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Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain could well end up playing a part for Liverpool in the latter stages of the 2018/19 campaign, which looked in severe doubt at one point.

Oxlade-Chamberlain has been on the sidelines since rupturing knee ligaments in the Champions League semi-final against Roma last April.

The 32-cap international was forced to miss the resulting Champions League final, in addition to the 2018 World Cup where England reached the semi-finals.

The 25-year-old has recently started ball work, however, and could return to first-team training in the middle of next month – according to The Liverpool Echo.

Liverpool will, obviously, be very careful when it comes to re-introducing Oxlade-Chamberlain due to the seriousness of his problem.

However, it now appears possible that the Englishman will play a part for Liverpool in the final weeks of the campaign.

His return will be like a new signing for Liverpool, who are battling to stay top of the Premier League table amid huge pressure from Manchester City.

Jurgen Klopp recently praised the manner in which Oxlade-Chamberlain has dealt with the setback, and Liverpool supporters were quick to respond on Twitter. Here’s a look at some of the best reactions…

Pl>ymaker FC’s Matchday with Max caught up with Jamaica’s women’s team. See what happened when he met the history makers in the video below…

According to Portuguese newspaper A Bola, via Sport Witness, some major Man City transfer news has emerged involving Sporting Lisbon star Matheus Nunes.

The Lowdown: Guardiola blown away…

After Pep Guardiola’s side hammered Sporting 5-0 away in the first leg of their Round of 16 Champions League Round tie, one opposition player who seemingly blew away City’s boss was in fact Nunes.

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Speaking to media afterwards, the Sky Blues head coach lavished praise on Sporting’s in-demand midfielder, even going on to claim he is ‘one of the best players in the world today’.

Guardiola’s rave review of the 23-year-old has prompted links to signing him in the summer window with A Bola (via SW) now sharing a promising transfer development out of Eastlands.

The Latest: Man City hold discussions…

According to their sources, City chiefs have apparently held ‘informal’ discussions with Sporting over a transfer for Nunes.

In perhaps the most exciting part of this story, the player himself is very keen on moving to Manchester, with there even being suggestions he ‘dreams’ of signing for Guardiola.

It’s also pointed that both Sporting and City’s ‘privileged relationship’ could boost them further in an attempt to land Nunes.

The Verdict: Make a move?

The Premier League champions already have a wealth of talent at their disposal in midfield, but given they could sign him for just €40 million (£33m), it appears there is little financial risk for City.

Called ‘unbelievable’ by former teammate Goncalo Santos, the player’s WhoScored stats point to someone who could actually be of use in Guardiola’s unique false-nine system.

A superb ball-carrier, Nunes completes more dribbles per 90 on average domestically than any City star has in the Premier League – backing why they’re allegedly interested.

Given his quality and fairly cheap potential sum, the Sky Blues should at the very least consider a transfer this summer.

In other news: Man City officials sent to club as Pep now eyes ‘absolute beast’ alongside Haaland! Find out more here.

Glasgow Rangers have now been gifted a triple injury boost as some early team news has emerged ahead of their match on Thursday night.

The Lowdown: Big game for Rangers

With the Teddy Bears now six points behind their Glasgow arch-rivals in the race for the Premiership title, all would be forgiven if they put all of their eggs in the Europa League basket.

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Currently trailing 1-0 from the first leg against Braga, they take the Portuguese side to Ibrox tomorrow night with the aim of reversing the deficit and going through to the semi-finals of the competition.

The Latest: Rangers team news

Speaking to the media in his pre-game press conference ahead of the match, Rangers boss Giovanni van Bronckhorst has revealed that both Ryan Jack and Calvin Bassey are ‘available’, while he hopes that John Lundstram will join them after training today.

However, Filip Helander is now going to miss the rest of the season after sustaining an injury.

The Verdict: Boost for Rangers

Even though the news on Helander is disappointing, the manager’s claim that the Light Blues look set to welcome three players back to the squad will no doubt come as a timely boost.

Jack, Bassey and Lundstram all rank in the top 10 in terms of average tackles, interceptions, clearances and blocks in the Europa League for the Gers, while the trio also average a large number of passes between them at a high success rate (WhoScored).

Those statistics suggest that all three will be very useful in maintaining possession, and also help out with defending when required, so they could provide the catalyst for Rangers to get the result that they need on Thursday.

