Manchester United are now reportedly working on replacing Ruben Amorim with one Premier League manager now emerging as an early frontrunner.

Gary Neville: Amorim "complicated" Wolves draw

Man United’s 1-1 draw with Wolverhampton Wanderers would have felt all too predictable for those inside Old Trafford on Tuesday night. For many, it came as a shock. Wolves picked up just their third point of the season, after all. For onwatching fans, as the Red Devils reverted back to their 3-4-2-1 system, it was an all too familiar feeling.

It seemed as though Amorim had finally cracked the code when he admitted the necessity of a system change with the current crop of players at his disposal, but it was back to square one against Wolves.

Like many, Gary Neville was left baffled by the change and said on his Sky Sports podcast: “He doesn’t need to say ‘I haven’t changed because of the media’ because then he’s telling us basically that the media is in his head.

“The reason he’s had to change is because the performance levels with the 3-4-3 have been so poor and the results have been appalling.

“When I see that we go back [to three at the back] after five minutes tonight and I’m thinking, no, Ruben, why have you done that?

“The manager has to look at that and think, I got that wrong. I complicated it.”

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INEOS have continued to back their man, but there’s no denying the embarrassment of Man United’s struggles against a Wolves side destined for relegation at Old Trafford.

It has done nothing for the pressure on Amorim to turn a permanent corner and reports are now claiming that INEOS are working on finding his replacement.

Man United working on Oliver Glasner move

According to Caught Offside, INEOS are now working on a move to appoint Oliver Glasner to replace Amorim and have discussed the Crystal Palace manager internally.

An early frontrunner to land the job, Glasner is on course to become a free agent in the summer when his current Crystal Palace contract expires and there are currently no signs that he’ll be signing an extension in South London.

But would Glasner solve Man United’s problems? INEOS reportedly see the Austrian as a safe pair of hands, yet his system uses the same formation as Amorim’s.

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Dubbed “fantastic” by Clinton Morrison, Glasner has preferred to use a 3-4-2-1 at Crystal Palace and whilst he has shown his ability to adapt at other clubs, questions will be asked if Man United turn towards another back three manager.

2026 will be a crucial year for Amorim’s tenure. He’s been backed in the transfer market and has the trust of INEOS, but that won’t last forever if results such as the draw against Wolves continue to arrive.

There was never really any doubt that Waqar Younis would lead Pakistan in the World Cup. There was a lot of kite-flying and because the PCB maintained a silence , this kite-flying acquired a measure of credibility.It has been the PCB’s policy to appoint a captain on a series basis. It has adhered to this policy.It makes sense since form and fitness are of paramount importance and Waqar is no spring-chicken and is a high-risk when it comes to injuries. He is not alone in this as younger fast bowlers are falling by the wayside and are being patched-up and sent into battle.India rested Zaheer Khan in the one-day series against the West Indies, Mervyn Dillon pulled out of the tour of Bangladesh, Chris Cairns is still not fit to bowl, England seem to lose a fast bowler per match Allan Donald is being kept wrapped in cotton-wool and Zimbabwe had all its pace attack unfit, Muttiah Muralitharan is recovering from a hernia operation and Shane Warne has done his shoulder and is doubtful for the World Cup and our own Shoaib Akhtar has returned home to nurse a gammy knee.The PCB chairman has now confirmed Waqar as captain and hopefully the only kite-flying that will be done will be during the forthcoming basant.I think that Waqar will be the first to admit that he is no Imran Khan, Imran had the special gift of getting the best out of his players, even those he may not have personally liked. Like all humans, he had his likes and dislikes. He never allowed this to influence the way he handled the team.Waqar has never concealed that he is uneasy with Wasim Akram in the team. That, at least, is the perception and the selection of the playing eleven on tour has been whimsical. But he has done the job and led from the front and picked up wickets and given Pakistan the breakthrough. He has even started to make a few runs. The PCB has reposed confidence in him. This should cheer him up.The team management had asked for Saeed Anwar for the Test matches and the selection committee has sensibly refused to panic. Saeed should have been on the South Africa tour from the onset. There is no doubt that he was short of match-practice. But he is a near-certainty for the World Cup and he needs to get into the groove by playing domestic cricket. Pakistan will need his experience in the World Cup. He has time enough to get in the right frame of mind.We knew that the tour of South Africa would be a hard one but the margin of 4-1 is not a proper reflection of the difference between the two teams. Pakistan bowlers did everything asked of them but the batting seems to show no sign of the toughness that is required against quality opponents. The running between wickets left much to be desired, a sign that reflects not enough homework is being done on this vital aspect of the game.Running between the wickets is about judgement but it is also about communicating with one’s partner. There are only three calls, yes, no or wait. Simple words that do not put any stress on the mind and are unambiguous, not subject to interpretation, nor a basis for negotiation.While we are focused on the World Cup, a Test match comes around that is far more gripping than anything that the one-day version can dish out. Such a Test match was the one that was played at Hamilton between India and New Zealand.New Zealand won it in a tight finish. The first day’s play was washed out. But two days and a session were enough to get a decision. The wicket was certainly lively and the ball seamed but it was certainly not dangerous. Far too much was being read into it, the fault lay not in the wicket but in the lack of technique that was needed to cope with the moving ball. Far too used to batting-friendly pitches, this one had some juice. It was a low-scoring match, too much for batsmen of either team.In the days when wickets were not covered and we would get ‘sticky dogs’ there were batsmen who had developed special skills to play on them. I would like to see more pitches like the one at Hamilton. Batsmen have it far too good. They have all the protective gear while the fast bowlers can bowl no more than two bouncers per over.New Zealand were without Cairns. He is expected to play as a batsman in the one-day series. But probably will be fully fit for the World Cup. With the West Indies beginning to re-group. New Zealand the West Indies are two ‘outsiders’ that look most threatening for the World Cup.The West Indies will have Carl Hooper and Dillon back but there seems to be no news about Brian Lara, beyond, that he is unfit. But no progress report has been forthcoming. But not just the West Indies but cricket needs Brian Lara, still a prince among batsmen. But in Ramnaresh Sarwan and Marlon Samuels, they have two batsmen in the mould of Rohan Kanhai and that is high praise.

