All posts by h716a5.icu

Celtic are once again looking at moves for Bodø/Glimt midfielder Patrick Berg and Urawa Red Diamonds forward Kasper Junker ahead of the January window, according to Celtic Underground.

The Lowdown: Summer links

As we know, the Hoops were extremely busy over the summer in terms of incomings and outgoings, with attackers Kyogo Furuhashi and Jota starring in Glasgow.

However, Celtic’s only senior midfield addition, James McCarthy, has struggled for game-time under Ange Postecoglou, whereas Giorgos Giakoumakis has had his fitness and injury issues.

Two men who were linked with a Parkhead switch over the last 12 months are Berg and Junker, and it seems as if they could be on the Hoops’ radar once again ahead of the winter window.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/celtic-updates-16/” title=”Celtic updates!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Latest: ‘Apparently’…

Celtic Underground took to Twitter late on Tuesday evening, claiming that Berg and Junker are two players being looked at once again. They tweeted: “Patrick Berg and Kasper Junker being looked at again apparently.”

Norway international Berg has played primarily as a defensive midfielder this season, whereas Junker has already scored 16 goals for his new club after only moving to Japan in April in a deal worth £1.89m, with both players out of contract in December 2022.

The Verdict: Interesting…

You’d expect that interim Celtic CEO Michael Nicholson will know all about the pair following their respective transfer links over the summer, so this latest update is certainly an interesting one.

Kieran Devlin claimed earlier this month that he believes the boat may have been missed in regards to a move for Berg following an impressive performance against AS Roma in the Europa Conference League.

Meanwhile, Junker has only just changed clubs, so it may come as a real shock if the Hoops manage to sign the pair during January.

It appears as if transfer business will materialise at Parkhead during the winter window, but whether that will involve Berg or Junker remains to be seen. Still, Celtic could try their luck.

In other news, read this exciting Jota claim from a journalist.

Everton will be aiming to end a two-game losing streak when they travel to Molineux in order to face an in-form Wolves side this evening.

The Toffees suffered a humiliating 5-2 thrashing at the hands of Watford last time out, and new manager Rafa Benitez faces another tough selection headache ahead of kick-off.

An injury to key midfielder Abdoulaye Doucoure saw Tom Davies partner Allan in the engine room against the Hornets, and although the 23-year-old found the back of the net, the duo’s lack of mobility was brutally exposed.

Doucoure’s natural ability to cover a vast amount of ground in a short space of time has allowed Benitez to play just two midfielders in the opening weeks of the campaign, but without him in the side, Everton were left with too many gaps to plug.

The Frenchman’s capability to turn defence into attack with a well-timed tackle before marauding up the pitch and playing an intelligent pass is a unique set of skills that one player simply cannot replace.

As such, Benitez may be better off changing his system to cope with Doucoure’s absence rather than simply the personnel.

Playing a 4-3-3 rather than a 4-4-1-1 would allow Allan extra protection in the centre of the pitch while still having the bodies available to join in the attacks. And the Merseyside outfit may have the ideal candidate to come in and perform that role.

Since arriving at Goodison Park in August 2019, Jean-Philippe Gbamin has had some horrendous luck with injuries.

In two years, the Ivory Coast international has made just four appearances for Everton, but now could be the perfect opportunity for him to showcase his true potential on the Premier League stage.

When recovering from his latest fitness setback, the £65,000-per-week Gbamin enlisted the help of Theo Chapelle, a senior personal trainer, and consultant at the Odysium rehabilitation centre in Paris, who described his former client as a “monster”.

“He really impressed me during his stay here,” he told The Athletic. “The work we did together went really well. He appreciated working with us and that was reciprocated.

“He’s a great guy — kind, funny, respectful, calm, with his head on his shoulders. As an athlete, he’s a monster. I’ve never seen that in football, only athletics. He has exceptional physical qualities and a foolproof mentality.

“I’m certain that he’ll return stronger and whatever the obstacles in his way, will have a great career,” Chapelle concluded.

With Doucoure not expected to return for several weeks, Benitez will be forced to come up with a solution to his enforced absence, yet the answer could be a rather simple one.

Gbamin deserves a change of luck after his awful time on English shores, and that could begin with a start against Wolves, he just needs the faith of his manager behind him.

