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When Newcastle centre-back, Florian Lejeune, collapsed in a heap following an innocuous looking challenge, fans immediately feared the worst for the player, who has suffered two previous long-term injuries in his short career on Tyneside.

The incident happened right next to the touchline, and when players from both sides, as well as fans in the front rows, are all immediately calling for a stretcher, you suspect it is something serious.

The problem was in the opposite knee to that which he suffered cruciate ligament damage to earlier this season, but the likely prognosis could be a similar issue.

The news out of Newcastle (confirmed on their official site) yesterday, was that the player would be going for a scan to determine the severity of the damage, but the signs did not look promising.

Rafa Benitez was still trying to find a bright side, when he said to the Newcastle Chronicle earlier: “For now, he is very down, we have to wait and see if he is a little bit lucky, but it looks serious.

“Hopefully it won’t be too serious. I think he is a strong character, he was working so hard to get fit and he will have that same determination this time.”

But both Rafa’s, and the fans’, worst fears were confirmed by the football club today, when they released a statement confirming Lejeune would miss the rest of the season through a “significant knee injury”, but did not provide any precise details of what that injury is.

Fans were quick to take to Twitter to react to the loss of, widely considered, their most influential defender, with concerns and well-wishes.

What are your thoughts on the loss of you key defender, Newcastle fans? Should Rafa now revert to four at the back, or will he put someone else in there? Let us know your thoughts…

Manchester United scraped a win this weekend as they kep their Champions League hopes alive with a 2-1 win against West Ham.

The Red Devils weren’t at their best but ensured three points with Paul Pogba brace from the spot proving enough for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men to see off the resilient Hammers at Old Trafford.

With the summer transfer window something which is seemingly constantly in the news from a United point of view, manager Solskjaer will be more than aware of the challenges which he is set to face both in terms of keeping his star men, and bringing in new talent.

One of the players who is constantly being linked with a future away from Old Trafford is Paul Pogba, with a host of the top clubs in Europe casting their eye over the Frenchman.

However, news this weekend has emerged that United could be set for change in tune surrounding Pogba, and could be set to offer him the captaincy in a bid to keep the World Cup winning midfielder at the club.

We here in the Tavern though feel this might be a step too far for United, especially for a player who seems to have caused more than his fair share of problems at the club and always seems to have a cloud over him with regards to the next piece of controversy.

Giving in to Pogba and making him the main man sets a worrying precedent at the club, and gives the player a sense of power over the club.

This simply cannot happen, and if it means selling him on to bring in players who will offer more in terms of desire and effort, then that’s exactly what United should look to do.

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Newcastle are reportedly eyeing a move for Ryan Babel, and he would give Rafael Benitez the one thing he has never had on Tyneside – attacking depth.

What’s the story?

According to Football Insider, Benitez is plotting a summer swoop for Babel, providing the Spaniard is still at the club of course.

The Newcastle boss was the man who first brought Babel to England back in 2007 when he signed him for Liverpool, and the Magpies are said to be one of a number of teams keeping tabs on the Dutch international.

Babel joined Fulham in January and has impressed despite their relegation, and the report claims he wants to stay in the Premier League to help claim a place in the Netherlands’ Euro 2020 squad.

Pl>ymaker FC Exclusive: Jermaine Jenas reveals why Tyne-Wear is a more intense derby than anything London can offer – check out the video below….

The perfect squad signing?

Benitez knows all about Babel. The winger won no trophies during his time with Rafa’s Reds but did muster 22 goals and 18 assists in 146 appearances, and has won trophies in both Holland and Turkey.

The 32 year-old is showing no signs of slowing down either, grabbing four goals and four assists in 13 Fulham appearances, a superb return rate for a winger in a team that is so outmatched by most of their opponents.

It’s hard to see him getting in the Magpies’ starting XI though, as the trio of Miguel Almiron, Salomon Rondon and Ayoze Perez have finally given the Benitez the balanced attack he has been searching for, but Babel could add an extra element off the bench.

As of now, Benitez’s first attacking switch off the bench is usually to introduce Christian Atsu, who has scored just seven times in a whopping 93 appearances for the club.

Going from Atsu to Babel, who has scored goals, won trophies and played in pressure matches such as Champions League knockout games throughout his career, is a huge upgrade.