It’s almost impossible to list all the differences between Arsenal and Manchester City on Sunday, such was the vast chasm in performance separating the two Carabao Cup finalists, but one of them was certainly Vincent Kompany.

While Shkodran Mustafi allowed Sergio Aguero to delicately nudge him out of the way for Manchester City’s first goal and Calum Chambers watched helplessly leg-tied as David Silva jinked the ball beyond him before rifling past David Ospina, City’s ever-crocked skipper was an impenetrable rock at the back.

During the one moment when Arsenal looked like getting back into the match, their captain shouldered Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang off the ball inside his own penalty area before shrewdly galloping away into a pocket of space. And that calmness, quality and power summed up Kompany’s display.

Equally as important as a performance that was rightly rewarded with a goal as Kompany instinctively flicked his foot at Ilkay Gundogan’s shot to send the ‘keeper the wrong way though, was the leadership he provided at the heart of defence, barking orders at team-mates, organising the players around him and asserting his physicality when required.

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It was a display that reminded us why Kompany is so important to this City side even if he can only be saved for big occasions like Sunday’s Carabao Cup final due to hamstring problems, but also highlighted how Arsenal lack a personality of similar calibre – someone prepared to make a difference in both boxes when there’s silverware on the line.

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In a cup final that will only be remembered for how far apart both sides were, the 72-cap Belgian stood out as one of the biggest and most intrinsic differences.

West Brom have been pretty active in the transfer market over the past few years, with some players being brought in for substantial amounts of money.

As tends to be the case with some players at most clubs, not all players end up being worth the money that gets paid to buy them in terms of what they manage to produce on the pitch.

One figure that falls into this category for the Midlands club is striker Kenneth Zohore, who joined the Baggies back in the 2019 summer transfer window from Cardiff City in a deal worth a reported fee of £8m.

Since then, the 28-year-old, who is currently listed as the highest earner at the Hawthorns with a weekly wage of £26k-per-week according to Salary Sport, has only made 23 appearances for the club across all competitions in which he has netted only five goals.

Taking into account his lack of game time and goals for the Baggies since his arrival, it’s safe to say that the centre-forward has been draining Guochuan Lai’s bank account of £11.5m from his transfer fee and weekly wages combined from the 137 weeks he’s been on the books at West Brom.

