Adam Idah netted two penalties on his first Celtic start as a stoppage-time VAR decision at Easter Road earned the Irishman the chance to make himself an instant hero.

Idah secured a 2-1 victory over Hibernian after Joe Newell was adjudged to have fouled Kyogo Furuhashi just after the Celtic substitute shot into David Marshall’s arms from 18 yards.

Referee Nick Walsh made the call after being called to his monitor by video assistant Andrew Dallas as the Japanese striker hobbled to his feet.

Idah also netted a 10th-minute penalty, which came at a heavy price as Alistair Johnston was carried off on a stretcher.

The game was a tight affair until Dylan Levitt volleyed an equaliser on the hour mark and brought the game to life.

Hibs had the better chances to claim three points before the late drama allowed Brendan Rodgers to savour his first win at Easter Road in his fifth visit as Celtic restored their three-point lead over Rangers, who have one game in hand in the cinch Premiership title race.

Nicolas Kuhn also made his first Celtic start in a new-look front three that featured Daizen Maeda following his return from the Asian Cup, while Stephen Welsh replaced Maik Nawrocki in central defence.

Hibernian lined up with a 4-5-1 formation, with Lewis Miller and Martin Boyle also back from the Qatar tournament, and Nick Montgomery’s side sat deep in the opening moments.

But their attempts to frustrate Celtic came unstuck when Nectarios Triantis was late on Johnston in an aerial challenge. Walsh pointed to the spot before the Canada international was carried off on a stretcher after about five minutes of treatment.

Anthony Ralston came on before Idah sent David Marshall the wrong way from the spot.

Hibs remained disciplined in their shape and they had a good chance midway through the half when Jordan Obita’s cross caused difficulties for Celtic, with both Joe Hart and Alexandro Bernabei unable to deal with it. The ball broke invitingly for Elie Youan eight yards out but the wide player shot well over, although Walsh gave a corner after Liam Scales threw himself in front of the effort.

Idah missed chances either side of the break but was flagged offside each time before being played in again by Matt O’Riley and being foiled by a good save from Marshall.

Hibs levelled after Joe Newell’s free-kick was headed back to Levitt by Will Fish. The Wales midfielder showed excellent technique to guide his strike into the bottom corner from the edge of the box.

The home fans suddenly found their voice and Hart parried Myziane Maolida’s overhead kick before Boyle went flying in the box as he took on Bernabei. The winger was booked for diving.

The Celtic defence looked vulnerable and Rodgers brought on Nawrocki for Welsh.

Ralston made two important blocks as Hibs continued to press before Rodgers brought on Furuhashi in the 71st minute.

Celtic had a better spell but both Idah and Furuhashi failed to get shots away after Bernabei’s cross ultimately set both of them up for good chances.

Miller missed a glorious chance for Hibs when he sent Newell’s deep cross beyond the far post and Fish then turned on the edge of the box and shot just wide.

The game was on a knife edge but it went Celtic’s way as Idah again sent Marshall the wrong way.

Sebastien Haller fired hosts Ivory Coast into the final of the Africa Cup of Nations and to within one match of the ultimate redemption after beating DR Congo 1-0.

The Elephants had been on the brink of elimination at the group stage, sacked their manager before being reprieved two days later as the fourth best third-placed finishers.

They then came back from behind to beat Senegal in the last 16 and needed a 90th-minute equaliser and a winner with the last kick of the match to get past Mali in the quarter-final.

Now Haller’s goal has seen them reach the final for a fifth time and if interim boss Emerse Fae, who replaced Jean-Louis Gasset after the humiliating 4-0 loss to Equatorial Guinea, can inspire them to victory over Nigeria on Sunday it will cap surely the most remarkable turn of fortunes in any major international tournament.

DR Congo, winners in 1968 and 1974, posed a potent threat and thought they had scored after nine minutes but Cedric Bakambu had kicked the ball out of the hands of goalkeeper Yahia Fofana before bundling it home.

Ivory Coast, also two-time winners, created their first opportunity from semi-final hero Simon Adingra, the Brighton winger rising at the far post and heading across goal and wide.

Former West Ham striker Haller then tried an extravagant overhead kick which flew over the top of the Congo goal.

