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Steve Bruce has been left facing a huge conundrum against Tottenham Hotspur this Sunday with a return for Newcastle United striker Callum Wilson considered unlikely.

The Toon boss confirmed that Wilson remains a doubt for this weekend’s Premier League affair at St James’ Park when speaking to the media on Friday, although he voiced hope in having Allan Saint-Maximin back.

Wilson has missed Newcastle’s last six fixtures after sustaining a deep hamstring tear during February’s 3-2 win over Southampton, which forced the £20m summer signing from Bournemouth out of the game late in the first half.

Newcastle are yet to win a top-flight fixture without Wilson since his arrival on Tyneside in September, with Bruce’s men succumbing to five defeats and three draws.

The Toon had landed a potential boost over the international break when Wilson hinted at a return on social media, after Bruce alluded to having the 10-goal centre-forward back available to face Tottenham. Those hopes have now been dashed, and Newcastle will likely host Spurs on Sunday without their top scorer to call on once again.

“I wouldn’t have thought so, no,” Bruce said in relation to Wilson returning to selection at home to Jose Mourinho’s north Londoners.

“He [Saint-Maximin] could be, yeah. We’ve still got two days to train, today and tomorrow, but he came through a big training session 48 hours ago, so we hope he’s a bit more advanced than Callum is. We hope he can play some part.”

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Despite missing Newcastle’s last six Premier League fixtures and two earlier in the campaign, Wilson remains atop the scoring charts at St James’ Park with more than double the tally of second-ranked Miguel Almiron (4) and with nine goals more than any other striker.

Being without Wilson on Sunday will leave Bruce facing a huge conundrum over his attacking options, with ex-Magpies midfielder Rob Lee fearful of the consequences.

“If you haven’t got someone who’s a natural goalscorer scoring goals, you’re in trouble, you’re in trouble,” Lee exclusively told Football FanCast. “You look at all the teams down there and none of them have a natural goalscorer, none of them.

“They [the teams that are relegated] never do. Throughout the years, they never have a natural goalscorer. We actually have one, but he’s injured and it seems the whole of our team is based around him and how he plays. And we haven’t got a replacement and then we don’t have any players from midfield [who can score].”

Joelinton, Andy Carroll and Dwight Gayle have each scored one goal in the Premier League this term, but neither have found the back of the net since Wilson’s injury.

Bruce will be well aware that Newcastle cannot afford to drop many more points with the northeast outfit only two points clear of the relegation zone, but they will likely struggle to steer the ship away from trouble while Wilson remains sidelined.

Gabby Agbonlahor slammed Joelinton following the Toon’s dismal 3-0 defeat to relegation rivals Brighton & Hove Albion prior to the international break, claiming that the Brazilian “hasn’t turned up all season” and is still not delivering in the black and white stripes.

However, Bruce has been pleased with Joelinton’s recent efforts, saying that the 24-year-old had his best game for the club against Aston Villa last month, having turned in a “terrific” performance.

Alas, no goals in 14 Premier League games raises question marks over Joelinton’s ability to lead the line against Tottenham, when Newcastle will likely be in trouble again unless they can find someone to fill Wilson’s goalscoring void.

AND in other news, Newcastle could save at least £8.5m by unleashing a £38k-p/w “life-saver” next season…

The 5th of April 2021 marks 12 years since striker Federico Macheda burst onto the scene with Manchester United.

The Italian striker, then making his debut for the Red Devils at the age of just 17 years of age, had an extremely memorable cameo by scoring a dramatic last-minute winner in a 3-2 victory against Aston Villa.

After scoring another winning goal in the next match against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light, Macheda looked set to have a wonderful career for Manchester United. However, over a decade later and his star continues to fade.

Following his explosive start to life at Old Trafford, the Italian only made another 34 appearances and 15 starts for the club under Sir Alex Ferguson, scoring just a further three goals, bringing his total in Manchester to just five.

Back in 2009, Macheda was touted for big things by Fergie. He said to MUTV (via the Daily Mail): “We have big hopes for Macheda. He is one of the reasons we didn’t go into the [transfer] market. He is strong, athletic and a good finisher.”

And the Red Devils legend also once dubbed him “something special” too.

He was also shifted out on five separate loan deals to Sampdoria, Queens Park Rangers, Birmingham City, VfB Stuttgart and Doncaster Rovers before being released in 2014 and joining Cardiff City of the Championship on a free transfer.

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From his peak transfer valuation of £3.15m in 2011, the now 29-year-old is rated at just £1.35m whilst plying his trade in the wilderness of Greek Super League with Panathinaikos.

