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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…

Manchester United legend Roy Keane has criticised Harry Maguire’s ability to defend, and has said that there are still a few question marks surrounding the England international despite his undoubted quality on the ball.

Maguire moved to Old Trafford this summer in a deal worth £85m, but has kept just one clean sheet in four Premier League games as United suffered a defeat to Crystal Palace and also drew with Wolves and Southampton.

Keane was speaking on ITV as England thrashed Bulgaria by four goals to nil, and certainly didn’t hold back on his appraisal of the former Leicester man’s defensive qualities.

What did he say?

Keane told ITV (via The Mirror): “We’re talking about how good he is on the ball but defensively I still have one or two question marks over him. I worry about his pace on the turn.

“I remember the first goal against Crystal Palace and he wasn’t doing his best covering his other centre-half. Listen, he’s 26 years of age now. You’re worried if you’re pointing these things out to him.”

Harsh from Keane

What Keane hasn’t taken into account is the fact that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer doesn’t really have a reliable, natural defensive midfielder to screen the back four and protect Maguire and co.

In terms of Jordan Ayew’s goal at Old Trafford – the one in which Keane makes reference to – the four-man backline was far too high up the pitch when Vicente Guaita launched the ball long, which may be a result of a Fabinho-type player not being present in Solskjaer’s side.

You can argue that if United did have a player of that ilk in their side, they would be more comfortable with starting deeper as a back-four, rather than put themselves at risk by trying to win everything on the halfway line.

Keane’s comments on Maguire are harsh in that respect, and you can very easily argue that Maguire wouldn’t need to have his lack of pace exposed if a few more things were in order at United, such as a recognised defensive midfielder.

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Sunday afternoon not only marked the opening game of Garry Monk’s tenure as Sheffield Wednesday boss but also the first goal at the club in over two years for striker Sam Winnall.

The Owls faced a trip up the road to local rivals Huddersfield Town, and they delivered in style, keeping a clean sheet on their way to a 2-0 victory.

Watch Sheffield Wednesday Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Steven Fletcher opened the scoring with a header just ten minutes into the match, but all three points were sealed when Winnall met Barry Bannan’s whipped ball later in the second half.

The club have since tweeted out footage of his goal and how much it meant to him, leaving several of the Hillsborough fanbase praising the 28-year-old.

One supporter said they were delighted for him and hoped he would now get a run in the side, while another fan said they want him paired with Fletcher moving forward.

Wednesday’s number 11 originally joined the south Yorkshire club in the 2017 January transfer window from Barnsley and has made just 29 appearances, scoring nine times, per Transfermarkt.

Here’s the best of the reaction:

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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.

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Even the best can have an off day. Sadio Mane has arguably eclipsed Mohamed Salah this season in the contest of being Liverpool’s key performer, scoring six times to the Egyptian’s four.

The former Southampton man’s early exploits are remarkable considering he arrived late to Anfield this summer following his involvement in the Africa Cup of Nations with Senegal.

Having found the back of the net three times in his last three Premier League games, Mane would undoubtedly have been confident of getting on the score-sheet against Sheffield United on Saturday afternoon.

And the 27-year-old’s chances of doing so were significantly boosted by the number of clear-cut opportunities that presented themselves to him. However, it appeared he didn’t seem to have his shooting boots on, with none of his four attempts on goal making their way past Dean Henderson.

After seeing Mane surprisingly fluff his lines, Liverpool fans took to Twitter to voice their concerns over the forward.

Many fans of the Merseyside club criticised his wayward attempts, and it left one Reds supporter claiming it was equal to “Sunday league” finishing.

Check out some of the reaction of Liverpool fans below:

Did he really expect anything else? When Steve Bruce took the poisoned chalice of trying to replace Rafa Benitez at Newcastle, it was hardly going to be a walk in the park.

The latter was a popular figure amongst the Geordie masses, and his departure simply added to the resentment surrounding the club. Appointing Bruce – a manager who has been around the block but hardly a star-studded name – was never going to lift spirits.

And judging by the performances on the pitch, his arrival hasn’t exactly reignited the Newcastle players either. After suffering a 5-0 drubbing at the hands of Leicester last week, the Tyneside club face Manchester United on Sunday in the Premier League.

Speaking in his pre-match press conference, Bruce talked about the criticism he has received and insisted he is trying to turn things around.

He said: “Mud has been thrown my way since I walked through the door, that’s not going to change. The only thing that can change it for me is results. I’m a resilient so and so. You wouldn’t be human if it didn’t affect you in some sort of way but you try and get on with your job as best you can.”

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After hearing the manager’s comments, Newcastle fans flooded to Twitter to voice their thoughts on what the 58-year-old had to say.

