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Leeds fans have taken to Twitter to praise Jamie Shackleton, after the youngster came off the bench to put in a terrific performance against Derby in the play-off semi-final.

The 19-year-old was subbed on by Marcelo Bielsa in the 24th-minute after an injury to Adam Forshaw, and impressed hugely during his time on the pitch.

As the debate over THAT Leeds goal rumbles on, Pl>ymaker FC’s newest squad member has his say in the video below…

Shackleton made one key pass, and also had a shot on target, whilst also helping out defensively by making two tackles and a clearance.

The midfielder has only made three league starts this season, and his inspired performance against Frank Lampard’s men has left many Leeds supporters questioning why the teenager hasn’t featured in the starting lineup more often this term.

Bielsa’s men earned a crucial advantage going into the second leg with a 1-0 victory over the Rams at the Pride Park Stadium, thanks to Kemar Roofe’s second-half strike.

Let’s see what the Leeds fans have been saying about Shackleton’s performance…

After 10 months of despair at the John Smith’s Stadium, Huddersfield Town’s dismal season finally came to an end on Sunday following their 1-1 draw at Southampton.

In a campaign which saw the club lose 28 of their 38 games and record a measly total of 16 points in the Premier League, it is clear that the Terriers need a huge overhaul in the summer in order to rebuild their squad ahead of their return to the second tier.

Whereas the likes of Jonas Lossl, Steve Mounie and Laurent Depoitre are expected to be amongst the many players to make their departure from West Yorkshire over the coming months, the exit that will hurt Huddersfield fans the most could be that of Aaron Mooy.

Although he did not reach the heights of his previous two seasons at the club during the 2018/19 campaign, the Australian was still one of their stand-out performers and would undoubtedly thrive in the Championship next year if he stays.

However, with The Sun on Sunday (as quoted by HITC) reporting that Southampton are interested in bringing Mooy to the St Mary’s Stadium, it may be tough for Huddersfield to keep the £12.6m-rated ace (via Transfermarkt) at the club.

Yet if the Terriers do convince the Saints or another side to pay the £15m that they want for Mooy, it could allow them to considerably improve their squad in the summer and therefore it may be worth cutting ties with the former Manchester City ace.

Having played a defining role in the Terriers’ rise to prominence in 2017, the 28-year-old will undoubtedly be remembered fondly by the club’s supporters yet by leaving for a hefty fee, he could help guarantee their future in the second tier.

What do you think Huddersfield fans? Should Siewert cash-in on Mooy in the summer? Or would the club benefit more from keeping the Australian at the John Smith’s Stadium? Let us know below.

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It would be fair to say that the West Ham United fans were not pleased with what they saw from Manuel Lanzini in Monday night’s 2-0 loss at Chelsea.

Lanzini played the full 90 minutes for the third Premier League match in a row, having recovered from the knee injury that forced him to miss the 2018 World Cup, in addition to the majority of the 2018-19 campaign.

The 26-year-old is a brilliant footballer when in full flow, but the West Ham supporters appear to be losing a bit of patience when it comes to the Argentina international.

According to WhoScored, Lanzini did not have a single dribble during his 90 minutes on the field against Chelsea.

It was a tough night for West Ham against a team inspired by the brilliant Eden Hazard, but the club’s fans were really upset with what they saw from Lanzini.

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be viewed below:

When Kemar Roofe was confirmed to be missing a chunk of Leeds’ fixtures due to injury in February, Patrick Bamford must have known that he had to take his opportunity to impress  Marcelo Bielsa.

The forward made an immediate impact against Bolton Wanderers by scoring a penalty and followed his performance up with a brace against West Bromwich Albion before firing in the winner against Bristol City on March 9th.

However, since this initial burst of form, Bamford has struggled to impose himself as a key player for the Whites and was notably poor in the club’s 1-0 loss to Sheffield United, a result which saw his side drop out of the top two positions in the Championship.

