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Celtic defender Anthony Ralston needs to capitalise on the “opportunity” of Alistair Johnston being injured to show Ange Postecoglou what he’s capable of, according to BBC pundit Alan Hutton.

What's the latest injury news on Johnston?

Johnston was forced off the pitch during the 1-0 Scottish Cup semi-final victory over Rangers last weekend following a coming together with Borna Barisic, and the initial prognosis didn’t look good after he was spotted with crutches and in a boot after the full-time whistle.

Daily Record Sport have since revealed that the Hoops right-back is expected to be sidelined for three to four weeks depending on how he reacts to treatment and is aiming to return to action for the Scottish Cup final vs Inverness on June 3.

Ralston is an academy graduate at Parkhead but has never really been first-choice in his position having carried out three loan spells at Queens Park, Dundee United and St. Johnstone over the years to receive more game time, having been limited to ten starts this season in the Scottish Premiership.

Speaking to Football Insider, Hutton urged Ralston to make the most of his chance to play under Postecoglou in a bid to establish himself as a regular feature at Celtic in the absence of Johnston. He said:

“I think it is a good window for Ralston to go and remind the manager. I am sure he is the type of guy who works hard day in day out to try and get back in the squad. But you want to go and show the manager that you are capable of handling it and this is a great opportunity to go and do that. There are some big games coming up, there is another Old Firm, the final, these are all games he will want to be involved in. So the ball is in his court, go and show the manager that you are capable of doing that."

“Since Johnston came in he has been brilliant and is really going from strength to strength. It will be hard to get him out [of] the team but here is Ralston’s opportunity and he needs to go and grasp it.“

Should Ralston be given more of a chance at Celtic?

Ralston currently ranks as the club's third best-performing defensive player which highlights the positive impact he makes when handed the opportunity to play, and having been lauded “excellent” by journalist Josh Bunting, Postecoglou should certainly put more faith in him.

The Bhoys’ £8.5k-per-week ace is currently averaging 2.6 aerial wins, 1.9 clearances and 1.5 tackles per league game, via WhoScored, so is strong in the natural defensive aspect of his game, but he’s also a threat when bursting down the flank and adding to efforts in the final third of the pitch.

The Bellshill native has clocked up 21 goal contributions (14 assists and seven goals) in 80 senior appearances under the manager and knows what it takes to compete and be successful having secured seven trophies during his career at the club, so Ange needs to keep a close eye on his level of performances over the next few weeks when considering his starting squad for the new season.

يرى البرتغالي روي فيتوريا المدير الفني لـ منتخب مصر، أن الفريق أهدر الفوز على موزمبيق، في المباراة التي جمعتهما اليوم الأحد، ضمن منافسات بطولة كأس أمم إفريقيا 2023.

وتعادل منتخب مصر مع موزمبيق، بهدفين لمثلهما، في اللقاء الذي أقيم بمنافسات الجولة الأولى من عمر مواجهات المجموعة الثانية لـ كأس أمم إفريقيا بكوت ديفوار.

وقال فيتوريا خلال المؤتمر الصحفي بعد المباراة: “منتخب مصر أهدر الفوز أمام موزمبيق اليوم، واكتفى بالتعادل بهدفين”.

وأضاف: “لم نستطع أن نستمر على نفس الأداء بعد الهدف المبكر لمصطفى محمد”.

طالع | وائل جمعة ينتقد أداء ثنائي منتخب مصر أمام موزمبيق وتصريحات فيتوريا: لم يتحمل المسؤولية

وأكمل: “لاعبونا أهدروا فوزًا مهمًا في ضربة البداية، المباريات كلها كما قلنا من قبل صعبة وسنستعد لمواجهة منتخب غانا القوى بكل جدية”.

وأردف: “الخصم نجح في استغلال الفرص التي أتيحت له، لا يوجد فريق سهل في أمم إفريقيا، موزمبيق فريق جيد وكانت هناك أخطاء من جانبنا وسنعمل علي معالجتها المباراة المقبلة”.

