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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Loan Watch series, which takes a closer look at those players who are aiming to galvanise their careers away from the spotlight of their parent club.

Back in the summer, Southampton decided to sanction the loan exit of their £16m man Mohamed Elyounoussi.

The Saints agreed to a season-long loan deal with Celtic for the Norway international, who has failed to score a single goal or even record an assist in 19 appearances for the south coast side.

Elyounoussi arrived at St Mary’s as a seemingly exciting addition, having scored 23 goals and registered 30 assists for Swiss side FC Basel before moving to England – however, it must be said that he was extremely underwhelming in the Premier League.

Luckily for him and for Celtic, the 5 foot 10 forward appears to be rejuvenated over in Scotland.

The 25-year-old has scored four goals for the Bhoys in eight appearances, while also notching three assists – impressively, he has almost registered a goal involvement every game on average.

His four-goal haul includes one strike in the Europa League, a competition in which he’s registerd two shots per game, as well as 1.7 dribbles per game.

While Ralph Hasenhuttl has his own problems to think about after watching his side suffer a 9-0 defeat to Leicester last week – a result that equalled the 24-year long record for the biggest ever Premier League win – the form of Elyounoussi may be giving the Austrian coach food for thought.

Aside from Elyounoussi’s obviously impressive amount of goal involvements, the fact that Southampton are the third-lowest scorers in the Premier League this season with just nine strikes scored in ten games could potentially have Hasenhuttl wondering how the Norwegian can help him out back on the south coast.

Celtic do not have an option to purchase the forward at the end of his loan spell, so when Elyounoussi does eventually return to England, he could well stake a claim for a first-team place.

Everton fans don’t seem to be sold on the idea of Marcelino becoming the new manager, with some supporters suggesting he is no different to Marco Silva.

Marcelino was sacked by Valencia last month after the Spanish club sat in 10th on four points from three games. Prior to losing his job with the club, the 54-year-old won the Copa Del Rey with them and achieved Champions League football by finishing fourth.

It does look like some fans are becoming increasingly frustrated by the names of foreign managers linked to the club with no Premier League experience. Some supporters have stated they are unaware of who Marcelino is and suggested they are tired of coaches who flourish elsewhere but are yet to prove themselves in England.

Indeed, Marcelino has spent his entire coaching career in Spain, with his time at Valencia his most notable.

However, with a trophy and Champions League football achieved in the same year, it could be something Farhad Moshiri is satisfied with.

After all, Everton’s majority owner has stated that getting the club into the elite competition is his ultimate aim.

On the other hand, fans do not think Marcelino could be that man…

Leeds United fans on Twitter are absolutely buzzing after hearing that Pablo Hernandez is back fit and ready for this weekend’s game against QPR.

The Whites have been without their talisman ever since he picked up a problem against Derby County earlier in the season, and they’ve struggled in front of goal since then.

Leeds have failed to score more than once in a game since they lost the midfielder to injury, so you can see why the fans are delighted to hear that he’s back available for selection.

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Hernandez has a great chance of making an impact this weekend as well, as his return game will be against the team that boasts the second-worst defence in the entire division.

Whether or not the 34-year-old starts on Saturday remains to be seen as Marcelo Bielsa may opt to ease him back into the squad, but nevertheless, fans are happy to hear that he’s recovered from his injury.

Here’s what the Elland Road faithful have been saying on Twitter…

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

Sheffield Wednesday boss Garry Monk has been slammed by Tony Pulis for his role in Middlesbrough’s current demise, and it should serve as a stark warning ahead of his current club’s imminent first transfer window under him.

What’s he said?

The 40-year-old was finally appointed as Steve Bruce’s successor at the start of September, and last weekend signalled his tenth game in charge as the Owls lost to Blackburn Rovers – only their second Championship defeat under his stewardship.

Monk has had to work with a squad that was built by his previous incumbent, so he is yet to stamp his mark down on the south Yorkshire club fully.

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Pulis, who is currently out of work himself, took over from Monk at Boro back in December 2017 and has effectively blamed the Wednesday chief for their struggles this season.

They currently sit in the relegation zone, some 12 points off the promotion-chasing Owls.

Speaking on Ian Holloway’s new podcast, the former Stoke City boss said:

“To sell the players that we sold – Forshaw, Christie, Gibson, Bamford, Traore, to name just five. I think we cut the staff by 15-16 players in the 18 months I was there, just to rejig the finances which was important after an absolutely disastrous window.

“The football club is struggling today because of what happened two-and-a-half years ago. It’s not what Woody’s done, or what the players are doing or anything like that. The big, big point was two-and-a-half years ago.

