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This week it emerged that Manchester United winger Nani has joined Turkish club Fenerbahce for a reported £4.25million fee on a three-year deal, ending his eight-year stay at the Lancashire club. On signing back in 2007, he was viewed as a player with great potential, but he departs simply with a feeling of unfulfilled promise.

Breaking into the Sporting CP team at 18, he settled in well, scoring 11 goals in 76 appearances in all competitions before leaving after two seasons for Old Trafford. Upon joining United, he praised the league: “The Premier League is one of the best leagues in the world and it will be a big challenge. I am prepared to go to England because I believe I will progress there.”

Arriving with much fanfare for a fee between £14 million and £17.85 million, alongside Brazilian midfielder Anderson, he appeared light and skinny, but with bursts of acceleration and skilful touches. Resembling a Cristiano Ronaldo light version he admitted it would be a ‘dream’ to play with his compatriot.

It was the same selfishness, ignoring of team-mates and prima-donna antics which made it nigh on impossible for him to endear himself to the home fans. This was made more frustrating by his failure to learn from his compatriot’s same difficult times at United only a couple years earlier. He had the talent to showboat, and even embarrass fellow professionals – which drew Arsene Wenger’s anger after he humiliated Arsenal full-back Gavin Hoyte in an FA Cup 5th round tie in 2008.

Getting regular playing time, he was often called up for the Portuguese national team, cementing his place in the Euro 2008 squad. After making three appearances in the tournament, he was courted by Barcelona with the Catalan club receiving a resounding ‘hands off’ from Sir Alex Ferguson.

Ronaldo joined Real Madrid in 2009 for a then record £80 million fee. It was time for understudy Nani to step out of big brother’s shadow. He had previous stated lofty ambitions of being the best in the world, but he was struggling to step up into the hole left by Cristiano in the 2009/10 season. His big issue seemed to be his lack of footballing brain, often looking selfish and leaving team-mates frustrated at his short sightedness.

It wasn’t until the season afterwards that Nani’s potential started turning kinetic with match winning performances becoming regular. Finishing the 2010/11 season with 10 goals and 18 assists, the skinny winger was taking responsibility, helping Manchester United win the Premier League title. Voted Players’ Player of the year at Man Utd’s club awards in 2011 he was still omitted from the Champions League final starting XI against Barcelona, showing Ferguson’s continued distrust of Nani’s tactical discipline.

Another good season followed before injuries disrupted much of his 2012/13 campaign. Offered a massive five-year contract in Summer 2013, his last meaningful act in a United shirt was in the 2-1 Champions League defeat to Real Madrid – getting sent off for a dubious high-footed challenge on Alvaro Arbeloa.

Going out on loan last season to former club Sporting Lisbon, the Portuguese winger hit form again, looking like he’d found his level to excel. Having not hit his predicted heights, he needs to play at the level where his status is clearly numero-uno so he is the fulcrum of the team. He will not dance to anyone else’s tune.

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Lacking the mentality to perform beyond himself and push his ability to the pinnacle of his potential, many Manchester United fans will not be sad to see him leave, with only a smattering of star performances to remember him by.

He may not have been anywhere near as big of a success as Cristiano Ronaldo but he can safely say he was more of a hit than Anderson.

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Manchester United slipped into third place in the English Premier League on Saturday after a disappointing stalemate at home to Southampton.

The 0-0 result means Chelsea have now leapfrogged Jose Mourinho’s side heading into 2018, with supporters beginning to ask serious questions of the direction the Red Devils are heading in.

Fans were frustrated with the draw, but the general performance irked them even more, believing that their big stars should be offering far more for home supporters against a Southampton side that have struggled at times this season.

Paul Pogba was one of those that received some of the sharpest criticism after a particularly ineffective display, failing to show the ambition or form that makes him a stand out in the final third.

Supporters are now questioning his leadership abilities and are looking for more dynamic performances going forward. Many believe he has the talent but that it’s his attitude and mentality that is letting him down.

They took to Twitter to share their thoughts on his performance…

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Leicester City winger Riyad Mahrez impressed in his side’s 2-2 draw against Manchester United at the King Power Stadium on Saturday, and Arsenal fans have urged their club to sign the Algeria international.

The Gunners’ 3-3 draw with Liverpool at the Emirates Stadium on Friday night left them in sixth position in the Premier League table and 21 points behind runaway leaders Manchester City.

Arsene Wenger may well be looking to strengthen his squad during the January transfer window, and he may well look at Mahrez given the 26-year-old has scored five goals and provided a further six assists – including one for Jamie Vardy against the Red Devils – in 19 top flight matches this term.

Arsenal supporters were quick to have their say on the wide-man’s display via social media, and while one said the club should “sign him up immediately” and “Mahrez in January all day long over Iwobi and Walcott”.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

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Many Everton fans would have been thrilled during the summer when the club spent over £100m on new signings.Unfortunately, a large number of the new arrivals failed to take the Toffees forward; in fact, the club were in a relegation battle under former manager Ronald Koeman.Sam Allardyce is now in charge and he is overseeing his first transfer window since taking the job at the end of November.The Merseyside outfit are in a much healthier position in the Premier League table given that they are ninth in the standings, seven points above the drop.With that in mind, fans might be allowing themselves to get excited about the potential new arrivals this month.The club have already recruited forward Cenk Tosun from Besiktas, and now Allardyce hasÂrevealed to reportersÂthat the club are in negotiations with Arsenal over the signing of winger Theo Walcott.The winger, who has scored more than 100 goals for the Gunners during his 12-year stay, has not started a single league game this season.Once Allardyce revealed the news, Everton fans gave their reactions on Twitter.