واستطرد: “الفريق الذي كان يلعب ضدنا تقدم علينا وكان صعب أن نتجاوز وافتقدنا الجدية والتركيز”.

وأستمر: “منتخب موزبيبق رائع جدًا وأنا لست متفاجئًا بقدراتهم، كانت لديهم فرصة المكسب، وخلال فترة الاستراحة قمنا بتقييم الفريق الآخر، وآسفون لأنه حدث عدم تركيز، واليوم عانينا كثيرًا”.

وأتم: “كنا نريد أن نحقق المكسب، لسنا أفضل فريق، لم نكن مركزين بشكل جيد جدًا ولذلك فقدنا الفرصة، كل مباراة يجب علينا أن نكون جاهزين في كل فترات اللقاء.

ويلتقي منتخب مصر مع موزمبيق، يوم الخميس المقبل 18 يناير في الجولة الثانية من مرحلة المجموعات لبطولة كأس أمم إفريقيا 2023.

أثار كيليان مبابي، نجم فريق باريس سان جيرمان، الغموض مع بداية العام الجديد 2024، بسبب التغريدة التي نشرها منذ قليل عبر حسابه الشخصي بموقع “إكس”.

ومن المعروف أن العقد الحالي للنجم الفرنسي مع باريس سان جيرمان سينتهي في صيف هذا العام، أي نهاية الموسم الحالي.

ورفض مبابي فكرة تمديد عقده مع بطل الدوري الفرنسي، خلال موسم الانتقالات الصيفي الماضي، مما تسبب في زعزعة علاقته مع مسؤولي النادي.

ويحق لـ مبابي الدخول في مفاوضات مع أي نادِ آخر بداية من اليوم، طالما أن عقده سينتهي بعد 6 أشهر.

اقرأ أيضًا | ماركا توضح تفاصيل عرض ريال مدريد المرتقب لـ مبابي في يناير

وكتب مبابي منذ قليل، عبر حسابه الشخصي بموقع “إكس”، تويتر سابقًا: “سنة جديدة سعيدة للجميع، أتمنى الصحة والسعادة والإنجازات لكم ولأحبائكم، 2024 سيكون عامًا كبيرًا”.

Bonne année à tous.
Je vous souhaite santé, bonheur et épanouissement à vous et vos proches.

2024 sera grand !!!!

🥳🎉❤️ — Kylian Mbappé (@KMbappe) December 31, 2023

وليس من المعروف ما يقصده مبابي بشكل دقيق، وما إذا كان يُلمح إلى مستقبله حيث سيشهد هذا العام مسارًا جديدًا في ملف ارتباطه المستمر بإمكانية الانتقال إلى ريال مدريد، أم يتعلق الأمر ببطولة يورو التي سيخوضها مع منتخب فرنسا، أم شئ آخر.

A number of England fans have flocked to Twitter to tear into Manchester City star Jack Grealish after he missed a huge opportunity for his country this week.

What’s the latest on that Jack Grealish miss for England?

With Premier League football put on pause for a week, a number of the division’s top players have left to go and represent their nations in qualifiers for Euro 2024.

Grealish was one name on that list as England started their campaign with a trip away to Naples against Euro 2020 winners Italy in what turned out to be a tight game.

Ultimately, Gareth Southgate and co picked up all three points as first-half goals from West Ham United midfielder Declan Rice and Tottenham Hotspur ace Harry Kane gave the Three Lions a 2-0 lead going into the break.

In the second half, the Italians pulled one back thanks to debutant Mateo Retegui before Luke Shaw’s red card in the 80th minute made for a nervy ending.

England held on for the win, but had Grealish managed to score earlier in the match, things may have been a lot more comfortable for him and his teammates over the course of the 90 minutes.

Indeed, just after Kane scored the second goal of the game – his record-breaking 54th for his country – good work from Bukayo Saka put the Spurs man in again, who picked Grealish out at the far post with a great cross.

