talkSPORT

'It's too soon'

Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou has been speaking to the press ahead of Spurs' game against Brighton on Sunday.

The north London club were in action last night in the Europa League and beat Hungarian side Ferencvaros 2-1 in a nervy encounter.

Destiny Udogie played no part after picking up a knock against Manchester United, while there was no Heung-min Son either.

And it's good news for one, but bad for the other, with Udogie expected to be fine, but Spurs will still be without their captain.

When asked about injuries, Postecoglou said: "Fairly tired, but physically, no issues from last night's game.

"Destiny we think will be okay, training today and tomorrow.

"Sonny is unlikely, he's pushing hard, but it is too soon."

'He's going to run out of lives'

talkSPORT's Alex Crook thinks that Erik ten Hag's time as Manchester United manager is nearly up and is likely to end at the weekend when they face Aston Villa.

The Red Devils scraped a 3-3 draw with Porto in the Europa League last night, needing Harry Maguire to score a last-gasp equaliser.

One of the stranger decisions made by Ten Hag was to take Marcus Rashford off at half time despite the England international scoring and causing havoc down the left wing.

After the match, Ten Hag revealed that Rashford wasn't injured, and it was simply 'rotation'.

This decision baffled Crook.

Speaking to talkSPORT, he said: "The Rashford substitution at half-time was utterly bizarre. Unless he’s injured, which we now know that he wasn’t, this was a complete headsgone from Ten Hag. He scores one goal, he makes another, for him not to come out for the second half was appalling management.

"Ten Hag needs wins, he needs performances and he got neither last night. He was 2-0 up and looked like they were cruising, then as they always do under Ten Hag they suddenly look vulnerable at the back and all of a sudden they’re 3-2 down. It’s utterly chaotic.

"He brings on Maguire and he’s got lucky because Maguire has gone up and scored a superb header.

"But that’s not great management, that’s just luck, and he’s going to run out of lives in the end, and I think he’ll probably run out of lives against Aston Villa at Villa Park on Sunday."

Sob on the Tyne

Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe has confirmed that Alexander Isak will not be fit for the Toon's game against Everton tomorrow.

The Swedish striker wasn't called up for his country's Nations League games next week, suggesting he wouldn't play on Merseyside, and Howe has confirmed that is the case.

Isak picked up a toe injury during Newcastle's 2-1 win over Wolves.

He played the 3-1 defeat to Fulham but couldn't be involved in the 1-1 draw against Manchester City, and he's now expected back after the international break.

Callum Wilson is also out, meaning Anthony Gordon is likely to lead the line once more on his return to Goodison Park.

But Nick Pope, Kieran Trippier and Fabian Schar are all fit.

Speaking to the press, Howe said: "Alex Isak will not make the game. We hope he will be back with Callum Wilson for the game after the international break."

Scholesy on the money

Manchester United scraped a 3-3 draw against Porto last night in the Europa League, and the performance of their centre-backs was a concern.

The Red Devils were 2-0 in front but found themselves 3-2 down, needing Harry Maguire to step off the bench to rescue a point.

They also had Bruno Fernandes sent off for two bookable offences.

But the real issue was just how poor Matthijs de Ligt and Lisandro Martinez were.

De Ligt was beaten to two crosses by Porto's Samu Omorodion, who scored twice, while Maguire came on and saved the day.

Certainly, it was a performance that made Paul Scholes' comments about De Ligt appear true.

Speaking on a recent edition Sky Sports' Fan Debate, Scholes revealed he didn't think there was too much difference between Maguire and De Ligt.

He said: "I am not sure it's that much of an upgrade.

"He might be slightly better, but he's not a massive improvement."

Walks' return

Another player to be recalled to Lee Carsley's side for England's upcoming Nations League games is Kyle Walker.

The Manchester City right-back was given extra time off after helping the Three Lions reach the Euro 2024 final.

So when Carsley picked his first England squad as interim boss, Walker hadn't featured for his club, so he was left at home.

However, now that he's back in the team, Walker has been recalled into the Three Lions side, with Newcastle's Valentino Livramento missing out.

Speaking about Walker's recall after announcing his squad, Carsley said: "Before the last squad, he hadn't played a minute for Manhchester City.

"He's a player I've never worked with, but we are looking forward to having him back.

"I know what he's done in the past, and we think he can help the young players as well."

'It's nothing to do with form'

Interim England manager Lee Carsley has revealed his squad for the upcoming Nations League games.

The unlucky members to miss out were Eberechi Eze, Jarrod Bowen, Harry Maguire and Valentino Livramento.

However, Carsley has assured those players that they still have long-term futures with the Three Lions, while he also insisted none of them had been dropped due to form.

When asked about those four, he said: "This was more a chance of me looking at other players.

"Certainly, it's nothing to do with form or anything like that.

"The players I left out all had a chance of being involved, I've spoken to all of them and made it totally clear that this is sort-term, and they just need to keep playing well for their clubs."

He was also asked specifically about Maguire and made clear that the Manchester United centre-back's England career isn't over.

"Harry is a player I've worked with in the past.

"It was a case of talking to him about my decision, but Harry still has a really important part to play in future squads."

Dom's on target

England manager Lee Carsley has been speaking to the press after naming his squad for the upcoming Nations League games against Greece and Finland.

Dominic Solanke has earned a recall for the first time since 2017 after scoring 19 Premier League goals last season.

He also has two in his last two for Tottenham, and Carsley is excited to work with him.

When asked about Solanke's inclusion, he said: "Dom is a player I am fully aware of. He was very close to making the last squad.

"He did so well at Bournemouth, and he's taken that into his time at Spurs.

"He's got a lot of attributes I really like, as well as being a really nice person."

Rogers is ready

talkSPORT's Adrian Durham believes that Aston Villa's Morgan Rogers is ready to play for England.

Rogers has made a breakout this season in the Premier League, becoming a regular starter for Unai Emery's side.

And Durham thinks the U21 international's form proves he's worthy of a first senior Three Lions call-up.

"I love players who want the ball, even when the chips are down and against difficult opponents," the talkSPORT presenter explained.

"This [Rogers] is a proper footballer.

"And when Villa signed him in the January window, I don't think anybody thought that he'd be ready for the first team this season.

"But he looks ready for England, nevermind the Aston Villa first team.

"He's a quality footballer and with the amount of young players who have come through in that team, what a credit to the football club."

