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Filip Benkovic’s ankle injury looks like calling a halt to Jack Hendry’s hopes of going out on loan, according to the Evening Times.

What’s the word?

The former Dundee man has slipped to fifth choice for a place in central defence but that has changed, with Benkovic out of action for at least a month while Dedryck Boyata has missed the last three games.

Jozo Simunovic and Kris Ajer were paired up for Thursday night’s 2-0 win over St Johnstone with Rodgers set to carry out a head check this morning at Lennoxtown.

“Filip’s injury could change the plan for Jack,” the Celtic boss told the Evening Times. “We wanted to get him out for games but I need to ensure our squad is covered – before anyone else’s. We will assess that on Thursday morning and see where it is at.”

Catch 22

This is a real Catch 22 decision for Rodgers – by the middle of March, Benkovic and Boyata could be reunited with Hendry left watching from the stand. On the other hand, an injury to Ajer or Simunovic in the next couple of weeks would make Rodgers look foolish if Hendry is impressing out on loan.

Since joining Celtic exactly a year ago, the three-cap Scotland international has had the unfortunate knack of playing in some of the worst performances of 2018 with his stats seized upon by the critics.

Getting a dozen or more games out on loan at an English Championship side would do his game the world of good. Before joining Dundee in July 2017, Hendry had barely sampled first team football.

It is probably in Hendry’s best interests to go out on loan but to Celtic’s benefit that he stays on as cover. Ultimately Rodgers will have to act in Celtic’s interests to provide insurance against any further injuries, but both potential outcomes have their own set of negatives.

Adama Traore’s long-term future is unlikely to belong at Wolves after a lack of playing time recently, according to journalist Luke Hatfield.

The Lowdown: Traore loses place

Bruno Lage’s side are in a good place at the moment, sixth in the Premier League after winning 1-0 at home to high-flying West Ham on Saturday.

However, Traore isn’t a key part of Wolves’ plans at the moment, having fallen out of favour in recent weeks. The winger hasn’t started a game this month, with the likes of Francisco Trincao and Daniel Podence preferred to him out wide, and he featured for just 14 minutes against the Hammers.

The Latest: Hatfield makes Traore exit prediction

Recent reports have linked Traore with a move away from Molineux, and speaking to GIVEMESPORT, Hatfield said that he expects the Spain winger to move on

The journalist claimed: “If I was a betting man, I would probably say that his future lies away from Molineux.”

The Verdict: Time to move on?

The £27m-rated Traore is an exciting player renowned for his pace and power – indeed, Jurgen Klopp once called him “unplayable” – but it appears as though Lage doesn’t rate him as highly.

If that is the case, it is pointless keeping hold of him, especially as Wolves could earn a healthy fee for his signature, with his current deal not expiring until 2023.

Allowing Traore to leave would suit all parties, giving Lage additional transfer funds on players he wants around and giving the Spaniard an opportunity for regular football elsewhere.

It could be argued that it is no coincidence that Wolves’ form has improved without Traore in the team, with the winger failing to contribute to a goal in 13 appearances this term despite his aforementioned traits.

In other news, Wolves have been tipped to sign one player. Find out who it is here.

Manchester United look set to bring in Ralf Rangnick on an interim basis to replace Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

That news broke on Thursday afternoon and, a few hours later, it emerged that the 63-year-old will bring Lars Kornetka to Old Trafford as his assistant, which has had many United fans buzzing.

Rangnick is currently in a director’s role with Lokomotiv Moscow but looks set to move to England to become United’s interim boss until the end of the season, before moving into a two-year consultancy position.

According to Championat, relayed by The Peoples Person, Rangnick will bring Kornetka with him to Manchester. The 43-year-old is also currently in a job at Lokomotiv Moscow and has worked as Rangnick’s assistant at RB Leipzig. He has also worked under Pep Guardiola at Bayern Munich as a video analyst.

United fans react

The United Stand shared the news regarding Rangnick and Kornetka on Twitter on Thursday evening. Here is what these United supporters had to say in reply, with many left delighted.

“THIS CANNOT BE REAL!! PINCH ME I AM DREAAAMING!”

Credit: @iamdasm

“Huge shout out to @ManUtd Way to go. I’m absolutely buzzing about this. What an awesome day for every #MUFC fan!”

