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Steve Bruce should repeat his genius Matty Longstaff move of throwing a Newcastle United product in at the deep end with Elliot Anderson against Manchester United on Sunday.

The Toon boss gifted Longstaff his Premier League debut at home to the Red Devils last season and saw the decision come good with the 20-year-old scoring the winning goal.

Longstaff stayed in the side for a trip to Chelsea and clash with Wolves before returning to the periphery, only to bounce back at Old Trafford two months later by netting his side’s sole effort in a 4-1 defeat.

It was a brave decision by Bruce to hand a then 19-year-old Longstaff his top-flight debut after a run of one win in seven, but a move that would see Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side left stunned when the Rotherham-born midfield let rip from 25-yards out.

After the game, Bruce could only salute his efforts after seeing Longstaff add a refreshing twist to his tactics after going back to basics on the back of a 5-0 drubbing at Leicester City.

“He trains every day with a big, beaming smile on his face, he’s refreshing, wants to play, he’s a great kid and I’m delighted,” the Magpies boss said, via quotes by BT. “Typical of him, the first thing he said to me coming off was ‘Thank you’. It’s ridiculous after what he’s just done.”

Now, it is time for Bruce to place the same trust in Anderson that he placed in Longstaff, with the 18-year-old seemingly chomping at the bit for his big break at Newcastle.

The Toon boss handed Anderson his senior debut as a late substitute in January’s FA Cup defeat to Arsenal before the tie headed for extra-time and was not let down by the youngster who emerged as United’s only true positive at the Emirates Stadium.

He appeared again for a brief three-minute run out in north London nine days later when Newcastle returned to Arsenal for a league game but has since seemed to fall out of favour after being left out of Bruce’s matchday squad for Monday’s 2-0 loss to Chelsea.

Anderson had taken a seat on the bench in United’s previous seven Premier League games before the Magpies’ trip to Stamford Bridge and has scored six goals in eight matches with the Under 23s this season.

The teenager reacted to his omission from the squad to face Chelsea by posting an Instagram story sharing a quote from Paris Saint-Germain star Kylian Mbappe, suggesting age should never be what prevents a player’s involvement.

“I never liked talking about age. If you’re good you play, if you’re not good you don’t play. If you’re good, you take the responsibility. If you’re not good, you shut up and watch the others. Don’t talk to me about age, talk to me about levels,” the post read, as noted by Chronicle Live (16/2, 16:06).

Whilst the young midfielder has received plenty of glowing endorsements, his former youth coach John Forrest told The Athletic: “He knew how to dominate a game, which is a natural skill that’s hard to coach. He really was an outstanding footballer. He stood out, even then.”

In the very same article, several of Anderson’s former Newcastle academy team-mates have told The Athletic that, not only was he the “most talented player” in their side, he was also “supremely driven” and will not lose focus.

Bruce should now repeat his move of dropping Longstaff in unexpectedly with Anderson, and see if the youngster can repeat the levels of his performance against Arsenal after seemingly hitting out at his lack of game time, as he could be Newcastle’s new secret weapon.

AND in other news, Newcastle weigh up free-agent swoop for striker with two career Premier League goals…

Since Virgil van Dijk sustained his long-term injury against Everton at Goodison Park, Liverpool have been linked with a raft of centre-backs.

The Reds managed to bring in both Schalke 04’s Ozan Kabak and Ben Davies of Preston North End in the January transfer window but those arrivals have not stemmed the tide of the rumour mill and one of the latest names to be linked is Raphael Varane of Real Madrid.

As per Mundo Deportivo, the Reds are reportedly the ‘main club’ thought to be interested in acquiring his services.

However, reports in the Manchester Evening News suggest that Manchester United are eyeing the Frenchman as a signing – something that the Reds cannot afford to let happen.

The 27-year-old, whoever he signs for, would instantly improve a defence’s quality. In his time in Madrid, he has played a key role in four UEFA Champions League successes, as well as three La Liga title wins. He’s also been capped 70 times by France and is a World Cup winner to boot.

It’s not his personal trophy haul that would improve the Reds’ however, his sheer statistics also speak for themselves.

When compared to Joe Gomez, who he would likely displace in the Reds’ starting lineup, the Frenchman contributes more tackles, interceptions and blocks, as well as fewer fouls per 90 minutes, according to WhoScored.

