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The Athletic’s Phil Hay has dropped a worrying Leeds United update on Diego Llorente after the 3-0 defeat to Liverpool on Sunday afternoon.

What’s the story?

Marcelo Bielsa’s side fell to a disappointing loss to the Reds, with goals from Mohamed Salah, Fabinho and Sadio Mane enough to ensure that the ten-men of Leeds were left empty-handed at Elland Road in the Premier League.

Aside from the loss, one of the big concerns for Bielsa will no doubt be on Llorente’s status after the Spaniard was forced off with an injury.

And now, writing on Twitter, Hay said: “Diego Llorente went off with a muscular problem yesterday. Still being assessed. Adam Forshaw had a calf strain so wasn’t in the squad. #lufc”

Fans will be worried

Despite enduring an injury-hit debut campaign at Leeds, Llorente showed exactly why the Whites paid around £18m to sign him from Real Sociedad last September, with BBC Sport journalist Adam Pope hailing the ability and quality the defender would bring to the tbale.

He said: “Marcelo Bielsa loves versatility so Llorente’s ball-playing qualities and ability to do a job in front of the back four if required, like Brighton loanee Ben White did on occasion last season, will be a major plus.”

The centre-back emerged as a cornerstone of Leeds’ defence especially in the final few weeks of the previous campaign, starting 13 of the last 14 games in the Premier League and coming up with some big performances – not least netting a late equaliser against Liverpool.

His average match rating of 6.9 as per WhoScored, saw him rank as Leeds’ second-best centre-back after club captain Liam Cooper, while the Scot was also the only player at the club to win more headers per game than Llorente’s 2.2.

In fact, in a pre-match discussion for The Athletic, Hay talked up the kind of importance the Spaniard now has. saying: “Llorente seems like one of the keys to a good season. Fit and in form, there’s a lot to like about him both one v one and as a collective part of the defence.”

The fact that just four games into the new season, he seems to have picked up yet another niggly injury that could put him on the side-lines for the foreseeable future is sure to disrupt plans, especially when you consider Pascal Struijk is set to miss the next few games through suspension unless the club can successfully appeal it.

This latest update from Hay is a huge blow for Leeds and is sure to have fans extremely worried about the Whites going forward.

Meanwhile, Leeds are plotting a January swoop for this star…

أدلى البرازيلي جليسون بريمر بأولى كلماته كلاعب ليوفنتوس الإيطالي، مؤكدًا أن الحديث مع المخضرم جورجيو كيلليني كان عاملًا في توقيعه للسيدة العجوز.

تطرق بريمر أيضًا لأهدافه التي يسعى لتحقيقها بقميص البيانكونيري، وكيف حفزه وصول بول بوجبا وآنخيل دي ماريا ليوفنتوس.

وقال بريمر للقنوات الرسمية ليوفنتوس: “إنها لحظة وصلت أخيرًا، كنت أنتظرها، يوفنتوس فريق رائع، أنا سعيد جدًا لكوني هنا”.

مضيفًا: “يوفنتوس فريق رابح، ولدي أيضًا طموح للفوز، لقد تحدثت قليلًا مع كيلليني وقررت أن يوفنتوس أفضل فريق بالنسبة لي”.

وواصل البرازيلي: “يوفنتوس فريق كبير يريد الفوز دائمًا، إنه أيضًا طموحي وأنا أنتظر هذه اللحظة منذ فترة طويلة، أريد السكوديتو ودوري الأبطال”.

كيلليني قائد يوفنتوس السابق، الذي يرث بريمر رقم قميصه، مصدر إلهام للبرازيلي، وأفاد: “بالطبع، كيلليني هو أفضل مدافع إيطالي، لقد قلت ذلك دائمًا، لذا فقد ألهمني القليل منه، وأحاول القيام بما فعله هنا”.

وعن المسار الذي سلكه حتى الآن، استطرد بريمر: “كنت مع مدرب جيد، لقد علمني أشياء، لقد كنت في إيطاليا منذ 4 سنوات وكل عام أتحسن، أنا أكثر اكتمالًا دفاعيًا الآن”.

وبشأن بوجبا ودي ماريا لوافدين الجدد إلى يوفنتوس، أردف: “عندما رأيت أن بوجبا ودي ماريا قد وصلا، لم تكن لدي شكوك بشأن من سأختار، نحن فريق مصمم للفوز”.

