move from the top-flight after Rhian Brewster joined Championship rivals Swansea City earlier this week. The Telegraph had reported the 40-year-old’s interest in him last month.

Losing out on Nketiah too would be a devastating blow to the Wednesday boss’ January plans. In contrast, clinching him would be a huge statement of intent with the Owls still in the playoff hunt.

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The England U21 international has been likened to Ian Wright and Jermaine Defoe, who both had prolific careers whilst he has also been described as a “fox-in-the-box” too.

This should be music to the ears of anyone concerned at Hillsborough as the club have been relying on top scorer Steven Fletcher far too much this season – and he could be out injured for the foreseeable future after he was stretched off in the historic FA Cup win.

Nketiah scored five goals in 19 appearances for Leeds this season before returning to North London, considering he averaged just 35 minutes per game during his time at Elland Road, that’s rather impressive.

Can you remember how much each of these transfer icons cost? Only experts will get 100% on our quiz…

His 5 foot 9 presence would be ideal in Monk’s 4-4-2 system, more so when Fletcher is back involved. Nabbing him above the likes of Bristol City and Forest would also be a huge statement to their promotion goals.

And in other news, Wednesday must steer clear of a reunion with this Carlos Carvalhal flop…

Leeds: Victor Orta’s decision to sign Kiko Casilla becoming one big mistake

This time last year, Leeds United were pursuing an experienced goalkeeping option with the young Bailey Peacock-Farrell being Marcelo Biela’s first-choice starter.

Whites director of football Victor Orta identified a big name as the solution, one that had won multiple Champions League titles and more.

That man was Kiko Casilla.

Nearly a year to the day, the Yorkshiremen clinched the signing of the Spaniard from La Liga giants Real Madrid with him signing a four-and-a-half-year contract.

But his latest string of performances are starting to show why that may have been a huge mistake, especially in a financial sense.

It is no secret that his move to Elland Road was quite costly in terms of wages, he arrived as ‘comfortably’ the highest-paid earner, as Phil Hay once said.

Casilla’s form has been patchy since being handed the shot-stopping reigns – that playoff game against Derby County last term will long live in the memory of some, others will never be able to let it go either.

According to LUFC data, Leeds have conceded from the first shot on target they’ve faced in five of the last six Championship outings, while it has also happened a total of ten times this season.

The same source also states that they have conceded 60% of their home goals past the 81st minute.

While it is believed that the 33-year-old has leaked 76.47% of the shots he’s faced in the same timeframe as above.

This just isn’t good enough, especially when you consider the sort of deal the goalkeeper is on. He must perform to that standard each and every week, and currently, he’s far from doing that.

Illan Meslier stunned on debut against Premier League opposition in Arsenal, so it’s not as if his place amongst the starting XI should be guaranteed.

Football Insider claim Casilla is on £40k-per-week, an extortionate deal and one they could do without if he continues to disappoint.

Virtually impossible: Can you name the year all of these Leeds flops arrived at Elland Road?

Leeds can barely afford to many additions after Phil Hay ruled them out of signing Hull City hotshot Jarrod Bowen this month, with the club needing to satisfy FFP regulations, and there’s no doubt that deals such as the one with the Spanish keeper has contributed severely.

It’s starting to look like one big financial mistake on Orta’s part.

And in other news, Leeds interested in signing a Championship rival hotshot, but would he be a good signing? We assess…

Arsenal fans love Lucas Torreira’s display against Crystal Palace

Arsenal’s winning run, albeit a short one consisting of just two victories, came to an end at Selhurst Park on Saturday against Crystal Palace.

The Gunners did get off to the better start, with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang opening the scoring following a slick move from the visitors. However, Jordan Ayew pulled things level before the Emirates outfit’s goalscorer was sent off for dangerous play.

In the end, Mikel Arteta had to make do with a solitary point.

Quickfire Quiz: How much do you know about Arsenal’s history in the January transfer window?

Lucas Torreira was included once again in the starting line-up, having started all three previous Premier League games under the new boss. He was clearly not a Unai Emery favourite, having started just four league matches under the former manager, but he seems to be a big part of Arteta’s plans moving forward.

Against Palace, the Gunners supporters were very happy with his display.

In that first half at least, he was very impressive. He helped the Gunners have 67% possession and dominate the game – the Eagles managed just one shot in the whole of the first 45 minutes.