With Roofe expected to return for next Saturday’s clash against Birmingham City (via the Yorkshire Evening Post), the former Chelsea man had to force Bielsa into considering keeping him in the team by producing the goods against Millwall.

Unfortunately for Bamford, he experienced somewhat of a nightmare against the Lions which could have easily cost his side the victory if it wasn’t for the heroics of Pablo Hernandez. With Leeds trailing 1-0, they were given a penalty after Ezgjan Alioski was brought down in the area yet a tame effort from Bamford was saved. Although it would be harsh to judge the 25-year-old on this alone, his all-round play was well below the level that he is capable of delivering and so it wouldn’t be surprising if he is dropped for the Whites’ visit to St. Andrew’s Stadium if Roofe is deemed fit enough to start.

Bamford has scored seven goals in all competitions but Bielsa simply can’t take the risk.

With just seven games standing between Bielsa’s side and a long-awaited return to the Premier League, the last thing that they need is to be carrying any passengers and so Bamford must be dropped after his failed audition up-front for the sake of promotion.

What do you think Leeds fans? Should Bielsa bring Roofe back into the team straight away next week? Or does Bamford deserve another chance after his recent performances? Get in touch below.

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Sheffield Wednesday’s Gary Hooper has had an absolutely torrid time with injuries over the past year and a half, but he could be closing in on a return to first-team action.

That’s according to Wednesday fans who have speculated that he may be on the bench for the club when they take on Stoke City this weekend.

This comes after he was left out of the U23s squad to face Ipswich on Tuesday afternoon.

It sparked excitement from some Owls supporters who are eager to see one of their key players finally return to action.

Hooper last played for the club on Boxing Day 2017 and hasn’t been seen anywhere near the first-team frame since.

The 5 ft 9 striker had been vital for the Yorkshire club up to then, having scored ten goals in 24 games during the first half of the 2017/18 season.

The 31-year-old had been nearing a return in September but was then ruled out again with a new issue. He then had to undergo groin surgery in November of last year which ruled him out for another 10 weeks.

Who would make a combined Sheffield XI? Ingood Nick makes his picks in the video below…

However, 15 months on he may now be about to reappear to aid the club’s late play-off push.

Here’s what Owls fans have been saying.

أفادت تقارير صحفية إنجليزية، أن هناك شكوك كبيرة حول جاهزية الدولي البلجيكي كيفين دي بروين، لاعب وسط مانشستر سيتي، لمواجهة آرسنال المقبلة.

دي بروين خرج من مواجهة منتخب بلده بلجيكا أمام إنجلترا، وأثار مدربه روبرتو مارتينيز الشكوك حول إصابته في المباراة. “طالع التفاصيل”

صحيفة “مانشستر إيفنينج” الإنجليزية، قالت إن هناك شكوك كبيرة حول جاهزية اللاعب، ولا يزال لديه آلام في عضلات القدم، وسيتم تقييمه مجددًا بنهاية الأسبوع الجاري.

اللاعب يمكن أن يشارك من خلال الحقن المسكنة، لكنه لا يرغب في استخدام المُسكنات، حتى لا يتأثر بها مستقبلًا، ويرفض المجازفة.

مانشستر سيتي فاز في مباراة من أصل 3 خاضها في الدوري الإنجليزي كانت أمام بورنموث، وخسر أمام ليستر سيتي، وتعادل مع ليدز يونايتد.

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West Ham have joined the queue for Benfica youngster Joao Felix, per Calciomercato.

The 19-year-old is wanted by a number of elite European clubs and has a release clause worth €120million (£103m) embedded into his contract.

What’s the word?

Felix has become a superstar at Benfica this season.

Just 19, he has already made his Champions League debut and scored 11 goals in 28 appearances in all competitions, while laying on six assists.

A pacey, skilful right winger, Felix is being coveted by the likes of Juventus, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, PSG and Atletico Madrid.

The aforementioned report claims that his dream is to play alongside Cristiano Ronaldo, but Benfica are determined to keep him and are preparing an offer of a new contract that will raise his release clause to over €200m (£172m).

