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The Athletic’s Leeds United correspondent Phil Hay has confirmed a fresh injury concern for Jesse Marsch regarding Pascal Struijk.

The lowdown: Regular feature for Leeds

The 22-year-old was named on the bench against Southampton over the weekend despite completing 90 minutes in four consecutive Premier League outings prior to the international break.

So far this season, Struijk has made 28 appearances across all competitions, but the Dutch starlet only came on for the dying moments of the 1-1 draw at Elland Road on Saturday and was asked to operate as a makeshift left-back.

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The reasons behind Marsch’s selection have now been made clear…

The latest: Struijk injury worry

Writing for The Athletic on Monday morning, Hay has confirmed that the versatile Dutchman has been hampered by a hamstring problem and illness during the international break.

He reported: “Struijk returned a positive COVID-19 test during the international break and experienced a hamstring niggle too. So, the rationale behind the pre-match selection was less simple than a basic pecking order but Marsch was essentially picking between two defenders who were not entirely match fit.”

Fellow defender Robin Koch was also among the substitutes for Leeds on Saturday, but the German remained unused.

The verdict: Needs must

Ideally, Marsch would have given the three-cap Netherlands  youth international a full afternoon off. However, as talismanic ace Luke Ayling was forced off in the latter stages on Saturday, Struijk was called upon to fill the void.

Having watched the Dutch youngster come through a brief outing, along with welcoming Kalvin Phillips back into the fray, the Leeds manager will soon hope to have a plethora of options available across all positions, a luxury which has been all too rare this season in Yorkshire.

As Leeds prepare for a pivotal trip to face fellow relegation battlers Watford, Marsch may well call upon the £13.5m-valued Struijk – who was recently hailed as ‘amazing’ by Kevin Phillips – from the start once again at Vicarage Road next weekend in a case of needs must.

In other news, Leeds star unsettled following manager departure. Find out who it is here.

Celtic simply must seal the permanent signing of centre-back Cameron Carter-Vickers this summer, according to journalist Stephen McGowan.

The Lowdown: Carter-Vickers superb on Sunday

The Hoops picked up arguably their biggest win of the season so far on Sunday afternoon, clinching a 2-1 victory away to their bitter Glasgow arch-rivals.

It was Carter-Vickers who scored the winning goal at Ibrox and his all-round performance was sensational as he ensured that Celtic held on for victory during a tense second half.

As per Sofascore, the 24-year-old made a hugely impressive eight clearances during the game, also winning eight out of 10 duels and making three interceptions as he posted a man-of-the-match rating of 7.7.

The Latest: McGowan urges Celtic to stump up for Carter-Vickers

Taking to Twitter after the match, McGowan urged Celtic to make Carter-Vickers’ loan move permanent in the summer following the American’s tremendous display against Rangers.

The Scottish Daily Mail’s Chief Football Writer gushed: “Irrespective of whether Celtic get that Champions League money they should pay whatever it takes for Cameron Carter-Vickers.”

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The Verdict: No-brainer for Hoops

It makes complete sense for Ange Postecoglou to bring in Carter-Vickers permanently, with the 24-year-old’s performances for Celtic catching the eye throughout the season.

He has made 27 Premiership starts and won 4.3 aerial duels per game, and there are real signs that he is forging a dominant partnership with Carl Starfelt at the back. As per WhoScored, they both rank in the top five players this season currently in Postecoglou’s squad.

Also, at 24, he is at an ideal age in terms of his peak years most likely still being ahead of him.

The eight-cap USA international’s current deal at Tottenham expires in 2023 and they may be keen to receive a fee for him while they still can this summer. That could play into Celtic’s hands if there is both a willing seller and an enthusiastic buyer.

In other news, three Celtic players shone most in the win over Rangers. Find out who they are here.

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Marco Silva must make a drastic change to his starting XI for the trip to Huddersfield by dropping Lucas Digne and recalling Leighton Baines.

On the chalkboard

Digne has been one of Silva’s most consistent and impressive performers since moving to Merseyside in the summer, but the French ace’s severe struggles against Millwall should force the Portuguese manager into a drastic change.

His display at The New Den was a far cry from the standards we’ve come to expect from Digne. The Frenchman cost his side goals as he failed to deal with Lee Gregory’s aerial presence for Millwall’s equaliser, before needless fouls led to the hosts drawing level again in the second half and then Murray Wallace netting a late winner.

The former Barca defender was hardly that impressive in his last Premier League game, either, when Southampton beat Everton 2-1 thanks to the 25-year-old prodding the ball beyond a hapless Jordan Pickford.