Credit: @kylenielsen99

“I am crying, literally. This actually feels like a dream. How did this even happen”

Credit: @Shim81755902

“Music to my ears”

Credit: @jaideepminhas7

“Get innnnnn”

Credit: @akmalaffendi

“Let’s gooooo”

Credit: @iamleonard_LEO

In other news: ‘Dreaming’, ‘Best news today’, ‘On my knees’ – Many Man Utd fans erupt over who Woodward wants now

Tottenham Hotspur continued their impressive Premier League form under the management of Antonio Conte with a 3-0 win over Crystal Palace on Sunday afternoon, making it six league games unbeaten for the 52-year-old Spurs coach.

And, the performance against Patrick Vieira’s side was arguably one of their most impressive under the Italian, with goals from Harry Kane, Lucas Moura and Heung-Min Son sealing a dominant win for Tottenham – a result which sees the club climb to fifth place in the Premier League standings.

However, despite a number of impressive individual displays, one player who once again failed to live up to expectations was Tanguy Ndombele, with the 24-year-old failing to make any real mark on the match after being introduced in the second half.

Lost 100% duels

While it is indeed true that the France international was only on the pitch for 11 minutes against Palace, the central midfielder’s returns will nevertheless be something of a cause for concern for Conte.

Indeed, the £25m-rated man managed a grand total of just nine touches of the ball, completed a mere eight passes, was dribbled past by an opponent on one occasion, conceded one foul and lost all three of his attempted duels.

These returns saw the £120k-per-week midfielder earn an extremely disappointing SofaScore match rating of 6.3, ranking him by far and away as the worst performer of any Tottenham player on the day.

As such, while it may be slightly harsh to judge the Frenchman on such a limited amount of time on the pitch, it is undeniable that Ndombele will have done nothing to convince his manager that he is deserving of a start when Spurs visit Southampton on Tuesday evening.

If the 24-year-old’s second-half stint was a test run, it was certainly one which the former Olympique Lyon midfielder failed.

In other news: Forget Moura: £62k-p/w THFC gem with 4 key passes proved he’s no longer “miles off it”

According to ESPN, Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte is eyeing a major overhaul behind the scenes as he holds private meetings with club chiefs and makes a decision on midfielder Tanguy Ndombele.

The Lowdown: Conte ‘evaluations’ made…

The Lilywhites manager, as he candidly admitted to the press, has been making ‘evaluations’ on his Tottenham squad as he decides who stays and who goes this January and beyond.

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Spurs’ head coach recently finished his assessment of the Hotspur Way squad with many players currently linked with a possible move away from north London.

The likes of Matt Doherty, Giovani Lo Celso and Dele Alli are mentioned as possible departures with yet more news emerging on who could leave Spurs.

The Latest: Conte makes Ndombele call…

According to ESPN, club record signing Ndombele is one of six players Conte is now ‘willing’ to part with as he holds ‘private meetings’ with Spurs chiefs.

Chairman Daniel Levy is ‘expected to back’ the Italian’s exit decisions but club hierarchy recognise the difficulty in facilitating these deals mid-season.

As well as Ndombele, other players at risk of being sold are indeed Alli, Doherty, Lo Celso, Steven Bergwijn and even Japhet Tanganga.

The Verdict: Right call?

Given his arguable lack of application at N17 despite his obvious ability, with Conte publicly questioning it, perhaps may be the right time to entertain offers for the Frenchman.

As ever in January, the difficulty lies in finding a suitable offer for Ndombele but given the player’s pedigree, you would believe it is a possible a big club could register interest.

Described as ‘unbelievable’ by insider John Wenham, the midfield ace completed more dribbles per 90 last campaign than any Spurs player in the Premier League (WhoScored), with former boss Jose Mourinho hailing his turnaround at one point.

Alas, his bright flashes have come at an inconsistent rate and Conte will want players who can perform at a high level more regularly in his side.

In other news: Tottenham ‘working strongly’ for ‘phenomenal signing’ as reporter drops Twitter claim, find out more here.

According to a recent report from Wolves journalist Liam Keen for the Express & Star, the Premier League are negotiating on behalf of their clubs with FIFA and Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) officials to see if players can leave in early January and be available for their clubs over the Christmas and New Year period.

From a Wolves point of view, if a deal can be reached, this would allow defenders Willy Boly and Romain Saiss to be involved for the Premier League clash against Manchester United on January 3 at Old Trafford.

Wolves fans would be delighted

If an agreement can be made, this would surely give Wolves manager Bruno Lage a big boost when it comes to taking on the Red Devils and delight a lot of Old Gold fans in the process.

Even though Wolves have the likes of Conor Coady and Max Kilman in their squad who have started all 15 of their Premier League games so far this season, there’s no certainty that they will be available to play at Old Trafford next month. That could leave Lage having to rely on the likes of Saiss and Boly to step up if they are both available.

