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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…

According to The Sun, Crystal Palace are eyeing up a January loan move for Liverpool teenager Rhian Brewster as the Eagles look to strengthen their attacking options.

What’s the word, then?

Well, the south Londoners believe that Brewster, 19, can compete with Christian Benteke, Jordan Ayew and Connor Wickham at Selhurst Park.

The Liverpool prospect looks to be a player of real star potential. Brewster won the Golden Boot at the U17 World Cup as England won the tournament in 2017, scoring eight goals along the way – Palace’s own Nya Kirby also featured for the Three Lions in the competition.

Additionally, the Reds academy graduate has scored 20 goals in 44 appearances throughout Liverpool’s youth ranks.

Would provide Steve Parish with a decent stop-gap to focus on other plans

Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parish has outlined his intentions for the club’s future, including £15m-£20m plans to redevelop the academy as well as the reported £100m redevelopment of Selhurst Park – a project that is being stunted by Sainsbury’s refusal to sell a ‘slither’ of car park on the stadium site.

The Eagles chief recently decided to take an advance on a £22.5m instalment owed by Manchester United in nine months’ time, striking a deal with Australian bank Macquarie to bring the payment forward – it is believed that the money won’t be used to help Roy Hodgson in the January window.

So, in that respect, a loan deal for Brewster would save Parish some money and help keep the finances fairly balanced as he embarks on what is looking like a costly revamp of his club’s academy and stadium, while boosting the first-team squad for the remainder of the campaign.

The south Londoners have skimped and saved wherever they can in recent windows, spending less than £5m back in the summer – before that, Hodgson had only spent money on Alexander Sorloth and Cheikhou Kouyate across his two-year managerial stint, as well as a minimal fee on Jaroslaw Jach.

A loan for Brewster would help continue that trend, crucially saving money in the process, and could help mask the goalscoring woes of Christian Benteke and Connor Wickham – the pair haven’t scored this term, and grabbed just one league goal between them last season.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…

After seeing Marcus Rashford end his mini goal-drought for the club, and then watching Anthony Martial make his long-awaited return from injury, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer must be feeling slightly more positive about things after last Sunday’s clash against Liverpool.

The Red Devils produced one of their better displays of the season as they earned a creditable draw against the reigning Champions League holders, and stopped Jurgen Klopp’s side’s flawless start to the Premier League campaign. The game saw United switch things up tactically, and a 5-3-2 set-up brought rich rewards in terms of defensive solidity and greater counter-attacking threat.

Watch how to cross the road like a boss with freestyler Ben Nuttall in the video below…

Whilst Partizan Belgrade on Thursday night in the Europa League won’t offer the same threat as the Reds did at the weekend, Solskjaer may still be inclined to stick to the formation and tactics that served his side well. And with that in mind, here’s a look at the potential line-up the United boss could pick.

After making a miraculous recovery from an injury picked up on international duty with Spain, David de Gea made the game against Liverpool on last Sunday. However, with it being the Europa League, Solskjaer will no doubt turn to his regular number two, Sergio Romero, for the occasion in midweek.

Axel Tuanzebe’s late withdrawal from the clash against Klopp’s side saw Marcos Rojo be given an opportunity to shine, and so United may well feel it best to stick with the same back three that played on the weekend. Brandon Williams completed his first full 90 minutes when he featured against AZ Alkmaar last time out in Europe, and will look to start once again.

Watch Manchester United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

In midfield, James Garner was not involved in the U23s 4-1 win over Swansea on Monday evening, and that could well be an indication the 18-year-old is line to make an appearance against Partizan. Alongside him, Fred will hope he has done enough to keep his place, whilst Scott McTominay should round out the trio in the middle of the park.

After scoring against Liverpool, Rashford may well have been in Solskjaer’s ear all week looking to start from the off against the Serbian side on Thursday. And, having come on during the closing stages at Old Trafford, Martial could be in line to make his first start in a couple of months.

