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Loads of Leeds fans have been reacting to another major setback, as Luke Ayling will be sidelined for two months with a knee injury.

Leeds fans were concerned before the season started that they didn’t have enough squad depth, and those concerns have already been justified.

The Whites have just been boosted by the returns of Pablo Hernandez and Kemar Roofe, but are now expected to be without Ayling for a considerable amount of time.

The ever-popular defender left the 1-1 draw against Nottingham Forest in the first half, and the club have now confirmed that he will be out for two months.

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Ayling has damaged his MCL on his right knee, and Bielsa is now down to barebones in the full-back position.

There are hopes that Barry Douglas will return at left-back very soon, but Ayling’s setback is a major concern.

He hasn’t quite been at his best this season, but it was his injury that sparked last season’s awful run of form, and Bielsa will have to work his magic to avoid a similar meltdown.

You can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below…

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Despite previously being considered one of Southampton’s best and most reliable players, right-back Cedric Soares certainly hasn’t been the same player over the course of the past 12-18 months.

The Portugal international – who played a big part in their Euro 2016 success – was once a key part of the side from an attacking point of view in addition to his defensive duties, and his pace was highly useful for both of those things.

However, as the south coast outfit have struggled – both last season and so far this term – so has the 27-year-old and he has come under criticism from his own fans on Twitter for his displays.

The full-back has often been targeted by other teams because of his lack of height, while he has been more prone to errors and struggled to make an impact in the final third because of his poor crossing – there is little doubt that Southampton are more of a threat down the left-hand side than the right.

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However, with a lack of competition for Cedric he has played all-but 34 minutes of their Premier League campaign to date, and he was once again named in the starting XI for the short trip to Bournemouth on Saturday.

He looked set to be in for a tough afternoon against the in-form Ryan Fraser, but as well as nullifying the threat of the Scot he also excelled in other areas as well.

The 27-year-old won one tackle, as well as making four interceptions and five clearances as the team kept a much-needed clean sheet, while he showed a big improvement on those of his main weaknesses by winning two aerial duels and completing two accurate crosses, as per WhoScored.

It was certainly an impressive showing by the Portuguese man, and if he continues to play like he did at the Vitality Stadium he will soon win back the full support of the St Mary’s faithful.

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Joe Gomez has been one of the highlights of Liverpool’s season so far.

The 21-year-old has seamlessly stepped into the role of Virgil van Dijk’s centre-back partner since the campaign began.

Dejan Lovren ended the 2017-18 season as a regular in the first team, but after suffering an abdominal injury during the World Cup final with Croatia, he was forced to sit out Liverpool’s first few matches.

The 6ft 2in tall Gomez has spent the majority of his career at Anfield playing at right-back, but he has looked more than comfortable at the heart of defence.

His performances recently rewarded him with a call-up to the England squad, but in the last few matches, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has tinkered with Gomez’s position.

The defender has either been forced out wide to accommodate Lovren since his return to fitness, or has been rested.

On Saturday, Liverpool will go head to head with Arsenal at the Emirates, and it is unclear who will start at the back alongside Van Dijk.

After asking you who Klopp should pick, it became clear that most fans want to see Gomez back in the line-up, replacing Lovren, who started in last weekend’s 4-1 win over Cardiff City.

Leeds United currently sit second in the table and despite having a raft of injuries, Marcelo Bielsa has managed to keep his side competitive at the top of the table

United go into a tough run of fixtures over the next few weeks as they face West Brom and Sheffield United. With Pablo Hernandez and Kemar Roofe returning to the side recently, Bielsa will be hoping that his star players will carry him through the next few games.

Worryingly for Leeds fans, according to Phil Hay on the Inside Elland Road podcast, the club has pulled back on offering the star striker a new deal.

The Breakdown

Roofe’s current deal runs out in 2020 and according to Hay, the club had been ready to begin negotiations but will now hold off for a few months.

The former Oxford United man has been one of the best players at the club this season as he’s scored seven goals in 10 games in the Championship and has become one of the best players in the league.

However, with just over 18 months left on his current deal, time is ticking for United. While they will likely be able to resist any January offer for the forward, if the situation isn’t resolved come the summer, the club well lose one of its star players.

Having won the ‘Player of the Month’, it’s quite clear that Leeds must do everything in their power to keep him. Losing Roofe next summer would be a catastrophe for Leeds.

