Speaking on BT Sport (as quoted by The Daily Mail), Owen Hargreaves has made a worrying admission about Manchester United’s current plight.

What did he say?

The Red Devils have endured a disappointing first-half of the campaign under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, lying six points off the top four and struggling to get any business done in this month’s January transfer window.

And Hargreaves has insisted that unless the Manchester side can bring in some much-needed reinforcements, their current state may be as good as it can get for them.

Watch Manchester United Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below

He said: “He (Solskjaer) desperately needs help. If you think, (Ander) Herrera left, (Marouane) Fellaini left, in midfield, they are really light. Then (Romelu) Lukaku leaves, (Alexis) Sanchez leaves, they don’t have any help up top.

“The recruitment wasn’t there to back Ole up and then injuries to key players. To be fifth with this squad, I think right now is as good as it can possibly get. There are only four points separating fifth and 14th. I don’t think it’s going to go more up, it’s more likely to go down and that’s the big worry.”

Harsh truth

As Hargreaves says, United may well have hit the ceiling of what they can realistically achieve with this group of players. The Red Devils have lost a number of senior stars over the course of the past twelve months, and have brought in just three players in Daniel James, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Harry Maguire. That is not nearly enough to have enough quantity in depth, let alone quality.

Quickfire Quiz: How much do you know about Man Utd’s history in the January transfer window?

The injury to top goal-scorer Marcus Rashford in particular – which reports have suggested is likely to keep him out for up to three months – has further robbed United of an important player. The Manchester side are in desperate need of some additions to their first-team, and unless they do that, then simply battling for a place to get into the Champions League may be the best they can hope for, for now.

Meanwhile, Man Utd fans have slammed one of their former players for his comments.

Leeds United had an unchanged starting XI from their 3-2 win against Millwall, as they prepared to face Wigan Athletic.

There was still outrage among the club’s fans though, as they couldn’t believe that Jean-Kevin Augustin didn’t even have a place on the bench for the game.

After his arrival on loan from Monaco, Leeds fans had been excited about the prospect of seeing him in the shirt, but they were eventually left disappointed and let the club know about it.

The outrage was not necessarily about the fact that he wasn’t starting, but to not even have a place on the bench seemed confusing for many fans.

Coming up against the side sitting 22nd in the league before kick-off, fans deemed it “ridiculous” that he didn’t feature at all.

This has even made one fan ask “what’s the point” in bringing him in, while another saw the scenario as “so Leeds”.

There has even been considerable criticism of Marcelo Bielsa for the decision that he made in leaving the Frenchman out.

Among the replies, he was called a “clown”, “muppet” and “stubborn”, showing the strength of feeling about this particular topic.

Call yourself a Leeds expert? How much did each of these January signings cost?

It may have been expected that the manager would get a bit of leeway after the Millwall win, as it ended a run of four games without tasting victory, but that doesn’t seem to be the case.

Meanwhile, Augustin’s former teammate has offered an encouraging comment about the Frenchman.

Leeds United finally put an end to their winless run as they secured their first victory of 2020 against Millwall on Tuesday.

The Whites made hard work of it, but an impressive second-half performance saw the Yorkshire club come from 2-0 down to win 3-2 against Millwall.

The game also represented the first time Leeds’ new signings saw their new side in action as Ian Poveda sat on the bench and Jean-Kevin Augustin watched from the stands.

Of course, the presence of these new men had us wondering when they’d be making their debuts for Marcelo Bielsa’s side, but it seems as though they won’t be starting this weekend.

Watch Leeds United Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below

What’s been said then?

Phil Hay was hosting a post-match Q&A session on The Athletic.

Understandably, some supporters had questions about whether or not the new signings would start this weekend.

“No, I very much doubt it. Costa put in a big shift tonight and Harrison and Alioski took Millwall to the cleaners down the left. Poveda’s time will come but not immediately after this,” Hay said about Poveda.

The Atheltic’s Leeds correspondent also answered whether or not Augustin would be involved on Saturday.

“I’d think it’s likely he’ll be in the squad at the weekend. He’s got most of this week to train. But in the starting line-up? Not on Saturday I wouldn’t think. Bielsa won’t be minded to make changes,” he said.

