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Leeds United have been without Rodrigo and Kalvin Phillips in recent weeks, and Phil Hay has provided the latest injury update on the duo.

Phil Hay’s injury update

The journalist for The Athletic shared news from the pre-West Ham press conference, tweeting: “Not too much in the way of injury updates from Bielsa’s press conference. Needs to see how Phillips/Rodrigo go over the next couple of days,” perhaps implying the star pair are close to a return.

Rodrigo is taking part in an U23s match this afternoon against Wolves, via LUFC.

This is a boost for Leeds

This update is a lot more positive than ones in the past, which should excite fans. They are key assets to the club, especially £24.30m-valued Kalvin Phillips who is ‘integral’ to the way Leeds play.

He is a big reason why Leeds currently sit eleventh in the Premier League, as he has managed 2.7 tackles, 1.6 interceptions and 1.8 clearances a game (WhoScored). Phillips sits in the defensive midfield role and is so good at his job that it allows the other midfielders to have a lot more attacking intent.

Meanwhile £22.50m-rated Rodrigo has not managed to grab the amount of goals the club would have wanted so far as he has only scored three, but his attacking threat is definitely an asset that Bielsa wants at his disposal – Patrick Bamford has been noticeably isolated without the Spaniard.

In other news, Phil Hay has hinted at a potential return date for another Leeds star!

Promising Glasgow Rangers youngster Josh McPake has arrived at a crossroads in his career.

The Rangers winger, 19, is expected to pen a deal with English League Two side Harrogate Town in the coming days after completing a loan spell with Greenock Morton in the Championship.

In three years at Ibrox, McPake has taken the first steps in his fledgeling career from unknown prospect to highly-regarded prodigy, winning the club’s prestigious Academy Player of the Year award in 2019. He signed a new contract with Steven Gerrard’s Gers in that same year, keeping him at his boyhood club until 2022.

McPake made his first-team debut for the Gers in a Europa League qualifying game against St Joseph’s at Ibrox, coming off the bench to replace  Greg Docherty.

Since then, however, his development somewhat stalled, until he was sent out on loan to Championship club Dundee, only for his brief progress to be brought to an abrupt halt after he suffered an ankle injury.

He subsequently spent the first half of the season on loan at Morton but things didn’t go according to plan after David Hopkin stepped down.

However, the right-winger still managed to supply one assist in ten appearances across all competitions, via Transfermarkt, which clearly shows that the talent is still there, though he has, so far, failed to find the back of the net this term.

Rangers academy coach Graeme Murty was full of praise for his former young charge, saying: “He’s got lots to his game. He’s got lots of ability and he’s very elusive. I think he’s got an elite level of technique at his particular strength. There’s lots of bits he needs to develop and lots of bits he needs to work on but he’s a threat, he’s an out-and-out threat and you can see that by the amount of close attention, shall we say, that he was paid in the game.”

But the trouble is, the Light Blues are blessed with a plethora of options in his position, namely Kemar Roofe and Ianis Hagi, the latter of whom is only a couple of years older than McPake.

Despite his age, time could be running out for the talented teen to make an impact, as he so far hasn’t reached the same heights of his 2019-20 season. After a definite slump at Dundee, albeit hindered by injuries, he needs to make the most of his opportunities at Harrogate, as he needs to prove to Rangers, and perhaps to himself, that he can play at a competitive level.

AND in other news, Glasgow Rangers must sign former Leicester City starlet Dennis Gyamfi in January…

According to Football Insider, Nottingham Forest have submitted a loan-to-buy offer for Celtic transfer target Siriki Dembele, and it could have big consequences for the linked-away Odsonne Edouard.

What’s the story?

Reports in recent weeks have claimed that Neil Lennon’s side are interested in signing the Peterborough forward, but it appears Championship side Forest have made the first move in the race to sign him.

Football Insider claim that Dembele wants to leave Peterborough this month, and that Forest have made a proposal that would see the 24-year-old join them on a more permanent basis at the end of the season.

The report adds that the bid is worth around £250k for a player who is out of contract in the summer.

Bye-bye Edouard

With Odsonne Edouard’s long-term future at Celtic still very much unclear – reports have claimed the club have slashed his asking price in this January transfer window – Nick Hammond will surely be on the look-out for a potential replacement for the club’s striker.

And in Dembele – the older brother of the Hoops’ very own Karamoko – they could find someone who could well fill the boots of the Frenchman.

Dembele had spent a lot of time playing out wide on the flanks, before Peterborough boss Darren Ferguson made the tweak of moving him infield into the number nine role.

And since then, it’s safe to say he’s been very impressive. This season in League One, he’s played 22 games in total, but 15 of them have come up front. In those games as the Posh’s starting striker, he’s managed five goals and five assists, including a dazzling hat-trick against Shrewsbury.

