Manchester United had a slow start to their Premier League game against Watford on Tuesday night, but in the end managed to earn a 4-2 victory at Vicarage Road.

Ashley Young scored twice, while Anthony Martial put the team 3-0 ahead.

The Hornets came close to performing a comeback by scoring twice in the final 13 minutes, but Jesse Lingard’s strike wrapped up the win for the Red Devils.

During the second half there was cause for concern from an injury standpoint as Nemanja Matic asked manager Jose Mourinho to substitute him.

The midfielder suffered a muscular problem, but the extent of the injury is not yet known.

The news, though, is bad timing considering that United face Arsenal and Manchester City in the Premier League within the next 12 days.

The club also have a Champions League group game against CSKA Moscow during that period.

As expected, when Matic made way for Ander Herrera, fans expressed concern for the midfielder.

Another transfer window is rapidly approaching and football fans across the continent are considering what can be done to improve their squads ahead of a frantic second half of the season.

For Celtic it’s an opportunity to address some deficiencies in an already talented squad. There’s no need for wholesale changes when they continue to dominate the domestic action in Scotland. However, if they’re to ever reach a level in Europe that matches their ambition, adding quality in select areas could really complete the puzzle.

Two positions they could do with reinforcements in is at left wing and right wing. While both Scott Sinclair and James Forrest have been in excellent scoring form so far this term, adding competition for both could ensure they don’t become complacent and see a dip in form.

With Patrick Roberts ruled out for months and currently recovering from injury back at his parent club, Forrest doesn’t have a natural right-sided player push him for first team places. Sinclair is backed up by Jonny Hayes, but he’s not really made much of an impact since arriving from Aberdeen in the Summer.

Here are THREE wingers that could provide a real spark to the wide areas in January…

Patrick Twumasi

Patrick Twumasi should be well known to Celtic supporters, having scored against the club twice this season during UEFA Champions League qualifying. He was a constant threat to the Hoops and although Brendan Rodgers’ side eventually got the job done against Astana, the Ghanaian international certainly gave them a scare.

That kind of performance has not been isolation, scoring 23 goals for the Kazakh champions in all competitions in 2017, including a fantastic nine goals in European competition, with Astana having a real shot of qualifying from their Europa League group.

It’s a contribution that could really enhance Celtic’s attacking prospects in the new year and while he wouldn’t be able to feature in the knockout stages of the Europa League due to being cup tied, in seasons ahead he could be a real performer at that level.

Able to play on the right or left wing too, he could become a key part of the squad, with the Celtic manager rotating often.

Lewis Morgan

Lewis Morgan is one of the brightest young Scottish prospects in the country and has played a key part in St Mirren’s successful season so far, a team that is pushing for promotion places in the Scottish Championship.

With 10 goals and eight assists so far in all competitions, he’s showing consistency with his attacking contribution and has a pace and attitude that should see him fit right in to life at Celtic.

His contract runs out at the end of the season and signing him in January and loaning him back to St Mirren could be a great option, with a view to bedding him in to his Celtic career next summer.

Still just 21, he has a bright future ahead of him and would learn a lot working under Brendan Rodgers and his coaches.

Charly Musonda

Charly Musonda is a Chelsea player who is badly in need of regular first team action, but isn’t getting the opportunities at Stamford Bridge.

Talented enough to be a part of Antonio Conte’s title-defending senior squad, his starts this season have been limited to the English League Cup, where he impressed against Nottingham Forest and Everton, scoring in one and assisting in the other. He has also appeared as a substitute in the Premier League against Burnley and Crystal Palace this term.

Crucially for Celtic he’s a player who has already has a taste of regular senior action, spending a year on loan at La Liga side Real Betis.

Given Patrick Roberts’ injury issues, which could see him out of action into March of next year, a loan move for the Blues attacking midfielder could be the perfect short-term solution, on a budget.

Earlier this week, David Moyes suggested Jack Wilshere as a potential mid-season transfer target for West Ham, claiming the Irons would have to ‘look at’ the Arsenal midfielder if he became available in January.

No doubt, the England international is a fine talent and one who would improve arguably the weakest area of West Ham’s starting XI, which has struggled to protect the defence and link it to the attack for much of the season.

“You’d hope that if you took a player from another Premier League club it’d be much easier for him to go right into the team and play well. Jack Wilshere would be someone who we’d have to look at if he was available.”

But Wilshere inevitably comes with risk after so many injury problems and if there’s one thing West Ham don’t need, it’s another creative talent who can’t be fully relied upon.

With that in mind, we asked Hammers fans earlier this week whether they’d back a January swoop for Wilshere and although our poll revealed that the majority would, a rather significant 36% weren’t keen on the idea.

