The pursuit of 21-year-old Borussia Dortmund forward Erling Haaland is well known.

Manchester City, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Chelsea, Manchester United and Bayern Munich have all been linked with Haaland.

The race is set to heat up, with Haaland reportedly holding a €75 million (£68m) release clause in his Dortmund contract which triggers at the end of the current season.

TOP STORY – MAN CITY LEAD THE WAY IN HAALAND RACE

Football Insider reports that Man City are in the box seat to sign Haaland in a major development with his father Alf-Inge Haaland's connection with the club.

Alf-Inge played with City from 2000 to 2003 and is telling Erling to join the club ahead of other suitors.

City's Abu Dhabi owners are set to launch a concerted pursuit for the Norwegian and will be able to meet his release clause.

Madrid 's bid to sign Haaland may be aided by Adidas, who are associated with the club and looking to bring him on board, after his deal with Nike expired at the end of January.

ROUND-UP

- ESPN reports that Lyon are preparing a significant offer for Arsenal forward Alexandre Lacazette, whose contract expires at the end of this season. Lacazette joined the Gunners from Lyon in 2017.

- El Nacional claims that Madrid are open to selling Brazilian midfielder Casemiro, who is being targeted by PSG. Casemiro is a regular but his sale may open up funds for moves for Kylian Mbappe and Haaland.

- Franck Kessie will depart Milan when his contract expires at the end of this season, reports Calciomercato, with Barcelona entering the race to sign the midfielder, and Tottenham also interested.

- Sport claims that Chelsea defender Cesar Azpilicueta already has an agreement in principle to join Barcelona on a free transfer when his contract expires at the end of the season.

- Edinson Cavani will exit Manchester United at the end of his contract in June, with Spain his preferred destination rather than returning to South America according to Fabrizio Romano.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has hinted at hope of a resolution on Mohamed Salah's contract situation, stating that players can reach their peak in their mid-30s.

Salah, who turns 30 in June, has 18 months remaining on his current Liverpool contract but talks ongoing on a new deal.

The Egypt international has reiterated he wants to remain at Liverpool although there has been reports that his representatives want a bumper deal worth around £300,000-a-week.

Liverpool's owners Fenway Sports Group have been reluctant in the past to offer lucrative deals to players well into their 30s in the past but the two-time Premier League Golden Boot winner is showing no signs of slowing up.

"One or two years ago the first three players of the Ballon d'Or, apart from Salah who is slightly younger, were all 34 or older," Klopp told reporters ahead of Sunday's clash with Burnley.

"Lewandowski is 33, then Messi and Ronaldo [are] 34 and 37 and if you are lucky enough to get through a career without major injuries you can play long.

"There is no peak mid-20s. The massive advantage of early 30s, mid-30s is the player can see things in the right way having learned in his career.

"He can use that and he can be an even better player than he was a few years before and that is the plan with all of them. There is no age roof.

"For clubs it is different, they think 'we won't sign a 33-year-old because we cannot sell him any more' but if the player is already in then it is outstanding to have him around because they have experience, desire and quality."

Salah is the youngest of Liverpool's star attacking trio, alongside 30-year-old Roberto Firmino and Sadio mane, who turns 30 in April.

Manchester United's inability to take their chances came back to bite them once more as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Southampton on Saturday.

Che Adams struck early in the second half to cancel out Jadon Sancho's opener at Old Trafford.

In the 3pm GMT kick-offs, Everton ended a six-match winless streak in the Premier League as Frank Lampard oversaw a vital 3-0 win over Leeds United at Goodison Park, while Watford were beaten by Brighton and Hove Albion and Brentford drew 0-0 with Crystal Palace.

Later, league leaders Manchester City moved 12 points clear at the top with a 4-0 thrashing of strugglers Norwich City at Carrow Road.

Manchester United 1-1 Southampton: Rangnick's right, but that won't get the Red Devils points

Ralf Rangnick may have risked the wrath of some pundits after bringing up expected goals in his post-match comments, but the interim manager is correct – his side are creating plenty of chances without putting them away.

