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Manchester United legend Sir Alex Ferguson believes the club should sign Leicester City defender Harry Maguire this summer, according to the Manchester Evening News.

The paper are not carrying quotes from the former Old Trafford boss but cite sources that claim Ferguson believes the Foxes defender is an “ideal signing” for the club.

United have already tried to sign the player this summer, with a reported £70m bid for the England international rejected last week.

Who is Man Utd’s worst ever player? Bebe? Eric Djemba-Djemba? The fan in the video below actually think it’s one of the Red Devils’ current crop…

Maguire has made over 100 Premier League appearances, but there are doubts about his ability to make the step up to a top six side that will push for UEFA Champions League qualification spots.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is currently in the middle of a squad revamp though and the recent bid suggests United’s recruitment team are intent on landing their man.

Many Man United fans aren’t too keen on his potential arrival and have taken issue with Sir Alex Ferguson’s reported opinion, taking to Twitter to share their thoughts this weekend…

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

According to The Daily Mail, Juventus have ended their interest in potentially signing Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba this summer.

What’s the word?

The report claims that despite Pogba’s openness in making a return to Turin, Juventus’ vice-chairman Pavel Nedved informed the Frenchman’s agent Mino Raiola that they intended to pursue other targets.

It adds that the Old Lady’s decision on the France World Cup winner has essentially given Real Madrid a free run at potentially signing the midfielder this summer as long as they can match United’s valuation and the player’s wage demands.

All or nothing

So Juventus have become the first team to fold in the Pogba sweepstakes. In what has been a long and arduous transfer saga, a move away from Old Trafford for the 26-year-old seems almost inevitable.

Check out the below above to see football played as you’ve never seen it before… in a maze!

Reports in recent weeks and months have suggested both Juventus and Real Madrid were strong contenders for his signature, but the news of the Italian side dropping out has come at a very interesting time indeed. Speaking on the club’s pre-season tour of the USA, United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was adamant that they didn’t have to sell any of their star players this summer.

He said: “As far as I’m aware up until now, we don’t have any bids for our players, so there’s no reason to say most of our players have long contracts, we’re Man United, we don’t have to sell players.”

The Norwegian’s steadfast approach was certainly brave, and if the intention was to get teams to back away from making a move for Pogba, then it has clearly worked. But if the intention was to potentially start a bidding war between the two European giants and drive the midfielder’s price up, then Solskjaer has been well and truly caught bluffing.

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As the only reported side left interested in signing the Frenchman, Real Madrid can force United into a difficult position.

The Red Devils have a player who has publicly admitted he wants out and if Los Blancos decide to take advantage of the situation and put in a low bid knowing that they have no competition, then United may be forced to accept it – or at best, negotiate up to a fee that still doesn’t represent Pogba’s true worth.

If they don’t, then the Pogba circus will rumble on for another season and who knows what kind of disastrous effect it could have on the team and the club as a whole.

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Arsenal have officially released their 2019/20 away kit and it is a thing of beauty.

The Gunners’ new colours are said to be inspired by the legendary away strip the Londoners wore during the early ’90s, so this is a throwback and a celebration of the club’s rich history, but with a modern twist.

The bright yellow palette is definitely something the fans can immediately associate with Arsenal, and the added modernised “bruised banana” graphic gives it a retro touch.

The Gunners will wear it in action against Bayern Munich in the International Champions Cup in Los Angeles and it could be introduced to the Premier League against Newcastle United on August 11.

Their stars have already been showcasing the new colours on social media but Ian Wright, the ex-Gunner, has done so in a rather hilarious way.

Wright has been playing with the new app that lets the users see what an older version of themselves would look like.

With that in mind, Wright experimented and came out with hilarious results in his latest

/Bz-7-EKFXBA/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link” data-lasso->Instagram snap.

The image depicts him and Reiss Nelson as old men and it had both the fans and the players in tears from laughing.

Nelson immediately responded to the snap and was seemingly really amused by what he saw.

[ad_pod ]Despite Man United’s major fall from grace, which has seen them fail to win the title for going on seven years and without any real sign things are going to improve, they remain – and perhaps always will remain – one of the biggest clubs in world football.In fact, the Red Devils were recently ranked the sixth most valuable sports team in the world by Forbes, sitting behind the New York Knicks, Barcelona, Real Madrid, the New York Yankees and the Dallas Cowboys – all of whom are truly lucrative entities in their respective sports.And if we’ve learned one thing about modern football, it’s that value is intrinsically linked to global following.It means that when United travel to Asia – or any other part of the world for that matter – they’re met by hordes of ecstatic fans, who are dying to catch a glimpse of their favourite stars in the flesh for the first time.The most recent leg of United’s pre-season journey has led them to Shanghai, where arguably the biggest market in the world exists by virtue of population.And it seems their hosts couldn’t be happier to have them.Especially this man, whose day/week/year was made when Juan Mata lobbed a signed shoe to him in the stands.

Whether it was actually his shoe to claim remains to be seen, but it’s the sentiment that counts right?

