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James Milner has had a long and successful career since departing Yorkshire but he has taken time to remember his roots.

In a throwback tweet he recalled his Premier League debut by posting a photo of himself in a Leeds kit, looking fresh-faced and determined to impress.

His league debut for Leeds came in 2002 and though he left the club two years later, many fans still have fond memories of the midfielder, and perhaps view him as one of their own despite his years of service to various other clubs.

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That may be what has motivated some to ask him to return to the club, with many dreaming of the prospect of seeing him in a Leeds shirt once again.

A lot has changed for both parties in the 15 years since he departed the club but a reunion between the two if Leeds are promoted would be a good thing to see, and some supporters certainly want it to happen.

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Here are some of the reactions to his tweet, with many yearning for Milner to return to Elland Road.

It has been a couple of months since Romelu Lukaku swapped the Manchester United shirt for Inter Milan and so far he’s been having a good time over in Serie A.

The big Belgian has already bagged ten goals in 13 league games and if these early signs are anything to go by, the Nerazzurri might have struck gold with his transfer from the Premier League.

The Red Devils, however, could sure do with a striker of his profile to lead their generally young squad and add some much-needed experience and know-how to the mix.

After all, they were bound to miss someone of Lukaku’s stature, seeing how the now 26-year-old forward managed to net 42 goals and 13 assists in a total of 92 games played for the English side.

And interestingly enough, a recent report from ESPN stated the same thing – Ole Gunnar Solskjaer wants a well-developed and experienced name to lead the line alongside his talented youngsters.

Having the likes of Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial and Mason Greenwood bodes well for their future but it feels like they also need someone for right here and now to get them out of their slump and back into the top region of the table.

Luckily for them, there’s one man who simply ticks all the boxes and would be able to arrive either for free or on a big discount, seeing how his contract expires next summer already.

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Of course, we are talking about none other than Edinson Cavani, the current Paris Saint-Germain forward who’s recently fallen out of favour at Parc des Princes.

The 32-year-old has tallied only 431 minutes under his belt in the ongoing season, scoring two goals in seven Ligue 1 appearances but with the likes of Mauro Icardi, Kylian Mbappe and Neymar Junior in the squad, the Uruguayan is bound to struggle for playtime moving forward as well.

But even though it feels like he’s been made redundant in Thomas Tuchel’s squad, that doesn’t mean he’s suddenly lost all of his ability.

Just last season, Cavani managed to bag 18 goals and five assists in Ligue 1 and averaged 2.5 shots and 0.6 key passes per game, even edging out Lukaku’s 12 goals and 1.7 shots per game and only falling short to his 0.7 key passes per game.

By all standards, the man who can boast with nearly 300 games for the Saints with 195 goals scored is definitely someone who would bring both experience and proven goal-scoring prowess to the table.

That seems exactly what Manchester United need.

And have we mentioned that he’ll be a free agent come next summer?

Pick up the phone, Woodward, and make the call. It’ll be worth it.

Glasgow Rangers have moved to confirm that their partnership with Castore does not include any other party after rumours had emerged that Sports Direct were still involved in some way.

On Wednesday, the company, owned by businessman and former Gers stakeholder Mike Ashley, shared an Instagram post saying they would sell the new Gers home shirt, which was released on the same day and made by Castore, “exclusively” from August 1st.

However, the Ibrox outfit’s hierarchy have quickly quashed any of those claims, releasing a statement saying:

“Following today’s unveiling of the 2020/21 home jersey, Rangers continues to look forward to their long term exclusive partnership with Castore, which, for the avoidance of doubt, is a direct agreement between those two companies with no other persons party to the deal.”

This should be fantastic news for the Glasgow Rangers supporters, with whom Ashley is not exactly the most popular figure for the part he has played in their commercial dealings in the past. The deal with Castore was meant to be a fresh start for the club – this statement appears to re-confirm that. The confusion is that Sports Direct will still be able to buy shirts directly from the club themselves and sell them on, just like any other such sports shop.

The club also revealed that the Ibrox Retail Store will receive a £250,000 renovation and will open on August 1st.

“The Ibrox Retail Store will undergo a £250,000 renovation and become a key venue for all Rangers supporters and on matchdays will be supported with further pop up stores within the Stadium.”

Following the announcement that 40,000 season tickets have been sold, it looks like a promising time to be a Gers fan.

Let us know what you think below!

Sunderland have confirmed that Nick Allamby has joined the club as a physical performance coach, and the news has been met with a mixed reaction from fans.

