Papiss Cisse struck twice in Newcastle United’s superb 2-1 win over league leaders Chelsea on Saturday. The Senegalese international’s two goals took his season tally to seven from nine games.

Cisse’s form this term is a far cry to what we saw last campaign. The 29-year-old only managed a mere two Premier League goals, a tally he has already tripled this season. The striker has become Alan Pardew’s saviour – as his goals have relieved the pressure off his boss and have helped Newcastle go from the relegation zone to 7th in no time.

The Magpies saw off Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea on Saturday, who were unbeaten going into the game. Cisse came on as a 53rd minute substitution for the ineffective Remy Cabella and he took just four minutes to find the net. An inviting cross from Sammy Ameobi was smartly met by Cisse – to surprisingly put the Magpies a goal up. Then after withstanding severe pressure from the Blues, Cisse added the second – when the ball fortuitously found its way to him from Moussa Sissoko’s scuffed effort – for the goal-poacher to tap in. Newcastle survived Steven Taylor’s red card and a late Didier Drogba header to become the first team to beat Mourinho’s side this season.

Newcastle’s number nine has been the real catalyst for their recent turnaround. After making his first Premier League appearance of this campaign in late September the Magpies, and indeed Cisse, have never looked back since. Pardew’s side were 2-0 down at home to Steve Bruce’s Hull City when Papiss Cisse was thrown into the action with 20 minutes to go. He quickly justified his managers decision with a goal – four minutes after his arrival. With the game fizzling out to what looked like being another Newcastle defeat, Cisse struck again to seal an unlikely point.

Cisse didn’t stop there, though. He scored another brace in the 2-2 away draw with Swansea City a fortnight later. Then he played a part in Newcastle’s wins over Leicester City, Liverpool and Queens Park Rangers. He then hit the equaliser against Burnley last Tuesday, before his super sub appearance on Saturday capped a remarkable two months for Cisse.

Ironically, the Senegalese looked to be on his way out of St James’s Park last January. The dispute with Newcastle United’s shirt sponsor Wonga – and his noticeable poor form – led to rumours of a move away from Tyneside. But his performances this season should put to bed any suggestions of the 29-year-old leaving the Toon.

Cisse’s patchy form over the last few years has been a mystery to everyone. On his day he can look like one of the worlds most deadliest finishers – but on another day he can’t hit a barn door. Four goals in 27 league and cup appearances last season is a poor ratio for any striker at any level.

But Cisse had already proved what he was capable of since his £9m move from German side Freiburg in January 2012. The striker had previously hit 13 goals in 14 Premier League games in his first season with the club – before only adding eight in the following campaign.

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Since his time in England, Cisse has proved he can score all types of goals. But he has also shown signs of inconsistency and lengthy goal-droughts. The Toon Army will be hoping their main man can stay fit – keep his form up and fire the goals in for St James’ Park faithful.

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With all the hype surrounding Radamel Falcao’s arrival at Manchester United in the summer, has the Colombian been given a fair opportunity at Manchester United this season?

Louis Van Gaal left Falcao out of the home defeat against Southampton, with young striker James Wilson taking Falcao’s place in the match day squad, and the Colombian reportedly storming out of Old Trafford as a result.

If these reports are true, a disgruntled striker earning £265,000 a week hanging around the club will only spell trouble for the manager. Van Gaal explained his decision to leave Falcao out of the squad due to there not being enough space for a second striker, despite the inclusion of James Wilson.

Clearly there is something going on at Old Trafford that has left fans of the club unaware of why exactly Falcao was not included in the squad to play against Southampton. The manager may have further doubts surrounding the striker’s match fitness despite a run of games in the side. He could have left the striker out as a matter of precaution, but the decision is a strange one seeing as United were up against a Southampton side who are arguably top four contenders this season.

