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In August 1995 Alan Hansen famously proclaimed on Match of the Day ‘you can’t win anything with kids’, referencing Sir Alex Ferguson’s youthful Manchester United side. By the conclusion of the season, United had completed the double by winning the Premier League and FA Cup. The United faithful will be hoping for similar fortunes in the upcoming campaign as Ole Gunnar Solskjær looks to rebuild his squad with a notable emphasis on young and emerging, ideally British talents.

Reportedly, it’s young, aspiring players with considerable potential that Solskjær will target this window. While onlookers will rightly question whether these young talents have the necessary quality to make an immediate impact at a club of United’s standing, the move towards young, hungry and determined players is a smart one for the Old Trafford outfit.

The acquisition of Daniel James from Swansea City could be the first of many promising players who will move to United this summer. Despite only attaining 39 senior appearances at club level, there should be considerable excitement around the 21-year-old’s signing after finishing last season with four goals and nine assists to his name in the Championship.

The Wales international will provide United with an abundance of creativity and a frightening degree of pace. Most crucially, the winger is willing to attack directly and he doesn’t shy from one-on-one situations. A total of 13 league goal contributions in his first full season of senior football is a commendable tally and surrounded by higher quality at United, one can envisage James contributing purposefully to their cause.

If United are to restore former glory and attempt to derail their neighbours’ domestic dominance, they need talented, resilient and industrious players. Generally, young players are more prepared to work for the collective good of the team as they’re yet to demonstrate their significance or earn their positions, particularly at clubs placed in the upper echelons of football.

If the theory proves fruitful, signing young players could be the most effective way of restoring desire and fight at the club, fortifying connections with disenchanted supporters and ending an era which has been largely defined by superstar signings of questionable success, from Angel Di Maria and Radamel Falcao to Paul Pogba and Romelu Lukaku. Di Maria and Falcao lasted just the one season, while Lukaku and Pogba could both leave before the summer’s over.

Another youngster who has interested the United hierarchy is West Ham United’s Issa Diop. The Telegraph report that the Hammers have set a £75m price tag to thwart the Red Devils’ interest. United’s need for defensive recruitment should be their foremost concern this summer; they only conceded a goal fewer (54) than West Ham’s total (55) in the league last term – a clear indication of weaknesses at the back.

Diop is a commanding presence thanks to his height and imposing stature. The Frenchman demonstrates excellent defensive awareness, is physically dominant and decent on the ball with an 86% pass completion rate last season. While the 22-year-old is a far cry from the esteemed names that United are typically linked with, he would add much-needed resolve to a frail and fleeting defensive unit.

According to Manchester Evening News. Newcastle United’s Sean Longstaff is among United’s desired midfield shortlist. Again, superficially, Longstaff wouldn’t be one of the most inspiring signings of the summer, but to focus solely on players’ reputations would negate the club’s vision and shift towards long-term acquisitions.

The 21-year-old’s lack of top-level experience with only nine Premier League games under his belt is a legitimate concern; Diop has already experienced a season of Premier League action, while James has attained four international caps. However, Longstaff showed promise in his outings for the Magpies, averaging 1.9 tackles and 1.1 interceptions per game while doing a great job of orchestrating possession.

His passing ability is an obvious strength, and for someone of his limited experience on the biggest stage, he reads the game well – already earning comparisons to Michael Carrick. Given Ander Herrera’s departure, United need a midfielder who can fuse creativity and tenacity and Longstaff certainly fits the bill.

Eric Dier is another possible target for United to pursue, as Team Talk report that United are interested in signing the midfielder. While slightly older than other reported targets, he does come with a good blend of age and experience. At 25, Dier has made 40 appearances for England and featured in Premier League and Champions League title hunts.

A host of unfulfilled managerial appointments aligned with pragmatic and mundane football has led to the dereliction of United’s formerly revered footballing identity. The playing style has disappeared and their approach in the transfer market has been scatter-gun.

Turning towards promising young footballers in conjunction with a fresh approach could breathe renewed life into a club desperately requiring rejuvenation. United’s pride is hurt; their dominance of yesteryear defeated; the need for reinvention is urgent.

Their recruitment is strategy is undoubtedly a risk, but the acquisition of young players could set the foundations for the development of a new identity and the building blocks for prospective success. After all, perhaps United will prove once again that you can win something with kids and make Hansen eat his words for a second time.

With Aston Villa returning to the Premier League, the English game once again has one of it’s oldest and most successful clubs back in the top flight.

The Villans are looking to make an impression now they are back in the Premier League, and under Dean Smith, there is every chance that the Villans could indeed make a big mark now they are back among the elite in English football.

However, big spending could well be needed by the club to ensure they do perform well, with the club utilising the loan market last season as the likes of Tammy Abraham and Tyrone Mings made big impacts with the club.

