As reported by The Sun, Manchester United attack Marcus Rashford is set to delay signing a new contract at Old Trafford.
What’s the story?
The 20-year-old hasn’t started for United for over a month and has made just a handful of starts in 2018 so far, with Jose Mourinho turning to the likes of Alexis Sanchez and Juan Mata instead.
Nonetheless, the club are reported by The Sun to be keen on renewing his contract at the club, even though he has two years left on his current deal, which earns him £70,000-a-week.
The player himself though is less keen to commit at this stage say the paper, with his future in Mourinho’s plans unclear heading into the summer transfer window when more attacking signings could be made, further destabilising his position in the squad.
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Is he being unreasonable?
Rashford is at a criticial stage of his footballing development at just 20 years of age and needs regular football to progress as a player, but he needs to produce on a more consistent basis to be considered one of the first names on the teamsheet.
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Mourinho could give him more regular opportunities and perhaps should over the next while to ensure he doesn’t become too disgruntled, but the player also needs to show the character to deliver in big matches on a regular basis, just like he did against Liverpool in March.
Ultimately the onus is on the club to ensure he doesn’t become too unsettled, he’s a massive talent and they must ensure they are able to secure his future.
Manchester City fans were hopeful that Raheem Sterling would be the hero in Wednesday night’s Champions League quarter-final second leg against Liverpool at the Etihad Stadium.However, it was not to be as Pep Guardiola’s side lost 2-1 on the night and 5-1 on aggregate to Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool side, who have made it into the semi-finals of the competition for the first time in a decade.Sterling played a big part in City scoring a second-minute goal on home soil as he out-muscled Virgil van Dijk, but second-half goals from Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino killed City’s hopes of a comeback.Last weekend, Sterling wasted a handful of goalscoring chances against Manchester United in a 3-2 defeat, and the 23-year-old also struggled against Liverpool.[ad_pod ]In fact, according toÂWhoScored.com the attacker failed to register a single shot and made just one key pass across the 90 minutes.In additionÂSquawka has revealed that Sterling is yet to win a game over Liverpool in normal time since leaving Anfield for City in 2015.
It is safe to say that Liverpool fans are rather happy about it.
Comment from discussion Raheem Sterling has never beaten Liverpool in normal time since leaving them in the eight games he has faced them. Haunted by his former side..Comment from discussion Raheem Sterling has never beaten Liverpool in normal time since leaving them in the eight games he has faced them. Haunted by his former side..Comment from discussion Raheem Sterling has never beaten Liverpool in normal time since leaving them in the eight games he has faced them. Haunted by his former side..Comment from discussion Raheem Sterling has never beaten Liverpool in normal time since leaving them in the eight games he has faced them. Haunted by his former side..Comment from discussion Raheem Sterling has never beaten Liverpool in normal time since leaving them in the eight games he has faced them. Haunted by his former side..Comment from discussion Raheem Sterling has never beaten Liverpool in normal time since leaving them in the eight games he has faced them. Haunted by his former side..Comment from discussion Raheem Sterling has never beaten Liverpool in normal time since leaving them in the eight games he has faced them. Haunted by his former side..Comment from discussion Raheem Sterling has never beaten Liverpool in normal time since leaving them in the eight games he has faced them. Haunted by his former side..
After following up their impressive 3-0 win against Southampton at the London Stadium on March 31 with a 1-1 draw against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, West Ham United had the perfect chance to move a step closer to securing their Premier League spot for another season when they hosted Stoke City on Monday night.
Three successive losses by a three-goal margin had put the east London outfit back into trouble ahead of their encounter against the 18th-placed Saints last month, and the south coast outfit would have smelt blood after a handful of supporters invaded the London Stadium pitch in the 3-0 defeat to Burnley just a few weeks previously.
However, they cruised to a straightforward 3-0 success against Mark Hughes’ men – leading by that scoreline at half-time – and they took that form into the clash away at the 2017 top flight champions Chelsea as Javier Hernandez’s goal ensured they took a point back with them across the capital.