In other news, one man is almost certain to leave Rangers this summer 

Manchester United are interested in signing “outstanding” Juventus striker Paulo Dybala this summer, and he could be the perfect replacement for Edinson Cavani at Old Trafford.

What’s the story?

United are poised to move to sign Juventus striker Dybala, according to reports from Corriere dello Sport in Italy, the Red Devils want to make him one of Erik ten Hag’s first signings at the club.

This isn’t the first time that the 28-year old has been linked with a move to the Theatre of Dreams. Two years ago the club were linked with a swap deal involving then United player Romelu Lukaku, but nothing materialised.

Now could be a great time to make this happen with Cavani out of contract at Old Trafford in the summer and it being unlikely he will sign an extension.

He could be the perfect Cavani replacement

When Cavani joined the Red Devils on a free transfer in 2020 there was a lot of optimism. However, given the clubs past record of failing to get the best out of proven players, some were wondering what would happen.

Thankfully the move has proven to be successful with the Uruguayan being directly involved in 26 goals in 56 appearances. Although the unplanned return of Cristiano Ronaldo has led to much less game time for him this season.

When he departs United will need to fill the place left behind from not only him, but Mason Greenwood who is no longer involved with the team.

Dybala represents the perfect player for this, with the £222k per week star out of contract this summer.

The potential exciting arrival of Ten Hag, and the chance to link up with his former team mate Ronaldo, could persuade him to finally come to the Premier League.

He has suffered a lot with injuries this season missing 83 days which would be the only concern for United. However, when they don’t have to fork out an extortionate transfer fee it makes things less risky.

Dybala’s record for the Old Lady is pretty good, being directly involved in 161 goals in 286 games. He’s experienced and used to playing for a top club just like Cavani.

If you compare the two based on their form last season, Dybala is better in quite a few areas. When it comes to goal creating actions per 90 minutes he beats the 35-year old with 4.93 compared to 2.23.

That may be down to the fact that Cavani is more of a poacher than a creator. But United already have that in Ronaldo, so replacing the Uruguayan with someone who offers more is what United should be doing.

But with Ronaldo also being linked with a potential exit, it could be bye-bye to the Portuguese star and a welcome to Old Trafford for Argentina’s Dybala.

IN other news: Man Utd eye Ten Hag’s first signing in £20.6m “rising star”, he’s a major Fred upgrade – opinion

Rangers find themselves with an excellent group of academy players coming through the ranks at Ibrox at the minute, with Alex Lowry and Charlie McCann really showing their promise.

One of the most talked-about youth prospects is centre-back Leon King, who at just 18 years old, has featured on the Premiership sides bench a few times already this season and could be ready for a step-up next season.

King signed a new long-term deal in January which will take him up to May 2024, with Ross Wilson explaining that he was “delighted” the young defender will continue his journey at Rangers.

The move to offer him a new deal was a smart one, as his performances in the B team haven’t gone unnoticed, he was linked with a move to both Manchester United and Newcastle United before pledging his future to the Gers.

Steven Gerrard was the first to offer hints that King could be a key part of the Ibrox side’s future when the then 16-year-old was included in the first-team squad for their trip to Belgium to face Standard Liege in the Europa League in October 2020.

Since then, he went on to make his official debut against Falkirk in a League Cup tie before featuring for the Gers in league duty against Livingston in May 2021, long after the side had won the Premiership title.

This led Giovanni van Bronckhorst to promote him to the first-team squad in January and this experience will surely stand him in good stead.

The player has all the attributes to become the side’s next Richard Gough, a stalwart at the heart of defence who eventually went on to make over 300 appearances in Rangers blue. With former coach Gerrard labelling him as “superb” then the sky really is the limit for the talented defender.

Van Bronckhorst could save millions by utilising him in the next few seasons in what is an exciting time for the youngster.

AND in other news, Body blow: Van Bronckhorst now set for huge Rangers disaster over £27k-p/w “rock”…

Lots of Everton fans have been flocking to some manager news involving Duncan Ferguson.

As per The Times, sources close to the Goodison Park club have now indicated that Rafael Benitez could be relieved of his duties before they play Aston Villa at home in the Premier League next Saturday.

Ferguson is ‘ready’ to take temporary charge of Everton once more if the Spaniard is given the chop before then.

After yesterday’s embarrassing 2-1 loss at relegation-threatened Norwich City, the Toffees have still only managed to pick up one win in the top flight since September, and the extremely poor run of form looks set to cost Benitez his job.