United finished the game with 12 shots to Southampton's 13, but an xG of 2.6 to the visitors' 0.9.

Nevertheless, for only the second time in their Premier League history, United have failed to win back-to-back matches despite being ahead at half-time in both, having last done so in December 1998.

Across their 10 top-flight games under Rangnick, meanwhile, they have averaged fewer goals per game than they have under any other manager in Premier League history (1.4).

United are at least unbeaten in their last 12 Premier League games against Southampton (W5 D7) since a 1-0 home loss in January 2016, while having only scored two goals in his first 23 appearances for the club in all competitions, Sancho has since netted two in his last three.

Brentford 0-0 Crystal Palace: Bees stop the rot

Brentford ended a run of five straight Premier League defeats and registered a clean sheet for the first time in 12 top-flight games (since a 1-0 win over Everton on November 28), as they drew with Palace.

It was a match of few clear chances (there were only 15 shots in total), though Wilfried Zaha was convinced he should have been awarded a late penalty.

Zaha was making his 250th Premier League appearance for Crystal Palace, just the third African player to hit that milestone for a single club in the competition, after Shola Ameobi (294 for Newcastle) and Didier Drogba (254 for Chelsea).

Everton 3-0 Leeds United: Lampard up and running

Lampard claimed his first league win as Everton manager in style, as the Toffees snapped a four-match losing streak in the competition with an emphatic 3-0 win over Leeds.

Everton went 2-0 up before half-time through Seamus Coleman's first league goal in 69 games, since May 2019, and Michael Keane's 10th goal in the top flight for the club.

Both of those were headers and no team have now scored more headed Premier League goals than Everton, who are level with United on 336.

It was the first time Everton scored twice before half-time in 40 Premier League games, last doing so one year and nine days earlier against, coincidentally, Leeds at Elland Road.

Anthony Gordon diverted in Richarlison's shot to seal Everton's biggest Premier League win since a 5-2 victory over West Brom in September 2020.

Watford 0-2 Brighton and Hove Albion: No home comforts for the Hornets

Watford have now lost six consecutive home league games for the first time since August to October 1990, a run which also included a defeat to Brighton.

Neal Maupay and Adam Webster got the goals for Brighton, who have lost just one of their past 12 away games in the Premier League, all coming in 2021-22 (W4 D7) – no side has lost fewer away games in the top flight this term than the Seagulls.

Watford have not kept a clean sheet in any of their past 17 home Premier League matches, equalling the competition's record run without a home shut-out.

Roy Hodgson has taken on a big job, and Watford will want a favour from Aston Villa against Newcastle United on Sunday to remain within three points of safety.

Norwich City 0-4 Manchester City: Perfect Sterling hat-trick sees leaders storm on

City lost on their previous league trip to Carrow Road, but there appeared little danger of a shock this time around as Raheem Sterling's perfect hat-trick helped them to a 4-0 win.

Sterling became the third City player to score a perfect hat-trick in the Premier League, after Edin Dzeko and Sergio Aguero (twice). Meanwhile, no player has scored more away hat-tricks for the club in the competition than Sterling, with each of his last three coming on the road.

The ex-Liverpool attacker became the sixth City player to score as many as 10 headed goals in the Premier League, with only Aguero (19) and Niall Quinn (13) netting more.

City scored at least four goals in a Premier League away game for the 21st time under Pep Guardiola, at least eight more than any other side since the Catalan coach joined the club.

Norwich, meanwhile, have conceded 50 goals in their 24 Premier League games this season – only in 1938-39 (21) and 1946-47 (19) have they shipped 50 in fewer games in a single league campaign.

Raheem Sterling was the focus of Pep Guardiola's praise after the Manchester City attacker netted a hat-trick in the 4-0 win at Norwich City.

Having opened the scoring with a superb long-range strike, Sterling headed home a Ruben Dias cross, then scored left-footed after seeing a weak penalty parried away by Canaries stopper Angus Gunn, giving the England international a perfect hat-trick as City moved 12 points clear at the top of the Premier League.

