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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.

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Off the Bench series, which places in-game managerial decisions and squad selections under FFC’s microscope.

Crystal Palace boss Roy Hodgson should’ve substituted Andros Townsend onto the field in order to see the game out against Wolves.

Snapshot

The south Londoners were on the verge of recording a second home win in a row, having overcome Aston Villa in the last fixture at Selhurst Park, but were forced to settle for a point with just seconds remaining on the clock.

Leander Dendoncker’s own goal gave Palace a 1-0 lead immediately after half-time, but some extremely poor game management from Hodgson’s side allowed Diogo Jota to steal a point for Wolves right at the death.

The former England manager subbed Christian Benteke onto the field first, before bringing summer signing James McCarthy onto the pitch in the 82nd-minute – the pair were his only two introductions, but there was a glaringly obvious one that he decided against making.

Townsend should have been introduced

It remains to be seen what has happened with Townsend in terms of his involvement in the starting XI – he started the first two games of the season but has begun recent games against Manchester United and Aston Villa on the bench.

He did start against his former side Tottenham, but seemingly only because of an injury to James McArthur.

The England international – who has 13 caps for his country – can often be frustrating going forward, but one thing that he does guarantee his side is an admirable work rate and solid defensive contribution – the latter of which WhoScored have down under the player’s strengths.

One can’t help but think that, if Hodgson had subbed on the experienced winger, who has over 350 career appearances to his name, then Townsend’s willingness to track back and run the channels would have helped see out the remaining minutes of the game.

His fresh legs almost certainly would have been a huge bonus to his teammates, and seeing as Hodgson only made two subs throughout the game, it is fairly baffling that he didn’t bring Townsend on as his third and final switch.

Today’s Manchester United transfer roundup takes a look at what news has been grabbing the headlines over the last few days. Sean Longstaff is still one of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s top priorities, Jadon Sancho continues to be a major target, whilst the club looks to bring in Nathan Collins to help their defensive woes.

Longstaff amongst the ‘British hit list’

Report: According to ESPN, Sean Longstaff is amongst the names on Solskjaer’s hit list, as he seeks to recruit young British talent from around the continent. It is not reported how much the Newcastle midfielder would cost, although the United boss is keen to bring him in.

Verdict: It is no surprise to see United linked with so many young English talents, as they so often are. However, the addition of Longstaff may be more than just rumours after the midfielder was heavily linked with the Red Devils throughout the summer.

It is also no surprise to see Solskjaer want to recruit the 21-year-old based solely on the fact he let Ander Herrera and Marouane Fellaini depart so easily without a replacement. As a result, Longstaff would no doubt be a welcomed addition to the United squad, so don’t expect this to be the last time you hear about this saga.

How likely is a deal? 7/10

Sancho still top of the list

Report: The report from ESPN also states that Sancho still remains a top priority for Solskjaer and the United boss has not been put off by the 19-year-old signing a new bumper deal just a few weeks back. Sancho has been a target for the club for some time and it was confirmed in Amazon’s ‘All or Nothing’ that Dortmund chiefs met with United to discuss a deal for the Englishman over the summer.

Verdict: This looks like one of those transfers that is going to be talked about year after year until either Sancho puts the rumours to bed, or eventually signs. As confirmed in the Amazon show, perhaps the signing could be still on the cards with United yet to replace forwards Alexis Sanchez and Romelu Lukaku and therefore still eager to bring him to Old Trafford to help on the right flank.

Although, as alluded to, Sancho signed a new deal in August which will no doubt have bumped up his buyout clause tremendously. Consequently, as much as Solskjaer and the fans desire the move so badly, the reality is he may just be too expensive for the controversial Ed Woodward to even consider.

How likely is a deal? 5/10

Solskjaer targets Nathan Collins 

Report: ESPN has reported Solskjaer is attempting to bring in Nathan Collins from Stoke City as the Norweigan looks to bring in several new faces over the next few windows. Irishman Collins is reported to be amongst United’s targets as Solskjaer aims to bring in more local talent, as opposed to international.

