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Taking to Twitter, Sky Sports reporter Angelo Mangiante has delivered a fresh update on the pursuit of the next permanent Manchester United manager. 

The lowdown: A two-horse race?

As the Red Devils continue to stutter towards the end of the season with interim manager Ralf Rangnick at the helm, it had appeared that the shortlist has been whittled down to Paris Saint-Germain boss Mauricio Pochettino and current Ajax chief Erik ten Hag.

The Dutchman – who held ‘positive talks’ with the United board recently – could now be pulling clear as a frontrunner for the Old Trafford hotseat as speculation intensifies.

Ten Hag certainly appears to be the preferred candidate, judging by a fresh reveal from Mangiante…

The latest: ‘Very close’

As per the Sky journalist, replying to a post on Twitter, Manchester United are closing in on the 52-year-old.

Mangiante wrote: “Erik ten Hag is now very close and he still leading the race to become the new Manchester United manager. For sure, he wants a final answer from Manchester United as soon as possible. In any case, compensation for Erik ten Hag is not an issue for Manchester United.”

Ten Hag could be set to become the permanent replacement for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer after the United legend was relieved of his duties in November.

The verdict: Right man for the job?

Although the managerial post in M16 has been somewhat of a poisoned chalice in recent times, the former FC Twente centre-back certainly has the credentials to succeed in Manchester.

Having lifted five major trophies in Netherlands, including two Eredivisie titles, Ten Hag has developed a winning style primarily utilising a 4-3-3 formation at Ajax.

Albeit a wholly different landscape, the Dutchman has also been able to develop and produce exciting young talent and was praised for possessing a ‘clear philosophy’ by Steve McClaren, something which has been ingrained into Manchester United since the days of Sir Alex Ferguson.

By that logic, Ten Hag could certainly be the right man for the job at Old Trafford.

So that was Ten Hag, but what about the latest on United’s links with Pochettino? Find out more here.

Everton manager Frank Lampard has revealed a massive team news boost ahead of the Toffees’ clash against West Ham on Sunday.

What’s the latest?

Taking to Friday’s press conference ahead of the clash at the London Stadium, the 43-year-old provided an update on Dominic Calvert-Lewin which will be music to Evertonian ears.

Speaking to the club’s official website about the 25-year-old, Lampard said: “He’s in a really good place. The break has been positive for Dominic (Calvert-Lewin).

“We’ve worked well, really closely with him over the past couple of weeks. Without putting unnecessary pressure on him, because it’s tough to be a striker with expectation. He’s in a really good place.”

Huge boost for Everton

Lampard’s latest update regarding Calvert-Lewin comes as a huge boost for Everton. The Toffees have often struggled in front of goal this season and, with just 29 goals in the Premier League, find themselves ranked as the joint-fourth lowest scorers in the top flight.

It is clear that Everton have missed their 25-year-old talisman this season, as indeed any team would be badly affected if they had to do without a player who netted 16 goals in his most recent league campaign and began this term with three in as many matches before injury struck.

Extra clarification of how poor Everton’s goalscoring numbers have been this season comes in the form of Liverpool superstar; Mohamed Salah. So far this season, the Egyptian has 30 goal contributions to his name, in the form of 20 goals and 10 assists. In other words, he has been involved in more goals on his own than Everton have scored as a team this season, a stat which will no doubt infuriate Toffees fans.

Lampard’s side find themselves in a precarious position in the table and will need all help they can get if they are to avoid relegation to the Championship.

Calvert-Lewin’s return also adds some enhancements which cannot be quantified, such as his ability to act as a focal point and create space for a team-mate, or his ability to hold up the ball in the attacking third; giving his team-mates the chance to make runs out wide. Whilst his end product should certainly aid Everton in their hunt for Premier League survival, his playing style as an out-and-out physical striker could indeed prove to be the difference between staying up and going down for the Toffees.

His impending return is undoubtedly a huge boost for Everton and will eave Lampard ecstatic ahead of a testing fixture this weekend against Europa League quarter-finalists West Ham.

In other news – Everton must finally unleash £19.8m “freak of a talent” who has been “destroyed”

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Newcastle fans have taken to Twitter in panicked fashion after Rafa Benitez’s £6m ‘shackle’ clause at the club expired, meaning that he could leave the club with no consequences, as reported by The Daily Mail.

The Spaniard previously would have had to pay a £6m fee to the Magpies if he wanted to leave before the end of his contract, but now that clause has expired, fans are worried that the former Liverpool boss has had enough of Mike Ashley’s nonsense.

When quizzed on if he would walk if Newcastle failed to sign anyone before Thursday’s deadline, Benitez simply said, as quoted by The Daily Mail: “‘We will wait until Thursday and see what happens.”

