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West Ham United manager Manuel Pellegrini has been giving his verdict on midfielder Declan Rice, via whufc.com, and has suggested that he has been surprised about just how mature the 20-year-old is.

What’s the word, then?

Well, after a tough start to the season where he failed to make the squad against Bournemouth and was an unused substitute against Arsenal and Wolverhampton Wanderers in the opening four Premier League matches, the youngster has since played the full 90 minutes in 19 consecutive top flight fixtures prior to the visit of Fulham on Friday night.

The player who has now pledged his international allegiance to England has been one of the standout performers for the east London outfit this term, and he continues to go from strength to strength despite his tender years.

When asked if he was the best youngster Pellegrini has worked with, the Chilean told whufc.com: “I worked with so many young players, it is difficult to compare 20 years of management and different players, but he is a very good player.

“I started with Javier Mascherano when he was 17 years old and he was similar to Declan Rice in his mentality – the mentality that when they are 17 or 19 years old it seemed that they have the mentality of 35 years old.”

How should his comments be interpreted?

By comparing him to Mascherano it is clear that Pellegrini feels that he has a special player on his hands, and one that he has surprised him with the mentality that he has despite only recently coming out of his teenage years.

To say that the London-born midfielder has the maturity of a 35-year-old is certainly a big compliment, and the Irons boss will want him to carry on listening and improving so his performance levels don’t drop anytime soon.

Celtic have the chance to add some more points to their tally for the season and take a step closer to the Premiership title this afternoon. 

Their latest league outing sees them take on St Johnstone at Parkhead after securing a 2-1 victory in the Old Firm derby last weekend. 

However, it seems as though Hoops manager Ange Postecoglou will have to do without one of his main attacking options today.

What’s the news?

Speaking in his pre-match press conference on Friday (via 67 Hail Hail), the 56-year-old revealed that James Forrest is the only player not available to him for selection this afternoon. 

Having missed Celtic’s two previous league games as a result of a knock he picked up during the club’s Scottish Cup win against Dundee United last month, it will be a huge blow for Postecoglou to still have the winger sidelined. 

A product of the Parkhead club’s youth academy, Forrest has made 440 senior appearances in a Celtic shirt across all competitions. In that time, the 30-year-old has scored 97 goals and provided 97 assists, showing how significant figure a he has been across such a long period. 

Postecoglou will be fuming

Even though the Hoops are in a good position in the league following on from their victory over Rangers last week, Postecoglou will still surely be furious that Forrest hasn’t yet managed to recover from this latest injury, despite playing it down at the time.

An even bigger worry for the winger, the manager and the Celtic fans is that he has a reputation for picking up injuries and missing a lot of games over the years.

With Postecoglou saying that the Scotland international should be a week away from making a recovery, the Celtic manager will undoubtedly be hoping that this will indeed be the case and that he can have Forrest fit and available to see out the remainder of the season and hopefully drive his team to the title.

For the time being, it seems as though the Hoops boss will have to rely on the likes of Jota, Daizen Maeda and Liel Abada to provide an adequate attacking force for the team while Forrest is out.

Having scored a combined total of 20 league goals between them, at least it’s safe to say that the trio have what it takes to be a suitable threat for the Bhoys in the 30-year-old’s continued absence.

In other news: Ange must unleash “phenomenal” £5.85m-rated Celtic ace, he could fire them to glory

Sunderland have put themselves in a fantastic position to secure a spot in the League One play-offs this season after finding a run of form under Alex Neil – with the Mackems remaining unbeaten in their last eight games.

The Black Cats manager has taken 19 points from his 10 games in charge of the North-East club, winning five and drawing four in an impressive start to his tenure at the Stadium of Light, however, there must be credit given to a number of players that have contributed to a high level throughout the season.

One player who has been a particular standout for Sunderland is Daniel Neil, with the boyhood Mackem imposing himself perfectly in the midfield.

The 20-year-old has bagged three goals and registered the second-highest number of assists, seven, in the club’s 2021/22 League One campaign, however, his direct contributions to goals only claim a small fraction of the youngster’s success in the side.

