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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…

International breaks can be annoying at the best of times, but Liverpool fans have to be breathing a sigh of relief after Senegal’s match on Sunday.

Reds supporters will have had their eyes on numerous games as their stars headed across the globe to represent their teams, but there may not have been a more important game in the eyes of Liverpool fans than Senegal’s clash with Eswatini.

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On the face of it, Senegal vs Eswatini is not a headline-making fixture in the context of the African Cup of Nations qualifying phase, but due to Sadio Mane’s involvement, Liverpool fans will have had a vested interest in this match.

Indeed, Reds supporters will have been praying for Mane to steer clear of any injury problems, but the initial outcome of that match will have infuriated a number of supporters.

The clash between the two African nations was heading for a 0-0 draw when the referee abandoned the match due to the weather conditions.

It looked as if the game would have to be rescheduled for a later date – meaning that Mane would have had to play another match for Senegal during the next international break, further putting him at risk of injury and fatigue issues.

However, the ref eventually restarted the game, meaning that Mane won’t have to play in any rescheduled fixtures, and that will be a massive help for the Premier League title contenders.

Reds supporters certainly have a lot to be grateful towards the referee for.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

Everton’s Lucas Digne has said how proud he has been to wear the captain’s armband with the club this season.

What did he say?

At the start of this campaign, manager Marco Silva handed the captaincy to Seamus Coleman and the vice-captain role to Leighton Baines. The club also stated how Gylfi Sigurdsson and Digne the two stand-in candidates to wear the armband should Baines and Coleman be absent.

This season, the Frenchman did captain the side in the 2-0 win over West Ham United, as the Irishman was suspended for the game.

Digne told Le Parisien (as quoted by Sport Witness): “There was a list of four captains. I was the fourth so I knew it could happen even if the chance was slim.

“I’m proud to wear the armband. I’ve only been here for a season and a half, so it’s a great sign of trust.

“I’d never worn it apart from with France’s youth levels. It would have been complicated at Paris Saint-Germain, Roma or Barcelona (laughs).”

Future captain

Digne has been one of Everton’s best players over the past year, winning the Club’s Player of the Year and Players’ Player of the Year awards last season. This time around, the left-back has three league assists, which is just one short of his total tally from the last campaign.

Now, as he continues to improve, the France international could be seriously considered for the captaincy at the club.

The £27m-rated star, per Transfermarkt, has a decent amount of experience around Europe, playing a combined 142 times for Barcelona, Roma and Paris Saint-Germain and earning 28 caps for his country.

Digne also has the fans at Goodison Park right behind him and he would surely be well respected by the supporters as the leader of the team.

Plus, Coleman is now 31 and is struggling to get into the starting XI.

Perhaps one day the 26-year-old will take on a permanent role as captain.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…

Tottenham Hotspur have reportedly named their price for Harry Kane amid interest from Real Madrid, per El Desmarque.

What’s the word?

The Spanish outlet reports that the two clubs are in “advanced” talks over the signing of the England international.

Indeed, they even claim that Spurs have told Real that they will accept €120m (£102.8m) plus Karim Benzema in a swap deal.

However, president Florentino Perez is said to believe that the asking price is too high, while Spurs do not intend to match Benzema’s salary demands.

Absolute nonsense

Let’s get this out of the way: This is nonsensical.

Benzema is a superb striker and he has scored goals throughout his career, netting 233 in 480 games for Los Blancos, but he is also 31 and approaching his twilight years.

Kane is 26 and nearing his prime, plus he continues to score goals at club level. He has 10 in 15 outings already this season and 174 in total for Spurs.

And it’s impossible to imagine the club allowing him to head to the Bernabeu at a discounted rate in exchange for a veteran striker.

Kane is on a long-term contract and is tied to the north Londoners until 2024.

Spurs would surely be demanding more than £102.8m for a player who won the Golden Boot at the 2018 World Cup, such is the inflated nature of the transfer market.

The figures in this report simply do not make any sense. Transfermarkt value him at £135m and even that seems on the modest side considering Kane is perhaps the best centre-forward of his age group in the world.

The report claims that Perez will continue to negotiate until the summer; he shouldn’t be getting very far.

Since the suspension of the football season players have come up with a number of challenges on social media, either to display their skills or play along in a funny trend.

The most recent example is the #gamefacechallenge, in which footballers pick their funniest or most awkward pose they have struck on a matchday.