Pretty ambiguous stuff, it must be said – although Newcastle are now closing in on a deal for Miguel Almiron, per BBC Sport.

The subject of Benitez’s future resurfaced in his press conference after the Magpies’ win over Manchester City, and while he seemed keen to quash rumours of an abrupt exit, he didn’t completely rule out the notion either. As quoted by The Chronicle (22:28), he said; “I didn’t say I will leave. I said I am a professional and I have my principles and I will do my job until the last minute.”

Check out Neymar’s controversial new haircut for 2019 and Xherdan Shaqiri as you’ve never seen him before in the video below…

With the club from Tyneside already sat precariously above the drop zone, their survival hopes would be hanging by a thread if Benitez were to walk away from St James’ Park.

Understandably, fans of the club are petrified if their reactions on Twitter are anything to go by…

Sunderland have been handed a huge double boost over Alex Pritchard and Nathan Broadhead…

What’s the latest?

Alex Neil has revealed that both players are ahead of schedule and closing in on returns from their respective injuries.

The Scottish head coach has admitted that they are still a doubt for the match against Gillingham, however, as they have only just made their way back to training.

He told the club website: “We were concerned that both would be long-term issues, but they have recovered quicker than anticipated.

“That’s great and both have been out on the grass this week, so we have hopefully seen flashes that they are coming back.

“Whether they will be back for this weekend’s game against Gillingham, I’m not quite sure, but they certainly aren’t far away.”

Cloud nine

This news will surely leave the Black Cats boss on cloud nine for multiple reasons.

Firstly, he will be delighted that both players are set to come back earlier than expected. He was seemingly worried that he would be without them for a longer period of time and that would have been a huge blow to the club’s promotion hopes.

Therefore, he will be pleased with how they have worked to recover from their respective blows. It shows that they have been putting in the hard work behind the scenes to ensure that they are back as quickly as possible and Neil will be impressed with their progress.

The ex-Preston coach will also be delighted because of what their returns mean to Sunderland. Having them back will be a major boost to the side as they have both proven themselves to be quality options at League One level this season.

Pritchard has averaged an excellent SofaScore rating of 7.08, scoring four goals and providing seven assists from midfield. He has created an impressive two chances per game for the Mackems and his dynamic play in the middle of the park will bolster Neil’s attacking options.

Broadhead, meanwhile, has seven strikes in his last ten appearances for Sunderland in all competitions. He has also scored five times in nine third division starts, which shows that he knows how to find the back of the net on a regular basis at this level.

Therefore, Neil will be buzzing to have both of them back and available in the upcoming matches as they both have an abundance of talent to offer in the final third.

AND in other news, Speakman heading for SAFC shocker on £2.7k-p/w gem who’s the best “in the division”…

Planning should be underway for Newcastle United’s targets for the summer transfer window as Eddie Howe looks to take his team to the next level.

The Toon have been linked with a seemingly endless stream of players in recent months and one gem who has been tipped to make a return to the club is Spanish international Mikel Merino.

Last week, reports from Spain claimed that the Magpies – and Liverpool – are interested in signing the midfielder and are plotting a bid for his services this summer.

He reportedly has a £50m (€60m) release clause in his current contract, with Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City also said to be monitoring him.

He’d get St. James’ Park rocking

PIF can get St. James’ Park rocking by securing a deal to sign the midfielder this summer as the fans would surely love to see him back in the black and white strip.

FFC published an article earlier this year explaining why the sale of the Spaniard to Real Sociedad in 2018 was a huge blunder from Mike Ashley at the time. He has come on leaps and bounds since departing from Tyneside and supporters would be over the moon to see PIF right Ashley’s wrong by bringing him back to England.

Merino played 25 matches in his single season for the club before heading to Spain and he has played 147 matches back in his home country to date, earning himself 11 caps for the national team along the way.

He was hailed “the best player in the league” by Sociedad boss Imanol Alguacil earlier this season and this illustrates how well he has performed in La Liga this term. The midfielder has averaged a SofaScore rating of 7.07 across 27 matches in the Spanish top-flight, making 2.6 tackles and interceptions per game and chipping in with five direct goal contributions.

Meanwhile, Bruno Guimaraes’ average SofaScore rating of 6.95 is the highest of any Newcastle player in the middle of the park. Joe Willock and Joelinton have averaged scores of 6.71 and 6.74 respectively and this suggests that Merino would be a major upgrade on what Howe currently has to work with in his position.

Therefore, the Spaniard would be a fantastic signing and PIF must work hard to ensure that they can bring him to the club this summer. They can finally give the 25-year-old the St. James’ Park career he deserves, instead of having just one season to show his quality, and his arrival would leave the stadium rocking with excitement.

