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Manchester United are back in Premier League action tonight as they welcome Wolverhampton Wanderers to Old Trafford on Tuesday.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side find themselves in the midst of a title race at the top of the table, having picked up three wins and two draws from their past five games in a row, with the Red Devils sharing the spoils with Leicester City last time out.

United have a number of fringe players who will be looking to make an impact tonight as Solskjaer prepares to rotate his side ahead of the clash with Wolves.

Here is Football Fancast’s predicted starting XI, which sees Solskjaer make four changes from the trip to the King Power Stadium for this evening’s entertainment.

David de Gea should be given the gloves once again, meaning Dean Henderson will have to settle for a place on the bench.

Even with Solskjaer taking the opportunity to rotate his squad, it’s hard to imagine Harry Maguire won’t be starting at centre-back tonight.

Alex Telles will most likely be handed a start tonight, giving Luke Shaw some time off before the weekend clash with Aston Villa; Victor Lindelof won’t be risked so Eric Bailly and Axel Tuanzebe will start on the right-hand side of the defence.

Paul Pogba is set to start in the midfield alongside Scott McTominay with Bruno Fernandes just in front of them as the classic No. 10.

Despite scoring against Leeds, Daniel James offered very little against Leicester, so recalling Mason Greenwood and keeping Marcus Rashford on the left wing with Edinson Cavani leading the line makes most sense.

That means that Anthony Martial will have to drop to the bench, such is the strength in Solskjaer’s squad right now.

AND in other news, Solskjaer must force Man Utd to sign Moises Caicedo from Independiente del Valle…

Tottenham Hotspur retained the top spot in the Premier League with an impressive victory over their arch-rivals, Arsenal, on Sunday evening.

Jose Mourinho once again has his red-hot goalscoring duo, Harry Kane and Heung-min Son, to thank as the pair combined for both goals in the 2-0 victory.

The South Korean needed just 13 minutes to get on the scoresheet as he fired home a scorcher from well outside the penalty area before the 27-year-old marksman rifled one in from close range right on half-time.

In the end, Spurs hung onto a deserved victory despite the Gunners’ second-half dominance but largely, it was all bark and no bite.

Mikel Arteta’s men managed seven attempts at goal to Spurs’ one in the final 45 minutes, and struggled to find a way past a defence that has now kept four successive clean sheets in the division.

However but for all the positivity, Mourinho will surely be unhappy with what he saw from Giovani Lo Celso, a play who has been on the receiving end of some flak in recent weeks.

The ‘Special One’ criticised the Argentinian playmaker last month:

“I feel that when he plays he’s not the Gio that we know, not the Gio that we know that he can be an amazing player. But with the ball of course great criteria and he knows what he’s doing of course, and understands the way we want to play. But we need more intensity to be fitter, to be more intense and to be stronger in the transitions.”

It was only his second start in the Premier League this season on Sunday, which only goes to show the lack of faith Mourinho currently has in him, and that’s also reflected in the fact that Lo Celso is only averaging 44.8 minutes per appearance at the moment.

That certainly feels a bit like Tanguy Ndombele from last season, and the £31.5m-rated star did himself no favours.

Per SofaScore, he won just two of eight duels (25%) and failed to register a single shot, tackle, successful dribble, accurate cross or key pass in his 72 minutes on the pitch.

Lo Celso was also wasteful in possession as he lost the ball 13 times – more than any other Spurs player bar Son – and made just 18 of 29 passes.

Given Mourinho’s comments and the lack of reaction since, it would be a surprise to see the former Betis man start again in the upcoming games, unless of course, Ndombele hasn’t returned from illness.

AND in other news, Spurs can land Mourinho his next John Terry with swoop for £50m monster…

Jose Mourinho will rue Daniel Levy’s handling of Paulo Gazzaniga’s future this summer, as the “magic” goalkeeper has now been backed to quit Tottenham Hotspur in the January window by Paul Robinson.

What’s the word?

While speaking with Football Insider, former Spurs shot-stopper Robinson has suggested Gazzaniga will be looking for a way out of north London in the mid-season market, as the 28-year-old’s head will have been turned by speculation surrounding his future this summer.

The Argentine was linked with a potential Deadline Day move to Everton, while Aston Villa and top-four rivals Liverpool are now said to be considering Gazzaniga as an option to offer competition for ex-Arsenal ace Emiliano Martinez and Brazil’s Allison Becker respectively.