Arsenal’s Hector Bellerin may be out for the season but it’s given him a chance to show off his new accessory. Check out the video below to see for yourself…

Digne needs to be dropped

It would have been harsh to drop Digne after his own goal, but playing a hand in all three of Millwall’s goals should be a big wake-up call for Silva. Huddersfield could look to exploit the 5 foot 10 defender’s rash decision making, as Jan Siewert aims to get off on the right foot as David Wagner’s successor.

While Baines is no spring chicken, he would likely have drawn on his years of experience to know there was no need to commit unnecessary fouls on Saturday, especially considering Millwall had already demonstrated their dominance over Everton at set pieces throughout the match.

With Everton suffering a drastic slump in form and this time of the season an endurance test for even the strongest squads in the Premier League, the Huddersfield clash on Tuesday is the ideal time to bring Baines back into the fold – providing both fresh legs and a calming influence.

Leeds are thought to be watching Nottingham Forest star Brennan Johnson, however, he had an afternoon to forget against Luton Town on Friday.

This forms part of our Transfer Watch series, where we react to a performance from a current transfer target.

The Lowdown: Leeds watching

Victor Orta confirmed last month that he tried to sign the Forest star for Leeds when he was just 16 years of age.

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Johnson is now catching the eye in the Championship in what has been a breakthrough campaign at the City Ground, contributing to 22 goals in all competitions.

Journalist Pete O’Rourke revealed in the week that the Whites are watching the 20-year-old closely, however, Johnson struggled at Kenilworth Road in his latest performance.

The Latest: 100% duels lost

Forest fell to a rare defeat on Friday but still occupy a play-off place with six games to go.

As per SofaScore, Johnson played in an attacking midfield role behind two strikers but struggled to make an impact, failing to complete a successful dribble and having just 26 touches all afternoon. Johnson also lost 100% of his duels, gave possession away 10 times and committed two fouls.

The Verdict: Sign if Forest remain in the Championship?

Even though Johnson failed to impress on Friday, he appears to be a shrewd target for the Whites, should Forest fail to earn promotion to the Premier League.

O’Rourke believes he could be a smart replacement for Raphinha, who is heavily linked with a move to Barcelona, and Johnson’s latest display appears to show he isn’t suited to an attacking midfield role.

The Wales international has had success on both wings and as a centre-forward in 2021/22 but has contributed to just one goal in five games as an attacking midfielder.

Therefore, although Orta may not have been impressed with Johnson on Friday, it could give him extra knowledge of where Johnson’s strengths lie and a move should still be pursued if the Reds remain in the second tier.

In other news: Leeds and Orta want ‘extraordinary’ ace in Bosman move; same agent as Bamford. 

Everton slumped to a disheartening 3-2 defeat against Burnley in midweek to add further misery to their already dismal Premier League campaign.

Having seen numerous fan protests take place around the club throughout the season, it seems as though some behind-the-scenes details have emerged regarding the hierarchy at Goodison Park and their stance on the club’s current state of affairs.

What’s the latest?

In a recent tweet, Sky Sports journalist Rob Dorsett gave an insight into the feeling at Everton in regards to Frank Lampard’s position as manager.

He revealed: “Real concern in #efc board, I’m told, but feeling is changing manager won’t solve problems right now. That’s not to say Lampard safe for rest of season. Relegation could be massive for Everton, with few players in squad on contracts that auto-reduce if in Championship.”

Since the former Chelsea and Derby County manager took charge at Goodison Park at the end of January, the Toffees have lost six of their seven league games.

As things stand, the Merseyside club are just one point ahead of the relegation zone with nine games left to play until the season comes to an end.

Fans will be happy

Despite the Toffees’ disappointing run of form in recent weeks, it will presumably be somewhat pleasing for Everton fans to hear that the board have no intention of getting rid of their latest manager at this moment in time.

In what has been a scarring season for the Merseyside club, the further disruption which would undoubtedly be caused if the hierarchy were to sack Lampard after only a number of weeks in charge would surely set them back even further in what is a crucial period of the campaign.

Regardless, the bottom line is that the Toffees need to start getting points on the board if they are to have any real hope of avoiding the drop to the Championship.

With their next league game seeing them take on Manchester United at Goodison Park, this clash could be pivotal for Everton if they are able to snatch a win, not just for the three points they would accrue but also for the confidence it could give the players to potentially then kick on and leave their current relegation worries behind.

In other news – Kenwright calamity: Everton had a nightmare over “unbelievable” 166-goal “superstar”

Tottenham Hotspur boss Antonio Conte has been dealt a major injury blow this week…

What’s the latest?

