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Manchester United’s Champions League hopes were dented after Paris St Germain ran out 2-0 winners at Old Trafford.

The hotly contested encounter was dominated by the French champions for large portions of the game but it took until the second half for the deadlock to be broken. Presnel Kimpembe opened the scoring with his first ever PSG goal before Kylian Mbappe added to the scoreline not long after. United now have a mountain to climb in Paris to have any hope of reaching the quarter-final stage.

While their form under Ole Gunnar Solksjaer has been terrific, the defeat was a reality check for the Red Devils. PSG looked a different class and United must do all they can to secure a top-four finish in the Premier League to attract the best calibre of players to Old Trafford in the summer. Should Solksjaer be given the job permanently, he could look to Ligue 1 for his next recruit.

One man the Norwegian should target is Lyon dynamo – Tanguy Ndombele. Valued at £40.5m by Transfermarkt, the Frenchman joined his club on loan last season but impressed greatly meaning Lyon made the switch permanent. Ndombele’s excellent form has continued into the current campaign which should make the United scouting team take notice.

The 22-year-old is one of France’s most complete midfielders, effortlessly combining defence and attack. Ndombele offers the defence a valuable layer of protection, averaging two tackles per game this season, which United are currently in desperate need of. The Frenchman also has the quality on the ball to influence the attack, averaging 1.1 key passes and 1.6 successful dribbles per game in Ligue 1 (WhoScored).

It would take a mammoth fee to lure him from France, but United are one of the few clubs capable of paying such a price.

Manchester United fans, thoughts?

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Jack Grealish’s troublesome shin injury will see him miss out once again for Aston Villa, who face Stoke City in the Championship this weekend.

Grealish has been absent since injuring his shin in the latter stages of Villa’s Championship clash with West Bromwich Albion in December.

Villa boss Dean Smith has ruled the Englishman out of the fixture with Stoke, which has brought a response from the club’s fans on social media.

Smith’s words seem to suggest that the 23-year-old is closing on a return to action, though, at what is a vital stage of the season.

However, it would be fair to say that a number of the Villa supporters are concerned that the team will again be without the 5ft 9in ace this weekend.

Meanwhile, a couple of fans have even doubted whether they will ever see Grealish turn out for the club again.

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

Chelsea have a lot on their plate at present, and that’s likely to leave fans dreaming of better times. Unfortunately for them, though, there’s still no end in sight for the Blues’ struggles, and it seems as though one of their arch rivals is enjoying exactly what most Chelsea fans would love. 

Since the departure of Jose Mourinho, Man Utd have exploded into life, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer impressing at the helm at Old Trafford. That, on its own, is enough to frustrate fans. The Red Devils and Chelsea have been rivals for years, yet the Blues have, as of late, not been very competitive.

For Chelsea fans, however, the latest comments from Solskjaer are going to only make the mood at Stamford Bridge worse.

Discussing the Red Devils’ youth contingent, the Man Utd boss said: “Angel has been in that successful England U17 team, with (Jadon) Sancho and (Callum) Hudson-Odoi and (Phil) Foden, so he’s been a big part of that. I’m definitely sure that if he gets a chance he’ll do well. Jimmy Garner, he’s a Michael Carrick but 20 years younger, so I’m sure he’ll do well, and Chong, he’ll definitely be taking people on if he comes on.”

He added: “They’re ready, they’re kids”.

Chelsea have become infamous for their lack of focus on young talent in recent years, and that’s only worsened under Maurizio Sarri. Callum Hudson-Odoi is arguably one of the best young players in Europe, yet he’s not made a single Premier League start so far this season.

Meanwhile, Solskjaer is talking up the chances of three youngsters; and that just shows how different the two managers are. Sure, Man Utd have a few injury problems at present, but Chelsea’s form has been so poor lately that the manager has had more than enough chances to include a few youngsters. But he hasn’t.

He just doesn’t trust them, and Solskjaer clearly does.

Chelsea fans want to see young players make it at Chelsea, make no mistake, and if Sarri isn’t going to give them chances, that will only increase their desire to see change.

Thoughts?

Everton may have secured an uncharacteristic 3-0 win over relegation candidates Cardiff on Tuesday, but it was not enough to distract fans from major underlying problems facing the club. And it is becoming increasingly evident that some of those ‘problems’ are players who want to leave.

From what started as a relatively positive period under Marco Silva has now turned into a nightmare for players and fans alike.