With both their main centre-forwards back, and in a two-striker formation too, United’s goal-scoring woes could be ended when they take to the field in mid-week. Having scored just ten goals in their opening nine Premier League games, getting their best duo out on the pitch in the number nine role could very well open the floodgates.

Manchester City needed a win against Crystal Palace, and that is exactly what they got.

With Liverpool leading the way at the top of the Premier League, the Citizens found themselves eight points behind before this match after just eight games. However, thanks to Gabriel Jesus and David Silva, Pep Guardiola and co got back to winning ways after losing against Wolves in their previous fixture.

Watch Manchester City Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

It could have been even more for the title holders, as well. At one point, Jesus attempted to shoot from a difficult position with several Eagles bodies in front of him. If he had just looked up to his right, he would have seen Kevin De Bruyne in acres of space, with the Belgium international just needing to tap the ball into an empty net. In the end, though, the chance was wasted.

The City fans were disgusted with their £27m man’s show of selfishness. They took to Twitter to share their thoughts, and you can see some of the best comments from the social media platform below.

Manchester United reportedly turned to a player who left the club this year to try and convince one of his country’s brightest prospects to come to Old Trafford.

In their Next Generation 2019 feature, The Guardian stated that the club had asked Belgium striker Romelu Lukaku, who left for Inter in August, to try and lure Anderlecht winger Jeremy Doku to United.

According to The Guardian, the 17-year-old could have joined Liverpool after his current club allowed for a potential deal to be discussed arising from Lazar Markovic’s arrival on loan from Anfield, but the Brussels-based outfit ultimately persuaded the Belgian youngster to stay.

Doku made six senior appearances for Anderlecht last season before turning 17 in May and has played eight times for the first team in the current campaign.

He has yet to score for the senior side but has netted twice in as many appearances for the reserves this season, while Kristof Terreur noted in The Guardian that he was applauded by some Benfica supporters after impressing against them in a summer friendly with his “pace, acceleration and skills”.

While Doku remains very inexperienced at senior level, Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has not been slow to show faith in teenagers who he feels are good enough to play in the first team since replacing Jose Mourinho last December.

Mason Greenwood, who like Doku has played mainly as a right winger recently, was thrown into the second leg of the last 16 tie against Paris Saint-Germain for his debut in March when the tie was in the balance and has now made 13 appearances for the first team, scoring against Astana and Rochdale last month.

Tahith Chong, another right winger, has made eight first team appearances under Solskjaer, who gave him his debut in an FA Cup over Reading this year.

Teenagers Brandon Williams and Angel Gomes have also featured for United’s first team this season, while James Garner debuted against Crystal Palace in February two weeks before his 18th birthday.

Whether Solskjaer will survive in the Manchester United manager’s job for much longer given their abysmal league placing of 12th and current run of 11 away games without a win and two league wins out of 13 is unclear.

If he is shown faith by the club’s hierarchy, though, Old Trafford could be an ideal destination for Doku, as he would be playing under a manager who has demonstratively trusted in teenage talents in big games, as evidenced by Greenwood and Chong playing in the 3-1 win over PSG last season.

Manchester United fans, would you like to see Doku coming to Old Trafford in the future? Let us know your views in the comments section below!

According to the Daily Mail, Arsenal are closely monitoring the progress of RB Salzburg winger Hwang Hee-chan.

What’s the word?

Hwang, 23, thoroughly impressed during the Austrian side’s 4-3 defeat against Liverpool in the Champions League as he negotiated past the colossal defender Virgil van Dijk to get himself on the score sheet.

Arsenal have joined the likes of Crystal Palace in the race for Hwang’s signature in the next transfer window, with scouts from major European leagues following the Austrian Bundesliga forward closely, per the Daily Mail.

The South Korean winger has been at RB Salzburg since 2015 and has had two loan spells with Austrian Division Two side FC Liefering and with Hamburg in the German Bundesliga.

