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Celtic fans have been reacting on Twitter after manager Neil Lennon said he will drop winger Marian Shved from their Europa League squad to Celtic TV, via Celts Are Here.

Hopes would have been high that the 22-year-old would make a big impression at Paradise after he arrived at the Scottish Premiership champions in the summer, having signed in January 2019 before being loaned back to Karpaty.

It hasn’t exactly worked out like that for the Ukraine international though, who has played just 35 minutes of football in all competitions under Lennon this term.

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The Northern Irish boss has explained why he feels the attacker is struggling, despite being in Scotland for more than six months now.

Lennon told Celtic TV, via Celts Are Here: “He’s found it difficult, he’s struggled with the English, in training, he’s not getting at the level as the rest of them are. He’s still a very talented player, but he’s still taking a bit more time to adapt.”

Some suggested that the 48-year-old is in the wrong with his comments about him struggling with the language, while also suggesting that he won’t improve unless he is given some playing time.

One fan suggested that the club now needs to rely on loanee Moi Elyounoussi to step up in Europe.

The Southampton player has missed the last two months through injury, but The Scottish Sun reported last week that the Norway international was due back in training on Friday.

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The 25-year-old scored seven goals and provided a further six assists in 13 appearances in all competitions prior to his problem.

One supporter was “gutted” for Shved, while two more went a step further with their comments which suggested this could be the end for the 22-year-old at Celtic Park.

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Given his lack of football under Neil Lennon, you would have to say that as things stand it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him go in the summer.

In other Celtic news, Hoops fans on Twitter were highly critical of one 22-year-old’s performance against Hamilton…

Newcastle United are set to be without their captain Jamaal Lascelles for the remainder of the year after the centre-back suffered a knee injury against Bournemouth on November 9.

The 26-year-old was forced off in the 20th minute of the clash at St James’ Park and is not expected to return to the field until 2020.

As a result Newcastle boss Steve Bruce will need to name a new captain for the clash with Aston Villa on November 25, and indeed in the weeks ahead.

A decent amount of Newcastle fans have been on social media offering their views on the situation, and it would be fair to say that there are mixed opinions on the topic.

Indeed, a number of players have been offered up as potential candidates to wear the armband, and it will be fascinating to see what Bruce decides in the build-up to the Villa game.

A selection of the Twitter reaction is available to view below:

The 16-year-old said that it’s a pleasure to lift some silverware with England, and many supporters all over the country have to be hoping that this becomes a regular sight over the next few years.

Perhaps this Syrenka Cup win will give him a taste of what’s possible at international level and push him to achieve great things when the time comes for him in the senior side.

He signs off the post by saying that it’s time to get back to work with Liverpool, which is a message a number of Liverpool fans will enjoy reading as it shows he’s committed to working hard for his new club despite not being a part of the first-team.

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Tanguy Ndombele is one of Tottenham Hotspur’s mooted summer targets with recent reports claiming they have tabled a club-record £60m bid and, on the surface, it looks like a mouthwatering signing.

A full France international with a major pedigree in Ligue 1, the central midfielder has developed into one of the most sought-after players in world football.

Both Manchester United and Manchester City have been linked with big-money moves and it appears almost certain that he will depart the French club this summer; Jean-Michel Aulas, the club’s president, has confirmed he is in negotiations with clubs to sell him.

That was said last summer, too, with Spurs and City both reported, per RMC via TalkSport, to have failed with bids to entice him away.

But how good is he, really, and how has he grown as a player since making his first-team breakthrough at Lyon?

In terms of attributes, Ndombele belies the usual “pace and power” stereotype that is so often associated with young, black footballers.

While he is quick, he has a deftness of touch that takes him past defenders and is also a thoughtful distributor of the ball. He moves it well and is always looking to take up positions in which he can affect the game, be it defensively or offensively.

He is, at his base, a hybrid midfielder, one who is equally adept at breaking up play and recycling possession as he is at taking the ball on the run and quickly picking a pass or unleashing a shot.

He is exceptional at picking the ball up on the turn, too, and spinning away from his man, a la Mousa Dembele in his prime.

And yet, in 2015/16, he was playing for Amiens’ reserve team, in France’s fifth division.

It has been a meteoric rise and along that journey, he has been a model of consistency.

