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Everton winger Aaron Lennon was on the scoresheet for the Toffees in their 3-0 pre-season victory against FC Twente on Wednesday, and it was a huge boost for the player and the Merseyside club after a tough few months.

The 30-year-old was detained under the Mental Health Act by the police in May due to concerns about his welfare and it was unclear at first how long Lennon would be receiving care and treatment for.

However, he reported for the first day of pre-season training earlier this month and is already staking his claim to be involved in the first team ahead of the new campaign by finding the net against the Dutch side in midweek.

While the wide-man has found first team opportunities hard to come by at Goodison Park in recent seasons, he may well be given more chances to make a real impact this term.

Here are three reasons Lennon could have a big part to play for Everton this season…

Quality

Lennon has always provided defenders with a problem because of his pace and dribbling ability, and while it may have just been a pre-season friendly, we saw glimpses of that old form when the 30-year-old found the back of the net.

The winger left a couple of FC Twente defenders trailing in his wake before cutting in and finding the far corner with a low shot.

If the wide-man can continue to have that threat throughout the rest of the pre-season preparations, he will be giving Koeman something to think about.

Lack of wide options

While he only made 13 appearances in all competitions last season – although he missed the final few months of the campaign because of the off-the-field issues – Lennon could be in with a shot of featuring far more than that this term.

Unless they are planning to play new boy Sandro Ramirez out wide, Koeman only has Kevin Mirallas and youngsters Ademola Lookman and Dominic Calvert-Lewin as wingers to pick from, and it should mean that the 30-year-old is given his fair share of opportunities unless things change.

Europa League

If Everton come through their Europa League qualifiers and reach the group stages, their fixture list will become more congested and that can only be a good thing for Lennon.

With Koeman’s men also looking to make progress in the Premier League following a seventh-place finish last season, there is likely to be plenty of rotation between the Thursday to Sunday Europa League and top flight matches and the 30-year-old should get a lot more minutes on the pitch as a result.

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

According to Calciomercarto, Manchester United have joined the race to sign 20-year-old Brazilian sensation Richarlison.

What’s the Story?

Manchester United have sent scouts to watch young Brazilian striker Richalison, with a view to a transfer. However, AC Milan are also thought to be interested in a player who impressed many with his performances for Fluminese last season.

Roma are also reportedly interested in the 20-year-old and had a bid for the player turned down earlier this year. It is thought that Richarlison’s parent club are looking for around £17.8million for one of their star talents.

Who is Richarlison?

The 20-year-old Brazilian is fast gaining a reputation in his homeland as one of the best young players in the Brasileirao. Richarlison moved to Fluminese in January 2016 for around £2million and has since then, worked his way into first team contention at one of the most successful clubs in Brazilian football.

Last season, Richarlison featured in 17 games for Fluminese, scoring six goals. Predominantly utilised on the left-wing, the 20-year-old has fantastic pace and dribbling ability, akin to his famous compatriot Neymar. And while Richarlison is nowhere near the aforementioned Barcelona star in terms of talent, he is a promising star who no doubt be plying his trade in Europe soon.

Would Richarlison be a good signing for Manchester United?

Young, skilful, talented, hard-working – Richarlison has everything required to become a succesful signing for Manchester United on paper. However, would the 20-year-old fare well with the pressures of playing for such a huge club?

Manchester United continued their excellent start to the season with their second 4-0 English Premier League thrashing in an as many weeks.

This time it was Swansea City who were their victims, on the Swans’ own patch too, powerless to stop the Jose Mourinho juggernaut from rolling right over them.

The Red Devils had to settle with just the one goal before the last 10 minutes of the game after Eric Bailly gave them a half-time lead.

Romelu Lukaku, Paul Pogba and Anthony Martial then destroyed the Swans with a three goal blitz in just four minutes, thrilling Man United fans across the world.

It was the second week in succession that Martial has come off the bench to score a goal and fans are now clamouring for him to get a more regular start in Mourinho’s starting eleven.

Supporters took to Twitter to share their thoughts on his excellent impact on Saturday…

Chelsea are likely to be the busiest of the Premier League’s top clubs this week as the transfer deadline draws ever-nearer.

Antonio Conte has started the season with a lightweight squad, albeit boasting some fantastic talents, and that will cost the Blues boss dearly once Champions League and cup fixtures start clogging up the west London outfit’s calendar.

