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This article is part of Football FanCast’s In Numbers series, which takes a statistical look at performances, season-long form and reported transfer targets… 

In an impressive team performance against Liverpool, Marcus Rashford no doubt stole most of the headlines for appearing to kick-start his season at Manchester United with a goal. But one man who perhaps may have flown under the radar, was Andreas Pereira.

How much money could you make busking for a week as a freestyle footballer? Find out in the video below…

The Brazilian appears to be a trusted lieutenant of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, becoming a main-stay of the first-team picture this season. The 23-year-old has played nine times across all competitions, and has featured in all but one of United’s Premier league games. He has regularly deployed from the right-hand side, appearing there in six different matches. But against Liverpool on Sunday afternoon, the Red Devils boss entrusted him with the number ten role. And boy did it pay dividends.

As the likes of Mason Greenwood and Axel Tuanzebe continue to be the talk of the town as the most promising academy products, it is easy to forget that Pereira has come through the Red Devils academy too after joining the club back in 2011.

His display against Liverpool typified everything that Solskjaer is seemingly keen on implementing: a fast, attacking game, with a commitment to pressing from the front and doing the hard yards. As Graeme Souness testified to on Sky Sports, the United midfield bossed the visitors in the middle of the park, and that was in no small part thanks to Pereira’s dynamism.

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All the talk this summer revolved around the future of Paul Pogba and whether the France World Cup winner would be leaving the club. As a bona-fide star, it may be understandable if the United faithful are reluctant to see him go. But in Pereira, they have someone who can equally affect games in powerful ways both at the defensive and offensive ends.

As per Sofascore, he won five duels, two tackles and made three interceptions as he set about trying to hustle and harry Liverpool’s midfield trio. It was a tenacity and drive that filtered through to the rest of his teammates, and whilst he put in a lung-busting effort to help the side out off the ball, he contributed in equal measure whenever he was in possession. His three key passes were a joint game-high and his three accurate long balls were often the start of some promising counter-attacks for Solskjaer’s men.

So whilst United may be wary of letting Pogba go, Pereira’s unbelievable all-action display against their arch-rivals on Sunday may have just given the club a glimpse of a potential in-house successor to the Frenchman.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s In Numbers series, which takes a statistical look at performances, season-long form and reported transfer targets…

When Crystal Palace saw Luka Milivojevic enter the book in the 93rd minute of their 2-0 win over Norwich, the prospect of having to face West Ham without their captain became reality.

The Serbian international is one of the first names on Roy Hodgson’s teamsheet – Milivojevic played every minute of the 2018/19 Premier League campaign – while he also finished as the Eagles’ top scorer with 12 goals last term.

Palace would’ve been well within their rights to be concerned about his absence against the Hammers.

However, one man stepped up to deliver an excellent performance on what was his first Premier League start for the south Londoners.

James McCarthy.

Lining up alongside his former Hamilton and Wigan midfield partner James McArthur, the Republic of Ireland international looked at ease in the middle of the park.

The 28-year-old completed 84.6% of his 39 passes, buzzing about the midfield to some effect.

McCarthy stung the palms of Roberto with a fierce first-half drive from long range – in what was his only shot on target – while also completing two tackles as Palace beat West Ham thanks to Jordan Ayew’s 87th minute winner.

If the former Everton man had cost £5m, £8m or even £10m upon his arrival back in the summer, you would be hard pushed to complain about such a fee on the basis of his composed performance at the London Stadium.

However, quite astonishingly in this day and age, Palace managed to bring the energetic midfielder to Selhurst Park for under £1m, as The Athletic’s Dominic Fifield outlines here.

“McCarthy, once the second-most expensive signing in Everton’s history, would cost less than £1 million.”

It must be extremely reassuring for Hodgson and, presumably, the majority of the Selhurst Park faithful to know that if a key player such as Milivojevic is ever unavailable again for whatever reason, then there is a more than capable pair of hands in McCarthy to step in and do the business.

Robert Snodgrass has announced his retirement from international football and it has provoked a mixed response from Hammers fans.

