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Manchester United fell to their third defeat in their last five games after Leicester City secured all three points with a 4-2 victory at the King Power Stadium this afternoon.

Teenager Mason Greenwood put the Red Devils ahead with a thunderous strike in the 19th minute, but Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s charges weren’t ahead for long.

Leicester midfielder Youri Tielemans leveled things up just after the half-hour mark with a sensational floated finish before a frantic end to proceedings in the Midlands saw four goals scored in the closing stages.

A close-range finish from Caglar Soyuncu was cancelled out by a Marcus Rashford strike on his return from injury, but Jamie Vardy scored for the Foxes just 54 seconds later from Ayoze Perez’s cross and Patson Daka added a fourth for Leicester in stoppage time.

No United player performed to the best of their ability in a hugely underwhelming performance from the 20-time English champions, but one player arguably struggled more than most.

As per SofaScore, Paul Pogba was awarded a match rating of just 6.2 out of 10 for his disappointing display, the second-lowest total awarded to any player on the pitch.

When taking a closer look at the 28-year-old’s underlying numbers, it’s easy to understand why. Pogba won just four of his 15 duels (73% lost), committed a whopping six fouls and was dribbled past on three occasions, as per SofaScore.

The France international was equally out of form with the ball at his feet. As per SofaScore, he failed to have a shot on target, was unable to complete a single dribble and lost possession 12 times, illustrating his hugely ineffective display.

The Leicester midfield made up of Tielemans and Boubakary Soumare dominated the 6 foot 2 lightweight in the centre of pitch and were instrumental to the Foxes’ success.

After an impressive start to the season, Pogba let Solskjaer down against the FA Cup holders today; and with fixtures against Atalanta, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur coming up, the Norwegian will be hoping that his star midfielder returns to form soon.

And, in other news…MUFC could secure their next Pogba in “devastating” £74k-p/w gem, Ole would love him 

With Ange Postecoglou’s Celtic side heading into Tuesday evening’s Europa League tie knowing that nothing but a win would keep their hopes of qualifying for the knockout stages of the competition alive, it would appear a fair assumption to make that the 56-year-old Hoops manager would have been extremely nervous ahead of kick-off.

However, despite failing to open the scoring, a dominant first half will undoubtedly have calmed Postecoglou’s nerves, before an extremely well worked Kyogo Furuhashi goal gave the Bhoys the lead early in the second half of the fixture. An 81st minute Balint Vecsei own goal then sealed the much-needed three points in an impressive 2-0 win over Ferencvarosi TC at Parkhead.

And, as is to be expected after such a result, a number of Postecoglou’s side turned in extremely impressive displays against the Hungarian champions, with eight of the 11 Celtic starters earning a SofaScore match rating of 7.00 or above.

However, despite the positives, one player who will more than likely be disappointed with his performance on Tuesday afternoon is Israeli winger, Liel Abada.

Lost 90% duels

Over the course of his 71 minutes on the pitch, the £2.7m-rated man put on a particularly abject display, contributing very little to the Celtic attack, nor helping his side much in a defensive capacity.

Indeed, the 20-year-old forward failed to hit the target with his one shot at the Ferencvarosi goal, in addition to not completing his one attempted dribble, failing with all five of his attempted crosses and his one attempted long ball and completing no key passes.

The Israel international also won just one of his 10 duels – a failure rate of 90% – ceded possession of the ball on 13 separate occasions, gave away two free-kicks and was dribbled past by an opponent twice.

These returns – or lack thereof – saw Abada receive an extremely disappointing SofaScore match rating of 6.4, by far and away the worst rating awarded to any of the Celtic starters in the fixture.

As such, with both Mikey Johnston and Giorgos Giakoumakis appearing to be close to returning to full fitness – both of whom were introduced in the second half of the game – Postecoglou will certainly have a decision to make as to whether he sticks with the 20-year-old for the visit of St Johnstone this weekend, as the winger quite clearly failed the 56-year-old’s trust on Tuesday.

