A 1-0 win in the derby clash against their arch rivals has given Manchester United a fighting chance of redeeming a largely forgettable 2015-16 and qualifying for next season’s Champions League.

This season will not be remembered with much fondness by the majority of the Old Trafford faithful, with some abject performances and disappointing results reminding the masses just how far the mighty have fallen.

Although Louis van Gaal has and continues to harbour a sizeable proportion of the blame for United’s woes, the players must taken responsibility and be accountable for a campaign that has not lived up to expectations.

A fair proportion of the Red Devils’ playing squad have not been at their best this season, with only a handful honestly being able to hold their hands up and state that they have been a positive force on the team.

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Arguably the biggest disappointment for United this season however has been the rather underwhelming start to life that Morgan Schneiderlin has made at the club.

Since the heady days of Roy Keane and Paul Scholes, the Manchester club have called out for a dominant figure to take charge in the boiler room and assert ascendancy in an integral area of modern football.

Many have been and gone, failing to emulate the distinguished duo that came before them, but a lot of expectation has been put on Schneiderlin’s shoulders given his rise to prominence at Southampton.

A shrewd operator that has improved year-on-year in the Premier League, the former Strasbourg starlet has become a France international and moved to one of the biggest clubs in world football over the last 12 months.

However, Schneiderlin’s debut campaign at United has not gone quite to plan.

Van Gaal has insisted in selected two from the Frenchman, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Michael Carrick in anchoring the side’s midfield.

Only plenty of occasions it has been Schneiderlin that has been the odd one out, while injuries have taken their toll.

In all, the 26-year-old has started 20 Premier League games this season but struggled to assert himself to the same degree that made him such an eye-catching player on the south coast.

There is every reason to believe that the Frenchman will improve next season and play a more prominent part in a United side that look to fight for honours. In 2016-17 he needs a consistent run of games and a settled partner in the heart of United’s team to get back to his best.

A slightly negative style of play has not suited Schneiderlin’s game and the potential arrival of a new manager could also breathe fresh life into the midfielder’s career.

At the moment the potential is there for the France international to be a star man at Old Trafford, but after one season at the club he is in danger of being added to the list of Manchester United midfielders that could to hold a candle to Keane or Scholes.

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The season is now over for Arsenal, who enjoyed a good late run to ensure they finished in the top four and beat bitter rivals Spurs to second place, keeping Arsene Wenger’s record of always finishing top of the north London mini-league intact.

We take a look back at the FIVE Gunners stars who impressed the most:

5 –  Laurent Koscielny

The Frenchman has commanded the defence very well this season thanks to his speed and good positioning. He has been a real threat in set-pieces, scoring three goals in important matches, and he was missed when injured.

4 –  Alexis Sánchez

Since arriving at the club in 2014, the Chilean has taken to the Premier League like a duck to water. He scored 17 goals and assisted nine this season, and continues to prove he has incredible quality and composure when it comes to netting in or outside the box.

3 –  Petr Cech

What an incredible signing. With 16 clean sheets overall, his natural leadership, experience and shot-stopping abilities have been key to so many points this season. Deserving of his spot in the top five.

2 –  Hector Bellerín

The Spanish right-back has become a valuable asset for the Gunners both defensively, with two interceptions per game, and going forward, with six assists. Arsenal’s fastest player added spark to the right flank with the speed and technique on the ball that earned him a well-deserved spot in the PFA Team of the Year.

1 –  Mesut Özil

First place goes to Mesut Özil. The Arsenal magician provided 19 assists this season, putting him a close 2nd in the club’s all-time leaderboard for assists in a single Premier League campaign behind Arsenal legend Thierry Henry. The German playmaker has been brilliant in creating space for every Arsenal player on the pitch to be comfortable on the ball. It may well be hard for Arsenal to keep him next season, but they must do everything to retain him.

With the news that Hull City manager Steve Bruce has interviewed by The FA in regards to the vacant England job it shows that it’s not just a one horse race in terms of who will be the man to take from Roy Hodgson.

