With his standout performance in a Manchester United shirt coming in the first leg against Club Brugge in the Red Devils’ Champions League qualifier, United fans know there is a lot more to come from Memphis Depay.

Given the fact United went on to land the likes of Bastian Schweinsteiger, Morgan Schneiderlin and most recently Anthony Martial this summer, some Red Devils fans almost forgot that the club got a deal done to sign Depay even as last season was reaching it’s final conclusion.

An incredibly talented footballer, Depay already has an Eredivisie title and World Cup appearances under his belt despite just being 21-years-old and all going well, he’ll be giving Manchester United his best years over the course of the next few seasons.

Taking the legendary number seven shirt at Old Trafford of course, Depay will have to succeed where Angel Di Maria failed while showing the kind of flair and trickery that made Eric Cantona and Cristiano Ronaldo such icons at the club.

With Manchester United tipped by many to simply be making up the top four again this season given the current state of transition they appear to be in, the likes of Memphis will need to weight in with their fair share of goals in order to prove that Louis van Gaal’s side can go one better while making a fist of the title while getting to the latter stages in the cup competitions.

But with the season still only a few weeks old, we’re quizzing our resident Red Devils fans on whether they knew these five facts about their new Dutch international superstar.

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Click on the image below to reveal the 5 things you didn’t know about Manchester United ace Memphis Depay.

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He is of Ghanaian heritage

Now a Dutch international of 18 senior caps for the Oranje of course, Memphis Depay could’ve ended up playing his international football for Ghana, the country of his father.

With Depay’s parents splitting up when the player was just four-years-old, Depay wears the name ‘Memphis’ on the back of his shirt as opposed to Depay given the fact his relationship with his father broke down when he was young.

Naturally choosing to represent the country of both his and his mother’s birth thereafter, Depay is a firm fixture in the Netherlands’ national squad at present although they’re making a meal out of trying to reach Euro 2016 next summer at present.

Prior to Depay’s arrival in England this summer, we’ve seen Dutch-Ghanaian heritage players make it in the Premier League in the past in the case of former Coventry City, Aston Villa and Middlesbrough midfielder George Boateng.

He’s the youngest ever Dutch goalscorer at a World Cup

For those not well versed in the goings on of the Dutch Eredivisie, most got their first glimpse of Memphis Depay’s talents as last summer’s World Cup where he was shortlisted alongside Paul Pogba and Raphael Varane as the Hyundai Young Player of the Tournament.

With Pogba winning that particular accolade, this took nothing away from Depay’s performances with the then PSV Eindhoven man registering two goals at the tournament despite his slender years.

In scoring his first goal at the tournament against Australia, Memphis became the Netherlands’ youngest ever goalscorer at a World Cup finals aged just 20.

He uses a life coach to temper his anger issues

Having been through a lot in his personal life, it is now public knowledge that Memphis uses a life coach to help assist his sometimes temperamental attitude.

Previously described as a “very angry” customer by a coach during his time at PSV Eindhoven, Depay might not have made it had it not been for his unavoidable skill and flair on the pitch.

In his early days the Philips Stadion, opinion leaders such as former player Rene van der Gijp once claimed: “From kickoff, he runs everywhere except in his own position! He gets in everyone else’s way. I would tell him his first responsibility is to his own position. The system you play needs order.”

“There is no one at PSV who tells him: do things normally. Actually PSV lack someone like Rinus Michels (former Holland coach), who would give him a clip around the ear so he remembers where he is.”

Having managed to curb his individualism in time to help deliver the Eredivisie title for PSV Eindhoven last season, it appears Depay is now firmly on an upward curve in his career.

He’s sought the advice of a United legend in the past

Manchester United fans will be delighted to hear that in the past, Memphis Depay sought the footballing advice of a true Red Devils legend in Ruud van Nistelrooy.

van Nistelrooy, a veteran of 95 Premier League goals for the Red Devils used to be part of the coaching staff with the Netherlands and during this period, Memphis used to quiz Ruud about how to become more of a clinical finisher.

Memphis previously claimed about his consultations with van Nistelrooy: “Yes, we talk, we look at what can be improved. In my finishing for example or my running. Sitting and talking with Ruud motivates me about football.”