A huge reason for that is his poor goal record. In the near seven years since he departed Old Trafford, Macheda has netted just 54 career goals – the majority of those coming with his current employers.

For context, that is just over seven goals per season.

With two years remaining on his contract in Greece, Macheda’s star has fallen some way since his exhilarating start to life at Manchester United.

The 5th of April will continue to be a memorable day for the Italian striker even 12 years later but it will also be tinged with a sense of what could have been having seen his Old Trafford career fail.

AND in more news, find out which current Man United attacker has been hit with a devastating blow…

Leicester City’s Champions League chances took a huge blow with a drab 3-1 defeat against West Ham on Sunday.

Two first-half goals from Manchester United loanee Jesse Lingard put the Hammers in control before Jarod Bowen scored right after the restart. Kelechi Iheanacho pulled two goals back but it was not enough for a fantastic comeback.

We take a look at how the Foxes’ rated:

Starting XI

Kasper Schmeichel – 5/10: He could not do much about two out of the three goals but was caught in no-man’s land for Lingard’s second. His kicking was very wayward.

Timothy Castagne – 5/10: It was a difficult afternoon on the left for the former Atalanta man. He did not complete a single tackle for the visitors according to WhoScored in a poor defensive showing from his side.

Wesley Fofana – 4/10: An uncharasterically erratic performance from the Frenchman who dove in a little too often. The 20-year-old made it too easy for the second West Ham goal by allowing a ball to float over his head and was caught out of position for the third. Should have scored a late equaliser.

Jonny Evans – 5/10: Another who struggled quite considerably against a rampant West Ham. He wasn’t at fault for any of the goals but struggled to really get a hold of Jarod Bowen throughout the afternoon.

Daniel Amartey – 3/10: Very poor. The Ghanaian was hauled off at the break by Brendan Rodgers after a shaky performance in which he played numerous backwards passes short.

Ricardo Pereira – 6/10: Deployed at wing-back, the former Porto man really struggled to have an impact from a defensive standpoint but did play an important role in Leicester’s goal by robbing Arthur Masuaku. He did, however, contribute three key passes.

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Wilfred Ndidi – 5/10: The midfielder was nowhere near his best, losing the midfield battle with Tomas Soucek and only contributing two tackles. He was somewhat fortunate to not have been sent off for two yellow cards.

Dennis Praet – 6/10: Playing in the absence of James Maddison and Ayoze Perez, the Belgian was middling upon his return but could not provide a single key pass and was substituted in the second half.

Youri Tielemans – 6/10: One of those to actually come out of the game with credit for Leicester. The Belgian contributed some eye-catching passes through the game, having more touches and completing more passes than anyone in the Leicester team.

Kelechi Iheanacho – 7/10: In the end, his two goals ended up being consolations but the finishes were clinical and strikes that continued his great recent form. However, his six unsuccessful touches took a lot of shine off of his performance.

Jamie Vardy – 5/10: It was another extremely quiet display from the Leicester frontman whose record now sits at just one goal in his last 14 Premier League matches. His solitary shot on target did nothing to trouble Fabianksi.

Substitutes

Luke Thomas – 6/10: Introduced as the first Leicester substitute, the youngster did not do any harm. Could not really do anything about any of the West Ham goals.

Marc Albrighton – 7/10: The winger produced another standard performance full of effort after replacing Praet. He provided 13 crosses in his time on the pitch, teeing up Iheanacho late on.

AND in more news, find out which current PL defender Leicester must sign…

Mike Ashley should sanction a new contract for Jacob Murphy as Steve Bruce seeks to keep the Newcastle United forward at St James’ Park long-term.

What’s the word?

Via quotes shared by the Shields Gazette, Bruce has revealed his hopes of seeing Murphy put pen to paper and commit his future to the Magpies.

The 26-year-old is due to become a free agent when his contract expires in June, marking the potential end to a four-year union following a £12m transfer from Norwich City in 2017.

Bruce has awarded Murphy 23 appearances across all competitions this season, starting 12 games including last weekend’s 2-2 draw with Tottenham Hotspur when he shone at full-back in place of Javier Manquillo.

Murphy now has eight more matches to prove to Newcastle that he deserves new terms, but Bruce is eager to see an offer being put on the table.

“I sincerely hope that we tie Jacob Murphy down. He’s been a big plus this season after spending a couple of years [out] on loan,” the Toon manager said.

“He’s played a big part in the season. He’s had, for him, a really good season where he knows now that he belongs in the Premier League.

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“I’ve been very, very pleased with him. Moving forward, I’d love to see him at the club. It’s what we want: young, hungry, determined to do well – he ticks all of those boxes.”

