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Manchester United have officially appointed Erik ten Hag as their new manager at Old Trafford in the summer, and now Fabrizio Romano has given an update on the team the Dutch coach will build around him.

What’s the word?

According to the Italian transfer insider and journalist, Manchester United are in talks for Steve McClaren to join the coaching staff alongside their brand new manager at the end of the season.

Romano tweeted: “Mitchell van der Gaag has already accepted to join Erik ten Hag staff at Manchester United – green light from Dutch coach arrived one week ago. Contract details are still being discussed, while Steve McClaren had direct conversation with ten Hag on his possible role.”

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Supporters will be excited

It’s fair to say the Red Devils have been struggling ever since Sir Alex Ferguson left the club in 2013, and, having entered their longest trophy drought in 40 years, there clearly needs to be a revolution at the club – something which is starting to finally unfold ahead of the summer.

The appointment of Ten Hag alongside a brand new team to work with him will surely excite supporters, who will undoubtedly be desperate for huge changes that can positively impact the club’s future and pull them out of their trophyless rut.

Steve McClaren making a shock return to the Premier League and Old Trafford could be exactly what Man United need to reignite their identity as winners, as the former Newcastle manager was assistant to Ferguson between 1999 and 2001, joining during the treble-winning 1998/99 campaign.

Aside from his well-known career in England, McClaren has previously worked with the new Man United boss – when Ten Hag was assistant to McClaren at FC Twente back in 2008, and the pair continue to have a close relationship.

With that being said, these big shifts in responsibilities and fresh perspectives added to the Manchester United think tank will surely be welcomed by the supporters as the club looks to rebuild their reputation and pose a threat in the challenge for trophies in the future.

AND In other news: “Man United will 100% sign..”: Romano drops transfer claim that will excite supporters

An update has emerged on Southampton centre-back Jack Stephens, regarding his knee injury.

What’s the latest?

Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuttl has confirmed that Jack Stephens could be out of action for up to three months with a knee injury.

The centre-back came off in the first-half against Manchester City at the weekend and Hasenhuttl has now revealed how long he is set to be out for.

He told the Independent: 

“His tendon on the knee is disrupted. I don’t know how long, it could be 10 to 12 weeks, but it will take quite a serious time.”

Fans will be devastated

Southampton fans will be devastated by this news as it is a big blow for the club and for Stephens, given how he worked his way into the side this season.

He had started all five of the club’s Premier League matches and will now be forced to watch on from the sidelines without being able to impact the play on the pitch.

Stephens played 18 times in the Premier League last term, averaging a solid SofaScore rating of 6.71. He made 1.9 tackles and 1.6 interceptions per game, showing off his defensive quality at the heart of the back four, which he carried into the current campaign.

Hasenhuttl lauded the central defender earlier this season, telling the Daily Echo: “When Jack works on his defensive duels and is aggressive there, and nasty, then he is a very good centre-back.

“He is like a leader at the back at the moment, he has really fought for his position and doesn’t want to give it away so easily.

“I think at the moment he shows how important he can be for this club and this is what I need, a guy who is good on the ball but also wins his duels.

“This was sometimes the problems with Jack, that he is a little bit too nice, too calm and a little bit too less aggressive, now when he is defending forward he is strong and this is what I demand of the player, and what he needs to do consistently.”

This illustrates how important to the Saints the £50k-per-week beast has been of late, with Hasenhuttl singing his praises for his improvement at the back.

Therefore, fans will be gutted that he will not be able to continue his development as he now needs to recover from a big injury, leaving the Saints without their first-choice centre-back for the foreseeable future.

AND in other news, Ex-ref makes bold claim on “fantastic” Saints gem that’ll leave fans feeling relieved…

Celtic have agreed on terms with VVV-Venlo for striker Georgios Giakoumakis, according to journalist Giannis Chorianopoulos.

The Lowdown: No Henry move

Celtic have been linked with two strikers abroad in recent weeks, the first of which was Thomas Henry.

The Hoops were thought to be on the brink of winning the race for the French forward, however, he signed for Italian side Venezia on Tuesday.

Giakoumakis, described as ‘special’ in the Netherlands, was the second striker Celtic showed an interest in, and after Werder Bremen struggled to finance a deal for the Greece international, it appears as if a move to Parkhead is gathering pace.

The Latest: Chorianopoulos post

Chorianopoulos, who reports for Sportime.gr, took to Twitter on Tuesday lunchtime to share an update on Giakoumakis.

He revealed that a deal has seemingly been struck with the Dutch side for the forward, however, personal terms are yet to be reached.

“Giakoumakis transfer as we speak: Celtic have agreed terms in principle with Venlo but not with the player. Werder’s offer is more close to Giakoumakis demands but German club have not agreed terms with Venlo.”

