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Aston Villa return to Premier League action this afternoon following the latest international break.

This afternoon sees Steven Gerrard’s side make the fairly short trip to Molineux to take on Wolves, who are currently 10 points ahead of the Villans in the league table.

In terms of the current situation regarding the fitness of Villa’s players, especially those who have been on international duty over the past couple of weeks, it seems as though a clue has been dropped regarding how that could impact today’s match.

What’s the news?

In a recent tweet from Villa journalist Ashley Preece on Friday, he had this to say about the possibility of seeing winger Leon Bailey in action this afternoon: “I don’t suspect we’ll see too much of Leon Bailey tomorrow at Molineux given his 90-minute outing for Jamaica and nine-hour flight back on Thursday.”

Since arriving in the Midlands from Bayer Leverkusen last summer in a deal worth a reported £25m, the Jamaican has made only 14 appearances for the Villans in the Premier League, starting just four of them. In those appearances, the £27m-rated gem has netted one goal and provided two assists.

Having struggled with injuries and his fitness throughout the season, it will be frustrating for the Villa fans by this latest setback for the attacker.

With a higher average of shots on target than the likes of Danny Ings, Emi Buendia and Jacob Ramsey, potentially not having the 24-year-old involvedagainst Wolves will surely be a blow for Villa’s attacking force and their chances of securing a win against Bruno Lage’s side.

If the winger isn’t fit enough to start today, supporters may well be fuming over his latest absence, although he could still be a useful option for Gerrard to call upon from the substitutes bench if needed.

Looking beyond this showdown, if the summer recruit can maintain his fitness for the remainder of the season and get some regular starts under his belt, he could be the difference between Villa ending the campaign in the upper half of the league table or missing out on the top 10.

In other news – Forget Konsa: Gerrard must ruthlessly axe £88k-p/w Villa “hypocrite”, he’s a liability

Alex McLeish has given his reaction to some Glasgow Rangers injury news that he has now heard involving Alfredo Morelos.

The Lowdown: Thigh surgery for Morelos

The Ibrox club confirmed earlier this week that the 25-year-old has undergone surgery on a thigh injury and will now return to training in pre-season, which means he has been ruled out for the rest of the current campaign.

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It has been reported that they could now sell the Colombia international in the summer, meaning that he may have played his last game for the Teddy Bears.

The Latest: McLeish reacts to Morelos blow

Speaking to Football Insider, former Light Blues manager McLeish has now given his reaction to the news of Morelos’ injury, as well as the striker’s potential departure this summer. He said:

“Listen, you couldn’t rule it out. It’s a massive blow because who else do you turn to now in terms of getting goals?

“I like Roofe but I think he has to play with somebody up front. I don’t think he’s a lone striker. I do feel he needs a foil to play with. Who that foil is going to be, I don’t really know.”

The Verdict: Others must step up

Morelos is Rangers’ top scorer this season on 19 goals, and in his absence, others must now step up to the plate ahead of Sunday’s clash against St Mirren.

Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s team managed no shots on target in their 1-0 loss away to Braga in the Europa League on Thursday night, which is simply not good enough.

If they are to have any chance of going through to the semi-finals, then their frontmen must be more prolific. After all, they could be playing for a starting spot next season if Morelos ends up leaving Ibrox.

In other news, these were the Gers’ three worst performers against Braga

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Nigel Clough has backed Luton Town to win promotion from League One this season, per the Derby Telegraph.

Luton are five points clear of Barnsley at the top of the table, and the Burton Albion boss believes they are perfectly positioned to make the jump to the Championship.

What’s the word?

Clough’s Burton are currently 11th in the third-tier standings and lost 2-0 to the Hatters in December.

The Brewers boss was quizzed on who he believes will be promoted this season and insists that the two teams currently at the top of the tree will head into the Championship ahead of the 2019-20 season.

Former Wigan & Fulham man, Jimmy Bullard recently showed that he’s still got it! Check out the video below…

Sunderland are third, four points behind Barnsley, while Portsmouth are a point further back, though they have not won any of their last seven fixtures.

Clough said, per the Derby Telegraph: “I think Portsmouth have hit a little bit of a wall, just at the moment.

“It’s better to do it now. In the last 13 games they are more than capable.

“They got a break with a penalty being missed against them (on Tuesday night).

“Sunderland are more than capable of going on a charge and scoring goals, but I think the best two are probably at the top at the moment, everybody else is trying to catch them.”