In other news: Celtic handed major injury boost on £2.25m-rated “monster”, Postecoglou surely buzzing

Crystal Palace must revive their interest in OGC Nice defender Youcef Atal over the January window as new manager Patrick Vieira aims to complete the rebuild of his first-team squad.

What’s the story?

The versatile 25-year-old was linked with a move to the Premier League outfit in the summer after working under Vieira during their time together in the south of France.

However, a move never materialised for Atal, and he stayed put at the Allianz Riviera, where he’s continued to impress in the opening weeks of the current campaign.

But, with his contract set to expire in the summer of 2023, the winter window may be the last opportunity for Nice to secure a fair price for the Algeria international, meaning an imminent exit could be on the cards.

Vieira would love him

Vieira oversaw a successful overhaul of his squad during his first few months in the Selhurst Park hot seat, with the likes of Odsonne Edouard, Marc Guehi and Michael Olise replacing several experienced campaigners.

However, one area that wasn’t addressed was right-back. Although Joel Ward and Nathaniel Clyne are adequate options, journalist Tom Barclay believes the capital club will be looking for an upgrade in that position over the coming months.

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, Barclay said: “On the right-hand side at the moment, Joel Ward is a fantastic servant, very reliable, fantastic defensively, but is probably not technically the most gifted.

“And I imagine going forward, in this process that Vieira is trying to put in, they probably want a more creative, technically better right-back playing in that position.”

Vieira is clearly a fan of the defender after signing him from KV Kortrijk in 2018, stating he believes that right-back is also Atal’s best position in a previous interview.

“What you need is trying to find the balance of the team. For Youcef, of course, he can play different positions,” the Frenchman told media back in 2019. “It is true that the one I prefer is also right back, I’m very happy with his performances when he plays in front.”

So far this season, Atal has achieved a SofaScore rating of 7.01 out of 10 after scoring one goal and providing one assist in seven Ligue 1 outings.

The £13.5m-rated beast also created one big chance, averaged 0.6 key passes per game and 0.9 successful dribbles, highlighting his attacking prowess in the final third of the pitch.

He’s a player that Vieira would surely love to be reunited with at Selhurst Park, and Palace chairman Steve Parish must sanction a swoop for him, adding one of the final pieces to the club’s revamped side.

And, in other news…Signed for £0, now worth £10.8m: Crystal Palace struck gold with £28k-p/w monster 

The rumours linking Everton with Manchester United midfielder Donny van de Beek simply won’t go away as the January transfer window edges closer.

What’s the story?

Speculation regarding the 24-year-old’s possible switch to Goodison Park began over the summer after he struggled to settle at Old Trafford, with Marcel Brands openly admitting that the engine room operator was on his list of potential targets.

“We had him on our list. At the beginning of the transfer window, we enquired at United, then it was impossible,” the Toffees’ director of football told Dutch outlet NOS.

“At the end of the window, I received a call from Guido Albers, his agent, that he might be rented out after all. But at the last minute, it was cancelled. Stopped again.”

Recent reports revealed that Van de Beek has since changed his agent in order to push through a move away from Old Trafford, while ESPN journalist Mark Ogden has claimed that Everton are still keen to secure the Dutchman’s services.

“I think when January comes Everton are quite keen to take Van de Beek but it depends,” Ogden said on Fabrizio Romano’s Twitch channel. “If a new manager comes in, he might want to say to Van de Beek: ‘I’m going to give you a chance’. So everything depends on who the manager is.”

Everton fans will be buzzing

After securing a domestic double with boyhood club Ajax and playing a pivotal part in their run to the Champions League semi-finals in 2019, Van de Beek’s arrival on English shores the following year was greeted with some fanfare.

However, things have not worked out for him with the Red Devils. The creative talent has started just four Premier League games since arriving for £40m in September 2020 and, going into this weekend’s fixtures, he has received just six minutes of league action in the current campaign.