“If you have a bad window, a disastrous window like that and your recruitment is no good, then you’re going to suffer.”

January warning?

Pulis refers to the summer of spending that occurred in the north-east just months before he took over, which was when Monk was in charge.

He signed nearly £50m worth of players – Britt Assombalonga (£14m), Martin Braithwaite (£9m), Ashley Fletcher (£6.5m), Jonny Howson (£6m), Darren Randolph (£5m) and Ryan Shotton (£3m) to name just a few.

It clearly didn’t pay off as Monk was sacked by Christmas, and Pulis was left with a financial mess to deal with off the pitch in order to balance the books – thus the likes of Adam Forshaw and Adama Traore were sold.

This should serve as a warning to Wednesday owner Dejphon Chansiri, who has recently revealed that he is prepared to back his manager in January, as a similar situation simply cannot ensue in south Yorkshire.

The club have been faced with several transfer embargoes in the past, so they do not want history to repeat itself, and they certainly do not need to go down the same path as Boro in recent times.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…

Wolverhampton Wanderers head into the international break relatively under the radar as their 2-1 victory over local rivals Aston Villa saw them rise to eighth in the table, the first time they have been in the top half since the Premier League’s opening weekend.

Nuno Santo’s side have lost just two matches all campaign, which is fewer than reigning champions Manchester City, who they beat 2-0 not too long ago at the Etihad Stadium.

It allows the Wolves chief an opportunity to refresh ahead of a rather hectic festive period as the club look to push on domestically while advancing into the knockout stages of the Europa League.

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Their chances of success in either competition could hinge on whether they are able to keep striker Raul Jimenez in top condition, which after emerging reports this week, looks to be a rather tough task.

Back at the start of October, Nuno revealed his plans for the Mexican during this international break as he believed his forward wasn’t going to be part of his national team’s plans this month.

BirminghamLive cites this by stating that Mexico coach Gerardo Martino made the decision to leave him out of the squad for both October and November.

However, this week, it appears things have changed as Jimenez has joined up with the team for their last two CONCACAF Nations League fixtures against Panama and the Bermuda.

ESPN Deportes claim the 28-year-old is to have his fitness evaluated in Mexico City before he plays any part in either game.

Their reports also believe that he is expected to be available, which will surely anger those at Molineux.

Jimenez has played well over 50 matches this calendar year and could probably do with some sort of rest ahead of what is going to be a busy few months in the west Midlands.

This U-turn could end up being detrimental to Wolves’ season as the striker is such an integral part to their success, he’s netted 13 times in all competitions this campaign.

Nuno’s other options in the attack haven’t even got close – summer signing Patrick Cutrone has managed just two goals in 19 appearances while Diogo Jota has been under par by his standards for much of this campaign, netting only once in the league.

Any injury or long-term absence to Jimenez will ultimately prove disastrous for the old gold’s season prospects. He could have done with these two weeks to recharge his batteries.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp could have both Mohamed Salah and Virgil Van Dijk available to feature against Crystal Palace, according to the Express.

Salah has been suffering with an ankle injury since playing Leicester in early October and hobbled off against Manchester City in the latter stages with a similar injury.

The Egyptian didn’t join up with his teammates on international duty as he attempted to rest his ankle ahead of a hectic winter fixture schedule for the European champions.

While his form has still been good, it’s an injury Salah has had to manage carefully, as he missed the clash against Manchester United at Old Trafford because of ankle problem.

Centre-back Virgil Van Dijk should be available for the clash at Selhurst Park, despite missing the Netherlands’ fixture against Estonia.

The Dutchman pulled out of the game for ‘personal reasons’ after playing the full 90 minutes against Northern Ireland, helping his nation to qualify for the 2020 European championships.

Klopp will hope to have two of his star players back in time for the trip to London, as between them they’ve missed just one Premier League game so far this season. Given their importance to the side at both ends of the pitch, having them available for what has proven to be a difficult trip in the past for title challengers (the Reds and Manchester City have lost there in recent years) is obviously a positive.

Elsewhere in the squad, Sadio Mane should be available despite being substituted at half time of Senegal’s latest fixture.

Despite initial fears of an injury, manager Aliou Cisse clarified that Mane was brought off to protect against him receiving a second yellow card.

Are Liverpool on course to finally win the Premier League? Join the discussion by commenting below… 

Virgil van Dijk helped the Netherlands secure their place in Euro 2020 against Northern Ireland on Saturday but he has now withdrawn from the national team squad.

Ronald Koeman’s side are due to take on Estonia on Tuesday but will be without their skipper, who is unable to play due to “personal reasons”.

