As Manchester United’s quest for fortifying their defence continues, it seems like they’ve targeted a defender to elevate their defensive strength. According to reports (via the Evening Standard), the Red Devils are aiming to make Kalidou Koulibaly their marquee defensive signing in the summer.

While Victor Lindelof has come of age for United in recent months, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side is still shaky defensive and need a proper general to calm things down. The experienced Koulibaly, whose allegedly looking for a move away from Napoli, can be a perfect fit. An intimidating, towering defender with bags of experience, he’ll blend in at Old Trafford smoothly.

Koulibaly’s maintained impressive form for Napoli this season, despite controversy of racism being pointed at him by Inter Milan fans earlier this season. The Senegalese defender has helped the Serie A giants keep 10 clean-sheets in the 20 appearances and allowed Carlo Ancelotti’s side to keep the pressure mounted on Juventus.

Koulibaly’s averaged almost 2 tackles per game, along with 4 clearances and 1.3 interceptions every time he’s appeared. A colossal leader at the back, Koulibaly possesses the ability to elevate the defensive ability of those around him. He can easily help Lindelof improve his performance-level by giving him more freedom to express himself with his defending.

The Senegalese defenders’ addition could be among United’s best in years. A defender at the peak of his power, Koulibaly can form a partnership with Lindelof akin to Ferdinand-Vidic and enable the Red Devils to challenge for the title once again.

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Manchester United pulled off a Champions League miracle on Wednesday night when they overcame a two-goal first leg deficit against PSG to progress to the next round of Europe’s elite club competition.

The Paris club’s star-studded side very rarely lose at the Parc des Princes, but Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men produced a wonderfully disciplined and clinical performance to triumph against the odds.

The Norwegian coach’s impressive start to life at Old Trafford was given another layer of gloss with this remarkable success. Considering how many key players weren’t available to him too, including Paul Pogba, Anthony Martial and Jesse Lingard, he’ll certainly have learned a few things about his squad on Wednesday.

Lukaku is back (and better than ever?)

Towards the end of Jose Mourinho’s reign, and at the outset of Solskjaer’s tenure, Romelu Lukaku looked utterly bereft of confidence. The £75 million striker’s finishing touch had deserted him and the United faithful were beginning to turn on the 25-year-old.

Marcus Rashford established himself as the first choice striker under the new boss, and only a month or so ago it looked like it would take something very special from Lukaku to restore his reputation at Old Trafford. He has delivered something special since then though. 

His recent form has been magnificent. He’s scored six goals in his last three games – two in each. His most recent brace was by far the most important, as his well-taken double gave United hope in Paris.

Ahead of the 2nd leg between Atletico Madrid and Juventus, 442oons reimagine the first leg in the video below in their own unique way…

Faith in youth the answer to injury crisis

United’s injury crisis was well documented heading into this game. On top of Pogba’s suspension, Martial, Lingard, Alexis Sanchez, Juan Mata, Ander Herrera, Nemanja Matic, Matteo Darmian, Phil Jones, Marcos Rojo and club captain Antonio Valencia were all ruled out.

The likes of Scott McTominay, Fred and Andreas Pereira started against the Ligue 1 giants, and all acquitted themselves well. On top of that, several academy starlets were named on the bench. 19-year-old Tahith Chong and 17-year-old Mason Greenwood actually both made it onto the pitch.

This proved that United have some serious squad depth and some exciting youth prospects who Solskjaer isn’t afraid to use on the biggest stage. That will be crucial to alleviating United’s injury woes during this difficult period.

Rashford is ice cool

The two-legged tie was decided by a last minute penalty. The VAR-assisted decision to award the spot kick was controversial to say the least, and the lengthy delay that the review process caused will only have served to set Rashford’s nerves jangling.

If he was nervous, the 21-year-old England man didn’t show it. The 31-cap international stepped up and confidently dispatched the penalty beyond iconic veteran goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon. 

Rashford is, of course, a huge talent with a great future ahead of him. When the time comes to reflect upon his career, that night in Paris, and that highly-pressurised penalty, could be considered to be one of the defining moments.

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According to Sky Sports, former West Ham midfielder Ravel Morrison is nearing a loan move from Lazio to Swedish outfit Ostersunds FK and has joined up with the club at their Marbella training camp.

Morrison made just 24 appearances in all competitions for the Hammers between 2012 and 2015 after joining from Manchester United and was sent out on loan three times.

Once billed as one of England’s upcoming talents, the 26-year-old, according to Phil Neville, even outshone a young Paul Pogba, while Red Devils legend Paddy Crerand said he was the best talent he’d seen since George Best. High praise, indeed.

Who is West Ham’s worst ever signing? Check out the video below for a pretty strong candidate for the dubious honour…

United sold him to the Irons though as his attitude proved problematic and little changed with his new surroundings. Offloaded to Lazio in 2015, the story has very much stayed the same since as he makes just eight appearances for the Italian outfit since.