Sterling has now racked up 10 goal contributions (eight goals and two assists) in his last eight Premier League games against Norwich, and has scored five Premier League hat-tricks since joining the club in 2015.

He is the third City player to score a perfect hat-trick in the Premier League, after Edin Dzeko and Sergio Aguero (twice), though no player has netted more away hat-tricks in the competition than Sterling, with each of his last three coming on the road.

The former Liverpool winger averages a goal or assist every 66 minutes in the Premier League against Norwich – he only has a better record against Watford (64 minutes) – and Guardiola was full delighted.

"He made a fantastic game," the 51-year-old said of Sterling, who is City's top scorer in the league with 10 goals so far this season despite reportedly being open to leaving the club last year.

"Especially after the [first] goal, he was so aggressive and direct. 

"He made a fantastic goal [the opener], and for the second one he was there.

"He has been an incredibly important player in all these seasons, with the amount of goals and assists [he gets]. He always creates something.

"When he has confidence, he is a really important player."

Sterling was on fire at Carrow Road, scoring his three goals from chances equating to 2.09 expected goals, and attempting more shots (five) than any other player on the pitch.

Phil Foden also got on the scoresheet, though fellow England attacker Jack Grealish missed the match through injury, and Guardiola was uncertain when asked about the timescale of the 26-year-old's return.

"I hope [the injury is not serious]. We will see," Guardiola explained.

"I don't know if he will be ready for Tuesday [against Sporting in the Champions League]. After [the] Brentford [game] we trained and he was uncomfortable.

"He was not able to play today, but hopefully in the next days [he can]."

Manchester City stretched their lead at the Premier League summit to 12 points, as Raheem Sterling's perfect hat-trick helped them to a comfortable win over struggling Norwich City.

Pep Guardiola shuffled his pack ahead of the resumption of Champions League football, resting the likes of Kevin De Bruyne, Rodri and Joao Cancelo, but the champions produced an assured performance as their England stars fired them to a ninth win in their past 13 league games against the Canaries.

After Sterling struck a stunning opener, Phil Foden tapped home a second and Sterling doubled his own tally with a close-range header, before the winger tapped home a rebound after missing a late penalty.

Guardiola's men now have a 12-point lead over second-placed Liverpool, albeit having played two games more than Jurgen Klopp's men, while Norwich's mini-revival was halted by their dominant visitors.

City almost took the lead five minutes in, when Bernardo Silva danced through the home backline before hitting the post, before Grant Hanley headed against the woodwork at the opposite end during a frantic start to the contest. 

Angus Gunn produced a strong save to deny Sterling on 25 minutes, but the England man was not to be denied five minutes later, as he beautifully curled home his first goal of 2022 from the edge of the area.

Norwich were reduced to chasing the ball for the remainder of the first half, with Ikay Gundogan spurning a good opportunity as the champions monopolised possession and avoided conceding in the opening half for the 22nd time in their 25 league games this term.

City needed fewer than three minutes to strike after the break, as Foden tapped across the line at the second attempt after a bizarre goalmouth scramble.

The visitors further extended their lead when the fantastic Sterling nodded Ruben Dias' cross home, recording his ninth league goal of the season on 70 minutes.

City's man of the match crowned his terrific performance by tapping home for a hat-trick after Gunn spilled his late penalty, awarded for Hanley's foul on young substitute Liam Delap.

What does it mean? Away form carrying City towards title

Guardiola's quest to bring a fourth title in six years to the Etihad Stadium remains firmly on course, with the help of a fantastic away record.

After losing at Tottenham on the opening day of the season, City are now unbeaten in their past 12 on the road, winning on 10 of those trips.

Sterling torments Canaries again

Norwich's supporters must be sick of the sight of Sterling, whose treble took his tally to 10 goal involvements in his past eight Premier League matches against the Canaries (eight goals, two assists).

Sterling has now netted 10 Premier League goals this season, more than any other City player.

Foden remains an eager traveller

Foden's scrappy finish gave his side a deserved two-goal cushion within moments of the restart and maintained his great goalscoring record in away matches. Only Mohamed Salah, with 10, can beat Foden's tally of five away Premier League goals this season, while no Englishman has scored more on their travels in the Premier League this term.

