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It would be completely unfair to judge Paul Pogba’s career on one ill-fated moment, but that’s the level of responsibility which accompanies world-record price-tags.

When those glorious chances fall to you on the biggest stage, you have to be talented, composed and ready enough to take advantage. But as a corner was fizzed into the unmarked Frenchman during Saturday’s FA Cup final at Wembley, he completely mistimed a header that didn’t even trouble Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.

And in truth, it wasn’t just that moment which highlighted how Pogba’s struggled to truly embrace his superstar role since re-joining Manchester United.

Sure, there’s been talismanic performances and glistening moments, like his second-half brace in the Manchester derby, but they’ve been few and far between and rarely come when there’s something as precious on the line as the club’s final chance of silverware for 2017/18.

Indeed, Pogba’s performance on Saturday encapsulated much of the Red Devils’ in general; a lack of penetration and potency going forward, highlighted by just one chance created and none of his four efforts at goal hitting the target, combined with some real lethargy on the ball, his 15 possession losses representing the most of any midfielder for either side, and a dose of disappointing defending, managing only one tackle in a full ninety minutes.

After the full time whistle, confirming United’s 1-0 defeat to last season’s champions, there was a look on Mourinho’s face that seemed to question where his leaders were; where were the superstars he’s spent so much money on, where were the characters he expected to take the game by the scruff of the neck, where were the players in their prime blessed with the talent to carve open this inconsistent Chelsea side? Pogba should fall into all three categories, but was found wanting on the big stage.

That’s not to suggest he was the reason United lost on Sunday. Pogba’s become an easy target for when United don’t play well, either for his own poor form or for how Mourinho has struggled to bring the best out of him at Old Trafford.

But it typifies the underlying concern with this Red Devils squad; for all the vast fortunes spent, for all the Hollywood names, United rarely embrace the pressure of season-defining moments by producing their best performances.

“We are never sure of anything but contractually it’s sure, yes. I can never look far into the future. It also depends how it goes with the club, how things work out.”

Pogba – who Transfermarkt value at £81million – was suspiciously non-committal on his future after the match, and Mourinho would likely tell reporters the feeling is mutual. After two seasons back at Old Trafford, Pogba appears no more the talismanic, reliable leader Mourinho hoped he could be moulded into than when he returned from Juventus in summer 2015.

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So, United fans, is it time to find new leaders and superstars by selling Pogba this summer? Let us know by voting below…

Everton are still yet to appoint Sam Allardyce’s successor despite sacking him three days after the end of the Premier League season, but that hasn’t stopped them putting plans in place for next term as they look to build upon a hugely disappointing campaign.

The Toffees would have been hoping for a top-seven finish minimum last summer when owner Farhad Moshiri invested heavily in Ronald Koeman’s squad, but a disastrous start saw the Dutchman sacked in October and eventually replaced on a full-time basis by Allardyce, who led them to eighth.

Marco Silva looks like he could be the man to take the vacant position with director of football Marcel Brands, who will be an instant hero with the Goodison Park faithful if he pulls off a remarkable £70m deal, pulling the strings in terms of recruitment after Steve Walsh was relieved of his duties.

Brands will know that he needs to add some real quality to the team to ensure that not only are they the best of the rest next term, but also that they can make a serious challenge to gatecrash the top six sides and try and finish above the likes of Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal and arch-rivals Liverpool, who will all have the distraction of European football.

There are certainly players out there who can help them achieve that aim, and Moshiri and the board need to get things right in the transfer market to make it happen.

Here are four huge signings that would ensure Everton gatecrash the Top 6 party…

With Phil Jagielka and Ashley Williams no longer good enough to be regular starters and Ramiro Funes Mori’s future seemingly in doubt, Everton are ultimately left with Michael Keane, Matthew Pennington and Mason Holgate as their centre-back options, and they need better if they are to progress next season.

Newcastle centre-back and captain Lascelles could be the answer to their problem, with the 24-year-old showing how good he is both defensively and from a leadership point of view as the Magpies finished 10th last season.

While he would come at a big price, he is a player that would tighten what was a leaky Everton backline at times last term, and his arrival could also help Keane improve too following a tough first campaign at Goodison Park.

With Leighton Baines getting no younger and not having the energy to get up and down the pitch like he once did for the Toffees, bringing a new left-back to Goodison Park must be one of Everton’s priorities this summer.

Having fallen behind Ben Davies in the pecking order at Tottenham, Rose is a player that could be on the move in the coming weeks in search of more regular minutes on the pitch, and the England international would certainly get that with the Merseyside outfit.

The 27-year-old still has plenty to offer at this level, and he would have a huge point to prove if Spurs did decide to sell him.

