After the roller-coaster ride that Manchester United went on during the January transfer window, returning to the simple matter of what happens on the pitch may be a welcome return to normalcy.

The Red Devils currently find themselves outside of the top four in the Premier League, six points behind rivals Chelsea. Their last outing in the top-flight was a particularly miserable one – a 2-0 defeat at home to Burnley.

But since then, United have scored seven times in two games, conceding none – that includes a 6-0 victory over Tranmere in the FA Cup fourth round and a 1-0 win over Manchester City in the second leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final.

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And on Saturday, United renew their mini-rivalry with Wolves, a team who they have already played three times, with two draws and one win to the Red Devils. Below is a look at the kind of team Ole Gunnar Solskjaer may decide to put out.

David de Gea appeared to return to his best form against City in mid-week, making four total saves and earning the praise of United fans in the process too. In front of the Red Devils’ first-choice goalkeeper, Solskjaer may decide to stick to the five-at-the-back formation that has served him so well in the last two games. As such, the Manchester side could line up with the exact same defence that won at the Etihad.

In midfield, Nemanja Matic’s red card means he is suspended for the visit of Wolves, and that could see Andreas Pereira get the nod to start alongside Fred. And after sealing his move to Old Trafford, former Sporting CP man Bruno Fernandes will surely get given the chance to make his debut.

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The Portugal international could play in the number ten role, with Anthony Martial and Daniel James the strike-duo up top.

Meanwhile, this Manchester United ace is struggling with the absence of Marcus Rashford.

According to a fresh report from The Mirror, Real Madrid are on the hunt for Napoli’s Kalidou Koulibaly but will have to go toe to toe with Manchester United, Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain for him.

What’s the word, then?

The same source states that Man United view him as a perfect partner for Harry Maguire and regard him as a defensive priority.

The Red Devils remain hell-bent on bringing the 28-year-old centre-back into the squad despite the fact the player might cost the best part of £90m.

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Of course, this, alongside the fact that the likes of Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain are also said to be in the race, might make things more complicated for Zinedine Zidane’s men.

But the player would very much be worth it.

Verdict

Zidane currently has the very best defence in La Liga as a whole, having only conceded 13 goals in the first 22 games played in the ongoing 2019/20 campaign. Just for comparison’s sake, the next club in line is Atletico Madrid with 15 goals conceded.

Still, with Sergio Ramos on the wrong side of his 30s, Los Blancos could use someone of Koulibaly’s pedigree and experience to give them a boost and make a seamless transition into life after their revered legend.

Of course, taking into account the number of teams interested in the Serie A star and his reported valuation, it’s pretty safe to say that this won’t be a straightforward or a cheap deal for Real to conclude.

But if it means stabilising their defence for years to come, Florentino Perez shouldn’t be afraid to pull the trigger.

In other news, Real Madrid are reportedly also interested in one of Arsenal’s biggest rising stars…

Ralph Hasenhuttl has been speaking to The Daily Echo about Kevin Danso’s chances of game time following the departure of Maya Yoshida.

The 100-cap Japan international left St Mary’s on deadline day after seven-and-a-half years at the club, having arrived in the summer of 2012 from Dutch side VVV-Venlo.

As a result of his departure, Danso – who arrived on a season-long loan deal from Augsburg back in the summer – has moved up the pecking order, although Hasenhuttl’s comments on the situation don’t entirely add up.

What did he say?

The former RB Leipzig boss said: “He’s a young player and I know he always had to play a position so far that is not his best as a right or left-back. He played one time [as a centre-back] in the Carabao Cup against Fulham. That’s where he is more used to playing.

“Now, maybe in the future, he will have more chances as a centre-back where he is more comfortable.”

Still not guaranteed game time

While we’re sure that Hasenhuttl’s comments were genuine, his belief that Danso will now get more game time at centre-back following Yoshida’s departure still seems slightly misguided.

The Austrian centre-back only made three Premier League starts even with Yoshida at the club – the Japanese defender himself had only managed to play five Premier League minutes since that 9-0 defeat to Leicester in October, so he was hardly keeping Danso on the sidelines. In truth, the pair of them found themselves in the same situation in terms of game time.

So, Hasenhuttl’s logic that Danso will now maybe have more chances at centre-back seems slightly inaccurate, seeing as Jan Bednarek, Jack Stephens and Jannik Vestergaard are still ahead of him in the pecking order.