Gazzaniga has fallen further down Mourinho’s pecking order this season after the Portuguese tactician sought Joe Hart as a free agent, and has since handed the former Manchester City ace a place on the bench in all eight Premier League games to date.

Mourinho has further opted against naming Gazzaniga in any of his matchday squads for the Europa League or EFL Cup this term, leaving the £20,000-per-week man an outcast despite playing 16 of his 18 top-flight games last season after Hugo Lloris’ dislocated elbow.

The situation is now such that Robinson believes Gazzaniga will have to look for a move when the transfer market opens in six-weeks’ time, as he is too good to not even make the bench.

“I think he thought he was gone [in the summer],” Robinson said. “I suspect something was lined up and he thought he was leaving, and that is why Jose Mourinho brought in Joe Hart.

“There’s been talk of Aston Villa and Liverpool, teams looking for back-ups. I think his head was turned and, in his mind, he may have thought he was gone. I could see him leaving in January – he will not want to sit there as number three because he had a taste of being number one while Huge was out.

“We will see Gazzaniga move on in January or the end of the season. He is not a number three goalkeeper; he is a top goalkeeper.”

Summer fiasco

With Robinson backing Gazzaniga to quit Spurs in January, Mourinho will be ruing Levy’s inability to get a deal to sell the Argentine across the line this summer having been in talks with Everton before Carlo Ancelotti’s Toffees acquired AS Roma’s Robin Olsen on loan.

Everton were only interested in taking Gazzaniga on a season-long deal when they held discussions on Deadline Day, but Spurs Chairman Levy stood firm in seeking a permanent deal despite his asking price being deemed “too expensive” by the Goodison Park outfit.

Mourinho would, no doubt, have liked to have seen Levy sell Gazzaniga in the summer, as the Portuguese was later forced into the “very difficult” decision of omitting the 28-year-old from Tottenham’s Europa League squad.

“It is very difficult,” the former Chelsea boss said, via quotes by football.london. “To leave a player out is like to stop the player to fight for something he wants, that is always is very, very hard.

“The good thing is in January you can change, so if you have a different view you change. The Gazzaniga situation, with Hugo and Joe we believe that for the next couple of months we can do it with an academy goalkeeper, with a young English kid.”

In doing so, Mourinho deprived himself of a goalkeeper he lauded as being capable of producing magic following Tottenham’s dramatic 2-1 win at Wolverhampton Wanderers last December.

“My father played in this stadium against Wolves in the UEFA Cup as a goalkeeper,” Mourinho said. “He was always telling me a goalkeeper of a top team had to be different to the others because the goalkeeper of a top team doesn’t have ten saves to make. You have one, but when the one comes the magic hands have to be there and Paulo did it for us.”

It remains to be seen if Gazzaniga has done enough in training to force Mourinho into altering his plans. But given the Portuguese has so far looked elsewhere in the EFL Cup, it will be more likely that the 28-year-old follows through on Robinson’s remarks and searches for a new side this winter.

AND in other news, Tottenham have been urged to sell a “world-beater” who’s also a Jose Mourinho outcast this January.

Liverpool made easy work of derailing Atalanta in their Champions League group fixture last night. The Reds now top their group by a huge five-point margin after breezing to three wins out of three. The Italians shipped five goals as they struggled to deal with Liverpool’s attacking threat.

Diogo Jota was in sublime form yet again, netting his first hat-trick for his new club. The summer signing now boasts an incredible six goals in his last four appearances under Jurgen Klopp.

He was undoubtedly Man of the Match with his unstoppable performance in Italy. Another player also impressed and put in a fine attacking shift, but he’s perhaps an unlikely candidate.

Neco Williams shines against Atalanta

Young Neco Williams made his Champions League debut after replacing Trent Alexander-Arnold deep into the second half. With just eight minutes to go, Klopp deployed the teenager to give him a cameo run out in a game that had long ago been put to bed. His only job was to kick the ball about and let the clock run down.

However, Williams wasn’t happy settling for a casual appearance. According to Sofascore, the defender made one block and two tackles to ensure the Reds kept their clean sheet. He also contributed an impressive 100% cross success and made one key pass, creating a big goalscoring opportunity. This was more of an attacking performance in eight minutes than Roberto Firmino managed in 25 minutes.

The Brazilian was unable to muster up a chance for his side and continues an inconsistent run of form. Whilst he has been integral to this Liverpool side, he has come under a lot of criticism lately due to his lack of goalscoring action as a striker.

