Sean Dyche has conceded Everton are in a tough situation when it comes to Dominic Calvert-Lewin's future.

The striker, who joined Everton from Sheffield United in 2016, has less than a year remaining on his contract.

While a new deal is on the table, Calvert-Lewin – who played in Everton's 3-0 defeat to Brighton last week – is yet to put pen to paper.

And with just a week remaining in the transfer window and the club's finances tight, Dyche acknowledged Everton may have to cash in should an offer present itself.

"Any offer of a certain level would have to be looked at by the club," said Dyche, who hinted the budget for any more incoming players was tight.

"We are in a better position because of player trading and how much we have lowered the wages but it is not solved.

"Therefore there would still be a moment where the big people at the club get a phone call and then it is down to them."

Calvert-Lewin is still expected to lead Everton's line when they face Tottenham on Saturday.

The 27-year-old scored seven league goals last season, though he was the top flight's biggest expected goals (xG) underperformer, with his tally coming from 12.93 xG.

Indeed, Everton were the biggest xG underperformers as a team last season, scoring 15 goals fewer than would have been anticipated based on the quality of chances they created.

Dyche has other immediate concerns, however, with James Tarkowski, who has sustained an injury, and Ashely Young, who is suspended, joining a long list of absentees for the Spurs match.

"We are stretched unfortunately," said Dyche. "We are down to around 14 recognised first-team players at the minute – that is not perfect."

Everton were linked with a loan move for Kieran Trippier on Thursday, though Dyche played down those reports.

However, the club's ownership situation may soon become clearer, with American businessman John Textor, who holds a 45% stake in Crystal Palace, confirming he has put those shares up for sale in order to facilitate investing in Everton.

Textor confirmed he had lodged a bid to buy the remaining 55% of Palace, but suggested his fellow owners at Selhurst Park do not wish to sell up.

The American wrote on his website that he was attempting to sell his shares in the Eagles "so that we can pursue a relationship with the Everton club and community".

Arsenal made a solid start to their latest Premier League title challenge last week, beating Wolves 2-0 at the Emirates Stadium with goals from Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka.

Matchday two, however, promises to present a far tougher challenge for Mikel Arteta's team as they face the team that could be considered responsible for their failure to finish as champions in 2023-24.

Aston Villa – under former Arsenal boss Unai Emery – beat the Gunners home and away last term, with April's 2-0 win at the Emirates allowing Manchester City to inch ahead at the top of the table and claim a fourth straight title.

Villa also started with a win last week, with Jhon Duran stepping off the bench to fire them to a 2-1 victory at West Ham.

Ahead of Saturday's headline clash at Villa Park, we run through all the best Opta facts and stats around the game.

What's expected?

The Opta supercomputer makes Arsenal favourites for victory on matchday two, though not overwhelmingly.

Across 10,000 pre-match simulations conducted by the supercomputer, Arsenal were victorious in 51.1% of cases. Villa repeated last season's heroics against the Gunners in 24.7% of scenarios, while 24.2% saw the points shared.

Villa's double over the Gunners last term accounted for 40% of the Premier League defeats suffered by Arteta's team (2/5). They have recorded three straight Premier League wins against them on two previous occasions, in November 1993 and February 2021.

In fact, Villa have won five of their last nine Premier League meetings with Arsenal (four defeats), keeping a clean sheet in every victory. 

That is as many wins as they had managed in their previous 46 league matches against the Gunners (14 draws, 27 defeats).

Arsenal, though, have won 14 away Premier League games against the Villans, their joint-most wins at a single away venue in the competition, having also triumphed 14 times at Crystal Palace's Selhurst Park.

The Gunners have also scored 98 Premier League goals against Villa in total, only netting more against Everton (124), West Ham (109) and Tottenham (105). Liverpool and Manchester United (five opponents each) are the only teams to have netted 100 or more Premier League goals against more different clubs.

Watkins to cause more Arsenal woe?

Villa may have made a winning start to their campaign, spoiling Julen Lopetegui's West Ham debut with an entertaining win at the London Stadium, but Emery will be looking for a more convincing performance this time out.

Only Liverpool (2.65 versus Ipswich Town) created a higher expected goals (xG) figure than West Ham's 2.46 on matchday one of the Premier League season, albeit 0.78 of that figure came from a Lucas Paqueta penalty – perhaps harshly awarded against Matty Cash.