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Additionally, Southampton are now also out of both cup competitions having lost the FA Cup fourth round replay to Tottenham, so the chances of the 21-year-old making more appearances at centre-back seem slim unless something happens to the aforementioned trio in terms of a potential injury or suspension.

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Spurs may not have clinched the striker they were desperately chasing in the January transfer window, but Jose Mourinho did bolster his squad with an addition that has already made an instant impact. And they have an unlikely man to thank for it too.

What’s he said?

The north Londoners sealed a £26.7m move for PSV winger Steven Bergwijn just days before the deadline, and in only two appearances, he has shown the Premier League exactly what he has to offer.

One of his former teammates in the Netherlands, Jetro Willems, who is now in England playing for Newcastle United, seemingly played a key role in following his footsteps.

Willems is on loan at Spurs’ PL rivals from Frankfurt but played with the 22-year-old for six years at PSV.

He revealed this week in an interview with The Athletic that he spoke to Bergwijn prior to his move as he waxed lyrical about the English top-flight.

“I was fighting for years to get here. It was always a big competition but I didn’t realise how big until I was here.

“I spoke with Hakim Ziyech this week and with Steven Bergwijn before they joined Chelsea and Tottenham.

“I told them, ‘It’s not only like on television. It’s much better, much nicer.’ I just said, ‘Welcome to the best league in the world.’ That’s how I feel.”

Jetro Willems, Newcastle left-back.

Influence

Although the likes of chief scout Steve Hitchen, Daniel Levy and Mourinho will have played a crucial role in bringing the tricky winger to the Tottenham Hotspur stadium, the influence of Willems simply cannot be understated.

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His glowing endorsement of life across the North Sea could have been the encouragement needed to move away from his homeland and start a new life at the age of just 22.

It remains to be seen how influential this conversation was, but given Willems only made a similar switch back in August, his words would certainly carry more meaning than most as he’s been in this very situation.

Bergwijn has played just twice for Spurs since joining, but he’s already made a huge impact by scoring a debut goal against Manchester City whilst also racking up three key passes and four tackles against Villa on Sunday, per WhoScored.

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So everyone at Spurs must give some props to Willems, even more so as the Magpies have taken Danny Rose temporarily in order to deputise during his absence through injury.

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Duncan Castles spoke on the Transfer Window Podcast and discussed Jose Mourinho’s future, revealing that it is the Tottenham coach’s desire to manage Portugal one day.

Castles’ update might not really come as a big surprise to many, especially considering that Mourinho is Portuguese and managing one’s country is definitely a huge honour. Still, even though he says the ‘Special One’ has been very vocal about his wishes, Castles doesn’t really see that appointment happening soon unless Portugal have a disastrous Euro 2020.

Here’s what he said for the Transfer Window Podcast (26/2/2020): “Mourinho definitely wants to manage Portugal at some time in his career and is very open about that. I talked about it many times, and I’d be very surprised if it doesn’t happen at some point. But unless Portugal have a disastrous Euros this summer, I don’t see him being a realistic candidate for 2022 World Cup”

Of course, putting Mourinho in charge of the national team on such short notice before the World Cup would be a bit of a stretch but, somewhere further down the line, this managerial move seems like it could happen.

The self-proclaimed Special One has brought triumphs to practically every club he has managed so far, even bagging a couple of trophies for Manchester United despite their struggles, and maybe success on the international stage would truly cement him among the managerial pantheon.

Spurs fans, do you think that Mourinho will take over Portugal at one point in his career? How long do you think he intends to stay at Spurs? Let us know down in the comments below!

Manchester United were convincing in their win against Watford, coming away from the game with a 3-0 victory thanks to goals from Bruno Fernandes, Anthony Martial and Mason Greenwood.

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While there will be plenty of players who are satisfied with their performance, it is likely that Fernandes will be among the most thrilled, after he scored his first Man United goal.

The penalty was the landmark moment of his game, but fans are excited about more than that one contribution.

They were thrilled by his overall play in the game, which was highly impressive, as the Portuguese midfielder made three dribbles, four key passes, one tackle and two clearances.

He was named among the players who one fan thought put in “very good performances”, while another referenced that he was Man of the Match for the third consecutive game.