The tactical switch is something Ferguson has talked up too, saying: “But the boy has been absolutely outstanding since realising he can play as a central striker. He destroyed Ipswich last weekend with a goal and two assists.”

The 5 foot 8 ace would offer Celtic some versatility up front given he can play anywhere across the line, and it’s now up to Hammond as to whether he can get a deal done.

Glasgow Rangers resume their quest to claim the Scottish Premiership title when they travel to the Global Energy Stadium to take on Ross County on Sunday.

Rangers fought back twice to beat Standard Liege to reach the Europa League last 32 for the second season in a row after Scott Arfield scored the winner at Ibrox as the host came from behind to secure the victory.

However, Steven Gerrard must omit Alfredo Morelos from his squad for the foreseeable future.

Morelos’ slump in form is stark – the 24-year-old has gone three games without a goal or an assist –  and has only found the back of the net three times in the Premiership so far this season.

There’s no doubt that the Colombia international is the club’s star striker and probably one of the best centre-forwards in Europe on his day, having broken Ally McCoist’s European record earlier this year, but this doesn’t hide from the fact that he once again finds himself in the middle of a goal drought.

In fact, it’s fair to say that this is nothing new, as Morelos has endured many a barren run during his time at Ibrox.

But the stats show just how far his form has tailed off since he was first recalled to the first team after being benched for the game against Lech Poznan in the Europa League.

He got himself into some good positions against Standard Liege on Thursday night, he just failed to find the back of the net.

As per SofaScore, his ratings have steadily started to decline since the 3-3 draw with Benfica, where he took two shots on target, had two shots blocked, and made two key passes.

Against Liege, Morelos only mustered one shot on target, whilst he failed to record a single key pass.

Whether the Colombian has had his head turned by transfer rumours linking him with a move away from Ibrox, who knows, but Gerrard simply cannot afford to let him get away with these lacklustre performances any longer.

McCoist himself criticised the centre-forward for his “disappointing” display, whilst he was criticised for looking “unfit” and “unwilling to work” by former Scotland striker James McFadden in the summer. He’s clearly not up to scratch after returning from international duty, at any rate, with just one goal in his last five games.

A short spell on the sidelines could do the trick, that’s for sure, as Gerrard has plenty of options to choose from in the striking department.

AND in other news, Glasgow Rangers must unleash Jermain Defoe against Ross County in the Scottish Premiership…

Newcastle United host Leicester City at St. James’ Park on Sunday looking to snap a five-game winless streak against one of the Premier League’s top-four sides.

Steve Bruce will be without influential midfielder Isaac Hayden for the Foxes’ trip to Tyneside after the Arsenal product was shown a fifth yellow card of the top-flight season last time out against Liverpool.

The Magpies were able to claim a point at home to Jurgen Klopp’s Reds with a supreme defensive showcase, but had lost two of their previous three league fixtures and were eliminated from the Carabao Cup by Championship side Brentford in a solemn festive run.

In Bruce’s search for a first win since a late Dwight Gayle effort beat West Bromwich Albion in December, the United boss will have to consider changes. So, with that in mind, here’s a potential line-up the Magpies could field at home to Leicester on Sunday…

Karl Darlow will expect to maintain his 100% record between the sticks against the Foxes having recorded a third clean sheet of the season at home to Liverpool, but he will be aware that Martin Dubravka is back breathing down his neck ahead of a potential return from injury in next week’s FA Cup clash with Arsenal.

Bruce is unlikely to favour changes to the five-strong defence which thwarted Klopp’s champions, either, with captain Jamaal Lascelles also eying the Emirates encounter for his return after testing positive for coronavirus.

Though Hayden’s absence will force alterations in the engine room, with Sean Longstaff likely to earn a recall to the starting line-up for the first time since drawing 1-1 with Fulham.

Longstaff has watched the Toon’s last two Premier League fixtures from the bench whilst his younger brother, Matty Longstaff, returned to the senior fold, yet should partner the 20-year-old and Jonjo Shelvey versus the Foxes.

Bruce had started Longstaff in Newcastle’s prior seven top-flight matches, but struggled to see the talent Jamie Redknapp once lauded as a “bright kid” and reminded the Sky Sports pundit of former Manchester United play-maker Michael Carrick.

A change to a three-man midfield line with Jacob Murphy falling out of favour would see Joelinton return to partner Callum Wilson upfront after playing the full 90 minutes against Liverpool at left-midfield.

Joelinton scored his sole Premier League goal of the season back in November against Crystal Palace, while summer signing Wilson has found the net on eight occasions but only once in his last four outings.

AND in other news, Newcastle United could move to sign a £14.5m-rated gem who can “make things happen” in January.

Former Barcelona and Chelsea midfielder Deco has said that Leeds United’s summer signing Raphinha is one of a kind.