The 55-year-old announced that he held talks on Monday but as yet there has been no official approach from The Football Association. Even though these talks have taken place, Sunderland’s Sam Allardyce is still very much the favourite to be Hodgson’s successor.

Has Steve Bruce done enough to warrant being England manager, though? On the face of it you would say probably not, but maybe this highlights the paucity of candidates that are in the running for the England job, but credit must go to The FA for wanting to hire an English man for the job.

With there being five English managers set to start next season in the Premier League, it’s very slim pickings, and with both Alan Pardew and Sean Dyche not set to be in the running there are only a trio of candidates who could feasibly become the next England boss.

Eddie Howe could be viewed as someone a bit too young at this time but you get the feeling his time will come. However, for someone like Steve Bruce, this could be the perfect time to make his foray into international management. The only thing that is standing in his way is Sam Allardyce.

But you get the feeling that Bruce is happy to be Number 2 on the list. He hasn’t necessarily been angling for this move but at the same time, if you were in Bruce’s position you certainly wouldn’t be turning down the opportunity to at least talk with your future employers.

After getting to the Premier League with Hull, the challenge now is to make sure Hull don’t once again become a yo-yo club in the top-flight and instead try to become an established Premier League club.

That won’t necessarily be easy as the club is currently in a backdrop of takeover talks plus there is the ongoing row about changing the name of the club to Hull City Tigers, distractions that Bruce doesn’t really need and distractions that also make the England job very appealing.

Perhaps The FA are talking to Bruce just so that it doesn’t look like a foregone conclusion and in fairness, they would be silly to rush into making an appointment so soon after Hodgson’s departure. With no England game until September there’s no great rush, and even then Gareth Southgate is capable of holding the fort for the first few qualifiers should he be required.

Whether Bruce is the right man for the job remains to be seen, as I don’t think he would have been people’s first choice when the vacancy arose but realistically is one of very few viable options.

This article was submitted via our Write For Us feature. Think you can do better? Submit your own article via the link below, and give yourself the chance of winning monthly cash prizes…

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Manchester City fans have every right to be both excited and optimistic about new signing Gabriel Jesus, who signed in a £27million deal from Palmeiras this week.

Excitement surrounding his City career will build and build, after all, it will be mid-season before fans get the chance to catch their first glimpses of the new signing. He’ll spend the remainder of the Brazilian national Championship on loan with Palmeiras before linking up with City after Christmas.

So in essence, it is a January transfer window signing, with the fee being arranged now. A little odd, but perhaps it could be the best sort of Christmas present for Manchester City fans.

And the first time they will get to see their new man in action will be at the Olympics, when he joins up with the likes of Neymar as Brazil chase gold in the footballing games. And speaking of Neymar, there are plenty of people in Jesus’ native Brazil that feel he could, in time, become as good as the Barcelona talisman. But just how accurate are these claims?

Well, Jesus was part of the Brazil Under-20 side that finished as runners-up at the 2015 World Cup in New Zealand. He scored their first goal of the tournament against Nigeria in a 4-2 victory, and converted in games against Uruguay and Portugal too.

But domestically he has impressed too, scoring 26 goals in 67 matches for Palmeiras’ senior side, having impressed academy bosses for years whilst playing in the clubs’ development squads.

It gets even more exciting for City fans when former Brazilian legend Ronaldo suggested that he can see part of himself in the youngster, back when he was trying to make it as a first team-pro. No pressure, but it seems like those who believe in Gabriel Jesus really do believe in him, and he is expected to go on and be a cracking player in the very near future.

One of the best things about Jesus going forward, particularly when arrives at City is his ability to move across the forward line. He’s played as a striker, a number nine and on both flanks for Palmeires, and this gives Guardiola a fantastically versatile option going forward, particularly when fatigue and injuries take their tole in the latter part of the season.

But it’s also important to note that Jesus will have to bide his time when he arrives in England. City have the likes of Kevin De Bruyne, Samir Nasri, Nolito, David Silva and Raheem Sterling as first-team options to play across the forward line, so it may be a matter of time before we see the Brazilian wonderkid line up for City in the Premier League.

