Liverpool signing Takumi Minamino was an obvious absentee during the Premier League game at Norwich City on Saturday night.

Eyebrows were raised immediately it was evident that the Japanese international won’t be part of the Premier League Matchday 26 squad to face basement club Norwich City at Carrow Road.

The reason behind his omission has now been revealed by James Pearce who works for the Liverpool Echo.

According to him, Takumi Minamino was left out of the Liverpool squad for the Norwich City game for tactical reasons.

The Japanese attacker has not been able to impose himself on the Liverpool squad since his transfer to the club this year.

The absence of Takumi Minamino at Norwich City shows the strength of the squad at the disposal of Jurgen Klopp especially after a lot of his players returned to full fitness.

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One of such players Sadio Mane was responsible for the only goal of the game as the Reds needed to dig deep to win the game at the expense of the Canaries.

Senegalese international Sadio Mane came off the bench to score the only goal of the game in the 78th minute.

The 1-0 win was enough to take Liverpool 25 points clear of Manchester City in second place. Manchester City are the Premier League champions having won it in each of the last two seasons.

Manchester City will lose their title to Liverpool unless there’s a monumental collapse on the part of the Reds.

Liverpool have won their last 17 league games since the goalless draw at the home of arch-rivals Manchester United.

In 26 Premier League games, Liverpool have dropped points in just one match.

Takumi Minamino is expected to get a Premier League winners medal even if he doesn’t play much football between now and the end of the current campaign.

English Premier League giants Manchester United are considering a summer move for one of the best young players in French football.

Lyon midfielder Houssem Aouar is undoubtedly one of the best young players in France and he has emerged as a transfer target for Manchester United.

According to the Daily Mail, Manchester United have turned their attention to Houssem Aouar ahead of this summer’s transfer window.

The Red Devils have already strengthened their midfield with the signing of Bruno Fernandes last month and the Premier League giants are expected to sign at least one midfielder in the summer.

Bruno Fernandes has signed for the Red Devils from Portuguese Super League giants Sporting Lisbon for an initial fee worth £47m plus bonuses and add-ons that could take the whole transfer to the £68m mark.

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He made his debut for his new team during the last game at home to fellow Champions League contender Wolverhampton Wanderers which ended in a goalless draw.

That result left Manchester United six points adrift of West London giants Chelsea in fourth spot.

Apart from Bruno Fernandes, Manchester United also signed striker Odion Ighalo in the last transfer window. The Nigerian international has moved to Old Trafford on loan from Chinese giants Shanghai Shenshua.

Unlike Bruno Fernandes who’s a certainty for the starting XI ahead of Chelsea game on Monday evening in the Premier League, Ighalo is not a certain starter though Solskjaer confirmed that he’ll be with the squad.

Manchester United target Houssem Aouar has scored eight goals plus six assists in 31 appearances in the colours of Lyon.

The French giants are in the fight for Champions League qualification from the top flight in France and Houssem Aouar is a big part of the team.

Lyon will also face Italian champions Juventus in the last 16 of the competition this season.

Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has hinted that new signing Odion Ighalo could make his debut for Manchester United ahead of English Premier League [EPL] trip to Chelsea on Monday night.

In his press conference for the game, Solskjaer revealed that the Nigerian striker will travel to London with the squad and that he is in line to make his first appearance for Manchester United whom he joined on loan from Chinese top flight side Shanghai Shenshua.

Odion Ighalo has been training alone since he moved back to England from China as part of the two-week precaution against Coronavirus which has ravaged the Asian country.

He was playing for  Watford before moving to China some years ago.

Solskjaer would be hoping that Ighalo can add the much needed firepower to a blunt attack that has gone three games without a single goal.

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Manchester United have failed to score in each of their last three games in the Premier League.

Solskjaer and his players failed to score during the 2-0 defeat at the hands of hosts and league leaders Liverpool before the same scoreline was recorded at home to Burnley.

Manchester United made it three successive league games without a single goal following the goalless draw at home to Wolves and the Chelsea game gives them the perfect opportunity to get back on track especially with the Champions League race now firmly back on after the European ban imposed on city rivals Manchester City.

