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A number of Glasgow Rangers fans have been reacting to the news that Ryan Jack has been forced to withdraw from the Scotland squad for the international break.

Jack has not played a single minute since 21 February (Transfermarkt), so it was a surprise to see Steve Clarke call up the 29-year-old in the first place. However, it became clear quite quickly that he would be in no position to represent his country, so the former Aberdeen man has now left the Tartan Army squad to return to Glasgow (Daily Record).

Jack, who has played 10 times for Scotland, has been an important part of the Gers’ campaign, making 24 appearances in all competitions for them. However, he has suffered with calf and knee issues throughout the campaign, so hopefully, this international break will now allow him more time to recover so that he can play a part between now and the end of the season.

The news attracted plenty of attention from Gers fans, some of whom took to social media platform Twitter to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what the fans had to say about the Jack news below

“You have ruined my evening Scotland”

Credit: @willreilly72

“Huge blow. Should be first name on team sheet. People really underestimate how vital he is defensively to Scotland.”

Credit: @David_Davy_Dave

“Brilliant. Concentrate on the teddy bears games”

Credit: @rino1872

“Good news . He’s come back twice from international duty injured and his lack of games is concerning. Shame though it is about missing the Euros he would be better suited getting properly fit as his priority is to Rangers not Scotland.”

Credit: @IBoyd1966

“Good.”

Credit: @billyni99933742

“The lad hasn’t played for his club for weeks so why on earth he was called up in the first place was pathetic. After the @Scottish Fa lack of support for @GlenKamara4 I hope no @RangersFC players play for Scotland again.”

Credit: @Blabber08756401

In other news, this Rangers man has been tipped to be the club’s Player of the Year.

Glasgow Rangers fans were delighted with Ianis Hagi’s display for Romania against North Macedonia during the international break.

The headlines have been dominated by Steven Davis this past week. He picked up his 125th cap for Northern Ireland against Italy, meaning he equalled Peter Shilton’s British appearance record in the process (The Scotsman). However, he is not the only Gers player to impress while representing their country.

Hagi didn’t start the match against North Macedonia, with him being brought on with 14 minutes remaining. That was enough time for him to have a big impact on the game, with the £5.4m-valued 22-year-old (Transfermarkt) scoring the winner as Romania picked up an important 3-2 victory as they look to qualify for next year’s World Cup in Qatar.

The Gers’ official Twitter account congratulated Hagi for what was his first ever international goal (Transfermarkt), and the tweet attracted plenty of attention from the Gers supporters. They took to the social media platform to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what the fans had to say about Hagi below

“Great goal”

Credit: @RangersAssemble

“Chuffed for Hagi as I sometimes think he doubts himself, so this can only help his confidence going forward. We are lucky to have him”

Credit: @ArgyllWarrior

“Love to see great wee player”

Credit: @Mikey1872786

“Brilliant for hagi and his confidence, he’s just getting better an better”

Credit: @alfie_west_55

“Excellent. Well done Ianis”

Credit: @Trinityfishbar

“The best hagi”

Credit: @RFCMatt7

In other news, Rangers fans are far from happy with an update on this 34-year-old.

Rob Lee spoke exclusively to Football FanCast about Karl Darlow’s future and he has no doubt the 30-year-old will be a number one for another Premier League club.

Steve Bruce made it clear who his number one is by bringing in Martin Dubravka for Darlow despite the latter not putting a foot wrong this season and performing out of his skin.

Darlow has a very respectable 6.79 rating on WhoScored and considering Newcastle have conceded the second-most goals this season, it highlights how good he’s been and no Newcastle fan would like to think where they’d be without his heroics this campaign.

Losing his starting will be a huge blow, and you have to wonder whether it could be the final nail in the coffin for the former Nottingham Forest shot-stopper.

He’s had to bide his time since Dubravka arrived and settle for cup appearances and with the Slovakian taking his spot back, he may see it as his time to move on.

Lee told Football FanCast he can’t see why Darlow would stay to be a backup keeper when he’s got the ability to be a number one keeper in the Premier League.

Lee spoke glowingly when asked if Darlow would slot into another Premier League club: “Yeah, without a doubt. He’s been one of the top goalkeepers in the league.”

He added: “I think a lot of clubs will be after him based on his form. He’s obviously on the verge of earning an England call up I would say and deservedly so.

“I won’t be surprised if he leaves.”

Darlow has proved himself to be an excellent shot-stopper this season, however, Bruce appears to trust Dubravka more.