Despite Boly not making even one appearance in the Premier League so far this term, he still has the backing of Lage, who described him as an “important” player for Wolves.

Saiss, on the other hand, has been a regular figure for the Old Gold in this campaign, starting all 15 league games alongside Coady and Kilman and earning himself an overall season rating of 6.89/10 for his performances, making him Wolves’ fourth-highest rated player according to WhoScored.

With this is mind and the fact that United have currently scored more than double the amount of league goals (25) that Wolves have managed (12), it would undoubtedly be preferable if Lage can call upon both Saiss and potentially Boly, if he’s fit enough, to try and secure a positive result against the Red Devils.

If a deal can’t be agreed between the Premier League and AFCON officials, the Wolves boss will have to hope that Coady and Kilman will be fit enough to play and that they can do enough to keep United at bay.

In other news: Wolves dealt possible transfer blow on £40m “Van Dijk-like signing”, Shi surely fuming

Taking to Twitter, Sky Sports reporter Dharmesh Sheth has shared news on Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah in what could be a boost for West Ham United.

The Lowdown: West Ham eyeing Nketiah…

The Gunners forward has been on West Ham and manager David Moyes’ radar since the summer window, with reliable journalist Fabrizio Romano claiming they were one of a host of clubs eyeing his signature.

That interest has followed through into the winter months, it seems, as a report from TRANSFERmarketWEB detailed just last week.

According to the outlet’s information, West Ham are still very much in the running and made a recent inquiry, but they’re not alone with Leeds United, Bayer Leverkusen, Borussia Monchengladbach and Crystal Palace linked as well.

They claim Arsenal may end up selling him permanently in January if Nketiah doesn’t sign a new deal, which expires in 2022, and Sheth has now brought the latest on his precarious contract situation at the Emirates.

The Latest: Nketiah ‘increasingly likely’ to leave…

As per Sheth, the 22-year-old is now ‘increasingly likely’ to leave north London amid West Ham’s reported interest with talks over fresh terms so far failing.

“Talks over new contract for Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah so far failed to find a resolution,” he said on Twitter.

“Increasingly likely Nketiah will not stay beyond summer. Nketiah can sign pre-contract with foreign club in January.

“He wants regular football. Arteta wants him to stay.”

The Verdict: Time to pounce?

An England Under-21 international with plenty of sell-on value and humungous potential, we believe the winter window presents West Ham an opportunity to take full advantage of these stalled new deal talks.

Arsenal will have to contemplate offloading him mid-season or risk losing him for nothing on a pre-contract, something Gunners transfer chief and technical director Edu may want to avoid.

Nketiah’s valued at around £10.8 million by Transfermarkt, an arguably affordable fee from West Ham’s perspective, and Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky’s new found investment will hopefully mean Moyes gets backing in the transfer market to finally sign a much-needed back up striker (Evening Standard).

Lauded as a ‘clinical’ forward by former teammate Charlie Gilmour (onlinegooner.com), this notion is backed by his prolific record for the Three Lions juniors.

Indeed, Nketiah’s phenomenal England U21’s record of 16 goals in just 17 caps more than highlights the fact he knows where to find the net.

Homegrown, and with Arsenal in a fairly weak negotiating position given the player’s contract situation, West Ham could seal a shrewd alternative to Michail Antonio with a winter swoop.

In other news: West Ham ready offer to sign 33-cap World Cup gem as Newman sets sights on brand new target, find out more here.

According to a fresh report by Alasdair Gold of football.london, Tottenham have made contact with the representatives of Manchester United midfielder Jesse Lingard over a potential summer move.

The Lowdown: Lingard’s transfer saga

Lingard has been at the helm of a hectic transfer saga that began in the summer window. The 29-year-old shocked the footballing world with an electric run of form after joining West Ham on loan in last year’s January window. During his short stint with the Hammers, the attacking midfielder proved to be emphatic in the final third, scoring nine goals and producing five assists in just 16 appearances for David Moyes’ side.

Now, with Lingard’s contract set to expire in the summer of 2022, a number of Premier League teams are interested in the Man United playmaker. This includes Eddie Howe’s Newcastle, but more prominently West Ham, who are reportedly preparing to table a bid for the player in the near future.

It is claimed that Moyes is hoping that United will be prepared to accept a cut price of around £10million in January, rather than losing him on a free in the summer.

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The Latest: Spurs make contact over Lingard

According to reports by Alasdair Gold of football.london, Tottenham have now made contact with Lingard’s camp, as the reliable reporter shared the latest on Twitter: “Understand Spurs have sounded out Jesse Lingard’s camp about a potential move to north London.”

