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Steve Bruce has dropped a big injury blow for Newcastle United going into their away game against Brighton in the Premier League on Saturday evening.

Speaking in his pre-game press conference ahead of the match against Graham Potter’s men, the former Aston Villa and Sunderland boss has revealed that it is ‘too early’ for Fabian Schar to come back into the team despite commenting on his progression and recovery from his latest injury setback.

Schar blow for Newcastle

It is certainly a huge blow for the St. James’ Park faithful that they will not be able to play Schar in what looks to be a crucial fixture against the Seagulls in the battle to avoid being relegated from the top flight down to the Championship.

The Switzerland international has missed the last five games in the division with a knee injury, and in those matches the Tyneside club have failed to pick up a win, losing two and drawing three, conceding seven goals in the process (Transfermarkt).

Schar has done a decent job for the Magpies whenever he has played in the league so far in the 2020/21 term, winning no fewer than 3.1 of his duels per appearance as well as averaging 3.1 clearances and 1.6 interceptions a game (Sofascore).

Nonetheless, the Toon will have to try and find a way to get the three points without the 29-year-old central defender.

In other news, find out what two managers Lee Ryder has named would listen to an offer from NUFC if Bruce left here!

Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has ruled Edinson Cavani out of the Europa League clash with Real Sociedad due to a fresh muscle injury.

Cavani last featured for the Red Devils during the 1-1 draw at struggling West Brom in the Premier League on Sunday and was expected to be fit to face Sociedad on Thursday night after playing the entire game.

The 33-year-old has become one of Solskjaer’s most trusted and consistent performers over the past few months, which is evident because he has started four of their past five Premier League fixtures with two goals to show for his four starts.

Drawing with Sam Allardyce’s side ensured the Red Devils have now conceded 31 goals in the top flight; out of all their closest rivals, only Merseyside clubs Liverpool and Everton have conceded more so far this season.

The draw also extended a run of two games without a win in the Premier League, and Solskjaer confirmed the club’s third-highest goalscorer wouldn’t be available for today’s trip to Sociedad.

“With Paul, he’s recovering well,” said Solskjaer. “He’s starting the treatment and will still be a few weeks, he won’t be playing in February, that’s for sure. So still a few weeks until we see Paul, definitely.

“Apart from that, we have a couple of doubtful ones [to see] if they’ll be fit enough. Anthony and Scott, we’ll have to check them tomorrow. Edinson and Donny definitely not travelling.”

The manager has now a decision to make over who will lead the line in what is sure to be a tough test against the two-time La Liga champions.

At his best, when he is fully fit and firing on all cylinders, Anthony Martial is still one of the club’s best options through the middle, having finished the 2019/20 season as the club’s top scorer with 23 goals in all competitions.

However, that is not the case now, and it remains to be seen whether the Frenchman will keep his place in the starting line-up given his poor run of form this season.

Martial started on the left wing against West Brom on Sunday but struggled to make much of an impression and did little to justify his selection in the first place, before being forced to make way for Mason Greenwood in the second half.

Despite his best efforts, the 25-year-old has been unable to replicate the form that saw him score 23 goals last term, as he took just 40 touches – which was at least 20 fewer than Marcus Rashford, per SofaScore.

He couldn’t complete a single successful dribble and also failed to register a single shot in the entire game, let alone a shot on target, while second-half substitute Greenwood managed at least one during his brief cameo off the bench.

Solskjaer also revealed to reporters ahead of kick-off that there are fitness concerns over Martial, so there’s no guarantee he’s involved from the off tonight, only increasing the struggle on the United boss to find a solution.

Greenwood appeared alongside Solskjaer in the pre-match press conference, which implies fans can expect to see him return to the starting XI against Sociedad tonight.

Admittedly, the 19-year-old himself has struggled in recent weeks, with just one goal in his past 18 Premier League appearances. But he may have a key part to play if Solskjaer can get the best out of him regularly.

Whether Greenwood can step up and be the answer in Cavani’s, and potentially Martial’s, absence remains to be seen. Clearly, though, it’s an unwanted headache to have for such a crucial encounter.

AND in other Man Utd news, Man Utd must seal swoop for Victor Lindelof replacement in Sven Botman…

West Ham United have been handed a potentially huge boost in their pursuit of Stuttgart centre-forward Sasa Kalajdzic following Sven Mislintat’s recent comments.

The report by Echo24 relayed the comments of Stuttgart direct Mislintat, who claimed that, should offers arrive for a number of the club’s promising players this summer, he would be open to the possibility of selling.

