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Manchester United are reportedly “pleading” with David de Gea to come back, with Andre Onana leaving them with a big decision to make.

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Spanish shot-stopper left as a free agentRemains without a club at presentCameroonian due to grace AFCON in 2024WHAT HAPPENED?

The Red Devils are said to be plotting an embarrassing U-turn in the goalkeeper department, with the Premier League heavyweights ready to turn the clock back. They allowed Spanish shot-stopper De Gea to leave as a free agent over the summer, with £48 million ($58m) then invested in Cameroon international Onana.

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The new No.1 at Old Trafford has struggled to emulate the efforts of his predecessor, with Onana making a number of costly errors before repairing his reputation somewhat with a vital stoppage-time penalty save in a Champions League clash with FC Copenhagen.

DID YOU KNOW?

According to , United are ready to admit that they made a mistake in letting De Gea leave. Efforts are being made to bring the 32-year-old back to Manchester as he remains without a club. De Gea previously spent 12 years with the Red Devils – taking in 545 appearances and breaking their all-time clean sheets record.

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United are hoping that De Gea will agree to return on a short-term deal as Onana is due to head off on international duty at the Africa Cup of Nations in January. They also acquired Altay Bayindir over the summer but he is a Premier League rookie and the Red Devils want another proven performer to cover for, and potentially compete with, Onana.

Sergino Dest has been savaged by Taylor Twellman for his “gross” behaviour when picking up a petulant red card for the USMNT.

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Defender dismissed in Nations League tieTwo bookings in the space of 20 secondsBehaviour criticised by players, coach & punditsWHAT HAPPENED?

The Barcelona-owned defender, who is enjoying a loan spell at Dutch giants PSV this season, suffered a moment of madness during the United States’ CONCACAF Nations League quarter-final second leg with Trinidad & Tobago. He was removed from that contest in the 39th minute, with the U.S. leading 1-0 at the time.

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Dest was dismissed after collecting two yellow cards in the space of 20 seconds – with the 23-year-old full-back launching the ball into the stands in disgust after seeing a decision go against him, before then blowing kisses in the direction of the referee.

WHAT THEY SAID

USMNT coach Gregg Berhalter branded Dest’s antics “inexcusable”, while international team-mate Tim Ream called them a “complete lack of respect”. Former USA star Twellman has added his voice to those critics, posting on social media: “Gross from Dest. Inexcusable. Blowing kisses to the ref???? Really?!”

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WHAT NEXT?

Dest has since apologised for his “selfish and immature” behaviour, and he can count himself lucky that his red mist did not cost his country more dearly. The USMNT did go on to suffer a 2-1 defeat against Trinidad & Tobago, but they remain in contention to defend a prestigious continental crown courtesy of a 4-2 aggregate success.

Arsenal teenager Chido Obi-Martin scored a remarkable 10 goals for his side in their 14-3 win against Liverpool's under-16s on Saturday.

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Arsenal U16s beat Liverpool U16s 14-3Obi-Martin scores 10 goals in winCould be next breakout starWHAT HAPPENED?

The 15-year-old had a day to remember as he hit double figures for the Gunners' under-16s side against the sorry Reds. The striker has been playing for the club's under-18, 19, and 21 sides this season but dropped down as those aforementioned teams were not in action this weekend.

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The rising Arsenal star has signed a scholarship deal with the north London club for next season and has already trained with the first-team. The youngster may have an eye on breaking into Mikel Arteta's elite squad after fellow academy player Ethan Nwaneri became the youngest ever Premier League player when he came off the bench at Brentford last season at the age of 15 years, five months and 28 days.

Obi-Martin cannot beat that feat but will be dreaming of a first-team debut at some point. He could be the next success story from the club's much-heralded academy.

DID YOU KNOW?

Obi-Martin, who also scored a hat-trick for the under-18s against Southampton this season, is eligible for Denmark and England after representing both countries at youth level. He can also represent Nigeria due to his father's heritage.

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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR CHIDO OBI-MARTIN?

The teenager could feature for Arsenal's under-21 side against West Brom on December 4; or the under-19s when they take on Lens on November 29, or next Saturday against Derby County's under-18s.

Manchester United may lose their spot in the Champions League next season as a result of Sir Jim Ratcliffe acquiring a minority investment.

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Man Utd could lose Europe qualification Need to finish equal or better than NiceBoth clubs owned by Sir Jim Ratcliffe(C)Getty ImagesWHAT HAPPENED?

Ratcliffe is anticipated to pay £1.25 billion to acquire his 25% share at Old Trafford in the next few days. This will be immensely appreciated by supporters who want to see the Glazer family lose their position of power. Ratcliffe's ownership of the French team Nice, though, may provide the Red Devils with difficulties as they try to qualify for Europe as per The Sun.

