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David Moyes has claimed that Jesse Lingard is getting fitter and fitter at West Ham United and will be in contention to face Arsenal in Sunday’s Premier League clash.

The Irons were without the England international as they lost 1-0 to Manchester United last weekend due to the on-loan playmaker being ineligible to face his parent club.

Lingard had been in terrific form in claret and blue before the Hammers visited Old Trafford, with the 28-year-old scoring four goals and providing two assists in six games played since joining in the January transfer window.

His form under Moyes has seen Gareth Southgate recall the 24-cap midfielder to the England squad for this month’s international break, having not featured for his country since the UEFA Nations League finals in June 2019.

Moyes is delighted for Lingard to be given another chance to represent his country as he deserves the call-up, and looks forward to seeing what more he can produce at West Ham.

“I’m really pleased for Jesse,” the Irons boss said on Friday. “It’s great for him and his performances have warranted it in how he’s played for us.

“I have to say he’s been very good. We just hope that continues and we want him to keep showing exactly what he can do on the pitch and he’s helped us. He’s been a good acquisition to the squad, and we hope he can add more goals between now and the end of the season.

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“He’s looked very good in training this week and I think since the day he came in everybody has been a bit surprised how good his fitness is and how good his all-round game is.

“I can see by the way he is working that he’s even getting better, and his physical data is getting better and overall, he’s been very good for us. He’s helped us, he’s given us another string to our bow in terms of attacking options, so we’re really pleased with him.”

Lingard had only played three times this season for Manchester United before joining West Ham on loan, with two outings coming in the Carabao Cup in September and one in the FA Cup in January.

It is no surprise, then, that Lingard’s overall match fitness has somewhat been lacking, given he had only played 179 minutes over those appearances for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, yet the £13.5m-rated maestro has still had a huge impact on West Ham’s form.

No Irons player has found the back of the net more often than Lingard since he moved to the London Stadium, with Tomas Soucek, Declan Rice, Issa Diop, Ryan Fredericks, Michail Antonio scoring two each and Craig Dawson accounting for West Ham’s other goal.

Moyes sharing that Lingard’s fitness is only getting better the more time that he spends at Rush Green may now allow the Red Devils product to reach an even higher level to his game, having occasionally waned towards the end of matches.

Having Lingard able to operate as close to 100 per cent for longer in matches will be a huge boost for Moyes after the international break, too, as the Hammers will still have to face Leicester City, Chelsea and Everton in the fight for a top-four Premier League finish after hosting Arsenal on Sunday.

His immediate availability could be beneficial at home to the Gunners, who will be striving to bounce back from a first defeat in five games after losing to Olympiacos in the Europa League on Thursday night.

AND in other news, a West Ham winter target is set to be available for £17m this summer…

Reports from Spain earlier this week claimed that Carlo Ancelotti is eager to exploit Everton’s relationship with FC Barcelona to help him sign Miralem Pjanic in the summer, but the Toffees boss must avoid striking a deal for the Bosnian midfielder.

It is claimed that Ancelotti wants to maximise the relationship that Everton have built with the Camp Nou natives in recent years, one which has seen Lucas Digne, Yerry Mina and Andre Gomes ditch the La Liga giants for life on Merseyside.

Pjanic could be the next in line to join that group after struggling to establish himself in Catalunya since leaving Juventus last year, with Ronald Koeman often leaving the 30-year-old on the bench such has been the disdain for his performances.

Koeman is thought to have had high hopes for Pjanic having arrived after his €65m (£59m) arrival and the €72m (£66m) sale of Arthur to Juventus in June, but the 98-cap international has only started 13 of his 28 appearances in all competitions.

Pjanic is still seen to have his admirers around Europe and is not expected to struggle to find a new home in the off-season, with Everton one side who could potentially sign him.

It is suggested that the Blues may enquire into signing Pjanic on loan for the 2021/22 campaign with an option to buy the midfielder, who now has a TransferMarkt valuation of just £36m, in the following summer window.

Premier League rivals Tottenham Hotspur may also be in the mix for the £271,000-per-week talent as Jose Mourinho likes Pjanic a lot, though Barcelona are noted to favour a deal with Everton due to the two club’s shared relationship.