However, with almost the whole goal at his mercy, the Man City ace got his technique all wrong as he flashed the ball wide and out for a goal kick when a goal looked almost certain.

For a player of his quality – Grealish currently earns a reported £230k a week – he surely had to score and that goal would have put the game to bed. As seen in this image, the player could hardly believe it himself.

Shocked by the miss, a number of fans took to Twitter to dish out some harsh words. Here are the strongest reactions…

Manchester City full-back Joao Cancelo is ‘definitely’ set to leave the club permanently, according to journalist Steve Bates.

The Lowdown: Loaned out

Cancelo made 17 appearances for Man City in the Premier League this season but was loaned out to Bayern Munich for the remainder of the season in a surprise deadline-day move.

When asked whether the full-back has a future at the club, Pep Guardiola recently claimed that a decision will be taken at the end of the season, however, one journalist believes that the manager has already made his choice.

The Latest: Set to leave?

In an interview with GiveMeSport, Bates indicated that Guardiola’s history of being ruthless with key players means that he will also allow the Portugal international to leave the club this summer. The journalist said:

“I think it’s very difficult once Guardiola lets you go out on loan. I think he’s probably made up his mind already.

“Guardiola sold Sterling, Jesus and Zinchenko last summer. They were really top, top players and doing well for him, but he let them go.

“Cancelo has obviously had disagreements with him and his form has gone. It has not been what it was, so I would suspect that Cancelo’s days at City are definitely over.”

The Verdict: Right call?

The 28-year-old was a key performer for the Sky Blues in the 2021/22 campaign, weighing in with seven assists in the Premier League, however, his form took a downward turn this season, making a very poor mistake in the loss against Liverpool at Anfield.

Since arriving at Bayern, the right-back has been lauded ‘fantastic’ by members of the media, helping himself to a goal and two assists in five Bundesliga appearances up to this point.

Given that Guardiola now has 18-year-old Rico Lewis at his disposal to provide cover for Kyle Walker, allowing Cancelo to leave may be the best option for all parties in the summer, especially considering Man City could receive £61.5m if Bayern decide to make his stay permanent.

Leeds United have some of the most loyal fans in English football, and with that comes a trend; a trend of helping a player’s stock rise higher than ever as soon as they pull on the famous colours of the club and kiss the badge now embroidered on their new shirt’s chest. 

Of course, this can have an impact off the pitch, however. If a player is hyped up enough and produces what seem like decent numbers that could improve even more, then when big clubs come calling, the price has the potential to sky-rocket, with one example being Raphinha, who moved to Barcelona. 

With that said, we’ve ranked Leeds United’s most overrated players of the Premier League era.

10) Raphinha 

Hear me out. Raphinha is an excellent player, and he may just go on to become a world-beater.

But he’s struggled since his move to Barcelona. Raphinha has scored just four goals in his 26 outings for the club. In total, he scored 17 times and laid on 12 assists – 29 goal involvements – in 67 games for Leeds. Did he really deserve that move to the Camp Nou? We’re not so sure. 

Indeed. since his move to the Catalan club, he’s hardly set the world alight, either.

He has only made 11 starts in La Liga this season and there were even reports that he could potentially move on in January, less than six months after arriving.

9) Jonathan Woodgate 

Jonathan Woodgate really was a victim of his own success. He was incredible at Leeds, and the praise from the Premier League even reached the ears of Real Madrid.

And that’s where the problems started. The question that should have been posed all those years ago is: Jonathan Woodgate is good enough for Leeds, but is he good enough to become a Galactico? The answer, of course, would have been no.

He had one of the worst debuts of all time, being sent off and scoring an own goal, and he was never as good as he was at Leeds thereafter.

He succumbed to injuries, with perhaps his best moment being scoring the winning goal in the 2008 League Cup final as Tottenham beat Chelsea.

8) Matteusz Klich 

Now, whilst Matteusz Klich is absolutely adored by the majority of Leeds United fans, the question needs to be asked whether he is perhaps a little overrated.

