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Ole Gunnar Solskjaer must unleash Fred on Leeds United at Old Trafford on Sunday afternoon if Manchester United are to stop Patrick Bamford from finding the back of the net.

United host Leeds this weekend looking to continue their new-found momentum that includes a draw against Manchester City and a thriller at Sheffield United.

Fred was left out of the past four squads in a row after being sent off against Paris Saint-Germain, but it would be a surprise to not see him be named in the squad to face Leeds at Old Trafford.

In nine games in the Premier League, the 27-year-old is averaging 2.3 tackles and 1.1 interceptions per game, via WhoScored, which suggests that he could be required to do a job against Marcelo Bielsa’s side, who have scored 22 goals in the top flight so far this season.

United have conceded nine goals in their past five games in all competitions, including a brace against Premier League strugglers Sheffield United, so Solskjaer will be hoping to shore up his leaky defence, especially when you consider the fact that Bamford has bagged eight goals in 13 games this season.

While both Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof could be rested for the Pennines derby, Solskjaer must unshackle Fred in a central defensive role alongside Paul Pogba, dropping the Brazilian deeper, which will allow the Frenchman to push forward and cause havoc like he did at Bramall Lane.

Perhaps Maguire will keep his place, but Fred could be the man to stop Bamford, who is surely the danger man ahead of the derby, given his incredible run of form since the start of the season.

But if United can keep the 27-year-old quiet, then they will stand a better chance of beating Bielsa’s side, having thumped Newcastle at Elland Road last time out.

Valued at up to €30m (£26m) via CIES, the former Brazil international has shown that he can be Solskjaer’s trusted man for the big occasion, as he bullied Istanbul Basaksehir in the Champions League rematch last month. 

This kind of aggression and physicality could give United the cutting edge in the midfield, and if he can stick tightly to the two-time England U21 international, he could perhaps starve the supply chain and cause Bielsa all sorts of problems.

If he’s fully fit and firing on all cylinders, he must be one of the first names on the team sheet, that’s for sure.

AND in other news, Forget Sancho: Woodward must sanction Man Utd swoop for RB Leizpig defender Dayot Upamecano…

David Turnbull hasn’t been with his new club for too long but he has already proven his worth with some important performances. After struggling with a stagnant midfield, Celtic boss Neil Lennon has opted to deploy the 21-year-old and fellow new signing Ismaila Soro in a last-ditch effort to resurrect his season.

Whilst it was a gamble, it paid off in dividends with Turnbull bagging three goalscoring contributions in his last three starts for the Hoops. His biggest impact came against Lille in the Europa League after he set up the opening goal and bagged one for himself, as per Sofascore.

Nick Hammond poached the versatile midfielder from Motherwell during the summer window on a £7,500 per week contract. He cost the club a little over £3million, which will be looking like a bargain right now.

According to WhoScored, Turnbull has even averaged a higher passing percentage (90.6%) and more key passes (2.4) per match than Mohamed Elyounoussi, who has 78.4% and 1 respectively.

Signing Turnbull was exceptional business

Celtic may yet have to make peace with the fact that they will not be securing their tenth consecutive Scottish Premiership title. As it stands, they are trailing to rivals Rangers, who are yet to lose a match this season. They also boast a huge 16-point lead, but the Hoops currently have three games in-hand and as last year proved, Rangers have it in themselves to stumble in January.

However, even a Rangers won’t be enough on its own for Celtic to regain their spot at the top of the table, as the Hoops will need to show much more than they have done so far this season if they are to close the gap. Due to Celtic’s inconsistent performances, a lot of uncertainty has surrounded Lennon’s position as manager.

Winning the Scottish Cup and indeed the historic ‘quadruple treble’ on Sunday has bought him some time though and if the Bhoys finish the season on a high, he could keep his place at the hilt of the club, especially if Hammond and Peter Lawwell have another positive transfer window.

Celtic have some recruiting to do once January comes round, particularly if the likes of Odsonne Edouard and Ryan Christie leave for pastures new. Both have received a lot of interest from other clubs and the Glaswegians will be in serious trouble in they lose them and fail to sign replacements.