But Ancelotti should not explore the requirements Barcelona are bound to request to send Pjanic out on loan for next season, as the four-time Serie A winner would not be expected to improve the Goodison Park ranks sufficiently enough to make a move worthwhile.

Koeman has frequently opted to overlook Pjanic this season as the former Toffees boss has grown serious concerns over the Bosnian’s abilities, noting last month via quotes by FC Barcelona Noticias: “Miralem has to improve the rhythm of the ball [and] know his position.”

Pjanic’s struggles to adapt to Koeman’s demands, and the resulting lack of game time, have seen the 30-year-old grow frustrated at the Camp Nou, and question why he has only started three of his seven La Liga appearances from 11 available games since the turn of the year.

“I have played at all the clubs I’ve been at and with all the coaches I’ve had. A situation like this has never happened to me. Of course, it’s not easy, I accept it with great difficulty,” he told Telefoot last month.

“I don’t have the exact reasons why I’ve not had the playing time I expected. I keep working and you have to respect the decisions that are taken, even if you don’t agree. I want to leave my mark at this club.”

That mark has so far been one of a player who Marca note ‘seems to be getting further, not closer, from where Barcelona need him to be,’ as Pjanic struggles to find any consistency with his performances or minutes on the field.

His maiden year at the Camp Nou started on the wrong foot, too, with Sport reporting in October that he was ‘two steps behind his teammates in training’ and was ‘still far from optimal physical shape’ despite more than a months’ worth of sessions, as he struggled to match the intensity shown by his new teammates.

With the Premier League often touted to have higher physical demands on players than La Liga, we would expect to see Pjanic struggle if Everton were to make a move to sign the midfielder this summer and as such, they must not explore what is bound to be an expensive deal.

AND in other news, Carlo Ancelotti is eager for Everton to sign a £32.5m-rated titan who top clubs would sign “without thinking twice”…

This season has been a torrid affair for everyone at Celtic, no less than Neil Lennon.

Their capitulation this term led to his departure and there were no shortage of reasons as to why he left Parkhead.

They have lost their dominance on Scottish football and performances, certainly from a defensive point of view, have been lacklustre.

Though, one issue lying slightly beneath the surface is a lack of minutes for their younger players. Cameron Harper has left the club while Karamoko Dembele could follow him through the exit door this summer when his contract expires.

As a result, a host of their talented reserve players have headed out on loan. Luca Connell is spending the second half of the campaign on loan at Queen’s Park while talented Norwegian Leo Hjelde is with Ross County until the climax of the season.

The centre-back has already been compared to both Virgil van Dijk and Kristoffer Ajer but his development for now, is clearly best suited away from the Hoops.

One player who has earned the trust of coaches at Celtic, however, is Dane Murray. Another 17-year-old defender, he is now training with the senior team.

There is no loan spell in the pipeline for Murray but such is his immense potential that he’s already getting used to his surroundings among the first team squad at Lennoxtown.

He has trained under John Kennedy on a number of occasions now, a period he’s described as “brilliant.”

After penning new terms with Celtic, Murray spoke this month about his development and transition to playing alongside more experienced players.

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“Everything about your game comes on more when you train with the first-team,” he began. “The standard and intensity are much higher. Everyone helps you along every step of the way and they’re constantly giving you information. They just want the best for you really.”

The teenager is clearly being guided by the right people and he has been extremely keen to learn from someone like Ajer.

The Norway international came to Scotland as a teenager and has developed into one of Celtic’s key players.

“You also have Kris Ajer who came in at 17 and look at him now. The change he’s made has been brilliant,” Murray explained.

“Then you have the club captain Scott Brown. What he’s done in his career has been brilliant and I can only hope for even half of that,” he added.

It’s not just the age at which Ajer and Murray broke into the set-up that’s similar, however. The latter started out as a midfielder and is still very much capable of playing further forward, as well as in defence.

Ajer has played in a holding role in the past and has also performed admirably at full-back. Versatility like that, particularly at a young age, is a very useful asset to have.

With that in mind, it might make the transition to first team life a little smoother for Murray.

Unlike Hjelde, he has been trusted to stay at the club and develop. That can only be a good thing.

AND in other news, Celtic may be on the verge of repeating Deila’s costly blunder, fans should be fuming…

Phil Parkinson has rejected suggestions that Wrexham receive "preferential treatment" from referees after MK Dons were denied a goal on Tuesday.