One of Everton’s weaknesses during a disappointing 2017/18 campaign was their central midfield, where the likes of Idrissa Gueye and Morgan Schneiderlin weren’t putting in the same level of performances as they were in the previous season.

The latter in particular came under fierce criticism from the supporters, and the Toffees often looked a little bit too open in those areas.

The addition of giant defensive midfielder Carvalho to sit in front of the back four and protect them would certainly go a long way to sorting that issue, and it would give Gueye more attacking freedom than he perhaps has right now.

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While Cenk Tosun and Theo Walcott impressed following their January moves and Gylfi Sigurdsson started to improve before his season was ended by injury, you get the feeling that Everton need another quality body in their frontline.

They should consider making an ambitious move to bring Man United striker Rashford to Goodison Park on loan, with a temporary deal a distinct possibility if Jose Mourinho brings a new attacker to Old Trafford this summer.

The Portuguese boss may want the 20-year-old to go out and play regularly following what has been a disappointing season where he has found himself behind the likes of Alexis Sanchez and Romelu Lukaku in the pecking order.

Do you agree, Everton fans? Let us know below.

As reported by The Telegraph, Celtic target Joe Allen is set to sign a contract at Stoke City despite their relegation from the English Premier League.

What’s the story?

The Mirror reported at the end of last month that Brendan Rodgers was showing interest in bringing the player to the Scottish Premiership, with his future at Stoke in doubt.

However, it appears he is willing to pledge himself to the promotion fight under new Stoke boss Gary Rowett.

That’s according to The Telegraph, who say that the club are determined to keep him by ensuring that a relegation pay-cut clause in his current deal doesn’t put him off staying around.

The paper say a new contract is set to be signed when the player returns from his close-season holiday.

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What are the Hoops missing out on?

Despite reports noting Rodgers’ interest in his former player, the prospect of Celtic signing Allen was always slim, but it’s interesting to think about what a player of his standard would bring to the Hoops.

It’s clear that Rodgers’ side have more than enough about them to dominate Scottish football but aside from one or two select results last season, have been shown to be far off the pace when it comes to European football.

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A player like Allen could have addressed that deficit, possessing the technical ability and having the experience to help out their midfield massively against that step up in competition.

The Welshman may be off the table, but can Celtic bring in that kind of quality in midfield and defence this summer to complement what is an excellent attack?

It seemed like it was only a matter of time before Liverpool were going to announce the arrival of new signing Nabil Fekir from Lyon.

However, the transfer collapsed, causing the Ligue 1 outfit to release a statement confirming that their midfielder will be staying put.

It is fair to say that Liverpool fans were devastated by the turn of events, and now attention has turned to who could be the plan B option.

There are plenty of decent attacking midfielders across Europe, but there is one man who plenty of Liverpool fans would rather the club did not target.

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Julian Draxler, who is valued at £31.5m by Transfermarkt, has often been linked to the Premier League, but at the moment, he plies his trade at Paris Saint-Germain.

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Last season, the 24-year-old made 47 appearances in all competitions for the French outfit, scoring four goals and creating 10 assists.

It is unclear whether the midfielder will move on this summer, but one thing is for sure, most Liverpool fans would prefer not to see him at Anfield.

Newcastle fans have been discussing a move for Swansea’s Roque Mesa, but fans would much prefer to stick with what they have.

Various reports have linked Newcastle’s Mikel Merino with a move back to Spain, and last week the Magpies were linked with a move for Swansea’s Mesa as a replacement.

Rafael Benitez is obviously fond of the idea of having a gifted Spanish technician in his midfield, but Merino’s first season on Tyneside did not go to plan.

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The former Borussia Dortmund youngster struggled with a back injury for most of the season, and has been linked with moves to Athletic Bilbao and Real Sociedad.

The 21 year-old is very talented though, and it seems a shame to give up on him after just one season in the Premier League.

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The youngster is bigger and more powerful than the more experienced Mesa, and the overwhelming majority of fans think it would be a big mistake to dump Merino for the relegated Swansea man.

You can find the full poll results down below…

Stoke City are set to appoint St Johnstone assistant manager Callum Davidson as Gary Rowett’s no.2, according to The Stoke Sentinel.

The new Stoke boss is yet to formally announce his backroom team but it appears that his former Leicester City team-mate will reunite with Rowett in the Britannia dugout.

The Sentinel are also reporting that Rory Delap and Kevin Phillips will take up coaching roles for the Potters.

It appears that Rowett’s usual assistant, Kevin Summerfield, who worked under the new Stoke boss when he managed previously at Burton Albion, Birmingham City and Derby County, will not join him in his new venture.

Is this the best World Cup ever? Give us your thoughts here and win any World Cup shirt of your choice. 