There seems to be the feeling that Falcao’s situation could go either way. He could be selected for the next Premier League game away to Queens Park Rangers or his short Manchester United career so far could be brought to a premature end. If the rumours of Falcao storming out are true, then there may not be a route back into the side for the Colombian and he may be determined to get out of the club himself. Van Gaal’s decision to leave him out completely is an odd one seeing as the striker has one of the finest goalscoring pedigrees in world football. United also failed to register a single shot on target against the Saints, so Falcao’s omission appears even more peculiar.

Although Falcao has not hit red-hot scoring form for United so far this season, his three strikes in a United shirt should not be overlooked. The Red Devils have gained four points thanks to the former AS Monoco forward’s goals. He scored the winner against Everton at Old Trafford in May whilst also scoring United’s only goals in draws to Aston Villa and Stoke City.  These are not goals being scored when United are three or four goals up so Falcao has already proved that he has the ability to become a valuable asset for Van Gaal’s side.

This is why the forward may feel very hard done by. Usually, he is seen as the star man where teams play to his strengths. It is quite peculiar that Van Gaal does not share the same need to mould a team around the Colombian, as there is no doubt that the striker will score a lot of goals if he is given the opportunity. Falcao has also made it no secret that he wishes to stay at the club, so being left out of an entire squad for an important game is going to lead to the striker doubting whether he has a long term future at United.

The ankle injury sustained by Robin van Persie against Southampton could also spell trouble for Manchester United if it turns out to be serious. The Dutchman is due to have a scan to see the extent of the damage, meaning Van Gaal may need to turn to a disgruntled Falcao if van Persie is out injured for a while.

Van Gaal needs to realise that he has a world-class striker at his disposal instead of solely relying on Robin van Persie, who isn’t getting any younger. Whether there is a hidden agenda behind Falcao’s omission remains to be seen.

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From a fan’s view, however, it looked like the wrong decision and it is one that could potentially backfire for Van Gaal, who has now taken an identical amount of Premier League points as David Moyes did after 21 Premier League games last season.

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How times change! This time last year Marouane Fellaini was coming to the end of a hugely difficult debut season at Manchester United and looked set to be booted out of Old Trafford.

But in the 12 months that’s followed, the Belgian has reasserted his dominance over United’s midfield and in the process has scored some very important goals for his club.

Fellaini joined United in the summer transfer window last year for a fee of £27.5million in what turned out to be the only signing for the Red Devils. Last season, Fellaini only made 16 appearances without scoring and, according to the Daily Mail, the 27-year-old has confessed that he felt the media had made him a scapegoat for United’s failings under David Moyes.

Understandably, when United went from current Premier League champions to a squad that were putting in disappointing performances and ultimately finished seventh, supporters and the media were going to find people to blame. Those people were Moyes, who lost his job, and Fellaini who was labelled a waste of money.

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After impressing for five seasons while playing under David Moyes at Everton, many speculated that it was perhaps an injury and lack of confidence that was causing the player’s form to dip, and therefore less being less effective for his new club. Now, 18 months since his arrival, Fellaini seems to have regained his previous self-belief and is back to being his typically aggressive self, which is reflected in his more positive performances recently.

Fellaini uses both his strength and tall 6ft 4in frame to his advantage, easily able to overpower the opposition off the ball and winning headers particularly in the box. He can be very dangerous from corners and set-pieces, which he has proven numerous times this season.

At first it seemed that manager Louis van Gaal did not see Fellaini as part of his regular starting XI, but due to several injuries the midfielder got his chance to prove he does in fact deserve his place. Now with only eight games of the season left, Fellaini has found himself starting in big games, such as United’s 3-0 win against Tottenham, in which he scored their opening goal, and their 2-1 victory over long time rivals Liverpool last weekend.

Although he’s used to playing as a midfielder through-out most of his career, Van Gaal has been using him in a more advanced role and this seems to suit the player to a tee. When United need a player to power through or get on the end of a long ball then Fellaini is the man they call on.

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As United enter the international break sitting comfortably in fourth and only two points adrift of second place, the club seem to be on their way to delivering on their promise of Champions League football next season. So despite his tough first year, if Marouane Fellaini can continue bullying the opposition and scoring important goals, then the Old Trafford faithful will forgive his dodgy first 12 months and Fellaini should be a Red Devil for some time to come.

