Arturo Vidal, previously considered one of the most talented and highly valued midfielders of his era, seemingly hasn’t reached the lofty expectations that he set himself just a few seasons ago. While the former Bayer Leverkusen man will still likely raise a great deal of attention should he decide to move on from Serie A at the end of the season, the Chilean playmaker just hasn’t been the player many Juventus fans had been expecting to see in 2014/15.

Despite scoring six goals so far this campaign, a number which wouldn’t signal a major disaster by any means, there has apparently been a distinct downturn in the form and performances from this once priceless asset. Reports such as this one conducted by ESPN, outline how last weekend’s lack-lustre showing has not arrived as a mere one-off occurrence this season. It seems the player, who once looked unstoppable in the Italian top flight, has lost the confidence that has taken his game this far.

Whether or not these stories include any meaningful impact for the Chilean’s future performances this campaign, it seems at least at this current stage, Juventus will be willing to let their no. 23 finally depart Turin by the end of the season.

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Manchester United therefore still remain reportedly interested in the Juve star, even if he no longer arrives as the club’s first choice transfer target. In light of such news, to what extent would the midfielder be missed at Juventus, and just how well would Arturo Vidal suit the Red Devils?

Despite his recent shortcomings, it remains pretty much unanimous within the European footballing community that Vidal would in-fact be hard to replace at his current club. The Old Lady may already have the likes of Paul Pogba on their books to command the creative midfield positions, but as the Frenchman in particular is never far away from one transfer story or another, perhaps holding onto the former Old Trafford man will be a task easier said than done.

In that sense Juventus would greatly miss Arturo Vidal’s presence in the heart of their team, but it wouldn’t just be for the fact that Allegri’s side would be down on numbers without the Chilean. The 27-year-old midfield enforcer can also be a fantastic player on his day, even if his most recent form doesn’t show it.

Vidal is a gifted dribbler who seemingly has the ability to let the ball stick to his feet. He possesses great skill in the middle of the park, can find players with pin-point accurate passing that would rival even that of teammate Andrea Pirlo, as well as being able to strike the ball with a force that is very rarely matched in today’s game. The South American star has a shooting technique that makes him a dangerous asset anywhere with the goal in his sights, and if he hadn’t been frustratingly injured for the majority of Chile’s summer World Cup campaign, more of Arturo Vidal’s skill-set would have likely been on offer for the rest of the world to enjoy.

Louis van Gaal and Manchester United would therefore benefit from the Serie A star should he decide to make the switch to the Premier League. He may no longer command the hefty £45million price tag that Juventus once reportedly set upon him, but as the Red Devils were supposedly interested in signing the Chilean for close to that amount anyway, surely this move shouldn’t face too many complications if all parties are still in agreement.

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Vidal would certainly suit the ‘Galacticos’ inspired spending habits carried out at Old Trafford over the summer, and alongside the likes of Robin van Persie, Radamel Falcao, Wayne Rooney and Angel Di Maria, the current Juve star definitely wouldn’t be short of world class talent to work off of. He will nevertheless have to improve upon the confidence problems that have supposedly affected the 27-year-old throughout the course of this season however, if he is to truly make his mark with United.

Ultimately then, the Juventus midfield maestro remains a great talent with a great deal of potential still to come. A few problems here and there many need to be ironed out if the Chilean is looking to build upon his already impressive career, but as his potential arrival in the Premier League would get the fans of English football more than excited, expect Arturo Vidal to continue to make headlines, and to continue to impress his supporters in the long run.

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Former Liverpool boss Kenny Dalglish thinks his old side will overcome bitter rivals Manchester United in Sunday’s top four crunch clash and keep the Red Devils from finding the back of the net.

The Reds are 2015’s form team in the Premier League and are yet to taste domestic defeat – aside from their League Cup exit to Chelsea in extra time – since the calendar flipped over.

Brendan Rodgers’ side have also won eight of their last nine games while eradicating the defensive issues that blighted the start of the campaign, with their last loss, ironically, the 3-0 defeat to United at Old Trafford.

WANT MORE? >> Manchester United transfer news | Liverpool transfer news

And Dalglish believes his old side will maintain their form on Sunday:

“Liverpool are really organised defensively and if Manchester United don’t get hold of whoever plays off Daniel Sturridge – Philippe Coutinho, Raheem Sterling or Adam Lallana – at Anfield on Sunday, they will have a hard game in front of them.” He wrote in his column for The Mirror.

“That is why I’m predicting a Liverpool win – and I don’t think United will score either.”

