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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 Manchester Evening News, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer had a conversation with Tottenham midfielder Christian Eriksen before Manchester United ended their pursuit of the Denmark international earlier this summer.

What’s the word?

Reports in recent weeks had suggested United were contemplating a late move for the playmaker before the end of the transfer window deadline in the Premier League. However, it was then suggested that the Red Devils waved things off after understanding Eriksen’s preference for a move to Real Madrid.

Watch Manchester United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Now, The Manchester Evening News claim Solskjaer personally spoke with the Spurs star in order to see whether he would be interested in a move to Old Trafford.

The report claims that despite the 27-year-old’s “admiration” for United, Solskjaer “received confirmation” of Eriksen’s desire to move to La Liga.

The right move to back away

As a proven Premier League player, Eriksen would no doubt have significantly boosted United’s midfield options. But as soon as Solskjaer found out from his conversation that the Dane had his eye on a move elsewhere, the Red Devils were right to pull the plug on any potential deal.

Solskjaer’s side’s emphatic performance against Chelsea in the opening Premier League game of the season was packed full of players who were willing to run for the cause. Eriksen may well have seen a move to United as another stepping stone to eventually joining Madrid. The Red Devils are simply not one of those clubs. They should be considered the be-all and end-all. If that means missing out on more talented stars like the Dane, then so be it.

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

Speaking to the club’s official website, Manchester United duo Diogo Dalot and Lee Grant have hailed the influence Harry Maguire is already having at the club.

What did they say?

Maguire joined the Red Devils in the summer for a world-record fee for a defender, and enjoyed an impressive debut for the side by helping the team register a 4-0 win over rivals Chelsea.

Whilst recent results haven’t gone United’s way, both Dalot and Grant have showered praise on their new teammate for the role he has played since arriving.

Watch Manchester United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Grant said: “Harry has definitely slotted straight in, in terms of the social side and in terms of his mentality and attitude, which has been first class. The most important thing, though, is his quality and he was able to show that against Chelsea.”

Dalot added: “We have a few young lads here, including myself, so to have that kind of experience in the dressing room is good. And of course, his natural leadership will be very good for the club. I think he’s already shown everyone on the pitch that he’s ready for this club.”

Leadership

For a side that conceded 54 goals in the Premier League last season – the worst record in the top six – Maguire’s arrival was painfully needed. The 6 foot 4 star’s presence radiates a sense of calmness through his defence, and it naturally helps bring the best out of his fellow teammates.

Be sure to check out the incredible story of the man who rose from a Tanzanian refugee camp to become one of Australia’s biggest football stars in the video below…

The performance at home against Chelsea in the opening Premier League game of the season showed the kind of partnership he and Victor Lindelof could enjoy. But, disappointing displays from the side against both Wolves and Crystal Palace have slightly tempered expectations about the influence Maguire is having.

However, with it being so early on in the season, you simply have to give the 26-year-old time to adjust on the pitch and make connections. Off-the-pitch however, Maguire’s “natural leadership” could be the key in transforming United’s defensive fortunes over the long-term.

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The Champions League Group Stage draw takes place tomorrow [Thursday, 17:00 BST], and Liverpool fans are keen to enact revenge on a certain club.

Fans of the European champions are likely to feel confident taking on any opponent, so many are eager to see them play Real Madrid, the team which beat them 3-1 in the 2018 Champions League final.

The Reds have an interesting record against the Spanish giants. They have beaten them three times in their history, the last of which came in 2009, but have lost in each of the three games since – including a 3-0 defeat at Anfield in 2014.

However, buoyed by a winning run of 12 league games, Liverpool fans are feeling confident ahead of the draw, and are keen to get an opportunity to inflict more misery on Real Madrid – who failed to beat Real Valladolid last weekend.

Here are some of the responses from confident Liverpool fans on Twitter.

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West Ham United fans are concerned that they could be left short up front after Javier Hernandez’s sale to Sevilla.

The club confirmed on Twitter on Monday that they had reached an agreement with the Spanish club for the sale of the Mexico international.

Watch West Ham United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

It means that Manuel Pellegrini is left with summer signings Sebastian Haller and Albian Ajeti as his only out-and-out forwards.

With the season in full swing, and the British transfer window closed, the Hammers do not have an opportunity to buy a replacement.

Haller, of course, has enjoyed an excellent start to life at the London Stadium, scoring three goals in his last two games. Ajeti, though, has yet to make his Premier League debut for the club.

And supporters are somewhat worried about the lack of numbers up top following Chicharito’s surprising exit on Monday.

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

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It is the day video game fans around the world have been waiting for: the first release of the player ratings for FIFA 20.

Each year fans wait in anticipation to see what ratings their team’s players have been given and Arsenal supporters are no different.

They have two players in the initial 100 – Alexandre Lacazette joins Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang – and as you would expect, they have had plenty to say.

“They have the bigger mentality” – Spurs fans come to blows after the North London Derby in the video below…

In particular, they have been talking about the number given to the former. Lacazette has been awarded an 86, which is an upgrade of one point on his rating from FIFA 19.

However, it seems that that isn’t good enough for a lot of the Gunners supporters, who think he should have an even higher score.

They have taken to Twitter to share their thoughts, and you can see some of the best comments from the social media platform below.

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Lots of Celtic fans have taken to Twitter to continue discussing the brilliance of their former striker, Teemu Pukki.

The 76-cap Finland international has shone for Norwich since signing for the Canaries, scoring 29 Championship goals last season while also grabbing six in his first five outings as a Premier League player – Pukki also won the Premier League Player of the Month award for August.

The 29-year-old spent just one season at Celtic Park in 2013/14, scoring a measly seven goals before being shipped out to Brondby by Ronny Delia – his form since then suggests that the decision may have been a mistake.