Verdict: With Chris Smalling on loan in Roma whilst the likes of Eric Bailly, Phil Jones, and Marcos Rojo spend more time in the physio room, Collins would certainly be a welcomed addition at Old Trafford in United’s central defence. The 18-year-old only broke into the first-team of Stoke this season and has played sporadically thus far, appearing in 4/7 Championship ties, although he continues to impress for the Potters when given the chance to do so.

Truthfully, when all considered, Collins probably wouldn’t offer United anything that academy graduate Axel Tuanzebe couldn’t – and even he can’t get into the team right now. Therefore, this transfer is not worth pursuing much unless Solskjaer can bag him on the cheap, nor is it one that could happen anyway.

How likely is a deal? 4/10

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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…

Speaking to Sky Sports (as quoted by The Manchester Evening News), Graeme Souness has insisted Jonny Evans would walk into the current Manchester United team.

What did he say?

The 31-year-old played 198 times for the Red Devils in the early stages of his professional career, but is now part of the first-choice back four at fellow Premier League side Leicester.

Now, Souness has suggested that despite his increasing age, Evans still possesses some of the key qualities that mark him out as one of the better defenders in the league.

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He said: “I’m an enormous fan, of this guy (Evans) as well. I think at 31, he may have not reached his peak yet. When you look at Man United have at the back, he walks into the Man United team, for me. He looks to be a really solid character, not short of ability, a modern centre-back at times, he’s more than comfortable to take it in areas where a lot of centre-backs wouldn’t.

“He can make passes, senses danger, of course, he should at 31, but he’s an all-round top-class centre-half for me.”

Late bloomer

Despite making just short of 200 appearances for the club, Evans never really established himself as one of the first names on the team-sheet at Old Trafford. The Northern Ireland international has since stepped up his game considerably however, and in his debut campaign with Leicester last season, averaged impressive numbers of 1 tackle, 1.4 interceptions and 6.1 clearances per game.

Would he have become the centre-half he is now if he had just remained at United? Probably not. His exposure to consistent first-team football at Premier League level has helped him massively, and he may well be the ideal partner to Harry Maguire – his former Leicester teammate of course.

Compared to Maguire’s current partner in crime, Victor Lindelof, Evans has averaged more tackles, clearances and blocks this season in the Premier League, whilst he has also managed to pick up an assist. United could certainly do a lot worse than bringing the veteran defender back.

Former Liverpool star John Barnes believes Jurgen Klopp’s impact at Anfield is comparable to that of Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger.

Klopp arrived at Anfield in 2015 and his influence on the club has led to notable success, culminating in last season’s record Premier League points tally for the Reds, as well as winning the Champions League.

The German has received many plaudits for his style of play since his arrival but there could be cause for concern amongst Liverpool fans, as Klopp has refused to tie himself down at Liverpool for longer than his current contract, which expires in 2022. There have been murmurings that he could take a sabbatical at that point.

When questioned whether Klopp is comparable to the likes of Ferguson and Wenger, and if Liverpool would be affected by his departure like Manchester United were, Barnes, who was speaking on behalf of bookmaker comparison site BonusCodeBets.co.uk, said:

“In terms of the impact yes but we’re not worried about that [finding a successor] because if he finished 10th this year then he won’t be here next season. There’s no point thinking about ‘let’s hope he signs a new contract’ because contracts mean nothing. I’m not worried about 2022, I’m worried about 2019/2020.”

Klopp remains fully concentrated on Liverpool, however, as he searches for his second major trophy with the club. Since arriving he has built a strong spirit in the dressing, and will look to quash any dispute which occurred between Mo Salah and Sadio Mane on Saturday.

Barnes believes that the former Borussia Dortmund manager would not allow any player to put themselves above the club, suggesting that is a dynamic which runs from the first-team down to youth level and a feature of the club which has allowed young players like Trent Alexander-Arnold and Joe Gomez to develop into top-level professionals.

Having himself progressed into one of the best players in the county after joining the Reds at the age of 23 – being named PFA Players’ Player of the Year in 1988 – Barnes believes that Liverpool remains a club where young players can thrive.

