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Many Manchester United fans heavily scrutinised forward Anthony Martial after his side’s 0-0 draw against Arsenal on Saturday evening.

The 25-year-old emerged as a second-half substitute in what was a quiet afternoon for both teams on the attacking front, as both defensive lines came out on top during a chilly affair in North London.

Despite being one of the club’s top earners on £250k-per-week (Spotrac), Martial was not deemed worthy enough to start this game and failed to make an impact on the tie as a whole, proving his manager right.

Sofascore recorded that the France international failed to win any duels, did not get any shots on target and made no successful dribbles.

With this in mind, supporters were incensed by another showing where Martial didn’t turn up, with some saying that he should be performing better, considering his weekly salary.

Martial slated by MUFC fans

“Anthony Martial is stealing a living. #MUFC”

Credit: @Rob_loder

“Martial doesn’t have a clue what he’s doing”

Credit: @peterEmcewan

“Martial body language is absolutely shocking. Notice it every game huffing and puffing”

Credit: @AJLawlesss

“Rashford really suffers being on the right. And- frankly- Martial isn’t worth accommodating for that.”

Credit: @andyyax

“I’d rather Telles play LW than Martial, he offers nothing.”

Credit: @Opryce92

“Rashford & Bruno look absolutely knackered. Martial is off the mark, Cavani getting no service at all.”

Credit: @TheOpinion_MUFC

In other news, Manchester United fans singled out one player after the Red Devils’ 2-1 defeat to Sheffield United.

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, former Premier League striker Dean Windass has reacted to West Brom closing in on their first signing of the January transfer window.

According to the Telegraph’s John Percy, the Baggies are poised to land veteran winger Robert Snodgrass for a minimal fee as he’s in the final six months of his current contract at West Ham.

It’s claimed that the 33-year-old, who was on loan to Albion’s rivals Aston Villa during the 2017/18 season, will have a medical in the next 48 hours before sealing a permanent move to The Hawthorns.

Sam Allardyce is also targeting a move for Leicester City midfielder Hamza Choudhury, whilst outcast duo Charlie Austin and Kamil Grosicki have been told they can leave the club this window.

Bournemouth forward Joshua King is another name linked with a switch to West Brom this month.

Speaking to FFC, Windass lauded Big Sam’s move for the Scotsman…

He said:

“Snodgrass, people like that on the bench at West Ham, you can see those sorts of players under Big Sam. That sort of type.

“[He will bring] just a little bit of quality. I think he’s coming towards the end of his career, but I know Snoddy really well. In a sense, he’s got that quality, but I know him as a lad as well.

“He will want to play. He won’t want to sit on the bench for West Ham.”

Snodgrass has played just two minutes in the Premier League this season as he has fallen heavily out-of-favour under David Moyes.

He would arrive in the Midlands with something that Allardyce’s squad lacks in abundance – top-flight experience.

For the likes of Norwich, Hull City and of course, the Hammers, Snodgrass has racked up 163 appearances in the Premier League, where he has contributed 26 goals and 25 assists, per Transfermarkt.

It remains to be seen what the exact figure the Baggies will have to pay, but it is thought that the midfielder is on around £40k-per-week in east London so a similar wage would put him among Albion’s highest earners.

AND in other news, West Brom could find their next Odemwingie in £9.9m-rated “complete package”…

Tottenham Hotspur clearly haven’t learned their lesson.

Once again, they sat back in the second half and invited pressure to the point of the opposition scoring.

It wasn’t too long ago that Spurs sat top of the table with both Heung-min Son and Harry Kane scoring goals for fun, now they have slipped to sixth place having also dropped points to Crystal Palace and Wolverhampton Wanderers in the very same manner.

Indeed, Fulham had more shots (eight) than the home side (five) in the second half and also dominated possession, notching a total of 55% – a total contrast to the opening period as Jose Mourinho’s side were in complete control with 58% possession, via SofaScore.

After Harry Kane opened the scoring by ending a fine move which saw Sergio Reguilon whip a delightful ball in for him to nod home, Spurs were pegged back in the 74th minute when Eric Dier was caught napping from a cross himself. The diminutive 5 foot 9 Ivan Cavaleiro beat him to a header.

Though, the Englishman’s game overall, aside from that one momentary lapse in concentration, was actually pretty decent – he managed three clearances, two tackles and enjoyed more touches than any other Spurs player (94), per SofaScore.

This shows that he had a major influence in starting Spurs’ counter-attacks as not even the playmaking Tanguy Ndombele could get near such numbers (69) having only played nine fewer minutes.

He also proved to be a strong presence at the back, thwarting Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who endured the match’s second-lowest rating of 6.2 after completing just one of five dribbles as well as losing the ball 15 times, per SofaScore.

