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Manchester United have still not confirmed who their next permanent manager will be to take over at Old Trafford from Ralf Rangnick this summer, however there has been a huge new update from a reliable source about the potential appointment of Erik ten Hag.

What’s the word?

Popular Italian transfer insider and journalist Fabrizio Romano has taken to his YouTube channel to give a fresh update on the progression of Manchester United’s search for their next manager, and more importantly, promising progress with ten Hag.

Romano said: “From what I am told, there is no agreement signed or completed but talks are progressing well between Manchester United, Erik ten Hag and Ajax. At the moment from what I am told, there is nothing completed, nothing agreed, nothing signed but work in progress in a positive way. Ten Hag is under contract but he has a release clause. That release clause is €2m.”

Supporters will be delighted

There is no doubt that Erik ten Hag has been the firm favourite amongst supporters to take the reins at Old Trafford to transform their squad and the club’s struggle for success, so they will surely be delighted to hear that progress has been made with the Ajax boss.

The Dutch coach would be the fifth permanent manager to take on the challenging role at Manchester United since Sir Alex Ferguson retired back in May 2013, so the Glazers and the board at the club will be hoping that ten Hag can provide long term solutions and ultimately success in his potential appointment.

The increasing interest in the 52-year-old manager stems from his success with Ajax, winning two Eredivisie titles and three domestic trophies with the team, and his coaching pedigree clearly a huge attractive factor for Manchester United who have seemingly lost their identity over almost a decade since Fergie departed.

This new information from Romano will certainly keep the fans happy whilst Rangnick continues to focus on leaving the club in a good position at the end of the season by securing a place inside the top four and earning Champions League football

Yet, with the side currently three points behind their competitors Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal it is looking less likely that the German interim coach will be able to achieve it.

In other news: Man Utd now plot bid to sign £60m “special talent”, he’s miles better than Rashford

Celtic have been hit with a fresh injury setback over defender Josip Juranovic after the Old Firm clash on Sunday…

What’s the latest?

The Hoops full-back was forced off in the 67th minute of the game as he hobbled off with what appeared to be a hamstring strain and was replaced by Anthony Ralston.

Bhoys boss Ange Postecoglou did not comment on his situation after the match and Celtic now face a nervous wait to find out the severity of the injury in the coming days.

Supporters will be gutted

This news will surely leave Celtic supporters gutted as it will be a big blow to lose him for any period of time between now and the end of the season. Depending on how bad of a strain it is, he could be out for days, weeks, or months and that is why the supporters will be anxious to hear more about him.

After he came off, Ralston struggled against Ryan Kent for the rest off the game. Athletic journalist Jordan Campbell noted that the Gers were “getting joy” against the Scot and this highlights Juranovic’s importance to the team and the impact his loss will have in the coming weeks if he is missing.

The difference between Celtic when he was off and on the pitch in the Scottish Cup semi-final clash was obvious, as illustrated by Campbell’s comment. They struggled defensively after he went off as Ralston was unable to cope with the Gers and this suggests that it would be a disaster if the Croatian is now absent for a number of games.

In the Premiership this season, he has averaged a SofaScore rating of 7.21 across 27 appearances. He has helped the Hoops to keep 11 clean sheets in the league, making 2.2 tackles and interceptions per game whilst winning 56% of his duels.

This shows that he has been strong defensively and a key part of Postecoglou’s resilient back line in the division throughout the campaign. However, he has also caught the eye going the other way with 1.4 key passes per game and three goals, showing that he can find the back of the net himself and create openings for his teammates to score from.

Therefore, he has been crucial for the Hoops this season with his flying play down the flank. He has been able to impress in attack whilst remaining consistent and reliable at the back and the fans will be gutted by this injury blow.

AND in other news, AND in other news, Signed for 7 figures, left for peanuts: Celtic had a mare on “unplayable” £15k-p/w dud…

Having signed for Everton last month for a fee believed to be around £16m, there is certainly a lot of hope for young right-back Nathan Patterson.

The Scotsman is yet to make a first-team appearance for the Toffees since his move from Scottish champions Rangers having played once for the U23s, however, it’ll only be a matter of time before the youngster is given an opportunity…or at least it should be.

On the chalkboard

With first-choice right-back Seamus Coleman now 33-years-old and in his 13th season at Goodison Park, there is little doubt that the loyal servant will have to step down in the near future.