“At Liverpool because of the nature and essence of what Liverpool and Klopp are all about it’s not just the young players keeping their feet on the ground, it’s first-team players too because that’s what Liverpool is. As much as you may think Mo Salah may be a superstar he can’t act like a superstar because Klopp won’t put up with that.

“I can’t speak for other clubs but Man City, Arsenal or Tottenham where you may sometimes put some players ahead of others in terms of their status, that would never happen at Liverpool, so it is the right club for young players to learn humility.

“Even looking at older players like James Milner for example, everything he’s achieved, he’s still a very humble person and they’re the type of players that Klopp wants so I have no fear of any player at Liverpool, let alone young players, getting ideas above their station.”

Other than Alexander-Arnold, there hasn’t been an academy product who has worked his way into the first-team squad since Klopp arrived. He’s instead looked to the transfer market to improve his squad.

There are positive signs coming out of Liverpool’s youth system, with Harry Wilson proving himself a capable Premier League player with two goals in three league games on loan at Bournemouth, whilst Rhian Brewster was part of the matchday squad against Barcelona and Tottenham in the latter stages of the Champions League.

Despite that, the former England international predicts that there will be limited opportunities for young players this season due to Liverpool’s title ambitions, particularly because of “the midfielders and strikers Liverpool have, and what they have on the bench”.

Liverpool signed only one senior player to the squad in Adrian over the summer, but Barnes believes they are in a stronger position due to the return from injury of Gomez and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, and indicated what success would be for the Reds this season.

“To be as consistent as they were last year, fighting on all fronts and getting to the latter stages of the Champions League and the cup competitions, and to be in with a chance of winning the league,” said Barnes.

“Of course I don’t expect Man City or Liverpool not to lose but I still think that those two will be the favourites for the Premier League title, they’ll be the most consistent teams and if come March Liverpool are in with a chance of pushing for the Premier League title and also in the Champions League then it would be a good season.

“If Liverpool don’t win the Champions League it doesn’t mean they’ve failed and if they don’t win the Premier League it doesn’t mean they’ve failed because it’s a very difficult competition.”

On the pitch Liverpool have enjoyed a successful start to the season, and victory over Burnley took them to a club-record 13 consecutive wins, but there has been discontent behind the scenes.

Saif Rubie, the agent of Bobby Duncan – who is part of Liverpool’s U23 squad – accused the club of mistreating the 18-year-old and causing harm to his mental health by refusing to sell him, a claim which Liverpool deny.

With Rubie having deleted the statement, as well as his Twitter account, and Duncan keen to get on with playing, Barnes issued a warning to the youngster.

“Duncan has to be very careful with his career with a) who he has as his agent and the route in terms of which he wants to go down because he’s a player for Liverpool who have signed him and supported him.

“I have no concern [about players’ mental health] because players are much better looked after now than they were in my day so I would doubt very much that any club, particularly in this climate, would ever even think about doing what was done in the past in terms of bullying because they know how precarious that situation is.

“My concern is about agents trying to get their players more money by making things up. Bobby Duncan played against Tranmere, scored in the first-team, he’s 18-year-old, I don’t see how that can be contrived in any way shape or form as built-up bullying.”

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Monthly Review series, which analyses what managers can learn from the previous month and what the coming month could have in store.

Crystal Palace enjoyed an excellent – if not rare – start to the season in August, performing above expectations to end the first month of the campaign sitting pretty in fourth – if only it would stay that way!

One says rare because the Eagles often take a while to get going. They lost four of their first five Premier League games last term, whilst the season before that, they went without a goal for the first seven games of the campaign, losing all of them.

Despite those previous slow starts, Roy Hodgson has done a fine job so far in 2019/20, recording a historic result at Old Trafford whilst already winning a game at Selhurst Park – Palace won at their own ground just five times in 2018/19.

However, there is always room for improvement. Let’s take a look at two things the former England manager must address in September…

Return of defensive stalwarts 

Things are going pretty well at the back for Palace right now.

At the time of writing, the south Londoners have the best defensive record in the Premier League having conceded just two goals in four games, while keeping two clean sheets.

