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Allrounder had missed World Cup Qualifiers owing to commitments with Otago

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Jul-2018Michael Rippon returned to the Netherlands squad as the KNCB named 13-man contingents for the T20 triangular series involving the Marylebone Cricket Club and Nepal at Lord’s, as well as the two-match ODI series against Nepal, who will be making their debut in the format.Rippon had missed Netherlands’ World Cup Qualifier campaign owing to commitments with Otago in the Plunket Shield, New Zealand’s domestic first-class competition. However, while Netherlands have secured the services of Rippon, they will miss two other key players – Ryan ten Doeschate and Roelof van der Merwe, who are both tied up with county commitments.The squad for the T20 matches at Lord’s contained three fresh faces – Hidde Overdijk, Clayton Floyd and Tonny Staal. Overdijk was also picked for the ODIs. Floyd is originally from South Africa, but holds a Dutch passport.Also included in the ODI squad was right-hand batsman Dan ter Braak, who played his only first-class match for Netherlands against Ireland in an Intercontinental Cup clash in Dublin last year. He made 32 and 23 opening the innings as Netherlands drew the match. Should he make the XI, this will be ter Braak’s ODI debut.Pieter Seelaar will lead the team in both series. The T20 tri-series is scheduled to take place on July 29, opening with MCC v Netherlands. That will be followed by MCC v Nepal, before Netherlands clash with Nepal. The last of those matches has been granted T20 international status. Nepal will then begin their initiation into ODI cricket with twin matches against the Netherlands on August 1 and August 3.Squad for tri-series: Pieter Seelaar (capt), Wesley Barresi, Scott Edwards, Clayton Floyd, Frederick Klaassen, Bas De Leede, Paul van Meekeren, Max O’Dowd, Hidde Overdijk, Michael Rippon, Shane Snater, Tonny Staal, Tobias ViseeODI squad: Pieter Seelaar (capt), Wesley Barresi, Dan ter Braak, Ben Cooper, Scott Edwards, Frederick Klaassen, Bas De Leede, Paul van Meekeren, Stephan Myburgh, Max O’Dowd, Hidde Overdijk, Shane Snater, Michael Rippon

The Uruguay international scored two superb goals as a clinical Liverpool side all but secured their passage to the next round of the tournament

Darwin Nunez stared as Liverpool enjoyed a 5-1 thumping win over Sparta Prague on Thursday to put themselves within touching distance of the Europa League quarter-finals.

That scoreline papered over a performance that, in truth, left something to be desired, such were their defensive deficiencies.

Alexis Mac Allister opened the scoring from the penalty spot, having won the spot-kick with a superb piece of individual pressing. Nunez then added a second and a third with two brilliant strikes, the first coming from range, before he volleyed a finish into the bottom corner from just inside the box.

Despite the game appearing over, Sparta found a way back into the game from an unlikely source, as substitute Conor Bradley scored an own goal with his first touch in a rare woeful bit of defending from the youngster. However, Luis Diaz netted via a deflection shortly after to restore the Reds' three-goal lead. Mohamed Salah, on as a substitute, thought he had added a fifth but his strike was disallowed by VAR, so it was left to Dominik Szoboszlai to score the fifth.

This was an erratic performance, overall, from the Reds and one characterised by big chances and open spaces for both teams to attack; Liverpool's clinical edge ultimately proved the difference.

GOAL rates Liverpool's players from ePet Arena…

Getty ImagesGoalkeeper & Defence

Caoimhin Kelleher (7/10):

Made a clutch of excellent saves as Prague continually pressed forward, again staking his claim as the best deputy goalkeeper in the Premier League. No chance with Bradley's own goal.

Joe Gomez (5/10):

Superb goal-line clearance after Kelleher made a great reflex save but only after being caught wildly out of position. Had to make a couple of important blocks, but appeared somewhat uneasy at right-back and was subbed at half-time.

Jarell Quansah (5/10):

A little uneasy on the ball and often hared out of defence, leaving the line exposed. Calmed down once he was next to Van Dijk.

Ibrahima Konate (5/10):

Can look clumsy at times, even if he is brave, and was skinned more than once before his injury-enforced substitution. A clunky performance.

Andrew Robertson (5/10):

Liverpool's most experienced campaigner but he seemed reluctant to push forward, maybe to keep the line under his control. Beaten a couple of times, but Sparta couldn't make anything stick in the final third.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesMidfield

Harvey Elliott (5/10):

Lost the ball in the build-up to a huge Sparta chance, but they missed an open goal. Assisted Diaz's deflected strike.

Wataru Endo (6/10):

Some agricultural tackling but was sometimes bypassed in build-up. Always willing to take the ball, though, and worked hard.