Chorianopoulos doesn’t specify how much an agreement is worth, however, Anthony Joseph previously stated that VVV-Venlo wanted £3m.

The Verdict: Final hurdle

It seems as if Dominic McKay has taken a big step in bringing a new forward to Celtic Park.

Hopefully personal terms can be struck soon, especially as the 26-year-old is on just £2,200-a-week – less than Conor Hazard and Ewan Henderson.

On that basis, you’d like to think Celtic would be willing to increase the forward’s wage considerably after just coming off the back of his best season in front of goal.

With six days to go, Celtic should look to tie up a deal for Giakoumakis as soon as possible and then possibly look at cashing in on Odsonne Edouard.

In other news: ‘Great chance’ – 34 y/o feels £988k-p/y ace will be a Celtic player on Sep 1 after Romano claim. 

Former Leeds United star David Norris believes that the club could well suffer from second-season syndrome this term.

The Whites enjoyed an excellent season last term, securing a comfortable top-10 finish under manager Marcelo Bielsa after their promotion from the Championship.

Leeds have opened their campaign, however, in roundly terrible form.

Bielsa’s side have only taken two points from their opening three games, losing 5-1 to Manchester United in a thumping opening day defeat, while they have also drawn 2-2 with Everton and 1-1 with Burnley.

Leeds are back in action this weekend after the international break and face Liverpool on Sunday as they look to record their first win of the campaign.

Of course, Sheffield United are something of a warning for Leeds, given their appalling fall from grace.

The Blades finished ninth in the 2019/20 campaign and seemed poised for a big season in 2020/21 under the management of Chris Wilder.

However, they finished rock-bottom and were relegated to the Championship, taking just 23 points from 38 games.

And Norris is concerned about the prospect of Leeds following in their footsteps this season, as expectations have naturally risen at the club.

Speaking to The Transfer Tavern, Norris said: “It would have been a worry for me even before those games, second season syndrome is a thing because it happens. You ride the crest of a wave with promotion, when you’re first promoted, teams don’t know too much about you, you’re an underdog, you’ve got nothing to lose.

“And when you stay up, then teams know a bit more about you. The expectation rises from within the camp, the fans, people have been talking about Leeds being in the top six, seven, eight, pushing on those doors after just one season, so the expectation rises, and it becomes a lot more difficult.”

Pundit Paul Robinson has been reacting to Celtic’s January transfer plans, Football Insider report.

The Lowdown: Ange’s comments

The Hoops were extremely busy in the summer, bringing in 12 new additions while cashing in on five players.

However, attention has already turned to the January market, with Ange Postecoglou revealing earlier this month he ‘will definitely be adding’ to his squad over the coming months.

Postecoglou went on to add that the J1 League in Japan will be a market the club will explore following Kyogo Furuhashi’s £4.86m move in the summer.

The Latest: Robinson reacts

Robinson, who has featured regularly on Sky Sports, was asked by Football Insider if the Hoops should expect another signing like Furuhashi in the New Year.

This is what he had to say in reply, labelling Postecoglou’s knowledge of the Japanese market as ‘incredible’ and describing winter window plans as ‘exciting’.

“Furuhashi has done outstandingly well since he has come in. If they dip into the Japanese market they will be looking for a player of similar ability.

“When you bring a manager like Postecoglou in you have to exploit the world market. Why would you not when he has an incredible knowledge of it.

“It will be the end of the J-League season there so the players will be fit. There will be no issues with them coming in and hitting the ground running.

“It is going to be an exciting window for Celtic because Postecoglou didn’t have much time in the last window to bring in the targets that he wanted. January will give him a real opportunity to add to what he has got.

“Why not tap into a market [Japan] that your manager knows well?”

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The Verdict: Exciting times…

Furuhashi has been Celtic’s standout performer this season, netting eight times in 11 appearances.

The 26-year-old has hit the ground running straight away in Glasgow, so hopefully, Postecoglou will have another few gems lined up to join Furuhashi.

Postecoglou described January as a ‘good time’ to look at the J1 League due to their end season.

If the Hoops can replicate Furuhashi’s transfer again, that could help them in their push to regain the Scottish Premiership.

In other news: BBC pundit thinks Celtic may have Kyogo ‘problem’ after what he’s seen. 

Jurgen Klopp is reportedly prepared to give 18-year-old winger Harvey Elliott a first-team break in 2021/22, potentially utilising him to fill any prospective void that would be left if Xherdan Shaqiri departs for Lyon [Daily Mail].

Staking his claim for senior involvement admirably on loan at Blackburn Rovers in 2020/21, the youngster registered 18 goal contributions in 41 Sky Bet Championship fixtures; seven goals and eleven assists [Transfermarkt].