He’s 30-years old now and entering his peak years for a goalkeeper, would he waste those years sitting on Newcastle’s bench after the season he’s had?

As Benjamin Siegrist got down to make countless saves during Celtic’s 0-0 draw with Dundee United on Sunday, it was a case of what if. The Hoops were made to rue a succession of chances that meant the title was on its way out of Parkhead.

It is now heading to the blue side of Glasgow where their fiercest rivals can bask in the glory of usurping Celtic.

Siegrist was an absolute wall as Dundee United survived several waves of Celtic attacks last weekend. Though there won’t just be regret at failing to win, they will be ruing their failure to sign him.

In late December, it was revealed by the player’s agent, Dr Thommas Kraft, that the stopper was fielding interest from several clubs, one of which happened to be the Bhoys.

He commented: “Benjamin has had an extraordinary season and the last match against Hibernian he produced a high-level performance.

“There is interest in him from clubs in the Bundesliga and the Dutch Eredivisie. Celtic have also scouted him several times, that is true. But today, at this moment, we have no official offer from Celtic.”

Siegrist ultimately stayed at Tannadice, a decision that has come back to haunt Nick Hammond and the Celtic hierarchy.

A matter of months ago the Hoops decided to splash out £4.5m on Vasilis Barkas. The goalkeeper has been error-stricken with his performances, however, not least against AC Milan when he somehow let a free-kick fly past him on his side of the net.

Mistakes like those have littered his Celtic career so far and it’s no surprise that they were considering another ‘keeper in January. On Sunday’s evidence, they should have signed Siegrist.

Using his colossal presence of 6 foot 4, the Swiss goalkeeper was a man-mountain between the sticks, making a ridiculously high tally of 12 saves, eight of which came from efforts on goal inside the penalty area.

It didn’t matter what Celtic threw at the 29-year-old, he was always there to rescue his team.

We shouldn’t be overly surprised by his marvellous performances this term, though. Dundee United manager Micky Mellon remarked in October that he was one of the best in Scotland, suggesting he “trains like a monster.”

Monstrous is a word that defines Siegrist well; perhaps Celtic ought to have another look at him in the summer?

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/latest-celtic-manager-hunt-stories-wagner-marsch-martinez-lennon-news” title=”The last stories on Celtic’s hunt for a new manager!”]

Scott Bain has been at fault for goals this term, especially in the Europa League against Sparta Prague. He made errors for two goals in Prague but on top of that, Conor Hazard hasn’t been perfect either.

Although he saved a succession of spot-kicks in the penalty shootout win over Hearts in the Scottish Cup final, he was at fault in normal time.

It must be said that Siegrist isn’t the finished article either. He made a disastrous howler against Rangers only a few weeks ago. However, his shot-stopping and commanding nature are both undoubtedly attributed that are better than anyone else at Celtic.

Considering how wretched their goalkeeping position has been this term, Siegrist must be at the top of Hammond’s shopping list.

AND in other news, Worse than Brown: Celtic liability who lost possession 20x is now a huge problem…

Manchester City are reportedly taking an interest in Sporting Lisbon left-back Nuno Mendes ahead of the summer, and if he were to join, it could be the catalyst for Benjamin Mendy leaving the Citizens.

According to Portuguese news outlet Record,  City have made initial contacts over a move for the 18-year-old, who reportedly has a £60 million release clause with the Liga NOS side.

Although it suggests that the teenager could well be loaned back to Sporting as part of the deal, it looks as if City are targeting him as a long-term option at left-back, which suggests that Mendy could well be on his way out after a nightmare few seasons with the Citizens.

The Frenchman has shown glimpses of immense quality during his time working under Guardiola, particularly in the 2018/19 season when he managed five assists in just 10 Premier League appearances, which saw him average an impressive 7.29 rating.

However, he has endured some awful injury problems with City, which have prevented him from ever really enjoying a run of games in the first-team.

This season has seen Guardiola primarily utilise Oleksandr Zinchenko and Joao Cancelo at left-back, with Mendy having made just eight appearances in the top-flight, in which he has averaged a disappointing 6.45 rating.

Therefore, if Mendes were to join City, you feel that the Frenchman would be the one to leave, as he is simply too unreliable because of injury problems, and he is already arguably third-choice left-back, whilst the likes of Nathan Ake and Aymeric Laporte have also shown that they can play there if needed.

Mendes has impressed this season so far, making 19 appearances in the Portuguese top-flight, in which he has contributed one goal and one assist, averaging a superb 7.22 rating, so it is easy to see why he is attracting so much interest.