And, in other news…Everton receive big injury boost ahead of Wolves, Benitez will be delighted 

Shane Warne’s greatest fear on his return to the Australian Twenty20 scene is embarrassing himself

Cricinfo staff21-Nov-2009Shane Warne hadn’t bowled for six months until he went to training on Saturday and his greatest fear on his return to the Australian Twenty20 scene is embarrassing himself. Warne will join up with his old team-mates Glenn McGrath, Adam Gilchrist and Matthew Hayden when they appear in an Australian Cricketers’ Association XI captained by Warne at the Gabba on Sunday.”For us it’s about not embarrassing ourselves, not bowling too many double-bouncers and full-bungers,” he said. Warne, 40, spent part of Saturday afternoon “trying to land a few” at the Gabba nets under the eye of Dennis Lillee, the guest coach.The pair stopped briefly to outline their plans for the match against an Australian XI led by Michael Clarke. And it was just long enough for Warne to doubt the West Indies’ credentials for the three-match series against Australia, which starts on Thursday, and Lillee to defend the future of Test cricket.While Greg Chappell, the guest coach of the Australian XI, fears for the five-day game, Lillee is confident it will remain strong. “Something that has lasted for nearly 150 years, I don’t think it’s in danger in the short term,” Lillee said.Warne believes the West Indians face too much of a challenge to upset Australia, despite the hosts’ current ranking as the world’s No. 4 team. “Let’s just hope the West Indies surprise us, at the moment their form is pretty ordinary and they need to hopefully lift,” he said. “Otherwise it’s just going to be a summer of enjoying our blokes bat and bowl.”Australian Cricketers’ Association XI Shane Warne (capt), Travis Birt, Lee Carseldine, Adam Gilchrist, Daniel Harris, Matthew Hayden, Jason Krejza, Rhett Lockyear, Graham Manou (wk), Glenn McGrath, Nathan Reardon, Nathan Rimmington.Australian XI Michael Clarke (capt), Cameron White, George Bailey, Brad Haddin (wk), David Hussey, Andrew McDonald, Clint McKay, Peter Siddle, Steven Smith, Shaun Tait, Adam Voges, David Warner.

Mumbai scythed through Rest of India on a decent batting surface, dismissing them for 260 before reaching a breezy 38 for 0 at the end of the opening day of the Irani Cup

The Bulletin by Sriram Veera in Nagpur01-Oct-2009
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were outRavindra Jadeja’s mature 77 included nine boundaries•ESPNcricinfo LtdThe Indian first-class season began with a below-par performance from Rest of India. On a hot sultry day in Nagpur, Mumbai scythed through Rest of India on a decent batting surface, dismissing them for 260 before reaching a breezy 38 for 0 at the end of the opening day of the Irani Cup. It could have been so much worse for Rest of India, though, but Ravindra Jadeja lifted them from 141 for 6 with a mature 77.The morning session belonged to Ajit Agarkar, who nailed the big fish Virender Sehwag, and Rest of India imploded in the afternoon by playing low-quality cricket. The batsmen appeared rusty but there was no reason to be, for most of them were involved in quite bit of cricket leading up to this game. They seemed to be sleepwalking to their demise but credit to the Mumbai bowlers for maintaining a disciplined line and length. Whether they deserved such a rich haul, though, is open to debate. Agarkar later said that there wasn’t any assistance for the bowlers from the pitch but perhaps it was a track not conducive to on-the-up flashy strokeplay.Jadeja led Rest of India’s fight in the evening by batting sensibly, showing up his team-mates’ poor efforts. He kept it simple: when the ball was short he cut or pulled, when it was fuller he drove and two off-drives off Agarkar were his standout shots. The pitch didn’t offer great assistance to the bowlers and Jadeja made sure he didn’t throw his wicket away, rotating the strike with dabs and nudges for most of the time.The same, however, cannot be said about the rest of his team and Agarkar capitalized on the errant batting. The man, who is easily the most mocked among modern Indian bowlers, is still chugging along in the domestic circuit. Today, Agarkar put in a large-hearted performance on a slightly slow-paced pitch. Now and then, he dropped his bowling arm a bit more than usual, becoming almost round-armish, and got the ball to skid on to the batsmen. He picked up his first wicket when Sehwag had a lazy waft at a skidding delivery that kept a touch low on off stump.However, it was in his second spell of the morning that Agarkar really stood out for his round-arm skidders worked like a charm. He set up the left-hander Abhinav Mukund with a series of inswingers which thudded into the pads or went down leg side. He then pushed one across before landing the next ball right on target: it pitched on off and hit off with Mukund leaving a gaping hole between bat and pad.For Rest of India, M Vijay was subdued and never looked fluent though he tried hard to fight his way out of trouble. Twice he was hit on the pad while moving forward – he was lucky to survive the second lbw shout against Dhawal Kulkarni – and he also was beaten outside off. In between, he unfurled a lovely off-drive against Rahil Sheikh but fell to a soft dismissal when he turned Kulkarni straight to square leg.Mukund, though, was positive from the word go, slashing anything short of length outside off and driving at every opportunity that came by till Agarkar won the contest with a lovely curving delivery.Rest of India continued to tumble in the second session with some careless batting. The first to go was Manoj Tiwary. He had been pushing and prodding but he suddenly decided to leave a delivery from Kulkarni. It was a brain freeze. Kulkarni had been getting the ball to dart in and Tiwary had no reason for not attempting to play with the bat. He sported a wry smile, suggesting he thought he had given a raw deal, but the replays suggested otherwise.Like Tiwary, Badrinath also looked upset at being given out but the umpire was proven right by replays. He had stretched forward to defend a length delivery that straightened from the otherwise unimpressive Sheikh, but he pushed outside the line and missed; the ball would have hit the off stump.The misery was complete when Wriddhiman Saha, a good keeper and a decent bat, swatted Ramesh Powar, who as ever operated shrewdly, teasing the batsmen with his loopy flight, straight to a man placed at deep midwicket. Luckily, for Rest of India, Jadeja found unlikely support from Munaf Patel to prop up their total.When they bowled, Sreesanth was impressive in his short spell, getting the ball to move both ways, but Munaf Patel drifted towards the pads to allow Mumbai a bright start.

