Fabio Da Silva is back in the top flight and the Middlesbrough defender admits he is itching to make up for lost time.

The Brazilian – formerly of Manchester United – made his Premiership debut for the Teessiders against Chelsea and has since appeared against both Leicester and Hull.

And the victory over Hull – Fabio’s first since returning to the top flight – has re-lit a fire under the Brazilian.

“I am really enjoying life, and I’m happy to be playing in the Premier League again,” he said. “When I played in this division in the past I was young.

“But now I have played more games, and more experience.

“Aitor Karanka has helped me a lot, he’s spoken with me and given me confidence, and he’s given me a chance I want to take.”

With George Friend out injured, the brother of Rafael is now hoping he can take full advantage of his opportunity.

“Now I have a second chance,” added Fabio. “It’s tough and you have to fight for your place, but I’ve learnt a lot from George.

“He has been doing it here for five years. He’s a fantastic lad and a great player as well.

“Our defence is full of great players – Calum [Chambers], Antonio [Barragan], and Ben Gibson is a leader.”

West Brom defender Gareth McAuley is proving himself to be something of an ageless wonder but claims even he felt old when told he was entitled to his pension on his birthday two years ago.

McAuley turned 37 this week but it was his 35^th birthday that confirmed once and for all, he was now considered past it by footballing standards.

“I’ve enjoyed my last two birthdays, it’s the 35th that was the difficult one really,” explained McAuley.

“The PFA send you a letter when you’re 35 and tell you that you’re now entitled to your pension.

“Your insurance company also sends you a letter saying thanks very much for all your years as a customer but you’re no longer insurable.

“That birthday when I got those dropped in with my cards wasn’t the best!”

On the field, McAuley looks anything but a pensioner, shaking off any potential tiredness from his exertions with Northern Ireland at Euro 2016 over the summer to have started all of West Brom’s league and cup games this term.

He is already the oldest outfield player to represent the club in the Premier League but insists he is still loving what he is doing.

“I don’t think there’s a secret to it, I think it’s more that I have a desire to do it and that I enjoy doing it. I enjoy coming to work and it’s a pleasure to be here,” he added.

“I think the biggest thing is to be conditioned to playing in this league.

“You get a chance to work on things in the Premier League more so than you do in the Football League where it’s play-recover, play-recover throughout the season.

“I’m not stupid enough to think it’s going to last forever. But if I do enough of the right things and if I still have the desire to put myself through it then I don’t see why I can’t keep on doing it.”

Former West Ham United defender Igor Stimac has backed his friend and fellow former Croatia international Slaven Bilic to turn results round at the London Stadium.

West Ham boss Bilic has overseen a dismal run of form, which has seen the Hammers fall to 17th in the Premier League, one point and place above the drop zone.

Bilic took over as manager in 2015, and guided the Hammers to seventh, finishing with a club record 62 points in the Premier League, but has found it much tougher going this time around.

Stimac, 49, played 43 league games in two years at the Hammers after his move from Derby County in 1999.

(Photo by Jordan Mansfield/Getty Images)

He and Bilic were part of the Croatia team that impressed at Euro 96 and the 1998 World Cup.

“When Slaven got the job, I said that he will be an instant success at West Ham United,” said Stimac, who also replaced Bilic as the manager of the Croatia national team in 2012.

“He knows what this job is about and how to turn things round. One thing I am pretty sure of is that Slaven will not lose his passion, commitment and confidence.

“The one thing which I am confused about is how some people in England question his ability after every game, forgetting how great a job he did last season.

“We all know that Slaven is the right guy for West Ham and I point my finger at the players here to wake up and bring back to their game the same passion they showed last season.”

Alan Pardew has vowed his Crystal Palace side will continue to have an attacking mentality, despite their poor defensive record in recent weeks.

Saturday’s 3-0 home win against Southampton was their first Premier League clean sheet since April, with Christian Benteke scoring twice and James Tomkins once as Palace picked up their first points in seven matches.

The Eagles had shipped 17 goals in the five games previous to Saturday’s victory over the Saints.

Palace are 14^th in the table, with 14 points from 14 games. They are the joint fifth highest-scorers in the league with 24 goals, but also have the division’s fourth-leakiest defence, conceding 26.

Photo by Christopher Lee/Getty Images

They face a trip to relegation-threatened Hull City on Saturday, who have only won once since August.

And Pardew said he is determined to keep the exuberance Palace have displayed going forward this season.

“I set us up this year to attack teams, attack the best teams,” he said.

“We’ve been vulnerable at times, but the weakness at set plays has bitten us on the bottom. We didn’t expect that.

“We tried to change that last week, and we changed our disciplines a bit. We couldn’t go on about a clean sheet. We ticked those boxes last week.

“We want to keep the exuberance we have, scoring goals. Christian has seven already, and we look like we’ve got goals in us.”

Roy Keane has criticised Leicester City’s big money players and has suggested their increased salaries has played a part in their poor start to the season.

The former Irish international alluded to the improved wages of Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez, among others, as a reason for their lack of fight this season.

He said: “Over the last few months, we see a few of their players getting rewarded with new contracts.

“The financial rewards are fantastic, but it can destroy a club. Too much money too soon and the players take their eyes off the ball and they are in big trouble.

“They have had a bit of success and it is hard to be critical of them, but you look at their manager, and he seems to be a very placid man, and he must be so frustrated. He must be scratching his head, him and his staff.”

(Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

Leicester sailed through their Champion’s League group with a game to spare but have failed to transfer their winning momentum to the Premier League and Keane believes they lack their winning mentality of last season.

