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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 on talkSPORT, Danny Mills has suggested Marcus Rashford is experiencing “Theo Walcott syndrome” as he endures an up-and-down campaign.

What did he say?

The Manchester United forward started off the campaign with a bang, with a brace against Chelsea in his side’s 4-0 victory in their opening Premier League game. However, the England international then went on a period of scoring just once in seven top-flight outings, before appearing to return to form with goals against Liverpool, Norwich and Chelsea.

On Saturday afternoon however, Rashford was nowhere near his best, and as per Sofascore, managed no shots on target over the course of the 90 minutes against Bournemouth.

Now, Mills has taken a dig at the 22-year-old’s inconsistency, and compared his plight to current Everton man Walcott.

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He said: “One minute he’s a world-beater and the next you are going, ‘what’s happened? He’s gone?’. It’s not quite as dramatic, but it’s almost like ‘Theo Walcott syndrome’. He’d score a hat-trick and you’d think, ‘oh my goodness, he’s arrived! That’s it, he is going to kick on’.

“But then he went missing for the next five or six games. I think a lot of United’s players are like that.”

Unfair comparison

Whilst Rashford’s difficulties in front of goal have been well-documented and pored over, it is easy to forget that he only recently turned 22. His name being in the spotlight for a number of years now has arguably worked against him, and he is no longer excused for being a young player. Comparing him to Walcott is a tad harsh, given that the Red Devils academy product has fired in 52 goals in his United career.

The 30-year-old Walcott on the other hand has netted 122 times in his time with Southampton, Arsenal and now Everton. Rashford has plenty of time to find his groove and his best position, and he has been performing in a United team that has been struggling as a whole – not exactly the most conducive of environments to succeed. If Ole Gunnar Solskjaer can use him solely in one position, and manages his game-time well, then the the £200k-a-week forward should be able to disprove Mills’ slightly short-sighted verdict.

West Ham suffered back-to-back defeats after Everton’s 2-0 victory on Saturday, and many fans are concerned with the underwhelming performances from the creative midfielders in the side.

Manuel Lanzini and Felipe Anderson are bearing the brunt of fan criticism, with the latter in particular being singled out for his decline.

The Brazilian enjoyed a successful debut season with the Hammers but he has failed to live up to the 10 goals and five assists he made in 2018/19, with no goals and three assists so far in this league campaign.

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As a result, Manuel Pellegrini’s side are struggling to create chances for Sebastien Haller, and with only four shots on target at Goodison Park their threat was too easily eliminated.

Some supporters are disappointed with the effort shown by Anderson, with many claiming he is failing to live up to expectation, and that is contributing to West Ham’s ineffective attack, with 11 goals scored in nine league games.

Andre Gomes and Tom Davies had too much influence in midfield for the Toffees, with 45 and 40 passes respectively, and that caused concern for some fans, as shown in the reactions below.

After the disgraceful scenes in Sofia in which England players were subjected to racial abuse from the home crowd, Jordan Henderson has taken to social media to post an image of solidarity.

The photo displays the moment before he and Raheem Sterling embrace with a high five, thus showing the unity that exists between them, and the support he has for his teammates who fell victim to the vile attacks.

As Liverpool captain he has displayed leadership qualities on the pitch, evidenced by the club’s improvement and success of the last few years, but he is now displaying maturity and a level of character off the pitch too.

For that, he is being praised and respected by Reds fans, with them backing his message of support and appreciating the stance he has taken.

The midfielder last night posted another message on social media ro show some solidarity with his teammates, condemning the abuse but stating that the England squad “stands together”.

Here are some of the reactions to Henderson’s image of unity.

كشفت تقارير صحفية إنجليزية أن نادي مانشستر يونايتد يفكر جديًا في تمديد عقد اللاعب خوان ماتا مع الفريق الإنجليزي.

ومن المقرر أن ينتهي العقد الحالي للاعب الإسباني مع مانشستر يونايتد في صيف 2021.

ويمتلك ماتا في عقده في الأولد ترافورد بند التمديد لموسم آخر.