Meanwhile, Harry Kane (68) is the only English player to rack up more goal involvements than Foden since the start of last season, with the City man recording 40 in all competitions (24 goals, 16 assists).

What's next?

City now face an important week in their quest for silverware: they will follow up Tuesday's Champions League trip to Sporting CP by hosting Tottenham in a weeks' time. Earlier that day, Norwich face another tough assignment when they travel to Anfield to face Liverpool.

Paul Scholes believes Ralf Rangnick is not the right manager for Manchester United, whose poor form continued against Southampton on Saturday.

United drew a second successive Premier League game after Che Adams cancelled out Jadon Sancho's opener at Old Trafford.

The Red Devils were held by Burnley in midweek, which came on the back of a penalty shoot-out defeat to Middlesbrough in the FA Cup on February 4.

United have led at half-time in all three matches, with the two Premier League draws marking only the second time in the competition's history they have failed to win consecutive matches after being in front at the break in both.

United sit fifth and have given their rivals the chance to nose ahead in the race for Champions League qualification.

Rangnick replaced Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in November on an interim basis until the end of the season, with the former RB Leipzig coach and director also set to take on a consultancy role until 2024.

However, United have averaged fewer goals per game under Rangnick than they have under any other manager in Premier League history (1.4 – 14 goals in 10 games), and their recent run has led to speculation the squad are not buying into the German's ideas.

Rangnick refuted these claims in his pre-match news conference, yet United great Scholes has not been impressed by what he has seen so far.

"That's the feeling around the place [quiet inside Old Trafford] there's a lack of interest now with how the season's been," Scholes said in his role as a pundit on BT Sport.

"It's been a bad seven days, it's really been a bad six or seven months.

"The sacking of Ole was coming, we all knew that, but where was the plan? There has to be a plan, there has to be an elite, top coach into the football club to revive the football club.

"It's Manchester United, they should have the best of everything, and to not have a plan and bring what is a sporting director... he's coached a team two years out of the last 10.

"Don't get me wrong, I like the man, he comes across well, but he's looked like he's lacked coaching in the last five or six years. They're a team of individuals, you look at the difference today in United to Southampton.

"Southampton were brilliant, the coaching, methods, passages of play, it was fantastic.

"One team have got a proper coach, the other team has a sporting director, which isn't right for Manchester United."

Ralf Rangnick bemoaned Manchester United's composure after they again slipped up when leading to draw 1-1 with Southampton on Saturday.

Jadon Sancho struck first after 21 minutes at Old Trafford with his second goal in three games, as many as he scored in his first 23 outings across all competitions for United.

However, just as they did at Burnley on Tuesday, Rangnick's side squandered their lead and were held after Che Adams' second-half equaliser.

It is only the second time in Premier League history that United have failed to win back-to-back matches despite being ahead at half-time in both, having last done so in December 1998.

Just four top-flight teams have dropped more points than United (13) from a winning position this season, and Rangnick expressed his concern after yet another failure to hold onto a lead.

"It was very similar to previous games, unfortunately," Rangnick told BBC Sport. "It is the fourth game where we were ahead but took one point instead of three. It is difficult to take but we have to accept it.

"It was a very good first half hour. I was pleased with our performance. We didn't allow them too many chances, but they had transitional moments in the first half and then scored an early goal in the second half.

"Then it was an open game, each team had chances. We had the clearer chances to win, but right now we are struggling to keep our composure and the structure for more than the first half.

"We have to understand where we are. [Southampton] won 3-2 at Tottenham. We got a point today, we expected three and needed three, but that is the situation.

"That is why there was a change of manager and why we are here."

Luke Shaw echoed his manager's frustrations as he stressed the importance of converting their good starts into wins.

"History is repeating itself again," Shaw added. "We started really well the first 20 minutes, got the goal and it just happened again. We know it's not good enough and it needs to change quickly.

"If we take our chances early in the game, it's a different story. We know we need to get better. We can't over-think it. We want to get in the Champions League and it's not good enough and there's no way we will get in Champions League if we keep dropping points.