AND in other news, Howe must boldly axe NUFC’s “breathtaking” £93k-p/w “jewel” who drives Shearer “mad”…

Lots of Everton fans have been left buzzing over some injury news that has emerged ahead of their game away at Norwich City in the Premier League.

As per The Athletic journalist Patrick Boyland, Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Richarlison and Yerry Mina are all now back in training for the Goodison Park faithful, meaning that they could all feature against the Canaries if deemed fit enough.

All three of them rank among the Merseyside club’s ten best players so far this season, according to WhoScored, with Calvert-Lewin number one.

The striker has scored three goals in the four matches that he has played in the Premier League this term, and having him back with Richarlison will certainly give Rafa Benitez’s team more of a goal threat, while Mina provides another solid option defensively.

Everton fans on injury news

These Toffees buzzed as the injury news was shared on Twitter, with one Blues supporter even going as far as to claim that it was a ‘huge boost’:

“Good news Boyland at the back post!!!”

Credit: @EFCMatt1

“Huge boost for weekend hopefully”

Credit: @GraemeMcV

“Yesssssss”

Credit: @Foxy0580

“Cracking news this”

Credit: @Byrdsman75

“Brilliant. Start all 3 on Saturday imo”

Credit: @CBobblers1878

“Things you love to see”

Credit: @JGreenway8

In other news, find out which EFC ace’s claim has fans speculating here!

Leeds United have been heavily linked with Red Bull Salzburg star Brenden Aaronson in 2022, and his performance on Sunday will certainly have caught Victor Orta’s eye.

This forms part of our Transfer Watch series, where we react to a performance from a current transfer target.

The Lowdown: Leeds hoping to wrap up Aaronson deal

Aaronson has been the Whites’ main target this year after the club made two bids for the USA international in the January window.

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As we know, the attacking midfielder remained in Austria with Salzburg but is still on Leeds’ radar ahead of Jesse Marsch’s first full season in charge at Elland Road.

Aaronson made 25 appearances under Marsch last season and reports have suggested that the Whites are hoping to wrap up a move for the 21-year-old this summer.

The Latest: Impressive display from Aaronson

Salzburg clinched a ninth straight Austrian Bundesliga title on Sunday following a 5-0 win over Austria Vienna. Aaronson returned to action after a six-week layoff with a knee problem and impressed, ending with a SofaScore match rating of 7.3/10.

The attacking midfielder scored a penalty and registered three key passes, one of which led to a big chance.

He only had 30 touches of the ball during his 64-minute display but he starred upon his return and even showed off his pace after the final whistle when looking to dodge a beer shower from his team-mates.

The Verdict: Sign him

Should they stay in the Premier League, Leeds should be looking to wrap up a move for Aaronson as soon as possible.

Marsch doesn’t have an out-and-out attacking midfielder to choose from at Elland Road, making the 21-year-old’s arrival even more crucial.

Described as a player with a ‘monster mentality’ by Salzburg manager Matthias Jaissle, Aaronson has now contributed to 28 goals in 61 games for the Austrian champions, and with an impressive record under Marsch already, he could slot in perfectly at Elland Road.

In other news: Leeds and Orta may agree fee for ‘quality’ target ‘this week’ after Phil Hay’s reveal

Everton were reportedly interviewing former Fenerbahce manager Vitor Pereira on Monday afternoon, with a number of candidates already holding talks with the club, but there is one manager who would be the perfect fit over all the potential candidates.

Duncan Ferguson has taken on the role as the caretaker manager whilst Farhad Moshiri decides on his sixth manager since he became owner of the club in 2016, and the fans have had just about as much as they can take from the board, with protests taking stage at the last few games, which have both ended in defeat for the Toffees.

Ferguson is a club legend and hero at the club, as he played most of his career at Goodison Park and won the last trophy Everton have achieved back in 1995 when he won the FA Cup, the fans adore him and his passion for the club, but his lack of senior managerial experience leaves the question as to whether he is able to lead the side out of the tumultuous situation they have found themselves in during the Premier League campaign.

However, there could be another candidate for the job who is loved by the fans and has a connection to the club who would be the perfect fit in the eyes of the Everton supporters, with Wayne Rooney one potential suitor that has been named.

Rooney began his iconic career at Goodison Park, with 117 appearances, 28 goals and four assists, rising through the ranks from the youth team before eventually signing for Manchester United in 2004 when he caught the eye of Sir Alex Ferguson.

The rest was history, until he made a surprising return to the club for one season in 2017 towards the end of his career.