However, formidable duo Mamadou Sakho and James Tomkins are closing in on a return from injury, which leaves Hodgson with a bit of a headache – the pair helped contribute to the sixth-best clean sheet record in the league last term.

Does Hodgson stick with Gary Cahill and Martin Kelly, who have performed admirably so far this term, or does he reinstate Sakho and Tomkins immediately? This is a real dilemma for the 72-year-old, and one he must certainly address.

Decide on his best team

In just four games so far this season, Hodgson has selected three different starting lineups.

He went with Christian Benteke and Jordan Ayew up top together in the first match against Everton, then dropped the latter for the next game against Sheffield United, before bringing him back for the trip to Old Trafford whilst also handing Cahill, Jeffrey Schlupp and Cheikhou Kouyate their first starts of the season.

Hodgson stuck with the same XI in the last two outings and impressively gathered six points, so he must now make the decision on whether that lineup – which didn’t include Max Meyer, Benteke or Andros Townsend – is his best.

Tinkering is unlikely to help, after all.

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The South Africa captain becomes the club’s pre-draft overseas player

ESPNcricinfo staff27-May-2025Laura Wolvaardt will continue her association with Adelaide Strikers in the WBBL after becoming their pre-draft signing on a two-year deal.In 71 matches for Strikers over five seasons, South Africa captain Wolvaardt has made 1726 runs at 27.83 and a strike-rate of 110.92.Strikers were aiming for a hat-trick of titles last season but struggled with just three wins in 10 matches to finish seventh.”The club has become a second home to me, and I’ve made so many incredible memories here, especially our back-to-back championship wins,” Wolvaardt said. “While last season didn’t go as we hoped, I’m incredibly excited about the future and determined to help bring more success to the Strikers and our amazing fans. I can’t wait to get back to Adelaide with the team.”Strikers head coach Luke Williams said: “Laura is a world-class player and a vital part of the Strikers family, so we are ecstatic to have her sign on for two more years.”Her skill with the bat, combined with her leadership and experience, is invaluable. She has consistently performed under pressure and played a huge role in our previous championship successes. We know she will be a key pillar for us as we build towards a strong WBBL|11 season and beyond.”The overseas draft for the WBBL and BBL will be held on June 19. All clubs can pre-sign one player with Melbourne Renegades now the only club not to have filled that slot for the WBBL.

Having started in the middle order, Stackpole became a formidable opener with a superb Ashes record

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Apr-2025Former Australia opener Keith Stackpole, who played 43 Tests and scored seven centuries, has died aged 84.Stackpole made his debut against England in 1966 as a middle-order player who bowled legspin, but in early 1969 was elevated to opening where he partnered Bill Lawry.Stackpole scored his maiden Test century against South Africa in Cape Town and his career-best 207 came against England at the Gabba in 1970.He had an especially impressive record against England with an average of 55.21 including three of his centuries. In the 1972 Ashes, where he was Ian Chappell’s vice-captain, he topped the run-scoring with 485 at 53.88. He was named a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1973. “Keith was one of the great contributors to the game of cricket and his legacy will live long into the future,” Cricket Australia chair Mike Baird said. “Not only was he an outstanding player for Australia and Victoria, his work in the media, radio and TV commentary and as a mentor to many players who followed in his footsteps demonstrated his enduring passion and influence in the game.”His Test career ended with a pair against New Zealand at Auckland in 1974 which included falling to a full toss on the first ball of the game.”I only saw it a yard away from my head,” he later wrote. “I pulled out of the way, but the ball flicked the end of the bat and flew to first slip. Maybe it was the first time in Test cricket that a fellow was out first ball without the ball ever touching the ground!”Stackpole also featured in the first ever ODI in January 1971 where he claimed 3 for 40 at the MCG.He was awarded an MBE in 1974 for services to cricket. Overall in first-class cricket he scored 10,100 runs and claimed 148 wickets. He went onto become a prominent TV and radio commentator.Cricket Victoria chair Ross Hepburn said: “Keith was a giant of the game – a brilliant cricketer, a passionate Victorian, and a proud Australian. His courage at the crease and his deep understanding of the game made him one of the most respected figures of his time.”Keith was a true statesman of Victorian cricket. He played the game with great spirit and remained a devoted ambassador for cricket long after his playing days were over. His legacy will endure not only in the record books, but in the hearts of all Victorian cricket lovers.”