Despite signing a long term contract with the club in October, Neil has been attracting interest from other clubs in a much better position, with Burnley reportedly keen to sign the £1.4k-per-week midfielder back in January.

With the mounting interest in the winter transfer window, there will no doubt be further interest this summer, and the club must do everything they can to keep hold of the youngster – as losing one of Sunderland’s biggest hopes for the future would be a complete disaster.

According to SofaScore, the central midfielder has made a huge impact over his 35 league outings, creating seven big chances for his teammates, as well as making an average of 1.2 key passes, completing 82% of his attempted passes and winning 1.3 tackles per game, proving that he is highly effective both going forwards and can also be relied upon to offer a presence in the middle of the park.

The former Black Cats boss, Lee Johnson, even compared the youngster to Paul Gascoigne when praising his influence on the side after becoming a more regular starter, saying:

“He’s got that lovely dribbling technique – a little bit like a young Paul Gascoigne almost in the way he pops and drags it at the same time. As a defender, it’s very difficult to commit because the minute you do, he’s got the ability to skip by you.”

Sunderland are now sixth in the table after an important win over Oxford United at the weekend, however, they must continue with their phenomenal run of form in order to keep them firmly in a play-off spot with tight competition in the League One table, and a win over Shrewsbury on Friday night should put them in the best position.

AND in other news: Speakman must avoid embarrassing SAFC error over “sublime” gem who “can change a game”

Celtic pundit Frank McAvennie has been reacting to injury updates on Kyogo Furuhashi and David Turnbull, Football Insider report.

The Lowdown: Sky Sports post

Both Furuhashi and Turnbull haven’t featured since the Hoops returned to action from the winter break due to hamstring issues.

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Turnbull has been missing since the Scottish League Cup Final, whereas Furuhashi suffered a reoccurrence of his issue against St Johnstone at the end of December.

However, returns could be around the corner, after Sky Sports shared comments from Ange Postecoglou on Twitter.

Postecoglou decided to include the pair in the club’s Europa Conference League squad but refused to give timescales on their reruns, although he did admit Turnbull was two to three weeks closer than Furuhashi.

The Latest: McAvennie’s comments

Celtic pundit McAvennie was talking to Football Insider regarding the updates on Furuhashi and Turnbull.

He labelled their Europa Conference League squad inclusions as ‘brilliant news’ and believes they aren’t a million miles away.

“The fact they have both been included, this is brilliant news for Celtic.

“They would not have been included if there was no chance of them playing.

“We know what Postecoglou is like as well, it’s all mind games. He said there was no way McGregor would play in the Old Firm and he started.

“I’m not saying we will see these players next week or anything, I just think they might not be a million miles away.

“I would love a good run in Europe, we have the squad to do it now.

“Once our injured players return we will be even stronger as well. I can’t wait to see David and Kyogo back.

“They have both had brilliant seasons so far.”

The Verdict: Fingers crossed

Celtic take on Bodo/Glimt in a two-legged tie on February 17 and 24, and with Turnbull ahead of Furuhashi in regards to a return, perhaps we may see the Scot in the second leg over in Norway.

Reports at the end of December suggested the attacking midfielder could be sidelined for at least two months, so returning before the end of February would be good news and in line with the timescale.

Postecoglou may well think there’s a chance after including both in the squad 25-man squad, so it will be interesting to see what he says on the pair with the first leg just seven days away.

In other news: BBC Radio 5 Live man ‘pretty sure’ Celtic have had ‘conversations’ with one player over new deal. 

Leeds United’s decision to let Tom Cairney leave Elland Road all the way back in 2007 may go down as one of the club’s biggest ‘what if’ stories in recent memory.

The midfielder was with the Whites for nine years but was released after being deemed “too small” at only 5 foot 1, and Cairney himself has since admitted that the rejection has played a big part in the way he would define his career.

In opening up about it back in 2014, he revealed: “To be honest it crushed me, it crushed me a lot. I was with Leeds from I was seven to 16 so it was a big part of my life. I was going there three-four times a week, missing days of schools, and obviously my mum and dad had put a lot into it too.