The former Arsenal director said: “If it’s up to us, we want to keep the group together, that is clear. But if offers come, we would have to talk about them – also in the interests of the players.”

Mislintat’s comments are likely to provide West Ham with a huge boost in their hopes of landing Kalajdzic in the summer transfer window, whom David Moyes has been reported to be monitoring the situation ahead of a potential summer swoop for the 23-year-old.

Transfer Tavern Take

Considering that Stuttgart reportedly want a fee of around £15 million to part with Kalajdzic, as well as the 6ft 5 striker bagging 12 goals and registering three assists over his 23 Bundesliga appearances so far this season, in addition to Mislintat’s recent comments, it would appear there is a clear path for the Hammers to make a financially viable move for the impressive £6.3m-rated man this summer.

However, with RB Leipzig and AS Roma also both reportedly keen on the youngster, Moyes could face a challenging battle on his hands if he truly does want to land the Stuttgart striker.

In other news: Many West Ham fans responded to this club update, find out more here!

If Victor Orta was at Molineux at the weekend to watch Leeds United transfer target Adama Traore, then he would have been left in no doubt as to why he would be such an incredible signing for the Whites.

Reports in recent weeks have suggested that the Spain international is on the radar of Marcelo Bielsa’s side and that Elland Road is being seen as his main destination in this January transfer window.

And on Saturday afternoon in Wolves’ 3-2 defeat at home to West Brom, Traore proved why he would be Bielsa’s game-changer.

Despite Nuno Espirito Santo’s men falling to a surprise loss to the relegation-battling Baggies, Adama produced flashes of brilliance that would add a different dimension to Leeds.

As per Sofascore, his 7.4 match rating was the second-highest of any attacking Wolves player, and when you look at his stats, it’s easy to see why.

The Spaniard’s physicality was there for all to see, and he won an impressive 10 of his 13 total duels, proving that he’s becoming more and more of a Premier League tested and battle-hardened winger – only Nelson Semedo won more duels for Wolves.

He also completed five of his seven dribbles on the day, the joint-highest of any player on the pitch, and his ability to go through the gears so quickly makes him a massive danger for opposition defences – The Express and Star’s Joe Edwards noted that he “had the beating of (Kieran) Gibbs on a fair few occasions and got some shots off”.

Former Liverpool striker Michael Owen hailed Adama as someone who can “scare any team”, and that’s a testament to the winger’s raw pace and directness – nobody in the Premier League has a better average this season than him with his 3.7 dribbles per game.

Bielsa’s fondness for his wingers is evident by the very simple fact he’s signed an abundance of them in his time in charge at Elland Road.

But in Traore, he wouldn’t just be an ‘option’. The Spaniard has proven that his style of play would be a game-changer for Bielsa, and Saturday’s display against West Brom showed that.

Meanwhile, Leeds should hand this “supremely-gifted” starlet a chance in the Premier League…

According to Sky Sports, Arsenal are monitoring Hibernian left-back Josh Doig.

What’s the story?

With Sead Kolasinac having joined Bundesliga side Schalke on loan in the January transfer window, Arsenal are short of options at left-back, with Kieran Tierney the Gunners’ only natural, senior option in that position.

And now, Sky Sports claim that along with Celtic and Chelsea, Mikel Arteta’s side are also tracking Hibs’ 18-year-old defender, Doig, and that they are closely monitoring his progress.

Edu can sign the next Tierney

Hailed by Hibernian boss Jack Ross as being “brilliant” this season, Doig has broken onto the scene for the Scottish Premiership side, making 16 appearances in the league alone.

Goal claim that “scouts have noted Doig’s attacking output as a huge part of his game, with his crossing ability and tireless running two of his key attributes”.

And when you look at the last Scottish left-back that Arsenal bought – Kieran Tierney – you can see why Doig could be another shrewd acquisition from the Gunners’ scouting team.

Tierney has been a revelation since his arrival from Celtic, and has been one of the Gunners’ stand-out, and most consistent, performers this campaign – he’s missed only three games in the Premier League, and has picked up three assists, including a virtuoso display against West Brom when he scored one and made one too.

Then, when you factor in the fact Kolasinac could be set for a more permanent exit in the summer – Arteta allowed the Bosnian to leave the club on loan and join Schalke this month even despite the lack of depth in that position – and it makes that much more sense for the Gunners to wave goodbye to the man signed by Arsene Wenger, and bring in Doig.