Labelled as a “lazy” player in the past by his former Cardiff manager Neil Warnock, it’s surprising that the Midlands club still have the attacker in their ranks and haven’t moved him on either in the previous summer or winter transfer windows on a permanent basis after his loan spell with Millwall last season.

With 17 league appearances for the east London club during the 2020/21 campaign, the Danish international could only find the back of the net twice and ultimately earn himself an underwhelming overall performance rating of 6.38, making him one of the lowest-rated players to start more than two league games according to WhoScored.

Moving forward, having played in seven games with the U23s this season, it’ll be interesting to see whether or not Steve Bruce gives the striker a chance in the first team between now and the end of the campaign.

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If the Baggies boss doesn’t give him an opportunity to play and isn’t likely to next season either, it could be the best option for all parties if they try to sell him to another club and get back some of the money they shelled out for the disappointing 28-year-old.

In other news: Steve Madeley drops worrying update on 20-goal “diamond”, WBA fans will be fuming

Speaking live on talkSPORT, reporter Alex Crook has made a claim involving Tottenham Hotspur boss Antonio Conte amid the club’s recent up-and-down run.

The Lowdown: Spurs need for consistency…

Over these last few weeks, Tottenham and Conte have been unable to find any sort of rhythm in all competitions with the side seemingly on topsy-turvy run of form.

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The Lilywhites battled to an impressive 3-2 win away to Premier League champions Man City near the end of last month, but that stellar performance was followed by a tame loss to Burnley after which Conte even hinted he could resign.

Spurs then got back on track with an imperious 4-0 victory against Leeds, yet just a few days later, Conte’s men were sent crashing out of the FA Cup by Middlesbrough  following Josh Coburn’s extra time winner.

These performances also came after disappointing losses to the Wolves and Southampton (tottenhamhotspur.com).

The Latest: Crook makes Conte claim…

Speaking live on talkSPORT, Crook has wondered why Tottenham’s inconsistent run hasn’t landed the manager in more hot water with supporters.

“Antonio Conte seems to feel a lot of love from the Tottenham fans for a manager who’s now been dumped out of the FA Cup by a Championship side,” he explained

“They’ve lost to Burnley, they’ve lost at home to Wolverhampton Wanderers, and to Southampton as well, surely if Conte is this elite manager we’re lead to believe, those types of results should not be happening on his watch.

“I think he gets far too much of a free pass from the Tottenham fans.”

The Verdict: Correct verdict?

While Crook makes a point on Tottenham’s recently unacceptable run overall, we believe the lack of backing in January has also played a huge role.

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Conte certainly wasn’t helped by the club’s inability to land key transfer targets and the lack of investment in Tottenham’s team has been questioned since near the end of Mauricio Pochettino’s time at the club.

Much could depend on whether the Italian gets backed in the summer to see if he can truly make a success of Spurs.

In other news: Conte green-lights move for new top target as Spurs hierarchy pressured to strike agreement, find out more here.

Tottenham manager Antonio Conte has set out his side’s aspirations for the rest of the season as the Lilywhites remain in the running for a top four finish.

The Lowdown: Top four on the cards?

Although things can change, it feels safe to assume that the top two teams are cemented out in front, with second place Liverpool ten points ahead of third place Chelsea.

After that, third place and more prominently fourth are both up for grabs. On Sunday, Arsenal clinched three points against Watford, moving themselves up to fourth in the table having overtaken Manchester United.

Tottenham sit in seventh place with 45 points, just two points behind Ralf Rangnick’s side – with a further two games-in-hand. Thus, Spurs could very easily move past West Ham and Man United, if they pick up the six points available. This would leave a top four battle with Arsenal, who have played one game less than the Lilywhites.

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The Latest: Conte’s ambitions

Following Spurs’ demolition of Everton, Conte took to his press conference to relay his ambitions for the remainder of the season. He claimed that the ‘important’ goal is to secure a top four finish and Champions League qualification, even though he ‘doesn’t like’ setting the bar so low.

As quoted by football.london, he said:

“You know I don’t like to speak about ambition and reaching a place in the Champions League because I like to play to win the league and win trophies, but in this situation this could be our Champions League, our Premier League title if we are able to reach fourth place.”

The Verdict: Tough fight

Whilst Spurs have been very impressive in their previous two Premier League games, having scored nine goals in total, they certainly have experienced mixed fortunes with Conte in charge.