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I’ve heard Arsene Wenger make some pretty audacious claims before, such as ‘a returning player is like a new signing’ and ‘once Aaron Ramsey starts scoring, he’ll never stop’, but Arsenal winning this season’s Champions League title? I’m sorry Wenger – and Gunners fans – it’s just not going to happen.

There’s a pattern to the Champions League that doesn’t really get talked about. In the last 17 years, since the gigantic fiscal influence of the tournament first began cementing the position of the world’s top clubs with a seeming permanence, only Chelsea, Liverpool, Porto and Inter Milan have been able to break up the continent’s oligopoly; AC Milan, Barcelona, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Manchester United.

Excluding the former and, more recently, the latter, they make the last eight every year without fail and usually the last four, so with Bayern, Barca and Real Madrid still firmly in the mix and all enjoying relatively good health this season, history suggests club football’s most coveted prize will once again go to one of them.

That may seem presumptuous and admittedly, Arsenal are one of the clubs just outside that bracket – a Porto of 2004, a Liverpool of 2005, a Borussia Dortmund of 2013 – that, on paper at least, have enough quality to conquer the Champions League’s higher powers.

Yet, the north Londoners haven’t surpassed the first knock-out round since 2011 and reached the semi-finals just twice throughout their entire involvement in the Champions League, spanning back to 1999, and there’s an obvious reason for that; compared to Chelsea, Porto or Liverpool, hard-working, well-organised, tactically-adept, pragmatic sides, the Gunners just aren’t purpose-built for European double-leggers.

Recent improvements against the Premier League’s big-boys, a bitter-fought, surprisingly disciplined and industrious 2-0 away with at Manchester City in January and a 2-2 draw at Anfield in December, for example, might initially suggest otherwise.

But after 17 years under Arsene Wenger, Arsenal’s intrinsic weaknesses are inescapable and well-discussed throughout the continent. Sir Alex Ferguson devoted two whole chapters in his autobiography to the formula of beating Arsenal – congesting the midfield before exploiting the gaps between their full-backs and centre-halves on the counter – and Jose Mourinho’s had their number since 2004, so if the best, and on occasion, the worst, of the Premier League know how to unhinge the Gunners over the course of ninety minutes, Europe’s elite, further aided by two legs to heap humiliation, certainly do.

Arsenal’s Champions League results from earlier in the season say it all; a 2-0 defeat to a Borussia Dortmund side currently fighting for their lives at the bottom of the Bundesliga table and a 3-3 draw, in which they originally held a three-goal lead, to Anderlecht at home. That shock result against the Belgian outfit gave a worrying insight into the naive, arrogant mentality of the Arsenal squad, and although there’s been a renewed sense of balance to their play in recent weeks, the sparing inclusions of overlooked academy product Francis Coquelin is hardly enough to counteract nearly two decades’ worth of self-destructively expansive football that’s ingrained into this Gunners side.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m certain Arsenal will stroll their way past an exceptionally ordinary Monaco outfit this evening and again in Mid-January, breaking their three-year curse of failing to advance to the quarter-finals.

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Combined with the Emirates outfit’s annual habit of coming into form just in time for the business end of their campaign however, I’m concerned it will lead to sensationalised interpretations of where Arsenal are really at right now – and Wenger’s latest declaration of winning the tournament certainly doesn’t help. Few, if any, of the Gunners players would get into Europe’s top sides – in fact, their two leading talents, Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil, are essential rejects of Barcelona and Real Madrid respectively.

There’s often an element of luck involved in the Champions League and prior experience tells us that the best side don’t always win. But fortune in Europe favours those with the resilience, tenacity, patience and organisation to overcome the gulfs in quality. Unfortunately, those are all characteristics Arsenal currently lack.

Everton youngster Ross Barkley enjoyed a terrific campaign last season and became an instrumental part of the side that narrowly missed out on Champions League qualification. Dubbed as England’s next big thing, there was plenty of hype surrounding the 21-year-old after some assured displays where he was a potent attacking threat scoring some brilliant goals. He looked destined for a very bright future.

