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Former Liverpool striker Rhian Brewster singled out midfielder James Milner for praise as he prepares for his Anfield return tonight as a Sheffield United player.

Brewster influenced by Milner

The 20-year-old left Anfield to join Sheffield United for £23.5m before the domestic transfer window closed and is set to revisit his old stomping ground against Jurgen Klopp’s side in Blades colours, as opposed to all red.

Brewster featured for the Reds during the Community Shield clash against Arsenal at Wembley, when he missed a penalty during the shootout.

Despite this, the England under-21 international never made a Premier League appearance before his switch to Yorkshire, although Liverpool gave themselves the option of a buyback clause which lasts for three years.

Speaking with the Daily Mail, Brewster spoke about his thoughts on his return to Liverpool and who influenced him at Melwood.

“It’s going to be a bit weird,” he said. “But it will be a nice moment, just to see everybody. I didn’t get to say goodbye because [the transfer] happened so quick. Not one person slacks off and I’ll always remember that.

“[Take] James Milner. He’s in his 30s and still going strong. That’s for a reason; because he is always in the gym, eating right, doing everything he can to be the best. That’s one thing that I’ll 100 per cent take from Liverpool and James Milner.

“I would 100 per cent take that [longevity] and look what he is doing in his 30s and [think] why can’t I do that? The standards, they set the bar very high and that’s something I will never forget and hopefully people looking at me, when I’m older they will hopefully feel the same way.”

Class act

Footage had previously been leaked of Milner’s leadership skills but it appears that these characteristics continue away from the cameras, which is probably not a surprise to anyone.

Former England international Stuart Pearce described the veteran as an “outstanding professional”, whom he managed during his time with England under-21s in the mid-2000s, praising his willingness and attitude to clock substantial running distances and his versatility to put in a strong performance wherever he plays.

Milner’s influence on young players like Brewster is clear to see, judging by the Sheffield United youngster’s comments.

In other news, 6 ft 2 ace could be Michael Edwards’ first flop after surprise Klopp revelation. 

After a season of immense struggle, West Ham rounded off a rather forgettable Premier League season with a 1-1 draw against Aston Villa on Sunday afternoon.

David Moyes will no doubt be keen for new faces to be brought into the team ahead of the next campaign which starts in next September, and that means making sure their recruitment is up and running.

One of the big talking points for the Hammers will be whether they can keep hold of star man Declan Rice, with reports in recent weeks and months claiming that the likes of Chelsea are interested in luring him away from the London Stadium.

If the England international does depart, then West Ham may actually already have the perfect successor to the midfielder in Tomas Soucek.

The Czech Republic international initially joined the Hammers on a loan deal in January, but was signed permanently for around £19.1m a few days ago.

And if his performances in recent weeks are to go by, then it’s clear that they have made quite the smart signing.

Against Villa on Sunday, Soucek was at his absolute powerful best, challenging for everything and making sure he held down the engine room with Rice.

As per Sofascore, he contested 15 total duels (the most of any Hammers player) and won a remarkable 12 of them too. Soucek also won an impressive four tackles, again a team-high, and made another three clearances as well.

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The past few games have seen him develop into a goal threat, particularly from set-pieces, but against Villa, he shone from a more defensive point of view.

Losing Rice would be a bitter blow for Moyes, but Soucek is beginning to show he could more than handle the spotlight of being the dominant Hammers ace in the middle of the park.

Key information about Palmerston Park

Palmerston Park was officially opened in 1919 but football had been played there since as early as 1870s. Now, it houses the Queen of the South FC, a Scottish Championship side, and is located on Terregles Street in Dumfries.

Its current maximum capacity stands at 8,690 but with only 3,377 seated places and with a pitch that measures 105m by 65m. The surface of the field is covered with artificial turf and has no running track surrounding it.

The highest ever recorded attendance at Palmerston Park was set on 23 February 1952, when 26,552 people watched the Queen of the South lose 3-1 against Hearts in a Scottish Cup third-round tie.