Spurs have apparently enquired about a summer switch, but there is a possibility that the club could consider a move for the player in the current January window.

This news comes amid Ajax’s interest in Steven Bergwijn. After rejecting a £15million bid for the winger, Spurs have begun to look for alternative options elsewhere, with the expectation that the Dutchman will leave the club in the current window.

The Verdict: Could prove to be a shrewd signing

Following on from his loan spell at West Ham, it is evident that Lingard would be able to arrive at Tottenham and make an instant impact – talkSPORT pundit Adrian Durham hailed him as the ‘best player in the Premier League’ at the height of his incredible spell of form in east London.

Manchester United legend Michael Carrick has labelled Lingard’s playing style as ‘unique’ and ‘dynamic’, describing the way that it is ‘difficult to defend against’ the Englishman’s speed and directness.

When previously linked with Everton, Kevin Phillips described a potential Lingard transfer as a ‘no-brainer’, and that is true for the Lilywhites too, who have missed getting goals from midfield since the departure of Christian Eriksen.

If Lingard is able to replicate the form he produced at West Ham, the midfielder could prove to be a very shrewd signing for Antonio Conte, reducing the reliance on Son Heung-min and Harry Kane to be in absolute top goalscoring form week in week out.

In other news, one Tottenham youngster could be on his way out of the club this month…

Leeds United striker Joe Gelhardt was forced off for the under-23s on Monday evening with a fresh injury concern.

The Lowdown: Gelhardt’s season so far

He has featured in four of the five Premier League games under Jesse Marsch, scoring a crucial winner against Norwich City last month.

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The 19-year-old has slowly been establishing himself as a valuable figure in the American’s squad from the bench and played 31 minutes in the 1-1 draw with Southampton on Saturday.

He was given a start for the under-23s in a 3-0 win over Crystal Palace on Monday evening, but it didn’t go to plan.

The Latest: ‘Bad news’ for Gelhardt

The Yorkshire Evening Post shared the news of Gelhardt’s injury on Twitter, describing it as ‘bad news from Elland Road’.

They added that the forward had an issue with his left leg and had to receive treatment, with the Whites’ initial hope being that it is a dead leg.

The Verdict: Fingers crossed

Gelhardt started for the under-23s looking to build up his fitness, with a reported fake positive virus test impacting the striker during the international break.

Fans may well be wondering why he was even playing on Monday, considering that both Patrick Bamford and Tyler Roberts are long-term absentees.

Hopefully the issue is a minor one and the 19-year-old can be available for selection for the huge trip to Watford this weekend following the club’s assessment this morning.

In other news – 9.1/10 rating: Leeds target produces incredible display after Orta name-dropped him

If any Tottenham fans were keeping their eye on England’s U21s during the international break, then there must surely have been a tinge of sadness over seeing Noni Madueke shine so bright.

The former academy youngster began his career in north London, and actually captained the U16s before making his debut for the U18s at just 15-years-old.

But, in June 2018, he signed a three-year deal to join Dutch giants PSV, snubbing a reported offer from Manchester United in the process, and his career has only gone upwards since that move.

With nine goals and eight assists in all competitions last season, Madueke really took his game to another level with PSV in 2020/21, so much so that he earned a call-up to the England under-21 setup, where former manager Aidy Boothroyd talked up his potential.

He said: “He’s a powerhouse of a player, technically very good, left-footed and likes to come in off the side of the pitch, off the right and go and link. He’s got a goal in him, he’s very creative. He’s got a massive smile, a lovely kid. The lads have taken to him, as they would because he’s a good player, he has that respect for what he’s done at PSV.”

Former PSV ace Tommie van de Leegte raved about the 19-year-old’s style of play, saying (via Goal): “He’s fast and has the capability to trick his opponent. He brings creativity and is very explosive in his actions.”

This campaign has seen him take yet another step in his development, with the now 20-year-old scoring nine times and providing five assists in all competitions, as well as showing off his versatility by playing off the right in his most natural position, and through the middle too.

When he arrived at PSV, he was worth only £540k but the England U21 international is now valued at £16.2m by Transfermarkt – a huge 2,233% increase.

Indeed, reports last summer suggested that PSV had told Spurs that it would take around £40m for the Lilywhites to bring their former academy starlet back to north London.

Given Spurs have seen a number of wingers come into the club over the years, you can only wonder what could have been had the Lilywhites managed to convince Madueke that his long-term future remained with them and that they could offer him a genuine pathway into the first-team.

Instead, Madueke is lighting things up elsewhere.

AND in other news – Paratici masterclass: Spurs now eyeing 6 ft “phenomenon”, he’s perfect for Conte