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After the disgraceful scenes in Sofia in which England players were subjected to racial abuse from the home crowd, Jordan Henderson has taken to social media to post an image of solidarity.

The photo displays the moment before he and Raheem Sterling embrace with a high five, thus showing the unity that exists between them, and the support he has for his teammates who fell victim to the vile attacks.

As Liverpool captain he has displayed leadership qualities on the pitch, evidenced by the club’s improvement and success of the last few years, but he is now displaying maturity and a level of character off the pitch too.

For that, he is being praised and respected by Reds fans, with them backing his message of support and appreciating the stance he has taken.

The midfielder last night posted another message on social media ro show some solidarity with his teammates, condemning the abuse but stating that the England squad “stands together”.

Here are some of the reactions to Henderson’s image of unity.

Tottenham Hotspur are in a bad place at the moment.

Not only are they in terrible form, but a number of their key players are out of contract next summer.

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One of the most concerning potential exits is that of Christian Eriksen.

The Dane’s current deal is up at the end of the season, and there is nothing to indicate that he’ll sign a new one.

Therefore, Spurs will need to look at how to replace Eriksen, and ESPN’s Shaka Hislop believes that he knows the perfect man to bolster Spurs’ midfield.

The former Newcastle goalkeeper says that Spurs moving for Isco would make a lot of sense.

The Real Madrid midfielder is seemingly out of favour at Los Blancos as he’s started just 12 league games since the start of last season, but there’s no doubting his talent as he’s been a key man in multiple Champions League-winning campaigns.

At the peak of his powers, he was contributing to 18 league goals in just 30 appearances, and those numbers are exactly what Spurs will need if Eriksen is to leave the club in the near future.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s In Numbers series, which takes a statistical look at performances, season-long form and reported transfer targets… 

Will Grigg’s move to Sunderland has fallen short of expectations so far but his display against Tranmere on Tuesday shows he has the potential to be a real success this season.

The Northern Ireland international scored his first league goal of the season in the 5-0 rout but his all-round display hinted that a change in manager could see a different striker donning the red and white stripes from now on.

Phil Parkinson’s first home game in charge coincided with a change in approach from the Black Cats, moving away from a negative style of play which saw them draw 19 matches last term and find the back of the net just 16 times in 11 league games this campaign.

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The new lease of life led to more chances being created and it was no surprise that Grigg was able to profit, and now both his manager and the fans will hope he can keep it up, since the striker has previously drawn criticism for his performances.

However, he showed that could all be behind him now there is a new dawn at the Stadium of Light, adding quality to the tireless effort he showed throughout.

That commitment contributed to Grigg completing two tackles, allowing the Black Cats to pen in Rovers and apply pressure on their defence which made victory an inevitability, evidenced by their 16 shots.

According to SofaScore he also made four key passes, an aspect of his game which makes up for his lack of goals since arriving in January – with seven in 36 Sunderland appearances.

With such a record it is fair to say he has been a flop so far, particularly as he arrived for £4m – an eyewatering sum which makes him the most expensive League One signing ever.

Nevertheless, he still has a lot to offer and could be key to promotion success this year. He already had four of those under his belt from spells at Wigan, MK Dons and Brentford, and now he has a manager willing to be more adventurous and daring in attack, he could really flourish.

He finished as the top scorer in League One in 2015/16 too which shows he has the quality to be devastating at this level, suggesting it was perhaps a fault of Jack Ross that he failed to deliver.

Florian Lejeune made his return from a serious knee injury for Newcastle United’s Under-23 outfit on Monday night.

Indeed, the central defender played the first 45 minutes of their Premier League 2 clash with Middlesbrough Under-23s before leaving the field.

Lejeune suffered the injury to his left knee against Crystal Palace in April, having only just recovered from the same injury to his opposite knee.

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The 28-year-old has had rotten luck when it comes to injuries over the last 18 months, but the fact that he came through the first 45 minutes of Monday’s U23 affair is huge news for Steve Bruce’s side at this stage of the 2019/20 season.

There is currently no indication when the defender might be available for Bruce, who will surely be keeping a close eye on developments.

Find out what happened when a world-record-holding freestyler attempting skills with the worst pair of boots available on eBay in the video below…

However, as expected, a number of Newcastle fans took to social media on Monday night to reveal their delight – a selection of which can be seen below:

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…

Leeds United may not have had the most successful of transfer windows this summer in terms of incomings, but they undoubtedly did a great job of shifting some of the deadwood within the squad.

They managed to get the likes of Vurnon Anita, Yosuke Ideguchi and Caleb Ekuban off the books, but there is still one player who seemingly has no future at the club who remains.