While hoping that his issue isn’t a serious one, fans are pleased by his early return as it reduces the fatigue he will have experienced from playing another match, and prevents the possibility of injury.

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Should the reasons that ruled him out be solved, he will be ready to play against Crystal Palace next weekend, which is important for the Reds given they are without Joel Matip.

One fan is also hoping the same happens to Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Joe Gomez, who both featured for England against Montenegro on Thursday before the former started again on Sunday, though given their lack of game time this season any minutes on the pitch should be good for them.

Here are some of the reactions to the news of van Dijk’s withdrawal.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Michail Antonio came on at half time for West Ham United against Tottenham Hotspur, becoming one of very few positives for the Hammers to take from the game.

On the chalkboard

Having replaced Felipe Anderson, Antonio went on to record a WhoScored rating of 7.8, which was the highest of any man in claret and blue.

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The 29-year-old, who is rated at £13.5m on Transfermarkt, was the player to score West Ham’s first goal of the game, when he produced a great faint before firing the ball past Paulo Gazzaniga.

He carried a threat outside of that though, completing all three of his attempted dribbles, making one key pass and taking three shots, two of which were on target.

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Moving forward

This was Antonio’s first involvement for West Ham since he was forced off eight minutes into the Carabao Cup win over Newport County in August, meaning he has missed nine Premier League games.

That he was so lively after such a long lay-off will be highly encouraging for Manuel Pellegrini, as the Chilean looks for a solution to end the club’s eight-game winless run in all competitions.

Antonio has shown that he could be the man to help do this – as well as Lukasz Fabianski when he returns – through that performance.

The player who could benefit most from the 29-year-old’s reintroduction is Sebastien Haller, who has struggled in recent weeks, having now gone five league games in a row without a single goal or assist.

Having the lively Antonio up alongside him could help to bring out the side of the Frenchman that saw him bag a brace against Watford.

Overall, it should be a bonus to have Antonio back fit and available, meaning his reintroduction is one of the few good things remember the Spurs game by.

In other news, one of Antonio’s fellow attackers was criticised by fans for his performance against Spurs.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Trezeguet has been nominated for the African Player of the Year award but he may struggle to get game time at Aston Villa despite the recognition.

On the chalkboard

The Egyptian winger was revealed to be on the list of players nominated, alongside the likes of Liverpool pair Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane.

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Villa have congratulated their summer signing for his inclusion, but this doesn’t change the fact that the 25-year-old could face a struggle after Dean Smith’s decision to move Jack Grealish to the left-wing.

So far, Trezeguet has started eight Premier League games, coming on as a substitute in three, scoring twice and getting one assist, though the indication is that his time on the pitch could now be reduced.

Facing a challenge

Grealish first moved to the wing against Burnley, playing there five times in total, scoring two goals and assisting another two.

This move has helped Conor Hourihane, but could be of detriment to Trezeguet, as he has only started three games in that period, two of which Grealish was unavailable for.

He managed to score in both of those matches, but could still find himself out of the team.

Grealish is unlikely to be usurped, as signified by the fact he has missed just six minutes of the league games he has been available for this campaign.

Therefore, the Egyptian is likely to be up against Anwar El Ghazi for a place on the right, which could be a challenge considering how well he has done.

After the Newcastle game, in which the Dutchman scored, Grealish said: “Anwar’s probably been the best I’ve seen him training in the last 10 days, that’s probably why he got the start and he proved [he deserved] it.”

With this in mind, it can be difficult to see where this leaves Trezeguet in terms of starting opportunities.

In other news, a former Aston Villa player has said that one man on the fringes may need to consider his future.

Liverpool fans are reflecting on a goal scored by Yossi Benayoun back in 2009 against Fulham in order to send the Reds to the top of the Premier League.

In a tense game that looked sure to end as a stalemate, Liverpool’s Israeli winger thumped a last-gasp strike home in order to clinch all three points and send his side to the top spot in the league (via The Guardian).

Benayoun spent three years with the Merseyside outfit after joining from West Ham in 2007 for a fee of £6.5million (via Transfermarkt). He went on to become a Liverpool centurion after making 134 appearances for the club, scoring 29 goals and assisting 19 in that time (also Transfermarkt).

Reds fans are remembering the day the winger pulled off his heroics at Craven Cottage and reminiscing over where they were and what they were doing at the time. One supporter has recalled watching the match and there being ‘limbs everywhere’ when Benayoun netted the winner, whilst another has said it was ‘total bedlam’.

What are your memories of Benayoun? Join the discussion by commenting below…