West Ham have been handed a double injury boost ahead of their Europa League clash this week…

What’s the latest?

According to Claret and Hugh, an Irons source has confirmed that both club captain Mark Noble and right-back Ryan Fredericks are back in full training and are set to be available for selection heading into Thursday.

The retiring midfielder missed the win over Everton at Goodison Park on Sunday, whilst the latter has been out since his early withdrawal against Manchester United in the Carabao Cup last month.

The Hammers could go one step closer to qualifying for the knockout stages with a win over Belgian outfit Genk, so having further players available at David Moyes’ disposable is certainly a benefit.

Double boost

Whilst neither is a regular starter in the Scotsman’s starting XI, particularly in the Premier League, both are more likely to be handed opportunities in competitions like this one.

Fredericks provides valuable cover for Vladimir Coufal, who has been injured in recent weeks too, whilst Noble could be crucial this week with Alex Kral unavailable.

His presence could hand a rest to either Tomas Soucek or Declan Rice, who won’t be able to keep up this consistent rate of matches into 2022.

The report also states that West Ham are in line to receive around £670k if they manage to clinch a victory at the London Stadium, taking their overall earnings beyond £2m, which is a welcome financial boost.

Their chances of clinching a result, whilst keeping the squad fresh, have certainly been bolstered thanks to this latest development.

Moyes’ men currently sit top of Group H with a three-point cushion over Dinamo Zagreb in second place, and a victory over Genk could see that lead double should Rapid Wien defeat the Croatian side.

The Irons also have the small matter of a London derby this weekend as they welcome Tottenham Hotspur to the London Stadium, so the 58-year-old may well have that game in mind heading into Thursday’s clash.

That’s why Noble and Fredericks’ potential involvement is so significant this week and exactly why Moyes will be delighted ahead of kick-off.

AND in other news, Newman can seal West Ham bargain in 6 ft 4 “diamond” who was once “very keen” to join…

Trinidad & Tobago Cricket Board has decided to stay away from the West Indies board’s annual general meeting of the West Indies Cricket Board

