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Sunderland fans have taken to Twitter to debate the appointment of new manager Phil Parkinson after the club officially announced his appointment on Thursday.

Parkinson was most recently in management with Bolton Wanderers but resigned earlier this year, despite getting the club back into the Championship in 2017. Before his Bolton tenure, the Englishman famously took Bradford City, then of League Two, all the way to the League Cup final, having beaten the likes of Arsenal along the way.

However, fans have understandably so got their doubts about the former Reading player as their new boss, as he currently has a record of just 262 wins from 718 games as a manager.

The 51-year-old will take charge of Sunderland’s Saturday fixture against Wycombe Wanderers for what will be his first game in management since August 17, when Tranmere Rovers thrashed his Bolton side 5-0.

Currently, the Black Cats sit ninth in League One after 11 games and a win over the Chairboys could take them back into the playoffs, should other results go their way.

Sunderland set to become “the richest club in England”? Get the latest on the Black Cats’ takeover situation in the video below…

Should he achieve success at Sunderland, he is going to need to change things up to get the likes of Will Grigg firing again – the former Wigan Athletic man has not scored in 11 appearances in League One this campaign.

Before his appointment, it seemed that some fans were unhappy with Parkinson mentioned as a candidate. However, given his track record and ambitions to get out of League One, his appointment might be a good idea right now. Here’s what the supporters have had to say…

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…

Nice to talk about someone different for a change.

Whilst most of the discussion around Leeds United following their draw with Preston North End continues to be the ongoing battle between Eddie Nketiah and Patrick Bamford over who should lead the line, one player has caught the eye of former Premier League forward Clinton Morrison.

Kalvin Phillips is an incredibly popular figure, but now it seems as if he’s starting to get recognition from those outside the club.

What’s been said?

Speaking on Gillette Soccer Special (22/10 from 9pm), Morrison said that Leeds will struggle to keep hold of the local lad if this season doesn’t end in promotion:

This came in the midst of Leeds’ late 1-1 draw against Preston on Tuesday evening.

“He is a player and a half. He’s dominated this game. He is a top, top player. If Leeds don’t get promoted this season then that young player will be gone. He has dominated the midfield. He cleans up things and he always looks to pass forward.”

Watch Leeds United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Are plans already in place?

Reports were rife during the summer that he could leave, with clubs like Spurs, Aston Villa and Newcastle United all interested at some stage, and Leeds were even forced to turn down a £27m offer from one of them in order to keep a promise to Bielsa that he wasn’t to be sold.

Leeds probably know they can’t hold out forever, and they’ve taken precautions to compensate for his potential departure.

It’s a well-known ploy by football clubs to give players longer contracts to increase their value, and with Phillips signing a five-year deal back in September, they may have done this to act as a bit of a ‘safety net’ in case they didn’t go up this season.

And if he was worth more than £27m to them this summer, they should be able to command a much higher fee in the summer of 2020 and use that to rebuild the squad.

But the possible windfall they get from an exit would be mere peanuts compared to the money they’d receive from being in the Premier League.

So whilst it is a safety net, it will be something that they probably don’t want to end up using.

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…

A major setback, but not a disaster.

Marcelo Bielsa revealed in his press conference ahead of Preston North End a few days ago that Pablo Hernandez is set to be out a little while longer having sustained a new injury.

After spending the past few weeks recovering from a calf problem, it appears as though he has now injured his hamstring.

Given the start to the season that he had with two goals and two assists in the first eight league games, this injury wasn’t exactly ideal for Leeds. As a result, the Whites have been given a little taste of what life is going to be like without him, and given that his contract expires at the end of the season, that time could come sooner rather than later.

Watch Leeds United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

We have spoken before on FFC about the players that could potentially replace Hernandez on the wing for Leeds, but so far the likes of Jack Harrison and Helder Costa are yet to play up to scratch, amassing just one goal between them in the league heading into the clash against Preston.

The fact that Hernandez is proving so crucial to the team at the age of 34 quite frankly should be a sign of desperation for Leeds that the team are struggling so hard to replace him.

This period of time shouldn’t just be about getting points for this league season, it should also be about getting the side prepared for what they are likely to look like next term and beyond.

Why being the away goalkeeper at Leeds is the toughest job in football in the video below…

If the current inconsistent form Leeds are having is anything to go by, there really needs to be a kick up the backside for the wide men that are in contention to be the long-term replacement for the Spaniard.

