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Following the bitter disappointment of  Play-off Final defeat on penalties around a month ago, lots of speculation has followed as to what the future lies in store for the Blades. Who will go? Who will stay? What will happen during the new season?

Personally, I believe that if we were to have the exact same team next season as we had last season, then we would win the league. However we’re already lacking a goal-scorer in the squad after losing striker Ched Evans, due to reasons I am sure you all already aware of…

Also, we seem to be without an established first team goalkeeper following the release of Steve Simonsen. Furthermore, I wouldn’t imagine too many people to be shocked if we were to lose at least some of Harry Maguire, Matt Lowton, Kevin McDonald, Stephen Quinn and Lee Williamson. I’m not saying they will all certainly leave, not at all. But they’re definitely all realistic.

Therefore, what are we going to do about the squad for next season? Will we be able to make some decent if not better additions? Or do we look to our consistently brilliant youth system for the upcoming ‘stars of tomorrow’?

For me there is only one person who can truthfully answer that question, and that man is the gaffer, Danny Wilson. Although we have been linked with some quality players such as Stuart Beavon, Dave Kitson and Jeffrey Schlupp, earlier in the week Schlupp said on Twitter that rumours of his move was just “paper talk”. Also, with the growing prominence of Twitter itself in today’s society, I would advise people not to believe all they see, and just let the business time pass then see what it brings when announced officially.

However as I mentioned earlier about the youth system possibly playing a larger part in United’s campaign this year and for me that seems very realistic. There has already been talk (in the papers, and I know it could just be a load of rubbish) of players such as Joe Ironside (striker), Elliott Whitehouse (central midfielder) and Terry Kennedy (central defender) being given more first team opportunities and perhaps even a chance to start in the first competitive game, a home tie against Burton.

Overall, I think that the fans shouldn’t get too upset or aggravated if things don’t seem to be going as planned in reference to signings, etc… Because I can almost unquestionably guarantee that cometh 18th of August, we will have a first team sorted out and be up for the challenge again. After all, we’re all Blades aren’t we?

You can follow me on Twitter: @calhuntington

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Sir Alex Ferguson has given the clearest hint yet that Dimitar Berbatov will leave Old Trafford this summer. The Manchester United manager was surprisingly cagey when questioned about the transfer links in the paper to PSG suggesting that the Bulgarian is likely to move to the French big spenders.

In the papers this morning there have been a mixed bag of stories that include Frank Lampard insisting his is not past his best; Scholes sees Wesley Sneijder as his ideal replacement, Scudamore calls on FIFA to ease the tensions.

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Newcastle fine Barton and want him gone by the weekend – Guardian

Ferguson coy over Berbatov’s future – Guardian

Scudamore calls on Fifa to ease tensions – Guardian

Lampard: I’m not past it yet! – Mirror

Premier League sees Avatar-style future – Daily Telegraph

Liverpool will allow Aquilani to leave for £9m as Serie A duo chase midfielder – Daily Mail

Cheap as chips in Blackburn but Liverpool is top-flight’s dearest day out – Daily Mail

£10m Samba tops Tottenham hitlist – Sun

Scholes: Wesley is the new me! – Sun

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Potters plot ambitious £16m double deal for Spurs duo – Mirror

Council leader throws Liverpool new stadium lifeline – Mirror

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Article courtesy of Rob Morris from the NEW ‘Clean Sheets All Round’

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6. Bebe: Age 20; Recommended to Sir Alex by former United coach Carlos Queiroz, the Portuguese winger signed for The Reds in the summer of last year for £7.4m.

Already a goal in the Champions League to his name, Bebe boasts electric pace, good positioning and strength which could see him emulate fellow countryman, Luis Nani. Don’t expect the next Cristiano Ronaldo, though.

5. Tom Cleverley: Age 21; Clever by name, clever by nature. Ok, that was cheesy but this lad is the real deal.

After a successful spell on loan at Watford last season, the midfielder has joined Wigan to prove he can mix it with the Premier League’s big boys.