According to Sky Sports, Spurs forward Heung-min Son is expected to miss the remainder of the month with a muscular injury sustained during their Carabao Cup semi-final first-leg defeat at Chelsea in midweek.

It means he will miss this afternoon’s encounter with League One minnows Morecambe in the FA Cup third round, the return leg against the Blues at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Wednesday night and the north London derby against Arsenal in the Premier League next weekend.

Major blow

This will come as a gutting setback to the Italian head coach, especially as it will now make it harder to rest leading striker Harry Kane this weekend.

Conte only has one senior option up front, with Son being able to provide cover there if need be, so to have him unavailable against a side of the Shrimpers’ calibre is certainly disappointing and will serve as a big blow heading into some crucial fixtures – ones in which Kane may now not be rested for.

The competition also hands the 52-year-old with another opportunity to end the club’s barren spell without silverware, with their last triumph coming in the League Cup some 14 years ago.

Son has been a standout performer for the Lilywhites this season, having provided nine goals and five assists across all competitions, as per Transfermarkt.

The £72m-rated South Korean international also rates out as their best-performing player, registering an average WhoScored rating of 7.24, which is clear of the likes of Kane, Lucas Moura and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg.

Not only does he lead the way for goals and assists but an average of 1.9 key passes (first in the squad) and 1.6 dribbles (second) per game reflects his importance to Conte and the team.

Back in October, former Newcastle United talisman Alan Shearer waxed lyrical about Son’s influence to Match of the Day 2.

“When he plays like that, there’s not many defenders that can live with him, he’s got everything you need. Pace, energy,” he said. “Drive to get in there, goals, assists. I’m such a huge fan of his, they couldn’t cope with him – he was the difference, you can’t stop him. Fantastic player.”

With important games ahead, Conte will surely be fuming with this devastating blow to Son, especially as it hands him a massive dilemma surrounding the selection of Kane today.

AND in other news, Paratici “opens talks” to sign £20m “monster” at Spurs, he’d be unstoppable under Conte…

Liverpool have joined the chase for RB Leipzig’s Austrian midfielder, Konrad Laimer.

What’s the word?

That is according to the latest reports from Inside Futbol, via German outlet Kicker, who claim that Klopp’s side are “interested” in the 24-year-old and have now joined the race with Manchester United.

The Austrian has attracted the attention of a number of clubs across Europe with his positive performances in the Leipzig engine room.

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Which has prompted the interest of Bayern Munich, Manchester United and now Liverpool, who are said to be “looking” at the Austrian.

Their own Bellingham

The £23.4m-rated “talent” as described by Journalist Constantin Eckner is just what Liverpool need in their midfield arsenal, bearing in mind the likes of Jordan Henderson and Thiago (both 31) are approaching precarious ages in which they will soon require more frequent rotation.

Having progressed through the Red Bull set-up after beginning his career at RB Salzburg, the Austrian dubbed “sensational” by host of LiveScore Jack Collins has been a key component for Domenico Tedesco’s side after overcoming an ankle fracture that saw him miss almost the entirety of the Bundesliga campaign last season.

His four goals and four assists in the league have made him a valuable asset for Tedesco, with his defensive acumen another one of the attributes that make him comparable to Jude Bellingham, who Liverpool have also been linked to recently.

For a fraction of the price, Laimer could well be Liverpool’s very own Jude Bellingham, with metrics such as 0.51 goal-creating actions per 90 close to the Englishman’s 0.64 GCA per 90.

With Liverpool’s beautiful balance of possession football and directness, through ball passes are always welcome in Klopp’s system and Laimer can offer just that, with his 0.26 through balls per 90 placing him in the elite category amongst positionally similar players, whilst Bellingham is around that mark with 0.21.

With 19 attacking returns (six goals, 13 assists) from 40 appearances this season in comparison to Laimer’s ranks slightly better as a creative threat this season.

Though Laimer makes up for this with significantly higher stats in the defensive side of his game.

The price tag between the two must also be taken into consideration, with Laimer rated at £23.4m and Bellingham around €100m (£83m).

In other news: Liverpool now plot bid for “sensational” 19-goal gem worth £67m, imagine him and Salah

Leeds United are still interested in signing Lazio striker Vedat Muriqi in the January transfer window, with the Serie A side now desperate to get rid.

The Lowdown: Leeds linked with Muriqi move

The Whites are still waiting to conduct any business this month, with new signings potentially needed in order to stave off the threat of relegation.

Muriqi has been linked with a move to Elland Road a number of times, with Leeds seemingly seeing him as a good option to bring in and bolster the attack.

