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Crystal Palace talisman Wilfried Zaha will miss their home game against Burnley on Saturday as he faces a few weeks on the sidelines.

What’s the word?

Zaha is set to miss a period of football due to a hamstring injury he suffered against Newcastle United, Crystal Palace manager Roy Hodgson has confirmed.

The versatile forward came off during the 2-1 win over Newcastle and had to be replaced by Andros Townsend, and he is now set to face a lengthy spell out.

Hodgson had been hoping he would make a quick recovery but his hopes have been dashed as it appears he has suffered a fresh setback in his recovery from injury.

Speaking to reporters in his pre-match press conference, Hodgson said: “It’s only one week in, it’ll take more time to recover. Same applies to McArthur, McCarthy, Schlupp, Connor Wickham…”

Big setback for Hodgson

The timing couldn’t be much worse for the Eagles manager as he could really do with his star man right now as Palace play host to Burnley this afternoon looking to get back to winning ways in the Premier League following Monday night’s 2-0 defeat to Leeds United.

Palace have sorely missed Zaha and his attacking influence over the past week or so and will want him back as quickly as possible as they have looked lost for ideas and short of confidence in the final third during his recent absence.

A return of nine goals in 19 Premier League appearances this season sees him ranked first in the Palace squad. For context, that’s more goals than Christian Benteke, Eberechi Eze and Michy Batshuayi have scored between them this season thus far, as per WhoScored.

Palace have lacked his presence upfront as not only is he the club’s top scorer this season, he has also created chances for the likes of Batshuayi and Benteke, as evidenced by his 0.9 key passes per 90 in the Premier League.

Palace have only picked two wins in the past 18 games in the top flight Zaha has been forced to miss for various reasons.

Of all his teammates, only Eze (3) and Andros Townsend (3) have provided more assists than Zaha (2) in the Premier League this term, via WhoScored.

It’s no wonder Palace have struggled to score goals in the absence of the Ivory Coast international, so to potentially be without one of their key players for the upcoming fixtures against Brighton, Fulham and Tottenham Hotspur respectively will no doubt be a bitter pill for Hodgson to swallow.

AND in other news, Exciting one-time Palace target Ivan Toney making waves in the Championship…

Many Liverpool fans reacted in delight after links emerged regarding Borussia Dortmund superstar Erling Haaland.

According to Eurosport, the Reds are in the picture to capture the 20-year-old centre-forward next summer and are set to compete alongside Chelsea, Manchester City, Manchester United and Real Madrid for his signature, a report which was shared by the Anfield Watch Twitter account.

Haaland burst onto the scene with his former side FC Salzburg in his very first Champions League appearance – scoring a hat-trick and becoming the third-youngest player to do so on his first continental outing (via Opta).

The Norway international is believed to have a €75m (£64.5m) release clause that can be activated in 2022 and has scored an astonishing 43 goals from 43 appearances for the Bundesliga giants.

Unsurprisingly, supporters went wild over the links and begged Liverpool to bring Haaland to Merseyside next summer.

Fans gush over Haaland links

“If this happened, I would be so happy.”

Credit: @anfield_buzz

“Don’t bother monitoring. Get it done *NOW* sign him and get the business done early!!”

Credit: @Scoots081

“We need him”

Credit: @hugo_bergman04

“Håland & De Paul in the summer please guys”

Credit: @borgixprxdeli

“Get the deal done now”

Credit: @_almightymatt

“If we manage to get him it will actually be the biggest steal ever”

Credit: @BM2563

In other news, Liverpool fans accused club of masking truth after training ground images emerged.

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, Carlton Palmer talked about his former club Southampton and the dreadful run of form they have been in, prior to their win against basement club Sheffield United on Saturday.

The Saints had lost eight of their previous nine Premier League fixtures before heading to Bramall Lane. It has left them in the bottom half of the table and far from safety, leaving manager Ralph Hasenhuttl with plenty of work to do before the season ends.

During this disappointing period for the club, Hasenhuttl’s men have also lost 9-0 to Manchester United. This, of course, comes after their defeat to Leicester City by the same scoreline in the previous campaign.