Should Newcastle retain Murphy?

Murphy’s run of 12 starts over 23 appearances in all competitions this season is the most the winger has made in black and white since his maiden campaign at St James’ Park in 2017/18. His debut season on Tyneside featured 15 starts over a combined 28 outings, in which he offered one goal and one assist to the two goals and three assists registered so far this term.

The forward’s direct output may not be supreme and offers a glimpse as to why Newcastle rank a lowly 16th in the Premier League’s scoring charts with 30 goals in 30 games, but Bruce has clearly been impressed with Murphy’s overall contributions.

His defensive showing against Tottenham last Sunday featured an abundance of determination to try and prevent Jose Mourinho’s men from scoring, while he offered a lively attacking cameo from the bench against Wolverhampton Wanderers in February.

Murphy again demonstrated his offensive threat from the bench against Aston Villa by teeing up Jamaal Lascelles’ to equalise, and the £25,000-per-week dynamo had come close to scoring himself when he rattled the crossbar after twisting his way into the box.

Those moments offer flashes of the potential that Murphy can deliver when given a chance, which all too often was not there in previous years, and a platform to continue building from if Ashley sanctions a new contract.

Murphy would not be able to demand a lucrative pay rise to put pen to paper given his limited starts and direct goal involvements, which surely makes retaining the forward a no-brainer when funds for potential replacements are expected to be thin – if there at all – this summer.

AND in other news, Newcastle have landed a boost in the race to sign a £26m target backed to be “one of the best in Europe”…

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, Rob Lee, who made 333 appearances for Newcastle United, does not believe any of the recent takeover claims and rumours regarding the ongoing saga involving Amanda Staveley and PIF.

There have been some big claims made by national newspapers in the last week with some of them involving Boris Johnson, who was asked to intervene with the deal by Saudi Arabia’s Prince Mohammed bin Salaman.

PCP Capital Partners opened negotiations with Mike Ashley and his representatives about buying the club over 12 months ago now, however, they are further away than ever before with a legal battle in front of any takeover now.

Speaking on why he doesn’t listen to any rumours or talk about the takeover and questions how anyone knows what Boris Johnson and Prince Bin Salaman have spoken about, Lee spoke exclusively to FFC:

“Where have they got that from, and how do they know that? If somebody was close with the Prince or Boris Johnson then fair enough, but come on, it’s just people making things up now.

“This has been going on for over a year now so you’ve got to wonder if it’s actually going to happen. I don’t believe any of this stuff when it comes from friends of friends or people say ‘I’ve heard this’, because unless it comes from Ashley I won’t believe a word.”

Mike Ashley thought he had finally found a group of buyers who were serious about taking Newcastle off his hands, only for Staveley’s consortium to pull out of a deal when it came to the owners and directors tests.

Any potential buyers will be hoping Steve Bruce can keep Newcastle in the Premier League because if they are relegated to the Championship it could scupper any deal in the future.

With the European Super League now very much dead in the water, all eyes will firmly be back on the Premier League on Wednesday night when Aston Villa take on Manchester City.

Dean Smith’s side fell to a 2-1 defeat last time out to reigning champions Liverpool, and face another incredibly difficult test when they take on the current league leaders.

The Villa boss has once again got some major injury concerns to deal with ahead of the game, and that will no doubt play a major part in his selection.

With that in mind, below is a look at how Villa might line up when City come to town tonight.

In goal, Emiliano Martinez will be hoping to keep his first clean sheet in five Premier League games, with Villa’s defence just beginning to creak a little after an impressive campaign overall.

The back-four should also remain unchanged, although Smith may want to make some big calls in the midfield area.

The Villa boss confirmed that January signing Morgan Sanson will once again be missing from action thanks to injury, and he could well look to freshen things up by bringing Ross Barkley back into the fold.

The England international appears to be on his way out of Villa Park, but was brought on as a substitute in the defeat to Liverpool last week, and Smith may feel like offering him one final chance in a big game to try and prove his worth – the £31.5m-rated Douglas Luiz might be the man to miss out.

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Jacob Ramsey will also be pushing for a recall back to the starting line-up, and could do so in the place of Bertrand Traore. The Burkina Faso international just hasn’t been himself lately, and Anwar El Ghazi will be hoping to get his chance.

Predicted XI: Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Mings, Targett; Nakamba, McGinn Barkley; Ramsey, Watkins, El Ghazi.

Meanwhile, Villa must drop this liability vs Man City tonight…

Carlo Ancelotti has been a breath of fresh air for Everton and just over a year on from when he first arrived, they are now on the periphery of Champions League football.