But before then, the best thing for this young man is to knuckle down and enjoy his football back in Brazil. There will be plenty of English-based football fans who will be keeping an eye on his progress with a distinct amount of keenness as well as the entire City fan-base too.

With hard-work, practise and game-time, there is little doubt Jesus could become as good as Neymar. After all, there can’t be a better platform to achieve your goals at than Manchester City, working under Pep Guardiola- who knows a thing or too about developing great Brazilians…

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Tottenham are back in the big time on Wednesday as they face Monaco at Wembley in their opening Champions League group game.

Spurs will go on to face CSKA Moscow and Bayer Leverkusen in this season’s competition and Mauricio Pochettino will hope his young side are up to a challenge that some of them will not have faced before.

It seems weird to think such stars from last season like Dele Alli and Harry Kane haven’t played at this level before but that’s how it is and so there will be some doubts, however small, about how they and the rest of the squad can adjust to the rigours of being at Europe’s top table.

Even so, it is a group that Spurs will feel progression from is possible and with the prospect of having the backdrop of Wembley to make use of for their European fixtures they should be confident of building up some good momentum, starting with Monaco.

Spurs need to be on it from the first whistle and with this in mind, we think this trio in particular need to put in a good shift…

Harry Kane

Kane scored his first goal of the season against Stoke at the weekend so expect the floodgates to open now for the England international.

He’s never played at Champions League level but has the attributes to succeed and will surely relish playing some of Europe’s finest. Spurs still rely on him to score the majority of their goals and so another good performance is needed.

Victor Wanyama

With Moussa Dembele now free to play Wanyama needs to use the time he spends getting match fit wisely.

It’s more than likely that the former Southampton man will be the one to make way for Dembele so he needs to show why Mauricio Pochettino should give that second thoughts.

He’s settled into the Spurs side quickly and another good showing here could do him a huge favour going into the rest of the season.

Christian Eriksen

The Danish international has signed a contract extension so expect him to get back to his best. When he’s on top form he makes Spurs tick and that’s what they’re going to need up against European competition.

Make no mistake Monaco are a good side so will be tough to beat but if Eriksen hits the right notes Spurs should secure all three points at Wembley.

Jamie Vardy’s fall from national hero to aggressive, misfiring striker has been dramatic. Painted as the perfect professional by some during the latter part of Leicester’s title winning season, Vardy was benefiting from a healthy portion of narrative.

Now we are over a month into the following campaign, Vardy is beginning to realise the harsh reality of the British media and fanbases. The reality is hitting hard for one of the game’s greatest rags to riches characters and, although many were aware of his failings already, it could quickly turn into an ugly battle for Vardy.

Two Premier League goals to his name to date have been unable to restrict Leicester early season slump. The club themselves are having to learn to deal with mortality again. Vardy was iconic in victory and in many ways is iconic in their current woes. He was unable to take any joy from his first-half performance against Manchester United, as the supply lines were stifled and with it his goalscoring chances.

In the small sample that is this young, fresh-faced Premier League season, Vardy is averaging just 1.8 shots-per-game. For a player with a shoot-on-sight approach like the Leicester forward, that is on the low side, particularly considering that he averaged 3.2 per-fixture in the league last season. Shots aren’t exactly the surest way to judge his contribution, but he is also completing fewer dribbles, key passes and being fouled more rarely than last season. The numbers seldom tell the whole story, Leicester are as good a proof of that as anyone, yet there is something to be taken from this.

The team have suffered early this season and Vardy’s downturn in output is both a cause and consequence.

Replicating last season’s heroics was never realistically on the cards for Vardy or Leicester, although the hope of a top-half finish and a healthy goal return for the player was hardly outlandish. From the shot-equals-goal Vardy of last season, the beginning of this campaign is a stark return to reality.

A brief overflow of last season’s glory into 2016/17 seems a distant prospect now. Leicester are, as the majority of Premier League clubs are, embroiled in a battle this season. Jamie Vardy is still a wonderful asset, his pace alone guarantees that, but Ranieri must not be afraid to leave out his parodied hero should it make sense for the team.

Liverpool were held to a stalemate 0-0 draw against Manchester United on Monday in what was a forgettable affair on Merseyside.

