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Faith in young players has been a recurring theme of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s stint as Manchester United manager, and Brandon Williams has emerged as the latest promising talent to gain from that philosophy.

Benefiting from Luke Shaw’s long-term injury and Ashley Young’s domestic suspension, the 19-year-old got the nod at No.3 in the Red Devils’ Sunday win over Brighton and took his chance to impress with a dogged and determined yet well-rounded performance that prompted rave reviews from the United faithful.

Having recorded the most-tackles and joint-second-most interceptions of any United player against the Seagulls – four and two respectively – some fans were very quick to point out the teenager’s tenacity, one declaring that he “plays like a lion” and another noting the “fire in his belly”.

But this was indeed a multi-dimensional display that saw Williams contribute going forward as well, including a shot from inside the box that must have stung Mat Ryan’s hands even if it was a little too central to cause serious problems.

The England U20 also completed one dribble, created one chance and had a passing accuracy of 85%, which lead United fans to draw comparisons with some of the all-time greats of the left-back trade who were known for their offensive impact – namely United’s very own Patrice Evra and Denis Irwin, as well as Brazilian legend Roberto Carlos.

But perhaps most significantly, Sunday’s performance has seen a number of United fans insist that Williams should hold down the left-back berth going forward, ahead of two far more senior alternatives in Shaw and Young (three including the versatile Marcos Rojo).

Whether Solskjaer will show the same faith in Williams as these United fans remains to be seen – Young is his captain, after all.

But considering David De Gea was the oldest player in his last starting lineup at a mere 29, clearly opportunities for young prospects is still the flavour of the month at Old Trafford.

كشف ياسر عبد الرؤوف الحكم الدولي مدى صحة ركلتي جزاء مباراة الزمالك والمقاولون العرب في الدوري.

الزمالك تعادل إيجابيًا مع المقاولون العرب بهدفين لمثليهما، في المباراة التي جمعت الفريقين على استاد القاهرة الدولي، في إطار مواجهات الجولة الثامنة عشر من المسابقة الأكبر محليًا.

وأوضح ياسر عبد الرؤوف في تصريحات لقناة الزمالك: “ضربة جزاء المقاولون العرب إبراهيم نور الدين كان قريبًا جدًا من اللعبة، واليد اليسرى لطارق حامد أعاقت لاعب المقاولون العرب، وقرار ممتاز وصحيح من الحكم باحتساب ركلة الجزاء”.

وأكمل: “ضربة جزاء الزمالك صحيحة، وإبراهيم نور الدين كان قريبًا من اللعبة، وقراره سليم”. وتطرق الحكم الدولي إلى الحديث عن مباراة الأهلي والمصري، قائلًا: “هناك لمسة يد من محمد شريف في هدف الأهلي الأول في مرمى المصري، وهذا الخطأ غير من نتيجة المباراة، والهدف غير صحيح”.

وفي نفس السياق تحدث أحمد الشناوي الخبير التحكيمي عن الحالات التحكيمة في مباراة الزمالك والمقاولون قائلا: “أشرف بن شرقي قام بدفع لاعب المقاولون العرب من خارج منطقة الجزاء، وليس داخل المنطقة فليس هناك ركلة جزاء لصالح المقاولون”.

وعن ضربة جزاء المقاولون العرب؟ قال: “طارق حامد قام بدفع لاعب المقاولون العرب وضربة جزاء واضحة والقرار كان سليم من الحكم”. وضربة جزاء الزمالك؟ أوضح: “لاعب المقاولون العرب عرقل لاعب الزمالك، فكان قرار صحيح باحتساب ركلة الجزاء”.شاهد أهداف مباراة الزمالك والمقاولون العرب

In our Transfers that shook the club feature, Football Transfer Tavern takes a look at deals that many may not have seen coming and the impact that they had during their time by using statistical data and pundit remarks.

Frank Lampard became a club legend at Chelsea during his playing days, and is now held in extremely high regard by the Blues faithful as a manager after beginning his tenure in the hotseat with promise.

The 41-year-old midfielder made 648 appearances for Chelsea during his playing days, scoring 210 goals and assisting a further 150. He is widely regarded as one of the best attacking central midfielders of all-time, and certainly one of – if not the – best the Premier League has ever seen.

The ex-England international did not begin his career at Stamford Bridge, however, and this is where it gets interesting in regard to looking towards what he must do in charge of the Blues now. Obviously, Lampard started as a youth team player at London rivals West Ham United, appearing 166 times for the Hammers between 1995-2001.

His performances for the east Londoners earned him a £14m move to Chelsea 18 years ago, in what would prove to be one of the most influential transfers in the club’s history.

Lampard won pretty much all there is to win in club football with Chelsea, including three Premier League titles, four FA Cups, two League Cups, one Europa League and one Champions League trophy (via Transfermarkt), before moving to Manchester City in 2014 for a brief spell with the Cityzens.

The now 41-year-old also won the Premier League’s Player of the Season award in 2004-05, and regularly managed to score 20+ goals in a season from midfield – no other player in top-flight history has managed to do this as regularly as Lampard did during his career (five seasons in a row).