“So getting released at 16, it just felt like, ‘oh no, after all that effort’. But I was determined I would not stop there.”

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After shining at Blackburn Rovers, Cairney made the move to Fulham, and he has been a cornerstone of the London side for a number of years now, helping them to the Premier League a couple of seasons ago and now seeing them back in the hunt for promotion again.

Winner of the EFL Player of the Year award back in 2017, it’s no surprise that he has earned rave reviews for his performances with the Cottagers, with former boss Scott Parker waxing lyrical about him following a 1-1 draw against Bristol City.

He said: “Tom Cairney took his goal superbly and was outstanding throughout the game. I thought he was head and shoulder above every other player.

“We all know his quality on the ball, but in the last three games he has showed much more than that and today it was a complete performance.”

Having recovered from the injury that kept him out for most of the first-half of the season, Cairney has resumed his responsibility as Fulham captain, and is helping lead the promotion charge.

The Cottagers currently find themselves in 1st and well-placed to secure a return to the Premier League under Marco Silva, and Cairney’s inspirational displays in the middle of the park have been a catalyst for that.

Indeed, the Cairney back in 2014 has probably delivered the most impactful line of how those back at Elland Road are probably feeling right now.

He joked: “I think the academy staff at Leeds must have got a bit of a shock when they saw me playing in the Premier League! I don’t know what happened to them but I think they may have got a telling off!”

While Cairney may not be playing Premier League football like Leeds just yet, he looks set to do so very soon.

And had the Whites just shown a bit of faith in a small and diminutive 16-year-old, he could well have been turning out for them instead of a potential rival next season.

AND in other news – Leeds facing major nightmare as worrying news emerges, Elland Road would be devastated

As per journalist Chris Wheeler of The Daily Mail (Twitter), there has been a significant update on the future of Man United playmaker Jesse Lingard as Tottenham Hotspur eye a move.

The Lowdown: Spurs make early January contact…

Reliable reporter Alasdair Gold of football.london backs that Lingard has been a target for Tottenham this month, lifting the lid on how they sounded out his representatives over a potential move.

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However, BBC reporter Simon Stone then claimed that the Lilywhites had a loan offer rebuffed – citing the fact that Man United don’t want to sell to a top four rival.

Reports of Tottenham’s interest have dwindled since then, but on deadline day, it appears they’ve re-emerged.

The Latest: Tottenham in the picture…

Wheeler, taking to Twitter, claims that Red Devils boss Ralf Rangnick has now approved a loan exit for Lingard by 11pm – green-lighting a potential transfer.

He adds that Tottenham are in the picture as one of a few clubs to show interest, alongside the likes of West Ham, Newcastle, Leicester, Everton and Burnley.

However, he adds that it remains to be seen whether United drop their demands or deal with a top four rival.

The Verdict: Get it done…

Depending on United’s deadline day stance over dealing with Spurs, we believe Lingard would be a fantastic capture before 11pm.

The England international, called ‘sensational’ by former Arsenal man Nigel Winterburn, bagged nine goals and four assists over 16 top flight appearances for West Ham last year (WhoScored).

It isn’t impossible to believe he could rack up similar numbers on a temporary spell under Antonio Conte.

In other news: ‘One to watch’ – talkSPORT reporter says Spurs could sign £29m ‘star’ today, find out more here.

Leeds United will target a new centre-back this summer, according to fresh claims…

What’s the word?

The Yorkshire giants appear to have narrowly avoided the drop this campaign after they replaced the iconic Marcelo Bielsa with Jesse Marsch back in February but their defensive problems still remain as one of the Premier League’s leakiest backlines.

However, come the off-season, it appears that a new central option will sit high on the agenda, as per journalist Pete O’Rourke, who told GIVEMESPORT:

“It’s definitely a position Leeds will be looking to strengthen this summer. We all know how many goals they’ve conceded this season, it’s been way too many.

“That’s not just down to injuries, they’ve been way too open as well, so they’ll be looking to bolster their defensive options in the summer transfer window.”