It appears the Italian is keen to bring in another strike option this week. While The Telegraph have recently reported on his interest in Fernando Llorente, Mirror Football have mooted Leicester City’s Jamie Vardy as a potential transfer target.

With that in mind, we asked Chelsea fans last week who they’d prefer their club to sign, the England international who is valued by Transfermarkt at £13.5million or the 2010 World Cup winner with Spain.

It was the former who eventually won our poll, Vardy claiming a whopping 67% of the vote compared to Llorente’s 33%. Chelsea fans clearly think Vardy’s energy and pace is more useful than Llorente’s height – but do you agree? Let us know by commenting below…

Tottenham Hotspur play hosts to Barnsley in the third round of the Carabao Cup at Wembley on Tuesday night, and Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino may see it as an opportunity to play some of his fringe players.

The clash against Swansea City at Wembley on Saturday was the first of five fixtures in 14 days for the north London outfit, and while Pochettino will want to progress in the League Cup he will also know that a match at home with Championship opposition is the perfect chance to rest some of his key players.

With five new signings arriving before the transfer window slammed shut the squad is certainly there to be utilised, and there are a number of individuals that will be desperate for first team minutes so that they can prove that they are ready to fight for a regular spot in the starting line-up.

Here are three fringe Tottenham players that must start against Barnsley…

Georges-Kevin N’Koudou

The winger has struggled to make an impression with the north London outfit after joining them from Marseille in a £11m deal last summer, and he ended the season having made just 17 appearances in all competitions – the majority of which came from the substitutes’ bench.

The 22-year-old has just returned to first-team training after suffering a foot injury during pre-season and is pushing for a recall to the squad; Mauricio Pochettino may feel that the clash against the Tykes is the perfect opportunity to give him some minutes.

Playing the left winger would allow Pochettino to rest Christian Eriksen, and that would be important with a London derby against West Ham United to come on Saturday.

Harry Winks

Despite enjoying a breakthrough 2016/17 campaign with Tottenham and having made 33 appearances in all competitions – albeit with most of those coming from the bench – Winks would’ve had high hopes that he could make even more of an impact this season.

However, the ankle injury he suffered towards the end of the previous campaign looks to have affected his chances this term, having played just 14 minutes of Premier League football.

Pochettino is a big fan of the talented midfielder though and he may want to start the 21-year-old against Barnsley as it will allow him to give players like Mousa Dembele, Christian Eriksen or Dele Alli a rest.

Marcus Edwards

The 18-year-old winger is yet to make a first-team start for Tottenham, but it looks to be getting closer and closer following some impressive performances for the Under-23 and Under-19 sides this season.

He also showed his ability for the latter when they faced Borussia Dortmund in the UEFA Youth League prior to the senior team beating the Bundesliga giants 3-1 at Wembley, scoring a brace in a 4-0 victory.

The skipper gave his team the lead from the penalty spot and he completed his brace on the hour-mark with a brilliant individual goal.

Pochettino will be cautious about throwing the exciting teenager in at the deep end, but he may feel that a cup clash at home to Championship opposition is the perfect opportunity for him to showcase his talents.

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

How to get best use out of both Javier Hernandez and Andy Carroll was one of the major talking points heading into West Ham’s Premier League clash with Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday and by the time the starting XIs were officially announced, it was clear Slaven Bilic had failed to find a solution with the England international having to settle for a spot on the bench.

But Michail Antonio’s injury early in the first half essentially forced Bilic’s hand; he elected to bring Carroll on and move Hernandez, one of the most clinical poachers in the Premier League, back to the wide attacking role he struggled in during the 2-0 win over Huddersfield and scoreless draw with West Brom.

Unlike those performances, however, Hernandez managed to find a way onto the scoresheet, his headed goal bringing the Hammers back into the match after going 3-0 down to create a dramatic finish at the London Stadium.

Also contributing with chances created, dribbles and fouls won, the 97-cap Mexico international showed he can be a force from out wide under the right circumstances in certain matches.

But the ultimate question is whether he can do so from the opening whistle; by the time Hernandez found the net from a set piece, West Ham were throwing bodies forward and positions in attack had become largely secondary – in fact, he was lining up almost alongside Carroll to try and pressure Tottenham’s defence.

So can Hernandez have the same impact out wide when his side aren’t chasing down a 3-0 deficit and a more disciplined positional approach is required, or does Bilic need to find a system that accommodates both of his front-men in central areas? Let us know by commenting below…

Former Newcastle United forward Micky Quinn is concerned that Everton could get sucked into a serious relegation battle in the Premier League.