Leeds have been granted a perfect opportunity to take a glimpse into their future, but at the moment their future doesn’t look all that promising.

At the rate the likes of Helder Costa and Jack Harrison are going, they may find themselves on the outside looking in when Bielsa is drawing up his plans for next season – especially as the pair of them can both sign permanently next summer

But if they still find themselves being kept out of the team by a will be 35-year-old, if they do decide to renew his contract, that should really get alarm bells ringing.

Darren Bent believes Marcus Rashford has ‘ability in abundance’ but will always be open to criticism because he plays for one of the biggest clubs in the world – Manchester United.The 21-year-old has recorded the same number of goals and assists in the Premier League as Liverpool stars Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane, as well as Manchester City forward Raheem Sterling.Yet it seems Rashford’s fate is intrinsically linked to that of United’s, and as they fumbled and stumbled toward the bottom of the table without so much as a goal per game, questions over his ability flew in – including from former coach Jose Mourinho, and Roy Keane and Graeme Souness.Watch Manchester United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Despite having a penalty saved by Louis van Gaal’s World Cup hero Tim Krul on Sunday, Rashford celebrated his 50th goal for United after dispatching the club’s second of the afternoon, a well- placed finish through the legs of Krul after a sublime touch. Payback.

Following Rashford’s Carrow Road heroics, Bent had his say on the forward…

Leicester City moved into third position in the Premier League table with a 2-0 win away to Crystal Palace on Sunday afternoon.And there is no question that it has been a fine start to the season for the Foxes, who have won seven, drawn two and lost two of their 11 league fixtures this term.Ayoze Perez was not on the scoresheet against Palace at the weekend, but it seems that the Leicester fans were still very pleased with his performance.According to WhoScored, Perez completed three dribbles and made three tackles before being replaced by Demarai Gray in the 74th minute of the contest.The 26-year-old was quietly effective even if he did not hit the heights of the previous week, where he scored a hat-trick in the 9-0 win at Southampton.A number of Leicester fans have taken to social media to comment on the Spaniard’s latest outing, and a selection of the reaction is available to view below:

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…

Former England international Paul Robinson has praised Everton’s recent hero Cenk Tosun, claiming the striker “brings something different” to the team.

What did he say?

Tosun snatched a point for Everton in the 97th minute against Tottenham Hotspur. This memorable goal was his first since he scored against Spurs back in May, and it is just his 10th at the club.

His equaliser showed grit and determination right until the final whistle, and Robinson believes the Turkey international has been unlucky not to start more often.

The former Spurs man told Football Insider: “He certainly delivered when he came on.

“Silva has chopped and changed his strike force and Tosun seems to be the one who hasn’t been given as much of a chance or as much game time as everybody else.

“But when he came on, he was a threat, he took his chance, it was a very very good typical Tosun goal.

“He works hard, he’s not the conventional No.9, but I think he took his chance, out of the four or five the manager has been rotating…he’s probably the unfortunate one, who hasn’t got the game time.

“He brings something different, he brings a threat at set-plays and as we saw with his goal, he is very good in the air.”

Time for a permanent role?

Tosun has proven down the years that his goalscoring abilities are of a high standard. Prior to his £27m move to Everton, the 28-year-old bagged 20 league goals for Besiktas in Turkey. In that 2016-17 season, his efforts helped defend Besiktas’ Super Lig title as he bagged 20 of the club’s 73 league goals.

Now, at Everton, Marco Silva must help him rediscover that form he showed back in his homeland, with other players not quite cutting it.

In truth, despite scoring five goals so far, Dominic Calvert-Lewin has not pulled his weight over the years. The Englishman has gone long periods without scoring and has only registered 22 goals in 105 appearances at Everton.

Silva must start to stick with an attacker now so they can start to build confidence and form – Tosun is that man.

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…

Tottenham Hotspur striker Troy Parrott will make his Republic of Ireland debut against New Zealand on Thursday, manager Mick McCarthy has confirmed, per BBC Sport.

What’s he said?

The young Spurs ace is just 17 but he has already made his first-team debut for the club, playing 66 minutes in the penalty shootout defeat to Colchester United in the Carabao Cup. He was also named on the bench for the 1-1 draw with Everton at Goodison Park.

Parrott has been in electric form for Tottenham’s youth teams, scoring 15 goals in 13 games for the U18s and four in 13 for the U23s.

An Ireland youth international who has three goals at U21 level already under his belt, Parrott is set to make his senior bow in Thursday’s friendly.

