As reported by The Daily Mail, Brendan Rodgers is going to have a Celtic legend at the forefront of his mind when the Hoops do eventually win the Scottish Premiership this season.

What’s the story?

Celtic are busy preparing for a massive fixture at Tynecastle and could be crowned this season’s Scottish champions by 2:15pm this afternoon. Only a win will do against Hearts but given they’ve only drawn twice all season in domestic football, you’d make them red hot favourites to seal a sixth successive title today.

Rodgers is of course looking forward to the occasion and has opened up about what it means to him personally, especially when he thinks about one Celtic legend in particular.

As quoted by The Daily Mail, the Celtic boss said:

There will be many thoughts for many people and hopefully they can be proud of the work we have done. You think of the great man Tommy Burns, who never won a title here. I’ll think of the commitment he gave to Celtic and the privilege it is for me to lead the club when we actually do get over the line.

Rodgers worked with Tommy Burns in the late 1990s as a youth coach at Reading and the late Celtic great was a big influence on his career.

It’s a thought most Celtic fans will understand, many holding a deep attachment to Burns and his time at the Hoops as a player and manager. One of the most emotional Celtic occasions in recent memory was when they clinched the league title in 2008, shortly after Burns sadly passed away.

While success is ultimately the most important thing a manager can bring to the club, Rodgers’ inherent understanding of the club’s history and the mindset of the support is something that Hoops supporters will value highly.

Leeds United will hope to further cement their spot in the Championship play-off positions when they travel north to face Newcastle United at St James’ Park on Good Friday in what is a huge clash.

Garry Monk’s side bounced back from successive defeats away from home against Reading and Brentford to beat top six hopefuls Preston North End 3-0 at Elland Road last weekend, with Kemar Roofe, Pablo Hernandez and Souleymane Doukara all getting on the scoresheet.

However, the Whites have far from secured their place in the end of season lottery as they lie just five points above seventh-placed Fulham, and they know they must continue to pick up results in their final five league fixtures.

They come up against a Magpies side that are on the verge of securing an instant return to the Premier League despite losing 2-1 at Sheffield Wednesday last weekend, with Rafa Benitez’s men currently lying 10 points ahead of third-placed Huddersfield Town.

Here are three reasons Leeds will beat Newcastle on Good Friday…

They need it more

While Newcastle are 10 points clear of third-placed Huddersfield Town and on the verge of an instant return to the Premier League, Leeds’ situation is far less certain despite their 3-0 win against Preston North End at Elland Road last weekend.

The two successive defeats before that clash mean that they are now just five points ahead of seventh-placed Fulham, and they need to carry on picking up points if they are to end the campaign in the top six – starting at St James’ Park on Good Friday.

Newcastle’s home form

While Rafa Benitez’s men have picked up eight points more than any other Championship side on the road, their form at St James’ Park is only the sixth best in the division.

The Magpies have lost five out of their 20 home league matches this term – including against Leeds’ top six rivals Sheffield Wednesday and Fulham – and Garry Monk will look for his side to take advantage of that record, and perhaps try and frustrate the home fans in the opening stages.

Dwight is a doubt

Gayle has been one of Newcastle’s key players this season, and Leeds fans will remember his brace in the Magpies’ 2-0 win at Elland Road earlier in the campaign.

The striker has scored 22 goals in the Championship this term, but is a doubt for the visit of Garry Monk’s side after picking up a hamstring problem in the 2-1 defeat to Sheffield Wednesday last weekend.

It is news that will be a big boost for the visitors, with Daryl Murphy or Aleksandar Mitrovic likely to step in.

Do you agree, Leeds fans? Let us know below.

With around seven games of the Premier League season still to play (some teams have more and some have fewer thanks to the quirks of scheduling), it seems like a fairly odd time to be handing out awards.

If Chelsea collapse in the final few weeks, what will we make of Antonio Conte and his men then? And what would we think if Sunderland or Middlesbrough managed to do the impossible and beat the drop? Miracles probably won’t happen – which miracles were likely before they happened? – and that seems to be the only reason that the nominees for PFA Player and Young Player of the Year awards are announced quite so early.

In any event, the six who have been nominated for Young Player of the Year have already had fabulous seasons up until this point, and that cannot be taken away from them no matter what happens. The list contains a wide-ranging mix of positions and talents from clubs at varying ranking across the table, too.

It’s an interesting list, to say the least, and here are the stats behind each of the nominees.