Of the 11 teams to give up the most expected goals against (xGA) in the division last weekend, Villa were the only one to taste victory – Brentford were the next-most porous victors, allowing Crystal Palace 1.17 xG in a 2-1 win on Sunday.

Villa will need a far better defensive display if they are to stifle Arsenal on Saturday, while they will also be desperate to get more service to Ollie Watkins, who did not attempt a single shot before his 62nd-minute withdrawal versus the Hammers.

Watkins only registered two touches in the West Ham area, one fewer than his replacement Duran, also recording the fewest touches (15), passes attempted (five) and completed (four) of all 22 starters.

Facing an Arsenal side likely to press high and leave space in behind could suit Watkins, though, as he plays his way back into peak condition after helping England reach the Euro 2024 final.

Watkins capped April's 2-0 win at the Emirates with a delightfully dinked finish that put Arsenal on the back foot in the title race, his fifth goal in eight Premier League meetings with the Gunners.

He has been on the winning side in four of those eight games (four losses), and only against Brighton and Hove Albion (six) has he scored more top-flight goals than he has versus Arsenal. The visiting defence must be wary.

Solid spine key for the Gunners?

Villa are the only team to beat Arsenal in the Premier League in 2024, with Arteta's team winning 17 of their 19 games this calendar year (one draw, one loss). In English Football League history, the most wins ever recorded by a team through their first 20 matches in a year is 18, by Liverpool in 1982 and Man City in 2019 and 2021.

The Gunners have been particularly impressive on the road, winning on eight of nine Premier League road trips (one draw) in 2024, scoring 28 goals, conceding three and keeping seven clean sheets in that time.

Arsenal only allowed opponents to create a total of 5.89 xG in those matches, an average of 0.65 per game. The league's next-best ever-present defensive team this year, Man City, have given up 12.39 xGA in 10 road trips.

In the last two seasons, the Gunners have kept 21 away clean sheets (10 in 2022-23, 11 in 2023-24), more than they managed in their previous four campaigns combined (20).

If they can maintain similar levels of solidity in 2024-25 – particularly on their travels – then another title tilt appears a realistic goal.

Arsenal did endure some shaky spells against Wolves last time out, with Jorgen Strand Larsen and Matheus Cunha guilty of passing up huge chances to level when Gary O'Neil's team built up a head of steam, but the Gunners gave up just 0.47 xGA – the fifth-lowest figure of any team on matchday one.

Jurrien Timber came on to steady the ship for the Gunners late on after missing the majority of 2023-24 through injury, while new signing Riccardo Calafiori was an unused substitute.

It remains to be seen whether Arteta will introduce either player to his lineup at Villa Park, where Arsenal must be wary of the direct running of Watkins, Leon Bailey and company.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Aston Villa – Jhon Duran

Duran came on to score the winner against West Ham last week, having been linked with the Irons throughout the transfer window.

Among all players to score at least five Premier League goals, Duran has the second-best minutes-per-goal ratio (six goals, one every 103 minutes), behind only Erling Haaland (one every 85 minutes). 

Five of his six strikes, meanwhile, have come as a substitute (83%). That is the second-highest ratio by any player to ever score at least five Premier League goals, behind Matt Derbyshire, who scored nine of his 10 goals from the bench.

Arsenal – Bukayo Saka

Saka registered a goal and an assist in Arsenal's victory over Wolves last week, also creating the joint-most chances (three) of any player on the pitch. He has now been on the winning side in 99 of his 171 Premier League matches with Arsenal. 

Another victory would make him the fourth player to reach 100 wins in the competition before turning 23, after Wayne Rooney, Cesc Fabregas and Phil Foden.

The England winger was involved in 11 attacking sequences against Wolves on matchday one, more than any other player on the pitch, ahead of Havertz and Thomas Partey (eight apiece).

Steve Cooper insisted that keeping veteran striker Jamie Vardy fit throughout the season would be vital in confirming their Premier League status for another year. 

Vardy netted the Foxes' equaliser in their 1-1 draw with Tottenham Hotspur on Monday night, scoring his ninth goal against Spurs and his 137th in the competition. 

While their talisman is coming to the end of his Leicester career and is the oldest player in the squad by five years, Cooper said his influence on the side is crucial. 

"Jamie doesn’t need any special words from me on his capabilities and impact he can have and the talent he has around the box," Cooper said. 