Having gone on to win the Golden Boot in the Eredivisie last season with 22 strikes, it appears Ruud’s advice had the desired effect and United fans will be hoping Memphis can get close to that figure again this season, albeit in more of a competitive division.

His first club wasn’t PSV Eindhoven

Having been on the books of PSV Eindhoven since he was just 12-years-old, the Dutch giants weren’t actually the first club that Memphis was associated with.

Born in the South Holland town of Moordrecht, Memphis’ talents were naturally first picked up by the town’s club VV Moordrecht but even before he was scouted by PSV, Sparta Rotterdam can also take some credit for in part awarding Memphis some of his early footballing education between the years of 2003 and 2006.

Having burst onto the scene at the Philips Stadion of course, Depay was eventually sold to Manchester United this summer for a fee reaching up to £31 million and with Louis van Gaal in charge whom Memphis knows well, it’s hard to think of any other environment which would help foster his development in England so quickly.

Liverpool face an interesting test against Chelsea this afternoon.

Many people will claim now is the best time to play Chelsea at the moment, what with the Blues losing five of their opening 10 Premier League games this season and struggling for results after a number of mediocre performances. But others will claim it’s only a matter of time before Mourinho’s side react and get back to winning ways.

Jurgen Klopp is tasked with ensuring Chelsea’s poor run continues for at least another week, and there was a lot speculation over how he’d line his side up at Stamford Bridge this afternoon. And it’s certainly got people talking.

Divock Origi has failed to successfully step in for the injured Christian Benteke, Danny Ings and Daniel Sturridge and has been left out of today’s squad as a result. Benteke, who is now fit after his recent injury layoff has to settle for the bench, which means it looks as if Klopp has gone for a false nine approach today, with Firmino playing more central.

And Liverpool fans appear quietly confident after seeing the team news. Can they heap more misery on Chelsea today?

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As the game wore on at the Emirates Stadium between Arsenal and Tottenham on Sunday afternoon, several things became very clear.

Firstly, Mauricio Pochettino has done an excellent job with Spurs, reinvigorating a side that looked devoid of passion and enthusiasm before he arrived. Secondly, Harry Kane is still as good a striker as he was last year, and fully deserves to be in contention for an England starting spot. And thirdly, Arsenal really need to add some players to their squad in January.

To be blunt, they have got away with a lack of necessary recruitment in the summer up until now, but the midweek hammering by Bayern Munich and the North London derby will surely have convinced Arsene Wenger that serious investment is needed in order to seriously challenge for the Premier League title.

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Despite signing Petr Cech from Chelsea, their failure to recruit any outfield players of real quality and substance has clearly had an impact on several matches this season. In fact, even Cech has looked fallible at moments so far this season, although for the most part he has been pretty solid and secure.

It is more the outfield positions that are the concern, and in particular the centre of midfield. Francis Coquelin and Santi Cazorla are both fine players, but it is debatable to suggest they are at the level that Premier League winning centre midfielders need to be at. As was painfully evident at times during Sundays game, they fail to offer the kind of professional protection that a back four needs, especially when faced with a side full of youth, pace and vigour – like the Spurs side they came up against.

It’s not as if they have that many other options in that area either – Mikel Arteta seems to be permanently injured these days, Mathieu Flamini is past it as a top quality holding midfielder, and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is still a winger in his own mind.

This is why it is so vital they reinforce in this area in January with the best midfielder they can buy. This is one of those occasions when Wenger must not worry about the price, and simply pay what he has to.

If he does buy a central midfielder of real authority and power, the Gunners can go all the way this season, or at least can challenge Manchester City right up until the last few weeks of the season.

The problem for Wenger is that most of the top quality midfielders made their moves in the summer, as shown by Manchester United snapping up Morgan Schneiderlin and Bastien Schweinsteiger, Liverpool getting James Milner on a free, and on a slightly lesser scale Manchester City moving quickly to secure Fabian Delph’s services.

This means of course that there are frankly not many options in this country for Wenger to look at, with possibly Victor Wanyama at Southampton the best candidate, along with Yohan Cabaye at Crystal Palace and maybe even Jonjo Shelvey at Swansea. The French or Spanish leagues are other possibilities, with Wenger’s background in the former and the strength of the latter meaning they are both excellent options.