A box of tricks up his sleeve and an established England U-21 international, expect ‘Clevers’ to be knocking on the first-team door next season.

4. Danny Welbeck: Age 20; Local boy Welbeck has already tasted the big time by playing an integral part in United winning the League Cup back in 2008/09.

A little rough around the edges, Fergie has sent him out on loan to Sunderland and it has paid dividends. He took a little while to find his feet at first but performances against Chelsea and Everton have proved he’s months, not years, away from a place in the Red Devils starting XI.

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3. Javier Hernandez: Age 22; Who doesn’t have a soft spot for Chicharito? He’s young, he’s pacey and most of all, he just loves playing football.

It’s hard to believe it’s the young Mexican’s first season in the Premier League. The striker has certainly played his part in United’s unbeaten run so far, especially with the off the pitch antics surrounding Wayne Rooney.

Two key goals against Stoke City tell you all you need to know about this potential world-beater.

2. Ravel Morrison: Age 17; Talk of this lad has been the stuff of myths rather than legends at Old Trafford but comparisons with a certain Ryan Giggs will only add fuel to the fire.

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Fiery pace, step-overs and a great delivery, Morrison is everything you could want from a winger. Despite his rumoured attitude problem, expect the watchful eye of Alex Ferguson to reign down upon him and put him in his place.

1. Jack Barmby: Age 16; The token wildcard in the list, young Jack’s father is the former Everton and Liverpool midfielder Nick Barmby – who made 23 caps for England.

The Red Devils wrestled Hull City for the youngster last year and he has already netted 2 goals in his 4 U-16 England caps.

Currently working hard in United’s U-18s, the tricky midfielder will look to benefit from the guidance of Cleverley and Bebe in the next few years.

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Tottenham goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes has stated that he may well decide to stay on at the club after Harry Redknapp’s dismissal.

The Brazilian stopper did not feature in competitive fixtures for the north London side in 2011-12, as Redknapp preferred Brad Friedel as his number one and Carlo Cudicini as a back-up.

With the South American third-choice, a January move was thought to be on the cards, but Gomes stuck it out at White Hart Lane.

His decision may well be vindicated after Redknapp’s axing, and he is now eager to see what the future holds under a new manager.

“It was a hard season,” he confessed to The Sun.

“I was desperate to leave. Now things have changed as the manager left last week. I want to return to the national team but I have to play first,” he concluded.

Gomes is reputed as an excellent shot-stopper but frustrated Spurs fans with erratic displays in the 2010-11 season and mistakes that cost the side domestically and in the Champions League.

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By Gareth McKnight

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Aston Villa boss Alex McLeish may put an end to his spending if he is successful in signing Wigan’s Charles N’Zogbia.The French winger is expected to sign for Villa for a reported fee of 9.5 million pounds later this week and would join Manchester City’s Shay Given at Villa Park as new arrivals.

But the new boss is happy with the depth in his squad and feels that he has the talent within it to deal with Ashley Young’s departure.

“You can never say never but at the moment if we get N’Zogbia, which is looking good, then it’s unlikely we will do anything, unless there’s more trading with the players we already have in the squad,” McLeish said.

“At the moment we don’t plan to do any more business. I believe we’ve got some great young players and we’ve got one or two sleepers in there that could emerge.”

“I know Ashley Young’s boots are big ones to fill but there are one or two players that could emerge as a result of Ashley leaving the club.”

With FIFA’s financial fair-play regulations set to be introduced in 2013, McLeish is keen to work within a budget – especially on wages.

“We’re watching the wages don’t spiral out of control. Even bringing in free transfers, everybody thinks they don’t cost you anything but they could be 50-60,000 (pounds) a week in wages and it just escalates the wage bill out of all proportion,” he said.

“Randy Lerner has already stated that he wants to keep it tighter and work within a means and that’s normal, especially with 2013 coming up, and I believe a lot of clubs will follow suit.”

“We have a good squad, I have to pay respect to the lads that are already there. They’re on big wages and I can’t just discard them.”