And, our answer to that question is, yes, we believe that he is. The job that he does at Elland Road, which was often next to Kalvin Phillips before his departure, could arguably be fulfilled by the majority of Premier League midfielders.

To confirm this: His big move away from Leeds saw him join DC United in the USA. 

Klich is one of those players who was exceptional in the lower-leagues, but couldn’t quite translate it into the Premier League.

7) Luke Ayling 

Luke Ayling has been an incredible servant to Leeds United, but, in the Premier League, he has struggled at times. It was only last season when some began to admit it, too, as he occasionally lost his place to Junior Firpo – we’ll get to him – and dropped down the pecking order.

As it turns out, the top flight seems too great a step for Ayling and Jesse Marsch seemed to agree; Ayling has made just five starts this term. 

He was something of a lieutenant during his time in the Championship but the step up into the Premier League has matched him up against some truly world-class wingers.

In that time, he’s been sorely exposed at times; Leeds, after all, have never been defensively solid.

6) Diego Llorente

When a club buys a player for £18 million, they would expect a certain quality.

However, it must be said that Diego Llorente hasn’t always shown that quality at Elland Road since arriving in 2020. Last season, the Spaniard was at the heart of a Leeds defence which struggled to stay afloat at times, which, again, brings questions over his transfer, and he’s made just two starts since the World Cup. 

Llorente is slightly too slow on the turn, and can be consistently left hanging by attackers who have a real turn of pace.

With him in the team this season, Leeds kept just one Premier League clean sheet. It’s no surprise he was loaned to Italian side Roma in January.

5) Jermaine Pennant 

When you have a nightmare loan spell at a club and you’re still overrated, then there must be a problem.

Following his spell at Leeds United, Jermaine Pennant still went on to play for a club as big as Liverpool, where he also failed to do anything special, although he remains the only English player to feature in a Champions League final and never play for his country.

The fact that his stock was still high enough to make that move is still bizarre to us, however. Just take a look at his stats: He played 36 times for the club and scored twice. 

Now, he’s perhaps better known for his off-field issues, which included appearing on The Jeremy Kyle Show.

4) Illan Meslier 

Illan Meslier could go on to justify the hype surrounding him. But, the fact is, for now, he remains an overrated shot-stopper.

Throughout his time in the Premier League, the Leeds United number one has made three errors leading to goals, which suggests that he’s not exactly the most reliable player to have in a relegation fight.

This season, Meslier has conceded over 30 goals in just 20 games, and has even collected two yellow cards.

He’s still only 22, which is remarkably young for a top-flight stopper, but he’s not quite at the level he needs to be right now.

3) Junior Firpo 

If you have Barcelona on your CV as a footballer, almost every door in world football will automatically swing open in your direction.

And, best believe, the interview process will be short and sweet. Leeds United fell into the Barcelona trap in the summer of 2021 when they signed fullback Junior Firpo, who has failed to impress. And that’s putting it lightly.

He’s only made one start in the Premier League so far this term and it remains to be seen if a new manager will be making a change to his playing time.

It feels unlikely.

2) Daniel James

Leeds finally secured the signature of Daniel James in January of this year, but it’s fair to say that he was not worth the wait, having attempted to sign him from Swansea the summer prior.

Though, it must be said, for now, he remains an overrated player, who didn’t work out at Manchester United, and is yet to work out at Elland Road.

James has played 40 times for Leeds and has managed to score just four goals. 

He is rapid, there’s no doubting that, but he really needs to add more of an end product to his game if he is to remain a Premier League player.

1) Rodrigo 

When Rodrigo joined Leeds for £27 million in 2020, many, including myself, believed that the Yorkshiremen were getting themselves a player guaranteed to score goals and lead the line to Premier League safety with ease.

As it turns out, however, they had to rely on Patrick Bamford to do that job, with Rodrigo struggling at times. With 25 goals in 83 appearances, Rodrigo is an expensive, overrated flop.

