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Manchester United are ignoring a major attacking weapon.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men may have beaten Chelsea 4-0 on the opening weekend of the season but that was a game that was out of keeping with the statistics and, really, a freak.

BBC Sport reported that United had 11 shots on goal at Old Trafford. Chelsea had 18.

They followed that up, though, with a dour 1-1 draw with Wolverhampton Wanderers and, in the second half, Solskjaer’s men were outplayed.

A Ruben Neves stunner from range earned Nuno Espirito Santo’s impressive side a point but it felt on the day as though United had missed a trick.

The following weekend, Crystal Palace delivered the type of reality-checking sucker punch that serves to expose fragility and deeply-entrenched problems.

One of those problems lies within the defensive unit but the decision to lavish a world-record fee on Harry Maguire will not resolve that overnight.

But is there another characteristic to Maguire – a centre-back who is a genuine menace at corners and free-kicks – that could bolster United’s proficiency at both ends of the pitch?

In his career, he has scored 13 headed goals compared to five with his feet. Of the latter, he netted one in injury time against United after ghosting past the defence, and also earned Leicester City a point against Liverpool at Anfield last season with a sweeping volley into the bottom corner.

This is a defender by trade, of course, but he is a talent and a multifaceted one at that. At Leicester in 2018/19, per WhoScored, Maguire averaged one shot on goal per game, as well as 0.5 dribbles, 0.4 key passes, a pass completion rate of 85.6% and 1.2 interceptions.

It should be clear to see that Maguire can make an impact in the final third of the pitch as well as at the back and not solely at corners. United should still try to improve those as well.

Of course, Sheffield United’s promotion to the Premier League has placed central defenders under a microscope. Chris Wilder’s side utilise overlapping centre-backs, bringing the defenders forward in a bid to create overloads in the final third.

It works for them because they have defenders with the attributes to make it work and also adds an element of surprise; most backlines don’t expect to suddenly be marking the centre-half instead of the centre-forward.

One feels that this could be expanded to bigger clubs with better players, too, and Maguire is ideally suited.

He can bring the ball out of defence and has done it repeatedly for both Leicester and England; his rampaging runs were a highlight of the Three Lions’ run to the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup.

Watch Manchester United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

An excellent distributor of the ball, he is quick, too, and has the ability to slip into midfield and then further forward as United look to break down opposition backlines.

They have a functional midfielder in Scott McTominay who could drop into defence to cover him, and it could add an extra dimension to their forward play.

This isn’t to say that Martial should be slipping Maguire into a one-on-one situation, but the latter’s mere presence in the final third can bring the Frenchman into play and also confuse the opposition by being a spare man in the box.

It is a difficult tactic to master and Solskjaer would have to work at it on the training ground but one feels that Maguire could play a major role in transforming United’s attack this season.

It is an idea that the Norwegian should be exploring; it could make all the difference as United look to produce more performances of the Chelsea ilk, as opposed to the Wolves or Palace ilk.

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Wolves fans have been left wondering why they let Ivan Cavaleiro leave the club this summer following his stunning performance for Fulham on Wednesday night.

The 25-year-old bagged a brace and laid on an assist for another as Scott Parker’s side emphatically defeated Millwall 4-0 at Craven Cottage.

Aside from the four goals, Fulham dominated with 84.4% possession in the match with Cavaleiro receiving a perfect ‘10’ rating from WhoScored for his performance.

The winger made the switch south at the start of July, joining on a season-long loan which also has an option to make the move permanent next summer.

A number of fans at Molineux are wishing they still had the exploits of the Portugal international after his latest contribution for Fulham.

One claimed that Cavaleiro was ‘massively missed’ whilst another asked if they could have him back considering he is joint-second in the Championship goalscoring charts.

The 5 foot 9 man originally joined Wolves in the summer of 2016 from Monaco and had made 106 appearances for the club, scoring 19 and assisting 20.

Others called him a ‘class act’ and a ‘sick player’ with a further supporter labelling the move as a ‘bad mistake.’

Here’s the best of the reaction:

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سخر دين سميث مدرب فريق أستون فيلا من التكهنات المنتشرة حول اهتمام أكثر من نادِ إنجليزي بضم المدافع إزري كونسا في الصيف المقبل، ومن ضمنهم ليفربول.

ويُعد كونسا ضمن أبرز لاعبي أستون فيلا في الموسم الحالي، حيث ساهم في تقوية دفاع الفريق والحفاظ على نظافة الشباك في الدوري الإنجليزي.

وذكرت تقارير صحفية في الفترة الأخيرة أن أداء كونسا جذب انتباه أكثر من نادِ إنجليزي لضمه في موسم الانتقالات الصيفي القادم، وأبرزها ليفربول وتوتنهام.

