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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Off the Bench series, which places in-game managerial decisions and squad selections under FFC’s microscope.

In what used to be a titanic tussle for the title, Manchester United and Arsenal played out a drab 1-1 draw at Old Trafford that firmly reminded everyone of just how far both clubs have fallen.

Snapshot

Having slipped to a limp defeat to West Ham in the Premier League the previous weekend, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side headed into the contest against the Gunners with a point to prove. A Monday night fixture, under the floodlights, the rain pouring down, and against one of your fiercest rivals. The stage was perfectly set for the Red Devils to get back on track.

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

Instead, Scott McTominay’s one moment of brilliance was cancelled out by Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, and the spoils were shared. Arsenal looked there for the taking, and United could have, and probably should have, sensed blood.

Instead, the home side showed no real courage in wanting to claim all three points – an attitude perhaps best encapsulated by Solskjaer’s baffling decision to only throw on Mason Greenwood when there were just 15 minutes left.

Off the bench

Arsenal’s game-plan of sitting deep (they averaged just 45% possession), should have prompted Solskjaer to bring on Greenwood much earlier. The teenager had scored two goals in his previous two starts for the club, and was the in-form forward for United.

Watch Manchester United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Marcus Rashford looked toothless up top for the Red Devils, managing just one shot on target in the entire game. If you needed a quick snapshot of his struggles both in the match and the past few weeks as a whole, then look no further than when he got caught up to by a 31-year-old Sokratis, and subsequently got his legs in a tangle when clean through on goal.

In his last game against Rochdale, Greenwood scored, had four shots on target and provided five key passes. He always looked likely to create something, and for Solskjaer to not utilise him much earlier on against Arsenal truly baffles.

His unwavering faith in Rashford in certain respects is admirable. But to not display the same amount of courage in Greenwood is utterly criminal considering the circumstances.

Sky Sports pundit Paul Merson has urged Ole Gunnar Solskjaer not to play Mason Greenwood when Manchester United host Arsenal on Monday evening.

United have just two wins from 11 games going into the clash against Merson’s former side, and he feels that playing youngster Greenwood in a team that is underperforming will be a hindrance to his development.

Speaking on Sky Sports’ The Debate, Merson believes that while Greenwood has a bright future, Solskjaer and United will be better off maintaining his confidence by not throwing him in at the deep end and starting him in the big match at Old Trafford.

Merson said (via Metro): “I hope – I know this won’t sound right – the young kid doesn’t get a chance, Greenwood.

“I think he’s a good player, I think he’s going to be special. You don’t want to be putting a young kid into a bad team.

“When you’re a centre forward, you’re only as good as the service you get. If you ain’t getting the service, you ain’t scoring the goals – I don’t care who you are.

“Not just his confidence, everything. The pressure is going to be on him. The fans are going to be saying ‘Oh, Greenwood’s in’. Solskjaer’s already said he’s one of the best finishers he’s seen.

“I just hope the kid don’t get in when the team are playing poorly because I think this lad is going to be special.”

Greenwood certainly has the makings of a fine footballer – getting off the mark for Manchester United in their recent Europa League tie against Astana.

And if going by precedent, Solskjaer would perhaps be better served ignoring Merson and selecting Greenwood based on his individual ability rather than the form of the team.

Starting the 17-year-old would echo the Premier League debut of Marcus Rashford, who scored twice against Arsenal back in 2016.

So Solskjaer needn’t be put off by Merson’s comments nor United’s frustrating form – and play to his team’s strengths wherever they lie on Monday night.

Manchester United fans, would you start Greenwood against Arsenal? Let us know in the comments below!

Mings said that he had a great experience during his time with the Three Lions, but the next part of his caption will be what many Aston Villa fans are really interested in.

The defender went on to say that he can’t wait to get back to the Midlands club and focus on the league.

This type of commitment will undoubtedly put him in the good books of many Villa supporters.

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What does the future hold for Shkodran Mustafi and Mohamed Elneny?

If it wasn’t already clear that they were not part of manager Unai Emery’s plans after they hadn’t featured at all in the first two games of the campaign, the former Sevilla boss’ recent comments have made it absolutely crystal what he thinks of them.

