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Robby McCrorie has refused to rule out another loan exit away from Glasgow Rangers next season.

McCrorie discusses Gers future

23-year-old McCrorie is currently on loan at Livingston in the Premiership and has played 14 games in the top flight so far this term (Transfermarkt), with boss Gary Holt calling him “excellent” on his league debut (The Scottish Sun).

Speaking ahead of Livingston’s clash with Hibernian this weekend, McCrorie was discussing his Rangers future, and he refused to rule out leaving on a temporary basis once more. He said (via sportsmole.co.uk):

“We have six league games left and hopefully a run in the Scottish Cup but I don’t think I can look too far in terms of the summer.

“It is not really up to me what happens, that is up to the gaffer at Rangers.

“I will go in at pre-season or whatever and try to do my best. It will be a case of looking at it.

“But I love playing football so I would probably be open to going out on loan again but we will see.

“I signed a deal in the summer so I have another two years at Rangers after this season. The most important thing for any young player is to be playing games.

“I will go back at the end of the season, assess what is best for going forward and I have all the support networks to help me get where I need to go.”

Plenty of competition

At 23, McCrorie will have been hoping to have already broken into the Gers side. Unfortunately, he has one of the greatest goalkeepers in the club’s history in front of him in Allan McGregor. The 39-year-old has kept 16 clean sheets in 23 league matches this campaign and has shipped just seven times – he is arguably as good at the moment as he has ever been.

Still, it is clear McGregor is approaching the end of his career. When he does eventually retire, McCrorie could well have a chance to finally establish himself as the Gers’ number one. The youngster just has to be patient and wait for his opportunity.

In other news, Rangers fans react to this Ondrej Kudela footage.

Darren Bent has says he would resign ‘for health reasons’ if he were in Steve Bruce’s position at Newcastle. 

According to a poll conducted by the Shields Gazette at the beginning of March, a whopping 97.5% of fans ‘strongly disagree’ with the notion that Bruce is the right man to lead Newcastle forward – and that was before they went down 3-0 at Brighton, leaving the mood at the club the ‘lowest it’s been’, according to Ryan Fraser (via ESPN).

There are, of course, no fans in attendance at St James’ Park these days to offer a hostile reception, and Bruce said back in October that he doesn’t read online criticism.

Nevertheless, Bent – capped 12 times by England – reckons the atmosphere around the club will still be taking its toll.

“For Steve himself, what he’s had to endure in terms of the people hammering him from outside, if it was me, I’d have to resign just for health reasons,” he said on talkSPORT on Tuesday morning.

“The fact he’s taken so much stick – it’s difficult. For me, he’s done an okay job.”

Transfer Tavern verdict

The pain Newcastle fans feel at their club’s fortunes is entirely understandable, but while there are long-term fundamental issues clearly at play, Bruce is still partially culpable for their slide toward potential relegation. Based on their lifeless display in their six-pointer against Brighton, he has lost the dressing room.

What’s important, however – and the vast majority of Newcastle fans will likely recognise this – is that the criticism stays focused on Bruce’s sporting decisions, and does not become unduly personal.

In other news, journalists explain why Bruce retains the backing of Mike Ashley.

Manchester United have once again been urged to make a move for Borussia Dortmund’s Erling Haaland.

The Red Devils have long been linked with a switch for the sensational Norwegian, with Gazzetta dello Sport recently suggesting that talks between the Old Trafford club and the striker have already taken place.

He seemingly has plenty of suitors heading into the summer transfer window but former United midfielder Paul Scholes has encouraged Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to make a move sooner rather than later, with Haaland being a “perfect choice” for the club.

It’s a statement that is certainly tough to disagree with. Since arriving in Germany from Red Bull Salzburg just under a year-and-a-half ago, the 20-year-old has continued his stunning goalscoring form for Borussia Dortmund.

In 53 appearances for the club, he has plundered an incredible 49 goals in all competitions. That finishing expertise would certainly be welcome at Old Trafford heading into the 2021/22 campaign.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/the-latest-man-united-transfer-rumours-and-news-from-old-trafford-lingard-de-gea-pogba-bailly-johnstone” title=”The latest Man United transfer rumours and news from Old Trafford…”]

Current Red Devils striker Edinson Cavani could apparently be set to leave the club in the summer, with a move to Boca Juniors being mooted. Having struck nine goals in all competitions so far this season, including two in his last two matches, the Uruguayan would certainly need replacing should he depart.

Meanwhile, Solskjaer’s current alternative options are struggling to find their top form. The currently injured Anthony Martial has scored just four goals in the Premier League this season, whilst Mason Greenwood only has three strikes of his own in the league.