Fast forward a year and things aren’t going quite as well for the England midfielder, who along with his team has struggled for form this season. Having failed to hold down a regular starting place in Roberto Martinez’s starting XI, he has scored just twice in 28 appearances. The Toffees have endured an extremely disappointing league campaign and find themselves down in 13th position, closer to the bottom three than the top four.

But despite a lacklustre season at Goodison Park, Barkley continues to be linked with a move away from Merseyside with reports connecting him to both Chelsea and Manchester City in a deal that could be worth a staggering £50million.

How much substance there is to these reports remains to be seen, but you feel if a sizeable bid of this sort of value came in during the summer both the club and player would find it hard to resist.

Yet despite the obvious attraction of a potential move to one of the giants of Premier League football with the prospect of league titles and Champions League football, at this stage in his career Barkley would be making a big mistake.

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At just 21, he still has plenty to do in order to develop into the world class talent that he could become one day. And at this moment in time he has at the best club possible in order to achieve this.

He just needs to look at the numerous examples of players that have shown bags of potential before moves to the likes Chelsea and Manchester City, where they then found their career going backwards as they sat on the bench week in week out. Kevin De Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku, Scott Sinclair, Jack Rodwell…the list goes on.

It’s hard to see Barkley being able to force himself into the starting 11 of Chelsea or City for next season, and so when he could be playing regular for his current side, he would be watching from the sidelines at a crucial point in his career.

For now he should ignore any speculation of interest from elsewhere, as hard as it may be. Most importantly he needs to rediscover the form and confidence that he displayed in abundance last season and keep his head down and continue to work hard and improve at a club that will give him the opportunity to do so.

Providing he can do this, there’s no doubt he will get his move to one of the league’s top clubs. But he has to do this when the time is right and he’s performing on a consistent basis.

Quotes from the man himself this week have revealed Barkley feels his best position is as a striker, despite playing the majority of his career in an attacking midfield role. The youngster feels this is where he can have his greatest impact with the freedom to roam around, take players on, have shots and create chances. And having seen Barkley excel in these areas last season you can certainly see where he is coming from.

In light of these quotes, Martinez now has the perfect opportunity to help him realise Everton is where he needs to be to spend the next few seasons playing football. The Spaniard should give Barkley the role in the side he is craving and give him the opportunity to form a partnership with Lukaku in attack. The manager should build his side around the promising duo, giving Barkley the freedom to do what he does best and hopefully this well help Everton challenge for European qualification once again next season.

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By showing faith in Barkley in this way, it would surely help restore his confidence that has clearly been lacking at times this season, and we would then see the best of him on a weekly basis. Playing for his boyhood club in his favourite position regularly would certainly make him happy and allow for the necessary development and experience that he needs to reach the highest level.

However tempting it may be to move on, Barkley has to stay at Everton for at least another season and probably more. It’s the best thing for him in the long run and would be most beneficial to him and his football. Were he to complete a transfer in the coming months, he is in real danger of damaging his career before it has really got going.

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From the highs of 2013/14, Liverpool’s much-anticipated last campaign was one of disappointment. The loss of Luis Suarez last summer was a major blow, and even the £100m+ spend on the back of that deal garnered very little in the way of success. Big money arrivals flopped, Brendan Rodgers fell under pressure and the Champions League adventure ended before Christmas – not to mention the sixth-placed finish!

First up in 2015/26 Liverpool will get a chance to avenge that 6-1 final day drubbing with a trip to face Stoke City at the Britannia Stadium, which is sure to be a match Rodgers is pumped up for after the embarrassment suffered last time out.

Bournemouth, Arsenal and West Ham are then opponents, but the trip to Old Trafford to face Manchester United on September 12 appears to be a big one. Louis van Gaal’s men limped over the line into fourth at Liverpool’s expense last term, and with the Red Devils having claimed six points from the two teams’ meetings, revenge is sure to be on the agenda.