Indeed, in 2016/17, he made his breakthrough into the club’s first-team and laid on seven assists in 30 games in Ligue 2. He also scored twice.

These performances came about at a time when the club did not really know how to use him; throughout the campaign he played in central midfield, attacking midfield, on the right of midfield and at right-back.

He was first loaned to Lyon in 2017/18, with the club securing an option to sign him on a permanent basis should they so wish. In 35 Ligue 1 games, he took to top-flight French football like a duck to water and again laid on seven assists, while nailing down a place in the club’s starting XI.

The following season, the deal having been made permanent, he made one less appearance but still registered seven league assists.

This is not a goalscoring midfielder by any means, as he has scored just one Ligue 1 goal for Lyon in his two seasons at the club.

But he is perhaps exactly what Mauricio Pochettino needs in the centre of midfield.

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This is a player who is yet to be burned out by the pressure of a lengthy career at a young age; he is 22 and has played just 130 first-team games at club level. Dele Alli, by comparison, is a year older and has played 272 first-team matches.

Ndombele is fresh as a daisy, then, and all the signs point to a career marked by longevity, such is his playing style.

He is not a full-throttle midfielder, instead choosing to make his bursts forward only when he sees a gap, in a manner not too dissimilar to Moussa Sissoko.

There is more poise and elegance to the way Ndombele plays, however, and it is not hard to see why major clubs are fawning over him.

He has emerged as perhaps the best young central midfielder in Europe in recent years.

Spurs should pull out all the stops to get this deal over the line.

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According to the Telegraph, Ander Herrera has reportedly demanded a contract in excess of £200,000-a-week to stay at Manchester United, amid interest from Paris Saint-Germain – the midfielder’s current deal expires in the summer.

What’s the word, then?

Well, the Spaniard will be available on a free transfer unless the Red Devils can agree terms with him over a new deal, although they will reportedly not be held to ransom by the 29-year-old after he requested such a huge wage.

Herrera has enjoyed somewhat of a renaissance at Old Trafford since Ole Gunnar Solskjaer replaced Jose Mourinho in the dugout, emerging as one of United’s key players since the start of 2019.

Which “global superstar” has just been named Man Utd’s worst ever January signing? Find out in the video above…

However, whilst United want the former Athletic Bilbao man to stay and are said to have offered him a substantial increase on his current earnings of £80,000-a-week, Herrera has demanded a salary that would catapult him amongst the club’s top earners.

Alexis Sanchez’s wages cause more issues

It has previously been reported that Sanchez’s alleged earnings of £500,000-a-week have completely shattered the wage structure at Old Trafford, with the Chileans’s salary making it extremely difficult to negotiate a new deal with David de Gea – the Spanish keeper is said to be demanding double his current deal of £240,000-a-week.

Whilst that will worry United – the 28-year-old is one of the most important players at the club – the fact that Herrera is now demanding such a huge salary to stay at the club proves that Sanchez’s ludicrous earnings are having a detrimental effect on the squad.

Solskjaer will obviously have a number of issues to clean up in the summer having recently been appointed on a permanent basis, most notably finding a right-winger and potentially another centre-back.

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However, the situation involving Sanchez and the evident knock-on effect this is having on other members of the squad, who feel they should be earning closer to the former Arsenal man’s earnings, may well be the determining factor on whether or not the Norwegian will be a success in Manchester.

As we can see, players are requesting salaries that do not befit their quality or importance to the team, as, whilst Herrera and De Gea are key players, they definitely should not be earning, nor are they worth, figures in excess of £200,000-a-week and £480,000-a-week.

The sooner the peripheral figure of Sanchez leaves the better, or the highest earning player at the club will continue to plague morale around the place and cause players to request absurd sums.

Leeds remain top of the Championship table heading into Friday’s crucial fixture against Frank Lampard’s Derby County.

Marcelo Bielsa has hit the ground running after taking charge of the Whites in the summer. The Leeds squad adapted immediately to the Argentine’s methods and their early form has seen them installed as favourites to finally secure a return to the Premier League. Leeds are top of the table, two points ahead of Norwich, heading into a difficult game against Derby County on Friday at Elland Road.