Undoubtedly, Southampton are in a difficult moment, with Palmer admitting that he would be worried if he was in the St Mary’s dugout. The retired England international told FFC:

“There’s obviously something going on there that needs to be addressed. They’ve conceded a lot of points from winning positions and that can just be a mental thing that needs to be addressed.

“But certainly, if you get beat 9-0, and it’s not just happened once, it’s happened twice, I’d be worried about that if I was a manager, I really would. In this day and age, you shouldn’t be getting done 9-0.”

Indeed, Southampton’s form is worrying. However, assessing their upcoming fixtures, there is reason for Hasenhuttl’s team to be optimistic.

Following their game against Sheffield United at Bramall Lane, the Saints have a run of matches versus Brighton, Burnley, West Brom and Crystal Palace — teams all around them.

Before, however, they face a tough trip to the Etihad to take on runaway Premier League leaders Manchester City in what is likely to be another difficult day out for the Saints.

Many Crystal Palace fans are reacting to the latest comments from manager Roy Hodgson in which he discussed his decision to substitute Eberechi Eze at half-time against Tottenham on Sunday night.

The Eagles boss replaced him for talisman Wilfried Zaha, who had just returned from injury, and with the teams level at 1-1 going into half-time, it seemed like a strange decision no matter the quality of thr Ivorian.

As per The Athletic journalist Matt Woosnam on Twitter, Hodgson said: “He wasn’t injured. Someone had to make way for Wilf and we decided Eberechi was the player who would make way on this occasion.”

Many Palace fans obviously would have wanted to see Zaha, but to take off one of their better creative assets in Eze instead of the more defensive attacking players in Jordan Ayew or Andros Townsend has frustrated much of the fan base. Hodgson’s plan clearly backfired as the Eagles lost 4-1, and it might perhaps teach him to not change something which was going to plan.

With West Bromwich Albion coming in their next fixture, many fans will be hoping they get to see both Eze and Zaha start so that they can boost their chances of victory.

Here is how Palace fans reacted to the comments:

“Eze was key in our goal. Had 3 touches, kept the ball under pressure, and made smart passes to keep possession. Then he gets subbed.”

Credit: @mendy_9

“He decided to go for it at the wrong time I think.”

Credit: @ChrissyPalace

“In that case, this was definitely a terrible decision from Roy. Not sure what he was thinking with this one. Id imagine in his mind he’s thinking we can kick on and go on to win with Wilf, but he’s made the wrong change.”

Credit: @palacecarlton

“It looked a strange decision. They obviously had a plan to bring Wilf on regardless of the state of the game. The goal before halftime should have put that plan on hold.”

Credit: @GaryMor86753184

“Can’t wait for this season to be over”

Credit: @LouisWhite_

“I give up”

Credit: @James0911CPFC

In other news, many Palace fans reacted to this transfer update!

Former England midfielder Rob Lee has called for Thiago to be given time at Liverpool in an exclusive interview with Football FanCast.

Thiago, who joined the Reds from Bayern Munich in the last summer transfer window, has faced criticism for his lack of impact at Anfield since arriving. Speaking on talkSPORT back in January, host Adrian Durham described the 29-year-old as a “luxury player” in a scathing attack.

Lee, however, is refusing to be as critical, suggesting that Thiago needs time as he continues to adapt to English football.

On the topic of the Spain international, former Newcastle United star Lee exclusively told FFC:

“I think you look at Thiago and think, that was a good signing, that was a great signing. He plays differently. Liverpool will always press – Jordan Henderson and the other players, they’re always pressing.

“Maybe Klopp thought ‘there’s a different way we have to play. We have the ball the majority of the time, we need to retain the ball’.

“Thiago does that, he passes well. So, you just have to give him time. He’s certainly not a bad player.”

Thiago could not be blamed for feeling if he did feel like a bit of a scapegoat right now. Liverpool, as a whole unit, have simply not been performing well and it’s unfair to point fingers at just one man.

