This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…

As quoted by the club’s official website, Lyon sporting director Juninho has confirmed Manchester United have first option on signing Memphis Depay.

What’s the word?

The Netherlands international was formerly a Red Devil, joining Louis van Gaal’s Manchester side back in the summer of 2015 for a fee in the region of £31m.

After struggling to really light up Old Trafford – he managed just seven goals and six assists in 53 appearances across all competitions – the 25-year-old made the move to French side Lyon in January 2017.

With his current contract with the club expiring in 2021, Juninho has provided an update on Depay’s long-term future at the club, confirming that United will have the first option if transfer interest in him hots up.

He said (as translated by The Daily Mirror): “Manchester United has the priority if several clubs line up to buy him. But we have not received any offers so far. He is really happy right now in Lyon. Rudi (Garcia) will soon make his decision. He is a technical leader. We will discuss an extension of contract by the end of the year.”

No second thoughts

He may have been an Old Trafford flop before, but Depay’s return to form with Lyon means that United simply cannot pass up on the opportunity to re-sign him if there is a bidding war. The Dutchman has played 130 times for the French giants, scoring 50 goals and providing a further 42 assists.

Reports in recent weeks and months have claimed Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side are intent on securing a striker in the upcoming January transfer window, with the likes of Mario Mandzukic and Callum Wilson thought to be high up on the shortlist. But whilst Depay has predominantly played from the left at Lyon, he has shown in his time up front that he can also be devastating there too.

He has 15 goals and seven assists in 38 games from the centre-forward role, and his underlying numbers means he could be the perfect Solskjaer signing. Pacy, direct and versatile – the kind of attacker who would fit seamlessly in with the likes of Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford and Daniel James. This season, Depay has averaged 3.9 shots, 1.9 key passes and 2.3 dribbles per game in Ligue 1.

It all means that if opportunity does knock, then United simply cannot hesitate to take up their first option on him.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more… 

Sheffield Wednesday return to league action this weekend, but manager Garry Monk may be wishing he could call on the services on one former Owls player.

The south Yorkshire side face a trip to the west Midlands to face the Championship leaders West Bromwich Albion at the Hawthorns on Saturday, and they do so knowing that Slaven Bilic will be without both Romaine Sawyers and captain Jake Livermore – a boost perhaps.

However, Wednesday need to improve on their last few outings as they have too often let points slip from their grasp as game management has become somewhat the main issue.

Annoyingly for Monk, he can’t make any significant squad changes until January, which may have him rueing a decision made back in August.

On the Chalkboard

After playing and scoring against Reading, Lucas Joao soon swapped Hillsborough for the Madejski Stadium as the club sold him for £5m just days after their Championship-opening duel.

In hindsight, he probably would have been an absolutely ideal fit in the 40-year-old’s system this campaign…

Goalscoring and chance creation are probably the two big problems facing this Wednesday squad at the minute – they have bagged just 14 goals in ten league games, with four coming in one match alone.

Top scorer Steven Fletcher is facing a barren run of six games without a goal too.

Joao would have been the perfect player to either lead the line on his own or play alongside a partner – in the 2018/19 campaign, the 26-year-old averaged 2.19 shots, 2.86 dribbles, and 2.75 touches inside the opposition box per 90 minutes, via the PFSA.

Clearly, he was a threat last season, having also bagged ten times.

No player this season has managed more successful dribbles while only Fletcher betters the shots per 90 number, per WhoScored.

Reading’s chief executive described him well upon signing him earlier in the year, he said: “He is incredibly strong on the ball, a threat in the air, has pace and power in abundance, and he’s an instinctive finisher.”

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It is this sort of presence that would thrive in Monk’s system regardless of what formation it is. He can be played to feet or in the air, so both crosses from the wing and holding the ball up are just two options from his playbook.

The fact he is a handful is shown by how many times he was fouled last season (1.53 times per 90), which no player in the squad with two starts or more can match.

If only Wednesday could still call on the exploits of the 6 foot 4 forward, he’d have certainly lessened the increasing striking crisis under Monk.

Who can catch Liverpool?