Alexis Mac Allister (7/10):

Won Liverpool's early penalty with a superb piece of pressing and got up to score it. Always working to move the ball forward, evidenced by his assist for Nunez's volley. Subbed in the second half to save his legs.

Getty ImagesAttack

Cody Gakpo (7/10):

Twice denied in the first half and again in the second, this time when one-on-one. Needs to add a lethal touch to his excellent build-up play if he is to become a key player at Anfield.

Darwin Nunez (9/10):

Scored a brilliant goal to give Liverpool a 2-0 lead, sending a 30-yard effort into the roof of the net, and then added a volley on the stroke of half-time. Came out for the second half but was surprisingly subbed to deny himself a hat-trick. A superb display.

Luis Diaz (6/10):

Peripheral in the first half but scored in the second, finishing an Elliott pass via a deflection. Always a threat when the ball comes to him.

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Getty ImagesSubs & Manager

Conor Bradley (6/10):

Scored an own goal with his first touch to bring Sparta back into the game, as he hacked a clearance into the top corner. But after that he worked hard and created the opening for Diaz's goal after some fine work down the right.

Virgil van Dijk (6/10):

On for Konate. Calmed the backline down almost immediately.

Dominik Szoboszlai (7/10):

Replaced Nunez. Had a couple of shots at goal, mostly from range, then added a fifth with a cool finish.

Bobby Clark (6/10):

Came on for Mac Allister in the second half for his European debut. Pressed high consistently and won the ball before Salah scored, although his strike was disallowed.

Mohamed Salah (6/10):

On for the final 20 minutes, replacing Diaz. Thought he had scored with a cool finish inside the box to make it 5-1 but VAR ruled it out for offside.

Jurgen Klopp (6/10):

Will have been mightily impressed with Nunez and mightily unimpressed with some of his side's defending. The patchwork backline struggled, and only found some calm once Van Dijk was introduced.

Everton are in the process of being taken over by 777 Partners, but one journalist has dropped a concerning update after what he’s heard from Merseyside.

Does Farhad Moshiri still own Everton?

Last month, Farhad Moshiri reached an agreement with the American investment firm to sell his 94.1% stake in the club, which initially came as music to the ears of supporters who have been calling for him to step down from his position over the past couple of seasons.

The Athletic’s David Ornstein soon after reported that the Toffees had received a loan worth tens of millions of pounds from their new owners to help with projects in the short-term, including the build of the upcoming stadium Bramley-Moore Dock.

The Goodison Park outfit are therefore expected to become the next club to be owned by the 777 Group, and they already have an impressive portfolio of teams under their belt in the form of Standard Liege, Hertha Berlin, Sevilla and Genoa, soon to be joined by Sean Dyche’s side in the Premier League.

Everton takeover update

Speaking to GiveMeSport, Paul Brown revealed in an Everton takeover update that whilst the 777 Partners agreement is expected to go through, they aren’t doing it for genuine reasons to help the club achieve success. He said:

"They're right in that there is no magic wand to fix Everton. I think it's going to be a long, slow process just to get the finances back on track, whoever takes the club on.

"Unfortunately, I'm yet to speak to anyone in football who believes that this group has the capability or the funding to achieve any kind of stability or success with Everton.

"In fact, I've even spoken to people who suggest that this may be less about owning a successful Premier League team and more about adding value to the portfolio and helping to attract new investment into the wider business."

Moshiri potentially leaving the club would be a positive regardless – it’s way past time that there was a major change among the hierarchy with a view to the long-term future, and whilst there are plenty of things going on behind the scenes, there needs to be more of a focus on performances on the pitch.

Dyche’s team have had a majorly disappointing start to the new season having won just two, drawn one and lost five of their opening eight fixtures meaning that they find themselves 16th in the table, albeit with some good form in recent weeks:

Brentford (3-1)

Sheffield United (2-2)

Fulham (1-0)

Bournemouth (3-0)

Aston Villa (4-0)

Wolves (1-0)

Arsenal (1-0)

Luton (2-1)

The Blues will be wanting someone to invest who will have the sufficient funds to be competitive in the market which will lead to buying better players and therefore making the manager’s squad stronger, but should the 777 Partners be unable to provide the cash or stability required, then this is definitely a deal to be worried about.

Burnley and manager Vincent Kompany have been handed a welcome boost to one of their injured players this week, according to reports.

Burnley injury news…

The Clarets haven’t had the best of starts to the Premier League campaign, currently sitting in the relegation zone with just one victory in nine top flight fixtures. Most recently, Kompany’s side made the trip to Brentford and fell to a 3-0 defeat, however, they were once again without a number of first team players who have been missing had a due to injury.