Dele Alli

Last season’s revelation is one of this season’s stars. Perhaps unlucky not to be nominated for the main award this year, Alli has weighed into his team’s unlikely title challenge with 16 goals and five assists in an incredibly productive campaign from midfield. And that could see him win back-to-back Young Player of the Year awards, becoming the first player since Wayne Rooney to achieve that feat.

If he keeps progressing as he has been over the past few seasons, you get the feeling that, one day very soon, Alli will be winning the big boys’ award.

Harry Kane

Like his Spurs teammate Dele Alli, Harry Kane has also been able to keep his level high over the last few seasons, when many thought it would dip.

This year, in just 22 Premier League starts, Kane has scored 19 goals and managed four assists – a sensational scoring return for a player who has had more than one injury lay-off this season. Getting back into your stride after spending a few weeks on the treatment table isn’t easy, but Kane’s ability to pick up exactly where he left off is astonishing. As is his goal tally.

Michael Keane

What a year it’s been for Michael Keane: he’s had his first England caps, all but ensured his unfancied Burnley side will remain in the Premier League for next season, and now he’s bagged himself a nomination for the PFA Young Player of the Year award, too.

In a solid 4-4-2, Keane has excelled himself this season as Burnley have turned their home ground, Turf Moor, into a fortress. The England international’s contribution in terms of clearances and blocks is impressive enough, but he has also made no errors leading to goals this season, something many other, more accomplished defenders can’t say this year.

Romelu Lukaku

Like Harry Kane, Romelu Lukaku is another man who has found himself nominated for both the Young Player of the Year award and the main prize, too.

It’s not that difficult to see why, though. He has scored 23 goals and made six assists this season for a team who were struggling just before Christmas, but who have come back strongly in the second half of the season as they look to qualify for Europe.

Jordan Pickford

Perhaps the biggest surprise pick in the Young Player of the Year nominations, Pickford is probably the only bright spot in Sunderland’s dismal season.

The young English goalkeeper has kept many scorelines respectable for the Black Cats this season, and although he’ll have been demoralised the number of the goals he’s conceded, he can hold his head high.

If (when) Sunderland go down this season, he’ll surely find himself another Premier League club willing if not eager to snap him up, though. His future – more than most of his teammates – is in his own hands.

Leroy Sane

After a tough start to life in Manchester, Leroy Sane was given his chance by manager Pep Guardiola. And the Catalan won’t regret it.

Sane’s four goals and one assist in the Premier League this season don’t tell the whole story, unfortunately. He terrorises defences with his pace and dribbling ability, giving City’s star-studded team an outlet in behind the opposition’s defence.

More to the point, though, those qualities scare defenders, making sure that coming up against Sane isn’t just a physical task, it’s also a mental one.

When David Gold and David Sullivan purchased the Hammers in January 2010 it was made immediately clear that they weren’t just intent on saving the club from impending financial meltdown; they wanted to give the club a new opportunity to grow, a fresh and promising start under far more capable owners.

West Ham had previously endured years of mediocrity and, at times, uncertainty. The glory years of the 60s and 70s were just a distant memory as they went in to most seasons simply accepting that staying in the top-flight would be a success, the addition of a decent cup run merely acting as a bonus.

The club had seemingly entered something of a mediocre existence, content with simply being average enough to survive with the country’s elite without being overly worried about suffering serious decline.

But that all seemed to change in 2006 when Terry Brown, who had already been criticised heavily from a large percentage of the fanbase for financial and staff mismanagement, sold the club for £85m to an Icelandic consortium.

What happened next was almost catastrophic for West Ham as the Icelandic financial crisis between 2008 and 2012 subsequently threatened the club’s very existence.

So while Terry Brown had overseen the sale of many of the club’s exciting young players in a way of making money, the very people he sold the club to were now overseeing something that had far greater consequences than just the mass sale of talented wonderkids.

So Gold and Sullivan’s arrival was met with relief from large portions of the West Ham fanbase who had simply had enough of seeing their club being run like a circus. That may be a cliche that’s overused in modern day football but it’s one that absolutely sums up the Icelandics’ reign before them.

While the club threw £80,000k-a-week wages at the likes of Kieren Dyer and spent club record fees on unknown players such as Savio Nsereko, it failed to make that money back through success on the pitch. Hence why David Sullivan admitted in his first press conference that “it makes no commercial sense to buy this club.”

He and Gold had decided to go against their business sense and buy the club as fans, to save the club from inevitable financial ruin. They had decided they were to be the ringleaders from that moment onwards, with the sole focus of closing the circus down for good.