"The most important thing at the moment is results. It's about picking up the points and we need to be climbing the table.

Rangnick, however, reserved special praise for Sancho, whom he believes is rediscovering the form that led United to spend £73million on the former Borussia Dortmund winger last July.

"This is the Jadon Sancho I know from the Bundesliga and the way he is playing at the moment is the best Jadon Sancho we have seen for Manchester United," Rangnick added.

United will look to make amends on Tuesday when they host Brighton and Hove Albion.

Manchester United missed the chance to move into the top four in the Premier League as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Southampton on Saturday.

Ralf Rangnick expressed his frustration with United's finishing after a 1-1 draw at Burnley last time out, but he could have few complaints when Jadon Sancho put his side ahead after 21 minutes at Old Trafford.

But Che Adam restored parity just three minutes into the second half and United, who saw two goals ruled out for offside, could not find a winner against Ralph Hasenhuttl's resolute defence.
 
The draw meant United jumped up to fifth, overtaking Arsenal – who are a point behind and have two games in hand – while moving level on points with fourth-placed West Ham, though the Hammers are in action at Leicester City on Sunday.

Cristiano Ronaldo seemed set to open the scoring after just six minutes but his effort was cleared off the line by Romain Perraud, before Adams inexplicably headed away from goal after Kyle Walker-Peters teed up a golden opportunity.  

United struck first when Sancho poked home from close range after Marcus Rashford drilled across from the right following an incisive Bruno Fernandes pass.

Stuart Armstrong went close in response as his acrobatic attempt tested David de Gea, while Paul Pogba's finish was chalked off for offside against Ronaldo in a frantic first half.

Adams atoned for his earlier miss swiftly after the interval as he equalised with a low finish off the inside of the post following Mohamed Elyounoussi's through-ball, before Fraser Forster beat away from Diogo Dalot to keep the Saints level.

Ronaldo thought he had restored United's lead with 19 minutes remaining, but his header was ruled out for offside after Sancho's flick from Fernandes' free-kick, and Forster expertly parried away Harry Maguire's stoppage-time header to earn Southampton a point.

Christian Eriksen says his outlook on life has changed, but an appetite for playing football is quickly returning.

Eriksen, who recently signed for Brentford on a short-term deal, has not played since suffering a cardiac arrest during Denmark's match against Finland at Euro 2020 in June.

Due to the implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) device surgically implanted in his chest after that major health scare, the midfielder was ineligible for professional football in Italy, meaning he had to leave Inter.

But after training with his former club Ajax to step up the recovery process, Eriksen joined the Bees at the end of the January transfer window and was set to be paraded at the Brentford Community Stadium as his new side faced Crystal Palace on Saturday.

As he targets a playing return, the 29-year-old revealed his burning passion for the game remains unchanged, but he is understandably more appreciative of the finer things in life.

"On life first and most [it has changed me]," Eriksen told Sky Sports. "It has been just another proof that the family is more important now than it was before. You do look at it differently, and look at your kids differently.

"But in football terms, not that much [has changed]. The enjoyment was there before. Even now, eight months not playing, the enjoyment is quickly coming back.

"I will be appreciating my life; that I'm here. I've done that for the last eight months.

"My family have been very supportive. They have, of course, been through a hard time from when it happened. Luckily I'm still here, foremost.

"They have been in the process all the way. They have seen the small steps that have been made, and all the tests that have been done.

"They have really been following it, and also I think that's made them more safe and trustworthy, seeing how much work I've put in, how much I trust the doctors in what they have done.

"Then it's only to trust them as they trust me, and trust the doctors."

Pep Guardiola heaped praise on his rival bosses in the Premier League as the Manchester City manager claimed he has "never known this level before".

Guardiola's reigning top-flight champions are the runaway league leaders once more this season, sitting nine points clear of Liverpool going into the weekend – albeit Jurgen Klopp's side held a game in hand.

City created the gap at the summit with a 12-game winning streak in the league between October and January, which they embarked on after a 2-0 home loss to Crystal Palace.