وانتشرت التكهنات في وقت سابق حول مستقبل خوان ماتا، حيث ارتبط بإمكانية مغادرة مانشستر يونايتد لعدم حصوله على فرص لعب منتظم.

ولكن صحيفة “ديلي ستار” الإنجليزية، ذكرت أن خوان ماتا يشعر بحالة من الراحة والسعادة في مانشستر يونايتد، ولا يتطلع إلى الرحيل.

اقرأ أيضًا.. سولشاير: راشفورد لم يرد استبداله أمام برايتون.. وسأتفاجىء بعودة مارسيال مبكرًا

وأوضحت أن إدارة مانشستر يونايتد قد تلجأ إلى تفعيل بند التمديد في عقد ماتا، بحيث يظل مع الفريق لموسم آخر.

وأفادت أن المدرب أولي جونار سولشاير يكن قدرًا كبيرًا من الاحترام لـ ماتا، حيث يدرك مدى أهميته في غرفة خلع الملابس وسط اللاعبين.

وأشارت إلى أن تفعيل بند التمديد سيفيد مانشستر يونايتد أيضًا حال رغبت الإدارة في بيع ماتا، حيث قد يرحل مقابل 5 ملايين جنيه إسترليني إذا رغب أي نادِ في شرائه الصيف القادم.

Many Barcelona fans don’t really like their coach.

Ernesto Valverde has been one of the heavily criticised figures at the club and some of the Blaugrana supporters are on his case almost on a daily basis, asking for his sacking and voicing their opinions.

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And just recently, Barcelona’s vice president, Jordi Cardoner, spoke to Catalunya Radio (via Marca) and talked at length about the club, the signings, the players and of course, about their coach, Valverde.

Among other things, Cardoner said the club still support the Basque manager because he brings balance to the squad, as quoted by Marca as well.

Needless to say, upon hearing this update, many of the fans just couldn’t believe the words coming out of their vice president’s mouth.

Many just laughed at it, others called Cardoner a “clown” and some took a couple of stabs at the club as a whole, stating it’s clearly corrupt and that this statement perfectly summarises where they are at the moment.

You can see some of their replies down in the comments below:

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Some Charlton fans have taken to Twitter to react after they discovered that Lyle Taylor would be dying his hair pink for Cancer Research once again, to raise awareness and money for the cause.

The Addicks striker – who has five goals in six games this season – went pink last year and raised more than £16,000 for Cancer Research – a highly commendable achievement, to say the very least.

The Montserrat international – who looks set to be out injured for around two months – inspired young Charlton fans to also dye their hair pink last season, and The Valley will also be getting involved in the cause by creating a pink matchday programme when Derby come to visit on October 19th.

One supporter below said that it’s nice to see the other side of footballers who can sometimes be deemed as “overpaid prima-donnas”, while another simply labelled Taylor as a “class act”.

Let’s take a look at some more of the Twitter reaction…

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Tottenham Hotspur fans have praised Erik Lamela after his performances in the first two games of the season.

The Argentina international has started the encounters with Aston Villa and Manchester City at the beginning of the 2019/20 campaign.

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He scored at the Etihad Stadium and also provided the assist for Lucas Moura’s header in the 2-2 draw, while he also robbed Jack Grealish of possession prior to Harry Kane’s first goal in the 3-1 victory over Villa.

Of course, the 27-year-old struggled for minutes in 2018/19 and made just 19 Premier League appearances in total.

He was not included in the squad for the seven games of the season that preceded the final encounter versus Everton, in which he played 77 minutes.

But it appears that he may be back to his best at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and fans are excited at the glimpses the winger has shown already this term.

Take a look at the best of the reaction below!

سجل نجم يوفنتوس كريستيانو رونالدو هدفين في الشوط الأول من المباراة الجارية حاليًا أمام كروتوني في بطولة الدوري الإيطالي.

ويلتقي الفريقان في الوقت الحالي في الجولة الثالثة والعشرين من البطولة.

