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A few Aston Villa fans were left questioning their club’s decision to keep Tom Heaton and Bjorn Engels injuries under wraps ahead of facing Wolverhampton Wanderers on Sunday.

There is also growing uncertainty among the Villa Park faithful over Jack Grealish’s fitness after the Villans captain was forced to sit out another Premier League fixture after failing to shake off the knock to his calf suffered at Manchester City.

Dean Smith was without Heaton and Engels for Sunday’s clash with Wolves after the pair sustained calf and hip injuries respectively, and were replaced by Jed Steer and Ezri Konsa.

Heaton’s injury has seen the former Burnley goalkeeper withdraw from the England squad for the Three Lion’s upcoming Euro 2020 qualifiers, and is expected to see his place taken by Sheffield United’s Dean Henderson.

Smith’s injury woes were not over once the ball began to roll on Sunday, either, as Villa lost back-up ‘keeper Steer in the seventh-minute when the shot-stopper developed an Achilles issue while clearing the ball and needed help leaving the field.

The Villans would again be forced into a first-half substitution through injury, when Matt Targett was replaced shortly before half-time after going down following a blow to the face from Matt Doherty.

Villa now have the international break to nurse their ever-growing injury list back to full fitness, before facing Newcastle United on November 25.

Here are some of the messages shared from concerned Villa fans when news broke of Heaton and Engels’ injuries…

As the international break takes place, many young English talents have a rare chance to shine and play 90 minutes of football. The likes of Callum Hudson-Odoi and Mason Greenwood, who would not typically start on a regular basis in the Premier League, now have a chance to really show what they can do.

One man in particular who will be heading into the international fixtures full of motivation and intent is Phil Foden. The young Manchester City star has established himself as one of the brightest young talents in the country under the guidance of Pep Guardiola.

Now, as he is likely to start for England U21s against Albania, Foden has a real chance to stake a claim for a starting role under the Spaniard. The 19-year-old is yet to start a league game for City this season and has had to settle for EFL Cup games for his chance to shine.

Foden has, however, played in two Champions League games, where he has scored and assisted for the Citizens. If the academy graduate can replicate the type of performance that saw him thrive in the 5-1 win over Atalanta, where he created four big chances, Boothroyd’s side will have a great chance of collecting a victory.

City’s playmaker-in-chief, David Silva, was back in the squad for the defeat to Liverpool, although a solid performance from Foden could put him in contention for a starting berth against Chelsea. Up next for the champions is the visit of the Blues before they face off with Shakhtar Donetsk, where a win would see them qualify for the next stage of the Champions League.

After this City face trips to Newcastle United and Burnley, where the youngster should certainly be considered.

In truth, with a positive performance on Friday, Foden should be chosen for the Shakhtar clash, as City already have some breathing space in Group C.

There is also the inevitable departure of Silva, who stated in June that he will leave the Etihad Stadium after ten glorious years in Manchester.

Now, Guardiola has the chance to see Foden get plenty of action for England and the City boss, and the supporters, would be wise to keep an eye on his performance.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Jose Mourinho joining Tottenham Hotspur has been the big talking point of the week and what better time to appoint the Portuguese man than just days before a derby match against West Ham United.

However, the game shouldn’t be seen as a topic of interest purely because of Mourinho’s arrival or even the rivalry between the Hammers and Spurs.

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Another layer of intrigue can be added to the weekend context when you consider the feud between Mourinho and West Ham manager Manuel Pellegrini.

The pair have faced off 14 times in their careers so far, with Pellegrini coming out on top in four games, Mourinho winning seven and three other matches ending in a draw.

There has been a war of words between them in the past, as The Express quoted Mourinho as saying: “If Madrid were to fire me, I wouldn’t go to Malaga. I’d go to a top-level team in Italy or England.”

He then followed that up when both were in the Premier League by stating: “Because I wouldn’t. Because I’m in a situation where I can choose. Some people can’t choose.”

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Pellegrini has also taken a shot at Saturday’s opponent in the past, saying: “I don’t like coaches who are only interested in results. The concepts of spectacle and creativity are fundamental to me.”

There was even a time when he refused to shake the Portuguese tactician’s hand because he “didn’t want to” after Jose Mourinho jumped in the crowd to celebrate a Fernando Torres winner in 2013.

Both managers are in the top 10 in Premier League history for points per game from those who have taken charge of more than 50 matches.

The most recent time the two managers met was at London Stadium last season, when West Ham beat Manchester United 3-1.