The Merseyside club have failed to score in any of their last three Premier League fixtures at home, succumbing to defeats against Fulham, Chelsea and Everton. Considering that, their issues may be further up the pitch, rather than in midfield.

Ultimately, with this being Thiago’s first season in English football, there is probably no reason for manager Jurgen Klopp to hit the panic button yet regarding the former Bayern Munich and Barcelona midfielder. As Lee suggested, he just needs more time.

Manchester United have been handed a considerable double injury boost ahead of their crunch clash with AC Milan.

According to the Red Devils’ official Twitter account, midfield pair of Donny van de Beek and Paul Pogba have returned to training ahead of the game at the San Siro.

The Dutchman has been out for the last eight games with a muscular injury. Meanwhile, Pogba has been restricted to the sidelines since early February.

Their respective returns give Red Devils’ boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer plenty of options as the team travel to Italy.

The Norwegian now has the choice to either rotate in Milan and bring the duo straight back in, or indeed slowly reintroduce them with substitute appearances ahead of what is set to be a hectic conclusion to the campaign.

However, with the likes of Scott McTominay, Fred and Nemanja Matic all stepping up to great effect recently, the United boss may not feel all too rushed in bringing either Pogba or van de Beek back too quickly.

Despite that excellent news, there was a negative piece of news from Solskjaer, with Edinson Cavani not travelling to Milan despite also returning to training.

The Uruguayan has missed the last three games and was thought to be ready to return against Milan to alleviate United’s current attacking injury crisis, with Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial have each suffered their own problems.

However, having not travelled to Italy, the former Napoli man will not be able to have a telling impact on the clash against the Rossoneri.

United continue to challenge on three fronts in the Premier League, UEFA Europa League and FA Cup so the fact that Solskjaer can welcome back his midfield duo for the closing months, and for the game against Milan, will be a huge boost.

AND in more news, read how a battle between a former Red Devils hero and Harry Maguire could be key in deciding the victors at the San Siro…

Despite making his return from injury a few weeks ago, it’s fair to say that Aston Villa winger Trezeguet hasn’t quite hit the ground running.

The Egypt international missed the entirety of December and most of January through injury, and made his comeback in a 2-0 victory over Newcastle.

Since then, however, he has yet to score a goal or provide even a single assist, and it raises some real questions about Dean Smith’s decision to bring him into the starting line-up for the past couple of games in the Premier League.

With Anwar El Ghazi fully fit now, there’s no excuses for Smith to move Trezeguet out and bring the Dutchman back into the team.

The £9m-rated Trezeguet ranks as the second-worst Villa player in the entire squad out of those who have started at least ten games this season, and that’s a damning indictment on just how little he has impressed – even centre-back Kortney Hause has managed to find the back of the net more than him.

Speaking earlier this season to Football Insider, Agbonlahor said about the £9m-rated ace: “I said it after the Brighton game on Twitter and Villa fans weren’t happy with my comment about him not being able to finish his dinner. In the Premier League, you get punished for not taking easy chances like that. If that ball fell to anyone else but Trezeguet, they would have scored.

“I just feel his all game is a bit erratic, he works hard but his final ball at times was poor. He makes the wrong decision a lot. As much as working hard is important in football, there has to be some quality there because otherwise, it’s going to cost you.”

While Trezeguet’s work-rate and endeavour off the ball is all well and good, his lack of quality when in possession is something Villa just can’t keep glossing over.

Smith simply has to drop him from the starting line-up against Tottenham tonight.

Meanwhile, Villa are making a big mistake over signing this midfielder…

Some Sunderland fans were far from happy with the performance of Josh Scowen despite their 1-0 victory over Bristol Rovers on Saturday.

The Black Cats are currently enjoying a strong run as they attempt to earn promotion to the Championship. They are currently third in the League One table and are unbeaten in their last 10 matches in the division (Sky Sports). They are just three points off the top of the table with two games in hand, too (BBC).

Aiden O’Brien scored the only goal of the game to secure another three points for the Wearside outfit, but many Sunderland fans were not best pleased with Scowen. He completed only 41% of his passes and lost possession a huge 24 times in the middle of the park – the second-most of any Black Cats player (SofaScore). Quite frankly, he must do better if Lee Johnson’s men are to continue their promotion charge.