In this match, the Uruguay international was back in a defensive midfield position after having featured at times in attacking midfield under the former boss. Many supporters can not believe he was deployed in that role previously.

With just four goals and five assists in 76 matches for the Gunners, it does seem like a bizarre choice to play him further forward. It is perhaps decisions like that that led to his departure from the hot-seat.

At half-time though, the 23-year-old was withdrawn and replaced by Matteo Guendouzi. Given his performance, the assumption is that it was because of an injury, and that has worried some Arsenal supporters.

The fans will be hoping that it is nothing serious, and that he will soon be able to return to the action.

In other news, Arsenal’s transfer plans are revealed by Mikel Arteta.

Analysing Leicester City’s reported transfer target: Ryan Bertrand vs Ben Chilwell

According to a fresh report from the Daily Mail, Leicester City are on a lookout for a full-back that could compensate for the potential departure of their first-choice star Ben Chilwell.

The Foxes are bracing for Chilwell’s exit with Chelsea said to be contemplating a bid in the summer and Sunderland’s Ryan Bertrand is currently pretty high on their wishlist.

Call yourself a Premier League expert? How much did each of these big-money January signings cost?

The current Leicester manager Brendan Rodgers was actually a youth coach at the Blues’ camp during Bertrand’s time in their academy so he knows the now 30-year-old player quite well.

This could help them make a decision or even give them a boost in their potential chase of the veteran if Chilwell does end up leaving.

But when comparing the two players in question, it becomes apparent that Bertrand wouldn’t really represent an improvement of any kind at Leicester.

Both players have been given a similar amount of game time in the ongoing campaign – 1394 minutes for Sunderland’s star and 1610 for Leicester’s – but their stats were taken prior to the weekend’s Premier League action, which has to be taken into consideration.

With all of that being said, it’s pretty evident that Chilwell is simply the superior of the two in almost all important categories across the board, starting with his defensive contribution.

Even though Bertrand boasts a better average of 1.3 interceptions per game as opposed to Chilwell’s 1.1, the latter player is a better tackler – with 1.3 compared to 1.2 – and it’s also slightly more difficult to dribble past him, as evidenced by his 0.8 times dribbled past compared to his rival’s 1.1.

And this could indeed be a warning sign for Leicester.

Let’s not forget that their aspirations are high under Rodgers with the Foxes currently occupying a place in the Champions League spots,

Needless to say, if they end up losing Chilwell, they need to bring in a quality reinforcement who could give them a boost for next season and ensure the England international’s void is adequately filled.

But Bertrand is not really an offensive outlet either as he has recorded just 0.9 key passes and 0.2 dribbles per game. The Foxes’ quick and aggressive style of football might not be compatible with their current transfer target.

When everything is said and done this seems like a blunder waiting to happen for Leicester.

Southampton’s gamble on Ralph Hasenhuttl is a lesson to club owners

When James Maddison slotted home Leicester City’s ninth of the evening as a freezing, taunting rain whipped around St Mary’s it surely spelt the end of Ralph Hasenhuttl’s brief stint at Southampton.

He was a dead man walking. By all reasonable estimation his P45 was in the post. The jubilant Foxes fans didn’t even bother with the traditional chant reserved for such occasions. Everybody knew he was getting sacked in the morning.

The Austrian had arrived on the South Coast in early December 2018 with an air of mystery to him. He was supposedly nicknamed the ‘Alpen Klopp’ for his love of pressing in the final third while his work at RB Leipzig came with its own reputation. It all looked rather promising for the Saints who had seemingly recruited shrewdly.

And that certainly appeared to be the case as the 52-year-old’s recalibrated side pulled away from a relegation that looked to be a certainty under his predecessor Mark Hughes. Prior to Hasenhuttl’s arrival Southampton had been mired in a winless run that stretched back 11 games but soon the turnovers improved; the passing sequences; the running off the ball. Tactics were rejigged and the form of key players picked up sharply.

Southampton finished the campaign five points clear of the drop and rightfully optimistic about a bright future with their erudite new charge.

Are you a true Saints expert? Test your knowledge on these famous academy graduates…

Only things went quickly and spectacularly awry and by the time Leicester came to town on a wild October evening the Saints had managed to win just twice in their opening nine games this season. By the time they left, the home side was a national punch-line.