The 47-year-old said, “Really, I want players to be happy here. I want players to be protagonists here. Last year, for example, with Mustafi and with Mo, when they did not play, they were not happy.

Is the Arsenal player in the video below the man Liverpool should fear most on Saturday?…

“I spoke with them a lot of times last year and in this pre-season. I think it’s positive for them to leave and to sign for another team where they can be protagonists, they can be happy and they can continue in their careers as very big players. They are very big players.”

As such, it seems clear that the two will be leaving the Emirates Stadium before the end of the transfer window. Should they depart, it would bring an end to three years in north London for Mustafi and three-and-a-half for Elneny.

The two are not huge favourites with the club’s supporters, the Germany international in particular receiving criticism for his performances in the past. Therefore, some Gunners fans are delighted with the update, and have praised Emery for his ruthlessness and honesty.

They have taken to Twitter to share their thoughts, and you can see some of the best comments below.

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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…

In the aftermath of the whole Manchester United penalty fiasco against Wolves on Monday night, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s attempt to clear up the situation arguably raised more questions than it answered. The Norwegian insisted both Paul Pogba and Marcus Rashford were designated spot-kick takers and it would be up to the players to sort it out amongst themselves on the pitch.

Understandably, many were left unconvinced the Red Devils boss had the right approach, with Gary Neville declaring: “This is a Manchester United penalty – this isn’t a tombola. This is not under-fives football on the playground.”

The whole debacle seemed to expose a lack of leadership and control at the club, and Solskjaer’s post-match assessment in front of the cameras did little to dispute that.

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But according to The Sun, the Norwegian “tore into” Pogba and Rashford in the dressing room and “blasted” the pair for failing to agree on who was the penalty-taker before the game. The report adds Solskjaer then made it clear to the squad Rashford would now be the man to take on spot-kick duties for the club.

If the claim that the United manager had looked to keep things in-house and away from the prying eyes of the media is true, then Solskjaer must be applauded. The Norwegian was put in an incredibly difficult situation by the duo, but rather than blaming them publicly, as a certain Jose Mourinho may have done, he backed them. Then, when he had the chance to make his feelings clear back in the confines of the dressing room, he reportedly took decisive action.

Watch the video below to see the most insane overhead kick you will see this week…

What could he have gained by simply throwing his players under the bus? Indeed, in Pogba’s situation, it could have been the final straw in helping the Frenchman decide that his career was better off elsewhere.

At a time when United are beginning their rebuild following last season’s disappointment, Solskjaer’s willingness to protect his players in public, but deal with them in private, is a welcome sign of leadership.

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West Ham United have been drawn against Newport County in the second round of the EFL Cup, with the tie due to take place the week of August 26.

The draw for the second round was made on Tuesday night and Newport County were present courtesy of their victory over Gillingham on penalties.

The Exiles play their football in League Two and have made a modest start to the 2019-20 campaign – drawing with Mansfield Two and Cambridge United thus far.

West Ham, meanwhile, opened their 2019-20 Premier League campaign with a 5-0 home loss to Manchester City on Saturday afternoon.

It goes without saying that the Hammers will be huge favourites to reach the third round of the cup competition.

However, the London club’s fans are not confident that will be the case.

Watch West Ham United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Indeed, upon learning that Newport County were waiting in the next round, many of the West Ham supporters claimed that their side would not be progressing any further.

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

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Some Manchester United fans have taken to Twitter to slam Romelu Lukaku after the striker leaked exclusive training data.

The Belgium international’s tweet – which has since been deleted – showed him second only to Diogo Dalot with a max speed of 36.25kph in a pre-season test, as he issued a response to those online who had been calling him slow.

However, perhaps unintentionally, the former Everton man also revealed those who finished at the wrong end of the test, such as Luke Shaw, Scott McTominay and Juan Mata – Mata and Shaw even responded to the incident themselves on Twitter.

Lukaku – who has 42 goals for United – could still leave the club for Juventus as a deal involving himself and Paulo Dybala drags on, but his latest act doesn’t appear to have gone down too well with a section of the Red Devils supporters.

Let’s take a look at how the United fans on Twitter responded to Lukaku’s leak…

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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 Times, Wolves are interested in signing Brentford’s Ezri Konsa this summer.

