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The latest instalment of the Manchester derby is not quite the title clash that Manchester United would have envisaged.

The Red Devils can cut the gap to Manchester City at the top of the table with a win but only to 11 points, perhaps merely delaying the precession to the title of Pep Guardiola and his men.

However, bragging rights are certainly up for offer and a key to United getting a result will be the performance of Bruno Fernandes.

As has been the case for many games since the Portuguese arrived from Sporting Clube de Portugal, he is set to be the Red Devils’ main hope.

In his time at Old Trafford so far, he has contributed 34 goals and 21 assists in just 62 matches – some seriously impressive numbers.

His contribution has even increased this season with Fernandes contributing to 49% of United’s 53 Premier League goals throughout the campaign.

He is also by far and away the most creative player in the entire Red Devils’ squad. According to WhoScored, he is averaging 2.8 key passes per match. His nearest midfield competitor is the lesser-spotted Juan Mata at just 1.1.

Even his teammates are aware of his immense influence since his arrival. Brazilian Fred has suggested that Fernandes “took over” the Manchester United midfield as soon as the ink dried on his contract at Old Trafford.

His creativity, dynamism and leadership are going to be even more important against such a good Manchester City side.

After a relatively poor start to the campaign, Guardiola has created a formidable team. The Citizens can boast the best defensive record in the Premier League having shipped just 17 goals throughout the entire season so far.

That stubbornness could suffocate United’s attacking players throughout the match, meaning Fernandes will have to be on top form if Ole Gunnar Solskjaer aspires to take anything from the Etihad Stadium.

In the melting pot of the Manchester derby, Fernandes once again has to show his immense quality and display exactly why he has become the main star, not just in the United midfield, but the entire team.

If the Portuguese star struggles, it’s hard to see a way how United can penetrate what has been a fantastic City back line. If he plays well, however, then the visitors have a chance to leave the Etihad with a positive result.

AND in more news, read our opinion on why Edmond Tapsoba could be the perfect foil for Harry Maguire…

When it rains, it pours.

That’s what Spurs midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg quickly found out on Wednesday evening after the north London outfit were dumped out of the FA Cup by Everton in extra time.

And uncharacteristically, the Danish powerhouse was way off it at Goodison Park.

As Football FanCast outlined last month, the 25-year-old dubbed a ‘captain without the armband’ has arguably been Tottenham’s signing of the season so far but last night he was shocking in every sense.

Only Hugo Lloris (6.0) received a worse rating than Hojbjerg (6.1) as per SofaScore ratings, and it’s easy to see why.

The £27m-rated midfielder endured an absolute horror show – he was sloppy in possession for the Toffees’ opener as he gave the ball away in a dangerous position only for Dominic Calvert-Lewin to slot home and then he committed the all too familiar sin of conceding a penalty by clumsily tripping up the talismanic striker.

Hojbjerg was also dribbled past a whopping five times, more than anyone else on the pitch. He’s usually a hard man to bypass in that engine room having averaged 2.7 tackles per game as well as only being dribbled past 1.8 times per match in the Premier League, via WhoScored.

He was even careless with the ball, losing possession 20 times, which was the second-most of any Spurs player on the night. Again, this is awfully unlike the Denmark international as that’s double his average (10.8) for the top-flight campaign so far.

It’s no wonder the Evening Standard’s Dan Kilpatrick graded his performance a 4/10 in his post-match ratings column, and he dubbed him ‘sloppy and uncharacteristic.’

Everything usually runs through Hojbjerg in the middle of the pitch – his match-high 135 touches would certainly reinforce that – but he was far too weak as he also won only 58% of his duels, often losing out to the Toffees’ playmaker Gylfi Sigurdsson and his supporting cast, Tom Davies and Abdoulaye Doucoure, whom all graded 6.8 or better as per SofaScore ratings.

As evident above, it was quite a nightmare for Hojbjerg – rare, but totally unneeded.