Haller, now with Borussia Dortmund, missed the chance of the first half with a free header in front of goal, eight yards out, from Wilfried Singo’s tempting cross, which he sent horribly wide.

Moments later Franck Kessie’s low drive from the edge of the area clipped the far post to leave the hosts frustrated at half-time.

Congo sent on Theo Bongonda as a half-time substitute and the Spartak Moscow wideman almost had an instant impact with a mazy run into the area, beating three defenders before lashing his shot into the side-netting.

Kessie stung the hands of Congo keeper Lionel Mpasi with a fierce drive with what was Ivory Coast’s first shot on target. It was their second that broke the deadlock in the 64th minute.

It was unorthodox, and a tad fortunate, Haller hooking Max Gradel’s cross into the ground and watching it bounce and loop over Mpasi into the net.

Incredibly it was the first time Ivory Coast had scored first in a match since the group opener against Guinea Bissau.

Haller should have doubled the lead with an easier chance but sent his lob over Mpasi and wide, but the Elephants held on to book a spot in the final which looked unthinkable a fortnight ago.

NB: Catch the exciting final between Ivory Coast and Nigeria on Sportsmax and the Sportsmax app.

Nigeria reached an eighth Africa Cup of Nations final after winning a drama-fuelled last-four clash with South Africa on penalties.

Goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali was the hero for Nigeria after he saved efforts by Teboho Mokoena and Evidence Makgopa in a 4-2 shoot-out win, which only told half the story of an extraordinary clash where VAR was at the forefront of the action.

Nigeria thought they had booked their place in the final when Victor Osimhen tapped home in the 85th minute to add to William Troost-Ekong’s second-half penalty, but referee Amin Omar was told to intervene.

A review of the goal showed South Africa’s Percy Tau had been fouled inside the penalty area at the start of the move and the score went from 2-0 to Nigeria to 1-1 when Mokoena made no mistake from 12 yards.

South Africa defender Grant Kekana also received his marching orders towards the end of extra-time before Nwabali made the difference to fire the 2013 winners into another final.

Osimhen had been declared fit ahead of the match but not even a minute had been played when he went down in pain after a tackle by Siyanda Xulu.

The Napoli forward was able to carry on but a quiet opening period occurred.

South Africa had spent the majority of the first quarter of an hour on the back foot but had penalty appeals waved away with 27 minutes played when Khuliso Mudau’s cross hit the elbow of Fulham defender Calvin Bassey, but his arms were tucked into his body.

It was South Africa firmly in the ascendancy now with Tau squandering a promising position with a weak shot straight at Nwabali before he almost got in again minutes later but his touch was too heavy.

Nigeria had struggled to create chances after a bright start, but Osimhen provided a reminder of his threat when he headed wide from a corner at the end of the first half.

The Nigeria talisman played a decisive role in the opener when he turned away from Aubrey Modiba with a wonderful pirouette, burst into the area and was brought down by Mothobi Mvala.

It was Troost-Ekong who stepped up for the spot-kick duties and his low effort went under the body of South Africa’s last-eight penalty shoot-out hero Ronwen Williams to break the deadlock with 67 minutes gone.

South Africa immediately pushed for a leveller and Makgopa flashed an effort wide before a dramatic finale to normal time occurred.

First, Williams dived at the feet of Ademola Lookman, who had been played through on goal, but Nigeria were able to celebrate in the 85th minute when Osimhen tapped home at the back post.

The Super Eagles’ jubilation would quickly turn to disbelief when referee Omar was told to review the goal by VAR.

Omar was shown a replay at the start of the move of Nigeria substitute Alhassan Yusuf catching Tau inside the area, which resulted in the goal being disallowed and South Africa awarded a penalty.

Amid the pandemonium, Mokoena kept his cool from the spot with 90 minutes on the clock, but it could have been even better for South Africa after Khuliso Mudau fired over with only Williams to beat in the sixth minute of stoppage time.

Nigeria impressively regrouped with Lookman testing Williams before a snapshot by Osimhen was also well saved.

Osimhen headed over soon after before Nigeria boss Jose Peseiro decided to replace him with Terem Moffi, whose first involvement resulted in Kekana being sent off.