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If the Lilywhites are serious about a top four finish, they need to maintain a level of consistency, rather than winning against a top team like Manchester City and then losing to Burnley four days later.

With Arsenal making a strong push lately, it will definitely be a challenge for the Italian, whose side are set to face Man United at the weekend. However, it is surely a challenge that he will relish.

In other news: Tottenham Hotspur: Conte shares Sessegnon injury ‘problem’

Pundit Kevin Campbell has been reacting to an update regarding Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford, Football Insider report.

The Lowdown: Romano’s news

Rashford was left out of the starting line up against Manchester City earlier this month, with Fabrizio Romano revealing shortly after that the forward is considering his future at the club.

The 24-year-old will be into the final 12 months of his contract in the summer and reportedly wants clarity over his lack of game time.

He was brought back into the side against Tottenham on the weekend and could well feature from the off against Atletico Madrid this evening.

The Latest: Campbell’s comments

Campbell, who contributes for Sky Sports, was talking to Football Insider regarding Rashford.

Ahead of the Old Trafford clash with Atletico Madrid, he urged the forward to delay making a decision on his future until a new long-term manager is in place.

“Look, it was a slap in the face last weekend.

“Without a shadow of a doubt.

“It must have been tough for him to take.

“You have to remember that the manager in there at the moment will not be the manager next season. Rashford has to wait until the new manager comes in.

“There’s no point making a decision on your future now because Rangnick will not be the manager. Rashford has to re-assess the situation when the new manager comes in.

“He has 18 months left on his contract so he will have to re-negotiate soon. I don’t see him leaving Manchester United.

“The club are already losing four or five players in the summer. Rashford is an important, home-grown player.”

The Verdict: Spot on

Even though Rashford hasn’t exactly been a regular in Ralf Rangnick’s starting XI, it would be wise to take his time regarding his long-term future.

Rangnick will more than likely move into a consultancy role in the summer, so Rashford could well be firmly in a new manager’s Old Trafford plan.

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If he isn’t, then a move away could be best for all involved, but we feel Campbell is spot on by urging Rashford to delay making a call on his future.

In other news: Man United set sights on ‘mad’ new manager target after dramatic development. 

Leeds United have been dealt a huge injury setback concerning Stuart Dallas ahead of their upcoming Premier League clash with Southampton.

What’s the latest?

That’s according to Sky Sports commentator Gary Weaver (via MOT Leeds News), who claimed that, following the versatile defender’s withdrawal in the second half of Northern Ireland’s 3-1 win over Luxembourg on Friday evening, the 30-year-old was seen to be in discussions with medical staff regarding an apparent groin injury.

Following Dallas’ substitution, Weaver said: “Medical staff having a word with Stuart Dallas. Looks like it was his groin.”

Marsch will be devastated

Considering the fact that Dallas had already been something of an injury concern prior to leaving for international duty, as the right-back had been on the receiving end of a heavy challenge from Joao Moutinho in Leeds’ 3-2 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers last week, the news that the right-back now looks to have picked up a fresh knock is sure to have left Jesse Marsch devastated.

Indeed, with Patrick Bamford, Diego Llorente, Mateusz Klich and Illan Meslier all sustaining injuries in the victory at Molineux, while Raphinha has also withdrawn from international duty with Brazil after falling ill, the American manager’s Leeds squad has been rather decimated over the past eight days.

As such, should Dallas join the aforementioned players in the Elland Road treatment room ahead of the visit of Southampton next Saturday, it would quite clearly come as a huge blow to the Whites’ chances of picking up all three points against Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side.

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And, while the back-to-back victories over Norwich City and Wolves have eased Leeds’ relegation fears somewhat, the club are by no means out of the woods just yet – meaning the potential loss of Dallas may not only harm the Whites in the short-term, it could also see them slip back into a fight for survival over their remaining eight games of the season.

AND in other news: Orta set for Leeds disaster on £8.4k-p/w “bag of tricks” whose “talent isn’t in doubt”

Dean Jones has said that Ruben Neves may not sign a new contract at Molineux, because he “might have bigger ambitions” than what Wolves have.

What’s been said?

Speaking with Football FanCast, the transfer insider admitted that it may not be so easy for Wolves to just slap a contract on the table for the Portugal international to sign – as he may be searching for Champions League football.