What many expected to be one of the most exciting fixtures of the Premier League season so far, instead turned out to be somewhat of a bore-fest with neither side offering any real threat to the opposition goal.

The first 45 minutes were mundane as both sides high pressure allowed neither chance to attack and find options through the middle of the park.

And while things did improve in the second half – with both Philippe Countinho and Roberto Firmino being denied by an excellent save from David De Gea and last ditch tackle from Antonio Valencia respectively – it certainly wasn’t a great spectacle.

A point will be enough for both sides to stay in contention for a top four challenge come the end of the season, however the home side will be upset they could not snatch all three points, especially considering their dominance late into the second half.

Here are five things we learnt from tonight’s game at Anfield…

Keeper Troubles Continue

Simon Mignolet’s replacement and summer signing Loris Karius had a shaky game throughout, and often looked uncomfortable in possession. While United’s high pressing certainly didn’t help, his insistence on playing it out from the back instead of sometimes just clearing his lines made his life more difficult than it should have been.

It is early days in his Anfield career and he certainly will need time to adjust, but the German needs to be more assured with his distribution if he is to force Mignolet out of the side on a permanent base.

Adam is the Key

Liverpool looked instantly more dangerous once Adam Lallana entered the field to replace Daniel Sturridge with 60 minutes gone, and not only because Sturridge did next to nothing for his hour on the pitch.

The Englishman’s ability to twist and turn in the midfield as well as out wide caused trouble for United and he provided a different outlet when going forward, often making runs out wide or in behind. His midfield counterparts Emre Can and Jordan Henderson don’t have that in their locker and hence Lallana brings a balance to the Reds midfield they lack without him.

Pressing Matters

All the hype going into the game was about Liverpool’s ‘pressing’ style of play which makes life difficult for their opponents on the ball and has been a major part of their success so far this season.

But it was in fact United who seemed to play Liverpool at their own game.

Whether it was a stroke of managerial genius from Mourinho or not, his side were relentless in closing down. Mourinho’s tactics were spot on to pick up a draw, as he often plays for in challenging away games, and Liverpool struggled to create many meaningful chances.

United’s Cutting Edge

Too often Manchester United this season have relied on their wonderkid Marcus Rashford to save the day, however they must learn they cannot always do so.

Rashford had little luck going forward this evening and instead spent most of his time tracking back down the flank, much to his credit it must be said.

United’s front line looked unbelievably lacklustre and Zlatan Ibrahimovic did little to trouble anyone all night, nor did (unsurprisingly) Ashley Young. Anthony Martial, Jesse Lingard and Henrikh Mkhitaryan are clearly being sorely missed as the Red Devil’s lack a cutting edge with only the Swede up top and Rashford out wide.

The class of the in-form Juan Mata was sorely missed, too.

Poor Paul

It was yet another disappointing display from Paul Pogba, many of whom expected to rise to the big occasion, especially considering his wonderful performance whilst on international duty for France last week.

It was not to be however, and the clubs record signing once again looked out of sorts, instead being eclipsed by the impressive Ander Herrera.

Albeit he may not have the players around him to be performing to his absolute best, it is still clear for all that the former Juve man needs time to become accustomed to the Premier League, Mourinho’s style of play and indeed his United team-mates.

Twenty years ago today, a then-little known Ali Dia pulled off one of the greatest cons the beautiful game has ever witnessed. We’re sure you all know the story, but we’re going to tell it again anyway.

Down and out after failing to make a name for himself in Germany and France, the Senegalese striker headed to England but was rejected trials at Gillingham, Port Vale and Bournemouth.

Seemingly with nothing left to lose, Dia went impostor – claiming to be George Weah’s cousin, a Senegal international and a former youngster at PSG.

He even got a university friend to impersonate Weah in a phone call to then-Southampton manager Graeme Souness, who completely bought the mock former World Player of the Year’s story and handed Dia a one-month contract.

Then came the moment of truth as injuries and a cancelled reserves match saw Dia claim a spot on the bench for a Premier League clash with Leeds United.

But the story gets even better – Dia actually made it onto the pitch, where his lack of footballing talent became painfully evident, leading Souness to sub him off again before cancelling his contract.