West Ham are said to be monitoring developments surrounding his future but may be priced out of the race relatively quickly.

Delusional

It is only right that Premier League clubs should be monitoring the best young talent from across the continent.

But Felix, the jewel of Benfica’s youth academy, is out of the Hammers’ league.

One’s mind is thrown back to when the club attempted to sign Neymar from Santos in 2010; the idea was good in principle but there was precious little chance of securing the Brazilian’s signature as the biggest clubs in the world circled.

The same is true here; why on earth would Felix fancy a move to east London over a club that has the genuine ability to win the Champions League?

West Ham, at the end of the day, should stay in their lane.

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According to The Mirror, Bayern Munich and Lazio are reportedly interested in signing Liverpool prospect Marko Grujic, with the young midfielder’s stunning performances whilst on loan to Hertha Berlin earning rave reviews.

What’s the word, then?

Well, since joining the Bundesliga side on a temporary deal back in the summer, the young Serb has caught the eye with some swashbuckling performances in the middle of the park.

Grujic has scored three goals and recorded one assist in 14 appearances for Hertha, helping them to their current position of eighth in the Bundesliga table. The 22-year-old’s performances have seen him nominated for the ‘Rookie of the Year’ award in Germany’s top flight, and have received a glowing analysis from the club’s coach, Pal Dardai.

Are fan nerves to blame for Liverpool’s recent form? Pl>ymaker FC’s Tom Skinner discusses in the video below…

“I’ve been at Hertha for 22 years. This isn’t meant as an insult to anyone else, but Marko is by far the best midfielder I’ve seen in my time at the club.”

The answer to Liverpool’s lack of goals from midfielder?

Grujic is a powerful presence in the middle of the park and has certainly impressed on loan this season, providing a healthy dose of goals.

Liverpool’s midfielders, namely Jordan Henderson, James Milner, Gini Wijnaldum and Fabinho have mustered up just six goals between them this term, which simply isn’t good enough for a team going for the title – the Reds rely far too much on Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino.

Grujic has always had excellent technical ability, and has already proved to the Reds’ fanbase that he has the attacking nous to find the back of the net; most fans will remember his expertly executed looped header against Barcelona at Wembley.

Jurgen Klopp attempted to amend the problem with the signing of Nabil Fekir back in the summer, but for a failed medical putting an end to the deal – the Frenchman was meant to be a replacement for Philippe Coutinho, but the Reds could have had the ideal man right under their nose all along.

Of course, Grujic and Coutinho’s games differ, in that the former is a box-to-box midfielder and the latter has played more as a secondary forward at times, but if the Serb can come close to replicating the Brazilian’s steady supply of goals, he’ll go a long way to addressing an issue that has persisted since the Barcelona move.

With three strikes in 14 Bundesliga outings this season, he’s certainly got a better strike rate than any of Klopp’s current midfield options.

Arsenal defender Hector Bellerin is set to miss the rest of the season following an anterior cruciate ligament injury picked up in a recent 2-0 Premier League victory over Chelsea at the Emirates.

As a result, the north London club could now move for a new right-back with Napoli’s Kevin Malcuit said to be a possible option.

The Breakdown

According to the Daily Mail, Arsenal have been offered the chance to sign £11.25m-rated (Transfermarkt) Malcuit, despite the 27-year-old only joining Napoli last summer, in a deal that probably would have made sense even before Bellerin’s serious injury.

The Gunners brought in Stephan Lichtsteiner on a free transfer last June to provide cover at right-back, but the former Juventus man has looked absolutely atrocious at times. And at 35 years of age, he was never going to be a long-term option.

Meanwhile, Ainsley Maitland-Niles, who has rarely let Arsenal down when forced to fill in at right-back or right wing-back to his credit, probably sees his future in central midfield.

Does that mean Malcuit, specifically, is the solution? Only time will tell if he actually does end up making the move from the San Paolo to the Emirates.

One thing that is for sure, though, based on Lichtsteiner’s performances this season, Arsenal could definitely do with a new right-back.