But with their keen eye to snap up the talent such as Turnbull, there should be few concerns over their ability to bring in more impressive players.

In other news, Lawwell making smart decision by offering Conor Hazard new deal…

It’s been reported that Tottenham Hotspur captain Hugo Lloris has rejected the club’s ‘very lucrative’ initial new contract offer, with the 2018 World Cup winner’s current deal set to expire a year and a half from now.

This news comes after reports emerged claiming that Lloris is wanted by former Tottenham boss, and new Paris Saint-Germain manager, Mauricio Pochettino.

Long-term Levy plan

This contract update on Lloris was originally reported by Football Insider, who have claimed that the Lilywhites’ owner and chairman Daniel Levy, who Lloris claimed to have a good relationship with back in 2016, is keen to sign the Frenchman to a long-term deal that would effectively see him spend the rest of his career at Spurs.

It’s claimed in this report that the Lilywhites hierarchy ‘still have great faith’ in the £10.8m-rated man, as does Spurs manager Jose Mourinho.

Tottenham Hotspur knocked back

Pochettino’s appointment at Le Parc des Princes seems to have thrown a spanner in the works of this long-term Levy plan to tie Lloris down to a long-term deal, which the club has reportedly been working on since August, as Mourinho’s side are now said to be prepared to try and battle ‘strong interest’ from PSG for the goalkeeper’s signature.

With Spurs’ early attempts to get Lloris tied down to a new deal having been knocked back, and the club said to be determined not to allow their captain to enter the final year of his contract amid interest from PSG, it certainly seems that unless they can convince Lloris to change his mind and commit his future to Tottenham in the next few months, a summer departure could well be on the cards.

In other news, Fabrizio Romano has provided an update on Spurs and Levy’s negotiations over a new deal for star attacker, Son Heung-min.

Steve Howey has exclusively told Football FanCast that he could see Christian Eriksen joining Everton from Inter Milan during the January transfer window.

The Toffees are one of several sides to have been linked with a move to end Eriksen’s Serie A nightmare during the mid-season window, with initial talks over a potential loan deal thought to have taken place.

Inter are keen to send Eriksen out on loan this month having seen him fall out of favour under Antonio Conte, who opted to overlook the £31.5m-rated maestro during Sunday’s 2-2 draw with AS Roma.

Eriksen has failed to score or provide an assist in any of his 13 appearances across all competitions this season, yet has been linked with winter moves to a host of clubs including Everton, Paris Saint-Germain, Arsenal, Manchester United, Aston Villa and with a potential return to Tottenham Hotspur.

But former Newcastle United defender Howey can see Goodison Park serving as Eriksen’s next home, as the Denmark international is the type of player Ancelotti loves to work with.

He told FFC: “I can see somebody like Eriksen fitting in (at Everton). Absolutely. He’s that kind of Ancelotti type of player. He’s neat and tidy. He can score goals. So, it wouldn’t surprise me.”

Inter Milan are not understood to have yet fielded any official offers for Eriksen this month with West Ham and Aston Villa only testing the water, while PSG, Arsenal and Manchester United monitor his situation.

But a move to the London Stadium or Villa Park is not seen as an appealing destination for the 28-year-old, who provided four goals and three assists during his first half-season at the San Siro after netting three times and creating three for Tottenham before his £17m exit.

Everton striking a deal for Eriksen would likely prove costly with the Nerazzurri reportedly demanding that his £229,000-per-week contract is covered in full should he leave on loan, or a club would need to pay £27m for a permanent transfer.

Ancelotti currently has Rodriguez, Andre Gomes, Davies, Abdoulaye Doucoure, Sigurdsson and Alex Iwobi to call on to offer creativity from midfield, yet has only seen three assists from Rodriguez and two from Doucoure, Iwobi and Sigurdsson in Premier League games, so he might fancy a look at Eriksen, if the finances work for the Toffees board.

AND in other news, Marcel Brands must sign “quick” Everton target who “makes football look easy”.

After making hard work of beating Newcastle in the FA Cup third round last weekend, Arsenal return to Premier League action on Thursday night as they take on Crystal Palace.