That was the ninth run in the Premier League of 12 or more successive victories in the competition's history, with Guardiola responsible for four of those with City.

But the former Barcelona head coach believes the quality and variety of management styles is what makes England's top division different from any other in the world.

"I have never known this level before," Guardiola told Sky Sports in an interview released on Saturday.

"Of course, there are managers in Germany, Italy and Spain, but in the Premier League, these are the best managers, the elite managers. The quality, the preparation. The level is so high."

"The nice thing about the Premier League is that there are five or six different ways to play and, when you do it well, it works. It is not a pattern, teams playing one way all the time. Teams play differently even within a game, and you have to solve the problem.

"You cannot imagine the hard work that goes in behind the scenes. That is why it is so much more difficult to win games now than when I started 13 or 14 years ago.

"Compared to when I started at Barcelona, it has gone much, much further. The level has improved a lot. The quality, the methodology, the training sessions, the analysis of what exactly the opponent is going to do and what your team can do to punish them.

"Younger managers such as [Aston Villa's] Steven Gerrard and [Everton's] Frank Lampard, who were players when I became a manager, they are incredibly well prepared. They have a curiosity. They understand a lot. They study the reasons why, offensively and defensively.

"It is partly thanks to the facilities that we have now. The drones, the wide angles, the databases. Many things help to build a picture of who you are as a team and who the opponents are as a team. After that, you can take the decisions as a manager easily."

Guardiola has had success wherever he has gone, whether that be with City, Bayern Munich or Barcelona.

In fact, since the Spaniard took charge at the Etihad Stadium, City have collected 503 points in the Premier League – 36 more than second-placed Liverpool and 88 more than Chelsea in third.

However, the 51-year-old does not acknowledge his work as revolutionary and insisted some teams' biggest mistake is trying to replicate the identity of those who have previously had success.

"I did not come here to think I was going to change anything," he continued. "I did not do that in Munich either. I just do what I want. I want to influence my players. That is all. I am not arrogant enough to think I can control anything beyond my team.

"I remember years ago when teams would win the World Cup, whatever nationality, and afterwards we would all analyse the winner and say this is the tendency that we will see in the next years. Everyone wants to copy the winner. This is a big mistake. Football is not copy and paste."

There may still be three months of the 2021-22 campaign to play, but Manchester United will already have one eye on next season.

Not only is there a question mark over who will be in charge, but United must also freshen up a squad that has once again underperformed this time around.

If reports are accurate, it may well be that two of United's long-term targets end up reuniting at Old Trafford.
 

TOP STORY – POCHETTINO WANTS KANE TO JOIN HIM AT UNITED

Mauricio Pochettino has long been considered the favourite to take over from Ralf Rangnick should the interim manager, as expected, step aside at the end of the season.

According to the Telegraph, Pochettino wants assurances that he will be financially backed if he leaves Paris Saint-Germain, with Tottenham striker Harry Kane reported to be on his radar.

Kane and Pochettino previously worked together for five and a half years at Tottenham and are said to still remain in contact.

However, Spurs resisted big-money interest from Manchester City for their star player last year and are not expected to budge too much on their valuation in the next window.

ROUND-UP

- Gareth Bale looks increasingly likely to leave Real Madrid when his contract expires later this year. According to one report, from Tuttomercatoweb, the Wales international has reached an agreement to return to Tottenham, where he spent last season on loan.

- Sport claims that Frenkie de Jong has no intention of leaving Barcelona in the next transfer window. The Ajax academy product is rumoured to be a target for Liverpool and Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich.

- Real Madrid have added Arsenal full-back Kieran Tierney to their list of transfer targets, Spanish outlet El Espanol reports. Los Blancos are seeking a replacement for Marcelo, who turns 34 in May and is soon to become a free agent.

- According to transfer expert Ekrem Konur, Brazilian side Flamengo remain in talks to sign Neto from Barcelona on a free contract. The once-capped Brazil international has played second-fiddle to Marc-Andre ter Stegen for the past three seasons.