"Keeping him fresh for games is going to be important. He is an older player now at his age. As they get older, they understand their bodies well and know what is needed to prepare for games.

"It is important we work with him collaboratively to get him ready for games. He really enjoys the games and what it takes to get ready for games, and we have to respect that."

Fulham started the new season by falling to a late defeat at the hands of Manchester United, with new signing Joshua Zirkzee striking late for the hosts. 

It marked the Cottagers' first defeat starting a season away from home since the 2008-09 campaign, but there were positives to take for head coach Marco Silva.

Fulham registered 10 shots, with only two on target, as Silva recognised that his players must take a more precautionary approach to their first home game. 

"When I see our players with some free kicks, trying to rush all the decisions, even with the players on the grass trying to do it quickly, we should have much more balance in decisions, to have longer moments in possession," Silva said.  

"Because the pressure from Man United at that moment was not there any more. We should have longer possession to create the moments, but we started to lose the ball too quickly. 

"And then at the last minute, they scored in one moment that the game was completely broken."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Fulham – Andreas Pereira

Despite losing their opening game against Manchester United, Andreas Pereira put on a strong showing against his former employers.

Pereira created more chances than any other Premier League player in the opening round of fixtures (six), while also playing the most passes into the final third (16) than any other Fulham player last Friday.

It’s the 19th time on record a Fulham player has created six or more chances in a top-flight match, with the Brazilian responsible for seven of those.

Leicester – Abdul Fatawu

Leicester enjoyed a much better result upon their return to the Premier League, with one of the standout figures from their Championship success, Abdul Fatawu, starring for the Foxes.

No Premier League player won more duels on matchday one than Fatawu (13), while he also led all Foxes players in successful dribbles (three), possession won (eight) and tackles (six).

MATCH PREDICTION: FULHAM WIN

Fulham will be hoping to return to winning ways on home soil. They have only started a season with consecutive defeats in just two of their 17 previous Premier League campaigns (2018-19 and 2020-21).

The Cottagers won both Premier League meetings with Leicester the last time the sides met in 2022-23, last winning three consecutive league games against the Foxes between 1966 and 1967.

However, Fulham haven’t won their first home match in any of their last five Premier League campaigns (D1 L4), since a 5-0 win against Norwich City in 2012-13.

For Leicester, they will be looking to carry their away form from the Championship into the Premier League.

No side in the top four tiers of English football won more away league games than Leicester last season (14). The Foxes won each of their first seven away games in the Championship last term, winning the same amount in their final 16 on the road (D3 L6).

Foxes boss Cooper, however, has lost six of his seven meetings with Fulham in all competitions, though his one and only success did come at Craven Cottage (1-0 in April 2022). He’s lost all three Premier League games against the Cottagers by an aggregate score of 10-2.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Fulham – 51.5%

Draw – 24.3%

Leicester – 24.1%

Brentford have confirmed the arrival of centre-back Sepp van den Berg from Liverpool, in a deal worth an initial £20million.

Van den Berg joined Liverpool from PEC Zwolle as a 17-year-old but never made a Premier League appearance for the Reds, his four outings for the club coming in cup competitions.

He has enjoyed loan spells at Preston North End, Schalke and Mainz in the last four seasons, but was always deemed likely to pursue a permanent move this year, with Virgil van Djik, Ibrahima Konate and Jarell Quansah ahead of him in the pecking order.

Brentford – who also signed attacking midfielder Fabio Carvalho from Liverpool earlier this month – have now won the race for his signature, reportedly seeing off competition from Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen.

The Bees will pay an initial £20m for the Dutchman, with that fee potentially rising to £25m and Liverpool holding a 17.5% sell-on clause.

Boss Thomas Frank told the club's website of the deal: "I think this is a great signing for the club and the team.

"Sepp is a centre-back with a good level and he has the potential to develop even further.

"He fits our culture and the way we want to play: he is quick, he reads the game well and is composed on the ball in the build-up and in the decisive defending actions.

"Sepp is a great character, and I am convinced that he will fit in well with the group and help us to push forward."

Van den Berg's Brentford debut could come against his former club on Sunday, as Brentford visit Anfield for their second game of the Premier League season.

Erik ten Hag has warned Manchester United players that they will not be guaranteed a place in every matchday squad.

The Red Devils have already made four signings this transfer window, bringing in Joshua Zirkzee, Lenny Yoro, Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui, while there are still reports that more business could be done.