Following on from these exploits, he could now be set to be given his long-awaited opportunity this campaign.

He is reportedly in contention for a starting place against Norwich City this weekend, whilst Klopp has been impressed by his progress at the Reds’ summer training camp [Daily Mail].

Should Shaqiri leave, Elliott would likely be his direct replacement, negating the need to dip into the transfer market to purchase an alternative.

In light of this news, loads of Liverpool diehards took to Twitter to call on their owners to invest in a new signing instead.

Liverpool FC fans react:

Replying to popular Liverpool fan outlet LFC Transfer Room on Twitter, here is what some supporters had to say about the situation:

“Fsg hate us, this is one hell of an inside job”

Credit: @oni_kzz”This is appalling.”Credit: @tomtayl60265946″I though Elliott was a replacement for Gini”Credit: @wearewinnin

“Can’t wait until next season when Salah leave and where told Kaide Gordon will be his replacement”

Credit: @LKingofeurope”Excuses already coming in even tho they said they would sign if we sold them”Credit: @LukeFC_FSGOUT”Clowns, don’t want to hear any complaints when we start falling apart next season”Credit: @SnowHalliburtonIn other news, Liverpool fans react to a transfer update.

Since Steven Gerrard took charge of Aston Villa, the only negatives could be their defeats against Manchester City and Liverpool, however, given the level of opposition Villa were up against in those games, the two defeats shouldn’t be held against Gerrard with too much scrutiny.

That said, with the January transfer window on the horizon, it seems as though Gerrard could be heading for a potential disaster at the Midlands club.

With recent reports claiming fellow Premier League club Manchester United are interested in signing John McGinn and with Paddy Kenny suggesting that the Scottish international would take his game to the next level if he joined the Red Devils in January, it would be a tragedy if Villa were to lose their midfield man.

Since joining Villa back in August 2018 from Hibernian, the 27-year-old has made a total of 126 appearances for the Midlands club across all competitions, scoring 17 goals and providing 29 assists along the way, cementing himself as an important figure for Villa.

Taking into account how McGinn has played the full 90 minutes in 14 of the 15 league games he’s appeared in, this highlights how much of a key player he is for Villa in their midfield.

In terms of his performances, with an overall rating of 7.14/10 from WhoScored, listing him as Villa’s highest-rated player in the league so far this season, this not only shows why United are apparently interested in signing the Scotland international, but why it would be an outrageous decision for Villa to sell him, especially in January halfway through the season and only a few weeks after Gerrard has arrived.

This also shows that how McGinn, in the words of Micah Richards, has now stepped out of the “shadow of Jack Grealish,” after he was sold to Manchester City.

Looking ahead to the future, Villa must do all they can to keep the midfielder out of United’s clutches or any other club that may want to sign him.

With his current contract not set to expire until the summer of 2025 and the fact that he’s getting regular playing time, this should be some comfort to any Villa fans that may be concerned about the possibility of the Scot leaving.

In other news: Aston Villa can start January with a bang by signing “unbeatable” £27m-rated machine

Celtic had a very busy transfer window last summer in terms of the number of players moving in and out of the club on permanent and loan deals.

Looking ahead to this summer, it seems as though one potential transfer has already been mentioned with the Bhoys.

What’s the news?

Speaking to Football Insider, former Hoops star Frank McAvennie was discussing the possibility of the Parkhead club securing a permanent move for their current loan ace Cameron Carter-Vickers.

The 62-year-old said: “Ange will want this deal done as soon as the window opens. He won’t want to be messing around. The last thing he wants is a transfer saga that means Carter-Vickers doesn’t come back until just before the season starts.

“Let’s get him in early so he can have a full pre-season up here. I think this one will get done. I don’t think he has a future at Tottenham and we should be getting the Champions League group money to spend.”

Since arriving at Celtic on loan from Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur last August, the defender has been a solid figure for Ange Postecoglou and his side.

From a defensive point of view, the American has racked up 36 interceptions, 19 tackles and an average of 4.4 clearances per game, the highest of any other Hoops player.

Fans would be ecstatic

With 27 Premiership appearances to his name, the 24-year-old has earned himself an impressive overall performance rating of 7.35/10 from WhoScored, making him the fourth-highest rated player currently in Postecoglou’s squad.

Taking all this into account, and after making himself a hero last weekend by scoring against Rangers in Celtic’s 2-1 win which saw them go six points clear at the top of the table, it’s easy to see why McAvennie thinks the club will be keen to secure the centre-back on a permanent basis.

With the upcoming summer transfer window in mind, signing the defender on a permanent deal from Tottenham should be at the top of the Parkhead club’s priorities when it comes to their potential business.

