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On this day in 2002, the Red Devils signed one of the most promising defenders in world football, Rio Ferdinand.

The rest, as they say, is history.

And indeed, 17 years ago Ferdinand was unveiled as Manchester United’s newest signing under Sir Alex Ferguson and the player went on to become an integral figure at the club, establishing an iconic and formidable partnership with Nemanja Vidic in the process.

Ferdinand left United after 12 long years of service and joined QPR for the final year of his career before retiring from the beautiful game.

Now, he has taken to social media and

/B0NhMEzgpZ1/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link” data-lasso->Instagram to celebrate this great anniversary with his beloved club, one which included a cheeky message and a great throwback image.

During his stay at Old Trafford, Ferdinand managed to accumulate a total of 455 games, also scoring eight goals and assisting a further nine in the process.

He also won a plethora of different titles as a Red Devil, including six Premier League crowns and one Champions League title among many others.

The image is bound to induce nostalgic memories amongst the United supporters during a period of time in which they would love a player of Ferdinand’s influence to slot into their defensive unit.

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Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp so far has just the one new face to add to his current squad, with Sepp van den Berg the sole arrival this summer. Today’s Reds transfer roundup includes an update in the rumoured pursuit of a La Liga ace, the potential departure of one of the club’s youngsters, and news on the future of a Croatian centre-back.

Dembele wants Barcelona stay

L’Equipe is reporting that Liverpool target Ousmane Dembele has told Barcelona that he wishes to stay with the Catalan club this summer. The Anfield outfit had reportedly been interested in a move for the Frenchman, but the former Borussia Dortmund man does not want to leave.

Adekanye joins Lazio

Former Reds youngster 20-year-old Bobby Adekanye has joined Lazio, the Serie A side have announced. The winger never made a first-team appearance for Liverpool but did represent them nine times in Premier League 2 last season.

Lovren latest

Predrag Mijatovic, an intermediary for Dejan Lovren’s agent, has been pictured in Milan. There was reportedly a meeting between Mijatovic and the AC Milan hierarchy. Milan have previously been credited with an interest in the former Southampton centre-back, but it remains to be seen whether the Rossoneri will make a strong move for the defender this summer.

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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 Liverpool’s official club website, former Reds defender Stephen Warnock has tipped two of the club’s academy players to potentially step-up and fill the shoes of the departing Alberto Moreno.

What did he say?

After confirmation that Moreno would leave Anfield at the expiration of his contract, the natural talk has been who the club would use to fill the void as the second-choice option at left-back.

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

Scotland international Andrew Robertson has well and truly nailed down a place in the first-team, and now according to Warnock, youngsters Adam Lewis and Yasser Larouci should be looking to put a marker down to Jurgen Klopp during pre-season.

He said: “When you see one of the first-team players in Moreno leaving the club, Adam has got to look at that now and think, ‘Is this an opportunity for me?’

“We know the manager will look at the youth and give them a chance, but I think he will also be looking to bring someone in as well. Can the likes of Adam and Yasser put a seed in the manager’s mind of positivity towards the way they play?”

A bit too soon

Despite impressing at academy level, the step-up in level in playing for the first-team of the reigning Champions League holders will surely be a bit too far. Robertson was a cornerstone of the team’s success in Europe and was a major factor in Jurgen Klopp’s side’s title challenge in the Premier League.

If the Scotsman were to suffer an injury next campaign, Liverpool would feel rather concerned about having to throw in the inexperience of the 19-year-old Lewis or the 18-year-old Larouci in the major competitions. Whilst the Anfield side were rewarded handsomely for placing their faith in fellow academy product Trent Alexander-Arnold, the right-back could be eased into action.

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In the high-pressure situations, it would be a major oversight on Liverpool’s part to go into the next season with just Robertson as their senior left-back option. The likes of Lewis and Larouci however could feature in the domestic cup competitions as 16-year-old Ki-Jana Hoever did against Wolves in the FA Cup earlier this year.

So whilst Warnock’s comments are understandable in trying to encouraging the club’s youth talents that there could be an immediate route into the first-team with a good showing in pre-season, Lewis and Larouci may not be in Klopp’s plans just yet.

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The wait is finally over.

At last, Premier League football returns to our lives tonight when Liverpool welcome Norwich to Anfield, and the Reds will undoubtedly be looking to get off to a flying start as they aim for another title surge.

Jurgen Klopp’s men last appeared in a competitive fixture (the Community Shield shouldn’t count!) in Madrid for the Champions League final, where they ended that game with gold medals around their necks and a place in the history books.

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Newly-promoted Norwich went up as champions last term, and will be keen to re-establish themselves in the top-flight after spending three years away from the big time.

Let’s take a look at who we think Klopp will include in his starting XI for the big game…

As you can see, we don’t think the former Borussia Dortmund boss will make any drastic changes.