Nonetheless, Ferguson looks set to take the reins once more, having done so back in 2019, when he actually did pretty well over four games. He won his opening match 3-1 at home to Chelsea while also picking up credible draws against both Manchester United and Arsenal (Transfermarkt).

He surely cannot do any worse than Benitez in terms of results, so it seems that a lot of Toffees supporters would be happy with the the 50-year-old being appointed.

Everton fans on Ferguson manager news

These Everton flocked to the manager news as it was shared on Twitter:

“Right decision. Get him in for Villa and Goodison bouncing again”

Credit: @bluesofgoodison

“Let’s hope so..”

Credit: @neilthompson67

“Yes Yes Yes”

Credit: @Stephen12724226

“Big Dunc”

Credit: @AndyVale27

“Perfect choice. The fanbase and team needs uniting again and he’s the perfect man to do it. Imagine the atmosphere vs Villa alone.”

Credit: @SachinT1878

“Let him be in charge for the rest of the season, see how he gets on”

Credit: @AdamEFC9

In other news, this Everton player was slammed by many fans over his performance against Norwich

Rangers boss Giovanni van Bronckhorst could be set for a fresh injury lift after an update on Kemar Roofe’s injury situation…

What’s the latest?

According to The Scotsman, the striker has an ‘outside chance’ of being fit for the second leg of their UEFA Europa League semi-final clash.

The report claims that he has been in a hyperbaric chamber this week in a bid to speed up his recovery from a knee problem. He will be out for the first leg and for the Old Firm match on Sunday and Rangers are now targeting next Thursday (5th May) as a possible return date.

Gio will be buzzing

Van Bronckhorst will surely be buzzing with this news as it suggests that Roofe may be available for selection next week if the hyperbaric chamber is able to work its magic and get him back fit for the second leg.

The Dutch head coach is without first-choice striker Alfredo Morelos for the rest of the season due to injury and this means that the ex-Leeds man’s injury is doubly concerning as it leaves the Gers with no recognised centre-forward options. Fashion Sakala can play through the middle but is mainly deployed out wide on the right, which is why getting Roofe back will be a big boost for the club.

His injury was a major blow for Rangers as he was hitting form at the right time in the season. Prior to his knock, he scored four goals and provided two assists in his last six outings for the club in all competitions – including a crucial strike against Braga in the last round in Europe to send the Light Blues through to the last four.

This suggests that he would have had a big impact against RB Leipzig in Germany this week, and against Celtic on Sunday, as he has been in red-hot form in front of goal in recent weeks. Instead, he will be watching on from the sidelines as the Gers fight through these two huge matches without a natural number nine to call upon.

Hopefully, Rangers can head into the second leg at Ibrox without a heavy deficit to overturn and Roofe will be able to come back into the team to make the difference at the top end of the pitch. Van Bronckhorst, given the forward’s recent run of goals, will be buzzing with the prospect of having the former Anderlecht man back.

AND in other news, Wilson masterclass: Rangers must brutally axe 26 y/o dud who’s an “all-round shambles”…

Aston Villa and their owners have shown in the past, and throughout the current January transfer window, that they are not shy when it comes to spending big amounts of money on bringing new players to the club such as Lucas Digne, Emi Buendia, Danny Ings and Ollie Watkins among others.

With that in mind, one man who could follow in the footsteps of these players and make his way to Villa Park in the future is Brighton midfielder Yves Bissouma, who has been linked with a move to the Midlands in recent weeks.

Having been tipped to become a “massive asset” for Brighton by Dale Stephens in his early months at the club, Bissouma has certainly lived up to that expectation with WhoScored currently listing the midfielder as the Seagulls’ highest-rated player this season, with an overall performance rating of 7.13/10.

This rating would make the Mali international, who is currently picking up £29k-per-week according to Salary Sport, Villa’s third-highest rated player by the same metric behind Digne and John McGinn, showing that he is capable of playing at a high level.

Gerrard would love Bissouma at Villa

Taking this into account, Gerrard would surely love to see Villa’s owners splash the cash once again to sign an experienced and talented player such as Bissouma.

You only need to look at the heroic defensive statistics that he has posted in the Premier League this season, with 3.6 tackles and 1.9 interceptions per game. He ranks higher than any other Villa player for the former metric and is a close second to Digne for the latter.