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• Wrexham get away with controversial goal-line incident
• MK Dons coach Williamson hit out at refereeing decision
• Parkinson rubbished Williamson's "one-sided view"

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  WHAT HAPPENED?

  MK Dons boss Mike Williamson suggested that Wrexham have benefited from a series of contentious decisions during their matches. Williamson's frustration stemmed from an incident where Wrexham goalkeeper Arthur Okonkwo looked to fumble a shot from Joe Tomlinson over the line, which he believed should have been awarded as a goal. Expressing his exasperation, Williamson commented, "I don't know where to start with that, I don't think I've ever seen anything like it."

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• WHAT PARKINSON SAID

  Parkinson vehemently refuted such claims and stated: "I really don't think we get any preferential treatment, I don't see that at all. I've been constantly this season going through clips of decisions we could have got, penalties or red cards which were harsh against us, but over the course of the season you've got to accept it and it balances itself out."

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  While acknowledging the potential fortune in the Okonkwo incident, Parkinson went on to highlight several key decisions that he felt went against his team during the match. "First of all as managers, we all look at things in a one-sided view," he said. "Obviously that [Okonkwo] incident it looks as it's gone against them. But equally when you review the game back, Dean Lewington stamped on Andy Cannon.

  "On another day that for me is a red card, and also [there was] the one where Ryan Barnett wriggled through on the right-hand side and crossed it and the lad just hauled Ollie Palmer down when he was going to put the ball in the back of the net. So for me that's a definite penalty and the more you look at that the more you can't see how the referee hasn't given it."

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  WHAT NEXT?

  The debate over refereeing decisions and perceived bias will continue to rage on as managers continue to hold differing opinions on specific contentious incidents. However, the Red Dragons must put aside the controversy and focus on their upcoming fixture against Gillingham on Saturday as they continue to push for a second successive promotion. They are currently third in League Two, three points off leaders Stockport.

Arsenal star Vivianne Miedema will be out for 'several weeks' because of 'minor knee surgery', days after starting for the Netherlands against Spain.

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• Miedema started for Netherlands vs Spain last week
• Now requires 'minor knee surgery'
• Arsenal boss says she would've needed it anyway

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Miedema returned from a long spell on the sidelines with a ruptured ACL in October and her minutes have been managed since, with knee irritation also keeping her out of some recent games. She was back for Arsenal's win over Manchester United before the international break and then started for the Netherlands in their Nations League semi-final against Spain, but Gunners boss Jonas Eidevall has now revealed that the forward needs surgery after returning from the Dutch camp early.

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• WHAT EIDEVALL SAID

  Speaking to reporters on Friday, Eidevall said: "She requires a minor knee surgery and that is going to have her off the pitch for several weeks. We will have an update on that after the surgery and when we see how she is progressing."

  Asked about the communication with the Netherlands team and about Miedema's start against Spain in midweek, he added: "We have good communication with all the national teams that we work with but we also have to have a lot of respect for the autonomy in the decision making. The Netherlands were playing some really, really important games for them, both for a Nations League trophy and maybe more importantly for Olympic qualification. They also need to take the decisions that are best for them.

  "What is important in all these conversations is that I always think that we put the player at the forefront and we're trying to find solutions that are the best for the player, and we need to cooperate. She doesn't need a surgery because of those 45 minutes she played against Spain. She would have needed the surgery anyway. It was nothing that the Dutch team did that complicated this here or made the situation worse. It was a situation that needed to be fixed anyway."

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Miedema's absence is a big blow for an Arsenal team that recently reasserted themselves in the Women's Super League title race, with the Gunners now only three points behind Chelsea and Manchester City. With three players currently at the CONCACAF W Gold Cup, Eidevall doesn't have an abundance of options available to him right now.

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• DID YOU KNOW?

  Miedema is the all-time top goal-scorer in WSL history, having netted 79 times in 101 appearances for Arsenal since signing from Bayern Munich in 2017.

Ryan Reynolds made a hilarious sex joke after ex-Wrexham goalkeeper Ben Foster claimed to be behind the huge spike in the city's birth rates.

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• Foster claims responsibility for birth rate rise
• Wrexham's January births up 24%
• Reynolds make funny sex joke remark

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  WHAT HAPPENED?