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There are just 11 days, and counting, before the Premier League transfer window slams shut on August 8th. There is still time for the country’s top clubs to complete their transfer business, but they need to start getting a move on. Today’s Premier League transfer roundup is made up of Arsenal’s pursuit of Nicolas Pepe, Harvey Elliott’s switch to Liverpool and Everton’s talks for Moise Kean.

Arsenal agree Pepe fee

Report: It is understood that Arsenal have agreed a fee with Lille in regards to the purchase of Nicolas Pepe. The Gunners will pay £72m in instalments for the Ivory Coast international, with the deal expected to be completed by Wednesday.

Verdict: Considering Unai Emery is said to have just £45m to spend this summer, this comes as a surprise to say the least. If the deal goes through, it will be the joint-fourth highest fee ever paid by a Premier League club. Whilst it does come out of the blue, it would be a great move in an attacking sense for the Gunners and complete a potent trio with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette. Between them, they contributed directly to 105 goals last season.

However, Arsenal are in need of some defensive reinforcements – in the past campaign’s top 10, only Manchester United and West Ham conceded more than the 51 they shipped. Whilst William Saliba has been brought in, he will go straight back to Saint-Etienne on loan until next summer so, as it stands, there are no new faces in their backline.

How likely is the deal? 9/10

Liverpool sign Elliott

Report: Harvey Elliott has completed a move to Liverpool from Fulham. The 16-year-old has not yet turned professional as he needs to be 17 to do so, but he has already made his first appearance for the club in the Reds’ 3-0 loss against Napoli on Sunday.

Verdict: Just like the signing of Sepp van den Berg earlier in the transfer window, the capture of Elliott is one for the future. The teenager’s career is only just starting, but he is already a record-breaker – he became the youngest Premier League player in history when he made his top-tier debut for Fulham last season. Former teammate Tom Cairney said that Elliott has the skill to  “wow” people, so he is clearly a decent prospect. He is also an England youth international having scored twice in five matches for the U17s. Whilst we are unlikely to see too much of him this season, he is one to keep an ear out for.

How likely is the deal? Completed

Everton in Kean talks

Report: According to Sky Sports, Everton are in talks with Juventus in regards to the purchase of Moise Kean. Ademola Lookman has recently left Goodison Park to move to RB Leipzig and, as such, the Toffees see Kean as the perfect replacement.

Verdict: Kean is one Europe’s brightest young talents, and has already made an impression at Juventus by scoring eight goals in 21 appearances for the Old Lady. His performances for the Serie A champions have even earned him three caps for Italy, in which he netted twice. Even at just 19 years of age, the 2019 Golden boy nominee knows where the back of the net is, which is why Everton are interested in him.

Of the two out-and-out strikers at Marco Silva’s disposal last season, Dominic Calvert-Lewin bagged eight and Cenk Tosun four. And, having not even turned 20, he still has plenty of time in front of him to hone his skills. For £36m, it is a transfer that makes sense, although Juve’s insistence on a buy-back clause will be a slight cause for concern.

How likely is the deal? 7/10

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

According to Sky Sports, Everton are in talks with Manchester United over a move for centre-back Marcos Rojo.

What’s the word?

Reports in recent weeks had suggested Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was keen on shipping some of his defenders out before the end of the transfer window were a move for Harry Maguire to be completed.

Following the world-record move for the 26-year-old, Rojo’s future is up in the air, and Sky Sports now claim fellow Premier League side Everton are keen on tying up a permanent deal for the Argentina international.

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The report adds Rojo was at United’s training ground on Thursday morning along with a member of his representatives, and held talks over his long-term future at the club.

Fresh hope for Tuanzebe

One man who will certainly benefit from the departure of Rojo is Axel Tuanzebe. The United academy prospect spent the entirety of last season on loan at Aston Villa, and helped the side clinch promotion to the Premier League.

However, the Red Devils’ abundance of options in central defence meant there were concerns over whether he would be set for another loan spell away, but Rojo’s possible exit could see Tuanzebe come back into the reckoning. The 21-year-old impressed at the heart of defence for Villa, and his blend of pace and power could see him become an intriguing centre-back partner for Maguire.

The one thing youngsters need – particularly at big clubs – is an opportunity. For Tuanzebe, the door potentially closing on Rojo’s injury-ravaged career at Old Trafford, could well be the opening of his.

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Jon Flanagan made his return from injury in Rangers’ impressive 4-2 win away at FC Midtjylland on Thursday night.

Rangers fans were delighted to see Flanagan back in the starting XI for their Europa League qualifier and it’s safe to say he didn’t disappoint.

It was a hectic 90 minutes that saw Steven Gerrard’s men earn a great advantage ahead of the return leg at Ibrox next week. Goals from Alfredo Morelos, Joe Aribo, Nikola Katic and Scott Arfield gave the Gers a more than handy lead in the penultimate round before the group stages.

Flanagan was making his first start of the season after a groin injury kept him out for pre-season, and he caught the eye of the supporters.