Although the Irishman appears to be new manager Frank Lampard’s preferred option too, having started the 4-1 FA Cup win over Brentford, there will surely be a chance for Patterson to show the new manager what he can do before the end of the season.

Patterson has been highly rated up in Scotland over recent seasons, particularly at an international level, having made his senior Scotland debut in June, just before the start of the European Championships, in which the right-back played six minutes.

Recently, the 20-year-old was subject to serious praise from Scotland teammate Che Adams, who described the Scotsman as “fantastic” after scoring his first goal and assisting the Southampton striker in a World Cup Qualifier against Moldova in November.

Moreover, former Rangers manager Steven Gerrard directed plenty of praise towards the youngster, saying after another impressive Scotland performance: “It was certainly no surprise. You’re talking about a kid who is really hungry, he’s full of desire and commitment. I think you could see that in his performances.

“It was really good for me to see him playing with other top players like Andy Robertson and Billy Gilmour, these type of players.”

However, whilst in charge at Ibrox, Gerrard didn’t give Patterson as many opportunities as his price tag would’ve suggested, with the right-back making just five appearances in the Premiership as the Gers secured their first league title in ten years.

The Scotsman did make 14 appearances in total in all competitions last term and also scored a goal against Royal Antwerp in the Europa League.

This campaign, prior to the move to Merseyside, the right-back got slightly more of a look in, making six league appearances as well as two in the Europa League, two in the League Cup and one in the Europa League Qualifiers.

There’s little doubt that the Everton hierarchy signed Patterson thinking that he could certainly be the long-term heir to Seamus Coleman’s throne. However, the 20-year-old will need to be trusted by Lampard and given opportunities to prove that he has what it takes.

In other news: Lampard drops worrying injury update that’ll have Everton fans sweating

Manchester United have a very important decision to make regarding their managerial position.

At this point, we expect that interim manager, and well-known advocate of the gegenpress; Ralf Rangnick, will be moving upstairs to begin his consultancy role.

Going by the latest reports, the race to become Red Devils boss is between managerial heavyweights Erik ten Hag and Mauricio Pochettino, with Luis Enrique said to be concentrating on his job with the Spain National Team.

What’s the word?

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has given his opinion on the apparent front-runner, Erik ten Hag.

Pep worked with the 52-year-old Ajax manager at Bayern Munich and believes there is no doubt that ten Hag would be a success in the Premier League.

When asked about ten Hag, the Spaniard said:

“Are you asking me if Erik ten Hag could be here? Definitely. A lot could be here and I think he could be one of the ones.

“For the way he approaches the game, definitely, definitely.”

Glazers can win back United

City boss, Pep Guardiola, is a fan of ten Hag and his philosophy, describing him as “incredible” whilst praising his Ajax side as a team.

Ten Hag has previously been tipped to takeover Guardiola’s position when he eventually opts to call time on what has so far been a very successful spell at the club.

Prompted about this, Pep said that he would endorse him to City’s director of football Txiki Begiristain as he said “I will say it to Txiki now.”

With Pep’s endorsement for his fellow mass-possession advocate, the reported 87.9% of the United fanbase who want the club’s board to appoint the 52-year-old will be ecstatic.

A mere 12.1% of supporters want Pochettino and thus, if the Glazers end up picking the Dutchman, they could win back the Old Trafford faithful and also guarantee a much rosier future.

After all, the Argentine has already struggled with the big egos of Neymar and Kylian Mbappe at PSG and considering the number of stars in the United side, it wouldn’t bode well.

Whilst this endorsement from one of the most successful managers of all time is wholeheartedly positive, it’s an act that may panic United fans with Guardiola well into the final 18-months of his contract and potentially due to call-time on his Manchester City career in 2023.

The Red Devils faithful will surely want the club to act now, before noisy neighbours Manchester City hijack the deal in what would be an incredibly astute move and ultimate act of one-upmanship from the Citizens.

Taking away a head coach from the jaws of their City rivals would surely go down well with fans and everyone associated with the red side of Manchester. It really does feel like there are only cons to hiring the 52-year-old. Pep does think he’s incredible, after all.

In other news – Man Utd now plot bid to sign £31.5m dynamo, he’s ever better than Rashford – opinion

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Loads of Tottenham fans have been reacting to their defeat at Burnley, and they’re fuming with at Moussa Sissoko for falling back into his old tricks.

