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Carlo Ancelotti has confirmed that Yerry Mina is facing an extended spell on the sidelines with the injury sustained in Everton’s 3-1 defeat to Manchester City earlier this month.

The Colombian centre-half was taken off after just 18 minutes having picked up a calf issue, forcing Mina to sit out last weekend’s 2-0 Merseyside derby win away to rivals Liverpool.

Mina had returned to the Toffees’ starting line-up for the visit of Pep Guardiola’s Citizens to Goodison Park after sitting out his side’s previous two Premier League fixtures, marking the 26-year-old’s 22nd start of the season so far across all competitions.

Ancelotti opted to draft a five-man defence at Anfield in Mina’s absence, with Mason Holgate and Ben Godfrey partnering Michael Keane while Seamus Coleman and Lucas Digne occupied the full-back spots.

The Italian tactician has confirmed that Everton will again be without Mina at home to Ralph Hasenhuttl’s Southampton on Monday night, along with long-term absentee Jean-Philippe Gbamin due to his Achilles injury.

“Gbamin is progressing well. We don’t know exactly when he can come back to train with the team – the same with Yerry Mina, also,” Ancelotti said.

“I think Yerry will be out for at least two more weeks.”

But Everton will be able to call on both Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Allan to start on Monday, after the striker and midfielder returned to the Blues’ matchday squad against Liverpool.

“Allan and Dominic are okay. They are training regularly,” the ex-Chelsea and Real Madrid head coach added.  “They are available to play, for sure, from the beginning.”

Calvert-Lewin featured for the final 30 minutes against Liverpool following two games out with a hamstring injury, while Allan took a seat on the bench as he waits for his first action since limping off against Leicester on December 16.

Mina’s absence at home to Southampton on Monday night will present Godfrey with another chance to prove that Everton are not at a disadvantage without the Colombian, following the £20m summer signing from Norwich City’s performance at Liverpool.

Godfrey earned rave reviews for his exploits at Anfield, where the £77,000-per-week ace was given only his seventh Premier League outing of the season at centre-half, following eight games at left-back and twice being fielded as the right-sided full-back.

“He’s really stepped up to the plate. We all knew he was a good player when Everton signed him and had high hopes, but he’s exceeded those expectations by the level of his performance, both in central defence and also in full-backs as well,” ex-Everton defender David Weir told Football Pass on Monday.

“He seems to get Everton. You can tell the fans, although they are not at the games, you can tell they like him. They like his work ethic. They like his hunger to play. He’s got a real intensity about the way he defends.”

Godfrey and Holgate both offered one successful tackle against Jurgen Klopp’s defending Premier League champions, but only the former Canaries talent boasted a 100% record at Anfield, per WhoScored.

Holgate also offered fewer clearances (2) than Godfrey (8) and Keane (13) – who was dribbled past in his only attempted tackle – while proving more wasteful on the ball with a 57% pass success rate from 28 attempts to his teammates’ respective 71% from 24 and 76% from 25 records.

Godfrey’s match rating of 7.1 out of 10 against Liverpool was also above his average 6.65 for the season when fielded at centre-back, the lowest among Ancelotti’s options with Holgate scoring a 7.01, Keane a 6.94 and Mina a 6.89.

Ancelotti will now hope to see Godfrey match his performance for the visit of Southampton to Goodison Park, where Everton have lost their last three Premier League fixtures and are winless in 2021.

AND in other news, Everton face European competition to sign a £35m target this summer…

Is this the beginning of Celtic’s turnaround? Their 4-0 win over Kilmarnock brought back happy memories of some of the free-flowing football we’ve seen over the last decade.

On each of the last nine occasions, the Hoops have been the triumphant side when it comes to the SPFL.

Their success has been unmatched but now they’re on the verge of surrendering their grasp over Scottish football.

Heading into their clash with Motherwell on Saturday, they are still 23 points behind Rangers. It’s safe to say that any chance of securing a tenth successive crown is done and dusted.