VAR was again required with referee Omar eventually deciding Kekana had fouled Moffi, but the contact was just outside the area.

It ensured penalties were required where Nwabali stole the show before Kelechi Iheanacho rolled home to send Nigeria through to another final.

NB: You can watch the exciting action of the Africa Cup of Nations on Sportsmax and the Sportsmax App. Download the app from the Google store or the App store.

Derek Adams has resigned as Ross County manager after less than three months in charge after a 5-0 defeat at Motherwell hastened the end of an unhappy third spell at the club.

The cinch Premiership club announced Adams would leave with immediate effect, less than 24 hours after their Fir Park thrashing saw them stuck in 11th place and six points behind the team who had been immediately above them in the league.

Adams cast doubt over his future after the match after admitting Motherwell could have scored more goals.

In a statement, chairman Roy MacGregor said: “We have agreed to accept his resignation in the best interest of both Derek and the club.

“We would like to place on record our thanks to Derek, and we wish him well for whatever he chooses to do in the future.”

Adams returned to County on November 20 after leaving Morecambe to replace the sacked Malky Mackay.

The 48-year-old revealed his decision came “after much consideration in recent weeks”.

He added on the County website: “Over my 12 league games in charge, we moved six points clear of the team directly below and have been extremely close to gaining more victories and draws along the way.

“Ross County Football Club is close to my heart after twice playing here and managing for a third time.

“I would like to take the opportunity to thank chairman Roy MacGregor and (chief executive) Steven Ferguson and wish them well for the future.”

Adams secured seven points from his first three games in charge but the Dingwall side have only collected two points from a possible 24 since and exited the Scottish Gas Scottish Cup with a 3-0 home defeat against Partick Thistle.

Adams claimed his former club Morecambe were 100 times better than County after losing a late winning goal against Dundee in his fifth match in charge and launched a scathing attack on the “shocking” standard of Scottish football.

The former Plymouth and Bradford manager then hinted after the cup defeat by Thistle that he would have had second thoughts about taking the job for a third time had he done more homework.

In an interview with BBC Scotland at Fir Park, he admitted he would “think things through” and “look at the bigger picture” for the club and himself.

Adams signed seven players in January but the reshaping of his squad did not have any immediate positive effect and he was hit by long-term injuries to the likes of defenders Jack Baldwin and Connor Randall.

County will now look for a solution ahead of their next game against Rangers at Ibrox on February 17 with the backroom staff remaining in position.

Brentford are expecting to sell Ivan Toney this summer – manager Thomas Frank has revealed.

Toney was linked with a January move away from west London but Frank insisted no bids were received for the England striker.

The 27-year-old has recently returned to action after an eight-month ban for breaching Football Association gambling guidelines.

Frank had maintained throughout January that Toney, who made his England debut in 2023 and has hit 34 goals in 71 Premier League appearances, would stay put.

But now he seems to be bracing to lose one of his key men at the end of the season.

“It is relatively obvious that Ivan Toney will probably be sold this summer,” Frank told Danish magazine Tipsbladet.

“It can be ‘expensive’ to sell your best player, but conversely I also know that this summer he only has one year left on his contract with us.

“We also know what he is worth. I don’t think there are many strikers in the world who are better than him right now.”

Asked on transfer deadline day whether keeping Toney in January proved Brentford have grown as a club, Frank said: “I think with any player we have a contract in general so at the end of the day we decide if they leave or not.

“Of course money talks and we also know that we are a ‘selling’ club as you could call it – we know that is part of the strategy.”

Frank doubled down on that outlook in his Tipsbladet interview, adding: “I would prefer to keep Toney but one day it could be fun to see him in a top team.

“This winter, we actually had no bids for him, but it would surprise me if there aren’t a lot of clubs interested in him.”

Meanwhile, Brentford also confirmed Josh Dasilva has suffered another serious injury setback.

The 25-year-old has struggled with a number of issues in recent seasons and will now go back under the knife.

“Unfortunately, Josh suffered an injury in training over the weekend, while preparing for the Man City game,” head of medical Neil Greig told the club’s official website.

“Subsequent imaging has shown a significant injury to ligaments in his right knee, which will require surgery to repair.