This weekend then has seen them linked with a mega-money move for Stoke City ‘keeper Jack Butland, but here in the Tavern, we feel that Villa need to way of overspending on this one.

The Potters are reportedly seeking a sum in excess of £20m for the England stopper, but with Villa only just getting back to the top flight, we feel that fee might be something that the club needs to avoid paying.

While Butland is of course a top talent and someone who can be relied upon to deliver quality performances week in week out, there has to be a question raised over whether paying such a fee is the wisest thing for Villa to do.

We saw last season with Fulham that the tactic of splashing the cash and over spending can indeed prove to be a nightmare, and you’d assume this is something that the Villa board have taken note of.

This is not to take away from the fact that Butland would be a superb number one for the club, but in a time when making the right decisions in the market is going to be so crucial, it’s a decision the club needs to seriously take their time over.

You know the transfer window is open for business when West Ham are linked with every player under the sun.

It is set to be a massive summer for the Hammers, with players expected to leave and even more likely to join. Every area of the pitch could do with some work, and for Manuel Pellegrini, finding the perfect members for his side will be his utmost priority for the next two months.

With a limited budget to work with, it could be a summer where West Ham gets players in on the cheap, and the latest rumours have the east London side linked with a newly crowned Premier League winner, just not one that will get Hammers fans off their feet.

According to Football Insider, Pellegrini is eyeing up a move for City Swiss Army knife Fabian Delph, who could leave Manchester this season after a lacklustre campaign of sitting on the bench and being subject to only eight Premier League starts.

Whilst the England international’s versatility could make him a useful player in both the midfield and defence for West Ham, if the club wants to progress, they should be avoiding the likes of Delph this summer.

The former Aston Villa captain won’t be the player to score the goals or create chances in the attacking third, which you can argue is what West Ham need the most this summer, not a defensive minded player.

Delph’s experience and ability to play multiple positions might make him a solid signing on the cheap, but the England international isn’t a marquee ‘wow’ signing that fans want, nor the man to win those vital points for West Ham next season.

West Ham fans, would you take Delph this summer? Let us know!

Neil Lennon being offered the permanent job at Celtic reeks of Peter Lawwell and the Parkhead board taking the easy option. The Hoops know that Lennon can win silverware, and he’s proven that before, but they run the risk of being caught by Rangers if funds aren’t made available in the next couple of months of the transfer window.

The next two or three years are going to be massive for Celtic. Scott Brown, Mikael Lustig, Craig Gordon, Emilio Izaguirre, Jonny Hayes and Scott Sinclair are coming to the end of their time at Parkhead and will need to be replaced over the next few years, which can only be done if adequate funds are made available for Lennon to go out and splash in the market.

Then there’s the threat that Rangers are providing. The Gers may not be in a position to challenge next season for the Scottish Premier League title, but should Lennon be left to feed off of scraps in the market then ten in a row will be monumentally harder, and it was never going to be easy to begin with. Steven Gerrard will be eyeing up title #55 to prevent ten in a row, and it cannot be allowed to happen.

Lennon won’t exactly need a war chest to match the fees spent by the European giants this summer, but making funds available to finally replace Moussa Dembele and bring in some new fresh faces will be imperative if the club wants success. Glasgow has been green and white for a long time and the way football is going to keep it that way it will cost money, which the Parkhead higher-ups will all know, so making it happen is going to be crucial.

Celtic fans, do you think Lennon will have any cash to splash this summer? Let us know, comment below!

انتهت مساء أمس الاثنين منافسات الجولة العاشرة من بطولة الدوري الإسباني، حيث فاز أتلتيك بلباو بأربعة أهداف دون رد على ريال بيتيس.

وشهدت هذه الجولة استمرار نتائج برشلونة السيئة حيث خسر أمام أتلتيكو مدريد بهدف نظيف، بينما تعادل ريال مدريد مع فياريا بهدف لمثله.

وتخطى ريال سوسيداد نظيره قادش بهدف دون رد، في حين أن إشبيلية اكتسح سيلتا فيجو بأربعة أهداف مقابل هدفين. ترتيب الدوري الإسباني بعد نهاية الجولة العاشرة

1 ريال سوسيداد، 23 نقطة.

2 أتلتيكو مدريد، 20 نقطة.

3 فياريال، 19 نقطة.

4 ريال مدريد، 17 نقطة.

5 قادش، 14 نقطة.

6 غرناطة، 14 نقطة.

7 إشبيلية، 13 نقطة.

8 أتلتيك بيلباو، 12 نقطة.

9 فالنسيا، 12 نقطة.

10 إلتشي، 12 نقطة.

11 خيتافي، 12 نقطة.

12 ريال بيتيس، 12 نقطة.

13 برشلونة، 11 نقطة.