His lack of first team opportunities under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer despite United’s troubles on the pitch have understandably led to growing frustrations from within the player’s camp, so an imminent exit could be on the cards.

Despite his Old Trafford struggles, Van de Beek has shown during his time with Ajax that he is well capable of providing a cutting edge and creative threat from midfield, scoring 41 goals and setting up another 34 in 175 appearances for the Amsterdam club.

A large section of Everton fans could well be buzzing with excitement at the prospect of Van de Beek filling a James Rodriguez-sized creative hole in the first team, but as Ogden states, any decision over his future could depend on who is in the United dugout over the winter transfer window.

In other news… Imagine him & Richarlison: Everton must swoop for £17m dynamo who has “huge potential” 

Newcastle United will have to pay at least €50m (£42.9m) to bring Eden Hazard back to the Premier League, according to Spanish media outlet Sport (via Sport Witness).

The lowdown

The publication reported at the weekend that Newcastle’s new owners had ‘set their sights’ on the 30-year-old and were ‘optimistic’ about their chances of landing him.

Newcastle were tormented by the Belgian during his period at Chelsea. Across 12 appearances against the Magpies, he scored seven goals and provided four assists, making them his joint-most prolific opponent alongside Arsenal and Liverpool.

However, he is now finding starting opportunities hard to come by in Madrid. He has been selected for just four of their first 12 La Liga matches and only one of their Champions League group games.

The latest

Monday’s report declared that Newcastle ‘will go’ for Hazard, who will be keen to leave the Bernabeu in the summer of 2022 unless his situation improves.

The report also shared Real Madrid’s demands, with Los Blancos apparently willing to accept less than half the amount they shelled out for him in 2019.

The verdict

Hazard lit up the Premier League with 146 goal involvements in 245 appearances during his time with Chelsea, but it’s hard to argue he’s the same player nowadays.

He has suffered an alarming succession of injury setbacks during his time in the Spanish capital, while he apparently takes home a whopping £381,000 per week under his current contract.

Even if he agrees to a pay cut – which seems unlikely given the much-publicised wealth of Newcastle’s owners – the move would entail a monumental financial commitment in a player who will soon turn 31 and whose fitness issues are difficult to ignore. As good as Hazard has been, it just isn’t worth it.

In other news, Newcastle also want this goalkeeper in January 

Despite gathering a rather mixed bag of results in the Championship so far this season with nine wins, five draws and three defeats, West Brom are still very much in the race for a promotion place back to the Premier League next season with Valerien Ismael’s side currently sitting in third place in the league table with 32 points on the board.

One player that has played a significant part in their campaign is full-back Conor Townsend, who has played more minutes than any other Baggies player so far this season, whilst playing as a left-back, left-midfielder and centre-back at times this season, highlighting just how critical he is for the team.

Since joining the Midlands club from Scunthorpe United back in the 2018 summer transfer window in a deal worth a reported fee of around £750k, the 28-year-old, who is currently valued at £1.8m according to Transfermarkt, has made 92 appearances for the Baggies across all competitions, scoring one goal and providing seven assists in the process.

Taking into account Townsend’s importance to the team right now and the fact that his current contract isn’t set to expire until 2024, it’s safe to say his place in the team may not be in danger at this moment in time, although, looking ahead to the future, the Midlands club could already have their ideal long-term replacement for the Englishman with 19-year-old left-back Zac Ashworth.

As a product of West Brom’s youth academy, Ashworth has made 29 appearances for their U18 side, bagging three goals and providing two assists in the process, as well as making 12 appearances for their U23 side.

So far this season, Ashworth has been used in numerous positions across the pitch for the U23 side such as left-back, centre-back, left-midfield and defensive-midfield, showing how versatile he is at such a young age and why U18 manager Peter Gilbert previously praised the teenager for having “excellent” knowledge and understanding of the game.