The Gunners appear to be on somewhat of a roll, rattling off four successive victories in all competitions since they were thrashed 4-1 at home by Manchester City in the Carabao Cup quarter-final.

Mikel Arteta’s side however, have struggled against Palace in their recent meetings, with no wins in their last four games against the Eagles. However, with the wind firmly in their sails, and with key players coming back from injury and offering greater options to the manager, Arsenal should feel confident about picking up yet another three points.

And with that in mind, below is a look at how the Gunners might line up for the visit of Roy Hodgson’s side.

In goal, Bernd Leno will undoubtedly keep his place in between the sticks, and he proved his worth once again by making a superb last minute save at the feet of Andy Carroll to deny Newcastle a shock winner last time out.

Both Pablo Mari and Kieran Tierney are likely to keep their places, even despite Gabriel making his return to the first-team squad in recent days. However, David Luiz and Cedric should make way for Rob Holding and Hector Bellerin, respectively.

The midfield area should also see significant changes, with Mohamed Elneny and Joe Willock dropping out, and Granit Xhaka and Dani Ceballos coming in – the duo of course started the 4-0 demolition job of West Brom in the Gunners’ last Premier League outing.

Arsenal’s senior stars once again disappointed last Saturday, with Nicolas Pepe and Willian being eventually substituted before they watched young first-team stars Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe play an important part in the opening goal for the north London side.

Such has been Saka’s impressive form – the £36m-rated starlet has scored two goals and provided one assist on his last three top-flight games – there should be no question that Pepe will drop to the bench in favour of the England international.

Saka is likely to be joined in that attacking trio by Smith Rowe and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, with Alexandre Lacazette leading the line.

Predicted XI: Leno; Bellerin, Holding, Mari, Tierney; Ceballos, Xhaka; Saka, Smith Rowe, Aubameyang; Lacazette.

Meanwhile, Arsenal must start this “natural leader” tonight vs Palace…

Many Aston Villa fans are not happy at all with John McGinn’s performance in the Premier League match against Southampton.

The Scotland midfielder, who arrived in the summer of 2018 (Transfermarkt), has been a key player for the squad since joining and a feature in the side since returning from injury.

However, it looked like his performance against the Saints was not what Villa fans have come to expect from him. One fan called him ‘anonymous’, whilst another said he was ‘doing nothing’.

Aston Villa recently announced the arrival of French midfielder Morgan Sanson, who has an abundance of experience in Europe, and he travelled with the squad for the Saints game even though he had only trained for a couple of days.

This has created more competition in the middle of the pitch, and McGinn will have to step up his performances if he wants to keep his place in the starting eleven.

Dean Smith’s side put in a gutsy away performance at the end of the day, but McGinn was certainly one of the weaker links.

Here is how Villa fans reacted: “John McGinn, running around, doing nothing, just whining on the opposition player.”

Credit: @Kalme70

“What’s McGinn doing? doesn’t look like he’s coming or going!”

Credit: @ChicoPants

“Mcginn and Douglas Luiz struggling here / barkley non existent”

Credit: @RUSSON82

“Barkley and McGinn are anonymous #avfc midfield getting ran by Southampton”

Credit: @Vincentvilla81

“For all their good play Soton didn’t create much. We need to get better control in midfield though. McGinn and Dougie both below par. We always have that quality in final 3rd to get a goal though. #avfc”

Credit: @FoxyN77

“McGinn doesn’t look right to me….”

Credit: @toriihx

In other news, Gregg Evans has highlighted one transfer problem for Aston Villa.

