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It seems that someone may have been eavesdropping on our conversation in the Tavern earlier, as just hours after suggesting that Newcastle United should cut their losses and recall Elias Sørensen from his disastrous loan spell at Blackpool, news has filtered through that the club have, this afternoon, done just that.

The Newcastle United official website confirmed that besides Sørensen, Jamie Sterry and Cal Roberts have also returned early from Crewe Alexandra and Colchester United respectively.

The short statement was posted on the website a short while ago, and advises that all three will be available to play for Ben Dawson’s U-23 side in the Premier League Cup game at Reading on Friday.

All three players were loaned out with a stipulation that they would receive a fair amount of playing time, but with Sørensen managing just 32 minutes on the pitch at Blackpool, along with Sterry making just one appearance at Crewe and Roberts achieving a meagre 3 as a substitute at Colchester, these requirements have simply not been met.

We think it is in the players’ best interests to be brought home, and it will remain to be seen whether any of them are offered to a National League side for some competitive playing time.

But there is no doubt that they are better off learning their trade on the pitch for the Magpies’ second string side that sitting on the sidelines elsewhere.

We also wonder why lower league clubs bring in young players on loan if they are just going to leave them twiddling their thumbs? Perhaps it is time for a revamp of the loan system with so many of them happening nowadays.

Are Newcastle right to recall their youngsters? Would you be reluctant to send as many young players out in future? Let us know what you think…

Manchester United handed rivals City a big favour as they held Liverpool to a goalless draw at Old Trafford yesterday afternoon.

The Red Devils overcame the odds somewhat in a bizarre game which saw injury after injury for United, including one for Jesse Lingard, who was only introduced himself in the first period.

However, the 0-0 scoreline was just reward for a dogged and determined display which left it all to play for at the top of the table and gave cross-city rivals City improved hopes of making it a second successive Premier League title.

Of course, the focus should be on United though, and in particular manager Solksjaer, who has been superb since stepping into the fold following the sacking of Jose Mourinho.

His ability today to get the best out of a team which was seemingly being torn apart by injuries was to be admired, and it showed that he is not simply all about attacking and expansive football just to go about pleasing the fans at Old Trafford.

The assured way his players went about their business was testament to just how well Solskjaer has done at the club, and we think that the job is his in the summer barring an absolute disaster of events.

The Norwegian has earned his keep so to speak within the confines of the United supporters, and he will no doubt be impressing at board level too.

If he can keep getting the results, secure Champions League football, and deny Liverpool the title in any way he can, then he’ll be the man to take United forward 100%.

Chelsea will be desperate to get the better of Manchester City at the Etihad tomorrow, with the race for a top four spot beginning to hot up.

The Blues were dominant last time out against Huddersfield Town as Gonzalo Higuain grabbed a brace on his Stamford Bridge league debut. But, there’s still a long way to go in the current campaign, so supporters won’t want to get too ahead of themselves as tomorrow’s test could prove to be season-defining.

Sadly, one thing that has been worrying supporters in recent times is Eden Hazard’s future with a new contract yet to be agreed, and the Belgian is reportedly (as per Goal.com) hopeful that Real Madrid will sign him in the summer.

So, with Chelsea’s star man seemingly open to departing at the end of the current campaign, perhaps the Blues should start looking at bringing in a potential replacement.

One player who could replace the 28-year-old is Thorgan Hazard, his younger brother. The 25-year-old is on the brink of becoming a world-class talent having produced an incredible 12 goals and nine assists this season.

Interestingly, the Borussia Monchengladbach attacker, who is valued at £34.2 million (by Transfermarkt), joined Chelsea from RC Lens back in 2012 and then went on to secure a move to Germany in 2015 after failing to make any inroads at Stamford Bridge, but he’s now developed into a Bundesliga star.

Indeed, the Belgian international is very similar to his brother in many ways as he looks to make use of his pace, dribbling, skill and passing in the final third. He hasn’t quite made it to the same level as his older brother just yet, but he definitely has the potential to become one of the world’s best attackers.

And, with Christian Pulisic already set to rock up at Stamford Bridge in the summer transfer window, bringing Thorgan to the club would definitely ease Eden’s potential departure as both he and Pulisic are special talents.

Chelsea fans – thoughts on potentially signing Thorgan Hazard?

According to Italian journalist Nicolo Schira, Everton had scouts in attendance to watch Hellas Verona’s Marush Kumbulla.

What’s the word?

Reports in recent weeks have suggested Everton’s Merseyside rivals Liverpool are keeping tabs on the centre-back, and now it appears the Toffees are keen to get in on the act too.