Atletico Madrid in particular have several outstanding central midfielders, who due to their style of play would have no trouble fitting into the English game with its physicality and intensity.

After all these years, this season feels like the best opportunity for Arsenal to win the Premier League in around a decade. It would be a shame to see them fall short once again due to a lack of proper recruitment.

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As Jurgen Klopp refused to shake hands with Tony Pulis after a gritty draw at Anfield on Sunday, instead beating his chest at his chav-capped West Brom counterpart like a gorilla marking his touchline territory, it was clear that the Liverpool manager had somehow missed the point – despite gaining one courtesy of Divock Origi’s stoppage time equaliser.

Here’s a club who have spent less on players since the end of the 2010/11 season than Liverpool did during the last transfer window alone, holding them to a score draw in their own back yard. Who cares how they did it – this is what the Premier League is all about.

Don’t get me wrong, West Brom play bottom-line football and it’s not easy on the eye. The bottom line is that with the right training, the Baggies will score X amount of goals from set pieces per year, concede X amount less goals from set pieces than their rivals per year, keep X amount of clean sheets, claim X amount of points and resultantly preserve their Premier League status for another season.

It’s as formulaic as a profit and loss sheet, but with good reason. For a club that have a stadium capacity of under 27,000 and spent the majority of the Premier League era in the Championship, ensuring top flight football and the revenue accompanying it is all that matters. It’s the bottom line.

Sponsorship deals, financial backing, jobs, livelihoods, reputations and the futures of academy players are all at stake. So why would Pulis risk all that, just so Alan Shearer can pat him on the back during every episode of Match of the Day for playing good football? Eddie Howe can take the plaudits; the Baggies boss will take survival instead.

As you can tell, I have no qualms with Pulis’ approach to the modern game, even if Klopp does and Liverpool favourite John Aldridge dubs it ‘anti-football’.

After all, the only thing the Baggies can be accused of is mastering the basics of an eleven-versus-eleven game, with defensive organisation, teamwork, expertly executed set pieces and opportunism in the final third. Everything West Brom did on Sunday was within the parameters of the FIFA rulebook and it’s not up to Pulis to make sure opponents can match the Baggies in those departments. In fact, quite the opposite.

In some ways, I feel the Black Country club is an easy target for Klopp. Chelsea played in almost exactly the same way in the second half of last season to secure a fourth Premier League title. Atletico Madrid’s philosophy under Diego Simeone isn’t too dissimilar – and that got them to moments away from winning the Champions League in 2014. They played better football in technical terms, but so would West Brom if they had the same calibre of player.

I don’t remember Klopp trying to discredit their accomplishments and if anti-football doesn’t deserve a handshake after ninety hard-fought minutes, what does that actually say about our beautiful game? That even the best players in the world aren’t good enough to stop two banks of four, relentless long-balls and well-timed corner routines, so we should treat sides who play like that as parasites until they stop?

If that’s the case, then maybe the game’s not so beautiful after all. Maybe Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo aren’t as talented as we all think. And if West Brom’s way of getting points is so inferiorly simplistic that Klopp can’t even acknowledge it, why aren’t Liverpool incorporating it into their game already?

Furthermore, clubs like West Brom and managers like Pulis are the lifeblood of the Premier League – the cornerstone that makes it the most competitive and popular top flight in world football. They’re the litmus test for the biggest teams and the counterweight against the growing obsession with Barcelona-inspired philosophies. Sure, you may have just spent more than the net worth of Namibia on a new No.10, but do you know how to mark properly at corners? In Liverpool’s case, evidently not.

No doubt, a league with twenty Tony Puli (if that is the correct plural noun) in charge of twenty West Broms would be a disaster – it is certainly true that the English game thrives on exciting attacking play and football is certainly a spectator-oriented sport. There must be some sort of balance.

But a league without Tony Pulis whatsoever would be equally dystopian, moving further away from the English DNA and towards a brand of football where the basics are forgotten. Instead of boasting very complete sides compiled of very complete players, who are offensive, defensive, physical, technical and tactical in almost equal measure, the Premier League would become something else, something less unique, simply importing ideas from foreign leagues in the same way it imports many of their biggest stars.