Right decision

The last thing Leeds need to do right now is to change a winning formula.

The second 45 minutes at Elland Road on Tuesday was the best football the Whites have played in 2020 as they’d scored just once since the turn of the year before putting on a show against the London club – scoring three times.

Bielsa should be trying to replicate what we saw from his side in the second half against the Lions, and the best way to do that is to not change anything.

Augustin and Poveda will get their chances, but against Wigan, the manager should keep things the same.

In other news, Patrick Bamford hit back at his critics on Tuesday.

Everton fans on the Grand Old Team forum have been discussing players they would be willing to sign from teams that could be relegated from the Premier League this season, and one name that cropped up over and over again was former Toffee Gerard Deulofeu.

The supporters were given the choice on the thread of any individual from the current bottom six in the top flight – Brighton, Bournemouth, Aston Villa, West Ham United, Watford and Norwich City.

Deulofeu of course features for the Hornets and hasn’t been in bad form considering their troubles before Nigel Pearson was appointed in December.

The 25-year-old has four goals and five assists in 25 Premier League appearances this term, including one of the latter in the 3-2 defeat against Everton at Vicarage Road at the weekend.

The Spaniard has also shown his versatility during the current campaign by playing on the left wing and as a centre-forward, as per those games where Transfermarkt has recorded his position, while he has also played on the right on one occasion.

Watch Everton Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below

Barcelona bought Deulofeu back from the Merseyside club in the summer of 2017 after he fell out of favour under then manager Ronald Koeman, before he moved to Watford a year later in a deal that could be worth £15m with add-ons, as per BBC Sport.

As you can see below, many Evertonians would be open to the attacker’s return when asked which players they would want from the potential relegation candidates…

While one Toffees supporter would be keen on Deulofeu, he fears that his price tag may have risen considerably during his time with the Hornets.

It’s difficult to say that for sure, although the fact Richarlison cost Everton an initial £35m before add-ons in the summer of 2018 suggests they wouldn’t let him leave on the cheap.

Did he really play for us?! No Everton fan has managed to name all of these obscure Toffees players….

In addition, his contract doesn’t run out until 2023 and he does have 17 goals in 67 games for them, which also suggests he’d be one of their main sellable assets should they go down.

Another fan described the 25-year-old as being better than Walcott, and when you compare the duo’s records at their current employers it would be hard to argue with that opinion.

The former Arsenal man has 10 goals and seven assists in 76 games compared to 17 and 11 respectively for Deulofeu in nine fewer appearances.

That said, Deulofeu does primarily play on the left while Walcott plays on the right, so he wouldn’t necessarily be a direct replacement if he did re-join.

In other Everton news, Marcel Brands must work his magic to seal new deal for Toffees star amid £50m interest…

Jose Mourinho says his job at Tottenham Hotspur is “difficult” but he insists he is happy in the role, per Sky Sports.

What’s he said?

The Portuguese was appointed in November and has since guided Spurs to sixth in the Premier League, four points behind fourth-placed Chelsea. They have a game in hand on Sheffield United, who played on Sunday, in fifth.

A Daily Star column written by Paul Merson over the weekend claimed that Mourinho looked to be regretting his decision to take over at Spurs already.

But he has now disputed such a claim, insisting he is delighted with his move to north London.

He said: “Contrary to some people who want to be in the news and tell things that are not true – I am really happy at the club.

“You know me quite well, enough to know that I am really happy. Difficult? Yes, but if it was not difficult it wouldn’t be for me.

“I like the players and who they are. I like very much the relationship I have with them. If you see a bad face from me it is because of a bad result. I cannot change myself.

“That’s just me. The reality is that I am happy and I look forward to what is coming, and even more for what is coming next season. I want to start working with them in July.”

Hasn’t even settled in

Mourinho hasn’t been given the proper time to settle in yet so anyone claiming that he is regretting his decision, really, is jumping the gun.

And Mourinho himself has alluded to the fact that he is already eagerly anticipating next season, having worked with his players for a full pre-season and also enjoyed a full summer transfer window in which to strengthen his squad.

As it is, he is right to claim that there is a difficulty attached to this job. He took over with Spurs in 14th and in desperate need of qualification for the Champions League.

Money talks: How much did Levy pay for each of these Spurs stars?