واستكمل: “اليوفي في القدر؟ “نعم، نعم، لدي أيضًا كلب أسود وأبيض، لقد كان في قدري”.

اقرأ أيضًا | دي ليخت مودعًا يوفنتوس: كان القتال بجانبكم شرفًا

وتابع بريمر: “أكبر حلم؟ كما قلت، أريد دائمًا الفوز، بالسكوديتو، دوري الأبطال، أريد دائمًا الفوز، هذا هو هدفي”.

المدافع أراد أن يحيي جماهير فريق تورينو الذي لعب فيه لمدة 4 مواسم، ونشر رسالة وداع للجماهير الممتنة عبر “إنستجرام”، وكتب: “أعزائي عشاق تورينو، حان الوقت لتوديعكم، لقد كانت 4 سنوات مكثفة للغاية، تتكون في البداية من لحظات صعبة ودموع وكثير من العمل لكسب مساحة من خلال العمل والقتال”.

وأتم: “وصلت إلى تورينو كصبي ورافقني هذا الفريق في صنع ما أنا عليه اليوم، أريد أن أشكر كل أولئك الذين شاركوا في تطويري، ليس فقط كلاعب ولكن قبل كل شيء كرجل، سأبقيكم جميعًا في قلبي، هناك شيء واحد مؤكد، أينما ذهبتم سيكون لديكم دائمًا مشجع إضافي”.

Sussex have announced a cut in prices for their four-day tour match against the Australians at Hove next June

Cricinfo staff28-Jan-2009Sussex have announced a cut in prices for their four-day tour match against the Australians at Hove next June.The county came in for widespread criticism when they announced that tickets would be as much as £35 for a reserved seat for a non member and £30 for an unreserved seat.But the economic downturn has caused a major rethink, and a statement said that it was now “appropriate to review the pricing for this event”. Tickets will now cost between £15 and £20 for adults and £5 for children.”In the current economic climate, we feel that a match of this magnitude, which will be a one-off for many people, should be accessible to as many as possible,” Dave Brooks, Sussex’s chief executive, said. “It promises to be a great four days and it would be a real shame if supporters and enthusiasts could not experience the atmosphere and excitement that an Australian visit, and a full house, would bring.”One county member told Cricinfo that there was a belief that the reduction owed more to poor ticket sales, adding that if turnover was brisk it was highly unlikely that the country would have taken such a step.Sussex confirmed that anyone who had bought tickets at the higher price could apply for a refund via the club’s website.

Liverpool have been handed a major boost regarding the fitness of Takumi Minamino ahead of their upcoming Champions League fixture.

What’s the latest?

According to a report by This Is Anfield, the Liverpool winger was back in first-team training with Jurgen Klopp’s side following his recovery from a minor fitness complaint – which caused the 26-year-old to withdraw from international duty with Japan early and ruled him out of the club’s victory over Leeds United on Sunday.

Klopp will be buzzing

While Minamino is by no means a guaranteed starter in the Liverpool side, having featured from the off just 12 times in his career at Anfield to date, the return of the forward ahead of the Reds’ tantalising fixture against Milan will undoubtedly have Klopp buzzing.

Indeed, while the trio of Sadio Mane, Diogo Jota and Mohamed Salah appear the most likely options to start for Liverpool on Wednesday evening, Minamino’s presence on the bench will provide the German manager with a different route when making substitutions in the latter stages of the fixture, in comparison to the victory at Leeds.

In the game at Elland Road, the 54-year-old had no other choice but to introduce Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain for Jota in the closing stages of the match, playing the midfielder in the middle of a front three.

And, while this did not cause any problems with his side 2-0 up against 10 men, should the Reds be pushing for a late goal against the Serie A side on Wednesday, the option of adding Minamino to their attack would certainly appear to be a much-preferred move than once again bringing Oxlade-Chamberlain on.

With Divock Origi seemingly out of the picture, it’s a major boost for Klopp to have a natural attacking player available to him from the bench this evening.