Burnley injuries

Problem

Hjalmar Ekdal

Knee

Manuel Benson

Ankle

Johann Berg Gudmundsson

Muscle

Jordan Beyer

Other

Nathan Redmond

Other

Michael Obafemi

Thigh

Michael Obafemi, who made his move to Turf Moor permanent over the summer, has been missing since June where he suffered a serious hamstring injury while on international duty with the Republic of Ireland. He featured 14 times for the Clarets last season on loan from Swansea City, and it looks as if his first appearance as a permanent Burnley player could be just around the corner following a positive development.

Reporter Matt Scrafton of the Burnley Express shared a Michael Obafemi injury update on Tuesday, stating the forward has now returned to make his first appearance for the U21 side in what represents a boost for club, player and manager.

Obafemi featured in a derby clash against Blackburn Rovers at the Burnley Training Centre alongside fellow first-team players Lawrence Vigouroux, CJ Egan-Riley, Han-Noah Massengo and Darko Churlinov, with Churlinov and Will Hugill scoring in a 2-0 Central League Cup win.

How good is Michael Obafemi?

Obafemi may have made 14 appearances for Burnley last season, however, when it comes to minutes played, the forward has only featured for under 300 minutes in a Burnley shirt. (Michael Obafemi stats – Transfermarkt)

He has been hailed as “fantastic” by Russell Martin while at Swansea, with the now Southampton boss saying that Obafemi’s “pace is something that really scares opponents”. Meanwhile, Kompany also appears to be a fan of the forward, saying after signing Obafemi on loan at the beginning of the year:

“We have done this transfer in a way that is smart for us as a club. There is a big upside and little risk.”

Therefore, with Burnley struggling for goals in the Premier League, scoring just seven goals in nine games so far, having Obafemi back from injury could be the boost they need heading into the New Year, and it’ll be interesting to see when he is fully fit to feature in a first team squad.

Playing their 100th ODI, Afghanistan huffed and puffed to a total of 182, which wasn’t quite enough despite Rashid Khan picking up three wickets

The Report by Sruthi Ravindranath29-Aug-2018Getty Images”Maybe their batting is not quite as strong as it has been recently, so as bowlers we’ve got to help the batters out and try and restrict them to as few as we can,” Tim Murtagh, the Ireland fast bowler, had said after collecting figures of 4 for 31 during his side’s loss to Afghanistan in the first ODI.Those were his career-best figures, and just 48 hours later Murtagh bettered them, picking up 4 for 30 as he, along with the rest of the Ireland pace attack, scythed through the Afghanistan line-up, before Andy Balbirnie and Simi Singh stitched together a crucial partnership to set up a series-levelling three-wicket win, consigning the visitors to their first loss of this tour. Opting to bat first in their 100th ODI game, Afghanistan slumped to 16 for 4 before finding some respite via their middle and lower order to finally post 182 for 9.Murtagh was scathing with the new ball, snuffing out Afghanistan’s top three in his first three overs. He pinned Mohammad Shahzad in front with an inswinger, the same method he used in his second over to remove Hazratullah Zazai’s middle stump. An edgy Gulbadin Naib became Murtagh’s second lbw victim in his third over. When a direct hit from Andy Balbirnie ran Hashmatullah Shahidi out in the ninth over, Afghanistan were in all sorts of strife.The onus was on captain Asghar Afghan and Rahmat Shah to pull things back, and they did just exactly that. The duo took their time, scoring only 20 off the first nine overs of their partnership, and enjoyed some luck too, with Simi dropping Rahmat at midwicket when he was on 4.While the pacers benefited from favourable conditions and bowled with discipline, the spinners did their bit as well to keep Afghanistan quiet. Offspinner Simi accounted for Rahmat, ending a fifth-wicket stand that had consumed 18.2 overs. Mohammad Nabi, playing his 100th ODI, began briskly, but was out for 13 off 12 balls when he slashed Peter Chase to third man. It was a well-deserved wicket for Chase, who hit the deck hard, and caused some discomfort with his short ball.Afghan fell 4.4 overs later, Paul Stirling running him out with a direct hit at the bowler’s end. He had made 39 off 82 balls. At this point, Afghanistan had nearly 16 overs to bat out with only three wickets in hand, and Najibullah Zadran and Rashid Khan at the crease.They added 29 before Murtagh returned to dismiss the scratchy Rashid. Najibullah stepped up his scoring rate, hitting Kevin O’Brien for a four and a six in successive overs from the medium-pacer before holing out looking for a repeat of his pulled six. He had made 42 off 52 balls.With 3.3 overs remaining, Afghanistan were in danger of being bowled out, but their tenth-wicket pair of Mujeeb ur Rahman and Aftab Alam managed to bat through till the end of the 50th over, finding the boundary twice each while adding an unbroken 22.In the first over of Ireland’s chase, Mujeeb came round the wicket to dismiss captain William Porterfield in the first over with a ball that kept low. But the second-wicket pair of Paul Stirling and Balbirne stepped up and stitched together a 69-run stand, even as Afghanistan bowled a spinner and a seamer in tandem until the 15th over in a bid to choke the batsmen. Afghanistan finally got their breakthrough in the 17th over, when Nabi had Stirling stumped on 39.With Balbirne in fluent form, Ireland had the upper hand in most parts of their chase, except when they lost three quick wickets to spin in a space of eight overs and found themselves 97 for 4. While Mujeeb teased the batsmen with the carom ball, Rashid unleashed his googly, one of which foxed Kevin O’Brien and had him lbw in the 25th over.Balbirnie was still there, pulling and sweeping with power. His partnership with Simi was the highlight of the chase, the duo playing patiently against the spinners and making most of their runs via swift running between wickets. With Balbirnie set at one end, Simi was able to take hise time to settle in. During an attempt to take a quick single in the 35th over, Balbirnie slipped near the crease and landed on his elbow, and called for the physio to have a look. Two balls later, he fell to a stunning catch by Najibullah when he edged Rashid to slip. With 39 required with five wickets in hand, Afghanistan sensed a bit of an opening.Gary Wilson and Andy McBrine fell soon afterwards, leaving Ireland 164 for 7 in the 41st over. Simi was the key man now, and he was playing the spinners with ease. He just needed someone to stay with him, and it was Murtagh, fittingly, who kept him company, the eighth-wicket pair seeing Ireland home with an unbroken 19-run stand in 21 balls.The deciding ODI – the last match of Afghanistan’s tour – will be played at the same venue on Friday.