The first fixture of October throws up Merseyside derby bragging rights. A trip across Goodison Park is hardly ever a guarantee of points, but the Reds’ impressive record in recent local fixtures is encouraging.

The return clash against Manchester United comes straight after a home tie against Arsenal in the middle of January, which could be two games that have a major say on what’s at stake over the closing months of the campaign. Wins may tee up a top four, maybe even title challenge, while losses may burst the bubble.

Spurs at home in April, again, looks like it could have a big impact on the final table, with the two sides traditional rivals in the table – last time out Mario Balotelli’s on league goal of the season settled matters at Anfield.

August

8 – Stoke City (A)

15 – Bournemouth (H)

22 – Arsenal (A)

29 – West Ham United (H)

September

12 – Manchester United (A)

19 – Norwich City (H)

26 – Aston Villa (H)

October

3 – Everton (A)

17 – Tottenham Hotspur (A)

24 – Southampton (H)

31 – Chelsea (A)

November

7 – Crystal Palace (H)

21 – Manchester City (A)

28 – Swansea City (H)

December

5 – Newcastle United (A)

12 – West Bromwich Albion (H)

19 – Watford (A)

26 – Leicester City (H)

28 – Sunderland (A)

January

2 – West Ham United (A)

12 – Arsenal (H)

16 – Manchester United (H)

23 – Norwich City (A)

February

2 – Leicester City (A)

6 – Sunderland (H)

13 – Aston Villa (A)

27 – Everton (H)

March

1 – Manchester City (H)

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5 – Crystal Palace (A)

12 – Chelsea (H)

19 – Southampton (A)

April

2 – Tottenham Hotspur (H)

9 – Stoke City (H)

16 – Bournemouth (A)

23 – Newcastle United (H)

30 – Swansea City (A)

May

7 – Watford (H)

15 – West Bromwich Albion (A)

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Earlier this week, Inter Milan agreed a £25million deal for Monaco midfielder Geoffery Kondogbia, as confirmed by BBC Sport, which should be of huge disappointment to Arsenal fans.

The Gunners midfield is calling out for a physical, defensive presence and the 6 foot 2 France international seemed like the perfect candidate through his strength, height and positional awareness.

Adding physicality to the engine room should still be one of Arsene Wenger’s leading priorities in the transfer market this summer, however, with it’s current lack of seemingly one of the biggest differences between the north London outfit and Premier League title holders Chelsea.

So being the ever-helpful bunch we are at Football Fancast, we’ve listed the FIVE midfielders the Emirates gaffer MUST target during the transfer window if the Gunners are to claim the English crown in the coming campaign.

Would signing one of these FIVE bring Arsenal closer to claiming next season’s Premier League title?

MORGAN SCHNIEDERLIN

He’s the go-to suggestion with good reason; through his mixture of height, strength, defensive awareness and consistency on the ball, Southampton’s Morgan Schneiderlin seems like the perfect remedy to Arsenal’s deficiencies in midfield.

And with the exception of Chelsea’s Nemanja Matic, there hasn’t been a more consistent enforcer in the Premier League over the last three campaigns, with the France international amassing a rather incredible 274 tackles and 270 interceptions in 95 top flight outings. That equates to 5.7 ball-winning actions per match.

The 6 foot 2 former Strasburg youngster is also tidy in possession, however, this term averaging the most passes per match – with a completion rate of 89% – of any player in the Southampton squad, suggesting he won’t look too out of place in a Gunners midfield that passes teams to death on a regular basis.

After almost forcing his way out of St. Mary’s last summer, Schneiderlin is near-certain to leave the south coast in the current transfer window. The Saints allegedly value him at £25million – but according to The Daily Mail, Arsene Wenger is reluctant to pay up.

WILLIAM CARVALHO

Arsenal have already launched a £28.5million bid for William Carvalho according to The Sun and it’s not hard to see why.

The Portugal international is rated as one of the most promising holding midfielders in Europe, measuring in at 6 foot 2, weighing in excess of 14 stone and famed for his simple-yet-effective playbreaking style.