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Good news for Marsch

Indeed, the Whites’ struggles defensively this campaign have been no secret.

With four games left to play, Leeds sit five points clear of the relegation zone and prior to the weekend’s games, no team had conceded more goals (68) than Marsch’s side.

Even rock-bottom Norwich City had kept out more goals before their defeat to Newcastle United on Saturday afternoon.

Things have started to improve recently, coinciding with the return of club captain Liam Cooper, who had missed the bulk of their matches from November through to March.

Diego Llorente’s form has also somewhat transformed in recent outings, whilst the American’s only other options in the role are Pascal Struijk and Robin Koch – the latter has been something of a sicknote ever since his arrival.

At times, their injury list has been so severe that vice-skipper Luke Ayling has gone into the middle to help out the team.

Therefore, it is certainly great news to see the Yorkshire side mooted with a move for a new option as Marsch is certainly going to need further quality in the area heading into next season, where they absolutely cannot flirt with the drop once again.

Leeds have already been linked with some interesting names, including the manager’s former Leipzig star Josko Gvardiol and fellow Bundesliga colossus Timo Hubers.

It’s a sign of encouragement heading into what should be a busy summer of business for Victor Orta and co.

AND in other news, Orta must launch Leeds bid for “complete” £72k-p/w gem, he could be their Luis Suarez…

This is part of The Transfer Tavern’s Talking Tactics series, where we analyse two changes the manager should make in their upcoming fixture.

Glasgow Rangers manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst simply must get a reaction out of his players after the embarrassing 3-0 loss at the hands of their bitter rivals, and that may even mean making bold calls that could upset both players and some fans.

They face another test at home to third-placed Hearts on Sunday afternoon, and the Dutchman cannot afford to leave Ibrox with anything less than three points.

Injury updates

The talk of the town in Glasgow ever since Transfer Deadline Day has been the arrival of Aaron Ramsey on loan from Juventus, a player who has won numerous big titles with both the Juventus and Arsenal.

He could potentially make his debut against Hearts, with Gio confirming in his pre-game press conference that his fitness will be assessed.

Alfredo Morelos is also available after coming back from international duty with Colombia, and so the manager needs to decide whether to throw him in straight away as well.

Barisic out

Barisic quite frankly endured a first-half nightmare against Celtic, so much so that he was hauled off at half-time.

The Athletic journalist Jordan Campbell claimed that he was ‘fast asleep’ for the Hoops’ third goal, for which Liel Abada managed to sneak in past him unmarked and unchallenged.

BBC Scotland’s chief sports writer, Tom English, even went as far as to claim that he looked ‘punch-drunk’, testament to a player who gave the ball away a total of nine times in just 45 minutes.

Leon Balogun, who replaced the Croatia international at half-time, would be the obvious choice to come in, with Calvin Bassey moving to his more natural position at left-back.

Jack in

Speaking after the match, Gio claimed that Jack was ‘the best man on the pitch in the second half’, saying that he ‘changed’ the game and ‘made a big difference’ (Rangers TV via Yahoo).

Indeed, the 29-year-old was ranked as the Teddy Bears’ joint-best (7.1) player on SofaScore despite only playing the second half, as he recorded 55 touches of the ball from the middle of the park, more than starters Scott Arfield (52) and Glen Kamara (34), and achieved an impressive 90% pass accuracy, the fifth-highest in the team.

He has not yet started a game for the Light Blues so far this season, and Hearts would offer the perfect opportunity for Gio to rectify that, despite the arrival of fellow midfielder Ramsey.

With only a 6.4 SofaScore rating, and having just come back from African Cup of Nations (AFCON) duty with Nigeria, Aribo would perhaps be the unlucky one to drop out, but would at least offer Gio some quality from the bench if things are going wrong on the pitch again.

In other news, find out which ‘world-class’ magician Gers are front of the queue to sign in the summer here!

Nottingham Forest are currently without first choice left-back Max Lowe, who is out until the end of April with a groin injury, leaving 32-year-old midfielder Jack Colback to fill in at that spot as they seek a spot in the Championship play-off places.