Liverpool trail fourth placed United by two points and could leap above them into the Champions League qualification zone with a win at Anfield, but ‘King Kenny’ doesn’t believe that the result this weekend will decide who finishes in the sought-after place:

“Sunday’s result won’t be conclusive in terms of who finishes in the top four. But the psychology of winning could be a big factor, though.

“Who ends the match above the other lot in the table will be important, as they will have got one of their more difficult games in the run-in out of the way and have their noses in front.

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“So, this game is obviously enormous for both teams.”

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There was always a point of contention over Sir Alex Ferguson’s last proper delve into the transfer market, and that concerned the age and fitness of his last iconic purchase.

But on the back of Robin Van Persie’s electrifying, prolific, title-winning debut season, all of these doubts were put to bed. A £24m investment on an injury-laden 29-year-old was a risk, a risk that ultimately paid off. But that investment never signified a long-term cause of thinking – Van Persie is now walking a dangerous path, burdened by his rising age, vulnerable to the onset of decadent outlays supplemented by United’s imperialistic wealth.

The cold facts have now surfaced. Van Persie missed 17 Premier League games last season through knee and hamstring injuries, and despite largely maintaining his fitness for this current campaign, this has statistically been his least fruitful season for about half a decade.

There now seems to be a new, unique factor of influence regarding his continued place in United’s team, and that’s politics. Politics with Louis Van Gaal. If you delve into Van Gaal’s vast history of management, you’ll see a general pattern of how he occasionally has high profile bust ups with big-name players from his teams (be it Rivaldo, Marco Van Bommel, or Luca Toni). Van Persie actually fell into this category after Euro 2012, and history suggested at the time that he’d probably rarely feature again with Van Gaal at the helm. But Van Persie defied the odds and was eventually named Holland captain, which has laid a platform for there to be a sentimental chemistry between the two.

While a man of Van Gaal’s stature would refute the idea that he’d succumb to emotion and favours for one of his alumni, it seems strange that Van Persie has held down his starting place at United with such an assumed ease, given the way his presence alters the dynamic of United’s current team.

Now this isn’t to mask the shortcomings of the miss-firing Radamal Falcao, (who, despite his poor form, deserves to start more than Van Persie), but to consider the dis-located Wayne Rooney, who’s migrated further south into United’s midfield to accommodate the attacking potency which now surrounds their squad.

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If you follow the rationale that United will nearly always start with a diamond in midfield or three at the back, then a by-product of those formations is they’ll always set out with two players up front, a no.10, and at least two in midfield behind.

If Van Persie starts, Rooney is the first player to fall victim, slotting into a deep midfield role. United’s captain is by all accounts a decently versatile player with the attributes to adapt to the differing demands of that position, but his tenure there is more indicative that he’s generally wasted that far away from goal.

Despite the ocean of widespread criticism that’s surrounded Falcao, he and Rooney would both figure much better together as a pair going forward, with Falcao not being expected to prove as a link option to serve Van Persie. Falcao has never really been asked to do that in his career – to ask him of it now is calling on him to offer a service that he’s not inclined to – despite the fact that his link up play’s been generally quite impressive.

The rebuttal to that assertion is to ponder why Van Persie should be axed and not Falcao if Rooney’s destined to be pushed further forward.

The answer to that is three fold. First, Falcaos fo career has proven that he’s one of the greatest aerial strikers in world football (see here), which gives a variation to United’s attack that Van Persie doesn’t offer. Such would also lessen their reliance on Maourane Fellaini. Second, a Rooney, Falcao, Mata trip has hardly been tried at all this season and subsequently the Colombian’s performances have hardly been a fair reflection of him being supplied adequately. Somehow, people have forgotten just how good Falcao was before he joined Monaco.

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Third, and last, Van Persie is reaching the end of his career and is gradually (and naturally) declining. He’ll likely be gone at the end of next season when his contract expires. While most have written Falcao off, he only really has no chance of fulfilling his (skyhigh) potential if he’s given gametime in the right system. Falcao may have underperformed (like a majority of his South American contemporaries in the Premier League) but Van Gaal hasn’t played to his strengths yet.

United’s victory over Sunderland this weekend saw this all come to fruition – both Rooney and Falcao played better. Van Gaal should pursue this formula for now.

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With just a few weeks of the season left, it’s been a campaign to forget both Radamel Falcao and Javier Hernandez who have both endured difficult spells at their respective clubs this year.

Having fallen down the pecking order at Old Trafford since the arrival of Louis van Gaal, Mexican forward Hernandez made a dream move to Real Madrid last summer, joining the Spanish giants on a one-year loan deal. But unsurprisingly the move has done anything but secure him more playing time, and it’s been a watching brief for much of the season as the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Gareth Bale continue to knock in the goals.