That is the question we must now be asking ourselves. The Reds were in action against Everton on Wednesday night, and easily dispatched their city rivals 5-2. That victory puts them back to eight points clear at the top of the Premier League, and it means they have won 14 of their first 15 matches.

Jurgen Klopp made several changes to the team that played against Brighton at the weekend, and one of those to come in was Adam Lallana. It seems that his performance split the Anfield faithful.

Firstly, there were those who thought he wasn’t up to the required standard.

It seems that the former Southampton man can do no right for some of the supporters. He wasn’t outstanding, as his 6.3 SofaScore rating indicates, but considering the Reds won comfortably, he can’t have been that poor surely?

There were a fair number of fans that were happy with his display, though.

It’s crazy how different some people’s perceptions can be of the same game. Again, whether £13.5m-valued Lallana – as per Transfermarkt – was that impressive is up for debate. At least it was nice to see him get some credit.

Some supporters were far more nuanced in their judgement of the match, praising him for his work-rate and defensive effort, but indicating he needs to more in possession.

In this Liverpool team, the ability to press and hound the opponents is just as important a skill to have as composure and technique on the ball.

Much harder than you’d think… Can you name Liverpool’s top scorers for each of these 25 seasons?

It remains to be seen how much more we will see of the 31-year-old 34-time England international in the coming weeks and months.

In other news, Liverpool fans react to Bundesliga interest in one youngster.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s In Numbers series, which takes a statistical look at performances, season-long form and reported transfer targets… 

Jurgen Klopp will have been disappointed on Wednesday as his Liverpool side could only draw 1-1 with Napoli.

The Reds dominated proceedings for the most part, amassing 71% possession during the 90 minutes, but they were only able to score once, through Dejan Lovren. Even that strike had come after Dries Mertens had opened the scoring.

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The former Borussia Dortmund manager made some changes to his side for this clash against the Serie A outfit, with three players being replaced in total. Mohamed Salah was back in the team on the right wing after being on the bench against Crystal Palace, whilst James Milner came into the midfield for Georginio Wijnaldum.

At right-back, Joe Gomez replaced Trent Alexander-Arnold.

It seemed a bizarre decision to play Gomez in that position. Not because he isn’t comfortable playing there – he actually has more games in that role than at the heart of the back four for the Anfield outfit – but because he offers considerably less going forward than the usual starter. For example, the 12 assists Alexander-Arnold picked up in the Premier League last season is three times as many as the former Charlton man has in his whole career to date.

Check out footballers’ biggest fashion disasters in the video below…

Against the Italian team, an adventurous full-back would not have gone amiss. Yet Gomez offered very little going forward. He did manage a 95% pass accuracy, but considering three of the back four were able to hit over 90%, that stat loses its gloss. On top of that, he failed to make a single key pass, and couldn’t land a single cross. He did complete his only dribble attempt, but it led to nothing afterwards.

Considering that Lorenzo Insigne faced Alexander-Arnold in the San Paolo Stadium in September, Klopp may have felt that he needed a more defensive-minded player in that position.

But the Italy international’s huge €350,000 fine before the game indicated that he wouldn’t even be included, which proved to be the case.

Even when Gomez did have some defending to do, he looked flustered, twice failing to clear the ball on his flank when it came into the box, allowing Napoli to have a second bite of the cherry on both occasions.

Fortunately for him, they failed to take advantage. He also won just three of the eight duels he contested, another example of his poor display.

In this match, the Reds were in desperate need of more creativity. So far this campaign, Alexander-Arnold’s 1.5 key passes per match in Europe puts him at number four amongst his teammates, whilst no-one comes close to his 3.5 in the English top flight. Considering how much pressure the Reds put their opponents under during the match, they could have done with him on the pitch from the start rather than for just 12 minutes. Gomez, though, just wasn’t able to offer the same kind of threat.

Meanwhile, Liverpool are interested in signing this lower-league speedster.

“I lost two years at the very highest level”.

Those were the words spoken by Manchester City’s Riyad Mahrez in a recent interview with France Football.

In the interview, he explained how the Leicester City hierarchy blocked a proposed move to Arsenal the summer after the Foxes had won the title in 2016 and how he felt frustrated with the Foxes’ slide down the table the following season.

