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As Glasgow Rangers get ready for the Old Firm Derby against Celtic., Steven Gerrard is facing a selection headache.

Rangers are doing quite well at the moment. The Gers are still unbeaten this season and they’ve taken seven points from a possible nine available as they sit top at the Scottish Premiership table. Now, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, but Gerrard may be tempted to tinker with his team after the international break.

Jordan Jones comes good (again)

Speaking to Sky Sports, Gareth McAuley has heaped praise on Jordan Jones. The 25-year-old has bounced back from the brink after all the signs seemed to suggest that he was headed for the exit in the summer.

And the former Rangers defender insisted the winger can be a key player for the Gers. He said: “There were many who believed he was finished at Ibrox but he has never lost faith, put the head down and worked hard. I’m thrilled for Jordan. Full of confidence, he can be a top player for Rangers.”

Gerrard quite clearly rates Jones very highly indeed as he has started two out of the past three fixtures instead of Ianis Hagi, so his recent run of form has left the Liverpool legend with a touch decision to make.

Tough choice

This is going to be one of the biggest selection headaches that the 40-year-old has faced at the Ibrox outfit so far.

At the moment, Hagi and Ryan Kent have been Gerrard’s preferred wide options, but the right winger has been dropped from the starting XI several times in recent weeks. The ever-reliable Ryan Kent has started every game he has played this season so far, so it’s fair to say his place in the side is assured.

The Northern Irishman attacking midfielder, who has predominantly played on the left wing in the past, has been praised by the Rangers boss for his performances in recent weeks, whilst he returned the favour by scoring in the 5-1 win over Motherwell in September. Jones has also started the Gers’ last game against Ross County since then.

On the other hand, Hagi has hardly done himself any favours at all after cutting a frustrated figure as his national team were hammered by Norway in the Nations League on Sunday night. He is also highly-rated by Gerrard, but the manager must consider his options carefully when he decides to reintegrate him into the team. Dropping Jones now with so much still at stake would be an incredibly harsh decision.

AND in other news, Rangers dealt blow ahead of Old Firm Derby as Borna Barisic absent from Croatia squad…

Manchester United are close to agreeing a deal with Borussia Dortmund to sign Jadon Sancho this summer, reports say.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has identified the 11-cap England international as his top target in the transfer window as he feels he can fill the right sided forward role that has frustrated Man United for several years now.

Rarely a day goes by without a report tipping Sancho with a move to Old Trafford, although talks have intensified after the Red Devils reached the Champions League by clinching a third-place finish on the final day of the Premier League season.

According to The Guardian, the English forward has agreed personal terms to pave the way for him to sign a five-year-deal at the Theatre of Dreams.

Fabrizio Romano revealed both clubs are confident they can seal a deal to make the 20-year-old the most expensive English football player in history, as Man United are expected to spend an initial €100m (£90m) fee over the course of three instalments, with an extra €20m for performance-related bonuses.

It is understood that Dortmund want to sort out a transfer by next week to give them time to find a replacement and meet their original deadline of August 10.

Sancho is set to receive wages which are reportedly worth £250,000 a week, which will be a huge increase on what he currently earns at the Signal Iduna Park.

The former Manchester City graduate was the Bundesliga club’s top scorer last season, having scored 20 goals and supplied 18 assists in all competitions (via WhoScored), and will be expected to compete with Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford and Mason Greenwood for a place in Solskjaer’s side.

He has emerged as one of Europe’s hottest talents after leaving the Etihad for Dortmund three years ago.

Fans will have to wait and see how the story develops but it seems as though Sancho may become a United player in a matter of days and he could follow in the footsteps of club legends David Beckham and Eric Cantona to wear the famous No. 7 jersey.

United fans, do you think Ed Woodward will sign Sancho this summer? Let us know down below!

Name: Mungo Bridge

Club: Aston Villa

Date of Birth: 12 September 2000

Position: Centre-back/Full-back

Mungo Bridge – his career so far

At the age of 19, Mungo Bridge is slowly but surely getting ready to make a potential step up into the senior world of Aston Villa’s football over in England. The talented centre-back has penned his first professional contract with the Villains in 2019 as the club managed to fend off the interest from abroad and some big European names.

The kid with the dreadlocks has, however, been a huge part of both their U18 and U23 squads, even captaining the latter one despite his struggles to stay fit throughout the campaign.