Is there a midfielder you’d prefer your club to sign instead of Wilshere, Irons supporters? Let us know by commenting below…

[ad_pod ]

Tottenham fans are running out of superlatives for Davinson Sanchez, after the Colombian centre back put in a beastly shift in his side’s dramatic loss to England.

Not many Colombian players covered themselves in glory on Tuesday night, as their snide tactics to infuriate England’s players were as disappointing as their performance.

The South Americans were of course without their best creative spark in James Rodriguez, but they set out not to lose the game, rather than trying to win it.

That said, one player who shone like a diamond in the rough was Tottenham’s Sanchez, who was an absolute monster at the back.

[brid autoplay=”true” video=”262625″ player=”12034″ title=”England (2018) vs. England (Experienced) Football Manager Simulation”]

The 22 year-old had a few lapses of concentration in his first season in North London, but overall he was extremely impressive for a young defender in a new league, and he showed every ounce of his composure and class on Tuesday night.

Sanchez’s partnership with Yerry Mina has been one of the standout parts of the tournament, and it’s starting to feel like Spurs might not really even miss Toby Alderweireld if he leaves this summer.

Fans are absolutely loving the youngster’s performance, and they’re particularly proud that he stayed out of any below the belt tactics.

[ad_pod ]

You can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below…

According to Italian journalist Gianluca Di Marzio, Fulham have won the race to sign Nice midfielder Jean-Michael Seri, rated at £27m by Transfermarkt.

[ad_pod ]

Seri has been strongly linked with a move away from Nice over the last few months, but the speculation increased when he was left out of the French club’s pre-season training camp.

West Ham United have been linked with a move for the 18-time Ivory Coast international since the end of last season, although it appears that Fulham are now in the driving seat.

That said, the West Ham fans are not yet ready to give up hope when it comes to this deal.

It has been a busy summer for the Hammers, with Lukasz Fabianski, Issa Diop, Ryan Fredericks, Jack Wilshere and Andriy Yarmolenko all moving to the London Stadium.

[brid autoplay=”true” video=”255853″ player=”12034″ title=”Watch West Ham’s opening fixtures for the 201819 Premier League season”]

However, the club’s supporters still want Seri to arrive.

Fulham are seemingly going to pay £35m to sign Seri, and it remains to be seen whether West Ham make a late play to snatch the midfielder from their Premier League rivals.

A selection of the Twitter reaction from the West Ham supporters can be seen below:

Everton fans have been reacting to a claim that they want to sign both Lucas Digne and Yerry Mina, and they’re absolutely delighted.

According to The Telegraph, Everton now want to sign both Mina and Digne from Barcelona to reinforce their defence.

The Toffees have been eyeing a move for Mina for quite some time, and it seems they have now identified Digne as a possible replacement for Leighton Baines.

Kieran Tierney was linked with a move to become the new left back at Goodison, but Celtic’s asking price was presumably too high.

Digne is now available due to his lack of playing time at the Nou Camp, and could follow Mina to Merseyside.

[brid autoplay=”true” video=”271323″ player=”12034″ title=”Cristiano Ronaldo to Juventus on Football Manager”]

The 24 year-old is a full French international, and was brought in to compete with Jordi Alba. Having been unable to dislodge the Spaniard though, he could now be on the move for around £10m.

Mina may only be allowed to leave on loan rather than permanently, but the report claims Marco Silva and Marcel Brands are “desperate” to inject some new youth and quality into the squad, and the title-winning pair would be an excellent start.

The report has also been backed up by Paul Joyce, one of the most reliable journalists when it comes to northern football.

Fans are loving the double swoop, and you can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below…

Rangers have beaten Leeds United to the loan signing of youngster Ryan Kent from Liverpool, according to The Scottish Sun.

What’s the story?

The 21-year-old winger is a product of the Liverpool academy and has spent the past few seasons out on loan, most recently at Bristol City where he made ten appearances during his spell at Ashton Gate.

Leeds United and Blackburn Rovers were rumoured to be interested in signing the young talent this summer but now it appears Steven Gerrard’s Rangers have pipped the Championship clubs to his signature.

One clause of the loan will be a minimum number of games for Kent, which Bristol City fell foul of and had to pay Liverpool around £500,000 according to the report.

[brid autoplay=”true” video=”271323″ player=”12034″ title=”Cristiano Ronaldo to Juventus on Football Manager”]

Time to prove himself

Kent has promised much early in his career but has so far failed to establish himself in the same way that fellow Liverpool graduate Harry Wilson did at Hull City last season.

Gerrard knows Kent from his days at Anfield and clearly sees enough in the young prospect to sign him and guarantee him a certain number of games for Rangers, and he will be an addition that can help them hunt Celtic down in the title race in 2018/19.

It’s another missed opportunity for Leeds whose transfer window is turning into a bit of a nightmare, but there’s still time for Marcelo Bielsa to turn things round.