14 أوساسونا، 11 نقطة.

15 ألافيس، 10 نقاط.

16 إيبار، 10 نقاط.

17 بلد الوليد، 9 نقاط.

18 ليفانتي، 7 نقاط.

19 هويسكا، 7 نقاط.

20 سيلتا فيجو، 7 نقاط.

ويمكن متابعة ترتيب الدوري الإسباني مُحدث بشكل مستمر من هنا.

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“I didn’t come to Manchester City to win the Champions League”.

These were the words of Pep Guardiola prior to the quarter-final tie against Tottenham, in which they narrowly crashed out on away goals and at the cruel hands of a stoppage-time VAR decision.

However, the Spaniard has never really set the tone for his side in this competition, his words above being a key example of that.

442oons have charted the entire career of Man City’s main man Sergio Aguero through song in the hilarious video below…

If he didn’t come to City to win the Champions League, what did he arrive to do?

Both of his predecessors in Roberto Mancini and Manuel Pellegrini managed to win the Premier League; the former managed to pick up an FA Cup as well, whilst Pellegrini had two League Cup successes under his belt, the same total as Guardiola.

If he is simply matching the domestic achievements of the club’s managers from years gone by, what more is he bringing to the table?

European success in the near future is vital for the club’s growth, make no mistake about it.

You could see the sheer explosion of emotion when Guardiola watched what he though was a 93rd-minute Raheem Sterling winner bounce in off Hugo Lloris on Wednesday. The former Barcelona boss sprinted down the touchline, jumping for joy as if an extremely weighty monkey had been prised from his back.

Guardiola knows he needs this personally just as much as City need it. He has never won the Champions League without Lionel Messi in his squad, hasn’t made the final since 2011, hasn’t made it further than David Moyes has in Europe since arriving in England, despite spending £527m.

Contrastingly, his look of horror as VAR chalked the goal off for offside was there for all to see. He looked pale. He looked shell-shocked. He knows that he needs this, that European success is the next step for this dominant City side as well as for his own reputation.

Of course, it goes without saying that Guardiola is undoubtedly a far better manager than Mancini or Pellegrini, but it is a results business at the end of the day.

When he eventually leaves City, people will judge him on the trophies that he helped bring to the club – if all that remains are a few League and FA Cups and the odd Premier League title, is that enough to distinguish him from a good manager to a great one?

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Loads of Liverpool fans have been reacting to some contract news, as Jurgen Klopp has reportedly changed his mind about the future of Divock Origi.

Not too long ago, Origi and Daniel Sturridge both looked destined for Anfield exits this summer.

According to a report from Sports Illustrated, both strikers were on the chopping block – Sturridge will be out of contract while Origi’s current deal ends in 2020, meaning this summer is the club’s last chance to get reasonable compensation for his departure.

However, a new report from Football Insider claims Klopp has been “blown away” by Origi’s attitude and work ethic and will now offer the youngster an extended deal.

Indeed, Origi was out in the cold earlier this season, but has come off the bench to make a positive impact on several occasions recently, and who could forget his derby day winner at the expense of Jordan Pickford?

Has Alisson been Liverpool’s most important signing of the season? Check out the video below to find out why Jurgen Klopp thinks so…

It appears Klopp has done a complete U-turn and the club can now strengthen elsewhere with a back-up striker already secure, but plenty of fans are taking issue with this.

Anfield has long been in need of a “super-sub” type who can take pressure off Roberto Firmino, and sacrificing that to re-sign Origi has caused some controversy.

You can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below, where fans are split on Klopp’s change of heart…

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Tottenham Hotspur opened their glistening new stadium two weekends ago, as their Under-18s team took on Southampton and won 3-1.

On Saturday, another match was played, this time from the other end of the era spectrum as a legends team took on Inter Forever.

The likes of Dimitar Berbatov, Robbie Keane and Darren Anderton all took to the pitch, and all took the time to give their take on the ground, which was home to 45,000 fans against the Nerazzurri.

Take a look at their verdicts below!

Darren Anderton – Long-serving former midfielder

Anderton, who played for the club between 1992 and 2004, believes the club are now well-positioned to bring in some of the best players in the world, saying:

“The club wants to be one of the best clubs in the world and to do that you have to have one of the best stadiums in the world, that’s exactly what we need and you want the best players to want to come and play for you and who wouldn’t want to play out there every week?

“The wall was unbelievable. Even in the warm up it really was a different sort of sound and it reverberated around there, it was amazing. I can’t wait to hear Wednesday night, when it’s a full stadium.”

David Ginola – A free-scoring dribbler in his heyday

Ginola insists that Spurs are now well-placed to enter something of a golden era, adding:

“For the club it is a massive step forward because playing away from your home is not something that you want and it’s been for a long time now.