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Nice are presently one point behind leaders Paris Saint-Germain in the Ligue 1 standings. Man United would need to at least tie them in the Premier League standings in order to be eligible for the redesigned Champions League if they manage to finish in the top four at the conclusion of the season.

Man United would also not be eligible to play in the Europa League if Nice were to finish fourth. The only chance Man United has to play any sort of European football is if they finish sixth and hope that either Newcastle or Liverpool win the Carabao Cup, which would give them a straight ticket to the Europa Conference League.

Getty ImagesDID YOU KNOW?

Manchester City, United's neighbours, may also be impacted by the FIFA regulations. However, Girona, the City Football Group's Spanish sister club and surprise leaders in La Liga ahead of Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Atletico Madrid, may be most affected. Girona would have to do better in the Spanish elite league than Manchester City in the Premier League to stand a chance of making it to the Champions League next season.

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WHAT NEXT FOR MAN UTD AND NICE?

On the weekend, Nice will face off with Toulouse on Saturday, November 25 before Manchester United take on Everton on Sunday, as the Toffees look to bounce back from their 10-point deduction.

Cody Gakpo and Luis Diaz put their hands up for more first team minutes with commanding displays in Liverpool's rout of LASK in the Europa League.

The Reds opened the scoring in the 12th minute when the lively Diaz exchanged a long-range one-two with Joe Gomez before heading into the corner from 10 yards out. The Colombian international was influential in the build-up to the second just three minutes later and after a jinking run, he fed the ball to Salah, who put it on a plate for Gakpo two yards out from goal. The Egyptian star made it 3-0 in the 51st minute from the spot after Gakpo was taken out by LASK goalkeeper Tobias Lawal to score his 199th goal for the Merseyside outfit.

Gakpo capped off a sparkling display with a rifled shot in second-half stoppage time to make it 4-0 as Jurgen Klopp's men advanced to the knockout stages of the Europa League.

GOAL rates Liverpool's players from Anfield…

GettyGoalkeeper & Defence

Caoimhin Kelleher (7/10):

Made a couple of excellent stops on the few occasions he was called upon. Impressed in the absence of the injured Alisson.

Joe Gomez (7/10):

Put in a lovely cross for Liverpool's opener and was solid in attack. Moved into the centre of defence in the second half after starting at right-back was rarely troubled.

Ibrahima Konate (6/10):

Was troubled a couple of times by the pacey Moses Usor and didn't look all that comfortable at keeping him under wraps.

Jarell Quansah (6/10):

Like Konate, was caught out on occasion by Usor and his positioning was questionable but the 20-year-old was competent enough at the back in a rare start.

Kostas Tsimikas (7/10):

Fired in some dangerous crosses into the box and was unlucky not to score a stunning strike, only for his piledriver to crash off the crossbar.

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Ryan Gravenberch (6/10):

Wasn't quite at his fluent, free-flowing best but he didn't need to be as Liverpool won the midfield battle.

Wataru Endo (7/10):

Was a bit sloppy early on but grew into the contest as it progressed. The pick of Liverpool's midfielders.

Harvey Elliott (6/10):

Had a fairly quiet game but popped up every now and again with some neat touches and tidy interplay. Some of his passing was a bit errant, though.

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Mohamed Salah (8/10):

LASK couldn't deal with his pace and trickery all night and took his 199th goal for the club with a coolly taken penalty.

Cody Gakpo (8/10):

The Dutchman put in an industrious performance, full of quality and selflessness for the team, plus he deservedly got a goal for his troubles.

Luis Diaz (8/10):

Continued his impressive recent form with an energetic and effective performance. Took his goal with aplomb and was a constant threat. The winger has been in remarkable form considering what he has been through in recent weeks and that may be needed with Diogo Jota's injury.

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Trent Alexander-Arnold (7/10):

Did his defensive duties well and got forward at every opportunity and got a nice assist for Gakpo's second.

Darwin Nunez (7/10):

Caused chaos in the opposition's defence but was unable to beat the keeper from a number of efforts.

Curtis Jones (7/10):

Got stuck in in midfield and created a number of chances in his cameo.

Conor Bradley (N/A):

No time to make an impact

Luke Chambers (N/A):

Came on late on in the contest.

Jurgen Klopp (7/10):

Rang the changes following the 1-1 draw with Manchester City at the weekend but the Reds still looked a cohesive unit. His substitutes were dangerous but couldn't add to the total.

A representative of Kylian Mbappe met with officials from Manchester City last week, according to reports in Spain.

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Mbappe advisor made trip to ManchesterMet with City officials before PSG exit confirmedMadrid remain favourites to land France captainWHAT HAPPENED?