The January transfer window is now open and Bielsa isn’t expected to strengthen his squad significantly. A new goalkeeper is wanted by the former Chile manager to add competition to young Bailey Peacock-Farrell but Bielsa remains confident in his current crop of players. Should they secure a return to the Premier League, the Yorkshire club will be able to attract a higher calibre of player.

One man they must consider signing is Liverpool powerhouse – James Milner. Valued at £13.5m by Transfermarkt, the former England international has been a crucial player for the Reds since joining from Manchester City on a free transfer. However, the 33-year-old is out of contract in the summer and a return to the club where he started his professional career could be on the cards.

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Milner remains as fit as ever and his experience at the highest level could be crucial to Leeds staying in the division. The midfielder can cover various positions and is a model professional – his knowledge could be of great value to youngsters looking to break into the first-team. Always willing to work hard and perform at his best, Milner is a manager’s dream.

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If Leeds manage to complete their Premier League comeback, Milner should be the man to lead them out.

Leeds United fans, thoughts?

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As reported by The Sun, Bournemouth are preparing a January bid for Brentford centre-back Chris Mepham.

However, before the Cherries can land their man, Southampton would be wise to fight them for the 20-year-old’s signature.

The 6’3” defender broke into the Bees’ first team last season and has since made himself a reliable, regular stalwart of their backline. 

The Saints’ defence is in desperate need of an injection of quality strength in depth, and offering the young Wales international the opportunity to step up to the top tier would be a smart way for Mark Hughes to add to his ranks at St Mary’s Stadium. 

Whilst Mepham may lack top level experience, he has shown enough quality in the Championship to demonstrate that he has what it takes to thrive in the Premier League. 

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Plenty of Saints fans agree that the Brentford man would be a fine January addition to the squad. 65% of those we asked stated that they’d be in favour of a winter pursuit of Mepham’s signature. See the full results below.

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Manchester United defender Timothy Fosu-Mensah posted on Twitter after his loan spell with Crystal Palace came to an end on Sunday and suggested that he won’t be returning to the Eagles, and Red Devils fans were quick to react.

The 6ft 3in tall right-back, who can also play as a defensive midfielder, had something of a rollercoaster campaign with the south London club, being something of a regular in the XI up until February, before he was then struggling to make Roy Hodgson’s matchday squad in the final couple of months of the campaign.

Meanwhile, United manager Jose Mourinho could be looking to sign a defensive midfielder and right-back this summer, although Fosu-Mensah will hope that he can stop the Portuguese manager needing to strengthen in one of those positions by making a big impact in pre-season.

Man United supporters, who didn’t enjoy the performance of a 20-year-old in the 1-0 win against Watford on Sunday, took to social media to respond to the Netherlands international’s message, and while one said “come home now”, another said “welcome back to United my bro”.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

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Former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder and Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp has told The Debate that the club made a “huge mistake” when they sold Kyle Walker to Manchester City during the summer.

Spurs have struggled for form in the Premier League in recent weeks despite qualifying for the knockout stages of the Champions League as group winners with a game to spare, taking just five points from the last 18 available.

Injuries to the likes of Toby Alderweireld and Victor Wanyama certainly hasn’t helped matters, but Redknapp says that the club’s reported £100,000-a-week wage cap is starting to hold the north London outfit back.

The 44-year-old believes that some of the current Tottenham players will look at Walker and the money and success he is enjoying at Man City and feel that they deserve the same, and it could be affecting their performances on the pitch.

He told The Debate:  “Letting Kyle Walker go in the summer looks like a huge mistake.

“I thought it was good business at the time but now what it’s has done is set a precedent in the dressing room. It looks to me that the players know what the going rate is.”

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Despite challenging for the Premier League title over the course of the last two seasons, Mauricio Pochettino’s men lie 18 points behind leaders City with 15 matches down this term, and they face quick-fire home games against Stoke City and Brighton and Hove Albion at Wembley next week.

Last season, Deloitte dubbed it the £170million game. As Reading and Huddersfield prepare to face each other at Wembley on Monday in the 2016/17 Championship Play-off final, The Independent claim the ante has been upped to a staggering £290million.