If they were able to negotiate a deal with the north London club which would see Carter-Vickers become a fully-fledged Celtic player, this would surely delight a lot of Hoops fans and increase the team’s chances of being successful next season and beyond, given how well he has performed so far in Glasgow.

In other news: Ange must now seal Celtic deal for “magic” £21.5k-p/w ace, he’s an “absolute dream”

Everton are believed to be keen on the signature of Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Harry Winks as new manager Rafa Benitez looks to bolster his engine room options.

What’s the story?

According to CaughtOffside, the Toffees are one of three Premier League clubs to have shown interest in the 25-year-old, with Aston Villa and Brighton and Hove Albion also listed as potential suitors.

The report states that: “Winks is keen to move away in January in an attempt to secure regular playing time…Although any potential move for the Englishman in January is only likely to be a loan move, the interest in securing his signature is high.”

It then goes on to claim that they have the longest-standing interest in Winks, who is reportedly seen as an alternative target to Manchester United’s Donny van de Beek.

Marcel Brands must swoop

After rising through the ranks at his boyhood club, Winks has made 179 appearances for Tottenham in all competitions and started their 2019 Champions League final defeat at the hands of Liverpool.

The technically gifted talent featured prominently during the reign of former manager Mauricio Pochettino, who lavished praise on the midfielder after a late winner against Fulham two years ago.

“He deserves the praise because the whole action is amazing,” said Pochettino. “He recovered the ball like a full-back, we started to build from the back, and then he arrived for the cross from GK, which was fantastic – we have to praise him too.

“It’s amazing, amazing, because we were talking in the last few weeks that he had to score and to have more presence in the opposition’s box because he has the quality to do it. I’m so happy.”

However, the England international slipped down the pecking order under both Jose Mourinho and Nuno Espirito Santo and is unlikely to feature prominently under new boss Antonio Conte due to his high-pressing, counter-attacking style.

This season, Winks has only been awarded 61 minutes of top-flight action at the north London outfit, and his potential arrival at Goodison Park could offer a significant upgrade for Benitez’s charges.

With star midfielder Abdoulaye Doucoure currently sidelined through injury, the Everton chief has fielded both Tom Davies and Jean-Philippe Gbamin alongside Allan with disastrous results, losing their last two matches.

Gbamin’s performance last time out against Wolves was so poor that he was hauled off at half-time, with his horrendous injury luck over the last couple of campaigns appearing to have taken its toll. During his 45 minutes on the field, he made just 13 passes and lost three of his five duels.

Therefore. Everton’s director of football must swoop for the £18m-rated Winks over the coming months, providing Benitez with the strength in depth he needs for a successful season.

And, in other news…Forget Godfrey: Everton liability who lost possession 17x had a shocker vs Wolves 

According to German news outlet SportBILD (via Sport Witness), Liverpool are still paying close attention to Borussia Dortmund midfielder Jude Bellingham. 

The lowdown: Long-standing admirers

The Reds have long since been credited with an interest in the 18-year-old and have often been among the clubs most reliably linked with the former Birmingham City starlet. It’s even believed Jurgen Klopp has held secret conversations behind the scenes about signing the England sensation.

Having recently made an 84th appearance for the Bundesliga outfit, Bellingham’s stock continues to rise on the continent, with the report from Sport Witness detailing how he has become the star of the show and a leader at Signal Iduna Park.

Now it appears that Liverpool could be considering stepping up their levels of interest, though BVB will hold out for a huge price.

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The latest: Bild drops exiting update

As per the report, translated by SW, the Anfield club are believed to be ‘watching his development closely’, alongside similar interest from Real Madrid.

The report claims that the 12-cap England international will ‘soon’ become the next player to leave Dortmund for a fee in excess of €100million (£83million).

Furthermore, the German newspaper states that the teenager once described as possessing ‘scary’ ability for someone so young by Roy Keane has already become the ‘world’s most expensive’ player for his age.

The verdict: At all costs

Seldom do generational talents such as Bellingham come along, let alone ones that Liverpool hold a genuine opportunity to sign in the not too distant future.

Whilst Klopp’s former employers will be reticent to lose both the midfield star and Erling Haaland in the same window, bids of anything in the region of the aforementioned mooted fees would likely force their hand this summer.

As things stand the Reds are relatively blessed in the midfield department, but with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s future never more in doubt and Jordan Henderson, Thiago and James Milner all the wrong side of 30, adding the next midfield general to the Merseyside ranks would be a shrewd move.

Even at the suggested price point, the early signs would suggest that Bellingham, who is equally adept in conventional positions as well as attacking roles, is going to be an elite-level performer for the next decade and beyond, therefore providing extraordinary value for money, potentially marking newly appointed sporting director Julian Ward’s arrival with an instant statement.

In other news, one Liverpool player has been backed to leave this summer. Find out who it is here.