Sitting in 9th place with very little to play for other than the Merseyside derby, new and old players alike will be scratching their heads wondering where their futures lie at Everton Football Club.

So, who are these likely doubters?

Yerry Mina

Fans are probably wondering how Colombian defender Yerry Mina has managed to con his way into Barcelona and Everton, despite rarely performing for either side.

It is not uncommon to see the words ‘erratic’ and ‘Mina’ in the same sentence in the wake of some of his appearances.

And that is the next issue.

‘Absent’ is the best word to describe Mina, who has managed a dismal 695 minutes in the Premier League since making his £27.19m move from Spain in the summer (source: BBC Sport).

Whether he’s sincerely injured we have no idea, but it is worrying that we would even entertain the thought that the player was simply skiving his way through the season.

Ademola Lookman

Lookman was brought back from Red Bull Leipzig at the end of last season despite the German outfit expressing their interest in signing the player on a permanent basis (as per: Sky Sports).

Presumably on the promise that he would be played more, Lookman ultimately stayed at the Everton but has struggled to get meaningful minutes under his belt ever since.

Having tasted top-level football elsewhere there’s no doubt the youngster will be weighing up his options at the end of the season to help revive his career.

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Sunderland heaped pressure on the teams above them with another win on Saturday, but fans are even more delighted with something Stewart Donald said after the game.

Sunderland’s promotion hopes are still in their own hands, as the Black Cats picked up a comfortable win on Saturday to stay within two points of Barnsley (Sunderland have a game in hand).

Jack Ross’ side hit a rough patch of form after the turn of the year, seemingly incapable of avoiding drab 1-1 draws, but three wins on the bounce has lifted spirits again on Wearside.

Pl>ymaker FC Exclusive: Jermaine Jenas reveals why Tyne-Wear is a more intense derby than anything London can offer – check out the video below….

The 2-0 dispatching of a resurgent Plymouth side was perhaps the Black Cats’ most professional and impressive performance of the calendar year so far, and Donald has only furthered the good mood with his response to a fan on Twitter.

Responding to a fan question the club’s leadership, Donald cleared the air, tweeting: “I have taken nothing out (money) only put in – a sum which would fund OUFC for years!!

“Despite relegation season tickets up 3000. No locals have talked to me about buying club. If Sunderland fans are showing me unhappiness I cannot wait until I get it right.”

This kind of openness and passion for the club is something fans never saw once under the infamous Ellis Short, and fans are loving the way Donald quashed this rather pessimistic fan.

You can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below…

[ad_pod ]Middlesbrough took a step closer to dropping out of the play-off places on Wednesday night, when they slumped to a 2-1 defeat against the in-form Preston North End at the Riverside Stadium.Boro started the game well, and took a slender lead into half-time, with Ashley Fletcher having opened the scoring in the 32nd minute, notching his third goal in his last five Championship outings.However, centre-back Daniel Ayala’s 61st minute sending off turned the tide of the encounter in North End’s favour. Boro boss Tony Pulis failed to respond to the dismissal effectively, and the home side couldn’t withstand the pressure that their opponents began to exert.

Paul Gallagher and Jayden Stockley scored the goals that secured an impressive comeback for Alex Neil’s side.Â

The decision to show the 28-year-old Spanish defender a red card certainly changed the game, and it was also a controversial call given some feel that Ayala made a fair challenge.

After the match, plenty of Boro fans took to Twitter to give their verdict on the sending off…

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Aaron Ramsey turned in a dynamic midfield display as Arsenal beat Rennes 3-0 in the second leg of their Europa League last-16 tie on Thursday.

The Gunners had lost the first leg 3-1 in France but turned the tie around in north London to progress to the quarter-finals.

On the chalkboard

Ramsey is leaving the Gunners in the summer to join Juventus.

A BBC report claims that the Wales international has signed a deal worth £400,000-per-week with the Italian giants and will subsequently join up with the likes of Paulo Dybala and Cristiano Ronaldo in Turin.

His performance against Rennes, though, proved that he will be sorely missed in north London.

Per WhoScored,  Ramsey had one shot against the French side, two dribbles, won one aerial battle and also won two tackles. There can be no more complete performance from a central player.

Indeed, Ramsey also laid on three key passes and made one interception, showing that he can do pretty much anything in the centre of the pitch.

No other player at Arsenal boasts the dynamism of the Wales international.