The 32-year-old had an injury-affected international career which limited him to just 28 appearances for his country, despite making his debut in 2011.

He has said the time is right for him to make way for younger talent, but that has led one West Ham fan to suggest he know longer wants to play football, and that he is happy to sit on the bench at the London Stadium.

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Not everyone has been so harsh, however, with some using the opportunity to show appreciation for the winger, who can now focus all his attention on trying to get back into Manuel Pellegrini’s team.

Snodgrass has started just three times so far this campaign and will need to improve a lot on his last showing, achieving a SofaScore rating of 6.4 for his Scotland display in their 4-0 defeat to Russia.

Here is how some supporters have reacted to the news of his retirement.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s In Numbers series, which takes a statistical look at performances, season-long form and reported transfer targets…

Real Madrid’s last outing in the 2019/20 La Liga campaign was one that yielded mixed results.

Sure, Los Blancos ended up snatching all three points and recording their second win of the new season, coming out with a 3-2 victory against Levante, but there were a number of concerns too.

For starters, the home team conceded twice in the second half, almost dropping a lead that seemed untouchable after the first 45 minutes at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Then there were the injuries, of course, as both Sergio Ramos and Casemiro had to be substituted as a precaution, as per Zinedine Zidane’s words after the clash.

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But as easy as it would be to single out Karim Benzema or the aforementioned Brazilian midfielder, since they both scored on the day, Toni Kroos remains the unsung hero.

The 29-year-old German will rarely get the headlines in the papers but his work is simply invaluable, and he showed it last Saturday at the Santiago Bernabeu with another top-notch performance.

Kroos was extremely active on the pitch, participating in almost all proceedings in both the team’s attack and defence. With 93 touches on the night, only Marcelo and Daniel Carvajal had more with 95 and 100 respectively.

But that doesn’t even start to describe his overall contribution. The German midfielder also tallied the second-highest four key passes on the day, 98.8% passing accuracy and three shots.

And his defensive output was also more than just decent – Kroos registered three tackles during the game and warranted a 7.44 rating according to Whoscored.

He had a brilliant game, keeping his side ticking over and getting up and down the pitch effectively.

When Kroos is at his best, Real find it easier to play, with the majority of their attacks funnelled through the Germany international.

He is a world-class operator and proved as much against Levante.

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s In Numbers series, which takes a statistical look at performances, season-long form and reported transfer targets…

According to Calcio Mercato, Arsenal are set to compete with Juventus to sign right-back Thomas Meunier, whose contract is set to run out next summer.

The Belgium international joined the club in 2016 and has made 107 appearances for the Ligue 1 champions, but he has said in an interview with RMC Sport that he is “not a priority” for his club as his deal looks set to run out.

However, he has started two of the last three games for the Parc des Princes outfit, and should do so against Bordeaux on Saturday. This is a game Gunners fans should keep an eye on.

The 28-year-old is a solid defender, if unspectacular. He knows where the back of the net is – he bagged three league goals in 19 starts last campaign – while he is also adept at providing for his teammates, as his three assists show. However, he is not a player who appears to be entrusted with too much attacking responsibility.

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Last term, he averaged just 0.9 key passes per match, and a mere 0.5 crosses in Ligue 1. As you would expect, PSG weren’t exactly uncreative, averaging 14.8 shots per game – only Lyon had more. His shots statistic – also 0.9 per game – is another indicator that not too much was expected of him going forward.

It appears that he is one of those players whose mere presence in the side can help his teammates.

He made a total of 22 appearances in Ligue 1 last season, with his team scoring an average of 3.57 goals per game and conceding once with him on the pitch.

Thus, he could surely play more regularly for a top European side, and on a free transfer, he would be a true bargain.

Against les Girondins, Meunier will need to be careful of Samuel Kalu’s offensive threat. He has averaged 3.8 dribbles already this season, and he is likely to play on the left as he has done in his last four matches.

It will be the perfect opportunity for Gunners fans to see if he can deal with a tricky winger, of which there are several in the Premier League.

If he can, perhaps they should consider a move next summer.

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Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp may have something of a striker conundrum should Roberto Firmino be ruled out with the issue that saw him substituted off against Manchester United after half-an-hour on Sunday, but there might be one surprise solution.