'They always speak about weight'

Kalvin Phillips has opened up about his frustration at constant comments about his weight.

Phillips was labelled 'overweight' by Man City boss Pep Guardiola after the 2022 World Cup and the midfielder went on to describe it as the 'toughest moment of his career'.

Guardiola did apologise for the comment, but the now-Ipswich loanee has revealed the knock-on effect that those words had.

And he also went into detail about how it has been a consistent issue since he was at Leeds under Marcelo Bielsa.

"Bielsa is obsessed with body composition and weights," Phillips explained on the 'My Mate's A Footballer' podcast.

"And I was on the higher end of the team, if not the highest.

"We had a pre-season where for three weeks I'd go home and I'd literally just have a protein shake for my dinner.

"I just had to keep losing weight, losing weight. He was like that until the last week I was there. He always pushed me to be on a certain weight target.

"I obviously respected it, but I knew that I couldn't starve myself or dehydrate myself because eventually, I was going to get injured or stop performing.

"Only recently, since I've come to Ipswich, have I got to the target, round about, that Biesla set me.

"The manager here is very big on body composition as well and I thought 'I'm not getting off to a bad start here, I need to make sure my weight's on point'."

"It's just become a narrative with me," Phillips continued.

"You obviously heard about the time when Pep [Guardiola] came out and said that I was overweight after the World Cup. That narrative on social media just grew and grew into something that it wasn't.

"Every club I'd go to, the manager and nutritionist, they'd always speak about weight before they'd say anything else. At a point it peed me off a little bit. I was getting quite frustrated with it.

"Now I've come to Ipswich and the manager is an unbelievable person as well as a manager. We spoke about all the past stuff that happened in my career. He just said he wanted me to get to where I was when I was at Leeds."

Call them up, Carsley

Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou has called for interim England boss Lee Carsley to pick two of his biggest stars in the squad.

Postecoglou has piled praise on James Maddison for his recent form and also on Dominic Solanke for his scoring streak.

Speaking on Wednesday, he said: “I think Madders has been outstanding so far this year. His form from the first game has been really strong physically.

“I’ve said a few times that he’s back at the levels where he can play in the manner he wants to and do everything he wants in a game.

“In the last two or three weeks he’s had an effect on goals and assists as well, which always gets highlighted with players in his position, but his general play has been outstanding.

“I’m sure if he continues in that vein he will be in the conversation for England squads moving forward.”

And on Solanke, Postecoglou added: “He’s getting up there now in terms of physical fitness, I think every game he looks like he’s getting stronger.

“It’s a demanding role up front for us, it’s not just about goals, it’s about his link-up play and pressing.

“We’ve put a fair amount of workload on him, even though he’s missed a couple of games.

“I can see he’s getting strong. Obviously the goals help. He’s a striker.

"He wants to score goals and that helps him to feel better about the beginning of his career here.

“I think he’s in great condition, he’s already made a big impact at our football club, but I’m even more excited about what’s ahead and the potential we have as a team and he as an individual and that he can make a significant impact.”

'His potential is huge'

Aston Villa's Jhon Duran continues to prove himself as an up-and-coming star in the world of football.

Duran has only played 303 minutes this season, with almost all of his appearances coming off the bench.

The 20-year-old continues to play as an understudy to Ollie Watkins in the Premier League and other competitions.

But he's still managed to score six goals in that time and his latest was an historic one against Bayern Munich last night.

And following that Champions League goal, Villa manager Unai Emery spoke about the Colombian striker.

Emery said: "He arrived here two years ago and he is young, his potential is huge.

"Sometimes he has been impatient and I need to speak to him as a person and connect to him as a person.

"As well as a player to try to let him play, putting him on the field because his talent is there and the capacity to help us."

Need for speed

Tottenham defender Micky van de Ven has unsurprisingly been clocked as the fastest Premier League player this season.

After a marauding run set up Brennan Johnson's opener away at Manchester United on Sunday, he then sprinted back before half-time to tackle Alejandro Garnacho.

It saw him reach a staggering 37.12 km/h in the process.

Not only was this the fastest any Premier League player has run so far this term, it was also the fourth highest speed recorded since data began being collected from the 2020/21 campaign.

Incredibly, Van de Ven is responsible for three of the four top speeds recorded during this time, with his 37.38 km/h against Brentford last season topping the charts.

Along with Van de Ven, Erling Haaland, Gabriel Martinelli and Anthony Elanga are all in the top ten quickest players so far from this season.

Need for speed

Tottenham defender Micky van de Ven has unsurprisingly been clocked as the fastest Premier League player this season.

After a marauding run set up Brennan Johnson’s opener away at Manchester United on Sunday, he then sprinted back before half-time to tackle Alejandro Garnacho.

It saw him reach a staggering 37.12 km/h in the process.

Not only was this the fastest any Premier League player has run so far this term, it was also the fourth highest speed recorded since data began being collected from the 2020/21 campaign.

Incredibly, Van de Ven is responsible for three of the four top speeds recorded during this time, with his 37.38 km/h against Brentford last season topping the charts.

Along with Van de Ven, Erling Haaland, Gabriel Martinelli and Anthony Elanga are all in the top ten quickest players so far from this season.

Top 10 fastest Premier League players this season (km/h)

Micky van de Ven – Tottenham – 37.12

Anthony Elanga – Nottingham Forest – 35.90

Erling Haaland – Man City – 35.74

Timo Werner – Tottenham – 35.69

Gabriel Martinelli – Arsenal – 35.57

Alejandro Garnacho – Man United – 35.48

Cameron Archer – Southampton – 35.47

Pedro Neto – Chelsea – 35.40

Yankuba Minteh – Brighton – 35.38

Marcus Rashford – Man United – 35.53

Best of the rest

Bukayo Saka may be one of Arsenal's world class players - but he's not the club's most important star.

That's the view of ex-Tottenham striker Darren Bent, who believes that honour belongs to striker Kai Havertz.

The German forward brought up his fifth goal of the season in Wednesday's 2-0 win over Paris Saint-Germain.

Speaking on talkSPORT Drive, Arsenal fan Bent waxed lyrical over the ex-Chelsea man, who has reinvented himself at the Emirates.

He said: "There's an argument now that he's Arsenal's most important player - and that includes Saka.

"He can play in a number of positions, as a No.9, a No.8, he's comfortable in possession.

"He scores goals, he's brave, the most league goals he ever got for Chelsea in a season was eight and the most assists he got in a season was three.

