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Leeds United U21s head into this evening’s Papa John’s Trophy meeting with Bolton Wanderers in an exceptional run of form, with Michael Skubala’s side having won seven and drawn one of their eight fixtures in all competitions so far this season.

Arguably the youth side’s most impressive victory this term came in their first EFL Trophy fixture of the campaign, when a strong U21s side – including Joe Gelhardt, Sonny Perkins, Sam Greenwood, Wilfried Gnonto, Darko Gyabi and Cody Drameh – blew away League Two side Tranmere Rovers 5-3 under the lights at Prenton Park earlier this month.

Indeed, should Skubala once again be free to pick a number of Jesse Marsch’s young first-team starlets over their remaining Papa John’s Trophy fixtures against Bolton this evening as well as Crewe Alexandra on November 1, the Whites would appear to have a great chance of qualifying for the knockout stages of the competition – and perhaps enjoy something of a cup run.

And, one player who it would appear an absolute must for Marsch to make available for this evening’s fixture is Gelhardt – the 20-year-old forward who has struggled for first-team minutes so far this season – as a tricky match against a seventh-placed League One side in Bolton could be the perfect opportunity for the England U21 international to impress.

Indeed, so far this season, the £8.7m-rated talent has played just 206 minutes of football over his eight appearances for the first-team, despite the fact that both Patrick Bamford and Rodrigo have missed a number of games due to injury – with the general consensus being that the youngster simply must be given more game time in order to continue his development.

And, while it would appear as if Gelhardt is already a level above U21 football – scoring 20 goals and providing six assists over his 30 outings for Skubala’s outfit – a run out against Bolton’s seasoned defence would undoubtedly provide the 20-year-old with a fantastic chance to prove to Marsch that he is more than capable of starting for Leeds’ senior side.

However, considering the £16.5k-per-week gem’s returns in first-team football, it looks as if Gelhardt already deserves a chance from the off, with FBref ranking the 20-year-old in the top 20% of forwards in Europe’s big five leagues for assists per 90, as well as the top 27% for non-penalty xG, the top 24% for shots and the top 14% for dribbles completed over the last 365 days.

Either way, unleashing the player who Graeme Bandeira dubbed a “bullish kid” and Phil Hay claimed is “one of the club’s biggest talents” tonight would appear a win-win for Leeds, as Gelhardt would undoubtedly provide the U21s’ chances of beating Bolton with a huge boost, while also affording the 20-year-old a worthwhile challenge against a League One defence.

Salford co-owner Gary Neville has denied being envious of Ryan Reynolds, Rob McElhenney and Wrexham, saying: “I don’t work like that.”

• Neville & Beckham part of Ammies ownership team
• Intend to oversee more promotions pushes
• Stars of their own documentary to rival Red Dragons

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Neville helped to make Salford one of the first teams to embrace celebrity ownership, with Manchester United’s fabled Class of ‘92 taking on an ambitious project. Phil Neville, Nicky Butt, Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes were also involved in that adventure.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  They were later joined by David Beckham, with a run of four promotions in the space of five years lifting Salford into the Football League. Momentum has stalled in League Two, with Neville and Beckham forming part of a takeover that is intended to help get The Ammies moving forward once more.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  They have starred in their own documentary series, on the BBC and Sky Sports, with Reynolds and McElhenney adopting a similar approach when bringing ‘Welcome to Wrexham’ cameras with them to North Wales.

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  WHAT NEVILLE SAID

  The Red Dragons have enjoyed a meteoric rise into the Championship, while growing their global fan base, but Neville told when asked if there is any jealousy on Salford’s part: “No, I don’t wish I was any other football club, I don’t work or operate like that.

  “With new owners, we’ve got a plan whereby in four to five years, I’d like to think Salford would be more successful on the pitch. That’s the hope. We will also have invested in our training ground and stadium, and be in a position whereby we can achieve sustainability.

  “That’s the real drive of this ownership, to grow revenues, be successful on the pitch, become sustainable and ensure we still meet those values of being affordable and accessible that we had from day one. There’s a lot to do and not a lot of time to do it in, but we’re committed and that’s the most important thing.”