Many Magpies supporters felt Bruce tried to play the sympathy card, and insisted he should have known what he was walking into when he took the job.

Check out some of the reaction of Newcastle fans below:

Matty Longstaff’s Newcastle United debut couldn’t have gone better if he had written the script for it himself.

The teenager has immediately become a fan favourite at St James’ Park after netting the only goal in the Magpies’ 1-0 win against Manchester United on Sunday evening.

Watch Newcastle United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

The midfielder bagged in the second half from 25 yards out, and his goal would prove to be decisive.

Scoring on your debut is one thing, but doing it with a peach of an effort against one of the biggest clubs in the world is something else entirely.

Sky Sports’ top pundits were clearly very impressed with how the youngster took his goal.

Jamie Redknapp, Graeme Souness and Gary Neville were all in awe of the way the Newcastle man struck the ball.

Redknapp even compared him to David Beckham while Souness and Neville waxed lyrical about the strike.

It remains to be seen whether or not this becomes something of a trademark for Longstaff as it’s his first-ever league start, but based off of his debut he certainly has the right technique to be scoring from distance.

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 exclusively to Football FanCast, John Hartson has insisted there is “quality” in the Newcastle squad, pointing to one man in particular who could “step up” to help Steve Bruce.

Hartson gave a special shoutout to the Longstaff brothers after their performance against Manchester United, saying Newcastle fans “love a local hero”, but he was quick to draw praise to Allan Saint-Maximin.

Asked if the Frenchman could replace Ayoze Perez’s flair and skill, he told Football FanCast: “He’s a box of tricks, he’s powerful, he can cause problems. He gave Man United all sorts of problems.

“So Steve Bruce is looking for one or two of those players now to step up and to help him. It’s okay being a manager and going in and putting your stamp on it but you’re only as good as your players.”

He continued: “I think Newcastle showed at the weekend that they’ve got quality in the team.”

Verdict

Reason prevails at last. While we can certainly sympathise with Newcastle fans after a summer of frustration, some of the doom and gloom surrounding the club was way over the top, and they certainly have enough quality to keep them in the Premier League.

Signed from OGC Nice this summer for £16.5m, Saint-Maximin may well be the biggest source of that quality, as he completed a dribble every 19.8 minutes last season, placing him second in Europe behind the one and only Lionel Messi (19.2).

His big weakness at the moment is of course his end product, scoring just six league goals last term from 75 shots (8%), but he did indeed terrorise the Red Devils last weekend, setting up Jetro Willems to provide Matty Longstaff’s goal with a lung-busting run, one of four dribbles he completed on the day.

If the 22 year-old can “step up” and add some goals to his breathtaking skill on the ball, he could well be the man to save both Newcastle’s season and Bruce’s future at the club.

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 Brom have enjoyed a near-perfect start to the Championship season as Slaven Bilic’s men sit top of the table after 11 matches.

But just like last year, they are at serious risk of hindering that with decisions made in the summer.

During the 2018/19 campaign, the Baggies enjoyed the returns from loan star Harvey Barnes as he scored nine goals and provided six assists in 26 appearances, per WhoScored.

Watch West Bromwich Albion Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Until he was recalled by parent club Leicester City.

Grady Diangana this term has followed down a similar route, scoring four goals and assisting three more after joining the club on loan from West Ham.

He too has a January recall clause in his deal.

On the Chalkboard

Now the loss of the 21-year-old in January would put a serious dent in their promotion hopes, but it could potentially be even more catastrophic as it will have a considerable knock-on effect on other members of the squad such as Matheus Pereira.

The Brazilian has also been an integral part of Albion’s attack this season, scoring two goals and providing four assists, per WhoScored.

Both players have started six matches and come off the bench three times to feature having both made their debuts against Luton Town at the end of August, which suggests the pair have been a key part of West Brom’s impressive form.

At one stage, the Baggies were the only unbeaten side in the division until Leeds put pay to that a couple of weeks ago.

Games against Blackburn Rovers, Huddersfield Town, and Cardiff City have seen the duo both either score or assist in the match, so their influence on one another clearly somewhat exists.

The pair are rather effervescent, and it wouldn’t be out of the realms of possibility to suggest that if you took one player out of the equation, the other could well suffer as a result.

Albion could well have got over the line last season if Barnes had stuck around.

The transfer saga to end all transfer sagas, Paul Pogba’s long-term future at Manchester United has been the subject of great debate. The France World Cup winner re-joined the club from Juventus back in 2016 for a then world-record fee of £89m, but since then, the jury has been out on his performances.