"He got 13 [for Arsenal] last season, seven assists, he's become vital, he's just score three games on the bounce.

"He just looks a big physical presence, and that's what I like about him for Arsenal, where Arsenal try and play it out from the back, there's time where the press is on, you can't do it, but you can clip the ball to him, he takes it on his chest, he battles for it, he wins the header, he brings it down, he brings others into play."

He added: "His ability is not limited to just scoring goals, he can do everything."

'They should be challenging'

Arsenal legend Ray Parlour is quietly confident that the Gunners will win a trophy this season.

Mikel Arteta's side are still unbeaten in all competitions and are the current favourites to win the Premier League.

But in recent campaigns, they got close to winning trophies and seemed to lose form at the most crucial of times.

Parlour knows that, and he believes that the key to having some success is to keep consistent and ride some luck at times.

"They're going in the right direction, that is the most important thing for Arsenal," Parlour said on talkSPORT Drive.

"I'm not going to get carried away and say they're going to win this or that, but they're going to be challenging, that's what I'm going to say.

"They should be challenging with the squad they've got and with the team they've got.

"But they've just got to keep going now and they'll need a bit of luck along the way as well."

'I want to be in the England squad'

Yesterday, James Maddison spoke about how much he wants to be back in the England squad.

But he's not been called up for the upcoming international break...

The Tottenham midfielder didn't get picked for Euro 2024 and failed to make Lee Carsley's first squad last month.

Since then, Maddison has hit some form for Spurs and he believes he is now the 'fittest he's ever been'.

However, despite a goal and a couple of assists this season, he has not done enough to break into Carsley's Three Lions again.

His last international appearance came in June as he came off the bench to feature in a 3-0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Rogers is ready

talkSPORT's Adrian Durham believes that Aston Villa's Morgan Rogers is ready to play for England.

Rogers has made a breakout this season in the Premier League, becoming a regular starter for Unai Emery's side.

And Durham thinks the U21 international's form proves he's worthy of a first senior Three Lions call-up.

"I love players who want the ball, even when the chips are down and against difficult opponents," the talkSPORT presenter explained.

"This [Rogers] is a proper footballer.

"And when Villa signed him in the January window, I don't think anybody thought that he'd be ready for the first team this season.

"But he looks ready for England, nevermind the Aston Villa first team.

"He's a quality footballer and with the amount of young players who have come through in that team, what a credit to the football club."

'They always speak about weight'

Kalvin Phillips has opened up about his frustration at constant comments about his weight.

Phillips was labelled 'overweight' by Man City boss Pep Guardiola after the 2022 World Cup and the midfielder went on to describe it as the 'toughest moment of his career'.

Guardiola did apologise for the comment, but the now-Ipswich loanee has revealed the knock-on effect that those words had.

And he also went into detail about how it has been a consistent issue since he was at Leeds under Marcelo Bielsa.

"Bielsa is obsessed with body composition and weights," Phillips explained on the 'My Mate's A Footballer' podcast.

"And I was on the higher end of the team, if not the highest.

"We had a pre-season where for three weeks I'd go home and I'd literally just have a protein shake for my dinner.

"I just had to keep losing weight, losing weight. He was like that until the last week I was there. He always pushed me to be on a certain weight target.

"I obviously respected it, but I knew that I couldn't starve myself or dehydrate myself because eventually, I was going to get injured or stop performing.

"Only recently, since I've come to Ipswich, have I got to the target, round about, that Biesla set me.

"The manager here is very big on body composition as well and I thought 'I'm not getting off to a bad start here, I need to make sure my weight's on point'."

"It's just become a narrative with me," Phillips continued.

"You obviously heard about the time when Pep [Guardiola] came out and said that I was overweight after the World Cup. That narrative on social media just grew and grew into something that it wasn't.

"Every club I'd go to, the manager and nutritionist, they'd always speak about weight before they'd say anything else. At a point it peed me off a little bit. I was getting quite frustrated with it.

"Now I've come to Ipswich and the manager is an unbelievable person as well as a manager. We spoke about all the past stuff that happened in my career. He just said he wanted me to get to where I was when I was at Leeds."

Call them up, Carsley

Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou has called for interim England boss Lee Carsley to pick two of his biggest stars in the squad.

Postecoglou has piled praise on James Maddison for his recent form and also on Dominic Solanke for his scoring streak.

Speaking on Wednesday, he said: “I think Madders has been outstanding so far this year. His form from the first game has been really strong physically.

“I’ve said a few times that he’s back at the levels where he can play in the manner he wants to and do everything he wants in a game.

“In the last two or three weeks he’s had an effect on goals and assists as well, which always gets highlighted with players in his position, but his general play has been outstanding.

“I’m sure if he continues in that vein he will be in the conversation for England squads moving forward.”

And on Solanke, Postecoglou added: “He’s getting up there now in terms of physical fitness, I think every game he looks like he’s getting stronger.

“It’s a demanding role up front for us, it’s not just about goals, it’s about his link-up play and pressing.

“We’ve put a fair amount of workload on him, even though he’s missed a couple of games.

“I can see he’s getting strong. Obviously the goals help. He’s a striker.

"He wants to score goals and that helps him to feel better about the beginning of his career here.

“I think he’s in great condition, he’s already made a big impact at our football club, but I’m even more excited about what’s ahead and the potential we have as a team and he as an individual and that he can make a significant impact.”

'His potential is huge'

Aston Villa's Jhon Duran continues to prove himself as an up-and-coming star in the world of football.

Duran has only played 303 minutes this season, with almost all of his appearances coming off the bench.

The 20-year-old continues to play as an understudy to Ollie Watkins in the Premier League and other competitions.

But he's still managed to score six goals in that time and his latest was an historic one against Bayern Munich last night.

And following that Champions League goal, Villa manager Unai Emery spoke about the Colombian striker.

Emery said: "He arrived here two years ago and he is young, his potential is huge.

"Sometimes he has been impatient and I need to speak to him as a person and connect to him as a person.

"As well as a player to try to let him play, putting him on the field because his talent is there and the capacity to help us."

Not feeling Blue

Enzo Maresca has stood by his decision to axe Ben Chilwell from Chelsea's Conference League squad - insisting he has no regrets.

The Blues boss has shown his ruthless side since replacing Mauricio Pochettino in the Stamford Bridge dugout in the summer by freezing out a number of players.