- Inter midfielder Arturo Vidal is a man in demand ahead of becoming a free agent in July. Calciomercato suggests that Premier League sides Aston Villa and Tottenham, as well as Marseille and Galatasaray, are set to battle it out for his signature.

Ralf Rangnick believes it is "obvious" Manchester United need to buy a striker in the next transfer window.

United's interim manager has overseen a mixed period of results in recent weeks, with the Red Devils knocked out of the FA Cup by Middlesbrough in the fourth round and sitting sixth in the Premier League after a 1-1 draw at lowly Burnley.

Former RB Leipzig head coach Rangnick currently has Cristiano Ronaldo, Edinson Cavani and Marcus Rashford to call upon as striker options, with Mason Greenwood currently unavailable and Anthony Martial on loan to Sevilla.

However, Ronaldo has not scored in his last five appearances across all competitions – the last time he had a longer run without a goal at club level was a run of seven games in December 2008 and January 2009 – and Cavani's contract is set to expire at the end of the season.

Speaking ahead of Saturday's home league match with Southampton, Rangnick acknowledged it is an area that United need to address ahead of the next season.

"This is obvious," Rangnick told a news conference when asked specifically if United needed a "younger" striker adding to the squad.

"Edinson's contract is running out in the summer, and the club needs the best possible centre-forward. This is an obvious one. I think everyone is aware of that."

The issues in front of goal were apparent in Tuesday's draw at Burnley – United had 64 per cent possession and 22 attempts on goal but could not battle past Sean Dyche's side.

In fact, Rashford – who has netted four times from an expected goals (xG) value of 2.63 – is the only active United forward to significantly outperform his xG in the Premier League this season.

Ronaldo has found the net eight times from an xG of 10.36, while Cavani has scored just twice in the league, well below his xG total of 3.53.

Rangnick has already questioned United's finishing, stating that his side are not managing enough goals from the quality of chances they are creating as he demanded his players start reaping the rewards of the situations they create.

If United are to be in the market for a new striker in the close season, the Red Devils are known to be long-term admirers of the much coveted Erling Haaland, while a new permanent managerial option could open the door for a variety of centre-forwards. 

David Moyes will continue to pick Kurt Zouma despite the West Ham defender being the subject of an investigation after attacking his pet cat.

A disturbing video surfaced this week showing Zouma kicking and slapping his cat.

The player's two pets have since been taken into the care of the RSPCA, which is investigating the clip with the support of West Ham.

The Hammers have already fined Zouma "the maximum amount possible" – reported to be £250,000 – but he remains available for selection.

Zouma, who has apologised, played against Watford on Tuesday and will again be among manager Moyes' options against Leicester City this weekend.

Moyes said ahead of that game: "There are different views whether he should be available. We decided he should. I stand by that.

"I don't think a club could have taken action any quicker than they've done at the moment. West Ham have done a really good job.

"I'm not condoning him, his actions were terrible, they were diabolical, but we've chosen to play him and we stand by that.

"We will get him some help. We are trying to do as much as we can as a club, as a team, to help him.

"Like people who maybe have drink-driving offences, most of them have to go to classes to learn the reasons and the damage that can be done.

"I think RSPCA are going to provide us some courses for Kurt to understand about animals and how to treat them.

"He's incredibly remorseful. Like everybody else, in life sometimes you need a bit of forgiveness. He's hoping he is forgiven for a bad action."

Jurgen Klopp has hailed his recruitment team at Liverpool for Diogo Jota's impact, believing the club signed the forward at exactly the right time.

Jota arrived at Anfield from Wolves in September 2020 for a fee reported to be in the region of £41million, potentially rising to £45m.

Some eyebrows were raised at the time at the size of the fee for a player who had scored 16 goals in 48 games in all competitions in the 2019-20 season.

However, Jota has thrived at Liverpool under Klopp, scoring 13 in 30 appearances in his first season on Merseyside and 17 in 30 this term.

In the Premier League, the Portugal international has 12 in 2021-22, trailing only team-mate Mohamed Salah's 16 after his brace in Thursday's 2-0 win against Leicester City.

Ahead of Liverpool's trip to Burnley on Sunday, Klopp was asked what the key to Jota's signing and development have been.