He eventually swapped blue shirts in the summer of 2018 in a £60m deal, and has gone on to win back-to-back Premier League titles, but has only scored 15 goals in all competitions since, which is less than the 18 he managed just in the league campaign of 2015/16 (via Transfermarkt).

However, his comments that those years between the title and his move to the Etihad were essentially a waste have not gone down well with the Foxes faithful.

They took to Twitter to slam the former Player of the Year, with many of them now poking fun at the fact he’s been reduced to a substitutes role in his new abode.

Possibly one of those ‘think before you speak’ moments for Mahrez.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

Leeds United are often wasteful in front of goal, but against Hull City, it was glaringly obvious that one aspect of their play was lacking.

Indeed, it seemed as if Leeds’ cutbacks from the byline weren’t having their desired effect, and that was picked up on by journalists who asked Bielsa about this during his press conference on Thursday.

What’s been said then?

Bielsa gave his view on why Leeds’ strategy hasn’t been working, and his answer was an interesting one as it seemingly contradicts one choice Bielsa makes on a weekly basis.

“The conclusion is the same. It’s very difficult to stay in good condition close to the goal line to make a cut-back. In Mexico, they score with good cut-backs. After co-ordinating the cut-back and the player who receives it.

“It’s an art. Doesn’t depend on the technique of the player making the cut-back. If not, it’s the intuition of the player who makes the movement to receive it. Very important detail. I could tell you, but it’s difficult to explain,” Bielsa said.

Doesn’t describe Bamford

The majority of the time Bielsa’s analysis goes beyond something as simple as a striker’s instinct, but it seems as if the Argentine believes that his striker’s need to have that in their repertoire.

However, the Argentine has opted to start Bamford in every single league game this season, and it would be more than fair to say that the former Middlesbrough striker isn’t blessed with being the natural-born striker that Bielsa describes in his above quote.

Bamford’s finishing rate tells the whole story as he finds the net with just 10.1 per cent of his efforts, and that’s simply not the type of player that the 64-year-old is describing when talking about cut-backs.

It seems as if Leeds would benefit from having a striker who knows how to be in the right place at the right time while being able to finish the chances he receives.

Meanwhile, Leeds fans have been fuming about one tweet from Graham Smyth.

Conor Hourihane featured for 68 minutes as the Republic of Ireland were held to a 1-1 draw by Denmark in Monday night’s Euro 2020 qualification match.

The result means that ROI will need to negotiate the playoffs if they are to book their spot in the finals of next summer’s competition.

Hourihane has featured in five of Aston Villa’s last six Premier League matches, and it was not a surprise that he was named in his country’s first XI on Monday evening.

The 28-year-old was ultimately replaced as the home side looked for a win, though, and a number of the ROI fans have been on social media discussing his performance.

It would be fair to say that the country’s supporters were not overly impressed with what they saw from the central midfielder in the Euro 2020 qualifier.

Indeed, a selection of the Twitter reaction to Hourihane’s display – which was disappointing in the eyes of the Republic of Ireland faithful – is available to view below:

قرر الجهاز الفني للفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي الزمالك بقيادة الفرنسي باتريس كارتيرون السفر إلى الإسكندرية ظهر غدٍ السبت استعدادا للقاء المصري البورسعيدي.

الزمالك يسنعد لمواجهة المصري في المباراة التي تقام مساء الإثنين المقبل، ضمن منافسات الجولة الرابعة والعشرين من مسابقة الدوري الممتاز.

ويبدأ الفريق في التجمع داخل مقر النادي ثم السفر للإسكندرية للدخول في معسكر مغلق قبل مباراة المصري.

جدير بالذكر أن الزمالك يتصدر جدول ترتيب الدوري المصري برصيد 51 نقطة، بعد 23 مباراة.

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Just over two years ago England’s lion cubs beat Spain 5-2 in a thrilling Under 17s World Cup final and even though all involved are still teenagers it is hoped that by now the most promising of them are beginning the slow process of carving out successful professional careers.

But where are they? Our progress report reveals that while some are well on their way to the top others are lagging behind, struggling to get game-time at their respective employers.

One doesn’t even have a club to play for at all.

