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Danny Wilson , at just 19-years-old has already displayed a great deal of ability and has the potential to go on and be a top defender if he’s managed right. It’s finding the youngster regular game-time that may prove difficult for Kenny Dalglish and Liverpool . In total Danny has racked up eight appearances for the Reds, yet he’s found his opportunities extremely limited lately.

So far this season he has made just the one appearance, back in August. He’s just not getting the opportunity to prove himself. Jamie Carragher may be growing in years and Agger may be perpetually injured, yet the 19-year-old doesn’t seem to be any closer to first team football. Most Liverpool fans recognise the need for an experienced defender to join the club this January and don’t see Danny as the answer to their centre-back problem.

His lack of game time this season even saw him dropped from the senior Scotland squad for this month’s Euro 2012 qualifiers. Danny himself is just itching to play:

“There’s nothing worse than not being able to go out on the pitch on a Saturday and play, but I need to just keep my head down and hopefully I’ll either get some game time at Liverpool or get the chance to go somewhere else and try and prove myself.”

Given that chances at Liverpool are extremely limited the only way Wilson can prove himself is with a move to another team. Yet in his few appearances for the club he has shown Liverpool that he has genuine ability and for this reason Liverpool wont want to let him go on a permanent basis.

The best move for both player and club is this surely for Danny to go out on loan. It’s my personal hope that he joins a top Championship side (in the same way that Jonjo Shelvey was recently loaned out to Blackpool). If Wilson went to a club like Middlesbrough or Southampton who are performing well it would represent a chance for him to build confidence. I don’t think it’d help to have him at a club that is struggling to pick up results.

Young players don’t always have the mental strength of experienced older heads. So why not send Danny out on loan where he can develop a winning mentality? Either way I hope that he gets the move he needs to further a promising career.

Article courtesy of Harry Cloke from This is Futbol

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Win tickets to Legends Lounge to see the titanic clash at Anfield

Napoli manager Walter Mazzarri has asked his players to narrow their focus as the Serie A season heads toward a thrilling finale.The Naples club slipped from second to third on the table following a 3-0 loss at AC Milan on Monday, and they now trail the league leaders by six points.With second-placed Inter Milan just a point away and Lazio, Udinese and Roma all pushing for a Champions League place, Mazzarri is wary of his squad becoming distracted.”We should only be focused on ourselves and continue to play in the championship as we have done so far,” Mazzarri said.”There is no use in looking at the others.””Mathematics confirms also that teams such as Roma and Juventus can achieve higher positions in the league depending on the results on the pitch.””Events affect the results, therefore anything can happen.”Next up for Napoli is a visit from lowly Brescia, who are mired in a relegation battle after taking just 24 points from 27 fixtures so far this term.But Mazzari has warned of the challenge facing his team on Sunday, and every matchday until the season has concluded.”I totally respect Brescia – they have great skills and players such as (Alessandro) Diamanti and (Andrea) Caracciolo,” he said.”The defenders are also very good, such as (Jonathan) Zebina, and their coaching staff is very good.””It shows the high level that Serie A has reached since there isn’t the gap between the bigger and smaller teams.””I already know it will be tough and I’d like the people to get prepared for it. The matches are going to be difficult, even home matches.””There will be moments when we won’t be able to play as we may want to do since the other teams will stop us from doing so.””We’ll have to suffer, but we should all find the best way in order to win as many matches as possible out of the 11 matches from here until the end of the season.”

Palermo president Maurizio Zamparini has claimed that Tottenham Hotspur have launched a massive double bid to sign Denmark defender Simon Kjaer and Uruguay forward Edinson Cavani.

Twenty-one-year-old centre-back Kjaer was part of the Danish squad that failed to reach the knockout stages at the World Cup finals at South Africa.

He has also been linked with a number of top clubs across Europe, having denied rumours of a move to Bayern Munich in recent times.

Cavani, 23, is on the wanted list of German club Wolfsburg, but Spurs may be about to win the race for both players.

Zamparini told the Italian press:"The interest from Tottenham in Kjaer and Cavani is real.

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"Negotiations are ongoing, but the full price to sell both players will be around 35million euros. If the deal they guarantee us is satisfying, then we will accept."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email

A massive weight was lifted off Owen Coyle’s shoulders after Bolton won for the first time since the opening day of the season beating Wigan 3-1 at the DW Stadium.

The Trotters have lost six on the trot and started the game at the foot of the table with chairman Phil Gartside telling Coyle he has four games to save his job. However Gartside has been sympathetic to man residing in the Reebok dugout having seen his side play both Manchester clubs, Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal in their opening seven games. The 6-0 thrashing at the hands of Chelsea a fortnight ago caused some grumbles in the stands and a win against the Latics was imperative. Coyle’s men responded superbly with summer signings Nigel Reo-Coker, David N’Gog and Chris Eagles all opening their account for the club. Mohammed Diame had brought the home side level in the first period before another collapse saw them succumb to a fifth defeat on the spin.

