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Manchester United will be desperate to put a dent in Liverpool’s Premier League title challenge when the two teams meet at Old Trafford on Sunday afternoon.

And United will need a big performance from left-back Luke Shaw if they are to overcome a team that has only lost once in the league during the 2018-19 campaign.

The Chalkboard

Shaw has been around for so long that it is easy to forget he is still so young.

Indeed, the full-back will not turn 24 until July, but saw the early stages of his United career harmed by a number of injuries.

Shaw is comfortably enjoying his most productive campaign for the Red Devils, already making 28 appearances in all competitions, which is nine more than he managed in the entirety of last season.

The defender scored his first ever Premier League goal earlier this season, but has contributed just one assist in all competitions, whilst it would be fair to say that he still needs to offer more in an attacking sense.

The eight-time England international is certain to start at left-back against Liverpool and will need to put in a strong performance if United are to triumph.

What is required from Shaw on Sunday?

Well, the number one priority is to be solid defensively, but there is no getting away from the fact that is an area of weakness for the Red Devils.

Shaw will be directly up against Mohamed Salah, who has 20 goals to his name in all competitions this season.

Quite how the defender deals with the Egyptian could have a huge say on the outcome, but Shaw also needs to contribute down the other end.

Roberto Firmino has thrown a party themed around the colour of his teeth! Watch the video below to find out what we’re talking about…

The full-back has not been afraid to break forward this season, but too often his crossing has been wayward.

Anthony Martial could well return from injury to start and the fact that the Frenchman loves to come inside will leave so much space for Shaw when United are on the attack.

And the former Southampton youngster must put in a strong performance at both ends of the field if his team are to collect a huge three points.

After sealing a loan exit from Leeds United in the January transfer window, it’s fair to say that Cody Drameh didn’t leave himself in former manager Marcelo Bielsa’s good books.

Following the move, the Argentine said: “I did not think he needed to play games elsewhere. He was a player who was very necessary with all of the absences we have. Clearly, I calculated things wrongly because what I consider as a great opportunity, those who are benefiting from that position, they prefer to abandon the club looking for another type of competition.

“Evidently, what I imagined as a great chance, they don’t. Perhaps I overvalue that you’re in a 20-man squad in the best league in the world. Of course with a player leaving it’s one alternative less. But when a player wants to leave, there’s no point trying to keep them.”

Since then, however, Drameh has been fully vindicated in his own personal decision to seek first-team football elsewhere, becoming a regular in Cardiff’s starting line-up. He has featured in 16 successive games, completing the full 90 minutes in all but the first one, when he was taken off with just over ten minutes to go.

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After seeing his side pull off an impressive 4-0 victory over Peterborough United, manager Sean Morrison waxed lyrical about the Leeds loanee.

The Bluebirds boss said: “Barnsley was a horrible game. He’d never experienced anything like that and he came in with a couple of last-ditch tackles right at the death of the game, which was phenomenal. Tonight? Pff. It’s a good thing they can’t call him back after that because he was outstanding.”

It’s perhaps no surprise that Drameh has even been nominated for Cardiff’s Player of the Year award despite his mid-season arrival. Given his superb form for the Bluebirds, the youngster should surely now fancy his chances of becoming a more valued squad member at Elland Road when he returns from his loan spell this summer.

Indeed, The Athletic’s Phil Hay has even suggested that the 20-year-old could well be the long-term heir to Luke Ayling.

He said: “The point about Drameh was that he could be a natural successor to Ayling, who still has time left but is clearly not in his first flush of youth. Drameh is well thought of and I do feel like he’s got a serious chance here if he’s patient.”

Meanwhile, LUTV commentator Tom Hill described the 20-year-old as a “box of tricks” after an impressive performance against Sunderland at under-23 level, and that bodes well for his future as a more adventurous full-back.

With 217 games under his belt for the club, Ayling has been a long and loyal servant for Leeds over the years, but it might well be time for Drameh’s introduction into the first-team fold on a more regular basis next season under Marsch.

AND in other news – Signed for £5m, now worth 700% more: Orta struck dream Leeds deal with “quality” 22y/o

Rangers travel away from Ibrox today as they return to Premiership action after losing in the Europa League on Thursday night.

Gio van Bronckhorst’s men lost 1-0 to Braga in the European clash and now come up against St Mirren in the Scottish top-flight as they look to bounce back from the defeat in Portugal.

The Gers have lost three of their last four matches in all competitions, including their Old Firm clash last week, and the Dutch head coach may need to make some changes to the team to get back to winning ways.

How many alterations will he make to the side? Here is our predicted XI…

We are predicting that Borna Barisic, Joe Aribo and Aaron Ramsey will all return in place of Leon Balogun, Scott Arfield and Glen Kamara from Thursday night.