West Ham fans have had young talents to get behind since, of which Declan Rice is the latest – the defensive midfielder shone against Liverpool on Monday night and has surely garnered interest from the big clubs.

The 20-year-old looks set to only get better, while Morrison’s potential seemed to waste away the longer his attitude persisted to hold him back, however that hasn’t stopped Irons fans on Twitter from dreaming of a reunion. Could Manuel Pellegrini be the man to get the best out of him, finally?

Here’s the best of the reaction to Morrison’s near-completed switch to Ostersunds, who are set to become his eighth club…

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After more than two months out of action Kieran Tierney made a successful return on Sunday in Celtic’s 4-1 win over Motherwell.

The defender suffered a hip injury during the Europa League defeat from RB Salzburg and has had to return to his role of fan in recent times.

For two weeks he had been involved in full training but Brendan Rodgers resisted the temptation to throw him in against Valencia and got his reward today.

Scott Brown’s suspension handed the armband to Tierney who responded with the cross for Scott Sinclair to open the scoring.

At the start of the second half, with Celtic leading 2-0, the patience of the Hoops skipper was tested as Motherwell pulled a goal back through Gboly Aribiyi. Tierney and his team-mates expected the ball to be returned from a throw in, but Motherwell took the opportunity to score instead.

Some Celtic players lost their composure after that incident but Tierney played a lead role until he was replaced by Jonny Hayes.

Provided there is no reaction, Tierney will continue his return to action away to Hearts on Wednesday as the Hoops look to maintain their winning domestic run all the way through to clinching their eighth successive title.

Here’s a look at how Celtic fans reacted to Tierney’s return on Twitter…

أعلن مرتضى منصور رئيس مجلس إدارة نادي الزمالك عن التعاقد مع البرتغالي جايمي باتشيكو ليصبح مديرًا فنيًا للفريق في الفترة المقبلة.

وكان الفرنسي باتريس كارتيرون قد رحل عن تدريب الزمالك بعد فسخ التعاقد ودفع قيمة الشرط الجزائي وانتقل لتدريب التعاون السعودي.

وقال مرتضى منصور خلال مداخلة هاتفية عبر قناة “الزمالك”: “شكلنا لجنة لإدارة هذا الملف، مكونة من فاروق جعفر وإسماعيل يوسف وأحمد مرتضى منصور وأمير مرتضى منصور”.

وأضاف: “كان مرشحًا السويسري كريستيان جروس وجيسوالدو فيريرا وجايمي باتشيكو”.

وواصل: “جروس اعتمد على عدد قليل من اللاعبين وترك الباقي وتسبب في خسارتنا للدوري، وعندما علمت أنه سيأتي شهرين فقط أدركت أن طموحه الحصول على الأموال”.

وتابع: “هو له أموال عندنا ولا أنكر ذلك، لكني أدركت أنه قادم لأجلها وليس للحصول على بطولة”. 

وأردف: “ثاني مدرب فيريرا هو جيد جدًا، وجاء واستكمل عمل باتشيكو الذي رحل للشباب السعودي وحققنا معه الدوري والكأس، لكنه طلب منا التواجد في بداية الموسم المقبل وشكرناه لأننا لا يوجد لدينا رفاهية الوقت”.

واختتم: “اختارت اللجنة باتشيكو وهو عقده حتى نهاية الموسم المقبل”.

وكان “بطولات” قد انفرد منذ قليل بالكشف عن اسم المدير الفني الجديد لنادي الزمالك. طالع التفاصيل

يذكر أن باتشيكو قد درب الزمالك في عام 2014 للمرة الأولى وتعد ولايته في التوقيت الحالي هي الثانية له في الزمالك.

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Jonjo Shelvey has returned to Newcastle training ahead of a very winnable fixture at home to Huddersfield, and Rafael Benitez should switch things up to accommodate both the English pass-master and new signing Miguel Almiron.

Shelvey is officially back in Newcastle training, Sky Sports reports.

The 26 year-old England international has been missing since the beginning of January with a thigh injury, but has re-joined the first team at their warm-weather training camp in Spain.

The Magpies have no fixture this weekend due to their exit from the FA Cup, but the following weekend brings Huddersfield to St. James’ Park, and the struggling Terriers will be there for the taking, so Benitez should go for the throat.

Pl>ymaker FC Exclusive: Jermaine Jenas reveals why Tyne-Wear is a more intense derby than anything London can offer – check out the video below….

Miguel, meet Jonjo

Benitez and Newcastle have found success with a 5-4-1 system recently, a formation which requires Matt Ritchie to play out of position as a left-wing-back.

By switching to a 4-3-3, Benitez would be taking a risk by benching one of his centre backs, who have performed mostly excellently all season.

However, there is simply no place for Almiron in the 5-4-1 setup, and a switch to 4-3-3 also makes room for Shelvey.

Salomon Rondon is un-droppable and Almiron would no doubt take a place in the front three, leaving the last spot for Ritchie, Christian Atsu and Kenedy to fight over.