Newcastle United extended their unbeaten run in the Premier League to seven matches with a 2-1 win away at Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.

The Magpies have now won four of their last five games in the division and are fourth in the table, overtaking Graham Potter’s Chelsea to sit in the last Champions League spot.

Eddie Howe’s men put in a phenomenal shift to come away with all three points in their latest match against Spurs as they ground out a win away from home.

Callum Wilson and Miguel Almiron put Newcastle 2-0 up in the first half as both players produced moments of individual quality to find the back of the net. The former clipped the ball over Hugo Lloris – who had rushed out of his goal – from distance, before the latter beat Clement Lenglet with a sublime piece of skill and swept the ball past the French ‘keeper.

Harry Kane pulled a goal back before the hour mark but Tottenham were unable to push on and equalise as the Magpies stood strong and defended brilliantly to see out the game.

Whilst the goalscorers may receive acclaim for their work in the first half, one player who was an unsung hero for the Toon was right-back Kieran Trippier.

The England international has had his fair share of praise throughout the season so far but his performance on Sunday may not have been fully appreciated as he was seemingly beaten by Kane for the Spurs goal. However, his England colleague simply had a physical advantage and Trippier had no help from his teammates at the back post.

Aside from that incident, the former Atletico Madrid man was immense for Newcastle as he put in a sublime display in and out of possession.

As per SofaScore, the warrior won 10 of his 12 individual duels (83%) and this shows that he was dominant in the majority of his battles, when he was not left exposed from a set piece. He also made two clearances, three blocks, four tackles and one clearance off the line, which shows that he was consistently making crucial interventions to prevent Spurs from getting a shot away at Nick Pope’s goal.

On the ball, Trippier had 100 touches and completed 83% of his attempted passes. He also had a 100% (1/1) dribble success rate and created one chance from right-back as he provided an attacking outlet in possession.

Therefore, he was the unsung hero for Howe as – despite Kane beating him for Tottenham’s goal – he put in a fantastic performance at right-back and was important to what the Magpies did at both ends of the pitch, with his warrior-like defending and calmness in possession.

Manchester City duo Kevin De Bruyne and Ederson have been hailed by journalist Ben Jacobs following their 1-0 win over Leicester City in the Premier League. 

The Lowdown: Man City overcome Leicester

Pep Guardiola saw his side pick up all three points at the King Power Stadium with a 1-0 scoreline following their midweek Champions League draw against Borussia Dortmund.

The Blues went into the game without top scorer Erling Haaland after the striker picked up a foot injury in the 0-0 draw on Tuesday, meaning the onus was on De Bruyne to be the standout superstar once again, and he delivered with a trademark strike.

Once the game against the Foxes had ended, two of City’s players found themselves on the end of some heavy praise from Jacobs.

The Latest: Praise for De Bruyne and Ederson

In a Twitter post on his official account, Jacobs singled out the Belgian’s ‘special’ moment and Ederson’s ‘quality’ save to deny Youri Tielemans as the two standout moments.

Indeed, it was a match often bereft of real quality, and a couple of decisive minutes were dictated by the sheer star quality from the City duo.

The Verdict: City’s saviours

With the Belgian, not only did he see his free-kick goal ultimately secure the three points for the away side, but he also managed to make four key passes in the game, more than any other City player, and have three clear attempts at goal in total.

His display earned the midfielder an impressive match rating of 8.3/10 from SofaScore, mkaing him the highest-rated player on the day.

Ederson meanwhile made five saves in total for his side, including the one from Tielemans’ volley that Jacobs highlighted.

This performance earned the City goalkeeper a match rating of 8/10 from SofaScore, which puts him as the second-highest rated player on the day behind De Bruyne.

It’s easy to see why Jacobs picked these two figures out for praise, and if they keep playing like that it’s very hard to see anyone stopping Pep’s side once Haaland returns.

Tottenham Hotspur reportedly have their eyes on securing a transfer deal for Atalanta midfielder Ruslan Malinovskyi. 