“He’s previously shown an outstanding attitude to adversity and injury recovery, and we have absolute confidence in his capability to fully recovery from this setback.”

Almoez Ali was Qatar's hero as the Asian Cup hosts and holders overcame Iran 3-2 in thrilling fashion to set up a final against Jordan.

Ali – the leading scorer at the 2019 Asian Cup – showed great composure and technique to settle Wednesday's chaotic semi-final at Al Thumama Stadium in Qatar's favour.

Qatar's winner came after Alireza Jahanbakhsh, fresh from scoring a last-minute spot-kick in the quarters, slammed a penalty down the middle to drag Iran level after Akram Afif's brilliant strike had put the hosts ahead before the break.

Sardar Azmoun's early stunner had been cancelled out by Jassem Gaber's deflected effort, with Iran – whose frustrations were compounded when Shoja Khalilzadeh was sent off late on –  having squandered a glut of opportunities to retake the lead prior to Ali's winner, while Jahanbakhsh went agonisingly close to forcing extra time when he struck the post in a frantic finale.

Despite suffering a 0-4 loss to Mexico in their Group A top-of-the-table clash, Caribbean side Haiti remains poised to secure one of three top spots at the Concacaf Women’s Under-17 Championship in Toluca, Mexico.

The Haitians, who placed second in Group A with six points, will face Group B winners and defending champions United States in one semi-final, while Mexico and Canada will lock horns in the other, on Friday. These will be followed by the third-place match and final on Sunday, February 11.

The two finalists and third-placed team will join host Dominican Republic as Concacaf's representatives at the 16-team Under-17 Women's World Cup later this year. This will be the first time Dominican Republic hosts a FIFA World Cup, and their first participation at this age level.

Hosts Mexico will take good form into their encounter against Mexico as they peppered Haiti's goal from the opening whistle of Monday's clash. However, it wasn't until the 34th minute that they inevitably broke the deadlock when Dana Sandoval fired past Haiti's goalkeeper Kimberlie Prince.

The El Tricolor increased their tempo on the resumption with three goals in a 14-minute span that pushed the scoreline beyond Haiti's reach.

Abril Fragoso scored 54th-minute free kick, which was followed by Dafne Sanchez's strike three minutes later. The scoreline was then capped by Djoulissa Pierre's 67th-minute own-goal.

On Tuesday, United States hammered neighbours Canada 5-0 to claim the top spot in Group B.

They opened the scoring in the ninth minute courtesy of Melanie Barcenas's powerfully struck right-footed shot from outside the area.

After hitting the woodwork three times through Ainsley McCammon, Rylee McLanahan and Jordyn Hardeman, United States eventually doubled the lead in the 51st minute through Alexandra Pfeiffer

Leena Powell added a third in the 57th when she turned in a rebound off a Pfeiffer shot, before Kennedy Fuller stretched the lead to 4-0 in the 59th with a sweeping shot that gave Canada's custodian Noelle Henning no chance at a save, in a goalmouth melee.

Y-Lan Nguyen then completed the rout for the defending champions with a composed 73rd-minute finish.

By all indications, it could be another United States versus Mexico showpiece, but both Haiti and Canada will be intent on turning their fortunes on Friday.

Son Heung-min will return to Tottenham’s training ground on Thursday after South Korea’s Asian Cup exit.

Son suffered disappointment with his nation on Tuesday after they lost 2-0 to Jordan in the semi-finals.

While the majority of the South Korea squad have returned to their home country along with manager Jurgen Klinsmann, Son headed straight to the UK and will link up with his Spurs team-mates again on Thursday.

It raises the prospect of Tottenham captain Son being available for Saturday’s visit of Brighton.

Spurs have been without Son for four matches over the past month, claiming only one victory during that period without their 12-goal attacker.

Ange Postecoglou could have Yves Bissouma in contention for the clash with Brighton after Mali were knocked out of the Africa Cup of Nations on Saturday, but the midfielder will be assessed after struggling with illness during the tournament.

With their Copa America playoff fixture against Canada fast approaching, Trinidad and Tobago’s senior men’s Head coach Angus Eve recently called a 35-man training squad of mostly local-based players which is aimed at ensuring he fields the best possible squad for that crucial encounter next month.