His presence at the back would hugely help a defence that has been extremely leaky this season having conceded 34 goals all season.

It is not just imperative that the Reds bring in Varane though; it is crucial that they stop Manchester United from recruiting him.

For a long-time under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, the Red Devils have also struggled defensively, with a new centre-back to partner Harry Maguire thought to be high on their priorities.

Currently the top scorers in the Premier League this season and boasting the talents of Marcus Rashford, Edinson Cavani and Bruno Fernandes, it appears that Varane could be the missing piece in the Red Devils assembling a title challenge.

Liverpool would, obviously, rather get back to competing for a title first though and that could start with the arrival of Varane.

AND in other news, take a look at Michael Edwards’ summer transfer masterclass.

Many Crystal Palace fans are reacting to the latest reports which have suggested that Eddie Howe is interested in the Eagles job. 

According to Football Insider and tweeted out by @cpfc_xtra, Howe is interested in the vacant Celtic post but is eyeing a Premier League job this summer. The role at Palace is one that especially interests him with the doubts Roy Hodgson’s future intensifying.

The current Palace manager has enjoyed his career at the South London side, but his contract expires in the summer and with no updates regarding his future, it has been suggested that the club might be looking for a new gaffer to replace him.

Howe has good experience in the Premier League from his spell as the AFC Bournemouth manager, and his time there was impressive as he managed to take them from a League One team all the way to the top flight (Transfermarkt).

Despite getting relegated with the Cherries last campaign, his record of 1.43 points-per-game in his time on the south coast is nothing to be sniffed at considering the minimal finances he had to work with, and perhaps it is no surprise to see Palace fans flocking to this news.

Here is how Palace fans reacted to the news:

“Get in there quick parish Roy should have gone ages ago”

Credit: @Phil_Sampson46

“Make it happen Steve my boy, I’ve caved in, I want to win 3-2 every other week and lose 4-3 inbetween”

Credit: @MDJones82

“100% yes, top candidate for the job”

Credit: @Jimmylondon07

“Welcome”

Credit: @joe85333207

“Pls”

Credit: @JoelGray_

“Can’t see any other options for us besides Howe and Dyche unless we go to the championship and the likes of Brentford and Norwich”

Credit: @audreysprayer

In other news, fans reacted to this injury update on Wilfried Zaha!

The games are coming thick and fast for Swansea City in the Championship at the moment, and Steve Cooper’s side are still in with a good chance of securing an automatic promotion spot this season, as they look to seal a return to the top-flight.

The Swans are currently just one point behind second-placed Watford, with two games in hand on the Hornets, and have the opportunity to overtake them when they face Blackburn Rovers on Tuesday evening.

Two goals from Andre Ayew, including another late penalty, secured the points against Middlesbrough last time out, although it wasn’t a top performance from the Swans.

A poor run of form has seen Tony Mowbray’s side drop down the table after they were pushing for a playoff spot earlier in the season, so Swansea should be looking to pick up maximum points when they make the trip to Ewood Park.

Here’s how Football FanCast expects Cooper to line his side up against Blackburn, with two changes from the side that started against Middlesbrough…

There’s one change in the defence from Cooper, as although Ryan Manning has done a decent job filling in at left wing-back recently, Jake Bidwell is perhaps likely to come back in for this one, especially after he won the late penalty as a substitute against Neil Warnock’s side.

The rest of the defence stays the same, although the Swans haven’t looked anywhere near as secure as they did earlier in the season, shipping nine goals in their last five games.

After deploying two attacking-midfielders against Middlesbrough, perhaps we will see Cooper revert to a 5-3-2 formation for this away trip, with Connor Hourihane dropping back into midfield alongside Jay Fulton and Matt Grimes.

This sees Korey Smith drop out, with Jamal Lowe restored to the lineup in the hope that he can rediscover his shooting boots at Ewood Park.

Norwich City defender Max Aarons underwhelmed as his Championship side beat Sheffield Wednesday on Sunday, as questions were raised over Everton’s current right-back options.

That’s according to the Liverpool Echo, who claimed that there is a growing concern for Carlo Ancelotti as the weekend’s loss to Burnley exposed an imbalance in his plans.

