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Rangers-linked John Lundstram has refused to be drawn on his future, saying that “it’s the same situation, everything’s still on the table.”

What’s the word?

Reports in recent months have suggested Rangers are one of several clubs across Europe keen on landing Lundstram from Sheffield United as Steven Gerrard seeks to bolster his midfield options, with The Athletic claiming that the Ibrox side are “admirers” and are “waiting in the wings” with the midfielder’s contract coming to an end this season.

It is understood the Ibrox boss was interested in signing a central midfielder as well as a playmaker last year, with Bongani Zungu and Lewis Ferguson being identified as the club’s main targets.

However, Rangers did manage to sign Zungu on loan during the extended summer transfer window, but it seems Gerrard is still keen on Lundstram as he looks to complete an overhaul in midfield.

The in-form midfielder, 26, made the remarks before Sunday’s clash with Chelsea at Bramall Lane.

He said: “It’s the same situation, everything’s still on the table. We’ll see what happens.”Of course, (speculation) is bound to happen but I’m here and while I am here I’m committed, as you’ve seen in my performances.”I’m 110 per cent and no-one can question that. Who knows what will happen but while I’m here, I’ll give everything.” Better than Bongani Zungu?

With Steven Davis’ contract coming to an end in the summer, the 36-year-old’s long-term future at Ibrox still remains uncertain, despite Gerrard’s insistence that the board should offer him a new deal.

Meanwhile Zungu has done very little to suggest that he deserves to stay at Ibrox on a permanent basis, with the Rangers boss giving him just 149 minutes of football in the Scottish Premiership.

In the £4k-a-week earning Lundstram, however, Gerrard could find the perfect replacement for the 124-cap Northern Irish international.

He really burst onto the scene last season, making 34 top-flight appearances for the club predominantly from the midfield, with five goals and three assists to show for his 26 starts. By comparison, Zungu has scored just twice in the past four seasons alone across all competitions, which suggests that he’d offer a far greater attacking threat than the Bafana-Bafana midfielder.

His captain at Bramall Lane, Billy Sharp, has spoken highly about his teammate’s physicality, athleticism and technique. He said:

“He gives us a lot of energy and he got an assist as well, which is important.“He’s got all the attributes. He runs so much in a game, he provides assists and goals. He’s a real menace to other teams and a great player to have.”

Ross Wilson, therefore, should capitalise Lundstram’s uncertain future and contract status at Sheffield United by bringing the soon-to-be free agent to Ibrox when his contract runs out at the end of this season.

AND in other news, Rangers will regret letting Nathan Young-Coombes leave as he ‘closes in’ on Ibrox exit…

Steve Bruce has confirmed that Newcastle United striker Callum Wilson will face six to eight weeks on the sidelines with a “devastating” hamstring injury.

That’s according to the Mirror, who quote the Toon boss as revealing that his £20m summer signing from AFC Bournemouth will miss the best part of the next two months.

Wilson could miss up to seven Premier League fixtures as a result of the issue, starting with Monday night’s trip to Chelsea and subsequent meetings with Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur and potential relegation rivals Wolves, West Brom and Brighton.

Wilson sustained a deep hamstring tear during last weekend’s 3-2 win over Southampton, that also saw United lose Javier Manquillo for multiple weeks and Fabian Schar for several months.

Manquillo is now expected to miss around six weeks with a muscular injury, while Bruce has confirmed that Schar underwent surgery on Tuesday after sustaining knee ligament damage that the defender will hope does not rule him out of this summer’s Euros.

As for Wilson, the striker underwent scans to assess his hamstring injury earlier this week after being forced to limp off the field during the first-half of last week’s win over the Saints, which returned sombre news for Bruce.

“Unfortunately for Callum, it is a tear to the hamstring and that could be six to eight weeks,” the Toon boss said. “The aftermath of a fantastic victory has blighted us. Losing the centre-froward for weeks is a bitter pill to swallow.

“We hoped it was a grade on two to three weeks, but it is worse than that. We have to be without him for six-eight weeks, but we won’t put a time scale on it. It is devastating news for us. It takes time, when you are pace and power as Callum is. His rehab will have to be spot on. We need him back as quick as we can.

“His performance at Everton [last month] was terrific. We are all struggling with muscle injuries, the sheer number of games and no rest between. Without Callum, it will be hard core. He has been terrific. It will be difficult to replace him.”

The scale of the task now facing Bruce is colossus, with Newcastle left with a mammoth obstacle in their way toward securing Premier League survival for another season.