Fast forward seven-and-a-half years, though, and that circus appears to still be up and running.

One relegation, a hugely controversial move to a state-funded athletics stadium, the sale of a historic football stadium, a rebranded crest, very public transfer chatter and, of course, a teenage son hell-bent on revealing all of the club’s inside goings on via social media are just a handful of what West Ham fans have had to put up with under the Gold and Sullivan era so far.

That’s not to say they haven’t necessarily been successful – on the face of it they have – but to any neutral it will have made for entertaining viewing.

Last year West Ham made that controversial move from the Boleyn Ground, their spiritual home for 122 years, to the iconic Olympic Stadium in Stratford.

Billed as the platform for the club to reach the next level, it still had fans torn as to whether it was what they truly wanted and the rest of the country outraged at the extremely generous deal the club had negotiated as its new tenants.

West Ham’s final season at the Boleyn Ground was a real success as new manager Slaven Bilic came to within four points of guiding the club to it’s first ever top four finish in the Premier League era, a club record points tally and, perhaps most famously, a dramatic 3-2 victory over Manchester United at the final ever game at the Boleyn Ground.

On the very night, a year ago to this very day, emotions were high through east London. The club’s most successful season since the days of Harry Redknapp in the mid-to-late 90s had ended with optimism and while fans spent their last moments in Upton Park savouring it’s sights, smells and memories, a new and exciting era was expectedly on the horizon.

That was backed up by club captain, and fellow West Ham fan, Mark Noble, who addressed the fans one last time in their place of worship.

He said all the right things as presenter Ben Shephard probed his emotions with the skill and expertise only an experienced TV presenter will do.

Phrases like “this is a family, it ain’t a football club” and “that is the best atmosphere I’ve ever played in my life by far” were received with applause and acknowledgement, but there is one thing Noble did say that night that will have haunted West Ham fans over the 12 months since…

The midfielder’s praise for Gold and Sullivan that night currently looks a little premature, though at the time most fans will have agreed with him.

Since then, though, West Ham’s journey to the next level has not been plain sailing, nor has it been managed particularly well by the club’s owners.

The very public pursuit of Lyon’s Alexandre Lacazette, Marseille’s Michy Batshuayi and AC Milan’s Carlos Bacca last summer were intended to be the club’s way of showing the world that they meant business. A new 60,000 capacity stadium and a top four challenge the previous season had only served to grow the club’s ambition, yet all it did was show the rest of the world how not to conduct transfer business.

A second consecutive Europe League exit in the qualifiers to Romanian side FC Astra Giurgiu and just one win from their opening seven Premier League games in 16/17 backed that up. Suddenly, West Ham’s circus was getting more attention than it wanted. Demand for tickets will have been high had the sight of Bilic’s side getting thrashed at London Stadium by the likes of Watford and Southampton been nothing more than painful to watch.

The stadium move, the very thing the club had sold to the supporters as the beginning of a new and exciting era for the club, had also become a laughing stock. Fans fighting each other, fans fighting stewards and all of it being posted on social media had only added to the neutral’s entertainment.

The club had become the subject of nationwide ridicule almost overnight and it could have all been avoided had West Ham’s board spent a little more time planning it down to the finest details instead of constantly telling the world that Charlie Austin had no knees or that they were prepared to spend £30m on a striker live on national radio. All of that, though, is another article for another day.

Gold and Sullivan wanted to be West Ham’s ringmasters and over the last 12 months they’ve done it with perfection. The players have been the comedic performers, Slaven Bilic the sad looking Elephant that gets walked around the circus on a lead while everyone points and laughs, the fans the ones paying way too much money to watch something that can only be described as rubbish and unentertaining.

However, It would be unfair to dismiss the fact that many of the club’s serious issues over the last 12 months are now a thing of the past. The teething problems that come with migrating to a new stadium have now calmed down and West Ham’s win over Tottenham on Friday night not only showed the rest of the country that they’re only capable of winning at London Stadium but the fans are also beginning to embrace their new home.

But Mark Noble’s comments 12 months ago and the aftermath that followed them will forever serve as a reminder to West Ham fans that, while there may be life after the Boleyn Ground, the circus will always be open.

It’s just moved two miles down the road to Stratford.

Celtic are three games away from going the entire season undefeated domestically, a phenomenal achievement for the Scottish champions and Brendan Rodgers during his first year at the Parkhead club.

But with the title already wrapped up and lifting the Scottish Cup a seeming inevitability, attentions are already being turned towards the summer transfer window, when Rodgers will look to bring in signings that can make his side more competitive in Europe.