It is noted that Everton only delivered five accurate crosses during the 2-1 defeat to the Clarets, yet the quality of three of those successful efforts was still questionable.

Alex Iwobi also vastly struggled in a right-wing-back role with zero of his five crosses finding a teammate, and it was not often through a lack of movement in the centre that Everton were poor but rather in the ball being over or under hit to considerable degrees.

Iwobi has been poor all season, in fact, with the Nigerian only finding an Everton player with 14% of his crosses during Premier League fixtures for 0.4 accurate deliveries from 2.6 attempts a game, per WhoScored.

Mason Holgate is not much better when fielded at right-back with the natural centre-half finding a royal blue shirt with 0.3 crossed a game but from 1.6 attempts, for a 16.6% success rate. Seamus Coleman, who has started 10 of 16 league appearances this term, is successful with 0.3 of his 1.2 crosses a game, to register a 22.2% success rate.

On the opposing side of the field, Lucas Digne produces the highest number of accurate crosses a game in the Everton squad with 1.7 and from the most attempts (7.5), to see that the 27-year-old boasts a 22.6% success rate.

Ancelotti could look to address this imbalance in the upcoming summer transfer market with the Toffees boss already weighing up options who could replace Coleman, with the Liverpool Echo citing Norwich’s Aarons and Brighton’s Tariq Lamptey as two options being considered.

Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has also shared that the Blues are looking into Aarons’ situation, while Manchester United are likewise scouting the 21-year-old but Bayern Munich have brought a halt to their interest after baulking at the Canaries’ £35m valuation.

Former Scotland manager Alex McLeish has claimed Aarons would be an “excellent” replacement for Coleman if Everton were to raid Carrow Road for the second year in a row, after their £20m deal for Ben Godfrey last summer.

Aarons remained with Norwich after their relegation to the Championship while Godfrey and Jamal Lewis both sealed Premier League transfers, and has been a fixture of Daniel Farke’s side that is dominating the second-tier this season.

The London-born full-back has opened all 36 of the Canaries’ league games as they run away with the lead in search of an immediate return to the top-flight, while offering one goal and three assists.

But Sunday’s performance against Sheffield Wednesday may have given Ancelotti reason to doubt the benefits of a £35m move, having not attempted a single cross into the Owls’ box as he earned his joint-worst SofaScore match rating in 12 games at 6.7 out of 10.

Sheffield Wednesday should have been a side Aarons could pick apart with the Owls second-bottom of the table and on a seven-game losing streak, but he could not get anywhere near his average 0.8 accurate crosses (24%) a game that would be a welcome addition at Everton.

He further failed to offer a single successful tackle against Darren Moore’s Hillsborough natives, to ensure that his per game average remained below one an outing at 0.6.

It was also the second successive game that Aarons did not attempt a single cross, having also opted against lifting the ball into the area against Luton Town the previous week, while failing to pick out a teammate with his only delivery against Brentford at the start of the month.

Three underwhelming performances in a row could leave Ancelotti wondering if Aarons is the best option to replace Coleman long-term, given the growing concern that the right-back position is becoming at Goodison Park.

AND in other news, a £15k-p/w Everton dud who gives “absolutely nothing” has been tipped to seal a summer transfer…

Over the last few years, Sunderland has been a rotten football club to support. They have suffered relegation twice and promotion feels like a distant dream.

Under the ownership of Stewart Donald, things went pear-shaped. They were spending vast sums of money that the club couldn’t afford and they’d become one of the laughing stocks of the EFL.

However, in 2021, there is a very different feel to the Mackems. They have won their first silverware for 48 years and after defeating Accrington 2-0 on Wednesday evening, they are now third in the table.

Lee Johnson has engineered an incredible run with the Black Cats winning seven of their last eight matches in the league.

It feels like now or never in terms of promotion and they’re building up ahead of steam at just the right time. Their win at Accrington was scrappy but they managed to get the job done as goals from Charlie Wyke and Ross Stewart sealed the points.

After their EFL Trophy final last weekend, Johnson made changes, one of which saw Jack Diamond come into the XI.

He has been one of the real winners of the new manager’s time at the Stadium of Light so far. When he came into the team properly in December, he offered something that Sunderland didn’t have; the ability to stretch opponents and get in behind.