It’s rather remarkable that Neil Lennon is still in the job and we’re not expecting him to lose it anytime soon. After all, the hierarchy have backed him to the hills.

Thus, in Lennon’s next clash, what will his starting XI be?

We’re tipping the manager to make as many as four changes from the team that defeated Kilmarnock on Tuesday.

One of those changes is enforced. Albian Ajeti scored against Killie but is now facing a two-match suspension after being retrospectively banned for simulation.

He went down to earn a penalty that Odsonne Edouard converted but is now facing punishment for his actions. That means that Leigh Griffiths returns to the side.

Another change is at left-back where Diego Laxalt comes into replace Greg Taylor. That’s the only replacement among a backline that kept a rare clean sheet a few days ago.

The other two switches come in the middle of the park. Scott Brown was imperious in the win over Killie but is dropped back to the bench in place of the effervescent Ismaila Soro.

We’ve downplayed Ryan Christie’s performances this week and as such, we think the out of form winger needs to be benched. He’s scored just once in his last 19 outings so Mo Elyounoussi takes his place in the side.

That means that David Turnbull is moved over to the right-hand side in the hope of finding good fortune against his former employers.

AND in other news, Celtic could fix a big problem by hiring manager who left Rodgers “really impressed”…

According to Mundo Deportivo, Manchester United are reportedly considering a move for Sevilla defender Jules Kounde and he could be the perfect replacement for Victor Lindelof.

What’s the word?

Kounde finds himself on the Red Devils’ radar after previously being linked with a move to their arch-rivals Manchester City.

The Spanish outlet revealed that Sevilla rejected a €55m bid from Pep Guardiola’s side in the summer.

It’s also claimed Sevilla will not be easily persuaded to sell one of their prized assets as erstwhile Real Madrid manager Julen Lopetegui is loath to part with the centre-half. However, the Andalusian club are apparently willing to listen to offers in the region of €80m for Kounde.

Despite his age, the 22-year-old has been colossal at the back for Lopetegui’s side, as well as providing two goals in 18 appearances across all competitions, via WhoScored.

Bye-bye Victor Lindelof

The Red Devils find themselves among a number of contenders jostling for position in the Premier League title race and it seems like Ole Gunnar Solskjaer wants to strengthen his squad before the transfer window shuts in January.

United’s defensive struggles this season thus far have been well-documented, dating back to the defensive meltdown they endured during the humiliating 6-1 defeat at home to Tottenham Hotspur at the start of the season.

Ed Woodward splashed the cash to sign Harry Maguire from Leicester City and, after a tricky start to his time at Old Trafford, the England international has been a total revelation.

However, Solskjaer has struggled to find a defensive partner for the club captain, with Eric Bailly, Victor Lindelof and, to some extent, Axel Tuanzebe struggling for consistency alongside Maguire.

Out of the three, it’s probably fair to say that Lindelof is the weakest of those players and since his arrival from Benfica in 2017, he has often divided the fan base.

Whilst the La Liga giants are under no pressure to sell Kounde, whose contract will run out in 2024, he could be the long-term solution to United’s lingering problems at the back. Solskjaer’s side have conceded three goals in their past three games.

In 12 appearances in the Spanish top flight this season, the Frenchman, who reportedly earns around £16,000-per-week, is averaging 1.2 interceptions and 3.4 clearances per game, via WhoScored.

His manager Lopetegui told Marca amid rampant transfer speculation in the latter half of last year: “Jules is our player, he is an important part of the team.”

It’s clear as day that Kounde could be one for the future and he could be United’s starting centre-back for years to come if Woodward brings him to Old Trafford and he is able to hit the ground running.

He may not be the flashiest target, but he is certainly capable of being a very good player at the back. Add in his eye for a goal, coupled with the fact he has Champions League experience, and the youngster is already a well-rounded prospect.

AND in other news, Ed Woodward must secure Man Utd transfer swoop for Borussia Dortmund star Jadon Sancho…

Tottenham Hotspur could be about to reignite their interest in one of their reported summer transfer targets…

What’s the word?