Similarly, Williams was hammered by social media trolls after he struggled against Lincoln in the EFL Cup. Assistant manager Pep Ljinders rushed to his aid and lauded him for being a risk-taker, which is something the club encourages in all of their players.

Fans have since changed their tune, with many praising his performance from last night. Along with many others singing his tune, one supporter described his display as “slick” and has encouraged him to keep doing what he’s doing.

With Liverpool holding such a strong lead in their UCL group, Williams could start the remaining games in order to rest Alexander-Arnold for the Premier League.

In other news, Liverpool missed out on exciting partnership between Jamal Lewis and Alexander-Arnold…

Wolverhampton Wanderers are already plotting their moves ahead of the January transfer window, even if it’s still two months away…

What’s the word?

According to TEAMtalk, the Midlands outfit are one of several top-flight teams pursuing a move for Middlesbrough defender Djed Spence.

It’s claimed that the Championship outfit face an uphill battle to keep the 20-year-old with Everton, Crystal Palace and Newcastle United also interested in his signature.

After breaking into the first-team under Jonathan Woodgate last season, Spence signed a new long-term contract in February this year.

Future talent?

The young English sensation has continued to cement his place as Boro’s right wing-back this season, playing in eight of their nine Championship outings thus far.

Spence has scored one goal and has also averaged 1.3 dribbles, 1.1 tackles and 0.7 key passes per 90 minutes, via WhoScored.

During the summer, his manager Neil Warnock played down chances of his top talent leaving the Riverside Stadium, though evidently, it’s a saga that’s set to rumble on throughout the winter.

He’s handed him a glowing endorsement in the process too, comparing him to two current Premier League stars, he said: “If you look at one or two of the full-backs that are around now – the lad at Liverpool, Trent Alexander-Arnold, and the lad at Manchester United from Palace [Aaron Wan-Bissaka] – they are all the same type as Djed.”

Warnock went on to claim that Spence had “enormous ability” and how it would be “criminal” if he didn’t make it to the very top.

He has also been noted as having ‘blistering pace’ whilst at 6-foot-and-a-half, he offers intriguing physical attributes too.

As per ESPN, it’s believed that Boro value the promising right wing-back at just £10m whilst Spurs have previously been mooted with interest.

Nuno Santo brought in two players in the role during the summer window – Nelson Semedo, who is already making his presence felt and less so, Ki Jana-Hoever.

You’d imagine the latter is in most danger if Jeff Shi sanctions a move for Spence – a swoop in which he should absolutely follow through with as it not only meets Fosun’s long-term ambitions but hands the Wolf Pack a genuine talent ahead of their rivals.

Perhaps he can be Nuno’s next project – à la Adama Traore.

AND in other news, Wolves must rue not signing £30m monster better than Dendoncker…

West Bromwich Albion boss Slaven Bilic could be reunited with one player he once signed for a club-record £18m if reports are to be believed…

What’s the word?

According to Ghana SoccerNet, the Baggies are keen on bringing Swansea City winger Andre Ayew to the Hawthorns before the transfer deadline this summer.

They claim that the Championship outfit could be interested in offloading the 30-year-old due to the £80k-per-week wages he’s reportedly on at the Liberty Stadium whilst Ayew himself would like to play in the Premier League.

He has started both of the Swans’ opening two matches this term and is valued at just £4.32m by Transfermarkt.

Another winger?

It would be an interesting prospect to see Ayew swap the second tier for another venture into the top-flight but do West Brom even need another winger?

The veteran was largely ineffective in the two matches against the Baggies last season, failing to contribute during a 5-1 thrashing or the 0-0 draw.

Although he is a player that Bilic knows really well, speaking back in 2017 following a shock win over Spurs, the Croatian boss said: “It’s me who wanted Andre to join us from Swansea. I rate Andre very highly. He’s a great player. He was the game-changer.”

Whilst summer arrival Conor Gallagher enjoyed a loan spell alongside him at Swansea during the second half of last season and the Ghanian believes the young Chelsea prospect is fit for the Premier League.

During that campaign, Ayew provided 16 goals and seven assists whilst averaging 2.6 shots, 2.1 dribbles and 0.9 key passes per game, via WhoScored.

That’s six more goals than what Charlie Austin and Hal Robson-Kanu could manage and only Grady Diangana managed more dribbles per appearance.

The Baggies could probably do with a new goal threat after appearing rather lacklustre in front of the sticks so far this campaign, so perhaps a move for the Swansea veteran would be a shrewd addition this close to deadline day.