It resulted in Conor Gallagher, Romelu Lukaku, Raheem Sterling, Trevoh Chalobah, Armando Broja and Kepa Arrizabalaga all being shipped out.

But Chilwell remained on the club's books following the summer transfer window - despite being offered to Chelsea's Premier League rivals.

And he was one of many high-profile stars in the Chelsea dressing room to be left out of the League stage of their Conference League squad.

Despite being included in their Premier League squad, he has failed to even make the bench in any of their opening six top-flight matches.

Ahead of the club's Conference League opener against Belgian outfit Gent on Thursday night, Maresca was asked whether he has any regrets over his decision to omit him from their squad list.

Speaking in his pre-match press conference, he simply stated: "No. I don't think so."

Need for speed

Tottenham defender Micky van de Ven has unsurprisingly been clocked as the fastest Premier League player this season.

After a marauding run set up Brennan Johnson's opener away at Manchester United on Sunday, he then sprinted back before half-time to tackle Alejandro Garnacho.

It saw him reach a staggering 37.12 km/h in the process.

Not only was this the fastest any Premier League player has run so far this term, it was also the fourth highest speed recorded since data began being collected from the 2020/21 campaign.

Incredibly, Van de Ven is responsible for three of the four top speeds recorded during this time, with his 37.38 km/h against Brentford last season topping the charts.

Along with Van de Ven, Erling Haaland, Gabriel Martinelli and Anthony Elanga are all in the top ten quickest players so far from this season.

Need for speed

Tottenham defender Micky van de Ven has unsurprisingly been clocked as the fastest Premier League player this season.

After a marauding run set up Brennan Johnson’s opener away at Manchester United on Sunday, he then sprinted back before half-time to tackle Alejandro Garnacho.

It saw him reach a staggering 37.12 km/h in the process.

Not only was this the fastest any Premier League player has run so far this term, it was also the fourth highest speed recorded since data began being collected from the 2020/21 campaign.

Incredibly, Van de Ven is responsible for three of the four top speeds recorded during this time, with his 37.38 km/h against Brentford last season topping the charts.

Along with Van de Ven, Erling Haaland, Gabriel Martinelli and Anthony Elanga are all in the top ten quickest players so far from this season.

Top 10 fastest Premier League players this season (km/h)

Micky van de Ven – Tottenham – 37.12

Anthony Elanga – Nottingham Forest – 35.90

Erling Haaland – Man City – 35.74

Timo Werner – Tottenham – 35.69

Gabriel Martinelli – Arsenal – 35.57

Alejandro Garnacho – Man United – 35.48

Cameron Archer – Southampton – 35.47

Pedro Neto – Chelsea – 35.40

Yankuba Minteh – Brighton – 35.38

Marcus Rashford – Man United – 35.53

Best of the rest

Bukayo Saka may be one of Arsenal's world class players - but he's not the club's most important star.

That's the view of ex-Tottenham striker Darren Bent, who believes that honour belongs to striker Kai Havertz.

The German forward brought up his fifth goal of the season in Wednesday's 2-0 win over Paris Saint-Germain.

Speaking on talkSPORT Drive, Arsenal fan Bent waxed lyrical over the ex-Chelsea man, who has reinvented himself at the Emirates.

He said: "There's an argument now that he's Arsenal's most important player - and that includes Saka.

"He can play in a number of positions, as a No.9, a No.8, he's comfortable in possession.

"He scores goals, he's brave, the most league goals he ever got for Chelsea in a season was eight and the most assists he got in a season was three.

"He got 13 [for Arsenal] last season, seven assists, he's become vital, he's just score three games on the bounce.

"He just looks a big physical presence, and that's what I like about him for Arsenal, where Arsenal try and play it out from the back, there's time where the press is on, you can't do it, but you can clip the ball to him, he takes it on his chest, he battles for it, he wins the header, he brings it down, he brings others into play."

He added: "His ability is not limited to just scoring goals, he can do everything."

'They should be challenging'

Arsenal legend Ray Parlour is quietly confident that the Gunners will win a trophy this season.

Mikel Arteta's side are still unbeaten in all competitions and are the current favourites to win the Premier League.

But in recent campaigns, they got close to winning trophies and seemed to lose form at the most crucial of times.

Parlour knows that, and he believes that the key to having some success is to keep consistent and ride some luck at times.

"They're going in the right direction, that is the most important thing for Arsenal," Parlour said on talkSPORT Drive.

"I'm not going to get carried away and say they're going to win this or that, but they're going to be challenging, that's what I'm going to say.

"They should be challenging with the squad they've got and with the team they've got.

"But they've just got to keep going now and they'll need a bit of luck along the way as well."

One-man team?

Cole Palmer is clearly Chelsea's superstar.

No player across Europe's top five leagues has contributed to more goals since he signed for the Blues last summer.

And he's started this season in fine form too, scoring four goals in the first 45 minutes against Brighton last weekend.

Palmer isn't part of Chelsea's Europa Conference League squad though, as the club has chosen to rest him, and that has prompted questions over whether they will struggle without him.

Enzo Maresca was asked whether his side may be too reliant on the England international to have left him out.

Maresca replied: "No. It is not about reliance. We have already played some games without Cole.

"For sure, for us or any team in the world, Cole is an extra, something that you need. But we also need to protect some players. They need that.

"It is not because we try to protect Cole, Romeo Lavia or Wesley Fofana [who are also not in the European squad] for some... it's for a reason. I think Cole needs that."

Richarlis-on his way back

Tottenham striker Richarlison has posted a positive fitness update on his Instagram this afternoon.

The Brazilian hasn't played any football since August after picking up a calf injury that led to him pulling out of international duty.

He has been out of action for Spurs' last four league games but now he could be closing in on a return.

Richarlison posted a new picture of him back on the grass in his training gear with a sand timer in the caption.

It indicates he's on to the next step of his recovery and that he will be back in action soon.

He's not expected to be fit for Tottenham's European clash against Ferencvaros tomorrow or their Premier League game against West Ham on Sunday.

But there could be hope of a comeback after the international break which begins after this weekend.

'We have incompetent VAR officials'

Danny Murphy has defended referee Chris Kavanagh and taken aim at VAR following Bruno Fernandes' red card decision.

Fernandes was sent off against Tottenham last weekend, but the suspension has since been rescinded after an appeal.

But that raised the question as to why a retrospective review needs to take place while VAR is in the game.

"When it happened in full time, most people went 'Ooo naughty'," Murphy said on White and Jordan earlier today.