Schira claims that scouts of Inter, Borussia Dortmund and Everton were all present for Verona’s Serie A clash with Udinese on Sunday – a game that ended 0-0, with Kumbulla playing the full 90 minutes.

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The journalist further adds the defender’s club side are asking for €30m (£24.9m) to part ways with their player.

Partner for Yerry Mina

Whilst Yerry Mina has been the one constant for Everton at centre-back with 24 Premier League appearances to his name, the likes of Michael Keane and Mason Holgate have been battling each other to be the Colombian’s partner.

Keane has not featured in four out of the last games in the top-flight, but played the full 90 minutes in the win over Crystal Palace last time out. But if Everton want a bona-fide partner for Mina at the back, then they should look no further than Kumbulla.

At 20-years-old, he still has plenty of time to grow and develop, but he is already showing signs of defensive maturity. As per Whoscored, he is averaging an impressive 1.8 tackles and 1.4 interceptions per game in Serie A this season, whilst his pass accuracy is at 84.1%.

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Defensive partnerships are built on a combination of individual strengths. Standing at an imposing 6 foot 5, Mina naturally wins his fair share of headers, averaging 4.2 aerial duels won per game this season in the Premier League. What Everton don’t need is another physically dominant centre-back, and instead, someone who can nip in front of attackers and be aggressive.

And that is where Kumbulla fits the bill perfectly. As per Sofascore, he wins 2.8 ground duels per game, a stat better than what Mina has managed (2.1).

As a central defensive partnership, the former can look to press the opposition striker as soon as they get the ball into feet, whilst if Mina is going up for a header, Kumbulla’s impressive interception stats make him ideal to simply drop off and sweep up in behind. It has all the hallmarks of being a potentially great duo if Everton decide to act on their scouting mission.

Meanwhile, Phil Kirkbride has revealed this Everton duo could leave the club.

In a campaign laced with embarrassing defeats and toxic situations, Arsenal have the chance to start afresh on the opening day of a new year. 2019 was a remarkably poor calendar year for the club, failing to qualify for the Champions League once again, before seeing their current season derail completely.

The Gunners find themselves out of the top-half of the table, and with their third boss of the season in Mikel Arteta. Whilst the Spaniard may not have overseen a victory in his first two official games in charge against Bournemouth and Chelsea, there were certainly a signs of major improvement from the Gunners – not least through their captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

And against Manchester United on New Year’s Day, the Gabon international will once again be the man the north London side rely upon to inspire them to victory. But whilst the 15-goal star has enjoyed a profitable campaign so far, his toughest test – particularly with him now playing on the left-hand side – could come against Aaron Wan-Bissaka.

The Red Devils’ summer signing has hit the ground running at Old Trafford, and his notoriously physical approach has left opposition wingers shaking in their boots. The England U21 international sits third in the Premier League’s ranking for most tackles made this season with 73, with only Leicester pair Ricardo Pereira and Wilfred Ndidi ahead of him in the pack.

Wan-Bissaka’s love for a challenge makes him a particularly difficult full-back to get past in one-v-one situations, and Aubameyang will no doubt have to be much cuter in the way he tries to expose the United man. Rather than taking him on with a bit of trickery, the former Borussia Dortmund forward could enjoy major success with his movement in behind.

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Making those darts infield from the touch-line to the centre-back, and seeing whether Wan-Bissaka has the positional sense to follow his run, could be the key to victory. The Red Devils prospect’s inexperience told in a big way when he slid in for a challenge inside the penalty area after losing his man against Watford earlier in December, and Aubameyang will no doubt be licking his lips at the thought of causing similar damage.

The Gunners’ chances of success will increase exponentially if their talisman can overcome United’s tackling machine. If he gets shackled however, then Arteta’s search for his first win in charge will have to wait a little longer.

Meanwhile, Arsenal fans are raving about this star’s “masterclass” against Chelsea.

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Robert Snodgrass played a key role in West Ham United’s 3-1 win over Cardiff City in the Premier League on Tuesday night.

Indeed, the Scotland international registered two assists during his 75 minutes on the field, and he now has seven assists in all competitions this season.

Before the 2018-19 campaign, it was unclear just how much Snodgrass – a 2017 arrival from Hull City – would be involved at West Ham having returned from a loan spell at Aston Villa.

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Villa were desperate to re-sign him, but Hammers boss Manuel Pellegrini insisted that the 31-year-old would be given a lot of football.

That was indeed been the case in the opening months of the season, and he has been excellent in West Ham’s last two wins over Newcastle United and Cardiff.

To suggest that the West Ham supporters were pleased with his performance on Tuesday night would be a slight understatement.