Nonetheless, Ali Dia remains arguably football’s greatest ever impostor. So in honour of twenty years since his all-time con, here’s nine more imposters – some accused, some genuine – for you to feast over.

Renato Sanches

It certainly wasn’t his fault, other than the fact he’s outrageously talented for such a young age, however many didn’t believe Bayern Munich’s new star was only 19 after his transfer to the German Champions. Accused of lying about his age by French coach Guy Roux, Sanches quickly clarified the rumours with proof of his date of birth.

Didier Baptiste

‘Liverpool Set to Sign £3.5 million AS Monaco star’, read the headlines. What the newspapers failed to clock on to however was that that ‘star’ – one Didier Baptiste – was a character on the popular football themed TV show Dream Team. It wasn’t until Gerard Houiller mentioned he’d never heard of the player that the media spotted their mistake.

Masai Bugduv

Dreamed up by an Irishman bored of the unreliability of the media, Masai Bugduv was the fictional forward who went from one (possibly drunk) Irishman’s head to The Times’ ‘Top 50 Rising Star’ list within a matter of months. The supposed Moroccan forward was also set to move to Arsenal, work permit permitting of course. Even though he was indeed fake, he probably still would have been a better forward than Yaya Sanogo.

Alessandro Zarelli

The ‘Hit and Run’ conman of football impostors, Zarelli winged himself wages and free accommodation with a number of clubs including Bangor City and Lisburn Distillery (who?) before running off with the cash before you could say Lisburn Distillery (again, who?). An Ali Dia of the Valleys and furtive fellow of the highest order, he famously featured on the Sky TV show ‘Super Fakes’ in 2006.

Incredibly, Zarelli is actually a footballer, albeit not a very good one, currently plying his trade with Teversal FC in the tenth tier of the English pyramid.

Taribo West

You’d think it would be difficult to lie about your age, but apparently not in the world of football. Taribo West allegedly subtracted a whopping 12 years onto his age as he told porkies when signing for a number of clubs including Plymouth Argyle, for whom he had little success. West had told The Pilgrims he was 32, but the club actually believed him to be 44. Surely the zimmer-frame gave it away?

Fernando Torres

I just couldn’t help myself. However, I am 99.9% certain that the Fernando Torres who moved from Liverpool to Chelsea for £50million was indeed his twin brother/doppelgänger and that the real Fernando Torres was and probably still is sitting on a beach somewhere sipping sangria. Admittedly, evidence of said theory – barring a DNA test – is proving quite hard to come by, and probably won’t be much consolation for Blues supporters who endured the Spaniard’s incredible fall from grace.

Sir Alf Ramsey

World Cup winning manager Sir Alf allegedly forged his own documents to make himself two years younger, by changing his date of birth from 1922 to 1920. Apparently he thought he would be too old for a job after the second world war and made himself younger, although it  later came to light that it was complete nonsense and Sir Alf’s reputation remained unharmed. Not sure anyone would have cared anyhow – he did win England the world cup after all.

Carlos Henrique Kaiser

Friend of Romario (pictured) and Renato Gaucho, Carlos Henrique used his highly impressive social skills to sneak his way onto the payroll of a number of Brazilian and European clubs by pretending to be a professional footballer. Feigning injury whilst keeping an athletic build and the personality of a footballer led to the Brazilian not playing a single match in a career that spanned several years and nine different clubs – not least including Fluminense, Botafogo and Flamengo.

Mexico 1988

The Cachirules Scandal, as it was better known, saw Mexico u-20s field four overage players during an international match, and led to the whole country being banned from any tournament run by FIFA for two years. The investigation was the reason Mexico were absent from the 1990 World Cup and the football tournament at the Olympics two years earlier. It also saw eleven Mexican officials banned from the beautiful game for life.

In one of the week’s craziest transfer stories, The Mirror report that Paris Saint-Germain are in the market for Spurs’ star player Dele Alli and are willing to pay an eye-watering amount to get him.

What’s the word?

England international Dele Alli is enjoying his football at White Hart Lane but his life could be turned upside down if PSG follow through with an incredible summer transfer bid.