Starting off with the defence, Van Bronckhorst may look to move Calvin Bassey to centre-back and bring Barisic in at left-back. He made this change in the second half against Braga and it would freshen up the backline amid a busy schedule of matches, leaving Balogun fresh for the second leg next Thursday.

In the number 10 role, we are predicting that Kamara will be axed for Ramsey. The Finland international was deployed ahead of Ryan Jack and John Lundstram on Thursday night but was unable to display any attacking quality.

As per SofaScore, the £21k-per-week dud failed with his one attempted dribble and failed to create a single chance for his teammates. By contrast, Ramsey – who Ross Wilson dubbed “world-class” – has scored two goals in his last two Premiership appearances and can offer more of a threat going forward.

On the right, we are predicting that Arfield will lose his place and Aribo will come in instead. The Nigeria international has started 28 of the club’s 32 Premiership matches this season, which shows that Van Bronckhorst has been relying upon him on a regular basis.

This is why he may want to go with the ex-Charlton man from the start against St Mirren, as the manager clearly trusts the 25-year-old to put in a good performance.

Despite Fashion Sakala’s struggles against Braga, he could keep his place up front as Kemar Roofe also failed to adequately fill Alfredo Morelos’ boots against Celtic. Both players have been unable to catch the eye and therefore it seems largely irrelevant – at this point – to debate which one of them will start.

AND in other news, 100% duels lost: Rangers dud who lost the ball every 1.8 touches v Braga failed Van Bronckhorst’s big test…

Crystal Palace recovered from an early setback to draw 1-1 with Norwich City on Wednesday evening.

Patrick Vieira is still waiting for a first Premier League victory in 2022, with the Eagles now winless in their last four top-flight fixtures.

Wilfried Zaha equalised with a brilliant strike in the second half to cancel out Teemu Pukki’s opener after 38 seconds, however, he then failed to convert from the penalty spot to put the visitors in front.

We’ve used statistical experts SofaScore to analyse who the three worst Palace outfield performers (to have played at least 45 minutes) were.

In total, these three players lost the ball a whopping 35 times, were second best in 60% of their aerial and ground duels and made just three tackles all evening… could these players be worried about their place in the XI ahead of the trip to Brentford?

Joachim Andersen – 6.7/10

First up is centre-back Andersen, who lost the ball 15 times. He also lost four of his five duels and was unsuccessful in nine of his 14 long passes.

Andersen was the only Palace defender who didn’t record a rating of more than 7/10, with the 25-year-old making just one tackle all evening. It was a night to forget for the promising defensive stalwart.

Jean-Philippe Mateta – 6.7/10

Next up is Mateta, who also recorded a rating of 6.7/10 in what was his first league start after making his loan move at Selhurst Park permanent last month.

The striker didn’t celebrate his move in the best fashion, though, having just 23 touches of the ball in his 80 minutes on the pitch. Mateta lost five of his eight duels, gave the ball away eight times and registered just one shot all night.

Jeffrey Schlupp – 6.9/10

Last up is Schlupp, who was one of a number of players to end with a score of 6.9/10.

Playing alongside Will Hughes and Conor Gallagher in a three-man midfield, Schlupp lost the ball on 12 occasions and was second-best in six of his 12 duels.

He was brought off by Vieira with 10 minutes remaining having made more fouls than he did tackles (3-2).

In other news: Palace handed more injury woes as Matt Woosnam shares news on ‘very good’ player. 

Newcastle United have held talks with the agent of Rangers teenager Alex Lowry, according to Football Insider.

The Lowdown: Lowry profiled

Lowry is 18 years of age and is primarily an attacking midfielder who can also play as a right-winger or even in a deeper midfield role.

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The Scot has already made four senior appearances for Rangers, scoring once and providing one assist. Former Ibrox boss Graeme Murty labelled Lowry’s self-confidence as ‘remarkable’, with reports back in February suggesting the teenager has turned down a three-and-a-half-year deal at Ibrox.

His current contract expires in 2023, and it looks as if Newcastle are now leading the race for his services.

The Latest: Hotel meeting

Football Insider shared an update regarding Lowry and Newcastle on Monday morning after being informed by a recruitment source.

They claimed that head of recruitment Steve Nickson met Lowry’s agent in a hotel prior to Newcastle’s Premier League win over Wolves earlier this month.

The report stated that the Magpies are at the front of the queue for the Rangers youngster, who also has interest elsewhere.

The Verdict: Shrewd move

It looks as if Lowry could be a future star with a number of top-tier sides keen on his services, so Newcastle’s decision to meet with his agent and outline their plans could turn out to be a shrewd move.

It would be interesting to see what Newcastle would do with Lowry, should a move to St. James’ Park go through. He already has senior experience in Scotland, and with Eddie Howe having just two attacking midfielders on the books, it could present an opportunity for Lowry to flirt between the club’s Under-23 ranks and first-team squad.