Luton’s to lose

Luton have gone 19 games unbeaten in League One and have taken six wins from their last six outings.

Indeed, their last defeat came in October, as they fell 3-2 to Barnsley. In total, they have lost four games all season.

Clough, then, is correct in his assertion that the best team are currently top of the league, and it will take something truly special for them to be knocked out of the automatic promotion places between now and May.

Barnsley are on a 13-game unbeaten run and could well become champions if they take advantage of any Luton slip but Sunderland, who have lost just two games this season, have drawn 14 times – dropping a total of 28 points.

They have to ensure that that habit is cut out if they are to head back to the Championship automatically at the first time of asking.

And that looks a tough task, with Luton and Barnsley seemingly safely ensconced in their current positions.

A major Newcastle United transfer claim has been made over their chances to sign Ousmane Dembele…

What’s the talk?

According to AS, sources close to Barcelona have claimed that he is closing in on a transfer to PSG and is ‘guaranteed’ to sign a contract with the French giants this summer.

His deal with the La Liga outfit expires at the end of the current campaign and he is now set to leave for £0, with the Magpies being one of the teams linked with a swoop to snap him up for nothing.

Shocker

PIF are heading for a major shocker over Dembele as missing out on being able to sign him on a free transfer would be a huge blow.

The France international would be a sensational signing for Eddie Howe’s team and the Saudi Arabian consortium must attempt to hijack this move by convincing him to make the switch to the Premier League. He has been in sensational form of late for Xavi’s side and is showing the kind of form that would make him a fan favourite at St. James’ Park.

In La Liga this season, he has averaged an incredible SofaScore rating of 7.62. He has produced a stunning ten direct goal contributions in 12 appearances for the club, scoring once and providing nine assists from the right wing.

His former teammate Lionel Messi previously called him a “phenomenon” and Barcelona club president Joan Laporta once claimed “he is better than Mbappe” – highlighting how highly he is rated by people who have seen him up close in the flesh on a regular basis. 

His form in the Spanish top-flight shows that he is starting to live up to the hype around his hype as he has been a consistent creative threat for the Catalan giants. He has created 2.3 chances per game in La Liga and provided his teammates with eight ‘big chances’, despite only starting eight matches.

The forward is also still in the early parts of his career, at the age of 24, and has the potential to continually improve over time. Therefore, PIF are set to miss out on a gem who can make a huge impact in the short term and a player they could potentially sell on for a huge profit in the future, which is why this looks set to be a big shocker from the owners in the summer.

AND in other news, Sold for £30m, now worth £13.5m: Ashley played a blinder for NUFC over £83k-p/w flop…

Liverpool head into Thursday evening’s Champions League quarter-final second-leg meeting with Benfica knowing that any result better than a two-goal losing margin will see them progress to the semi-finals of the competition – something that, considering their dominating 3-1 victory at the Estadio da Luz last week, would appear an extremely likely outcome.

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And, with Jurgen Klopp revealing in his pre-match press conference that he has a fully fit squad to pick from ahead of this evening, the Reds’ comfortable lead on aggregate could well lead to the 54-year-old selecting a somewhat rotated squad against the Eagles – especially with another showdown against Manchester City coming up on Saturday in the FA Cup semi.

So, will the German make any changes to the side that started the 2-2 draw with City last weekend? Here’s how we think Liverpool could line up against Benfica…

With Klopp’s fully fit squad boasting an exceptional amount of strength in depth, we predict the 54-year-old will make six changes from his starting XI at The Etihad on Sunday.

In the back five, Alisson gets the nod between the sticks, while both centre-back Ibrahima Konate and left-back Kostas Tsimikas come into the XI for Joel Matip and Andy Robertson respectively – with Trent Alexander-Arnold and Virgil van Dijk retaining their spots at right-back and centre-back.

In the middle of the park, after highly impressing in the first leg, Naby Keita makes a return to the side alongside Jordan Henderson – who drops back into the six – and Thiago Alcantara in Klopp’s three-man midfield, with the £180k-per-week Fabinho – who journalist Declan Carr dubbed “woeful” against City – dropping to the bench.

Finally, there are wholesale changes in attack, with all three of Mohamed Salah, Diogo Jota and Sadio Mane being afforded a rest, while Harvey Elliot – who journalist Tom Barclay labelled a “wonderkid” – Roberto Firmino and Luis Diaz all come into the XI.