AND in other news, this £18m-rated liability badly let Mourinho down…

Manchester City are continuing to be linked with Borussia Monchengladbach midfielder Denis Zakaria ahead of the summer, and with Fernandinho widely expected to depart, the Swiss international could arrive as the Brazilian’s replacement.

According to Sport Bild (via Sport Witness), the 24-year-old is one of four Monchengladbach players who could depart this summer due to their contracts expiring in 2022, and Manchester City are ‘especially interested’ in adding the defensive-midfielder to their squad.

There are currently no signs to suggest that Fernandinho will sign a contract extension with Pep Guardiola’s side before the end of the season, so it seems likely that the former Shakhtar Donetsk man will depart the Citizens this summer when his current contract expires.

Whilst the 35-year-old has given way for Rodri in recent seasons he has still featured on a fairly regular basis for Guardiola in cup competitions this season, so they will arguably need to add someone such as Zakaria who can compete with the Spaniard for a starting spot in this City side.

Considering the 24-year-old’s performances for Marco Rose’s side in recent seasons, he could be a superb addition to Guardiola’s squad.

In 23 Bundesliga appearances last season, the Swiss midfielder averaged a superb 7.15 rating, averaging 2.1 tackles and 1.6 interceptions per game in Germany’s top-flight.

Fernandinho meanwhile, would average 1.7 tackles and 0.8 interceptions in the Premier League last season, which certainly emphasises that the Monchengladbach man could step up as his replacement.

Zakaria also scores impressively on FBref when it comes to his defensive attributes, despite arguably not being at his best this season, perhaps due to a knee injury that kept him out for much of 2020.

However, it seems clear that the £36m-rated Zakaria is a quality defensive-midfielder when he is at his best, and if Fernandinho does end up departing this summer, City’s sporting director Txiki Begiristain should definitely try and bring the Swiss international to the Etihad as his replacement.

And, in other news… Ilkay Gundogan voted Premier League fans’ player of the month for January

According to Football Insider, Leeds United are keen on signing Derby County starlet Louie Sibley.

What’s the story?

With the January transfer window now open, Marcelo Bielsa’s side will no doubt be on the lookout for some reinforcements as they bid to end their first season back in the Premier League on a high.

And as per Football Insider, the Whites are looking at bringing in 19-year-old midfielder Sibley, who has been in and out of the side at Championship side Derby this campaign, making 17 senior appearances.

The report claims that both Sibley, and his teammate Jason Knight, are both on the radar for Leeds for this month, but that summer moves may be more likely.

Imagine him and Shackleton

Incredibly versatile, Sibley’s arrival at Elland Road would give Leeds another injection of youth and energy, especially in that engine room where they already have Jamie Shackleton.

Kalvin Phillips of course has been linked with a move away in the past, whilst Mateusz Klich will turn 31 later this year. So Bielsa will surely be looking at potential ways of rejuvenating his midfield, and one way he could do that is partnering Shackleton with Sibley in the middle of the park.

Speaking after a 3-0 defeat to Manchester United, then Derby boss Philip Cocu remarked: “He played a great game. He’s a great character — he has a good mentality, he has the desire to win, to play, to find his positioning between the lines. He’s not scared of anybody. It was a pleasure to see him play.”

Leeds are already proving this season that they are one of the most fearless sides in the Premier League, going after teams right at the top of the table and not even thinking twice about it.

Sibley’s fearlessness would fit in perfectly at Elland Road, and give Leeds one of England’s up-and-coming young talents.

David Sullivan will not solve David Moyes’ offensive woes by luring Montpellier HSC striker Gaetan Laborde to West Ham United in the January transfer window.

What’s the word?

According to L’Equipe, the Irons have been handed a huge boost in their efforts to sign Laborde as the financial implications of the global pandemic has left the Ligue 1 outfit chasing income this winter.

President Laurent Nicollin has confirmed the Stade de la Mosson natives are facing debts of €20m to €25million (£18.2m to £22.8m) after failing to make any sales in the summer, while playing games behind closed doors is causing further losses of €500,000 (£456.4k) a match.