"It is timing," he replied. "I am 100 per cent sure Diogo Jota a year later would have had offers from other top clubs; maybe in the year we wanted him that was not the case.

"Similar with Mo, if Mo had played another season at Roma in a similar manner, there would have been other clubs in. 

"It is about what you need in the moment... The most important thing for a signing is that the team they join is in a good place. It means they don't have to change the world straight from the first day.

"Since I was here the team was always already good before a new player arrived, so they could settle in. Some quicker, some needed a bit more time.

"Fabinho was an example. When he came here it was really tricky to adapt to the way we play, the system we play. We tried to help him but it was not that we could do that overnight.

"If you have time, any player with the value of £40m, £50m, £60m or whatever, they are all quality, but you can't create a situation for them. The situation has to be there. When they arrive they have to join a settled team, and then they can help them to make the next step."

New Liverpool signing Luis Diaz impressed on his Premier League debut against Leicester, and Klopp was asked more generally about the success of the club's recruitment in recent years.

"There is no key apart from having smart people in the right positions, though I'm pretty sure other teams have that as well," he said.

"The boys we brought in, it is not that we bought bargains. Alisson was expensive but everyone sees how good he is, similar to Virgil [van Dijk].

"It is no secret that our transfers here have to hit the ground. It's not as if, as we say in Germany, we don't 'swim in money'. We are a wealthy club, no problems, but the policy is clear that we spend what we earn. For us, it is very important that we have to do absolutely the right thing.

"We have to think [many] times about it, and it might be that the player goes to another club, and we cannot change that, that's what we did so far. The club had incredible free transfers with James [Milner] and Joel [Matip] and we brought clear talents in with Robbo [Andrew Robertson] and other boys.

"I think transfers are very emotional. Fans think about it a lot with their heart, and we just have to think about it. It's not easy to ignore public pressure. It's almost like if you don't sign, you don't work, and we see it slightly different.

"We have brilliant people here who make really good proposals and we as coaches make good proposals as well and, in the end, so far we found, more often than not, the right solutions for this team."

Pep Guardiola does not believe Jurgen Klopp has given up on the Premier League title race and says Manchester City and Liverpool have changed the standards in England's top flight, much like Rafael Nadal in tennis.

Klopp's Liverpool are nine points adrift of reigning champions City, albeit the Reds have a game in hand over their sensational rivals.

As well as that extra game, Liverpool still have to face City again in the league in April, as the two most dominant teams in the division over the past few seasons again battle it out alone for supremacy.

However, when asked about Liverpool's pursuit of City by BT Sport after beating Leicester City 2-0 on Thursday, Klopp laughed and replied: "I don't think they smell our breath already, but we just try to win football games."

Guardiola, though, has no doubt Klopp has full belief he and his side can still finish on top come the end of the season.

"I don't believe him. Absolutely I'd believe, and he thinks the same that anything can happen," he said ahead of City facing Norwich City this weekend.

"He has to win a lot of games."

Manchester City won the title with a record 100 points in the 2017-18 season, before retaining their title with 98 the following campaign – one more than Liverpool managed.

Liverpool's own title triumph in 2019-2020 was achieved with 99 points, and Guardiola said the two teams have set new standards – much like tennis great Nadal did when he won his 21st singles grand slam title at the Australian Open, a record for a male player.

"The first title was 100 points and the margin was bigger, nine points or maybe six, it's nothing. When you have 40 points to play it can happen," he added.

"Both teams have shown it, they can do it again and so can we. Same managers, squads and ideas. They can do it and so can we. That is the reality. 

"We have to look at what we do tomorrow. When we have this many games and they are tough, we look at the next game, with the big problems, that's why it’s the best title in England. 

"So many problems and so many teams, these two teams are so consistent. This run we are on and we are only six points ahead, because the opponent is so good. We will play game by game.

"Us and Liverpool have risen the standards, getting 100 points. Liverpool with 98 and 99. Other teams look at that as the level. 

"When you win the 100 metres race, that is the standard. Nadal has 21 grand slams, that is the standard. He marked that."