RCB play their first home game this season after back-to-back wins, while GT have started with a win and a loss each

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Apr-2025Toss Shubman Gill called correctly and had no hesitation in bowling first in Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s first home game of the season at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.GT, who are playing their first away game of the season, have won and lost one match each so far. They brought in left-arm fast bowler Arshad Khan in place of Kagiso Rabada, who missed out due to personal reasons. That left GT with only two overseas players in their bowling XI, with Sherfane Rutherford likely to come in while batting.”It looks like a good wicket. The conditions don’t change much, so we are looking to bowl first,” Gill said at the toss.”We are all about reducing our unforced errors, and we will try and fine-tune the areas that need some fine-tuning.”Rajat Patidar, the RCB captain, said that he would have bowled first as well, while confirming that RCB are going with an unchanged XI.”We wanted to bowl first as well,” he said. “The surface is pretty hard, [and] will not change much. We will try and keep them under pressure. The way everybody is chipping in gives me confidence. Everyone is looking in a good frame of mind.”RCB are coming into the game with two stellar wins. They began their season with a seven-wicket victory against Kolkata Knight Riders in the tournament opener. Six days later, they did something that they hadn’t since 2008 – defeated Chennai Super Kings at Chepauk by a huge 50-run margin. That means RCB are in their hometown while being top of the points table with a superb NRR of +2.266.GT, on the other hand, lost their opening match of the season to Punjab Kings by 11 runs, but made up for it by beating Mumbai Indians by 36 runs at home.Gujarat Titans: 1 Shubman Gill (capt), 2 Sai Sudharsan, 3 Jos Buttler (wk), 4 Shahrukh Khan, 5 Rahul Tewatia, 6 Arshad Khan, 7 Rashid Khan, 8 R Sai Kishore, 9 Mohammed Siraj, 10 Prasidh Krishna, 11 Ishant SharmaRoyal Challengers Bengaluru: 1 Phil Salt, 2 Virat Kohli, 3 Devdutt Padikkal, 4 Rajat Patidar (capt), 5 Liam Livingstone, 6 Jitesh Sharma (wk), 7 Tim David, 8 Krunal Pandya, 9 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 10 Josh Hazlewood, 11 Yash Dayal

Dan Scarr believes Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney will be seeking bragging rights over counterpart Tom Brady when Wrexham take on Birmingham.

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• Wrexham face Birmingham on Monday
• Red Dragons sit top of League One
• McElhenney & Reynolds eyeing promotion

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  NFL legend Brady joined Reynolds and McElhenney in the ownership sphere when he acquired a 3.3 per cent stake in the League One club last year. Brady would love for even a fraction of the success the Hollywood stars have achieved at Wrexham, achieving back-to-back promotions and earning worldwide recognition thanks to their Emmy-winning Welcome to Wrexham documentary.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  The two teams will go head-to-head on Monday evening when Wrexham travel to Birmingham. Phil Parkinson's side have made a faultless start to the season, topping the standings after winning four out of their first five matches, while Birmingham are fourth. Scarr believes Wrexham's co-owners will want bragging rights over Brady but has insisted the players won't approach the game any differently.

• WHAT SCARR SAID

  "The lads won't approach it any different," Scarr said, per the . "Obviously there's the atmosphere and there's the bragging rights with the owners being American, and stuff like that.

  "We will go with a game-plan and try and execute it the best we can but it will just be a normal game like we have set out for every game this season. Just go there and try and get a result like we have done in the other games. Hopefully if we put in a performance like we have been doing, we will be fine. It's a sell-out and I've seen a few away days from our fans as well and they are crazy so I am looking forward to it."

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  WHAT NEXT?

  The game, which has already been dubbed 'the Hollywood derby', has major implications, with Birmingham also aiming for promotion after being relegated from the Championship last season.