Nigerian international Ahmed Musa has taken time settling in at Leicester City after joining from CSKA Moscow in the summer but manager Claudio Ranieri was happy to be patient.

Musa showed signs of his electric pace and the goalscoring form that saw him net 54 times in 168 games in Russia, with two strikes against Everton at the weekend.

It helped Leicester come from behind to win the third round tie 2-1 and Ranieri hopes Musa can now go on a real hot streak in front of goal.

“There are players who immediately do well and others need to understand,” he said.

“Musa has a lot of qualities. He scored a lot of goals in Russia. Now, it’s important for him to keep going and maintain this momentum.

“In the last month I saw him in training sessions and he did very well. He scored two goals and I hope now he’s getting better and getting more confident.”

(Photo by Tony McArdle/Everton FC via Getty Images)

Leicester’s FA Cup tie also saw a debut for new midfielder Wilfred Ndidi and the Foxes manager was impressed with what he saw from Musa’s international team-mate.

“He’s a different character with a different position,” Ranieri added. “I love the players who recover the ball and pass straight away forward.

“For the first time, 20 years-old against Everton, who are one of the bigger teams in the Premier League, he played very well. We need a player like him.”

Reunited after their early years together at Everton, David Moyes has backed midfielder Jack Rodwell to be a success at Sunderland.

The 25-year-old has yet to start in a Premier League win for the Black Cats since his move to the Stadium of Light in 2014, but Moyes is adamant the player he gave a debut to at Goodison Park can still make an impact on Wearside.

Rodwell returned to action for the first time since October in Sunderland’s 2-2 draw with Liverpool, on January 2, and started the 0-0 FA Cup draw with Burnley at the weekend.

But his manager is already demanding more from the former Manchester City man if he is to return to his best in the near future.

“I thought Jack played well, especially in the first half against Burnley,” said Moyes.

Photo by Matthew Lewis/Getty Images

“He’s now got to find a way of getting through that last 15-20 minutes when he’s treading a bit of water, but overall I thought he did well.

“Be more aggressive and make sure you’re on the ball [has been my message to Jack since I came to the club].

“He needs to switch the play and pass it, but a lot of the time he has to be aggressive in his play and it can’t just be that part of the game.

“Jack has the attributes to be a very good player and he’s had them for a long, long time, and in the last couple of games he’s started to show it.”

New Hull City manager Marco Silva insists he deserves more respect after being subject to criticism on live TV at the weekend.

Silva was a shock appointment at the KCOM Stadium after Mike Phelan’s departure from the Yorkshire outfit, but led his new side to a 2-0 victory in their FA Cup clash with Swansea City in his first match in charge.

Silva led Olympiakos to last season’s Greek title, having already won the Portuguese Cup at Sporting Lisbon and, before that, led Estoril into Portugal’s top flight.

Despite his achievements, Silva faced ridicule by Paul Merson and Phil Thompson live on Sky Sports Gillette Soccer Saturday.

(Photo: LINDSEY PARNABY/AFP/Getty Images)

But with his managerial record in mind, the 39-year-old, who spent his entire playing career in his native Portugal, feels he deserves more credit.

When asked if pundits should have a greater knowledge of his credentials, he said: “Yes, but for me it’s not important. I respect all the opinions and what the football people talk about.

“But I don’t care. For me it’s not important, what is important is my work with my players and what our fans feel, what they believe.

“That is what is important for me in this moment.”

Paul Clement has plenty to do to rescue Swansea from a relegation dogfight and win over the club’s fed up fans, but he does already have one big admirer in former boss Carlo Ancelotti.

The 45-year-old former amateur footballer first joined up with the Italian at Chelsea in 2009, serving as his assistant manager in south-west London before also joining Ancelotti in stints at Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid and most recently at Bayern Munich.

Despite having spells with four of Europe’s heavyweights on his resume, Clement’s only foray into the top job at a club came at Derby, where he was relatively unsuccessful before being sacked after an eight-month reign.

But Ancelotti, one of the most respected managers on the planet, insists that while he was sad to lost Clement, he believes the Englishman has what it takes to become one of the Premier League’s leading men.

“Of course, at a certain point, an assistant like this, he wanted to be a manager in the Premier League; above all in the Premier League,” he said.

“He had this opportunity and I think he took the right decision to go there. I hope for him all the best, but he has absolutely the skills, the quality to be a top manager.

“I think [Clement] has a different personality to myself.

“He’s less quiet than me, but he has a strong motivation; really focused on his job.

“He’s thinking about his job 24 hours a day, and the character is different. But we had a really good time together. We won a lot, but always we [had a good time].”

Injuries forced Brice Dja Djédjé to be patient as he waited for his Watford debut, but after coming on this weekend the right back is desperate to show Hornets fans what they’ve been missing.

Dja Djédjé joined the Hornets from Marseille in the summer on a four-year deal but a lengthy injury meant he’s been sat on the sidelines throughout the opening half of the season.

But the Ivory Coast international was delighted to run out at Vicarage Road in the 2-0 win over Burton Albion in the FA Cup third round, and even surprised himself at his own fitness levels.

“I’m delighted to have played after eight long months out injured. Making my debut is a great moment that I’ve been waiting for since I arrived here,” he said.

“I felt really fit out there and I’ve been working really hard over the last few months with the medical staff, as well as outside of training too.

 (Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images)

“Having the chance to play for the team for the first time is special because I’ve worked very hard and it’s been difficult being out for such a long time.

“Making your debut at home is great too, because it can be a while before you get to finally play in front of the fans.