The Lowdown: Conte’s transfer track record

Since Antonio Conte took charge of the north London club almost a year ago, the Lilywhites have brought in some truly top players from Serie A such as Rodrigo Bentancur, Dejan Kulusevski and Ivan Perisic.

Having thrived in Italy with both Juventus and Inter Milan, it’s easy to see where the 53-year-old, with the help of compatriot Fabio Paratici, likes to shop.

And looking ahead to the January window, it appears that another Serie A figure has caught the attention of the Spurs boss.

The Latest: Malinovskyi on Spurs’ radar

According to a recent report from Il Giorno, Tottenham and Conte are interested in making a move to sign the Atalanta star in the upcoming January transfer window.

The report also adds that fellow Premier League sides West Ham United and Nottingham Forest also have an interest in the player, who has been described as “extraordinary” in by his manager Gian Piero Gasperini.

The Verdict: A smart move for Spurs

Despite only playing a total of 398 minutes across 11 Serie A appearances this season, Malinovskyi has the third-highest rate of shots at goal per 90 minutes at Atalanta (2.49) as well as the third-highest number of passes into the final third of the pitch (28).

This shows just how much of a useful creative and attacking figure the 29-year-old can be, with Spurs arguably missing a creative spark to connect defence and attack.

There are currently nine clubs in the Premier League that have made more passes into the final third this season than Spurs (384), and this highlights the need for the Lilywhites to add a player like Malinovskyi to their ranks for when Kulusevski is injured.

The midfielder, who has 74 clubs goals to his name, is out of contract next summer, so could be up for sale at an absolute bargain price in January.

The Athletic’s Liverpool reporter James Pearce has said that it was a ‘huge lift’ for Jurgen Klopp’s side to secure victory over Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League on Sunday.

The Lowdown: Nail-biting finish

The Reds made the trip to the capital and earned a 2-1 win thanks to a first-half double from Mohamed Salah, with a Harry Kane goal on 70 minutes not enough for the hosts to claw back a point.

Antonio Conte’s men were pushing for a late equaliser, taking 11 shots after half-time compared to the visitors’ four, but the Reds managed to hold their own to take all three points back to Merseyside and see out a first domestic away win of the season.

The Latest: Pearce’s reaction

Taking to Twitter, Pearce was impressed with how well Liverpool shut up shop in the closing stages and suggested that the result, which could represent a significant “step forward”, was much-needed after suffering back-to-back league defeats.

He wrote: “FT: Spurs 1 #LFC 2: Huge lift for Liverpool after their recent struggles domestically. Defended bravely and rode their luck to survive a late onslaught from the hosts after Kane had pulled one back. Salah’s first half double proved enough to secure a big 3pts. Step forward.”

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The Verdict: Moving in the right direction

Whilst Liverpool are effectively out of the title race due to already being 15 points adrift of leaders Arsenal, their main aim now has to be a top-four finish, and this victory was a huge step in the right direction.

Nottingham Forest and Leeds, who inflicted those two defeats in late October, are teams that the Reds should be beating, so to bounce back with a decent, gritty performance against a team in the top four was just what the doctor ordered.

With a place in the Champions League round of 16 confirmed, Klopp’s team are still more than capable of competing for big prizes, but they need to remain consistent if they are to be in the reckoning for silverware come the business end of the season.

Following a torrid run of form, and admittedly many seasons of mediocrity, Southampton have decided to call time on the Ralph Hasenhuttl era at the club.

Having won one of their last nine, the Austrian had led his side to the relegation zone with over a third of the Premier League season having been played.

It seemed a foregone conclusion that he would be sacked, and as is always the way it does not take long for the rumour mill to kick into gear.

Although Nathan Jones the most likely to be appointed after his success at Luton Town, perhaps his lack of top-flight experience could hinder him.

One report last month suggests that Dragan Solak might look to maintain the values upheld at the club but with a new manager, as Jesse Marsch denotes striking similarities with the recently departed manager.

It could be the perfect replacement, with both having graduated from the Red Bull school of thought to promote their philosophies in the Premier League, with varying success.