According to The Mirror, Spurs are weighing up a bid for highly-rated South Korean centre-back Kim Min-jae this month amid growing concerns that Premier League rivals Chelsea could do the same.

It’s claimed that the north Londoners were keen on the 24-year-old several months ago following the departure of Jan Vertonghen to Benfica on a free transfer.

Now they are plotting a fresh move for the Beijing Guoan man, and here’s why that’s a smart decision to make.

Alderweireld heir

It is no secret that Spurs boss Jose Mourinho is keen on another central defender in the current window. Duncan Castles revealed that a pacey option was atop his priorities in January.

The 6 foot 3 colossus has emerged as a potential star in Asia – nicknamed “the monster”, Min-jae has picked up 30 caps at international level and in 43 appearances across the past two seasons is averaging 3.1 clearances, 1.3 interceptions and 1.1 tackles per game, via WhoScored.

By comparison, he is intercepting the opposition more times than either Eric Dier, Davinson Sanchez or Toby Alderweireld, and exceeds the Englishman’s 0.4 tackles per game substantially, also per WhoScored.

Whilst he’s unlikely to come in and instantly make a difference, he could well become the long-term heir to Alderweireld’s throne as he’s not getting any younger at 31.

Indeed, the Belgian beast has seen a dip in playing time recently having played a full 90 minutes just once since mid-December. Alderweireld played only 45 minutes in the FA Cup, and wasn’t risked against Fulham in the Premier League earlier this week.

Min-jae, an international teammate of Heung-min Son, has also been handed huge praise by Goal.com journalist Sungmo Lee, who told football.london:

“Kim Min-jae is hailed as one of the best centre-backs South Korea has produced in 21st century. He has huge potential. He’s big, strong, and fast.

“He’s strong in the air, and also has good feet. He has a strong character as well which Mourinho always likes. Therefore, under Mourinho, and especially with Son, he could settle at Spurs very quickly.”

Spurs have every right to be worried amid interest from the Blues too, after all, they lost out on Willian back in 2013, so Daniel Levy must absolutely ensure that history doesn’t repeat itself.

It was thought that Beijing would want €17m (£15m) for his signature in the summer, though it remains to be seen whether that remains the case.

Forget Joe Rodon, the South Korean ‘monster’ could well be the dream successor to Alderweireld.

AND in other news, Spurs could find their next Teddy Sheringham in 19 y/o tipped to have a big future…

Former England international Rob Lee, while speaking exclusively with Football FanCast editor James Beavis, has claimed that injuries to Lucas Digne and Seamus Coleman are a far bigger blow for Everton and Carlo Ancelotti than losing Fabian Delph.

The Toffees are set to be without Delph for this Saturday’s Premier League clash with title-chasing Chelsea after the midfielder limped off during the first half of last weekend’s draw at Burnley clutching a hamstring injury.

Blues chiefs are resigned to losing the former Manchester City star for the early stages of the festive period, fearing that rushing him back will only worsen the issue having been plagued by injuries since moving to Goodison Park in 2019.

Ancelotti was already without his first-choice full-backs Digne and Coleman for the trip to Turf Moor, forcing the Italian to hand Delph only his second start of the league campaign to fill in at left-back.

Digne is facing up to three months on the sidelines after surgery on an ankle injury, while Coleman has been plagued by hamstring problems this season that have ruled the Republic of Ireland international out of action for five of Everton’s last six top-flight fixtures.

Lee, who earned 21-caps for England during his playing career, feels the loss of Digne and Coleman has thrown Everton’s season off course and into the rough, as the pair brought energy and balance that Ancelotti cannot find elsewhere in his squad.

“I think the bigger blow is his full-backs. I think that’s why they started like a house on fire, Lucas Digne and Seamus Coleman. But they’ve got so much energy, they can get up and down and give so much balance and I think they miss them more than they miss anybody else,” Lee told Football FanCast. “It helps that Dominic Calvert-Lewin has been on fire, he’s scoring all their goals.

