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An injury prevention expert has slammed Leeds United’s professionalism after Diego Llorente picked up a fitness issue in the defeat to Liverpool over the weekend.

The Lowdown: Llorente out injured again

Marcelo Bielsa’s side were beaten 3-0 by the Reds on Sunday afternoon as their disappointing start to the Premier League season continues.

To compound the result, Llorente hobbled off with a hamstring problem in the first half after being unable to continue, in what is the latest injury setback for the Spanish defender, who has now gone off injured three times in his last 17 Premier League appearances.

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The Latest: Expert slams Whites

Speaking to Football Insider, an unnamed source who has worked with Premier League clubs in the past lambasted Leeds, claiming there are issues with the club’s conditioning of players. They said:

“That does not reflect well on Leeds or their staff. The job of the staff – the fitness, conditioning, sports science guys – is to get the players fit to play and keep them out there.

“There are some injuries you can’t legislate for, like the Harvey Elliott one today, but top athletes should not be breaking down with muscle injuries in the first half of matches.

“It means they are being overloaded in training, over-worked or not warming up and preparing properly. Something has gone wrong somewhere and Leeds will be embarrassed it has happened again to Llorente.

“Everyone will look from the outside and think he is ‘injury prone’ but it is more complex than that.

“Ultimately it is the manager’s decision on whether he thinks players are fit to play, and once they’re selected they should not be pulling hamstrings in the first half.”

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The Verdict: Slightly harsh?

It is hard to be critical of Leeds’ professionalism when you look at the incredible fitness levels Bielsa has his players reaching.

Granted, it is a high level of intensity which could potentially increase the risk of injury, but it may simply be the case that Llorente is an injury-prone player. After all, he endured multiple absences during his time in La Liga as well.

The hope is that 28-year-old makes a speedy recovery given his importance to the team, but these injury problems are starting to become a worry and Bielsa may have doubts about the defender’s long-term worth if such fitness woes persist.

In other news, a journalist has named three Leeds players who could move on in January. Read more here.

Everton manager Rafa Benitez addressed James Rodriguez’s continued absence following the 3-0 defeat to Aston Villa on Saturday, and a number of Toffees fans have been sharing their reaction to the update on social media.

The Colombian, who is yet to feature under Benitez this season, missed the defeat at Villa Park after making himself unavailable.

The 30-year-old was ‘concerned’ about a muscle problem, with the manager coy over whether he could feature in the week. This is what the Everton boss had to say on the attacking midfielder’s absence:

“For this game, he was a little bit concerned about his muscle. He was having a little problem and we decided we have to wait, so he was not available. That’s it. We will see if he’s fit for the next game and then we will decide.”

It has since emerged that the Colombian is in Qatar for talks with an unnamed club ahead of a potential exit from Merseyside.

He could have left over the summer for FC Porto in a deal which would have seen Luis Diaz arrive at Goodison Park, but the former Real Madrid maestro failed to agree on terms.

Everton fans react

@ToffeeTVEFC shared Benitez’s comments on Rodriguez late on Saturday evening. Here is what these Everton fans had to say on social media in response, with one labelling it as ‘pathetic’.

“I don’t believe a word that comes out of Rafa’s mouth”

Credit: @Ctorres2144

“Not having this at all. James absolutely loves playing for his country, World Cup next year he needs to be playing every week. Especially since he’s already out of favour with their manager. He also played through numerous injuries for us last season but people forget that”

Credit: @KaneVasco

“Pathetic”

Credit: @simoncooper107

“I can’t wait for him to leave tbh. He is blatantly one of the least committed players we’ve had in my lifetime. Yeah he’s unreal on his day but let’s be honest he’s a pure passenger the vast majority of the time!!!”

Credit: @GazJonesEFC

“About time some of our fans started to see through this clown. Flew back home before the end of last season and doesn’t know who we’re playing next.”

Credit: @wescart_

“Nonsense”

Credit: @EvertonianThe

In other news: Lots of Everton fans fume as another injury update emerges 

Manchester City returned to England disappointed as they lost 2-0 to French giants PSG in the Champions League on Tuesday night.

Goals from Idrissa Gueye and Lionel Messi secured the win for the home side, with Pep Guardiola’s side unable to find a way past Gianluigi Donnarumma in the PSG net.

This result ended a seven-game unbeaten run from City, with the Blues having won six of their last seven matches in all competitions heading into the game.

Whilst it was a difficult night for a number of City stars, one player – in particular – who struggled was central defender Aymeric Laporte.