That draw left them on 34 points with six matches remaining, and manager David Moyes should have been confident of seeing off a 19th-placed Potters side who had the worst away record in the Premier League having taken just eight points from 16 matches on the road.
The Scot had started with a 3-4-2-1 system against Saints despite being without Hernandez, Manuel Lanzini and Andy Carroll through injury, with the former returning as a substitute and getting on the score-sheet at Stamford Bridge.
Despite his goal and the absence of Michail Antonio through injury against Paul Lambert’s men on Monday, the Mexico international had to settle for spot on the substitutes’ bench along with the returning Lanzini and Carroll, which perhaps would have confused the home faithful considering this appeared to be a match they could win if they attacked their struggling opponents as they did with Southampton a couple of weeks earlier.
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Edimilson Fernandes and Joao Mario were named in the starting XI behind Marko Arnautovic for the second game running, but it surely would have made sense to have at least Hernandez and Lanzini in the team too, even if the latter was returning from a couple of matches on the sidelines because of an injury issue.
You want to have your best and biggest players starting hugely important games like this one, but it didn’t happen for whatever reason and the London Stadium faithful’s anger with their manager on his selection was quickly expressed on Twitter.
It was negative in all honesty and while he perhaps wanted to stay loyal to the players that had done so well at Stamford Bridge and didn’t want to lose to Stoke given it would have left the gap between them and the bottom three at just four points with fixtures against Arsenal, Manchester City and Everton still to come, he played it far too cautiously.
When Peter Crouch gave the visitors the lead in the 79th minute it appeared as though the 56-year-old’s decision not to take a risk had backfired spectacularly, but the introduction of Hernandez, Lanzini and Carroll from the substitutes’ bench seemed to make the difference with the latter firing home a volley from Aaron Cresswell’s cross in the last minute to rescue a point.
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It was a confusing decision by Moyes given that his contract is due to run out at the end of the season and the fact he is surely looking to impress the board and the supporters in order to extend his stay with the club, but perhaps the potential implications of a loss got the better of him and in turn showed that he isn’t the right man to take the east London outfit forwards.
The former Everton and Manchester United boss will be anxiously looking on when Southampton face Leicester City at the King Power Stadium on Thursday night, knowing that a win for the Saints would leave his men just four points above the drop zone with a run-in that looks tough – at least on paper.
While it may seem like a crucial point gained right now, it could be two points dropped that Moyes and West Ham live to regret come what May.
Sheffield Wednesday earned a creditable point away to English Championship winners Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday, drawing 0–0 at Molineux.
With five wins and two draws in their last nine matches, it appears Jos Luhukay is beginning to turn things around for the Owls and today’s draw against the best side in the division is further proof of that.
Fans were delighted with the result and paid tribute to the team’s defensive performance after the match.
Drawing particular praise was 22-year-old goalkeeper Cameron Dawson, who was making just his sixth career Championship appearance.
He was central to his side’s clean sheet and some supporters believe he could make a bid for the number one position next season with Keiren Westwood yet to return from injury and Dawson competing well to replace Joe Wildsmith.
Can the 6ft 4in shot-stopper realise his potential and make the position his own with more appearances?
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Out-of-favour Leeds United forward Pawel Cibicki was spotted in the crowd watching a Legia Warsaw match last week to spark rumours that he could leave the club this summer, and Whites fans were quick to react to his potential exit on Twitter.
The 24-year-old moved to Elland Road from Malmo on a four-year deal on the last day of the 2017 summer transfer window, but he struggled to make a positive impact under previous boss Thomas Christiansen.
The Swede provided two assists in eight appearances in all competitions for the Yorkshire outfit, before he was frozen out of the first-team picture altogether by current manager Paul Heckingbottom, only making the substitutes’ bench on four occasions since the start of February and not playing a single minute of football.
We asked Leeds fans to vote on our poll to see whether they believed the club should keep the attacker and give him a second chance to impress next season, but a huge 71% said they wouldn’t.
