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Nottingham Forest manager Martin O’Neill handed Pele his full debut in the 3-0 win against Hull City on Saturday, and his brilliant performance has given the Irishman a big dilemma – not one that he should mind though.

On the chalkboard

Well, the Reds have had plenty of central midfield options to select from for most of the season with the likes of Ben Watson and Liam Bridcutt missing out on the 18-man squad altogether at times this term, although the former has come back into favour since O’Neill was appointed.

Currently, the 66-year-old has the aforementioned duo, Pele, Jack Colback, Ryan Yates and Adlene Guedioura – not to mention Saturday goalscorer Joao Carvalho – to select from for three spots, which is surely giving him a selection headache every week.

The former Republic of Ireland boss decided to throw the dice with the loan addition from Monaco in the defensive midfield spot against The Tigers, and he produced an outstanding display of strength, power and confidence on the ball.

What does O’Neill do against Villa?

Given his performance against Nigel Adkins’ men you would expect the 27-year-old to retain his spot in the starting XI, but it might not be that simple.

Nottingham Forest emerged victorious in the last East Midlands derby. Checkout the thoughts of some Forest legends in the video below…

The Guinea-Bissau international visibly tired in the latter stages against the Yorkshire outfit but remained on the pitch for the 90 minutes, and given his lack of football this term it remains to be seen whether he can do the same just a few days later.

O’Neill will know what the midfielder is and isn’t capable of right now, and rather than dreading picking his options in the centre of the park for the visit of the in-form Aston Villa, he should be relishing it.

Sunday’s Second City derby is one that will live long in the hearts of Aston Villa fans following a 1-0 win over rivals Birmingham City at St Andrew’s.

The game will undoubtedly be remembered for the massive performance midfielder Jack Grealish delivered, which saw him attacked by a Birmingham City fan in the first-half before he scored the winning goal in the 67th minute, much to the delight of the Villa supporters.

It was no surprise that the 23-year-old Grealish, who wore the captain’s armband once again, said in his post-match interview that it was the ‘best day’ of his life.

Grealish was superb on the ball and controlled the match with his slick passing and excellent reading of the game.

He continuously looked for teammates in better attacking positions and wasn’t shy to keep hold of the ball if he didn’t want to rush a pass.

Ultimately, he never took any risks and played such a big game pretty much according to the book like the best midfielders in the world do.

Since making his return from injury last weekend, Grealish has lifted this Villa team and have made them look competitive again. Indeed, he has proven on a number of occasions this season that he is the big-game player Villa need if they were to earn promotion to the Premier League again and his showing against Birmingham City showed that.

It also explains why manager Dean Smith handed him the captaincy immediately when he was available for selection again against Derby County last weekend.

But, the manner in which he handled everything that transpired at St. Andrew’s on Sunday should be really pleasing to see for everyone involved at Villa.

Not once did he lose his temper or force any reaction, despite the adversity of the match.

It shows the great levels of maturity he has begun to reach and why he is destined to become a world-class footballer.

Aston Villa fans, how high is Jack Grealish’s ceiling? Join the discussion by commenting below…

يستعد نادي الزمالك لخوض مواجهة من العيار الثقيل أمام نظيره المصري البورسعيدي، في بطولة الدوري الممتاز.

وتقام المباراة على أرضية ملعب استاد برج العرب بالإسكندرية، ضمن منافسات الأسبوع 31 من عمر المسابقة المحلية.

طالع | اتحاد الكرة يعلن حكم مباراة الزمالك والمصري في الدوري

وخاض الزمالك 30 مباراة في بطولة الدوري هذا الموسم حتى الآن، واستطاع تحقيق 61 نقطة محتلاً بهم المركز الثاني، فيما لعب المصري 28 مباراة، وحصل على 33 نقطة بالمركز الثالث عشر.

وينتظر عشاق الفارس الأبيض رؤية الفريق في ثوبه الجديد بعد قدوم المدرب البرتغالي باتشيكو لقيادة الفريق خلفا للفرنسي باتريس كارتيرون؛ وذلك للاطمئنان على الشكل العام وطريقة اللعب قبل المواجهة الأهم أمام الرجاء المغربي في نصف نهائي دوري أبطال إفريقيا.

وتسلم باتشيكو مهمته الجديدة مع القلعة البيضاء من أجل تأمين المركز الثاني في بطولة الدوري، خاصة في ظل المنافسة مع بيراميدز والمقاولون العرب، إلى جانب الهدف الأساسي وهو التتويج ببطولتي دوري أبطال إفريقيا وكأس مصر.

على الجانب الآخر، يخوض المصري البورسعيدي اللقاء بمعنويات مرتفعة، بعدما حقق فوزًا ثمينًا المباراة الماضية على أسوان بهدف دون رد، وسيسعى لتحقيق نتيجة إيجابية أمام الزمالك للهروب أكثر من قاع جدول ترتيب الدوري الممتاز.