Sadio Mane only recently returned to Merseyside, as he was granted extra holiday due to his international commitments in helping Senegal reach the Africa Cup of Nations final.

Klopp has said the 22-goal forward is looking good, although we presume that no risks will be taken when Divock Origi has a full pre-season under his belt and is raring to go.

At the back, Alisson, Andy Robertson, Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold pick themselves, with the Dutchman’s centre-back partner the only real question mark.

Joe Gomez started the Community Shield final, but was caught in possession numerous times in dangerous areas and the Reds looked a lot better when Joel Matip was subbed on – the Cameroonian defender also scored in that game.

In midfield, Fabinho and Jordan Henderson have both enjoyed full pre-seasons and are seemingly ready to go, although the third spot in the middle of the park is up for debate.

James Milner – who missed the game at Wembley with a minor muscle issue – is okay according to Klopp, but we think that no risks will be taken with the 33-year-old either.

Klopp has spoken glowingly of Naby Keita and the Guinean’s adventurous qualities could be of use against a Norwich side who will presumably sit back and look to pick their moments against last season’s runners up.

We think the £52.8m former RB Leipzig man will get the nod ahead of Gini Wijnaldum, who was awful against Manchester City at Wembley and also missed the decisive spot kick in the shootout.

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In what promises to be one of the long drawn-out sagas of this summer, the battle to sign Harry Maguire is beginning to hot up.

Reports in recent weeks had suggested Manchester United were competing with the club’s rivals Manchester City over the England international’s signature, and it now appears the Red Devils have stolen a march.

According to Sky Sports, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side put in a second bid in the region of £70m for the 26-year-old, but the Foxes turned the new offer down.

Watch Manchester United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

After hearing that their side had not quite convinced their Premier League rivals to sell, United fans took to Twitter to share their thoughts on the matter.

Many felt slightly frustrated that the Foxes hadn’t given into the club’s latest bid and felt that United were getting exploited in the transfer market once again by having to pay top dollar for a British talent.

However, some expressed their relief at the bid being turned down and suggested that the club take the hint and go after alternative options like Tottenham’s Toby Alderweireld and West Ham’s Issa Diop.

Check out some of the reaction of United fans below:

أشاد الدولي الغاني توماس بارتي، لاعب وسط فريق آرسنال، بزميله الجديد داخل الجانرز، الدولي النرويجي مارتن أوديجارد، والمُنضم حديثًا لصفوف الجانرز قادمًا من ريال مدريد.

أوديجارد انضم إلى آرسنال مُعارًا من ريال مدريد، في يناير القادم، وحتى نهاية الموسم الجاري.

اقرأ أيضًا.. ديلي ستار: آرسنال سيضطر لبيع محمد النني في الصيف

وقال أوديجارد في تصريحات نقلتها شبكة “سبورتس مول” البريطانية: “أوديجارد؟ من الصعب أنّ تلعب ضده”.

وأضاف: “أتذكي أنني لعبت ضده عندما كنت في أتلتيكو مدريد، إنه ذكي جدًا، ويملك سرعة هائلة، ولا يمنحك فرصة للفوز بالكرة”.

وأتم تصريحاته قائلًا: “إنه لأمر رائع أنّ يكون هُنا، أتمنى أنّ يتمتع بموسم رائع ويصبح قادرًا على مساعدتنا في تحقيق ما نريد تحقيقه”.

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…

Reports from Football Insider on Thursday stated that Marcelo Bielsa is at loggerheads with the higher-ups at Leeds United due to the timing of the club’s pre-season tour in Australia.

Of course, travelling to the other side of the world less than a month before your season gets started isn’t ideal, but the Argentine has known about this for months now, so he needs to just get on with it.

We’ve all known that Leeds were heading down under since November last year, and Bielsa seemed quite happy with the arrangement back then.

“I am pleased that we have been given the opportunity to take the team over to Australia to help us prepare for the 2019/20 season,” the Argentine said.

It’s understandable that any football manager wouldn’t be happy with his squad travelling such a distance so close to the start of the season, but in this case, Bielsa has no grounds to be kicking off with people in charge at the club.

Causing a stir achieves nothing, Leeds will be going to Australia no matter what, and the reported problems have seemingly reached the press which could cause further strain on the relationship between Bielsa and club officials.

The 63-year-old would have been better off just biting his tongue and getting on with it while making it clear that he doesn’t want the same situation to arise next season.

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Managers can sometimes get lost with what’s happening on the pitch, but the directors know what’s best for commercial gains and a tour of Australia could bring in a wealth of new supporters which could provide the club with a financial boost.

With Leeds’ apparent struggles with FFP compliance, this tour could be vital in terms of extra income, and while it may cause problems with fatigue, Bielsa’s complaints won’t change anything.

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Yesterday was a big day for many of the Liverpool youngsters.

As the Merseyside team started their 2019 summer pre-season with a match against Tranmere Rovers, Jurgen Klopp decided to make dreams come true, including their coveted young star Bobby Duncan.

