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Former Bayern Munich striker Roy Makaay has claimed that it “wouldn’t surprise” him if Bastian Schweinsteiger leaves his old side to join Manchester United this summer.

The German World Cup winner has recently been aligned with a switch to the Red Devils, amid claims that Louis van Gaal is keen to set up a reunion with his former star.

LVG coached the all-action midfielder during his spell at the helm of the Bavarian giants, and is widely credited as the man who turned him into a bombarding central player after spotting his talent in a wide role.

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Makaay was also involved in Bayern’s set-up with ‘The Commander’, and he says that it would be no shock to see the Allianz Arena idol relocate to Manchester in the coming months:

“He’s an amazing player, a world champion,” he told Goal. “If you saw him at the World Cup final he was bleeding everywhere but he came back on the pitch.

“He and van Gaal had a good relationship so it wouldn’t surprise me [if he joined United]. I hope he stays at Bayern. He’s a kid from the club and he has to stay there. But if he decides to move it wouldn’t be a surprise if he changed to Man United knowing the good relationship he has with the manager.

“When you listen to Van Gaal, there were players he had a good relationship with. Thomas Muller [is one], but he was quite clear and said ‘I’m going to stay at Bayern’ and Schweinsteiger, I don’t know what’s going to happen.”

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Schweinsteiger has enjoyed a glittering career with Bayern, graduating from their youth set-up before winning eight Bundesliga titles and the Champions League.

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Like your nan probably used to tell you when she gave you some money, ‘Don’t spend it all at once.’

The same holds true in football. Liverpool blew their Luis Suarez money on a collection of players that failed to gel together: split like a bad hollandaise sauce. Tottenham did even worse with their Gareth Bale money, the flops from that venture are being offloaded as we speak. Etienne Capoue is now a Watford player and Roberto Soldado might flee back to Spain with his tail between his legs.

So the windfall Aston Villa have come into after the sale of Christian Benteke to Liverpool should be regarded in the same caution. It’s not quite so spectacularly large, but Villa would do well to replace him and build the team as they would’ve done with the burly Belgian.

And so it makes complete sense to see Tim Sherwood raid his old club Tottenham for Emmanuel Adebayor.

Is it a risk? Yes, Benteke is a great striker with a real future ahead of him. His goals have kept Villa in the Premier League in at least two season. Adebayor, on the other hand, hasn’t shown his quality since Sherwood was in charge at the Lane. And before Sherwood was in charge it was much longer ago than that.

But Adebayor is definitely a quality footballer. He’s also big and strong, and like Benteke he knows where the goal is. And Sherwood is confident he can get the best out of the Togolese once again.

So it might be a risk, but it looks like a calculated one that learns from the mistakes of other clubs. We’ll have to wait and see if Villa spend their money on other players too, of course. But if Villa do get their man, they’ll be able to build just as they would’ve done had they kept hold of Benteke.

We would call him a traditional number 9. In Brazil, the lone striker is known as the point of the lance. Benteke has been Villa’s bayonet, and with the direct style employed by Sherwood since his arrival, favouring pace in and around the lone striker, Benteke has been effective. Adebayor would surely fit the bill as a striker who can play in that role.

But replacing Benteke at the point of the lance will only be effective for Villa next season if the point is sharp. Adebayor played only eight times last season, scoring two goals, so it’s not clear that he’ll still be a striker with the quality to do it in the Premier League.

And Villa perhaps rely on their lone striker too much as it is. Benteke’s goals have been crucial in Villa’s survival bids over the last few years, but clearly that shows that the blade at the end of the lance is sharp. There’s something to be said for a blunt instrument too, of course, but it doesn’t have the penetrating power that a sharp one does.

And that’s the gamble that Sherwood is taking if indeed he does plump for Adebayor. If he does, he’ll be getting a striker he knows and trusts, a striker with obvious class and pedigree and someone who is very comfortable and totally adept at playing in the role that Sherwood wants him to play. But is he still up to the task?

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Tim Sherwood needs a new bayonet, and there are lots of plusses to choosing Adebayor for the job. But the two questions are: is he sharp? And is he rusty? Because if Adebayor can still do it Sherwood won’t have to build his team in a different way and he won’t have to buy lots of new players to create new options for the team like Spurs and Liverpool did.

But if Adebayor isn’t up to the task it could be a long season ahead for Villa. Playing a direct and pacey style with no one up front to score the goals could turn out to be hugely frustrating and ultimately a knife through the heart of Villa’s Premier League survival hopes.

Rangers confirmed on Tuesday that Kenny Miller is facing a ‘significant’ period out injured after rupturing his hamstring against Hibernian last week.

The attacker was forced off in the first half in the win at Easter Road and unfortunately for the club veteran, it’ll be a serious setback to his season.

It calls into question his entire Rangers career given his age and the fact he only signed a one-year contract extension last season.

He’s been a formidable force at the tip of the Light Blues’ attack for years and although his form has waned in 2017/18, losing his presence and experience in the first team squad will be a bitter blow to Graeme Murty.

Whether the 37-year-old comes back from this remains to be seen but the news has worried supporters, who believe the club now have a serious lack of depth in the final third.