They obviously weren’t impressed with the few glimpses they have had of the forward, and feel that they need to be doing better if they are to finally secure a top-six finish in the Championship next term.
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Having fallen well short of Manchester City in the Premier League title race and Liverpool in the Champions League, Manchester United and Chelsea’s season boils down to their FA Cup final meeting at Wembley on Saturday. It’s a chance to recognise the Red Devils’ obvious improvement under Jose Mourinho this term with silverware, and gloss over yet another disappointing title defence from the Blues.
This will be the third time these two clubs have met in the FA Cup final, so can previous meetings tell us anything about how Saturday’s clash will pan out? Here’s the complete Premier League history of Chelsea vs Manchester United in the Premier League…
Head-to-Head
There have been 14 FA Cup encounters to date between the Blues and the Red Devils, with the latter claiming twice as many wins as the former during that time and scoring eleven more goals. In fact, Chelsea won just one of their first ten cup clashes against United, conceding a whopping 21 goals.
Since 2007 though, there’s been a real power shift in this fixture. United haven’t won any of the last four meetings, Chelsea winning three and drawing 2-2 for a replay in 2013.
But only Arsenal have featured in the same number of FA Cup finals as the Old Trafford outfit, and only Arsenal have won more FA Cups than them. That will give United huge confidence going into the weekend. Their FA Cup final win rate is an impressive 60%, 6% higher than Chelsea’s.
The Shared Hero – Ray Wilkins
The incredible career of the late, great Ray Wilkins will be the backdrop for Saturday’s final. The former midfielder’s family have been invited to attend as special guests and his widow Jackie will hand the trophy to this weekend’s victors. The hoardings will display Wilkins’ name as the teams walk out and there will be a short video to honour him before kickoff.
That’s of course, because Wilkins is a legendary figure for both clubs. He started his career at Chelsea, helping fire them back to the First Division in 1997, but eventually left Stamford Bridge in search of greater success. He found it to an extent at Old Trafford; fittingly for this weekend, Wilkins’ only major honour with the Red Devils was the FA Cup in 1983.
Wilkins would later return to his boyhood club as assistant manager on two separate occasions, twice stepping in as caretaker.
The Classic Clash – Manchester United 4-0 Chelsea
It might be something of a sore spot for Chelsea fans, but the 4-0 defeat to Manchester United in the 1994 FA Cup final actually represents the very start of their rise to prominence. Glenn Hoddle took the reigns at Stamford Bridge a year earlier and marked his first season with an outing at Wembley, the first time Chelsea had got there since 1972.
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It was actually a relatively close game until the hour mark, Chelsea even hitting the bar, when Sir Alex Ferguson’s side suddenly sprung into life. Eric Cantona scored two penalties in the space of six minutes, Mark Hughes followed up a further three minutes later and then substitute Brian McClair provided the finishing touch to the 4-0 romping in stoppage time.
But Hoddle’s tenure signalled that times were changing in west London after several years in the wilderness. Chelsea finished 14th in the Premier League that season; three years later they’d be sixth and eight years later they’d be English champions.
Tottenham have joined West Ham and Everton in the race for West Bromwich Albion defender, according to ESPN.
However, with Toby Alderweireld heavily linked with a move away from North London, Mauricio Pochettino must target a higher standard of player if he is serious about winning either the Premier League or Champions League.
What’s the story, then?
The report claims that Hegazi, who has 43 caps for Egypt and will feature for them in this summer’s World Cup, has emerged on Spurs’ list of players to replace Alderweireld in the likely event that he does depart Tottenham in the transfer window.
It goes on to say that Spurs are not the only team looking at the defender and also that rumours of a £2.5m release clause for him are wide of the mark.
Spurs need to aim higher
As Hegazi no longer looks like a cut-price option – and Mauricio Pochettino has had success with cheaper purchases in the past – it is difficult to see the appeal.
He enjoyed a reasonably impressive debut season in England with West Brom, but there wasn’t a lot about his performances to suggest that he is a Champions League defender and if Tottenham are serious about making a charge for major honours next season, they need to set their sights a little higher.