It may well explain why Leeds have had to change their manager, having hitched their wagon to the Spaniard to score the goals to keep them up.

He’s not been good enough, and now he’s injured.

So, there you have it, our list of Leeds United’s most overrated players of the Premier League era. Do you agree with our picks? Or have some players been hard done by? Let us know in the comments!

The list, itself, involves a fair number of current players, which could suggest that the Leeds United fan base are backing their players more than ever.

Darren Bent would keep his faith in Son Heung-min despite his poor form for Tottenham Hotspur, rejecting the idea of dropping or even selling him out of hand.

The Lowdown: Son’s form is alarming

In what is one of the more surprising turns of events this season, Son’s form has fallen off a cliff compared to last campaign when he finished as the joint-top scorer in the Premier League with 23 goals for Spurs.

The South Korea international has just four top-flight goals to his name with the attacker netting just two goals, although that form has only seen him benched once in the league by Antonio Conte.

If Spurs want to make a good push for the top four this season and progress in the Champions League, Conte may well have to think about Son’s role in the starting lineup – both in the short and long term.

The Latest: Spurs shouldn’t be selling Son

While acknowledging the winger’s poor performances this term, Bent was asked by TalkSport colleague Andy Goldstein whether he would consider selling Son this summer if he fails to find his form, with the former Spurs man categorically insisting that Tottenham should not be looking to move on from the 30-year-old just yet.

He said: “His overall play at the minute, his touch – everything just seems to be a little bit off. He’ll get it back because he’s a good player.

“[Selling him is] absolute madness. When did he get here? He got here in 2015. The only players to have scored more Premier League goals in that period since 2015: Harry Kane – who’s got the most – Salah, Vardy, Aguero and Sadio Mane. They are the only players above Son who have scored more goals.

“I’m not dropping Son yet.”

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The Verdict: Tottenham have to stick with last season’s top scorer

Until this season, Son has been incredibly consistent for Tottenham since he joined from Bayer Leverkusen back in 2015, having netted double figures in all but one league campaign, so he certainly has credit in the bank with fans and the club.

However, the fact that Conte saw fit to bring in another wide player last month in the form of Arnaut Danjuma could suggest that he is at least slightly worried about Son and his lack of form and confidence at present.

Also, Son himself is hardly likely to be looking to move away from Tottenham, as he signed a new four-year contract in 2021, which will have likely bumped up his wages, so it would perhaps be best for him to potentially be taken out of the firing line for a week or two and see if that can help him rediscover his undeniable talent, as it was just last May that Alan Shearer labelled him as ‘unplayable’.

Thiago Alcantara is Liverpool’s biggest problem in the midfield right now, as the team changes their style to suit him to their own detriment, Tony Cascarino has claimed.

What’s the word?

Thiago arrived at Liverpool as a highly-decorated Champions League winner in 2020, and although he has suffered with injury problems, he has oozed class at times in Merseyside.

However, Liverpool’s shambolic season has shown no sign of improvement following another heavy defeat, this time to Wolves, and their midfield has come in for criticism this campaign.

Speaking on TalkSPORT, Cascarino pinpointed Thiago as a huge issue, despite his obvious technical quality, as the team have seemingly lost their original tactical principles to allow him to thrive.

“My biggest problem is that Thiago is such a good footballer, that you end up playing the way that Thiago wants to play,” he stated.

“That in itself is not what Liverpool do. Because he’s so pleasing, he’s so good on the eye and so gifted technically, you end up playing in a way that you don’t want: him being in a position in front of the back four at times. Once you go past him, they’re in trouble.”

Midfield revamp needed

The Spaniard’s stats against Wolves actually don’t look too bad on the face of things as he completed 100% of dribbles, 5/6 long balls, three key passes, 88% passing accuracy and 73 touches (Sofascore). However, he did lose the ball 10 times and lost six duels (Sofascore).

Thiago, who is valued at £18 million, in isolation would not be a problem for Liverpool if he had the right players surrounding him. When Fabinho was at his best, he had the engine to cover for the Spaniard, who would then have the freedom to dictate the play.