Thoughts Leeds fans? 

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Southampton midfielder Mario Lemina will play no part in Gabon’s African Cup of Nations qualifier against Mali on Saturday because of an injury issue, which could potentially keep him on the sidelines for his club’s crucial Premier League clash against Fulham at Craven Cottage next weekend.

What’s the word, then?

Well, the 25-year-old travelled to his home country for the international break, but according to Gaboneco his international manager Daniel Cousin has ruled him out of the game after he suffered a muscle injury after training on Wednesday.

According to Gaboneco, the 41-year-old said:

“I honestly cannot count on players who are not 100%, it is difficult. I need those that are in good shape.

“I cannot trust him [Lemina], because Saturday’s game will be physically demanding.

“So there is no question of taking risks, Mario is going to look after himself quietly. I do not know if he will attend the game for the spirit of the group or will he return to his club. The most important thing is that he takes care of himself.”

The former Juventus man has once again been a regular starter in Southampton’s midfield this season having played all but 24 minutes of their Premier League campaign, and he has formed a successful partnership with Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg with Oriol Romeu often having to settle for a spot on the substitutes’ bench.

Could he miss the Fulham clash?

Essentially, we don’t know the extent of the problem yet, but Hughes will hope that it isn’t a recurrence of the thigh issue that meant that he was also doubtful for the clash against Watford at St Mary’s last Saturday.

The Welshman will certainly be sweating on the 25-year-old’s fitness given the quality that he has in his locker, and should he miss out then either Romeu or club captain Steven Davis – both of whom failed to make the 18-man squad against the Hornets – could be handed a rare reprieve with the latter in particular something of a forgotten man this term.

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Lemina would certainly be a major absentee for the visitors when the Premier League strugglers come up against each other, as he won the man of the match award against Javi Gracia’s men by covering more ground and winning more duels than any of his teammates.

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Jesse Lingard netted his second goal of the international break as he came off the bench to grab the equaliser against Croatia on Sunday, and his excellent performances for Gareth Southgate’s side could offer a clue as to why Manchester United have struggled so often in recent weeks.

On the chalkboard

The 25-year-old has recently returned from a groin injury that meant he missed five games in all competitions for the Reds, and Jose Mourinho’s side won just one of those as United came back to beat Newcastle 3-2.

United currently sit in eighth place in the Premier League, below Bournemouth and Watford, after an extremely poor start to the season by their standards.

Lingard has recently been on the comeback trail, but he has only managed two substitute appearances and then just under an hour from the start in the Manchester derby for United. However, his performances for England should excite United fans and potentially prove that he has been the missing cog.

Slotting in

In the white of England during this international break, Lingard started the friendly against the USA and opened the scoring after 25 minutes with a beautiful curling strike that is quickly becoming his trademark.

His goal against Croatia that followed was his fourth for England in 22 caps, and sparked the comeback that Harry Kane completed late on as the Three Lions topped their Nations League group to progress through to the finals.

If Lingard can replicate this form when he gets back to United then he will have a huge impact on the club’s form. With Southgate now preferring a 4-3-3 Lingard also gets the chance to play in the same wide left role for both club and country, so his game can be simplified and developed to build him into the key player that United need so badly at the moment.

The Playmaker FC squad decided to wind-up some unsuspecting Brazil fans at the Emirates on Saturday night. Watch the hilarious results in the video below…

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There is very little that Virgil van Dijk could do to prevent Liverpool fans from adoring him.

The club’s faithful have adopted the Dutch centre-back as one of their own following his switch from Southampton in January.

Van Dijk has proven to be a crucial member of Jurgen Klopp’s team and he has improved the defence significantly since taking charge of the back line.

Over the past two weeks, the centre-back has been on international duty with the Netherlands, and he made headlines on Monday night.

In the dying minutes of the Nations League clash between Germany and Holland, Van Dijk stepped up to score a goal that sent his country into the finals of the competition.

The tie was at 2-1 before the Liverpool star found the back of the net deep into injury time.

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After the full-time whistle, plenty of Reds fans took to social media to praise Van Dijk and his quality strike.

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After some of his recent performances, Liverpool fans have been calling for Xherdan Shaqiri to become a regular starter in Jurgen Klopp’s lineups, as they feel that he is the most creative midfielder at their disposal.