No Magpies player has been as involved in United’s attacks this term than Wilson, who has offered 2.0 shots a game over his 21 top-flight appearances, in a side that has only offered on average 9.7 each league fixture played to date, per WhoScored.

His efforts have also returned the most goals (10), while Miguel Almiron’s brace against Southampton was enough to move the Paraguayan second on the scoring chart at St. James’ Park with four – only Jeff Hendrick, who’ll be suspended against Chelsea, has also scored twice or more.

Jonjo Shelvey, who boasts one goal to his name, has taken the second-most shots per game with 1.6 but only 0.5 of those have come inside the box, where Wilson is the only player to have offered over 1.0 among those who have featured more than once for Bruce thus far.

Joelinton, who has also only scored once, has taken 1.2 shots a game over his 17 outings, while fellow strikers Andy Carroll (1.1) and Dwight Gayle (0.7) will hope to improve their output in Wilson’s absence.

AND in other news, Newcastle have an ace up their sleeves in efforts to sign a striker valued at £30m earlier this season…

After failing to take their chances last week, Arsenal face Benfica in the second leg of their Europa League clash on late Thursday afternoon, knowing that the tie is very much up in the air.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang missed a host of chances to put the game to bed, but the Gunners’ profligacy in front of goal ensured that things are left well poised at 1-1.

Mikel Arteta made a few changes to his starting line-up for the weekend’s Premier League defeat to Manchester City, perhaps with one eye on his team selection for Thursday.

And with that in mind, below is a look at how the Gunners might take to the field against Benfica.

In goal, Bernd Leno will keep his place as the Gunners’ undisputed number one, although he is likely to see some key changes to the men in front of him.

Rob Holding has been ruled out for Thursday’s game due to concussion protocols, so David Luiz should be brought back in. The Brazilian could be joined by compatriot Gabriel, as Arteta goes back to the centre-back duo that started in the first leg last week.

Depending on Kieran Tierney’s fitness, the Gunners boss may stick with the Scotsman, but on the other side, he may choose to drop Hector Bellerin, and instead go with Cedric, who of course set up Bukayo Saka’s equaliser in the reverse fixture.

In midfield, Thomas Partey is unlikely to be risked from the start despite confirmation from Arteta that he’s pushing for a recall, and that could see Granit Xhaka and Dani Ceballos hold down the midfield positions.

Further forward, the likes of Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard and Emile Smith Rowe should all feature, while the other big call Arteta may make is dropping Aubameyang.

The Gabon international had the horror showing in the first leg, with Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp even claiming he is past his best. Gabriel Martinelli has been restricted to substitute appearances lately, and is surely pushing for a start, especially given that Arteta took Aubameyang off for the 19-year-old against Benfica in the first leg.

Predicted XI: Leno; Cedric, Luiz, Gabriel, Tierney; Ceballos, Xhaka; Saka, Odegaard, Smith Rowe; Martinelli.

Manchester United cut the gap to neighbours City at the top of the Premier League with a memorable 2-0 victory at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday.

Bruno Fernandes and Luke Shaw understandably stole the headlines, netting early in each half to secure success for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s Red Devils.

One man who perhaps flew under the radar during the game but who was equally as pivotal in United securing three points and reclaiming second in the table was Aaron Wan-Bissaka.

First and foremost, it was never going to be an easy afternoon for the £36m-rated right-back as he was faced up against 13-goal Raheem Sterling. To completely embrace a pun, the former Crystal Palace man did a sterling job, limiting the England international to just two shots throughout the entire game.

According to WhoScored, Wan-Bissaka racked up 11 defensive contributions during the 90 minutes – the most of any player who took to the pitch.

Included within this, he contributed three tackles, three clearances and a fantastic five interceptions, statistics that are even more impressive considering that he only committed a solitary foul.

The right-back sits top of the Premier League tackles chart with 75 – four clear of closest rival Luke Ayling, and he proved exactly why that’s the case on Sunday.

This ensured that Sterling could not get into his stride at all, hugely limiting City’s attacking impetus.

Surprisingly, Wan-Bissaka was also one of the most involved on the ball for the Red Devils on Sunday.

He had 56 touches throughout the game, that count was only bettered by midfielders Scott McTominay and Bruno Fernandes, whilst he was never dispossessed or caught on the ball a single time.

Whilst Shaw was praised for his attacking intent and adventurousness against Man City, and rightly-so, Wan-Bissaka’s defensive discipline and excellence ensured that the Red Devils remained firm at the back to claim a morale-boosting victory.