Roberto Martinez’s side have failed to build on a positive opening to the season and find themselves in familiar surrounds stuck in the bottom three. Individual mistakes cost them dear despite dominating for long periods of the game with the return of Hugo Rodallega providing a boost despite his inability to find the net. It was the visitors who started the better of the two sides and took the lead with only four minutes on the clock through Reo Coker. The former Aston Villa midfielder darted in front of Gary Caldwell and flung himself at Eagles’ whipped cross to turn the ball home. That sparked Martinez’s men into life and the dominated the game until Diame brought the contest level five minutes before half time. A patient build up saw the midfielder pick up possession just outside the penalty area before striking a wonderful effort into the top corner past Jussi Jaaskelainen.

They undid all their good work though as Bolton regained their lead two minutes into first half stoppage time with David N’Gog scoring for the first time since his move from Liverpool. Kevin Davies punished some sloppy play by Steve Gohouri nicking the ball off the defender before finding N’Gog in the box with the Frenchman shifting the ball onto his left and cooly finishing past Ali Al Habsi. Martinez made an instant change at half time bringing Rodallega on at half time and Colombian gave Wigan a much needed presence up front. His link up play with Franco Di Santo was threatening whilst Victor Moses’ pace down the flanks caused Bolton numerous problems down the flank. Despite that they just couldn’t find the elusive second equaliser and had Al Habsi to thank for giving them a fighting chance of claiming a point as he saved Davies late penalty. Dedryck Boyata, who had earlier missed a glorious headed chance, was pushed by Caldwell in the area causing referee Mike Dean to point to the spot.

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Fortunately Al Habsi was able to keep Davies casual penalty out and give the hosts hope of snatching a point. But it wasn’t to be as Eagles struck Bolton’s third in injury time to give his side a much needed lift and move them out of the relegation zone and into 17th with Wigan remaining rooted two places below.

With ever year that passes at Old Trafford, there is a nagging sense that something has to give. As Sir Alex Ferguson’s class of 1992 one by one clear their lockers for the last time, the end of one era draws inexorably closer and the challenge of building for a new one becomes more and more a pressing concern.

The retirement of Gary Neville, formally confirmed to the football community last week, was another landmark on the ever shortening runway that is Manchester United’s link with its glorious past.

The longevity and professionalism of the remaining stalwarts of that United youth team, Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs, tricks the mind into suggesting that the era of red success can be forever safeguarded by these two ageless icons.

In truth, this is another transitional season for Ferguson, almost certainly his final effort at leaving his squad in strong shape before he departs Manchester and is carried out on his shield. Previous plans have been modified, particularly by Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez’s exits from the Old Trafford dressing room eighteen months ago, the horrendous knee injuries befalling Owen Hargreaves and the difficulty in establishing a successor to Edwin van der Sar.

Despite all of this, a weakened United squad took the league title race to the final day of last season and look set to win the Premiership crown again for the third year in four this time around. There will be no illusions however that the 2011 squad so much as laces the boots of some of its predecessors.

Ferguson has been a tad fortunate this season that United’s early season profligacy was not punished on the domestic scene, however the definition of future successes may well lie in the club’s efforts in Europe, an area that a strong squad is a pre-requisite in.

This is where United may well find themselves falling short. I am not sure, with the squad the Red Devils currently have, that the team is capable of playing at a higher level than the one they have currently scaled. Fans will argue that as of yet Ferguson’s men have not needed to show any more than the quality that led to them going nearly a year without defeat in the league, however there will be challenges in the months ahead on a European front, that will require more than has been in evidence thus far.

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Change in top flight football happens quickly, however the uniqueness of the situation that United find themselves, is that this transitional squad has more than enough to claim the leading domestic prizes. As Chelsea have discovered this season, however, resting on tenuously awarded laurels can and will cause problems – not all Premier League title races are created equal.

Ferguson’s biggest decisions surround the handling of several players to have made a key contribution to previous title triumphs. The retirement of Gary Neville was a case of a player jumping as he was pushed, but the phasing out of Giggs, Scholes and Rio Ferdinand is one of Ferguson’s biggest challenges. The effect the Wayne Rooney saga has had on the Scotsman’s transfer dealings will be fascinating.

Ferdinand has not been the reliable presence he once was, injuries ruling the captain out of several games across the course of the season, his most telling contributions appearing to come from his Twitter account. With the former Leeds and West Ham man increasingly concentrating on outside enterprises, Ferguson has taken the chance to blood Chris Smalling at the heart of defence, and in general the recruit from Fulham has done well. There are no ready made replacements for either Giggs or Scholes, and whilst both players find their weekly contributions over-hyped in the media, it is the gargantuan experience and guidance that the pair bring to the dressing room which will be missed most.