While he has yet to achieve the latter goal, he is taking baby steps towards it; Spurs play Chelsea after this weekend’s clash with Aston Villa and could move into the top four with a win if other results go their way.

He may still need time to get used to his surroundings, he is already showing that he can do an excellent job with his new employers, regardless of how difficult it may be.

Meanwhile, Spurs’ Player of the Season should be clear!

Aston Villa will have been anticipating the starting lineup that Dean Smith would utilise against Tottenham Hotspur.

Not only is this due to the fact that it is a game that gave them a chance of breaking away from the relegation zone, but they had also gone two weeks without seeing their team in action.

However, they were bitterly disappointed when it was announced, with a particular point of frustration being the inclusion of Danny Drinkwater.

Watch Aston Villa Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below

The midfielder’s start to life at Villa had been underwhelming, especially with his debut against Manchester City, when he gave the ball away in his own box.

It is this that had plenty of fans questioning why he was starting, with one claiming he “must play like prime Zidane in training”.

Red Herring or Real Hero: Only hardcore Villa fans will get all of them right….

The general consensus was that this decision put Villa at a real disadvantage.

The fact that he was playing over Marvelous Nakamba only seemed to add to fans’ frustrations about the call from Smith.

This comes even though there was an acceptance that the Zimbabwean is not perfect, with one fan saying “at least Nakamba wins the ball back when he gives it away”.

It was Nakamba who he was eventually brought off for on the hour mark.

In the end, Drinkwater didn’t do much to disprove these opinions, as he often looked slow and laboured, whether he had the ball at his feet or was in pursuit of opposition players.

This is best epitomised by the fact that he made one tackle, while being dribbled past four times throughout the 60 minutes that he was on the pitch – one memorable moment in which this happened came when Steven Bergwijn sprinted past him in the middle of the pitch.

Aside from that, he maintained a pass success rate of 86%, while making one key pass, one interception and two clearances.

Meanwhile, Villa’s summer signing is still yet to prove himself.

West Brom may have won 3-0 on Saturday, but there was quite a negative takeaway from the Baggies’ clash with the Robins.

Indeed, the Midlands club lost one of their most important players on Saturday as Romaine Sawyers was sent off in the second half.

Of course, losing a man once described as the best passer in the Championship will be quite a problem for Slaven Bilic, and the Croatian has something of a dilemma when deciding on how to replace the 28-year-old.

Bilic’s options

As you could imagine, straight after the conclusion of Saturday’s game, Baggies supporters were wondering how the manager would replace Sawyers.

Watch West Bromwich Albion Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below

The first port of call for many fans was The Athletic’s post-match Q&A hosted by Steve Madeley.

The journalist stated that Rekeem Harper will be first in line to replace Sawyers due to the fact that Gareth Barry isn’t likely to be fit for Tuesday, but once he returns Bilic will have another choice to make.

Experience vs youth

Both Barry and Harper haven’t played much football this season with just 112 league minutes between them.

So, what does Bilic want to go for, the 39-year-old with bagfuls of experience, or a 19-year-old who will be more able to do the tough running in the middle of the park?

It’s a true dilemma – both players are like chalk and cheese.

Harper is at the beginning of his career, with a point to prove, while Barry is an ageing but reliable player who has proven his quality over the past two decades. The very fact he has 653 Premier League appearances to his name sums that up.

The teenager is supposedly likely to start on Tuesday, but it will be interesting to see what the manager does once Barry is back in action.

Both players could take a while to get up to speed but they’ll need to take their chance almost instantly. Failure to provide a good performance and their football could once again be restricted.

In other news, Kamil Grosicki has issued a two-word verdict on one West Brom man.

Former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand believes that Liverpool will win the Champions League this season, per BT Sport via The Daily Mirror.

What’s the word?

Liverpool lost the first leg of their Round of 16 tie against Atletico Madrid last week, going down 1-0 in Spain.

However, former United star Ferdinand believes that Jurgen Klopp’s men will turn the tie around and go on to again lift Europe’s premier club competition.

The Reds, of course, beat Tottenham Hotspur in last season’s final, and are in electric form in the Premier League, going unbeaten thus far and sitting 22 points clear of second-placed Manchester City.