AND in more news, take a closer look at Shaw’s impressive attacking showing for the Red Devils at the Etihad…

Former Premier League player Dean Windass has told Football FanCast that Oliver Skipp will be playing in Tottenham Hotspur’s first-team next season.

The midfielder has enjoyed a brilliant season at Norwich City.

He joined the club on loan in the summer and has gone on to play in every single Championship game this season.

Skipp is just 20 but he has approached the season with a genuine maturity and has won praise from Daniel Farke, his manager at Carrow Road.

Norwich are currently top of the Championship, and remain on course for an instant return to the top flight.

Farke has labelled the England U21 international as having “unbelievable consistency”, and Windass believes that he can return to Spurs and make a real impact.

Skipp had made his way into the starting XI prior to his move to Norwich, playing 23 times for the club at senior level.

But he now appears better prepared to make a real impact ahead of the 2021/22 campaign after such a superb campaign at Carrow Road.

Speaking to FFC, Windass said that he expects Skipp to be playing regularly next season.

He said: “Yeah, I think he’ll come back, he’s gone out on loan to play, and he’s doing very, very well. If Norwich get promotion, obviously, they’ll be pushing to keep him.

“Even if Norwich get promotion, they’re looking as though they’re going to get in the Premier League, it’s a situation now where if he keeps performing like he is at Norwich, he’s going to get in Tottenham’s first-team next year.

“He’ll probably go back to Tottenham pre-season and it’s up to Mourinho then. Is he good enough to play in the Premier League? It’s a different level to the Championship, is he good enough? I don’t know, that’s why they’ve let him out on loan but at the minute, he’s performing magnificently for Norwich.”

Fans of Glasgow Rangers have been reacting to a post on Twitter, in which Keith Jackson shared an article of his concerning the celebrations of Rangers fans after the club’s title win.

In his report for the Daily Record, Jackson dubbed the celebrations of Rangers fans a “monumental own goal” before going on to suggest that Scottish politicians now view the Old Firm clash scheduled for Sunday as a “genuine doubt” due to safety concerns.

The journalist continues by stating that the actions of the Rangers fans could soon bring “another surge” of the pandemic, which would have the potential to force “every single one of us back into lockdown.”

However, after Jackson shared his article on Twitter, fans of Rangers flocked to have their say on the matter, with many dubbing the journalist a hypocrite, while others simply appeared not to be interested whatsoever in the message Jackson was attempting to get across.

So, what exactly did these Rangers fans have to say in reaction to Keith Jackson’s report?

“Sssssh.”

@IBoyd1966

“Paaaaaaiiiiiiiiinnnnnnn.”

@JyeB2911

“Is there any bandwagon you won’t jump on? You should be calling out the lies from the SNP & Harvie & actually backing the industry that, at the end of the day, pays your wages instead of helping them try & kill off our national sport. Shame on you.”

@andybearz

“Bore off.”

@Gregmcg29

“Did you write the same when Celtic fans had a riot or party?”

@johnrobbie_2015

“Utter tripe and he wonders why he’s banned.”

@bkerr72

In other news: some Rangers fans slammed this politician’s comments – find out more here!

Liverpool could be handed a significant boost ahead of their clash with Wolverhampton Wanderers, with Roberto Firmino’s reported return to fitness.

The Brazilian missed the Reds’ last Premier League clash, the 1-0 defeat to Fulham at Anfield, with a knee injury but he is set to be assessed of the trip to Molineux on Monday.

Should he be fit enough to start for the Reds, Jurgen Klopp has to put him in from the beginning of the match, even with Diogo Jota also returning to contention in recent weeks and gunning to start against his former club.

Put simply, the former Hoffenheim man is a key player for the current reigning Premier League champions.

In 37 appearances in all competitions so far this season, he has 13 goal contributions – six goals and seven assists. Only Sadio Mane and Mo Salah have contributed more to Liverpool.

His statistics also put him right at the top end of Liverpool’s attacking output. According to WhoScored, the 29-year-old averages 2.4 shots, one key pass and 1.6 dribbles per match in the Premier League.

This is some way higher than the player who may likely replace him in starting line-up, Jota. The former Wolves man averages just 1.9 shots, 0.6 key passes and one dribble per game.

It would not make a lot of sense to keep the Portuguese in the starting XI at the expense of Firmino then.

Some will argue that there is no need to reintroduce him so quickly especially after recovering from injury. However, with a player so key to Liverpool, with Klopp even labelling him as “special”, it would seem baffling to leave the £64.8m-rated forward out of the side.