“But I thought at the start of the season, they look good, they look like they have a really, really good balance to their team and it just goes to show you that if you lose a couple of your wider players and lesser players come in, or maybe they don’t know how to do the job, that they just seemed to be set up so well under Carlo Ancelotti. And they now, they look a bit not quite as fluent as they were. And I think it’s down to both their full-backs.”

Everton have won just once in the five Premier League fixtures they have been without Coleman for, coming at newly-promoted Fulham, while losing to Southampton, Newcastle and Leeds United.

Ancelotti fielded central defender Ben Godfrey at right-back against Southampton after stating he has “no doubt” in the summer arrival’s ability to play on the side, before favouring Jonjoe Kenny at Newcastle, Tom Davies against Leeds and Alex Iwobi at Burnley.

Godfrey is now expected to move to left-back in place of Digne and Delph when the Toffees host Chelsea on Saturday night, with Ancelotti seemingly opposed to utilising former Olympique de Marseille prospect Niels Nkounkou.

The young Frenchman has featured for just 69-minutes in the Premier League since moving to Merseyside in the summer and been omitted from Ancelotti’s last four matchday squads, despite playing all three Carabao Cup ties through to the end and providing one assist.

It remains to be seen who Ancelotti favours on the right of his defensive line, with Coleman’s absence denying the Italian his joint-most productive defender for successful tackles (14) and ground duels won (27), per SofaScore, while Digne accounts for the second-most key balls (16) and big chances created (5) by any Everton player in the league this term.

AND in other news, Everton already have their answer to a 48-goal target “every coach wants”.

With Dele Alli out of favour at Spurs, now is the perfect time for Jose Mourinho to reinvent his midfield. The club are still yet to replace clinical creator Christian Eriksen after he left for Inter Milan at the start of the year.

The Dane enjoyed seven years in north London and produced some stunning performances for the Lilywhites. His first season after joining from Ajax saw him bag 12 goals and 16 assists across all competitions, a tally he would go on to smash with a 23-assist campaign in 2016/17 (via Transfermarkt).

A player Spurs would do well to poach is previously-linked target Jack Grealish. The Englishman’s performances for Aston Villa have attracted a lot of attention from top clubs and he currently has an £80million price tag to warrant his exceptional influence. Ex-Lilywhite Paul Robinson recently admitted that he would love his former club to snap up the rising talent as he tips him to soon leave Aston Villa in search of silverware (via Football Insider).

Should Spurs sign Jack Grealish?

Despite playing primarily on the wing, Grealish’s versatility has seen him perform well in the heart of the midfield as well. Not only would he fill a gap in Tottenham’s engine room, but he could be deployed out wide in order to cover injury as well.

The 25-year-old has contributed to ten goals in just seven appearances this season, making up more than half of Villa’s entire goal tally so far. Grealish is already on track to bettering last campaign’s stats, where he finished the term with eight goals and six assists in the Premier League.

He has also shone during the international break, already rapidly establishing himself as a vital part of Gareth Southgate’s team. The Villa captain bagged an assist for England against the Republic of Ireland and was awarded Man of the Match in their Nations League fixture against Iceland. His influential performances have sparked a lot of conversation, with Jamie Redknapp recently branding Grealish as the “real deal”.

It’s to be expected that the Midlands outfit will lose their beloved skipper and goalscorer, hence the mammoth asking price they have put out there. However, Daniel Levy has shown that he isn’t afraid to put his hand in his pocket when required. The signing of Tanguy Ndombele broke the club’s record transfer fee after they forked out a handsome £53million. Whilst Grealish would command a lot more, the longevity of his career and blistering form speaks for itself.

Selling Alli would also put a large wedge of the transfer money in the pot too. The midfielder is currently valued at £46million, but Spurs would be able to charge much higher than this, considering the fact he still has four years left on his current contract.

However they find the money, signing Grealish would be a massive move for Spurs who are looking to assert their dominance in the Premier League. Bringing a natural goalscorer and leader like the Villa icon would be the perfect successor to Eriksen.