Davidson, a former Scotland international, started and ended his playing career at St Johnstone, sandwiching a spell in England where he played for Blackburn Rovers, Leicester City and Preston North End.

Kevin Phillips made a name for himself as a lethal striker for nearly 20 years in England and remains the only English player to have won the European Golden Shoe.

Phillips was previously working with Rowett at Derby, as was Rory Delap who was something of a legend for Stoke City and was famed for his characteristic long throw-ins.

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Stoke fans have been reacting on social media to the new appointments and these are some of the best.

Marouane Fellaini is just now embarking upon his sixth season at Manchester United and he is as important a part of the first team now as ever before. 

The man signed by David Moyes all those years ago has gone on to become a firm favourite of Jose Mourinho’s. The Red Devils boss has started the 6’4” Belgium international in the last two Premier League matches.

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Even when the 30-year-old isn’t included from the off, he has proved himself to be a great impact option from the bench on numerous occasions. 

So valuable is Fellaini to United that earlier this summer he was handed a new two-year contract to keep him at Old Trafford until 2020.

When we asked United fans whether or not they consider Fellaini to have been a successful signing, 64% stated they thought he’d been a great buy. See the full results below.

However, when he first arrived at the club from Everton, many United fans were less than impressed with their club’s latest acquisition…

Arsenal star Mesut Ozil has claimed that he needs to be more selfish in order to add to his goal tally, according to reports from the Guardian.

Ozil currently holds the record for being the Gunners’ most expensive ever transfer, arriving from Real Madrid two seasons ago via a £42.5million fee.

However, the Germany international has been challenged by Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger to add to his total goal tally, which currently stands at nine league goals in 51 Premier League games.

WANT MORE? >> Arsenal Transfer News | Latest Transfer News

Known for being the assist-king, Ozil admits that he will need to become a more selfish player to score goals, but he will always put the team ahead of his personal record.

“I want to score more goals than in the last two seasons and that’s my aim for this season,” he said.

“I think now and then I need to become a bit more selfish – then I’d definitely score more goals. But I’m a player who thinks for the team first and not for my own needs and that’s why I will carry on to play the way I always do. I think that’s one of my distinguishing characteristics.

“For me it’s not just goals and assists that mean everything, what’s more important is that we’re successful as a team.

“My aim is to help the team and I’ll do all I can to achieve that. In truth I’m more the sort of player who doesn’t really go for goal, I tend to look for my team-mates and think, ‘Can I play this pass?’.”

The Gunners haven’t had the best start to their Premier League campaign, garnering four points out of a possible nine and only scoring two goals in three games.

Arsenal travel to St. James’ Park to face Newcastle United this Saturday in their next league fixture.

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It has been a busy old summer for football managers, after months of rumours, negotiations and so many transfer sagas that just won’t end, the transfer window has finally slammed shut.This season has seen a new record with clubs smashing their way past an incredible £800million worth of deals.As per usual, deadline day saw a flurry of sides trying to rush through very late deals in the hope of strengthening their sides for the remainder of theÂcampaign.Whilst it was a rather subdued deadline day compared to recent years their were still several impressive transfer deals that were able to go through at the last moment.Here are the three best signings that went through on the final day…

Bradley Johnson – Norwich City to Derby County

Yes, the transfer involves a player dropping down to a lower league, but the deal is a massive coup for Derby County and they should be praised for securing a player that has the quality to be starting for a club in the Premier League.

Johnson joins promotion hopefuls “Derby City” on a four-year deal for Âa club record £6million.

The 28-year-old was arguably one of the best midfielders Norwich had and played a huge role in helping the Canaries gain promotion last season, scoring 15 goals.

He is the complete midfielderÂ- strong, quick and good on the ball. He is comfortable moving forward in support of the attack, or tracking back to help his defence.

New manager Paul Clement believes he is a major coup that will bring invaluable experience and will beÂa real leader on the field as he steps in to replace Will Hughes, who has been sidelined long term with a serious knee injury.

Joleon Lescott – West Brom to Aston Villa

The centre back has moved across the Midlands to rivals Aston Villa in a deal worth around £2million and although the deal won’t have made the headlines, Lescott can be a great addition to Tim Sherwood’s side.

The 33-year-old may be heading towards the end of his career, but he brings something that Aston Villa were in desperate need of – Premier League experience.

Out of the thirteen new faces at Villa Park Âthis summer, only Lescott, Scott Sinclair and Micah Richards have a significant amount of top flight experience.

Lescott has spent the majority of his career in the top flight of English football, during spells with Wolves, Manchester City and West Brom, and will be vital in helping many of the new additions adjust to Premier League life.