The ex-Bilbao man was selected ahead of John Stones to partner Ruben Dias at centre-back and endured a difficult night against PSG’s star-studded front three.

For the opening goal, the Spaniard was caught in no man’s land as he made a late decision to close down Kylian Mbappe on the byline. This then opened up a gap in the centre of the box, allowing Mbappe to slide it across for Gueye – with the help of a miskick from Neymar – to fire into the roof of the net.

Had he anticipated the danger and got out quickly to Mbappe then he could have prevented the cross and stopped the goal from happening. Laporte could also have stood his ground and potentially cut out the cross at the front post to stop it from getting to Neymar or Gueye. Instead, he did neither and his decision played a huge role in the ball going past Ederson.

Per SofaScore, Laporte lost 66.7% of his duels in the game, with one battle won in the entire 90 minutes. He also only made one clearance and failed to make an interception or block. Along with that, he was dribbled past (once) as many times as he completed tackles.

This shows how the lightweight was letting Pep Guardiola down at centre-back. He was not imposing himself on the PSG attackers and being a dominant defender, which allowed them time and space to do what they wanted in the final third.

Therefore, Guardiola will surely be feeling let down by Laporte’s performance on the night. The Spaniard was unable to how his best self and could have opened the door for Stones to get his chance to partner Dias again, which could make the team selection for Sunday’s clash at Anfield particularly interesting.

Many Everton fans have been left fuming as some news emerged on their proposed new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock.

Writing in his latest piece for The Athletic, Patrick Boyland has now revealed that the Goodison Park faithful are very close on getting two funding streams for the new ground.

While this is good news in terms of the stadium’s development, a lot of the Merseyside club’s supporters were left raging at the timing of it, as one supporter said: “Oh what a surprise a bad defeat and a stadium announcement.”

After two losses at the hands of Aston Villa last weekend in the Premier League and Queens Park Rangers in the Carabao Cup in midweek, it’s fair to say fans are in no mood for this.

Nonetheless, Rafa Benitez needs to get some good results soon in order to brighten the mood among the Toffees, especially in the build-up to moving grounds.

Everton fans on stadium news

These Blues fumed as the news on the stadium was shared on Twitter, with one EFC supporter even going as far as to claim that the timing of it was ’embarrassing’:

“The predictability. It’s embarrassing.”

Credit: @robbietaylor_86

“Oh what a surprise a bad defeat an a stadium announcement, could not write it”

Credit: @BarryWilliams93

“Two days too late Paddy, surely they should have timed this just after QPR put in the winning penalty?”

Credit: @melbourne1973

“Wow positive stadium news after a poor team performance – seems to be a pattern here”

Credit: @TonyJo1878

“Announcement on stadium after a few awful results. Doesn’t surprise me one bit. Need to focus on our atrocious squad than anything else right now”

Credit: @siewakes20

“Like clockwork”

Credit: @_DL96

In other news, find out what setback an injury expert has said Everton may now face here!

Kieran Devlin says there will be ‘conversations’ to be had at Christmas if Ange Postecoglou continues to struggle. 

The lowdown

A 4-0 home defeat at the hands of Bayer Leverkusen on Thursday compounded Postecoglou’s misery.

It leaves Celtic point-less after two Europa League matches, and things aren’t looking particularly rosy domestically either.

Having followed up a defeat at Livingston with more dropped points against Dundee United, they’ve slipped to sixth in the Scottish Premiership table, already six points behind reigning champions and archrivals Rangers.

The latest

In The Athletic’s fan discussion around the Bayer Leverkusen game, Devlin was asked by a supporter ‘at what point… we say Angeball just doesn’t work with these players’.

In reply, he urged fans to wait until both first-choice full-backs return from injury ‘at the earliest’.

Anthony Ralston’s ‘limitations’ and Adam Montgomery’s ‘inexperience’ are apparently clear at Europa League level.

Josip Juranovic and Greg Taylor are both sidelined at the moment, and ‘given the importance of the full-back roles, that’s a problem’.

However, he adds that ‘if it isn’t working by Christmas, you have that conversation’. By that point, the Hoops’ injury woes should have abated.

The verdict

It’s still too early for Postecoglou’s position to really be questioned. He’s implementing a change of philosophy, and often that will involve incurring short-term pain in the pursuit of long-term benefits.

The injuries are a pretty significant mitigating factor too, of course, while the massive amount of turnover in the squad this summer has played its part.