Fans are calling on Rangers to make moves in the January transfer window and have suggested they should sign the likes of Jason Cummings or even former favourite Steven Naismith.

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They took to Twitter to share their thoughts on the news and what it means…

Manchester United’s first-team squad are currently in Dubai as they prepare for next Monday’s Premier League clash with Stoke City at Old Trafford.

Head coach Jose Mourinho decided to take the team away on a warm-weather training camp due to the fact that their next game is not until January 15.

Romelu Lukaku was among those to arrive in Dubai over the weekend, before the rest of the first-team squad flew in on Monday.

Henrikh Mkhitaryan was among them, which seems to suggest that the Armenian, who is valued at £31.5m by transfermarkt.co.uk, will not be leaving the club during the January transfer window.

It has been a tough few months for the former Borussia Dortmund attacker. The 28-year-old has struggled in his last two appearances against Southampton and Derby County, and speculation surrounding his future is refusing to go away.

Meanwhile, it seems that the Man United fans are currently divided on the attacker, and only he can turn things around in the coming weeks.

Liverpool became the first side in the English Premier League to defeat Manchester City this season after a thrilling 4-3 win at Anfield on Sunday.

The Reds produced a stunning 90 minutes to blow away a City side that have brushed aside almost everyone in their path so far this season.

The win puts Jurgen Klopp’s side up into third position in the table, level on points with Manchester United and Chelsea.

Supporters were obviously delighted with the win and were full of praise of most of their heroes after the match. However, it was one Scottish international who received more plaudits than most.

Andy Robertson arrived at Anfield in a relatively low profile move this summer but has quietly became one of the most important members of Klopp’s first team.

He produced a gutsy performance against City on Sunday, with many feeling he was Liverpool’s man of the match.

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Fans took to Twitter to share their thoughts…

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Southampton sold star centre-back Virgil van Dijk to Liverpool in a £75m deal at the start of January, and it appears as though bringing in a replacement for the Dutchman before the January transfer window shuts isn’t a priority.

The Telegraph reported on Saturday that the club are eyeing a £50m double swoop for Spartak Moscow forward Quincy Promes and Monaco striker Guido Carrillo, with no mention of any defensive reinforcements.

However, given Saints currently find themselves in the relegation zone and have conceded 35 goals in 24 Premier League matches this season, perhaps it should be more of a priority.

Harry Kane’s header against them in their 1-1 draw against Tottenham Hotspur at St Mary’s on Sunday was just another in a long line of headed goals against them in recent weeks, and individuals like Jack Stephens and Maya Yoshida have often been caught out in the air.

Meanwhile, Hannover 96 defeder Salif Sane, who is rated at £7.2m according to Transfermarkt, has arguably been his team’s best performer in the Bundesliga this season.

If Saints boss Mauricio Pellegrino is looking for a new centre-back before January 31 then bringing the Senegal international to St Mary’s could prove to be a shrewd move.

Here are three reasons Southampton must sign Sane to partner Hoedt this month…

Defensive qualites

According to WhoScored.com, Sane has been the joint-second best player in the Bundesliga statistically this season, and much of that is down to how well he has done from a defensive point of view.

While the 27-year-old has a decent passing accuracy of 82%, he has also won 33 tackles, made 53 interceptions, 35 blocks and 138 clearances in 18 German top flight appearances this term.

The Senegal international is capable of bringing the ball out of defence too though, and he has successfully completed six of the seven dribbles he has attempted.

Aerial ability

The 6ft 5in centre-back is dominant in the air, and according to WhoScored.com he has won 106 of the 132 aerial duels he has faced in 18 Bundesliga appearances this season.

That strength in the air is certainly something Southampton have been missing in the absence of Van Dijk, with the likes of Yoshida and Stephens too easily muscled off of the ball when it comes to winning headers.

Sane is tall and strong though, and he would have no problem competing against any Premier League striker in the air.

Price tag

According to reports in The Telegraph on December 28, Southampton were said to be keen on a January deal for Swansea City defender Alfie Mawson.

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However, it seems as though they have been priced out of a move for the 24-year-old – who scored the winning goal against Liverpool on Monday night – with The Sun claiming in December that the Welsh outfit want £40m for the centre-back.

According to Transfermarkt, Sane could be available for less than one-fifth of that price and considering how highly-rated he is, bringing him to St Mary’s would be a smart move and help to address what is an ongoing problem in the Southampton backline.

Do you agree, Saints fans? Let us know below.

Tottenham Hotspur might feel they should have beaten Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday, but when you concede a goal away to a top six rival to go 2-1 down with just seconds left to play, you really do have to celebrate a point.

This game was so strange, so crazy, that both teams will feel they should have won, and both will do so on the basis that they should have been able to convert late chances without the other side going up the other end and equalising.

Harry Kane’s missed penalty might have put Tottenham in a winning position before Mohamed Salah’s late goal could well have been a winner. But Kane showed he’s made of stern stuff indeed, converting a pressure penalty in front of the Kop End in the final few seconds.