AND in other news: Liverpool in talks to sign “absolutely crazy” £42m talent, it could be bye-bye Salah

As per Sky Sports reporter Kaveh Solhekol, shared by the broadcaster, there has been another promising update on Tottenham Hotspur’s links to winger Adama Traore.

The Lowdown: Spurs in talks…

In what has been a long-winded transfer saga, with Spurs having been in talks over this last fortnight, reports have suggested that an agreement is near but they haven’t quite wrapped it up yet.

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Some sources suggest that Tottenham were looking to sign him on loan with the obligation to buy at one stage with reports then emerging of a rejected £15 million bid for Traore.

Wolves apparently want around £10m more than that if Spurs are going to seal a deal with Solhekol now sharing the latest on Sky.

The Latest: Spurs ‘very, very close’…

According to his information, Tottenham are ‘very, very close’ to signing Traore in a deal worth £20 million with a compromise fee on the cards.

“Spurs are getting close to signing him for a compromise fee of around £20m,” Solhehol explained.

“Last week they offered £15m, that was rejected, Wolves want about £25m, I think a deal is there to be done for around £20m.

“I think Adama Traore is now getting very, very close.”

The Verdict: Exciting times…

As Spurs also attempt to conclude other moves, both incomings and outgoings, the Lilywhites may well want this over the line first as they have been in negotiations for a while.

Lauded as a player who ‘could really excite the Tottenham fans’ by pundit Noel Whelan, his impressive average of 4.2 successful take-ons per 90 indicates a real threat who could be of use to manager Antonio Conte in the right-wing back role.

For £20m, he could be a real snip, especially considering he is still just 25-years-old and possesses bags of Premier League experience.

In other news: ‘Never been closer’…Journalist has major Spurs exit news, find out more here.

Celtic reestablished their six-point lead at the top of the Premiership table as they won 2-0 away from Parkhead on Sunday.

Ange Postecoglou’s men continued their march towards the title with a comfortable win as Kyogo Furuhashi and Jota scored the only goals of the game.

The Hoops dominated the match and had the majority of the chances but were unable to make the most of their opportunities as they were forced to settle for just the two goals.

Despite the positive performance overall and the win, not every player on the pitch caught the eye in the right way. One dud who struggled for the Hoops was central midfielder Reo Hatate as he failed to give a good account of himself in the middle of the park.

Ally McCoist noted in the Sky Sports commentary of Celtic’s Scottish Cup semi-final clash with Rangers that he was “absolutely spent” in the second half and that is how he looked again in this match.

On and off the ball, he was not up to the standard required. He was unable to make a big impact in the final third when he had possession and was completely outmuscled off of it as he was carried by his teammates throughout the match before being taken off in the 74th minute.

Defensively, Hatate was a lightweight. Via SofaScore, he lost 100% of his individual duels as he lost all three of his battles on the ground and both of his ones in the air. He also failed to make a single block, interception or tackle in the game as he found himself being second-best to everything in midfield.

In possession, he did very little. As per SofaScore, he only created one chance and did not have a single shot on target, whilst failing with both of his attempted dribbles, his one cross and losing the ball 14 times. This shows that he offered almost nothing with the ball at his feet, which meant that he did nothing to offset his awful display off the ball.

Therefore, he let Postecoglou down badly in the end as he struggled at both ends of the pitch. Just as he did against the Gers in the last Old Firm clash, he looked spent and it may be time to drop him from the starting XI until he can prove that he deserves to be playing regularly.

AND in other news, Source: Celtic on course to seal “immense” summer signing, Ange will be buzzing…

Newcastle United could make another attempt to sign Jesse Lingard when he becomes a free agent this summer, according to Sky Sports News’ Pete Graves. 

The lowdown

Newcastle tried to sign the 29-year-old on January’s transfer deadline day, only for Manchester United to block the move. The Magpies had offered to stump up a loan fee, cover the entirety of the player’s £75,000-per-week wages and pay a survival bonus, but to no avail.

Man United appear to have missed their last opportunity to cash in on Lingard, whose contract expires in June, after he had been one of countless reported targets for PIF and Newcastle last month.

The latest

Graves took to Twitter on Monday evening to announce that any hopes Newcastle had of signing Lingard before the 11pm deadline were extinguished, but he added that there is a possibility of the Magpies revisiting their interest during next summer’s transfer window.