Only the top four places will guarantee Champions League football in the next campaign but fifth spot could be available after UEFA banned second-placed Manchester City for breaching Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules which is subject to an appeal.

Manchester United are six points adrift Chelsea who occupy fourth position, while they are four points below Sheffield United.

Manchester United and star player Paul Pogba have reached a crossroad where both parties believe that they would be better off apart.

Pogba has spent four years at Manchester United in his second spell at the club and he has just one year left on his current deal plus the additional year at the prerogative of the club.

His agent Mino Raiola confirmed on Thursday night that the player could return to Juventus.

According to him, a summer move back to Turin is a possibility for Paul Pogba.

Mino Raiola spoke to reporters about Paul Pogba shortly after the Coppa Italia clash between AC Milan and Juventus at the San Siro on Thursday night.

AC Milan and Juventus played out a 1-1 during that game which was the first leg of the second semi-final in this season’s competition. The second leg is billed for the Juventus Stadium at the start of March.

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The French international spent four seasons at Juventus between 2012 and 2016 before his £89m world-record transfer to Manchester United.

Paul Pogba had been through the ranks at Manchester United before joining Juventus on a free transfer in 2012 as a teenager.

After winning a league title in each of his four seasons at Juventus plus helping the Old Lady reach the 2015 Champions League final before the 3-1 loss to Spanish champions Barcelona, Paul Pogba sealed a then world-record transfer back to the Premier League and he has been a controversial figure since then.

According to the Daily Express, Manchester United are ready to let Paul Pogba leave the club this summer as long as they recoup the £89m spent on him.

Real Madrid and Juventus are both interested in signing him this summer.

Pogba is still recuperating from the ankle surgery he had last month though he could be back in the Manchester United team by the start of next month.

Chelsea have decided to sanction the sale of Mario Pasalic to the Italian Serie A according to the latest reports from the Daily Star.

It was revealed that Champions League campaigners and Italian giants Atalanta want to turn the loan deal of Croatian international Mario Pasalic into a permanent transfer.

Mario Pasalic has not figured prominently for the West London giants since he signed for the club six years ago.

The Croatian international midfielder became a Chelsea player in 2014 on the back of his £3m transfer from Hadjuk Split in his native Croatia.

He has been sent on loan by Chelsea in each of the last six seasons.

Mario Pasalic has been on loan to clubs like French giants AS Monaco, AC Milan and Russian Premier League side Spartak Moscow before his loan transfer to Italian Serie A outfit Atalanta at the start of the last campaign.

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He has been a permanent fixture at Atalanta since the start of last season and was part of the team that finished third at the end of last season as the Italians qualified for the Champions League for the first time in their history.

After a successful loan spell at Atalanta last season, Mario Pasalic returned to the club last summer for another loan spell and he has helped the club to fourth place on the league table this season as well as the first knockout stage of the Champions League for the first time in their history.

Mario Pasalic and Atalanta will face Spanish La Liga side Valencia in the knockout stage of the Champions League later this month.

Atalanta are prepared to make his move a permanent one in a £12m deal.

Chelsea manager Frank Lampard has an array of midfield talents at his disposal and he can afford to let Mario Pasalic leave the club permanently.

Three European clubs are ready to fight for Sheffield United shot stopper Dean Henderson this summer especially if the English goalkeeper becomes available.

Dean Henderson is on loan at Sheffield United from Premier League giants Manchester United and he has posted a lot of impressive performances in the colours of the Blades this season.

The 22-year-old goalkeeper also spent last season on loan at Sheffield United as the Blades returned to the Premier League after a long time.

Dean Henderson was instrumental to their promotion to the Premier League from the English Championship at the end of the last campaign and he has been a key performer for the Blades this season.

No Premier League goalkeeper has kept more clean sheets than Dean Henderson (9) this season.

He has been able to propel the Blades to fifth position on the league table with his impressive performances in goal.

