Liverpool boss Kenny Dalglish has stated that he feels Steven Gerrard can play at the highest level for many years to come, and that his style of play will not change as he gets older.
The England international has been on the sidelines with a groin injury since March, but is set to start for the Anfield side against Manchester United on Saturday.
The skipper’s return will be a major boost for the Merseyside team, and their Scottish coach has spoken highly of Gerrard and ageing team-mate Jamie Carragher.
“Carra and Steven have been fantastic for this football club, whether they have been playing or not,” he told The Daily Mail.
“Anybody who is an asset to the football club I am sure we will look forward to keeping. I don’t have a figure in my mind and Damien (Comolli) has never told me a figure they have in mind that when they get to 30 they only get a one-year contract. You judge a player on what they are doing on the pitch. It doesn’t matter what their age is.
“I got a long contract when I was 33, which I couldn’t believe. If you are 20 and not making a contribution you are not going to get a contract. If you are 30 and making a contribution you have more chance of getting one,” he stated.
Despite Gerrard getting older, Dalglish still expects the midfielder to continue his barnstorming style of play.
“Steven is not on a Zimmer! When he plays, you’ll still see him charging forward. He did that against Wolves the other week when he came on. Steven isn’t going to change. He’s probably fitter now than he was before,” he concluded.
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Speaking to Football Insider, Noel Whelan has named Jamie Shackleton as Leeds United’s most promising youngster ahead of Jack Clarke.
The 19-year-old made 21 appearances for the first team last season, and the BBC Radio pundit has clearly been impressed by what he has seen.
Shackleton’s performances last term also saw him called up to England’s U20 squad for the first time.
What’s been said then?
The 44-year-old has been getting excited about Shackleton based on his performances this season.
The youngster has been utilised as both a right-back and a central midfielder by Marcelo Bielsa this year. His versatility has drawn praise from the 44-year-old who is impressed by how well-rounded he is as a player.
Jamie Shackleton is the standout young player at Leeds, for me,” Whelan told Football Insider. “I know everyone is talking about Jack Clarke, but Shackleton is better than Clarke, who doesn’t make the same impact.
“Shackleton is an all-round player who has a bit of everything. He ticks more boxes than Clarke, who is an out-and-out winger, and is going to be a really important player for Leeds next season.
“Shackleton can play in different areas of the pitch, drive the team forward, win the ball, see a pass, beat a player, he can do most things really well. I’m getting really excited about what he can achieve.”
Popular opinion
This seems to be a popular opinion amongst Leeds United circles.
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Phil Hay recently shared the same sentiment when he appeared on the Square Ball podcast (May 28, 39:00), and some supporters on Twitter have said the same thing.
Undoubtedly, Shackleton won over a number of spectators with his incredible performance against Derby in the playoff semi-final first leg, as well as his composed debut for the England U20s.
This isn’t to say that Clarke isn’t a fantastic player either, but Shackleton seems to just be edging it for the right to be called Leeds’ most promising youngster.
Every time Celtic travel to today’s hosts, it has a tendency to be a bit of an unhappy hunting ground for the Hoops and when Callum McGregor hit the post with a penalty early in the first half, it looked as though Ange Postecoglou’s Bhoys were in for a rough afternoon again.
However, on this occasion, the manager’s team rose to the challenge and eventually did score through Daize Maeda’s close-range finish.
Celtic would score twice more, once through an own goal and then courtesy of James Forrest who found the net precisely with a rare goal this term in a 3-1 victory.
Forrest, in particular, has not been at his best this term and in recent weeks, Jota had been off the pace too, scoring only once in his last four.
Yet, on Sunday he was undoubtedly back to his best, running the Livi defence ragged with a whopping seven key passes and two dribbles.
Although he deserves praise for his performance, another member of Postecoglou’s starting XI should be hailed.
That honour goes to Nir Bitton, somebody who hasn’t always been the flavour of the day at Parkhead.
The Israeli was dubbed a “walking joke” at one stage last campaign by Bhoys Analytics but he’s actually been rather safe in 2021/22, something that was epitomised by his rock solid performance this weekend.