Other culprits let Mourinho down far worse at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last night, perhaps surprisingly, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg was one huge disappointment.

The great Dane, often a powerhouse in the middle of the pitch, averaging 2.8 tackles, 2.2 fouls and 1.2 interceptions per game on the season via WhoScored, was instead wasteful and lightweight against the Cottagers.

Only one other Spurs player graded worse than his 6.3 rating as he won only 35% of his 14 duels, he won 12 out of 17 in the 3-0 victory against Leeds United last time out as a comparison, and committed four fouls, which is nearly double his usual mean as above. He was even dribbled past four times, which was more than anyone else on the pitch, per SofaScore.

The £27m-rated summer arrival was completely dominated by his opposite numbers Harrison Reed, who made six tackles, and Andre Zambo Anguissa, who successfully pulled off six dribbles, thus the pair ran rings around Hojbjerg all night.

To top things off, the 25-year-old picked up his fourth booking of the season having committed four fouls, meaning he’ll be on thin ice in the coming games now.

“He’s a captain without needing to wear the armband,” Mourinho said in October (via The Athletic) – well if that’s the case, then the ‘Special One’ has every right to feel aggrieved and let down by Hojbjerg’s outing on Wednesday night.

Someone with that acclaim, on over £100k-per-week too, should be doing so, so much better.

AND in other news, Spurs can find next Jan Vertonghen in “phenomenal talent” lauded by Messi…

Manchester City are back in action in the Premier League on Monday night, as they face a tricky trip to Goodison Park to face Everton.

The Citizens picked up a comfortable 2-0 win against Newcastle United last time out but they could and should have scored more, whilst Everton picked up another three points against strugglers Sheffield United.

Considering City’s last game was just two days ago, it seems likely that Pep Guardiola will make use of the squad depth available to him, although, considering the gravity of this game against the Toffees, who currently sit second in the Premier League, you also expect that the Spanish manager will go full strength.

Here’s how Football FanCast expects Guardiola to line his side up against Everton, with two changes from the starting team that beat Newcastle…

Unsurprisingly, Ederson keeps his place in goal, whilst City’s defence also remains the same after picking up another clean sheet in the win against the Toon on Boxing Day.

Rodri was substituted shortly before the hour-mark against Newcastle, perhaps to give him some rest ahead of the game against Carlo Ancelotti’s side, so he should keep his place alongside Ilkay Gundogan in midfield.

There’s one change on the wing, as Riyad Mahrez replaces Bernardo Silva. The Portuguese winger, who reportedly earns £150,000-a-week, is still yet to find the back of the net so far this season, and City will need to be more clinical than they have been in recent matches if they want to pick up three points at Goodison Park.

Raheem Sterling and Kevin De Bruyne keep their place, whilst Sergio Aguero replaces Ferran Torres up front, as despite the Spaniard’s goal against Newcastle, City may be better served by going with the legendary Argentinian for this important fixture, where three points could put City within touching distance of leaders Liverpool.

And, in other news… £80k-p/w gem with “incredible quality” has become Pep’s most important player at MCFC

Manchester City return to Premier League action with a game against Manchester United at Old Trafford on Saturday, and Pep Guardiola can give the Citizens a much better chance if he restores Rodri to his starting line up.

The Spanish midfielder was left out of the squad that comfortably beat Marseille 3-0 on Wednesday, but it seems as if that was a minor fitness issue, so it would be a surprise to not see him make the squad that travels to Old Trafford.

So far this season, the 24-year-old has made 10 appearances in the Premier League, averaging a very solid 6.91 rating, suggesting that he has been a big part of City’s impressive defensive record in recent weeks.

Guardiola’s side have kept eight clean sheets in their last ten fixtures in all competitions and will be hoping for a similarly impressive defensive display when they travel to Old Trafford, especially with United having gotten the better of City in recent seasons under Solskjaer.

If City unleash Rodri in a defensive midfield role against United, then perhaps he could be the man to stop Bruno Fernandes, with the Portuguese midfielder undoubtedly the danger man ahead of the derby, when you consider his incredible start to the season.

In 10 appearances in the Premier League, the former Sporting Lisbon man has contributed an impressive seven goals and four assists, resulting in an average rating of 7.65.

This is enough to see him ranked as the fifth-best player in the top-flight so far this season, suggesting that if City can keep him quiet on Saturday, they give themselves a great chance of winning the game.

However, Rodri, who is valued at £57.6 million by Transfermarkt, has shown on occasions this season that he can bully opposition attackers out of the game using his height and strength, so if he sticks to the Portuguese attacker during the game, perhaps he can prevent him from having much influence.