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Phil Jones would undoubtedly be the winner if a champion was to be decided as a quick google image search unveils a plethora of hilarious grimaces, but Southampton’s Angus Gunn has posted a credible attempt too on his Instagram stories, on his Instagram page.

The 24-year-old picked one out from a warm-up at some point in his Saints career. He appears to be throwing a ball but seems to be exerting himself while doing so – at least that is the impression his face gives off.

The keeper has nominaed teammates James Ward-Prowse and Danny Ings to do the same so be sure to keep your eyes peeled for that.

Both should come up with solid attempts given how often they strike the ball, particularly Ward-Prowse who often displays intense concentration when delivering a free-kick.

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Unfortunately for Gunn he probably doesn’t have too many photos to choose from due to his limited appearances this season, with Alex McCarthy taking his place in the team after 10 league games.

Elsewhere, several Southampton fans were delighted with this signing back in 2018…

Plenty of Everton fans have reacted to some recent footage of former striker James McFadden, who celebrated his 36th birthday on Tuesday.

Former Scotland international had two spells over his playing career at Goodison Park, but he is fondly remembered for his first period at the club during the years of 2003 and 2008.

Costing Everton £1.25m from Motherwell, McFadden immediately impressed on Merseyside, and he netted a total of 18 games during his initial five-year spell at the club.

Leaving the club in 2008, McFadden would then move on for a spell with Birmingham City, before returning to Everton for a short period which would see him make just eight league appearances over one season.

Now retired, McFadden ended his career with spells at boyhood club Motherwell, St Johnstone and Queen of the South.

Although McFadden’s goalscoring ratio with Everton was arguably not the best, fans of the club do remember his ability to score classy goals, including his strike against Charlton Athletic in 2007.

Reacting to McFadden’s birthday with footage of that goal via the club’s official Twitter account, and fans have responded with fond memories.

Below are just some of the responses from Everton fans to that memorable strike against Charlton…

Everton fans, how good was James McFadden for you? Let us know below…

It’s no secret that Philippe Coutinho’s career since leaving Liverpool has hit a huge downward spiral. In a matter of two years, the Brazilian has gone from being a club icon, to struggling to find a team that will take him on a permanent basis.

As his dream move to Barcelona becomes a distant memory, his next home is very much a grey area. Currently at Bayern Munich on loan, it looks like his next destination will be a return to England as several Premier League teams have registered their interest. It was rumoured that Liverpool would re-sign their long lost player, but talks soon fizzled out.

According to Sport, rivals Manchester United are keen on Coutinho, along with his former manager Brendan Rodgers and new team Leicester. London clubs Chelsea and Tottenham are also reportedly looking into the ex-Red. But perhaps the most unexpected of all to be in the running is Everton.

However, despite the Toffees being a surprise party in the mix, the notion isn’t as entirely unlikely as it sounds.

Under the reign of Carlo Ancelotti, Everton look set to revamp their squad and start challenging in the league once more. The manager’s Italian links have seen the club reportedly in talks with the likes of Ciro Immobile and Andrea Belotti (Tuttosport via Daily Mail), but his lure could stretch beyond Italy.

According to Bleacher Report’s Dean Jones, the Blues are interested in Coutinho, who is valued at £50.4m, and a loan move to Merseyside could be a likely option.

Whether on a permanent or temporary deal, business between Coutinho and Everton could be beneficial for both sides. As the Toffees plan to overhaul a lot of deadwood players this season, it opens up doors for Ancelotti to enjoy the summer transfer window.

An area of concern for the Merseyside outfit this term has been their stagnant midfield. Between all active midfielders this season, Everton have created just four combined league goals which simply isn’t good enough for a side who want to be competing in Europe. Gylfi Sigurdsson, in particular, has come under a lot of scrutiny for his woeful performances in the middle of the park.

Known to be prolific in both midfield and on the wing – another area stretched thin in Everton’s ranks – Coutinho could bring a completely new type of attack to the table. After spending five years in the Premier League, including Liverpool’s narrow title miss, the Brazilian should settle almost immediately.

Not only would Coutinho bring experience and proven goalscoring abilities to Everton, but there’s a high chance Ancelotti would build the team around him. For a player with 95 career goals and 71 assists, it would be foolish not to utilise his ability. The 27-year-old would be an almost guaranteed ever-present name on the team sheet, and after three seasons of inconsistency, the faith would be an extremely welcome gift for Coutinho.

However, if Everton want to increase their talks, they must drive a better deal than Chelsea, who have reportedly been offered the Brazilian’s services, according to Sky Sports.

