Manchester United’s stance on hiring a young British manager whose fans “worship” him has now been revealed after they made the decision to sack Ruben Amorim.

Man Utd sack Amorim with Southgate among favourites to come in

For a manager who finished in the bottom half last season, lost the Europa League final and welcomed £200m in investment in the summer, Amorim was certainly vocal in recent days.

The former Sporting CP boss hinted at an issue before the Leeds United game and then didn’t hesitate to rant after watching his Man United side draw 1-1 for the second game on the bounce.

Leaving no stone unturned, Amorim told reporters: “In every department – the scouting department, the sporting director – needs to do their job. I will do mine for 18 months and then we move on.”

Amorim played with fire and has since been burned by INEOS, who have made the decision to sack their manager following just 14 months in charge.

In the end, it was not the results that got the manager sacked, it was his words. The first appointment of the INEOS reign will now be looked back on as the ultimate failure.

So, what next for Man United?

Related Man Utd next manager: The 6 most likely Ruben Amorim replacements

The Portuguese boss was sacked after a 1-1 draw at Leeds.

Posts 3 ByBen Goodwin

Previous reports have shared INEOS’ admiration for Sir Gareth Southgate and he could now emerge as a candidate again.

With Dan Ashworth long gone at Old Trafford, the former England boss no longer has that close link at Old Trafford, but has been named amongst the favourites to be United’s next manager.

Rank

Manager

Odds

5

Xavi Hernandez

12/1

4

Gareth Southgate

10/1

3

Darren Fletcher

5/1

2

Oliver Glasner

5/1

1

Enzo Maresca

7/2

Currently a free agent, Southgate represents a cheap option and has already worked with the likes of Harry Maguire and Mason Mount in the past. Alas, what he doesn’t have much of is Premier League experience and that could force the Red Devils to turn elsewhere.

Man Utd big fans of Kieran McKenna

As it would happen, Southgate isn’t the only British manager who has admirers in Manchester. According to talkSPORT’s chief correspondent Alex Crook, Man United really like Kieran McKenna and viewed the Ipswich manager as a “strong contender” to take the job before they appointed Amorim.

Unlike Southgate, McKenna has recent Premier League experience, albeit one he’d rather forget after suffering relegation with Ipswich. Meanwhile, in terms of system, the former Man United coach would have no trouble slotting straight into INESO’ vision, given that he prefers to play with a 4-2-3-1 formation.

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Brenner Woolley, Ipswich commentater for BBC Radio Suffolk, said last season “the vast majority (of Ipswich fans) worship him”, and that positive relationship between dugout and stands has been missing at Old Trafford.

So, although previous reports have mentioned Southgate, McKenna could be the leading British candidate on Man United’s shortlist if both make the cut.

He knows the club well and would take the Red Devils away from the dreaded back three that they were playing under Amorim.

Everton are now reportedly keen to sign an AFCON star in the January transfer window who could finally replace veteran defender Seamus Coleman.

Moyes believes Garner is on par with best in the Premier League

Whilst it’s been a mixed, yet improved season for the Toffees, it’s been one to remember for James Garner. The former Manchester United man has enjoyed his best campaign yet in an Everton shirt, just as he enters the final six months of his contract, and David Moyes believes he’s up there with the best midfielders in the Premier League.

Everyone involved at the Hill Dickinson Stadium should be desperate to tie Garner down to a new, long-term contract rather than watching him leave in the summer. It should be among the Friedkin Group’s top priorities amid rumours that he could yet make a shocking return to Man United.

Alas, if his exit is on the cards then Everton must act. To that end, reports have already suggested that they could be busy in the January transfer market, with targets such as Ivan Toney and Leeds United’s Jayden Bogle emerging.

Related Everton plotting move to sign one of the best players in the Championship

He’s blown away scouts who have been left hugely impressed…

Posts BySean Markus Clifford

The latter would particularly make sense, given the fact that Seamus Coleman is not getting any younger and Nathan Patterson could do with competition.

That said, it seems unlikely that Bogle would leave Elland Road midway through the campaign – opening the door for Everton to welcome an alternative target.

Everton keen to sign Ryan Alebiosu

According to ESPN, Everton are now keen to sign Ryan Alebiosu from Blackburn Rovers in the January transfer window in a move that would fend off interest from Wolfsburg.