Tony Cozier09-Aug-2009West Indies cricket has been thrown into further disarray after the Trinidad & Tobago Cricket Board (TTCB) decided to stay away from the West Indies board’s annual general meeting of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) in Antigua starting Sunday.TTCB president Deryck Murray said the local board wanted to send a signal to the WICB that this was not a time for “business as usual”.”I want to be clear,” Murray said. “This is not a threat to the unity of West Indies cricket … In this time of crisis, we cannot afford to sit back and keep doing the same things over and over again. That is not doing anything for our cricket. Our hope is that this move could be the catalyst for the change of West Indies cricket at the top.”They must understand that we the board and the people of Trinidad & Tobago expect and demand that things be done differently from here on in.”This coincides with the latest in the long-running dispute over contracts between the WICB and the West Indies Players Association (WIPA) that led to the withdrawal of the leading players from the recent series against Bangladesh and that is now before former Commonwealth secretary-general Sir Shridath Ramphal for mediation.As one of the six constituent members of the WICB – along with Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica, Leeward Islands and Windward Islands – the TTCB has two directors on the executive and two representatives on the board.It is understood that among their grievances is the WICB’s failure to act on the main recommendations of the report into their governance by a committee headed by former Jamaica prime minister PJ Patterson.The report, commissioned by the WICB under former president Ken Gordon and presented in 2006, proposed the complete restructuring of the board that is now made up of the president, vice-president, two directors from each of the territorial members and three ex-officio directors. It is understood the TTCB letter emphasised that they had no intention of quitting the WICB or intending to go on their own. It simply stated their frustrations at not being able to influence changes within the organisation.It would have been further aggravated by the announcement that president Julian Hunte and vice-president Dave Cameron are both to be returned to their positions unopposed. It was earlier stated that Murray, the former West Indies vice-captain, would challenge Hunte and that Barbados Cricket Association (BCA) president Joel Garner would go against Cameron. But both eventually declined the nominations.Hunte, 69, has served on the board, on and off, since 1973. He took over as president from Gordon in 2007. Since then, the WICB has been embroiled by one controversy after another, culminating in the latest that left West Indies with a decimated team that lost both Tests and all three one-day internationals against Bangladesh.The TTCB are also locked in a similar contracts dispute with the WIPA for a squad of 33 in preparation for the Trinidad and Tobago team’s participation in the Champions League in India in October that features winning teams from domestic Twenty20 competitionsIt is not the first time the TTCB have been at odds with the WICB. In 1994, they issued a statement in which they expressed their “grave concern over what is perceived to be an organised and calculated plot by a privileged few to deny Trinidad and Tobago and its cricketers their just due”.

Aston Villa have confirmed a major injury boost over Leon Bailey ahead of their Premier League encounter with Arsenal on Friday night.

Dean Smith’s side have been without the summer signing for the past three games in the Premier League after being forced off in the second half against Everton back in mid-September.

However, speaking in his pre-match press conference ahead of the game against Mikel Arteta’s side at the Emirates Stadium, the Villa manager said: “Leon Bailey and Bertrand Traore have both trained over the last couple of days and both will be available for the squad down at Arsenal.

“But we have to be aware that Bailey’s had a thigh injury for four weeks so we have to assess how much of a risk we take with him. We are building up their fitness, they will be in the squad, but we’ll have to assess where they are. They have both been out injured for a few weeks, so they are lacking minutes.”

The Jamaica international has had an injury-disrupted start to life at Villa Park, playing just 85 minutes of football in the Premier League, but even in that limited amount of game-time, he has shown exactly why Villa fans should be excited about their summer signing.

After coming off the bench to great effect against Watford on the opening day – he marked his Premier League debut for the club by setting up John McGinn’s goal and almost sparking a late comeback – the Jamaican flier showed just what he can bring to the table when he delivered another barnstorming cameo against Everton.

Having come on as a substitute once again, Bailey whipped in the corner which was turned in by Lucas Digne, before firing in a superb goal of his own to seal an impressive 3-0 win for Villa.

Speaking before the Midlands club officially confirmed the deal to sign the winger, Alan Hutton threw his backing behind a move for the Jamaica international.

He said: “I’m so excited to see this one. I’ve heard a lot about him over the past two or three seasons. He’s obviously still very young but he’s electric, he gets people off their seats. That’s what you want in a player.

“But what’s more impressive, 15 goals and 11 assists from wide areas in the German league. That’s unbelievable. It’s the kind of consistency you want from your wingers.”

The fact that he’s now back in the frame to play against Arsenal tonight is sure to have fans absolutely buzzing, especially at a time when Villa have fallen into a bit of a slump.

