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Fabrizio Romano has shared some ‘bad news’ for Manchester United regarding forward Edinson Cavani.

The Lowdown: Cavani’s injury problems

Cavani’s 2021/22 season has been one to forget, with the striker missing large parts of the campaign due to quarantine issues, knocks, tendon irritation and most recently a groin problem.

The 35-year-old has been limited to just six Premier League starts as a result, making a return to action against Tottenham prior to the international break.

He went away with Uruguay and featured against both Peru and Chile, however, Cavani appears to have picked up a fresh problem during the international break.

The Latest: Romano’s post

Romano took to Twitter in the early hours of Wednesday morning to relay news of Cavani’s latest injury. He said:

“Bad news for Manchester United as Edinson Cavani leaves the pitch with an injury during Uruguay game. New problem for el Matador.”

Manchester United have since confirmed that the striker is now a doubt for the match with Leicester City on Saturday following the fresh problem.

The Verdict: End of the road?

Cavani impressed during his first season at Old Trafford, scoring 17 goals in all competitions to earn him a new 12-month deal.

Unfortunately, the experienced striker hasn’t been able to replicate his form this year, so a summer exit could well be on the cards.

It looks set to be a summer of change for the Red Devils off the pitch, with a new manager coming in to replace interim boss Ralf Rangnick.

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Cavani is just one of a number of United players out of contract at the end of June, so his days at the club could be numbered following this latest injury blow.

In other news: ‘Led to believe…’ – Insider now drops major claim on Bruno and Ten Hag following Man Utd talks. 

Arsenal are interested in a deal to bring Luis Sinisterra to the Emirates in the summer transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Italian publication Corriere dello Sport (via Sport Witness), who claim that Richard Garlick has now submitted an offer for the Feyenoord winger in an attempt to secure the signing of the 22-year-old at the end of the current campaign.

However, the report goes on to state that both Atletico Madrid and Bayer Leverkusen have also launched an offensive for the Colombia international, for whom the Eredivisie side are believed to be demanding a figure of around €15m (£13m) in order to part with this summer.

Arteta can axe Pepe with Sinisterra

Considering just how impressive Sinisterra has been for Feyenoord this season, in addition to how disappointing Nicolas Pepe has proven to be for Arsenal since his club-record £72m move back in 2019, it is not difficult to see why Mikel Arteta would be interested in a move for the Colombian attacker this summer.

Indeed, over his 24 Eredivisie appearances this term, the £16.2m-rated forward has been in sensational form for Arne Slot’s side, scoring ten goals, registering five assists and creating seven big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 2.7 shots and making 2.2 key passes per game.

These returns have seen the £10k-per-week forward who Nico Cantor dubbed a “crafty, quick and sneaky” player average a quite breathtaking SofaScore match rating of 7.53, ranking him as the fifth-best player in the top flight of Dutch football.

In comparison, things have gone rather less well for Pepe over his 15 Premier League outings for Arsenal this season, with the £27m-rated Ivory Coast international scoring one goal, providing one assist and creating one big chance for his teammates, in addition to taking an average of 1.3 shots and making 0.7 key passes per fixture.

These returns have seen the £140k-per-week flop who The Short Fuse dubbed a “practice dummy” average an extremely disappointing SofaScore match rating of just 6.67, ranking him as Arteta’s joint seventh-worst player in the top flight.

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As such, it is not surprising to learn that the 26-year-old and the Gunners are reportedly open to parting ways this summer, nor is it difficult to see why Garlick is targeting the 22-year-old as the Ivorian’s replacement – as selling Pepe and signing the much more exciting Sinisterra would represent fantastic business for the north London side.

AND in other news: Arteta can unearth the new Haaland as AFC plot bid for “world-class” 23-goal “diamond”

West Ham’s loss away to London rivals Spurs on Sunday not only let their opponents leap-frog them in the Premier League standings, but also ensured they would head into the international break six points behind fourth-placed Arsenal, who also have a game in hand.

However, the worst consequence of the match might not yet be realised, as Michail Antonio could face a ban from the FA after swinging his forearm hard across Spurs defender Eric Dier’s face – with many calling it deliberate, despite VAR not picking up on the incident.

That is the view of former top-flight and FIFA referee Keith Hackett, who described the action as a “nailed on red”, after a clip of the incident – which was missed not only by the commentators, but the pundits on Sky Sports and Match of the Day afterwards – surfaced online.

In an interview with West Ham Zone, the expert called for retrospective action yesterday, but a decision could yet still be made given the severity of the incident.

“I think most people missed it,” said Hackett. “That is clearly a deliberate, illegal use of the arm against the opponent, and had it been seen, he would have walked – he got away it.

“This is exactly what VAR is for, where was VAR? He’s wiped him across the face, he’s got away with it.