Jadon Sancho, who has been linked with a move away from Old Trafford, was not involved in United's opening-day 1-0 win over Fulham last week due to an ear infection.

The 24-year-old is back at the club after a successful loan spell at Borussia Dortmund during the second half of last season. He created the fourth-most chances of any Dortmund player in the Bundesliga (25), and scored two goals, while also registering two assists.

However, Ten Hag says that with more options at his disposal this season, there is a chance that some high-profile names, like Sancho, may be on the sidelines.

"We will see [if Sancho is involved against Brighton]," Ten Hag said. "We have a squad, and I hope we will have a squad with double positioning.

"You need them all throughout the season because it is survival of the fittest.

"We have to manage it, the attitude of the players is very important, sometimes they will be disappointed they are not in the starting XI, but they have to deal with it, you win as a squad.

"The prizes are decided next May and until then we need all the players in the squad highly motivated. That is not an expectation, that is a demand on the squad. The team is always more important than any individual."

United are also reportedly close to agreeing a deal for Paris Saint-Germain's Manuel Ugarte to bolster their midfield options.

While Ten Hag did not confirm their approach for the Uruguayan, he did express his appreciation for the business already done by the club.

"They're showing we're going in the right direction," he added.

"We know as a club we have to catch up, but it shows our ambition, the way we want to go. We have done good business, very good players, quality players who will contribute to our squad and the quality of our squad."

United will face Brighton in their first away match of the Premier League season on Saturday. 

Russell Martin is excited about leading Southampton out for their first home game of the season when they welcome Nottingham Forest to St. Mary's on Saturday. 

Martin, who made 125 appearances in the Premier League as a player, managed his first top flight fixture last weekend in the Saints' 1-0 defeat to Newcastle United. 

Southampton's last Premier League encounter on home soil saw them share the spoils in an eight-goal thriller against Liverpool, and Martin is hoping for another memorable occasion when Forest visit the South Coast. 

"It's going to be really exciting for us. Last time we were there was West Brom in the semi-finals of the playoffs - it was incredible," Martin said. 

"The atmosphere was one of best I’ve heard so if we can get anywhere near that, that would be amazing.

"It is just reward for fans after last season and support they showed, the connection between them and the team, I hope everyone can enjoy it."

Meanwhile, Forest laid solid foundations to build from after their 1-1 draw with Bournemouth last weekend, a game that was overshadowed by Danilo's horrific injury. 

Despite their impressive recent record against newly promoted sides, Nuno Espirito Santo acknowledged the difficulty of the task that awaits his side on Saturday. 

"Playing the champions Manchester City is equally as difficult as Southampton because the level is very high [in the Premier League]," he said. 

Forest confirmed the arrival of Aston Villa defender Alex Moreno on Wednesday, while they have also been linked with a move for Arsenal's Eddie Nketiah. 

"Anything can happen in a transfer window, right to the last day. I always say it is more important to keep the players here," Espirito Santo said on more potential arrivals

"Every club will try and add to their squad right to the deadline. At Forest it will be the same. We have to be ready to react."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Southampton – Ben Brereton Diaz

After being welcomed back into the Premier League with a warm embrace from the Newcastle faithful last week, Ben Brereton Diaz can look forward to a home debut at St. Mary’s. 

Brereton Diaz faces the side he made 57 appearances for at the start of his professional career and will be hoping to end his winless run in English football’s top flight.  

The Chilean is yet to end up on the winning side in a Premier League match in 15 attempts (D4 11), with only Marvin Sordell (17 games) and Emanuel Villa (16) having played more without featuring in a victory.

Nottingham Forest – Chris Wood

After scoring 14 Premier League goals in 31 appearances last campaign, Chris Wood got his tally up and running for the new season with his strike against Bournemouth last Saturday.

His 23rd minute effort was the 70th goal he has scored in the competition, taking him ahead of former Liverpool striker Luis Suarez and level with Manchester United great, Eric Cantona.

However, the 32-year-old has never scored in both of a side’s first two games in a league season, although he has netted three times in 11 appearances against the Saints in the past.

MATCH PREDICTION: DRAW

Southampton can take the positives from their opening day defeat to Newcastle, boasting 77.8% possession, albeit against 10 men, which was their second highest on record (since 2003-04) in a single match in the competition (78.1% v Aston Villa in December 2013).

