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Rangers head into their second fixture of the new Premiership season looking to make it two wins out of two, but manager Steven Gerrard will be without several key players for their trip to Tannadice.

Both Ianis Hagi and Joe Aribo missed the Gers’ midweek defeat to Swedish outfit Malmo in the first leg of their Champions League third-round qualifier through injury, and the pair are expected to remain on the treatment table in today’s early kick-off.

Alfredo Morelos is set to join them on the sidelines as he searches for match fitness following his return from Colombia, while key midfielder Ryan Jack is still a few weeks away from a return to action.

“We will be without Ianis Hagi. Roofe is available to return to the group. Kamara will return to the squad. Morelos is available but he will need a couple of sessions on his return. Ryan Jack will be another couple of weeks all being well,” Gerrard revealed in yesterday’s press conference.

The positive news surrounding Kemar Roofe and Glen Kamara, who also missed Tuesday night’s defeat through European bans rather than fitness concerns, will be a big positive for Gerrard, though.

With that in mind, we take a look at how the Gers could line up against Dundee United this afternoon, with three changes from the midweek defeat in Sweden…

Gerrard looks set to rotate his goalkeepers between domestic and European games, so Jon McLaughlin should come back into the starting XI for this one.

The back four is likely to remain unchanged from Rangers’ midweek exploits, although there’s expected to be some alterations in the middle of the park.

Kamara will almost certainly return from the off against the Tangerines, leading to Steven Davis taking a place on the bench, with the ageing £18k-per-week maestro unlikely to be able to play two games in such quick succession.

Summer signing John Lundstram and experienced campaigner Scott Arfield should complete the Rangers engine room.

In attack, Ryan Kent is likely to be accompanied by former Aberdeen winger Scott Wright after the 23-year-old made a fast start to life at Ibrox with a goal against Livingston, and the returning Roofe could get the nod over Cedric Itten and Fashion Sakala up front.

In other news… “Rangers would like to bring him in” – Exclusive: Michael Ball drops big Gers transfer claim

The puzzling case of Ryan Christie’s Celtic career has just grown even more stranger.

The Scot is one of the most enigmatic players in the Hoops squad and if anything proved that, it was his display on Tuesday night.

Christie grabbed the bull by the horns and on a night where they were missing James Forrest, he truly delivered in a wide position as they drew 1-1 with Midtjylland.

His form last season was nothing short of disastrous as he scored just seven goals compared to the 20 he racked up in 2019/20.

He took immense criticism from supporters and heading into this summer, it looked as though his time at Parkhead was done and dusted.

The attacking midfielder’s contract expires in January, fielding interest from both Crystal Palace and Sampdoria.

However, on this evidence, he’s still a valuable player for new Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou.

Liel Abada scored their goal on debut, but after he was forced to be withdrawn in the first half following Nir Bitton’s red card, Christie was the real bright spark.

The 26-year-old was playing out of position again but still performed excellently on the left-hand flank.

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Christie was vibrant and a constant thorn in the Midtjylland defence. He completed four key passes which was more than anyone else on the pitch.

He also recorded a game-high four dribbles and was successful with 100% of his long duels.

The forward did hit the post from one of Abada’s tantalising deliveries but everything else he did was close to perfection as he stole the show at Paradise.

Alex McLeish described him as the “complete package” earlier this summer and on this evidence, it was easy to see why.

Christie wasn’t just capable in offensive areas but he did the dirty work well too. He won a whopping 11 defensive duels throughout the contest, the most of any player on the pitch.

It’s been a rare occurrence over the last 12 months where we can stand up and really applaud him but this was a display that deserved praise.

He might just be playing for a move but that won’t bother Celtic. The longer he produces performances like this, the better chance the Bhoys have of being in the Champions League group stages this term.

AND in other news, Celtic could find their new Christie by signing 44-goal gem with the “style of Robben”…

Last week was a period of surprising news at Parkhead as Dominic McKay got to work with Ange Postecoglou on shaping the squad for next season.

On the chalkboard

The Hoops signed versatile defender Osaze Urhoghide just hours after confirming a new deal for Leigh Griffiths.

It was a strange decision for a player who has so regularly been second fiddle to Odsonne Edouard.

Some members of the Parkhead faithful were keen to see a man known as one of the best finishers at the club handed a one-year extension.

However, others were perplexed that he was going to form part of the club’s rebuild.

Griffiths has been off the pace for a while now and ended last term with just seven goals to his name.

That was one more than Albian Ajeti but you sense there would be a greater use of the club’s resources.

The solution

Celtic could look towards Vakoun Issouf Bayo following his return to the club. The Ivorian spent last season on loan at Toulouse where he bagged 13 times.

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Though, the Hoops could also dip their toes into the transfer market. The Daily Mail reported towards the end of last week that Celtic were interested in signing Hibernian forward Kevin Nisbet.

The striker made three substitute appearances for Scotland at Euro 2020, earning a place in the team after a fine campaign with Hibs.

Jack Ross is willing to do a deal but only if a willing suitor coughs up around the £4m mark.

Nisbet has progressed exceptionally well over the last 12 months, scoring 18 goals in all competitions. 14 of those strikes came in the Premiership, meaning that only Edouard found the net on more occasions in the entire division.

Speaking about the 24-year-old back in May, Frank McAvennie commented: “I would sign him, I’d love to get him but I don’t think it will happen. I like him a lot, he’s a wonderful player.

“I don’t know if he can be that focal point. For a decent price, he’s a good buy. But he’s not the finished article.”

McAvennie is right to doubt his capabilities as Celtic’s main forward but if Edouard does end up staying, he’d be a superb back-up, someone with a better recent history in front of goal than Griffiths.

He is also approaching the prime of his career, whereas Celtic’s number 9 is now into the latter stages.

At just £4m, this move would be a snip. He’s proven in the division, unlike Albian Ajeti who set the Hoops back £5m last summer.

AND in other news, Celtic submit bid to sign £3.5m gem who may end up “like Busquets”, he’s a big upgrade…

Lionel Messi's English skills are "very, very good", according to Inter Miami team-mate Julian Gressel.

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• Messi clearly learning English
• Inter Miami team-mate impressed
• MLS season now underway

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Gressel has revealed that Messi has begun speaking to his team-mates in English, instead of his native Spanish, and has been impressed with his command of a new language. He revealed that the Argentina captain made sure to pass on tactical advice to Gressel, in English, during their 4-3 friendly defeat to Al-Hilal.

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• WHAT GRESSEL SAID

  Speaking on the Player/Manager podcast, he said: “I think it was the first game against Al Hilal and he [Messi] came over to me and said something in English. That was the first time he spoke to me in English.

  “'Now, we change. You stay and Jordi runs. Jordi goes more in behind.’ I was like okay, sounds good.”

  Gressel added: “He goes, ‘English, pretty good no?’ I was like ‘Yes, very, very good, I understood everything’.”

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  The 2024/25 MLS season is now underway and Inter Miami have taken four points from their opening two games. Messi and Co beat Real Salt Lake 2-0 and were held to a 1-1 draw by LA Galaxy.

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  WHAT NEXT?

  Inter Miami are next in action on Saturday against Orlando City. They will then face Nashville in the CONCACAF Champions Cup next week.

West Brom are reportedly interested in making a move for centre-back Jack Hendry this summer, despite him only just moving clubs.

The Lowdown: Ismael looks to make his mark

The Baggies may have suffered relegation from the Premier League last season, but there is now some positivity in the air at The Hawthorns.

The appointment of Valerien Ismael as manager seems an exciting one and he will now be eyeing up new signings to take his team forward.

The Latest: Hendry linked with surprise move

According to The Daily Mail, West Brom are ‘showing an interest’ in snapping up Hendry, even though he only joined KV Oostende for £1.8m from Celtic earlier this week.

The Belgian club are thought to be happy to make an immediate profit on the Scotland international, demanding £5m for his services.

Ismael is keen to sign a ball-playing centre-back and Hendry could be that man, having made one appearance at Euro 2020 this summer and been a target for the new Baggies boss when he was in charge at Barnsley.

The Verdict: Could be a great signing

Hendry could be a great signing for West Brom, ticking so many of the boxes which Ismael may be looking for in a new signing.

He is a towering presence at 6 foot 4, winning an average of three aerial duels per game for Oostende in the Jupiler Pro League last season, while Alexander Blessin, his manager at the Belgian club, hailed him as a “natural leader” in defence.

He is also strong in possession, completing 85.1% of his passes last term, which suggests he could thrive in Ismael’s style of play if the manager is looking for ball-playing defenders.

In other news, some West Brom fans have been reacting to a fresh transfer rumour that has emerged. Read more here.

Alisha Lehmann has sent a “missed you” message to former Aston Villa team-mate Ramona Petzelberger after being reunited in WSL action.

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• German star left Villans in 2022
• Swiss ace still in West Midlands
• Crossed paths in WSL action

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  German midfielder Petzelberger spent two years with the Villans between 2020 and 2022. Lehmann made her own move to the West Midlands during that time, with the Swiss star joining Villa from domestic rivals West Ham in 2021.

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• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  While the pair spent only one season together at Villa, they clearly struck up a close bond – as native German speakers. They may not be on the same team anymore, but their paths continue to cross in English football.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Villa’s latest WSL outing saw them take on Spurs, with Lehmann and Co were celebrating at the final whistle as they savoured a 2-1 win. There was time for some brief reunions afterwards, with Lehmann and Petzelberger posing for a picture together.

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• WHAT NEXT?

  There will be opportunities for the two friends to lock horns again in the near future, with Lehmann – who has rekindled her relationship with fellow Villa star Douglas Luiz – working on a contract through to 2026 that includes the option for a further 12-month extension.

GOAL accompanied the Red Devils' travelling supporters to Wolves and Aston Villa to get inside the mind of those who follow the team all over the UK

It’s 4.30pm in the centre of Manchester and most of the city dwellers are leaving work and heading home. But on the corner of Chorlton Street, scores of men are waiting for a bus to take them not home, but to Wolverhampton to see Manchester United play.

The coach is operated by the fanzine United We Stand, but to the regulars it is known as the 'Monkey Bus'. And it has been ferrying fans to matches since 1991: it stops at every domestic away match (apart from Manchester City) and the occasional European trip, most notably a 24-hour each way voyage to the 1999 Champions League final in Barcelona.

The majority of passengers live in Manchester, but John Fitzgibbon is from Ireland. His journey to Molineux began at six in the morning, when he boarded a flight from Cork to Manchester, before checking into a hotel near the bus station and passing the time in a snooker hall. He, like a handful of others on the bus who were lucky enough to get tickets, had been to south Wales just four days previously to see United play Newport County in the FA Cup.

John has been following United from Ireland with his dad since he was a child, but did not go on an away trip until 2018, to see United play Tottenham at Wembley. He had a six-hour coach journey each way, without stops, and the game could hardly have got off to a worse start as Christian Eriksen gave Spurs the lead in the first minute. Phil Jones then scored an own goal as the game ended 2-0.

It was the type of experience that would make many people think twice about doing it again, but Fitzgibbons has been hooked ever since. He goes to about 10 away games per season, plus the majority of European away matches. He also has a season ticket at Old Trafford and has to be super-organised and book flights from Cork as soon as kick-off times are confirmed. Delays in booking can see matchday prices soar from £20 to £200. Late kick-offs mean he often has to stay over, too.

Asked how much he spends following United per season, he estimates between £5,000 and £10,000. “I keep meaning to do a spreadsheet but I don’t want to truly think about how much it costs me,” he says. Would the cost ever make him stop doing it? He shakes his head.

• Twelve-hour journey back from Arsenal

  The coach picks up more passengers outside Manchester Airport. Hearing that the coach was in traffic, some of those waiting took the opportunity to have a swift pint before climbing aboard.

  Among them is Steve Black, who has been running the coach since 1996, and his two sons. He goes down the bus greeting each passenger and asking them about how they are faring with away tickets, which are notoriously hard to get hold of.

  Just to apply you need to have had a United season ticket for at least three years, and then you have roughly a one-in-four chance of getting an away ticket, unless you are part of the loyalty pot.

  Black, who has been writing a feature on every match in United We Stand since the 1990s, seldom misses a game. Very occasionally, however, life gets in the way. He missed Portsmouth away in 2006 when his father died and “the odd game” around the time his first son was born.

  There is a core group of the same 30 or so faces each week and a revolving cast of another 20 who go when they can get tickets. Whenever something goes wrong, it falls on Black to sort it out. Such as when, after United were beaten at Arsenal in January 2023, the bus hit a bollard and needed a new tyre.

  "Seven hours later, we were still 50 yards from the ground," he remembers. "But we found a pub and half the people got wasted in the Wetherspoons and had a fantastic time!" They eventually got back to Manchester at 5am, over 12 hours after the game had kicked-off.

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  'Ridiculous experiences'

  Black often feels like a school teacher looking after unruly pupils, but he stresses: “We’ve had some good adventures, some ridiculous experiences.”

  On the way back from Chelsea one year, a group at the back of the bus “decided to get the emergency hammer and play dare with the back window”. Somewhat predictably, the window smashed. At least one of those involved offered to pay for the damage.

  Then are the surreal moments, such as when after an FA Cup tie at Exeter City, a home fan got on board the bus to "berate" the passengers. He would end up regretting jumping aboard, as the doors quickly locked behind him and he was driven all the way to Manchester, some 240 miles up the road. “He just accepted it in the end,” says Black.

  Another time, there was an unknown man standing on Chorlton Street just before the bus was about to leave for Sunderland. He had had a drink or two, to put it mildly, and was taken under the supporters’ wing.

  Black recalls: “He couldn’t speak. We took him straight on the bus and we got him in the game. He had a great day with us and we dropped him back in Chorlton Street afterwards. Still to this day no one knows whether he was a United fan. No one had a clue.”

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  Broken tooth after Aguero strikes

  What about the worst days? “Liverpool last year was hard,” admits Black when recalling the 7-0 loss at Anfield. And then there was the time that Manchester City won their first Premier League title while United were away at Sunderland.

  For a few minutes, the fans and Sir Alex Ferguson thought United had won the league, but then news of Sergio Aguero's 93rd-minute winner against Queens Park Rangers began to filter through. It was a particularly bad day for one Monkey Bus regularm who was due to get married the following week and had his front tooth knocked out after a gloating Sunderland fan had thrown a coin at the United contingent leaving the ground.

  “He kept saying ‘I’m getting married next week, what am I gonna do?’ As if what happened wasn’t bad enough, he got a broken tooth the week before his wedding," Black says.

  But win, lose or draw, the camaraderie is what gets people coming back. “The beauty of it is everyone on here gets each other,” Black adds. “You can go down to Brighton and lose and it’s sh*t, but by the time you’ve hit the motorway and half an hour’s gone, people are up and dancing in the aisles. It’s our Saturday night out.”

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  Dismayed with Rashford's antics

  As the bus gathers pace down the motorway towards Molineux, attention turns to the match at Wolves, who have proven tough opponents for United in recent years. But the main talking point is the recent activities of Marcus Rashford, who has been in the headlines for missing training the week before after his tequila-fuelled binge in Belfast at the infamous Thompson’s Garage.

  The fact Rashford is a local lad from Wythenshawe and has been with United since he was a child does not protect him from the ire of the fans. “What’s he doing going to Belfast? I could understand if it was somewhere more like Dubai or New York,” says one. "But do you not respect the fact he went to a local dive rather than a VIP venue?” Apparently not.

  “I’d respect him far more if he’d said ‘I can’t be ars*d this week so you can keep my £350,000.’ But I don’t see him doing that.” Another joins the conversation: “When we have an early kick-off and we have to get the coach at 6am, we go to bed early the night before. Why can’t he?”

  This is the mentality of the hardcore fans, who sacrifice so much to follow the team over land and sea. They are worlds apart from the millions who weigh in on social media and call for the manager to be sacked after a couple of defeats.

  And yet, the match-going fans can also be fickle. Rashford goes straight back into the starting line-up against Wolves and inevitably gives United the lead with a classy finish. “Rashford’s on the p*ss” is promptly heard from the away end.

The Belgian's all-too-brief Stamford Bridge career is just one of many dire examples of clubs underappreciating potential stars

Have Manchester City made a massive mistake selling Cole Palmer to Chelsea? Pep Guardiola's side is so strong that maybe it doesn't even matter. But Chelsea will certainly think they've pulled off a long overdue transfer market masterstroke, given how well Palmer is performing since swapping the Etihad Stadium for Stamford Bridge during the summer.

Indeed, the Blues have become synonymous with letting players go too soon – and one of them will be lining up against them on Saturday, with Kevin De Bruyne back at his brilliant best for City after his recent injury lay-off.

Giving up on the Belgian was obviously a colossal mistake on Chelsea's part, but where does the Belgian's exit rank among the worst sales in Premier League history? GOAL runs through its list of undervalued and underappreciated players who were sold too soon, for too little – or both!

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  10Carlos Tevez (Man City to Juventus)

  One can understand why Manchester City wanted rid of Carlos Tevez. The Argentine had caused uproar by allegedly refusing to come on as a substitute in a Champions League game at Bayern Munich – Tevez insisted he had merely misunderstood manager Roberto Mancini's instructions – while he was still carrying out community service for driving without a licence when eventually sold to Juventus in 2013.

  However, this ranks as a massive mistake, because even though City were looking to save some money in terms of wages and bonuses, the £12m ($15m) fee was ludicrously low for a forward of such considerable talent who still had plenty left in the tank.

  Indeed, Tevez was a revelation in Turin, the prolific striker that Antonio Conte had long been craving helped Juventus re-establish themselves as a major European force by reaching the Champions League final in 2015.

  He left that summer, to return to his beloved Boca Juniors, but did so as one of the finest No.10s in the Bianconeri's history. As veteran defender Giorgio Chiellini enthused, "Carlos is a world-class champion!"

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  9David Beckham (Man Utd to Real Madrid)

  It's no secret that Sir Alex Ferguson never approved of David Beckham's high-profile relationship with Victoria 'Posh Spice' Adams. The former Manchester United manager has even stated that the ex-England international "was never a problem until he got married".

  Ferguson argued that Beckham became more of a celebrity than a footballer, and that his performances on the pitch suffered as a result. Beckham strongly disagreed, and the growing tension between the pair culminated in a bitter fallout after Ferguson accidentally struck the player in the face with a football boot during a furious post-match ran on February 15, 2003.

  Just four months later, United agreed to sell Beckham to Real Madrid for €37 million (£31m/$40m). Los Blancos marketing director Jose Angel Sanchez couldn't believe the fee, describing it as "peanuts" for one of the most talented and famous footballers on the planet.

  Beckham says his leaving Old Trafford may have been for the best, given his subsequent success playing overseas, but he admitted again in a recent documentary that his dream all along had been to spend his entire career at United.

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  8Xabi Alonso (Liverpool to Real Madrid)

  Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez made no secret of his desire to sign Gareth Barry during the summer of 2008. "If we can do it before the end of the transfer window, we will continue to try," the Spaniard said. "We will always continue to improve our squad." Quite why Benitez felt that selling Xabi Alonso to bring in Barry would actually improve his squad remains a mystery, given the Spaniard was in a different league to the Englishman.

  What we do know is that Alonso was bitterly upset by being used as a pawn in such a bizarre move. "I prefer not to think too much about how I was treated," the midfielder told after refusing to leave Anfield. "It was a new situation for me, something I had never experienced before… It is not always easy to detach yourself from things like that, but I accept it is part of football and the main thing is it was all resolved and I am now playing regularly. I was really pleased that I was able to continue my Liverpool career."

  However, a clearly still annoyed Alonso handed in a transfer request the following summer and left for Real Madrid, leaving Steven Gerrard "devastated" and Benitez looking like a fool for upsetting a key player in the club's 2005 Champions League triumph.

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  7Serge Gnabry (Arsenal to Werder Bremen)

  Tony Pulis has admitted that he's tired of being singled out as the coach who failed to realise Serge Gnabry's potential during the winger's six-month spell at West Brom during the 2015-16 season. "I always get this thrown at me," he told the podcast, "and he's done fantastically well since, so you have to hold your hands up, but at the time he was nowhere near it.

  "What people forget is that we had him on loan, Arsenal were his mother club, and Arsene Wenger was his manager and he sold him to Werder Bremen for £7 million ($9m). Wenger had him right from 14 all the way through, I only had him for a couple of months."

  It's a fair point. It's clear that somebody messed up at Arsenal, but Wenger has insisted that he actually wanted to keep Gnabry, telling that he was "very sad" when the player decided to leave in pursuit of regular first-team football because he knew the versatile attacker would have "a great career".

  It has certainly turned out that way, with Gnabry doing so well at Bremen that he earned a move to Bayern Munich after just one season, and subsequently scored 23 goals in all competitions during a 2019-20 campaign that ended with the Bavarians winning a treble.

Celtic legend Chris Sutton says it ‘isn’t great’ that John Kennedy, rather than Ange Postecoglou, will take charge of the first day of pre-season training.

The lowdown

Celtic confirmed the appointment of Postecoglou as their new manager on Thursday after a period of 107 days without a permanent boss (via The Guardian).

But after leaving Japanese outfit Yokohama F. Marinos, Covid-19 rules dictate that he’ll have to undertake 10 days of quarantine on arrival to the UK.

The result is that John Kennedy, who took the reins for the 2020/21 run-in after Neil Lennon’s departure, will be the man welcoming some of the players back on June 17 (via Daily Record).

Celtic have scheduled what they call a ‘vitally important’ pre-season training camp in Wales between July 5 and 14, during which they will play Sheffield Wednesday, Charlton Athletic and Bristol City in closed-door friendlies.

The latest

Writing in his Daily Record column, Sutton admitted the period of isolation was far from ideal, undermining the sense of a ‘fresh start’ at Celtic Park.

“The fact that John Kennedy and Gavin Strachan will be taking the first day of pre-season training isn’t great for a start,” he wrote.

“No harm to them but they were part of last season’s failure.

“The last thing the squad needs is the same old faces when they are being promised a fresh start.”

The verdict

One can understand where Sutton is coming from here. The Celtic players will want to feel like a new era is underway at the outset as they look to banish last season’s woes, but there’ll be an element of continuity from last season’s nightmare.

Kennedy averaged just 1.6 points per game as caretaker boss, which is miles away from what the Hoops will need to catch up with Rangers next season.

Postecoglou will want to begin implementing his philosophy immediately, and the late return of players who are involved in the European Championships only complicates matters further.

Patience will definitely be required from Hoops fans.

In other news, this Celtic target is said to have competing offers. 

Manchester United are weighing up a January move for Bayer Leverkusen’s £20m-rated defender Jonathan Tah with Newcastle United interested.

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• Man Utd want Jonathan Tah
• Newcastle and West Ham also interested
• Defender rated at £20m

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  WHAT HAPPENED?

  After losing many defenders to injuries throughout the season, Erik ten Hag is searching for defensive reinforcements. Manchester United may face competition too, as West Ham and Newcastle United are just two of the European teams who have been attracted to the Germany international after his spectacular start to the season. Tah is valued at £20 million (€22m/$24m) according to but considering the demand for a player in his prime, Leverkusen should definitely anticipate receiving a higher offer if they decide to let him leave.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Tah has been a standout player in Leverkusen's stellar start to the season, which has seen them lead the Bundesliga. Tah's loss would be incredibly disappointing for Xabi Alonso's team, who also enjoy an undefeated record in the Europa League. This season, the imposing defender has already scored four goals and missed only one game across all competitions. There are little over 18 months left on the 6'5" centre-back's deal, so the German team may feel pressured to cash in if major bids come in January.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  After joining Leverkusen in 2015, the 27-year-old has made over 300 appearances for the team and has earned 19 caps for Germany since making his debut there in 2016.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR TAH?

  Tah is currently with the German national team as they look to take on Turkey and Austria before he rejoins Xabi Alonso's side for their clash against Werder Bremen on November 25.