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The medium and long-term outlook for the current squad is difficult to gauge. Several players find themselves out of contract in the summer, a number of which looked destined to start the new season elsewhere. Michael Owen’s hopes of regaining the sharpness that once won him the Ballon D’or have proven futile. Owen Hargreaves cannot possibly be offered a new deal in the summer after not playing a full game in two and a half years and another experienced head, Wes Brown, is facing up to life away from Old Trafford after another year of stunted progress.

The club have been able to call on increasingly impressive performances from the once maligned Dimitar Berbatov and Nani, as the team have made their serene journey to the top of the Premier League table. As spring turns to summer, the key transfer decisions will be some of the most crucial in Ferguson’s tenure at Manchester United.

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Robbie Blake appears to have played his last game for Burnley after turning down the offer of a new contract to remain at Turf Moor.

Blake, 34, rejected a new one-year deal with the option for a further 12 months following talks with Clarets boss Brian Laws on Wednesday.

The forward has made more than 250 appearances during two spells at Turf Moor but now looks set to leave on a free transfer.

"Obviously I am disappointed that Robbie has turned down what we consider to be a very reasonable deal for a 34-year old," Laws told the club's official website.

"The offer is a 12-month deal with a further one-year option, but Robbie wanted two years and we just couldn't go down that road.

"We included the extended deal should Robbie play 20 games next season and I feel a fit Robbie would have easily achieved that.

"So naturally I am disappointed, but I would like to thank Robbie for all his magnificent service for the club.

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"I know he is a firm fans' favourite and he is rightly considered a legend here, who will never be forgotten.

"But I have told Robbie and his agent that we have left the door open and if he has a change of mind I would be more than happy to talk."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email

Manchester United defender Patrice Evra feels that despite his side’s 3-1 win over Chelsea on Sunday and unbeaten start to the season, they can and must improve.

The France international was not happy with the manner of the Old Trafford team’s victory over Andre Villas Boas’ men at the weekend, and believes they can play better.

“Maybe I am being hard on myself but it is the first time we didn’t control the game,” he told Sky Sports.

“We have five wins. Yes, it is a good start but I always want more. I hope we control the next game against Stoke.

“We shouldn’t rush things. That is why we gave the ball away too easily. That is why I am not so happy. We won a big game. We have scored three times against Chelsea. There are a lot of positive things.

“But when they scored the early goal in the second half I thought ‘we have to be strong to make sure Chelsea don’t come back and maybe even win 4-3’. If we want to win the league we will have to perform better than this,” he concluded.

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Sitting top of the standings, United take on Stoke at the Britannia on Saturday and will look to continue their perfect record so far.

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Roman Pavlyuchenko has issued an ultimatum to Harry Redknapp, saying that if he does not start more games he will ask to leave the club. He said, “I am tired of being treated like this. Now, until the summer transfer window, if nothing changes, I am going to demand to be sold.” Adding, “It is not the money I am after. I want to play football.”

You can see why the Russian is frustrated, he has scored more goals than Peter Crouch and Jermain Defoe put together this season, and not played as long as either of them. Last year he found himself in a similar position, being 4th choice striker behind Robbie Keane, as well as the current pairing. But while many people are easily swayed by Pavlyuchenko’s seemingly romantic desire to simply ‘play football’; I am a bit more sceptical.

He is no stranger from rhetoric, having played a successful part in political campaigns in Russia. He has acted as a deputy for Vladimir Putin’s “United Russia” party. In his home town of Stavropol, Pavlyuchenko secured more than enough votes to be elected onto the regional council.

The line; ‘It is not the money I am after’ is so obvious. We can’t fall for it that easily, especially when he will never have to worry about money. He gets paid more in a week than an average man would get paid in a year.

The truth is that he has always been a big fish in a small pond, and he can’t handle being a smaller fish. With his youthful looks and blonde hair it is easy to see why he has previously been the ‘it’ boy. He was ‘golden’ in his six years at Spartak Moscow, and when he joined Tottenham his affectionate mother, Lyubov Pavlyuchenko, said, “He didn’t want to go to England or leave Russia.”

Now don’t get me wrong, I am not just being a cynic. I am a huge believer in wanting to play football first, and receive the ridiculous rewards, second. But this desire should surely be mirrored by an attitude on the pitch?

Pav’s problem is that he has not proved himself as reliable. Yes, he scores goals, but not enough to convince Redknapp he is better than those above him. He takes them well when they arise, but does not do enough when these chances don’t crop up.

Some of his goals have been top class, but he all too often looks lazy. Redknapp said that his best from came last year after being told to “just f******g run around”. He is definitely talented but has not produced the goods when he been in the starting XI. His best performances have come from the bench.

