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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…

Speaking on ESPN FC, Craig Burley has admitted Ole Gunnar Solskjaer could be out of the Manchester United job after Christmas if results continue to take a downturn.

What did he say?

After an emphatic 4-0 win over rivals Chelsea in the opening Premier League game of the season, the Red Devils drew away to Wolves, before slipping to a shock defeat to Crystal Palace at Old Trafford.

Now, Burley has revealed that whilst Solskjaer will get some time due to his status as a club legend, he could see the Norwegian losing his job before the end of the year.

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He said: “People are saying is there any leadership? I think all the way through Man United you could talk about that, not just on the pitch. So would it be an overreaction to say he will be gone by Christmas?

“I’m going to say it would be, only because, and they could have some bad results, but you know the ones upstairs that dither, that can’t make decisions, Ed Woodward and his cronies, you kind of feel they’ll sit on their hands for a while.

“So I think he’s got a bit of time, so I think that might be a bit of an overreaction unless they go like six straight defeats and it just caves in. I think he’ll survive maybe just until after Christmas.”

Trigger happy

Since the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson, United certainly haven’t been shy in pulling the trigger on sacking managers. The likes of David Moyes, Louis van Gaal and Jose Mourinho have all come and gone, and Solskjaer himself faces a difficult task in keeping his job.

The indoor football skills in the video below have to be seen to be believed…

The Norwegian’s electric start to life at Old Trafford was brought to a shuddering halt come the end of last season, and it appears the 4-0 win victory over Chelsea was a bit of a false dawn. Whilst Solskjaer has some goodwill with the United hierarchy for his record as a player, if he can’t preside over a turn in fortune sooner rather than later, he could well be gone even sooner than Burley suggests.

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It has been quite a long summer for Barcelona’s 22-year-old superstar, Ousmane Dembele.

The young Frenchman was pretty comfortable at the Catalan capital and was looking ahead to finally showing everyone what he can do on the pitch.

But after he was sidelined by another serious injury, which is still keeping away from the squad, suddenly he became disposable and was even reportedly offered as a bargaining chip in Barcelona’s attempt to get Neymar back from Paris Saint-Germain.

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This ultimately failed as the Brazilian ended up staying in France and if the newest reports coming from Mundo Deportivo are true, Blaugrana have now decided to invest time into Dembele and put some faith into him.

It’s safe to say, however, that many of the fans don’t seem to share that sentiment with their club.

After hearing that update, they quickly jumped to social media and Twitter to voice their opinions and disappointments over that decision, with some claiming the Frenchman has been given too many chances already and that the club are pursuing a lost cause.

You can see some of their replies in the collection of tweets down below…

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Watford loanee Luis Javier Suarez Charris has been catching the plaudits while playing for Real Zaragoza in La Liga 2. 

According to Spanish newspaper AS (via Sport Witness) the attacker – accompanied by Levante loanee Raphael Dwamena – has given ‘another dimension’ to the club’s attacking force.

Luis Suarez joined Watford in 2017 from Colombian side Leones and was instantly loaned to Real Valladolid’s reserves. Last season, he played for Gimnastic de Tarragona before being sanctioned this move to Real Zaragoza this season.

The move for Luis Suarez looks good for all parties involved as Zaragoza look to push towards promotion back into the big time.

Real Zaragoza have been stuck in the second-tier of Spanish football since 2013, meaning that they have been out of the La Liga for over half a decade – a long way away from the side that won the Cup Winners’ Cup just shy of 25 years ago.

Watford and the Pozzo family have a good record with developing young, South American talent, so Suarez looks a really exciting prospect for Watford.

In previous years, the Pozzo’s have sourced players such as Richarlison and Alexis Sanchez from South America for both Udinese and Watford respectively, so are no novices about developing a player away from their home country.

Additionally, the network of clubs the Pozzo’s own allow for a natural progression into the Premier League. If Suarez continues this great form at Zaragoza, then there are plenty of options for him if he still isn’t ready for the Premier League then a potential move to Udinese could be on the cards, where they can keep a close eye on him and see how he develops.

It’s good news for Watford to see one of their loanees firing as they will hope he has the potential one day to break into the first team.

The Colombian has scored three goals in four games for Zaragoza and if he can continue in that kind of goalscoring form, who knows where he could end up next season? It certainly is promising.

Exciting for Watford? Join the discussion by commenting below… 

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

After seeing the early momentum gained from a 4-0 thrashing of Chelsea quickly evaporate, Manchester United return to Premier League action on Saturday with a point to prove. The Red Devils are winless in their last three league games, and already find themselves seven points behind arch-rivals Liverpool at the top of the table.

If Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side hoped for an ‘easy’ fixture to play after the end of the international break, then that certainly will not be the case. Leicester make the trip to Old Trafford after making an unbeaten start to the Premier League campaign, and find themselves in third place.

Having already drawn away at Chelsea, Brendan Rodgers’ team will definitely fancy their chances of getting another big result.

On the chalkboard

If either side are intent on claiming all three points at the weekend, then the midfield battle between Paul Pogba and James Maddison could very well decide the outcome. And judging by the numbers, both have had decent campaigns so far.