West Ham are on a run of 7 games without a victory in all competitions and Spurs are enduring a winless streak of 5 matches in the league, so there is another added incentive for the two managers to outdo each other.

Liverpool are likely to send Rhian Brewster back out on loan next season, per The Athletic’s Reds correspondent James Pearce.

What’s the word?

Brewster is currently on loan at Swansea City, where he has scored four goals in 11 Championship outings for the club.

A star at youth level, he was the top scorer at the U17 World Cup in 2017, scoring eight goals throughout the competition, and has netted 13 goals in 28 games for the U23s.

However, Pearce does not believe the 19-year-old is quite ready to force his way into Jurgen Klopp’s starting XI and believes he is likely to go on loan again in the 2020/21 season, whenever that may begin.

Speaking in a Q&A, he said: “Brewster will be 20 next week so he’s still got time on his side but making it at Liverpool is tough. You need to be world class to get into that frontline.

“I think we’ll see him return and play a part for LFC in pre-season (whenever that is!) and then it’s down to him to prove to Klopp that he’s ready.

“It wouldn’t surprise me if he went out on loan again.”

Can you name the result these iconic Liverpool images belong to? Give it a go now…

Opportunity needed

Brewster could be the ideal back-up to the fabled front three of Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane, and Mohamed Salah.

Of course, he isn’t quite at their level yet and he has just three senior appearances under his belt; he has yet to play in the Premier League.

Nevertheless, one has to feel that the teenager has put in the work to be given an opportunity.

He has scored goals at whatever level he has played at and there is nothing wrong with giving him the chance to make an impact off the bench next season.

It would be a bold step from manager Klopp but it could well pay off in the long-run; if he succeeds, he stays in the fold, if he doesn’t, he can merely go out on loan again in the 2021/22 season.

Meanwhile, what does the future hold for Sadio Mane?

Speaking to The Yorkshire Evening Post, Mateusz Klich has opened up the moment that really kick-started Leeds’ turnaround.

What did he say?

A 2-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest had left Leeds with four losses out of five in the Championship, before Marcelo Bielsa’s side clinched a point against Brentford away from home.

Despite not picking up all three points, that result appeared to be the catalyst for the Whites turning things around, with the side going on to win their next five games and not even conceding once.

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Now, the £3.15m-rated Klich has revealed that the Brentford clash was the moment they had decided to buck up. He said: “I think the Brentford game. After the Nottingham Forest game we said,‘this is enough,’ and that from the Brentford game we needed to play better. The Brentford game was a perfect game for us, we could have won it and we should have won it.

“After that we showed everyone we are really strong and we can really do it but obviously something has got in our way now.”

Moment to remember

As is often the case when it comes to a long hard-fought season, the individual moments in certain games are the ones players and fans look towards as being the moment things changed either for the better or the worse.

In Leeds’ case, doubts would no doubt have started to creep in after the Forest defeat, with painful memories of missing out on promotion to the Premier League last season still fresh in the memory.

But by digging in and getting in a point against fellow contenders Brentford, Leeds proved they could still be in charge of their own destinies, and if their return to the top-flight is eventually confirmed, it’s a game that people will be pointing to for years to come.

Meanwhile, Phil Hay has delivered a Leeds injury update.

Jack Harrison has said that he is not opposed to returning to Manchester City from Leeds United once his loan spell at Elland Road has ended.

The 23-year-old is currently spending the season with the Whites from the Premier League champions – the second term he has now been with the Yorkshire outfit – and he has done well for Marcelo Bielsa’s team. In 40 appearances in all competitions this time out, he has managed a respectable five goals and seven assists.

As it stands, he is set to return to his employers at the end of the campaign, and he has said that although he would like to be with Leeds in the Premier League next term, he is open to going back to City.

Speaking about his situation, he told ESPN: “Me, myself, I want to do everything I can to help them [Leeds] get to the Premier League and hopefully I can still be with them next season. As a player, I always want to play at the highest level and push myself to the limit.

“I am not opposed to going back to Man City if that’s what’s required of me, if that’s what is wanted. I have to be ambitious as a player as well. If it’s playing with Man City or wherever, or with Leeds in the Premiership next season, I’m going to try and play my best wherever it is. We’ll just have to see what happens I think.”

Losing Harrison after two years would be a blow to Leeds, especially if they get promoted to the promised land. He has become an important member of Bielsa’s side, as the number of games he has played in shows, and a hole would be left if he were no longer available.