Christian Pulisic will head to U.S. men's national team camp on fire as the AC Milan star scored in his fourth consecutive match in all competitions.

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Pulisic scores againFour goals in four gamesMilan win 3-1GettyWHAT HAPPENED?

AC Milan seized the lead just before halftime, with the goal coming from left-back Theo Hernandez. The fullback had made several typical mazy runs throughout the first half, and he was rewarded with a goal in the 44th, although the yellow card he got for the ensuing celebration means he'll miss the next game due to suspension.

Pulisic didn't wait long to double that lead once the second half started, as the American pounced on a rebound from a Noah Okafor shot to tap home for his fourth goal in four games.

Verona fought back, though, through a stunning finish from Tijani Noslin, whose missile from outside the box left Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan with absolutely no chance. Verona would pull no closer, though, as Samuel Chukwueze's finish in the 79th minute ensured there would be no comeback while locking up Milan's 3-1 win.

AdvertisementGettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE

It's been a good week for Milan, who made it three wins in seven days across all competitions. After edging Empoli last weekend on a Pulisic goal, the Rossoneri took care of Slavia Prague in the Europa League, winning 3-1 in the second leg and 7-3 on aggregate to move into the Europa League quarterfinals.

The Serie A chase, though, remains unlikely. Milan remain 13 points behind league-leaders Inter, who have a game in hand on their city rivals.

USMNT IMPACT

Pulisic's goal continued his insane run of form, which has seen him score goals no matter the competition. He's now scored against Slavia Prague twice in the Europa League as well as Empoli and now Verona in Serie A. As a result, he's now scored 12 goals this season, better than the high of 11 he scored during his time at Chelsea.

His surge comes at an ideal time for the USMNT, too, with the CONCACAF Nations League right around the corner. During his time at Chelsea, Pulisic often came into the USMNT needing to find his form; that certainly won't be the case this time around.

Pulisic was on the field for 66 minutes before Milan made subs to solidify their defensive shape, with his USMNT teammate Yunus Musah coming on to replace Ruben Loftus-Cheek as part of those substitutions.

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GOAL'S RATINGS

Christian Pulisic (8/10):

When you're in the form he's in, those types of rebounds come to you. Pulisic made no mistake when the ball fell to his feet, scoring another big goal for Milan.

Yunus Musah (6/10):

Had one really good run where he held onto the ball just a bit too long. Only got a few touches other than that.

Mason Greenwood was one of many Getafe players going wild as they snatched a surprise win over Girona to help boost Real Madrid's La Liga title bid.

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Getafe beat Girona in shock resultGreenwood and team-mates ecstaticResult huge boost for Real's title hopesGetty ImagesWHAT HAPPENED?