اقرأ أيضًا.. أنشيلوتي يعلن عودة نجمي إيفرتون أمام ليفربول

وعندما سُئل دين سميث عن ذلك الأمر، قال ساخرًا: “سأمزح مع كونسا بشأن ذلك الأمر”.

وأضاف في تصريحات نشرتها صحيفة “ميرور” الإنجليزية: “كونسا متفوق في مركزه، لقد كان أحد أفضل لاعبينا هذا الموسم، يتسم بالاتساق والثقة”.

ويمتلك كونسا عقدًا ساريًا مع الفيلانز حتى عام 2023.

Todd Cantwell has given an interview highlighting his wishes to play a more central role for Norwich City moving forward.

”I would say it’s probably a favoured one,” he said to EDP24.

However, for the time being, Cantwell said he was happy to play wherever manager Daniel Farke sees fit for him.

“But playing off the left under Daniel is not like a normal left midfield role, so I wouldn’t say it’s too far out of position but naturally I’ve always been a number 10 and it’s always been a position that’s I’ve felt like I’ve flourished.”

The youngster starred for Norwich during the club’s 4-1 loss to Serie A top-four finishers Atalanta on Tuesday.

Cantwell started the game due to a knock picked up by Marco Stiepermann in the 5-1 win over Luton Town last Saturday.

Moving to a central role may not be too far off in the near future for the 21-year-old despite the form of Marco Stiepermann last season. The German scored 10 goals and assisted a further nine as Norwich City won promotion to the Premier League.

However, despite Stiepermann’s form, he remains the only out-and-out attacking midfielder at the club, according to Transfermarkt. Cantwell himself has played the majority of his games at the under-23 level as an attacking/central midfielder (26). His suitability for the role is further enhanced by his statistics from last season.

The youngster averaged exactly one key pass per game (per WhoScored) in the Championship last season, showing his creative prowess. To put that into context, only six players in their squad averaged more last season, all of whom were older and more established.

Cantwell should be given a chance to impress manager Farke in the centre of the pitch. He appears to have all the attributes to succeed in the position, from his stature and body shape (pointed out in a scout report by the Daily Mail) to his dribbling ability on the ball against opposing defenders.

And with Stiepermann the only out-and-out attacking midfield option, the rotation will be necessary especially with the Carabao Cup and FA Cup games next season. Those will be the games where Farke needs to use Cantwell as his number 10.

Cantwell has a bright future after being named in the young EFL team of the year last season. With issues ranging from a lack of options to his own strong contributions, the 21-year-old should be used in a central role.

How big a role will Cantwell play? Join the discussion by commenting below…

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Some Crystal Palace fans have taken to Twitter to express their relief at the news that a late summer move for Manchester United defender Marcos Rojo collapsed.

The Athletic reports that a late move for the Argentina international fell through this summer for reasons that are not detailed, with the Eagles eventually opting to sign 33-year-old Gary Cahill on a free transfer instead.

Rojo managed to make just five Premier League appearances for the Red Devils last term, as he was blighted by injuries – he has missed 53 games since the start of the 2017/18 campaign.

The 29-year-old cost United £16m back in 2014, and has made 113 appearances for the club – his chances of game time at Old Trafford look bleak following Harry Maguire’s arrival, however.

One fan below said that he’d ‘prefer to have Gary anyways’, whilst another recalls a terrible studs-up challenge that Rojo made on Zaha at Selhurst Park back in the 2016/17 season.

Let’s take a look at some more of the Twitter reaction…

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West Ham United supporters have been left in awe of Mark Noble after another fine display for the Hammers.

The Irons captain missed the first two games of the season through injury but returned against Watford this weekend, scoring a penalty in the 3-1 victory, the first of the Irons’ season.

Noble, of course, is 32 and has seen his role somewhat limited in recent years.

In 2018/19, the Englishman, who has not been capped by his country, made 29 starts in the Premier League and completed the 90 minutes on just 10 occasions.

Noble, though, was in exceptional form at Vicarage Road and has again been hailed by supporters after insisting that he did not expect to still be playing at the highest level.

Watch West Ham United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Per the club’s official Twitter account, he said: “Honestly, I didn’t think I’d be playing 15 years on when I made my debut, especially at this level. I’ve worked hard, kept myself in the best condition possible and I’m still going strong and hopefully, I’ve got many more years to come.”

The veteran midfielder has been with the Irons since 2004 and has made 468 appearances for the club; many fans believe that he is ageing like a fine wine and is simply improving as the years continue to tick by.

