Jake Young has outgunned Erling Haaland this season after proving his worth.
The striker – on loan at Swindon from Bradford – has 16 goals in 20 games and is the top league scorer in England.
Young is two ahead of the Manchester City goal machine after netting again in Tuesday’s 4-3 win at Accrington.
Seven goals in his last six games have fired the Robins to within a point of the Sky Bet League Two play-offs, with Young having also smashed in four against Crawley in August.
It has left the 22-year-old top of the pile and taking the extra attention in his stride.
“It’s not something I think about on the pitch but when I get off and I’ve scored another one I’ll have a little look. I’m sure Haaland isn’t looking if I’ve scored for Swindon though,” Young told the PA news agency.
“I normally look at the League Two ones first but since Haaland’s been mentioned I’ve had 10 to 20 people sending me screenshots (of the goal table).
“I think there was something on Twitter the other day and I had a lot of people sending me that one – but it’s not counting my Champions League goals!
“It’s nice but for me it’s not a shock. I know I’m capable of this. It’s definitely something I feel like I’ve worked for.
“Without trying to sound arrogant, I know I can score and play at this level. I’ve just wanted the opportunity to prove it.”
Young’s time has come after a frustrating and lonely initial spell at Bradford under Mark Hughes.
The Robins looked at a permanent deal in the summer but he could now be recalled by the Bantams in January.
It would be a dramatic return after being dumped by former boss Hughes, who was sacked in October, training with the kids, loaned to Barrow and not even joining the first team squad for the summer’s pre-season trip to Spain.
Having signed a four-year deal after joining from Forest Green in 2022 Young was frozen out despite scoring twice in three league starts.
“It was mainly one man’s opinion and that’s fine, that’s football. My view was he’s got me there, give me an opportunity to improve. That’s all I was looking for,” said the former Sheffield United youngster, who won League Two with Forest Green under Rob Edwards.
“I wasn’t looking to play every minute but when I’d been on the pitch I’d shown I could affect games to at least be an option off the bench.
“I just wanted to learn and improve and I didn’t really think I got the opportunity but football’s about opinions.
“I was 21 and to be deemed not good enough three months into a four-year deal was tough, especially when it’s somewhere I wanted to be.
“It something you’ve always wanted to do and when you find yourself not enjoying it anymore that’s the hardest part.
“It’s something I’ve learned from and I won’t take these spells I’m in now for granted because I know how hard I’ve worked physically and mentally to get here
“It’s not necessarily about proving people wrong but more proving myself right that I belong at this level and higher. This is the player I know I am.”
Sessegnon rejoins boyhood club Fulham after Tottenham departure
Ryan Sessegnon has resigned for Fulham on a free transfer, five years after leaving the club.
The 24-year-old signed a two-year contract with the Cottagers with the option to extend for a further year following his departure from Tottenham last month.
In his first spell at the club, Sessegnon worked his way through the academy over 11 years, scoring 25 goals in 120 first-team appearances.
He then moved to Spurs in a £25million deal in 2019, though struggled to nail down a place in North London, making just 57 appearances in all competitions, and scoring three goals.
"It's amazing to be back. Emotional, as well," he told FFCtv. "It's where it started for me, where everything began, and it's amazing to be back.
"It will always be home for me. I think it had the feeling that it was meant to be, coming back here, so I'm delighted to get it done."
Sessegnon is Fulham's first signing of the transfer window, though they have seen plenty of first-team departures already, with Joao Palhinha, Tosin Adarabioyo and Bobby De Cordova-Reid all leaving the club.
Lindstrom joins Everton on loan from Napoli
Everton have completed the loan signing of Jesper Lindstrom from Napoli, the club confirmed on Friday.
Lindstrom will join the Toffees for the 2024-25 season with the deal including an option to make the move permanent at the end of the campaign.
The 24-year-old becomes the fourth addition at Goodison Park following the arrivals of Tim Iroegbunam, Iliman Ndiaye and Jack Harrison.
Lindstrom arrives after a difficult season with Napoli, playing just 416 minutes in 22 league appearances for the Serie A side.
The Denmark international arrived in Naples from Eintracht Frankfurt where he scored 14 goals in 80 appearances, helping the German side lift the Europa League in the 2021-22 season.
“I feel very good. It’s amazing to represent Everton," Lindstrom said in his first interview with the club.
"This is a big club, with big history, a good stadium and, as I’ve seen, very good facilities as well. I’m very, very happy to be here and I feel like this is a good fit.
“I actually heard of Everton’s interest a while ago – not only from now but previously. England is very similar to Denmark so I will feel at home quickly.
“I’ve spoken to the manager. It sounds as though he likes the way I play football and I can be a good fit for the team with my speed, so now I want to deliver."
The search for another attacking option out wide had been the priority at Everton, having seen Arnaut Danjuma return to Villarreal following the completion of his loan deal, and the sale of Lewis Dobbin to Aston Villa.
Everton managed 40 goals last season, the second worst in the Premier League ahead of Sheffield United (35), and Dyche believes Lindstrom has a lot to offer in the final third.
"Jesper is a player with very good ability who can operate in a number of different attacking roles, which will benefit us heading into the new season," said Dyche.
"He joins us with a range of different experiences. He is hungry and eager to succeed with us, and that's a strong starting point as we look to add more productivity to our attack."
Maguire labels England criticism 'ridiculous' following Euro 2024 display
Harry Maguire has defended his England team-mates after their performance at Euro 2024, labelling the criticism as "a bit ridiculous".
England reached back-to-back European Championship finals but suffered the same outcome in Berlin as they did at Wembley three years ago.
The defeat against Spain saw Gareth Southgate become the first head coach in the history of the tournament to end up on the losing side in two finals.
Southgate called time on his eight-year tenure in charge of the Three Lions two days after the tournament ended, winning 59.8% of his 102 games in charge.
Despite this, underwhelming performances in Germany saw cups thrown towards the former England head coach as supporters jeered the players.
Southgate came under fire for his defensive approach, though only Walter Winterbottom (383) and Alf Ramsey (224) have overseen more England goals than his 213.
However, Maguire has come to the defence of his team-mates.
“Yes, performances might not have been amazing but it is tournament football," Maguire told BBC Sport.
"It is not as expansive. There are far less risks taken. You can’t afford to make mistakes or get caught going out in a full press. You saw throughout the tournament there were not many high-scoring wins.
“I just don’t know what the media or fans expected of this team. Was it to go and beat Serbia 4-0 in the first game and then beat Denmark 3-0? Did they think it was just going to be a walk in the park?”
Under Southgate's stewardship, England reached more major tournament finals in four attempts (two) than they did in their first 23 appearances at the World Cup and Euros (one).
Maguire played 63 times during Southgate's time in charge, a total only bettered by Harry Kane (81), Kyle Walker (70), Jordan Pickford and John Stones (both 68).
Maguire was forced to miss the tournament having picked up an injury in May, forcing him to miss Manchester United's FA Cup success against Manchester City.
Euro 2024 was the first major tournament he has missed during his international career, having become a mainstay in central defence alongside Stones.
Maguire's 17 appearances at major tournaments saw him keep seven clean sheets, but he insisted that missing out on Euro 2024 was difficult for him to comprehend.
"To miss out was tough," said Maguire.
“It has been really frustrating, working all season to get myself mentally and physically at the top of my game and be in a position to feel I could really make a difference for Manchester United and my country."
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