With deadline day approaching, Villa may not be able to pull off a transfer for the 25-year-old before the end of the month. However, with the summer in mind, the £22.5m-rated beast should definitely be high on Johan Lange’s priority list given how he will be entering the final year of his current contract at Brighton, who may then be willing to negotiate a deal for their midfield maestro.

Also, with the future of Douglas Luiz under some speculation at the moment, if he were to leave Villa any time soon, this would only enhance the club’s need to add a midfielder of Bissouma’s ilk to their squad.

In other news: Gregg Evans drops fresh Aston Villa January update which will have Gerrard buzzing

Many Everton fans have been left buzzing over some transfer news that has emerged on Sean Longstaff.

As per The Athletic (via Everton Talks Nsno), a potential move to bring the central midfield player to Goodison Park has now collapsed after the sacking of Rafa Benitez.

The Spaniard reportedly wanted to sign Longstaff from his old club in last summer’s transfer window, and links continued into this month, but now talk of signing him seem over.

A lot of Toffees supporters seem very relieved to hear this, as one would have to question whether Longstaff would improve their team, as he is currently averaging  fewer clearances, key passes and dribbles per match in the Premier League than both Abdoulaye Doucoure and Allan (WhoScored).

With just one goal and one assist to show for the Toon so far this term (Transfermarkt), the signing would not exactly have been inspiring.

Everton fans on Longstaff transfer news

These Blues buzzed as the transfer news was shared on Twitter, with one even going as far as to claim that they were ‘made up’, while a couple of others called it ‘great’:

“GET IN!!! Great news”

Credit: @Hemms10

“Great to hear”

Credit: @AintreeBlues

“Made up”

Credit: @max_musco

“Yesssssss”

Credit: @johnocallagha11

“Lovely stuff”

Credit: @jackph21

“Praise the lord”

Credit: @JakeMartinMagee

In other news, find out what manager update has Evertonians raging here!

Giovanni van Bronckhorst hasn’t felt the need to do a great deal of transfer business during his first window in charge of Rangers at Ibrox.

The Gers have been happy to sit back and admire from afar with James Sands the only player to arrive over the winter so far.

However, with Nathan Patterson packing his bags and heading north of the border, becoming the latest in a long line of Scottish-based players to do so, it has left a hole to fill on the right-hand side of defence.

Speaking of football across the border, there is another player now earning his money in England that Rangers could do with finding a replacement for.

That happens to be Norwich City loanee and Chelsea owned midfielder, Billy Gilmour.

Now, the Scotland international never made an appearance for the Gers first-team before being snapped up the Londoners but there is very much a sense that he could have been a mainstay at Ibrox for a considerable period of time.

Just 20 years of age, it wasn’t a great advertisement for the club’s academy that he was able to be swallowed up so easily by a Premier League side.

Yet, it has ultimately benefitted Scottish football with the youngster now a key part of the national team set-up and a regular in the top division in world football.

Capable of playing as a holding player or slightly further forward in a midfield two, he is one of the most exciting young central players around.

It was certainly a mistake to watch him slip through their grasp so easily but the Gers could correct that by signing a certain Xavi Simons in 2022.

The Dutch gem, who clearly has ties to van Bronckhorst given his nationality, has been linked with a loan move this January and with the PSG teenager out of contract at the end of the season, there is a very real possibility that he could sign permanent terms with Rangers after a potentially successful loan spell come the summer.

That seems far-fetched at the moment but the exciting 18-year-old possesses a similar level of potential to Gilmour.

Simons is also capable of playing deeper in midfield but what sets him apart from the former Rangers academy star is his ability to feature in the number 10 role, on the wing and even as the central striker.

Blessed with plenty of guile and finesse, the former Barcelona youngster has been superb this season.

He’s made a first-team breakthrough at PSG and has been described as “phenomenal” by talent scout Jacek Kulig for his display in the UEFA Youth League where he has bagged three goals and claimed six assists in just nine outings.

He has, meanwhile, been compared to the likes of Andres Iniesta and Xavi in his short career so far and has widely been tipped for the top.

His personal trainer in France, Jonathan Mengeli once stated that the teenager “has everything to evolve at the highest level.”

With that in mind, he’d certainly be an eye-catching signing for Rangers and considering his remarkable talent, he could be the best young player Gers supporters have seen in Glasgow since Gilmour.

AND in other news, Forget Goldson: Rangers must strike instant deal for colossus with “so much potential”…