Shelvey could then move into midfield alongside Mo Diame and the ever-improving Sean Longstaff, a midfield trio packed with athleticism, composure and most importantly for Almiron – Shelvey’s ability to ping balls behind the opponent’s defence.

The little Paraguayan international looked absolutely electric in his short cameo against Wolves, and his pace will terrorise the Huddersfield defence if Rafa finds a way to fit Shelvey in the team.

So, Newcastle fans, would you change the system to accommodate the star duo? Or keep the 5-4-1? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below…

After almost eleven years at Crystal Palace, fame has finally caught up to Aaron Wan-Bisaaka.

Touted as one of the emerging young talents in England, the right-back is now hot properly for the Eagles following his meteoric rise in South London. Indeed, many clubs are reportedly – according to the Sun – eying to sign him up and Wan-Bissaka has a personal decision to make.

Clearly, when linked to teams such as Manchester City, Chelsea and Borussia Dortmund, there’s always going to be a temptation to depart. However, we think he should stay, and here’s why.

He’s a Crystal Palace man through and through having being handed all his success by the side he’s playing since age 11. A Londoner by birth, it could be difficult for him to blend in somewhere else and get the same reception he gets from his fans. The right-back still has much to learn and patience is not something a big side will give him.

Wan-Bissaka’s been a relentless hard worker on the right flank and gave a fantastic account of himself in difficult situations. Not only has he helped Palace keep almost eight clean-sheets this season while averaging 3.8 tackles and 2.4 interceptions per game (stats from WhoScored), he’s also been an asset moving forward.

The right-back doesn’t shy away from attacking, with his electric pace and impressive dribbling ability causing trouble. While he’s only had one assist so far, Wan-Bissaka averages almost 33 passes per game(stats from Premier League) while creating quite a few glaring chances now and then.

After a decade with the Eagles, Wan-Bissaka is in a crossroads of his career. Leaving the side which handed him opportunities would be unwise, as he still has much to repay Crystal Palace for allowing him to fly high.

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There has been a cautious welcome from Scottish football fans to a report suggesting foreign referees could soon be in charge of Scottish matches.

According to a report in The Daily Record, that notion is being pushed strongly by Celtic after a meeting of Premiership clubs and the SFA to discuss the current issues with referees and discipline.

In 2010, during a strike called by referees, match officials were called in from Israel and Luxembourg before the problems were resolved.

This season there has been an unprecedented focus on refereeing decisions with a red card rescinded against Alfredo Morelos on the opening weekend of the season kicking off the mayhem.

A new Compliance Officer, Clare Whyte, at the SFA has complicated the issues through mixed messages and inconsistencies being sent out almost on a weekly basis.

It remains unclear in what circumstances the Compliance Officer can overrule decisions witnessed by match officials with almost all top flight clubs issuing statements of concern at some stage this season.

Celtic are reportedly keen to play a key role in drawing up recommendations for reforms to the current refereeing setup in Scotland, backing a proposal to recruit officials from other countries – similar ideas have already been floated by manager Brendan Rodgers and Tom Boyd.

The mechanics and costs of bringing in foreign referees has still to be assessed. Whether they’d get co-operation from Scottish assistants remains to be seen but the principle seems to be one that has support among fans of many clubs throughout Scotland.

Here’s a look at how they reacted on Twitter…

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Loads of Rangers fans have been discussing their performance against Aberdeen on Tuesday, and they’re crucifying Daniel Candeias for yet another woeful display.

Rangers were beaten fairly comfortably by Aberdeen on Tuesday if truth be told, which doesn’t happen too often at Ibrox.

The Dons are now responsible for both of Steven Gerrard’s two managerial defeats at Ibrox, and the Gers’ performance on this occasion was really worrying.

The visitors took an early lead thanks to a dreadful mistake from Glen Kamara, whose square pass went right to Niall McGinn, who finished well.

Connor McLennan doubled the lead in the second half after a well-worked move, and Gerrard’s side never really looked like getting back in it.

While he wasn’t the only one who had a poor evening, Candeias’ inability to pick out a good cross has become really frustrating.

The 31 year-old is a hard worker and has managed six goals and ten assists this campaign, but he missed a golden chance to put one on a plate for Ryan Kent in the first half.

You can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below…

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Manchester United have announced a one-year contract extension for Ashley Young.

The 33-year-old has been a fine to servant to the Red Devils in his eight years at Old Trafford so far. Having arrived as a pacy winger, he has adapted into a versatile full-back in recent seasons, maintaining a regular starting berth under Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Young has made over 200 appearances for the club since his arrival, and this contract comes as a reward for his consistency in that time. However, there ought to be some concern over how important the 39-cap England international is. By now, United should have found a long-term replacement for Young, who is still operating as an auxiliary full-back.

Some may consider this contract extension to be a sign that the Red Devils still haven’t found a way to adequately prepare for life without experienced player.

Watch the video below to see the most insane overhead kick you will see this week…

This new deal has certainly divided opinion amongst United fans. Whilst some believe the wide man to be deserving of the extension, others feel the club should move on. Check out some of the reaction to the announcement below…