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If you told Kieran Dowell when he arrived at Sheffield United that he would become a left-wing-back he’d have probably laughed.

The youngster is an attacking midfielder by trade and although players breaking through have a tendency to claim they’ll play wherever for the team, this is a position where for obvious reasons he didn’t look comfortable.

The Everton man arrived in January on loan from the Premier League club but hasn’t shown too many signs of replicating the displays he turned in for Nottingham Forest last season.

Despite that, he’s still an incredibly exciting talent and after starring for England at the U20 World Cup in which they won in 2017, is one that’s been hotly tipped for a while.

Chris Wilder’s men won 1-0 with Dowell in their ranks last Saturday, but the experiment of playing him at left wing-back didn’t pay off as the 21-year-old was substituted after just 63 minutes.

KIERAN DOWELL (Preston vs Sheffield United)

33 touches

71% pass success

0 key passes

0 dribbles

0 tackles

Stats courtesy of WhoScored

After an injury to Jack O’Connell two weekends ago, Wilder was forced into bringing on Marvin Johnson to play in the left wing-back role against Bristol City after Enda Stevens was moved into the three-man defence.

It was a decision that proved disastrous for the Blades with the Yorkshire club losing 3-2 a fortnight ago, despite being in a winning position when Johnson came on.

So against Preston, the manager chose to go with Dowell and although they won it’s probably something he won’t opt for again.

Dowell’s pass completion rate wasn’t particularly amazing whilst he was ineffective going forward.

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One of the main qualities a wing back must possess are phenomenal attacking traits but he failed to provide the Blades with much in the final third, not completing a single dribble or key pass.

To get the best out of Dowell during the promotion run-in, he must play in a more advanced and central role.

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In an exclusive interview with Planet Radio, Gabriel Agbonlahor revealed that he has retired from professional football.

Agbonlahor has been without a club since leaving Aston Villa at the end of the 2017-18 campaign and has now officially hung up his boots, despite suggestions that the attacker could look to continue his career abroad.

The 32-year-old scored 86 times in 391 appearances for Villa in all competitions, including 73 goals in 322 Premier League games.

The former speedster (not anymore, sorry Gabby), who also won three England caps during his career, saw his relationship with Villa sour following their relegation from the Premier League in 2016.

Off-the-field issues and injuries meant that Agbonlahor’s appearances have been limited in recent seasons, but he has still been an excellent servant to the club since making his first-team debut in 2005.

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The Villa fans have been on social media offering their views on the announcement.

And a selection of their reaction can be seen below:

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Liverpool fans have been on social media discussing whether their club should move for a new centre-forward in this summer’s transfer window.

On form, Liverpool have one of the best attacks in world football.

Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino were in stunning form in the early months of the campaign, but things have since gone a little cold.

Indeed, Firmino was forced off through injury against Manchester United last time out, whilst Mane and Salah found it very difficult to influence the match at Old Trafford.

Daniel Sturridge could well depart Anfield this summer with his contract expiring, meanwhile, and Divock Origi’s future is also far from secure.

With that in mind, the Merseyside club’s fans have been discussing whether their team should move for a new striker this summer.

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RB Leipzig’s Timo Werner is amongst those to be mentioned, as well as Inter Milan forward Mauro Icardi, who may well be available this summer.

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

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Manchester United will be desperate to put a dent in Liverpool’s Premier League title challenge when the two teams meet at Old Trafford on Sunday afternoon.

And United will need a big performance from left-back Luke Shaw if they are to overcome a team that has only lost once in the league during the 2018-19 campaign.

The Chalkboard

Shaw has been around for so long that it is easy to forget he is still so young.

Indeed, the full-back will not turn 24 until July, but saw the early stages of his United career harmed by a number of injuries.

Shaw is comfortably enjoying his most productive campaign for the Red Devils, already making 28 appearances in all competitions, which is nine more than he managed in the entirety of last season.

The defender scored his first ever Premier League goal earlier this season, but has contributed just one assist in all competitions, whilst it would be fair to say that he still needs to offer more in an attacking sense.

The eight-time England international is certain to start at left-back against Liverpool and will need to put in a strong performance if United are to triumph.

What is required from Shaw on Sunday?

Well, the number one priority is to be solid defensively, but there is no getting away from the fact that is an area of weakness for the Red Devils.

Shaw will be directly up against Mohamed Salah, who has 20 goals to his name in all competitions this season.

Quite how the defender deals with the Egyptian could have a huge say on the outcome, but Shaw also needs to contribute down the other end.