Duncan is still officially a part of the Reds’ Under-18 team but he was granted his senior team debut earlier this week, and it’s safe to say that he grasped the opportunity with both hands.

Liverpool ended up winning the game with an impressive six-nil scoreline and Duncan was among the goalscorers.

After the game the 18-year-old up and coming starlet quickly took to Instagram to share an emotional message with the fans and his teammates alike.

Even though he has only been a part of the Liverpool family for a year, he has rapidly established himself as a big part of the youth setup since he arrived from Manchester City.

Just last season he played a total of 36 games across all competitions, scoring 25 goals and assisting eight.

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…

If you were an Arsenal fan and you didn’t know who Takuma Asano was, then you would be forgiven. The 24-year-old has been on the club’s books since the summer of 2016, but has failed to register a single competitive appearance for the Gunners.

At the time of his signing, Arsene Wenger proudly declared that Asano was a “talented young striker and very much one for the future”. Perhaps even the iconic French manager could not have envisaged a scenario whereby three years later, the Japanese ace would still not have taken to the field at the Emirates.

Watch Arsenal Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

As is unfortunately the case when it comes to signing players from Asian outfits, the pre-conception is that clubs do it to boost their marketing profile. The likes of Park Ji-Sung and Son Heung-Min have done well to dispel that notion somewhat in recent history, but Asano’s failings leave another black mark on clubs opting to sign talent from Asia.

The 24-year-old has spent the past three campaigns on loan at German sides VfB Stuttgart and Hannover 96, and his time with the latter last season ended in quite farcical fashion.

Having managed 13 league appearances by April – without scoring a single goal – Asano was one appearance away from forcing Hannover to pay £2.6m to make the loan deal permanent. The result? Asano was frozen out from the team for the rest of the campaign so that the German club could avoid taking the Japan international off Arsenal’s hands.

Watch how to cross the road like a boss with freestyler Ben Nuttall in the video below…

Now, reports claim that Partizan Belgrade are close to taking the striker to Serbia for the upcoming season and that they will have an option to sign him permanently after that. Bizarrely though, the 24-year-old’s contract with the Gunners will have expired by then and he could thus leave on a free transfer.

Asano’s signing will go down as one of the most forgettable in the club’s recent history, and serves as a reminder that not all promising stars turn out for the best. Sorry Arsene.

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[ad_pod ]Every fan-base has a player at their club who is misunderstood.Usually they are either under-rated or over-rated by those who only see him in action sporadically or, in certain cases, the media wilfully misconstrue as only they can. It can drive a fan-base mad, frankly because they are close enough to know the truth.In the instance of Gabriel Jesus both of these forms of misinterpretation have come to the fore this summer, first deriving from aÂstory originating in Spain back in April that suggested the 22-year-old striker was unhappy at the club and actively seeking a departure in the close season.Brazil’s legendary striker Rivaldo then stoked the fire, per M.E.N, by suggesting that Jesus’ career would best be served away from the bright lights of Manchester.Then came his successful Copa America outings that included a goal and assist in the final and suddenly two and two were added up to five.Watch Manchester City Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

The first part of the equation had it that Jesus is unsettled in Manchester, discontent at a lack of playing time due to being second fiddle to Sergio Aguero. That that the player himself scorched the story last month by claiming a departure is “out of the question” for both him and Aguero is neither here nor there.

The transfer window is presently open therefore every rumour has some degree of currency.

Fair enough, City fans can take that with a pinch of salt. After all, we’re used now to seeing rumours do the rounds whenever one from Aguero or Jesus endures a lengthy spell on the bench. It’s an easy punch to throw but attempts to disrupt the atmosphere at City have been made in vain thus far.

Furthermore anecdotally – and sometimes too via the press – we’re aware of how settled Jesus is in the North West, in the company of his close friends and mother. We’re aware too of how highly he is valued within the club. “Gabriel is an incredible guy,†Pep Guardiola said in May on his decision to start the former Palmeiras prodigy ahead of Aguero for the FA Cup final. It has recently been revealed that Jesus will be given the number 9 jersey ahead of 2019/20.

Suddenly circumstantial evidence based purely on the forward’s back-up status at City doesn’t look so strong does it?

The second part of the equation is equally a misnomer: a fruitful Copa America is now somehow proof that Jesus is brilliant at what he does after all.

City supporters are already very conscious of this. Last season he scored seven goals and made three assists from eight league starts while his early scoring ratio soon after his arrival in January 2017 had us agape in astonishment.

His work-rate off the ball meanwhile is highly commendable with an all-round attitude to match. He is cherished at the Etihad. He is also viewed as elite.

That didn’t stop some on Twitter however – non-City supporters naturally – having their minds changed by his performances in Brazil this past month…

Every fan-base has a player at their club who is misunderstood. It can drive a fan-base mad.