But the Saints have struggled against the Reds on home soil, with both their Premier League victories coming in away games and are winless in games at the Dell and St. Mary’s (D2 L2).

Southampton have also won just two of their last 21 Premier League home games (D5 L14), keeping just one clean sheet at St. Mary’s in that run (1-0 v Leicester in March 2023).

Forest’s six away games without defeat against Southampton in the Premier League is the most they’ve faced a side on the road without losing in the competition, and the joint most the Saints have faced a side at home without ever winning (also six v Brighton).

The Reds have won their last two Premier League games against promoted sides, beating both Sheffield United and Burnley in May. They’d only won one of their previous 19 such matches in the competition before this (D12 L6).

They also triumphed in their last two top flight away games of 2023-24, winning against the Blades 3-1 and Burnley 2-1. They last won more consecutive top-flight away games between March and April 1995 (a run of four).

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Southampton – 39.3%

Draw – 26.3%

Nottingham Forest – 34.4%

Pep Guardiola acknowledged that his Manchester City players must improve on their opening day showing as they welcome Ipswich Town to the Etihad on Saturday. 

City kickstarted their Premier League title defence with a 2-0 win against Chelsea, but Guardiola was left wanting more from his squad 

Despite having more shots and shots on target, the Citizens underperformed their expected goals (xG) total by 1.23, something the Spaniard said surprised him. 

"I didn't expect it. We are away from our best so three points is the good news. The bad news is we have 65 games ahead of us," Guardiola said. 

"We have an advantage, it's our ninth season together so we know each other well.

"There is a plan, defensive, offensive. But afterwards, it's how we celebrate the good moments and come back from the bad moments.

"That's what defines these teams and no one talks about it."

Meanwhile, Ipswich marked their return to the Premier League with a 2-0 defeat to Liverpool, although the result did not tell the full story of the contest at Portman Road.

The Tractor Boys restricted Arne Slot's side to just three shots in the first half, none of which were on target, while also registering two shots on Alisson's goal of their own. 

But the Reds' quality shone through after the break, with goals from Diogo Jota and Mohamed Salah securing an opening day win for their new manager. 

And Ipswich boss Kieran McKenna insisted that lessons will be learned from their second half showing, with the result a solid foundation to build on moving forward. 

“We know we can improve in the second half. Liverpool really hit their stride during that period and there’s bits we can do better there to make the game more competitive," McKenna said. 

“There’s positives to take and lessons to learn, and I think it’s a game that stands us in pretty good stead.”

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Man City – Erling Haaland

Having opened his account for the season against Chelsea last weekend, Erling Haaland will be licking his lips when Ipswich visit the Etihad on Saturday.

Haaland has scored at least once against all 22 sides he has faced since his move from Borussia Dortmund in 2022. 

The Norwegian has also netted 13 goals in nine appearances during August in the competition, more than he’s struck in any other month.

Ipswich – Omari Hutchinson

While the Tractors Boys face the daunting task of visiting the reigning champions, they showed signs of promise in their first half performance against Liverpool, none more so than Omari Hutchinson.

Hutchinson registered an expected goals (xG) of 0.27 to Ipswich’s 0.45 total, producing the most shots (three) and winning possession on more occasions (six) than any other Ipswich player against the Reds.

MATCH PREDICTION: MAN CITY WIN

City are the overwhelming favourites to continue their unbeaten start to the season, winning 81.6% of Opta’s data-led simulations, with Ipswich given a 7.3% chance of causing a monumental upset.

Guardiola’s side have won 17 of their last 18 Premier League games against promoted sides (D1) since a 2-1 home loss to Leeds in April 2021.

They are also unbeaten in their last 44 home games in all competitions (W37 D7) since a 2-1 loss to Brentford in November 2022. It’s the eighth longest such run among English top-flight clubs in history, and the longest since Chelsea’s run of 74 between February 2006 and October 2008.

This will be Ipswich’s first ever meeting with Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium after winning their last two visits to Maine Road, triumphing in a Premier League game 3-2 in November 2000 and a League Cup tie 2-1 the following month.

However, Ipswich haven’t scored in any of their last seven away league games against the reigning top-flight champions (D1 L6), losing the last three by an aggregate score of 15-0. They last scored in such a game in April 1984 (2-2 v Liverpool), while their last such victory was in October 1981 (1-0 v Aston Villa).