If they are to be competitive, in the top tier, they must give themselves the best possible chance, and losing a key element of the side will mean they are slightly less settled. Hopefully, Leeds can keep him at the club for the foreseeable future.

Will Harrison be at Leeds next season? Let us know in the comments!

Tottenham target Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg has admitted his recent transfer links to the Lilywhites flatter him, according to a report from B.T.  

Sky Sports recently revealed the Saints star is at the top of Jose Mourinho’s shortlist, and Daniel Levy is preparing to make a £35m offer for the Southampton captain in the summer.

Speaking to the Danish outlet, Hojbjerg divulged he is delighted by the speculation and his international teammate Christian Eriksen has told him lots of good things about his time in North London.

“It would be a lie to say I hadn’t read it. It’s a big club and I also think Christian Eriksen has positive memories from there.

“The most important thing is that I concentrate on Southampton and concentrate on that when the season starts again, I can continue where I left off.”

He added: “I wouldn’t mind knocking a few goals in. Whatever happens in the future, you have to take it as it comes.”

He arrived at St Mary’s Stadium for £13.5m from Bayern Munich and this season the 24-year-old has made 28 appearances in the Premier League for Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side, picking up 1 assist, making 2.4 tackles per game, averaging 1.5 interceptions, and completing 1.7 clearances (SofaScore).

Predictably, plenty of Spurs fans gushed over Hojbjerg’s transfer update on social media, with one fan branding him “insane,” and another adding he is “better than Winks.”

Have a read through some of the glowing reactions down below…

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Kalidou Koulibaly has been continually linked with Liverpool in recent days and weeks.

The Reds are said to be interested in the 28-year-old, for whom his current employers Napoli want €100m (£88.9m) (Gazzetta dello Sport via Sport Witness). Whilst a move for the Senegal international would not exactly fit in with their recent transfer policy, which saw the likes of teenagers Sepp van den Berg and Harvey Elliott make the switch to Anfield last summer, there is no doubting his quality as a footballer – he has averaged a WhoScored rating of at least seven in each full season he has had with the Partonopei.

Le10 Sport have offered another update on the centre-back, and they once again reiterate the Reds’ interest. They say that the Merseyside outfit are preparing to offer Koulibaly a very good salary.

This has got the club’s supporters talking and, on the whole, it seems they would like to sign the defender – one fan even said it would be “game over” if he made the switch. They have taken to Twitter to share their thoughts, and you can see some of the best comments from the social media platform below.

Let us know what you think!

Glasgow Rangers and the rest of the top four tiers of Scottish football will soon find out how many teams they will be playing against in league football next season.

As it stands, the Gers will face 11 other sides in the Premiership whilst the other three leagues will each include 10 outfits. However, following Hearts owner Ann Budge’s push to see the league system north of the border restructured, the top tier could increase to 14, whilst those who were relegated following the premature end of the season will remain in their current divisions.

Journalist Peter Martin clearly believes that there should be change implemented. On Twitter, he has implored the sides in Scottish football to save Hearts, Stranraer and Partick Thistle and do the “decent thing”.

This has attracted the attention of the Gers supporters, and they do not seem too happy with Martin’s comments – it seems they have not forgiven him for his desire to see their fierce Glasgow rivals Celtic handed the title, with one fan even calling him an “utter embarrassment”. They have taken to the social media platform to share their thoughts, and you can see some of the best comments below.

Let us know what you think!

AC Milan are reportedly keeping tabs on Naby Keita and are interested in bringing him to Italy this summer.

According to Milan Live (relayed via @AnfieldEdition), the Serie A outfit are looking to poach the Guinean from Anfield ahead of next season.

Keita has had a difficult 2019/20 campaign, making just nine Premier League appearances due to recurring injury issues (via Transfermarkt). Because he has been hindered by knocks and strains, Reds fans have been speculating over whether he has a future at Anfield or not.

The 25-year-old joined Anfield from RB Leipzig in 2018, after agreeing terms a year earlier worth a club record fee of £48million (via BBC Sport). Since his arrival, he has struggled to get into his groove, scoring just six goals and assisting seven across all competitions (Transfermarkt).

However, a lot of fans are still on his side and want to see him succeed with Liverpool. One supporter has responded to the Milan link saying he’s ‘going nowhere’ whilst another is willing to let him go, but for a high price. They have tweeted ‘€150million and they can have him’ as they clearly view Keita as a promising player and an asset to the team.

Read more replies from the Anfield faithful here:

Do you think Naby Keita will leave the club this summer, Reds? Have your say in the comments below…