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Jurgen Klopp is normally a manager that gives his players the chance to prove their worth. Whilst many players in the Liverpool squad likely wouldn’t be there if the fans had their way, like Jordan Henderson and Gini Wijnaldum, the German has persisted with them, and Henderson and Wijnaldum have arguably been two of the Reds’ best performers this season. 

However, one man that Jurgen Klopp has not given a chance to is Lazar Markovic, and now, the club are reportedly, according to the Liverpool Echo, actively seeking offers to sell the disappointing winger.

There’s no doubt about it, Markovic has been below par at Anfield, but is there an argument to suggest that he’s deserved better at Liverpool. He hasn’t been a regular at the club for years, and his current role in the squad is largely still based off of one mixed season at Anfield.

When he has been given a Liverpool chance since, he certainly has given Jurgen Klopp something to think about. In particular, his performances across the summer pre-season period were good enough, and whilst he didn’t light any fires, he certainly played like a player that is more than capable of playing a back-up role at Anfield.

Is he ever going to reach the heights of Sadio Mane or Mo Salah? That seems unlikely, but how are Liverpool to know if he doesn’t have a chance to prove it? Selling him may make sense now, but it’s a decision that Liverpool could live to regret. It’s hard to believe, but he’s still just 24-years-old, and so he’s very much still a player that is developing.

If Liverpool sell him now, and if he’s able to make his pre-season form more prominent and work hard in training, there’s no doubting that he’s still got the potential to reach the heights that Liverpool expected of him when he first moved to Anfield.

Thoughts?

Steven Gerrard’s start to his Rangers career has been pretty good as not only has he guided the club through a tough European Qualifying campaign but also made a solid start to the league as The Gers sit fifth, eight points off league leaders Hearts with a game in hand. 

The former Liverpool boss looks set to be the long-term boss as the club and has so far been surprisingly good as a manager. Gerrard looks set to be the manager for the next few years and with that in mind, he’ll be looking towards bringing in players for the future.

Although at times this season club captain James Tavernier has put in some solid performances, the 27-year-old has also looked fairly shaky at the back and against Spartak Moscow he had a fairly average performance and seemingly struggled to beat the first man from his corner deliveries.

With the full-back being 27, now is the perfect time to bring in a youngster to learn from him and gain experience. One youth team player that could fill that void is Rangers academy right-back Jordan Houston.

The youngster signed a new long-term deal with the club over the summer. A deal that will see him contracted until 2o2o. The 18-year-old is yet to make a first-team appearance for the club but was included on the bench for Rangers’ 2-1 loss to Dundee last season.

At the moment, he may still be a bit off the first-team but the Scotland Under-17 international is still the one to eventually replace Tavernier.

Thoughts Rangers fans? 

Manchester United have had a worrying pre-season campaign so far and fans of the Old Trafford outfit will be hoping their club brings in players this week.

Jose Mourinho has seemed disgruntled during the entirety of the summer. He seems to lack belief his side can compete with their rivals and his relationship with the board seems to be at an all-time low. Perhaps, some optimism could be injected into the Portuguese manager by the way of some new talent entering Old Trafford before Thursday’s transfer window deadline.

Last season will have been a disappointment for Mourinho, with the Red Devils not securing a single trophy. The January transfer deal to bring in Alexis Sanchez from Arsenal could also been seen as a disappointment, but United fans will be hoping for a much better campaign this time out.

With Liverpool and Arsenal strengthening in particular, the Red Devils need to ensure they are in the best possible shape to compete before the season begins.

With that in mind, here are three signings Mourinho could still make this week…

One of the stars of England’s World Cup campaign in Russia, Harry Maguire is a talent in demand.

Although Leicester City are trying to keep hold of their star defender, United continue to trail Maguire. His confidence on the ball would make him a valuable asset to Mourinho’s side, as United’s defence has lacked something ever since Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic retired. Maguire will make surging runs forward, helping to overload a team setting up to defend against the Red Devils.

Maguire is valued at £31.5million by Transfermarkt.

This will be a huge deal if United can wrap up the English star.

Another player who had a fantastic World Cup and is reportedly the number one target for United this summer.

The Croatia international helped his country to a World Cup final. Despite Perisic scoring with an excellent effort against France, Croatia eventually lost 4-2 to the Blues.