Bridge can boast with 24 appearances for the youngster squad and with 16 for the older team. Naturally, since he’s a centre-back by trade, he is yet to tally a single goal or assist for the club but that is also not expected from him in the first place.

Given Aston Villa’s defensive troubles throughout the campaigns, the 19-year-old centre-back could very well get his opportunity sooner rather than later. He’s been already seen training with the first squad on numerous occasions despite never actually tallying a first-team appearance (as of yet).

The Daventry-born youngster was interestingly enough put through his paces by John Terry and even reportedly used as a makeshift forward against Tyrone Mings and Bjorn Engels during the team’s final training session, as Dean Smith encouraged the youngster to become acclimatised to the first-team setup just prior to football being put on hold due to the recent outbreak.

And some reports even suggested the 19-year-old was more than just able to hold his own against some of the senior players in the squad, which is definitely a great sign and fantastic Aston Villa news for the fans.

Maybe when football resumes in the near future, we finally get to see Bridge get his Premier League bow.

Transfer latest

The biggest piece of Aston Villa news surrounding Bridge was undoubtedly the little scare they got prior to the youngster actually penning his first professional contract with the club. Back in early 2019, AC Milan were reportedly very interested in the centre-back but he ended up deciding to stay put and develop at Aston Villa.

Since then, there were no concrete transfer rumours on the topic and Bridge seems to be on a steady course towards the first team, having already trained with the seniors on various different occasions, which we’ve pointed out earlier.

The next thing on the agenda, however, would be to tie him down with a new and improved contract so that they can ensure he will not be lured away by other European giants who might come snooping around.

With the exposure he’s getting with the seniors and the sheer talent under his belt, that one would be a given despite the lack of any real transfer rumours surrounding him at the very moment.

Player profile

Bridge has recently become the U23s’ captain and is slowly but surely moving up in the world due to his sheer talent and ability. Even though he’s still just 19 years of age, the classy centre-back is solid defensively but actually stands out for his attacking attributes as well.

In many aspects, you could say that he’s definitely not your everyday traditional defender but fits the mould of the modern centre-back perfectly. Apart from doing his defensive duties quite admirably and having the ability to time his tackles perfectly and win duels, Bridge also has a keen eye for a killer pass.

One of the issues he’s faced throughout his early years have been sloppy mistakes, however, and this is an area that may still need some polishing if he is to step up to the senior team. But the 19-year-old is also quite quick and agile, which gives him an opportunity to rectify his errors and put out the fire before it’s too late.

He might, however, still be a bit too slim for Premier League football and his injury record does show he’s had some fitness issues in the past. But even with that being said, the talent is certainly there and Aston Villa will have to keep their eyes peeled for this youngster.

Newcastle United boss Steve Bruce has given a fresh injury update on Florian Lejeune as he spoke in his press conference (via ChronicleLive) ahead of the Tyneside club’s Premier League clash against Eddie Howe’s AFC Bournemouth side this evening.

As per the outlet, the coach said that the defender has “picked up a nasty thigh injury” from when the Magpies played Hull City in a friendly game behind closed doors last month in preparation for the 2019/20 season to restart.

Bruce’s team won that match, 2-0 with Lejeune incidentally getting himself on the scoresheet alongside Allan Saint-Maximin (as per Vavel).

Nevertheless, the central defender could potentially be out for the rest of the campaign, which would be a blow to the Toon – in his six Premier League matches this season, Lejeune has won four duels per game and also averaged 2.2 clearances, 1.7 interceptions and 1.3 tackles per game, according to Sofascore.

He may not have start every upcoming match, but the 29-year old could be a useful player to have on the bench if one of Newcastle’s centre-backs gets injured, or even tactically if Bruce wants to see the match out and put on an extra body to help defensively.

However, it seems possible that Lejeune may miss the rest of the season, meaning that the manager will have to rely on the likes of Jamaal Lascelles and Federico Fernandez to stay fit in the heart of his defence.

Only time will tell whether Lejeune missing will make any real difference, but his absence could be a real blow for Newcastle.

Geordies, is Lejeune’s injury a major blow to Newcastle? Comment below with your views!

Wolverhampton Wanderers should not splash out €18.3m (roughly £16.4m) on Gonzalo Higuain after transfer news emerged from Corriere dello Sport (via Sport Witness) that the Midlands club are interested in signing the Juventus striker in the upcoming summer transfer window.