Following in the footsteps

Following a loan spell in Germany last season where he did not impress, the South Korean winger has had a resurgence during the start of this campaign and finds himself with seven goals and 10 assists in 11 games in all competitions.

RB Salzburg have been praised for their progression through the European ranks, particularly as they reached the Europa League semi-finals last season. More importantly, a few well-known stars have emerged from the Austrian ranks that now play among the elite in European football.

Liverpool’s Sadio Mane, who moved to Anfield for £34m, started as a youngster at RB Salzburg before making a move to Southampton in 2014 for £10m. He scored 19 goals in all competitions for Die Mozartstädter during the 2012/13 season which opened the door to the Premier League for the Senegal international two years later.

The other player is Naby Keita. The Guinean midfielder caught the eye of many clubs during the 2015/16 campaign after scoring 12 goals in 28 league games for the Austrian side, rewarding him with a move to their sister club RB Leipzig in Germany and then onto Liverpool in a £48m deal.

The Austrian outfit have become a hotbed for bringing through up and coming talent and the Gunners have identified a player that would certainly boost Unai Emery’s side and provide an additional avenue for strength in depth in the attacking areas of the team, illustrating the intelligence of the Arsenal scouting set up, per the Daily Mail.

If Arsenal’s interest is genuine, Hwang could follow the likes of Mane and Keita to an elite Premier League club after impressing in Austria, and with Erling Haaland scoring goals at a relentless rate this season, the South Korea international is unlikely to be the only Salzburg star attracting interest from some of Europe’s best in the coming months.

After a sensational start to the season, consistency could grant him a move to a top club; Arsenal may be his next destination.

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Liverpool’s trip to MK Dons provides Jurgen Klopp with the ideal opportunity to test out some unproven youngsters, whilst also easing players back into the side who are making a return from injury.

The German has often used domestic cup competitions to experiment with different players as it allows him to rest first-team members for more important matches in Europe and the Premier League, with success in those competitions his priority.

As a result, a new-look Liverpool side is likely to take to the pitch at Stadium MK, and with a number of promising youngsters making the trip, the only question is who will get the call.

Here is our predicted XI for the Carabao Cup clash.

Against Wolves in the FA Cup this year Klopp made the bold decision to start Curtis Jones, who is likely to feature along with Ki-Jana Hoever, another player who featured at Molineux in what was the only senior game for the club for both players.

The inclusion of Jones would certainly please the fans, and given his record of two goals and three assists in five Premier League 2 games he should have the quality to unlock a League One defence.

He will have a greater chance to do exactly that if he plays alongside Rhian Brewster and Harvey Elliott, two players who have featured next to him on a regular basis already this season.

Both have impressed U23s manager Neil Critchley this term and big things are expected of both, with Brewster finishing as top scorer in the Under 17s World Cup in 2017 and Elliott being the youngest ever player to play in the Premier League.

MK Dons promises to be a great challenge of their abilities, therefore, and a test to see if they are ready to feature regularly in Liverpool’s matchday squad this season, which could be necessary with injuries to Sadio Mane, Divock Origi and Xherdan Shaqiri currently.

Watch Liverpool Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Whilst those absentees are a setback for Klopp, the return of Naby Keita to full fitness is a reason for optimism, and this match provides him with a great chance to rebuild his match fitness along with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Adam Lallana.

Both players are still recovering from long-term lay-offs, though, and therefore there is a likelihood that the midfield won’t be able to see out the game, which is a risk if the Reds need to bring on a forward to score or if they suffer an injury in another area.

Dejan Lovren is another who may appear for the first time this season, but for Caoimhin Kelleher it may possibly be an even more memorable occasion, as the goalkeeper could be in line to make his debut.

Southampton fans are far from happy with the cameo performance of Theo Walcott during the Saints’ League Cup exit at the hands of Chelsea.