Meanwhile, Villa must start this £7.2m-rated gem against Arsenal…

Graham Onions will compete with Monty Panesar for England’s final bowling spot in the first Test at Cardiff on Wednesday

Andrew Miller05-Jul-2009Graham Onions will compete for a place in the first Ashes Test at Cardiff•Getty ImagesGraham Onions will compete with Monty Panesar for England’s final bowling spot in the first Test at Cardiff on Wednesday, after he and Ian Bell were named in a 13-man squad that includes all 11 of the players who took part in England’s three-day warm-up against Warwickshire last week.Onions, who played in England’s last two Tests against West Indies in May, was chosen ahead of his Durham team-mate Steve Harmison, who impressed with a six-wicket haul for the England Lions against Australia at Worcester, but has been overlooked by the selectors since slipping out of favour during the winter tour of the Caribbean.”We were keen to show consistency in selection and retain the nucleus of the side that performed so well against West Indies earlier this summer,” said the national selector, Geoff Miller. “Graham Onions has made an excellent start to his Test career and gives us a different option when we consider the make-up of our bowling attack and the type of conditions we will encounter.”There is healthy competition for places in our starting line-up at present and the strong performance by the England Lions against Australia at Worcester demonstrated that we are starting to develop a larger squad of players who can compete effectively with international class players.”If the heart called for Harmison’s inclusion, after the fury of his performance against the Australians this week, the head always suggested that Onions would be permitted to continue in the role in which he excelled, in albeit subdued circumstances, earlier in the year. Having claimed five wickets on debut at Lord’s, including four in seven balls, Onions impressed with his versatility in the second Test against West Indies at Chester-le-Street, where at various stages of the match he found swing, bounce and aggression to meet his team’s requirements.”It’s a great feeling,” Onions told . “I feel I’ve learnt a lot from the two games I’ve played. It shows the hard work pays off eventually. Everything is clicking, I’m pitching the ball up and doing a little more with it. The Australians are ahead of us, so bring it on.”Despite talk of England playing two spinners in Cardiff, Onions remains highly likely to complement the chosen triumvirate of James Anderson, Stuart Broad and Andrew Flintoff, given that the venue’s reputation as a raging turner has resulted in a mere 17 wickets for spinners, out of a possible 120, in three Championship matches this season. Regardless of his three morale-boosting wickets at Edgbaston on Thursday, Panesar’s own figures for Northamptonshire at Cardiff last month were 2 for 149.Continuity called for Onions’ inclusion, even if Harmison is the last man that the Aussies would wish to line up against right now. Besides, the impression gleaned from the winter campaign in the Caribbean is that Harmison still has a lot of ground to make up with the management – not least the hard-bitten new coach, Andy Flower – after a lacklustre series of performances. His inclusion would have been expedient in the circumstances, but having gone to such lengths to arrange that squad bonding exercise in Flanders last week, it would have been peculiar if England went fishing outside their initial squad of 16 at this crucial stage of the series.What is more, it is arguable that Harmison may already have done his job for this summer. In 2005, his furious five-wicket onslaught on the first morning at Lord’s was the performance that spelt out to the Aussies the extent of the challenge that awaited them. If truth be told, he was rarely as effective thereafter – he made vital incisions, most notably the dismissals of Michael Clarke and Mike Kasprowicz at Edgbaston, but claimed just nine wickets at 50.22 in the remaining four Tests of the series.What Harmison has done, however, is put on the sort of welcoming committee that Australian sides have habitually laid on for English touring teams. His unbridled hostility with the ball has been coupled with a selection of choice barbs that reveal an astonishing appetite for a tussle from a man who came across so meekly in Australia three years ago. It hasn’t quite been like watching the long-retired Dennis Lillee and Jeff Thomson chopping England down to size in regular tour openers at Lilac Hill, but it’s not far removed.It was evidently a close-run decision, however, as suggested by the sight of Miller’s fellow selectors, James Whitaker and Ashley Giles, joining him on the balcony at Worcester for the final day of the Lions match on Saturday. As fate would have it, the England captain, Andrew Strauss, arrived at the ground as well, just as Harmison and Onions were about to take the new ball in Australia’s second innings.Harmison himself had said he did not expect to feature at Cardiff, but the lurking menace of his Worcester performance is quite enough national service for now – in particular, the manner in which he has dissected the technique of Australia’s wunderkind opener, Phillip Hughes. “I have put loads of doubt in him [Hughes],” said Harmison. “I imagine I’ve put doubt in a lot of the batsmen’s minds.”As for the remaining 11 names in the squad, the speed with which they as a team left the field at Edgbaston on Friday afternoon revealed plenty about their mindset in the lead-in to the first Test. The time was 5pm on a perfect summer’s afternoon, and the opportunity had been there for at least another hour and a half of fine-tuning. However, it was not deemed necessary by England’s think tank, who have seen enough already, and just want to get the proper action underway now.”We were delighted with the way in which the team performed in the warm-up match at Edgbaston and it was very encouraging to see Andrew Flintoff bowl so well on his return to the side,” said Miller. With the exception of Kevin Pietersen, who was never likely to raise his game in such a low-key fixture, each of the top six made at least a half-century, while the bowlers enjoyed a useful work-out, with Anderson starring with 5 for 34 in the first innings.As for the 13th man in the squad, Michael Vaughan’s retirement had cleared the clutter quite nicely as far as the selectors were concerned. Regardless of his first-ball duck for the Lions, Bell’s class is such that he was unlikely to be shunned at this stage of the series, even if his temperament has yet to convince everyone – including, quite possibly, the man himself.”Ian Bell has performed well in county cricket this summer,” said Miller. “He will act as cover batsman for this Test match should any of our established batsmen be unavailable through injury.”Test squad Andrew Strauss (capt), Alastair Cook, Ravi Bopara, Kevin Pietersen, Paul Collingwood, Ian Bell, Matt Prior (wk), Andrew Flintoff, Stuart Broad, Graeme Swann, James Anderson, Graham Onions, Monty Panesar.