The journalist tweeted: “Jesse Lingard to #nufc is OFF. #mufc told him he won’t be allowed to leave. Understand he’s extremely disappointed. Newcastle had offered loan fee, full wages and a survival bonus. He will leave for a free in the summer. Expect Newcastle, West Ham and Spurs to all be in for him.”

The verdict

Keeping Lingard at Old Trafford feels like a tremendous waste of talent. The 29-year-old is clearly well down the pecking order, having only played 88 minutes of Premier League football this season, and Man United are seemingly going to lose their £18m-rated asset for nothing in the summer.

They really ought to have sold him last year off the back of his dazzling loan spell at West Ham, where he scored nine goals and provided five assists in 16 games.

Newcastle may be frustrated to have missed out this time, but they could ultimately be the beneficiaries of the Red Devils’ questionable decision-making if they can land Lingard on a free transfer in a few months’ time.

In other news, Newcastle held talks over this Belgian star on Monday

Everton have appointed Frank Lampard as their new manager after struggling so far this season, currently sitting 16th in the Premier League just four points above the relegation zone.

The former Chelsea boss will be hoping to quickly make his mark on the Toffees to get them back into a more comfortable position in the league, although his first assignment in his new role pits him against Brentford in an FA Cup fourth round clash this afternoon.

Despite signing five players in the January transfer window, there has been glimpses of talent from some who are already at the club even during poor team performances, with Anthony Gordon a standout performer in the side since gaining a regular spot in the starting XI under Rafael Benitez.

The 20-year-old has made 19 appearances across all competitions, bagging two goals and two assists so far this season. His most notable performance against Chelsea in a 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge, when his free kick found academy player Jarrad Branthwaite for the equaliser.

That led Trevor Sinclair to shower praise on Gordon, saying: “I can’t tell you how good that free-kick was. It’s a superbly flighted ball. And it’s a great finish, he had to stretch every bit of his body.

“Mendy had no chance, but I have to say, Anthony Gordon! Watching him develop this season has been an absolute joy.”

According to SofaScore, the born-and-bred Evertonian is the ninth-highest rated Everton player in the Premier League so far this season, with 1.1 shots taken and 1.2 tackles won per game on average across 17 appearances, showing that he is a keen attacking presence when he gets the opportunity to play.

With Dominic Calvert-Lewin injured and Richarlison likely to replace him up front, there will be a chance for the £7.2m-rated gem, who was hailed as “creative” by Everton journalist David Prentice, to play on the left wing against Brentford on Saturday. The 20-year-old will surely be hoping that he can impress his new manager, as he could terrify opponents if he performs at the levels we have seen from him in the league in recent months.

Lampard must unleash Gordon when he leads out his Everton side for the first time at Goodison Park today, as he will be hoping to not only progress in the cup but also build confidence and resilience in the team, helping to inspire a winning mentality going forward when they return to action in the Premier League on Tuesday against Newcastle.

In other news: Lampard handed a boost in pursuit of this reported Everton target

Adam Jones has shared the news that youngster Mathew Mallon has now left Everton and is set to sign for Blackburn Rovers.

The Lowdown: Following Unsworth

It has been reported that Toffees under-23 manager and Academy Director David Unsworth is also leaving Goodison Park to pursue the chance of becoming a first-team coach.

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One of his players in Mallon is set to follow him out the exit door, in what could be the start of a mass exodus at youth level on Merseyside.

The Latest: Mallon leaves Everton

Taking to Twitter, Liverpool Echo journalist Jones has shared the news that the ‘exciting’ Mallon has now ‘quietly left’ the Toffees and will make a move to a Championship club in the summer.

Jones expanded on the news line in a corresponding article, stating that the 18-year-old is set to sign for Blackburn in July after captaining Everton’s under-18s on a number of occasions this season.

The Verdict: Shame

It is certainly a shame that the Blues have lost yet another promising academy prospect, after Thierry Small joined Southampton back in August.

Describing his pace, strength, defending and crossing as his ‘main assets’, Mallon featured heavily for both the under-18s and under-23s at Everton, playing 35 times in total over the last two campaigns, scoring two goals and providing a further two assists (Transfermarkt).

Nonetheless, the Toffees will now be hoping to have no regrets as they watch the right-back’s development from a distance.

In other news, Everton now want this ‘unbelievable’ magician on a free transfer