Together they were the best in their age-range in the world. Individually, however, they are on very different paths.

[snack_break title="Curtis Anderson (goalkeeper)"]

It was always going to be an enormous stretch for Anderson to break into Manchester City’s team of superstars, usurping Ederson or 123-cap international Claudio Bravo or the highly-rated Arijanet Muric even for an occasional EFL gig.

Just making it to the bench seemed an unlikely aspiration.

With that in mind, a move away from the Etihad last April made a lot of sense though his choice of destination – United Soccer League side Charlotte Independence – surprised.

Alas it has not worked out for the Barrow-born stopper and after making only ten appearances in America, Anderson, in possession of a World Cup winner’s medal, is presently looking around for a goal to keep.

[snack_break title=”Steven Sessegnon (defender)”]

The twin brother of Tottenham’s Ryan impressed at the tournament and though his development may be a relative tortoise to his sibling’s hare, there has still only been an upward trajectory since signing on professional terms with Fulham in the summer of 2017.

Sessegnon has played eight Championship games to date this season – five of them starts – and by virtue of his potential and performances has caught the eye of Spurs who wish to reunite him with his better-known twin.

On the international stage a recent call-up to the under 21s capped an immensely encouraging year for the versatile 19-year-old.

[snack_break title=”Jonathan Panzo (defender)”]

Had the highly-regarded centre-back not decided to leave Chelsea in 2018, it’s not unreasonable to suggest he might be enjoying some Premier League action right about now given the club’s transfer ban and Frank Lampard’s inherent trust in youth.

As it is the South Londoner did leave the Bridge after being there since the age of nine and headed to the sunny climes of Monaco.

Unable to make his mark there Panzo is presently on loan at Belgian side Cercle Bruges but if that hints at a backward step it is anything but.

At international level England know his worth granting him an under 21 bow last month while Monaco have clearly secured him for his long-term promise rather than any immediate impact.

[snack_break title=”Marc Guehi (defender)”]

Another Chelsea prodigy who has risen through the international ranks gaining under-21 recognition on four occasions. That aside Guehi’s progress since he captained the Three Lions to World Cup glory has largely taken place away from the public glare with a series of outstanding displays for Chelsea’s reserves last season, leaving him unfortunate not to be awarded their Academy Player of the Year.

The time is certainly coming for the centre-back who is equally at home down the right flank and presently he is on the cusp of breaking into Lampard’s first eleven. The only negative is accepting how far behind he has fallen to many of his peers.

[snack_break title=”Joel Latibeaudiere (defender)”]

Latibeaudiere’s cool and commanding performances at the back for England proved to be a pivotal factor in their success and led many to ponder the prospect of promotion into Manchester City’s first team squad.

Instead serious injury cruelly deprived him of a whole campaign and with the teen currently entrenched in a contract stand-off it appears his future does not reside in the North West especially with the supremely promising Taylor Harwood-Bellis and Eric Garcia further blocking his path.

A season-long loan spell with Twente in the Eredivisie then suited both parties and with his debut now under his belt the only way is up from here.

“I just need to be playing,” he said recently. He does.

[snack_break title=”George McEachran (midfielder)”]

George’s older brother Josh was himself a Chelsea wonderkid, blessed with twinkling feet and inhabiting the same role stationed between midfield and attack only for him it never quite worked out and he now threads his passes for Birmingham City in the Championship on the very few occasions he can get a game.

Does the same fate await George given that between him and stardom at the Bridge stands Mason Mount, Ross Barkley, Pedro, we could go on. It would appear so and bluntly with no loan move on the horizon or first team opportunity in sight there is a genuine risk of a career stall as McEachran plateaus for the under 23s.

[snack_break title=”Tashan Oakley-Boothe (midfielder)”]

Football is rife with examples of highly thought of young talents who stay around at under 23 level for too long and stagnate. Unfortunately Oakley-Boothe is the latest of them.

In the summer of 2017 he was called up to the first team squad by Mauricio Pochettino for Tottenham’s pre-season tour of the US.  That was his time to shine and he duly did, just not enough unfortunately.

Now at 19 years of age he is already a ‘whatever happened to’ for Spurs fans who once believed he could be the next big thing. Football is a cruel, cruel business but there is still time for him to make an impact.

