Dean Henderson is in the England camp for the first time ever.
The Blades goalkeeper has a real chance to impress the Three Lions hierarchy in training this week, and a video uploaded to England’s YouTube page shows him doing just that.
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Henderson has to work hard in order to earn his first cap, and this clip shows him outperforming his peers in a three-ball challenge.
The clip shows Henderson, Jordan Pickford and Nick Pope all taking part in a training drill, and it’s hard to say that the 22-year-old wasn’t the most impressive of the bunch.
While Pope and Pickford had to parry a couple of the incoming balls behind for corners, Henderson managed to keep them under control.
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Of course, there is more to being a keeper than just shot-stopping, and this clip isn’t a full representation of all three stoppers’ abilities, but it’s good to see the Manchester United loanee performing so well with the Three Lions, clearly not fazed by his first call-up.
West Ham United youngster Xande Silva has endured a horrific summer, per Football.London.
What’s the word?
The forward has undergone surgery in Portugal after suffering from a blockage in his bowel.
The report claims that Silva has spent three weeks recovering in his native country prior to his return to England.
Silva has reportedly lost a great deal of weight – three kilos, or nearly half a stone – and will be carefully managed upon his return.
Breakthrough delayed
Silva has been a shining light in West Ham’s youth teams.
The 22-year-old has scored seven goals in nine games for the Under-23 side and has also played twice for the senior side.
Capped at every Portugal youth level up to the Under-20s, Silva made his Premier League debut against Burnley in December of last year.
But it now seems that he will need to be eased back into things after enduring such a horrendous break away from the club. He will be put on a private training schedule for the next six weeks.
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It is not good news for the attacker, particularly with Manuel Pellegrini’s squad currently lacking bodies going forward.
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After Jordan Hugill was loaned to QPR, the club have just summer signing Sebastian Haller and Javier Hernandez as their out-and-out forward options.
Silva could have taken advantage of that, but it now appears that he will have to wait – opportunity missed.
Rangers need to replace Joe Worrall if he’s not returning from Nottingham Forest next season. With that in mind, they should forget Martin Skrtel and take a chance on Chelsea castaway Tomas Kalas instead.
Steven Gerrard is obviously under huge pressure to deliver success next season so he needs to bring in confident youngsters with a thing or two to prove. This is Rangers we’re talking about, after all. This club needs to win.
Indeed, Kalas has been out on loan at five clubs as a Chelsea academy player, and Football London have reported he wants a permanent move now.
The Scottish Sun have already said some time ago that Rangers are keen on signing him, and that’d be a massive positive compared to signing 34-year-old Martin Skrtel as Fotospor have suggested they could do. Former Liverpool ace Skrtel would be a poor-quality, short-term fix at best.
Those days have to be gone at Ibrox now. We don’t want another Bruno Alves now, do we?
Kalas has played 37 times in the Championship this season and it’s been his best season out on loan by far. He’s clearly not going to get a chance at Chelsea but he’s shown he’s certainly good enough to play for Rangers under Gerrard.
The Czech Republic international is capable of becoming a regular Premier League defender, but he has to prove his consistency first. By going to Rangers he can show he can deal with the pressure of playing for such a big club.
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He’s 25-years-old now and has the experience of playing in various countries. Overall, he’d be ideal as a replacement for Joe Worrall and would be a huge step up from the links to Martin Skrtel.
Rangers fans, who do you want to sign at centre-back in summer if Joe Worrall doesn’t return? Join the discussion by commenting below.
Liverpool were held to a dour 0-0 draw by Manchester United on Sunday.
The Reds knew that victory at Old Trafford would take them three points clear of Manchester City at the top of the Premier League table but they were unable to take advantage of Pep Guardiola’s side playing in the Carabao Cup final.
Instead, their front three of Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino drew a blank, with the latter substituted in the first half after appearing to hurt his ankle.
The result means that Liverpool are now just a point clear of Guardiola’s men. Their destiny is still in their own hands as they attempt to win their first league title of this century, but the dropped points inevitably qualify as a setback – especially against a United side severely weakened by injuries.
Many Reds fans are worried about the prospect of the run-in after a performance that was short on attacking threat and which featured a worrying injury to a top player.
Take a look at some of the best reaction on Twitter below!
Scottish Premiership leaders Celtic are gearing up for a busy January transfer window to make up for mistakes in the summer.
The Hoops were extremely quiet over the summer months, making just one major addition to their squad. Celtic broke their club record to land Odsonne Edouard on a permanent deal from Paris Saint-Germain but lost both Moussa Dembele and Stuart Armstrong. After a slow start to the campaign, Celtic have finally returned to their best and the top of the Scottish Premiership table.