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Selling Alderweireld would reportedly bring in a fair wedge of cash and despite Pochettino’s penchant for frugality, that should be invested in signing someone of better pedigree than Hegazi.
Newcastle fans can’t get enough of Martin Dubravka, after the goalkeeper made his loan stay on Tyneside permanent on Wednesday night.
When Newcastle ended the January transfer window with nothing but three loan signings, fans were fearful that Mike Ashley’s frugalness in the market could once again cost them dearly.
Islam Slimani joined from Leicester, Kenedy moved up north from Chelsea, and the relatively unknown Martin Dubravka joined on a short-term deal from Sparta Prague.
The Slovakian keeper, who started ten Premier League games for the Magpies, has now joined the club permanently, signing a four-year deal for a fee of around £4m.
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Dubravka’s debut was probably the most memorable moment of the season for the Toon Army, as the 29 year-old made multiple fantastic saves in a 1-0 win over Manchester United.
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The win against the Red Devils kicked off the fantastic run of form that moved to the Magpies up into tenth, as they grabbed 16 points from seven games, conceding just six goals along the way.
Fans have been praising their Slovakian stopper on Twitter, and you can find some of the best reactions down below…
According to reports in the Yorkshire Evening Post, Leeds United are considering making a summer move for Brentford captain John Egan, who cost the west London outfit £400,000 initially following a tribunal after he joined them from Gillingham in 2016.
What’s the word, then?
Well, the Yorkshire Evening Post report that the Whites are expected to get their transfer business underway once Marcelo Bielsa has been appointed as their new manager, and signing a centre-back is seen as one of the priorities seeing as they have little senior experience in that position aside from Pontus Jansson and Liam Cooper.
The Yorkshire Evening Post says that the club, whose fans have been quick to react to a link with a new striker name with one saying “get Rhodes instead”, has failed to make much progress in their bid to bring Kyle Bartley back to Elland Road on a permanent basis following a successful loan spell in the 2016/17 season, and while they have looked at Egan they are yet to make an official approach for the Bees skipper.
How did Egan do during the 2017/18 campaign?
It was another decent campaign for the two-cap Republic of Ireland international, who made 34 appearances in all competitions having suffered from a couple of injury blows.
The 25-year-old showed his leadership skills and his threat in the air with three goals, winning 137 aerial duels in total in 33 Championship outings, as per WhoScored.com.
Egan is known for being something of a no-nonsense defender, and he certainly showed that when he had former Whites loanee Pierre-Michel Lasogga in his pocket during his side’s 3-1 win against Leeds at Griffin Park in November 2017.
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Would he be a good Leeds signing?
It’s difficult to say.
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While the 25-year-old is clearly a decent defender, the Yorkshire outfit should be looking for a big upgrade on captain Cooper this summer, and you would be hard-pushed to describe the Republic of Ireland international as that.
That said, he is clearly a good leader and would add another vocal voice in the backline alongside Jansson, and his Championship experience, know-how and his willingness to put his body on the line for his team could be vital in ensuring they finally win promotion from the Championship.
West Bromwich Albion announced via their official website on Sunday that young defender Jack Fitzwater has signed a contract extension.
The 20-year-old, who has been at The Hawthorns for his entire youth career, is now tied down to the club until the summer of 2020.
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Since 2015, Fitzwater has had numerous spells on loan, joining the likes of Chesterfield, Hednesford Town, Forest Green Rovers and Walsall.
Last season the defender caught the eye as he helped keep five clean sheets and score three goals in 15 appearances for Walsall.
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Now that the Baggies have dropped into the Championship, the youngster may get an opportunity for first-team action.
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Manager Darren Moore will prioritise promotion to the Premier League, which means that he will need his best team, but as the calibre of opposition is different to that in the top flight, he can afford to give some young guns a chance.
Judging by the reaction to the contract news, West Brom fans are excited about Fitzwater’s future.