  Retired goalkeeper Foster, who helped Wrexham get promoted to League Two last year after a short stint in his second spell with the club, posted a video about how there had been 205 January births at Wrexham Maelor Hospital, up 40 from the same time last year. Club co-owner Reynolds leapt at the chance to comment on this, referencing the 'pull the goalie' phrase – which is when a couple stop taking birth control and have unprotected sex to make babies.

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• WATCH THE CLIP

  Hollywood star Reynolds tweeted about Foster's video and wrote: "Normally this happens when you pull the goalie, not the other way around. Trust me."

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  WHAT BEN FOSTER SAID

  In a Fozcast video, Foster said: "It's come to the attention of the club [Wrexham] that in January the birth rate in Wrexham jumped nearly 25 per cent from this time last year – and I feel kind of responsible."

  After promoting his new partnership with VistaPrint, he added: "So to all you Wrexham-loving parents, congratulations! Here is hoping to more babies next January. Welcome to the world, fellow Bens!"

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  In different ways, both Reynolds and Foster have played a huge role in progressing the club of late. The Welsh side ended their 15-year stay in the National League by coming first in the division last season and now they are fighting to get promoted to League One, with the Red Dragons just outside the automatic promotion spots. While Foster retired for a second time at the start of this campaign, he will go down as a club hero and Reynolds is, arguably, approaching legendary territory since taking over the club three years ago with fellow actor Rob McElhenney.

Manchester United have been handed positive injury news with Marcus Rashford having avoided a serious problem.

According to Sky Sports, the England forward has only sustained slight bruising and swelling on his ankle so should only be out for a maximum of one match.

There was a slight worry that the Red Devils star may have been out longer having been forced off following a tackle in Manchester United’s 2-0 victory against Manchester City last weekend.

Despite the concern, United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer praised Rashford as “he sacrificed himself” for the result at the Etihad Stadium. The news will, of course, be welcome for the Norwegian as the season enters a critical stage as he will be able to rely on one of his star performers.

Rashford has been in brilliant form throughout the 2020/21 campaign -he’s currently in the midst of one his most productive seasons at Old Trafford to date.

In 43 appearances in all competitions, he has hit 18 goals whilst providing a further 12 assists.

He has also been one of Solskjaer stalwarts having appeared in every single match in all competitions so far this season.

Whilst the ankle problem could keep him out of Thursday’s UEFA Europa League last-16 first-leg against AC Milan at Old Trafford, the fact that he should be available for a number of key matches will thrill his manager.

Before the end of the season, the Red Devils are set to face West Ham United, Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool and Leicester City – all surely pivotal clashes in the race for the top four.

They also continue their challenge on multiple fronts with both the UEFA Europa League second-leg against Milan and an FA Cup quarter-final face-off with Leicester City still set to come.

With Rashford having avoided a long lay-off, Solskjaer will surely be overjoyed.

AND in more news, read why a big-money move for Tottenham’s Harry Kane has to be Manchester United’s priority this summer…

Phil Parkinson has revealed the touching text message he received from Wrexham co-owner Rob McElhenney following a 5-0 thrashing against Stockport.

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• Dragons secured promotion last season
• Hollywood stars boast big ambition
• Full support of playing & coaching staff

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The Dragons suffered a humbling reversal away at fellow League Two promotion hopefuls on September 23, with that contest seeing them concede five goals for the third time in the 2023-24 campaign. There was to be no emotional reaction to that drubbing, though, with the Welsh outfit retaining full confidence in their playing and coaching staff.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Wrexham have gone nine games unbeaten since that painful setback, winning six across all competitions, and remain among the fourth tier frontrunners following their record-breaking promotion back into the Football League last season.

• WHAT THEY SAID

  McElhenney, along with fellow co-chairman Ryan Reynolds, continues to deliver financial and emotional support to Parkinson and his players, with the Wrexham boss saying at the FWA Northern Writers Awards: “Every promotion or title or cup you win as a manager is hard. It's really, really, really tough. There are tight dividing lines all the time and you need really good people alongside you. And with the glitz and the glamour of the Hollywood owners, that's great. But Rob and Ryan are really genuine people and have been so supportive to me and Steve. Not just financially, if we need to get a player in, but moral support, every time they come over or if we have a bad result. We got beat 5-0 at Stockport a few months ago, the first text was from McElhenney – ‘Phil we're right behind you, we're right with you’ and that means a much as being supported financially.”