Liverpool’s ageing midfield is a huge issue, and the likes of Fabinho and Jordan Henderson are beyond their best. Arguably two new midfielders are necessary, and if the right personnel come in, Thiago could keep a starting spot alongside two athletic additions.

Despite the addition of Cody Gakpo, Liverpool failed to bring in a central midfielder in the January window, and with their current options, Thiago may not be able to thrive like he has done previously.

Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou ‘will be desperate’ to keep hold of influential attacker Daizen Maeda this month, according to journalist Pete O’Rourke.

The Lowdown: Maeda a key figure for Hoops

The Japanese striker has become an important performer for the Hoops since arriving last year, scoring 15 goals and registering ten assists so far.

Worryingly, however, Maeda has been linked with a move away from Parkhead, with Southampton one of the clubs believed to be eyeing him up.

The 25-year-old could potentially be swayed by the lure of the Premier League, but it is clear what Postecoglou’s stance on the matter is.

The Latest: Ange ‘desperate’ to keep him

Speaking to Give Me Sport, O’Rourke said that the Celtic boss will do all he can to keep Maeda at the club beyond January:

“I think he will be desperate to keep him, even more so now that they’ve missed out on a striker and Giakoumakis is possibly leaving as well. If that was to happen, it would really leave Celtic short up front.”

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The Verdict: Would be a big loss

Maeda has arguably become Celtic’s most important attacking player this season, having chipped in with five goals and assists apiece, including a vital strike away to Rangers recently.

At the 2022 World Cup, Rio Ferdinand called him a ‘man possessed’, as he scored once in Qatar and led Japan’s press excellently, playing roughly an hour each in huge upsets against Germany and Spain as well as in the draw with Croatia, where his side lost on penalties.

“He’s been an absolute live wire. I think it’s only his second international goal but he’s looked like a man possessed up there,” Ferdinand said after the eventual defeat to Croatia.

“You wouldn’t want to play against him, he’s constantly running around and making it difficult for you, with and without the ball he is an absolute nuisance. That’s the catalyst for the others in his team to come high and press high.

“His movement has been fantastic and some top drawer movement. What I like about him is he is always on the move. He drifts behind centre-halves.”

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The 12-time capped Japan international is clearly someone who not only scores and creates for others but also possesses a superb work ethic, averaging 1.4 tackles per game in the Scottish Premiership in 2022/23.

Maeda suddenly leaving would be a massive blow for Celtic, giving them little time to find a replacement, not to mention the fact that Giorgos Giakoumakis could also leave.

Leeds United have been linked with a move for Palmeiras midfielder Danilo, accoring to a transfer report which emerged this morning.

The Lowdown: Danilo profiled

The 21-year-old is primarily a defensive midfielder but can also play further forward if required.

The left-footed Brazilian is sponsored by Nike and appears to be at the top of his game, with a career-high €25m (£22m) Transfermarkt valuation.

He has already made 141 senior appearances for his current employers, but it looks as if a move to the Premier League is a possibility.

The Latest: Leeds linked with Danilo

Calciomercato shared a story on Tuesday, claiming that Danilo could leave Palmeiras at a discounted price of around €20m (£17.6m) this month, a 33% decrease on their initial valuation.

The report names Leeds as one of numerous top-flight clubs who have ‘come forward’ for the youngster, although it appears as if Nottingham Forest are showing the strongest interest, with speculation elsewhere claiming that they have made an £18m offer.

The Verdict: Need to act fast…

A new midfielder could be on the agenda for Jesse Marsch’s side this month following Mateusz Klich’s exit, and Danilo would fit the bill, providing plenty of versatility in the process.

However, if Leeds want to secure his services, they may need to act relatively quickly, with Forest already making their move. That said, Elland Road officials’ full focus right now could be on completing a transfer for Hoffenheim forward Georginio Rutter, so it wouldn’t come as a surprise if they were to miss out on Danilo.