As such, Nicollin may have to accept cut-priced offers for some of manager Michel Der Zakarian favoured players, including Laborde, who is now said to be available for €12million (£10.95m) amid interest from both West Ham and Newcastle United.

Both Premier League sides are understood to have scouted Laborde throughout the current Ligue 1 campaign after showing an interest in the summer, with the 26-year-old striking three goals and five assists in 13 top-flight fixtures.

Not the answer

While Laborde has brought a creative touch to Zakarian’s offence this term, the former France U20 international has only struck once in his last 11 league appearances and boasts just 21 goals in 84 games across all competitions for Montpellier since signing in 2018.

Moyes is in need of offensive reinforcements in the winter market with Michail Antonio sidelined again with a hamstring injury, while doubt lingers over Sebastien Haller’s future at the London Stadium after reportedly leaving the Scot underwhelmed.

The West Ham boss was at his wits end following Saturday’s defeat at home to Manchester United with his players being so wasteful in the final third, believing the Irons let the game slip away after enjoying a period of dominance throughout the first half.

“I thought the biggest thing tonight was that we had a great chance to go two or three up, maybe even more. We played really well but we didn’t kill it off when we had the chance to do so, show a clinical edge to our finishing or our final pass which was needed. I think that was what cost us tonight,” said Moyes after the game, via football.london.

Laborde would not be the answer to Moyes’ woes as while he could be available for little at £10.95m, the 5 ft 11 centre-forward is relentlessly wasteful with his chances.

Across his 13 Ligue 1 appearances this season, of which he has started each, Laborde has averaged 2.4 shots a game yet has scored just 0.2 times a game while missing three big chances to find the back of the net, per SofaScore.

He only offers 10.9 accurate passes in the opponent’s half of the pitch per game, too, while losing possession 12.2 times, committing 1.8 fouls and losing 66% of his ground duels and 48% of his aerial contests.

Laborde may be cheap, but West Ham would be better served to focus their efforts away from the Stade de la Mosson this winter.

AND in other news, a “powerful” West Ham dud has given David Moyes all the evidence in the world to why he will never be trusted.

Writing on Twitter, reliable Spurs correspondent Charlie Eccleshare has revealed the real reason behind Tanguy Ndombele and his absence from the north London derby – describing it as a ‘big blow for Tottenham’ as they have had to cope without, arguably, one of their best players of the season so far.Â

After being omitted by manager Jose Mourinho for much of last campaign, with speculation mounting over his future at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Ndombele has become a vocal point of the Lilywhites attack recently.

Ndombele absence revealed

Oozing flair and creativity in the attacking midfield position behind a rotating front trio, the Frenchman has come on leaps and bounds since signing for Spurs in a club-record deal last summer.

However, Mourinho’s side have had to cope without him today in the north London derby, with Eccleshare now revealing the reason behind his absence after a ‘big blow for Tottenham’.

Indeed, as he writes on social media, the Athletic correspondent has claimed he is ‘unwell’ – with the circumstances potentially worrying given we are in the middle of a global pandemic, although there is nothing to suggest his illness is related to this at this time.

Transfer Tavern take

Having become one of Spurs’ most improved player of the season, along with, debatably, Serge Aurier – Ndombele missing the north London derby is a blow to the player himself as well as supporters.

The 23-year-old would have started his first north London derby since moving to the Premier League, and he will surely be devastated to miss out on what is a momentous occasion.

In other news: Jose Mourinho refused to rule out a Spurs return for this amazing ace, find out more here.Â

Rarely a week goes by without Glasgow Rangers facing the same old questions about Alfredo Morelos. Steven Gerrard recently admitted the Colombia international harbours ambitions of playing in the Champions League, which could put the club in a spot of bother when the transfer market re-opens in just a few months’ time.

Rangers were reportedly interested in former Peterborough United striker Ivan Toney in the summer as Gerrard sought to bolster his attacking options before the start of the 2020/21 Scottish Premiership season. The Light Blues were linked with several strikers including Lyle Taylor and Rhian Brewster as well but settled for Cedric Itten and Kemar Roofe in the end instead.