Spurs were rightfully beaten by Sean Dyche’s Clarets on Saturday, not so much because the hosts were good but rather because Mauricio Pochettino’s side were incredibly poor.

After a superb performance to thrash Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League, only the returning Harry Kane showed any sort of life for the Lilywhites, as the other ten players just seemed to let the game pass them by.

Chris Wood put Burnley in front in the second half with a wonderful header that came down off the crossbar, before Kane equalised with a smartly taken low finish.

Ashley Barnes won it for the Turf Moor outfit though, tapping in from close range after the ball rather luckily found its way to the Austrian in the box.

Pochettino will be furious with most of his side after such a woeful performance, but Sissoko was particularly poor, a huge concern given how crucial he has been over the past few months.

If the inconsistent French international reverts to the all-action but no substance player he was at the beginning of this season then the midfield is going to become a major problem for Pochettino, given the constant injury problems for Eric Dier and Victor Wanyama.

You can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below…

Tottenham Hotspur are plotting an ‘ambitious’ bid to sign Serge Gnabry, according to reports…

What’s the word?

The Daily Star claim Spurs are keen on landing the Bayern Munich contract rebel as he enters the final year of his current contract at the Allianz Arena, where he is thought to be holding out for a salary of around £13m-per-year.

The Bundesliga champions won’t be held ransom by his demands, so that has alerted many teams around Europe, including the Lilywhites and Real Madrid, though it remains to be seen how much the German side would sell him for – if at all, given their track-record in letting players leave for nothing.

CIES Football Observatory currently value him in the region of £60m.

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Major coup

Whilst an ex-Arsenal player, Gnabry would be something of a coup for Spurs, should they manage to secure his signature in the coming months.

The German international struggled to make much of an impact during his time in England, eventually being sold to Werder Bremen for just £5m in 2016 but he has since emerged as one of the best wingers in Europe.

Across 168 appearances for the Bavarian giants, Gnabry has provided 63 goals and 40 assists, averaging a direct contribution once every 104 minutes, via Transfermarkt.

Spurs know too well of his ability after he absolutely tore Mauricio Pochettino’s side apart with four goals in Bayern’s 7-2 win in the Champions League back in October 2019.

His form has led to quite the praise indeed, including a particularly glowing endorsement from BT Sport pundit Rio Ferdinand, who claimed last season:

“His stats are phenomenal. He’s sitting in the top-level, world-class. He’s come to Germany and set the place on fire, he was absolutely stunning tonight. His decision making has been extraordinary.

“I’ll go as far as to say he’s one of the most improved players in football at the moment. I don’t think anyone’s upwards trajectory is as sharp as his.”

Also lauded as a “real weapon” by his former manager Niko Kovac to Bundesliga.com, Gnabry would certainly add a new dimension to Conte’s attack and given his links to the Gunners and exploits for Bayern, he’d be quite the stunning signing for the north Londoners.

If sporting director Fabio Paratici can pull this off, it would certainly be another one of his masterclass-like swoops.

AND in other news, Contact made: Spurs in talks for “phenomenal” £33m signing, he’s better than Bremer…

Glasgow Rangers have reportedly now told Josh McPake that he can leave in the summer.

The Lowdown: Loan after loan

McPake has been sent out on loan no fewer than five times by the Teddy Bears in his career so far, most recently to Tranmere Rovers back in the January transfer window.

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He has only managed to make one senior appearance for the club, and so his long-term future under Giovanni van Bronckhorst is uncertain after a nomadic stint in Glasgow.

The Latest: McPake update

Speaking to Football Insider, an Ibrox source has revealed that the Light Blues have now given the ‘green light’ for McPake to leave on a permanent deal, as he is ‘surplus to requirements’.

The Gers have personally ‘told’ McPake that he can go after his loan spell at Tranmere ends.

The Verdict: Shame

It is certainly a shame that McPake’s career at RFC has not quite worked out, especially coming through their youth ranks.

Described as ‘excellent’ and a ‘great talent’ by Harrogate Town manager Simon Weaver, another team that he has gone out on loan to, the 20-year-old signed a new deal at Rangers just last year, a testament to how highly-rated he is.

However, the summer seems the best time for both McPake and the club to part ways, as the Scottish winger looks to seek more regular first-team football and the Light Blues bank a potentially decent profit.

In other news, find out who has been ‘non-existent’ for Gers here!