Haaland should certainly rectify all of those problems if he makes the move from Borussia Dortmund. It could then be concluded that he would be the “perfect” signing as suggested by Scholes, and one which Ed Woodward should absolutely consider in the summer transfer window.

AND in more news, take a closer look at Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s dominant performance against Granada on Thursday evening…

Many Everton fans have been left to laud some comments made by Carlo Ancelotti ahead of their tie at Chelsea in the Premier League on Monday evening.

As per the official website of the Goodison Park faithful, the Italian boss said: “I am really happy to be the manager of this team and these players. I feel these players follow me. They have a lot of respect for my idea.”

The fact that Ancelotti is happy to be managing the Merseyside club is great to hear for Toffees supporters given his pedigree in the game, managing the likes of AC Milan, Bayern Munich, Chelsea, Paris Saint Germain and Real Madrid.

The Blues do not have as much pedigree in Europe as some of the previous sides that he has managed, and so it really is a project to try and get EFC to that kind of level with him in charge.

Nonetheless, Ancelotti has done very well since taking charge at Everton, as they push to qualify for the UEFA Champions League for the 2021/22 term.

Everton fan reaction to Ancelotti comments

These Everton fans lauded his comments on Twitter:

“Not enough superlatives to offer this man. The Don, The Professor, The Master Tactician, Mr. Champions League, Carlo Magnifico. Feel free to add anymore. Ancelotti wins Italian Style. Will do for me. He knows who he wants in the summer as well. Will keep us guessing. NSNO.”

Credit: @Jeffreyhitchmo1

“Not only does he man manage the players he knows how to man manage the supporters too. Simple words but they mean so much”

Credit: @albie1405

“But who’s not going to love and respect this wonderful and caring man? I do……”

Credit: @JoannaNasseh

“Best manager we’ve had in my lifetime. Wouldn’t swap him for anyone”

Credit: @EPollazzo

“This is the stuff of dreams #Everton @MrAncelotti”Credit: @bluemaidstone”This makes me very happy!! @peterostick”Credit: @pauldevsIn other news, find out whose display was slammed against West Brom here!

Yan Valery has been something of a forgotten man at Southampton since Kyle Walker-Peters arrived on loan with the South Coast club last January.

The former Spurs man quickly established himself as the first-choice right-back in Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side and his signing was made permanent during the summer.

The 23-year-old has subsequently played every single minute of the Premier League this season, having become a key player for the Austrian manager in defence.

However, Walker-Peters has now been ruled out of Southampton’s match with Arsenal on Tuesday night, meaning that Valery will likely step in as his replacement against the Gunners.

The 21-year-old only made his first appearance of the season in the 1-0 win against Liverpool earlier this month, having been with the Southampton B team for much of the campaign.

He did make his first start in the FA Cup win against Shrewsbury Town but was relegated to the bench for the game against Arsenal on Saturday, showing that Walker-Peters is very much first-choice at the moment.

Valery had established himself as something of a regular in this Southampton side during the 2018/19 season, as he made 23 top-flight appearances, contributing two goals and one assist.

However, the signing of Walker-Peters, combined with the Frenchman suffering from glandular fever, has meant that game time has been hard to come by in the past two seasons.

Back in 2019, after an impressive goal against Manchester United, Hasenhuttl was full of praise for the young defender, saying:

“That’s something you demand from a young player. He gets the trust from us and then I want to see a brave player who is believing in himself and Yan made a fantastic development until now.

“Defensively he is better now and also offensively that’s exactly the way we want to go. I’m very happy for him that he scored for the first time, it was a fantastic goal and to shoot like this at Old Trafford shows how confident he is.”

The Austrian will be desperate for the Frenchman to produce a similar display when the Saints face Arsenal on Tuesday night, therefore, and hopefully, he can start showing some of his potential again with the South Coast club.

It is a rare chance for Valery to play and it is an opportunity he must make the most of if he wants to compete with Walker-Peters for the right-back spot in Hasenhuttl’s side.

And, in other news… “What a player” – Exclusive: Pundit “surprised” Hasenhuttl fave is still with Southampton

It’s been a rare occurrence in the last few months but Wolves go into their game with Newcastle in good form.

It has been a very tough period for the Old Gold but with just one defeat in their last six league games, things are looking rosier at Molineux.

On the chalkboard

On paper, Wolves should come through their game against the Magpies with flying colours. Newcastle are moving ever closer to the relegation zone and their style of football leaves plenty to be desired.

They sit with a low block, very rarely attack and don’t enjoy much possession. Only West Brom have a worse percentage for possession this term, with Newcastle enjoying just 41.4% of the ball on average in 2020/21.