For all the criticism thrown at Pogba this season, particularly in the aftermath of the penalty fiasco at Wolves, the France World Cup winner has been one of United’s stand-out players. The 26-year-old may infuriate some with his penchant for fancy flicks and tricks, but he never shirks the responsibility of trying to create something for his team.

Maddison similarly runs the show for Leicester in the final third, and his performances both this season and last have seen his name linked with a possible move to Old Trafford in the future.

The 22-year-old has proven his quality in making chances for others with his 2.3 key passes per game, and also for trying to get on the score-sheet himself with 3.3 shots per game.

On Saturday, Pogba may have to be slightly more wary of matching his averages of 1.5 dribbles and 1.8 shots per game. Leicester’s renowned counter-attacking style means the Frenchman should think twice about marauding forward, and perhaps keep a much-closer eye on the spaces Maddison occupies. If the latter gets on the ball with time and space to pick out a pass for someone like Jamie Vardy, rest assured he will find it.

It promises to be a fascinating encounter between United’s present and potentially their future. If Pogba can get on the ball and dominate the play like his numbers suggest, then the Red Devils stand a great chance of registering just their second win of the season. But if he fails to keep Maddison in check, then Leicester could run riot at Old Trafford.

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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…

Writing in The Times, Tony Cascarino has revealed Scott McTominay is “vital” to Manchester United’s season.

What did he say?

The Scotland international has established himself as a key part of the Red Devils’ first-team under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, and has started in every Premier League match this season.

Now, Cascarino has insisted the 22-year-old is “vital” to the United side, particularly after the summer departure of fellow midfielder Ander Herrera.

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He said: “They will miss the tenacity and ball-winning ability of Ander Herrera, but McTominay is a solid option in that defensive midfielder role. He’s not a world beater but will be a valuable player. United are a club who are going through a transition that will take years thanks to the neglect of the past few seasons.

“Solskjaer is putting them back on the right track and hard-working, committed young players like McTominay will be vital to helping him this season.”

Under-appreciated

Alongside the more flamboyant talents of France World Cup winner Paul Pogba, it is easy to just completely disregard what McTominay brings to the table. After all, he’s not likely to ping one into the back of the net from 30 yards or attempt a no-look cross-field pass. He does the simple things to a tee, and that’s exactly what makes him “vital” to United.

This season he has averaged some impressive defensive numbers, registering 1.6 tackles and 1.8 interceptions per game – figures that double what he recorded last year. His range of passing can no doubt improve, but the fact that he is also making close to twice the number of average passes per game as he did in the last Premier League campaign speaks volumes to how he is willing to embrace the growing responsibility.

He may go unnoticed amidst United’s abundance of pace and trickery, but he is no doubt just as important as the rest of his Red Devils teammates.

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Off the Bench series, which places in-game managerial decisions and squad selections under FFC’s microscope.

Having taken the lead in the first half, Tottenham slipped to a disappointing 2-1 defeat to Leicester at the King Power Stadium on Saturday.

Snapshot

Mauricio Pochettino’s side came into the game having thrown away a two-goal lead against Olympiacos in the Champions League in mid-week.

So when Harry Kane gave the visitors the perfect start, surely the north Londoners had sufficiently learned their lessons from Greece?

Maybe not. Leicester grew increasingly stronger after the break and turned the game on its head thanks to goals from Ricardo Pereira and James Maddison.

Spurs could have gone 2-0 up had VAR not ruled out a strike from Serge Aurier but instead, the Lilywhites wilted under the pressure and they threw it all away. How did that come about? Well, Victor Wanyama’s introduction certainly had something to do with it.

Off the bench

The Kenya international had been close to sealing a £12m move to Belgian side Club Brugge during the summer transfer window but failed to see it get completed before the deadline.

The 28-year-old hadn’t played a single minute of competitive action for Spurs this season, so Pochettino’s decision to bring him on in such a close game was certainly eyebrow-raising.

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The former Southampton man replaced the energetic Moussa Sissoko in the 68th minute and whilst the latter appeared to be playing on the edge, he brought a real tenacity to Spurs. Wanyama, on the other hand, looked distinctly pedestrian, seemingly running through mud.

The holding midfielder struggled to catch up to the pace of the game, making no tackles, interceptions or clearances in his disappointing cameo.

James Maddison was a real live-wire for Leicester registering four key passes and two dribbles, and it was imperative Spurs kept a lid on him. Instead, Wanyama lost the England U21 international just minutes before the end and saw him rifle home the winner from more than 20 yards.

Having seen his side choke against Olympiacos just days before, Pochettino’s rationale behind wanting to bring in extra defensive protection seemed logical enough. But surely not someone who the club were happy to let go and hadn’t played at all this season?

The Argentine took a major gamble in throwing him in at the deep end and Wanyama duly sunk. From looking on course to getting a hard-fought three points, Spurs chucked it all away. Pochettino’s second-half decision played a huge part in that outcome.