The England international is a calming presence at the back, strong in the tackle and good in the air. He will likely link up with former Man City team mate Micah Richards to form the new look centre back partnership this season.

Michail Antonio – Nottingham Forest to West Ham

The attacking powerhouse became the fourth signing of a busy deadline day for the Hammers, when he joined the London side for a fee believed to be around £7million.

The 25-year old has finally been given his chance in the top flight after becoming one of the star performers for Forest last season,Âscored 15 goals for Dougie Freeman’s side.

He is a versatile attacker, comfortable as a striker or playing in one of the three attacking midfield slots. West Ham are getting a talented individual with bags of pace, pure brute physical strength and a keen eye for goal.

Fans of the club will no doubt be looking forward to seeing their new man in action, with Antonio looking the perfect type of player to thrive off the service from the creative Dimitri Payet.

Manchester United is in a familiar position, sat atop of the league standings looking down on everyone else. I’m not on about any false dawns in the league proper that have come about after a mere seven games. The table I refer to is the pundit league table, comprised of former players that turned into “experts†on various television platforms.It is with a great debt to Gary Neville that United lead the way. As a player he was an easy target for hatred. He epitomised all the values and characteristics that fans of rival clubs hated about United. His swagger and focus seen as arrogance.He always appeared to be running his mouth, and so many took great pleasure in his apparent demise against Stoke in October 2010. He was lucky to remain on the pitch and was duly substituted. It was clear his body could no longer perform the tasks requested from his mind.[ffc-gal cat=”manchester-united” no=”5″]At that point it was inconceivable such a brain and overactive gob could provide detailed analysis. What followed was a transformation on camera. The steely focus in the eyes replaced by good natured banter with his co-hosts. More importantly than this, he filled the Andy Gray void on Sky Sports. Worries technical analysis would suffer were quickly eased. If anything, Neville evolved the standard of coverage.Such is a testament to his skills, even his brother playing in the league doesn’t take points away from United. Phil was always seen as the weaker of the two on the field and the trend continues on the TV. His World Cup performances brought about a Twitter backlash. He took it with a smile on his face and has slowly improved. His points also have to be shared with Everton, he was their club captain.Another pundit sharing out points to Everton is the aforementioned Andy Gray. While being a Marmite character it can’t be denied he moved coverage of football forward. After a few years of what were fancy tools for the time, but now commonplace, and a more relaxed approach to analysis, he left the traditional Match of the Day style reporting looking very antiquated. He continues to flourish abroad and would be a strong addition to any network. His points have to be spread with Aston Villa.They can’t benefit from Gray’s helping hand because they have Andy Townsend pulling them down. Quite how he survived the chop for 15 years in the ITV hot seat is a mystery. Clive Tyldesley undoubted helped matters. When the lead commentator is so annoying and poor it masks the inadequacies of his junior partner. To show he’s keeping his eye in, he appeared on last week’s Sunday Supplement and claimed Villa know how to rub it with the big clubs because they have won the European Cup. Yes, Andy, I’m sure that 1982 triumph helps the current setup every single day.Liverpool should have a strong standing in the league. They certainly have thrown enough pundits at the campaign. Retired Alan Hansen was a strong performer. His only defect was sticking in the comfort zone of the BBC. By the end his style had become dated. Many found Mark Lawrenson boring but his dry sense of humour was lost on the Beeb.Graeme Souness has done a better job scoring points for the Reds in this league than he did as manager, but sometimes there’s a fear he just says something – anything – to be different than his younger panel, in an attempt to remain relevant. Liverpool’s big guns come in the guise of Jamie Redknapp and Jamie Carragher. Redknapp the more seasoned of the two and originally the flamboyant sparkle to Sky’s coverage. Sadly he’s gone from an intoxicating cocktail to something resembling your mum’s weak cordial. Carragher speaks so little sense it sounds like he’s been drinking lots of the former.Special mentions go to Alan Shearer who has done the reverse of Gary Neville. He’s gone from hero to zero. What makes his incorrect assumptions about the game worse is the smug face he uses when delivering them. Whenever he annoys just remind yourself he did get his beloved Newcastle relegated.Lee Dixon collects heavily for Arsenal. It’s a shame he left BBC for ITV, he’d have been better served performing on Sky each week. He has a form of delivery and clear understanding of the game matched only by Gary Neville.Some will argue that Roy Keane should be the cause of a Manchester United deduction. But it’s good to have a guy playing devil’s advocate while sounding like Satan. And while Paul Scholes may cause upset, I overlook this because for years I assumed he shared his voice with Sooty, the famous teddy bear puppet. It’s nice to know he has functioning speech.All pundits above can be rest assured they will never be at the bottom of the table. Well, not as long as Michael Owen graces our airwaves.

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