"I understand how a ref can get something wrong because when he saw that, and it did look naughty, he's given him a red.

"So let's give Chris Kavanagh a little bit of leeway, he needs some help, hence the fact we've got VAR.

"Well, VAR have got time to take a breath and not only did he [Fernandes] slip, he caught him below the knee with the side of his foot and not his studs.

"As soon as they saw that, they should have said: 'Chris, I think you're wrong on this one, go and have a look I think you'll change your mind.'"

Murphy continued to talk about why it took an extra review following the appeal to overturn the decision and it not being overturned by VAR during the game.

"Unfortunately, we have incompetent VAR officials," he added.

"So if the original review panel which is VAR aren't good enough to do their job, then we need another review of it."

Maresca on Mudryk

Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has been speaking about Mykhailo Mudryk's lack of football so far this season.

Mudryk joined the Blues for almost £90million during last year's January transfer window.

But he's struggled to get into his new boss' side, with the squad boasting an incredible amount of talent in wide areas.

And now the Chelsea boss has addressed the reason why.

When asked why Mudryk hasn't started many games this campaign, Maresca said: "I think Misha played from the start against Wolves in the Premier League. We gave him some games.

"They all want to play from the start but sometimes it is not possible.

"Against Barrow, Misha did very well. I think when he was inside, he was okay. Hopefully he can do a good game tomorrow.

"We can say exactly the same for Nkunku. The club signed him as a big player and at the moment, he is not playing in the Premier League.

"But things change quickly in football. Right now, the situation is this but it doesn't mean it will be the same for all of the season."

He continued: "I don't think with Misha it is a lack of confidence.

"It's Misha and he needs to improve something, like the rest. But we are happy with the way he is working."

'Friends again'

Bukayo Saka has put an end to the squabble between him and Arsenal legend Robert Pires.

Pires said last month that he believed Jeremy Doku was a better player than Saka, stating the latter lacks 'consistency and experience'.

However, he then backtracked on those comments a couple of weeks ago, saying on Instagram: "Ahead of [the north London derby] I want to clarify that I think @bukayosaka87 is an amazing player and I have huge respect for him.

"A while ago I was asked to compare him to another player. I said the other player had better skills in some areas.

"This does not mean the other player is better than @bukayosaka87. I genuinely think @bukayosaka87 is better and a fantastic number seven."

And his backtracking seems to have pleased Saka who has now posted on his own Instagram with a selfie of the pair.

His post in which both are smiling together is captioned 'Friends again' with a laughing face, signalling the end of their beef.

Isak blow

Newcastle striker Alexander Isak has been left out of Sweden's squad for the upcoming international break.

Isak has missed the Magpies' last two games with a broken toe that he sustained during a win over Wolves last month.

The 25-year-old played through the issue against Fulham but he was not able to recover and is now sidelined.

He will not be travelling to play for his country and therefore he is expected to miss Newcastle's clash with Everton this weekend too.

Their trip to Goodison Park is Toon's last game before the break.

Sweden manager Jon Dahl Thomasson confirmed that it is Isak's injury keeping him out, saying: “It is one of the world’s best strikers who is missing.

“He is really disappointed not to be able to contribute and help the team, but he is not ready to perform due to injury.

"I am sure he will be back in November and help us when we play again.”

Phil-ling better

Phil Foden says he’s ‘feeling more like myself’ after starring in Manchester City’s comfortable victory over Slovan Bratislava last night.

The England star scored and assisted as City won 4-0 in Slovakia to hit back from his struggles so far this season.

Foden said: “It was a good night for myself, obviously, being back out there.

“It’s nice to score again, but more importantly I’m just enjoying my football again. I’m delighted with the result and how I played.

“I’ve had a very slow start to the season with a bit of illness and a bit of fatigue, but I’m getting back into it now and feeling more like myself.”

Foden will now hope to start and shine again as City face Fulham in Premier League on Saturday before the upcoming international break.

He added: “I am obviously confident and believe in the team but this season teams have played the same way, where they defend on the edge of the box and it’s been difficult to break them down.

“Hopefully we can find new ways to break it down and score goals. That’s the aim.”

Mainoo boost

Manchester United star Kobbie Mainoo has been spotted in training in a timely injury boost for Erik ten Hag.

Mainoo appeared to injury his hamstring in Sunday’s 3-0 home defeat to Tottenham and had to be replaced at half-time by Mason Mount.

Ten hag said after the match: "I can't say in this moment. I have to find out but, of course, when a player is coming off before half-time already, then there are some concerns."

But those concerns appear to have been allayed with Mainoo pictured in a training session today.

Mainoo will likely be rested for tomorrow's Europa League clash with Porto but looks set to be fit for Sunday's Premier League trip to Aston Villa.

‘This is the year’

Bukayo Saka is convinced this will be the season that Arsenal beat Manchester City to the Premier League title.

Saka, 23, made the claim following Arsenal's impressive 2-0 Champions League win against Paris St Germain at the Emirates.

The statement win, against a side which reached the semi-finals of the Champions League last season, came three days after a stoppage-time victory over Leicester which took Arsenal level on points with rivals' City.

Arsenal have finished runners-up to Pep Guardiola's side for the past two seasons, but when asked if the Gunners are ready to deliver their first league title since 2004, Saka replied: "I don't want to put too much pressure on us, but I do think this is the year.

"We have been close for the past two years and we are getting closer, but, yes, hopefully this will be the year.

"There is a lot of hunger in my belly. In previous years we have finished runners-up, but that spirit in me is that I want to win this season and I believe in myself a lot."

Ref watch

Chris Kavanagh has been selected to referee Chelsea v Nottingham Forest this weekend following his controversial decision to send off Bruno Fernandes last Sunday.

Fernandes’ red card in Manchester United’s 3-0 defeat to Tottenham has been overturned.

The midfielder lunged in on James Maddison but appeared to slip just before and United have made a successful claim for wrongful dismissal.

Kavanagh, who oversaw the match at Old Trafford, has now been appointed as the referee for Chelsea’s home clash against Forest at 2pm Sunday.

Meanwhile, United’s trip to Aston Villa at the same time this weekend will be refereed by Robert Jones.

Other notable appointments include Simon Hooper taking charge of Crystal Palace v Liverpool and Tony Harrington overseeing Arsenal v Southampton.

Do the Gunners have enough ammo?