[ad_pod ]Sam Allardyce is trying to get a nibble, isn’t he?St James’ Park is a glum place to be at the moment.Mike Ashley’s reign continues to chug on, without any immediate sign of collapsing, despite rumours recently circulating that Peter Kenyon is interested in buying the club. Rafael Benitez has handed his crown to Steve Bruce, and a 5-0 battering at the hands of Leicester City has caused captain Jamaal Lascelles to question the competency and desire of his teammates.Watch Newcastle United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

The last thing the already battered band of miserable Magpies fans needed on a Monday morning is to hear from Allardyce, whose main objective in life is to seemingly get as many bites as possible for wind-up merchants talkSPORT.

Unfortunately, however, that’s exactly what they got from their former boss, who couldn’t stop himself from taking a somewhat controversial dig at Benitez in defence of one of English management’s remaining gargoyles…

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Off the Bench series, which places in-game managerial decisions and squad selections under FFC’s microscope.

Leeds bounced back from a tough result against Charlton last weekend to defeat previously unbeaten West Brom on Tuesday.

It appears that the mini-crisis is over at Elland Road following a run where they’d only won one of their last five games in all competitions.

Surprisingly, Marcelo Bielsa opted for an unchanged line-up, one which demonstrated his faith in the players he has at his disposal.

It paid off as they won 1-0 but it didn’t come without its troubles as the Baggies had the best of the possession, something that’s been a rarity for a Leeds team who have averaged over 60% this term across all matches.

It was in the final quarter of the match that they were really up against it, however.

Watch Leeds United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Snapshot

Leeds opened the scoring in the first half courtesy of Gjanni Alioski. Jack Harrison held the ball up well on the left-hand side and then laid it on a plate for the left-back to fire into the bottom corner.

The Whites had 19 shots but failed to score another goal as Slaven Bilic’s men aimed to extend their unbeaten run.

Bielsa chose to go incredibly defensive in the final 15 minutes as he replaced Tyler Roberts, who had already been brought on, with Luke Ayling.

Off the bench

This was a strange substitution to make, especially considering Roberts had only come on at half time. He was making just his second appearance of the campaign while Ayling came onto achieve his first minutes in the senior team since getting injured.

It was a risky call given presumably his lack of match fitness but it was one that looked to give the west Yorkshire side more control in midfield.

Stuart Dallas moved slightly further forward with Leeds looking weaker since Jamie Shackleton was withdrawn because of injury.

Why are Leeds fans the best in the country? Find out in the video below…

However, putting on another defender only invited more pressure on Leeds’ defence.

Bielsa made a similar call against Derby just over a week ago when he introduced Barry Douglas for an attacking player in Pablo Hernandez.

The Rams consequently scored and it might easily have happened again on this occasion. It was a risk but it was one that eventually paid off as they kept a clean sheet.

When Ayling came on, West Brom had 75% of the possession and achieved four of their ten shots, via WhoScored. Because of the lack of players to drive them up the pitch, they were unable to get on the ball regularly.

Leeds have now had two times to go in for the kill this season but have instead opted to sit back. This time it worked but against Derby it didn’t. The Argentine must learn from what happened in that game and be careful.

Sheffield Wednesday boss Garry Monk was condemned to his first league defeat as Owls manager on Tuesday evening as substitute Tom Eaves scored the only goal of the game to hand Hull City all three points at the KCOM Stadium.

The striker powerfully headed home an Eric Lichaj cross just six minutes after entering the pitch to bag his first goal for the Tigers.

Monk, on the other hand, was without his main man Steven Fletcher, who has netted five already this campaign – his absence perhaps came as a shock as there was no news about the 32-year-old’s injury prior to the match.

Watch Sheffield Wednesday Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

It meant that Sam Winnall and Atdhe Nuhiu led the line as Monk continued to operate a 4-4-2 system.

The former Barnsley forward had the best chance of the game just after half-time as he directed a header of his own narrowly wide from a mere six-yards out.

His performance certainly failed to inspire many of the Hillsborough faithful with some taking to Twitter to share their thoughts on the 28-year-old.

One supporter compared the 5 foot 9 man to a former Wednesday flop by calling him an ‘English Stevie May,’ who scored just seven times in 42 appearances.

Winnall has only bagged five goals in 31 appearances, per Transfermarkt.

Another member of the Owls crowd believes the striker is too slow and offers nothing while a further fan called him a ‘myth.’

Here’s the best of the reaction:

Eddie Nketiah hasn’t been given many starting chances for Leeds United so far this season.Indeed, the Arsenal loanee has played just 162 league minutes for the Whites so far this campaign.Watch Leeds United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Despite not getting much of a chance to shine in Yorkshire since joining Marcelo Bielsa’s side, he’s still managed to put up good numbers, netting at a rate of one goal every 81 minutes in the Championship this term, while also grabbing two strikes in cup action.

Leeds fans haven’t been given many chances to see his fantastic talent, but luckily, he posted a training montage from his time with the England U21s that shows just how good he is.

The 20-year-old striker showcased his incredible speed, skill and finishing ability in the montage as he continued to find the corners with his strikes.

With the Championship xG table indicating that Leeds should have scored at least seven goals more than they already have at this point this season, it seems as if finishing is a bit of an issue at Elland Road, and based on this video Nketiah could be the solution.