On the chalkboard

The Reds have crucial fixtures against Watford and Everton this week as they look to keep their Premier League title hopes alive and kicking, but they could easily be without their Brazilian talisman.

Klopp of course could call on Daniel Sturridge – as he did on Sunday – or Divock Origi to fill the centre-forward role, or the German boss could choose to use Mo Salah through the middle – something he has done when he has preferred a 4-2-3-1 system.

However, one left-field option could be to use Sadio Mane there, in the hope of aiding the Senegal international’s personal development.

Make him less selfish

While the 26-year-old is clearly a great attacker who provides a huge threat for his team in the final third, there have been examples on more than one occasion this term where he has been too selfish.

It is a trait that perhaps could have been attributed to Firmino prior to him being used through the middle too, but since he moved to the centre-forward role he has clearly become much more of a team player and taken the responsibility on his shoulders.

The South American star has excelled when it comes to holding the ball and bringing his teammates into play, and basically giving Mane and Salah more time and space to thrive.

It is certainly an unselfish role that the Brazilian is playing, and Mane could learn a thing or two by taking on the same one – with last season’s top goalscorer and Xherdan Shaqiri available they wouldn’t lose quality on the wings either.

A new attendance record for the Women’s Super League in England was set at the weekend at the Etihad Stadium for the clash of Manchester City and Manchester United.

City won 1-0 in front of 31,213 supporters, which beat the previous attendance record at a home ground in women’s football more than six times over, as reported by BBC.

Manchester City also hold the record for the highest attendance in English domestic football history at a home ground when 84,569 people flocked to Maine Road for an FA Cup clash against Stoke in 1934. [via TalkSPORT].

Manchester City-focused Twitter channel @SuperbiaProelia pointed out the club’s status as holders of attendance records for both the men’s and women’s game in England.

Despite these record attendance figures, Manchester City’s home ground has been mockingly called the ‘Emptyhad’ by some rival supporters, as per The Sun, who reported that the average number of attendees at the ground was roughly 46,000 despite official figures of around 54,000 regularly being published.

These Manchester City fans took to Twitter to ridicule the club’s perceived reputation for low attendances:

Do you think the 31,213 attendance for a women’s game on Saturday was a one-off or will it become a regular occurrence this season in the Women’s Super League? Comment below with your views!

As per a report in The Daily Mirror’s print edition (28.01.21, pg. 58, via The 72), a transfer update has come out of Tottenham Hotspur involving West Bromwich Albion goalkeeper Sam Johnstone.

The Lowdown: Tottenham eye Johnstone move…

The Baggies ace will be a name familiar to Lilywhites supporters given he has been linked repeatedly before, with talkSPORT most recently claiming Spurs and transfer chief Fabio Paratici remain in contention for his signature.

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Tottenham, joined by the likes of Southampton and West Ham, are consistently mentioned as interested clubs with Johnstone’s contract at the Hawthorns set to expire soon.

If West Brom are to make a profit, they must cash-in over the next two days or risk losing him for nothing at the end of 2021/2022.

Johnstone’s manager, Valerien Ismael, left him out of West Brom’s last squad to face Preston North End – citing it as a behind-the-scenes ‘issue’ and one which will remain ‘internal’ (Birmingham Live).

The Latest: Spurs ‘could make a last minute move’…

After this development, it is claimed by The Mirror (via The 72) that Spurs could now ‘make a last minute move’ to sign the 28-year-old before deadline.

The fellow usual suspects, West Ham and Southampton, are also mentioned as clubs who may make an eleventh hour bid.

The Verdict: Priority?

Signing Johnstone should, at the very most, be a priority for the summer window when he is a free agent – especially since Conte has four other priority positions to strengthen before January 31.

The Italian wants a right-wing-back, midfielder, left-sided central defender and a striker through the door at N17 but time is very much running out (Alasdair Gold).

Johnstone comes with merit, with the Three Lions ace even being called ‘unreal’ by former Premier League shot stopper Paddy Kenny for his form in the Midlands over this last year.