A history of Palmerston Park

Palmerston Park’s official history starts with the formation of the club it currently houses in 1919. However, football had been played there even before that and as early as the 1870s. It gets its name from a former farm that was located on the site, called Palmers Toun. In 1921, the Queen of the South FC bought the ground for £1,500, making it their new home ever since.

And unsurprisingly, this is also when most of the redevelopment were initially started. In the following years, Palmerston Park would cover the Portland Drive Terrace, install floodlights and construct the main stand by 1965, shortly after the original one had burned down in a fire. Interestingly enough, the club still has the highest floodlights in Scottish football, standing at 85 feet.

In 1933, they also erected the Jimmy Jolly’s Bullshed stand, later to be known as the Coo Shed, naming it after one of the founding members of the club. But that stand was demolished and replaced by an all seater East Stand in 1995 with a game against Glasgow Rangers played to celebrate its opening.

In recent years, Palmerston Park has seen more redevelopment and improvement despite its residents plummeting to the Scottish Second Division in 2012. Queen of the South installed new water systems and ticket offices and even planned the development of the main stand which has mostly remained unchanged since its early days that go back to the 1960s.

In March 2013, the club was given the permission to install a new 5G artificial pitch at Palmerston Park for the start of the 2013/14 campaign and later on, they sold the turf for £10 per square yard and auctioned the four corner plots, both penalty spots and Ryan McCann’s 84 yard spot as well.

Apart from being used for football, Palmerston Park has also hosted a live music concert in June 2015 with performances by Status Quo, Big Country and Reef. As of September 2014, the official capacity of the stadium sits at 8,690, with 3,377 seats included.

Tickets to watch Queen of the South FC at Palmerston Park

All tickets to watch Queen of the South FC play at Palmerston Park can be found on the club’s official website. The average price of an adult ticket is around £18 for all areas of the ground.

The club also offers season tickets that can be bought for £210 for adults. More information can be found on the aforementioned website.

Related links

https://www.qosfc.com/home – Official website of Queen of the South FC

https://www.qosfc.com/stadium – Key information about Palmerston Park

Manchester United have lost the race to sign Jude Bellingham, as Borussia Dortmund are expected to announce his arrival in a matter of days.

Bellingham, who currently plays for Birmingham City, has been linked to the Red Devils and Chelsea, but he will now follow in the footsteps of fellow countryman Jadon Sancho. According to ESPN, the 16-year-old will move to the Signal Iduna Park for £20m and the Bundesliga club are expected to unveil their new signing this week.

Man United pulled out all the stops to try and lure the teenager to Old Trafford, including a personal tour of Carrington with Sir Alex Ferguson, but this latest news will be a huge blow for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Bellingham has been the centre of attention at St Andrew’s after making quite a name for himself in the Midlands, and it seems Dortmund have outdone United once again to sign another exciting prospect.

This won’t be the first time the Bundesliga challengers have usurped the Red Devils. Indeed, Solskjaer lost out to Lucien Favre in a battle for Norwegian star Erling Braut Haaland, who sealed a switch to Germany from RB Salzburg last year.

The starlet has played 32 games for the Blues in the Championship, scoring four goals and creating two assists as well as averaging 1.2 shots per game and making 2.3 tackles on average (WhoScored).

Meanwhile, Nemanja Matic has struggled with injury and made only 13 appearances in the Premier League this season, providing one assist, averaging two tackles per game and attempting just 0.5 host shots per game (WhoScored).

As it stands, Dortmund are best known for developing young talent and turning them into world-class superstars and Bellingham may well hit the ground running with Sancho and Haaland to guide him on his way.

While the teenager, who cannot sign a professional contract until he turns 17 next week, may have made the right decision for his career, it is United who will miss out the most.

As the club’s only recognised defensive midfielder, Matic has a lot of responsibilities on his shoulders, and, at 31, he is approaching the twilight of his career. Consequently, Bellingham’s snub will hurt Solskjaer the most, as he will have to look elsewhere in a volatile transfer market.

United fans, do you think Ed Woodward will regret this missed opportunity? Let us know in the comments below!

Just how do you solve a conundrum like Tanguy Ndombele at Tottenham?