In other news, Marlon Harewood highlights this Chelsea ace as ideal Tottenham signing…

Glasgow Rangers fans are far from happy with the comments made by Bill Leckie.

The Gers have been in stunning form so far this campaign on the pitch. After 18 games, they remain unbeaten, whilst they are nine points clear of their fierce rivals Celtic at the top of the Premiership. Not only that, they are currently joint-top of their Europa League group after two wins, against Standard Liege and Lech Poznan.

However, in recent days, some issues have arisen. It was revealed earlier this week that George Edmundson and Jordan Jones broke coronavirus regulations to attend a private gathering at the weekend. The Gers revealed they will launch an investigation into the matter.

Writing for The Scottish Sun, Bill Leckie says that the actions of the Gers duo are worse than those of Boli Bolingoli, who flew to Spain, and the eight Aberdeen players who went to a bar earlier in the season. This has outraged the Gers supporters, and they took to Twitter to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what they had to say about Leckie below

In other news, Rangers fans hammer this duo.

Glasgow Rangers sporting director Ross Wilson has revealed that Ibrox boss Steven Gerrard “loves” Calvin Bassey in a Q&A with the club’s official website.

Bassey is showing signs of early promise in his club career so far this season since he first arrived at Ibrox from Leicester City in the summer.

For many relatively unknown players, the first move away from their boyhood club is often the biggest tests of their careers, but he is already pushing Borna Barisic for a place in the starting line-up.

In fact, it’s fair to say that Bassey is turning out to be quite a shrewd bit of business at the back. The 20-year-old left-back made his first-team debut for Rangers in the 3-0 win over St Mirren back in August, and has come on leaps and bounds since then.

Gerrard favours an aggressive, possession-based style of play, which is precisely why Bassey is the perfect fit for his preferred playing style. Despite his young age, he has already clocked up eight appearances for the Gers in all competitions this season so far. However, the majority of his appearances have come from the bench, which is to be expected at this moment in time.

Barisic has nailed down the left-back birth over the past few years but Gerrard should put his faith in the youngster – if anything, the sooner the better. Whilst much of the focus was on Bongani Zungu’s long-awaited debut during the 8-0 win over Hamilton Academical before the international break, Bassey’s performance shouldn’t be ignored.

Per SofaScore, he received a high rating of 7.1 for his efforts – he took 46 touches of the ball in 45′ minutes, completed 27 out of 29 passes (93%), produced two key passes, and created one big chance, whilst he made two tackles and won two out of three aerial duels, which shows that he put in a defensive shift as well.

Once lauded as a “fantastic” talent by the Ibrox boss, Bassey has played six games in the Scottish Premiership so far this season, whilst he is averaging 1.5 tackles per game, via WhoScored. To put that into context, even Barisic is only managing fewer than one tackle per league game this term, as per WhoScored.

It won’t be long before the Gers are bracing themselves for offers, that’s for sure. Now Gerrard must return the favour by putting his faith in the prospect. Obviously Barisic is the undisputed first-choice but it’d be good for his development if he is given a cup run or a couple of games in the Europa League. He has made a promising start to the season so far – here’s hoping he can repeat his performances after the international break.

AND in other news, Rangers stalwart Steven Davis struggled as Northern Ireland missed out on Euros…

The summer transfer window may have only closed just a couple of days ago, but one Manchester United player has already been linked with a move away elsewhere…

What’s the word?

Paul Pogba has admitted that he dreams of playing for Real Madrid one day in the future.

When asked to share his thoughts on a potential move to Madrid, the 70-cap French international said: “All football players would love to play for Real Madrid. It is a dream for me, why not one day?”

Pogba is frequently asked about his future when he’s away with France, so you have to admire his honesty, but his comments will likely have gone down like a lead balloon back at Old Trafford.

In fact, it’s downright disrespectful, especially considering the fact that he has hardly covered himself in glory in recent weeks.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side slumped to a humiliating 6-1 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur in what turned out to be a miserable afternoon for the Frenchman.