Celtic should be viewed as a club in transition right now and, as tough as it may be for a club and fans base so used to winning, expectations ought to be lowered for the time being.

In other news, there’s been a transfer development at Celtic Park.  

Paddy Kenny has given his reaction to Football Insider after some injury news involving Callum Wilson.

The Lowdown: Wilson in training

As cited by The Shields Gazette earlier this month, Steve Bruce revealed that Wilson would likely come back to training in the ‘next couple of days’.

It is hoped that he will now be fit to return to action in time for their game at home to Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon.

The Latest: Kenny reacts

Speaking to Football Insider, former top-flight goalkeeper Kenny, 43, has now claimed that St. James’ Park will be rocking if Wilson is deemed fit enough to play Spurs, especially after the news that the takeover by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) consortium is complete:

“You can’t underestimate how big that is for them, I don’t think.

“He was out for a while last season and they struggled. They needed a goalscorer like him.

“Then he came back into the team, they had that good run towards the end of the season and they shot up to 12th in the table.

“If he is going to be fit after the international break, that’s great news for them.

“With the takeover stuff and him back, wow, St. James’ Park will be absolutely bouncing.“

The Verdict: Big boost

It will certainly be a big boost for the North East club should Wilson return to the starting eleven against Nuno Espirito Santo’s men.

The Toon Army are likely to be buzzing anyway given that the takeover has gone through, and would no doubt be voicing their support for the striker too.

The Tyneside outfit have not been able to win any of the last four matches in the Premier League without him, while only managing to score a mere four goals in that time (Transfermarkt), highlighting just how important he is to the team.

Nonetheless, he is their biggest threat in front of goal, and the Magpies will need him to play to have the best possible chance of getting all three points.

In other news, find out which ‘super-talented’ powerhouse is a realistic target for NUFC here!

Phil Hay has confirmed that Kalvin Phillips is suffering from a hip issue as well as a calf strain following Leeds United’s defeat to Southampton at the weekend.

The Lowdown: Leeds suffer disappointing loss

The Whites were beaten 1-0 at St Mary’s on Saturday afternoon, with Marcelo Bielsa’s side delivering a disappointing performance on their return to Premier League action.

Leeds never got going throughout the game and were deservedly beaten, and the defeat leaves them sitting 17th in the table.

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The Latest: Hay provides worrying update

Someone who played no part in proceedings was Phillips, who was deemed unfit to feature having also missed England’s draw with Hungary in midweek.

Taking to Twitter after the game, Hay provided a worrying 10-word update, claiming that the 25-year-old is actually battling two separate injuries at the moment. He tweeted that Phillips has “also been suffering from a bit of a hip problem”.

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The Verdict: Concerning news

This is concerning news from a Leeds perspective because it suggests that Phillips could face a longer spell on the sidelines than initially predicted if he is battling two separate fitness issues.

The midfielder is such a vital player for the Whites – his tough-tackling presence was badly missed against Saints – and they could find themselves in a relegation scrap without him around if they’re not careful.

Hopefully he is back sooner rather than later, as Leeds desperately try to find some momentum this season, with Phillips among several players in Bielsa’s squad to have been afflicted by injuries of late.

In other news, Leeds could be able to sign one transfer target in January. Find out who it is here.

As per a fresh claim from Italy, West Ham United are now one of the many sides tracking Sassuolo forward Filip Djuricic.

The Lowdown: Newman eyes new attackers?

Since the appointment of new recruitment chief Rob Newman, there have been no shortage of links to new attackers at the London Stadium.

Not just out and out strikers, but also forwards out wide – with the Irons also apparently eyeing promising Belgium international Charles De Ketelaere.

Now, it appears Newman has eyes on another winger out of Serie A.

The Latest: West Ham join Djuricic race…

According to Calciomercato, West Ham have now joined the race to sign Djuricic and have become one of the many sides keeping tabs on his performances.

As well as the Hammers, Southampton, Shakhtar Donetsk, Inter Milan, AC Milan and Napoli are also in the mix.

They have apparently been put on red alert now especially with the Serbia international’s contract set to expire in 2022 as it stands.

The Verdict: Get it done?

The 29-year-old, who has averaged more completed dribbles than star West Ham attacker Michail Antonio this season, could come as a fruitful option on a free deal.

Amassing 34 international caps, he was once even likened to Johan Cruyff.

While those comparisons have died down, his impressive rate of two shots on goal per 90 point towards the player still possessing that distinct threat in the final third.