Liverpool have agreed to offload winger Ryan Babel to German side Hoffenheim, the Premier League club announced on Tuesday.It has taken just over a week for new Reds manager Kenny Dalglish to begin re-modelling his squad after succeeding Roy Hodgson, with Liverpool announcing they had agreed to terms with the Bundesliga side for Babel’s services, with reports suggesting a transfer fee of seven million pounds.

The Dutch international is still to agree to terms with Hoffenheim, but underwent a medical on Tuesday ahead of his anticipated Anfield exit.

A statement on the club’s official website read: “Liverpool FC this afternoon announced they had accepted a bid from TSG 1899 Hoffenheim for the transfer of Dutch international Ryan Babel.”

“The Bundesliga club have now been given permission to discuss personal terms with the player, who has travelled to Germany.”

Babel had failed to make an impact on Merseyside since former manager Rafa Benitez paid 11.5 million pounds to Ajax for his services in 2007.

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He made 91 Premier League appearances in his three and a half years with Liverpool, but only 31 of those were starts.

Paul Scholes is believed to be receptive to the idea of featuring for England this summer and will talk to new manager Roy Hodgson about the possibility, according to The Guardian.

The veteran Manchester United midfielder came out of retirement in January, and has been a key player for the Red Devils in the second half of the season.

With Sir Alex Ferguson confirming that Scholes will not feature for Team GB this summer at the Olympics, a trip to Euro 2012 may well be on the cards for the ageing playmaker.

Scholes retired from international football back in 2004 due to become disillusioned at playing out of position and the amount of time that it took him away from his family, but is believed to be interested in a swansong on the national stage.

Hodgson is set to release his England squad on Wednesday, and will talk to Scholes beforehand to gauge the player’s interest at being included.

Meanwhile, West Brom goalkeeper Ben Foster has reiterated that he will not come out of international retirement for Euro 2012.

“I’m still exactly the same. I’ve had a very good chat with the boss this week and he has told me of his plans and stuff,” the stopper told Sky Sports.

“I’ve said all along my best form has been since I retired from England and I feel my body gets a good rest, and I feel it needs that rest as well.

“Not only that, the fact I’ve got a young family now, and the family is very big with me. I’ve got a three and a four-year-old and they do take up a lot of my time.

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“I make no secret, I miss them when I’m away with England. For me, I prefer to spend that time with the family than being away from them,” he concluded.

By Gareth McKnight

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“Erm, no,” seems the fairly logical and obvious answer to the question, both Fabregas and Nasri are world class players in an Arsenal side that has struggled to truly challenge for the title in recent years.

Yet despite the seemingly rhetorical nature of the question, when you scratch below the surface there’s a case to be made that Arsenal could be better off by letting both midfielders move on.

Before you click off the site or bombard me with comments telling me why I’m off my little Mancunian head, allow me to elucidate.

Cesc Fabregas has been linked with a move to Barcelona, for two years now and seemingly has his heart set on joining his ‘boyhood club.’ The whole sorry saga reminds me of what happened with Ronaldo at United, in the fact that since his head’s been turned Fabregas hasn’t quite seemed the same player- this may sound incredulous given what Ronnie achieved in his final United season, but his attitude wasn’t quite as before. Don’t get me wrong Fabregas is still a hugely talented individual but from what I’ve seen in the big games he can often go missing.

Whenever United play Arsenal Fabregas is totally dominated by Darren Fletcher, in fact the only Gooner victory over us of late came when the Spaniard wasn’t in the side. I’m aware Fabregas played well against Chelsea at the Emirates last season, but let’s not forget this was one of the poorest Chelsea sides in the last 8 years, enduring their worst spell in the same period.

I rate Fabregas highly and in the past have even advocated United making a cheeky bid for him but the fact is since the Barcelona rumours have started he doesn’t seem the player he was for Arsenal. The Gunners seem to rely on him too much and when he doesn’t perform there’s a lack of people willing to take some responsibility. You could argue surely that make’s him indispensable but I’d put forward the opposite view, that if Fabregas was no longer in the equation then other players would rise to the occasion and be forced to do more than simply look for the skipper.