McCarthy said: “He’s a bright, very intelligent footballer that’s very good with the ball at his feet.

“He did some really good things yesterday [Tuesday].

“I think he found it tough enough, it was a pretty hard session, but he enjoyed it. He is very capable, there’s no doubt about that.”

Too much, too soon

There is a very real risk this could backfire.

Parrott is clearly a very talented young man and he is also an excellent youth team striker.

But to be handing an international debut to a player who has played 66 minutes of senior football seems extreme at this stage.

Perhaps Ireland merely have a dearth of quality strikers but one feels they should tread carefully around Parrott.

We have all seen players hyped to the moon before their international debuts – the likes of Aaron Lennon and Micah Richards immediately spring to mind for England, having won their first caps as teenagers – only to then fizzle out.

There is no guarantee of regular football at Spurs, either, with Harry Kane around.

This is clearly a gesture of goodwill and a show of faith in Parrott’s abilities but it also feels uncomfortable, what with him likely to return to youth football when he gets back to north London.

He is not even an established name at the club yet; McCarthy should think again before selecting Parrott, and heaping pressure on such young shoulders.

After arriving from Portuguese side Benfica in the summer of 2017 for a fee in the region of £31m, Victor Lindelof has quietly established himself as a mainstay of the Manchester United first-team.

The 25-year-old has already played 82 times for the club, and this season, he has been Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s partner of choice for big-money signing Harry Maguire at centre-back. He has completed the full 90 minutes in every single Premier League campaign this season, barring the clash against Newcastle when he wasn’t involved in the squad.

And, with Zlatan Ibrahimovic in the twilight stages of his career, Lindelof has become one of Sweden’s high-profile stars. He won the Swedish Golden Ball last year, and now, as confirmed by United’s official club website, he has retained his trophy.

After hearing that the Sweden international had picked up the honour, fans of the Manchester side took to Twitter to voice their thoughts about their centre-back.

Many Red Devils supporters revealed their shock at seeing the 25-year-old win, and insisted he simply hasn’t been performing to the standards required.

Check out some of the reaction of United fans below:

Crystal Palace fans have taken to Twitter to react after it was reported that Celtic forward Odsonne Edouard is on the Eagles’ radar as they hunt for a striker in January, while Roy Hodgson is also interested in Rangers star Alfredo Morelos.

The south Londoners have previously been linked with Colombia international Morelos – Sporting Director Dougie Freedman was believed to have scouted the 22-goal forward in Rangers’ 1-1 draw with Hearts.

Edouard, however, is a new link and serves to suggest that Palace are keeping a close eye on Scottish football as they attempt to ease their goalscoring woes.

Edouard has enjoyed an impressive campaign both in terms of scoring and creating goals – the 21-year-old Frenchman has netted 12 times and has also registered 12 assists.

Hodgson’s side have scored the second-least amount of goals in the Premier League this season with just ten goals in 12 games – only Watford have scored fewer with eight.

Let’s take a look at how the Palace fan on Twitter reacted to the report…

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…

Darren Bent has recommended that Aston Villa should make a move for Fulham striker Aleksandar Mitrovic, as reported by Football Insider.

What did he say?

Ahead of Monday night’s match against Newcastle United, Aston Villa sit just one point above the relegation zone.

Having been the Premier League’s most active club during the summer transfer window, signing 12 players, there is a chance that they will look to the winter window in order to give their squad another boost.

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Bent has suggested that they should look to Mitrovic to help their push to stay in the top tier: “For me, the perfect signing would be Mitrovic. I think he’s too good in the Championship and I think Villa need a centre-forward who can potentially score goals, obviously, Wesley has done okay but he hasn’t really set the world alight as of yet.

“But we know what Mitrovic can do if you give him the service,  he can score goals so for me if I was Villa, I’d try and go out and get him as he’ll be the ideal fit.”

A certain goal threat

Mitrovic, who is rated at £22.5m on Transfermarkt, has been in brilliant goalscoring form for Fulham this season, getting on the scoresheet 12 times in 16 league appearances.

He has also been prolific for Serbia in recent times, getting a combined 16 goals in 13 starts and one substitute appearance across the UEFA Nations League and Euro 2020 qualifiers.

Since joining Villa in the summer, Wesley has scored four goals and got one assist in the Premier League, with two of those goals and the assist coming against Norwich City.

Considering Mitrovic managed to score 11 Premier League goals for a Fulham side that struggled last season, he could definitely be a useful signing for Villa if they do go in for him.