Last week, one potential recruit was mooted by The Telegraph in Sunderland’s Fabio Borini, a hardworking and versatile forward who worked under Rodgers during a somewhat underwhelming spell at Liverpool.

With that in mind, we asked Celtic fans whether they’d back a summer swoop for the £6million-rated Italian but according to our poll, a whopping 67% would be against such a transfer deal.

In some ways, that’s not so surprising. Borini has made a minimal impact on Sunderland’s bid to stave off relegation this season, scoring just twice in 23 Premier League outings.

It’s more than likely he’ll leave the Stadium of Light this summer, but Celtic fans would clearly prefer to see the 26-year-old end up somewhere else.

Manchester United are celebrating the first anniversary of the appointment of manager Jose Mourinho at Old Trafford, and it has been quite the year.Since arriving, the Portuguese has broken club and world transfer records to bring back fan favourite Paul Pogba, as well as adding three other top talents in Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Eric Bailly.Having got off to a inspiring start in the Premier League things seemed to fall apart quickly before, having lost at Chelsea, the Red Devils went on a sensational unbeaten run, within which they lifted Mourinho’s first major trophy as manager winning the EFL Cup against Southampton.Whilst the former Real Madrid and Chelsea boss could not break the top four, winning the Europa League means that they will be back at Europe’s top table in the Champions League next season and are set for anther hugely exciting summer of business in preparation.The Special One has struck a chord with the United fans, who are all too happy to hail their boss on the anniversary…

@ManUtd the special 1

— ISH

According to reports on the Daily Mail, new Leeds United manager Thomas Christiansen is lining up a summer move for Omonia Nicosia striker Matt Derbyshire, although he could face competition from Greek giants Panathinaikos.

What’s the word, then?

Well, Christiansen was keen on signing the former Birmingham City and Blackburn Rovers man during his previous spell with Apoel Nicosia, but a deal proved difficult because of the rivalry between the two clubs.

Now he has been appointed at Elland Road, the Spaniard could resurrect his interest in the 31-year-old, who enjoyed a prolific campaign in Cyprus, as he looks to strengthen his squad for a promotion push next season.

How well did Derbyshire do last season?

He was very impressive.

The former England Under-21 international picked up the Golden Boot after scoring 24 league goals, while he netted 27 in just 41 appearances in all competitions.

Would he be a good signing for Leeds United?

He could well be, yes.

The Yorkshire outfit will be keen to keep hold of top goalscorer Chris Wood – who netted 30 goals in all competitions last season – but Christiansen will certainly look to bring in a player to take some of the pressure off of the New Zealand international, who is currently representing his country at the Confederations Cup.

Derbyshire scored 17 goals in two seasons in the Championship with Rotherham United before moving to Cyprus, and he should get goals at this level.

Would he be a starter?

It’s difficult to say and it really depends on the system that Christiansen intends to use.

Last season, Garry Monk’s preferred formation used just the one striker which saw Chris Wood up top on his own, and if the 25-year-old stays at the club there is no doubt that he will be first choice next term.

That would surely see Derbyshire start from the substitutes’ bench, but a system with two strikers would see him start alongside Wood.

What’s the verdict, then?

Well, it seems likely that Derbyshire will be on the move this summer and while an offer from Panathinaikos could be too good to turn down, a return to English football could be the 31-year-old’s preference – especially with a big club like Leeds United.

Aligned with Premier League rivals Chelsea and Manchester United, Everton will likely need to sign a replacement for star striker Romelu Lukaku before the summer transfer window slams shut.

Having netted 25 times in the Premier League last season, the Belgian powerhouse will leave some almighty boots to fill at Goodison Park, but The Sun suggest Everton reckon Celtic sensation Moussa Dembele is more than up to the challenge.

During his first season at Parkhead, the 20-year-old Frenchman netted 32 goals across all competitions, including three strikes in the Champions League’s Group Stages.

Having been signed for a miserly compensation fee last summer, TransferMarkt value the former Fulham youngster at just £4.25million – but The Sun believe Everton are ready to offer a club-record sum to seal a switch to Merseyside.

With that in mind, we asked Everton fans earlier this week whether Dembele is deserving of a club record transfer fee and according to our poll, the majority of Toffees followers – 78% – reckon he’s worth the investment.

Has Ronald Koeman unearthed his perfect Lukaku replacement? Let us know by commenting below…

Dominic Solanke was the star man of England’s U20 World Cup triumph earlier this summer, scoring four goals en route to being named the best player at the tournament.