Valued at around £4m at Blackburn, Everton won’t have to break the bank to welcome the 24-year-old right-back, who’d add key depth to Moyes’ side this month.

If Everton were to sign Alebiosu, however, then they could have to wait until the end of AFCON to see him in action. As things stand, the full-back is with Nigeria at the competition and has topped Group C.

It speaks volumes that Nigeria teammate Victor Osimhen heaped such high praise on Alebiosu, telling reporters: “When he came to us, with his training, he’s an exceptional player.”

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All signs point towards what would be a solid signing for Everton to get their January business well and truly underway.

Ross Taylor has been ruled out of New Zealand’s tour of Zimbabwe and South Africa after undergoing minor surgery for a groin injury. Taylor suffered a blow to the groin during training a day before the third ODI in Harare and will miss the remaining two matches against Zimbabwe, as well as the following two T20Is and three ODIs against South Africa.A New Zealand Cricket release stated that with 16 players in the squad, no replacement will be required for Taylor. James Neesham took the batsman’s place in the New Zealand XI for the third ODI against Zimbabwe.

Everton’s hopes of luring Arouna Kone to Goodison Park have received a boost, with the Wigan striker admitting that he would like to remain in the Premier League.

The Ivorian was one of the Latics’ most impressive performers last term, netting regularly as the DW Stadium outfit secured The FA Cup.

However, he was unable to help them avoid relegation, and is now being linked with a summer move.

Roberto Martinez is keen for the 29-year-old to follow him to Everton, and may even activate the £6.5million release clause in his contract to force through a deal.

Although he is happy at Wigan, Kone has admitted that he would seriously consider a move to a Premier League side in the coming months.

“I have a contract until 2015 with Wigan and I settled very well there, it is a brilliant community football club. The chairman is fantastic,” he is quoted by The Mirror.

“Yes, I want to be playing in the Premier League, but it also depends on Wigan because I have a contract with them.

“Everton? Just because the gaffer is in charge makes the link stronger but, to be honest, I don’t know what will happen. After the international games I will know more.”

Kone only joined Wigan last summer from Levante, but has proved to be a capable Premier League forward.

He is also vastly experience, having played for sides in Holland, Spain, Germany, Belgium and the Ivory Coast.

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Can Arouna Kone score the goals to help Everton qualify for Europe?

Join the debate below!

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Spurs have been handed a major boost in their quest to sign Nottingham Forest full-back Djed Spence in the summer transfer window.

What’s the story?

Writing on Twitter, journalist Jacque Talbot said: “Understand Djed Spence is a target for a number of Premier League clubs – Tottenham included. Their MD, Fabio Paratici, watched the youngster at City Ground during Nottingham’s 4-1 FA Cup win over Leicester in February.”

That was then followed up by news from Goal.com, who claimed that ahead of a number of other clubs, it’s Spurs who are leading the race to sign Spence come the summer transfer window and that they are considered the full-back’s most likely landing spot.

Fans will be buzzing

With him currently playing for a side sitting ninth in the Championship, it’s fair to say Spence may not have been a real household name earlier this season.

However, his superb performance against Arsenal in the FA Cup saw him catch the national eye, and it left former Gunners icon Ian Wright raving about him after.

He said: “But let me say, that was one of the best right-back performances I have seen for a very long time. A very long time. I have not seen a combative, technical, swashbuckling performance like that for a very long time.”

It’s no surprise then that clubs like Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund are both said to be keeping an eye on him, while Spurs’ north London rivals Arsenal have also been following him.

Goal’s update that it’s the Lilywhites who are at the head of the queue, especially in front of those Bundesliga juggernauts, is a very encouraging boost for Antonio Conte and his plans to rebuild this squad in his own image in the summer.

The north Londoners of course were linked with a move for Wolves flier Adama Traore amid suggestions they wanted to see him as a right wing-back, so making a move for Spence carries a lot of weight.

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The 6 foot star’s arrival at Spurs would be a superb signing for Conte, and it’s news that will have fans buzzing.

Meanwhile, a Dane Scarlett claim has been dropped…

A journalist for The Scottish Daily Express has been critical of the performance of Fashion Sakala for Glasgow Rangers in their 1-0 win at Ibrox on Saturday afternoon.

The Lowdown: Job done

It was certainly not pretty from Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s team at times, but they managed to get the job done.