The young Portuguese defender certainly looks to be a wonderkid, and if sporting director Txiki Begiristain can negotiate a deal to bring him to the Etihad this summer, it would not be a surprise to see Mendy depart as a result.

And, in other news… £99m-rated City star’s place could be under threat after 23 y/o’s super display 

West Bromwich Albion did well to get a point on the weekend after Semi Ajayi was sent off in the first half. However, former Premier League referee Mark Halsey believes that the Baggies got lucky with one other call.

Halsey discusses Premier League clash

Speaking exclusively to The Transfer Tavern about the incident in the match where Burnley thought they should have had a penalty as Kyle Bartley seemed to handle the ball, Halsey said:

“I think West Brom got away with one there. I thought was a penalty, I thought it was a deliberate act, a deliberate movement of the arm towards the ball. If he keeps his arm down by side and it hits his arm, it’s not going to be a penalty because his arm would be in a natural position, but his arm moved out and it was in an unnatural position.

“I wouldn’t criticise Mike Riley in that situation because if you look, his view is blocked. VAR didn’t think it was a clear and obvious error, but everyone’s saying West Brom were lucky to get away with that and I agree, I think Burnley can feel unlucky that they didn’t get a penalty in that situation.”

It was a big moment in the match

Handball decisions always seems to split many pundits in the footballing world, so the decision in the match isn’t an easy one to make. At the end of the day, VAR has been brought in to help make a difference when it comes to these decisions but it still seems to be causing more issues than it’s solving.

West Brom, like most teams, have been on the wrong end of VAR calls this season, but it does look like they may have escaped one in this instance. However, whilst the Baggies were lucky to get away with the decision, they definitely did enough with ten men to earn a vital draw in their relegation battle.

In other West Brom news, Baggies fans slammed this man’s performance against Spurs, find out more here!

Many Aston Villa fans are reacting to Chris Wilder’s latest comments about the club before they face off against Sheffield United on Wednesday night.

According to @SUFClive, via @villareport, Wilder was speaking in his press conference and said of Villa: “Brilliant club, fabulous supporters. I went to watch them against Derby, was late and got caught up entering with Villa fans. I think they are a brilliant club, they are huge and I think only people in football realise how big they are.”

The two clubs are in rather different positions in the Premier League, with the Blades looking very likely for relegation as they sit bottom of the division (SofaScore), whilst Villa are battling for a top half position and are only six points off fourth place.

The comments from Wilder show much potential the Midlands club has and it was a huge moment for them to survive in the top flight on the last day in 2019/20 as they are now coming on leaps and bounds. If Dean Smith’s side were to beat Sheffield United, it puts them in a strong position as they have games in hand on the teams above them.

Naturally, many Villa fans were appreciative of Wilder’s comments, which led one supporter to call him a “true gentleman”.

Here is how Villa fans reacted to the comments:

“Yeah nice, now give us Sander Berge”

Credit: @AVFCOlly_

“Struggling to dislike him now”

Credit: @jackavfc1

“I think Wilder and Smith get on well. I recall them being friendly when Chris was doing TV work for the playoffs, having already gone up. He seemed keen to have Villa up too. Have liked him ever since!”

Credit: @DoctorCuriosity

“Wilder looking at future prospects at Villa I think .. smart business head”

Credit: @FowlerLegend

“Fair play Wilder, took a lot of stick off our fans before.”

Credit: @domphillips02

“The man is a true gentleman. Very sad to see them on the way down.”

Credit: @phillips702

In other news, these Villa fans react to these latest comments from Dean Smith!

Celtic were unable to keep their unbeaten winning streak going yesterday as they lost in a rather weak manner.

The Hoops fell at the hands of a plucky Ross County having arrived at Victoria Park off the back of a strong five games prior, scoring 13 goals in that time and conceding just two. However, they wouldn’t be celebrating their sixth victory.

Just the one goal was scored last night, coming in the 71st minute as Jordan White managed to find the back of the net and snatch the points away from a wounded Celtic.

The reigning league champions will be disappointed with an overall lacklustre performance. Jonjoe Kenny, in particular, was off his game, but there was one man who managed to shine, despite the poor result.

Callum McGregor vs Ross County

Callum McGregor has been an integral part of Neil Lennon’s squad this season. Talks have emerged about the idea of him taking the captain’s armband from Scott Brown, who is out of contract in the summer.

With big boots to potentially fill down the line, the midfielder has been solid in the engine room this campaign and he was one of the few positive takeaways against Ross County.