The Frenchman has arguably been one of the Premier League’s biggest talking points since arriving in a club-record deal from Lyon last summer.

His impact on the pitch has left a lot to be desired, so much so that Jose Mourinho hasn’t hesitated to give him the so-called hairdryer treatment in his pre and post-match press conferences – Ndombele’s performance against Burnley drew the ire from his manager in particular.

After coming on as a substitute in Spurs’ disappointing 0-0 draw against Bournemouth on Thursday, the midfielder showed that he may just hold the key to the Lilywhites’ success in the north London derby on Sunday.

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From one of the early moments in his appearance when he turned the ball around the corner and helped launch a Spurs counter-attack, to his constant desire to play more incisive passes into the forwards, Ndombele at least tried to get Mourinho’s side going creatively.

Up until that point, they had shown no sign of tempo or pace, but the Frenchman looked to get on the ball and play faster. Even despite a poor debut season, the £46.8m-rated ace has an impressive average of 1.8 dribbles per game in the Premier League, which actually ranks him second amongst all Spurs players (only Heung-min Son with 2.1 is higher).

That ability to face up opposition defenders, commit them, and then drive by them with a skill or a shoulder drop can open the game up for the rest of the team. And with Arsenal recently employing a three-at-the-back formation, having someone like Ndombele who can take people on can help offset the problem of facing an extra defender.

Against the Gunners, another lethargic team performance will not cut it. Mourinho’s side need more creativity and guile, and Ndombele may be the unlikely key behind unlocking the door on Sunday.

With Dele Alli ruled out due to injury once again, perhaps it is finally time for Ndombele to come out of the shadows and really showcase his potential.

Former Leeds United forward Noel Whelan has claimed that the Elland Road club must find a replacement for Pablo Hernandez this summer, in an interview with Football Insider.

What did he say?

Hernandez has been brilliant since returning to English football in 2016 and has proven a key part of Marcelo Bielsa’s plans.

Aged 35, the former Valencia and Swansea City man is nearing the end of his career, although he would likely relish the chance to play in the Premier League again.

Whelan said that while Hernandez has been brilliant for the club, they need to replace him with a player in his prime that can replicate his skills.

“There is a lack of Premier League experience and a lack of quality in certain areas,” he told Football Insider.

“You have Pablo Hernandez coming to the back end of his career and he is the one player that can produce that bit of brilliance. He is a standout player and he will need replacing.

“It will cost you money to get a player like Pablo Hernandez in his prime but it does make the difference.

“To complement that, you need a striker to get on the end of his passes and crosses from wide areas. That is going to cost money.”

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Transfer hunt

Hernandez has been a key man for Leeds under Bielsa and certainly adds a level of creativity and flair from his wide position.

Although he could stay at the club, adding more of this type of player to the squad would certainly prove a boost for the squad and would allow Leeds to phase the Spaniard out, rather than relying on him at the age of 36.

Celtic’s official Twitter account has wished one of their players a Happy Birthday, much to the amusement of some fans, who were left questioning who he even was.

Ismaila Soro turned 22 on Thursday yet no one appears to know who the young midfielder even is.

He only joined the Glasgow giants back in January from Israeli Premier League outfit Bnei Yehuda, signing a four-and-a-half-year deal but is yet to feature for Neil Lennon’s first-team squad in any competitive fixture.

In fact, he’s only been named on the bench once and that was for their Scottish Cup tie with Clyde in February when Celtic ran out 3-0 victors.

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Prior to his move to Celtic Park, Soro had made 24 appearances this term playing in a defensive midfield role per Transfermarkt’s recorded matches, including a run of matches in Europa League qualifying where his former side were knocked out by Malmo.

Here’s how supporters have been reacting to the club’s post…

AND in other news, Celtic fans debate Tom Rogic future…

Following a horror injury to midfield star Andre Gomes during Everton’s 1-1 draw with Spurs a fortnight ago, Tom Davies has done well to fill the void in his absence – but is there another youngster who could step into that defensive midfield role with even more authority? 