Shortly after the Italian first arrived, he revealed his goal was to get the Toffees back playing amongst Europe’s elite. Of course, they still have some way to go before that becomes a reality, but they are edging ever closer.

It’s easy to see why too. Defensively organised and impressive on the counter, the likes of Allan and James Rodriguez have added steel and magic to a side that feels like they’re only missing a couple of players to challenge the big six properly.

Rodriguez was a particularly eye-catching addition and together with Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Ancelotti has found his key men.

Calvert-Lewin has only scored three in his last 11 outings but it’s hard to criticise his efforts this term. It has been a stellar campaign for the 24-year-old who has 19 strikes in 33 appearances.

That said, sprinkle a bit of extra stardust into Goodison Park and he could get even better.

Rodriguez has proven to be a big aid in the striker’s development but the arrival of another creative force could do the trick.

Last week, reports in Spain linked Everton with a sensational move for former Liverpool star Philippe Coutinho.

A move at this moment in time seems farfetched but he’ll surely be on the lookout for a permanent move away after featuring just 12 times in La Liga this season because of a ruptured meniscus.

Despite his recent injury, this shouldn’t deter Everton. Coutinho is now 28 and in the prime of his career; he is still a genius in possession of the ball, carving something out of nothing on a regular basis.

The Brazilian dazzled and entertained for the best club side in Europe as recently as 2019/20, winning the Champions League with Bayern Munich on his way to registering 11 goals and nine assists in all competitions.

A master of his craft when it comes to scoring from long range, the £250k-per-week earner is equally good at finding a teammate as he is beating the goalkeeper.

His 1.3 key passes per match in Bayern colours are only fewer than Lucas Digne and Rodriguez in the entire Everton side this season. On that evidence, it’s easy to see why he’d lend extra support to Calvert-Lewin if he signs.

Capped 62 times by his country, Coutinho is still very much an elite player, words that are sensationally supplemented by Roberto Firmino: “He’s phenomenal. You simply can’t say that he’s not a magician. He has magical powers. He produces plays that don’t exist, that you couldn’t make up,” the Brazilian commented.

Coutinho’s move to Barcelona has been a troublesome one but he’s already made a home for himself in Merseyside before; all he’d be doing on this occasion is switching from the red corner to the blue corner.

The thought of him playing alongside Rodriguez and Calvert-Lewin next term is certainly a mouth-watering one.

Ancelotti and Marcel Brands must make that dream become a reality.

AND in other news, Everton must complete swoop for “unbelievable” £20m gem, he plays “like a soldier”…

Newcastle United held in to salvage a 1-1 draw at Liverpool on Saturday afternoon but Miguel Almiron badly let Steve Bruce down with a wasteful performance from the engine room.

Bruce elected to keep his Paraguayan playmaker in the right-hand slot of a midfield three, having named an unchanged line-up at Anfield from the side that beat West Ham United 3-2 last week.

Having five defenders on the pitch failed to prevent Mohamed Salah from breaking the deadlock in just the third minute, when the Egyptian spun Matt Ritchie at the back post and drilled an unstoppable strike past Martin Dubravka.

Ciaran Clark will have felt he could have done more to prevent the ball from reaching Salah, with the Republic of Ireland international only able to make glancing contact as Sadio Mane’s delivery floated over the six-yard box.

Liverpool kept digging in search of a second and almost found gold through Clark again later in the first half, when the centre-back gifted possession to the Reds only for Diogo Jota to scuff his shot wide.

Clark thought he had equalised for a moment when he headed home from a corner, but he proved to be one of three players in offside positions with one of which Jonjo Shelvey, who blocked Allison’s path to the ball.

Bruce eventually saw enough from Clark, despite a reasonable recovery, to replace the defender with Joe Willock just after the hour mark, in a move that would pay dividends with the Arsenal loanee snatching a 90+4 goal to grab an unlikely draw.

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Clark was an easy choice for Bruce to replace having offered no successful tackles while Paul Dummett had three, make no interceptions while Dummett and Federico Fernandez had one apiece, and win no aerial duels, having lost his only challenge, while Fernandez had one, per WhoScored.

Yet Almiron’s wasteful efforts in the engine room ensured he would let Bruce down to a higher degree on Saturday, and offer the Toon head coach an option to replace with Dwight Gayle nearing stoppage-time while a point remained in reach.

Almiron lost 75% of his duels at Anfield with success in one of one aerial challenges but just one of seven on the ground, per SofaScore.