Still, it wasn’t always like this for the midfielder. Indeed, speaking to the Mirror prior to kicking off his managerial reign in SW6, he spoke of how his mentality changed upon the arrival of a certain Jose Mourinho.

“He brought success to Chelsea, but also for me, personally, because my game went up a few notches,” he said.

“It was mainly about mentality – it was his confidence in me. I was quite within myself when he came, my self-belief wasn’t where it should have been.

“And then in walks this fella with self-belief to burn and to pass on – and he did and I bought into it.

“He was certainly a great man-manager for me and also ahead of the game tactically. He made me think more than maybe I had done before he came.”

Lampard is now manager of his beloved club and has made a good start to life in the Stamford Bridge hot seat. The Blues currently lie fourth in the Premier League table after nine games, while three of the club’s academy graduates – Mason Mount, Tammy Abraham and Fikayo Tomori – have been called into the senior England team after impressing for the west Londoners this term; it is all due to Lampard’s trust in youth.

While this is obviously a long-term project considering the number of young players and the recent transfer ban, Lampard does now need to do what Mourinho did for him, just perhaps not as quickly. Mourinho made him a winner, a serial one at that, and that’s exactly what a club like Chelsea demand. Indeed, further into the Lampard era, the club need to win trophies given their stature in the world game and it’s up to Lampard to instil the same kind of belief the self-proclaimed ‘Special One’ did to him into his talented young players.

Chelsea is Frank Lampard, and Frank Lampard is Chelsea. His transfer almost two decades ago shook the club more than anyone else has ever done, in the best way possible, and it looks as though their love affair will continue for years to come as the apprentice looks to become the master in west London. If he can help the vast array of youngsters learn to win, the Blues could be onto something special.

Chelsea fans, just how much do you love Lampard? Let us know by commenting below!

When Tottenham’s new stadium opened it was heralded as one of the best grounds in Europe.

Fans and pundits alike marvelled at the ground, but just six months after the opening some now believe that the Lilywhites’ new home is doing more harm than good.

Watch Tottenham Hotspur Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Indeed, a couple of ESPN pundits attempted to dissect what all the problems are at Spurs right now, and they said that the stadium is causing an issue.

After a couple of rather cringe-worthy jokes, they pointed towards the fact that there is a two-way mirror in the tunnel, which fans can stand behind before the players walk out, and they claim that having this feature can “breed paranoia” within the squad.

You have to say that there is a point to be made, despite the bizarreness of the ESPN video.

It must be quite a strange feeling in a part of the stadium that is usually completely off limits to fans, especially when the players are performing as badly as they are right now.

Arsenal fans believe that Brazilian striker Gabriel Martinelli has the most potential of the club’s current crop of youngsters.

The teenager arrived from the South American side Ituano for £6m on a “long-term contract” in the summer and has had an exhilarating start to life in north London.

Martinelli has already scored four goals in four appearances for Arsenal during his four-month stay at the club. The youngster received praise from former England striker Michael Owen after his strong start with Arsenal, saying that he “looks like a talent” after his brace during the Gunners’ 4-0 win against Standard Liege in the Europa League.

Martinelli has said that he models his game on Cristiano Ronaldo and it was a dream to play football in Europe. His performances reflect his comments and the Arsenal supporters have seemingly warmed to him since his summer move.

Fans responded to the question posted by Now Arsenal on Twitter (via @now_arsenal) questioning who has the most potential out of Bukayo Saka, Joe Willock, Reiss Nelson and Martinelli himself. One fan said that the Brazilian has the “full package” while another said that he was an “absolute legend in the making”.

Here you will find some of the best comments from Arsenal fans:

أبدى نادي ليفربول الإنجليزي حالة من الاستسلام بشأن مستقبل اللاعب جورجينيو فينالدوم، حسب ما ذكرت صحيفة “ميرور” الإنجليزية.

وسينتهي العقد الحالي للاعب الهولندي مع ليفربول في الصيف القادم.

وفشل ليفربول في التوصل إلى أي اتفاق مع فينالدوم حول تجديد عقده، رغم أنه يمتلك عرضًا من الإدارة.

اقرأ أيضًا.. تقارير: نادِ إسباني يخطط لضم شاكيري ومينامينو من ليفربول

ويسعى برشلونة للتعاقد مع فينالدوم في مواسم انتقالية سابقة، ولكن تلك الخطوة لم تتم في النهاية.

وذكرت تقارير صحفية في اليومين الماضيين أن برشلونة توصل إلى اتفاق مبدئي مع فينالدوم حول ضمه نهاية الموسم الحالي.

صحيفة “ميرور” الإنجليزية ذكرت بدورها أن ليفربول استسلم بشكل متزايد حول مستقبل فينالدوم، حيث أصبحت الإدارة متيقنة من رحيله الوشيك في الميركاتو الصيفي المقبل.