Toney was hardly short of suitors having been in fine form for Peterborough in League One over the past few years and attracted attention from a horde of clubs in higher divisions. He scored 26 goals in 39 games for the Posh before the pandemic ended the 2019-20 League One campaign.

Championship side Brentford ended up signing the 24-year-old from Peterborough for an undisclosed fee, which is believed to be in the region of £5m, via Transfermarkt.

It seems Ross Wilson missed the chance to sign a prolific goalscorer who could’ve become the club’s starting striker for years to come if he could’ve brought him to Ibrox and he was able to hit the ground running.

Judging by his statistics, the data shows that he would’ve been able to do just that, given his phenomenal goalscoring record for the Bees so far (10 goals in 13 games in all competitions), as he has shown that he can score goals on a consistent basis at a good level of the game.

Once hailed as an “incredible” monster by Posh director of football Barry Fry, Toney has made 11 appearances in the Championship this season, scoring 10 goals and supplying one assist, whilst he is averaging 2.5 shots per game, via WhoScored. By comparison, even Roofe has only mustered 1.7 shots per game in the Scottish Premiership, having scored 2 goals in 6 games so far, as per WhoScored.

Given his age, Jermain Defoe isn’t getting any younger, whilst speculation remains rife over the future of Morelos. Bringing in Toney would’ve been a significant outlay, as they had already signed Ianis Hagi on a permanent deal from Genk, but when you consider the fact that the Gers reportedly spent an amount just shy of a £5m fee to prise Roofe away from Anderlecht, you do have to ask why they couldn’t get a deal done for the former Newcastle United man instead.

Just imagine him and Hagi together – it doesn’t quite bear thinking about.

AND in other news, Bassey & Balogun start, no Helander: Glasgow Rangers Predicted XI vs Hamilton…

Everton boss Carlo Ancelotti risks repeating the mistakes of Ronald Koeman by signing Rangers midfielder Glen Kamara.

What’s the word?

According to TEAMtalk, the Goodison Park natives are one of several clubs to have recently scouted Kamara ahead of the January transfer window as sides begin stepping up their interest.

Dinamo Moscow and Dynamo Kyiv are both understood to have approached Rangers to express their interest, while Burnley, Brighton, Brentford, Newcastle and Sheffield United have also made checks.

Everton scouts have now joined the clutch of European sides to have descended on Ibrox, with Blues staff sitting alongside those from Southampton, AS Monaco, LOSC Lille and Borussia Dortmund in monitoring the Finland international’s progress.

Gers boss Steven Gerrard is loath to lose the midfielder he acquired for a nominal £50,000 from Dundee in 2019, and is pushing the Premiership giants to tie Kamara down to a long-term deal despite his current terms running until 2023.

Gerrard sees Kamara as a key chess piece to his tactics and would already have rushed through talks over a new contract if the decision was solely his.

“If it was my decision the answer would be yes,” he told reporters last week, via quotes by the Daily Mail. “I’ve made my feelings known to Ross [Wilson, the Sporting Director] and the board on that situation.

“Glen has been fantastic for me since day one. He’s grown and he’s evolved. He’s improved and he’s listened. He was superb at the weekend [against Celtic] but for me he has been really consistent for much longer than that.”

Schneiderlin 2.0?

Kamara was lauded for running the show in Rangers’ Old Firm Derby win over bitter rivals Celtic earlier this month, with Gers icon Neil Murray telling The Scottish Sun: “Kamara was excellent at the weekend and he really is an intelligent footballer. He has so much ability on the ball.”

And while Gerrard is likewise full of praise for the player Kamara has become over his 69 appearances for Rangers, the 25-year-old is not the type of player Ancelotti should be looking to lure to Goodison Park.

The 24-cap international often sees a lot of the ball at Ibrox with an average of 81 touches per Premiership appearance this season, but frequently fails to use that or his 66.7 accurate passes (92%) to good effect with just 0.9 key balls and 0.3 shots, per SofaScore.