And after a surprise loan move to Manchester United on deadline day, Falcao has suffered in equal measures at Old Trafford and having failed to make a significant impression it appears his time at the club will also be coming to an end.

So what next for them? Well, if reports are to believed it appears the pair could be swapping places come the end of the season as they look to revive their careers, a situation that could work out well for both the players and their clubs.

Real Madrid have been linked with Falcao for a number of seasons and apparently came close to signing the former Atletico man last summer. Fresh reports of a move to the Bernabeu have surfaced again this week, with Real believed to looking the United loanee in a £32m deal.

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Having struggled for form and fitness at Old Trafford it would be in United’s interest to let him return to Monaco without risking a large fee to tie him down to a permanent deal. The club can’t guarantee him a regular starting place given how little impact he has had this season, and although next season could be a totally different story, there seems to be something missing from the world class striker he once was.

While Monaco would probably like to keep him, they seem certain to accept any significant money for the forward, and with Madrid in need of another striker it looks a good move for Falcao, who may well feel more at home back in La Liga.

Seemingly destined to lose one striker, Van Gaal will then have the luxury of Hernandez’s arrival in time for pre-season. And while he has also been strongly linked with a permanent move to a host of Premier League clubs including Liverpool, Tottenham and Southampton, he could still have an important role to play at United.

With the Red Devils on course for a return to the Champions League, this will mean Van Gaal will need more players at his disposal in order to rotate the squad to challenge on all fronts. Hernandez probably won’t be a first-choice striker every week, but he has already proven that he can score goals when called upon and, particularly under Sir Alex Ferguson, that he can have a huge impact when brought off the bench. Something that you haven’t been able to say about Falcao this season.

It’s understandable if he feels another move where he can guarantee himself first-team football on a weekly basis is best for him. But if he wants to stay and fight for his place at Old Trafford, Van Gaal would have a top quality goal scorer in his ranks that, if given the opportunity, could net him 20 goals over the course of the campaign.

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What the future holds for Falcao and Hernandez remains to be seen, but it’s certainly a possibility that the pair could swap clubs this summer. But wherever they end up, both will be looking to find their form after struggling for opportunities, and it would be no surprise to see both stars back on the scoresheet regularly next term.

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Paul Pogba has to be one of the most sought after players in Europe at the moment.

Described as one of the best box-to-box midfielders in the world, he has been compared to the standards of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi and every club who has the money to spare has been trying to convince the Frenchman to sign for them.

For many week’s it has looked like the France international could be heading to Manchester, but which half?. He could choose United – the club who regard him as the “one that got away” – or to Manchester City, the club that attracts big names with big money and are desperate to win the Champions League.

When Pogba left United, Sir Alex Ferguson fought very hard to keep him but was eventually unsuccessful. It is now possible that because of the past, Pogba will be put off  from joining United again, alongside his doubts about the playing style of Louis Van Gaal.

When you compare the two Manchester clubs,  it is clear that Pogba would fit better at City. The Etihad club are greatly lacking in midfielders who are able to compete in the Champions League. This season has seen Yaya Toure have a tough time at the club and Pogba could be the perfect player to replace him and make them even better. The youngster is not about to leave Champion’s League finalists Juventus for club that cannot seriously challenge in the competition.

It was always difficult to see where Pogba would fit in at Manchester United as Van Gaal likes to play 4-3-3, which wouldn’t suit the midfielder’s style, and the announcement that young Dutchman Memphis Depay will be joining the Red Devils in the summer.

Former United defender Gary Neville believes that the 21-year-old is perfect for the club as he will bring pace, goals and movement to the wing. Since agreeing the deal, discussions with Pogba have quietened down and while they don’t play in the same position, it seems that Depay’s signing could end up preventing the Frenchman from returning to his former club.

Whichever club Pogba signs for this summer, it was always going to come down to money, as other clubs including PSG are showing an interest in signing him.

City manager Manuel Pellegrini claimed last week that City need to find their own Messi to compete in the Champions League. The club have been freed from Financial Fair Play restrictions and are ready to spend big – with it looking likely that Pogba will be sold for around £75million, he could very easily become the most expensive player in the world, overtaking Gareth Bale’s £85.3million deal, if clubs start a bidding war for the player.

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If Pogba is coming to England it seems more and more likely that he will be introduced to the blue side of the city.

Could we be about to see another “Welcome to Manchester” sign?

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Some say things happen for a reason, others blame mysterious ways. Some jump to conclusions prematurely, while others just shrug their shoulders. The sacking of Nigel Pearson is an example of this sort of bewilderment – pundits and fans expressed shock that a manager could keep his team up in almost impossible circumstances and still be sacked. But sacked he has been.