Jamie O'Hara insists Arsenal haven't got the squad depth to go far in both the Premier League and Champions League this season.

The ex-Tottenham midfielder told talkSPORT: “Arsenal as a football club a great place at the moment, they're fighting on all fronts, for all competitions.

“The Premier League and the Champions League are the ones that they want, right? We know that.

“There is going to come a point in the season where they're playing their best team every week because they got Premier League and the Champions League and they got to play their best side.

“They haven't got the squad. I don't think they've got the squad depth to make a difference when it comes to later on in the season.”

Sports Bar co-host Jason Cundy disagreed and believes Arsenal can go far in both competitions this term - if they keep their star men fit.

He said: “They have got a squad, I feel, that's better than last season. Keep everyone fit, this is key, let's call it as it is, if you keep your big dogs fit.

“Odegaard is out but if you can get him back and you keep that spine of Gabriel, Saliba, Rice, Odegaard, Havertz.

“You keep the big dogs fit and firing, they will go deep in competitions. They will.”

Dominic Solanke is hopeful of earning an England recall when Lee Carsley names his latest squad on Thursday, talkSPORT understands.

Solanke has scored in each of his last three games for Tottenham and is understood to have impressed interim boss Carsley during their 3-0 thrashing of Manchester United on Sunday.

Carsley was in the crowd at Old Trafford to run the rule over Solanke and his teammate James Maddison.

Spurs' record £65million signing Solanke won his only senior England cap in a friendly against Brazil in 2017.

He has made many appearances in numerous age groups for England and was part of their Under-20 World Cup-winning campaign in 2017.

The Three Lions take on Greece and Finland next week having obtained maximum points from their opening two Nations League fixtures.

Carsley's first game in charge saw England claim a 2-0 victory over the Republic of Ireland in Dublin before winning by the same scoreline against Finland at Wembley last month.

The Nations League group stage is rounded off in November with England travelling to Greece before facing the Irish at Wembley.

Carsley is set to be given the Nations League campaign as an audition to get the England job full time.

It's understood he's the frontrunner for the post despite a number of big names in management, including Pep Guardiola, Jurgen Klopp and Graham Potter, previously being linked with the job.

The 50-year-old was previously the Under-21s boss and guided the Young Lions to European Championship success in the summer of 2023.

If he gets the job, he'll succeed Gareth Southgate, who experienced huge success as England boss with two European Championship finals and a spot in the World Cup semi-finals to boast amongst his other achievements in the role.

Carsley made a number of surprise selections for his first England squad, handing first call-ups for Newcastle's Tino Livramento, Lille's Angel Gomes, Chelsea's Noni Madueke and Nottingham Forest's Morgan Gibbs-White.

If the Football Association decides not to hire Carsley then they may look to former Chelsea and Brighton boss Potter, who didn't exactly rule himself out of contention.

Asked about the England links earlier this week, Potter joked: "I think it's time for a commercial break, isn't it?!

"As an Englishman, of course it's a fantastic job and I'm supportive of FA and what they decide to do and whoever the next coach is.

"Gareth did a fantastic job and I'm sure Lee will in his time, however long that is."

Micky van de Ven showed what made him the Premier League's fastest player during Tottenham's 3-0 victory over Manchester United.

The defender raced nearly the length of the pitch to set up Brennan Johnson's opener, and his heroics at Old Trafford saw him record the fastest speed of any Premier League player this season.

And while the Dutchman's stunning assist was arguably the game's standout moment, it wasn't actually where he hit top speed.

On the brink of half time, Van de Ven raced back to tackle United's Alejandro Garnacho, reaching a staggering 37.12 km/h in the process.

Not only was this the fastest any Premier League player has run so far this season, it was also the fourth highest speed recorded since data began being collected in the 2020/21 season.

Incredibly, Van de Ven is responsible for three of the four top speeds recorded during this time, with his 37.38 km/h against Brentford last season topping the charts.

The 23-year-old's season's best against the Red Devils sees him place comfortably ahead of his fellow speed merchants.

Nottingham Forest's Anthony Elanga ranks second in the leaderboard, with his personal record of 35.90 km/h, over one km/h slower than van de Ven's.

While Manchester City goal machine Erling Haaland leads the Premier League goalscoring charts by some distance with ten goals in his first six games, he ranks third in the sprinting category.

Haaland's top speed of 35.74 km/h places him narrowly ahead of Spurs' Timo Werner (35.69 km/h), who comes in fourth place.

With Arsenal bidding to lift a first league title in over 20 years, they will surely need some pace in their squad to see off opponents.

And winger Gabriel Martinelli could be the man to provide this, who ranks fifth among the English top-flight's most rapid players at 35.57 km/h.

Man United stars Alejandro Garnacho and Marcus Rashford also feature in the top ten in this category, with the speedy Argentine sixth (35.48 km/h), and his fellow attacker tenth (35.53 km/h).

Meanwhile, Southampton may look to make greater use of striker Cameron Archer's sharpness if they are to turn their disappointing start to the season around.

Saints have endured a difficult return to the Premier League, sitting a lowly 19th in the table and without a win in their opening six games.

This comes in spite of Archer's running statistics, who has recorded the seventh top speed of any player at 35.47 km/h.

Elsewhere among the early season speed demons, Pedro Neto has continued to showcase his frightening pace at new club Chelsea following his summer arrival from Wolves.

The Portuguese winger's impressive 35.40 km/h places him eighth fastest for the campaign.

But this is still over one km/h shy of the 36.86 km/h he hit against Luton last season, which is the seventh fastest top speed on record in the Premier League.

Tottenham will look to continue their perfect start to their Europa League campaign away at Ferencvaros, live on talkSPORT.

Spurs only trail league table leaders Ajax on goal difference after a 3-0 win over Qarabag, despite an early red card for Radu Dragusin.

Ange Postecoglou's men now travel to the Hungarian champions buoyed by beating Manchester United by the same scoreline.

The north Londoners will fancy their chances of extending their winning streak, with Ferencvaros losing to Anderlecht last week.

Although this is the first competitive meeting between the two clubs, Postecoglou does have previous in this fixture.

The Australian guided former club Celtic to home and away wins over Ferencvaros in the 2021/22 Europa League group stage.

Ferencvaros vs Tottenham: Kick-off time

Kick-off at the Groupama Arena is scheduled for 6.45pm local time, which is 5.45pm in the UK.

Tottenham are usually in action during the second slot of UEFA's European fixtures as a high-profile Premier League team.