The maverick midfielder has flattered to deceive on occasion, often coming under criticism from sections of the United faithful for his displays. Things appeared to come to the boil at the end of last season when footage emerged of Pogba being involved in an altercation with a group of Red Devils supporters at Old Trafford.

And when the 26-year-old publicly admitted he would embrace a “new challenge” over the summer, speculation intensified over a potential return to Juventus, or a high-profile move to Real Madrid. Neither materialised before the end of the deadline however, but that didn’t stop the Frenchman from suggesting there is still a “question mark” over his future earlier this season.

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

Despite United continuing to struggle on the pitch – they have just nine points from their opening eight Premier League games – should the club finally cut their losses on their big-money star? Football FanCast writers have given their thoughts on the situation below…

Matt Dawson

“For the sake of probably everyone in football, including Paul Pogba, this is a saga that I would love to see end. It’s driven on for longer than I think anyone could imagine and one way or another, it has to come to a conclusion soon.

“Pogba is a wonderful player and his impact at the World Cup in 2018 shows that – he was influential in scoring in the final and was fouled a career-high 2.8 times per game. The fact he also scored 13 times in the Premier League last season shows how good he is.

“Those performances have rather gone under the radar, however, and perhaps that’s down to the managerial circus that’s ensued. Jose Mourinho’s defensive style didn’t particularly lend itself to the Frenchman while Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s record at a win percentage of just 47.5% won’t have helped either.

“This saga could boil down to whether Solskjaer leaves. If United replace him, a new manager could be game-changing. That’s especially if they get Max Allegri as has been touted. Under the Italian, Pogba scored 20 times and grabbed 26 assists in just 90 games. That record speaks for itself. There’s plenty of ifs and buts in this but for now, United shouldn’t cut their losses.

Watch Manchester United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

“Given the right platform, he’s someone who could just turn their fortunes around. Whether it happens or not remains to be seen.“

Charles Jones “Personally, I don’t think United should consider getting rid of Paul Pogba. Although the Frenchman hasn’t been at the races so far this season he’s one of their only players that you could genuinely describe as world-class, and you just can’t trust the board to reinvest any money they’d get for Pogba.“This is the same team that paid £47m for Fred, and if they were to sell Pogba and make another blunder like that it’d be disastrous. Pogba is worth more to United than £100m is in Ed Woodward’s hands, so unless the Red Devils have a good replacement lined up then they shouldn’t consider cashing in.”Billy Meyers“I think it was a ridiculous decision not to let Paul Pogba go in the summer – the Frenchman couldn’t have made it more obvious that he wants to leave.  In fairness to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, one thing that he has been good at is shipping out the deadwood, and I think Pogba now falls under that category despite his obvious, world-class talent. “Jose Mourinho once described him as a ‘virus’ in the dressing room, and while I cannot second that in any concrete way, the former Juventus man is now akin to an infection at Old Trafford in the sense that he doesn’t want to be there. Holding a player against his will is never a smart idea, and the only thing United have achieved in keeping Pogba at the club is delaying the inevitable. The sooner they can sell this soap opera of a player, the better.”Vijievan Jeevathayalan“On his day, Paul Pogba has the ability to turn games on its head. Look no further than his starring second-half performance against Manchester City at the Etihad back in April 2018. The midfielder’s quick-fire brace set Manchester United on their way to a remarkable turnaround to clinch a stunning victory at the home of their ‘noisy neighbours’. “But the fact that display came about 18 months ago and is still the reference point for the Frenchman’s most promising performance speaks volumes about just how little significant impact he has had on the Red Devils. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is admirably trying to take United in a different direction, and has already shunted the likes of Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez out the exit door. The time is now right for him to do the same with Pogba too.”

Manchester City fans cannot understand why Aymeric Laporte has been excluded from the 30-man Ballon d’Or shortlist.

The Frenchman has been a sensational signing for City since he joined in 2018 for £57m, helping the club win a domestic treble last campaign.

In that time, Laporte bagged himself three goals and provided three assists in 35 Premier League games, proving that he can be an asset at both ends of the pitch.

Fans cannot understand how his hand in a historic domestic treble has not earned him a spot ahead of the likes Marquinhos, who won the Ligue 1 title last season.

The former Athletic Bilbao man has gone from strength to strength and has already proved his importance through his absence this season, with City losing to Norwich City and Wolverhampton Wanderers during his time on the sidelines.

On the other hand, Kevin De Bruyne, Riyad Mahrez, Raheem Sterling, Bernardo Silva and Sergio Aguero are part of 13 Premier League stars making the cut.

However, fans are struggling to get their head around the fact their French star missed out.

Here’s what they had to say…