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According to the Daily Mail, French champions Paris Saint Germain (PSG), Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur are interested in the Manchester United loanee.

First choice PSG goalkeeper Keylor Navas is gradually entering the twilight of his career and Dean Henderson could be his replacement at the Parc des Princes.

Dean Henderson has always maintained that his dream is to play for Manchester United but his path has been blocked by both David De Gea and Sergio Romero.

De Gea and Romero are the first choice and second choice shot-stoppers at Manchester United and they are seasoned internationals.

Dean Henderson’s transfer fee could be out of reach for Sheffield United according to manager Chris Wilder.

According to him, it would take a lot of money to sign Dean Henderson.

Sheffield United recently broke their transfer record with the signing of Sander Berge from Club Brugge last month.

Dean Henderson is on course to make the England squad for the upcoming European Championships this summer.

Chelsea fans were left excited by the prospect of Hakim Ziyech in their team after the Blues agreed on a deal to sign the Ajax Amsterdam playmaker this summer.

The Moroccan attacker will join Chelsea in the summer after Ajax Amsterdam agreed a £38m transfer with the Blues.

Hakim Ziyech has been a key player for Ajax Amsterdam in the past years especially last season when the Dutch giants won the league title and the cup in addition to reaching the Champions League semi-finals.

According to the Daily Express, Chelsea are keen to wrap up a second transfer after the Hakim Ziyech deal.

It was revealed that the Blues are after one of their former players in Jeremie Boga who plays his club football with Italian Serie A side Sassuolo.

Boga left Chelsea for Sassuolo in the summer of 2018 in a £3.5m deal and the Blues have the first refusal on a future transfer.

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He has been in top form for Sassuolo in the Italian top flight.

The ex-Chelsea winger has scored seven goals and also added two assists for Sassuolo in the league this season.

In addition, Boga has made 32 more dribbles than any other player in the Italian top flight.

Chelsea are not the only club on the trail of the aforementioned Boga with the likes of Inter Milan, Barcelona, Everton and Napoli interested in him.

The Blues have a lot of wingers on their books and Boga might need to be convinced about a move back to Stamford Bridge especially after he saw little playing time during his time in West London.

Chelsea wingers Pedro Rodriguez and Willian might leave the club this summer after the expiration of their respective contracts.

Jeremie Boga could be the man to replace the aforementioned Blues wingers when they leave the club this summer.

Manchester United made their move in the January transfer window with the signings of Odion Ighalo and Bruno Fernandes as they try to make a push for a top-four finish in the English Premier League [EPL] at the end of this campaign.

The Red Devils spent a lot of money on Bruno Fernandes who signed for the club in a £47m deal plus add-ons and bonuses.

Bruno Fernandes signed for Manchester United from Sporting Lisbon as he became the fourth player to move from the Portuguese Super League giants to Old Trafford.

Cristiano Ronaldo, Nani and Marcos Rojo had earlier moved from Sporting Lisbon to Manchester United.

For Odion Ighalo, the Nigerian striker joined Manchester United on loan from Shanghai Shenshua in the top flight of Chinese football.

He has signed for Manchester United on loan till this summer without any option for a permanent transfer at the end of the loan spell though the 30-year-old could still join the Red Devils on the long run.

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Both Bruno Fernandes and Odion Ighalo are in line to start for Manchester United when they face Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Monday night.

Bruno Fernandes made his debut in the last game against Wolves which ended in a goalless draw earlier this month. The Portuguese international is expected to be in the starting XI for the Chelsea game.

The Premier League clash between Manchester United and Chelsea later this Monday is crucial for both teams in the push for Champions League football next season.

Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has used a three-man defence in the big games most times and that’s likely to continue at Chelsea.

Man United XI vs Chelsea:

GK – David De Gea

RWB – Aaron Wan-Bissaka

CB – Victor Lindelof

CB – Harry Maguire

CB – Luke Shaw

LWB –  Brandon Williams

CM – Fred

CM – Scott McTominay

AM – Bruno Fernandes

ST – Odion Ighalo

ST – Anthony Martial