As per Corriere dello Sport (via Sport Witness), Newcastle United are also interested, assuming that their prospective takeover by the Saudi-led consortium is approved by the Premier League.

Juventus are apparently looking at a possible sale from a financial point of view, as Higuain only has one year left on his current contract which will allegedly not be renewed – meaning that this is the last chance for the Italian giants to make some money from him without incurring too much of a loss. Corriere dello Sport explained that Higuaín and his contract are still worth €18.3m (£16.4m) on the Serie A team’s books, which is the fee that they would apparently be seeking on the transfer market.

The Argentina international has arguably not fared well in the league so far this season, scoring just five goals and making four assists in 23 appearances, according to loan spell at Chelsea, the Blues decided not to sign him permanently, as he netted a relatively unimpressive five strikes in 14 games.

You can read the very latest on this transfer news story and others on our dedicated Wolves transfer rumours feed.

Although Higuain has had the goal scoring touch before for big clubs, he is 32 now and not getting any younger. He would also do well to displace Raul Jimenez in Nuno Espirito Santo’s side given the 29-year old’s very impressive scoring record for Wolves.

Wolves fans, would you like to see Higuain at Molineux? Comment below with your views!

This article is part of Football FanCast’s In Numbers series, which takes a statistical look at performances, season-long form and reported transfer targets… 

Amid the growing fall-out of Granit Xhaka’s now infamous clash with the Arsenal supporters at the Emirates a few weeks ago, one of the big talking points has been whether the Switzerland international now has a long-term future at the club.

Reports in recent weeks have suggested that the north London side are prepared to let the ex-club captain go, with a return to former side Borussia Monchengladbach even being mooted. As such, the Gunners have been linked with a whole host of midfielders themselves as they look to enter life without Xhaka, and one man who has supposedly been on their radar, is RB Salzburg starlet Dominik Szoboszlai.

According to Football Insider, the Gunners had scouts to take a look at Szoboszlai while the 19-year-old was in action for Hungary against Wales on Tuesday night. If the north Londoners thought they would witness the starlet go on to stamp his mark on a pivotal game for both countries – automatic qualification to EURO 2020 was on offer – then they were sadly proven wrong.

The teenager struggled greatly in the heat of the occasion, failing to get involved in the build-up play for Hungary and not being able to control the game in his side’s favour. As per Sofascore, his 6.1 match rating was the second-worst of any player to have featured for the full 90 minutes, and when looking at his underlying numbers during the game, it is easy to see why.

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Playing in a number ten role, Szoboszlai could muster just 40 touches and 18 successful passes – a staggeringly low amount considering Hungary averaged 59% possession. Despite trailing as early as the 15th minute courtesy of a goal from former Arsenal star Aaron Ramsey, the prodigy couldn’t muster any shots on target in the entire contest.

Indeed, whenever he did get on the ball, he looked all at sea, losing possession on 15 separate occasions. Ramsey meanwhile struck twice to give Wales the all-important win, and there no doubt would have been a sense of regret at losing the now Juventus man in the summer. If Szoboszlai thought this was his audition to eventually be the Welshman’s heir at the Emirates, then he failed miserably.

Lots of Manchester United supporters have been remembering Red Devils flop Nick Powell, following his latest comments in an exclusive with the Manchester Evening News. 

Speaking to Dominic Booth, Powell opened up about his time at Old Trafford. The 26-year-old revealed he only signed for United because of Sir Alex Ferguson, and admitted: “I remember waking up from my back operation and he’d announced his retirement. So I had no idea, woke up and then he’d retired.

“I remember saying before that I didn’t want my op, as United had pretty much won the league by then and you needed 10 appearances to get a medal – I was on two or three. I made a couple of bench appearances and I was really enjoying the time, even though I wasn’t playing. He [Ferguson] told me exactly what I was getting into and I didn’t mind that.”

Powell acknowledged “it was always going to be different when Sir Alex retired. If he wasn’t there and I didn’t have a phone call and meetings with him, I probably wouldn’t have gone to United. So it was always going to be a downhill spiral for me as soon as he left.”

After arriving at the Theatre of Dreams from Crewe Alexandra all the way back in the summer of 2012 for £6.75m, the Englishman flopped and only made 9 appearances for United in all competitions, scoring just 1 goal, before departing Manchester for Wigan Athletic on a free transfer.