Should the Tractor Boys lose at the Etihad, it will be the first time since the 2006-07 Championship season that they have started a league campaign with two straight defeats, last doing so in the top flight in 1985-86.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Manchester City – 81.6%

Draw – 11.1%

Ipswich – 7.3%

Teenage winger Bobby Clark has left Liverpool to join Salzburg on a permanent deal.

Clark joined Liverpool in 2021 after coming through Newcastle United's youth system and was handed his senior debut by Jurgen Klopp in a 9-0 victory over Bournemouth in August 2022.

He went on to make a further five Premier League appearances in 2023-24, also featuring in the Reds' extra-time victory over Chelsea in the EFL Cup final and scoring his first goal for the club in a 6-1 Europa League win over Sparta Praha.

That strike made the 19-year-old the youngest Liverpool goalscorer in European competitions since Trent Alexander-Arnold netted against Maribor in the Champions League in 2017.

However, with fierce competition for places hampering his chances of regular first-team football, Clark has made the move to Austria on a contract to run until 2029.

In a farewell post on X, Clark wrote: "After an incredible three years at Liverpool, I've decided it's time for a new challenge. 

"I've learned so much during my time at the club and am very thankful for the opportunities and experiences I've had. 

"Thank you to all the fans who supported me on this journey. YNWA."

Salzburg took a huge step towards sealing a place in the Champions League's new 36-team league phase on Wednesday, beating Dynamo Kyiv 2-0 in the first leg of their play-off tie.

Fulham have welcomed their fourth signing of the transfer window with the signing of Sander Berge from Burnley. 

Berge, who played 37 times for the Clarets in the Premier League last season, arrives at Craven Cottage for a reported £20m fee on a five-year deal. 

The 26-year-old was also of interest to Manchester United as Erik ten Hag aims to bolster his midfield options, but Berge opted for a move to SW6 instead. 

Berge's transfer signifies Marco Silva's attempts to replace Joao Palhinha after he joined Bayern Munich in a £47.4m deal earlier in the transfer window. 

Palhinha won 75 of his 152 tackles last season which was the highest in the Premier League, while the Norwegian emerged victorious in 46 of his 76 tackles, the most of any player in the Burnley squad. 

Berge also completed 1374 of his 1574 passes in the league last season, a total only bettered by defender Dara O'Shea (1381 completed from 1732 attempted) in the Clarets' ranks. 

"It feels fantastic. It’s been a little bit back and forth the last few weeks, but I’m finally sitting here in the shirt in this beautiful stadium, knowing that my future is here, which feels great.," Berge told Fulham's official website. 

“Fulham has always been a team that excited me. I’ve played them both in the Championship and Premier League, and it’s fantastic how they play, 4-3-3, 4-2-3-1.

“The DNA of the Club is to be dominant, aggressive, front-footed, and play nice football, and I think that suits me.”

Dimitar Berbatov believes Rasmus Hojlund should grasp the opportunity of working with Manchester United great Ruud van Nistelrooy with both hands this season. 

Hojlund, who arrived from Atalanta for a reported £72m fee last year, scored 16 goals in 43 appearances in his debut season at Old Trafford. 

He endured a mixed year for the Red Devils, and was ruled out for the opening fixtures of the 2024-25 campaign with a hamstring injury picked up in pre-season. 

Erik ten Hag appointed former United legend Van Nistelrooy as his new assistant manager ahead of the new term as part of a coaching reshuffle at the club. 

The former Dutch international scored 150 goals in 219 games during his five-year stint in Manchester and is the club's eighth all-time top scorer. 

And his arrival is something Berbatov believes Hojlund needs to take advantage of upon his return from injury.  

"This is the moment where he has to work even harder which won't be easy but it’ll be beneficial," Berbatov said in an interview with Futbin. 

"Especially now that United have Ruud van Nistelrooy in the coaching team. So now if you don’t take this opportunity to learn from one of the best who used to score goals for fun, you’re wasting your time.

"Speak to Ruud, ask questions, visit his home if you have to, be respectful, listen to him, learn, ask questions and try to add that to your game.”

Hojlund was United's joint-top scorer in the Premier League last year alongside Bruno Fernandes, scoring 10 times as Ten Hag's side finished eighth in the division. 

The Danish international overperformed his expected goals (xG) total by 2.36 in the league, averaging a goal every 216.9 minutes for the Red Devils. 