The Evertonian who was hailed “incredible” by former QPR midfielder Shaun Derry, is currently managing Derby County, where he is doing an exceptional job given the financial turmoil that saw them hit with a 21 point deduction this season but their league position due to that is not a reflection of Rooney’s work at the club, with the side only losing eight of their last 27 matches, and only eight points adrift of safety.

The 36-year-old refused to rule himself out of taking the role at Everton when asked about it in his press conference last week, where he said: “I’m flattered to get brought up in those conversations, but I know Everton know that to have any communication with me they have to go through the administrators.”

Rooney has an invaluable connection to the club that will push him to do whatever it takes to pull Everton back into safety amid a potential relegation battle and an understanding of the fans expectations being a fan of the club himself.

Thus, if Moshiri wants to get the fans back on board and create a harmonious atmosphere at Goodison Park, the ex-Everton star is surely the right man for the job.

In other news: Moshiri must sign Dele Alli following Doucoure injury

Tanguy Ndombele has edged one step closer to leaving Tottenham Hotspur before January 31st…

What’s the word?

As relayed by Italian transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, the French midfielder is in talks with Paris Saint-Germain over a potential loan move, which would include an option to buy.

“Talks ongoing between Tottenham and Paris Saint-Germain for Tanguy Ndombele – confirmed. Player keen on the move, clubs in direct contact as per @JackPittBrooke.

“Negotiations in progress for [a] loan move, PSG could include a buy option. Salary coverage now discussed,” he said on Twitter.

Bye-bye Ndombele?

The 25-year-old cost the Lilywhites a club-record fee of £55m back in the summer of 2020 and over the two-and-a-half years he’s been at the club, he has struggled for consistency.

Indeed, Ndombele has never really cemented his place down in north London and it appears his disappointing time as a Spurs player is coming to an end, just weeks after he was booed off the pitch by supporters.

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The former Lyon dynamo trudged off at a snail’s pace after being substituted by Antonio Conte during their FA Cup third-round triumph over League One minnows Morecambe.

As the jeers got louder, Ndombele got even slower and that was certainly a damning moment in his Spurs career as the side were 1-0 down at the time. He went off and straight down the tunnel before the team mounted a three-goal comeback in his absence.

The Frenchman has not been seen since and some reports have suggested that he’s even been training alone at Hotspur Way.

Ndombele has failed to deliver on his hefty price tag, providing only ten goals and nine assists across 91 appearances. That’s one direct contribution every 271.5 minutes (once every three games), via Transfermarkt.

That’s just not good enough from an attack-minded player with that sort of technical ability, let alone one that has cost more than any other signing in Spurs’ history.

Given the fans’ reaction nearly two weeks ago, they must be absolutely delighted to hear this latest development from Romano.

AND in other news, Fabio Paratici could land Conte his next N’Golo Kante in Spurs swoop for £22.5m-rated “rock”…

Liverpool will end a frantic week of football on Saturday as they take on Manchester City at Wembley to try and earn a place in the FA Cup final.

After playing each other in the Premier League last weekend, the two clubs were both in Champions League action on Wednesday night, both securing a place in the semi-finals.

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Looking ahead to this latest showdown between the Premier League’s top two, it seems as though the Merseyside club may have been handed a double injury boost which could improve their chances of securing victory.

What’s the news?

During the second half of City’s 0-0 draw against Atletico Madrid, both Kevin De Bruyne and Kyle Walker were taken off with suspected injuries.

Speaking after the draw in Madrid, City boss Pep Guardiola said that the club are in “big trouble” when asked about the injury situation.

With De Bruyne having a knack for scoring in big games such as the opener between City and Liverpool last weekend, potentially not having him in the side at Wembley would surely be a big boost for the Reds and diminish City’s attacking power somewhat. Indeed, the Belgian has a higher average of shot-creating actions per 90 minutes than any other City starter in the Premier League so far this season.

With Walker boasting a combined total of 48 tackles and interceptions throughout the current campaign, he too would be a big miss for the reigning league champions, in terms of being able to deal with Liverpool’s attacking stars.

Great news for Klopp

Looking ahead to Saturday’s showdown at Wembley, if City were to be without both players through injury, this would be great news for Jurgen Klopp and definitely give his side an advantage.

Having twice come from behind to secure a point at the Etihad Stadium last weekend, the Reds will definitely want to beat their title rivals this time around.

Also, with the Merseyside club having already tasted success at Wembley earlier this season when they won the Carabao Cup, the players will presumably jump at the chance to get their hands on some more silverware.

However, for the time being, it’s a waiting game regarding the fitness of Walker and De Bruyne, which will surely have a lot of people at the Manchester club sweating.

In other news – Fewer touches than Alisson: Liverpool waster who lost 92% of his duels was “awful” against Benfica