The Brazilian attacker arrived at Elland Road as a European deadline day signing, costing the Premier League club £16.72m from Ligue 1 side Rennes.

A move which took Leeds’ summer spending close to the £100m mark, it saw the 22-year-old added to the Whites’ attacking options, which include the likes of Helder Costa, Jack Harrison and emerging young talent Ian Poveda.

Having only played 15 minutes since his arrival in Yorkshire, Raphinha is already gaining praise from a number of key football men with two-time Champions League winner Deco now giving his thoughts on the winger’s potential.

What has Deco said about Raphinha?

“Raphinha is a warrior boy, with a difficult history, he won everything on the wrist and still wins, because he still has a long career ahead of him,” the ex-Portugal midfielder told UOL.

“It is not easy for a player to transfer practically four times in an interval of two years, all because of his quality. Although we have many extremes in Brazilian football, I do not believe that there is another southpaw with his characteristics.”

Prior to his Leeds move, Raphinha had moved from his native Brazil and had no fewer than three different clubs including Vitoria Guimaraes, Sporting Lisbon and Rennes.

Will Raphinha make an impact at Leeds?

Under the management and guidance of Marcelo Bielsa, the 23-year-old arguably has the best chance to make an impact in English football and Europe.

Leeds have started the Premier League season in fine form, and whilst Jack Harrison and Helder Costa continue to hold down the wide positions, chances are expected to come to allow Raphinha to potentially make an impact.

For now, the youngster has to be patient, but Deco’s comments hint at the scale of his potential.

READ MORE: One Leeds player was a ‘breath of fresh air’ after his display against Aston Villa

Tottenham Hotspur appear to have missed out on their own Jadon Sancho with one of their former academy stars now performing substantially well elsewhere.

In 2018, U16s captain Noni Madueke swapped north London for Eindhoven and his career has come on leaps and bounds since.

The versatile 18-year-old forward made his debut at U18 level aged just 15, which only goes to show his undeniable ability yet Spurs were never able to keep hold of him – very much in the same way Manchester City failed to keep hold of Sancho.

Now look at the pair of them.

Whilst Madueke isn’t on the same level as his fellow Englishman just yet, the signs are there. Daniel Levy may well forever regret not trying to keep him around at all costs…

How is Madueke getting on now?

Over in Holland, Madueke is enjoying a breakthrough season at PSV.

He has provided four goals and four assists in all competitions this term, per Transfermarkt, and that’s despite only featuring for a total of 490 minutes. It means he’s averaged a goal contribution every 61 minutes.

PSV boss Roger Schmidt has reverted to playing two up top, which has meant the winger has had to transform into a central forward, something he appears to have done with relative ease.

The manager told De Telegraaf (via Goal): “I’m not surprised. He already scored a lot of goals in training. He feels comfortable up front and doesn’t have to be a winger. Noni’s timing is often very good and he has a good feeling for free space. I’m also very happy with his mentality. He is a good fighter and is capable of reading the situation.”

Whilst former midfielder of the Dutch giants, Tommie van de Leegte, believes he’s what the club “needs” – speaking to Omroep Brabant (via Goal), he said: “He’s fast and has the capability to trick his opponent. He brings creativity and is very explosive in his actions.”

Madueke left Spurs in pursuit of a quicker route to the first-team and it’s certainly paid off. Sancho’s meteoric rise at Dortmund will have acted as a major source of encouragement too.

Levy has not just missed out on a generational talent, but someone he could have made a ton of profit from. Instead, his exit looks like a woeful piece of business from the north London outfit.

AND in other news, Levy could repeat his Bale masterstroke with “special” £63m-rated beast…

It was a disappointing day at the office to say the least for Wolverhampton Wanderers on Sunday.

The Midlands outfit struggled to get into their stride as they were humiliated by West Ham United at the London Stadium.

A couple of goals from Jarrod Bowen and a pair of headers from Tomas Soucek and Sebastien Haller were enough to settle things on Sunday evening, and for some supporters, there was no doubting who was at fault.

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Indeed, Ruben Vinagre was something of a scapegoat for supporters during and after the game as the fanbase pelted him for his performance.

Supporters didn’t hold back when discussing the Portuguese youngster on Twitter.

Others were a little more constructive with their criticism, stating that while Vinagre’s performance was disappointing, he may need to refine his game elsewhere if he is to become a star at Molineux.

There were plenty of supporters calling for the left-footer to be sent out on loan.

Inevitably, others didn’t have such a kind view of things, with a more reactionary section of the fanbase calling for him to immediately be sold, while others posted comments such as ‘leave my club’.

Others were a bit more tactical in their analysis of why Vinagre had such a poor showing, with one consensus being that it’s due to the fact that Romain Saiss was playing at left-centre-back, and the pair’s combined defensive frailties were seemingly a recipe for disaster.