The Bhoys are expected to strengthen heavily during the upcoming window with Rodgers revealing the club are working hard to prepare. Edouard has been in fine form since moving to Scotland permanently, but an injury would leave the club short of quality options in attack.
Therefore, Celtic should make a move for Strasbourg forward Lebo Mothiba.
Valued at £5.4 million by Transfermarkt, the 22-year-old joined his current club in the summer after Lille were forced into a sale due to financial difficulties. Aware of his immense potential, Lille installed a buy-back and sell-on clause into his contract at his new employers.
Mothiba has been in fine form in Ligue 1, scoring six goals in six starts so far this season. As a reward for his excellent showings, the youngster was called up to the senior South Africa national team and netted three goals in his first three appearances for his country. As Rodgers has a reputation for bringing the best out of young players, Mothiba could thrive under the former Liverpool manager’s leadership.
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Should Celtic progress to the knockout stages of the Europa League, they could offer the forward the chance to shine on the European stage, which is why they must seek to make a move for the 22-year-old come the New Year.
Manchester United finally put their early season misery behind them last weekend as they ran out comfortable 2-0 winners at Burnley.
Things had been getting a bit pressured for manager Jose Mourinho and his squad as the Red Devils fell to losses against both Brighton and Spurs, and the win will have done the manager and the team the world of good.
However, there has to be an element inside the United manager which has some anger at the amount of summer transfers which were seemingly not completed at Old Trafford, and one man we at the Tavern think Mourinho will be annoyed about missing out on is Leicester City and England defender Harry Maguire.
The big defender had a superb World Cup and was clearly identified by Mourinho as a key target.
However, a move for Maguire failed to materialise, and with the defensive displays so far from United, the gaffer will no doubt be feeling somewhat aggrieved at missing out on his top target.
Maguire has gotten off to a superb start for the Foxes once again, bagging a late winner at Southampton two weeks back, while once again delivering consistent and steady performances at the heart of the defence.
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For all the attacking talent at Old Trafford, they needed a dominant centre half. Maguire would have been that man, and as the season goes on, Mourinho will surely only live to regret not capturing the former Sheffield United man even more.
United fans, what do you think? Have you missed the boat with Maguire? Let us know in the comments!
Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey was left out of the squad to face Brighton and Hove Albion at the Amex Stadium on Sunday, and Gunners fans all believe that he was the one that leaked the dressing room meetings that have come to light in recent days.
The Guardian reported on Friday that the players had held a private meeting where one had said that they need to find the answers to their problems themselves as the coaches – including Arsene Wenger – are no longer good enough to help them.
Ramsey started the 3-0 defeat against Manchester City at the Emirates Stadium on Thursday night, but he was nowhere to be seen in the matchday squad against the Seagulls despite being a key player in recent weeks, and it has certainly raised the suspicions of the fans.
Arsenal supporters were quick to have their say on the Welshman’s absence via social media, and they all thought the same thing.
Earlier this week, Spanish forward Joselu gave an interview to Newcastle United’s official television channel paying tribute to the club’s fans for their support since he joined the Magpies from Stoke City last month.
The 27-year-old, who is valued at £3.1m by transfermarkt.co.uk, signed a three-year contract with Newcastle on August 16 after spending last season on loan with Spanish side Deportivo La Coruna.
It would be fair to say that the signing did not initially excite the Newcastle supporters, but many have been impressed with Joselu’s early-season form.
Indeed, the former Spain Under-21 international has already scored for Newcastle in the Premier League this season, and the striker is expected to lead their line when his former club Stoke visit St James’ Park on Saturday afternoon.
Ensuring that the Newcastle supporters are onside is not exactly a bad tactic, and it does appear that the centre-forward has impressed the club’s fanbase with his attitude and application since switching from the Potters in the recent transfer window.
As reported in an exclusive by The Scottish Sun, Dave King has reaffirmed his commitment to squad investment by attempting to assure supporters that he will back new boss Pedro Caixinha in the transfer market.
What’s the story?
Dave King hasn’t exactly been the most public of figures around Ibrox in recent months, seemingly taking a back seat on the hunt for Mark Warburton’s successor at the club.
However, as The Scottish Sun reports, he’s spoken to Pedro Caixinha for the first time recently and is set for a face-to-face meeting with him next week.
When asked whether transfer funds would be available to the new manager this summer, he said:
Of course. This season has been disappointing, but I believe the squad is better than their results, and the new manager will get more out of them.
It follows up quotes from Rangers managing director Stewart Robertson in the wake of Warburton’s departure. At that time Robinson reaffirmed the club’s commitment to squad investment.