The Saints travelled to Stamford Bridge for their round of 16 tie against the Blues and put in a positive display. Kai Havertz gave the home side the lead before Che Adams equalised early on in the second half and, eventually, it was only a penalty shoot-out that stopped the Saints from progressing to the quarter-finals.

Walcott was one of the men who stepped up to take a spot-kick, and he was unable to find the back of the net. That came following a 23-minute performance that was far from impressive – the former Arsenal failed to have any real impact on the game.

The fans were generally pleased with what they saw from their side, but Walcott was one of the exceptions. The supporters took to social media to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what the fans had to say about the display of Walcott below

“Walcott needs to go in January waste of wages”

Credit: @sfcJoshhh

“Walcott is done man”

Credit: @SfcGdog

“Know a lot of people disagree but I think Elyounoussi has been alright recently. He certainly deserves more of a chance than Redmond/Djenepo who have had multiple seasons, and Walcott who is finished.”

Credit: @sfcJoe_

“How does Walcott get anywhere near the team, always been overrated”

Credit: @kevinro290560

“I really fail to see exactly what RH sees in Walcott he is now stealing a living from SFC he did the same at Everton who were lucky enough to unload him on to us… he is now holding up younger better players development it’s time to get rid of and to save the £75k a week !”

Credit: @Peter67305335

“Forster and Lyanco surely start at the weekend. Tonight’s performance proves Walcott shouldn’t be anywhere near the starting line up. Long is also a better option to bring on”

Credit: @sfc_zone

In other news, Southampton fans were reacting to this Yan Valery news.

A product of the highly impressive Celtic academy, Scott Robertson is very much a player to keep an eye on at Parkhead in the coming years.

Indeed, while the central midfielder has made just one senior appearance for the Bhoys – rather unfortunately coming in a 2-0 Europa League loss against CFR Cluj back in 2019 – the 20-year-old has been quietly developing himself as a footballer over three loan spells south of the border.

The first of these came during the first half of last season, in the form of a four-month stint at Gillingham, where the midfielder would go on to make 19 appearances for the Gills, providing two assists for his teammates along the way.

Upon his return to Parkhead in January, the youngster was almost immediately snapped back up by another League One side, Doncaster Rovers, with Robertson subsequently featuring 15 times for Richie Wellens’ side, registering one assist during his time with the Dons.

As a result of his impressive displays for two separate League One sides last time out, Crewe Alexandra decided to take the 20-year-old on a season-long this summer, where the midfielder has continued his impressive development in the third tier of English football.

Indeed, over his eight League One appearances in the current campaign, Robertson has already bagged one goal, as well as taking an average of one shot and making 0.9 key passes per game.

The youngster has also impressed in metrics more typical of his position, making an average of 0.5 interceptions, 2.9 tackles, 1.5 clearances and winning a whopping seven duels per fixture.

These returns have seen the Celtic loanee earn an average SofaScore match rating of 6.88, ranking him as Crewe’s fourth-best performer in the league.

Indeed, the 20-year-old’s consistent level of performance has also led to the praise of his manager, David Artell, who claimed back in September that the midfielder was the club’s best player at that particular moment.

On Robertson’s displays, Artell said: “Scott’s character is bang on. He listens intently and he looks at you and you know he is taking it all in. There is no noise going on in his head when you speak to him. He wants to listen and learn and when you are like that then you are only going to get better.

“He was terrific again [against Burton Albion]. Really, really good and he was absolutely shattered in those last five minutes because he had run himself into the ground. He has probably been our best performer in the last three games but he knows that has to continue. He knows he has to maintain those levels but he has come here, taken things on board and his attitude to the work is first class… we have a real gem of a player on our hands.”

As such, with another season of regular game time, not to mention a collection of impressive performances, under his belt, upon Robertson’s return to Parkhead, the 20-year-old could take one step closer to emulating his academy predecessor in central midfield, Callum McGregor, and could well cause Ange Postecoglou something of a selection headache in the middle of the park next season.