At 32 he will not play 90 minutes week in week out, but his mixture of speed, skill and strength will make him a real threat on the counter late in matches, and finally give Benitez the ability to change games with his bench, something which simply hasn’t been possible with the current squad.

Over the years, what has separated Liverpool from the other big-spenders in the Premier League is their net spent.

Granted, they signed Virgil van Dijk for £75 million and shelled out £67 million for Alisson but that was possible because they received close to £142 million for Philippe Coutinho.

Indeed, Michael Edwards’ shrewd business skills have been highlighted recently and his reputation’s sure to grow over the summer. While Liverpool must be planning on making some big signings, their Sporting Director is planning on how to balance out the profits.

His latest plan seems to be using interest Marko Grujic to extort a big transfer fee.

The Serbian midfielder’s enjoyed a commendable loan campaign with Bundesliga side Hertha Berlin, putting in dominant performances from the middle, helping them win games. As a result, he’s reportedly attracted attention from all around and Atletico Madrid are especially interested in his services for next season.

For Liverpool, Grujic is just surplus to requirement. He’s no longer needed, despite his loan heroics and doesn’t fit into Jurgen Klopp’s style at all. As a result, Edwards is clearly aiming to make some profit. The 23-year-old was signed for only £6.3 million in 2016, but according to reports (via ESPN) late last month, Liverpool are demanding £34.7 million from Atletico for his services.

Wow. That’s a lot of money.

While this may seem crazy to some, he might actually get his way. Diego Simeone’s side are seemingly desperate for strong midfielders with some of their own possibly moving out next season. The Reds could end up making five times the profit for Grujic and leave Edwards a delighted man afterwards.

Liverpool fans, would you be happy to inherit a big fee for Grujic? Join the discussion by commenting below…

Ever since Jermaine Beckford left Elland Road at the start of the decade to join Premier League side Everton, Leeds United supporters have been yearning for a prolific goal-scorer.

Plucked from non-league obscurity in 2005, the forward made a slow start to life in West Yorkshire before finally making his mark two years later in League One by firing in 20 goals for the Whites as the club finished runners-up in the play-off final.

The next pair of seasons saw him find the back of the net on 65 occasions as he certified his status as a cult hero for the club by helping them achieve promotion to the second tier.

Although Leeds have had seen the likes of Kemar Roofe and Patrick Bamford threaten to repeat Beckford’s escapades this year, they may benefit from re-igniting their interest in Leyton Orient’s Macauley Bonne having been linked with a move for the striker earlier on in the campaign (via Teamtalk).

The 23-year-old has been in excellent form in the National League this season, firing in an impressive total of 23 goals which have played a massive role in helping his side move within a point of securing promotion to League Two.

An incredibly talented striker, there is no doubt that he could thrive at a much higher level and therefore Marcelo Bielsa should do all he can to snap him up in the summer. A similar type of player to Beckford, Bonne has a great turn of pace whilst his finishing ability has improved immeasurably during his time at Orient.

Although a move to Leeds would be desirable for Bonne, any deal could depend on the outcome of the current season.

If the Whites achieve promotion to the Premier League, the likelihood of the striker getting the necessary playing time in the top-flight will be extremely slim.

However, by missing out in May, the Whites could be better off in the long run as Bonne will arguably have a better chance to develop as a player and thus replicate Beckford’s success in the future.

What do you think Leeds fans? Do you think Bielsa should sign Bonne in the summer? Or should your club be targeting other forwards when the transfer window opens? Let us know below.

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Having watched his side struggle to break down an impressive Leicester side for just under an hour, Pep Guardiola introduced Leroy Sane to the game on the 56-minute mark, hoping for the usually mesmeric winger to do what he usually does.

16 goals and 18 assists in all competitions this season have Sane up there amongst Europe’s best wide men, where his direct running, close dribbling and enthusiasm to turn his presence in the final third into a goal involvement always catch the spectators’ eye.

However, none of that was on show against the Foxes.

Are Man City better than Arsenal’s ‘Invincibles’? Fans discuss in the video below…

In just over half an hour on the pitch, Sane barely did anything against the impressive Ricardo Pereira – you may think I’m exaggerating, but the German international literally did almost nothing.