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WhoScored agreed with this, as they gave Fernandes a rating of 9.2, putting him 0.3 ahead of Greenwood, who was his closest competitor.

There were more general celebrations of the 25-year-old and his quality, with one fan claiming that he is “better than De Bruyne”, while another referred to him as the “best player in the league”.

He has certainly made his impact known since moving to Old Trafford, already having a goal and two assists to his name after three Premier League games.

It has been suggested that “Lingard must [be] looking worried about his future”, with Fernandes about to take over the attacking midfield position.

Meanwhile, one Man United player was mercilessly slated for their performance against Watford.

Arsenal could be set to follow Manchester United down a similar path to the one that eventually resulted in Paul Pogba re-signing for the Red Devils in an £89m deal.

According to French media outlet Le10Sport, the Gunners are interested in Donyell Malen, who left the club to join PSV Eindhoven in 2017.

The report mentions a figure in the region of €56m (£48.6m) as a potential fee for the Dutch giants, and that is hardly surprising given his record since leaving north London.

Before the 21-year-old suffered an injury setback which has left him sidelined for the entirety of 2020 so far, he managed to score 17 goals and contribute nine assists in the 19/20 campaign while predominantly operating as a centre-forward.

Given his strike rate, it’s no surprise that Arsenal are registering interest in their former player.

But what have those in the know had to say about the rising star who is already beginning to make the Gunners regret their failure to hold onto him back in 2017?

Let’s take a look at three endorsements the prolific attacker has commanded in his short career so far…

Brian Tevreden, Chief Executive of K.S.V. Roeselare.

Brian Tevreden was employed within Ajax’s prestigious youth academy when Malen was passing through.

As a coach for the U14s, Tevreden worked closely with Malen and followed his development after he graduated into the U15s.

When asked about his style of play, the current Chief Executive of Belgium outfit K.S.V Roeselare drew an intriguing comparison with one of the most exciting players in Arsenal’s recent history, per football.london.

“It’s difficult to describe him. In terms of people playing in England I would say he’s like Alexis Sanchez. Quite small, pacey. He’s strong as well even though he’s not the biggest striker. He can play at No.10, or as a winger or a striker. He’s a multi functional player.”

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Mino Raiola, notorious football agent

Mino Raiola, a man who seldom escapes the headlines, also offered some effusive praise on Malen back in 2016 which suggests Arsenal let a gem slip through the net.

Even with Gianluigi Donnarumma and Moise Kean on his books, it was the now Netherlands international who Raiola backed to blossom into an outstanding player, per Daily Mail.

“Gianluigi Donnarumma is in the national team at 17 so he will continue to get better with Italy and AC Milan, Moise Kean is doing well at Juventus but one who I am excited about is already with a Premier League club and that is Donyell Malen at Arsenal.

“He is a very talented young Dutch player with lots of ability, he is at a very good club with a great manager and I think he can be a revelation.”

Sam May, FourFourTwo

Finally, FourFourTwo’s Sam May has offered an insight into exactly what Malen can offer at the Emirates Stadium.

Versatile enough to slot into any position across the front-three, his skill set appears to be aligned with some of the most successful modern day forwards, per FourFourTwo.

“Standing at 5ft 10in, he is an all-purpose attacker who considers himself able to play in any position across a front three in a 4-3-3 formation. Malen has shown himself to be good in the air, lightning quick, strong and a terrific finisher. His movement off the ball is excellent, too.

“Whether he’s leading a quick counter-attack or controlling a ball on the edge of the box, the 20-year-old is cool and considered when thinking about his next move. It’s a byproduct of the footballing intelligence instilled in Malen from a young age: as well as Bergkamp at Ajax, he has had the benefit of working with his idol Thierry Henry at Arsenal’s academy.”

Tottenham fans have taken to Twitter to react after it was revealed by TEAMtalk that the north Londoners are interested in signing Manchester City centre-back John Stones – Arsenal and the defender’s former club Everton are also believe to be keen.

The news comes amid TEAMtalk’s revelation that Pep Guardiola is planning a summer clear-out at the Etihad Stadium, with Stones, Benjamin Mendy and Nicolas Otamendi amongst those who the former Barcelona manager wants to ship out.

Stones has fallen out of favour with the back-to-back Premier League champions, making just ten Premier League starts this season as Guardiola prefers to use Fernandinho – a natural centre-midfielder – at centre-back instead of him.