Meanwhile, this Arsenal star was outstanding against Southampton…

Carlo Ancelotti’s decision to start Robin Olsen and bench Jordan Pickford at Leicester City on Wednesday night proved a huge risk for Everton that nearly backfired badly.

The England goalkeeper was dropped for the 2-0 win at the King Power Stadium with AS Roma loanee Olsen entering the fold for only his second Everton appearance since joining on a season-long deal.

The Swedish international was beaten twice in his debut at Newcastle United last month, but was given the chance to establish himself in the East Midlands with Ancelotti keen to manage his players’ workload through the hectic festive schedule.

Ancelotti noted following the Newcastle defeat that he had chosen to rotate his options in goal as he is used to alternating between his ‘keepers, having decided to rely on different players while in charge of Real Madrid and SSC Napoli.

The Italian confirmed after the Leicester match that Pickford’s omission was once again a purely tactical decision, and that the England international will return between the sticks when Everton host Arsenal at Goodison Park this weekend.

“Just to rotate the players and keep him involved. He’s a serious professional, good goalkeeper with experience and that’s it. Saturday will be Jordan in goal,” Ancelotti said.

Ancelotti may be keen to dip between Olsen and Pickford when fixtures begin to mount up, but the decision to ditch the England international at Leicester almost proved costly for the Toffees on a night they closed to within a point of the fourth-placed Foxes.

Olsen began well at the King Power Stadium to pull off an impressive stop to deny his Roma teammate Cengiz Under a first Premier League goal, but let the high quickly turn into a low when a lack of cohesion with the Everton backline opened the door for Jamie Vardy to attack.

A bit more quality from Vardy again could have seen Olsen beaten, only for the Foxes hitman to head straight at the goalkeeper after meeting a delightful cross from James Justin.

Olsen’s limited game time thus far this season ensured there would be moments against Leicester where he and the Toffees defenders were not on the same wavelength, an aspect Ancelotti should have sought to avoid including in his plans in a match of significant importance.

Defeat at the King Power Stadium would have seen Everton slip behind West Ham United in the race for European football, but are instead firmly in the mix at the one-third stage of the season.

Ancelotti must now think carefully about benching Pickford in any future Premier League fixtures, as Olsen has yet been convincing of his ability to deputise for the £100,000-per-week Sunderland product when it matters most.

AND in other news, Everton enter a four-way battle to sign a gritty 21-goal marksman in January.

Glasgow Rangers may struggle to offload George Edmundson in the January transfer window after Steven Gerrard confirmed the defender has suffered an injury.

Edmundson and Jordan Jones were hit with a seven-game ban by the SFA for breaching regulations after they were caught attending a private gathering with people “outside their household.”

Reports have emerged over the past week that the club are subsequently considering sending both players out on loan.

Once hailed as a “faultless” defender by Gerrard, Edmundson has only made one appearance across all competitions this season, while Jones has played four games, and they have yet to feature for the first team since serving their suspension.

The Daily Record revealed the duo have been deemed surplus to requirements by Gerrard and could be heading for the Ibrox exit amid interest from several English Championship and League One clubs.

However it seems like the Light Blues may struggle to offload the injured Edmundson which means Gerrard could be forced to keep the Manchester-born centre-back for the time being at least.

“Jordan Jones has a calf issue and should be back next week,” Gerrard said.

“George Edmundson is off to see a specialist as he has an issue with his hip area.”

There’s no doubt the news will be a devastating blow for Ross Wilson, who had given the green light for the duo to go out and get some minutes under their belts between now and the end of the season.

The double blow is bad news for Gerrard with time starting to run out in the winter transfer market, after football finance expert Kieran Maguire claimed the Gers may have to sanction the sales of players to compete on the same playing field as Celtic.

Getting rid of Edmundson albeit on a temporary basis would have at least helped to alleviate some of the financial pressures of their colossal wage bill, as he reportedly earns around £4,200-per-week at Ibrox.

However, they may have to rule out a loan move after his latest setback. Whether this will remove any doubts about his long-term future at Ibrox remains to be seen.

AND in other news, Rangers target John Lundstram produced one of his worst performances in the FA Cup…

Whilst Southampton have enjoyed an excellent start to the 2020/21 Premier League season, it could be argued that things might be looking even better for them had they not missed out on the loan signing of Chelsea’s Conor Gallagher in the summer.

Football.London suggested back in August that the Saints were one of 12 clubs vying for the youngster’s signature, following impressive loan spells with Charlton Athletic and Swansea City in the Championship.

The 20-year-old managed six goals and eight assists during his time in the second division and earned very solid ratings with both clubs, managing a 6.88 average rating with Swansea, and a 6.93 rating with Charlton (per WhoScored).