He also managed 21 shots on target from the 38 he attempted, averaging the highest shot conversion rate (26.32) of anyone in the United squad to attempt over 20 shots.

However, Berbatov was able to pinpoint the areas in which Hojlund could improve, saying: "Hojlund's goal ratio must improve.

"He should be better and I think he can be better. He can do better but it comes down to concentration levels.

"Keeping his concentration levels high throughout all the games because he had good goal-scoring opportunities and didn't score them.”

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall has insisted his Chelsea team-mates will not be distracted by the constant transfer speculation surrounding the club. 

Dewsbury-Hall, who arrived from Leicester City in a reported £30m deal, is one of 10 new arrivals during the transfer window at Stamford Bridge. 

The midfielder starred for Enzo Maresca in the Foxes' Championship success, notching 26 goal involvements (12 goals and 14 assists) in the league last year. 

But with the Blues' overhaul of players, Dewsbury-Hall found himself on the bench for their opening Premier League fixture against Manchester City last Sunday. 

Maresca is continuing to trim his bloated squad, with the Italian confirming that both Raheem Sterling and Ben Chilwell are among a group of more than 15 players who are not training with the first-team. 

Despite the troubles off the pitch, Dewsbury-Hall was keen to focus on the variables within his control ahead of their Europa Conference League play-off tie against Servette on Thursday. 

"No, we're in a bubble with it. You can't let that sort of thing affect you," Dewsbury-Hall said. 

"The only thing we're doing is just going out every day and training as well as we can, getting ready for the matches.

"Everything that happens outside, it's not up to us.

"Probably when the transfer window finishes, then it can just be pure focus on the season. Of course, when it's open, you get speculations."

Maresca's arrival from Leicester continued the carousel of managers at Stamford Bridge during Todd Boehly's time in charge at the club. 

But the Italian's no-nonsense approach when communicating with players is something that has turned heads. 

However, Dewsbury-Hall revealed that the Chelsea squad respects the decisions taken by their new head coach. 

"I think people respect him for (his honesty)," Dewsbury-Hall added."As a player you want to have clarity in terms of what's happening and he (Maresca) is certainly a person that gives you that. I don't think you can have any complaints on that side.

"I think it would cause more upset in any aspect of life if you're not honest with people. The fact that he is, is a good thing."

Nottingham Forest have signed Aston Villa full-back Alex Moreno on a season-long loan with a view to a permanent deal.

Moreno joined Villa from Real Betis in January 2023 and has made a total of 40 Premier League appearances for Unai Emery's men, including 21 last season.

He started 11 times last term but spent most of his time as a backup to Lucas Digne, who made 27 starts as Emery's team finished fourth to secure Champions League qualification.

He becomes Forest's eighth signing of the current transfer window, after Elliot Anderson, Nikola Milenkovic, Ramon Sosa, Jota Silva, Marko Stamenic, Carlos Miguel and Eric da Silva Moreiro.

Forest's chief football officer Ross Wilson said: "Alex is a player we have had a long-standing interest in so we are naturally all very happy to see him arrive at Nottingham Forest. 

"He has amassed significant experience in LaLiga and the Premier League, and he brings all of that quality and experience to our group now."

Emiliano Martinez wants to win a trophy with Aston Villa after penning a new long-term contract with the club.

The Argentina goalkeeper has signed a new deal to remain at Villa Park until 2029, having impressed since joining the club from Arsenal in September 2020.

The World Cup winner is delighted with the constant progression of the club, culminating in Champions League qualification last season, but he still hopes to achieve more success in the coming years.

He told the club's website: "Since I joined the club, my dream was to be in the Champions League. We have achieved that. Like I said, the club is improving every year."

Martinez, who has won two Copa America titles with his national side along with the World Cup, now wants to translate his international success to the club stage, as Villa have been without a major honour since 1996.

He added: “I achieved everything in international football with Argentina and now I still think we can win a trophy here.

“That is something missing in this club. And I will have a go here in the next four years to achieve that.”

Ange Postecoglou is aiming to improve Tottenham's clinical edge as they chase their first win of the Premier League season against Everton on Saturday.

Spurs dominated the first half against Leicester City in their opener on Monday, but only left the King Power Stadium with a point after Jamie Vardy's equaliser in the 1-1 draw.