AND in other news, Albion must win race to sign “skilled” starlet who “causes defenders nightmares”…

According to a report by reliable football.london journalist Alasdair Gold, Tottenham are intent on signing a new striker this summer to provide back up for star hitman Harry Kane – with the journalist detailing a plethora of options and potential names to watch out for ‘on the agenda’. 

Since Fernando Llorente’s departure in the summer of 2019, with the Spaniard securing a move to Napoli, Tottenham have failed to bring in an alternative centre-forward who can support Kane whilst providing an extra dimension.

As a result, ahead of a looming and busy 2020/2021 Premier League calendar, chairman Daniel Levy and co have reportedly made it their priority to search for another attacker.

Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Matt Doherty and ex-free agent Joe Hart have so far been added to the Spurs roster, shoring up Jose Mourinho’s defence as he prepares for his first full campaign in charge, but Kane remains his only natural striker.

Gold, writing for football.london, has claimed that Spurs could swoop for a number of striking additions – with Bournemouth’s Callum Wilson seemingly topping the list.

Wilson, who has previous caps for England at international level, would cost the Lilywhites around £17 million but has bagged 41 top flight goals over the last five seasons (WhoScored).

Meanwhile, his teammate Josh King is less of a priority target but nevertheless someone to keep an eye on as the transfer window unfolds – with the ex-Man United prodigy also capable of providing support in the wide positions.

Chris Wood, Ollie Watkins and Darwin Nunez were also mentioned in the piece as targets – although the trio appear less likely by comparison to the Cherries forwards.

Whoever Tottenham manage to land, Gold has at least shed some light on Spurs’ hunt for a striker – potential reason for Lilywhites to get excited.

Spurs fans, which striker would you like to see in north London the most? Have your say in the comments below…

Leeds United transfer chief Angus Kinnear has spoken out amid recent transfer rumours circulating the club and Brighton defender Ben White.

The 22-year-old was on loan at Elland Road last season and the newly-promoted club recently lodged a £22m bid for the centre-back, which the Seagulls rejected.

As per Leeds Live, Kinnear indicated that the Yorkshire outfit remain interested in White but are exploring other options if Brighton don’t budge. He said: “The reality is, he did a wonderful job for us, but he’s a Brighton player. They rate him very highly, I’m sure they see us as a rival.

“The conversations are continuing but we have to be respectful of Brighton’s position, that he is their player.

“We have two or three other names in that group in terms of that position, who supporters should be really excited about. I know emotionally it won’t have the same appeal as getting Ben back. But if it doesn’t work with Ben we’ve got some good cover lined up.”

White had only played twice for Brighton prior to being loaned out to Leeds a year ago but he had an excellent 2019/20 season at Elland Road, being ever-present in helping Marcelo Bielsa’s team to end their 16-year exile from the Premier League.

The Yorkshire club are far from alone in terms of transfer interest in the defender. According to The Sun, all of last term’s Premier League top six are keen on the 22-year-old, who is valued at more than £50m by the Seagulls.

Further to Kinnear’s comments about Leeds casting a wider net in their hunt for a centre-back, The Telegraph reported at the weekend that the Whites are interested in Freiburg’s Robin Koch, who according to O Jogo could be available for just £10.8m – a fraction of what Brighton are demanding for White.

With Leeds not putting all their eggs in the White basket, Brighton may feel that one contender in the race for the 22-year-old’s signature could soon drop out.

The Seagulls are sending a clear message that they won’t be intimidated into selling the defender on the cheap by slapping a £50m price tag on him, even though he has never played a Premier League game.

With transfer speculation surrounding the futures of Lewis Dunk and Shane Duffy at the Amex Stadium, it is only right that Brighton take a no-nonsense stance with White, and that may be enough to convince Leeds to look elsewhere for centre-back reinforcements instead.

Brighton fans, are you proud of the club’s hardline stance on White’s future amid such widespread transfer interest? Comment below with your views!

The 2018-19 Premier League campaign was an impressive one for Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool side, with the Reds falling just short of champions Manchester City.

Despite losing just once in the league all year Klopp’s team finished one point adrift of City, with a total of 97 points.

Their one defeat came to City themselves on January 3 and after starting the 2019-20 with eight consecutive wins, talk began about them perhaps going for the record of most league matches in a row unbeaten.

A 3-0 defeat to Watford in February put an end to that incredible run though, five matches short of the record, while also dashing hopes of the club become the second to go an entire Premier League season unbeaten.