You could forgive most other players for not making an impact in just over 30 minutes, but Sane is special. You only need to look at his stats for the season that I previously mentioned to see that the 23-year-old is a world-class talent.

So, what’s up with him? Does he not work hard enough in training? Does Guardiola not like his attitude? Could it be the fact that he is yet to sign a new contract with his current deal set to expire in 2021? Who knows.

Guardiola knows. “I have said many times how important Leroy has been for us in good or bad moments. He knows the reason why he hasn’t played lately,” according to the Spaniard last month. He’s certainly keeping his cards close to his chest.

Enough speculation, though. Let’s talk about the things we do know. Sane was entrusted by the former Barcelona boss to win an extremely crucial game for his side, something that he did not – barring an otherworldly strike from none other than Vincent Kompany, Sane’s no-show may be being spoken about a bit more.

Kompany won’t always be there to save Sane’s back. The former Schalke man must start taking his chances when they come, or he won’t ever be a consistent starter in this City team.

The Welsh international has had a brilliant career at Arsenal and leaves having scored 65 goals, including an unbelievable season in 2013/14 where he scored 15 from midfield.

Unai Emery and the Arsenal board though did not seem to rate him that highly and Arsenal actually withdrew their contract offer back in October, leading to the Old Lady swooping in and getting themselves an absolute bargain.

The 28-year-old is cultured on the ball, possesses great technique, has a fantastic work rate and represents a genuine goal threat from midfield.

Arsenal will miss Ramsey for all of these qualities but also because he understands the club and has a lot of Premier League experience.

The majority of Arsenal fans seem to think that the club’s treatment of Ramsey has been disgraceful and though he was given a nice send off on Sunday, the feeling is that for a player of his quality should have been handed a new contract.

Arsenal must now find a way to replace the Welshman, but to get a player of Ramsey’s talent the Arsenal board are going to have to spend a lot of money – something they are not necessarily going to do.

Manchester City had a few twists and turns to get where they are today, and one of their biggest learning curves came when they splurged £18million of real life money on Roque Santa Cruz.

Wowee. What a truly uninspired purchase Paraguayan forward Santa Cruz was. Genuinely, what can we say about this man that isn’t fundamentally negative? They didn’t spend £19million or £20million – suppose that’s something? He could kick a ball (we mean literally just kick it) – that’s another thing, right?

The forward made his fateful multi-million pound move to Manchester City in the summer of 2009 – just a year after former boss Mark Hughes had dragged him to the miserable depths of Blackburn from the comparatively dream-like city of Munich, Germany. Ah, you can imagine it can’t you: his once happy little face melt as he slowly struggled to digest his new northern surroundings, despite probably being convinced by Hughes that it was “near enough to London” – the place where all overseas players want to live.

You could say it wasn’t exactly the dream start Santa Cruz was hoping for. His biggest and only fan Hughes was sacked in December (it was a great Christmas that year) just hours after the forward had claimed his first Premier League goal for the Citizens in a 4-3 thriller against Sunderland, leaving him stranded in the City wilderness without anyone to turn to.

City fans only had to wait another three months until he scored his only other goal for the club. Quite the record. Needless to say, new boss Roberto Mancini wasn’t going to wait around for him, and he quickly and clinically disposed of him – initially on loan deals back to Santa Cruz’s beloved Blackburn and Real Betis before Malaga.

Manchester City fans, quite simply – is Santa Cruz your worst ever signing? Let us know in the comments below…

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Filip Benkovic has admitted his future next season is uncertain, refusing to rule out a return to Celtic, as reported by The Scottish Sun.

What’s he said?

While there’s definitely been hits and misses when it comes to loans at Celtic it can’t be denied that it has allowed the club access to a quality of player that otherwise wouldn’t be at the club.

The £13m Benkovic definitely falls into that category, delighting supporters this season with solid defensive displays in the Hoops’ backline.

Due to return to parent club Leicester City this summer for assessment by Brendan Rodgers, the player has admitted this week he doesn’t know what his future holds.

He has loved his time at Celtic, which has culminated in being called up to the Croatian national team for the first time, something he reckons the club have played a instrumental role in.