After tasting their first win of the Premier League season against Watford last time out, Leeds United will be hoping to make it back-to-back victories when they take on Southampton on Saturday afternoon.

Marcelo Bielsa’s side claimed all three points against the Hornets thanks to a goal from Diego Llorente, and the Whites manager will have some big decisions to make before today’s clash against the Saints.

Along with a number of injury issues, Bielsa also has to contend with uncertainty over Raphinha’s availability following his exploits with Brazil on international duty.

With that in mind, here is a look at how Leeds might line up for the clash against Southampton at St Mary’s later this afternoon.

In goal, Illan Meslier will be looking to keep his second successive clean sheet after shutting out the Hornets, while Bielsa should look to keep faith in 22-year-old Jamie Shackleton, who impressed against Watford by winning four tackles.

Further up the pitch, the Leeds manager will be desperately hoping that Kalvin Phillips is passed fit for the game, while he could also make a big call by dropping the underperforming Stuart Dallas from his starting line-up.

That could see a potential opportunity for Tyler Roberts to come into the team, while if Raphinha fails to come through in time, Jack Harrison should come in from the bench to start today.

With Patrick Bamford out once again like he has been for the past couple of games, Rodrigo will once again be tasked with leading the line.

Meanwhile, Phil Hay has confirmed an encouraging Leeds boost over Kalvin Phillips…

Ralph Hasenhuttl has provided an injury update on Southampton defender Jack Stephens…

What’s the latest?

Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuttl has confirmed that Jack Stephens suffered a knee injury in the draw with Manchester City on Saturday.

The centre-back hobbled off in the first half and Hasenhuttl has now revealed that it was due to a knock to his knee, although the full extent of the blow remains unknown.

He told the Daily Echo:

“I don’t know what it is, but he had knee problems, so hopefully it is not too bad.

“But it wouldn’t be good, because he was in perfect shape.

“He was a really important player for us and so early in the season an injury wouldn’t be good for us.”

Fans will be worried

Southampton fans will surely be worried by this injury update from Hasenhuttl as there is the potential for a knee injury to be a serious problem.

On the flip side, it may have been a precautionary move to take him off and he could have a few days in recovery before returning to training for Southampton. At this point, it remains unclear and that could be what causes Saints fans to worry.

Stephens has been an important member of the side this season, starting all five of the club’s Premier League matches so far.

Hasenhuttl hailed the defender as a leader earlier this year, telling the Daily Echo: “When Jack works on his defensive duels and is aggressive there, and nasty, then he is a very good centre-back.

“He is like a leader at the back at the moment, he has really fought for his position and doesn’t want to give it away so easily.

“I think at the moment he shows how important he can be for this club and this is what I need, a guy who is good on the ball but also wins his duels.

“This was sometimes the problems with Jack, that he is a little bit too nice, too calm and a little bit too less aggressive, now when he is defending forward he is strong and this is what I demand of the player, and what he needs to do consistently.”

This shows how highly Hasenhuttl rates Stephens, when he is at the top of his game, which is why losing him to a long-term injury, would be a cause for concern for Southampton supporters.

They will now be waiting impatiently for a positive update on his situation ahead of the clash with Wolves next weekend.

AND in other news, Semmens must ruthlessly axe £72k-p/w Saints dud to land £12m beast, Ralph needs him…