[snack_break title=”Phil Foden (midfielder)”]

The boy wonder who was awarded the FIFA Golden Ball following his brilliant showings in India then won the BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year for good measure.

While the rest of football wring their hands in concern at Foden’s perceived lack of first team opportunities at Manchester City, the prodigal son himself is training with the likes of David Silva every day while racking up 1648 minutes for a side dominating the English game. He also happens to have two Premier League medals before the age of 20.

Pep Guardiola recently claimed he wouldn’t consider selling his local starlet for ‘€500m’ before adding: “Phil is City. When David Silva leaves, we know exactly who our new magician will be.”

Foden is just fine. Foden is still golden.

[snack_break title=”Morgan Gibbs-White (midfielder)”]

Contrasting Foden’s development there is a danger of Gibbs-White becoming a cautionary tale for youngsters being given too much game-time – and accompanying hype – too soon.

Having felt his way through the Championship during Wolves’ promotion winning season the 18-year-old was gifted 26 appearances last year and initially excelled among the big boys. A recent drop-off in form however is concerning the Wanderers fan-base.

Let’s hope it’s simply a case of taking a necessary step back before moving forward once again.

[snack_break title=”Callum Hudson-Odoi (forward)”]

The second youngest of the World Cup winning group yet Hudson-Odoi has gone on to achieve far more significant progress than most.

A number of eye-catching displays in the Europa League with Chelsea saw the explosive winger called up to the England squad by Gareth Southgate at the turn of the year despite not having started a league game, a rare feat indeed.

His league showings soon after astounded one and all and acted as an uncommon cause for optimism in an otherwise turbulent season for the Blues until a ruptured Achilles brought everyone crashing down to earth.

Persistent interest from Bayern Munich over the summer was circumnavigated and now the young attacker is back, fit and firing. The future looks bright and assured from this one.

[snack_break title=”Rhian Brewster (forward)”]

Long held in the highest esteem on Merseyside after scorching his way through the youth ranks Brewster’s goal-scoring exploits and fleet-footed movement in the tournament earned him the Golden Boot while marking him down as a serious prospect. Had Liverpool unearthed yet another deadly finisher to follow in the prolific footsteps of Rush, Fowler and Owen?

That question remains up in the air largely due to a long-term injury that set the teenager’s development back a full twelve months but now back and in contention his path to the first team seems assured given how highly Jurgen Klopp rates him.

Now it’s just a matter of time.

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…

Speaking to The Evening Standard, Mike Phelan has delivered his verdict on Manchester United’s transfer plans going forward into the future.

What’s the word?

The Red Devils made just three permanent signings in the summer transfer window, bringing in Daniel James, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Harry Maguire. Though the trio cost well in excess of £100m combined, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side also saw major departures, including Romelu Lukaku for £74m.

And with reports in recent weeks claiming the club are very much interested in signing the likes of Jadon Sancho and Erling Haaland, Phelan insisted that the Red Devils are still targeting “superstar” players, despite looking to develop homegrown talent.

He said: “I think there has got to be a blend. I think Manchester United still do want superstars, but I think they still want to see them coming through and progressing and being part of something special.

“The fans are changing all the time. We’ve got senior fans, old age pensioners, young fans, but it’s become far more global than it’s ever been and I think all those people understand what Manchester United is all about otherwise they wouldn’t support them. They don’t just support them for the superstars, they support them because they can embrace the whole tradition of the football club.”

Encouragement

For any United fan out there perhaps concerned that the days of signing marquee players were over, then Phelan’s comments should offer some encouragement. Looking to develop the club’s academy players and buying homegrown talent is all well and good, but it doesn’t mean the net shouldn’t be cast wider. The Red Devils’ history and allure is second-to-none, particularly in English football, and that means they can attract the very best around.

So whilst signing someone like Daniel James from the Championship at a relatively cheap £15m is shrewd business, that kind of approach to the transfer market should be backed up with some moves for some truly stellar names and individuals. Phelan’s verdict bodes well for what United are trying to accomplish over the coming windows.

Meanwhile, a BBC Sport pundit has revealed the one man who Manchester United “precisely” need.