And yet I can’t help feeling that this is all so reminiscent of Malky Mackay’s dismissal at Cardiff. Everyone thought Vincent Tan was nuts, but it turned out that Mackay was in the wrong, and not the sort of character Tan wanted at the helm of his club. When the text messages and racism allegations came out there was a collective ‘ohhh – I see’. The ‘ohhh’ moment here might just happen soon, and it will probably have something to do with a sex tape.

But it feels a little late to sack Pearson because of a tape that surfaced a month ago of a group of Leicester players in a fairly distasteful position. The fact that Pearson’s son was involved might point to guilt by association, but if the board think that’s real guilt and if they think that’s a sackable offence then they’re charmlessly deluded.

But even if they are that deluded, why wouldn’t they sack him it straight away? That suggests they weren’t going to blame the father for the sins of the son in the first place, so it’s strange to hear that the tape may have had some bearing on the decision.

So what happened in the meantime?

Speculation is futile, really. It doesn’t help us get to the bottom of the issue because we’ll never know until they tell us. But it’s worth doing it as a cautionary tale for others. It shows us that the Leicester board have either got this really right, or they’ve got it really wrong.

So if the tape is to blame, the most obvious conclusion is that Pearson has been less than contrite in his actions over this. Maybe he tried to stand up for his son and been sacked because of something he said.

That would seem to make sense given the Leicester City statement claims ‘differences in perspective’ were what forced the decision and given what the media have reported about fact it might have something to do with the tape.

Surely the board knew Pearson would stick up for his son? You can’t sack him for loving his family.

But why sack him at all if it wasn’t about this incident?

The answer might have something to do with Pearson’s personality. He doesn’t come across as a very nice guy, but then all we have to go on is his attitude towards the media.

The board, for their part, might see him as brash, crass and maybe unsavoury. And that’s not the image they want for their club. The sex tape perhaps reinforced that in their minds.

But if that’s the case, why not sack him months ago when he seemed to go mental on the touchline, swearing at fans and attacking players? What about when he called a journalist an ostrich? And they had a footballing reason to sack him then, too – they were bottom of the table and looked like going down. And that just makes his success all the more impressive.

And that’s why it looks like Pearson wasn’t just sacked for his son’s crime. What his son did was indefensible, but the father didn’t do it. If it was because he stood up for his son, then you have to wonder what the board expected him to do. Any father who loves his son would want to protect him.

In fact, that’s one of Pearson’s best qualities as a manager – the reason he attacked fans and journalists last season was because he was sticking up for his players. Whether that makes sense to us or not, that’s how Pearson saw it. And the fact that all the spotlight was on the manager definitely took the pressure off the players.

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So surely Leicester didn’t just sack Pearson because of that one incident. Surely they sacked him because that was the straw that broke the camel’s back.

And in some ways that makes it worse. Because if they didn’t like him anyway, they should’ve sacked him when he’d done something wrong, not when his son did. If they hated their manager anyway they should’ve sacked him earlier – if that’s the case, the very best we can call them is cowards.

This is not to say that the revelations about what happened won’t be favourable to the board and explain their decision. After all, I’m speculating here. And I’m speculating because I’m so baffled by the decision. There must be an ‘ohhh’ moment at some point that completely vindicates this decision because right now it still looks like a harsh one. But now is not the time for assigning blame, because we just don’t know the facts.

Maybe in the next few weeks we’ll hear the whole story, and then we can decide who’s right and wrong. For now, the story is a cautionary tale for managers to be nicer in the way they handle the press and the situations that arise during the season, because it might well contribute to your downfall over an incident you had literally nothing to do with. For owners and chairmen, it shows that if you stick by a manager then you need to do it because you actually think he’s the man to lead your team, because if you hate him already then you’ll just end up sacking him later, even when he’s done nothing wrong.

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Ronald Koeman did not leave Southampton on the best of terms with the fans.

The Dutchman was seemingly settled at St Mary’s and his impact at the club was a positive one given that he guided the team to their best Premier League finish in his second season.

The coastal outfit secured sixth place and qualified for the Europa League, but in the summer of 2016, Koeman opted to walk away from the club.

The 54-year-old took over from Roberto Martinez at Everton, but lasted just one full season as he was sacked in October following a dismal run of results.

Koeman remains out of work, but Sky Sports pundit Charlie Nicholas believes that Southampton would be open to re-hiring him, despite his previous decision to quit.

Mauricio Pellegrino is currently the man in charge at St Mary’s, but after a winless run of nine games in the top flight, fans are growing weary.