Only Allan Saint-Maximin (12/24) lost more ground duels for the Toon than Almiron, while Jacob Murphy – behind the £14.5m-rated midfielder Kevin Phillips believes is “top quality” on the pitch – won nine of his 11, up against Jota (2/9), Mane (2/9) and Andrew Robertson (6/7).

Murphy also posed a greater attacking threat for the Magpies than Almiron with one shot attempted to the 27-year-old’s zero, and provided one of his side’s six key passes while the influential midfielder failed to carve out a single goalscoring opportunity for a teammate.

A lack of focus in the final third from Almiron had proven costly for Newcastle in the first half, as well, when a communication breakdown led to the former Atlanta United maestro crossing paths with Joelinton and Saint-Maximin as United sought to break forward.

Almiron is now without a goal in his last eight Premier League appearances and without an assist since the first game of the season, and would not have surprised Bruce to see that record continue with his efforts at Anfield.

AND in other news, Newcastle United hold keen interest in £35m titan who “flung his teammates under the bus”…

Peterborough United Director of Football Barry Fry has told Football FanCast that West Ham United will do all they can to keep Jesse Lingard at the club on a permanent basis, amid a report from Eurosport stating that he is keen on a permanent switch to the London Stadium.

The Hammers took the Manchester United star on loan in the January transfer window.

He has been in incredible form for the Irons, as the club bid to qualify for the Champions League for the first time in their history.

The Irons lost ground in that race on Saturday, as they fell to a 1-0 defeat to Chelsea, leaving the Blues with an advantage in the run-in, as they now sit three points clear of David Moyes’ men.

Still, Lingard has scored nine goals and registered four assists in 11 games, including a run of five goals in four games.

The Irons do not have an option to buy Lingard but Fry, who worked under David Sullivan and David Gold at Birmingham City, insists that the Irons co-owners will make a serious play to sign him permanently.

Speaking exclusively to FFC, Fry said: “Jesse Lingard, what a January signing, if only on loan.

“People say to me ‘oh, they won’t keep him, he’ll go to a bigger club’, I’m not so sure. I think the two Davids will have a go. If Manchester United want to sell him, and he’s only got a year left, so either Manchester United have got to offer him a lucrative three or four year contract (or let him go).

“Jesse Lingard wants to play football and he never got a look-in at Man United so I can’t see him signing a long-term contract with Man United.

“Man United will have to put a price on him and I’m telling you, West Ham will negotiate that price. West Ham will have a go for him.”

Leeds have suffered a setback ahead of their Premier League clash against Tottenham, with Marcelo Bielsa confirming that Helder Costa is set to miss the rest of the campaign.

The Portugal international picked up a back injury against Manchester United after being slammed to the ground in a tussle with Aaron Wan-Bissaka. The winger tried to play on but was later forced off the pitch in the final 20 minutes of the game.

Speaking in his pre-match press conference ahead of the game against Spurs, the Leeds manager said: “No, he won’t be able to compete again this season.”

Given that he hasn’t scored in the Premier League since the 4-2 defeat to Arsenal, some Leeds fans may be forgiven for thinking it may not be too much of a loss, with former Whites man Noel Whelan laying into him after a particularly disappointing performance against Aston Villa.

He said: “Costa was given his opportunity and once again he did not take it. We are talking about a £16m player here who did not affect the game in any way shape or form. He needs to show consistency. You need to make that position your own when your manager puts his trust in you from the start.

While the £70,000-per-week winger hasn’t been in the best of form, Bielsa has been unwavering in his trust, starting him in all three big clashes against Manchester City, Liverpool and Manchester United.

In response to Bielsa’s update on the injury, The Athletic confirmed that it was a major setback, reporting: “It’s big, given the injuries elsewhere for Leeds. If Raphinha does not recover in time for the game against Tottenham on Saturday, it leaves Bielsa with limited options to play on the wing.

“Jack Harrison would expect to feature on the left, while Stuart Dallas started on the right at Brighton. But Dallas and Leeds struggled in that game, which means Bielsa could turn to Ian Poveda, who has made appearances from the bench in recent weeks.”

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The lack of genuine proven options to cover for Costa means that Bielsa will be  gutted at losing another one of his first team players, especially given the doubts surrounding Raphinha’s fitness. Indeed, Dallas’ delivery from the right was poor against Brighton, finding a team-mate with just one of his seven crosses, while he also lost the ball 17 times that day.

With the Leeds boss clearly not willing to throw Poveda into the deep end of starting a match – he has been restricted to substitute appearances for the majority of the season – Costa’s loss is a significant one, even if the likes of Whelan haven’t been impressed with his recent displays.

Meanwhile, Leeds are eyeing move for this history-making starlet…