A meeting took place in Manchester in Monday, the day before Mbappe communicated his decision to Paris Saint-Germain that he will depart the club this summer. reports that the advisor was spotted at City's training ground during the squad's final preparations before they departed for their Champions League fixture with Copenhagen.

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Although the meeting can be regarded as an interesting development, the report also outlines that Mbappe has an inner circle that contains a numbers of different people and another associate, believed to be closer to the player, was present in the VIP section for Real Madrid's match in Leipzig on Tuesday night.

Los Blancos remain Mbappe's most likely destination with the club and player seemingly happy to conduct negotiations in a discreet manner as a transfer that has been years in the making looks to be drawing to a diplomatic conclusion.

DID YOU KNOW?

So far in his career, Mbappe has been represented by his mother, Fayza Lamari. But newly enacted regulations mean Lamari would need to pass an exam and obtain a FIFA license if she is to continue to represent her son in official transactions.

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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR KYLIAN MBAPPE?

Speculation regarding the identity of Mbappe's future employers is sure to dominate the agenda for the remainder of the season, but the forward will be focusing on matters on the pitch when PSG travel west to take on Nantes in Ligue 1 on Saturday night.

Lionel Messi was involved in a heated argument during Inter Miami’s clash with LA Galaxy, and Edwin Cerrillo says he “wasn’t going to stay silent”.

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Argentine icon netted dramatic equaliserFaced plenty of tests prior to that strikeRivals not afraid to stand up to all-time greatWHAT HAPPENED?

The Argentine superstar did not have things all his own way in California, as A-list guests watched on from the stands, and only made a telling contribution to proceedings in the 92nd minute when grabbing a dramatic equaliser in a 1-1 draw with domestic rivals that had been reduced to 10 men.

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Tempers threatened to boil over throughout a keenly-fought contest, with Messi locking horns with former USMNT U23 international Cerrillo in the first half. That debate started between the Galaxy midfielder and veteran frontman Luis Suarez, but Messi soon got involved as words and frosty looks were exchanged.

WHAT CERRILLO SAID ABOUT MESSI

Cerrillo has told of not backing down from a tussle with eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi: “First I was surprised that he was talking to me, so I didn't understand the first thing he said to me, nor did it register with me. He was serious and at that moment I knew I needed to stay calm, because it was early in the game. He knows what he's doing and maybe he wanted to get into my head. And like with anyone, I wasn't going to stay silent. And when Suarez and [Sergio] Busquets came to defend him… well, it's nice, but it's part of football and at that moment was when I had to be calm. What was said will remain with me, it is something that I will always have in my mind and I will keep that.”

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Messi is now up and running on the goal front for 2024, as Inter Miami look to compete for major honours on multiple fronts, and there is the promise of more to come from the all-time great as he continues to shake off the rust that set in during a testing pre-season.

Mikel Arteta didn't hold back in his review of Arsenal's last-gasp defeat to Porto in the Champions League on Wednesday night.

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Arsenal suffer last-gasp lossPorto have advantage ahead of second legArteta bemoans lack of attacking "threat"WHAT HAPPENED?

It looked to be job done entering the closing stages at the Estadio do Dragao on Wednesday night, with Arsenal heading for a fairly commendable 0-0 draw against the Portuguese giants. But a last-ditch stunner from Wenderson Galeno in the 94th minute gave Porto a slim advantage to take to the Emirates in two weeks' time, leaving Arteta less than happy after the full-time whistle.

Advertisement(C)Getty ImagesWHAT ARTETA SAID

The Gunners boss told post-match: "Obviously we have to manage much better when you cannot win. The way we handled the ball on three occasions in deep areas, it’s not good enough. It’s half-time, you want to be in the quarter-finals, you have to beat your opponent and that’s what we have to do at the Emirates. We lacked threat, we lacked much more threat, more aggression when we had the ball in the final third, especially in the back as well, more purpose to hurt them. We can do better. We play at home now, we know them and we know what to expect.”

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Arsenal haven't progressed past the last 16 in any of their last seven attempts, with Premier League icon Nicklas Bendtner leading the line the last time they reached the quarter-finals back in 2010. The Dane did score a hat-trick against Porto on that occasion in a 6-2 aggregate victory. Arteta will hope someone can step up in a similar vein in the return leg on home soil, after his side failed to record a single shot on target in Porto on Wednesday night.

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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR ARSENAL?

The 1-0 defeat puts an end to five-straight wins for Arteta's side, which all came in the Premier League since the turn of the year. The Gunners will aim to extend that league run and cut the gap at the top – which was extended by Liverpool on Wednesday night – when they face Newcastle at the Emirates on Saturday evening.

