Tottenham Hotspur have revealed that forward Son Heung-min fractured his right arm against Aston Villa on Sunday and will undergo surgery on the injury this week (via tottenhamhotspur.com).

The official statement says that, following the surgery, the club’s medical staff will review management options in terms of the South Korean’s rehabilitation, but they admit that they expect him to be out for a number of weeks. Despite picking up the injury early on in the game at Villa Park, the 27-year-old still managed to complete 90 minutes and scored two goals, including a dramatic late winner (BBC Sport).

Losing him is a huge blow for Spurs, both in their aspirations to finish in the top four and also in the Champions League in which they face RB Leipzig in the first leg of their last 16 tie tonight. It leaves the club extremely short of firepower – Son has scored 16 goals in all competitions this season (Transfermarkt) and he joins 17-goal Harry Kane (Transfermarkt) on the sidelines, with the England skipper having been ruled out until at least April (tottenhamhotspur.com).

Naturally, most Tottenham fans are absolutely gutted that Son has been ruled out for several weeks, with several taking to Twitter to express their disappointment. Here is what some had to say…

Spurs fans, can you finish in the top four despite Son’s injury? Let us know below…

West Ham’s victory over Southampton was huge for their Premier League survival hopes.

The 3-1 triumph pulls them out of the relegation zone, pushing them up to 16th in the table in the process. They are still level on points with Bournemouth, who dropped down to 18th last weekend despite drawing 2-2 with Chelsea, but things look a lot rosier for David Moyes and his players.

It was actually the Saints who dominated possession, having the ball 67% of the time compared to 33%, but they were far more dangerous in front of goal with seven shots on target compared to two. Moyes can be happy with the displays from several of his players, and Pablo Fornals was one of those to shine the brightest.

The Spaniard was heavily involved in the Hammers’ attacking play, managing two assists in the process. He can be proud of his showing across the 90 minutes.

Of course, the only reason he started this clash was arguably down to Tomas Soucek’s injury. The Czech Republic international joined on loan from Slavia Prague in January but was forced off against Liverpool early in the second half, with Fornals replacing him.

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His goal in the second 45 minutes of that clash off the bench saw him start against the south-coast side – his first inclusion in the starting XI in six matches – and he repaid his manager’s faith.

It has been a mixed debut campaign for the 23-year-old. There have been some good moments since joining from Villarreal – he does have two goals and five assists in the Premier League so far – but he was lambasted by portions of the club’s fanbase earlier in the campaign for what they have seen as lacklustre showings.

Despite being an attacking midfielder by trade, Fornals has played an awful lot on the wing. He has played 13 matches on the left or right flank, as per Transfermarkt, which is more than he has played in the number 10 role. However, Soucek’s injury has forced Mark Noble to move back to a deeper role alongside Declan Rice, giving Fornals the opportunity to return to his favoured position – in 133 minutes of football since then, he has a goal and two assists.

The loanee’s injury woes have ended up rejuvenating Fornals, a player the Irons spent £24m on just last summer. And clearly, if he is at his best, it gives the London outfit a greater chance of success. Even when Soucek returns, Moyes should think long and hard whether it is right to re-introduce him straight back into the side.

Elsewhere, this struggling West Ham man was in superb form at the London Stadium this weekend.

Gylfi Sigurdsson was given the privilege of captaining Everton against Chelsea on Sunday but an uninspired display all round lead to a 4-0 hammering.

The Iceland international encapsulated the dire nature of the Toffees’ performance as he didn’t create a single chance and made just two passes to the attacking final third.

As an attacking midfielder it is his responsibility to act as the creative force, but Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Richarlison had just one clear cut chance between them, and that came due to a mistake from Chelsea’s Kurt Zouma.

Unsurprisingly, fans reacted to the match by aiming criticism in Sigurdsson’s direction, as a lot more is expected of the 30-year-old due to his £45m transfer fee and reported weekly wage of £100,000 a week.

It will be interesting to see what Carlo Ancelotti makes of the midfielder’s performances and if he makes changes to the team as a result, either with other players in his squad or with signings in the summer.

At the very least, the Italian boss needs to do something to bring about an improvement in Sigurdsson’s performances, as he has contributed just one goal and two assists in the league this term.

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However, and possibly because of his poor goal return, many fans are now fed up with the Icelander and are keen for him to be sold, despite him often being one of the first names on the teamsheet.

Call yourself an Everton expert? How much did each of these January signings cost?

On a more positive note, one Everton player is proving that he has an exciting future ahead of him with his performances on loan…

Matt Woosnam has been speaking glowingly about Christian Benteke, after Crystal Palace’s 1-0 win over Watford during a Q&A on The Athletic.

What did he say?

He may not have scored the goal against the relegation-threatened Hornets, but Benteke did make an impact for Roy Hodgson’s side.