When JP Duminy had his first chance to play for South Africa it was through injury. Ashwell Prince’s fracture on the eve of the Perth Test in 2008 gave Duminy his chance. To say he took it with both hands would explain both what kept Prince out of the side and how Duminy stayed in it.Four years later, Duminy was picked again because of an injury – twice. Jacques Kallis’ stiff neck in Wellington gave Duminy an opportunity in the batting order. He responded with a century. He would have probably lost his place despite that hundred immediately afterwards but when Mark Boucher’s career ended with a freak eye injury, Duminy earned a more permanent spot in the Test XI and is a certain starter in Australia.To the folk down under, it will be as though nothing has changed. Duminy is now, as he was then, in sublime touch. They may not know that for a while he was a batsman interrupted by poor form, clear weaknesses and a closing out of his spot in the team.In 14 innings after the 2008-09 series in Australia, Duminy managed just 272 runs at an average of 19.43. The statistics were damning enough to result in him being dropped. What they don’t tell is that Duminy had consistent problems against the short ball and off spin and was regularly dismissed by either.His limited-overs game did not suffer similar setbacks and he continued to feature in that format, but in the longer version he was sent back to the first-class game to develop. A double hundred against Dolphins in December 2010 was a signal that Duminy had come full circle and he became a fringe player in the Test squad again. He had to join a queue, behind Prince and Jacques Rudolph and has only now become a regular again.”It was tough at times. I was coming off such a high [in Australia] and it’s difficult to maintain those sorts of performances,” Duminy said, reflecting on his match-turning century at the MCG. “You will go through ups and down and I was fortunate enough to have good people around me to work through those problems. The circumstances of being brought back into the team were also tough with Boucher getting injured but it was about taking the opportunity as well.”His chances have come in an unusual fashion as the composition of South Africa’s Test line-up has changed. Since Boucher retired, team management have opted to go with seven front-line batsmen to allow AB de Villiers to keep, although that does not seem to be a long-term option. Duminy slots in at No.7, behind Rudolph.It lengthens South Africa’s batting to the envy of other countries. Duminy has to play a bridging role between the batsmen and the tail, different to his usual middle-order batsmen. “One thing I have learned batting at No.7 and with the tail is that bowlers tend to forget about you,” he said. “With bowlers not worrying about you, you tend to get more lose deliveries. They are happy to get you off strike.”That much was evident at Lord’s in August when Duminy and Vernon Philander combined to take South Africa out of trouble. The England attack seemed to think they had got through the big guns but there was more to come. Duminy scored a half-century and Philander helped him ensure the bowlers had something to defend.It is that sort of strength that South Africa are trying to develop and Duminy said he understands that he will be required to operate as both mender and match at No.7. “You get let off by some bowlers but you can find yourself in difficult situations with the team 100 for 5, so there are two ways to look at it. I think I have grown in that role in the last three Tests and I want to start cementing a long career in Test cricket.”There would be few places as illustrious to do that as Australia, especially since it was the scene of Duminy’s breakthrough. He knows the hype will be around that but does not want it to dominate his mindset. “This is a starting point for me again. What’s happened in the past is in the past.”Already it has been a successful second coming, he has had four innings, scored 271 runs at45.17. It must be remembered that includes one not out, something that may become a more prominent feature in Duminy’s statistics given his position in the batting order. Whether he will stay there or get bumped up a place when South Africa either decide to play a specialist gloveman or are forced to because of de Villiers’ recurring injury, is a question for later on.Duminy likes to talk about the future because he sees his as bright, starting with the current tour of Australia. He is looking forward to the new challenge, especially since the complexion of the hosts’ bowling attack has changed since the first time he faced them. With young seamers stealing the spotlight and no Mitchell Johnson, South Africa may fancy their chances even more.”This time, there is a little less experience,” Duminy said. “With saying that, they have a quality attack. We’re going to have to play well against them. If we can get through the initial parts of the Test match and be positive in the first innings we can do well.”