He said: “The warning signs have been there for the last few months with their league form and to me, the basic fact is they have lost their hunger and intensity.

“I think his players are trying. It’s not like they have downed tools or anything like that, but their real desire not to get beaten has all gone out the window.

“Football is all about good habits and they have lost all track of what they should be about. Their DNA last year, their work-rate, it’s gone.”

Spurs defender Toby Alderweireld is in high spirits after recovering from a leg injury that has kept him out since mid-October.

The Belgian appeared as a substitute in Spurs’ victory over CSKA Moscow to secure the north-Londoners a place in the Europa League knockout stages.

He said: “It was difficult to see the team play in the Champions League and big games in the Premier League as well.

“You want to try to help the team but that gave me a reason to work hard and come back as quickly as possible.”

(Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)

Alderweireld admitted his comeback had been down to the tough rehabilitation programme at Spurs and is focused on doing his bit for the team.

He said: “I’m very happy, it was a tough two months because it’s not been a usual injury, but I worked hard so as soon as the muscle and nerve starting working again, I could be fit to play again.

“When you are injured at Spurs you have to work very hard! That’s a good thing, because when you are back, you are fully fit.

“I put a lot of effort in and I’m happy to be back. I just want to help the team in the next few weeks.”

Willy Caballero has had to bide his time and wait for Manchester City first-team opportunities this season but the keeper believes squad rotation will be key in the long run.

The Argentine stopper started in mid-week as they drew with Celtic 1-1 to confirm their passage into the knockout rounds of the Champions League.

Claudio Bravo has been Pep Guardiola’s No.1 this season with Caballero often having to settle for the role of understudy.

But the 35-year-old insists the squad policy at the City of Manchester stadium will pay dividends over a long season that sees them competing on multiple fronts.

“I think it’s important [to rotate],” he said.

“Everybody wants to play. Everyone works really hard during the week to try and play.

“In this league, just a few teams can repeat the same starting XI because sometimes they play one game a week. If we do this, maybe we get in trouble, with injuries and tiredness, so I think it’s a good option.

“The game against Celtic was important for the players who don’t usually play to keep improving, to keep showing the boss he can think of using every player in the starting XI.

“It was a good way to play the last game, already qualified, against an important team with history and tradition.”

Burnley’s Andre Gray has confessed his frustration at his recent lack of first team minutes, but has vowed to work harder than ever to keep his place in the side.

Striker Gray had been restricted to a string of substitute appearances since returning from a four-game ban for a sequence of homophobic tweets he posted as a non-league player as far back as 2012, but returned for his side’s defeat at Stoke City last Saturday.

And Gray is philosophical about his period away from the starting eleven.

“The boys have been doing well so I can’t really complain too much,” he said.

Photo by James Baylis – AMA/WBA FC via Getty Images

“It’s frustrating because I want to play and that’s the first time I’ve been in that situation.

“It’s a lesson learned and I’ve just got to keep working hard.

“I’ve just had to keep my head down and work hard. It’s a matter of taking your chance when it comes.”

“The gaffer is going to change formation, people will come in and people will come out.

“It’s not like the Championship last year when we were high and flying and winning every game. You’ve just got to keep your head and keep working hard.

“I’ve learned a lot. Obviously I had that ban so I’ve not played as much as I had hoped this season.”

Sunderland’s £13.6 million summer signing Didier Ndong has revealed he turned down more lucrative offers to play in the Premier League.

The 22-year-old Gabon international also denied that he feels any of the pressure that might come from having commanded such a high fee.

Since his deadline day arrival from French Ligue 1 side Lorient in August, Ndong has emerged as an integral part of David Moyes’ midfield as the Black Cats seek to secure Premier League survival.

Sunderland visit fellow strugglers Swansea on Saturday and will look to continue their recent good form, which has seen them win three of their last four matches.

He said:  “I don’t think the money is an issue. I don’t think it adds pressure.”

“It was there, and Sunderland obviously had to pay a price for the transfer, but the most important thing is that I am here now, playing, and enjoying what I do.

Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images

“I am loving being in the Premier League.

“Sunderland were the first club to ask me to move to the Premier League, and that meant a lot to me.

“I got higher offers, but they were not to play in the Premier League, and I really wanted to come here.”

Arsenal forward Alexis Sanchez will not find a better place to play his football in Europe than the Gunners, according to former defender Martin Keown.

Sanchez, along with team-mate Mesut Ozil, have failed to sign new terms with Arsene Wenger’s side and are understood to be holding out for more money than has been offered by the club.

Sanchez, a £31.7 million capture from Barcelona in 2014, and Ozil, who arrived for a club record £42.5 million from Real Madrid in 2013, both have 18 months left on their deals at the Emirates Stadium.

Keown believes Sanchez is given the freedom to express himself by Wenger, but added the Gunners will not be held to ransom over wage demands.

Photo by Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images

“I have a feeling that when one signs, the other will follow suit,” Keown said. “If Ozil had already signed, I’m sure Sanchez would have too.

“I don’t think Sanchez could find anywhere else in Europe that is better than what he is finding at Arsenal.

“He is a free spirit, working with a manager who will give him the freedom to express himself.

“He is using his tremendous pace to great effect in a central position and Arsenal must make the most of him in that position.

“Arsenal won’t be held to ransom — we’ve seen this with Robin van Persie. But if they leave it 18 months and the pair leave on a free then that’s the best part of £72 million gone.

“Arsenal would need to spend at least £100m to replace them. They need to get these two signed up.”