According to Sofascore, he took a mammoth 124 touches of the ball, which was more than any other player on the pitch. This just goes to show how much of a feeder player he operates as in midfield – he is always giving and receiving the ball to try and make some magic happen.

McGregor also made an impressive 101 accurate passes, completing 90% of those attempted, as well as putting in 11 accurate long balls and making one key pass.

Neil Lennon is also a huge fan of McGregor’s and recently waxed lyrical about his influence. The boss described him as a “metronome” in the middle of the park, which is a huge compliment for someone awaiting to take charge of his club as future captain.

Celtic did lose the game, but captain-in-waiting McGregor can still be proud of his performance.

In other news, Celtic must keep starting Ryan Christie this season…

Celtic have started a much-needed winning streak thanks to their victory over Motherwell in the Scottish Premiership on Saturday afternoon. The Hoops played hosts at Parkhead and managed to come away with a narrow 2-1 victory thanks to goals from Stephen Welsh and Odsonne Edouard.

Whilst Celtic have been struggling this season, things are starting to look up for the quadruple treble winners. Although they look down and out in the league and will likely give up their crown to Rangers, there are a lot of positives to take from their recent performances.

One man in particular who has been impressing in the first team is reserve side captain Welsh. The centre-back popped up with a crucial goal after mere minutes against Motherwell and helped guide his side to three points. Fans erupted on social media when he netted the opening goal, with many singing his praises as Celtic’s new exciting prospect.

Stephen Welsh vs Motherwell

When Celtic were dealt the heartbreak of losing out on Ben Davies, who signed for Liverpool, things looked bleak for Neil Lennon and co across the backline. However, the manager has taken a big risk by dropping loanee Shane Duffy in replace of 21-year-old Welsh.

The Brighton man hasn’t lived up to expectations since his loan move to Glasgow and as such, he is now being usurped by a much younger and less experienced defender. However, despite Welsh only making a total of nine senior appearances for the Bhoys, he is already proving to be a strong candidate to permanently partner Kristoffer Ajer at the heart of the defence.

According to Sofascore, Welsh contributed a lot more than his early goal for Celtic. He made four tackles and three interceptions whilst manning the defence, which is more than Greg Taylor, Jonjoe Kenny and Ajer. The £180,000-rated Scot also maintained a 91% passing accuracy and lost possession just six times, the same amount previously against Kilmarnock.

Lennon’s faith in the up-and-coming defender is already paying off in dividends and Welsh could even be buying the Irishman some more time at the hilt of the club. The 49-year-old has been tipped for the boot recently, with Rafael Benitez heavily linked to being his replacement.

But if Lennon can keep bagging wins due to his brave team decisions, he may escape the chop and live to see another season at Celtic.

In other news, David Turnbull is rapidly becoming a Celtic talisman…

Recent reports have suggested that Sepp van den Berg could be allowed to leave on loan this month, which reflects that Jurgen Klopp simply does not rate the Dutch defender at this moment in time.

What’s the word?

According to Goal, Liverpool are willing to let the 19-year-old leave on loan this month, despite their current injury crisis.

The report suggests that the Merseyside club have held discussions from three different clubs, from Belgium, Germany and Switzerland respectively, as they look to get the 6 ft 2 youngster some first-team football experience under his belt.

Does he have a future with Liverpool?

The fact that Klopp has trusted Nathaniel Phillips and Rhys Williams, both of whom had never appeared in the Premier League before, ahead of Van den Berg this season, is perhaps a damning reflection of where the 19-year-old currently stands at Liverpool.

The centre-back joined the Reds from PEC Zwolle in the summer of 2019 and he has four first-team appearances to his name, having established himself as a regular in the first-team with the Eredivisie side.

He has also made seven appearances in the U’23 side so far this season, in which he has contributed one goal but he has clearly not done enough to prove to Klopp and the Liverpool coaches that he was capable of stepping up in the absence of Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Joel Matip this season.

Liverpool journalist was full of praise for the young defender after his performance in the FA Cup against Shrewsbury Town last season, saying:

“I thought against Shrewsbury he was absolutely brilliant. I mean that was by far and away the best I’ve seen him play, for him to take on that responsibility and he seemed to be far more aggressive than he normally has been.”

Hopefully, if he does leave on loan, he can do get some regular first-team experience but there is definitely a worry that Klopp doesn’t rate him, as he has not been given an opportunity to impress at all this season, despite Liverpool’s injury crisis in defence.

And, in other news… Klopp must ruthlessly axe LFC ace TAA dubbed “world-class”; he was abysmal vs AVFC