As quoted by The Scottish Sun, he said:

“I honestly believe there are other players who are more deserving of a call-up than me, but I have been waiting for my chance for a while.

“I’ve had a really successful year at Celtic and I have to thank them for the positive things they have done for me this year which has led to the call-up.

“I can’t talk about what club I will be at next year because nothing is known yet and might not be for some time, probably only after all my international duties this summer.

“But all I can say is that I have really enjoyed my time at Celtic, I have had some great moments here, I have a successful season, enjoyed my football and I will never regret it.”

Clearly the door has been left open for a potential Glasgow return, but will the stars align for a deal to happen?

Do Celtic have a chance of signing him again?

Leicester boss Rodgers told The Daily Record earlier this month that if Benkovic goes out on loan again this summer then he’d want it to be to Celtic, so the chance of being part of the club’s nine-in-a-row push is strong.

Rodgers has four defenders already at the club and it’ll all be about what kind of impact the Croatian can make in pre-season.

On the Hoops side of things, the club seem keen on making a move for him, with the player himself revealing to The Scottish Sun he’s been told there is interest.

What if Celtic were to actually fail in their bid for the ‘treble treble’? A Celtic fan dicsusses in the video below…

How much do Celtic need him?

Having just lost first-pick defender Dedryck Boyata to Hertha Berlin, Celtic are in serious need of quality defensive additions in the upcoming transfer window and re-signing Benkovic would quickly make Hoops supporters forget all about the Belgian.

Benkovic, Jozo Simunovic and Kristoffer Ajer is a solid centre-back three that could do with another to provide back-up.

If Benkovic does not return, it’ll likely require serious investment from the club to replace his presence.

To be a Manchester United fan at the moment is frustrating enough. However, to be a Manchester United fan who has Jesse Lingard constantly forced down their throat is verging on torture – especially when he’s failed to produce on the pitch over, and over, and over and over and over again (we could go on for longer).

Generally speaking, there are some truly rotten eggs at Old Trafford who need to take themselves off for a long hard think and reflect on where they’re heading with the club, and while Jesse Lingard is the worst of the bunch, there are others to blame for the club’s capitulation.

We digress.

Now, there’s no easy way to put this, so we’re just going to come out and say it. Jesse Lingard is no way near good enough to be a Manchester United player and the only reason he is still at the club and not decaying somewhere else like West Bromwich Albion or Stoke is because he came through the youth system. There we go. We said it.

While this is the overarching reason for our criticisms, there are a whole host of underlying factors that really frustrate us about Jesse Lingard. Take his age and development arc, for example.

For years now Jesse Lingard has operated as the centre figure of the Manchester United Prank Patrol alongside his cronies (not a real organisation), and while it was all fun and games when the Red Devils were actually producing the goods on the field, it’s grown very, very tiresome this past season. From the incessant need to sign off even the most trivial events in his life with a stupid little dance to the untimely release of a clothing brand – as criticised by Phil Neville and Roy Keane – it just seems like Lingard has absolutely no awareness of the chaos going on around him and the very real pain felt by the average Manchester United fan.

That being said, and his abysmal level of maturity considered, it may surprise some to learn that the Englishman is not in his late teens or early twenties but is creeping up on the ripe old age of 28. Not exactly young is it?

Indeed, we’d argue that Lingard has gone way beyond the stage now where he is protected by the kind of goodwill young and up-and-coming stars like Marcus Rashford, Angel Gomes, Diogo Dalot, Scott McTominay, Mason Greenwood and Tahith Chong tend to enjoy. If you’re not producing the goods now, which any player should having spent their whole career at Old Trafford, then it’s unlikely to ever happen. And given the club’s current situation, there’s simply no room left for charity cases anymore. They need hungry, willing players who can give them goals and assists, or at the very minimum some form of attacking threat, and quite simply Jesse Lingard falls short in every department.

Currently sitting on a four-year contract worth over £100,000-per-week, handed to him to by Jose Mourinho in 2017, Lingard is grossly over-earning relative to his pathetic contributions, and if Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is genuinely serious about being ruthless, then he’ll do well to wave goodbye to the dancing clown within the next couple of seasons.

Manchester United fans, do you think its time to get rid of Lingard? Do you genuinely believe he has a place in your squad going forward? Let us know in the comments below…