Bitton was deployed at the base of the midfield and never put a foot wrong, looking assured in possession and striding forward when presented with space in central areas.
According to SofaScore, 30-year-old was successful with an impressive 91% of his passes, catching the eye with his 78 touches of the ball.
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Furthermore, he was a brute in the middle, winning four duels and completing a solitary tackle. Bitton isn’t always the most comfortable in possession but his two dribbles showcased that he doesn’t just bring a physical presence to Postecoglou’s side.
The decision to start the Israel international was certainly a surprising one but he more than justified the faith his manager put in him.
AND in other news, Sold for £990k, now worth 500% more: Lawwell call on 6ft4 “weapon” will haunt Celtic…
Manchester United took a thrashing from their neighbours yesterday when Manchester City put four past David de Gea in another shocking performance from Ralf Rangnick’s squad.
The lack of effort put in by the players could ultimately cost the side Champions League football next season if they don’t change something fast.
Arsenal have now taken the top four spot from the Manchester giants, and the Gunners also have three games in hand on their northern Champions League qualification rivals, which will be a huge problem for Ralf Rangnick.
The German coach was brought in to steady the ship and secure Champions League football next season when they sacked Ole Gunnar Solskjaer last November, however despite picking up good results here and there, the problems with inconsistency and player performances on the pitch have not improved at all.
Despite a collectively inept and lazy performance from the United side on Sunday afternoon, there were some particularly notable horrific performances from individuals in the team that continue to cost their side in crucial games, with Victor Lindelof a repeat offender for poor defensive displays this season.
Harry Maguire is usually the first to take the heat when it comes to poor defensive performances from Manchester United, but Lindelof was absolutely awful and far worse in comparison to his centre-back partner.
The Swedish flop who “can be bullied” according to Paul Scholes, lost every single one of his ground and aerial duels against Manchester City, as well as failing to make a single interception or tackle throughout the game.
He also made no attempts to progress the ball with no dribbles attempted over 90 minutes and with that being said it is no wonder that he was the worst rated player on the entire pitch (5.9) according to SofaScore. Yes, that’s right, even worse than the club captain.
Ultimately this complete lack of defensive presence and general effort throughout the game tells part of the story to exactly why the Red Devils struggled to hold off Manchester City’s battering on Sunday.
These statistics really reflect further onto the ongoing wider issues at the club, with many players failing to make an effort, especially when the team only had 8% possession of the ball for the last 15 minutes of the derby clash.
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Rangnick needs to make some very quick and significant changes if this squad has any chance whatsoever of securing Champions League football next season, and that starts with axing Lindelof.
Not doing so, and continuing to drop points could seriously hinder the attraction of the managerial role opening at the club this summer, by limiting the prospects that any newly appointed coach will have the opportunity to work with next season.
In other news: Fabrizio Romano drops huge claim on Rashford’s future
Southampton head into tonight’s clash with Newcastle searching for an answer to last weekend’s humiliation at the hands of Aston Villa, and after having an excellent last few months under manager Ralph Hasenhuttl, the game will be a real test of character.
It’s expected that just two changes will be made for the match, with Mohammed Salisu returning from injury in place of Jack Stephens, and Kyle Walker-Peters to replace Romain Perraud in the starting line-up too.
However, one more change that the Saints boss should consider making is dropping Mohammed Elyounoussi in favour of the more experienced and reliable Nathan Redmond, who was left on the bench last time out.
The Birmingham City youth team graduate, valued at £16.2m by Transfermarkt, has just recently returned from a short month-long spell out on the sidelines, after suffering an ankle injury during a training session.
In a ten minute cameo against West Ham last week in the FA Cup, Redmond had one shot on target and accurately delivered one cross, demonstrating his match sharpness despite having missed over four weeks of football.
Elyounoussi, in comparison, failed to successfully deliver one cross or have a shot on target and looked lost at times against Villa on Saturday.