It wasn’t simply that Southampton were beaten 9-0 at home, as humiliating as that was. Freak results can hit anyone. Infinitely worse than even the score-line was the manner in which the team accepted it. They were beaten but also broken; abject and lost.

It was a great surprise then when the Saints board continued to back their man as his side proceeded to lose their next two fixtures. Whatever were they playing at? They were entrusting the restoration of a project to the very person who had sent it to wrack and ruin. This was a colossal gamble.

That Hasenhuttl has somehow transformed his team and so dramatically is to his enormous credit, while his players too deserve a huge dollop of kudos. The largest share of the acclaim, however, should go to Gao Jisheng, the club’s chairman and his board, for sticking with their appointment through the thin times and going against an established way of thinking that has governed football for aeons: if in trouble start from scratch.

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Since the nadir of that Leicester trouncing, the Saints have won seven of their 14 games. They lie third in the Premier League form table. This week’s 2-0 triumph at Crystal Palace was their fourth successive away win too.

Revived under a 4-2-2-2 formation that the coach initially enjoyed success with before abandoning it unwisely is a side that poses a genuine threat up front in the form of 14-goal Danny Ings and bolstered too by a defence now more than capable of grinding out clean sheets. They are a formidable and buoyant proposition with one eye on finishing within the top ten come May.

None of this seemed remotely possible just a few short months ago and promotes as it does the benefit of showing patience in a manager. Will others look, listen and learn? Let’s hope so. It’s unlikely they will, but let’s hope so.

West Ham fans react as Jarrod Bowen arrives from Hull in five-and-a-half year deal

West Ham fans have taken to Twitter to react after the signing of Jarrod Bowen was announced on deadline day.

The 23-year-old arrives from Hull City in a deal worth over £20m according to the BBC, and he has signed a five-and-a-half year contract with the Hammers.

It means that Bowen’s six-year stint with the Tigers has come to an end, after he joined them from Hereford United back in 2014 – in total, the Englishman scored 54 goals in 131 games for the club, while also registering 14 assists.

West Ham’s latest arrival has already scored 17 goals in the current campaign, with 16 of those coming in the Championship while he has also grabbed one in the Carabao Cup – he has seven assists to his name as well.

His impressive haul comes after he notched 22 Championship goals last term – no player in England’s second tier has been involved in more goals than Bowen since the start of the 2017/18 campaign, in which time he has netted 52 goals and tallied up 12 assists according to Opta.

Let’s see how the West Ham fans on Twitter reacted to his arrival…

To kick off the reaction, these three West Ham fans couldn’t contain their happiness at finding out that the deal had been completed.

Jackson said that it was a “huge signing” before calling Bowen a “great player”.

Cory then added that he was “so made up with this” before Tommy said he “can’t understate how happy” he was with the signing of the prolific Championship marksman – he then made the bold prediction that the forward is “gonna score lots of goals for us”.

Elsewhere, Jay decided to comment on the announcement video specifically, saying “so this is what you were doing while we were waiting all night” – it simply had to be done for a marquee signing like this one, Jay.

Meanwhile, Asad believes that Bowen’s arrival will get West Ham into Europe. Ambitious thinking considering West Ham are currently battling relegation.

Lastly, Nath was just shocked that the Hammers managed to pull the transfer off, saying that he “can’t believe we actually got it done”.

In fairness, the Hammers did leave this one very late, and at one point looked like they were struggling to agree personal terms with the striker – a ‘relegation clause’ was believed to be holding up the deal.

Calling all transfer experts! How much did each of these Deadline Day signings cost?

In other news, this report says that a 9-goal striker wanted a surprise return to West Ham in the January window…

Liverpool are "big admirers" of Marcus Rashford and Heung-min Son, says Melissa Reddy

Melissa Reddy has revealed that Jurgen Klopp and his recruitment team are “big admirers” of Heung-min Son and Marcus Rashford.

What did she say?

The Independent journalist was talking about Liverpool’s transfer plans for the summer and what they will be looking to do.

Can you name the result these iconic Liverpool images belong to? Give it a go now…

Speaking about the Premier League duo, she wrote: “Interest, though, is only the starting point and a tiny part of transfer thinking. The recruitment team and Klopp are big admirers of Heung-min Son and Marcus Rashford, as examples, but that interest is immaterial given neither are available to them.”