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On Sunday, Watford unexpectedly sacked manager Marco Silva after a downturn in form. Accordingly, the Portuguese leaves Vicarage Road under something of a dark cloud – especially with the Hornets claiming his head was turned by interest from Everton.

But it wasn’t long ago Silva was being touted as the Premier League’s rising managerial star after transforming Hull City and almost saving them from relegation despite inheriting a dire situation at the KCOM Stadium.

Which all begs the question of whether the 40-year-old’s departure will create something of a gaffer merry-go-round as another Premier League club looks to snap up a hot managerial priority before a managerial rival beats them to it.

David Moyes has improved West Ham exponentially since taking over from Slaven Bilic but as he’s only on a short-term contract until the end of the season, would you sack the Scot now and replace him with Silva?

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Aaron Ramsey was in scintillating form for Arsenal on Saturday at home to Everton, scoring a hat-trick for the first time ever in his professional career that contributed towards a 5-1 win in the English Premier League.

Given more attacking responsibility after the departure of Alexis Sanchez, the Welsh international exploited the space between the Toffees’ midfield and defence expertly, making a number of devastating runs that bamboozled Sam Allardyce’s side all evening.

On a night that the Gunners also introduced new signings Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to home supporters, it was Ramsey who shone brightest, leaving fans absolutely delighted.

They believe he can take his game to new heights over the coming weeks and months, with some even suggesting he is one of the side’s most underrated players.

With a huge match away to Tottenham next Saturday, fans will be hoping he can produce a similar performance in the big derby.

They took to Twitter to share their thoughts on his performance against Everton…

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Southampton manager Mauricio Pellegrino has made one change to the side that were beaten 2-0 by Liverpool at St Mary’s on Sunday for the FA Cup fifth round tie against West Bromwich Albion at the Hawthorns on Saturday, and Saints fans have been quick to have their say on the selection.

Nathan Redmond has replaced Oriol Romeu with Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg dropping back alongside Mario Lemina in the middle of the park, while youngster Josh Sims makes the substitutes’ bench along with Manolo Gabbiadini, and Sofiane Boufal, Maya Yoshida and club captain Steven Davis all miss out because of injury.

The south coast outfit haven’t reached the quarter-finals of the FA Cup since the 2004/05 campaign, losing at this stage in each of the four times they have advanced to the last 16 since then, and they will see this as an opportunity to gain some much-needed confidence after the defeat to Jurgen Klopp’s side last weekend saw them slip back into the Premier League relegation zone.

Southampton supporters took to social media to give their thoughts on Pellegrino’s selection for the cup tie, and while one said “unfair on Gabbiadini”, another simply said “unbelievable!”

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

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Throughout the January transfer window, Everton fans begged the club via social media to sign a new left-back.

Cuco Martina, who is predominantly right-footed, put in some questionable performances in that position while filling in for injured Leighton Baines.

The Toffees did not answer the supporters’ call for a new face before the end of the transfer window, but there was some good news at the weekend.

Baines returned to training after almost three months on the treatment table with a calf injury.

The 33-year-old joined his teammates in a session during the club’s trip to Dubai for a warm-weather training camp.

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The club uploaded pictures of Baines in action onto Twitter, and by the looks of it, the Liverpool-born player did not shy from any challenges as he had a big gash on his left leg.

The majority of Everton fans reacted to the news of Baines’s return with relief, but others still believe that a new left-back should be a priority when the transfer window reopens.

West Ham fans have been reacting to a clip of Sam Allardyce laughing as he was asked about Everton fans’ frustration with his tactics.

Allardyce looked set to become a popular figure on the blue half of Merseyside after a positive start to life at the club, but things have quickly turned sour.

The Toffees put in yet another poor away performance in their 2-1 defeat at Burnley on Saturday, capitulating in the second half after creating some great opportunities before the break.

Ashley Williams was sent off late on for a ludicrous loss of composure, as he swung his elbow at Burnley’s Ashley Barnes. The Blues have won just one league match away from home since January 2017, and fans were frustrated by Big Sam’s decision to withdraw Sigurdsson at Turf Moor.

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“You mentioned (Gylfi) Sigurdsson, some Everton fans voiced their frustration towards the end when you substituted him and put Bolasie on”, Allardyce was asked. “Just tell us what your thinking was there.”

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The smug and downright dismissive response from the ex-England gaffer has left Everton fans fuming. Most West Ham fans just seem relieved, while some are even feeling bad for the Blues. A few of the best twitter responses can be found below…

As reported by The Sun, Tottenham Hotspur are targeting a summer move for RB Salzburg midfielder Amadou Haidara.

What’s the story?

Spurs have had success signing young players and giving them immediate first team action over the past few years, a key part of their strategy to compete with clubs that can afford to spend bigger sums than the North London outfit.

It’s likely to be something they pursue again this summer, alongside signing more established talent.

One player with potential they’re reported to be looking at is RB Salzburg midfielder Amadou Haidara.

That’s according to The Sun, who say that Spurs see him as a star for the future and are weighing up a summer offer.

His £2.8m rating by Transfermarkt highlights he is just beginning his career, but can he become a hit in English Premier League?

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Who is he?

Signed from a Malian academy side in 2016, the 20-year-old has taken a couple of years to work his way into the Salzburg side as a regular but has been an integral part of their UEFA Europa League run this season, making 10 appearances on their way to the quarter-finals of the competition.

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He was particularly impressive in the recent tie against Borussia Dortmund, helping the Austrian side knock out the Germans. It’s performances like that which will likely be catching the eye of bigger clubs, demonstrating he has the potential to play at a higher level in the future.

Already a senior international, his future is bright and if Spurs can get in early on his career, it could pay dividends in years to come.