Redmond needs to be given another opportunity in this Saints side which has massively improved particularly over the last few months, as with his ability but more importantly experience, not only will those around him improve, but having another professional and mature head in the team will help them to put the weekend’s result behind them and bounce back.
His work rate and teamwork makes him an invaluable asset to this high-intensity Hasenhuttl side, with former teammate Danny Ings once suggesting it didn’t matter so much when the winger doesn’t contribute as many goals or assists, saying: “Redders has got absolute quality and everybody knows that, but the stuff he did off the ball today was unbelievable.”
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Having created five Premier League goals though this season, the 28-year-old has demonstrated on a number of occasions this campaign that he is still a creative threat, housing the ability to terrify teams from a creative standpoint. That differs considerably from Elyounoussi who has just one assist to his name.
In other news: Sold for £12m, now like Van Basten: Saints had a howler over “complete” 87-goal gem
Transfer journalist Fabio Gatto has now made a major Tottenham Hotspur exit claim involving Manchester City and star striker Harry Kane.
The Lowdown: Kane regains form…
After a slow start to the 2021/22 campaign under ex-Spurs boss Nuno Espirito Santo, which attracted widespread criticism, it appears that Kane has now returned to his brilliant best.
After managing just one Premier League goal during Nuno’s reign, the 28-year-old has now bagged seven in his last six top-flight matches, with his form now seemingly rejuvenated.
Kane was attracting huge interest from league leaders Man City last summer, with multi-million pound bids even being lodged, but their mooted move for Borussia Dortmund star Erling Haaland now seems to have taken centre stage.
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However, according to Gatto, Pep Guardiola’s fondness for the Tottenham star hasn’t waned, with a major claim emerging contrary to other reports.
The Latest: Gatto makes major Kane claim…
Taking to Twitter, the Italian reporter said that City are ‘close’ to signing Kane, with Guardiola personally choosing the England international himself. Gatto even goes as far as to say that the Sky Blues boss doesn’t believe Haaland would fit in at Eastlands, resulting in Guardiola hand-picking Kane.
The journalist explained: “Man City is close to Kane. The player was chosen by Guardiola himself because he believes he fits his style of play.
“The alternative is Joao Felix. The Spanish coach does not believe that Haaland would fit his game.”
The Verdict: Big claim…
This seismic claim that Guardiola and co are ‘close to Kane’ certainly comes from out of the blue.
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Reports have centred around City’s pursuit of Haaland, potentially throwing their possible bid for the England captain into major doubt, but Gatto has now joined the likes of Sky Germany who believe that the Sky Blues are still eyeing the Spurs forward.
Whether or not this report comes to fruition during the summer remains to be seen, with Spurs fans surely dreading the thought of losing their star man who Alan Shearer called ‘magnificent’.
In other news: ‘Finally’…Alasdair Gold raves as ‘good’ news comes out of Spurs, find out more here
Crystal Palace have seen a significant number of players leave Selhurst Park over the past few years.
Some have departed on free transfers such as Andros Townsend, Patrick van Aanholt and Mamadou Sakho while some others have left for significant amounts of money such as Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Alexander Sorloth and Yannick Bolasie among others.
Looking at the Eagles’ current squad, it seems as though numerous clubs are swirling around one particular player at the south London club.
What’s the news?
According to a recent report from The Sun, Palace full-back Tyrick Mitchell is being monitored by fellow Premier League club Manchester City, with the likes of Chelsea, Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur also interested.
Since joining Palace’s U18 side back in 2016, the defender has gone on to make 57 senior appearances across all competitions, scoring one goal and providing three assists along the way.
Parish disaster
This season has highlighted how vital the Englishman has been for Patrick Vieira’s side by appearing in all but one of their games, playing the full 90 minutes in the majority of their Premier League fixtures.
As a result of his regular game time, the 22-year-old has made more tackles (97), blocks (64) and interceptions (68) than any other Palace player, which could be why the youngster has caught the attention of so many clubs in the top division.
Labelled as a “popular” figure at the club by former Palace boss Roy Hodgson, Mitchell earned his first senior England call-up recently, after his impressive efforts at club level in this campaign.