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The full-back has not been afraid to break forward this season, but too often his crossing has been wayward.

Anthony Martial could well return from injury to start and the fact that the Frenchman loves to come inside will leave so much space for Shaw when United are on the attack.

And the former Southampton youngster must put in a strong performance at both ends of the field if his team are to collect a huge three points.

When Manuel Pellegrini was being pushed out of the London Stadium exit doors, there were plenty of managers who were being touted to take over from him.

Watch West Ham United Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below

Carlo Ancelotti is one of those who were in contention to fulfil the role of Hammers manager, as reported by The Daily Star in December.

Of course, this move did not come to fruition, as he eventually joined Everton, who are currently sitting 12th in the table on 37 points.

Meanwhile, West Ham appointed David Moyes, who has struggled to bring about much of an upturn in form, as West Ham are above the relegation zone on goal difference alone.

FFC has predicted the starting XI that Ancelotti may have been using if he had joined West Ham.

One big difference between the two managers since they took their respective posts is that Moyes has switched things round a lot, while Ancelotti has had real conviction with his formation. This is best highlighted by the fact that the Scotsman didn’t use the same formation consecutively in any of his first seven league games, while the Italian has played 4-4-2 in each of his last eight league matches.

This will have arguably allowed his team to settle better, as they will be far more familiar with what is required of them.

Regardless of who is manager, it is pretty likely that Lukasz Fabianski would be the man between the sticks for West Ham.

Ancelotti won’t have had much choice at right-back, as Ryan Fredericks has been injured and Pablo Zabaleta has struggled, so it is likely Jeremy Ngakia would have still got his chance.

The Italian has put his trust in Mason Holgate since moving to Goodison Park, as shown by his new five-year contract, so it is likely Issa Diop – another young and talented centre-back – continues in the team, alongside Angelo Ogbonna.

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Aaron Cresswell is selected ahead of Arthur Masuaku, showing a similar style to Lucas Digne, as he is able to produce special strikes such as his free-kick against Manchester United.

We have included the January signings made in this lineup, meaning that Jarrod Bowen starts on the right flank.

There is no Mark Noble in the side, as Tomas Soucek’s energy in the middle could be vital to making the 4-4-2 work, while Declan Rice is an ideal defensive figure to have in this formation, having averaged 3 tackles, 2.1 interceptions and 1.4 clearances per game.

Ancelotti has shown that he is not afraid to use a left-winger that isn’t the paciest, with Gylfi Sigurdsson playing that role in each of Everton’s last three games. With this in mind, Pablo Fornals may have been given game time quicker under Ancelotti, starting just twice in Moyes’ first eight games.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Richarlison have been enjoying life under Ancelotti, recording eight and four goals respectively. It would have been hoped that he could have a similar impact on Sebastien Haller and Michail Antonio, while there could also be a temptation to convert Felipe Anderson to a striker now that he is back from injury.

Meanwhile, West Ham fans have lost their patience with one man.

Tottenham’s decision to loan out Danny Rose to Newcastle in January likely raised some eyebrows around north London. Not only was this a player who started for Spurs in last season’s Champions League final, but he was also one of just two natural left-backs at the club, alongside Ben Davies.

But in truth, Rose’s performance levels haven’t quite been what they should be for some time now. Between the 2013/14 and 2016/17 Premier League seasons, Whscored’s average rating for the left-back was always upwards of 7. In the three top-flight terms since, his highest performance rating has been 6.84.

And whilst some Spurs fans may have been wishing the club gave Rose one more chance as they watched Davies struggle in a 2-1 defeat at Stamford Bridge on Saturday – the Welshman completed just 54.3% of his passes – the Magpies defender’s display at Selhurst Park was even more harrowing.

Despite Newcastle having the majority of the possession, Rose failed to record a single dribble or key pass from left wing-back, whereas defensively he mustered up just one tackle, alongside no interceptions, no clearances and no blocks. He also didn’t win any headers, and could only complete 71.4% of his passes.

His performance was so bad that Newcastle fans have already turned on the January signing, with supporters claiming he’s past his best and even that he looks overweight.

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Inevitably, Spurs’ squad would be stronger with one more experienced body for Jose Mourinho to choose from, even if it’s just for the odd cup game here and there. But Rose is already proving that he probably would have been as much a liability as an asset for the Lilywhites as they look to rectify a slow start to the season.

At least for the time being, Rose’s wayward form is somebody else’s problem – Mourinho can concentrate on the players who are going to pull their weight in the Premier League.