That suggests that he has the right mindset and ability to become a useful figure in the senior team in the future if afforded the chance and also demonstrates why he’d be Townsend’s natural heir, given he is also adept in more offensive roles too.

While the defender may not be close to replacing West Brom’s current left-back in the senior side at the moment, the fact that defenders Dara O’Shea and Kean Bryan are both out with serious injuries means there’s every possibility that Ismael could well give Ashworth his first shot to impress in the first team before too long.

In other news: 60% duels won: WBA’s “dangerous” £18k-p/w beast proved he can be Ismael’s main man – opinion

After taking over from Dean Smith during the international break, new Aston Villa manager Steven Gerrard will take charge of his first game when Brighton come to town on Saturday afternoon.

The 41-year-old will have some big calls to make in terms of naming his first starting line-up, and one man who must surely be dropped is Anwar El Ghazi.

The Dutchman was recalled to the first-team fold against Southampton in Smith’s last game in charge of the club just before the international break, but delivered a woeful performance which was rather summed up by his awful attempt to try and win a penalty.

Writing in his post-match player ratings for The Birmingham Mail, Ashley Preece gave him a measly two, saying: “Should have had an early bath after his 11th-minute booking before another clear foul and then a dive. Livramento wouldn’t have had an easier game this season.

“El Ghazi kept losing the ball while he spurned a golden chance after Livramento slipped before firing high and wide. El Ghazi struck a powerful one which was tipped over by McCarthy after the break as Villa initially went to a 4-4-2. Poor on his return to the starting XI.”

He has played just six times in the Premier League this season and hasn’t completed the full 90 minutes since the 1-1 draw against Brentford in late August, which has been an indication of how far he’s fallen down the pecking order at Villa Park.

Before he was brought on against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium in mid-October, he was an unused substitute for the previous five top-flight games, even with the injuries to both Leon Bailey and Bertrand Traore.

With reports in recent weeks and months already indicating that Villa would be open to selling the winger, the £8.5m-rated Dutchman simply must be taken out of the line-up for the clash against Brighton.

His performance against Southampton was the latest in a series of disappointing displays this term, with just the one top-flight goal to his name.

Gerrard must make a ruthless call and drop him from the team to take on Brighton on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Villa must finally sign this long-term transfer target…

Giorgos Giakoumakis’ latest injury setback may only strengthen Ange Postecoglou’s desire to bring in Daizen Maeda in January, The Celtic Way’s Tony Haggerty writes.

The lowdown

Summer signing Giakoumakis missed Saturday’s Scottish League Cup semifinal against St Johnstone after struggling with a knee issue during the international break.

The Greek international has been limited to just two league starts since joining from VVV-Venlo.

And Celtic have begun looking for alternative forward options, with Yokohama F Marinos striker Maeda on their radar.

The £990,000-rated 24-year-old has banged in 21 goals in 38 appearances this season (via Transfermarkt).

The latest

Giakoumakis’ knee problem will, Haggerty reckons, ‘set alarm bells ringing with Ange and the supporters’.

In his opinion, it makes Postecoglou all the more likely to request the signing of Maeda in the mid-season market.

It would be ‘no surprise’ to see him join the Celtic ranks at the turn of the year, generating ‘stiff competition’ for places.

The verdict

Celtic are aware of what Giakoumakis is capable of. They brought him in off the back of a 26-goal, Golden-Boot winning campaign in the Netherlands.

But that ability will count for little without availability, and this week’s setback is by no means the first for Giakoumakis.

The worry now, if this transfer materialises, is that he slips to third in the pecking order behind Kyogo Furuhashi and Maeda, meaning he might struggle to get the run of games he needs to build up sharpness.

In other news, the Hoops are still keen on this EFL target. 

An update has emerged on Rangers transfer target John Souttar regarding a potential move to Ibrox to join Gio van Bronckhorst’s side in 2022…

What’s the talk?