These supporters took to social media platform Twitter to share their thoughts on the 27-year-old’s “dreadful” display at the Memorial Stadium.

Let’s see what these fans had to say about Scowen

“really poor, NO service coming in for Wyke, is Winesta playing today? Scowen, Gooch and Power have been dreadful and has O’Nien finally be found out as a back up CB.”

Credit: @gazk_mackem

“Never in doubt, love an ugly win. However Scowen is starting to infuriate me!”

Credit: @CLQ_W1LKS

“What do Gooch and Scowen bring to the team . Both are performing poorly in my opinion.”

Credit: @safctim

“How does Scowen even make it on there, awful”

Credit: @RyanC2408

“Scowen may press well but he doesn’t retain the ball well off and gives away needless free kicks , 6 at best.”

Credit: @Keiith_C_1971

“Get Scowen off now eeeeey”

Credit: @tomdawson97

In other news, many Sunderland fans are delighted with this injury update.

All in all, it was a pretty successful day of international football if you’re an Aston Villa fan.

Ollie Watkins marked his England debut by scoring in a 5-0 thrashing of San Marino, while Tyrone Mings also featured in the drubbing of the minnows.

However, one man who arguably outshone Villa’s Three Lions contingent was John McGinn.

The £34m-rated midfielder was the star of the show as Scotland rescued a late 2-2 draw at home to Austria on Thursday night, with the Villa man scoring an incredible overhead kick in the final few minutes.

It wasn’t just his superb goal which saw McGinn really stand out for the Tartan Army, with the 26-year-old really showing a defensive nous and in holding down the midfield alongside Scott McTominay.

As per Sofascore, his tally of four interceptions was the highest of any player on the pitch, and he could be often seen shuttling across the pitch to close down the passing lanes into Austria’s two-man strike force.

McGinn was also a threat at the other end of the pitch, with his usual energy and dynamism seeing him pop up in the opposition box, as he did for his goal – his total of three shots on goal were the joint-most of any Scot.

Writing in his post-match player ratings for The Scottish Sun, Kenny MacDonald gave McGinn a seven, noting: “30th cap for the Villa man started in an oddly withdrawn midfield role before being freed when McGregor came on – and responded with fabulous technique to level with eighth international goal.

The display sent a huge message to Villa manager Dean Smith about what McGinn can bring to the table, with the midfielder facing added competition for places at Villa Park thanks to the arrival of Morgan Sanson in the January transfer window.

With the likes of Douglas Luiz and Marvelous Nakamba also battling out for those all-important midfield spots, McGinn’s Scotland masterclass will have been a timely reminder to Smith of his qualities.

Meanwhile, Gregg Evans has delivered a major transfer update on Aston Villa…

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, former Sheffield Wednesday midfielder Carlton Palmer has knocked back the idea of Osaze Urhoghide being ready for a Premier League move this summer.

According to the Sheffield Star, Urhoghide has caught the attention of top-flight sides Leeds United and Crystal Palace, while Watford are also said to have an eye on the central defender.

Urhoghide, who is still just 20 years of age, only broke into Wednesday’s first team at the start of the year, since going on to make 11 Championship appearances for the club, hence why Palmer is not too convinced by the recent links.

Discussing the possibility of Urhoghide leaving Hillsborough in the next transfer window for the Premier League, the retired England international told FFC:

“How many league games has he played this season? I don’t think he’s played 20 Championship league games. So you can’t just start saying that kid’s got into the first team, done well – and he’s done well – and then start linking him with Premier League clubs.”

Speaking about the speculation surrounding Urhoghide’s future further, Palmer added:

“That’s what we do in the UK, somebody comes on the scene and all of a sudden, they’ve started playing well. And then after 10-15 games, they should be joining Barcelona, doesn’t work that way.”

Still just 20 years of age, there is certainly no need for Urhoghide to rush into anything. If the Wednesday youngster maintains the level of form he has shown since breaking into the first team at Hillsborough, then there is likely to be more interest in the future.