The 27-year-old has fallen out of favour at Lazio this season, making just one solitary start in Serie A and none in the Europa League, so a January exit may be on the cards.

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The Latest: Lazio desperate to get rid

According to Corriere della Sera [via Sport Witness], Leeds are looking at signing the Kosovo international on loan, and they are hoping to add a €10m (£8.3m) option to buy him in the summer.

While that information had already been reported in the week, this fresh report adds that Muqiri is seen as a ‘problem’ for Lazio, saying that the Biancocelesti supporters ‘mock him’ and Maurizio Sarri needs to sell in order to unlock funds to spend in the market.

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The Verdict: Bamford’s ideal deputy?

Muriqi hasn’t registered a single goal or assist in 14 appearances this season, which suggests he wouldn’t be a particularly exciting signing for Leeds.

However, a loan move has less of a risk element to it and his international record speaks for itself, with 18 goals coming his way for Kosovo in 37 caps.

Depth is key for Marcelo Bielsa in the coming months, and with Patrick Bamford hopefully back soon, Muriqi could be a strong backup option, taking the burden off the Leeds star and offering a different type of centre-forward, standing at 6 foot 4.

The key factor may well be whether Victor Orta and co will be able to convince Lazio to allow the player to leave on a temporary basis, rather than for an immediate fee.

In other news, Leeds are reportedly ‘pressing’ to sign another player this month. Find out who it is here.

Celtic have been linked with a late window swoop for Derry City striker Michael Harris, according to The Irish Examiner’s John Fallon.

The Lowdown: Harris profiled

Described as a pacey forward by The Derry Journal, Harris is 19 years of age and is primarily a centre-froward, but he can also play on the right and even in an attacking midfield role.

The youngster has made just two senior appearances for Derry after progressing through the club’s academy.

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He appears to be the next Irish target for the Bhoys after moves for James McCarthy, Liam Scales and Johnny Kenny under Ange Postecoglou, with the latter of the three arriving from Sligo Rovers earlier this month.

The Latest: January move possible

According to Fallon, The League of Ireland could lose Harris ‘during this window’, with the Hoops and Championship side Stoke City keen.

Harris has turned down a new contract with Derry and it appears as if Celtic are eyeing up a compensation deal.

The Verdict: Interesting…

Should the Hoops make a move for Harris, it would almost certainly be for the club’s B team and seeing the forward as a long-term project.

That’s because Kenny, who had a far more impressive senior record with Sligo, is yet to feature for Celtic in a matchday squad.

Kieran Devlin hasn’t ruled out the possibility of Kenny making the step up before the end of the season, but due to his lack of experience at first-team level, you’d think it could take Harris a little longer, should he follow Kenny in a move to Parkhead.

Celtic will need to be quick, though, with the transfer deadline fast approaching, and if they miss out on Harris, he could be a player they keep tabs on ahead of a summer switch.

In other news: In the coming days – Celtic now eye ‘very clever’ teenager who could go out on loan – journalist.

Leeds United are struggling to complete a move for RB Salzburg midfielder Brenden Aaronson in January, according to journalist Dean Jones.

The Lowdown: Strong Aaronson interest

The Whites suffered a demoralising 1-0 defeat at home to Newcastle United on Saturday, with Jonjo Shelvey’s goal the difference between the two teams at Elland Road.

With Kalvin Phillips and Adam Forshaw out injured, the need for a midfielder to come in this month is clear, and Leeds have made a number of bids for Aaronson.

The 21-year-old has shone for Salzburg this season, starting 14 Austrian Bundesliga games and all six of their Champions League group stage matches.

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The Latest: Journalist doubts Leeds’ chances of signing Aaronson

However, a fresh update has emerged regarding Leeds’ pursuit of Aaronson, with Jones telling GiveMeSport that the deal may not happen in January.

He outlined: “Leeds are definitely struggling with this Brenden Aaronson deal as I understand it for this window. They don’t have fortunes to throw around at the moment.”

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The Verdict: Big blow for Leeds

Should the Whites fail to get a deal for the American over the line, it would be a big blow, especially as a move for him has felt genuinely close in recent days.

Aaronson ticks so many boxes in terms of what Leeds are looking for, whether it be his long-term potential or his current quality, having averaged two tackles and 1.8 dribbles per game in the Champions League this season.

It is imperative that a midfielder of some kind comes in this month, or else Marcelo Bielsa’s side could find themselves incredibly light in this position and potentially getting dragged back into a relegation scrap.

In other news, Newcastle have reportedly enterted the race to sign a Leeds transfer target. Find out who it is here.