Mesut Ozil is a flaky playmaker who regularly drifts in and out of games – he drifted out against Rennes – while Granit Xhaka is more of a destroyer in the centre of the pitch.

When Ramsey goes, there is no obvious replacement in the Gunners’ ranks; he will leave a sizeable hole.

A mistake of epic proportions

A Guardian report in October revealed that Ramsey thought he was set to sign a new deal with the Gunners.

However, that offer was rescinded, with Arsenal not willing to, according to the report, push the boat out for a midfield player, given their alternative options in the centre.

But the fact remains that there are so few players in the Premier League who offer the sharply defined attributes held by Ramsey, valued at £36 million by Transfermarkt.

He can defend well, he can attack at will and he keeps the ball well. What else must a midfielder do to be considered a success?

Ramsey may not be the best midfielder Arsenal have ever had but he is certainly the best they currently have at their disposal.

That he will be saying goodbye in the summer is a mistake of epic proportions for the north London club, who were given a stark reminder of his quality on Thursday.

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Ahead of Macedonia’s clash with Latvia on Thursday night, the Leeds United fans were out in force with messages for Ezgjan Alioski.

Indeed, a number of the Championship club’s supporters asked the 27-year-old to be careful as they did not want him to pick up an injury at this stage of the campaign, with the Whites chasing promotion to the Premier League.

Alioski ultimately played the full 90 minutes for his country, scoring the first and assisting the third in their 3-1 victory in Skopje.

Alioski posted a tweet after the match branding the win ‘important’, with Macedonia now switching their attention to Sunday’s clash with Slovenia.

Once again the Leeds fans have been out in force to comment on the attacker-turned-defender, with many lavishing praise on him.

Thogden has ranked his top 5 sets of Championship away fans for Pl>ymaker FC. Did your club make the list? Find out in the video below…

‘Gianni’ has not always had the full support of the Leeds faithful, but that certainly seems to be the case at the moment.

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

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Chris Solly celebrated 10 years as a Charlton player on Sunday, with a number of old faces returning to enjoy the milestone with the defender.

The 28-year-old has already made an incredible 292 appearances for the London outfit and will surely be hoping to make it 300 by the end of the current campaign. Winning promotion to the Championship would be the icing on the cake.

The Addicks enter the international break seven games unbeaten after their stalemate with Bristol Rovers last weekend and will hope that they can pick that form up when they return to domestic action at the end of March.

The indoor football skills in the video below have to be seen to be believed…

Solly has made 33 league appearances this campaign, scoring one goal in the process, and is well on his way to becoming a Charlton legend – this status will be all but confirmed if he helps the club clinch promotion via the playoffs.

Here’s what the Charlton faithful had to say about Solly’s achievement on Twitter, with many demanding a testimonial match…

Pep Guardiola has built something pretty special at the Etihad over the years and he’s now starting to reap the rewards as his side continue to dominate in all competitions.

One of the main reasons behind Manchester City’s rise in the current campaign has been Raheem Sterling, as he’s produced an incredible 19 goals and 16 assists in all competitions.

But, things aren’t all perfect for Guardiola as he’ll need to bring in a replacement for Fernandinho in the summer transfer window. The Brazilian turns 34 this year so it makes sense for City to weigh up their options.

Ilkay Gundogan can operate at the heart of the midfield but he loves to move forward and influence the game in the final third, so securing a like-for-like replacement for Fernandinho is vital.

Interestingly, ESPN reported recently that Manchester City were closing in on signing Atletico Madrid’s Saul Niguez but nothing has materialised thus far, which has opened the door for City to look at other targets.

Manchester City have been linked (as per AS) with a move for Atletico Madrid’s Thomas Partey.

The defending Premier League champions received a big boost in their pursuit of Partey recently, as according to ESPN, the Ghana international is excited about the idea of playing in the Premier League amid interest.

Partey has made a name for himself over in Spain this season as he constantly bully the opposition off the ball and he possesses the ability to pick a defence-splitting pass, having produced five assists. He offers everything that Fernandinho offers and more, with his strength and aerial ability making him dominant in all areas of the field.

He could attract quite a hefty fee as he’s currently valued at £45 million (by Transfermarkt), but that shouldn’t matter as Partey would be a long-term investment and they weren’t afraid to splash the cash on Riyad Mahrez.

Manchester City fans, do you think Partey has what it takes to replace Fernandinho? Join the discussion by commenting down below!