“You have to wonder how far Wolves can actually push, and what their ceiling is; it’s probably going to be Europa League. The player [Neves] might have bigger ambitions. And so when you’re going to sign a new contract, you’ve got to weigh up these factors.”

This comes just days after reports came out that the club were in talks with the midfield wizard, which will surely scare fans once again, after the Daily Mail reported earlier in the month that Barcelona were interested in Neves – who they view as Sergio Busquets future replacement.

Devastating for Wolves fans

Just as hope was beginning to build among the Wolves faithful, this latest update might have just brought them back down to reality and it will feel like a sucker punch – as they will already miss their star man for the next month, as he recovers from a knee injury which will keep him out until at least May.

This season, the former Porto prospect has averaged a 7.20 match rating in the Premier League according to SofaScore, scoring four goals and assisting two more in 28 appearances, maintaining his reputation as one of the top midfielders currently in England.

Among midfielders across Europe’s top five leagues and continental competitions, according to FB Ref, Neves ranks in the top 1% for long passes completed per 90 (14.92), top 3% for cross-field switches per 90 (4.49) and top 6% for passes into the final third per 90 (7.16).

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There aren’t many players capable in the world of replacing the kind of playmaking ability and confidence in possession that the 25-year-old brings to the team, and if the £36m-rated gem does exit this summer, he would leave a huge whole in the Wolves midfield.

In other news: Wolves must finally unleash “intelligent” 19yo who plays like he’s “in the playground”

Aston Villa are reportedly amongst the clubs monitoring Newcastle United winger Allan Saint-Maximin after it was reported that the Magpies would be prepared to sell the Frenchman for £50m.

What’s the story?

According to the Daily Mail, Newcastle are willing to cash in on their star player this summer with Villa monitoring the situation at St.James’ Park.

It is believed that the £50m asking price, if received, would be added to Newcastle manager Eddie Howe’s transfer kitty with the Tyneside club expected to make major additions to their squad following the takeover by PIF.

The 25-year-old signed a six-year contract in 2020 and is a majorly popular figure in the North-East, but could be sacrificed in order to raise funds for a squad overhaul.

Villa must swoop for Saint-Maximin

The idea of Saint-Maximin being available to purchase will undoubtedly prick up the ears of an array of clubs, particularly in the Premier League with the winger’s talents very much known of in England.

Since joining Newcastle from Nice in August 2019, the £28.8m-rated 25-year-old has scored 12 goals and registered 14 assists in 84 appearances for the Magpies and has been previously labelled as “breathtaking” by pundit Gary Neville.

Although that may not seem a tally that justifies a £50m price tag, the Frenchman has largely been playing in a drab, uninspiring Newcastle side since arriving from France.

In the two full seasons under Steve Bruce the Toon Army finished 13th and 12th respectively, with both campaigns seeing some dire football at times, with both seasons seeing the Magpies pick up 44 and 45 points respectively and score 38 and 46 goals whilst conceding 58 and 62.

This term in particular was looking set for disaster for a sustained period of time before Eddie Howe took over and steadied the ship, largely thanks to January arrivals.

Moreover, the Frenchman averages a 62% dribble success rate as well as a 75% passing accuracy and provides 1.5 key passes a game.

However, now that the Tyneside outfit are the richest club in the world following the Saudi-backed takeover, there are undoubtedly ambitious plans for the upcoming transfer window which could see fan-favourite Saint-Maximin sacrificed.

As well as Newcastle, Aston Villa are expected to spend as they enter Steven Gerrard’s first summer transfer window as Villa boss and have already been linked with big-money moves, such as paying £50m for Brighton midfielder Yves Bissouma.

Currently, the Villans have the likes of Philippe Coutinho, Emi Buendia, Leon Bailey and Bertrand Traore on the flanks but only Coutinho can hold his head high for his efforts this campaign.

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The Brazilian joined on loan from Barcelona in January and has already become a fan favourite with four goals and three assists and could be set for a permanent move to Villa Park this summer.

Both Traore and Bailey have spent good portions of the season out injured whilst Buendia has scored just twice after becoming the West Midland’s club’s record transfer last summer, joining from Norwich City for £38m.

There is certainly room in the Villa squad to accommodate Saint-Maximin in the Villa ranks who, alongside Coutinho, could establish a cut-throat partnership that would undoubtedly terrorise defences.

Major boost: Aston Villa now handed big double injury lift, supporters will be buzzing