The four-day camp, which ends on Thursday, not only provides the opportunity for players to impress the coach and secure a spot in the team, but also serves as preparation for the playoff contest scheduled for March 24. The winner of the playoff will qualify for the prestigious CONMENOL Copa America in June.

Along with players who were a part of the Soca Warriors unit that had a successful run to the Concacaf Nations League quarter-finals, Eve extended a first-time invitation to German-born Keenon Erfuth, whose mother is Trinidadian, and Denmark-based Marc Gangia, who is eligible to represent the twin island republic through his father.

Gangia, 26, is a forward with Danish fifth-tier team Dalum IF, while 21-year-old Erfuth, also a forward, is currently with German association football club VfR Neumünster.

Having enjoyed good form last year when they also registered an historic 2-1 win over United States, Eve is keen to build on that foundation.

“It’s a great chance for us to get some of the guys together as a group again because as you would have seen, the majority of them would have returned to their clubs and have been very active in the local league since November,” Eve told TTFA Media.

“There are few regulars in this squad, but we also took the opportunity to invite some players, who we believe have been showing up and performing for their clubs in the local premier league,” he added.

Following the Copa America qualifiers, Eve’s next focus will be the 2026 Concacaf World Cup qualifiers, which is scheduled for June. The Soca Warriors will contest Group B alongside Costa Rica, St Kitts and Nevis, Grenada and Bahamas.

“There is a lot of international football coming up with the Copa America qualifier being the most urgent assignment, but of course, there are the World Cup qualifiers following soon after in June. These sort of windows where we can have some time with the players available are extremely important for us,” Eve noted.

Trinidad and Tobago Training Squad: Kaihim Thomas, Reon Moore, Jamali Garcia, Christopher Biggette, Jabari St Hillaire, Kevon Goddard, Justin Garcia, Brent Sam, Nathaniel Garcia, Justin Sadoo (all Defence Force), Duane Muckette, Michel Poon-Angeron, Liam Burns, John-Paul Rochford, Isaiah Leacock (all AC Port of Spain), Real Gill, Shervohnez Hamilton, Kai Moos, Jamal Jack (all Club Sando), Luke Phillips, Denzil Smith, Justin Cornwall, Mark Ramdeen (all Point Fortin Civic), Alvin Jones, Robert Primus, Adrian Foncette (all Police FC), David Daniel, Ross Russell Jr, Isaiah Lee (all La Horquetta Rangers), Mickaeel Jem Gordon (1976 FC Phoenix), Rhondel Gibson (Eagles FC), Keenon Erfuth (VFR Neumunster—Germany), Marc Gangia (Dalum IF—Denmark), Jonathan Assue (unattached).

Brentford have condemned the “vile harassment” of Ivan Toney after the England striker was the target of online racist abuse.

The Premier League club also labelled the response of social media companies to such incidents as “underwhelming”.

Toney, 27, has previously received racist comments on Instagram posts and Brentford are now calling for more to be done after another case occurred.

“We are angered and frustrated to report that Ivan Toney has been subjected to racist abuse on Instagram once more,” a club statement read.

“We have initiated investigations into this vile harassment which we condemn in the strongest terms.

“Sadly, this isn’t the first time Ivan has had to deal with this. A similar incident occurred just four weeks ago, leading us to identify an alleged perpetrator whom we reported to the authorities. To date, we have yet to see any action taken against that individual.”

The Bees called for anyone found to have posted racist comments to be prosecuted and help bring an end to such incidents in the future.

“In general, the response from social media platforms to these ongoing issues has been underwhelming,” the statement continued.

“Their solutions, such as filters to simply hide the abuse may safeguard the players, miss the mark entirely and do not discourage the offenders. Without real consequences for those responsible, the cycle is doomed to repeat.

“We do have faith that things can change. We appreciate the dialogue that we have with the likes of Meta but we call for more decisive and urgent action to combat online hate. We call for prompt investigations, and importantly, we call for criminal prosecutions.

“We will continue to work with the authorities and the Premier League and to support our players as we tackle this awful online abuse.”

Lionel Messi returned to action for Inter Miami as he played the final 30 minutes of a pre-season friendly against Vissel Kobe in Tokyo.