In other news: Signed for £8m, now worth £58.8m: Edwards struck gold for Liverpool with £50k-p/w gem

Surrey’s captain, Mark Butcher, is adamant that his career is far from over, despite being ruled out for several months of the 2008 season with a serious knee injury

Cricinfo staff17-Nov-2008
Mark Butcher: determined to return for the 2009 season © Getty Images
Surrey’s captain, Mark Butcher, is adamant that his career is far from over, despite being ruled out for several months of the 2008 season with a serious knee injury.Butcher started the season impressively, averaging 57.88 in ten matches, but without him at the helm Surrey endured a disastrous campaign. They failed to win a Championship match all season, and Mark’s father, Alan, was sacked as coach after their relegation to Division Two.”There are all kind of things to look forward to next year,” Butcher told BBC London radio. “There will be a new coach and a new relationship to strike up there, there are some players with points to prove and there’s young guys wanting to break through.”There’s a few questions to be answered in terms of the way that people have viewed the club and the players in the last 12 months or so and hopefully [we’ll have] a chance to put that right.”At the age of 36, Butcher’s career is nearing an end, but he’s determined not to be forced into an early retirement, especially after his England career was cut short in 2004 by a wrist injury.”[The knee] has reacted well to the surgery,” said Butcher. “The surgery was absolutely necessary; the knee had really started to disintegrate in terms of the joint. There were great craters where the bone was missing and were there was no cartilage left, so all of that needed sorting out and, fingers crossed, we are on schedule at the moment.”The recovery is going perfectly well, I’m hobbling on crutches and will be for the next three or four weeks. But hopefully there’s many seasons to look forward to. The great thing about it is that I’ve proved I can still play the way that I know that I can, and want, to play.”

كشف مصدر بالاتحاد المصري لكرة القدم عن أول تكليف من الجبلاية للإنجليزي مارك كلاتنبرج رئيس لجنة تطوير الحكام الحالي.

وكان اتحاد الكرة قد عقد مؤتمرًا صحفيًا ظهر أمس الخميس لتقدم مارك كلاتنبرج لوسائل الإعلام.

طالع أيضًا.. اتحاد الكرة يوضح عبر بطولات موقف كلاتنبرج من رئاسة لجنة الحكام

وقال مصدر بالجبلاية لـ”بطولات”: “اتحاد الكرة كلف مارك كلاتنبرج، باختيار طاقم حكام نهائي كأس مصر 2021”.

وأضاف: “اتحاد الكرة يرغب في الاستفادة من علاقات كلاتنبرج بتوفير طاقم حكام على أعلى مستوى لإدارة النهائي الذي من المتوقع بقوة أن يجمع بين الأهلي والزمالك يوم 21 يوليو المقبل”.

وأردف: “اتحاد الكرة طلب من كلاتنبرج أن يكون طاقم تحكيم القمة من الدول الخمس الكبرى، تنفيذا لما حدده الأهلي الذي سيتحمل التكاليف”.

ومن المقرر أن يلاقي الأهلي بتروجيت غدًا السبت في نصف نهائي كأس مصر نسخة الموسم الماضي، على أن يتأهل الفائز منهما لمواجهة الزمالك.

Former Leeds United star David Norris is disappointed that the club missed out on the signing of Rodrigo De Paul in the summer transfer window.

The midfielder was long touted as a target for the Whites, with the club even tabling a bid for the star when he was at Udinese last summer.

The Serie A club rejected that offer and instead sold him to La Liga champions Atletico Madrid this summer.

De Paul moved for a fee of €35m (£29.6m), with Atletico looking to strengthen as they bid to retain the title this term.

The Argentine has been in fine form for Udinese in recent seasons and scored nine goals in 36 games in Serie A last term, while also laying on 11 assists, and he can play in a variety of positions, including attacking midfield, on either wing, or in central midfield.

And Norris has expressed his disappointment that Leeds did not manage to do a deal for the 27-year-old in this transfer window.

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, he said: “Obviously, it’s not ideal because it sometimes doesn’t look great. I think De Paul would have been a statement signing.”

Glasgow Rangers legend Brian Laudrup has admitted he is worried about the future of Connor Goldson as the central defender’s reported new contract remains unsigned.

The Lowdown: Goldson future uncertain

At the moment, Goldson has just one year left on his contract at Ibrox (Transfermarkt), but there were reports the Gers were looking to offer him a new three-year extension (Football Insider).

However, negotiations seem to be taking forever, and there has not yet been any breakthrough.