The former Barnsley man – who is rated at £54m on Transfermarkt – did actually start for City in the Carabao Cup final against Aston Villa recently, but slipped over under no pressure to allow Mbwana Samatta to head home Anwar El Ghazi’s cross.

Let’s see how the Tottenham fans on Twitter reacted to the news…

To kick off the reaction, one supporter laughed at the prospect of Stones and Davinson Sanchez at the back together.

Jose Mourinho’s men have conceded the joint-ninth most amount of goals this season with 40 concessions to their name, so some defensive reinforcements certainly wouldn’t go amiss.

Elsewhere, two other Tottenham fans said that they’d rather sign another centre-back from a Manchester-based club – England international Chris Smalling, who is on loan at Roma from Manchester United.

Spurs have actually been linked with a move for the ex-Fulham defender, so if that move materialises instead of a swoop for Stones, at least these two supporters would be happy judging by their tweets.

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The Athletic’s Newcastle United correspondent Chris Waugh believes that Matt Ritchie needs to be restored to the club’s starting XI, per The Pod on the Tyne podcast (March 11th, 09:23).

What’s the word?

The 30-year-old started against Southampton at the weekend but missed a penalty in the 1-0 victory.

He has made 10 Premier League appearances thus far this season, but has started just four times in 2020.

And Waugh thinks that he should be playing regularly, given the influence he has on the team.

He said: “I just think Ritchie gives you that leadership on the pitch.”

He added: “I’m not convinced long term that Matt Ritchie as an offensive player in the Premier League is necessarily the best idea, but for now in the situation Newcastle are in and the need to fight for points, he needs to be in that team somewhere.”

Not wrong

Ritchie is a remarkably seasoned professional.

Throughout his career, he has made 478 first-team appearances, from Newcastle to Portsmouth, and Bruce’s men need leadership like that if they are to survive in the Premier League.

They are currently eight points clear of the relegation zone but there remains nine games of the season to play and Newcastle could easily slip back into that battle should they lose a number of games in succession.

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They have games against the likes of Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur, and Liverpool to come, and need to pick up as many points as possible.

Having Ritchie’s influence in the side could be necessary as the season progresses; in the games that he has started in 2020, Newcastle have never once lost.

Instead, they have drawn with Everton, Norwich City, and Burnley, while beating Southampton; he also played 75 minutes as a left-back against Chelsea in a 1-0 win.

He should be in the side.

Meanwhile, Newcastle are interested in this Championship ace!

According to The Sun, Crystal Palace have been put off by QPR’s £20m valuation of Ebere Eze.

What’s the word, then?

Well, the Eagles definitely made an enquiry for the attacking midfielder in January, as QPR’s very own Director of Football Les Ferdinand recently told the Beautiful Game Podcast (via The Evening Standard).

However, Ferdinand also said that was as far as Crystal Palace went in their pursuit of Eze in January – no discussions over a potential fee or other technicalities were discussed.

The London-born attacking midfielder has shone for the R’s this season, scoring 12 goals while also registering eight assists in the Championship.

There are definitely shades of Wilfried Zaha about the QPR No.10, as both men enjoy a bit of flamboyancy in their game while both honed their skills in the Championship at a London-based club – The Guardian even likened him to ex-QPR star Adel Taarabt, who was arguably one of the most skilful players the Championship has ever housed.

The Guardian also spoke to Marcus Bean, who scouted Eze for Gareth Ainsworth while at Wycombe.

He said: “Ebs makes the game look easy, he goes past players at will and he scores goals as well. I went back to the manager and said: ‘Listen, we need to get him in. He’s got that X Factor.’”

Freedman is wrong to be put off

While £20m is certainly a lot of money for a 21-year-old without any Premier League experience, the Eagles’ Sporting Director is wrong to be put off by that figure.

It is quite simply the going rate for exciting Championship stars nowadays, and if the south Londoners don’t want to pay it then surely someone else will eventually – this is a real gem of a footballer we’re talking about.

For example, as recently as last summer, Sheffield United signed Oli McBurnie for £20m, while Brighton signed Neal Maupay for just under that figure in a deal worth £16m.

Crystal Palace have already lost out on one stellar name in the Championship after West Ham beat them to Jarrod Bowen, so Freedman would be foolish to pass up another rough diamond who isn’t being valued unrealistically by QPR at all.

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