The Mirror report Unai Emery’s side are willing to pay up to £50m to bring the 20 year old across the channel to Paris.

They reckon Real Madrid are also in for the midfielder having scouted him at the end of last season.

If two of the world’s richest clubs are in for a player you can be sure that the selling club are in for a bumper deal and £50m would be hard for even Spurs to turn down.

Should Spurs keep hold of him anyway?

£50m is serious money but is it worth it to Spurs to sell? The Lilywhites paid a fraction of that sum to bring him to White Hart Lane from MK Dons but he has been one of their most consistent performers ever since.

At just 20 years old he has the potential to go on and become a Spurs legend.

The Mirror report that he is on £60,000 a week in London and that PSG are willing to improve the wage significantly. If Spurs can make room in their budget to match the French big spenders, that could stave off interest from the continent.

Goalscoring midfielders are hard to come by. Pochettino and the club would have to think long and hard whether the money received would be enough to replace his impact on the starting XI.

Interesting times ahead…

Dumped out of the Europa League and EFL Cup and lying in 16th position in the Premier League table – just one point above the relegation zone – it’s fair to say that it’s been a disappointing campaign to date for West Ham United.

After failing to reach the group stages in Europe for the second successive season, the Irons’ poor form at their new home – the London Stadium – has seen them struggling at the wrong end of the league table.

Slaven Bilic’s miserable season was confounded by a poor display in the 4-1 EFL Cup quarter-final defeat against Manchester United at Old Trafford on Wednesday night, and the Croatian may already be looking ahead to the winter transfer window in order to shake-up his squad that includes summer arrivals such as Gokhan Tore and Simone Zaza, who have flopped thus far.

Here are FIVE January transfer window priorities for the Hammers…

Send Zaza back and buy ANOTHER striker

It seems that every transfer window West Ham are looking for a new striker and it is likely to be same old scenario for Bilic in January with his side netting just 14 goals in 13 Premier League matches this term.

With loanee Simone Zaza struggling to adapt to English football and Diafra Sakho and Andy Carroll spending most of their time on the sidelines because of injury, Bilic has few options up top.

It is about time the Irons struck lucky with a new attacker and the challenge is to find one that can be their main man up front for a couple of years at least.

Bring in a new centre-back

While they have struggled to score goals, the Hammers are also leaking far too many at the back.

Only Crystal Palace, Swansea and Hull have conceded more than Bilic’s side this term and that must change if the east London outfit are to avoid being sucked into a relegation battle come the end of the season.

The Croatian boss has opted for three centre-backs in recent weeks with Winston Reid, Angelo Ogbonna and Cheikhou Kouyate, but he could look to bring in a new defender in January to allow the latter to move back into the defensive midfield position.

Find a solution to the right-sided issue

Bilic is currently playing a system that incorporates wing-backs, but is a position that doesn’t seem to suit its current occupier on the right-hand side, Michail Antonio – defensively at least.

The England international has played at right-back on a number of occasions last season and this because of injuries to the likes of Sam Byram, but he has shown time and time again that he struggles with the defensive side of his game, and Bilic must find a solution to the problem sooner rather than later.

Of course, Antonio is also the club’s top goalscorer with six Premier League goals this term, and as a huge goal threat in the side, he must surely be played further up the pitch than where he currently is.

Keep hold of Dimitri Payet

The Frenchman was incredible for the Irons last term and despite being a little quieter this season, he is still the one player that seems to be able to make things happen for Bilic’s side.

With the club hovering just above the relegation zone, the worry will be that the big clubs could start to circle around Payet, who may want to join a team that is challenging at the right end of the table, either here or abroad.

Whether any interest comes in January remains to be seen, but he is surely on the radars of a number of clubs.

Inject some pace into the side

One of the problems for West Ham this season is that they have lacked that energy and pace away from the likes of Antonio and Aaron Cresswell in the wing-back positions.

That is something that needs to change if the club are to provide more of a threat on the counter-attack for example, and Bilic could look to bring in some more pacey players to freshen up his lethargic team during the transfer window.