The attacking midfielder is a ket part of Inter Milan’s team; his skill and game intelligence would be a major benefit to United next season, and so would the goals and assists the 29-year-old could provide.

The Tottenham centre-back has been linked with United for a large portion of the summer. Man United and Tottenham have failed to reach common ground over the value of the experienced centre-back.

The Belgium international has been a key part of Tottenham’s defence for many seasons, so their reluctance to see the player go is unsurprising.

This deal could still get done within the week, but Ed Woodward is going to have to splash the cash if he wants to bring Alderweireld to Old Trafford.

According to reports from The Telegraph, Chelsea and Leicester City are continuing negotiations over the potential transfer of Danny Drinkwater, who is being eyed as a midfield reinforcement for the reigning champions.

The England international was a key part of the Foxes side that won the Premier League title in between the Blues’ last two crownings, playing alongside now-Chelsea star N’Golo Kante, and has proved himself to be a hardworking, reliable performer with a touch of quality.

However, the same publication also claim the Blues are interested in Everton’s Ross Barkley, a somewhat more exciting English midfielder technically who can offer more going forward, whether he’s deployed in the engine room or slightly further up the pitch.

It seems unlikely Chelsea will seal deals for both before the transfer window slams shut later this week. So, Blues fans, would you prefer your club to sign the sturdier, more defensive Leicester City ace, who Transfermarkt value at just £8.1million, or the creative Everton man? Let us know by voting below…

A handful of Leeds United fans have brandished Fulham midfielder Tom Cairney “bitter” after he slammed the travelling support following Tuesday’s Championship match at Craven Cottage.

Cairney was once a member of the Whites’ academy, but he ended up finishing his youth development Hull City before making a first-team debut in 2009.

During the midweek match, the midfielder looked to be on the losing side as Leeds had a slender 1-0 lead thanks to an own goal from Tim Ream.

However, Cairney stepped up in the 95th minute of injury time to claim an equaliser, restricting Leeds to just one point.

After the game, the 26-year-old responded to claims on social media that his family were being verbally abused by Leeds supporters.

Some fans have had their say on Twitter, hitting back at the Fulham forward for his strong criticism of the away support at Craven Cottage.

Plenty have accused Cairney of tainting the whole fanbase when it may have been a select few that were guilty of the unacceptable abuse.

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On Merseyside it always seems to be a case of once a hero, always a hero.

In Liverpool the fans are terrifically passionate and those who grace the Anfield stands week after week know a good player when they see one. And as the season grows older and older, a young Belgian seems to be at the forefront of every Kopite’s mind.

Divock Origi had a pretty uninspiring start to his Liverpool career. He signed for the Reds in a £10m deal back in 2014, only to be immediately loaned back to Lille for the following season. Although the move was logical, it was frustrating for supporters at the time who wanted to see a glimpse of their new striker who had shone at the World Cup.

Yet back to France he went, and he scored nine goals in 44 games – by no means awe-inspiring, but a solid return. It’s important to remember he is still only 20 years old.

This Sunday Origi took a massive step towards writing himself into Liverpool folklore, scoring twice as Jurgen Klopp’s side eased to their biggest home win of the season by brushing aside Stoke City 4-1. The Potters have had an extremely solid season themselves and this result was not one to overlook.

The most impressive factor about Origi’s performance against the Potters was probably that he didn’t even start the game. He came on for fellow youngster Sheyi Ojo and looked irresistible playing alongside Daniel Sturridge. That’s one thing we haven’t yet seen enough of this season, an encouraging partnership between both Origi and Sturridge. Granted that’s because the Englishman has been injured for a large part of the campaign, but it was an extremely promising showing for both Liverpool and England fans.

As mentioned, Origi came on in the second half and took no time adding to his Liverpool tally, sweeping home two goals to take his tally to eight for the season – impressive considering he was struggling to even make the match day squad at the start of the season.

Considering Christian Benteke was supposed to be the man to lead the Liverpool revolution, the season has taken a most surprising twist with the Reds now relying on a the younger Belgian to get all the goals.

Origi is a man high on confidence who was quick to recognise the effect the Liverpool crowd had on his performance. “Playing for the Kop is wonderful”, he beamed after the game. These are promising words to hear for the Reds fans, who will no doubt keep singing Origi’s name if he keeps performing on the pitch.