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Indeed, Leeds haven’t been able to get Eunan O’Kane off the wage bill, but an update from Phil Hay indicates that the Irish midfielder will be leaving sooner rather than later.

What’s been said then?

The journalist was answering questions in a Q&A session with The Athletic and one fan asked for an update on O’Kane, to which Hay replied:

“He’s working on his fitness and should be ready to play in January. But it won’t be for Leeds. He’s surplus and will be leaving.”

Why being the away goalkeeper at Leeds is the toughest job in football in the video below…

Great news

With FFP still being quite a factor for Leeds at the moment, it’s great to hear that the club have plans to shift a player they seemingly have no use for.

Of course, in an ideal world, the 29-year-old would have the right attributes at his disposal to be an asset for Marcelo Bielsa’s side, but that’s unfortunately not the case, especially after suffering a horrendous double leg break while out on loan at Luton.

Having O’Kane depart in January is the best-case scenario for United, and this update should buoy a number of supporters as it’s clear that the club will be trying to get him out of the door as soon as possible.

Simply shifting players off the wage bill will be particularly welcome. Andrea Radrizzani stated in a recent interview with The Times that the current level was at a colossal £40m.

This is unlikely to shift too much of that but it’s encouraging they’re still actively trying to push surplus players out the exit door.

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…

Speaking on talkSPORT, Danny Mills has suggested Marcus Rashford is experiencing “Theo Walcott syndrome” as he endures an up-and-down campaign.

What did he say?

The Manchester United forward started off the campaign with a bang, with a brace against Chelsea in his side’s 4-0 victory in their opening Premier League game. However, the England international then went on a period of scoring just once in seven top-flight outings, before appearing to return to form with goals against Liverpool, Norwich and Chelsea.

On Saturday afternoon however, Rashford was nowhere near his best, and as per Sofascore, managed no shots on target over the course of the 90 minutes against Bournemouth.

Now, Mills has taken a dig at the 22-year-old’s inconsistency, and compared his plight to current Everton man Walcott.

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He said: “One minute he’s a world-beater and the next you are going, ‘what’s happened? He’s gone?’. It’s not quite as dramatic, but it’s almost like ‘Theo Walcott syndrome’. He’d score a hat-trick and you’d think, ‘oh my goodness, he’s arrived! That’s it, he is going to kick on’.

“But then he went missing for the next five or six games. I think a lot of United’s players are like that.”

Unfair comparison

Whilst Rashford’s difficulties in front of goal have been well-documented and pored over, it is easy to forget that he only recently turned 22. His name being in the spotlight for a number of years now has arguably worked against him, and he is no longer excused for being a young player. Comparing him to Walcott is a tad harsh, given that the Red Devils academy product has fired in 52 goals in his United career.

The 30-year-old Walcott on the other hand has netted 122 times in his time with Southampton, Arsenal and now Everton. Rashford has plenty of time to find his groove and his best position, and he has been performing in a United team that has been struggling as a whole – not exactly the most conducive of environments to succeed. If Ole Gunnar Solskjaer can use him solely in one position, and manages his game-time well, then the the £200k-a-week forward should be able to disprove Mills’ slightly short-sighted verdict.

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

Isaac Hayden is having a mixed season under Steve Bruce but from what he has shown on occasion he could be key to Newcastle picking up a win against Bournemouth on Saturday.

On the chalkboard

The former Arsenal man has featured in eight league games out of 11 but it was his own fault that he has missed out, as he picked up a red card against Leicester – a mistake which contributed to a 5-0 defeat.

Since then the Longstaff brothers’ partnership has come to fruition and threatened to keep Hayden out of the side, and with Jonjo Shelvey also performing well against West Ham – with a well-taken goal – Bruce certainly has a central midfield dilemma on his hands.

In the interest of keeping a balanced team, and reducing the influence of the Cherries’ midfield, Bruce has to play a ball-winner.

That means Hayden has to start. He may have got sent off a few weeks ago but that shows the tenacity in his game, and he has also made more tackles per game than any Newcastle player, with 3.1, which highlights what the midfield misses when he is not available.

In addition, he has been adept with the ball at his feet this season, too. No Magpies midfielder has achieved a better pass accuracy than his 78%, a stat which has contributed to him ranking third out of midfielders who have conceded possession the least amount for teams outside the top six.

Combative player

Hayden should be enjoying life under Bruce much more than his predecessor, having requested to leave in the summer following two years in which he didn’t play as much as he hoped for.

His involvement increased slightly last season, from 15 starts to 21 in the Premier League, but not enough to satisfy his demands, and therefore he will be hoping his recent strong performances are rewarded with an extended run in the team.