Tottenham Hotspur fans have been left fuming by the performance of Eric Dier after he was asked to play at centre-back on Sunday afternoon.

Jose Mourinho named a strong side for their FA Cup third-round tie at Middlesbrough with the England international being named as part of a back three.

Boro opened the scoring in the 50th minute through Ashley Fletcher before Lucas Moura salvaged the draw just over ten minutes later with a fine header from Serge Aurier’s cross.

Both teams will have to do battle again in order to secure their place in the fourth round with the draw coming later this evening.

Several supporters took to Twitter to slam Dier following the full-time whistle at the Riverside Stadium…

The 25-year-old was labelled ‘average’ and ‘terrible’ while one member of the travelling support singled out his lack of pace by claiming that a snail moves quicker than he does.

Watch Tottenham Hotspur Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below

Others went as far as suggesting that Dier is at the same standard as their Championship opposition with another blasting him for being a ‘League 2 player at best.’

Meanwhile, comments suggesting that Spurs should get rid of him also surfaced as one supporter believed he should have been sold two summers ago…

And finally, much of the away crowd were perplexed to why the midfielder was chosen to start over Oliver Skipp or Davinson Sanchez, particularly the latter given that he’s actually a central defender.

Per SofaScore, Dier won just two of his six aerial duels, lost possession 12 times and conceded three fouls.

Spurs await their fate later tonight, but Mourinho’s side will need significant improvement before they can secure their place in the fourth round as it is now just one victory in five attempts.

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And in other Spurs-related news, the need for this position has been ramped up tenfold following their FA Cup shocker vs Boro…

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Manchester United were completely swept aside by Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday, and Jose Mourinho was stunned by the performance of Andy Robertson.

Liverpool cruised back to the top of the table on Sunday, romping past Manchester United courtesy of a brace from Xherdan Shaqiri.

While Shaqiri took all the headlines and Fabinho took all the plaudits, Robertson was once again one of the Reds’ standout performers.

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The most impressive thing about the Scottish international is his consistency, as fans on Merseyside have just come to expect at least an eight out of ten performance every single week.

Perhaps his most valuable asset though is his engine, and Mourinho was stunned by the work the 24 year-old went through down that left flank.

“They are physical, they are objective, they play 200mph with the ball and without the ball,” the dejected Red Devils’ boss told reporters after the match.

“I am still tired just from looking at Robertson, he makes 100 metre sprints every minute,” he said. “Absolutely incredible.”

Robertson ability to impact the game at both ends of the pitch is what sets him apart from other left backs, and he made four key passes and 11 attempted crosses during Sunday’s win.

So, Liverpool fans, how impressed were you by Robertson on Sunday? What do you think of Mourinho’s comments? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below…

Arsenal fans are hoping manager Unai Emery’s impressive record in the Europa League could lead the Gunners to their first ever European trophy this season.

Arsenal’s 4-2 win over Vorskla on Thursday evening was the Spaniard’s 32nd win in the competition since its original inception in 1971.

Emery won the Europa League for three consecutive years between 2013 and 2016 during his tenure at Spanish club Sevilla.

And Arsenal fans are now hoping Emery can give them what Wenger never could, a big European trophy. After beating Vorskla the Gunners still have to face off with Portuguese club Sporting Lisbon and Qarabag from Azerbaijan.

The Gunners managed to make it to the competition’s semi-final last season before losing out on a place in the final to Atletico Madrid.

Here are some Twitter reactions by Arsenal fans to Emery’s record:

West Ham have been linked with a number of big name players this summer, but one recent story particularly caught the eye and it appears Hammers fans are very excited about it.

According to reputable fansite Knees Up Mother Brown, West Ham are interested in signing Sporting Lisbon midfielder Bruno Fernandes, as he is one of the many players attempting to force a move away from the Portuguese club.

The skilful 23-year-old had an impressive campaign in the Primeira Liga last season, scoring 11 goals and registering eight assists in 33 appearances.

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However, following a training ground attack on the Sporting players led by fans after they had failed to qualify for the Champions League, there appears to be a mass exodus of players and West Ham are hoping to profit from it.

He has reportedly requested to terminate his contract so the player valued at £27million on Transfermarkt could be available on a free transfer this summer.

We asked West Ham fans in our poll whether they would like to sign the Portuguese international and an overwhelming 96 per cent said they would.

It’s easy to see why as he’s one of the most talented players in the Portuguese league but they’ll have to work hard to see off reported interest from Chelsea and Liverpool.