The former Liverpool full-back filled in on the left-hand side of defence as Borna Barisic dropped out after starting the season woefully.

The 26-year-old’s no-nonsense, physical style has enamoured him to the fans, not just against the Danes but throughout his time in the Light Blue jersey.

Here’s what the supporters had to say about his return on Twitter…

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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… 

Patrick Bamford’s fortune at Leeds is a sorry one and if anything summed up his spell with the Whites, you need to look no further than Saturday afternoon.

The former Chelsea academy product came into the new campaign as their main centre-forward.

Initially it looked as though he’d deputise for Kemar Roofe after the striker was injured but now he’s departed for Anderlecht, Bamford is the main man.

A goal against Bristol City on the opening weekend will have done his confidence the world of good but his rather untidy performance against Nottingham Forest last Saturday was anything but confident.

The 25-year-old is a player who has lacked fortune at Elland Road. He scored nine times in 2018/19 but was forced to miss 22 games through injury.

Following his move from Middlesbrough, it wasn’t an ideal start to life in Yorkshire for the striker.

2019/20 could have served as a new dawn for Bamford and indeed he may still have an impressive season. However, he still has work to do if he’s to ever be the man capable of taking Leeds to promotion.

His stats from the weekend tell a rather sad tale. On numerous times he was slipped through but just couldn’t find the back of the net, striking the bar as well as seeing a lobbed attempt head wide of the target despite being one-on-one.

Per WhoScored, he was presented with six opportunities in total but three of them were off target completely as he endured a torrid outing.

Bamford was caught offside twice too, as his afternoon never looked like improving.

And with that display, he has put one of his teammates under huge pressure to perform straight away.

Watch Leeds United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Eddie Nketiah arrived on loan from Arsenal on deadline day and judging by Leeds’ inability to find the net last weekend, he’ll have to hit the ground running quickly.

Leeds’ number nine looks a player short on confidence and composure and there is only so much time you can give him.

Nketiah’s addition looks as though it’s come at the right time but Saturday proves just how much pressure he’ll now be under to score goals.

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Loads of Liverpool fans on Twitter have unexpectedly called for the club to appoint Jose Mourinho as Jurgen Klopp’s successor following comments this week from the German in his home country which suggest he could leave the role in 2022.

That is the date when the 52-year-old’s contract with the Merseyside outfit is due to expire, and it would also take him up to seven years – the same time he managed at previous clubs Mainz and Borussia Dortmund.

In quotes from Bild, as translated by The Mirror, when asked what is next in his career he said: “I hope to continue like this, but in two, three years I don’t know what may happen.

“Maybe I’ll retire!

“It doesn’t necessarily mean it will happen, however, but if that were the case, you wouldn’t be surprised.”

Those words have obviously got Liverpool supporters talking about who could potentially replace Klopp when he does eventually go, and Mourinho was a surprise name on quite a few lips.

Given he has managed Chelsea and arch-rivals Manchester United – and been sacked by both in the previous four years following some poor performances and results – it is a surprise that the Anfield faithful would want him, with one even describing him as a “perfect fit”.

Of course in addition his style of play is seen as more defensive and conservative than Klopp’s sometimes gung-ho approach, although you can’t argue with his haul over honours over the years – including three Champions League trophies, one Europa League success and three Premier League titles.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

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After suffering two losses in their first two games against Burnley and Liverpool, Southampton have started to get into their groove with back-to-back wins against Brighton in the league and Fulham in the Carabao Cup.

In those two wins, Ralph Hasenhuttl switched back to a four-man defence having opted for a 3-5-2 system in the first two league outings – the switch is certainly having the desired effect so far.

However, Manchester United may pose a bigger challenge at St Mary’s this weekend, whilst the former RB Leipzig boss has some injury concerns to deal with.

Let’s take a look at the XI that we think Hasenhuttl should put out against the Red Devils…

Hasenhuttl may be without three players when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side come to visit St Mary’s this Saturday.

The midweek Carabao Cup win at Craven Cottage saw Nathan Redmond, Moussa Djenepo and Michael Obafemi pick up injuries, meaning that the trio are likely to miss this weekend’s game as Hasenhuttl himself admitted.

In their place, we think the Austrian should hand Shane Long a first league start of the season due to the Irishman’s work rate off the ball, which will be important with United expected to have the bulk of the possession.

Behind him, Sofiane Boufal – who has enjoyed a mini-resurgence of late – may also be handed a first league start of the campaign next to Stuart Armstrong, who scored against United at St Mary’s last term – the former Celtic man is also yet to start a league game this term.

At the back, Pierre-Emile Højbjerg impressed at left-back against Fulham with Hasenhuttl praising the Dane for his performance, so we think he will continue in the position with 20-year-old centre-back Kevin Danso returning to a more natural position after playing at left-back against Brighton.

There is enough defensive solidity in this side to make life hard for United in attack, whilst there is also some inventiveness up top with Boufal’s creativity and Long’s industry to pose Harry Maguire and co. some problems.

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