That has been a theme of recent times, as the Belgian has started all of Palace’s last five league games, scoring one goal and assisting another during that time.

Woosnam was asked about the 29-year-old, and he replied:

“His work for the goal might go unnoticed because of how good Ayew’s finish was. But he was strong and held off Doucoure (ridiculous to go to VAR, by the way) then played the perfect ball to Zaha. Then, when everyone was screaming to shoot, he laid the ball off neatly to McArthur for his pass to Ayew.

“Watching him and Ayew absolutely ruin the Watford defence in the corner at the end was rather entertaining, too. But overall his contribution was brilliant. Seen people talk about him almost being like Chamakh was, and whilst I think Chamakh was more effective in that role, it’s definitely something I can understand and see myself, too.

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“Must be rewarding for him as well to find some kind of form again having gone so long with such a poor goalscoring record. You can imagine Roy Hodgson will be delighted that he can accomodate him in his side again. Who knows, maybe he might even do so well in this role that Palace decide he is worth keeping around for a bit longer!”

Showing his worth

There is certainly reason to believe that Benteke is worth keeping around, as has been shown during this game.

Did he really play for us?! No Palace fan has managed to name all of these obscure Eagles signings….

He could be a battering ram of a frontman at times, as he won 11 aerial duels – two more than anyone else on the pitch – while he was also successful with the one tackle he attempted during the game, as well as making five clearances.

There was also creativity in the striker’s play though, as he was joint-top alongside Abdoulaye Doucoure with four key passes, and managed to complete two dribbles.

All of the above doesn’t even take into account his involvement in the only goal of the game – indicating that even if he doesn’t get an official contribution, Benteke can make his mark.

With that in mind, it could definitely be worth ensuring the Belgian stays at Selhurst Park past the current campaign.

Meanwhile, Steve Parish is on the verge of making a massive mistake.

Paul Pogba is expected to return to training for Manchester United this week, as reported by The Athletic.

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The Frenchman is said to have been completing training with Michael Carrick during his recovery, and is about to embark on his first full training session after an ankle operation in January.

Excitement may have been expected following this update, but it seems that United fans are far from impressed with him.

Some fans feel that their club is better off without the World Cup winner, and some have gone as far as to call him a “virus”.

Pogba has played a total of 150 games for United since moving from Juventus, scoring 31 goals and assisting another 31, but fans are still unhappy with him.

How well do you really know the Premier League’s greatest ever manager? Find out below…

One fan said “we don’t want him anymore” and it could be said that their new talisman, Bruno Fernandes, could be in a position to help Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side thrive without Pogba, having recorded three goals and four assists in his first nine games for the club.

There are some fans who have suggested that Pogba doesn’t even want to play for the club anymore.

So far this campaign, the 27-year-old has managed just eight appearances across the entire campaign, recording two assists in that time.

The fact that he has returned to action twice, lasting for just one and two games respectively, will not have helped his image among the supporters.

Meanwhile, Solskjaer has outlined his philosophy.

According to Calciomercato, AC Milan would be willing to part ways with long-term Wolves target Franck Kessie for just €25m (£23.3m).

What’s the word, then?

Well, the Ivory Coast international was the subject of a mega-money bid from the Midlands-based side in 2018.

Back then, Fosun offered a whopping €40m (£37.2m) for the former Atalanta man, plus €20m (£18.6m) in bonuses which was rejected by the Italian giants.

Following on from that bid, Wolves were again believed to be planning a swoop for Kessie as recently as November ahead of the January window, when Gazzetta revealed that the club were plotting to invest more than €20m in the Ivorian’s services.

However, no move to Molineux materialised, but following Calciomercato’s recent report on AC Milan’s new asking price, perhaps it was a bullet dodged for Fosun.

Why was it a bullet dodged?

At a first glance, Kessie’s stock has clearly been dented for whatever reason seeing as AC Milan are now happy to take just £23.3m for him, having rejected an offer of over half that sum in 2018.

For a club to turn down an offer of nearly £60m for a player, only to then deem his asking price as roughly a third of that figure means questions have to be asked in regards to how efficient a use of cash that would’ve been from Wolves, had their 2018 offer been accepted.

However, what also makes this situation feel like Fosun dodged a bullet in 2018 is the fact that Nuno Espirito Santo already has a wealth of midfield options, and the 23-year-old may not have fitted into the side anyway given the Wolves boss’ stubbornness.

Call yourself a Wolves expert? How much did each of these January signings cost?

Nuno has used just 20 players in the Premier League this season, fewer than any other club, and with the likes of Ruben Neves, Joao Moutinho, Leander Dendoncker, Morgan Gibbs-White and Bruno Jordao all vying for a starting role, it feels far from certain that Kessie would have even been one of the first names on the teamsheet.