Indeed, there is no question promotion to the Premier League, via the automatic spots or the Play-offs, is an exceptionally lucrative enterprise these days. The problem throughout Premier League history for clubs using the latter avenue, however, is that gains were only made in the short term. Perhaps unsurprisingly, of the three sides promoted each season, the Play-off winners average the shortest stay in the Premier League, 2.71 seasons compared to 3.67 for the runners-up and 3.95 for the second-tier champions.

During the eight seasons between 2003 and 2011, however, that trend veered to the extreme; only two playoff winners survived their first season in the top flight, only one survived their second season and three returned to the Championship after finishing rock bottom – not least including the infamous Derby County side that recorded the lowest ever points haul in Premier League history, just eleven, in 2007/08.

In that time, the Play-off final wasn’t so much a shot at the big-time as much as it was a chance to make up the numbers. Of course, the clubs involved certainly couldn’t turn up their noses at the increased revenue passed their way, and many have since returned to the Premier League through automatic promotion – something that may not have been possible without that financial windfall of prize money, television deals and parachute payments.

Yet, the Play-off winners were still very much the equivalent of journeymen boxers; paid to turn up, take a beating and fade back into obscurity without making a fuss or daring to upset the odds. It may have helped stabilise the long-term futures of certain clubs, but a year of being beaten to a pulp by the Premier League’s big boys was far from an enjoyable experience for the fans – something that must be on the minds of Huddersfield and Reading supporters looking beyond Monday’s Wembley showdown.

In terms of top-flight credentials, doubts inevitably linger over both sides. Huddersfield performed far beyond expectations this season to finish in fifth – a position that has lead to relegation after winning the Play-off for two of its last four proprietors.

Reading, meanwhile, although finishing in third, slowed down towards the end of the regular season and weren’t hugely convincing in the two semi-final legs against Fulham. Rather intriguingly, Reading could go up with the worst goals conceded tally in promotion history, whilst Huddersfield could make it to the Premier League with the worst ever goal difference.

Fortunately for Reading and Huddersfield fans, however, the dynamics have changed over the last six years. From the six Play-off winners, only one has finished bottom – QPR – three have survived and all three are still in the Premier League, including Swansea City who are now preparing for their seventh campaign in the lead division despite having no prior Premier League experience.

Likewise, those three all breached the 45-point mark in their first Premier League season, all finishing either tenth or eleventh. Even more good news for Reading and Huddersfield; they all ended the regular Championship season in either third or fifth place.

But the pattern goes much deeper than simply some arguably coincidental league standings. Over the last six seasons, Play-off winners  have actually outperformed their automatic promotion counterparts on the most-part, excepting the relegation ratio of 50%. On average, Play-off winners have finished with more points and in a higher league position despite spending less money. Furthermore and perhaps most crucially for the long-term ambitions of the Royals and the Terriers, they tend to stay longer in the top flight by an average of one season.

It dispels long-standing myths of Play-off clubs being at an inevitable disadvantage, because they move up to the top flight as theoretically weaker sides, have a shorter summer to prepare for the coming season and to bring in new signings, and accordingly struggle to attract a quality of player that may deem the automatically promoted clubs as less risky.

And looking at the three Play-off winners to survive compared to those who didn’t, there is a trend that particularly stands out – well-defined styles of play. Perhaps that’s a little flattering of a Crystal Palace side that was created by Dougie Freedman and looked rudderless in the top flight under Ian Holloway until Tony Pulis brought in a true identity.

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But West Ham’s 2011/12 winners were already tailored to Sam Allardyce’s long-established philosophy when they returned to the Premier League, and Swansea City became one of the most ideologically-geared sides in the top flight, famed for their possession-based brand of football, after Brendan Rodgers took them up the year prior.

That can be seen in Reading and Huddersfield as well. Jaap Stam has implemented a typically Dutch possession game at the Madjeski Stadium, whilst David Wagner’s approach is straight out of the Borussia Dortmund school of thought – attacking verve combined with blood-and-thunder high pressing off the ball. In their own ways, both sides are incredibly distinctive in style.

Whereas the Play-off winners who went straight back down over the last six years all lacked that acute identity, on the most-part spending their way to the Premier League by hoping solid defensive organisation would make their expensively-acquired quality tell in the second tier, Reading and Huddersfield feel like real teams forged on genuine ideals. That’s not only what has taken them to this season’s Wembley showdown, but also what will be integral to achieving survival in the top flight.