Kemar Roofe grabbed the winning goal against Aberdeen after coming off of the bench late on in the second half, as the home side drew level with Celtic at the top of the table overnight.

The Latest: Sakala slammed

Writing in his player ratings for The Scottish Daily Express, journalist Jonathon Moar gave Fashion Sakala a mere 4/10 rating for the game, the lowest out of any player who started for Rangers.

He claimed that the Zambia international had ‘very little’ end product, and ultimately ‘needs to do more’.

The Verdict: Wasteful

While fellow attacker Roofe grabbed all of the headlines with his goal, Sakala was left wondering just how he did not score. He had seven shots on goal in total, by far more than any other player on the pitch, and what was worse was that none of those were on target (SofaScore).

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Sakala also lost out on two of his duels, recorded no successful dribbles or accurate crosses and gave possession away 13 times (SofaScore) in what turned out to be a frustrating afternoon for him personally. Therefore, the critical assessment from Moar seems justified.

In other news, this 6 foot 3 colossus now wants to leave Ibrox

As per The Daily Mirror and reporter Darren Lewis, there has been a very interesting transfer update out of Newcastle United involving Chelsea defender Antonio Rudiger.

The Lowdown: Chelsea in turmoil…

On Thursday, a huge development in the footballing world broke as it was announced that the UK government placed sanctions on Roman Abramovich amid his nation’s invasion of Ukraine.

As a result, the billionaire oligarch’s assets were frozen, throwing Chelsea’s future into turmoil as reports even suggest the likes of Man United could poach their Champions League-winning manager.

The Premier League have now also confirmed he has been disqualified as a director with Newcastle, and by extension main club owners Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia, now looking to seize an early opportunity for Rudiger amid the chaos.

The Latest: Newcastle exploring early Rudiger option…

According to Lewis and The Mirror, Newcastle are one of the ‘cheeky’ rival clubs checking to see if these sanctions allow them to sign Rudiger on a pre-contract now rather than waiting until summer.

Usually, English clubs can only open talks with Premier League free agents once their deal actually expires.

Indeed, only European sides are able to begin negotiations with soon-to-be top flight free agents during the season but PIF and the Magpies are apparently seeing if this law has changed since Chelsea can no longer offer new deals to players or staff.

The Verdict: Very interesting…

Depending on developments, signing the Germany international ahead of time would certainly be a ‘cheeky’ move by Newcastle as they aim to back Eddie Howe.

Described as the ‘real deal’ and a ‘nightmare’ by pundit Ally McCoist, Newcastle’s own striker Callum Wilson has called Rudiger ‘annoying’ and ‘frustrating’ to play against.

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Seeing if they can nip in ahead of the European competition may well be a clever move by PIF.

In other news: Staveley now working on another free deal for starlet with same agent as Fraser! Find out more here.

Antonio Conte’s Tottenham Hotspur side face a trip to Brighton & Hove Albion on Wednesday night, with the Italian manager undoubtedly hoping his side can quickly bounce back from their 3-2 defeat at Manchester United last Saturday.

However, despite Spurs’ hosts this evening being in an extremely poor run of form at present, the Seagulls are nevertheless a much better side than their last five defeats on the spin would suggest – with a win against Tottenham potentially seeing Graham Potter’s side go level on points with Aston Villa in ninth place.

As such, Conte must ensure that his team selection is spot on at the Amex if he wishes to give his side the best possible chance of returning to north London with all three points – a result that could see Spurs close the gap to fourth-placed Arsenal to just three points, with the Gunners facing Liverpool tonight.

So, will the 52-year-old make any changes to the side that started the defeat at Old Trafford last weekend? Here’s how we think Tottenham could line up against Brighton, as well as the latest team and injury news…

With Conte recently revealing that all three of Oliver Skipp, Japhet Tanganga and Ryan Sessegnon remain sidelined due to injury, we predict the Italian will make just two changes to the team that lined up against United on Saturday.

The back four remains untouched, with Hugo Lloris starting between the sticks, and Ben Davies, Eric Dier and Cristian Romero making up Spurs’ three-man defence.

At wing-back, Matt Doherty once again gets the nod ahead of Emerson Royal on the right, while the disappointing display of the £34m-rated Sergio Reguilon – who Alasdair Gold claimed “everyone loves” – sees the 25-year-old drop to the bench, with Steven Bergwijn – who appears a perfect candidate at left wing-back – being given a chance to impress in a new role.