Pogba couldn’t contribute at either end of the pitch and conceded a penalty by bringing down Ben Davies.

As far as United are concerned, he is well within his rights to angle for a move away, as he will get his wish either way if he doesn’t sign a new deal.

However, this isn’t the first time he has been accused of disrespecting the club for speaking so publicly about transfer rumours and the Red Devils have every right to feel aggrieved as they have put up with his errant behaviour for so long.

So, Solskjaer should start to plan for life without Pogba by starting Donny van de Beek instead.

Waiting in the wings?

Ed Woodward signed Van de Beek in the summer but he has mainly been used as a substitute so far.

The Dutch international scored eight goals and supplied five assists in the Eredivisie last term, whilst averaging 1.9 shots, 1.8 key passes and at least 1 dribble per game, as per WhoScored.

Pogba, on the other hand, could only muster one goal and three assists in the Premier League.

If he was producing consistent performances on a regular basis, then perhaps all may be forgiven, but this is simply not the case.

By his standards, Pogba has had a poor start to the season, so it could be argued that Solskjaer needs someone to step in as a deep-lying playmaker and that’s what Van de Beek can do, but only if he is given the chance to prove himself.

Most importantly, he has made it clear he wants to play for the club, whilst Pogba is telling the whole world he wants to move to Madrid.

At 23 years of age, Van de Beek could be the perfect long-term replacement for Pogba, so long as Solskjaer and co. can give him the game time he needs.

AND in other news, Man Utd may live to regret missing out on Aston Villa captain Jack Grealish…

Everton will be banking on a late collapse in Besiktas’ efforts to sign Atletico Madrid forward Nikola Kalinic after the Super Lig giants identified Yannick Bolasie as a potential alternative.

What’s the word?

According to Demiroren Haber Agency, Besiktas are continuing to evaluate a range of offensive options late in the summer transfer window having so far failed in their efforts to lure Kalinic away from La Liga.

The Black Eagles are striving to secure an agreement with the 32-year-old over a move to Vodafone Park after two months of negotiations, but issues have arisen over the payment structure and guarantees that have been offered.

Reports in Italy also suggest Torino are beginning to show an interest in the Croatian and have contacted his agent Fali Ramadani, although the Serie A side would be hoping Kalinic lowers his salary demands before penning a proposed two-year deal.

If Kalinic does secure a move elsewhere or snubs Besiktas, Sergen Yalcin’s side are expected to turn to Colombian striker Miguel Borja or Bolasie after the DR Congo forward was deemed surplus to requirements at Goodison Park.

Ancelotti has no place for Bolasie

Bolasie’s Everton future has been in doubt ever since the forward returned from a one-season loan spell with Sporting CP, with reports in August suggesting the 31-year-old would have to train with the Under-23s until a new club can be found.

Carlo Ancelotti has now confirmed that he sees no way for Bolasie to enter his plans after overlooking the former £25million signing in Everton’s opening fixtures of the term.

“He is not part of the squad,” the Italian said, via quotes by the Liverpool Echo. “He can train with us if he’s not able to find a club until the end of the market, and if he stays here of course we are going to train him.

“But I said to him that we have a big squad, and unfortunately there is no space for him.”

Ancelotti’s update came as no surprise to Bolasie, who later confirmed on Twitter that he had spoken with the Blues boss to discuss his future on Merseyside.

“Not been let go,” he noted. “I spoke with the boss last week, not news for me.

“All I’ll say is the respect I have for him is very high. I’ve finally been treated like a human being again after a few years.”

With Besiktas struggling to get a deal for Kalinic over the line, Everton and Bolasie will both be hoping for further issues to arise before a total collapse in talks that sparks the Turkish giants to focus their efforts on the Toffees’ unwanted outcast desperate to play football again.

If not, Ancelotti will have to offer Bolasie the chance to train with the first-team as suitors have not been easy to find for the £75,000-per-week attacker who has started 58 games in the past three years for four different sides.

AND in other news, Everton are warming to the idea of sending a rarely-seen man away from Goodison Park.