Messi, who has been suffering with a hamstring injury, was an unused substitute as Inter Miami beat a Hong Kong XI 4-1 on Sunday, with local fans voicing their frustrations having turned up in numbers in expectation of seeing the eight-time Ballon D’Or winner in action.

David Beckham’s Major League Soccer side continued their pre-season build up in Japan and Argentina superstar Messi was able to resume training ahead of their latest friendly.

There was another injury worry for Miami, though, as midfielder Sergio Busquets was forced off with an ankle issue midway through the first half after being caught by a late tackle from Yuya Osako.

Just before half-time, Vissel forward Osako fired over from 10 yards in front of goal after Miami had lost possession when trying to playing out from the back.

The J1 League side went close again early in the second half when Brazil forward Jean Patric headed wide.

Messi came on for the final 30 minutes, replacing David Ruiz, and his introduction was met with loud cheers from fans all around the National Stadium.

Ryuho Kikuchi headed wide from a free-kick into the Miami penalty area, with Messi then forcing a late save from the Vissel goalkeeper and seeing his follow-up effort cleared off the line.

After the match finished goalless, the result was decided on a penalty shoot-out.

Vissel won 4-3 after Miami failed to convert any of their last three spot-kicks, with Messi not taking one.

Miami will now head back to the United States for a final warm-up match against Messi’s boyhood club Newell’s Old Boys in Fort Lauderdale.

The first match of the new MLS season is against Real Salt Lake on February 21.

Aston Villa forward Rachel Daly has been handed a three-match suspension after admitting a charge of violent conduct, the Football Association has announced.

The England international appeared to catch Bristol City midfielder Amy Rodgers in the face with her arm late in the first half of Villa’s 2-2 Women’s Super League draw with the Robins at the Poundland Bescot Stadium on Saturday.

A statement from the FA said: “Rachel Daly has been suspended for three matches following Aston Villa Women’s game against Bristol City Women in the Women’s Super League on Saturday February 3.

“Her behaviour during the 39th minute wasn’t seen by the match officials at the time, but it was caught on camera, and the FA alleged that it constitutes violent conduct.

“Rachel Daly subsequently admitted this charge and accepted the automatic penalty for violent conduct.”

The ban rules Daly out of Villa’s League Cup quarter-final against Brighton on Wednesday, plus WSL meetings with Tottenham and Liverpool.

The 32-year-old was the WSL Golden Boot winner with 22 goals for Villa last term, and has netted six times in the league – 14 in all competitions – for the club so far in the 2023-24 campaign.

The draw for the newly-expanded Nations League will take place in Paris on Thursday evening.

Here the PA news agency takes a closer look at what to expect.

How will the draw work?

The 54 competing UEFA nations will be paired into four-team groups – with four groups in Leagues A to C and two groups in League D.

Scotland are in with Europe’s big guns in League A. England, Wales and the Republic of Ireland are in League B and Northern Ireland occupy League C.

So could any of those five nations be drawn together?

In the group phase, the only possible head to head is England or Wales facing the Republic of Ireland in League B. England and Wales are in Pot 1 so cannot be drawn against each other, while the Irish are in Pot 3.

There is then the potential for some of the sides to come together in the competition’s new-look latter stages – see below.

The group stage will consist of teams playing each other home and away during the September, October and November international breaks this year.

How will the competition be different to previous editions?

Whereas in previous tournaments it has been only the winners of each of the four League A groups who have progressed to the Nations League semi-finals the following June, now the winners and runners-up in each group will feature in two-leg quarter-finals in March 2025.

In addition, there will be promotion-relegation play-offs in the same international window. Teams finishing third in groups in Leagues A and B will face play-offs against teams finishing second in groups in Leagues B and C respectively. This is where, for instance, Scotland and England could come head to head if the Scots finish third in their group and England come second in theirs.

The intention of the expansion is to provide further meaningful matches at international level, with the original purpose of the Nations League at its foundation being to take up space in the calendar previously occupied by friendlies.

The Nations League finals in June 2025 will continue to be played as single-leg semis and a final, with one of the last four teams standing serving as hosts.

How does the Nations League link in to qualifying for the next World Cup?