Nicholas has suggested that this weekend’s FA Cup third-round tie against Fulham could spell the end for the Argentine.

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The Scotsman told Sky Sports:

“I think this could be the final game for Mauricio Pellegrino. The only player he’s lost is Virgil van Dijk so there are no real excuses for how disappointing Southampton have been.

“Manolo Gabbiadini doesn’t look like he knows what the manager wants from him and I think they’d take Ronald Koeman back in a heartbeat, although I’m not sure the fans would be happy with that.”

Liverpool face Arsenal in a big Premier League clash at the Emirates Stadium on Friday night, and Reds fans have demanded forward Sadio Mane is recalled and named in the starting XI.

Jurgen Klopp’s men come into the clash in north London on the back of a 4-0 win against Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium last weekend, and they are one place and one point above the Gunners as they are currently situated in the last remaining Champions League spot.

Mane found himself on the substitutes’ bench for the trip to the south coast last weekend having suffered the same fate away at Brighton a fortnight before, and the Senegal international will hope he can retake his place in the team against Arsene Wenger’s side on Friday.

Liverpool supporters were quick to have their say on the 25-year-old via social media, and while one said he “won’t watch the game if Mane does not start”, another said “Mane surely has to start”.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

According to reports in the Evening Standard, Tottenham Hotspur are keen to sign highly-rated Norwich City attacking midfielder James Maddison before the January transfer window slams shut, although they face competition from Premier League rivals Liverpool, Manchester City and Leicester City.

The Evening Standard says that the Canaries don’t want to sell the 21-year-old having already seen Alex Pritchard join Huddersfield Town in an £11m deal, and they would demand £20m for any club that wanted Maddison this month.

The report suggests that as Spurs have loaned Marcus Edwards to the Championship outfit until the end of the campaign, they could be in pole position to get the former Coventry City man on a permanent deal before also sending him back to Carrow Road on a temporary basis – as they did when they bought Dele Alli from MK Dons in 2015.

While Maddison has been an impressive performer for Norwich this season with seven goals and five assists in 25 league appearances, Brentford’s Ollie Watkins has also caught the eye following his £1.8m summer transfer from Exeter City, and bringing the 22-year-old to Wembley could prove to be a shrewd move.

Here are three reasons Tottenham must forget Maddison and sign the forward instead…

His ability

If Brentford thought that Watkins may take a while to adapt to Championship football having made the move from League Two Exeter, they have been proved completely wrong.

The 22-year-old settled into life at Griffin Park immediately and has been one of the most impressive performers in the division this season.

The attacker has scored seven goals and provided a further three assists in 26 league appearances this term, and according to WhoScored.com he has had 87 shots, successfully completed 67 of the 110 dribbles he has attempted, and made 58 key passes – some of the highest numbers in England’s second tier.

Versatility

While Maddison usually plays as a central attacking midfielder, Watkins has a bit more versatility about him than his 21-year-old counterpart.

The 22-year-old is able to play on either wing – although he has usually been picked on the left-hand side for Brentford – while he also has the physical attributes, strength and pace to play as a centre-forward too.

Given that Spurs have little competition in wide areas and no one really backing up Harry Kane and Fernando Llorente up top, Watkins could prove to be an interesting addition to their attack considering the raw talent that he has and the fact that he hasn’t been fazed by jumping up two divisions.

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Price tag

Considering Norwich are reportedly only willing to let Maddison leave for £20m this month, Tottenham would certainly be better off making a move for Watkins, who would be available for a much lower fee than that.

When you compare the two players’ statistics this season there is certainly nothing much that suggests that Spurs should sign the Canaries starlet over the 22-year-old, and the more reasonable price tag should convince the north London outfit to forget Maddison and sign Watkins instead.

Do you agree, Spurs fans? Let us know below.

Jose Mourinho has a curious knack of saying one thing and doing another and that’s exactly what happened last weekend in Manchester United’s 1-0 win over Burnley.

After a rare run in the starting XI, the Portuguese was quick to publicly praise Luke Shaw as one of the world’s best left-backs, but the England international found himself benched at Turf Moor with Ashley Young returning from suspension to take his place at No.3.

With that in mind, we recently asked Red Devils supporters who should be United’s first-choice left-back and it appears the majority disagree with Mourinho on this issue as Shaw – who Transfermarkt value at £13.5million – took a whopping 72% of the votes in Football FanCast’s exclusive poll.

The 22-year-old’s omission from the starting XI last weekend will almost certainly sustain doubts over whether he’ll still be a United player next season. So, Red Devils fans, do you see a long-term future for Shaw at Old Trafford? Let us know by commenting below…

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