The 24-year-old suits the Magpies’ counter-attacking style too, and could prove important in disrupting Bournemouth’s rhythm.

Eddie Howe usually encourages his team to play passing, free-flowing football, but in making his side more difficult to beat – with one goal conceded in their last four games – they have lost a little in midfield.

They have averaged just 46% possession so far, with an overall pass accuracy of 75%, and that means if they are put under pressure by the harrying of Hayden, they could give the ball away easily.

Overturning possession, particularly in midfield, suits Bruce’s side very well, as it allows the pacy wingers to get on the front foot before the opposition has time to react, and that could result in the chances and goals to win Newcastle the game.

Lots of Rangers supporters have been lauding Alfredo Morelos on social media, after the Colombian moved his goal tally for the season to 22 in 26 games by finding the back of the net at Livingston on Sunday.

Morelos opened his account for the term with the Gers’ fourth at St Joseph’s FC in a Europa League First Round qualifier in July, before firing a hat-trick past the Gibraltar National League at Ibrox as he got his campaign firmly up and running from the off.

He may have had to wait for his second Premiership appearance of the season before striking his first goal of the league term, but came off the bench at Hibernian in August to lash home a brace that has since been stretched to nine goals in 12 top-flight games.

The four-time Colombia international’s latest goal in Light Blue came with a well-hit effort directed toward the bottom corner of Livingston’s net, as the 5 ft 9 striker fired home from a tight angle following a perfectly weighted pass by Borna Barisic.

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Morelos’ goal doubled the Gers’ lead at the Almondvale Stadium after Joe Aribo opened the scoring in the first-half, with the strikes helping Rangers to their tenth win of the season as they remain level on points with Celtic at the top of the Premiership standings.

Fans have taken to social media to laud Morelos for his run of goals this season, with some suggesting he is writing his name alongside Ibrox legends like Paul Gascoigne, Ally McCoist and Nikica Jelavic.

Here are some of the messages shared from fans lauding Morelos for his exploits at Livingston on Sunday…

Since joining from Palmeiras in the summer of 2016 for a fee in the region of £27m, Gabriel Jesus has had to settle for being second-fiddle at Manchester City.

After all, when you’ve got the club’s record goal-scorer still banging in the goals as Sergio Aguero continues to do, you probably can’t expect to be any more than that.

Jesus’ own record in front of goal at the Etihad is impressive in its own right however, with the 22-year-old netting 50 times in 115 games. This season, the forward has been prolific too, scoring five goals. But on international duty with Brazil on Friday night, the City man had a moment and night to forget.

Coming up against rivals Argentina, the ace had the chance to give his country the lead from a penalty, but promptly stepped up to miss. His misery was almost immediately compounded when Lionel Messi struck from the spot just minutes later.

And after seeing Jesus’ struggles, fans took to Twitter to hammer the forward for his horror moment.

Many supporters insisted the 22-year-old is quite simply over-rated and over-hyped, with one fan in particular claiming that once he takes over from Aguero as the main man, he will be “exposed”.

Check out some of the reaction of fans below:

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…

Liverpool’s start to the season could barely have gone better.

The Reds have won 11 of their first 12 games in the Premier League, and they lead the table by eight points from Leicester City and Chelsea. They are also a further point ahead of champions Manchester City. Not only that, they also top their Champions League group and have progressed to the semi-finals of the League Cup as well.

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That success has come in, in part, at their 53,394 seater-stadium, Anfield. It is one of England’s historic grounds, but it is still just the sixth-largest in the country in terms of capacity, behind Old Trafford, the London Stadium, the Emirates Stadium, the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and the Etihad Stadium. As such, there are plans to increase it to 60,000, with several consultation meetings to be held with fans and local residents.

Increasing the capacity of the stadium makes sense, especially if the Reds want to consolidate their position at the top of the tree. However, they must be careful not to lose their world-famous atmosphere – Pep Guardiola has even said Anfield has something that you will find in no other stadium in the world.

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Whilst they have moved into new stadiums, Arsenal and West Ham have felt the effect of more seats in their grounds, with many complaining about the lack of atmosphere despite there being far more voices.

Stadiums like the Camp Nou and the Santiago Bernabeu hold over 80,000 seats, yet there are still complaints that they are lacking – from those involved at the club, as well.

Liverpool, of course, are a huge team. But so are those two Spanish outfits. At the end of the day, more seats doesn’t make for a better atmosphere. In those kinds of situations, the sound and noise level can often get diluted. Fans around the world want to get a glimpse of the best sides in action. Whilst that is understandable, there is a possibility it could have a dent on those famous European nights.

When a rival like Guardiola says Anfield is good, then it must be. Liverpool must be careful what they wish for.