Pulis is the anchor making sure it doesn’t drift off on the wave of whatever happens to be the latest trend. Pulis is a reminder that you must earn your right to play in the Premier League and can’t simply expect to beat those lower than you in the table. As much as anything else, it’s the psychological effect results like Sunday’s have on the rest of the division, proving that anybody can indeed take points from anybody, that keep the unique Premier League mentality alive.

Of course, there are other ways of doing it. Bournemouth play a more exciting game and they’ve now claimed back-to-back wins against Chelsea and Manchester United, yet all three of their goals were still from set pieces – so why spend the rest of the 90 minutes defensively open just for the sake of it? Even Roberto Martinez, one of the Premier League’s champions of aesthetic play, describes football as a ‘game of errors’. Why not eliminate them in the manner Pulis does, if that’s all your budget can afford?

If Klopp believes Pulis’ methods don’t warrant a handshake, despite him spending all week on the training ground drilling his players on Liverpool’s weaknesses and despite West Brom running themselves into the ground for a single point away from home, which in itself says much about Pulis’ abilities to motivate, that’s his prerogative.

But if the Liverpool manager’s ‘gegenpressing’ philosophy can’t even overcome the basics of English football on display during every Sunday League match up and down the country, then perhaps it’s not as great as he thinks it is. And perhaps the Premier League is a much tougher nut to crack than he gives it credit for.

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Tottenham Hotspur are a team on the up, make no mistake about it. A couple of years ago, it was difficult to imagine the Gareth Bale-less Spurs that everyone is talking about now. But yes, it has happened… and they are a club that many English sides will be looking to as inspiration in the coming years.

First and foremost they are financially stable. A new stadium plan is being developed and in Mauricio Pochettino, they have of the most promising young mangers in the league.

I will always remember his first press conference, in which he came out and tried the English language for the first time. It took him a few months to get to grips with the slightly odd lingo here on the British Isles, let alone in deep London! But, that showed just how much of an effort he made to settle in, and it has shown on the pitch.

Tottenham seem a team that want to play for their manager. I can’t emphasise how important that is, especially for a club of Spurs’ calibre. We’ve seen it at Manchester United in recent weeks, at Newcastle when Alan Pardew was in charge – having a manager that is well supported by the majority of the fanbase is absolutely crucial. That working relationship between club and supporters is what keeps the wheels moving, especially when the club is going through difficult times.

And it’s clear to see that Pochettino is well liked by the Spurs faithful, and football fans alike.

But there is one thing the former Southampton man must do to further his strong relationship with the club’s fans, and that is keep hold of his club’s best players.

I don’t think it is too bold of a statement to suggest that in Dele Alli and Harry Kane, Tottenham have two of England’s brightest young stars. Only a year ago, Alli was on loan at MK Dons, whilst two years ago Kane was at Leicester City, boldly trying to stake a claim for a role at White Hart Lane.

It shows just how far these two players have come, and just how important they are to Spurs’ chances of cementing themselves as a top four outfit.

Young Delli All is what England have been missing since Steven Gerrard retired. He’s a box-to-box midfielder with a hint of aggression, who is capable of scoring goals. Spurs may well have been surprised by just how well he’s made the leap from the third tier. He has been ever-present in Pochettino’s side and is admired all over the world.

Kane needs no introduction – we all know how crucial he is to Spurs’ Champions League ambitions. Even when he doesn’t start he has an impact – he came off the bench to slot home a crucial penalty against Leicester in the FA Cup only last Sunday.

And it’s not just Spurs who are pinning their hopes on the youngster. It’s safe to say that Kane will be on the plane for the European Championships, when the whole of the nation will be praying for success in France.

Unsurprisingly, Kane is reportedly attracting interest from Real Madrid. There are very few strikers like him out there – ones that have a yard of pace, a terrific eye for goal and one with work rate that would rival any long-distance runner.

Keep hold of them Mauricio, at any cost.

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Hello internet! Welcome to another edition of Fantasy Premier League captain choices, in which we dwelve into which players could give managers a significant return in double points if handed the coveted armband.

But before we see our options, let’s look at last week’s choices and how they fared.