With that in mind, we looked back into the archives with a view to some of the longest unbeaten runs in the Premier League era.

Here, we look at the longest unbeaten runs embarked upon by all of the current Premier League sides…

20. Brighton & Hove Albion – 5 games

Brighton have twice gone on five match unbeaten runs, with both coming in their debut campaign under Chris Hughton.

19. Watford – 6 games

Surprisingly, Watford’s longest unbeaten Premier League run came this term following the appointment of new boss Nigel Pearson.

18. Bournemouth – 7 games

Bournemouth’s Premier League story has been something of a fairytale and it is only fair that their longest unbeaten run included wins over Arsenal and Chelsea.

17. Burnley – 8 games

A side that have been difficult to beat under boss Sean Dyche, with their best run to date coming last season as they looked to avoid the drop.

16. Crystal Palace – 8 games

Crystal Palace have established themselves as a Premier League mainstay under Roy Hodgson and it was the former England boss who oversaw their longest unbeaten run in 2017/18.

15. Sheffield United – 8 games

The Blades are enjoying a brilliant season under Chris Wilder but there best run goes back to 1994 when long-standing boss Dave Bassett was still in charge.

14. Southampton – 9 games

The Saints longest unbeaten run came during the 2002-03 season, the same year they reached the FA Cup final, while they were under the management of Gordon Strachan.

13. Norwich City – 10 games

Norwich City may be bottom but after their promotion to the Premier League in 2011 they went on a 10 match unbeaten run under Paul Lambert.

12. West Ham United – 10 games

Perhaps a club that has not quite achieved what it has set out to in recent years, the Hammers’ best run came in 2016 as they secured a place in the Europa League.

11. Everton – 11 games

Despite being in the Premier League since its inception, Everton have only twice managed an unbeaten run of 11 games. Both came under David Moyes in 2010 and 2012 respectively.

10. Wolverhampton Wanderers – 11 games

A side that have grown in stature in recent years, their best run came this term under current boss Nuno Espirito Santo.

9. Leicester City – 12 games

Despite their success this season, it is no surprise Leicester’s best run came during the title campaign in 2015-16 under Claudio Ranieri.

8. Aston Villa – 14 games

Villa’s longest unbeaten run came back in 1998 when they briefly led the league table.

7. Newcastle United – 14 games

Alan Pardew saw an unlikely upturn in results as he guided Newcastle to a fifth-place finish in 2012.

6. Tottenham Hotspur – 14 games

Perhaps surprisingly for a side that have seen such success in recent seasons, Spurs best run is 14 matches unbeaten which they achieved in 2015 and 2018 under Mauricio Pochettino.

5. Manchester United – 29 games

Considering United are the most successful side in the Premier League era, it is surprise to them fifth on this list. However, Sir Alex Ferguson achieved the feat twice in 1998-1999 and 2010-11.

4. Manchester City – 30 games

A club that has seen huge success in recent years, their 30 match run came in 2017-18 under Pep Guardiola, only to be ended by Klopp’s Liverpool.

3. Chelsea – 40 games

This immense run came during a period of domination for the club under Jose Mourinho which saw them win consecutive league titles in 2005 and 2006.

2. Liverpool – 44 games

An incredible run that came to an end earlier this year, Klopp’s side looked like they could go a whole season unbeaten but fell foul at Watford, losing 3-0.

1. Arsenal 49 games

The crowning glory of Arsene Wenger’s career, this run straddled three seasons and included an entire unbeaten Premier League season in 2003-04.

Another day, another layer added to the Scottish football saga of which Rangers are at the very centre of.

The latest news in that respect is that, after the Gers requested that another investigation be commissioned along with Hearts and Stranraer, the SPFL have organised an Emergency General Meeting that will be held on May 12th, in which there will be a vote to see if another investigation will take place.

Not only that, the governing body north of the border have sent an open letter to all clubs in Scotland, effectively saying that another investigation would be a waste of time – quite frankly, you cannot take your eyes of what is happening.

Now, Graham Spiers of The Scottish Times has had his say on the issue. Whilst he admits that Rangers may have proof of wrongdoing, he said he hopes that Gers managing director Stewart Robertson is not playing up to the fans’ feelings of conspiracy against the club. He even called him the “weakest man in football”.

As you can imagine, the club’s supporters were far from happy with his comments – one even called him “the weakest man in journalism.”

They took to Twitter to share their thoughts, and you can see some of the best comments from the social media platform below.

Let us know what you think!