After seeing the success of one former Mexican ace in Javier Hernandez, could Manchester United be set to experience something similar with a move for Napoli’s Hirving Lozano?

According Italian publication Corriere dello Sport (via The Sun), Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side could reignite their interest in the winger this summer, and that added to his abilities on the pitch, view him as a potential success in respects to marketing.

Spot the fact from the fib: Are these Premier League records true or false?

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The report claims that Hernandez’s appeal back in Mexico and “commercial value didn’t go unnoticed by United bigwigs, who feel that Lozano could perhaps have a similar effect both at home and abroad”.

After hearing about their interest in the former PSV ace, United fans took to Twitter to voice their thoughts on their rumoured summer transfer target.

One United fan in particular even suggested the club sell Daniel James and bring Lozano to the club.

If Lozano goes on to enjoy the kind of career that Hernandez had at Old Trafford, then it would be money well spent.

As per Transfermarkt, Chicharito struck an impressive 59 times in just 157 games, a stat made all the more impressive by the fact he came off the bench on numerous occasions.

Lozano could also help not just with his quality on the pitch, but further boost United’s global profile too.

Glasgow Rangers and the Daily Record newspaper do not have the best of relationships.

Over the past few weeks, many ‘Gers supporters have unleashed their wrath on some of the writers at the publication, including Keith Jackson, over their coverage of the Ibrox outfit’s attempt to see an independent investigation into the SPFL being conducted. It seems that it is not a paper that many of a Light Blues persuasion will be buying in the future.

Club1872’s statement today will only add to that. A year ago, the Daily Record published an article about ‘Gers fans saying that, at one match, they had displayed a banner that showed sex acts being performed, and they also claimed that there has been other unsavoury depictions at a game against their fierce Glasgow rivals Celtic. However, after a complaint from the supporters’ group, it has now been confirmed that this grievance has been upheld, effectively declaring that the newspaper lied.

As you can imagine, ‘Gers supporters have been reacting in their droves to this news – one fan even called the paper a “national embarrassment”. They have taken to Twitter to share their thoughts and you can see some of the best comments from the social media platform below:

‘Gers fans, what did you make of this development? Let us know what you think by commenting below!

Newcastle United fans have been left fuming by the latest news to come from their prospective £300m takeover as the Premier League’s CEO, Richard Masters, has commented on matters.

He was in conversation with Sky Sports’ Bryan Swanson on Friday afternoon where he said: “I don’t think timing is an issue here. I don’t think we have any specific views about when these things need to be done by. We need to ensure all processes are followed properly, and when the decision is made it’s the right one.”

But the Magpies faithful disagree, claiming the club has been left “rudderless” in a time where clear leadership is needed.

Players’ contracts are expiring, staff are on furlough and money is still being taken for season tickets.

Given Mike Ashley is still the current owner at the northeast outfit, many have placed blame on him, which is hardly a surprise given how poorly he’s run the club during his 13-year tenure.

Think you’re a big Magpies fan? Can you name these former players by looking at their careers? Go on, give it a go…

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Several seasons of mediocrity and two relegations to the Championship cover just a fraction of fans’ disappointment.

The interview has also led to some members of the St James’ Park faithful to speculate when the takeover might actually happen, even if some are more tongue in cheek.

Evidently, some are sick of the length of time this whole process has taken, let alone how many more weeks it is before an official announcement.

AND in other news, Newcastle transfer target tipped to “excite” fans…

According to The Glasgow Times, Hearts are interested in taking Glasgow Rangers’ Jake Hastie on loan next season.

Motherwell had been linked with a move for the 22-year-old and were said to be battling at least one English club for his signature, but now it is Hearts who have been mentioned.

Robbie Neilson has recently arrived at Tynecastle to become manager of the Jam Tarts, and it has been reported he wants to take the Gers winger on a temporary basis.

This is far from a stable period for Hearts – they are currently in court with Partick Thistle to take on the SPFL following their premature relegation – but that does not mean they should not prepare for the future at the same time.

From a Gers point of view, though, this would not be the best move for the youngster, especially when Motherwell are potentially the other side they could loan him to. At this point in his career, Hastie must be playing at the highest possible level to gain much-valued experience – Hearts are, as it stands, in the second tier, whilst Motherwell qualified for the Europa League by finishing third in the Scottish Premiership last season.

Either way, this is a big campaign for Hastie – at his age, it is time he started making a real impression. It remains to be seen where he eventually ends up.

Let us know what you think below!