1. Sergio Aguero (11)

2. Diego Costa (0)

3. Riyad Mahrez (11)

4. Harry Kane (6)

5. Roberto Firmino (9)

It was a very good round for the main stars, with only Diego Costa missing out on points due to an injury he picked up during Chelsea’s win over Norwich in the previous mid-week game. Our first choice of Aguero could even had more, but the Argentine missed a penalty with a hattrick beckoning against Aston Villa. Mahrez continued his impeccable form this season with his 15th goal of the campaign, while Kane scores his customary goal in the North London Derby. Lastly, Firmino is starting to look like the real deal at Liverpool. The new Suarez?

Let’s look at our captain options this week!

Sergio Aguero

Most managers gave Sergio Aguero (13.6) the armband in Gameweek 29 and were awarded with a solid 11 points, but they would have been disappointed that Aguero didn’t get 17 with a hattrick.

However, the Argentina international has every opportunity to add to his tally once again when Manchester City travel to Carrow Road to face Norwich, with the Canaries conceding 12 goals in their last four home clashes.

City manager Manuel Pellegrini knows only a win will suffice in their ambition to catch league leaders Leicester City, and is expected to field a strong side despite having a Champions League game with Dynamo Kiev next week. Aguero is once again set to take centre stage.

Harry Kane

Tottenham Hotspur star Harry Kane (10.1) is the next option, with the Lilywhites travelling to Villa Park to face an out-of-sorts Aston Villa.

Before the start of the campaign, many were wondering whether Kane was a one-season wonder or the real deal, but now there is no argument after 17 goals so far this term. And he will be expected to add to that tally against Villa, who are bottom of the Premier League and have conceded a spectacular 15 goals in their last four games.

Spurs are chasing for the title and know they need to beat the league dwellers, but be vary of fatigue as Mauricio Pochettino’s men are playing Borussia Dortmund in the Europa League this Thursday.

Gylfi Sigurdsson

Once the Fantasy Premier League darling, Gylfi Sigurdsson (7.2) is once again a candidate for the armband following a brilliant 2016, in which he has scored six goals and supplied one assist in Swansea’s last ten fixtures.

The Iceland international seems to be rejuvenated since the appointment of Francesco Guidolin at the Swans helm, and will fancy his chances in an attempt to reach double-figure goals when they travel to Bournemouth on Saturday.

With both sides on fine form heading into the game, there could be goals on both ends and ‘Siggy’ should be involved in a few.

Marko Arnautovic

Marko Arnautovic (6.5) is the stand-out pick from Stoke City having scored nine goals and supplied four assists already this season, and his explosive hauls make him a potential yet differential candidate to hold the armband this weekend.

The Austrian will line up for the Potters against Southampton at the Britannia, with the Saints suffering a downturn in form after losses against Chelsea and Bournemouth while only managing to draw Sunderland. Ronald Koeman’s side also don’t have star defender Jose Fonte available, which will weaken their defence amid Arnautovic’s presence.

Can Arnautovic reach double figure goals against Southampton on Saturday?

Riyad Mahrez

The stand-out player of the season, Riyad Mahrez (7.3) is the first player this term to break the 200-point mark, which is insane considering there are still nine gameweeks left in the league. And Leicester City can continue their march towards a shock Premier League title if they beat Newcastle United at the King Power Stadium on Monday.

The Magpies are currently going through a managerial crisis and expect Steve McClaren to be sacked in the next few days, not the best time to visit the league’s best team with Riyad Mahrez in incredible form, scoring two goals and supplying four assists in his last seven games.

Newcastle also can’t defend at the moment, conceding 12 goals in their last five fixtures. Jamie Vardy (7.8) is also a decent option, but the striker has gone off the boil a bit.

Despite enjoying a pretty successful Premier League campaign, the upcoming summer transfer window will nonetheless arrive with unprecedented significance for West Ham, due to the club’s long-awaited move to London’s Olympic Stadium.

Several Ligue 1 goalscoring sensations have subsequently been heavily linked with a high profile move to the East End after Dimitri Payet’s successful transition to English top-flight, but as Barcelona’s Marc Bartra has also seen his name aligned with a possible switch to join Slaven Bilic’s squad this summer, perhaps the Hammers will look to cast their net as far reaching as possible.

So then, with Liverpool also keen on capturing the 25-year-old Spanish defender ahead of the new domestic season, would Bartra really represent a top-class summer acquisition for the Upton Park outfit?