Elliot Lee has explained why he dropped down three leagues to join Wrexham and that his agent nearly didn't tell him about their transfer interest.

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Lee dropped three leagues to join WrexhamSeduced by Welsh side's 'special' projectAgent nearly didn't tell him about transferGetty ImagesWHAT HAPPENED?

The attacking midfielder fell out of favour at Championship side Luton Town in 2022 and dropped into the free agency pool – but then Wrexham came calling. Lee revealed, however, that his agent nearly didn't tell him about the then National League team's interest. Fortunately, thanks to his dad and former footballer Rob Lee being aware of Ryan Reynolds' and Rob McElhenney's takeover of the Welsh side the year prior, the former West Ham academy player leapt at the chance.

AdvertisementGetty/GOALWHAT ELLIOT LEE SAID

Lee said on the Men in Blazers podcast: "It was an interesting one actually. Just before that season ended I knew I would be out of contract, so I am remember sitting with my dad and he was like, 'Do you like what is going on at Wrexham? Would you fancy that?'. It was out [of] the blue. Obviously he knows about Ryan Reynolds and Rob [McElhenney] and I was like, 'Yeah maybe'. I'd joined Luton as a project in League Two and I had always said I wanted to be part of something special. So fast forward two or three months down the line I had just got back from my summer holidays and my agent called me and said he'd had Phil Parkinson on the phone.

"But my agent's first words were, 'I wasn't going to tell you' and I was like, 'Woah, woah, woah, steady on lad!' He said he spoke to my dad and my dad said I've got to tell you and I went, 'Yeah, he's right'. So my agent said do you want to speak to the manager and I said, 'I want to speak to Phil, definitely'. I had a few great conversations with the gaffer over the summer and just from that I knew this is where I wanted to come and play and it was what I was looking for. I had other offers to stay in the league but I wanted to be part of something special and I feel it was one of the best decisions I've ever made."

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Lee has had a huge impact at Wrexham, helping them to promotion last season and putting them firmly in the automatic promotion picture to League One this term. The 29-year-old is the club's top goalscorer in 2023-24 and with his experience and know how, he will be key to the Red Dragons' chances of moving up to League One.

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WHAT NEXT?

Lee's Wrexham are sitting fourth in League Two behind Crewe, who occupy the last automatic promotion spot. The Red Dragons are next in action on Saturday at home to Accrington Stanley. After that they face Morecambe the following weekend.

Former Premier League goalkeeper Paddy Kenny believes Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp is lining up ‘incredible’ AS Monaco midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni as a replacement for Jordan Henderson. 

The lowdown: Reds interested

Liverpool have been long since credited with an interest in the 22-year-old phenomenon and it appears that the speculation is ramping up as the summer window fast approaches.

There is likely to be fierce competition for the Frenchman’s signature as Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain compete for the capture.

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However, as Jurgen Klopp keeps one eye on the future whilst taking care of the here and now, Tchouameni has been earmarked to fill sizeable boots at Anfield…

The latest: Henderson replacement…

Speaking to Football Insider, ex-Leeds United stopper Kenny suggested that the French youngster could succeed captain Henderson in the Liverpool ranks after their own sources confirmed interest from Merseyside earlier this week.

The 43-year-old says Klopp is personally a huge fan of the ‘incredible’ talent.

“He’s already made 130-odd appearances at the top level so that’s incredible.

“Liverpool need to start thinking about this and for me, he fits the profile of a Henderson replacement. He’s been a brilliant servant for Liverpool but he can’t play forever. We have already seen him drop out of the starting XI a few times for big games this season.

“It’s only natural to look for a replacement and if you are going to spend £50million then this is your guy. If you are spending that much, Klopp clearly rates him. He will have big shoes to fill but someone has to do it.”

The verdict: Next-generation needed

Whilst there can be no undermining the success that the current crop of Liverpool stars have enjoyed, Klopp and new sporting director Julian Ward must have what happens next in mind.

Regular midfield trio Thiago, Henderson and Fabinho are all over 28 and at present are backed up by a 36-year-old James Milner and often injury-prone duo Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.

Adding the powerful French youngster to the likes of Harvey Elliott, Curtis Jones and Fabio Carvalho would give the ranks a whole new complexion moving forward as the Reds attempt to topple Manchester City going forward.

Holding a likeness to Thiago as well as Real Madrid stalwart Casemiro and Arsenal ace Thomas Partey when using the FBref player comparison tool, Tchouameni – who captained France at the Under 18 level – looks to be ideally suited to strengthen the Liverpool midfield department.

In other news, French outlet drops Liverpool claim involving ‘unstoppable’ superstar. Read more here.