The winter transfer window had been closed for a matter of hours when for the first time in weeks, a reputable source had a reliable form of Leeds transfer news.January had been a quiet one for Victor Orta and after previous sagas, you can forgive the Spaniard and Marcelo Bielsa for wanting to stick with that they have, rather than twist.Though, as suspected, Leeds already have some targets in mind for the summer, with The Athletic’s Phil Hay revealing that one of them is Brest left-back Romain Perraud.The 23-year-old is enjoying a breakthrough campaign in Ligue 1, contributing to eight goals in just 21 outings from defence, and with that kind of statistic in mind, it’s hardly a surprise to see Leeds want to sign him.The Frenchman typifies a Bielsa player, especially one at full-back, and with Gjanni Alioski’s contract running down, looking for replacements isn’t a bad idea.However, rather than look towards Perraud, Orta could save millions in the summer market if Bielsa chooses to unleash 20-year-old Niall Huggins.The left-sided player signed a new contract with the club in December and is making waves under Mark Jackson for the U23s.A versatile youngster, Huggins is capable of playing at left-back, further forward on the wing or even up front. A player blessed with sheer pace, he’s been making immense strides in 2020/21.He was the 19th man when Leeds played Everton and has received glowing endorsements from Ian Harte throughout the season.The former Leeds defender was quick to congratulate Huggins for making the squad against the Toffees, and after the U23s beat Burnley earlier last month, Harte hailed the prodigy as “fantastic.â€Harte also revealed his delight after the full-back scored against Sunderland earlier this week. Huggins dashed forward down the left and got on the end of Jamie Shackleton’s cross before smashing it home.

It was an impressive finish but one that showed his outstanding qualities in the final third. He played further forward on that occasion and earned a rave review from Leeds Live reporter Joe Donnohue.

He wrote at full-time: “A willing utility man like Niall Huggins will certainly go a long way in this Leeds United team. Today, deployed in the centre of midfield, Huggins was key to keeping moves ticking and supporting attacks with his sharp third-man runs.â€

Donnohue continued: “In the second half, Huggins tucked back in to left-back as Leif Davis was withdrawn at the break. His effort levels were a class above, as he is almost every week. If he continues in this vein, he will not be far off more regular first-team squad involvement.â€

We know Bielsa loves a versatile individual – just look at Alioski who’s played over 100 times for the Leeds boss – and Huggins is showing week in week out that he can play in a host of different positions. He is blessed with tremendous tenacity but also has the composure to defend well in one-on-one situations.

It surely won’t be long before we see him involved more in the first-team. He is too good not to be unleashed by Bielsa, and is a young talent that may be worth utilising rather than spending millions on a more established player like Perraud.

AND in other news, Bielsa could fix big Leeds problem by signing £5.4m-rated gem with “huge potential”…

Celtic suffered heartbreak in the January transfer window when the tale of Ben Davies took a dramatic last-minute turn.

The defender looked certain to be making the move to Scotland as talks between the two parties reached an agreement. However, some late negotiations from Liverpool coaxed Davies to join the Premier League champions on deadline day.

It looked like a massive loss for Celtic at the time as they have been struggling immensely across their backline this season, leaking 22 goals, some 14 more than the league leaders.

However, Davies is currently out of action due to injury, just weeks after signing for his new club. Liverpool are suffering a similar defensive crisis and this news will have infuriated the fanbase.

In the last two seasons, the 25-year-old has had three recurring hamstring injuries which resulted in him missing a total of 94 days with Preston North End.

For Peter Lawwell, he can feel glad that he didn’t reach into his pocket and splash £1.6million on the centre-half.

The Hoops are limited in their defensive options, especially at centre-back. Shane Duffy has disappointed with his loan spell from Brighton and Christopher Jullien has been injured for a total of 29 matches so far this season, playing next to no role in their holding Premiership campaign, according to Transfermarkt.

Celtic have recruited Jonjoe Kenny on a temporary basis to plug some of their backline leaks.

But it’s not been enough to see the Bhoys to a tenth consecutive title win this season. They have shipped plenty of goals in the league this season as mentioned, which is already more than the 19 they conceded throughout the 2019/20 campaign.

The Glaswegians can return to the transfer market in the summer to hopefully bring in a new defender, but for now, the peace of mind that they didn’t sign the injury-prone Davies will be a weight off Lawwell’s conscience.

In other news, Lennon must prioritise starting Ismaila Soro over Scott Brown…

Glasgow Rangers have been given a major boost after Leon Balogun confirmed he is close to triggering a clause in his contract that will extend his stay at Ibrox, but the Gers must not rest on their laurels and ensure he puts pen to paper on a new deal.