Everton must prioritise signing a top class forward to lead their line during the summer transfer window

The Toffees have been inconsistent during Marco Silva’s spell at the club but the Portuguese has lacked a quality striker to spearhead their attack. The Blues have struggled to replace Romelu Lukaku who departed for Manchester United for around £75m. Silva has opted to use Richarlison as the central forward with Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Cenk Tosun struggling thus far.

Everton fans will hope director of football Marcel Brands can work his magic again when the transfer window opens in a few months time. Signing a quality forward will be top of his priority list. With a new stadium in the works, budget may be limited but offloading fringe players should bolster their finances.

One man Brands could target is Birmingham hotshot – Che Adams. Valued at just £2.25m by Transfermarkt, the Englishman has been on fire in the Championship so far this season. His impressive performances have not gone unnoticed with a host of Premier League clubs keeping tabs on his situation – Everton should enter the race for his signature.

Adams has been lethal in front of goal this season – scoring 19 times already in the league as well as registering four assists. The 22-year-old possesses blistering pace which makes him a nightmare for defenders to deal with; his intelligent runs off the last defender will be perfect for Glyfi Sigurdsson. The former Sheffield United man has the strength to deal with the physicality of England’s top division and to lead the line effectively at Goodison Park.

Whilst signing a player from the Championship may be risky, Adams has all the makings of a Premier League star.

Everton fans, thoughts?

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Manchester United held on to a 0-0 draw against Liverpool on Sunday despite a number of injury problems.

United were forced into making their three substitutions in the first half, as Ander Herrera, Juan Mata and Jesse Lingard – himself on as a sub – all required treatment from the club’s medical staff.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer thus had no opportunity to change his XI in the second half.

Nevertheless, United turned in a solid display against Jurgen Klopp’s title-chasing Reds, with Luke Shaw in particularly good form at left-back.

The 6 foot 1 defender managed to keep elite winger Mohamed Salah quiet, so much so that the Egypt international was substituted in the second half. Divock Origi replaced him.

The Belgian had no such luck down the right either, however, and Shaw and his fellow defenders managed to keep a clean sheet.

And United fans were delighted with the former Southampton left-back’s display at Old Trafford.

Take a look at some of the best reaction on Twitter below!

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Liverpool visit Old Trafford this weekend for their clash with bitter rivals Manchester United and Jurgen Klopp will be hoping his side can burst Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s bubble. The Norwegian manager has completely turned the Red Devils’ season around since taking over from Jose Mourinho in December and a number of players are looking like new signings. Who, though, does Klopp think has improved the most?

What did he say?

Well, speaking to Sky Sports, the former Borussia Dortmund manager said:

“You never know in the beginning, that’s how it is when a new manager comes in.

 “There’s a lot of things, maybe relief for players, for a few players of course because always when a manager has to go, a few players didn’t feel as they should maybe.

“But now, after nearly three months or so, it’s outstanding. I think Ander Herrera is in the best period of his life, it’s unbelievable how he’s playing, Pogba is Pogba again.”

Sleeping on Marcus Rashford?

You would be hard pressed to find any football fan who does not agree that World Cup winner Paul Pogba has been sensational under Solskjaer, but surely few would mention Ander Herrera in the same breath.

While Herrera was excellent against Chelsea in the FA Cup 5th round clash on Monday – he scored and put in a tremendous shift in the middle of the park – the exploits of Marcus Rashford in 2019 certainly overshadow the Spaniard’s.

England international Rashford has netted five goals in his last seven Premier League appearances for the Red Devils as Solskjaer deploys the speedster in his preferred centre-forward role.

That strike-rate surely alarms Klopp, but he appears more concerned with midfield duo Pogba and Herrera, rather than the almost telepathic link the former and 21-year-old Rashford have formed in recent weeks.

There’s good news for fans of City, Liverpool, Spurs and United in the video below…

By name-dropping Pogba and Herrera, the German boss seems to indicate that he believes Sunday’s battle will be won and lost in the midfield – the return of Virgil van Dijk from suspension and the surely subsequent restoration of Fabinho in the middle of the park will therefore be of vital importance to Klopp.

Is Klopp forgetting about one of United’s most dangerous players in Rashford, though?

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West Ham United manager Manuel Pellegrini revealed in his pre-match press conference on Thursday, in quotes reported by Football.London, that midfielder Jack Wilshere is expected to be back on the training pitch next week.

If he is fit to play before the end of the season it gives the Chilean a big dilemma.

On the chalkboard

Despite his injury issues in the past few years, there was a lot of buzz and excitement when the Irons brought the England international to the London Stadium last summer following his release by Arsenal.