The Swiss international has started just four Premier League games since his £12m move from Stoke in the summer, impressing hugely in those games with two goals and two assists.

Some of the Anfield faithful feel he is capable of replacing Philippe Coutinho’s inventiveness in the middle of the park, something that the Reds have sorely missed since the Brazilian departed to Barcelona.

With the likes of Jordan Henderson, Gini Wijnaldum, Naby Keita, Fabinho, James Milner and Adam Lallana vying to start in Klopp’s midfield, including the former Bayern star, chances have been few and far between for the 27-year-old.

In light of this selection dilemma, we put the question to Liverpool fans, asking if they would like to see the diminutive midfielder become one of the first names on the teamsheet.

Interestingly, a whopping 82% voted in favour of the £12m man becoming just that, stating that they feel that the Merseyside-based club need his creativity out on that pitch at all times, as you can see by the results below…

Playmaker FC’s Matchday with Max caught up with Jamaica’s women’s team. See what happened when he met the history makers in the video below…

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Former Arsenal attacker Paul Merson has backed Liverpool to overcome Everton in Sunday’s Merseyside derby at Anfield.

Everton have only lost one of their last seven Premier League matches, and that was a narrow 2-1 defeat at Manchester United at the end of October.

The Toffees held Chelsea to a goalless draw at Stamford Bridge on November 11, meanwhile, before beating Cardiff City after the international break.

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Marco Silva’s team have had a free week to prepare for the match, but Liverpool were in Champions League action away to Paris Saint-Germain during the week.

The Reds suffered a 2-1 defeat in Paris, although they are yet to lose in the league this term, winning 10 and drawing three of their 13 matches.

Merson has said that Liverpool ‘were all over the place against PSG’, but the pundit expects Jurgen Klopp’s side to overcome Everton on Sunday afternoon.

Merson told Sky Sports:

“Liverpool were all over the place against PSG, which shows you how good that front three is. It’s a good back four at Liverpool now but they were in trouble.

“I expect them to win though, I saw Everton at Chelsea a couple of weeks ago, they were solid but Chelsea were poor and still had three good chances and if they’d taken one they would have won the game.

“I just can’t see Liverpool not having those kind of chances and I think they’ll take them. I don’t think Everton will have a go at Liverpool, but if they defend for 95 minutes they’re not going to keep a clean sheet.”

Both Premier League matches between the two teams last season finished level, but Everton have not beaten Liverpool in a league fixture since October 2010.

Everton did not have the best of season’s last year, which saw Sam Allardyce replaced by Marco Silva in the summer.

The Portuguese manager has made a number of changes to the way the Goodison Park outfit operate on the pitch and has also brought in some new additions which has certainly freshened things up.

That arrival has seen a renewed optimism surround the club of being able to achieve some of their short-term aims, with the club getting back into European football likely being one they want to be able to do.

Everton have had a number of players put in a bunch of impressive performances for the club in 2018, however, without these two at Goodison Park, who knows where they would be.

Jordan Pickford

Despite his horrifying gaff against Liverpool in one of the biggest games Everton will play all season, Jordan Pickford has no doubt been a star for the club.

The goalkeeper joined the club from Sunderland in the summer of 2017 for a fee believed to initially be around £25million and that now appears to be a bargain for the Toffees.

Without his performances in goal, there would be a concern that the club could have had a tougher campaign under Allardyce than they previously had as he continued to make vital saves and performed heroics that allowed him to go to the World Cup with England.

Following on from his superb performances with the national side, he has come back stronger and better and is certainly one of the best goalkeepers in the Premier League.

Richarlison

Richarlison may have only joined in the summer, however, he has quickly proven to have become one of Everton’s best players under Silva.

The former Watford man was reunited with his manager at Goodison Park for a mammoth fee, which had initially been surrounded by scepticism.

However, the majority of his performances have already gone a long way to justifying the amount paid out for him and has become an important member of the squad.

In his 13 Premier League appearances so far, he has netted seven goals and has become a focal point of the Toffees’ attack, as has Gylfi Sigurdsson.

Should the Brazil international, who earned a call-up to the national side for his performances, keep producing as he has, then he and Everton will surely have a great 2019 ahead of him.

Everton fans – thoughts?