Ronald Koeman’s side have won just two of their seven top-flight matches this season and they currently reside just two points off the bottom three.

It is still early in the campaign, but after the club spent more than £100m on new signings in the summer, expectations were raised.

So far, the team have been unable to satisfy the fans, some of whom have called for Koeman to be sacked.

The Merseyside outfit brought in Wayne Rooney and Sandro Ramirez as attacking options in the summer, but the club were unable to replace Romelu Lukaku, who joined Manchester United.

With just four goals scored in the league, it is clear that the team are lacking that clinical touch up front, and that is what Quinn feels will put the Toffees in a dangerous position.

The retired footballer, who now works as a pundit, wrote in the Chronicle:

“I can name three teams straightaway who I really fear for at this stage though – Crystal Palace, Brighton and Everton. That last one may shock a few people, and I know I am a Liverpool fan, but I have watched a lot of Everton recently and I just don’t think they’ve offered anything.

“Ronald Koeman must be fearful for his job. He spent £150million over the summer but, Gylfi Sigurdsson and Jordan Pickford aside, I didn’t think he bought particularly well. Everton really need to have a long, hard look at themselves and do some soul searching because I don’t even see the signs of progress. I honestly think they look in trouble.”

As reported by Goal, Manchester United are interested in signing Arsenal midfielder Mesut Ozil.

What’s the story?

With less than a year left on his current contract at the Emirates, the speculation about the future of the German international rumbles on and it’s becoming an ever increasing worry for Arsenal fans that he’ll end up joining one of the club’s direct rivals.

Goal reckon that Manchester United are definitely interested in a move for the creative playmaker, with the player also open to a move to Old Trafford should the opportunity present itself.

However, it’s not all bad news for Gunners fans, with the outlet also reporting that he could still end up signing a new deal after talks were put on hold in February.

United boss Jose Mourinho has of course worked with the player before. He signed for the Portuguese at Real Madrid and the duo spent three years together.

Getting back to his best

Ozil has been off the boil for much of 2017 so far, directly involved in just four goals since April. That’s a far cry from his usual output, having been so consistent for Arsenal and previously at Real Madrid.

That magic could again be found if he did move to United.

Under Mourinho in Spain, the attacking midfielder was extraordinarily creative across his three year spell, scoring 27 goals and creating a sensational 81 assists for his teammates in just 159 appearances. That’s more of a contribution that even his time at Arsenal.

Reuniting with the Portuguese could see him get back the best form of his career, providing the Red Devils with a deadly new dimension to their attack.

Tottenham Hotspur defender Toby Alderweireld could be facing a spell on the sidelines after suffering a suspected hamstring injury during Wednesday night’s Champions League action.It was a memorable night for the North London outfit as they outsmarted Real Madrid to earn a 3-1 triumph over Real Madrid at Wembley.Dele Alli, who was ineligible to play in the first three group games due to a UEFA ban, was the hero as he scored twice to put Spurs in control.Christian Eriksen wrapped up the win with a goal of his own, while Cristiano Ronaldo nabbed one as a consolation for Madrid.There were smiles all round the Tottenham bench, but there was also a tinge of disappointment due to Alderweireld’s injury.The Belgium international pulled up in the 24th minute following a quick sprint and was replaced with Moussa Sissoko.The exact length of the defender’s absence is unknown, but the 28-year-old tried to stay positive when he took to Twitter after the match.

As expected, Tottenham fans were quick to respond.

Tottenham Hotspur weren’t at their best on Sunday but still found enough of a performance to secure all three points against visiting Crystal Palace at Wembley Stadium.Son Heung-min’s terrific strike just after the hour was all that separated the two sides with Roy Hodgson’s team impressing throughout the 90 minutes, going close to scoring on a number of occasions.In fact, if not for the performance of Paulo Gazzaniga, the Eagles may have won at least a point for their efforts. With Hugo Lloris injured and Michel Vorm ill, Mauricio Pochettino had call upon the untested Argentinian, making his first appearance for the club since joining in the summer. He made a number of terrific saves to keep the visitors out and thrilled supporters.Lloris is one of the best goalkeepers in the Premier League but fans must be heartened to know that even if he’s missing they have two quality options in Gazzaniga and Vorm to call upon. Has the debutant done enough to prove he is now the club’s second-choice goalkeeper?Supporters took to Twitter to share their thoughts on his performance…

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