Meanwhile, Spurs favourite Glenn Hoddle raved about the 6 foot 3 powerhouse in a column for The Evening Standard – branding Johnstone ‘outstanding’.

Plaudits like these don’t come from nowhere, but with time ticking down, Conte must surely be looking at other targets first.

In other news: Spurs also preparing last gasp marquee bid to sign ‘special’ forward, find out more here.

As West Ham United took on lower league minnows Kidderminster Harriers in a mouth-watering FA Cup fourth-round tie, BBC commentators Dion Dublin and Steve Wilson slammed forward Andriy Yarmolenko after a bizarre incident.

The Lowdown: Yarmolenko dives?

The Ukraine forward, who was ripped into by members of the media for his display today, attracted even more criticism against Kidderminster after an incident in the final 10 minutes of normal time.

Yarmolenko, driving into the box, appeared to go down dramatically under little or perhaps even no contact from a Kidderminster defender in hopes of potentially gaining a spot kick.

Following his efforts, BBC commentators Dublin and Wilson certainly weren’t impressed.

The Latest: Dublin and Wilson slam Yarmolenko…

Speaking live to on BBC’s coverage during West Ham’s win, relayed via their live feed (14:11), Dublin started off by stating Yarmolenko’s attempt at simulation was ‘totally embarrassing’.

Thereafter, his co-commentator Wilson then added that it was ‘unforgivable’ from the 32-year-old.

The Verdict: Correct?

There is certainly a strong case that Yarmolenko went down softly under the Kidderminster’s player’s touch given an appeared lack of contact from the National League North player.

The incident perhaps highlighted the overall lack of quality in the display from Yarmolenko during West Ham’s dramatic win, as evidenced by the fact he attracted such harsh criticism from other members of the media.

Journalist Joseph Mbu of The Sun claimed on Twitter that the Irons man ‘offers absolutely nothing 95% of the time’ and that is backed by how little manager David Moyes has used him this season.

According to WhoScored, he’s played just 87 minutes in total in the Premier League and his dive against Kidderminster perhaps wouldn’t have done him any favours.

In other news: West Ham weighing another marquee bid as Moyes sets sights on ‘extraordinary’ player, find out more here.

West Ham United are unlikely to make a move to bring James Tarkowski to the London Stadium in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to Jacob Steinberg’s recent report for The Guardian, with the journalist revealing that, despite David Moyes’ side being heavily linked with a move for the Burnley centre-back this month, a deal for the 29-year-old looks more and more unlikely with each passing day.

Steinberg goes on to suggest that this is both a result of the defender being available on a free transfer at the end of the season, as well as the fact that Kurt Zouma is ahead of schedule in his recovery from a hamstring injury the France international picked up against Chelsea towards the start of December.

In his article, the journalist wrote: “West Ham, who have not been as defensively sound without Zouma and [Angelo] Ogbonna, could still look for a defender. It is understood that a move for Burnley’s James Tarkowski, who is out of contract at the end of the season, is increasingly unlikely this month.”

Fans will be fuming

Considering just how poor West Ham have been without both Ogbonna and Zouma in the heart of their defence, it is clear for all to see that centre-back is undoubtedly a position which Moyes must strengthen this January if he is to give his side the best possible chance of securing a top-four finish in the league this season.

Indeed, over the five Premier League games in which the Hammers have been without both centre-backs – a run which was hardly the most challenging set of fixtures, with the Irons facing Burnley, Arsenal, Southampton, Watford and Crystal Palace – the East London side conceded eight goals, kept just one clean sheet and picked up seven points from a possible 15.

As such, a move for a player who has made an average of 1.4 interceptions, 1.6 tackles, 5.1 clearances and won 67% of his duels over 16 Premier League outings this season in the form of Tarkowski would have very much appeared to be a wise one by Moyes this month.

However, following Steinberg’s recent update, it would now appear unlikely that the Hammers will be making a move for the England international this January, something that certainly has the potential to leave the London Stadium faithful fuming.

In other news: GSB can land “next Mbappe” as WHU bid for 19 y/o with “the mentality of Kobe Bryant”