The American is admittedly enjoying a fine season thus far, having steered his side to 12th after overseeing a huge rebuild in the summer.

Having also steered Leeds United away from relegation last season, with their current position it could be the perfect move to bring him in early and hopefully avoid the late-season theatrics suffered at Elland Road.

Marsch and Hasenhuttl have actually endured similar careers, with RB Leipzig as their most recent job before moving to England.

The latter, however, only lasted in the job four months before agreeing to a mutual termination, with the German side having sat 11th in the Bundesliga. Before that, he excelled at RB Salzburg, where he won two leagues and two cups in just two seasons.

Despite being labelled a “strange coach” by journalist Josh Bunting, his unorthodox methods could be a refreshing change of pace for a side lacking any real creativity in the final third.

Should the Southampton hierarchy require a huge upturn in form, he could just be their man too. Despite losing his first two games in charge, a five-game unbeaten run surely aided them in surviving by just three points.

During his short time in Yorkshire, Marsch boasts 1.27 points per match, whilst in 151 Premier League games his competition only has 1.17.

Although it might not be a huge upgrade, his charisma and charm plus his slightly more forward-thinking philosophy could marry well with a side that has struggled for goals this season. Indeed, the Saints must surely consider the 48-year-old over Jones in the coming days.

Nathan Jones could be set to dip back into the Championship for a dream Southampton transfer, although he might have to wait until the summer…

What’s the latest?

As per journalist Graeme Bailey, speaking to TEAMtalk, Middlesborough’s Isaiah Jones is of interest to the Saints.

Bailey claimed: “No Middlesbrough player has benefited more from Michael Carrick’s appointment than Isaiah Jones.

“Carrick has switched him to right midfield from right back. And I am told that he is impressing a lot of clubs.

“He was already on the radar of the likes of Crystal Palace and West Ham. But now others are keen too including the likes of Wolves, Leicester and Southampton. But they can forget about a January raid.

“Boro’s play-off hopes have been reignited and Carrick is going to be backed. Which means they won’t be selling one of their prized assets.”

He’s a dream 

Although the 23-year-old has a strict hands-off policy until next summer, that does not prohibit Jones and his staff from admiring the youngster from afar.

This season Jones boasts three goals and three assists and seems set to hit a goal-contribution tally akin to last season’s ten.

These mark incredibly consistent numbers for someone so young, who clearly is already showing positional dexterity beyond his years.

Last season, he featured at least once in right midfield, left midfield, attacking midfield, left and right-wing and as a centre forward.

To bring him to St Mary’s, the new boss could truly mould the youngster into any kind of player he wants him to be.

His pedigree is already so high that even Wayne Rooney joined in with the praise, as his Derby County side fell victim to a fine Jones performance.

He showered him with the following praise: “He’s a very good player. 

“The lad has a bright future ahead of him and it was because of Jones that we felt we had to set up differently.

“We knew he’s very aggressive going forward and thought we could utilise the space behind but obviously that didn’t happen.”

With all the attributes to succeed at the top level, the south coast outfit could swoop in should Boro not find themselves in the playoffs.

It would mark a fine coup for Nathan Jones, who would land a dream signing due to the talent and malleability of the speedster.

Rangers are believed to be closing in on the appointment of the man who is set to replace Giovanni van Bronckhorst at Ibrox, with Mick Beale seemingly in line to make a return to the club to take on the top job.

The expectation among his current side is that the Englishman will be reunited with the Old Firm outfit in due course, having previously worked at Rangers as assistant coach to Steven Gerrard.

That coaching duo helped to guide the Old Firm side to Scottish Premiership glory during the 2020/21 campaign, with that triumph sealing a historic 55th league title for the Light Blues, while also ending Celtic’s nine-year dominance in the process.

The task this time around will be to bridge the gap to Ange Postecoglou’s side, with the Hoops currently nine points clear at the summit following a largely dominant start to the campaign.

With Beale needing to spark an instant revival once club action resumes at the end of next month, the 42-year-old will likely be looking to stamp his authority on a squad that he will largely be familiar with.