“I just hope the Football Association pick up on it today, and for an act of violent conduct, which this is, can issue retrospective punishment.”

Should the FA pick up on the incident and decide to punish him with a suspension, it will be a huge blow to the Hammers’ Champions League ambitions – as despite already playing catch up to the teams above them, they are certainly still in with a chance if they keep the pressure on.

With Antonio being manager David Moyes’ sole option up top, the Scottish boss may be forced into a tactical reshuffle too, potentially playing striker-less or moving either Andriy Yarmolenko, Nikola Vlasic or Jarrod Bowen up-front.

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None of them can do the same job the 31-year-old Jamaica international does, though, having scored eight goals and assisted seven more in 29 Premier League appearances this season, averaging a 7.04 match rating, having bullied defenders all season with his superior strength and frightening pace.

On that evidence, they would have a big issue if he was out for any period of time.

In other news: GSB heading for big West Ham calamity that’ll leave the London Stadium faithful raging

Financial expert Kieran Maguire has been reacting to Conor McGregor’s interest in taking over at Celtic, Football Insider report.

The Lowdown: Links resurface

UFC star McGregor, who is a Celtic fan, admitted last year that he had a conversation over buying a stake in the club from Dermot Desmond.

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As we know, that failed to materialise, with Desmond adamant 12 months ago that his shares were not for sale.

However, reports earlier this month relayed some fresh comments from the Irishman, who once again admitted that he is keen to take over in Glasgow.

The Latest: Maguire’s comments

Maguire, who contributes for Sky Sports, was talking to Football Insider over the possibility of McGregor taking over at Parkhead.

He stated that McGregor, worth $200m (£150m), would need the help of a consortium if he is to have a realistic chance of buying the club.

“McGregor might be front of house as far a consortium is concerned.

“He doesn’t have the resources himself, but he does make a fortune out of his own brand.

“I don’t think he would be advised to buy Celtic or another football club alone, it would have to be as part of a group.

“However, he would be the public face and centre of attention if such a deal was to take place.”

The Verdict: Spot on

You’d expect that if a deal was to ever go through, McGregor would need to be part of some form of investment group but would be the centre of attention of a potential takeover.

It would certainly be interesting, but at this moment in time, it doesn’t look as if Desmond is going anywhere, even though he is reportedly looking to give more responsibility to his son.

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We may well see McGregor at Celtic one day, as he does seem to be extremely keen on acquiring shares in a football club, but fans who want him at the club may have to remain patient for the time being.

In other news: ‘Hope it’s not true… ‘ – Celtic pundit fumes at ‘massive’ Parkhead news after insider’s reveal

Aston Villa play host to an impressively in-form Southampton side this afternoon and will be hoping to end the visitors’ seven-game unbeaten run.

Steven Gerrard has the opportunity to guide his team closer to a top-half finish by securing a win at Villa Park today, and he will be pleased to have an almost completely fit squad at his disposal.

Carney Chukwuemeka is out with a knock and Marvelous Nakamba remains sidelined with a long-term injury after receiving surgery at the end of last year, but otherwise everyone else is available for selection.

The former Rangers boss will be thrilled to have Bertrand Traore restored to his attacking options ahead of the clash, with the winger confirmed to be back in training following a hamstring injury picked up during the Africa Cup of Nations.

With that in mind, this is how Football Fancast expects Aston Villa to line up against Saints this afternoon…

We expect Gerrard to make just one change from the side which won against Brighton last weekend, with the 41-year-old staying loyal to most of his team in a ‘don’t fix what isn’t broken’ approach.

The only change we expect to see is in the forward line, with Danny Ings being axed from the centre-forward role as one of the less effective attackers in the side so far this season.

The 29-year-old has only found the net four times so far this season in his 19 Premier League appearances, which is a much lesser output than when he was at Southampton last season, scoring 13 goals for his former club last term.

In his place, we expect to see £85k-p/w gem Bailey return to the starting line-up after being sidelined with a thigh injury which had rendered him unavailable for selection for the last 10 games.

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Bailey has been hailed as “quality” by his former manager Peter Bosz, and Gerrard could give him the opportunity to make his mark this afternoon. If that happens, the Jamaican must seize his opportunity to impress in one of the most competitive positions in the Aston Villa squad.

In other news: Gerrard has revealed an injury update on one Villa player prior to this afternoon’s clash

Wolves have battled a full-back crisis almost unheard of in the Premier League, with number one choices for each flank Jonny and Nelson Semedo both having lengthy spells out injured, while their deputies have struggled on occasion this season.

While Jonny has returned to first-team action now, Semedo is likely to be out for between four to eight weeks – meaning former Liverpool wonderkid Ki-Jana Hoever was set to take his place and have a lengthy run in the first team.

