The 2016-17 season was the 25th of the Premier League era, but no single individual player has contributed as much to the popularity of football in England that effected the breakaway from the old Football League as Paul Gascoigne and his performances at the 1990 World Cup.

For those of a certain age, Pavarotti's performance of Puccini's "Nessun Dorma" can only be accompanied by an image of a tearful Gazza, bereft after receiving a yellow card that meant he would miss the final -- though England...

Tuesday's latest stories from the world of football in ESPN FC's What's Trending...

MAN UNITED: Manchester United forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic has headed to the United States to undergo surgery on his knee injury in a bid to save his career, sources have confirmed to ESPN FC.

- Chicago Fire midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger has called on Ibrahimovic to follow him in making the move from Manchester United to Major League Soccer.

- Ander Herrera has billed Manchester United's Premier...

Newcastle have achieved promotion to the Premier League at the first attempt, after Rafa Benitez guided them through a tricky season in the Championship.

They were expected to dominate the division, but ultimately found things a little tougher going and will, in all likelihood, finish second behind prospective champions Brighton.

So how have they done it? How different is this Newcastle team to the one that has played in the Premier League previously?

Who's the manager?

At the start of the 2015-16...

Back in September, it seemed as if a wearying and familiar pattern would repeat itself. Garry Monk didn't get off to a good start at Leeds, and with the team in the bottom three of the Championship before a 2-1 win over Blackburn, the vultures were circling. One vulture in particular: According to a number of reports, Monk was to be the latest manager sacked by notoriously impatient owner, Massimo Cellino.

Skip forward six months, and Monk is still in situ while Leeds are fourth and looking...

Xisco Jimenez has been at his new Asian club for less than nine months, but he's already achieved more than during a miserable five years in England. One goal in 11 Newcastle United appearances, across three different competitions between 2008 and 2013, saw the Spaniard regularly shipped out on-loan and named on more than one worst-ever list.

His £5.7 million signing at St James' Park was seen as a graphic example of the excesses of the dysfunctional era when Dennis Wise was the club's executive...

Newcastle made the long trek to Brighton on Tuesday evening for a game between the top two teams in the Championship.

With the Magpies trailing in the Premier League promotion showdown to a first-half Glenn Murray penalty, the pressure was mounting on Rafa Benitez's men with a trip to third-placed Huddersfield coming up on Saturday.

Step forward midfielder Mohamed Diame, who produced what will go down as one of THE goals of the season. 

Brighton goalkeeper David Stockdale could only produce...