However, if the East Midlands club acted on their interest five years ago in James Justin, they would have not only have had a 19-year-old Premier League potential defender on their hands back then, they would have had a more than adequate replacement for Lowe right now too.

According to The Sun back in 2017, Forest tabled a £1m bid for the then-Luton Town star, with former manager Mark Warburton of the belief that he was ready for Championship football.

However, that move failed to materialise, and Justin remained with the Hatters for another two seasons, helping them to extraordinary back-to-back promotions, leaving them with Championship football when he joined Leicester City in 2019 for a fee worth around £6m.

Establishing himself in his first season as one of the league’s biggest bargains that season, he ranked among full-backs in the Premier League across his debut campaign in the top flight in the top 4% for successful pressure percentage per 90 (36.5%), top 9% for successful dribble percentage per 90 (76.5%) and top 7% for ball recoveries per 90 (11.12).

Now aged 24 with a market valuation of £15.3m, a whopping 1430% more than the £1m fee Forest offered, the defender has become a versatile option for the Premier League side. He is able to fill in at both left-back and right-back when required, as well as possessing the intelligence and ability to play as a defensive midfielder.

Once described by Journalist Liam Canning as “class” and “first rate”, the Foxes full-back has begun to re-establish himself as a key man within Brendan Rodgers’ squad, having just returned from a cruciate ligament rupture injury, which kept him out of action for 331 days.

It’s clear that Forest made a monumental mistake not to sign Justin from Luton when he was a bargain pick-up for the club, and even if he couldn’t have helped the club towards promotion, he would have had an excellent re-sell rate that the Championship side have missed out on.

In other news: Cooper can finally axe Forest “bulldog” by signing “very impressive” £135k-rated gem

Newcastle United have added two players to their ranks this month as PIF begin to flex their financial muscles at St James’ Park.

Kieran Trippier and Chris Wood have become the first acquisitions of the new era but there is still plenty of work to be done before the window closes on January 31st.

What’s the word?

Newcastle are facing difficulties in their bid to bring Diego Carlos to the northeast of England with Fabrizio Romano claiming on Thursday evening that a bid had been knocked back.

However, some early morning transfer news from West Ham insider – ExWHUEmployee – was a little more encouraging.

He provided an update on Jesse Lingard from West Ham’s point of view with the Irons interested in re-signing the England international this month.

His update came amid Newcastle’s bid to sign the attacking midfielder. However, after Craig Hope revealed that a move had been rebuffed, Ex seemed to be more upbeat about the Magpies’ hopes.

Indeed, he went as far as to suggest he was already on his way to link up with Eddie Howe’s men.

He said: “I have tried to get a clear answer on the Jesse Lingard situation. Rumours are that he is set to join Newcastle on loan after they agreed to match his £100k a week salary (and more) as well as paying a fee. Whereas Manchester United will not agree a deal with us due to being in competition with them for a Champions League spot.”

Fans buzzing

Newcastle have found life incredibly tricky in the transfer market this month and thus, the idea of a player being on the verge of joining will surely leave supporters elated.

However, when it’s someone of Lingard’s quality, they will only be more delighted.

The Toon Army saw the benefits of adding well in January last year when they welcomed Joe Willock to St James who was a roaring success.

He eventually became a permanent signing last summer after scoring a mightily impressive eight goals.

Elsewhere in the Premier League, Lingard was also lighting up proceedings during a temporary stint at the Hammers.

His form in east London was immense, racking up nine goals and five assists in just 16 outings. It’s that type of form that has seen his stock and reputation increase with plenty of eyes now cast in his direction with the January window ongoing.

Lingard has only found the net on two occasions this term but has found regular minutes hard to come by. Therefore, a move elsewhere makes sense and Newcastle will be hoping he chooses them this winter.

If the rumours are true and he really is on his way to join the Magpies, supporters will be extremely pleased. This is a player who will add more vibrancy, personality and style to their forward line.

AND in other news, “From sources” – Fabrizio Romano drops big NUFC transfer update that’ll delight fans…