The Sporting Lisbon star was a pivotal performer as the Portugal U21’s recorded a 1-0 victory over the Junior Lions at the European Championship last week and he’s clearly well above that level. He impressed in the Champions League earlier this season too, averaging 2.2 tackles, 1.8 interceptions and 1.8 successful aerial duels per match from six outings.

In terms of physicality, he represents exactly what the Gunners currently lack at the base of midfield. But if there’s one notable criticism, it’s that the 23 year-old limited technical ability could see him struggle in a Gunners side enthused by a tiki-taka philosophy.

Grzegorz Krychowiak

Grzegorz Krychowiak is already a notable fixture on the Arsenal radar with Arsene Wenger allegedly viewing him as a cheaper alternative to Morgan Schneiderlin.

The Poland international has been in sensational form since joining Sevilla from Reims via a €4.5million deal last summer, going on to average 3.3 tackles, 3 interceptions, 2.1 clearances and 3.4 successful aerial duels per match in La Liga in addition to helping Los Rojiblancos claim a second consecutive Europa League title.

He’s an old-fashioned screener – almost a third centre-back in front of the back four through his defensive qualities and physicality – and should plug up those gaps on the counter-attack that continually plagued Arsenal at the start of last season.

Krychowiak’s untested in the Premier League and the Champions League, but the rapidity in which the 25 year-old has upped his game for Sevilla suggests he could well adapt to the standards at Arsenal with relative ease.

His release clause is reported to stand at £23.5million.

Arturo Vidal

Due to the sudden rise of Francis Coquelin, the physical addition to Arsenal’s engine room doesn’t necessarily have to be a holding player. Juventus star Arturo Vidal – a classic goalscoring box-to-box – would also add some much-needed athleticism to the north London outfit’s midfield.

He’s emerged as one of the most complete centre-mids in world football since joining the Old Lady from Bayer Leverkusen in summer 2011, boasting power, pace, goals and that uniquely South American blend of trickery and tenacity.

Last season he bagged seven goals and four assists in 28 Serie A appearances whilst averaging 3.1 tackles per match and the Chile international has brought that form to the Copa America – barring his drink-driving scandal – claiming three strikes in three outings.

After winning four consecutive Serie A titles with Juve and reaching the 2015 Champions League final, the 28 year-old might be ready for a new challenge ahead of next season. Incidentally, he’s now into the final two terms of his Turin contract.

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Earlier this month, however, club director Giuseppe Marotta claimed he expects Real Madrid to launch a bid for the former Colo-Colo youngster.

JAVI MARTINEZ

I’ve argued it before and I will do so again; Javi Martinez is a potential signing who could change everything for Arsenal, propelling them back to the promised land of regular Premier League titles.

That might seem a little overzealous but the Bayern Munich enforcer represents everything they lack in the middle of the park through his 6 foot 3 frame, bullish style and defensive qualities so almighty he’s often filled in at centre-back for both club and country.

Furthermore, the 26 year-old blessed with all the technical ability you’d expect from a Spain international plying his trade in a Pep Guardiola side – so in my opinion, there’s no doubt he can adapt to Arsenal’s definitive style of play.

Arsenal attempted to prize him away from the Allianz Arena last summer, according to The Telegraph, but they could find better luck in the current transfer window.

After all, Martinez has spent the majority of last season out injured and the Bavarians hardly struggled in his absence – in fact, they signed Mehdi Benatia and Xabi Alonso last summer precisely to fill his void.

Highly-rated throughout world football, however, Bayern could still command top dollar for the former Athletic Bilbao star.

The January transfer window is upon us and for Brendan Rodgers’ Celtic, it’s a chance to refresh an already talented squad with some new talent, while also shipping out a few players surplus to requirement.

While the Hoops may not be quite hitting the heights of last term, they’re still in a dominant position in Scottish football and have plenty of resources to improve even further after banking another season’s worth of UEFA Champions League cash.

However, Brendan Rodgers has spoken at length previously about his desire not to have too bloated a squad and so moving on players currently not getting a game will be seen as just as important before January comes to a close.