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp addressed the media on Friday morning to discuss his pre-match thoughts ahead of Saturday’s early kickoff against Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley.

The German coach spoke about Fabinho and explained that the midfielder has been left out of the setup as he needs time to adapt to life in the Premier League.

Klopp admitted that “it is not nice” telling the Brazilian that he is not going to be involved in the fixtures, but the manager has not felt that Fabinho is up to scratch just yet.

It remains unclear whether the midfielder will be part of the squad on Saturday, but according to The Mirror, the 24-year-old is expected to be on the bench.

The publication also claimed that his fellow Brazilians Roberto Firmino and goalkeeper Alisson are likely to start, despite them being involved in international friendlies in the United States.

On Reddit, some Liverpool fans have been given their thoughts on the team news.

Comment from discussion Maddock : Firmino and Allison to start, Fabinho on the bench vs Spurs..Comment from discussion Maddock : Firmino and Allison to start, Fabinho on the bench vs Spurs..Comment from discussion Maddock : Firmino and Allison to start, Fabinho on the bench vs Spurs..Comment from discussion Maddock : Firmino and Allison to start, Fabinho on the bench vs Spurs..Comment from discussion Maddock : Firmino and Allison to start, Fabinho on the bench vs Spurs..Comment from discussion Maddock : Firmino and Allison to start, Fabinho on the bench vs Spurs..Comment from discussion Maddock : Firmino and Allison to start, Fabinho on the bench vs Spurs..

[brid autoplay=”true” video=”291495″ player=”12034″ title=”Rafa’s Pub Facts Giroud Emulates Zidane & Rashford Emulates… Welbeck!”]

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With the January transfer window on the horizon, clubs are being linked to handfuls of players.

Eyes were on Arsenal midfielder Mesut Ozil on Saturday as he took to the pitch to face rumoured suitors Manchester United.

Last month, the Daily Mail reported that the German World Cup winner is on Jose Mourinho’s list of transfer targets.

The 29-year-old is often accused of going missing in big games, but he has performed well in recent matches, particularly in the 2-0 win over North London rivals Tottenham Hotspur.

Against United, Ozil put on a decent display, but the midfielder was on the losing end of a 3-1 scoreline at the Emirates.

After the match, speculation was rife that the former Real Madrid has decided to join the Red Devils as he approached United’s coaching staff after the final whistle.

United fans took to Twitter after the match to discuss the transfer link to Ozil.

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As reported by The Daily Record, Rangers manager Pedro Caixinha has suffered another summer transfer window set-back, missing out on one of his defensive targets.

What’s the story?

Christophe Berra left English Championship side Ipswich Town earlier this month despite having a year option left on his contract and rejoined former club Heart of Midlothian.

It’s a key transfer for under fire Tynecastle boss Ian Cathro and it seems as if he’s managed to get one over on Rangers.

The Daily Record report Pedro Caixinha was keen on signing the Scotland international, but the lure of a return to his boyhood heroes has proven to be too strong for the central defender.

As quoted by The Daily Record, Berra said:

“It’s a great feeling to be back at Hearts. I wanted to come back and there’s only one team in Scotland I wanted to play for – and that’s Hearts.

“I’m born and bred in Edinburgh, my friends and family are here and this is the only club I’ve played for in Scotland.

“Hopefully I can end my career here.”

In truth Berra would have likely improved the Rangers backline especially with the likes of Clint Hill departing the club. He’s got vast experience and at 32 years of age, still has plenty of football left ahead of him in his career.

It won’t be too great a worry for Light Blues fans that they’ve missed out on him give that it sounds like he had a laser focus determination to play for Hearts above all else.

It does mean though that Caixinha’s search for a trusted and experience central defender continues.

Jurgen Klinsmann was sacked by the United States yesterday, ending his five-year spell with the North American giants, and England fans have quickly taken to social media to urge the FA to bring him to the Three Lions.

During his time with the USMNT, Klinsmann helped American soccer rise to new heights of support and won the Gold Cup in 2013 before guiding the nation to the semi-finals of the Copa America this summer.

However, a poor showing at last year’s Gold Cup and a disappointing start to qualification for the 2018 World Cup, Klinsmann’s long spell in charge has been brought to a close but, just 52, he’s got years ahead of him.

Having previously guided Germany to the World Cup semi-finals in 2006, which was the start of their eight year journey which eventually saw the nation lift world football’s most illustrious trophy in 2014, Klinsmann certainly has the credentials to enjoy success with another nation.

With England stuck at a crossroads amidst concerns that Gareth Southgate may not be the best long-term option for the Three Lions, many fans believe the FA should swiftly hand the full-time job to Klinsmann.