“First of all, they deserve to play at their home ground and now it’s over, the wait is over and Wednesday is going to be the start, hopefully, of something really, really interesting and I think it’ll be fantastic.

“The stadium is part of the whole project, there’s the training ground, the new stadium, everything is going forward, so I think the future of Tottenham Hotspur is really bright.”

Steffen Freund – cult hero and former coaching staff member

Freund enjoyed a five-year spell at the club before returning in 2012 as assistant head coach, and believes the club have sent a message to the entire footballing world, claiming:

“It’s a special place and you can see the difference to other new stadiums, like Arsenal, the Etihad, supporters are closer to the pitch and the south stand is a bit like the south stand at Borussia Dortmund. Everything, from the whole staff here at Tottenham was well organised.

“I came in 2012 as assistant coach, I saw the plans of what they could do and now the stadium is even bigger, that time it was 55,000, now 62,000, the second biggest in London. That’s a message to everyone in England, and to the world, that you can build a nice stadium with a nice atmosphere and still have over 60,000 supporters.”

Robbie Keane – The club’s 11th-highest goalscorer

Keane scored a genuinely brilliant goal during the legends game, having played for the club across two spells, and was especially impressed with the south stand, the largest of its kind in England. When asked about the atmosphere, he said:

“In terms of atmosphere, yeah. You can see it tonight, the atmosphere was fantastic.

“It’s certainly a historic moment for Tottenham Hotspur and it’s a credit to everyone at the club, certainly that big wall at the back there will put shivers down their spine.”

David Howells – A 13-year veteran

Howells, at the age of 51, completed the entire 90 minutes against Inter, having played as a midfielder for the club between 1985 and 1998, and believes Spurs have replicated the feel of the old White Hart Lane, claiming:

“The first thing I noticed was the noise. When we went out, the crowd, just when they were cheering the names as they were read out, it was ‘oh my god, that is noisy’. We all noticed it.

“It feels like home, it really does, I know it’s brand new and the standard of the whole building is absolutely phenomenal but it feels like home, it feels like you’ve come home, which is amazing. I suppose because the journey’s the same, we’re in the same area, but it does still have that feeling.”

Dimitar Berbatov – Former striker

Berbatov played for the club between 2006 and 2008 before earning a major move to Manchester United and was impressed with the facilities in north London, saying:

“It’s going to be a big step to getting Tottenham even bigger, in the world, as a club. They have everything now.

“I think this is one of the best stadiums I’ve been in, if not the best one. So now it’s down to them to show on the pitch how good they are.”

It’s about time Seamus Coleman was replaced at Everton. With that in mind, and while the club surely has the funds to splash the cash, the best option would be to give Mason Holgate a chance instead.

The 22-year-old, dubbed the ‘next John Stones’, went out on loan to West Brom in January and has made 10 appearances in the Championship, even scoring a goal and making three assists. He made 38 appearances for Everton before the loan spell but it was seemingly deemed he needed to grow more as a player.

That seems to have happened and now’s the right time to bring him back and ease him into this youthful squad Marco Silva is building. If he’s not brought back now, it’s hard to see how he’ll ever make it in this Everton team, because they’ll have to buy someone for Coleman’s position soon.

Everton will have to spend a lot of money to catch up with the big six in the Premier League as they hope to do, so saving money by promoting youth talent when it’s there will mean more cash is available for other positions. There’s no harm in giving the youngster a chance.

He could even act as Coleman’s understudy for a period, so the pressure isn’t all on him to perform as first choice. That way he can apply his skills acquired in the Championship to the Premier League as he’s bedded in slowly.

Holgate has done what Everton have asked him to do by proving his worth out on loan in the Championship, so next season it’s time to reward him with the opportunity to join this Everton squad that hopes to break into Europe.

Everton fans, what do you think your club should do with Holgate when he returns from his loan this summer? Join the discussion by commenting below.

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The Steel City derby ended goalless at Hillsborough on Monday night. Sheffield United were the more aggressive side, but Sheffield Wednesday defended valiantly throughout to keep the Blades at bay.

Failure to win meant that Chris Wilder’s side remained third in the table, behind Leeds United and Norwich City. The race for automatic promotion will almost certainly go down to the wire, but the Blades no longer hold any of the initiative.

Leeds themselves face Sheffield United on Saturday March 16th at Elland Road. That fixture could be a defining one for both clubs’ seasons. As things stand though, Leeds hold the advantage in the race for promotion due to the Blades’ failure to overcome their bitter local rivals.

Who has been the Championship’s best player this season? The Pl>ymaker FC squad discuss in the video below…

Leeds will be desperate to finally secure a return to the top flight this season so any poor results sustained by their fellow promotion contenders will considered a boost to their own cause.

After the Sheffield derby, plenty of Whites fans took to Twitter to celebrate the final result…