Having grown up in the famed Barcelona academy, Bartra’s sheer technical prowess as a marauding centre-back obviously comes as very little surprise. The lofty Spanish defender has arguably modelled much of his overall game on that of current Barca teammate, Gerard Pique, yet whilst both players remain equally well-equipped in terms of all-round stature and general defensive presence, Bartra’s impressive pace has often been seen as superior to that of the former Manchester United man.

…And when it comes to reading the game effectively for the entire 90 minutes, making composed interceptions high up the pitch alongside the designated midfielders in the team, as well as displaying promising movement with the ball at his feet almost every single time he steps out onto the field, this is a player that rarely serves to disappoint.

Bartra may have, admittedly, failed to establish himself as a regular in the first choice Barcelona starting XI over the years, but as the subtly impressive 25-year-old remains in the prime stages of his career, there is ultimately no reason to suggest that this somewhat forgotten Nou Camp star can’t make a success of himself elsewhere next season.

But would West Ham really represent the ideal destination for all parties involved here? Despite Bartra’s admitted value in the current transfer climate, the answer to that particular case in point may well be – no.

James Collins has proven something of a revelation at the back for Bilic in 2015/16 after all, while the recently appointed Hammers boss also saw fit to draft in Angelo Ogbonna over the course of last summer. And as both Winston Reid and James Tomkins remain more than worthy of their respective roles within West Ham’s defensive line this season, the prospective signing of Barcelona’s Bartra seemingly makes little sense.

With each of Reece Oxford and Reece Burke likely to stake a well-deserved claim among the Hammers first choice starting XI in the not too distant future, it seems that for perhaps the first time in the club’s recent Premier League history, West Ham United actually look pretty well equipped in the centre-back department.

The services of Bartra are arguably of greater need down at Anfield right in the here and now. Although the 25-year-old Spaniard does admittedly seem to represent a promising target for most Premier League outfits to cast their watchful eye over this summer, West Ham should look to point their much-needed resources elsewhere due to the abundance of reliable centre-backs currently on offer at the club…

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Tim Howard says he decided to leave Goodison Park to boost his chances of appearing at the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

The 37-year-old, who already has 107 caps for the USA, is set to move to Major League Soccer this summer after announcing his departure last month.

After almost a decade on Merseyside following his 2007 move from Manchester United, Howard will join Colorado Rapids come the end of the Premier League season, and hopes the move will put him firmly on Jurgen Klinsmann’s radar when picking his squad for the upcoming tournament.

“It was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up.” As reported by The Sun (video below).

“It gives me an opportunity to be in the shop window before the next World Cup, and the excitement about being in Colorado and building something… people don’t care to hear that but that’s the most important thing for me.”

As well as loosing his number one place at Everton to Spaniard Joel Robles, Howard has also found himself as USA’s number two behind fellow Premier League goalkeeper Brad Guzan of late.

Guzan, recently relegated with Aston Villa, started for the USA ahead of Howard in the country’s recent 4-0 win over Guatemala during their 2018 qualifying group stage match.

However, manager Jurgen Klinsmann has left the door open as to who will be his side’s regular goalkeeper with the Copa America due to held in the United States this summer.

“Having a player like Tim back in our group is huge because of his experience. Is it more ideal if he [were starting for Everton]? Absolutely,” he said.

Meanwhile, The Sun claim Everton are keeping tabs on highly-rated Southend United goalkeeper Dan Bentley, who is seen as a potential replacement for the departing Howard.

Bentley, 22, is out of contract in the summer but could sign a new deal at Southend if the Shrimpers achieve promotion from League One this term.

Bournemouth, Norwich, Watford and West Brom are also reported to be interested in Bentley’s services.

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A new era is dawning once again at Elland Road. With the departure of Steve Evans from the dugout, another brave man will face walking the tightrope of management that is Leeds United.

Whoever Massimo Cellino decides to employ next will have a task on their hands to change the mentality of the once great club. As the Championship becomes stronger every year, Leeds are forced to look toward the bottom of the league than the summit.

However, a summer of signing astute, hard-working, talented players could re-ignite the flame that has seemingly been unlit at Elland Road for over a decade.