According to The Scottish Sun, the Gers target will not sign a new contract at the Edinburgh club, with the defender ‘certain’ to leave as his contract is set to expire at the end of the season.

The report claims that Rangers and Celtic are both interested in Souttar, with the 6 foot 1 colossus potentially available on a cut-price deal in the January transfer window.

Big issue

We recently published an article explaining why Giovanni van Bronckhorst must sell Connor Goldson in the upcoming transfer window. The defender is in a similar position to Souttar in the sense that he is out of contract at the end of the season, so the Gers may need to cash in on him soon to avoid losing him for nothing.

This would result in Rangers losing one of their first-choice defenders and cause a big issue midway through the campaign. However, a deal to sign Souttar could alleviate the problem, as he could be a terrific addition to the team and slot straight into the starting XI.

Goldson has averaged a SofaScore rating of 7.05 in the Premiership this season, winning 66% of his duels and making 1.4 tackles and interceptions per game. Meanwhile, Souttar has averaged a rating of 7.39, winning 69% of his duels and completing 2.7 tackles and interceptions per game.

This suggests that he has the quality to come into Ibrox and hit the ground running, as he has performed to a higher level than Goldson consistently this season whilst playing in the same division.

Former Hearts boss Craig Levein once claimed that Souttar is capable of doing ‘wonderful things’, saying: “I’ve known him since he was 12 years old and he’s just got better and better. When he came here from Dundee Utd, we just needed to give him time. He’s grown into the player that I hoped he would be and for me he’s the best centre back in Scotland.

“Just for the fact that he can do wonderful things. His passing of the ball Saturday was fantastic, but he is also now capable physically of competing with any centre forward. His pace is very, very good and he’s strong, focused and aggressive.”

This provides extra backing to Souttar’s pedigree in the Premiership along with his statistics and emphasises the point that he could solve Van Bronckhorst’s big issue in January. The Dutchman could axe Goldson and bring the 25-year-old Scotland defender to the club knowing that he has what could turn out to be an upgrade in the centre-back position, given the players’ respective form this season.

AND in other news, Gio could save Wilson millions with Rangers beast who is a “winner and warrior”…

Celtic could make Cameron Carter-Vickers’ move a permanent one next summer but a January deal looks unlikely, according to journalist Pete O’Rourke.

The Lowdown: Carter-Vickers shining on loan

The 23-year-old joined the Hoops on loan from Tottenham back in the summer, having struggled to earn playing time in north London.

Carter-Vickers has impressed for Celtic in the months since arriving, starting 11 Scottish Premiership matches and even being hailed as ‘excellent’ by club legend Sir Kenny Dalglish.

The 6 foot 1 defender’s current Spurs deal expires in the summer of 2023, so they may be open to selling him in 2022 rather than losing him on a free transfer the following year.

The Latest: Permanent move next summer?

Speaking to Give Me Sport, O’Rourke claimed a permanent January switch is off the table but he could head to Parkhead for good next summer:

“It definitely won’t happen in January. I think in the summer, depending on where Celtic are and whether they’ve won the title and get automatic qualification to the Champions League, there might be a possibility of doing that one.”

The Verdict: No-brainer for Hoops

Carter-Vickers has proved his worth so far this season, evidenced by the praise from Sir Kenny, meaning snapping him up on a permanent deal makes perfect sense moving forward.

At 23, he still has so much maturing to do in the coming years, so he could grow into an even more formidable defender for Ange Postecoglou’s side, and perhaps land the club a considerable profit down the line if he moves on.

Virgil van Dijk was about to turn 22 when he joined Celtic, for example, and he has since become a legendary figure in the British game, not that Carter-Vickers will necessarily ever reach his heights.

The Spurs man has enjoyed a monstrous average of 3.8 aerial duels per game in the league this season however – the second-most of any Hoops player, behind Carl Stasrfelt (4.3) – while no individual has more than his average of 4.7 clearances per match.

In other news, a foreign source has made a big Celtic transfer claim. Read more here.