In the end, Gallagher opted to join West Brom, following their promotion back to the top-flight, and despite the Baggies’ poor start to the season, he has continued his impressive performances at the highest level of English football.

In four appearances for Slaven Bilic’s side, the young midfielder has averaged a very solid 6.93 rating, which ranks him as their joint-best performer in the top-flight so far (per WhoScored).

His performances last season were also enough to earn him praise from Chelsea legend Claude Makelele, with the Frenchman suggesting in a documentary, as per the Daily Star, that:

“He has a lot of qualities. Physically, [technically], you can see a lot of progress in just six months. He is becoming a leader in the starting team.”

Therefore, it seems as if those at Chelsea have high hopes for Gallagher and Southampton may have missed out by failing to secure his loan signing.

With James Ward-Prowse having picked up a knock recently ahead of the international break, having someone like Gallagher available as back-up would surely have been beneficial to Ralph Hasenhuttl, as the Austrian is arguably lacking natural central-midfielders in his side.

Perhaps, if Gallagher continues to impress with West Brom in the Premier League, he can be a transfer target for the Saints in the future.

Leicester will be looking to correct their Premier League form after Liverpool put an end to their three-game win streak.

They have since played Sporting Braga in the Europa League, where they clawed back a draw thanks to goals from Harvey Barnes, Luke Thomas and Jamie Vardy.

The Foxes will play host to Fulham, who are currently in the relegation zone with just four points to their name. Leicester remain in the top four despite their frustrating 3-0 loss to Liverpool last weekend.

But Brendan Rodgers won’t want to settle for where they are at the moment and will hope for an important three points to boost their title chances.

The boss reported that Wilfred Ndidi could make his return from a groin injury in his press conference ahead of their Braga fixture.

With that in mind, here’s how Football FanCast has predicted Leicester to line up against the Cottagers this afternoon…

Rodgers has his preferred structure of defence and it’s unlikely he will stray away from this. All but Wesley Fofana started in the Europa League, so he will return to the backline to support Jonny Evans and Christian Fuchs.

James Justin and Marc Albrighton will take to their more forward roles to contribute to the Foxes defence and attack.

Youri Tielemans missed out against Braga and will more than likely return to the team alongside Ndidi, if Rodgers deems him fit enough to do so.

The midfielder last played in blue back in September against Burnley and will take the place of £55,000 per week Nampalys Mendy, who has been filling in for the Nigerian.

Further forward, Harvey Barnes will accompany James Maddison who will support the ever-impressive Jamie Vardy as Leicester’s front three.

The England international has eight goals to his name so far this season and is the third top scorer in the Premier League thanks to his fiery form.

Vardy will be hoping that he can net a couple of more goals against Fulham as the Foxes hunt down their next win.

In other news, Ricardo Pereira’s U23 appearance is exactly what Rodgers needed…

We weren’t sure what to expect from Leeds United as they returned to the Premier League.

On one hand, Leeds are a massive club capable of competing with any team in the country in terms of support and reach, and their history in the division shows that they’re able to compete right at the very top level.

On the other hand, their squad upon promotion was very thin and largely made up of the same players who finished mid-table before Marcelo Bielsa arrived at the club, so we weren’t fully sold on the squad’s quality.

However, it’s now become very clear what Leeds’ ambitions are and what we should expect from them in the coming years.

Indeed, after the end of the transfer window, Football365 compiled a list of the biggest spenders on the planet over the summer, and Leeds United wasted no time in showing what a footballing superpower they are as they ranked fifth on the list, only bested by Juventus, Barcelona, Chelsea and Manchester City – four of the richest clubs in the world.

They’ve managed this despite not having a billionaire owner, and while Andrea Radrizzani’s wealth may not be at the same level as someone like Stan Kroenke or Shahid Khan, he has put more money into his club this season than either of those two have at Arsenal or Fulham.

The Italian has wasted no time in making United a team that are able to compete at the top table of English football, and if this sort of investment continues, it may not be long before the Whites reach the heights they hit in the early 2000s. After all, they have a man labelled as the best coach in the world at the helm.

Radrizzani has gone above and beyond what anyone expected from him – he’s not the richest owner in the world by any stretch, but he’s just funded a transfer window that has seen his club outspend the likes of Arsenal and Manchester United.

As long as Victor Orta and Marcelo Bielsa do their jobs by finding the right players and using them in the best possible way, Leeds should continue to climb the footballing ladder in the coming years.