However, unusually, all but one of Spurs' four away league phase games have been booked in for the earlier 5.45pm kick-offs.

The one exception is the Battle of Britain showdown against Scottish giants Rangers in December, which will be held at 8pm.

That is the same time as all of Tottenham's remaining home matches, which include the visits of AZ Alkmaar, Roma, and Elfsborg.

Ferencvaros vs Tottenham: talkSPORT coverage

This Europa League clash will take place on Thursday, October 3.

talkSPORT 2 will have live coverage from Hungary, with commentary from Alex Crook and former Liverpool midfielder Ray Houghton.

To tune in to talkSPORT or talkSPORT 2 through the website, click HERE for the live stream.

You can also listen via the talkSPORT app, on DAB digital radio, through your smart speaker and on 1089 or 1053 AM.

Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes is available to play against Aston Villa on Sunday despite being sent off last weekend.

The Red Devils star was given his marching orders in the 42nd minute during the dismal 3-0 defeat to Spurs at Old Trafford.

Fernandes attempted to stop James Maddison from running past him, where he proceeded to slip in his tackle.

It led to the Portugal international catching the ex-Leicester playmaker high up the leg.

Though replays showed it wasn't a studs-up challenge, with Fernandes instead catching him with the back of his ankle.

Nevertheless, referee Chris Kavanagh wasted no time in brandishing him a straight red card, with Spurs going on to score two second half goals as they capitalised on having an extra man.

So, he was expected to miss the next three Man United games through suspension, but this is now not the case...

Why can Fernandes play against Aston Villa?

Fernandes can play against Aston Villa this weekend after the Premier League rescinded his red card.

Following his sending off last week, he insisted it was never a red card offence and that resulted in Man United lodging an appeal.

The Red Devils then stated on Tuesday evening that they had won their claim of wrongful dismissal.

It means that Fernandes will be available for the away clash at Villa on Sunday, along with the matches against Brentford and West Ham following the international break.

A statement read: "Bruno Fernandes will be available for Manchester United’s next three games following a successful claim of wrongful dismissal.

"The midfielder was sent off for serious foul play during the Premier League match against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday, 29 September.

"Fernandes was set to miss our league fixtures against Aston Villa, Brentford and West Ham, but will now be available for selection following the successful appeal."

Fernandes' red card was the first of his United career on what was his 242nd appearance.

And in a live TV interview on Sky Sports immediately after United's defeat, he raged that Kavanagh made the wrong decision, while also stating Maddison agreed with him.

He said: "Never a red card - that is my view. I agree that it is a foul.

"The referee tried to tell me that as he saw it was a clear contact with the studs, no.

"I didn't touch him with the studs or even the foot, it was my ankle. It is a clear foul.

"If he wants to give me a yellow because they are going to go on a counter then I agree. But more than that, no. It is not the case."

He added: "Even James Maddison when he gets up he said it’s not a red card. If this is a red card we have to look at many other incidents.

"I don’t understand why VAR doesn’t call him [referee] to the screen.

"The red card makes it worse. I have to appreciate all the effort my team-mates have done to try and return to the game, but it wasn't possible.

"They showed great effort and character and I was happy for that."

In the end, it seems his views on the red card were correct, with the Premier League admitting their fault for the incident.

And he'll be straight back into top-flight action on Sunday.

Dele Alli could still play Premier League football before the end of the year despite Everton submitting their squad until January.

The former England international remains a free agent following the expiry of his Toffees contract but is still training with the club.

The 28-year-old hasn't been registered at Goodison Park since June but has been offered the opportunity to keep proving his fitness.

Dele has not played competitive football since a 0-0 draw against Antalyaspor in February 2023 while on loan at Besiktas.

The 37-cap England international's last appearance for Everton dates back even further to August 2022.

That was his 13th and final outing for the Toffees since arriving from Tottenham eight months prior due to injuries and off-field issues.

Dele detailed his inspirational comeback from childhood trauma that curtailed his career during an emotional interview in July 2023.

Thankfully for all involved, the attacking midfielder has been on the road to both a physical and mental recovery this year.

He can even still feature for Everton before January 2025 due to a special deadline day loophole.

Here, talkSPORT.com looks into Dele's situation.

Dele Alli: Transfer round-up

Tottenham and Everton agreement

When Dele left Tottenham to join Everton in January 2022, the Toffees didn't initially pay a fee.

Spurs would have been owed a payment had the player hit a certain threshold for appearances or signed a new contract with Everton.

The terms of Dele's original Goodison Park deal - which expired this summer - thus provided financial complications for cash-strapped Everton in offering him an extension.

However, Spurs agreed to restructure the agreement in July to waive the initial lump sum that would have been due with any new contract, and instead focused potential future payments on a sell-on fee and performance-related bonuses.

That paved the way for Dele to begin the process of negotiating fresh terms with Everton as he looks to prove his fitness.

He is training with Sean Dyche's side but as a free agent is therefore unable to play - even for the U21s to build sharpness.

Everton were said to be in the process of organising special matches to give Dele an opportunity to prove his fitness.

Deadline day loophole

Everton have submitted their 25-man squad up until February 2025.

Free agents can be immediately registered at any time throughout the year providing there's space or the player is under the age of 21.

Fortunately for Dele, Everton's transfer outgoings on deadline day have ensured the club are below the maximum threshold.

Everton sent Mason Holgate out on loan to West Brom, while Billy Crellin also went out on loan to Accrington Stanley.

The reserve goalkeeper is 24, so he would have counted as part of the senior squad, but because they've gone, there are two free spots.

What happens next?

Well, Everton's sporting director Kevin Thelwell has suggested that Dyche and Dele are keen for their relationship to continue.

He's currently a free agent but can sign a contract with Everton at any time.

Speaking about Dele, Thelwell told BBC Sounds last month: "We are in a good space now with Tottenham.

"We have an agreement with those guys about what happens next if we sign him and he would dearly love to play for Everton in the Premier League and we would dearly love that to happen as well because the boy has had a very difficult time."

That trail appears to have gone cold in recent weeks, but Dele has been reportedly thrown a lifeline by a club in Italy.

According to Italian outlet Secolo XIX, Serie A side Genoa have sounded him out as a potential replacement for their injured midfielder Ruslan Malinovskyi.

Meanwhile, Dele still believes that he can be a top Premier League player despite some difficult years dealing with injury and off-field issues.