While it is safe to say things didn’t quite work out during his time at the club, Powell now plies his trade at Championship side Stoke City, where he has netted 4 goals and produced 4 assists for Michael O’Neill’s Potters in the English second division (Transfermarkt).

UtdReport posted his thoughts on Twitter, prompting plenty of replies from the United faithful. One fan remarked the midfielder was “never good enough” and another simply asked “where is he now?”

Have a read through the different reactions down below…

United fans, do you think Nick Powell was Sir Alex Ferguson’s biggest failed signing? Let us know in the comments!

Argentina and Uruguay faced off just the other night in a match that saw old friends, Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez, lock horns.

After a fierce battle, the teams settled for a 2-2 draw, courtesy of late Messi penalty kick that saved the game for Albiceleste.

Watch Spanish Football Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below

And even though Manchester City’s Sergio Aguero was actually on the scoresheet that night, many Barcelona fans simply weren’t impressed by Kun’s overall performance.

The Argentine did miss a couple of clear-cut chances throughout the night and it seems that they don’t think he is good enough for the national team, unlike his spell for the Citizens under Pep Guardiola.

Many were saying he’s finished on the national stage and were even relieved the Blaugrana never signed him in the past – they reportedly wanted him in 2014 – as he is making Luis Suarez look good at the moment.

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

Check them out…

Many Liverpool fans have been voicing their thoughts on what must change with the Premier League’s use of VAR after several key incidents from the latest round of fixtures, including their encounter with Aston Villa.

Jurgen Klopp’s Reds fell behind in the 21st-minute at Villa Park through a tap-in at the back post by Trezeguet, after the Virtual Assistant Referee deemed there to be no offsides in the build-up to his strike, despite several Villans standing beyond the last defender when the free-kick was taken.

The Anfield natives also saw a goal of their own chalked off the board before they would go on to equalise, with Roberto Firmino adjudged to have been in an offside position through his armpit, as the Brazilian’s outstretched arm appeared to edge marginally ahead of Tyrone Mings’ knee.

Watch Liverpool Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Everton’s meeting with Tottenham Hotspur at Goodison Park on Sunday also put the spotlight on the VAR protocol in place by the Premier League, with Toffees boss Marco Silva demanding a review after several controversial decisions.

Play was stopped for around three minutes to review a potential penalty for handball in the second-half, but no spot-kick was given after it was decided that Dele Alli’s arm did not make illegal contact with the ball.

VAR had already been called on several times at Goodison Park for checks to be carried out, too, with one incident for a potential Spurs penalty being reviewed twice.

The current procedures in place are dividing fans around the country, and some Liverpool supporters have been debating what can be changed to improve VAR – with some suggesting to outright get rid of it!

Here are some of the messages shared…

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

As quoted by The Daily Mirror, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has ruled out making an incredible move for Paris Saint-Germain sensation Kylian Mbappe.

What did he say?

The France World Cup winner has often been linked with a move to Real Madrid to join up with Les Bleus legend Zinedine Zidane, but reports in recent weeks have suggested Liverpool may enter the race to sign him in the future.

However, speaking in his pre-match press conference ahead of the Reds’ titanic clash against Manchester City on Sunday, Klopp played down speculation that they could pounce for the 20-year-old.

He said: “OK, from a sporting point of view, there are not a lot of reasons to not sign Mbappe, what a player he is. But it is about the money of course. No chance. Absolutely no chance, sorry for killing that story.

“I don’t think there is a club in the world that can buy Kylian Mbappe from PSG. And we are involved in that too. We cannot do it, it is as easy as that. We have nothing (more) to say about it to be honest, but (buying) this calibre of player is difficult.”

Anfield lure

Make no mistake about it, if PSG were to make Mbappe available, then Liverpool would be right up there in terms of being one of the most attractive propositions in European football for him to join. The Champions League holders may not have the financial resources as Klopp alludes to, but they have certainly built up the reputation and profile to be a destination for some of the game’s best players.

Money does talk of course, but if the French starlet was considering his options, then looking at joining Liverpool and playing under Klopp must surely be appealing. The chance to play in the Premier League, for a team that has already achieved major European success, sounds like the perfect job description for a player. So whilst the Reds manager may be distancing the club from a potential move, it may not be too big of a stretch as he thinks.