Take a look at the best of the reaction on Twitter below!

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…

Jan Vertonghen was one of Tottenham’s best players last season, if not the best.

The Belgium international was simply heroic as Spurs reached the Champions League final and finished in the top four – his form was good enough to prompt our very own Harry Sherlock to dub him the club’s signing of the decade.

Vertonghen is a key cog in Mauricio Pochettino’s team, but for reasons yet to be officially confirmed, the Argentine left the defender out of his squad entirely for the Premier League opener against Aston Villa.

Spurs still went on to get the win – albeit whilst making hard work of it – and when asked about the situation, Pochettino said: “I am going to play the players who I believe deserve to play.”

As aforesaid, Spurs still got the win but not without trailing 1-0 for 73 minutes after John McGinn capitalised on some poor defending.

Pochettino and Vertonghen have to put their differences aside for one reason – there is simply too much competition at the top of the Premier League to be leaving your best players out.

Last season, Spurs finished in the top four by just a single point, and missed out on third place also by a single point having had a superior goal difference to Chelsea – the margins are so fine that there isn’t any time to weaken yourself by not playing a star performer.

Who knows, if the former Ajax man had been playing against Villa then Dean Smith’s side might not have even scored their goal – what if Spurs fail to make the top four by a single goal come May?

Entirely hypothetical, sure, but when the top two dropped just 16 and 17 points each last season, there really is no room for mistakes.

The fact of the matter is that even at this early stage of the season, the points that are won and lost are the same points that are up for grabs in the business end of the season.

Spurs cannot allow themselves to potentially miss out on even just a single point by leaving their best defender on the bench.

Pochettino and Vertonghen must make amends soon.

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كشف عمر كمال عبد الواحد لاعب فريق الكرة بالمصري حقيقة تلقيه اتصالات من ناديي الأهلي أو الزمالك خلال الفترة الماضية بعد تألقه ضمن صفوف النادي البورسعيدي.

وتعادل  المصري مع سيراميكا كليوباترا بنتيجة 2-2 اليوم الجمعة في الدوري المصري الممتاز. طالع التفاصيل

وقال عمر كمال في تصريحات تلفزيونية عبر قناة “أون تايم سبورتس”، بعد سؤاله عن حقيقة مفاوضات الأهلي والزمالك: “أشعر بالراحة في المصري، ولا أشغل تفكيري بأي شيء خارج الملعب، وأترك الأمور لوكيلي ووالدي”.

طالع | مدرب المصري: عانينا من أخطاء دفاعية أمام سيراميكا كليوباترا

وأكمل: “علي ماهر قال لنا أي فريق سينهي الدوري في المربع الذهبي سيعتبر كأنه حصل على اللقب”.

وأختتم: “كل الأندية دعمت صفوفها بشكل قوي، الدوري هذا الموسم ليس سهلًا على أي فريق”.

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With less than 24 hours left of this transfer window, a winger appears to be amongst Everton’s top transfer targets.

The Toffees have recently had a second bid for Crystal Palace’s Wilfried Zaha rejected, and now they have also made a move for Alex Iwobi.

It is being reported that the Gunners have turned down a £30m offer from Marco Silva and co for the Nigeria international. However, the Goodison Park outfit are expected to make another approach, although it will need to be above £40m to persuade Arsenal to sell.

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23-year-old Iwobi has spent his entire career at the Emirates Stadium, making 149 appearances for the club. During that time, he has scored 15 goals and provided 27 assists.

As he is not even a guaranteed starter for Unai Emery, £40m does appear to be a somewhat high valuation.

The Iwobi situation has certainly got Arsenal fans on Twitter talking. You can check out some of the best reactions to news of Everton’s interest below…

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Lots of Everton fans have taken to Twitter to react after it was confirmed on the club’s official website that Muhamed Besic had joined Sheffield United on loan for the 2019/20 campaign.

Besic signed for the Merseysiders in the summer of 2014 from Hungarian side Ferencvaros and has made 56 appearances in total for the club.

The Bosnia international spent last term on loan with Championship side Middlesbrough, before returning to Goodison Park this summer.

However, after the Toffees signed Jean-Philippe Gbamin, Fabian Delph and Andre Gomes in the window, the chances of the 26-year-old getting some game time under Marco Silva looked slim.

You won’t believe which of Liverpool’s Champions League winning side of 2005 is still playing in the video below…

As a result, the 5 foot 10 midfielder has linked up with Chris Wilder at the Blades after a deal sheet was submitted in order to get the move sorted beyond the 5pm deadline on Thursday.

Let’s take a look at how the Everton fans on Twitter reacted to the news…

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