رونالدو أحرز الهدف الأول لـ يوفنتوس في الدقيقة 38 من عمر الشوط الأول، حيث سدد الكرة برأسه بعد تمريرة عرضية من ساندرو. هدف رونالدو الأول أمام كروتوني

وفي الدقيقة الأولى من الوقت المحتسب بدلًا من الضائع للشوط الأول، تمكن رونالدو من تسجيل الهدف الثاني بعد تمريرة من رامسي. هدف رونالدو الثاني أمام كروتوني

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Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville has said that Rafael Benitez’s Newcastle side were boring, so how would Rafa’s Magpies have lined up this weekend?

“Every time I went up there over two years, I was bored. I was bored,” Neville said recently, which is surely down to the 5-2-3 system that Benitez usually deployed.

The Spaniard liked to have a target man up front with a creative player who can also add goals playing just off of him, while the pace of Miguel Almiron offered width and a threat in behind.

So, after defeat to Arsenal last time out, how would Rafa have set his ‘boring’ side up at Norwich on Saturday? We’ve taken a guess…

Martin Dubravka, Jamaal Lascelles and Fabian Schar are pretty much nailed on in defence, while DeAndre Yedlin’s fitness struggles means Benitez would have to opt for his compatriot Manquillo at right-wing-back.

Paul Dummett was used more times as a centre-back than left-back last season, and with Florian Lejeune still injured we assume the Wales international would keep his place. Matt Ritchie’s work rate and crossing ability makes him a good fit for the wing-back role that he served under the Spaniard.

The midfield pretty much picks itself, but up front is where things get interesting. Joelinton is a straight swap for Rondon, but Miguel Almiron could be tailor-made for the role Ayoze Perez played last year.

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The Paraguyan has bagged 20 goals and 18 assists in 53 career showings as a number ten, and his mixture of goal threat, playmaking ability, excellent dribbling and tireless running means he is now the closest thing the club have to another Perez.

Finally, that leaves Allan Saint-Maximin to provide the pace. With 4.2 successful dribbles per game last term, who better to test the full-back and give a threat in behind?

So, Newcastle fans, would you like to see Steve Bruce opt for this sort of line-up on Saturday? Or is Neville right about Rafa’s system? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below…

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Wolves will head into a new Premier League season with largely the same squad if Wolves Bite are to be believed.

They claim that Nuno Santo is looking to keep his options thin again, despite the proposition of a run in the Europa League being on the table.

Wolves’ squad last term was a tight-knit unit that did well without really suffering from major injury troubles.

With more games next season that could be difficult to maintain, but if the reported plans they do have are fulfilled, it could leave one man in danger.

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On the chalkboard

Also apart of Wolves Bite’s report were three areas they were looking to sign players in this summer. According to them, they’re in the market to add a striker, a defender and a midfielder to their ranks whilst the transfer window is open.

Edson Alvarez and Ezri Konsa have already been touted as potential additions at centre half whilst earlier in the summer Mouctar Diakhaby was also the subject of interest.

However, if Wolves do bring another defender to the club it has the possibility to have large consequences for Ryan Bennett.

Out of Wolves’ three-man defensive line, the 6 ft 2 centre-back is likely to be the most in danger of becoming out of favour under Nuno Santo in 2019/20.

He has been a steady player but if a new defender does arrive, it feels unlikely that Conor Coady, the club captain, would be removed from the set-up whilst you’d have to doubt whether Willy Boly could be replaced either.

The latter was Wolves’ best defender statistically last term, winning 2.4 tackles per game and also winning 3.8 aerial duels. Alongside that, he made 4.8 clearances per 90 minutes.

Gareth Bale to Wolves? Wolves Fan TV discuss how ambitious Nuno Espirito Santo will be this summer in the video below…

Although Coady’s numbers aren’t great, it would seem natural that Bennett could be the one to make way.

At 29, he isn’t in bad shape to carry on in the side but he is one of the elder statesmen of the team now and could be forced to play a more regular part on the bench if a new defender walks through the door.

Bennett was behind even Romain Saiss in terms of tackles and interceptions last season whilst he played two fewer games than Boly and four less than Coady in the Premier League.

A new defensive signing, therefore, could force him to the back of Nuno’s mind.