What’s the word?

It seems as though Wolves will be in the market for a central defender this summer after Wolves Bite claimed that was an area they’d target.

The Midlands outfit have regularly preferred a back three under Nuno Santo, which has predominantly been made up of Conor Coady, Willy Boly and Ryan Bennett.

However, that area of the pitch will need more depth next season after they were forced to field Romain Saiss there on occasion.

And Konsa looks like he could be the answer to Wolves’ problems.

He has been the subject of interest from the club per The Times who suggest they are set to pay £12m to bring him to Molineux.

Watch Wolverhampton Wanderers Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Hause replacement

Earlier in the window, Wolves lost talented defender Kortney Hause to Aston Villa. The centre-back was impressive during his loan spell with the Villains in the back end of 2018/19, winning a colossal 4.7 aerial duels per game.

At the age of 23, he was one of Wolves’ rising defenders, although he never got a chance to prove himself in the Premier League, failing to make an appearance.

Ahead of what could be an arduous season for Nuno and his side, he arguably could still have played a part.

Yet, they may already have his replacement lined up.

Like Hause, Konsa was brilliant in the Championship last season and at 21 years of age, is another hugely promising central defender.

As a result, he could quite comfortably fill the void left behind by the departing Hause, although if he joins for £12m, one would expect him to start more regularly.

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In 2018/19, the Brentford centre-back played 42 times in the second tier whilst he also made a solitary substitute appearance at the recent European U21 Championships for England.

Strong in the tackle, he made 1.2 successful challenges a game whilst he displayed his strong composure on the ball, completing 87.7% of his passes.

The majority of Wolves’ central defenders are all relatively experienced so it would be of great benefit for the club to sign another younger prospect after Hause left.

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According to The Independent, Unai Emery’s Arsenal are close to agreeing a deal to sign young Dynamo Dresden goalkeeper Markus Schubert.

What’s the word, then?

The 21-year-old is set to arrive at the Emirates Stadium on a free transfer this summer and he’s rated as one of the best starlet shot-stoppers in European football, per the original source.

Nothing is set in stone yet but the Gunners are already looking for clubs that would be willing to take the ‘keeper, found by Sven Mislintat, on loan next season either from the Championship or back in Germany.

Schubert is a product of Dresden’s academy and his contract at the club will run out this summer – he’s been capped at every level from under-16 to under-21 by the German national team.

Unbelievable business despite overcrowding

The signing of the hotshot Schubert on a free transfer would be an unbelievable piece of business by the north Londoners despite clear overcrowding in the goalkeeper’s position.

Should the German join the club this month he’ll be one of six goalkeepers in the first-team squad, including Petr Cech who will retire at the end of the month, and David Ospina who is due to return from his loan spell in Italy.

They include the current holder of the number one jersey Bernd Leno, Argentine Emiliano Martinez and the slightly younger duo of Matt Macey and Dejan Iliev.

The futures of the latter two are uncertain beyond the end of June with their current deals up on the last day of the month, but even if they leave Schubert will be surrounded by three goalkeepers all vying for that first-choice spot in Emery’s team.

Given this fact, it seems like this fantastic transfer makes no sense for Arsenal. However, they simply can’t afford to miss the opportunity to capture this talent for nothing.

Moving forward, if Schubert is really as good as many in German football think he is, he’ll be the future number one of the Gunners and he’ll get to learn from one of the best in the world from his nation.

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People around the world celebrated Father’s Day and the biggest footballing stars shared some touching tributes to their dads.

Paul Pogba was one of those who posted his message on

/ByxlFWsiJ3E/” data-lasso->Instagram alongside a snap depicting himself and his father from the Manchester United star’s days as a young boy.

The image was labelled with a short tribute to Pogba’s late father and the midfielder also dubbed him as the “best dad in the seven kingdoms”.

Fassou Antoine Pogba died two years ago after a long battle with a difficult illness but that doesn’t stop his son, Paul, from posting these messages despite his dad’s absence.

The post was met with a lot of support from fans and celebrities alike, all of them replying sending love either towards the 2018 World Cup winner’s family or remembering their own on that special day for all of us.

Superstars or not, we are all similar in this context and Pogba made touched many with this emotional snap.