There is little doubt that Jurgen Klopp is having a positive effect on Origi’s Liverpool career. The German is emotive, charismatic and full of praise for his players, everything that a young talent needs around him to develop.

He’s on the up and his form shows no sign of slowing down. Who’d have thought he’d be leading the Liverpool line at the start of the season?

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AC Milan boss Stefano Pioli has explained his decision to bench Christian Pulisic, with the USMNT star seeing just 45 minutes of action against Monza.

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• Rossoneri suffered shock defeat
• American introduced at half-time
• Claims he had been nursing a knock

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The United States international was named among the substitutes for the Rossoneri’s latest Serie A outing. With Milan conceding twice on the stroke of half-time, changes needed to be made at the interval – and Pulisic was among those to be introduced.

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  He teed up an effort for Olivier Giroud, before briefly restoring parity in the 88th minute with a stunning strike that was crashed into the top corner, but Milan suffered late wobbles at the end of both halves and ultimately slipped to 4-2 defeat.

• WHAT PIOLI SAID

  Pioli has faced criticism for making six changes to the side that eased past Rennes in the Europa League, but he attempted to justify those selection calls by telling : “It is a painful defeat for the way it developed and the situation we were in. The only one who was meant to start today was Rafael Leao, as he had a slight calf twinge in training this morning and did not want to risk it, but the others were in good shape. Pulisic did not train yesterday, as he was tired, and Rafa felt he wasn’t ready. Christian has never played so much in recent years, so he needed some rest.”

  Pioli added on the reasons for Milan suffering a disappointing defeat: “We moved the ball around too slowly, but Monza also put everyone behind the ball and waited for us. The game changed, unfortunately for us, with all those incidents going from the interruption to the goals and the card. These are all incidents where a team like ours ought to be sharper, more concentrated and more on their toes.”

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  WHAT NEXT FOR AC MILAN?

  Milan have missed the chance to go second in Serie A and are now 11 points adrift of arch-rivals Inter in a title battle that is quickly becoming a one-horse race. Pulisic and Co will be back in action on Thursday when taking in the second leg of their Europa League knockout round play-off against Rennes.

Former USWNT star Sydney Leroux scored an outrageous bicycle kick for Angel City FC as they booked their place in the 2023 NWSL play-offs.

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Los Angeles-based side picked up big winFive different scorers on the dayWill now face Rapinoe & OL ReignWHAT HAPPENED?

The Los Angeles-based outfit never looked to be in any danger of missing out on the post-season, despite leaving it until the final day of regular season action before confirming that their campaign will be extended by at least one more game.

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Angel City proved far too strong for the Portland Thorns as they eased to a 5-1 victory on home soil. The Californian outfit saw five different players get on the scoresheet, with ex-United States international Leroux registering the pick of their goals in a comprehensive success.

DID YOU KNOW?

Angel City were already three goals to the good when they pushed for a fourth in the 51st minute. An opportunity appeared to have passed them by when a drilled cross from the right was parried up into the air by Portland goalkeeper Bella Bixby, but Leroux proceeded to produce a moment of magic as she looped a spectacular overhead kick into the back of the net.

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WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

Leroux and Angel City FC will now face OL Reign in the NWSL play-offs, with Megan Rapinoe set to figure in that contest having prolonged her own distinguished career by ensuring that retirement plans are put on hold for a few more days.

The relationship between a manager and his players is often a very complex one

Despite what they might say in the confines of a dressing room, managers will seldom shame their players in the public domain.

Although, that isn't to say that they are totally exempt from criticism in press conferences and interviews, especially when the man in the technical area is at risk of losing his job. The pressure faced by managers can sometimes lead to them airing their dirty laundry in public, but it very rarely ends well as supporters are left to pick sides between players and their boss.

Steven Gerrard made the mistake of replacing fans' favourite Tyrone Mings in the role of captain at Aston Villa whilst simultaneously questioning his mentality. The Villa boss soon restored the England centre-back to his starting XI after his public shaming didn't go down too well with those in the stands.

With that incident fresh in the memory, here are a collection of other scenarios where players have been publicly thrown under the bus by their managers.