Taking all of this into account, it would be nothing short of a disaster if Steve Parish were to give the green light to sell the £25k-per-week left-back to another Premier League side anytime soon given how important he’s been to the team this season, who would surely be weakened without him.
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Given how young he is, Mitchell has plenty of time ahead of him to improve even further and become a regular long-term figure for the Eagles rather than see the club cash in on him and strengthen one of their fellow Premier League sides by doing so.
In other news: £13m in the bank: Palace dodged a major transfer bullet on shocking £4.5m-rated flop
There are no signs of him signing a new one yet, and so it looks as if he will be free for clubs to pick up at the end of the season.
This has led to intense interest from the Premier League, with the likes of Newcastle, Tottenham and Crystal Palace reported as suitors in recent months.
The Latest: Newcastle interest
Sky Sports have been ‘told’ that the St. James’ Park faithful are indeed now ‘interested’ in signing Kamara on a Bosman deal, along with Jose Mourinho’s AS Roma.
However, he is also being ‘monitored’ by Manchester United, as they look to bolster their own options in midfield.
The Verdict: Sign
Given that Kamara is currently rated at £22.5m, to sign him on a free transfer would be a bargain.
Once dubbed a ‘phenomenon‘ by former teammate Rolando, the Frenchman is equally as comfortable at playing as a centre-back or in the middle of the park, the kind of versatility that would surely please Eddie Howe.
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He has also proven to be a leader in the spine of the team at such a young age, captaining his side in a number of games in Ligue 1 this season, helping them rise to second spot in France’s top flight, only behind PSG.
On top of all that, Kamara is only 22 years of age, and so if things did not work out in the North East, he could be sold for a tidy profit.
In other news, find out what big NUFC update Craig Hope has now been ‘told’ here!
Newcastle United are on course to avoid relegation from the Premier League and will have the chance to kick on in the top-flight next term.
They are nine points clear of the bottom three and PIF appear set to splash the cash in order to take Eddie Howe’s side up another notch.
The Chronicle recently reported that the club are set to make strides in the transfer market in the summer and named Ryan Gravenberch as a potential target.
This has not come out of thin air, though, as PIF were touted with an interest in the Dutch central midfielder earlier this season.
Get it done
The Magpies owners must now get the money out to seal a deal for Gravenberch in the summer as he would be an excellent signing for the short and long-term future of the club.
De Telegraaf journalist Marcel van der Kraan recently heaped praise on the midfielder.
He told the BBC: “This is maybe why he stood out so early and why Ajax picked him, with his great skills and technique, and brought him to the academy. They could easily put him three or four years above his own age. That’s when people started to find out this kid was only 12. They thought he is going to be a world-beater.
“This happens to almost every kid who is tall and of Surinam background. He gets that label – ‘this is the new Frank Rijkaard’.”
His former youth coach, Brian Tevreden, also said that he is a “better version of Pogba” and his form for Ajax at such a young age shows that he is well on his way to being just that. He has averaged a SofaScore rating of 7.16 in the Eredivisie this term, winning 58% of his duels and contributing with two goals and five assists.
Gravenberch caught the eye as a teenager in the Champions League in the last two campaigns. The Dutchman averaged 4.3 tackles and interceptions per game, whilst scoring once and winning 7.0 duels per match last season, whilst he has made 2.6 tackles and interceptions and won 5.9 duels this time around.
Pogba, meanwhile, has struggled in the competition this term. He has averaged 1.4 tackles and interceptions per game, whilst failing to contribute with a single goal or assist in six outings and winning 4.2 duels per match – recording a dismal SofaScore rating of 6.55.
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This suggests that the Dutch teen is already performing to a higher level in Europe’s premier competition. To be putting in consistently brilliant displays at the age of 19 shows that he has immense potential and the ability to showcase his talent in the here and now.
Ajax reportedly want £30m (€35m) for his services and Newcastle, for the reasons stated above, must put themselves in the race to land him.