After Gomes underwent crucial ankle surgery, ruling him out of action for the foreseeable future, supporters could have been forgiven for looking on in anxiety over who would step into his shoes and provide that much-needed midfield fluidity.

However, with the’ injury, fans have had to watch on as Morgan Schneiderlin and Tom Davies attempt to play that role themselves – with the Frenchman’s robust and static playing style not exactly being a joy to watch.

Davies has taken up the mantle with much aplomb, however, even scoring the opening goal in the Toffees’ last outing, a 2-1 win at Southampton, with supporters rightfully singing his praises.

But when compared to linked Hoffenheim midfielder Dennis Geiger, the statistics just don’t match – with the German youngster holding a superior WhoScored.com pass success rate of 85.8% to Davies’ 78.3%.

Geiger, according to Sport1, has been rumoured to be attracting interest from Everton for his dynamism in midfield – often being billed as his club’s midfield orchestrator, this time by the Bundesliga’s official website.

The 21-year-old first burst onto the scene for Hoffenheim during the 2017/2018 season, playing a crucial role in their successful Champions League qualification whilst amassing an incredible 88.2% pass success rate – scoring two goals and assisting one more on top of that, as per WhoScored.com.

At such a young age, Geiger has already proved he can add fluidity and crisp passing at the very highest level – with Everton crying out for a subtle midfield commander like him. In fact, only the more defensively orientated Fabian Delph (per WhoScored) boasts a better completion rate than the player in question, and his 2.2 key passes per game are better than any midfield in the Toffees’ squad.

So, that could suggest he might be able to create a better quality of chance going forward, something that could be helpful given the team’s lack of a genuine goalscorer with no one having scored more than 3 goals.

Time will tell as to whether Marco Silva’s side make a move for the German U21 international, but all the statistics point towards it being a smart move.

Would you back this move? Join the discussion by commenting below… 

Wolves star Raul Jimenez has delivered a glowing verdict on Liverpool titan Virgil van Dijk.

What’s the word?

The Mexico international recently participated in a Q&A which was published on Wolves’ official website, and one of his answers concerned the £75m Reds star.

Jimenez was asked about the best player he’s ever faced up to and, perhaps unsurprisingly, he name-checked the Dutchman and suggested he’s not finished improving just yet.

“Van Dijk. Last season our battles were amazing and I had troubles with him in both matches and I think he’s a great player who is only going to get better.”

Can you name the result these iconic Liverpool images belong to? Give it a go now…

A fascinating clash

Jimenez, who signed for the Old Gold for £30m in 2019 following an eye-catching loan spell in the 2018/19 season, does not have a particularly potent record against the Premier League leaders.

He scored his first league goal against Liverpool earlier this year, though his strike could not prevent the hosts from suffering a 2-1 defeat.

That goal is the only strike Wolves have managed in the last four league fixtures against Jurgen Klopp’s relentless side, so it’s little surprise that Jimenez has identified the defensive hub as the best of all the opponents he’s faced.

The clash between two players who are elite talents in their respective positions has proven to be a fascinating one in the past two seasons, with the former Atletico Madrid striker possessing both the physicality and technical quality to cause his opposite number major issues.

So far, however, his endeavours have failed to produce the desired result and, when football eventually resumes, Jimenez will be hoping that his prediction about van Dijk’s improvement proves to be a fallacy.

In other Liverpool news, FFC have rounded up Fernando Torres’ stunning career in a series of nostalgic images…

Tottenham Hotspur fans have hailed Heung-Min Son after the club commemorated his 200th appearance for the club.

The South Korea international brought up the anniversary during the club’s 2-1 defeat to Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday.

During those appearances, the 27-year-old has netted 72 goals in total and also provided 39 assists; 44 of those goals came in the Premier League, from 138 outings.

And Spurs’ official Twitter account posted a tweet on Wednesday celebrating the attacker’s contribution since his move to north London.

Of course, he joined the club in 2015 after a two-year spell at Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen, with the north London club paying a reported £22m for his signature.

And supporters have taken the chance to wax lyrical about Son, who has already been in fine form this term, netting five times and registering three assists in all competitions.

Take a look at the best of the reaction from fans on Twitter below!