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  Duncan Ferguson & Moise Kean

  Duncan Ferguson has taken charge of just five matches in his coaching career, all of which came during two separate stints as caretaker manager at Everton. Although, in that time, he created enough headlines to last a full season.

  Perhaps the most iconic memory of his brief managerial career came when he took the Toffees to Old Trafford in December 2019. With Everton 1-0 in front with 20 minutes left, the Scotsman replaced the injured Bernard with highly-rated Moise Kean.

  However, the young forward didn't even see out the game as he was brought off for fellow striker Oumar Niasse in the dying minutes. Ferguson tried to play down talk of a fall out following the match but, having ignored Kean after substituting him, it was clear that the caretaker boss was far from impressed.

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  Roberto Mancini & Carlos Tevez

  To say Carlos Tevez was a character during his playing career would be a huge understatement. Before retiring just a couple of months ago, the Argentine was a player capable of single-handedly winning a match whilst equally capable of winding up a whole fan base in the blink of an eye.

  His move across Manchester – from United to City in 2009 – understandably raised eyebrows but he didn't let the controversy affect his performances on the pitch. Although, during the 2011-12 season, Tevez and his manager at the time, Roberto Mancini, had an almighty falling out.

  Their feud came to a head when City travelled to Munich to face Bayern in the Champions League. With the German giants 2-0 in front, Mancini looked to his bench to bring Tevez into the action but the striker refused to go onto the pitch, having been frustrated at not being included from the start.

  After the game, the usually-calm Italian was livid, he said: "For me it’s a bad situation because it is impossible for a player to refuse to play and help the team. He was disappointed that he didn’t play but we play with 11 players. To do that is just impossible."

  Mancini then added: "He is finished for me. If I had my way he’d be out of the club.”

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  Thomas Tuchel & Callum Hudson-Odoi

  Callum Hudson-Odoi has found regular game time hard to come by at Chelsea despite signing a bumper contract in September 2019. He has struggled to fit into Thomas Tuchel's sytem and has often been played outside of his regular position in one of the two wing-back roles.

  However, in February of last year, the Blues boss brought the winger on at half-time for Tammy Abraham with Chelsea a goal behind against Southampton at St Mary's. Despite the visitors equalising through a Mason Mount penalty, Tuchel had seen enough from Hudson-Odoi and replaced him with 15 minutes left of the match.

  He didn't mince his words after the game when asked why he made the harsh decision to re-substitute the young forward. He told : "We brought in Hudson, but with Hudson I was not happy with the energy and the attitude in the counter pressing so we decided to take him off again because we demand a lot, we demand 100% and I had the feeling he is not right in the shape where he can help us."

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  Jurgen Klopp & Dejan Lovren

  Jurgen Klopp is widely considered one of the coaches with the best man management qualities in world football. So for that reason, it was very out-of-character when he singled Dejan Lovren out for criticism following Liverpool's heavy 4-1 defeat against Tottenham at Wembley in October 2017.

  It was far from the Croatian's best game in a Reds shirt and he was culpable for both of the home side's opening goals; missing a header for the first and missing the ball in a similar fashion for the second. While public shame is never the correct way to address a poor performance, Liverpool supporters totally resonated with Klopp's post-match comments.

  "It was just really bad, bad, bad defending," said the German. "The second [goal], a counter attack, when the ball passes Lovren it is already too late. If I am involved in this situation on the pitch, then Harry cannot get the ball. It wouldn't happen if I was on the pitch, but I am in the middle of the technical area in trainers."

The Barcelona superstar earns an amazing €126 million, according to France Football, which far outstrips his rivals, including Cristiano Ronaldo

Lionel Messi is the highest-paid player in world football, with a staggering value of €126 million!

The figure, which includes bonuses and commercial revenue, far outstrips Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar and Gareth Bale, who trail in Messi's wake.

Goal takes a look at the highest-paid players in world football, according to France Football's latest list!

20Manuel Neuer | Bayern Munich | Value: €20.8mAdvertisementGetty Images19Paul Pogba | Manchester United | €22mGetty Images18Robert Lewandowski | Bayern Munich | €22.2m ENJOYED THIS STORY?

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Getty Images17Oscar | Shanghai SIPG | €22.2m