Impossible moves

Son and Rashford are amongst two of the best players in the Premier League right now. Between them, they have scored 32 goals and provided 14 assists in all competitions, and are instrumental to their respective sides.

Both valued at £72m by Transfermarkt, their potentially big transfer fees are not the reason why a move to Anfield is all but impossible.

Whilst it is hard to say whether they would ever leave their current clubs, if they were to depart they would surely not be allowed to move to Merseyside. Can you imagine the uproar if the Red Devils allowed arguably their best player to make the switch to their fiercest rivals? If you think the hatred towards the Glazers is bad enough as it is, the sale of Rashford would take the toxicity at Old Trafford to a new level.

Not only that, Liverpool already have a star trio of attacking players.

Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino are already household names on an international level, as the latest Ballon d’Or rankings indicated, and they have 43 goals and 32 assists between them already this term. Despite their obvious quality, Rashford and Son would have their work cut out to break in to that team.

It remains to be seen whether the European champions will look to add a star signing this summer – Jadon Sancho and Kylian Mbappe have been previously linked – but they will need to look a little further from home than this Premier League pair.

Meanwhile, this man was Liverpool’s weak link against Southampton.

Crystal Palace: Ex-striker Clinton Morrison feels Roy Hodgson should’ve been backed

Ex-Crystal Palace striker Clinton Morrison has revealed that he was left disappointed with the club’s transfer business in the January window and also felt that the club should’ve backed Roy Hodgson.

The Eagles ended up signing only Cenk Tosun on loan from Everton, while also offloading Connor Wickham and Victor Camarasa, as well as academy players Scott Banks, Dion-Curtis Henry, Giovanni McGregor, James Daly and Jason Lokilo.

A move for West Brom’s Nathan Ferguson fell through after the 19-year-old’s medical flagged up a knee problem, while Crystal Palace also lost out to West Ham in the race to sign Jarrod Bowen.

What did he say?

Morrison told talkSPORT: “You’ve got to back him. Roy Hodgson has done an unbelievable job at Crystal Palace, and with the injuries he’s had as well recently, it’s been superb – credit to him and they should’ve backed him in the window. There should’ve, at least, been three of four players come through.”

Couldn’t agree more

Since stepping into the hotseat in September 2017, Steve Parish and those on the board at Selhurst Park have given the former England manager little funds to work with – the only players that have arrived for a fee have been Cheikhou Kouyate for £11m, Alexander Sorloth for £9m, Jordan Ayew for £2.5m and James McCarthy for £3m.

A £25.5m outlay in almost two-and-a-half years in the job is not sufficient backing for a Premier League side, especially seeing as the Eagles’ squad is creaking – of the players currently at the club, only Jairo Riedewald and Max Meyer are under the age of 27, not including 18-year-old Brandon Pierrick.

Hodgson badly needed backing in January with his squad pushed to its limits, although only Tosun arrived – in fact, that cannot even be considered as an extra body in when Wickham has since left Selhurst Park.

Premier League experts will get full marks: The ultimate quiz on top flight transfer flops…

Morrison is right – Hodgson has done well with what he has at his disposal, and the club should’ve backed him.

In other news, this piece of transfer news is testament to Dougie Freedman’s fine scouting…

Spurs fans hail Sissoko after his injury recovery update

Tottenham Hotspur fans have reacted to Moussa Sissoko’s tweet on his injury recovery.

The midfielder sustained a ligament injury in the club’s Premier League clash with Southampton on New Year’s Day, along with striker Harry Kane.

Spurs issued an update later in January confirming that the France international was not set to return to training until April.

He posted an update on Tuesday afternoon, though, showing him undergoing his recovery, while also writing: “No pain, no gain. I will be back soon.”

Forever a Spurs legend: Honour Pochettino by getting 100% on this all-Poch quiz…

And a number of Spurs fans have hailed the 30-year-old, who made 26 appearances in all competitions prior to his injury.

And a number of supporters also appear to be counting the days until Sissoko’s return.

Indeed, the only Premier League game he had missed prior to that fateful Southampton clash was against Norwich City and that was due to a suspension for accumulated yellow cards.

Spurs are currently sixth in the league, four points behind Chelsea and two behind Sheffield United, though they have a game in hand on Chris Wilder’s side.

Meanwhile, Spurs almost signed a Russia international in January!

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