Asked to pick the team most likely to win the competition after City’s 2-1 win over Real Madrid on Wednesday evening, Ferdinand said: “I can’t look no further than Liverpool, if I’m honest.

“I think they’ll go through against Atletico Madrid. I think it’s a tough game but I think Anfield gives it a different dimension.

“Bayern Munich looked great yesterday against a team who are searching for form and their own identity at the moment in Chelsea.

“So they may have peaked a bit early, who knows – going forward they are great but defensively I would be concerned a little bit about Bayern.

“But Liverpool are my standout favourites.”

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

Have everything

Liverpool are pretty much complete.

Klopp has built a genuine winning machine on Merseyside and they are completely capable of again lifting the trophy.

To consider the entire starting XI, they have a world-class goalkeeper in Alisson Becker, the world’s most expensive centre-back in Virgil van Dijk, two brilliant full-backs in Andrew Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold, a hard-running, dynamic midfield that includes the leadership of Jordan Henderson and the strength of Fabinho, while their attacking trio of Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane, and Roberto Firmino is as good as any other attacking unit in world football.

Of course, they have to turn around a deficit against a brilliant defensive side in Atletico – Diego Simeone’s men restricted the Reds to zero shots on target in the first leg.

But they possess the talent to do that en route to back-to-back Champions League victories.

Meanwhile, Liverpool fans have drooled over one man!

Whilst Liverpool race away to clinching the Premier League title this season, Jurgen Klopp will no doubt still be thinking of how to improve his side even more. After all, not resting on your laurels and always seeking better is the hallmark of a top side and a top manager.

And even despite the Reds boasting the best defensive record in the division with just 17 goals conceded in 27 games, there may be a case for one man to be brought in from the side-lines: Joel Matip.

The Cameroon international has been on the fringes of the action in recent weeks, having only returned from a knee injury that kept him out for 12 successive Premier League match-days. In his place, Klopp turned to England international Joe Gomez as Virgil van Dijk’s partner in crime in central defence, and the youngster hasn’t exactly disappointed.

Watch Liverpool Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below

The Reds have kept their unbeaten run in the Premier League intact, and had let in just one goal in the last 11 matches Matip did not take to the field. So evidently, things have certainly been smooth sailing.

But if Klopp is looking for that extra one percent, or quite simply a way of keeping players on toes, then bringing Matip straight into the line-up may be the way to go. And the stats would suggest that it would be a move based on footballing merit too.

As per Whoscored, his impressive average of 1.5 interceptions per game in the Premier League, is better than every other Liverpool player in the squad – Gomez and Van Dijk manage 1.2 and 1.1 respectively. That particular stat reflects just how intelligent Matip is, belying his 6 foot 5 stature, with fleet of foot and reading of the game in order to dispossess opposition attackers.

When did that happen?! Premier League experts will know which surprising clubs these stars once played for…

Bringing him in alongside Van Dijk could see a nice little partnership reformed just like earlier in the season. Matip can be more aggressive and try and nip in front of the strikers, whilst the Dutchman can be his usually imperious self and sweep up anything his teammate fails to cut out.

Whilst there’s obviously the question of why fix something that isn’t broke, Klopp upsetting the apple cart with Matip’s selection could give them that extra solidity at the back, and also ensure players are reminded that their places can’t be taken for granted.

Meanwhile, Liverpool can save millions by blooding this “unbelievable” starlet.

Manchester United booked their place in the next round of the FA Cup with relative ease, overcoming Derby County 3-0.Sergio Romero will be delighted about keeping the clean sheet, having worked hard for it, making a total of five saves during the 90 minutes.However, there is one that has stood out above the others, both for the quality involved in it and who he was denying: his save from Wayne Rooney’s free-kick.

Watch Manchester United Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below

The Derby man, who played for United a total of 559 times, scoring 253 goals and adding 146 assists, hit a wonderfully struck free-kick in added time that was destined for the top corner.

However, the Argentinian sprung across his line to palm it behind for a corner, and fans were split in their emotions, as they were happy to keep the clean sheet, but would have liked to see their hero get a consolation goal.

There were no two sides of it for Cesc Fabregas though, as he amusingly tweeted:

Meanwhile, Man United youngster’s ambition has been met with criticism.