He also does not attempt to draw the flow of play forward with just 0.7 successful dribbles (70%) a match, while offering little defensively with 0.9 interceptions, 0.7 tackles and 0.6 clearances.

Should Ancelotti strive to acquire Kamara, the Italian would seemingly just be repeating the errors of Koeman in the Dutchman’s £24million deal to sign Morgan Schneiderlin from Manchester United.

Schneiderlin was frequently questioned for his relentless sideways and backwards passing or for attempting to force balls through to players that were heavily marked, and that is something that Kamara would likely bring back to Goodison Park.

Ancelotti currently has options who rather look to bring play forward in Allan, Abdoulaye Doucoure and Andre Gomes, with the trio playing 23, 45 and 36 accurate passes in the final third during Premier League games respectively this season and 89, 112 and 76 passes in the opponent’s half, per SofaScore.

Kamara, then, would be a step back rather than forward if he is signed, much like the play he would bring to Merseyside.

AND in other news, Everton must secure a January loan move for a talented ace in the “mould of Makelele”.

Aston Villa fans have called on the club to make one more signing this transfer window, and perhaps Dean Smith should listen to them…

What’s the word?

At the weekend, Brentford boss Thomas Frank called for a resolution to the saga surrounding his winger Said Benrahma amidst interest from several Premier League clubs.

According to the Daily Mail earlier this month, the 25-year-old is Smith’s ‘No.1’ target with the Bees holding out for a total of £20m.

West Ham, Crystal Palace and Arsenal have also been mooted with interest throughout the window.

The final piece

Villa’s unbeaten start to the new campaign continued on Monday night as they thrashed top-flight newcomers Fulham 3-0 at Craven Cottage. It’s three wins from three in all competitions without a goal being conceded.

Perhaps the Midlands outfit have found their best back four, meaning their attention could turn to further up the field with less than a week to go before deadline day.

Smith could really complete his attack with a move for his former superstar, Benrahma.

The Algerian wizard was one of the best players in the Championship last season after he bagged 17 goals and provided nine assists, also averaging 3.8 shots, three dribbles and 2.1 key passes per game, via WhoScored.

He and Ollie Watkins formed a formidable partnership – one that must be replicated at Villa Park. Just imagine Jack Grealish in the hole behind Benrahma, Watkins and Bertrand Traore.

EFL pundit Don Hutchinson believes Benrahma is ready for the step-up, which is a huge positive whilst Sam Saunders’ praise of him provides further excitement – “He could nutmeg a mermaid,” said the Brentford B coach.

He’s even been likened to Lionel Messi.

Benrahma reuniting with Smith and Watkins is a mouthwatering prospect and could be the move to elevate them from the depths of the bottom half into serious contenders further up the table.

AND in other news, Lange has to break club-record fee again to sign top target…

Bundesliga side Werder Bremen have urged Milot Rashica to make a decision over his future after being linked with a move to Aston Villa.

With the summer transfer window open, Villa boss Dean Smith could look to improve his squad options, in particular in attack where the likes of Keinan Davis, Mbwana Samatta and Wesley have all struggled to find consistent form.

With transfer gossip flooding the internet, Brentford striker Ollie Watkins has emerged as a potential arrival, whilst a link to Rashica has been heavily maintained.

The 24-year-old netted eight goals and supplied seven assists in 28 Bundesliga games for Bremen last season and has a current Transfermarkt value of £19.8m.

With interest reported from Villa, Bremen boss Kohfeldt provided an update on the attacker’s future and the German club have now urged the attacker to make a decision on his future.

Reacting to the news which was shared by Twitter account @AVFC_News, some Villa fans gave their opinion on the ongoing rumour surrounding the attacker. Whilst some want him to sign, given his impressive stats from last term, others aren’t as keen as they think he is holding out for a potentially bigger move, suggesting he doesn’t really want to join the Villans.

Do you think Rashica would be a good signing for Villa? Let us know in the comments section below…