Postecoglou's side had 15 shots in that game, with seven of those on target, but only created 1.18 expected goals.

With Spurs aiming to challenge for a Champions League place this season, the Australian is keen to finetune their play in the final third sooner rather than later.

"Just really disappointed we lacked a little cutting edge in the front third, made some poor decisions, lacked some composure and didn't get the reward our football deserved," Postecoglou said.

"Everyone performed well, but ultimately that defeats the purpose of what we're trying to achieve and that's winning games of football and bridging the gap to the top teams.

"And the performance of the players in general was very, very good, but we need to turn those good performances into outcomes."

Meanwhile, Everton prop up the early standings in the league after a heavy 3-0 defeat to Brighton last weekend.

Ashley Young's red card compounded their misery as they struggled to test the Seagulls in the final third, but James Tarkowski is confident they can stamp out the mistakes to kick-start their season this weekend.

"It's not a reality check. We know the level of this league and how difficult it is," Tarkowski said. "You'll get punished if you make mistakes.

"The foundation which we build on – and we will continue to do – a lot of it was on show. Minor details will cost you in this league and we’ll see that."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Tottenham – James Maddison

Against no side does James Maddison have more Premier League assists than he does against Everton (four), with each of his four against the Toffees coming in his last three appearances.

He is also off the mark for the season, having assisted Pedro Porro's opener in their 1-1 draw with Leicester last time out.

Everton – Jack Harrison

Despite Everton suffering a heavy defeat to Brighton in their Premier League opener, Jack Harrison was a bright spark for the Toffees.

He had the most shots (three), the most touches in the box (six) and completed the most successful dribbles (three) of anyone in the Everton side.

MATCH PREDICTION: TOTTENHAM WIN

Tottenham have won their first Premier League home match in five of the last six seasons, with the only exception being a 1-0 defeat to Everton in 2020-21.

However, Spurs have scored more Premier League goals against Everton both overall (102) and at home (63) than they have versus any other opponent.

After drawing their Premier League opener with Leicester, Spurs are looking to avoid not winning either of their first two games in a single campaign since 2015-16 (drew one, lost one).

Meanwhile, Everton have not won a Premier League game in the month of August in any of the last three seasons (drawn three, lost six), losing each of their last four such games without scoring. Their last such victory was in 2021 at Brighton (2-0).

Sean Dyche's side do not have the best record against teams from the capital, winning just three of their last 20 such top-flight matches (drawn six, lost 11), though those three wins all came consecutively between September and November last season.

After winning four consecutive Premier League away games between October and December last season, Everton are now winless in their last 11 on the road (drawn four, lost seven). Nine of those have come in 2024, leaving the Toffees as the only ever-present side over the two campaigns without an away win this calendar year.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Tottenham – 55.3%

Draw – 23%

Everton – 21.6%

Sven-Goran Eriksson has delivered an emotional farewell message following his terminal cancer diagnosis, telling fans: "Take care of your life, and live it."

Former England manager Eriksson was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer earlier this year, saying in January he had "at best, a year left to live".

Eriksson, who won league titles in charge of Benfica and Lazio as well as leading Roma and Sampdoria to Coppa Italia triumphs, has since been the subject of an Amazon Prime documentary.

In a preview of the documentary, Eriksson delivered a poignant message to fans, saying: "I had a good life.

"I think we are all scared of the day when we die, but life is about death as well. You have to learn to accept it for what it is. 

"Hopefully, at the end, people will say, 'yeah, he was a good man', but not everyone will say that.

"I hope you will remember me as a positive guy, trying to do everything he could do. 

"Don't be sorry, smile. Thank you for everything, coaches, players, the crowds. It's been fantastic. Take care of yourself and take care of your life, and live it."

Eriksson became the first foreign manager to lead England when he took charge in 2001, overseeing runs to the quarter-finals at the 2002 and 2006 World Cups, also reaching the same stage of Euro 2004.

In March, Eriksson coached a Liverpool legends team to a 4-2 victory over a side made up of former Ajax players in a charity match at Anfield, having revealed it was his lifelong dream to manage the Reds.

Having received a standing ovation from a capacity crowd, Eriksson described the occasion as "absolutely beautiful", adding: "That will be a huge memory in my life."

He was also invited to attend Lazio's final game of the 2023-24 season at the Stadio Olimpico, receiving a rapturous ovation from supporters of the team he led between 1997 and 2001.