Indeed, we saw that when he was introduced late on at Wembley on Sunday. He got the Black Cats up the pitch with his raw pace and frantic energy.

Unfortunately, he was rather disappointing against Accrington in midweek, being hauled off at half time after a very dismal opening 45 minutes.

The bitty nature of the game didn’t suit Diamond at all, and as a result, he struggled significantly to get into proceedings.

He departed the field having had just 18 touches of the ball, a number that would ultimately fall below goalkeeper Lee Burge’s tally for the evening. From those touches, he conceded possession on nine occasions, leading to a forgetful night for the youngster.

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Strikingly, Diamond made just three passes in the entire time he was on the pitch. That is a shocking tally, one that was easily the worst of any Sunderland player to start the game.

It was telling, therefore, than his substitute scored the opening goal of the game. Diamond was replaced by Stewart at the break and the Scot popped up with a crucial debut goal.

The former has made great strides since breaking into the Mackems’ first-team but with their new signing now back from injury and immediately in the goals, he’ll need to keep a close eye over his shoulder.

Diamond will undoubtedly have better nights than this; he’ll just have to eradicate this one quickly from his mind.

AND in other news, SAFC must seal swoop for 26 y/o gem with “pace to burn”, Phillips says he’s a “threat”…

Aston Villa’s disappointing run in the Premier League continued with a 2-0 defeat to Tottenham on Sunday night.

Dean Smith’s side are now winless in their last four in the top flight, and goals from Carlos Vinicius and Harry Kane were enough to consign Villa to yet another damaging result in their hunt for a European place for next season.

One man who really let his manager down was Trezeguet.

As per Sofascore, the Egyptian lost 15 of his total 20 duels on the night, which was a real indication of how much he struggled to get past right-back Japhet Tanganga.

The Spurs man’s experience of playing in the centre of defence saw him easily outmuscle the Egyptian in those one-on-one contests down the flank, and the Villa winger’s lack of real conviction told a big story of his struggles.

He managed to complete just one dribble, which was a third of what Bertrand Traore managed on the opposite flank despite being hooked at the one hour mark at Villa Park.

The £9m-rated Trezeguet just couldn’t get himself involved enough, which meant it was no surprise that he managed just ten successful passes in the time that he was on the pitch – the fewest of any Villa starter and even fewer than goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez.

Writing in his post-match player ratings for the Birmingham Mail, Ashley Preece gave the winger the joint-lowest score of three, noting: “Had a first half to forget. The Egyptian miscontrolled almost everything that came his way. Trezeguet was offside on a couple of occasions. He was picked out well by Sanson after the break but, again, he lacked conviction once more with the winger without a goal all season which dates back to his strike against Arsenal in July 2020.

“Just not understanding what Trezeguet brings to the team of late. Struggling in terms of quality, for me, and should be out of the team after the international break.”

With no goals in the Premier League whatsoever this season, and just the one assist, it’s hard to see what Trezeguet is bringing to the team in terms of the top end of the pitch.

It’s all well and good being a hard-working winger who won’t shirk defensive responsibilities, but offering that crucial goal threat at the other end is surely why he’s being picked in the team.

Smith simply has to drop him from the starting line-up after yet another shocking display.

Meanwhile, Villa are surely ruing this January call…

South Africa manager Eddie Ntseki has confirmed the Bafana Bafana will be without Glasgow Rangers midfielder Bongani Zungu for their African Cup of Nations qualifier against Sudan on Sunday.

Zungu unavailable

Zungu had already been ruled out of South Africa’s clash with Ghana in his homeland after Rangers refused to let him travel there, but it seemed he would be available for the Sudan match (Sowetan Live).

Now, though, Ntseki has revealed he will also be unavailable for that game too. He said (via The South African):

“We got an email from Zungu’s club to say they are no longer releasing him – whether it’s coming to South Africa or going to Sudan.

“I then spoke to him and explained the situation, and he said, ‘It’s a decision that will work against me if ever I force to come to Sudan.’

“We saw a new list of countries that are being referred to as ‘red zones’, and in this case we have Dubai and Ethiopia, which is where players were going to have to come via to get to Sudan.”