When the going gets tough, you have to stay and fight for it, not just give up. If anyone has seen Pavlyuchenko play, it is tough to argue that he is not lazy. If he carries out his decision to quit White Hart Lane, it will mirror his attitude on the pitch, a bit like a spoiled child.

In his interview, Pavlyuchenko said, “it is absolutely inconceivable why Redknapp keeps me on the bench.” It might be frustrating Roman, but it is by no means ‘absolutely inconceivable’.

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And when he said, “sometimes I have a feeling that Redknapp jeers at me,” he is begging for a response such as, ‘grow up Pav, this is business, nothing personal’. Sport is just that. It seems to me that Roman has been wrapped up in cotton wool his whole life.

So, Harry may not have treated him particularly well, but why should he? He is not baby-sitting, he is a football manager. Pavlyuchenko, as much as I appreciate his sentiments about placing football over money, has often felt sorry for himself while at White Hart Lane, and I think yet again, he has over-reacted.

One of the country’s most experienced and decorated footballers, Frank Lampard accepted football could learn from Olympic values.

Speaking in the build up to England’s friendly against Italy, the Chelsea midfielder claimed some aspects of the Olympic spirit could be transferred over to England’s national sport.

The 34 year old commented, “When you hear the athletes speak after winning or losing they are very humble people. We can take that on board. I’m not picking on individuals it’s a group thing.” (Mirror)

Footballers could hardly be perceived any worse currently in Britain. In the past month both John Terry and Rio Ferdinand, two of the biggest names in the sport, have been charged by the FA, due to racial allegations.

Meanwhile Olympians such as Mo Farah and Jessica Ennis won the hearts and minds of the nation. Lampard isn’t naive regarding the very different emotions the two sports evoke; “I enjoyed going to the Olympics and feeling that atmosphere but in football, we’re all born with our allegiances, it’s almost a religion to the people who watch it.”

The 90 cap England veteran, also cited the do or die nature of the way the sport is reported and viewed by fans, describing attitudes as “tribal.”

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Joe Cole to Lille? Owen Hargreaves to City? Madness, and it’s not even transfer deadline day yet.

If there was a sentence I didn’t expect to hear was: ‘Owen Hargreaves in line for City move.’

And it’s news like this that sum up everything I hate about City.

Don’t get me wrong, they play some sensational football and have a squad of players that, I fully predict, will push Premier League champions Manchester United all the way in this season’s title race. But their never ending campaign to buy players like they’re playing a game of Football Manager simply ruins everything I love about the sport.

Despite being strongly linked with a move to West Bromwich Albion, Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa – sensible career opportunities – the former Manchester United midfielder has moved to City; how did that happen?

Why do clubs buy players they simply do not need?  Mancini will have to work out how to fit Hargreaves into a team that already boasts a wealth of midfielders.

Gareth Barry, Adam Johnson, Nigel de Jong, James Milner, David Silva, Yaya Toure and Shaun Wright-Phillips – that’s not to mention City’s £25 million summer signing, Samir Nasri.

The only logic I can find in acquiring Hargreaves is the inevitable call up of Yaya Toure to the African Cup of Nations, but let’s not forget we’re talking about a player who made just 26 starts following his £20.2m move from Bayern Munich in July 2007. Do City not have any youth they can call upon?

Hargreaves, a pretty sound bench-warmer to say the least – but City have a few of those already.

So many players have made the ‘dream move’ to City only to fall by the wayside, failing to make an impact and a hand-full of appearances.

Craig Bellamy, Roque Santa Cruz, Emmanuel Adebayor, even Carlos Tevez, all fantastic players, but players that can’t get a game at City and are either frustrated or have moved on.

I appreciate the need for strength in depth and fully admire Manchester City’s ability to attract such big name players, but I fail to see the desire to need or want a player that has had an injury mired career, a player that has not played in two years, a player they simply do not need.

Doubts over Hargreaves fitness have been rife ever since his move to Manchester United. But any recent doubts appear to have been quashed with a series of YouTube videos aimed at proving the midfielders fitness.

City can afford Hargreaves to get injured and not play; if he’s fit I guess that is a bonus to them and it’s perhaps this that annoys me most.

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Manchester United fans may feel a little let down by a player they held such admiration for and a player they stood by for so many years while he recovered from a number of injuries. For them a move across to the blue side of Manchester is the ultimate insult. But, we are talking about a player that offered to play for free this season – United turned down his offer.

City can’t seem to stop buying players. In August 2010 they spent in excess of £130 million strengthening their midfield and have spent £70 million this summer bolstering their side.

The ‘can’t beat them, join them’ mentality lives strong at City and Hargreaves is just the latest addition.

Follow me on twitter: @iamdanmorris

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