One way in which the Bromley-born visionary could trigger a turnaround in fortunes is by ruthlessly moving on misfiring asset, Alfredo Morelos, with the Colombian striker having scored just three goals so far this term amid what’s been an underwhelming campaign on a personal note and on a collective basis.

According to pundit Alan Hutton, it looks as if the 26-year-old himself is already angling for an exit, with the former Scotland international stating: “The likes of Morelos, to me, it looks like he wants out of there. He got the opportunity in the last game and it didn’t go well for him at all.

“He still looks that moody player and he’s not giving us that aggression on the pitch where he scores goals. I think someone like him will, possibly, leave.”

As Hutton previously stated, the former HJK Helsinki man was “really poor” during the draw with St Mirren last time out, having almost looked as if he was “sulking” as his woes in front of goal continued.

The £33k-per-week “pub amateur” – as described by journalist Graham Spiers – has looked a shadow of his former self of late, having previously been something of a talisman for the club with 115 goals in 243 games to date.

Perhaps the appointment of a familiar face in Beale could lead to a change of fortunes, although the up-and-coming coach may well see the wisdom in nudging the forward towards the exit door, particularly with the 11-cap dud having just a matter of months left on his existing deal.

Should Morelos not be keen to commit himself to the club for the long term, it may well be best to trigger a parting of ways in the winter window rather than wait until the summer, with a fresh start perhaps best for all parties.

The arrival of a new boss can typically lead to big decisions having to be made, with Beale’s first big task being to simply move on the 5 foot 10 brute.

Leeds United are set to enter into negotiations regarding a deal for Sasa Lukic after the Qatar World Cup.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Italian media outlet Calciomercato, who claim that, with Victor Orta having been heavily linked with a move for the Torino midfielder in recent weeks, ‘negotiations could begin’ for the 26-year-old later this month, shortly after the end of the World Cup.

The report goes on to state that Leeds are ‘closely following Lukic’ ahead of the January transfer window, however, the Premier League side are joined in their pursuit of the Serbia international by Jose Mourinho’s AS Roma – who are reportedly willing to offer Torino Marash Kumbulla in a player swap deal for the €15m (£13m) ace.

Marsch’s dream

Considering how impressive Lukic has been for Torino in recent seasons, in addition to the 26-year-old appearing to be something of a dream fit for Jesse Marsch’s high-pressing tactical set-up at Elland Road, it is not difficult to see why Orta would be keen to bring the midfielder to LS11 ahead of the second half of the Whites’ Premier League campaign.

Indeed, over his 35 Serie A fixtures last season, the £13m-rated engine was in fantastic attacking form, bagging five goals, providing four assists and creating five big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 0.9 shots, making 0.9 key passes and completing 0.8 dribbles – at a success rate of 74% – per game.

The central midfielder also caught the eye in metrics more typically associated with his position, making an average of 1.5 tackles, 0.7 interceptions and 1.1 clearances per match, in addition to completing an average of 42.8 passes – at a success rate of 88% – and winning 4.8 duels per match.

These returns saw the former FK Partizan Belgrade ace – who Jerry Mancini once praised for his impressive “pressing” against Torino’s city rivals Juventus – average an excellent SofaScore match rating of 7.03, ranking him as Ivan Jurić’s sixth-best performer in the Italian top flight last season.

Lukic has once again caught the eye for all the right reasons over his 12 league appearances this term, with the £22k-per-week talent having scored two goals and created two big chances for his side, as well as making an average of one key pass, 1.4 tackles, 0.8 interceptions and completing 38.8 passes – at a success rate of 89% – per game.

These metrics have seen the 26-year-old once again average an extremely impressive SofaScore match rating of 6.95, currently ranking him as Il Toro’s third-best performer in the league.

As such, with Lukic evidently being a forward-thinking, hard-working and intense pressing midfielder, it is clear to see just how well-suited the Serbia star would be in the heart of Marsch’s starting XI, leading us to believe that Orta must do everything in his power to beat Roma to the £13m signing of the Torino ace in January – as he appears a dream fit for the Whites.