Who should the Hoops be saying goodbye to this month?

These are the THREE players who don’t have a future at Celtic Park…

Erik Sviatchenko

Erik Sviatchenko initially looked like a smashing signing for the Hoops, when he joined from FC Midtjylland in January 2016. Initially one of the few decent performers in the second half of Ronny Deila’s last season, he was also a firm fixture in the Celtic side when Brendan Rodgers arrived at the club.

For the past 12 months though he’s struggled not just with injuries but also form when available and has made just two appearances for the Hoops all season.

Having been fit to play for a number of weeks now without being selected, there seems to be little scope for him to return to the starting eleven and become a reliable defender and so moving him on seems like the best option for all concerned.

Still just 26 years old and with caps for Denmark, he’d likely have some resale value, which could be the difference between Celtic signing a quality player and not before the end of the transfer window.

Cristian Gamboa

Cristian Gamboa is another player in Brendan Rodgers’ squad that has made just two appearances this season and appears to be struggling to find a future at Celtic Park.

The Costa Rican international has never been a first pick at the Hoops, with the experienced and popular Mikael Lustig holding down his first team place consistently, even through patches of a poor form.

He’s only made 23 appearances in total since joining from West Brom in 2016 and with 18 months left of his contract, now would be the right time to realise any transfer value in the player.

Rodgers has cover for Lustig in the form of youngster Anthony Ralston and arguably needs to bring in another right-back to compete for first team places. Gamboa isn’t and will likely never be that player.

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Liam Henderson

Liam Henderson has had an interesting career to this point, winning trophies with three clubs in two countries despite being still just 21 years of age.

However, his career has stalled at Celtic, failing to make a single start for Brendan Rodgers this season and appearing just once from the substitute’s bench.

A talented and packed Hoops midfield has meant the youngster has been frozen out of regular football and a once promising player at Celtic Park now looks like having to move elsewhere to reach his potential. There are five or six players ahead of him in the pecking order and he’s shown little sign of breaking that pack.

There is undoubtedly talent there, but perhaps not at the level Celtic require.

Everton boss Sam Allardyce has revealed that Wayne Rooney will be available for Saturday’s Premier League clash with Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium.

Rooney has missed Everton’s last two matches against Chelsea and West Bromwich Albion through illness, and had been seen as a doubt for the trip to Bournemouth.

Allardyce, however, has revealed that his leading scorer is back with the squad.

Rooney re-joined Everton from Manchester United during the summer, and the 32-year-old, who is rated at £13.5m by transfermarkt.co.uk, has scored 10 Premier League goals for the Toffees during the 2017-18 campaign.

The former England captain scored once and provided one assist in his last league appearance against Swansea City, and will be part of an Everton team that travels to Bournemouth before welcoming Man United to Goodison Park on New Year’s Day.

Allardyce told reporters:

“Wayne is back from illness. He has been stuck in bed for three days. Any quality player who gets fit and returns is a big boost.”

Allardyce also revealed that Yannick Bolasie would be available for the Bournemouth match, while James McCarthy is back in training following a long period on the sidelines.

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Despite the fierceness of football rivalry, fans from opposing clubs can only appreciate the talent that is Tottenham Hotspur star Harry Kane.

The England international had a stellar 2017 by ending the calendar year as Europe’s leading scorer.

For club and country, the 24-year-old netted 56 goals, which was more than Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi and Real Madrid hero Cristiano Ronaldo – the pair have 10 Ballon d’Or trophies between them.

Kane has carried his form into 2018 as he has already smashed a Tottenham record, despite the year being just 14 days old.

The striker broke Teddy Sheringham’s Premier League record of 97 goals by scoring twice in Spurs’ 4-0 rout over Everton at Wembley on Saturday night.

The forward’s scintillating form has resulted in the widespread media linking him with moves to other clubs, including Manchester United.

Jose Mourinho’s side currently have Romelu Lukaku as their first-choice striker, but the Belgian has been struggling for consistency of late.

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After witnessing Kane’s performance for Tottenham on Saturday, some United fans called for the club to make a move.

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