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  WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

  Wrexham have moved into the second round of the FA Cup this season, are set to progress from their group in the Football League Trophy, and sit third in the League Two table after 16 games – five points back on leaders Stockport.

Barry Fry has exclusively told The Transfer Tavern that Peterborough United will be forced to sell Rangers target Jonson Clarke-Harris this summer.

The 26-year-old is already a man in demand having scored 31 goals last season to help Posh end their long wait to bring Championship football back to London Road.

Clarke-Harris, who notched 33 goals in all competitions, has interest from several second-tier sides, although Scottish Premiership champions Rangers are also keen on the ex-Bristol Rovers frontman.

Steven Gerrard reportedly sent scouts to London Road to watch the striker play against Accrington Stanley in March, and he impressed by scoring a hat-trick in their 7-0 victory.

Peterborough sold Ivan Toney this time 12 months ago, with Clarke-Harris likely to join a long list of goalscorers that Posh have lost to bigger clubs in recent seasons.

And despite scoring the goals which saw the club promoted, Director of Football Fry told The Transfer Tavern that whilst he would love to keep Clarke-Harris, they’re resigned to losing him in the coming months:

“How can you stand in their way, because it not only affects their life, it affects their families, their parents and grandparents. It is life-changing and we must do it.

“Obviously, we would like to keep all our players – Dwight Gayle, Britt Assombalonga, Ivan Toney, Jack Marriott – what a team we would have had. We would have had 10 centre-forwards and no defenders!”

As per the club’s official website, Premier League outfit Crystal Palace sealed a last-gasp move for Michy Batshuayi late on in the January transfer window. The 25-year-old had been playing his football at Spanish club Valencia on loan from Premier League giants Chelsea in the first half of the season, only for struggles in front of goal at the Mestalla to call into question his future at the club as the winter window progressed.

And it was Roy Hodgson’s Palace who officially sealed a Deadline Day move for the striker as they sought the reinforcements they desperately needed in the final third of the pitch, with the arrival of the Belgium international potentially going some way to securing the Eagles another season of Premier League football.

The Breakdown

Ultimately, while one look at the Palace squad suggests a side full of talent and one that shouldn’t be in relegation trouble, their evident struggle for goals means that the Londoners are indeed embroiled in a battle near the bottom, what with Hodgson’s men currently sat 15th in the table and just four points clear of safety.

And their meagre tally of 24 goals from their 24 matches is without doubt a key factor in their struggles to put daylight between themselves and danger this term – after all, their top-scoring striker this season is on-loan man Jordan Ayew with a paltry two goals to his name.

But with supremely talented attackers in Wilfried Zaha and Andros Townsend, the Eagles are always likely to create ample goal-scoring opportunities just waiting to be converted by the predatory and lethal striker the club have been crying out for – and they may finally have that man in Batshuayi.

Yes, the 25-year-old has endured a tricky time in Spain recently with only one La Liga goal to show for his endeavours in Valencia, but one only need look at his goal-scoring record at Chelsea, Marseille, and Borussia Dortmund to suggest that Palace appear to have pulled off something of a masterstroke.

The Belgian ace has netted 19 times in just 53 appearances for Chelsea following his move from Marseille back in 2016, which given his lowly number of starts at Stamford Bridge equates to a goal every 93 minutes of action – that is a staggering return.

And with 33 goals in only 78 appearances in France for Marseille, and then nine goals in 14 games for Dortmund last season, it’s pretty clear that his time at Valencia was a one-off – on the whole, the 25-year-old will more often than not have an impact when on the field.

And that ability to get into the right place at the right time in the penalty area, and thus get on the end of goal-scoring opportunities, is exactly what Palace need to start moving up the Premier League table – it’s difficult to see where the goals were coming from were they not to sign the striker.

As it happens, the 25-year-old made the Deadline Day move to Selhurst Park, in turn equipping Hodgson with the goal-scoring forward the Eagles so desperately need to move clear of danger – thus, his arrival might well have just saved their season.

Crystal Palace fans… what do you think? Let us know!