Prior to the competition it was announced the English forward was leaving Chelsea upon the expiration of his contract to join Premier League rivals Liverpool.

The 19-year old had been frozen out of Antonio Conte’s plans after rejecting a contract extension, citing the lack of an opportunity to break into the first team as his main reason for leaving. The same player that just won the U20 World Cup’s Golden Ball, previously won by world class players like Sergio Aguero, Paul Pogba and Lionel Messi, was forced out because he couldn’t break into the Chelsea team, and it’s a move that will likely do wonders for his career.

And more Chelsea youngsters should follow his shining example.

No academy player has become a consistent starter at Stamford Bridge since 1998 debutant John Terry, whose contract expired this summer after a glorious Chelsea career. And it’s often not the player’s fault, but Chelsea’s.

Bertrand Traore signed for Lyon on 27 June after spending last season on loan at Europa League runners-up Ajax. The Burkina Faso international made 16 appearances and scored four times in Chelsea’s poor 2015-16 season, but the 21-year-old forward was one of the few positives from the campaign. He looked like a real Premier League player and was poised to be Diego Costa’s main backup last season until Chelsea spent £33m on 23-year old Michy Batshuayi.

Speaking of why he made the move to France, Traore said that everyone saw what he had done two seasons ago and the good pre-season he had last summer, but that a starting role for Chelsea was never going to come no matter what he did. And that speaks volumes.

Top Premier League clubs constantly speak of wanting to integrate youth players into the first team, but they often do the opposite and spend big money on foreign players, making the gap between academy and first-team even wider.

Nathaniel Chalobah surprised fans by making it into Antonio Conte’s first team this season and made 15 appearances. But despite Nemanja Matic potentially leaving, Monaco’s Timemoue Bakayoko is expected to complete a move to Stamford Bridge, giving Chalobah no chance at any more playing time this season.

At 22, Chalobah needs to leave for his own sake. The same can be said for 21-year old Brazilian Kenedy, blocked by Marcos Alonso and potentially Alex Sandro, for 22-year-old Nathan Aké, blocked by Conte’s lack of rotation and the potential purchase of Virgil Van Dijk, and 21-year old Ruben Loftus-Cheek, the postition-less 21-year-old who is blocked across the board.

And that’s just the most notable examples.

The Chelsea youth sides have won the FA Youth Cup four seasons in a row, so there is obvious talent. The London club knows how to develop talent, surely, but not integrate it, and that is a disservice to the youth players who deserve so much more. And that is why more need to leave Chelsea, permanently, once they believe they are ready for first-team football.

A youth player becoming a mainstay in the Chelsea first-team is a lie that rears its head every season. Should Dominic Solanke thrive under Jurgen Klopp, who is known to trust young players, then an exodus of Chelsea youth players could begin. Young players need to play and they need some form of stability.

A permanent move, as opposed to a series of loans, is what every young Blues star should be angling for. And they shouldn’t feel bad for not giving themselves a chance to make it at Chelsea, because the club sure isn’t giving them the chance.

Manchester United forward Romelu Lukaku has vowed to hit the goal trail for his new club after opening his account against MLS outfit Real Salt Lake on Monday night.

Lukaku joined Man United in a £75m deal from Everton in this summer’s transfer window, and immediately linked up with his new teammates on their pre-season tour of the United States after completing a medical in Los Angeles.

The 24-year-old drew a blank on his debut against Los Angeles Galaxy at the weekend, but the Belgian international fired home his team’s second in their 2-1 win over Real Salt Lake last time out.

Lukaku is under no illusions as to his role this season, however, as the powerful forward promises to ‘be the focal point of the team’ when the new season gets underway next month.

Lukaku told MUTV:

“I’m here to score goals and be the focal point of the team. At Manchester United, we play to win and that’s the mentality when I get on the pitch and everything comes with it.

“From the first day, when we had the meeting with the manager in Los Angeles, you just felt that something special was happening. But it’s down to us now; we need to work hard every day and deliver in the pre-season games to be ready for the new season.”

Man United will continue their USA tour with a clash against rivals Manchester City on Thursday night, before facing La Liga giants Real Madrid and Barcelona in quick succession.

The Red Devils will then return to Europe to take on Valerenga and Sampdoria respectively, before facing Champions League holders Real Madrid in the European Super Cup on August 8.

The new Premier League campaign will then get underway on the weekend of August 12, with Manchester United hosting London side West Ham United on the Sunday.