However, much to Lage’s frustration, Hoever himself suffered an injury at the weekend – causing the Portuguese manager to send a warning to the player in particular, as well as the other youngsters in and around the first-team squad.

“This warning is not only for Ki [Hoever], it’s for all the kids we have in our team,” said Lage.

“They need to understand that I don’t waste time with guys who don’t work hard every day to improve.”

Once described as a “sensational young player” by his former boss Jurgen Klopp, the defender arrived at Molineux for 13.5m in 2020 with fans hoping he could replace the outgoing Matt Doherty, who signed for Spurs that Summer.

The 20-year-old Dutchman has started just four games this season, averaging a 6.60 match rating according to SofaScore – despite making an impressive start to the campaign, achieving a 7.40 in the first game. Furthermore, he has only registered one goal involvement in his entire Molineux career.

Hoever hasn’t yet made an error that has led to a shot this season, and has won over 50% of his duels this season, but it is reportedly his unwillingness to train harder and prepare himself for senior football which is the thing that is frustrating Lage the most.

Lage said. “Injuries can happen, but this one happened because he was not prepared because Ki sometimes doesn’t work in the same intensity.”

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With Hungarian right-back Bendegúz Bolla having an impressive season at Grasshoppers Zurich in Switzerland, Hoever will need to buck up his ideas quickly before he finds himself even further down the pecking order at Wolves – and eventually on the transfer list.

In other news: Huge blow: Insider drops behind-scenes Wolves update, it’ll “worry” supporters

Celtic have been given an injury boost on the double ahead of their next Premiership clash, with Sunday’s opponents deprived of two more players.

The lowdown

Fourth-placed Hibernian are due to welcome the Premiership leaders to Easter Road on Sunday lunchtime, but they will be without James Scott and Elias Melkersen, who have both joined an extensive injury list for the Edinburgh club.

Hibs already knew they would be without Paul Hanlon, Paul McGinn, Joe Newell, Demetri Mitchell, Harry Clarke and Kyle Magennis against Ange Postecoglou’s side.

Celtic have won all three meetings between the teams so far this season, prevailing 3-1 away from home in October before winning 2-0 at Parkhead last month in the Premiership. They also defeated tomorrow’s opponents in the Scottish League Cup final just before Christmas.

The latest

Speaking in his pre-match press conference, Hibs boss Shaun Maloney confirmed the fresh double blow, fearing that his side will miss the ‘speed’ and ruthlessness of Scott in particular.

As quoted by The Scotsman, he said: “Unfortunately, the same six players are still out, and they are senior players. We’ve also lost Elias and James through illness, which is a shame.

“It’s a shame because Elias was progressing, and James Scott brings something to us that I see as a coach. In certain moments in matches he brings that speed and that power to finish games.”

The verdict

Valued at £360,000 by Transfermarkt, Melkersen has yet to make his debut for Hibs following his January move from Bodo/Glimt, who knocked Celtic out of the Europa Conference League this week.

The absence of the £450,000-rated Scott is more significant given that he had featured in four of the last eight games, and Maloney seems to view the Hull City loanee as a potential game-changer off the bench.

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In truth, a severely depleted Hibs, who have only picked up five points from their last seven matches, may be dreading this clash with the league leaders, particularly with two more players added to their extensive missing list.

In other news, Celtic have been linked with someone who scored against them recently

West Brom have gone from challenging for the Championship title and automatic promotion to battling for a play-off spot lower down the table in a matter of months, and this demise has led to the sacking of Valerien Ismael, followed by the appointment of Steve Bruce in the last few weeks.

Bruce clearly enjoys working in challenging scenarios, of which he experienced during his most recent tenure at Newcastle United, and it will be no easy feat to turn around the poor fortunes of the Baggies as they have only picked up one win in nine games, with the new manager yet to seal a victory in his first two games in charge, following a goalless draw at The Hawthorns on Monday night against Blackburn Rovers.

There is one player who has proven he has what it takes to be impactful in the side following a string of starting appearances under the former manager, and he could become a talisman for Bruce if he can get the best out of the youngster.

Taylor Gardner-Hickman signed a new contract committing his future to the Baggies at the end of last year, after impressing in the first team which led to praise from Ismael, in which he called the 20-year-old “fearless” following the completion of his contract;

“He represents exactly what we want to see from young players. He’s hungry, he has desire, he’s fearless. He also has a lot of quality,” he said.

Despite only making his debut for the first team during this season, the young starlet was hugely impressive in his first four Championship games where he appeared in the line-up, with the Baggies taking all three point from three out of the four, and was given Man of the Match for his most notable performance against Coventry City.

According to Sky Sports, back in December, in the first away victory since September against Coventry, Gardner-Hickman had the most touches, most blocks, and most successful passes for West Brom proving he is capable of outstanding contribution for the side.