What’s the word?

Balogun made his Rangers debut under Steven Gerrard and has gone on to make a further 22 appearances for the first team since he first arrived from Wigan Athletic in the summer.

The 32-year-old has taken full advantage of free agency so far, establishing himself as a key player in a Gers side that have stormed to the top of the Scottish Premiership.

31-time Nigeria international Balogun has recently suggested he is on the verge of agreeing to an extension, although he wouldn’t be drawn on when such an announcement would be made.

“Obviously, it is under some confidentiality. But it is getting closer and closer. Let’s just say I am quite confident that my time with Rangers is not over after this season.”

However, the versatile defender’s current deal is still set to run out at the end of this season, with the option for a further year, and the 54-time Scottish champions should do all they can to ensure he doesn’t walk away for free when the transfer window re-opens this summer.

Should Rangers retain Balogun?

Gerrard has chopped and changed his formation between games over the past few months, with Balogun and Filip Helander battling to bag a spot in-between Borna Barisic and Connor Goldson.

But it’s becoming clearer by the day that Balogun, who has played at both centre-back and right-back in his career, is essential to their chances of domestic and European success this season.

The Nigerian is expected to deputise for the injured James Tavernier and provide width on the right when Rangers go forward before dropping back and making up the rest of the back four when they lose possession to the opposition.

Despite his age, the former Brighton defender has shown he can mix it with the very best – a WhoScored match rating of 7.03 ranks him the tenth-best out of the entire Rangers squad, above the likes of Steven Davis and Ianis Hagi.

Compare that to Helander’s low 6.0 rating via SofaScore when he was at fault for at least one of the three goals they conceded against Royal Antwerp in the Europa League, it’s clear how much they lost out by starting the Swede instead.

Balogun has continued to impress for Gerrard’s side this season, averaging 1.1 tackles, 1.4 interceptions and 1.6 clearances per 90 in the Scottish Premiership, via WhoScored.

Given his obvious quality, it is difficult to comprehend the Gers letting the veteran leave anytime soon, as he has become virtually undroppable at Ibrox Stadium following his arrival from the Latics last July.

His 22 appearances in all competitions are the second-highest out of all centre-halves behind Goldson and more than both Helander and George Edmundson.

He has already established himself as a firm favourite under Gerrard in such a short space of time, and for that reason alone, Ross Wilson shouldn’t even begin to think twice before offering him a new contract as it’s surely a no-brainer at this stage.

AND in other news, Why Rangers shouldn’t entertain an offer for Calvin Bassey…

According to a recent report, Tottenham Hotspur manager Jose Mourinho is plotting a summer move for Ciro Immobile should Harry Kane leave Spurs.

The report by Spanish outlet Fichajes (via Sport Witness) claims that the current relationship between Mourinho and Kane is ‘not very good’, with the England captain being linked with a summer move to Mauricio Pochettino’s Paris Saint-Germain.

Should Kane depart north London this summer, it is reported that Mourinho could look to Serie A in order to replace the 27-year-old in the shape of Lazio centre-forward Ciro Immobile, who has 14 league goals to his name so far this season.

Fichajes claimed that the £40.5m-rated 31-year-old is one of the most ‘underrated footballers on the market’, as well as being ‘very much to Mou’s taste’ – before stating that the signing of the £79k per week striker would ‘not be a problem’ for Spurs following the injection of cash from Kane’s potential sale.

Transfer Tavern Take

Recent reports in England have directly contradicted Fichajes’ claim that Kane could be leaving Spurs this summer, with The Telegraph stating that the £108m-rated man looks set to say in London for ‘at least another year’ – if true, this would immediately render the club’s links with a move for Immobile redundant.

However, in the theoretical event that Kane does leave Tottenham this summer, then it would be difficult to argue that the 31-year-old Immobile would be a bad fit for Mourinho’s side, with his proficiency in goalscoring in both European and domestic competitions over recent seasons speaking for itself.

In other Tottenham news, this Spurs transfer admission lifted the lid on a failed Daniel Levy coup with Pochettino – find out more here!