As quoted by The Scottish Sun, Robertson said:
We know we are going to have to invest in the team to strengthen the squad and to take it forward. So all of these things are there. We need that. Without that we won’t take Rangers forward. That investment is going to be a key part of assisting Pedro to take Rangers forward.
If all goes to plan then Gers supporters could be set for a very interesting summer indeed.
Rangers’ spending so far this season
The Ibrox side made 13 signings after their promotion to the Scottish Premiership with the likes of Joey Barton, Niko Krancjar, Joe Garner, Jordan Rossiter arriving at the club. All of these on paper seemed like exciting signings at the time but most haven’t worked out.
The biggest outlay was on Garner, who cost a reported £1.5m, not an insignificant amount in comparison to most Scottish sides.
If the Gers can repeat the sort of spending last season this summer, but in a smarter way, then building a squad to at least ensure second place is not impossible. Closing the gap on Celtic won’t be easy but it all begins with smart signings.
Headline grabbing signings like Barton are all well and good but Caixinha needs to bring his own men to Ibrox, even if they aren’t exactly household names.
What do the fans think?
Rangers supporters have gotten used to big promises from the hierarchy at the club in recent years and would likely much prefer to see actions rather than words, making this summer a big one for the perception of Dave King and his colleagues amongst the support.
Certainly the recent words of King haven’t particularly struck a chord with supporters, some of whom took to Twitter to share their thoughts.
The mood could perhaps best be described as cautious optimism.
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What’s certain is that the next six months are massive in shaping the future of Rangers Football Club.
Tonight Liverpool take on Villarreal in the first leg of the Europa League semi-finals. Ahead of what will be undoubtedly be a tightly contested affair at El Madrigal, let’s take a look at how Liverpool can beat the Yellow Submarine.
Villarreal occupy 4th position in La Liga, and whilst Champions League football looks set to be played at the club next year, they are a whopping 20 points adrift of the title race. Nevertheless, the Spanish side do harbour some potent threats Liverpool will need to nullify over the 180+ minutes of this tie.
Cedric Bakambu is the Yellow Submarine’s main threat. The Congolese forward has pace to burn and, with nine goals in 11 Europa League games this season, stopping him will be Liverpool’s main focus. Mamadou Sakho is out due to his ongoing drug test saga, so it will be up to Dejan Lovren and one of Kolo Toure or Martin Skrtel to take care of Bakambu. Jurgen Klopp seems to fancy Toure over the Slovakian, but with the Ivorian’s pace on the wane, it could prove to be a fatal mismatch in this tie. Lovren, meanwhile, has become Liverpool’s best defender – unthinkable 12 months ago – and whomever he is partnered with will have to follow the Croatian’s lead.
Liverpool’s defence will also have to watch out for Roberto Soldado. The man affectionately known as ‘Bobby Soldier’ from his days at Spurs has never really hit the heights from his Valencia days, but afforded the chance in the 18-yard box, you can bet he’ll punish the Reds. How Klopp sets up his back line is vital to this fixture as he looks to deal with contrasting styles of Villarreal’s strike force.
The creative threat of Villarreal’s midfield also needs considering. Like all good Spanish sides Villarreal boast a number of creative, technically astute players in the centre of the pitch. Denis Suarez, who Manchester City fans may remember, joined the club in August of last year and has proved an instant hit. In 40 appearances Suarez has scored five goals, and whilst this doesn’t appear to be a massive return, it’s how Suarez pulls the strings that Jurgen Klopp will need a plan for.
It’s widely thought that Liverpool need at least one away goal to have a good chance of winning the tie overall. Standing in their way, however, is one of the most promising goalkeepers in Europe. Alphonse Areola has been in fine form this season keeping 14 clean sheets in La Liga, and the man on loan for PSG will want to show why he should be their first choice next term.
Finally Liverpool will have to contend with a side that are clearly not inhibited by fear and with the backing of an intense atmosphere, manager Marcelino is ready to claim the scalp of one of Europe’s biggest names. Quoted by Sky Sports, speaking at his pre-match press conference the Yellows boss said:
“Liverpool might be the favourite – the club, their history and the fact that they knocked out Borussia Dortmund all add up – but we don’t consider ourselves to be less than them. We are going to give everything from our side to eliminate this legendary team. We don’t have any pressure on us. I’m really satisfied with, and grateful to, this squad for getting to this semi-final. We are very hopeful and convinced that we are capable of beating Liverpool, and all the while we’ll be enjoying the occasion. I felt more pressure in the previous knockout ties and we have the chance to make history at this club now.”
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Clearly, Villarreal are ready, but having lost all three of their previous semi-finals in Europe, Liverpool have a vital advantage in terms of experience. Should they combine this with nullifying Villarreal’s threats, Liverpool might be in the driving seat to the final.