In fact, in the nine appearances that the 20-year-old gem has recorded in the league this season for the Baggies, the youngster has won the majority of his duels (55%), been successful in the majority of his dribbles (60%), made 2.6 tackles and 1.1 interceptions per game and has the sixth highest rating overall in the entire first team squad (6.98) according to SofaScore.

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With that being said, the ex-Newcastle boss must unleash Gardner-Hickman in the starting line-up of his struggling West Brom side as he could clearly make an impactful contribution in the challenge to secure a play-off place in the last 15 games of the season.

AND in other news, Forget Dike: Bruce could unearth his new Wilson by unleashing “powerful” WBA “diamond”…

David Sullivan’s insistence to insert a one-year extension clause in the deals of West Ham’s most important players could pay off, earning the club “10s of millions”, according to football finance guru Kieran Maguire (as per Football Insider).

The Lowdown

A number of Irons players have received heavy transfer interest in recent weeks and months following their superb form in the Premier League and Europa League this season.

During the summer transfer window, reliable reporter James Pearce revealed that Liverpool were interested in signing Jarrod Bowen as they sought to bolster their attacking options, with Reds manager Jurgen Klopp a keen admirer of the West Ham forward.

More recently, vice-captain Declan Rice has been linked with a multitude of elite Premier League and European clubs, with statistics indicating that he has been the Hammers’ best player this season.

As per the Daily Mail, David Moyes and the east London club are confident of earning north of £100m for Rice due to his extension clause. The 23-year-old’s contract is set to run until the summer of 2024, but the club have the option of extending his deal for a further year.

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The Latest

Maguire has praised the West Ham co-owner for his shrewd business move regarding the extension clause. Speaking to Football Insider‘s Adam Williams, he said:

“As a general policy, it’s very forward-thinking.

“It could be worth extra 10s of millions and it helps West Ham protect the value of their assets. At the same time, it de-risks things if they go wrong.

“There is always a danger if you sign a player on a very long contract and he doesn’t perform. You have that commitment there to pay the wages.

“Once you have identified which players are your most valuable, you can trigger the extension and that means you can’t lose that player on a Bosman.

“Normally when a player gets into the last 12 months of their contract, their value starts to taper.

“Normally, the player’s value declines by about 25 per cent. By the time it gets to January, you’re trying to get a fire sale price rather than nothing at all.”

The Verdict

With the Hammers currently fourth in the Premier League table, insiders are unsure as to where Rice’s future lies. If the east London club secures Champions League football, it is likely that the England international will stay put.

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However, if West Ham miss out on European football altogether, it is probable that the midfielder will move on in order to play at the highest continental level.

Therefore, if this does materialise, Sullivan’s move to put an extension in the England international’s contract will prove to be a tremendous strategic piece of business from the club.

In other news: This West Ham colossus is being eyed by European giants

According to talkSPORT journalist Alex Crook, Southampton did not make any attempt to sign Dele Alli this month, despite previous reports linking him with the club.

The Lowdown: Dele Alli’s recent struggles

Alli has faced a tough period in his career over the last year, having lost his place in Tottenham’s starting XI. The 25-year-old has made just two Premier League starts under current Spurs manager Antonio Conte, totalling a meagre six appearances during the Italian’s reign so far.

As a result, the playmaker has been linked with a move away from N17, and it seems that a breakthrough has been made regarding his exit from north London.

Fabrizio Romano took to Twitter to report the news, saying: ‘Dele Alli to Everton, done deal and here we go! Full agreement reached with Tottenham, permanent move subject to medical in the next few hours. It’s done.’

The Latest: Saints fail to move for Alli

According to talkSPORT journalist Crook on Twitter, Southampton made no effort to sign Alli from Tottenham during the January transfer window, stating: “Also reliably informed #SaintsFC did not make any attempt to sign Dele Alli this window”.

This is despite previous reports linking the 25-year-old with the south coast club, with Ralph Hasenhuttl an admirer of the England international.

The Verdict: Missed opportunity

Despite his poor form, Alli could have been a fantastic option for Southampton, who have now missed the opportunity to pull off a late transfer in January. This could have been similar to the Takumi Minamino loan move from this time last year, which proved to be relatively successful.

Once hailed as ‘good enough for Real Madrid’, it seems ridiculous that Southampton would not have gone in for the Spurs ace, particularly when he seems set to be leaving on a free, with a £10m fee following clauses being met. Having totalled 91 career goals, Alli could have been of real use to Hasenhuttl, as he would’ve bolstered the Saints’ attacking options with proven top-flight quality.

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If Southampton want to push higher up the league table, they will need to meet £100,000-per-week demands. Otherwise, they won’t be able to secure many players of significant quality in today’s inflated market.

In other news: Southampton are till in talks over this striker