The former Bolton coached worked with manager Phil Parkinson for three years at Bolton, helping him to guide the Trotters to promotion in 2017, and kept them in the Championship until financial trouble led to relegation last season.

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Some supporters seem to be encouraged by that fact, but others are less impressed, with one pointing out that Parkinson’s strategy of reuniting with people he has worked with previously is akin to what David Moyes did during his stint at the club – which didn’t end well.

However, the addition of a new coach to help the players perform better should be seen as a good step, and if it leads to an increase in fitness then fans may see the rewards in the form of better performances and more wins.

After all, Allamby was part of a set-up that won promotion from League One before, and if Parkinson is able to recreate that environment it will surely only serve his team well.

Here are some of the contrasting reactions from the Sunderland faithful to the appointment.

Lots of Newcastle United fans have been praising Miguel Almiron for his performance against West Ham on Saturday, as Steve Bruce’s men recorded a 3-2 win.

Supporters have been praising Almiron for his role in the victory, after the 25-year-old displayed an “absolutely phenomenal” work rate to track back and attack in east London.

The 25-year-old recorded 47 touches against the Hammers, as he attacked and defended up and down the right-hand channel, while drifting across the edge of the Irons’ area to offer support to his Toon teammates.

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Almiron again failed to open his account for goals or assists, though, as he could not convert any of his three on-target efforts and did not register a key pass, per WhoScored data.

He did find a teammate with each of his 24 passes, though, with ten coming in the final third – no other Newcastle player completed all of their attempted passes.

Only Federico Fernandez and Isaac Hayden were successful with more of their tackles than Almiron of Bruce’s men, with the Paraguay international taking possession on two occasions, along with recording one clearance and two interceptions.

Almiron’s total of four shots at the London Stadium was the most he has attempted in a Premier League game so far this term, while also penning a joint-season low one unsuccessful touch.

Here are some of the messages shared…

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…

Taking the cautious approach.

That appears to be the way Nottingham Forest are going to approach finding a potential solution to getting Lewis Grabban some help up front this season, according to journalist Sarah Clapson.

What’s she said?

Speaking during a Q&A for Nottinghamshire Live, Clapson believed that Forest aren’t going to be making a move for any of the free agents on offer and are unlikely to make any moves until the January window.

Even then they might not be extremely proactive in trying to find a partner or replacement for Grabban:

“As for free agent strikers, think it’s going to be a case of waiting until January for any movement on that front. If anything happened to Grabban (and touch wood it doesn’t) perhaps the club would reassess then.

“But for the time being, it’s a case of going with what Forest have got. Lamouchi has previously sounded none too impressed with the free agent options out there, and made the point that it’s better to wait to get the right person in.”

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Cautious, but perhaps too cautious?

Whilst it might be the best practice to assess things properly rather than rushing into things, there does need to be a little bit of urgency when it comes to finding a solution.

That doesn’t necessarily mean that they have to go out and buy the first big-name striker that pops into their head, but a little bit of aggression to try and find a resolution needs to be brought to the table.

Whilst Nottingham Forest got off to a great start to the season following their ten-match unbeaten run, they need to make sure that kind of run becomes the norm if they are to be serious challengers for promotion.

As the past two games have shown, Grabban isn’t going to be able to carry the load by himself as they’ve suffered back to back matches without picking up three points.

The replacements haven’t exactly offered much hope and could set Forest up for more dropped points later on in the year. After all, Rafa Mir has failed to score so far during his time under Lamouchi.

So whilst they may wait until January, that might be too late.

This article forms part of our The Ones That Got Away feature series, which is where Football Transfer Tavern take a look back at players linked with moves in the past and see how they would have made an impact had they signed for the interested side.

Fabinho is a brilliant player, isn’t he? The Brazil international has started eight of nine Premier League games for Liverpool this season with the club sitting pretty at the top of the table. He’s also won the Champions League in his first season at Anfield, averaging the joint-most tackles throughout the competition (via WhoScored).

Well, cover your eyes Arsenal fans because it turns out that the north London giants targeted the player last summer. That is according to manager Unai Emery, who has come out and claimed the Gunners wanted to sign the player before he moved to Merseyside in 2018 (via Sky Sports).

It seems Arsenal have missed out on quite the defensive midfielder, especially with their record for conceding goals this season, 12 goals in 12 games in all competitions (via Tables League).

The Brazilian averages the most tackles per game in Jurgen Klopp’s squad, showing his effectiveness in shielding the back four this campaign.