Their pass success rate, meanwhile, is the third-worst in the top-flight. Possessing the fifth-fewest attempts at goal on average, they rarely provide enough to get forward either.

Of course, the return of Allan Saint-Maximin has helped. He picked up two assists against Southampton and then scored against Manchester United. However, he will be one of very few threats on Saturday evening.

The solution

It’s anticipated that Wolves will enjoy far more of the possession when the two sides meet tomorrow.

With that in mind, it wouldn’t be a bad idea for Wolves to pack out their midfield a bit more and play a creative outlet. With Daniel Podence still out injured the burden should fall on the shoulders of Vitinha.

The loanee has only started twice in the Premier League since signing for the club on loan but with Newcastle set to play deep, his intricate movement in tight spaces could be exactly what they need.

He has impressed during his minimal time on the field and for a barometer of how he plays against a team that sits back, you only need to look at the goal he scored against Chorley in the FA Cup, firing in a rasping effort from range.

That outing was against a non-league side so perhaps for better reasoning behind his case to start is his display against Man United earlier in the season.

That happened to be Vitinha’s first Premier League start but he didn’t look out of place, winning 100% of his duels and succeeding with 100% of his dribbles.

Wolves have an option to buy the 21-year-old and after being hailed as “special” by Jeff Shi upon his initial arrival, it will be games like this that surely influence their decision to splash the cash.

Vitinha is an intriguing talent, one that needs to be unleashed more often. That should start against Newcastle on Saturday, a game where his qualities could help to crush and overrun the opposition.

AND in other news, Forget Gibbs-White: Nuno must unleash rarely-seen Wolves 18y/o who “scores every week”…

According to a report by Spanish news outlet Sport, as relayed and translated by Sport Witness, Tottenham Hotspur star striker is ‘committed to leaving’ north London this summer as Manchester City eye a successor for club legend Sergio Aguero – coming as a potential blow for Jose Mourinho and Spurs.

Kane, who has been Tottenham’s most crucial asset this season, with the Englishman putting in an enormous contribution for the Lilywhites as they quest to mount a possible end of season top four challenge, is committed to a summer exit according to Sport.

Tottenham dealt potential Kane blow

The 27-year-old has bagged a brilliant 16 goals and 13 assists in the Premier League alone for Spurs this season, averaging a threatening 3.8 shots per 90 in that time under Mourinho.

Indeed, Spurs are heavily reliant on their star target man, but this report from Spain says he is now committed to leaving north London as Man City consider a move.

The Sky Blues are apparently set to ‘bet heavily’ on Borussia Dortmund attacker Erling Haaland in the next transfer window, but both Kane and Romelu Lukaku are also on the shortlist for Pep Guardiola.

Transfer Tavern take

Mourinho will be hoping Kane doesn’t opt to exit the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as he seeks to bring silverware to the club for the first time since 2008, but it seems another summer of constant rumours is on the horizon.

Alasdair Gold recently indicated that chairman Daniel Levy will have a ‘huge’ decision to make in regards to Kane being sold off to fund summer additions, especially given the club’s current financial plight due to coronavirus.

In other news: Tottenham have been handed a boost over Gareth Bale, find out more here.

Fulham secured their place in the fourth round of the FA Cup after defeating QPR 2-0 at Loftus Road on Saturday afternoon, although they needed extra time to get past the Championship side.

Scott Parker named a much-changed starting side for the FA Cup tie, with the likes of Kenny Tete, Tim Ream and Josh Onomah all making rare starts.

However, it was the performance of Joe Bryan which may have impressed the English manager the most, as the left-back was superb throughout the 120 minutes at Loftus Road.

As per SofaScore, the former Bristol City man picked up an 8.1 match rating for his display, which, in terms of Fulham players, was only bettered by Marek Rodak in the Fulham goal.

During the game, Bryan would have 91 touches of the ball, with 45/58 of his passes finding a Fulham shirt, resulting in a solid pass accuracy rate of 78%.

Perhaps most impressively, the 27-year-old would contribute three key passes during the game, creating two big chances for his teammates in the process, which they were unfortunately unable to put away.

Bryan also superbly won 100% of his duels during the game, demonstrating that the QPR players rarely had the better of him.

Whilst the left wing-back would lose possession 22 times during the game, which was the joint-most of any Fulham player, he was a threat with his attacking play throughout the game and was solid defensively.

After scoring a brace in the play-off final to earn Fulham promotion last year, you would have perhaps expected Bryan to feature more this season and he is perhaps unfortunate that summer signing Antonee Robinson has done so well since signing.