And yet, despite all of the drama, it’s fair to say that there weren’t too many outstanding performances. Had Harry Kane been on form, for example, he may not have needed a last-ditch penalty to salvage a point. He might have scored the first, or buried an earlier chance or two instead.

It’s a similar story with Son Heung-Min, who missed a one-on-one earlier in the game.

So, Spurs, fans, after all that we want to know who you think was your best player on Sunday. Was it Kane simply for the cojones he showed in burying a late penalty? Or someone else for their endeavour all game and their contribution to what was a stunning and dramatic game?

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Let us know by giving us your rating out of ten for each of the Tottenham players below.

Danny Welbeck has fallen down the pecking order at Arsenal, largely because of his injury woes.The Gunners may have lost Alexis Sanchez to Manchester United in January, but they gained attack-minded players Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.Alexandre Lacazette is also ahead of Welbeck at the North London club, but former defender Martin Keown believes that the England international has a chance of taking the top spot.As it stands, Arsenal could be without Lacazette for six weeks due to a knee injury, while Aubameyang is ineligible to play in the Europa League due to his outings for Borussia Dortmund earlier in the season.https://video.footballfancast.com/video-2015/wenger-signings.mp4Keown thinks that the European competition presents the perfect opportunity for Welbeck to prove that he should be in Arsene Wenger’s consideration on a regular basis.The former Arsenal man made the claims during his punditry stint for BT Sport.

Welbeck has made 22 appearances in all competitions this season, starting 12 and scoring five goals.

According to the Liverpool Echo, Everton manager Sam Allardyce says he hasn’t seen enough from Davy Klaassen in training to bring him into his squad in the Premier League, and Toffees fans have been quick to react to the comments from their boss.

Hopes were high for the Netherlands international when the Merseyside outfit signed him from Ajax last summer following another impressive campaign for the Dutch giants, but he has struggled to make an impact during his time at Goodison Park so far.

Allardyce said, via the Liverpool Echo: “At the moment Davy Klaassen comes in and trains as best as he possibly can and does all what he can on a regular basis.

“But at the moment we see what we see, and we see the qualities of the players and haven’t quite seen that in Davy to encourage us to put him in.”

The 25-year-old has only made one appearance since the 63-year-old took charge in November, while he hasn’t made the matchday 18 in the English top flight for the club since October even though he cost £23.6m just eight months ago.

Everton supporters took to social media to give their thoughts on the quotes from their manager, and while one said Klaassen has a “better attitude than Schneiderlin”, another said “he’ll be at the club longer than this clown” when speaking about the midfielder.

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Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

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There’s a school of thought that says Tottenham need to win a trophy very soon. It’s more than just a school of thought, in fact: it’s become received wisdom.

Probably this season, they say, Spurs must lift silverware aloft or risk losing what may well be described as their greatest generation – certainly for quite some time.

There’s a grain of truth in that. Mauricio Pochettino has created a team which is now the darling of the media. I say that with no bitterness: it is a fact and one which comes about because people love it when football teams are created through building from the ground up. The more pertinent question would be how could you not love Spurs and what they’re doing?

But that just makes them high-profile: clubs and players with profiles inflated by their last few great season like Spurs are ripe for picking off in the transfer market. Just look at last season’s Monaco side, who lost the majority of their team in the summer. They made it all the way to the semi-final of the Champions League last season and won Ligue 1 along the way. This time, they crashed out of Europe before Christmas and are in a battle for second place in the league, miles behind the leaders, PSG.

And yet, Spurs are not Monaco.

For one thing, the Premier League was the destination for Benjamin Mendy, Bernardo Silva and Tiemoue Bakayoko. Spurs are already in possession of that particular draw – and at this precise moment in time, the Premier League is a draw. They are also a London club, and rightly or wrongly, football clubs outside the capital have a more difficult time attracting players.

But more importantly, football has reached an extreme that it can’t get comfortable in. These days, everyone seems to think that a trophyless season is a disaster which could lead to a managerial sacking. Even one trophy is often not enough – had Manchester United won only the League Cup last season, there would have been untold pressure on Jose Mourinho. Arsenal’s three FA Cups in four seasons is enough to see their fans break down in sobs on radio phone-ins. It’s too much.

Spurs, though, are the pushback against the tide. They are a team who, despite no trophies in what is now over a decade, still manage to make others envious of what they currently have. They are the antithesis of short-termism, a club who are willing to build for the sake of the game, not the trinkets victory brings.

There shouldn’t be the usual pressure on such a team to win a trophy. But there should still be pressure.

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If we reach back to Monaco’s Ligue 1 victory for another example, the problem isn’t that Tottenham will be stripped bare of their best assets and left to rot, like a car on bricks with no engine or interior. The problem is that this is Tottenham’s best chance of silverware in quite some time.

The squad is there and it’s growing together. The manager is one of the best around. The excitement about the new stadium and the general health of the club is palpable. And Harry Kane is the best striker in the world.

The pressure on Tottenham isn’t ‘win or else’. It’s more profound than that. It’s the fact that the golden generation may not win a trophy. But wouldn’t it be better to remember them for the football than the trophies anyway?