"I know how good I can be when my head is in the right place and I'm feeling good. Obviously, I'm disappointed with the injury right now, but I'm excited to get playing.

“It's hard for me to even watch football. It's been tough for me, I'd say, this past eight months has been hard to watch.

“You know you can set reminders on your phone, I have a reminder at 11 o'clock every day that says, ‘World Cup 2026’.

"That's my aim for now. I think that people will be like, ‘He hasn't played in a year’ but I don't care, I know my level."

Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes has had his suspension overturned after he was sent off against Tottenham.

The Red Devils star was given his marching orders in the 42nd minute during the recent 3-0 defeat to Spurs at Old Trafford.

Fernandes attempted to stop James Maddison from running past him, where he proceeded to slip in his tackle.

It led to the Portugal international catching the ex-Leicester playmaker high up the leg.

Though replays showed it wasn't a studs-up challenge, with Fernandes instead catching him with the back of his ankle.

Nevertheless, referee Chris Kavanagh wasted no time in brandishing him a straight red card, with Spurs going on to score two second half goals as they capitalised on having an extra man.

Fernandes himself insisted it was never a red card offence in his post-match interview, resulting in United to lodge an appeal.

And the club have since stated they have won their claim of wrongful dismissal.

It means that Fernandes will be available for theaway clash at Aston Villa on Sunday, along with the matches against Brentford and West Ham following the international break.

A statement read: "Bruno Fernandes will be available for Manchester United’s next three games following a successful claim of wrongful dismissal.

"The midfielder was sent off for serious foul play during the Premier League match against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday, 29 September.

"Fernandes was set to miss our league fixtures against Aston Villa, Brentford and West Ham, but will now be available for selection following the successful appeal."

Fernandes' red card was the first of his United career on what was his 242nd appearance.

And in a live TV interview on Sky Sports immediately after United's defeat, he raged that Kavanagh made the wrong decision, while also stating Maddison agreed with him.

He said: "Never a red card - that is my view. I agree that it is a foul.

"The referee tried to tell me that as he saw it was a clear contact with the studs, no.

"I didn't touch him with the studs or even the foot, it was my ankle. It is a clear foul.

"If he wants to give me a yellow because they are going to go on a counter then I agree. But more than that, no. It is not the case."

He added: "Even James Maddison when he gets up he said it’s not a red card. If this is a red card we have to look at many other incidents.

"I don’t understand why VAR doesn’t call him [referee] to the screen.

"The red card makes it worse. I have to appreciate all the effort my team-mates have done to try and return to the game, but it wasn't possible.

"They showed great effort and character and I was happy for that."

Liverpool fans have jokingly pinpointed a familiar-looking face as the club’s next signing.

Brazilian forward Matheus Saldanha has got fans in a spin and not necessarily for his footballing ability.

The 25-year-old plays for Hungarian outfit Ferencvaros but it is his striking looks rather than his net-busting traits that has already made him a fan favourite.

Saldanha is widely viewed as former striker Roberto Fimino’s doppelganger and after coming across the player, Reds fans are feeling an air of nostalgia.

One social media account posted a picture of the star alongside the caption: “Don’t care who he is or what he does. Send scouts.”

Another fan wrote: “A Firmino clone.”

A third fan added: “His name is Fobby Birmino.”

A final fan wrote: “I see Bobby, bring him now!”

Liverpool fans will not have long to get their first taste of Saldanha as he lines up for Ferencvaros against Tottenham in the Europa League on Thursday, live on talkSPORT 2.

The forward has played just four times for Ferencvaros after completing a summer switch from Partizan Belgrade but has already netted a staggering six goals in just four games for his new side.

Spurs fans will hope boss Ange Postecoglou has done his homework on the little-known forward who has made quite the impact in his new surroundings.

Saldanha’s route into European football took an unconventional route having started out at Brazilian club Bahia.

A switch to Japanese second-tier side followed in 2021 before stints in China and Azerbaijan led him to Partizan where he netted an impressive 21 times 40 games for the Serbian giants.

The Brazilian, who is uncapped for his country at any level, will be relishing his chance to face off against Premier League opposition and put himself in the shop window.

All that remains is for Reds fans to convince club chiefs of the striker's worth if they are to have the second coming of one third of the club’s 2019 Champions League-winning attack.

Meanwhile, Liverpool have European business of their own to attend to this week as Serie A side Bologna visit Anfield on Wednesday, live on talkSPORT 2.

The Italians were held to a goalless draw by Shakhtar Donetsk on matchday one and head to Merseyside dreaming of an upset.

Ex-Tottenham star Giovani Lo Celso’s superb start for Real Betis has seen him equal Kylian Mbappe in the scoring charts.

The Argentine is in the midst of a sensational run of goalscoring form having netted five goals in his last four games.

His exploits has seen him match former Paris Saint-Germain teammate Kylian Mbappe who has also netted five times in La Liga this term.

Lo Celso has scored each one of Betis’ last five goals including Sunday’s later winner at home to Espanyol.

Betis’ move to sign the Argentine late in the summer transfer window is now proving to be a master stroke that has helped his side climb to eighth in the table.

The midfielder has made just four starts this season but has made a huge impact for Manuel Pelligrini’s side.

His heroics have earned Betis six of their 12 points accumulated so far this campaign and has netted 63 per cent of his side’s goals.

Lo Celso sits joint third in the LaLiga scoring charts, two goals behind leader Robert Lewandowski, one behind Ayoze Perez and tied with Mbappe and Barcelona’s Raphinha.

Following Sunday’s late winner, Pelligrini reserved high praise for the Argentine and compared him to some of the legendary names he has managed throughout the years.

“The goals have eclipsed everything he does in the game,” Pelligrini told Marca. “He is constantly asking for the ball and gives it to his teammate with an advantage.

“To all this he has added the rate of goals. Everything that we could have lost we have recovered with the goals he has scored.

“He has adapted quickly and personally, players I have had like Isco, Lo Celso, Riquelme or Cazorla are the ones who have to take responsibility for the last pass. He has adapted brilliantly,” he told Marca.

Lo Celso, who is into his second spell at Betis, spent four years at Tottenham after a successful loan spell in 2019.

However, after struggling to tie down a starting place in north London, Lo Celso spent two seasons on loan at Villarreal before returning to Spurs last season.

Injury forced the midfielder out of Argentina’s World Cup triumph in 2022 despite being a key component of Lionel Scaloni’s side during the qualifying campaign.