One fan asked why Pukki couldn’t show this kind of form for the Bhoys, whilst another said he would have laughed if someone had predicted the Finnish forward’s career to pan out in the manner it has since leaving Celtic.

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

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

Jurgen Klopp has named his preferred successor for the Anfield hotseat when he departs, and fans will surely like his decision.

What did he say?

The German is certainly enjoying his time at Liverpool but recently he hasn’t held back when speaking about his future, speaking earlier this month about the option of a sabbatical when his contract on Merseyside comes to an end, in 2022.

In an exclusive interview with FourFourTwo he highlighted the support he has received since becoming manager of the Reds, citing Kenny Daglish and Steven Gerrard as key figures of support, stating that he has never worried that a figure of influence such as Dalglish acts as a non-executive director.

He said: “If Liverpool were to sack me tomorrow, then maybe Kenny would be the first choice to replace me, but they would probably bring Stevie [Gerrard] down from Glasgow.

“If you ask who should follow me, I’d say Stevie. I help him whenever I can.”

Gerrard is currently in the second year of his first senior managerial spell at Rangers, whom he has taken into the Europa League group stages on two occasions, but despite that Liverpool would be quite a step up for him.

Gamble

It is good to see the respect Klopp has for former players who are well-regarded by fans, and though his endorsement is a positive it would be risk if the club actually carried through his wish.

As mentioned, Gerrard has a little more than a year in management, overseeing a total of just 76 matches, and even then many of his games have come up against lesser opposition that Rangers are expected to beat, so he is still very much an unknown quantity when it comes to managing in England.

Watch Liverpool Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

His knowledge of the club and the respect he would garner from fans and the players would work in his favour, but with Klopp likely to leave Liverpool at the top of the English game and possibly one of the best teams in Europe, it would be expecting a lot of the rookie Gerrard to continue the German’s accomplishments.

Even if Klopp departs in 2022, it would be too early for the former Reds player unless he garnered more experience elsewhere, and though managing a big club like Rangers is helping him prepare for a club like Liverpool there is little pressure like managing at Anfield, particularly if the club is still awaiting its first Premier League title at that stage.

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Southampton will be looking to extend their unbeaten run to an impressive five matches this Friday evening, when they make the short trip to the Vitality Stadium where south coast rivals Bournemouth await.

The Saints were victorious against Sheffield United last time out, and have also managed to pick up a point against Manchester United, a Carabao Cup win over Fulham and three points against Brighton – Ralph Hasenhuttl has done well to banish memories of an embarrassing 3-0 defeat to Burnley on the opening day.

Eddie Howe’s side will presumably be in good spirits having recently dispatched Everton by a 3-1 scoreline, so here’s the XI Hasenhuttl should put out to give his side the best chance of success against the Cherries…

The former RB Leipzig boss has already confirmed that Moussa Djenepo – the match-winner against Sheffield United – will be missing after suffering a recurrence of his previously-troubling muscle injury.

However, when one door closes, another opens, and Hasenhuttl has said that he will make a late check on Nathan Redmond’s fitness before the game – the Southampton Twitter account certainly teased his involvement with this video.

Che Adams and Sofiane Boufal started against the Blades, so we think Redmond – if fit – must come in as Djenepo’s replacement with James Ward-Prowse dropping to the bench – the academy graduate is yet to score or assist this term.

At the back, the Austrian boss shouldn’t change anything other than to bring Ryan Bertrand – who has not been selected for a few weeks now with unnatural options taking his place – back into the fold, with Hasenhuttl himself commenting on the situation.

The England international has had to watch on as Djenepo – a natural forward – has taken to the left wing-back spot, as well as 20-year-old centre-back Kevin Danso – referenced in the article found above this paragraph.

However, with the rapid Josh King – who was awarded with WhoScored’s Man of the Match award last time out – down that right flank for Bournemouth, Hasenhuttl should go with the experienced 30-year-old at left wing-back as a measure of contending with the Norwegian.

Birmingham City eventually fell short of even a point on Saturday afternoon as Derby County edged them 3-2 in what was a very entertaining game between the pair at Pride Park in the Championship.

The Blues have been fairly decent so far under Pep Clotet this year in the second tier but have lost their last two games on the spin, leaving them four points off of the play-off places.

Even so, they will feel as though they have a team capable of being dark-horses for the top six this year, providing that they find a bit more consistency.

One man that has shown such an attribute in his performances so far this year, though, is Ivan Sunjic with the summer signing putting on a number of decent displays in the middle of the park.

And, indeed, his fine goal during the game on Saturday, as well as his overall performance, led plenty of Blues fans to discuss his showing on Twitter.

Let’s take a look, then, at some of the praise he received on the social media platform…

Liverpool fans are going absolutely wild on Twitter after Jurgen Klopp confirmed Alisson Becker has returned to full training.

The Reds have been without their Brazilian shot-stopper since the first game of the season, when he injured his calf while clearing a ball.

Klopp’s men have made some pretty impressive strides without their number one though, winning all seven of their Premier League games and grabbing the Super Cup trophy with a little help from Adrian.

The Spanish shot-stopper has certainly surpassed expectations as Alisson’s deputy, making a phenomenal save at Napoli and impressing in the win at Chelsea, but that isn’t stopping Reds fans from going berserk at the news their main man is back.

“With Alisson it’s still maybe, maybe not,” Klopp said in his pre-Leicester press conference.

“Yesterday he trained with the team (for the first time). But if you know goalie sessions, they are often pretty more intense than the proper football sessions. He looked really good.”

The gaffer is clearly not convinced about taking the risk against the Foxes with a two-week international break to rest up before a huge trip to Old Trafford, but try telling the fans that.

Take a look at some of their manic reactions down below…