AND in other news, Body blow: Craig Hope “told” worrying NUFC update that’ll leave supporters fuming…
Sunderland’s reputation for gifting plenty of homegrown youngsters chances in the first team mix has taken a backseat this season.
Regis Le Bris must have realised this young and hungry approach had to be altered slightly when competing in the Premier League, with experience preferred in the summer, notably splashing out £13m on midfielder Granit Xhaka.
That isn’t to say there isn’t any space for some homegrown prodigies to still try and shine in his starting XIs, though, with Chris Rigg – who had a breakout senior season under the Frenchman last campaign – featuring from the start against Brighton and Hove Albion last time out.
Rigg even crossed paths with another starlet first given senior chances to impress at the Stadium of Light at the Amex in Tommy Watson, with the 19-year-old’s first team journey on Wearside going down as a surreal blur.
Watson's whirlwind Sunderland story
In a summer that saw Sunderland win a mighty £32m from selling Jobe Bellingham to Borussia Dortmund, Watson’s sale to Brighton and Hove Albion managed to fly under the radar.
Still, a sizable £10m came the Black Cats’ way for the raw attacker, despite only 921 minutes of senior football being handed to him at his boyhood club.
There were some obvious standout moments, though, as Watson ended up scoring thatunbelievable strike at Wembley to secure Sunderland’s emotional passage back to the Premier League.
Watson will forever be immortalised as the hero who sealed the Black Cats’ dramatic return to the Premier League, but that magical moment must have been tinged with some bittersweetness, as the number 40 knew he had already committed to a switch to the Seagulls when scoring that sweet strike.
Sadly, since leaving, game time hasn’t yet come his way at the Amex with EFL Cup appearances here and there all he has been thrown so far on the South Coast.
But, away from the England U21 international’s ongoing story, Le Bris will be fearful that another Watson-style situation is playing out in front of him right now.
Sunderland facing a Watson repeat
Forking out a lofty £162m on a whole host of top-flight proven talents this summer has come with some drawbacks, as Le Bris now has to contend with keeping the vast majority of his bloated camp content.
Heading into the new Premier League season after promotion, Eliezer Mayenda would have been hopeful that he would be given plenty of opportunities to dazzle after playing a key role in Sunderland’s promotion story, alongside Watson.
Sky Sports pundit Luke Chambers would even hail him as a “first class” EFL talent last season when firing home ten goals, two of which came in the nerve-wracking playoffs, with the Spain U21 international’s versatile nature to play as a striker, or as a winger, also making him a strong squad option to have, when embarking on a survival mission in the league above.
It’s unfortunately not played out like that in reality, with Mayenda left rooted to the substitutes bench across his team’s last four games, as Championship sides such as Leicester City are tipped to sign him on loan in January.
Mayenda in 24/25 vs 25/26
Stat
24/25
25/26
Games played
41
8
Games started
25
3
Minutes played
2451 mins
264 mins
Goals scored
10
1
Assists
5
0
Sourced by Transfermarkt
This has surely felt even more cruel on Mayenda’s end, considering he bagged Sunderland’s first goal back in the Premier League, only to now be discarded for flashier signings that have arrived at the Stadium of Light.
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Consequently, a Watson-style scenario could soon play out, with the Zaragoza-born forward once allegedly a target for Premier League sides, even before Sunderland’s dramatic day out to Wembley occurred.
If Mayenda were to show off the same electric form that helped the Black Cats move back up to the promised land with a new loan employer, it might not be the wildest suggestion in the world to state that a top-flight club could take a gamble and offer Sunderland a very tempting offer down the line, like Brighton’s £10m splurge on Watson.
With the Africa Cup of Nations also making Le Bris’ first team options fewer, it does feel as if the Premier League newcomers are missing out by not handing the 20-year-old more senior shots to impress, with a hope his impatience doesn’t lead to him walking out on Le Bris’ men prematurely.
Sunderland "warrior" looks like a new Dan Ballard in the making
Regis Le Bris has a new Daniel Ballard on his hands at Sunderland in this determined warrior.