Arsenal had a brief period of rejuvenation when their talisman Thierry Henry left, with players such as Fabregas and Emmanuel Adebayor proving their worth. Although it ultimately resulted in yet another trophyless season, the first seven months of 2007/08 it looked as though Arsenal were on course for the title.

In the case of Samir Nasri, again he’s a talented player that I’d be more than happy to see at Old Trafford, but if he doesn’t want to play for Arsenal anymore then it may be a good idea to simply get rid and move on.

Like Fabregas Nasri can also go missing and the back end of last season he was nowhere near as influential as he had been at the start. If he really doesn’t want to be at the club then Arsene Wenger should do what he’s done in the past with the likes of Adebayor and Kolo Toure and simply sell him and move forward.

With the departure of Gael Clichy many would argue that for Arsenal to lose two more experienced players would be nothing short of disastrous however it may not be the catastrophe some predict.

If the likes of Nasri and Fabregas left for around £50 million then surely even someone as miserly and stubborn as Arsene Wenger would realise that money could bring in two quality midfielders to replace them.

Admittedly you may not get someone of the same calibre as Fabregas but by maybe investing in a bit of steel and grit rather than another playmaker, you could actually add an edge to the Gooners that’s been missing for some time.

The smart money seems to be on Arsenal not really being a problem for United this season when it comes to retaining our title. Even Liverpool have been getting more kudos from the likes of Sir Alex Ferguson and Wayne Rooney when it comes to being title challengers next season.

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Should Arsenal lose their two main midfielders then you can’t imagine anyone backing them for the title.

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Call me a mentalist but I simply cannot imagine Wenger not being able to see it’s now or never for his Arsenal career and if he did lose the pair and invested in players that could perform now, rather than in a few years time, then he may give his side a fighting chance.

Arsenal still have the likes of Robin Van Persie, Jack Wilshere plus players like Theo Walcott and Aaron Ramsey who on their day can win matches. As United proved in 1995, losing some of your most influential players doesn’t always signal the end of your title winning chances, everyone may be counting Arsenal out- even if the titular duo stay- but I feel there may be one more good season left in Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal and while I obviously hope I’m wrong, I won’t be discarding their chances just yet.

Have I gone in off the deep end? Is it City and Chelsea that United should be worried about? Is it all over for Wenger should he lost his midfield pair?

Read more of Justin’s articles at Red Flag Flying High

Over the years there have been some ridiculous misses in the world of football, where the phrase “it was easier to score than miss” really does ring true. You can’t help but laugh when a footballer who’s paid thousands of pounds every week, and is picked in fantasy football teams up and down the country, blazes over from a yard out. Instead of having to trawl through football videos to find the best misses, we’ve compiled arguably ten of the finest. So sit back, relax, and watch the top 10 misses of all-time!

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Holy Crap – it’s live fantasy football! Become part of Newcastle v Liverpool on Saturday and play Picklive for FREE Watch and bet live – spices up any game!

Manchester City are lining up a sensational transfer move for AC Milan’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic, with a £25 million bid in the offing according to The Sun.

The Sweden international is believed to be slightly frustrated with the Rossoneri’s surrender of the Scudetto to Juventus this term, and wants assurances from Massimiliano Allegri’s men after the likes of Alessandro Nesta, Mark van Bommel and Rino Gattuso were allowed to leave the club.

The newly-crowned Premier League champions are set to take advantage of Milan’s transitional period, and will make Ibrahimovic the highest-paid player in the country should be decide to move to the Etihad Stadium.

Roberto Mancini’s men are rumoured to be ready to offer the Scandinavian marksman £300,000 a week to tempt him to move to England.

The Italian trainer is thought to be a huge admirer of Ibrahimovic, and signed the Swede for Inter back in 2006.

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By Gareth McKnight

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