Here are the Five Players that Leeds can’t afford to miss out on this summer.

Liam Bridcutt

Bridcutt spent the last half of the season on-loan at Elland Road and impressed with his dogged displays in midfield, even earning a recall to the Scotland squad in March.

The 27-year-old is keen to signed a permanent deal with Leeds but other teams, including Reading, have also expressed their interest in the Sunderland midfielder.

Matty Taylor

The top scorer in League Two last season, Matty Taylor is fast making a name for himself as one of the most prolific strikers in the football league.

With Rovers’ boss Darrell Clarke still one of the favourites to take the hot seat at Elland Road, Taylor may be the ideal candidate to replace the outgoing Mirko Antenucci.

If Clarke does take the reigns, expect Taylor to follow his manager to Yorkshire.

Felipe Avenatti

A long term target that Cellini almost signed in the last summer, Avenatti looks set to generate interest from Leeds once again.

The 23-year-old Uruguayan, who plays for Serie B side Ternana Calcio, has had another impressive season in Italy and could well be the perfect man to help Leeds improve their Championship form.

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Tom Bradshaw

Another player who has impressed in the lower reaches of the football league, Tom Bradshaw has already been the subject of a £400,000 offer from Preston – an offer swiftly rejected by Walsall.

The 23-year-old’s goalscoring record for his current club is remarkable – the Welshman scoring a goal every two games. However, with an international cap and a fast growing reputation, it is thought that an offer nearer the £1m mark would have to be submitted in order for any discussions to take place.

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Greg Stewart

Plenty of reports have suggested that Leeds’ scouts have been watching Dundee forward Greg Stewart for a number of games this season. The relatively unknown striker has been attracting the interest of a number of Scottish Premier League and English Championship clubs over the last 12 months.

Stewart has been nominated for the SFA Players’ Player of the Year for two seasons in succession and is thought to be ready to take the next step in his career. While the 26-year-old may not be the big name signing the many at Elland Road would want, he has been one of the most consistent players in Scotland for a number of years.

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When Newcastle United were relegated at the end of last season, their supporters had every reason to be downbeat.

Not only were they resigned to the second tier of English football but they faced the reality of losing both their quality players and Rafa Benitez, who seemed like the only man to offer the Toon hope after a dismal season.

But with the Spaniard signing a new deal at St James’ Park, there is real cause for optimism going into next season.

Yet one thing that still needs to be sorted is Andros Townsend’s future, with the English winger thought to be a main part of Newcastle’s plans if they want to return to the top flight at the first attempt.

However, there’s been a bit of interest in his future, especially from the Premier League- which could prove tempting for a player of Townsend’s quality.

So with that in mind, here are FIVE teams who could make a move for Townsend this summer…

Liverpool

It’s no secret that Liverpool are looking for reinforcements this summer and Townsend could be the perfect fit.

Whilst he was unlucky to miss out on the England squad, the chance to play under the charismatic German could prove too tempting to pass up.

They will be pressing forward to try and get into the Champions League next season and Townsend could serve to be a big part of that.

Manchester City

Manchester City have an ageing squad and need to improve their ranks if they are to challenge next season.

The likes of Yaya Toure aren’t getting any younger and Townsend could be a massive asset on the wing, even if he is not in the starting XI week-after-week.

Stoke City

Stoke have been quietly getting on with their business for a number of years now and under Mark Hughes have brought an extremely competent squad capable of challenging for Europe.

It seems they’re only missing a couple of real quality players to achieve their goal and the addition of Townsend could give them that difference.

Everton

With Ronald Koeman now in the Goodison Park hot-seat and the Toffees having significant financial backing behind them, expect the Dutchman to add heavily to his new side this summer.

And one extremely strong option would be Townsend, who would give Everton a huge amount of pace on the wing.

With Romelu Lukaku now thought to be considering a stay due to Koeman’s arrival, the chance to play in an extremely talented Everton squad may prove too much to turn down for Townsend.

West Ham

West Ham is an extremely exciting place to be right now and with Payet and co. on fire at the Euros, this may be another fantastic club for Townsend to consider if they come in with an offer.

With the impending move to the Olympic Stadium not far away, this could be another persuasive tool used to ensure the Englishman joins the Hammers.