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In the middle of the park, both Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Rodrigo Bentancur retain their starting berths, while, in the front three, Dejan Kulusevski makes way for Lucas Moura – a player dubbed a “nightmare” by Dier – while Son Heung-min and Harry Kane remain unchanged.

AND in other news: Sold at £47m, now worth £100m: Levy will “cry every night” over his worst THFC mistake

Celtic have been handed a huge boost in their bid to retain the services of Josip Juranovic beyond the summer transfer window.

What’s the talk?

In recent comments cited by the Daily Record, the Hoops right-back all but confirmed that, despite being linked with a summer switch to Brendan Rodgers’ Leicester City, he is not looking to secure a move away from Parkhead any time soon, also suggesting that he is loving his time in Glasgow.

When asked whether he is happy at Celtic Park, the right-back replied: “Yes, I am satisfied, but it can always be better. New training is a new chance, I do not want to waste a single part of my career.

“Celtic is a great club, I enjoy it from the first day. I go to training with a smile, I enjoy the club, the city, the fans.”

The Croatia international was then pushed on a future move away from the Bhoys, to which Juranovic said: “Transfer? There are always some stories, but I leave that to my manager. I am at Celtic with all my heart.”

Posecoglou will be buzzing

Considering just how impressive Juranovic has been since his £2.5m move to Parkhead last summer, the 26-year-old’s apparent commitment to the Celtic cause is sure to have left Ange Postecoglou buzzing.

Indeed, over his 24 Premiership appearances this season, the £3.6m-rated full-back has been in breathtaking form, helping his side to keep 10 clean sheets, scoring two goals and creating four big chances for his team-mates. He has also averaged 1.3 key passes, 0.9 interceptions, 1.5 tackles and 1.4 clearances and won 3.1 duels per game.

These returns have seen the £42k-per-week defender, who Ally McCoist dubbed an “outstanding” talent, average a quite astonishing SofaScore match rating of 7.20, ranking him as the 12th-best player in the Scottish top flight this term.

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As such, despite the reported interest of a Premier League club, the reports that Juranovic is more than happy to remain a Celtic player beyond the summer is sure to come as a huge boost to Postecoglou and his side. Another season of the 26-year-old lining up on the right of the Hoops’ backline should certainly do the club’s 2022/23 title hopes no harm whatsoever.

AND in other news: Celtic dealt big fitness concern ahead of Old Firm clash, supporters will be gutted

Everton will take on West Ham United when they return to action tomorrow afternoon in east London, and Frank Lampard will be hoping that his team can pick up where they left off in the Premier League after a big three points earned against Newcastle United.

West Ham are in inconsistent form, with just two wins from their last five league games, but they are still chasing their outside chance to secure a Champions League spot at the end of the season. There is no doubt that David Moyes’ side will feel they have everything to play for tomorrow at the London Stadium, and Lampard must do all he can to ruin their opportunity.

With that being said, being wise about team selection tomorrow is imperative to the 43-year-old securing points and raising momentum after crashing out of the FA Cup at Crystal Palace, so picking the right players to deliver in their roles in the team is a must.

The Everton boss must axe Andre Gomes from the side if he wants to impose a real threat on the Hammers on Sunday and should look to his other midfield options to better control the game.

This season, the 28-year-old has made 12 Premier League appearances, losing five out of the last six league games in which he has been involved, with only a two-minute performance in the win over Newcastle before the international break, and his defensive attributes in the centre of the pitch have been questionable.

According to SofaScore, Gomes – who was dubbed a “walking red card” by Greg O’Keeffe – only averages 29.9 touches per game, losing the ball once every three touches during his game-time in the league this season, with only 37% of his duels won and a 77% passing accuracy rate.

Although Lampard has had his midfield options limited due to Allan serving a three-match ban following a red card in his last league game, the 43-year-old still has plenty of options in his squad with Donny Van de Beek, Abdoulaye Doucoure and Dele Alli available, while Fabian Delph could make an impact as he is predicted to return for selection next week.

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With that in mind, it is high time that the ex-Chelsea boss axes the unreliable Gomes, given how high the stakes are over the remainder of Everton’s Premier League season.

In other news: Everton handed fresh lift as update emerges, Lampard will be buzzing