A clear pathway through to first-team football should be outlined by the Magpies, so it looks as if this could be a transfer to watch closely.

In other news: Newcastle now want to sign ’emerging superstar’ for Howe; Staveley has already spoken with agent. 

A key update has emerged on Rangers and their attempts bring John Souttar to Ibrox during the January transfer window…

What’s the talk?

Daily Record reporter Andy Newport has revealed that the Gers have had an offer turned down for the centre-back on deadline day.

He tweeted: “Hearts knock back a bid of around £400k from Rangers for John Souttar.”

Devastated

Rangers fans will be devastated by this news for several reasons.

Firstly, it has come far too late into the window. They will be frustrated by the club’s lack of speed in trying to secure a deal for him this month, having secured the pre-contract agreement on January 14. Ross Wilson has had just over half of the month to snap him up before the summer and has now waited until deadline day to make an offer which still is not good enough to be accepted.

Therefore, the supporters will be devastated with the club’s weak attempts to sign him to bolster Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s squad immediately. If Wilson was serious about landing him in January, then the offers should have been made as soon as a pre-contract was in the bag, rather than in the final days of the window, leaving Hearts with no time to replace him.

The fans will also be devastated as it means that they will not be able to watch him boss the defence in Glasgow for the Light Blues before next season. He is a top-quality Premiership player and could have improved the club’s backline in the weeks and months had he joined on a permanent deal this month.

Souttar has averaged a brilliant SofaScore rating of 7.40 so far this season, showing off his ability and consistency at this level as he has been able to turn in superb performances week-in-week-out in the Scottish top-flight. This is why the Ibrox faithful will be far from pleased that they will need to wait until later in the year to see him play.

AND in other news, Wilson heading for last-gasp Rangers blunder as Jordan Campbell drops big D-Day update…

Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou has addressed the absence of Nir Bitton from the matchday squad in the Hoops’ 2-0 victory over Ross County on Sunday. 

The lowdown: Bitton’s importance to Celtic

The 30-year-old has endured an injury-ravaged time at Parkhead, missing 99 matches in a nine-year stint as a Bhoy with varying degrees of problems including a lengthy spell on the sidelines with a serious knee issue.

Despite the injuries, the Israel international has still amassed 269 appearances for the Hoops and has been a favourite of several managers at Parkhead over the years.

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Following the player’s latest non-appearance, Postecoglou has explained the situation surrounding the defensive midfielder…

The latest: ‘Slight issue’ for Bitton

Speaking to BBC, as quoted by the Daily Record, the 56-year-old has revealed the latest on the Israelim saying: “He’s got a bit of an issue. A slight issue.”

Bitton has not been seen in action since a fleeting 28-minute appearance in the 2-1 win over Rangers at Ibrox on April 3, having been an unused substitute in the subsequent 7-0 rout of St Johnstone.

The verdict: Worrying signs

Although Postecoglou seems undeterred by Bitton’s latest issue, unfortunately the problems keep mounting up for the 39-cap ace.

So far this season, the man who has been described as ‘fantastic’ by the Celtic manager has scored twice and provided two assists in 36 appearances across all competitions.

With Bitton out of contract in 2023 (Transfermarkt), the upcoming summer is a pivotal one for him, as the experienced midfielder will likely be hoping to receive a new deal, whilst the club could be considering selling him in order to avoid losing their man for nothing.

To that end, the Israeli will be desperate to play a part in this season’s run-in to try and secure a new contract.

In other news, one expert has made a key claim regarding the ownership of Celtic. Read more here.

Speaking to Football Insider, pundit Alan Hutton of BBC Radio 5 Live has said that manager David Moyes has been dealt a blow at West Ham based off what he’s seen in the transfer market.

The Lowdown: West Ham flounder in January…

Despite lodging record-breaking transfer bids, including for big names like Leeds United duo Raphinha and Kalvin Phillips, the Irons and recruitment chief Rob Newman left it too late to bring a new player in through the door.

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Offers were also made for strikers like Benfica’s Darwin Nunez and Atalanta forward Duvan Zapata in the eleventh hour, but nothing came of these approaches.

As West Ham aim to qualify for the Champions League, Hutton has claimed that the Irons’ lack of transfer activity could come back to haunt Moyes.

The Latest: Hutton makes claim…

Speaking to FI, the former Aston Villa defender and Scotland international also says the fans ‘won’t be happy’ with their efforts in January.

“I’m not a West Ham fan but we could all see what they were needing and what they were after,” Hutton explained.

“So I’m pretty sure David Moyes knew exactly what he needed in this transfer window. It’s not come to fruition, he’s not been able to get anybody through the door.

“I think the fans won’t be happy with it and neither will the manager. Especially when you think about the situation they’re in at the moment, they’re really pushing for the top four.