Italian newspaper Corriere dello Sport has claimed that Tottenham are interested in signing Juventus and Argentina striker Gonzalo Higuain.

What’s the story?

Since Cristiano Ronaldo’s £105m move to Turin, Higuain has been linked with a move away from the club. Five-time Ballon d’Or winner Ronaldo will no doubt be deployed as a striker by Massimiliano Allegri as they look to secure their eigth Serie A title in a row.

The report from the Italian outfit also claims that Chelsea are interested in Higuain as a replacement for Alvaro Morata, who struggled to settle in at Stamford Bridge following a £60m move from Real Madrid.

If Chelsea were to target the 30-year-old, he may prefer to link up with his former boss Maurizio Sarri rather than heading to White Hart Lane. Higuain spent just one season under Sarri at Napoli, scoring 38 goals in 42 appearances in 2015/16 before the new Chelsea manager decided that a £75m offer from Juve was too good to turn down.

A better option?

Although Higuain has a fantastic scoring record for Juventus, with 55 goals in 105 games, his Juventus and Argentina teammate Paulo Dybala should be the man that Spurs try to sign if they do attempt to use the Ronaldo signing to raid the Old Lady.

Whilst Higuain is an out and out striker of a similar mould to Harry Kane, Dybala is a hugely exciting attacking player who could play with Kane or offer Spurs a different option when playing without the Englishman.

Last season Dybala racked up 26 goals in 46 games in all competitions – he has 68 in 140 appearances in total – and with Mauricio Pochettino’s reputation for nurturing and developing talent, the 24-year-old could no doubt become one of the world’s best at Spurs.

However, with his Transfermarkt valuation at £99m, he would take a considerable chunk of money to sign which Daniel Levy may not be willing to stump up after the completion of Spurs’ new stadium.

[brid autoplay=”true” video=”271323″ player=”12034″ title=”Cristiano Ronaldo to Juventus on Football Manager”]

According to reliable club insider @ExWHUemployee on Twitter, West Ham United manager Manuel Pellegrini could be ready to put his faith in Sead Haksabanovic this season, and Irons fans have been quick to react to the news.

The east London outfit have lost Manuel Lanzini for the long-term after he picked up an injury while on international duty with Argentina prior to the World Cup, and they are yet to sign a like-for-like replacement for the 25-year-old despite strengthening in other areas.

Meanwhile, 19-year-old Haksabanovic has impressed for the Hammers during pre-season, and it seems as though his boss has been impressed with what he has seen from the teenager and could be ready to give him an important first-team role covering Lanzini during the 2018/19 campaign.

[brid autoplay=”true” video=”274376″ player=”12034″ title=”The Consequences of West Ham Selling Obiang”]

West Ham supporters, 71% of whom polled by us want their club to sign a former Arsenal midfielder to replace Cheikhou Kouyate, took to social media to deliver their verdict on the potential decision, and while one said “in my eyes he is very Championship”, another said “he has unbelievable talent”.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

According to Goal, Everton are set to step up their bid to sign Manchester United centre-back Marcos Rojo having been priced out of a move for Barcelona’s Yerry Mina, and Celtic must move for Phil Jagielka once a big-money deal gets done.

What’s the word, then?

Well, Goal report that the Toffees were hoping to buy Mina for £27m, but with Barca demanding at least £35m the Merseyside outfit are considering alternative targets including Rojo, who would cost £30m according to a report in The Daily Mail.

With time running out in the summer transfer window Marco Silva needs to get a deal done for a left-sided centre-back, although Goal report the interest in the Argentina international could simply be to try and convince the La Liga champions to accept a lower offer.

Should Rojo arrive at Goodison Park, he would be competing with the likes of Michael Keane, Mason Holgate and Phil Jagielka for a spot at the heart of the defence.

Why should Celtic sign Jagielka?

Well, despite keeping a clean sheet against Rosenborg on Wednesday night to move through to the next qualifying stage of the Champions League, it is clear to many Bhoys fans that the club needs to strengthen at centre-back if they are to push on in Europe and ensure they win the Scottish Premiership title for an eighth successive year.

Jagielka may be 35 years of age, but he would arrive in Glasgow with a wealth of experience for Everton in the Premier League and England on the international stage, and he is also a born leader – something Brendan Rodgers, who must sign an unhappy 19-year-old attacker once likened to Lionel Messi, and his men have sometimes lacked in their backline.

The fact that he is likely to be fourth-choice should one new centre-back arrive could mean that he looks to leave in search of regular minutes at this stage of his career, and with just a year remaining on his contract he should be available for a bargain cut-price fee – he is rated at just £1.35m by Transfermarkt.

[brid autoplay=”true” video=”256213″ player=”12034″ title=”Watch Celtic’s first six fixtures for the 201819 Scottish Premiership season”]