However, he also possesses the technical quality to keep Liverpool ticking in the middle of the pitch, averaging the third-highest pass accuracy of players to have featured in all nine league games this season.

In stark contrast, Arsenal are stuck with Granit Xhaka, who has committed an eye-opening 2.5 fouls per game in the top-flight this season. His reluctance to stay on his feet have proven costly for the Gunners as the Switzerland international gave away a penalty against Tottenham Hotspur this season.

The £45m-rated, as per Transfermarkt, Fabinho’s performances in 2019 has seen Gary Neville label him as the best defensive midfielder in the Premier League (via Sky Sports).

Oh, what could’ve been for Emery’s side if they had signed Fabinho in 2018. They could’ve replaced Xhaka, who seems to have a problem keeping upright this season and proves wholly unreliable.

Arsenal fans, what do you make of the claims from Emery over Fabinho? Let us know your thoughts!

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

West Ham United have been nothing short of terrible in recent weeks.

Indeed, the Hammers haven’t won any of their previous seven games in all competitions, and they’ve suffered embarrassing defeats such as a 4-0 loss to Oxford United and a 3-0 loss to Burnley.

There are a number of factors that contribute to West Ham’s poor form, but one issue that has to be considered is the form of Sebastien Haller.

Haller’s struggles

The French striker has scored just once in his previous nine appearances, and while that sounds like a poor return that may not be all his fault.

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Haller is at his best when the ball is in the air, as he has won 6.9 aerial duels per game this season, but he’s simply not been receiving enough service from the wings.

Felipe Anderson and Andriy Yarmolenko put in just 0.6 and 0.3 crosses per game respectively, and it seems as if they need to acclimatise to playing alongside a target man, and it seems as if the international break may help Yarmolenko in that pursuit.

Yarmolenko’s international partner

Fortunately, Yarmolenko can gain some extra experience of playing with a big man up top while he’s playing for Ukraine.

Indeed, Ukraine’s first-choice number nine is Roman Yaremchuk, and with the Genk forward standing one centimetre taller than the towering Haller he is a striker in a similar mould.

Yaremchuk is aerially dominant in the same way Haller is as six of his 12 goals for Genk last term came with his head.

Playing with the 23-year-old at international level will help Yarmolenko get used to playing alongside a target man, and that could potentially be a good thing for West Ham.

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…

Even though the momentum was very much on their side and the points theirs to drop, Real Madrid managed to do exactly that.

After a great streak of three consecutive clean sheets in La Liga and what seemed like a clear shift in the tides, Los Blancos were finally looking like mounting a big comeback.

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But somehow, the Whites managed to follow up their disastrous Champions League opener at Parc des Princes, when they lost 3-0 to PSG, with a 2-2 draw with Club Brugge at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium.

It’s not really a sight many are used to but after two games played, Zinedine Zidane’s troops sit bottom of the group with just a point under their belts.

And sure, the Galacticos came back from two goals down to secure that point, which might prove vital in the future, but getting yourself in such a situation in the first place is exactly where the problem lies.

Watch Lionel Messi and Gareth Bale answer the internet’s weirdest questions in the video below…

Zidane surely doesn’t have too many positives to take away from that match but if he had to highlight one thing, then it should definitely be Toni Kroos.

Seeing their German general dictate the tempo of the games and control all proceedings on the pitch is nothing particularly new – in fact, we’ve already highlighted two majestic performances from him since the start of the new campaign – but in a season that has been nothing if not a bit underwhelming, Kroos has been perhaps the only shining light.

Against Brugge, the 29-year-old star registered an assist for his trouble but seeing how he managed a total of eight key passes, that figure should have been even higher. He also recorded 92.9% passing accuracy and had three shots on goal throughout the game.

It’s safe to say that he was carrying Los Blancos once again and the numbers really prove it.

But his defensive contribution should also not be disregarded as Kroos registered three tackles and one interception, pulling his weight on the night and then some.

The problem is, however, that he is often the only one dropping masterclasses left, right and centre and until the whole team starts doing the same, Real might continue to struggle.

Milner delivered a professional verdict after Liverpool won 4-3 on Wednesday.

He didn’t get carried away after the win, though he did enjoy a cheeky pop at whoever operated the Anfield scoreboard, which inexplicably read 3-3 when the score was actually 3-1, which of course became quite an impressive prediction by the hour mark.

The midfielder was clear in his message – there is work to be done at Liverpool if they want to retain their European crown.