In other news, this Jorge Mendes client has proven to be an excellent value for money addition by Fosun…

After Rangers starlet Dapo Mebude wheeled away in delight following a goal in the 2019 Scottish FA Youth Cup final, the striker decided to emulate the celebration of Kylian Mbappe.

A knee slide with arms folded, the confidence and aura surrounding the 18-year-old was clear to see as the Gers went onto beat their Old Firm rivals.

This wasn’t the first time Mebude showed class above his age, however.

The young forward is comfortably one of the rising stars of the Ibrox academy – the very fact he played in the first-team under Gerrard last term shows as much. Yet, that outing against Kilmarnock in 2018/19 remains his only appearance for the senior side.

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That’s not due to a lack of effort because he’s regularly been training with the more experienced members at Rangers – it’s simply because the manager doesn’t deem him ready yet.

Indeed, the very fact he’s competing for a spot with Alfredo Morelos, a man with 29 strikes this term means it’s difficult, while the arrival of Florian Kamberi didn’t help his cause either.

In terms of playing time, Jermain Defoe is also in his way.

Funnily enough, the former Premier League forward is the teenager’s mentor, guiding him on and off the pitch in his quest for stardom.

The duo shared a lovely exchange on Instagram in late 2019 as Defoe claimed he’d be scoring goals for years.

Mebude has a great affection for the 37-year-old, explaining in March how he’s being assisted: “I think the main one [in the first-team to give advice] is Jermain Defoe”, Mebude told Rangers TV. “I think everyone has seen how he took me under his wing and gave me a lot of advice.”

U20s manager Graeme Murty has also opened up on their relationship in the past, stating: “Dapo has a great relationship with Jermain Defoe. He has been fantastic with Dapo and gives him advice on things he has to work on.”

Despite that, Mebude was on fire before the ex-Tottenham man even arrived in Glasgow.

A football legend: Can you get over 80% on this Gazza quiz? Find out now…

A hat-trick off the bench for the reserves when he was just 17 is fine evidence of that. The prodigy isn’t just someone who has burst onto the scene now – he’s been impressing for quite a while.

Described as someone who has “lightning-quick pace”, the forward put pen to paper on a new deal in December 2018 that will keep him in Glasgow until 2021.

Whatever happens to Mebude beyond that will be intriguing to oversee, but the starlet certainly has a bright future within the game if he continues to do what he’s been doing.

Meanwhile, meet the kid who could become Glen Kamara’s SUCCESSOR at Rangers…

[Manchester Evening News journalist Simon Bajkowski has said that Manchester City will not stand in Jack Harrison’s way this summer if the price is right, in an interview with Leeds Live.

What did he say?

Harrison has had an impressive season with Leeds so far, starting all 37 of their Championship fixtures and proving five goals and seven assists.

Now in his second season on loan at Elland Road, Harrison has become a favourite of Marcelo Bielsa’s but is yet to make an appearance for his parent club Manchester City.

Asked whether City will stand in the 23-year-old’s way this summer should he wish to move on, Bajkowski said that they would let him leave provided the price is right.

“Not if it was for the right price, although as just mentioned, who knows what state the transfer market will be in,” he told Leeds Live.

“Will around £8m in a few months be the same value as it was last season? Will Leeds be offering Premier League or Championship football? If the player wants to go I think he will go with City’s blessing, but only for the right price.”

Quiz: How much do you remember of Leeds’ last Premier League season?

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Moving on

At 23 years of age, the time is probably right for Harrison to pursue a permanent move away from the Etihad Stadium.

In two seasons at Leeds he has proved his value at Championship level and it would not be a surprise if Leeds tried to make his stay a permanent one this summer.

Of course, this is subject to change because of the current economic climate, but signing Harrison would be a prudent move.