“There are other teams around them who have strengthened. It’s really close and tight. So it’s a missed opportunity, I think. If they only added that little bit of quality.

“They only needed maybe one or two players, even just one, to help get them over that line. They’ve not been able to do it, so it’s a blow for them.”

The Verdict: Agreed…

Despite links to many players, including long-time targets like Jesse Lingard, not bringing at least one of them through the door certainly will be disappointing.

West Ham maintain the fight on many fronts as they not only look to make the UCL, but also go on an impressive Europa League run and potentially in the FA Cup also.

It remains to be seen whether the Irons can maintain the path to achieving history with such little depth, although, it’s safe to say it will be a huge challenge.

In other news: West Ham source: Moyes back in for ‘explosive’ 2020 target who as fast as anything, find out more here.

Wolves haven’t been particularly potent in the penalty area in the Premier League this season, with Bruno Lage’s side finding the back of the net just 33 times in 32 games.

While the Old Gold still have some games left until the end of the campaign to add some goals to their tally, it seems as though the Midlands club could be in danger of losing one of their key figures that has contributed to some of the team’s tally.

What’s the news?

According to a recent report from Sky Sports, Wolves midfielder Ruben Neves is a top target for Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta this summer. 

Wolves signed the midfielder back in the 2017 summer transfer window from FC Porto in a deal worth a reported fee of £15.8m.

Since then, the Portuguese international has comfortably cemented himself as an important figure for his side by racking up a total of 207 appearances across all competitions.

In those appearances, the 25-year-old has scored 24 goals and provided 12 assists along the way.

Lage would be fuming

With four goals and two assists to his name in 28 league appearances this season, only Raul Jimenez has delivered more goal contributions than the midfield star.

Labelled as a “maestro” in the past by Tim Spiers, Neves has also been praised by the Wolves journalist for his “sensational” goals during his time at Molineux.

To highlight how impressive the £36m-rated talent is on the ball, no other midfielder in the Premier League has been able to complete more long-ball passes than Neves.

Also, only Joao Moutinho (51) has completed more tackles than his fellow countryman (41), showing how important they both are to the team in a defensive sense.

His overall performances in the league have earned him a rating of 6.95, making him the second-highest rated player in Lage’s squad to start more than five games according to WhoScored.

Taking all of this into account, it’s undeniable that the former Porto star would be a massive loss for Wolves if he were to leave in the summer, an eventuality that would surely have Lage fuming.

Moving forward, with the summer transfer window in mind, it should be a top priority for the Old Gold to do all they can to keep hold of their midfield star and out of the clutches of any other club.

In other news: Wolves targeting “breathtaking” £32m-rated gem, he’s miles better than Traore

Flocking to Twitter, many West Ham United fans have been left pleading for the signing of Fulham forward Fabio Carvalho after an update from reliable in-the-know insider ExWHUemployee.

Hammers boss David Moyes is thought to be keen on the 19-year-old Championship starlet alongside a host of other Premier League clubs, with Southampton, Tottenham and Liverpool also said to be watching on (TEAMtalk).

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Fulham hold fears that he has already agreed to move away from Craven Cottage, with the talented teenager still yet to pen a contract extension in west London (TEAMtalk).

As things stand, the winger can leave as a free agent in the summer, and Ex believes that West Ham could well be in contention.

According to the insider, via his West Ham Way website, Carvalho is personally seen by Moyes as an alternative to long-time target Jesse Lingard, whose apparent recent comments about his future caused some consternation among the east London fan base.

While a move is more likely in the summer when the 19-year-old is a free agent, ExWHUemployee refuses to rule out the possibility of a late January swoop, believing that the story ‘could change’.

West Ham fans plead for Carvalho…

Taking to Twitter, many West Ham fans have pleaded with the club to sign the talented teenager after this insider claim, and it’s not hard to see why.

Dubbed a ‘very exciting’ player by one-time Premier League Golden Boot winner Kevin Phillips, Carvalho’s eight goals and two assists in 17 Championship appearances for Fulham highlight his sky-high potential. For a cheaper fee or on a Bosman in the summer, this potential move is certainly enough to excite the Irons faithful.

Check out some of the best reactions from West Ham fans to this news below:

“Would definitely favour a move for Carvalho”

Credit: @whufcopinions

“Thinking he’s gonna be free and available in the summer 🥱🥱 get Carvalho in now. Kid’s a baller”

Credit: @JoshHarris44

“PLEASE”

Credit: @mako_zzv

“This should be one of our main targets this window alongside a CB and ST”

Credit: @NathWHU

“This over Lingard would be a better deal”

Credit: @j1mrphy

“Absolute baller so I’d be buzzing if we signed him but probably don’t need him unless we can get rid of Yarmo”

Credit: @oliverrrwhu

In other news: ExWHUemployee also says West Ham are set for talks as they chase agreement for ‘quality’ 25 y/o, find out more here.