However, today’s performance against QPR proves that Bryan can be relied upon to do a job in Parker’s side, so perhaps he should be trusted to start more often in the Premier League.

And, in other news, Fulham handed a huge boost in chances of signing “outstanding” winger; Khan must act…

They do say a leopard never changes its spots, and that arguably doesn’t ring any truer than for Newcastle United manager Steve Bruce.

The veteran boss has been in the business for more than a couple of decades now, and clearly has his way of managing and style of play built up over the years.

So even despite the Magpies’ attacking struggles this season – they have managed a shocking ten goals in nine Premier League games – it was no surprise that the two-week international break didn’t result in anything different on Saturday afternoon against Chelsea.

It was simply more of the same drab football that has undoubtedly sent Newcastle fans to either sleep or meltdown. As things stand, the Magpies rank bottom for shots on goal (eight per game), shots on target (2.3 per game), and third-worst for possession (41.9%).

The pressure has surely gone up a notch on Bruce, but according to Luke Edwards’ latest update on the Newcastle boss, that may not actually be the case.

It’s suggested that despite the growing fan unrest, Bruce retains the full backing of the Newcastle hierarchy, and that both Mike Ashley and Lee Charnley are “far more appreciate” of the work he has done amid cuts to the transfer budget.

Sure, the club’s failed takeover meant there was no massive warchest or £100m plus spending splurge over the summer. But they did manage to bring in some very shrewd, exciting additions in the likes of Callum Wilson, Ryan Fraser and Jamal Lewis. All Premier League proven, and capable of playing in teams who play front-football given their respective history with Bournemouth and Norwich.

What Bruce has done is shackle Newcastle’s attacking talent into his structure, and not the other way. If the argument before was that the Magpies just didn’t have the players to play more offensively, then that has gone out of the window with their recent additions.

The likes of Wilson, Fraser, Miguel Almiron and Allan Saint-Maximin all have pace, energy and movement. Everything the Premier League is completely set up for. Bruce’s stubbornness and unwillingness to change are costing Newcastle big time. And the fact Ashley is on board with everything is only setting the club up for yet more misery.

According to The Sun, Paul Pogba seems destined for the Manchester United exit after Mino Raiola’s latest outburst.

What’s the word?

Rarely a day goes by without Pogba facing questions about his future at Old Trafford amid links abroad. Pogba’s agent has now added fuel to the fire after claiming his client’s career with the club is over on the eve of United’s crucial Champions League clash with RB Leipzig on Tuesday night.

The outspoken Raiola declared that the Frenchman is unhappy at United and that it would be best for all parties involved if he is allowed to leave as soon as possible.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who has a strained relationship with Raiola, dismissed the agent’s fresh dig after the Red Devils were dumped out of the Champions League.

However, it’s claimed that the club’s hierarchy are ready to cut ties with Pogba once and for all, as they are prepared to accept a low asking price to find a buyer for the French World Cup winner.

Keep Pogba at all costs

Solskjaer favours the 4-2-3-1 formation, which utilises two holding midfielders, and if you take the 27-year-old out of the equation, then that system has shown signs of collapsing at any moment.

It’s no secret United have struggled at the back, as they have failed to keep a clean sheet since the turgid 1-0 win over West Brom at Old Trafford.

Pogba starred as the Red Devils fought back to beat West Ham, where they only conceded one goal, but came off the bench for the last 29′ minutes during the defeat to RB Leipzig, so it’s not a coincidence that Solskjaer’s side look more solid with the French international in the team.

His attacking contributions cannot go unnoticed, either, as he has scored one goal in his past two games in all competitions, whilst he tried in vain to alter the game against Julian Nagelsmann’s side earlier this week.

Besides Pogba, the only other options in Donny van de Beek, Nemanja Matic and Scott McTominay have their critics, whilst Fred was suspended after he was shown a second yellow card against Paris Saint-Germain, and Bruno Fernandes is more suited to the advanced playmaker position.

Once described as an “outstanding talent” by Roy Keane, in 178 appearances for United, the £72m-rated Frenchman has scored 34 goals and supplied 35 assists, via Transfermarkt.

Ed Woodward simply cannot afford to cave into Raiola’s demands, as it’s unlikely anyone will be able to afford his colossal wages, given the current climate, and the board should do everything within their power to keep hold of the 6 ft 2 in colossus as he is one of the most important players in the squad, as it’s fair to say that they look awful when he’s absent.

Pogba certainly isn’t playing like he doesn’t want to be there, that’s for sure.

AND in other news, Manchester United must sanction swoop for Kieran Trippier in the summer…