As Kevin Pietersen completes his journey from leader to foot-soldier in the England dressing room, Andrew Strauss has urged his team to “think on their feet” on the eve of their departure to the Caribbean.Strauss was named England captain last week, following Pietersen’s resignation after his high-profile clash with the coach, Peter Moores, who was sacked. Strauss, England’s interim captain in 2006 when Michael Vaughan was injured but who was overlooked for the captaincy in the subsequent Ashes, insisted that his players must begin to take responsibility for their form.”We want to get back to doing what do we best, playing cricket and winning Test matches,” said Strauss. “My belief is we want to see players think on their feet out in the middle, take responsibility for the situation and not leave it to someone else.”The only way we can do that is to give them more responsibility off the field as well. I’m challenging my players to start thinking a bit more about what they need to do in terms of preparation and I’m giving them a lot more flexibility to do that.”England travel to the West Indies without a head coach, with Andy Flower – Moores’s assistant during his tenure – acting as an unofficial interim, supported by Phil Neale, the team operations manager, and other specialist coaches and support staff. “I suppose the coaches will play more of an advisory or consultancy role,” Strauss said. “It’s vitally important the players are challenged to think for themselves.”Pietersen had his first net at Lord’s last week since stepping down as captain and, despite concerns that he could hot-foot it to India to play in the Indian Premier League, has the full support of Strauss who yesterday was adamant that he would score “millions of runs” for England.”Kevin was his normal self when we met up,” said Strauss. “I’ve never seen Kevin show a negative side to him since the first day I met him. He’s very positive, he doesn’t dwell on the past and I’m sure he’s already plotting ways of spanking the West Indies bowlers all over the place.”Pietersen has not, however, been named on the team’s management committee for the Tests against West Indies, which will instead comprise Andrew Flintoff, Paul Collingwood, Alastair Cook and Stuart Broad, with Pietersen stepping in for the ODIs when Cook flies home.”The reality is that I thought that this was something that functioned very well under Duncan Fletcher,” said Strauss. “It is a great way for the management to get feedback from the players as to how things are going – what things are going well and what is going badly. But also it is crucial for the players to have a voice. The last thing I want is a ‘them and us’ atmosphere in the dressing room.”But you can’t have all the players in that management group, otherwise it would not function properly. I will be very, very keen to get as many views as I can from KP in the coming weeks. I suppose as much as anything it is a case of gradually re-introducing him. Looking forward he is going to play a very big role, but he has had a lot on his plate very recently. It is very important that he has the ability to concentrate on his batting and getting the runs that we know he can.

Instead, Collingwood and Flintoff will represent the senior members of the squad, with Cook and Broad – two potential future captains – also given their chance to air their views. “I wanted to bring a couple of the younger players in and I think that it is important to develop them going forward,” said Strauss. “I know that those senior players involved have got very strong thoughts on how we can go forward and I would like to hear those. I think it is very healthy and I think it is going to help us.”It was very important that KP was on the one-day leg, partly because he has been captaining [in] one-day cricket recently, and I haven’t. Also that he has got a huge amount to offer one-day cricket in terms of the way he looks to play opposition bowlers. It is very important that we involve him as much as possible – that is not seen to be involving him, it is just because he is an important part of the dressing room.”Dressing-room unity will be crucial to England’s fortunes in a series in which they are favourites, but against opponents whom it is unwise to write off. “We want to win both the Test and one-day series and start building some momentum before an important summer,” said Strauss. “The West Indies are now a very dangerous side. The likes of Ramnaresh Sarwan, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Chris Gayle and Fidel Edwards are all very dangerous cricketers.”When it comes to dangerous cricketers, however, England have a few of their own, not least Steve Harmison, who was at his absolute zenith on their last tour to the Caribbean in 2003-04. He launched the series at Sabina Park with career-best figures of 7 for 12, and later in the year was rated the leading fast bowler in the world.”If Steve Harmison is bowling well and at 90mph, he’s the first name on pretty much any team sheet in the world,” said Strauss. “Clearly he’s as frustrated as anyone that he hasn’t been able to do that as consistently as he’d like, but I’ve spoken to him a couple of times since we’ve come back from India and he has a clear understanding of where he needs to go to bowl consistently at that sort of pace.”In keeping with giving players responsibility I’m quite happy with what he’s said to me in terms of how he’s going to get there. I’m confident. He’s a very important player for us in terms of the threat that he gives us on the pitch. But off the pitch he’s a shoulder to cry on for some of the younger players and that’s very useful. We all feel this could be a really big tour for him and looking forward to the Ashes if he can hit his straps on this tour we’re in a good position.”For the moment, a return to winning ways would be a start, although in terms of assessing their progress, England have little to gain on this trip. West Indies and New Zealand (twice) are the only two nations that England beat during Moores’s time in charge, both of whom are ranked among the weaker opponents. Strauss pressed the need for England to rediscover the tough streak which made them so formidable in the run-up to the 2005 Ashes.”We’ve been playing some decent cricket over the last year but we haven’t nailed it home when we’ve needed to,” he said. “If we can start being a little bit more ruthless in the way we play, we are a match for most sides.”

Loads of Newcastle fans have been reacting to a tweet from The Telegraph’s Luke Edwards, who slammed Premier League clubs placing their staff on furlough.

Liverpool became the third Premier League club to place a number of non-playing staff on the government’s job retention scheme this weekend, angering many in the process.

Newcastle were of course the first top-flight outfit to take this measure, something which is hardly surprising given who is in charge at St. James’ Park, and Tottenham were not far behind.

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And although Liverpool have opted to top up their employees’ wages to 100 per cent, Edwards shared his disappointment with clubs taking advantage of the scheme.

Toon fans were in full agreement with the journalist, as one Magpies supporter said it is “disgusting” while another said clubs who use it should be banned from making transfers.

Check out some of the best Twitter reactions down below…

Some Toon fans are still fuming at something that happened in 2017…