وأفادت أنه رغم ذلك، فإن ليفربول يصر حتى الآن على إنه لم يتم إبلاغه بأي اتفاق تم بين لاعب خط الوسط ونادي برشلونة، رغم التقارير السالفة الذكر.

ونأى برشلونة بنفسه أيضًا عن تلك التقارير، حيث أكد النادي أنه لم يتوصل إلى أي اتفاق رسمي مع فينالدوم (لمطالعة التفاصيل من هنا).

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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…

The international break may have come at the worst possible time for Nottingham Forest.

Following an opening day defeat against West Brom, they’ve now gone unbeaten in five straight matches which sees them sit tenth in the Championship and two of their last three results had been nothing short of spectacular.

Forest downed playoff occupying Fulham at Craven Cottage before trouncing arch-rivals Derby in the Carabao Cup, so they may have wanted to keep that run going, but September’s international matches have put an end to that.

Though, it shouldn’t be considered a bad thing at all. In fact, it could be game-changing for their playoff hopes.

Manager Sabri Lamouchi was appointed at the end of June, rather suddenly as Martin O’Neill was sacked, so the time he had available with his team before the start of the 2019/20 campaign was minuscule.

Eight matches in a month quickly followed, so the former Ivory Coast manager probably relished the opportunity for some further time with his squad away from the intensity and pressures of competing within a match.

It gives the chance to implement further the way he wants his side to play, the styles, the tactical nuances that just can’t be filtered through when games come quick and fast.

Another key benefit is the fact he has pretty much all of his squad available to train – only Aro Muric (Kosovo) and Brennan Johnson (Wales U21) are away on international duty so that will only help instil his philosophy even more.

It also means Joao Carvalho is able to fully integrate his place back amongst the starting line-up following an injury that kept him out for the start of the season and has restricted him to just two substitute appearances.

Even Joe Lolley missed a game through injury, so it gives enough time to ensure that his problem has fully settled too.

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David Luiz is the big new central defensive signing at Arsenal this summer.

The 32-year-old joined from Chelsea on transfer deadline day and is set to start this weekend’s big game against Liverpool at Anfield. Whilst that is not a surprise, the man the Gunners fans also want in the backline is not who you would first expect.

A lot of supporters have called for Calum Chambers to also be included in the starting line-up. The 24-year-old started the first game of the new season against Newcastle at St. James’ Park, but was replaced by the Brazil international for the last match at home against Burnley.

Could Gabriel Martinelli become Arsenal’s star striker in the not too distant future? Deluded Gooner thinks so in the video below…

Chambers spent last season on loan at Fulham, but was unable to prevent the Cottagers from relegation to the Championship. However, that has not stopped the Emirates outfit’s fans championing the idea of the 6 foot defender playing in such a huge game.

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

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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…

Mark Lawrenson has made a career out of being a much-maligned pundit since retiring from football, where his comments, their tone, and his embarrassing dad-like approach on Match of the Day often find themselves facing ridicule.

Today will be no different.

The former Liverpool player has spoken out on what he thinks his old side should do in the transfer market, with Real Madrid outcast Gareth Bale the topic of conversation.

‘Lawro’ believes that the Reds should sign the Wales international, but his reasons leave a lot to be desired.

What did he say?

Lawrenson said: “I think Klopp could get the best out of him. He’s such a good player and such a talent. He just needs to be loved and Klopp would be the perfect fit to do that.

“People say he’s got injury problems and all that but Klopp would get him mega fit.”

Utterly bizarre

How does Lawrenson think injuries work?

There’s a reason why Bale has missed 96 games through injury alone since the 2009/10 season, as a result of 25 separate problems.

If the £85m man himself can’t solve his own issues, nor can the most prestigious club in world football help the 6 foot 1 man become less injury prone, how does ‘Lawro’ think that Jurgen Klopp can just get him “mega fit”?

Does the German have a magic wand that we don’t know about?

Additionally, he doesn’t “just need to be loved” as Lawrenson states. A big bear-hug from Klopp won’t eradicate the fact that the 30-year-old earns an eye-watering £60ok-a-week at Madrid, and Liverpool’s current highest earner is Mohamed Salah on £200k-a-week – staggeringly, a third of Bale’s salary.

There is simply no logic behind Lawrenson’s words. This would be one of the most difficult transfers to complete this summer, and it feels as if the 62-year-old pundit has merely plucked the reasoning for his comments from thin air.

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According to The Chronicle, Augsburg defender Philipp Max has emerged as a potential target for Newcastle United in this summer’s transfer window.

It might have been a turbulent summer at St James’ Park with Rafael Benitez moving on, but the club are currently making moves in the market.

According to The Chronicle, Max has been offered to the Magpies in an £18m deal.

Barcelona and Liverpool have also recently been linked with a move for the 25-year-old, who has been with Augsburg since 2015.

The left-back is yet to win a senior cap for Germany, although he was a part of the team that won a silver medal at the 2016 Olympics.

The Newcastle fans have been on social media offering their views on the report.

And a number are keen for their club to secure a deal for Max ahead of the start of the new Premier League campaign.

A selection of the Twitter reaction to the report can be seen below: