Newcastle United

Eddie Howe on having two strikers available: "I think it gives the whole team confidence and it filters down when you have attacking players. Add Harvey (Barnes) to that, and then you've got Elliott Anderson back that adds strength. We've got flexibility in those players."

Newcastle United

Eddie Howe on players coming back from injury: "We're trying to get as many players fit to make the difference for us. I think there's some fake stories out there about who is training and who isn't. None will be back for tomorrow, but we're hoping one or two come back before the end of the season.

On the fitness of Kieran Trippier, Miguel Almiron, Nick Pope and Joelinton: "We hope all four can play [this season], but it's difficult to put a date on it because none of them are training at the moment."

Newcastle United

It's time for our first media conference of the day - Newcastle manager Eddie Howe has been speaking ahead of their trip to Crystal Palace in the Premier League tomorrow.

Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr remain interested in signing Manchester City's Kevin de Bruyne, according to journalist Rudy Galetti, external.

The Saudi Pro League club are reportedly expected to contact the 32-year-old Belgium midfielder soon about a summer move.

Other clubs from the league may also make moves for De Bruyne, although he remains a key figure in City's midfield.

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Brighton manager Roberto de Zerbi is a leading candidate to replace Erik Ten Hag if he leaves Manchester United, according to Teamtalk, external.

Ten Hag is under pressure at Old Trafford following a disappointing campaign in the Premier League and Champions League.

The Seagulls are said to be considering Burnley head coach Vincent Kompany as a replacement if De Zerbi does go - although Clarets chairman Alan Pace was dismissive of this idea on X, external.

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A story you may have seen in our back page round-up earlier, West Ham will hold talks with Sporting Lisbon head coach Ruben Amorim as they decide whether to extend David Moyes' contract this summer.

The Athletic, external report that Amorim has flown to London for discussions this week, although whether West Ham are his own first choice remains unclear.

The 39-year-old is widely admired and has been heavily linked with Liverpool.

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Let's take a look at the juiciest bits of transfer gossip doing the rounds today...

On 1 April last year Simone Inzaghi's Inter Milan were the undoubted April Fools. A 1-0 defeat by Fiorentina had the media questioning his future at the club.

Fast forward one year exactly and Serie A leaders Inter defeated Empoli 2-0 on Easter Monday, displaying their beauty and positional fluidity.

That was Inzaghi's 100th Serie A win, and last night his Inter side confirmed the club's 20th league title with victory against rivals AC Milan.

You can read more about Inzaghi, and why he should be considered a target for Europe's elite clubs seeking a new manager, in Mina Rzouki's column from earlier this month - available here.

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Dagenham & Redbridge chief executive Stephen Thompson has expressed concerns about the impact the Football Governance Bill could have on "small clubs".

The legislation, which is set for its second reading in Parliament on Tuesday, would grant powers to a body, independent of government and football authorities, to oversee clubs in England's top five men's tiers.

The government announced plans to appoint a regulator in February 2023, following a fan-led review in 2022.

“We are worried that the Bill will be so onerous," said Thompson, whose side are 15th in the National League table.

"Some National League clubs work on two or three people and some volunteers, and it worries me that a lot of our clubs, small clubs, are not going to be able to survive with the regulation and reporting required."

He added that he was "worried about the constraint on the Owners’ and Directors’ Test", as "if the Bill makes it too onerous" to buy clubs, "then people won’t invest in our clubs".

You can read more on that story here.

Fair Game, a group which represents a number of professional clubs, has launched a bid to stop FA Cup replays being scrapped.

The group, which campaigns to improve football governance, has proposed an amendment to the upcoming Football Governance Bill which would mean replays could not be scrapped without consultation with all eligible clubs and a majority vote.

Last week, replays were scrapped from the first round onwards from the 2024-25 season as a result of the expansion of European competitions next season and the resulting pressure on the football calendar.

The move was widely criticised, with more than 100 clubs sharing statements voicing their position against the move.

You can read more on this story here.

England and Real Madrid midfielder Jude Bellingham has won the 2024 Laureus World Sports Breakthrough of the Year award.

The 20-year-old has become a key player for Real following his £89m move from Borussia Dortmund last summer.

He scored the winner against Barcelona in El Clasico on Sunday as he took his tally to 17 goals in La Liga this season.

Bellingham also helped Real Madrid beat Manchester City on penalties in their Champions League quarter-final last week.

The Laureus World Sportsman of the Year award went to tennis player Novak Djokovic for the fifth time, while Spain and Barcelona midfielder Aitana Bonmati won the women's equivalent.

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Let's look at a couple of stories from overnight, starting with a good evening for one of England's brightest stars...

This week's episode of Match of the Day Top 10 is all about solo strikes, so how does a goal - during which Micah Richards passed to a team-mate - qualify for the list?

Simon Stone
BBC Sport chief football reporter

Since his co-ownership was announced on Christmas Eve, Sir Jim Ratcliffe and new United director Sir Dave Brailsford have presided over a complete overhaul of United’s backroom team.

The latest appointment was Jason Wilcox as technical director after his exit from Southampton was successfully negotiated.

United hope to secure the services of Dan Ashworth as sporting director but there is still no agreement on that with Newcastle and as it presently stands, it could be September, once the summer transfer window has closed, that the deal is finally completed.

Ten Hag is clearly under pressure.

However, his supporters continue to make the comparison with Mikel Arteta, who won the FA Cup in his first season as Arsenal boss but also finished eighth twice and then fifth before getting the squad he wanted.

Their win percentage is broadly similar, which fuels belief the situation is not quite as bad as some of the recent performances have made it appear.

Erik ten Hag's reign as Manchester United manager is reaching the end and there is "no coming back", says former Premier League striker Chris Sutton.

"I really don’t know where Ten Hag goes from this," said Sutton on BBC Radio 5 Live's Monday Night Club.

"It is the end for him now - there is no way he is coming back after that."

Former Newcastle and Manchester City goalkeeper Shay Given agreed, saying: "The writing is definitely on the wall for him.

"It doesn’t look good for him - he looked lost at times on the touchline. There is a lot of noise around the club at the moment."

"After the game people are looking at Ten Hag’s substitutions but even he couldn’t have foreseen that as the worse scenario. They were cruising," said Sutton, who won the Premier League with Blackburn in 1995.

"The performance after 70 minutes was pretty symptomatic of how Manchester United have played this season - they lost control.

"They couldn’t regain control and that has been the issue all season."

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