AND in more news, have a look at why a current FC Porto man and former Premier League flop is not what Liverpool should be looking at in the summer transfer window…

Many Aston Villa fans have been left stunned at the decision by Gareth Southgate not to pick Ezri Konsa for England for the upcoming 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.

As per a tweet from the Three Lions, Conor Coady, Eric Dier, Harry Maguire and John Stones have all been picked as options ahead of him in the centre of the defence, as well as his club teammate Tyrone Mings.

Ollie Watkins has also been picked by Southgate for his first senior international call-up, but several members of the AVFC faithful were still left to question why Konsa was not selected with them for the three qualifying games against San Marino, Albania and Poland coming up.

It could have been the perfect opportunity for the 23-year-old to show what he can do ahead of the Euros in the summer, but now it looks more unlikely that he will make that squad given his recent omission.

Aston Villa fan reaction to Konsa omission

These Villa supporters fumed after hearing of Konsa’s omission on Twitter, with one fan saying that they were ‘shocked’ while another branding it as ‘scary’:

“Insane how Konsa didn’t make it but Dier did”

Credit: @ComboedOW

“I hope Konsa chooses Portugal now. Ridiculous he’s not included.”

Credit: @JAnnetts_

“Fully deserved for Watkins – struggling to understand how Dier gets in ahead of Ezri Konsa though! #utv”

Credit: @LeeGibson6

“Well done Ollie, but where’s Konsa?”

Credit: @marls74

“Konsa isn’t that’s shocking. Scary how this man picks his squads”

Credit: @andylynch80

“Shocked to not see Konsa but congratulations Ollie and Tyrone”

Credit: @avfcfanxoxo

In other news, find out what transfer update on one Villa star has left fans talking here!

Writing for the Daily Express, journalist Archie Griggs has told Tottenham Hotspur to sign striker Ollie Watkins as a potentially perfect Harry Kane replacement should he leave north London – explaining that he has all the attributes to thrive under manager Jose Mourinho.

Kane’s future has been at the centre of much speculation linking him with a move away from Spurs as he could stand a better chance of winning silverware.

Tottenham told to sign Watkins as possible Kane heir

Manchester City, as relayed by the Express, are currently touted with heavy interest in the Englishman – but Griggs has pinpointed Watkins as a perfect successor should the 27-year-old leave.

Scoring 10 goals and assisting three others in the Premier League so far this season (WhoScored), Watkins also enjoyed an historic landmark in his career at Wembley Stadium against San Marino – netting his first goal for England just 20 minutes after coming on for his debut on Thursday evening.

Transfer Tavern take

Touted as a player who could thrive under Mourinho, he has also been called a ‘machine’ and ‘physical specimen’ during his time at Brentford (The Athletic).

The £75,000-per-week star was allegedly ‘desperate’ to join Spurs before signing for Aston Villa in the summer – but chairman Daniel Levy apparently wouldn’t meet his asking price after extensive talks (Football Insider).

Whether or not they do return for Watkins remains to be seen, but it heavily hinders on Kane’s future amid heavy links to an exit.

In other news: Alasdair Gold drops claim on barely-seen talent at Tottenham, find out more here.

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, ex-Newcastle midfielder Keith Gillespie has praised Liverpool for allowing Harvey Elliott to continue his development in the Championship this season.

Following his move from Fulham, the teenager has made strides in the Reds’ first-team, appearing eight times in all competitions last season.

But with Liverpool’s destructive front-three in scinscillating form in Liverpool’s title-winning campaign, Elliott’s chances of becoming a regular at Anfield were always going to be limited.

Therefore, Michael Edwards ensured a temporary move for the youngster went through to join Blackburn Rovers on loan for the season, in an attempt to gain valuable senior experience prior to challenging for a regular place at Anfield in the future.

Elliott has dazzled during his spell at Ewood Park, scoring five times, including his first professional goal against Coventry in October, whilst adding five 10 assists, second only to Norwich’s Emiliano Buendia in the Championship assist charts.

And Gillespie told Football Fan Cast that a second-tier loan was exactly what Elliott needed at this stage in his career:

“I think it’s been a wise move for Liverpool to send him out to send him out there to the Championship, a good level of football – playing week in week out against seasoned-pros, rather than staying at Liverpool and playing Under-23s football.”

Elliott has impressed at Blackburn this season, and with the likes of Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane struggling in recent months, the 17-year-old might have done enough to force his way into Jurgen Klopp’s first-team squad next term.