Aston Villa are monitoring Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba ahead of a possible free transfer, according to The Sun.

The Lowdown: Pogba’s situation

Pogba’s days at Old Trafford appear to be numbered, with his current contract set to expire at the end of June.

It seems as if there is a real chance that United could lose their most expensive signing ever for nothing over the coming months.

The 29-year-old has contributed to 10 goals in 16 Premier League games this season, missing 13 top-flight matches through suspension and injury.

The Latest: Villa monitoring developments

The Sun dropped an update regarding the central midfielder on Thursday morning, claiming that Villa and Newcastle are monitoring his situation.

Juventus, Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid are thought to be favourites to secure his services and can do so right now in a pre-contract agreement, whereas the English sides in the race will have to wait until the summer.

The Verdict: Pogba and Phillips?

NSWE look like they are willing to back Steven Gerrard ahead of his first full season in charge at Villa Park, with the club allegedly readying a £60m swoop for Leeds United’s Kalvin Phillips.

It now seems like they want Pogba to partner Phillips in midfield, with Gerrard having just six midfield options at this moment in time, two of which are youngsters Jacob Ramsey and Carney Chukwuemeka.

A move for Pogba, on £290,000-a-week, could prove to be out of their reach, but it’s good to see that Villa at the very least see themselves as a possible destination for a player labelled as ‘world-class’ by Gary Neville.

In other news: Worrying international break news emerges on ‘fantastic’ Villa gem as he pulls out of squad. 

Luke Edwards has now revealed the transfer budget that Newcastle United will have this summer.

The Lowdown: January spree

The St. James’ Park faithful went on a shopping spree in the January transfer window, forking out £90m on Kieran Trippier, Dan Burn, Matt Targett, Bruno Guimaraes and Chris Wood.

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It has been reported that they will target a new central defender, midfielder and striker this summer, in what promises to be another busy window in the North East.

The Latest: Budget reveal

Replying to a fan on Twitter, The Daily Telegraph journalist Edwards has now revealed that the budget will be ‘less’ than the £90m that was spent in January, but that does not include potential sales of players:

“I don’t know a precise figure – that was a rough estimation – but I’ve been told it’s less than the £90m in January.

“That doesn’t include player sales obviously and they need to move players on. Squad already too big. There are loans and free transfers too. It’s not a negative.”

The Verdict: Surprise

I think if you told Premier League fans that the Magpies would only be able to spend £90m this summer, they would be surprised.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s (KSA) Public Investment Fund (PIF) dwarfs the wealth of the owners of Manchester City and PSG in terms of their assets, while the Premier League tend to spend more money than any other division in the world.

However, they can raise that figure by selling a few fringe players in the squad, like Jamal Lewis, Ciaran Clark and Isaac Hayden, who have been left out of their 25-man Premier League squad.

Nonetheless, the board should not look to spend money for the sake of it, and instead carefully pick out the right targets to join Eddie Howe’s team.

In other news, find out which NUFC star is now ‘making good progress’ on his injury comeback here!

Aston Villa are preparing to offer striker Ollie Watkins a new contract to fend off interest from Arsenal, according to Football Insider.

The Lowdown: New deals

Steven Gerard appears to be making preparations ahead of his first full season in charge at Villa Park, with a number of key men penning fresh terms in the Midlands.

Emiliano Martinez, Matty Cash and Kortney Hause have all signed new contracts at Villa in 2022, with reports recently suggesting Gerrard could move on eight players this summer.

It looks as if Watkins could follow Martinez, Cash and Hause in extending his Villa Park stay after missing just one game since Gerrard took over in November.

The Latest: Source shares update

Football Insider shared an update regarding Watkins on Tuesday morning after being informed by a recruitment source.

They claimed that Arsenal are interested in the England international, and, as a result, Villa are preparing a new bumper deal which would see Watkins become one of the club’s top earners.

The Verdict: Shrewd move?

Watkins has been the club’s best-performing attacker this season, as per WhoScored, and is the top scorer with eight goals.

He is also Villa’s joint-highest valued player according to Transfermarkt at £31.5m, so a new contract appears to be a smart call from Villa chiefs.

Gerrard hailed Watkins back in December, describing him as a player who has ‘got the lot’, so he could be key under the Villa boss next season, providing he remains at the club beyond the summer.

In other news: Source: Villa now open to selling 2022 star this summer despite Gerrard being a big fan.