Disappointing

This is no doubt a huge disappointment for both Ntseki and Zungu – the former has already shared his frustration at not having Zungu for the Ghana fixture. In 2021, the 28-year-old has played just 112 minutes in the Premiership (Transfermarkt) and is clearly not a big part of Steven Gerrard’s plans. The international break should have given him an opportunity to get some much needed playing time, but that will now not be the case.

Unfortunately, this is becoming a more and more regular occurrence given the coronavirus pandemic we are currently living through. Zungu will just have to hope that, with the Premiership title already sewn up at Ibrox, he may now get more chances to play at club level.

In other news, Rangers fans are livid at an update on this 34-year-old.

Fabrizio Romano has dropped a quite enticing claim on the future of Marcelo Bielsa at Leeds United and the impact of his current contract situation.

The Argentine’s contract at Elland Road is still very much up in the air at the moment, and Romano gave an update on whether this would have an effect on transfers, in terms of players not wanting to join as they do not even know who the manager will be next year.

Speaking to Give Me Sport, the Italian football journalist and football guru said:

“I think no… when you have Marcelo Bielsa on your bench you can attract a lot of players.

“A lot of players are attracted by the project, Leeds has an amazing project – apart from Biesla we’re talking about the ownership, the stadium, the partnerships and also what they are doing on the pitch is so important.

“So they have an amazing project. When you have Marcelo Bielsa, you can attract players.”

Continuing on about Bielsa’s future, Romano claimed: “For sure, they are happy with him and I think they will do their best to keep him.”

Leeds must give Bielsa new deal

It is simply imperative that the Midlands club give Bielsa a new deal. The 65-year-old is a household name in the beautiful game, and as Romano points out, the Whites can attract a lot of players to them just by having him as their manager.

This is exemplified when they signed Rodrigo in the summer transfer window, who had previous pedigree in the UEFA Champions League and an international reputation with Spain (Transfermarkt).

Bielsa was vital in getting the club promoted to the Premier League in the first place, and they look set to stay there come the end of the 2020/21 term.

Nonetheless, they must tie him down to a new contract at all costs.

You can view the full Fabrizio Romano interview with Give Me Sport here!

Rangers are reportedly keen on Manchester United youngster James Garner, and if he were to join Steven Gerrard’s side at Ibrox next season, he could prove to be the ideal man to replace Glen Kamara.

It was suggested in a recent interview by Garner’s agent Steven Beck that Rangers wanted to sign the 20-year-old in January and remain keen on him ahead of the summer transfer window.

The Old Trafford academy graduate spent the first half of the season on loan with Watford in the Championship but has enjoyed a much more profitable time with Nottingham Forest, where he has contributed three goals in 14 appearances thus far, averaging an impressive 7.04 WhoScored rating for his performances.

Despite his indifferent form at Watford, former manager Vladimir Ivic was full of praise for Garner earlier in the season, saying: “He is one of the most talented players in England. He is a quality player with the ball, he knows how to move the ball fast and he thinks fast, which is very important.”

Considering that Kamara has been linked with a move to the Premier League in recent weeks, with the likes of Arsenal, Leeds United and Southampton reportedly taking an interest in the Finnish international, Gerrard faces a battle to keep hold of the 25-year-old midfielder this summer.

If the former Dundee man does leave, then it will leave a hole in Rangers’ squad; and whilst Steven Davis could fill that to an extent, the 36-year-old doesn’t possess the energy of Kamara.

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Therefore, someone like Garner, who has impressed in a defensive midfield position with Forest this season, could be the ideal person to replace Kamara at Ibrox should the Finn depart.

In fact, the 20-year-old has arguably outperformed his Gers counterpart at times this season, with the Englishman averaging 1.7 tackles, 1.7 interceptions and 0.7 dribbles per game in the Championship, compared with the Rangers midfielder’s averages of one tackle, 0.9 interceptions and 0.6 dribbles per game in the Scottish Premiership.

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Therefore, it seems clear that if Kamara does leave this summer, then Gerrard will need to seek out a replacement – and the £3.6m-rated Garner could prove to be the ideal man to succeed him, even if he does only join on a loan deal, so Ross Wilson should do everything he can to bring him to Ibrox.

In other news… Forget Assombalonga: Wilson should seal Rangers swoop for “phenomenal” beast