In other news: Forget Jota: “Lively” £9k-p/w Celtic dynamo who made 8 passes finally proved his worth

West Ham will not turn to free agents to solve one of their long-standing issues, according to a very reliable source…

What’s the word?

ExWHUemployee delivered a fresh verdict on whether Irons boss David Moyes would look to bring in a new striker for nothing in a bid to bolster his frontline.

Speaking on this week’s episode of ‘The West Ham Way’ podcast, he claimed:

“A couple of people have asked me whether we’re going to sign a forward on a free transfer.

“I don’t think we will because I think [Jarrod] Bowen today [vs Manchester United] whilst it wasn’t the most accomplished of performances, it wasn’t a bad performance so I think he can possibly step in if needed.

“Interestingly [Mipo] Odubeko was on the bench again [for loan club Huddersfield Town] –  [he] hasn’t started.”

A big risk

Clearly, if the reputable club insider is getting a lot of questions on the matter, it is something that the Hammers faithful are worrying about – and they have every right to be concerned.

Since the departure of club-record flop Sebastian Haller to Ajax last January, Moyes has been left with a lack of depth in the attacking department.

In fact, he has only been able to call upon Michail Antonio, 31, who has endured plenty of problems with injuries over the course of his east London career.

Over the last four full seasons, the Premier League’s leading talisman has failed to start more than 24 top-flight matches, and that is largely down to his time on the treatment table.

At the weekend, West Ham were reminded of what it’s like without him as he served a one-game suspension against Manchester United, which left winger Jarrod Bowen playing out of position.

Whilst any old free-agent isn’t necessarily the solution, it would be wise to have someone that is there just in case something horribly unfortunate happens because if it does, the Irons will be in the mud.

There are plenty of strikers that are still without a club, ranging from ex-Liverpool star Daniel Sturridge to former West Ham dud Andy Carroll. Even Carlos Tevez is currently unattached, as per Transfermarkt.

Those around the London Stadium better hope that Antonio gets to January unscathed otherwise there could be a serious problem that hinders the progress they have made in 2021/22.

AND in other news, £60k-p/w West Ham beast who made 97% of passes was Moyes’ one shining light vs United…

Queens Park Rangers have been dealt a blow regarding the fitness of Sam McCallum ahead of their upcoming Championship fixture.

What’s the latest?

In recent comments cited by West London Sport, Mark Warburton revealed that the Norwich City loanee will once again be unavailable for the visit of Birmingham City on Tuesday evening, as the left-back is yet to recover from a hamstring injury sustained in the Rs’ Carabao Cup penalty shootout victory over Everton last week.

Speaking about the current condition of the defender, the 59-year-old QPR boss said: “He won’t be ready for the game.”

Fans will be gutted

Considering just how impressive McCallum has been since completing a season-long loan switch to the Kiyan Prince Foundation Stadium in the summer transfer window, coupled with the fact that fellow QPR left-back Lee Wallace is also currently sidelined due to injury, the news of the 21-year-old’s continued absence is sure to have left fans of the club gutted.

Indeed, over his four Championship appearances for QPR so far this season, the £3.15m-rated defender has already bagged two goals, as well as taking an average of 1.5 shots and making 0.8 key passes per game.

The £5k-per-week left-back has also impressed in metrics more typical of his position, making an average of 1.3 interceptions, 1.8 tackles, 0.5 clearances and winning 5.5 duels per match.

These returns have seen the man Warburton himself dubbed a “quality” talent earn an average SofaScore match rating of 6.92, ranking him as the Rs’ ninth-best player in the second tier.

As such, being without the 21-year-old for the visit of Birmingham on Tuesday will undoubtedly come as a major blow to QPR’s chances of picking up a positive result against Lee Bowyer’s side, as McCallum has not only been solid at the back for the Rs but also highly influential going forwards.

In other news: Huge blow: Warburton confirms double QPR injury setback which will leave fans gutted