Back in 2019, Guardiola was full of praise for the Spanish international, saying:

“Rodri was incredible today. We knew it but today I can assure you we have an incredible holding midfielder for the next decade or at least the years he will be here with a contract.”

Therefore, it seems clear that he is highly rated by the City manager, and if he is fit, he should definitely start at Old Trafford on Saturday.

And, in other news… Pep’s latest decision could spell trouble for 23 y/o tipped for a “long career” at City

Big things were expected of Dominic Solanke when he joined Liverpool from Chelsea’s academy side in 2017, with the striker regarded as one of the hottest young talents in English football at the time.

However, fast forward three years and the 23-year-old looks to have perhaps found his level in the Championship with Bournemouth, having started the 2020/21 season in impressive form, with two goals and three assists in 11 appearances in the second division, resulting in a strong average rating of 7.11 (per WhoScored).

Liverpool seemed to sell the youngster at precisely the right time, as despite a disappointing spell with the Reds, Michael Edwards was able to convince the Cherries that he was worth £19 million in January 2019 (per BBC).

During his time with the Anfield outfit, Solanke would make 27 first-team appearances, culminating in just one goal and one assist (per Transfermarkt).

Since joining the Cherries, the 23-year-old striker has made 58 appearances, with an uninspiring return of just six goals and five assists, although his decent form so far this season shows he may be on the right track towards realising the potential he obviously had during his time with Chelsea and Liverpool.

Brendan Rodgers was full of praise for the youngster back in 2017 when Celtic were linked with the frontman, saying:

“I took Dominic into Chelsea when he was eight years of age. I am delighted for him and the career he has had up until now as a young player, he is a fantastic talent.” (per Sky Sports)

Solanke’s time with Liverpool was obviously less than successful and Edwards should get a lot of praise for being able to make such a profit on him when he sold him to Bournemouth.

However, we’re sure that the majority of Liverpool fans will be hoping to see the striker really kick on with Bournemouth this season and hopefully he will be able to showcase his talent more effectively in the Premier League in the future.

Glasgow Rangers dodged a bullet by not signing FC Nordsjaelland forward Isaac Atanga, after it emerged that Ross Wilson had expressed an interest in signing the former uncapped Ghana U20 international in the summer.

What was the story?

According to Ghanaian outlet Kickgh.com, Steven Gerrard’s side were interested in signing the right winger, who can also be deployed as a forward or on the left wing.

It’s claimed that the Gers had even held talks with the Tigers, although Atanga had also attracted attention from several top European clubs including Alaves, Anderlecht, Club Brugge and Feyenoord, meaning they would have had to battle it out to land the 20-year-old’s services.

Nordsjaelland had reportedly slapped a €9m (£8m) asking price on his head, which would have been a rather expensive pill for Rangers to swallow, as you are about to find out.

Worse than Brandon Barker!

The Ibrox outfit were ready to raid the Danish top flight for Atanga after he struck seven goals and supplied five assists in 35 games in all competitions last season.

Belgian side Brugge were also monitoring the one-time Gers target at one stage, but it appears they cooled their interest whilst Nordsjaelland rebuffed interest from elsewhere as they held firm on their initial asking price and a move failed to materialise in the summer.

However, Gerrard appears to have dodged a bullet, given Atanga’s struggles in the 2020/21 season so far. It’s fair to say that the goals have started to dry up for the young Ghanaian, as he has failed to find the back of the net in the Superligaen since the 1-1 draw with Odense BK back in September.

Meanwhile, Brandon Barker, who’s playing time has been limited in the Scottish Premiership (30% minutes) this season so far, and has mostly appeared as a substitute for that matter, has scored one goal in seven games in the top flight, via Transfermarkt.

By comparison, Atanga, who has featured regularly for the Tigers (72% minutes), has also only scored once in seven league appearances, although this shows that he has a far worse minutes-to-goals ratio than the 24-year-old at the time of writing.

Once praised for his “great start” by Flemming Pedersen last term, the attacking midfielder has struggled for consistency this season, as he started the first three fixtures in a row, before he was benched for the 4-1 win over FC Midtjylland, making a brief cameo as a substitute, which will give the Gers plenty of reasons why they must avoid him at all costs. After all, the last thing they need is another misfiring forward.

When you consider the fact that the £1.8m-rated ace is still largely unproven at the top levels of the game, you do have to wonder why Wilson was ever even interested in him in the first place.

AND in other news, Ross Wilson must reward Glasgow Rangers ace Glen Kamara with new contract…

Aston Villa captain Jack Grealish has opened up on what it’s like being the skipper of his boyhood club and his thoughts on signing a new five-year deal at Villa Park.