There is no doubt over the 27-year-old’s talent when he is 100% fit and on the football pitch, but unfortunately his injury curse struck again just weeks into his Hammers career when he injured his ankle against Wolves on September 1.

A brief appearance against Newcastle United in December then resulted in him undergoing surgery on the issue, and in his absence the likes of Declan Rice, Mark Noble and Robert Snodgrass have thrived for the east London outfit.

Asked on Thursday if there was any update on him Pellegrini said, as per Football.London: “Not for the moment.

“We are going to give him the time to recover 100 per cent. Maybe next week he will start doing some work on the pitch but we must be calm with him, he needs to recover 100 per cent.”

Pellegrini’s dilemma

If, and it might well be a big if, Wilshere is fit to feature before the end of the season, then it gives the former Manchester City boss a real conundrum.

Reliable insider @ExWHUemployee has already suggested on Episode 125 of ‘The West Ham Way’ podcast that the club are considering terminating the midfielder’s three-year contract in the summer, while on current form there is no reason to break up the partnership between Rice and Noble in the middle of the park.

In all honesty, rather than give him the time he needs and continuing to be patient, West Ham should go ahead and cut their losses – whether that means terminating his contract or selling him – meaning he shouldn’t wear the claret and blue before the campaign’s climax, even if available. Pellegrini may as well focus on the options that have served him so well this season, as well as the reintegration of Manuel Lanzini.

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Loads of Tottenham fans have been discussing the future of Christian Eriksen, and they are completely split as the playmaker continues to stay silent over contract talks.

This could be an awfully long summer for Spurs fans, as it seems practically inevitable that the likes of Harry Kane and Dele Alli will be linked with moves away, as well as manager Mauricio Pochettino.

On top of having to put up with all that, fans may face the prospect of losing two key players for relatively small transfer fees, due to the contract situations of both Toby Alderweireld and Eriksen.

Pl>ymaker FC Exclusive: Jermaine Jenas reveals what Lasagne-Gate was really like for Tottenham’s food-poisoned stars – Check out the video below…

Both players will enter the final year of the current deal this summer, meaning it’s only a matter of time before Europe’s elite come calling.

While some may consider Alderweireld to be the more polished and complete product, Eriksen is three years younger than the Belgian international, so would represent a significantly better investment for buying clubs.

The 27 year-old has scored 63 goals and provided 81 assists in 261 Spurs showings, but some fans are ready to cash in this summer.

Other are desperate for the Dane to stay, and either way you can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below…

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With each passing week, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is getting closer and closer to making his return for Liverpool.

The midfielder has been on the sidelines since suffering a severe knee injury during Liverpool’s Champions League semi-final first leg against Roma last April.

The injury cost Oxlade-Chamberlain the chance to play in the Champions League final, in addition to the 2018 World Cup with England.

The former Southampton youngster has stepped up his recovery in recent weeks, though, returning to the training field alongside his teammates.

It is currently unclear when the 25-year-old will be available to play some minutes, but that time is certainly getting closer.

And it would be fair to say that the Liverpool fans cannot wait for the 5ft 7in midfielder’s return.

Indeed, many of the club’s supporters took to social media in response to words from Jordan Henderson to reveal their thoughts on Oxlade-Chamberlain’s impending return.

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

Ralph Hasenhuttl would have hoped for a position higher than 16th place judging by the improvements he has made to their side. That’s obvious, right? It just seems like, no matter what Southampton do and who they get a good result against, they just can’t put all too much distance between themselves and the drop zone. 

Still, St. Mary’s is undoubtedly a far happier place under the Austrian boss, who has enforced a number of changes that seemed to have steered Southampton a lot nearer to safety. While it’s a bit too close for comfort right now, can you imagine just how bad things would have been at this stage under Mark Hughes?

But, they cannot suddenly take their position in the league for granted, they must work hard to clear the 40-point mark to ensure their safety is confirmed.

Then, after they complete that, all their will-power has to go into next season and who they will buy to improve their chances.

With that in mind, some may frown upon signing players who are getting relegation but Huddersfield’s Terence Kongolo is a talented player that could make a real difference at St. Marys Stadium.

Kongolo, (who is valued at £13.5 million on Transfermarkt) has been a regular fixture in Huddersfield’s defence this season, although that may concern some, because of the 53 goals they have conceded.

That is just more than Southampton and, although it doesn’t make good reading how many goals they have conceded, Kongolo remains a talented defender as shown by his previous four caps for Holland.

The 25-year-old last season made his stay with the Terriers permanent but he is too good to be playing in the Championship because he could really improve a Premier League side like Southampton.

With the ability to play centre-back or left-back, Ralph Hasenhuttl has the ability to deploy him wherever he thinks best and that, for one, could help improve Southampton defensively next season.

Anything’s got to be better than Jack Stephens, right?

Southampton fans, would you back such a move? If not, why not? Join the discussion by commenting below…