The primary qualification competition for the 2026 finals begins next year. The 12 group winners in that competition will qualify direct for the finals, with the 12 group runners-up entering play-offs. However, four play-off berths will also be reserved for the four best-ranked Nations League group winners who have not finished first or second in regular qualifying. The last four European qualifiers for the 2026 finals will be determined by those play-offs in March 2026.

Anything else to mention?

Under UEFA’s excessive travel restrictions, only one of England, Wales or the Republic can possibly be drawn to face Kazakhstan, who are in Pot 4 of League B.

What the papers say

Manchester United are said to be turning their transfer focus to a data-driven approach, targeting players of a younger age profile. The i reports the shift stems from new owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe, with Everton’s 21-year-old defender Jarrad Branthwaite at the top the club’s wishlist.

According to the i, another name on United’s radar is Crystal Palace’s 22-year-old winger Michael Olise, though the France Under-21 player has also been linked with Manchester City, Chelsea and Liverpool in recent weeks.

Staying with United, The Telegraph reports Mason Greenwood, who is on loan from the Red Devils at Getafe, has attracted the attention of Atletico Madrid. The England forward has impressed since arriving in Spain this season, and there is expected to be heated competition across LaLiga for his future services.

Elsewhere, the Daily Mail, citing Footmercato, says Liverpool contacted Bayer Leverkusen manager Xabi Alonso in November about succeeding Jurgen Klopp as manager.

Social media round-upPlayers to watch

Federico Chiesa: Liverpool are keeping a close eye on the Juventus forward’s situation, according to the website HITC.

Savio: ESPN reports talks have taken place between Manchester City and the 19-year-old Brazilian winger, who is currently on loan at Spanish club Girona from French side Troyes.

Leeds boss Daniel Farke praised his side for their 4-1 extra-time win at Championship rivals Plymouth.

Extra-time goals by substitutes Georginio Rutter and Crysencio Summerville and a Ryan Hardie own goal settled the FA Cup fourth-round replay and sealed Leeds’ passage into the last 16 – and a trip to Aston Villa or Chelsea.

Brendan Galloway’s 78th-minute chested goal for Argyle had cancelled out Wilfried Gnonto’s 66th-minute opener to force extra time.

Farke said: “It was nearly the perfect away performance. We were so dominant, we created so many chances, scored the goals but we also hit the crossbar twice and the post.

“The scoreline flattered us, yes but not that we had to play 120 minutes and it was also a replay.

“I want to say firstly congratulations to Plymouth, a brave side, a confident side, they never know when they are beaten.

“They found a way in both games to get a foot in the door although we were so dominant.

“We dominated the second half, I just saw the statistics that we had 82 per cent of the possession. But Plymouth had the free-kick and they managed to score so they were pretty effective.

“Plymouth scored out of nothing but we showed great heart to win this. We invested so much energy and mentality into the game and showed a real will to win.

“We took risks and pressed them high and also defended with discipline. I am happy with the performance as we gave everything.

“I don’t look too far ahead but we can think about the next round when it comes around. It will be an exciting game.”

Argyle boss Ian Foster said: “I said to them after the game how proud I am of them.

“We spoke about coming away with no regrets and I am proud of the way we approached the game and how difficult we made it for Leeds over two games.

“The scoreline is quite sobering for us in terms of their ruthlessness at the end. We won’t be downtrodden about the result because we know how well we played over two games.

“Look at the quality that Leeds had on the pitch late on, it makes it challenging for you. We will learn from playing against top-quality opposition.

“Leeds are a smashing outfit and they deserved to go through on the balance of the game and we wish them well.

“We have been caught a couple of times and that is fine. We will stick together and keep learning and improving. We are a young and inexperienced team at this level.

“It’s quite difficult because it was a sobering scoreline but we will take the positives from it, dust ourselves down and move on.

“We have got four boys who were ineligible, which is fine, because we knew that. I have got no issues with the number of subs we had today (six, of the permitted nine); we had to go with what we had.

“We will be good to go for Sunderland on Saturday. We will have six more players available to us on Saturday, which is good.

“Late in the game we were still in it, but we want to leave our top scorers on the pitch. We wanted to give it a good go.”