“Playing today was great and even more so as it was in this competition. I just want to progress now and keep playing here at the club and impress the fans at Vicarage Road.”

Wayne Rooney’s days as Manchester United’s star player may be over but centre-back Phil Jones insists the captain is still the heartbeat of the club.

Rooney equalled Sir Bobby Charlton’s goal scoring record at United, netting his 249th in Saturday’s 4-0 FA Cup win over Reading.

It is inevitable that the 31-year-old will break that record as long as he remains fit, with plenty of games on the horizon for United – who remain in four competitions, with the FA Cup, EFL Cup and Europa League running alongside the Premier League.

This season has seen Rooney restricted to a bit-part role, with new signings Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Paul Pogba and Henrikh Mkhitaryan easing him out of the first team.

Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images

But Jones, who has emerged as key defender since Jose Mourinho arrived last summer, insists the England striker is still idolised at the club and remains vital to their chances of success.

“He’s the go-to guy. Everyone knows that. Everyone knows that the likes of him and Michael Carrick, they are the people in the dressing room that the lads certainly look up to. We are all proud of Wayne,” he said.

“It is a tremendous achievement. We were all rooting for him to break that record and he has equalled it now so hopefully he can go one better and I’m sure he will.

“He has been a fantastic servant, not just for Manchester United and England but football in general. He is a player who people idolise and look up to, so all credit to him.”

Claude Puel admits Southampton will have to keep hold of the ball if they are to stifle Liverpool when the teams meet in the EFL Cup.

Saints managed a goalless draw when they met the Reds in the league back in November but have gone four games without a win including three straight league defeats before Saturday’s draw with Norwich in the FA Cup.

Puel was pleased with the defensive solidity shown by his team when they last faced off but knows they will have to show more if they want to put themselves in good shape ahead of the semi-final second leg.

(John Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)

“We played this game in the Premier League, it was a strong game for us in defensive organisation,” Puel said.

“It was strong work to keep a good level, but I think it will be important also for this game to have a little more the ball and try to have control of the game.

“I know it’s difficult against this team because of their ability to recover the ball together with their strong pressing. Also, they keep the ball with technical players and quality and organisation.

“It’s a strong challenge and exciting. I think we are not favourite for this game and the second half away is difficult also but we have nothing to lose, just to play good level, to take pleasure and to make a result.”

After racking up just his ninth Burnley appearance of this season in the FA Cup third-round draw with Sunderland, James Tarkowski admitted it was a relief to get some much-needed game time under the belt.

English defender Tarkowski has been stuck behind in-form Michael Keane and Ben Mee, but the 24-year-old looked at home for Sean Dyche’s side as they battled to a 0-0 draw with the Black Cats.

Though the former Oldham man conceded it has been tough watching on as his side have surged into 12^th place in the Premier League, he says it is hard to question their success.

“I’m pleased because it hasn’t been the easiest season for me in terms of playing time so I’m happy to get a game and think I did okay,” Tarkowski said.

(Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)

“We’ve had a good season especially at home and the team is going well so it’s hard to complain too much. I would like to play more but it’s in the gaffer’s hands.”

Tarkowski very nearly sealed a spot in the fourth round with a header that struck the woodwork in the second period and though it was a case of close, but no cigar, he is already readying himself for the replay on January 17.

“I think the header took a little deflection on the way through and hit the post,” he said.
“I was hoping it was in but I’m looking forward to the replay where we can get a result.”

West Bromwich Albion captain Darren Fletcher says his side need to be “on top of their game” if they are to get anything out of their Premier League clash with Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday.

The Baggies are going well in the Premier League, after back-to-back wins over Southampton and Hull City moving them climb to eighth.

However, Mauricio Pochettino’s Spurs are flying, with six consecutive wins in all competitions catapulting them to third.

The Baggies, who were dumped out of the FA Cup by Championship side Derby County at the weekend, drew 1-1 with Spurs when the sides met at the Hawthorns in October.

Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images

“It’s obviously going to be a difficult game against Tottenham, as it always is for us,” said Fletcher.

“They’ve hit a bit of form recently. Spurs are a top-class team who score a lot of goals.

“We managed to get a point against them earlier on in the season.

“They penned us in during the first half but we fought back really well in that game and enjoyed a good second period.

“They scored a late goal against us at The Hawthorns after putting us under a lot of pressure.

“We know we are going to have to be on top of our game on Saturday, but we have done well there in the past and hopefully we can get another positive result.”

Fresh after signing a new contract, Peter Crouch now wants to concentrate on nailing down his place in Mark Hughes’ Stoke City team for the rest of the season.

The veteran striker penned a new one-year deal to stay at the Bet365 Stadium after breaking back into the first team and scoring in consecutive Premier League games against Chelsea and Watford.

With Wilfried Bony and Mame Diouf set for the Africa Cup of Nations, Crouch has a chance to prove to Hughes that he should be Stoke’s leading striker for the rest of the campaign – even though the club are linked with Napoli’s Manola Gabbiadini this month.

Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images

And, after waiting for his chance on the sidelines, Crouch is ready to grasp his opportunity with both hands.

“The manager has said right from the start that I’d have an important role to play; that’s been the case recently and hopefully it will be towards the end of the season,” he said.

“I work hard every day and I knew that when that chance came along I had to grab it.  Hopefully I’ve done myself a bit of justice recently and I’d like to stay in.

“The fact that the contract is out of my mind now is a great relief for me and now I can just concentrate on pushing us up the league.”