The 25-year-old was instrumental at the weekend as Dean Smith’s side thumped Premier League champions Liverpool 7-2, scoring twice and providing three assists during the 90 minutes in a sensational result at Villa Park.

Sunday’s game capped off what has been a wonderful few months for Grealish, having recently signed a new contract with Villa and being selected to play for England once again after making his Three Lions debut last month.

The club have also made moves in the transfer market, bringing in Chelsea’s Ross Barkley on loan until the end of the season to add strength in depth to the midfield.

Despite this, Grealish told Standard Sport that he doesn’t think about pressure at Villa negatively. “I think it’s a good thing to have and there is only one reason why you would have a lot of pressure on yourself,” he said.

“I always put a lot of pressure on myself to perform. Me being the captain, the local lad at Villa, there is a fair bit on me. This is all I’ve wanted to do my whole life.”

Grealish went on to talk about what he felt was best for him at this stage of his career, saying: “Staying at Villa was the best thing for me. I’ve had a lot of pressure. It is something that I thrive off and I enjoy.”

These comments could really please Villa fans. Grealish is not just another player in the first team that will come and go in a few years – he evidently adores this football club.

Being called up to play for the national team is the least that the Villa skipper deserves. The fact that he chose to stay in the Midlands, having been heavily linked with a move to Manchester United, is enough to delight the Villa Park faithful. This is the icing on the cake.

Villa head into the international break in an extraordinarily healthy position – unbeaten in the Premier League with a 100% record, beating last season’s champions and with their captain signing a new deal.

It’s a good time to be a Villa fan. With a long journey ahead of them this season, it will be interesting to see whether they can keep this up until May.

Villa fans, what are your thoughts on what Jack Grealish said? Join the conversation by commenting below…

They may have continued their unbeaten streak, but Rangers will surely feel their 2-2 draw against Hibernian on Sunday was two dropped points.

The Gers enjoyed 70% of the possession at Easter Road, and took 12 more total shots than the home side (19-7). And yet, even despite the dominance, they couldn’t convert their opportunities in front of goal, and a couple of defensive lapses at the other end cost them big time.

Are you a massive Rangers fan? Know everything about the club? Well do you know your Gary Stevens from your Michael Ball? This quiz will separate the loyal from the fake…

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And whilst Ianis Hagi played a key part in Scott Arfield’s lovely team goal, the Romanian struggled to impose him on the game, and ended up losing six of his nine total duels.

After seeing his performance, Rangers fans took to Twitter to share their reactions about the attacker.

A couple of Rangers fans insisted Hagi was miles off the pace, and urged Gerrard during the game to take him off.

The 21-year-old has scored just the once in nine games for Rangers this season, and there’s no doubt Steven Gerrard’s side need a lot more from the talented Romanian.

Getting him to be consistent even during a game could be key to whether the Gers can finally lift the league title, and if he can add goals to his locker like his manager did, then the Ibrox side will fancy their chances of ending their long wait.

The impossible is slowly but surely turning into likely or even expected – Lionel Messi is set to leave Barcelona after almost 20 years of service and playing under the same banner his whole career. And Manchester City are waiting to take him to the Premier League.

The Argentine has now missed the initial pre-training tests at the camp and is likely to also miss Ronald Koeman’s first training session today as well. All of this certainly points towards an almost definite separation.

But Man City should also be really optimistic because according to Terry Gibson, Barcelona themselves would love nothing more than to actually sell the Argentine in the ongoing summer transfer window.

Here’s what he said for Sky Sports’ Transfer Talk podcast: “It’s a sign now that there is going to be a war between Barcelona and Messi. If you’re asking me what is going to happen eventually, I think Manchester City are the favourites now. But part of me thinks (Josep) Bartomeu and Ronald Koeman want to see Messi out of the door now.

“They want to eradicate his wage bill, Luis Suarez’s wage bill, the team needs rebuilding. If Barcelona can get the transfer fee from Manchester City, get Messi off the wage bill and try to pin the blame on Messi, that’s the outcome which suits Bartomeu, Ronald Koeman, and the outcome that will suit Manchester City.”

The Catalans have been struggling with their wage bill and do have enormous financial issues. Selling Messi, however weird that may sound, could potentially throw them a lifeline.

Of course, Pep Guardiola is just waiting for that to happen and then he’ll pull the trigger.

Verdict

There have been various different discussions of whether Messi would fit in at Man City. He’s 33 now and doesn’t exactly run too much and the Citizens are all about intensity, speed and aggression.

But are we really discussing whether adding the world’s best player to a team would indeed make that team better? It does seem like a no-brainer.