It all depends on whether manager David Moyes can see his side bag Djuricic among a host of interested parties.

In other news: ‘Disgrace’, ‘Get him gone’…West Ham fans slam ‘painful player’ after ‘shocking’ Genk display, find out more here.

Keith Downie has provided a fresh, exciting Newcastle update regarding the potential appointment of Paulo Fonseca…

What’s the talk?

The Sky Sports journalist sent out a tweet stating that “the consortium” have not decided on the Portuguese head coach as of yet.

Steve Bruce was relieved of his duties earlier this week and PIF have held talks with Fonseca over a potential move to Tyneside, although Downie has now revealed that they are yet to conclude their search.

The journalist tweeted on Thursday evening: “Newcastle’s new owners held talks with Paulo Fonseca remotely yesterday, but the consortium also want to speak to further candidates before deciding who will replace the departed Steve Bruce.”

Buzzing

This exciting update on the club’s plans will surely leave Newcastle fans buzzing as it shows that PIF are going with a measured, calculated approach instead of rushing into all of their decisions. They have not arrived at St James’ Park with no football knowledge to make quick changes all over the place as if they are playing Football Manager.

PIF are willing to take their time and ensure that they make the best possible appointment. With Newcastle currently 19th in the Premier League, they need to focus on avoiding relegation before thinking about pushing on to the next step and climbing towards the top of the table.

This is why the selection of Bruce’s replacement is crucial for the club as they need to bring in someone who can get the best out of the current squad to lead them into a position where they can potentially attract a higher grade of player in January, which Newcastle fans would surely love.

Whether Fonseca is the man for that job remains to be seen, but Magpies fans will be buzzing that the owners are not just going with the first manager they’ve contacted. It makes sense to weigh up all the possible options before making a final decision and it will be interesting to see who else is considered in regards to the vacant position.

This will hopefully mean that PIF do not make the wrong call as they are set to collect as much information as possible. Therefore, Newcastle fans will be buzzing with this approach from the owners as it shows that they are doing their due diligence and leaving no stone unturned to make sure the club has the best possible tools to avoid playing in the Championship next season.

AND in other news, “One thing said to me…”: Craig Hope reveals new NUFC manager link, fans could be livid…

The days of big-spending at Queens Park Rangers have been consigned to the history books for a number of years now, but that’s arguably brought around as many positives as negatives.

Bi-annual pushes for promotion after a Premier League relegation may no longer be the norm at the Kiyan Prince Foundation Stadium as the club’s hierarchy now look for a more organic route to the top-flight, yet there’s plenty to get excited about.

As a result, several impressive homegrown talents have risen through the ranks of the west London outfit, while their work in the transfer market has also become far more astute.

QPR had almost become a byword for ageing high-profile stars looking for a final paycheque between 2010 and 2015, with the likes of Jose Bosingwa, Rio Ferdinand and Julio Cesar failing to produce anywhere near their best form for the Hoops.

Now though, the second-tier side have become an efficient force off the field and continue to make progress through solid signings bought using the proceeds of lucrative sales.

The sale of Eberechi Eze was the prime example of QPR’s new business model, but Luke Freeman’s departure 12 months earlier was perhaps the first significant exit.

Newly-promoted Sheffield United forked out a reported £5.04 million fee to prise the versatile midfielder away from Mark Warburton’s charges after an outstanding 2018/19.

In 48 appearances in all competitions, Freeman bagged nine goals and provided a further eight assists for his teammates, catching the eye of former Blades boss Chris Wilder.

“He’s one of the best players in the Championship, and he can play in a number of positions,” said Wilder at Freeman’s unveiling. “Luke is ideal to complement what we already have at the club, I think he will be a good fit for us.”

However, things didn’t work out as planned for the now 29-year-old after his move to Bramall Lane.

Freeman started just three top-flight fixtures during his maiden campaign in south Yorkshire before spending the entirety of 2020/21 on loan at Nottingham Forest in the Championship.

And although he’s been reinstated into Sheffield United’s first-team setup this term following their relegation, the Englishman finds himself on the periphery of Slavisa Jokanovic’s thinking having not been included in his last eight matchday squads.

As a direct consequence of Freeman’s lack of action and drop-off in form, his market value has plummeted to just £1.8m despite the engine room operator being in his prime years.

It will leave the QPR chiefs delighted that they sold the Premier League flop when they did, receiving what now appears to be a huge fee for a player that is already in decline.

And, in other news…15 duels won: £13k-p/w QPR beast who made seven tackles shone against Forest