The Latest: Laudrup worried

Writing in his column for The Daily Mail (via The Daily Record), Laudrup expressed his concern. He said:

“Goldson has been regarded as the best central defender at the club rightly so, in my opinion – so why didn’t he sign a new contract months ago?

“All the noises have been very positive. Yet nothing has been confirmed. What’s the issue? It seems strange.

“I always think clarity is key for a player. Otherwise, performances can be affected.

“I know fans will say you are paid a lot of money to get on with it and that’s absolutely true.

“But it’s not easy to just switch your brain off from thinking about what’s next for your family, how and where will they be settled? I can sympathise with anyone in that position.

“You go home and talk about it with your wife or partner. You discuss all the options and worries.

“It uses up energy. When those aspects of your life are sorted, you can concentrate fully on being a footballer.

“I don’t know Goldson personally, or what’s in his mind just now, but finalising his situation one way or the other would surely be best for all parties. There has to be an outcome soon.

“He hasn’t started the season in great form and maybe this issue has been a contributor.”

The Verdict: Get it sorted

Time is running out for Rangers to sort out the 28-year-old’s future. With just one year left on his contract, it means £6.75m-valued Goldson (Transfermarkt) can negotiate with other clubs as early as January if a deal is not signed before then and he does not leave this summer.

Last season, the former Brighton man played every single minute of every single game in all competitions, and has already done the same so far this term – it is clear he is a hugely important player for Steven Gerrard. As such, the boss and Ross Wilson should push to get Goldson’s future resolved as soon as possible.

In other news, Rangers fans were livid at this interview.

Belinda Clark, the former Australia women’s captain, has been welcomed into the New South Wales’ premier sporting hall of fame

Cricinfo staff30-Jun-2008Belinda Clark, the former Australia women’s captain, has been welcomed into the New South Wales’ premier sporting hall of fame along with swimmer Ian Thorpe, Brad Fittler (rugby league) and the water-polo player Liz Weekes.Clark captained New South Wales to five consecutive Women’s National Cricket League titles and until last season, she held the record of the most runs scored in the history of the Women’s National Cricket League when she was overtaken by Karen Rolton.She led Australia to two World Cup victories in 2005 and 1997 and remains Australia’s leading run scorer in ODIs with 4844. She still works in cricket as head of Cricket Australia’s Centre of Excellence in Brisbane.”This is a fitting accolade for Belinda,” said Cricket NSW’s chief executive, David Gilbert. “Belinda was an outstanding player for NSW and Australia and Cricket NSW is extremely proud to see her inducted into the Hall of Champions alongside many of the other sporting greats this state has produced”.Clark was also named Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1998.

Southampton have been linked with a move for OGC Nice defender Flavius Daniliuc recently and the Austrian could be a superb addition to Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side this summer.

What’s the word?

According to the Daily Mail, both Southampton and West Ham are interested in signing the Austria U21 captain this summer, with Nice reportedly willing to let him leave.

The centre-back, who has previously spent time with Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, enjoyed a fine debut season in senior football with Nice last season, which has seemingly attracted the interest of the Saints.

Would Daniliuc be a good signing for Southampton?

The 20-year-old made 23 appearances in Ligue 1 last season for Nice, averaging a 6.40 rating from WhoScored for his performances, although eight of his appearances in the French top-flight came from the bench.

He could prove to be an excellent option for the future at Southampton and could work well under the coaching of fellow countryman Hasenhuttl, who suggested earlier this week that he was targeting another centre-back in the transfer window.

Considering Daniliuc is currently rated at £5.4m by Transfermarkt, he would arguably fit into two of Southampton’s key areas when targeting players so far this summer, in that he is young and would likely cost under £10m.

The youngster has also featured in every position across the defence, which suggests that he could provide excellent back-up at both centre-back and full-back, which is an area the Saints arguably need to strengthen in, as they currently have just Romain Perraud as a natural left-back in their squad.

It could definitely be argued that Hasenhuttl needs a versatile defender such as Daniliuc in his squad for next season, if he wants to strengthen a defence that shipped the second-most goals in the Premier League last season.

[freshpress-quiz id=“594431”]

Therefore, Martin Semmens should definitely consider bringing in the Austrian youngster this summer, as he could prove to be a very shrewd acquisition for the future.

And, in other news… Imagine him and JWP: Semmens should seal Saints deal for beast who “always performs”