Greenwood played the full 90 minutes as his side ran out surprise winners in a fiercely contested league fixture on Saturday. Jesus Santiago got the only goal of the game in the 33rd minute as Getafe ground out a 1-0 victory. That moment was cause for celebration for the mid-table club, with Greenwood joining his team-mates in jumping for joy at Santiago's effort.

AdvertisementWATCH THE CLIPGetty ImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE

The result is a huge one for Greenwood and Getafe, but is also massive in the La Liga title race. Girona's second league defeat in three matches see the gap between them and leaders Real Madrid extend to a massive ten points with nine matches remaining. Carlo Ancelotti's side saw out a 4-2 victory over mid-table Osasuna earlier on Saturday, but were dealt a blow with Vinicius Junior sidelined until next month.

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DID YOU KNOW?

For Greenwood, though, Saturday's performance shows why the likes of Real, but more prominently Barcelona and Atletico Madrid, are reportedly keen on signing him in the summer. Despite not getting a goal or assist the Manchester United loanee was a threat throughout, and came close to scoring an absolute scorcher.

The 25-year old fast bowler had been reported for a suspect action in December 2017

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Aug-2018West Indies fast bowler Ronsford Beaton can resume bowling in international cricket after the ICC approved his remodelled action.Beaton was suspended from bowling earlier this year after he failed an independent assessment of his bowling action, which had been reported as suspect during an ODI against New Zealand in December 2017.On August 13, his remodelled action was re-assessed at Loughborough University in England, where the amount of elbow extension for all his deliveries was within the 15-degree limit allowed by the ICC. Beaton missed playing the CPL this year to work on his action and was replaced by Ali Khan at Trinbago Knight Riders.Match officials are still at liberty to report Beaton if they find he is not using his legal action, footage of which will be handed to them in due course.

There appears to be no derailing the Ange Postecoglou train at Tottenham Hotspur, with the Lilywhites keeping themselves firmly in title contention at the top of the Premier League table following Monday's win over Fulham.

The north London outfit made it seven victories from their opening nine league games of the season courtesy of goals from Heung-min Son and James Maddison, albeit with the home side having also been reliant on some heroics from Guglielmo Vicario in the sticks, with the Italian shot-stopper making three crucial saves on the night.

Amid what was a positive, albeit far from perfect performance from the high-flying outfit, one potential concern was the withdrawal of Pape Matar Sarr on the hour mark, with it yet to be seen if the 21-year-old will be fit to feature against Crystal Palace on Friday evening.

What's the latest on Pape Matar Sarr?

With Spurs' next Premier League encounter just a matter of days away, the quick turnaround between the two fixtures may have Postecoglou sweating over the availability of young Sarr, with the Senegalese maestro having been forced off with what looked to be an injury setback at the time.

As the former Celtic boss subsequently revealed post-match, the promising machine had in fact been playing through illness hence his relatively early withdrawal, with Postecoglou stating:

"Pape hadn’t been well over the last 24 hours. But he was really keen to start tonight, we kind of knew probably 60 minutes would be his maximum. It was just fatigue in the end, short turnaround but the medical team seemed to be pretty confident that he’ll be fine."

While that assessment would suggest that Sarr will be in line to play against the Eagles this weekend, if Postecoglou and his staff do not want to take the risk with the potentially fatigued talent, then the 58-year-old may well need to look to his other midfield options to find a potential replacement.

Who could replace Pape Matar Sarr?

One major boost that Tottenham will receive ahead of the meeting with Roy Hodgson's men is the return of Yves Bissouma from his one-game suspension, with Pierre-Emile Hojberg having stepped in comfortably in that deep-lying midfield berth last night.

While the latter man was "effective" in that role – as per The Athletic's Charlie Eccleshare – it remains to be seen whether Postecoglou would consider a midfield pairing of Hojbjerg and Bissouma, with both men perhaps at their best as the pivot in front of the back four.

Instead, the Greek-Aussie could turn to Oliver Skipp to fill the shoes of Sarr if needed, albeit with the Englishman not exactly impressing last season amid the club's collective woes, with just one goal and no assists in all competitions.

In need of a player who can provide quality both in and out of possession, it could well be that Giovani Lo Celso emerges as a prime candidate ahead of Skipp, amid his return from injury.

The Argentine playmaker may be more renowned for his creative, attacking threat – memorably contributing 22 goal involvements in just 45 games during a prior stint at Real Betis – although the experienced ace could also take on Sarr's role as an all-action, relentless midfield machine.

With the latter man having been hailed by Postecoglou for the way he "disrupts the opposition" with his "great energy", Lo Celso can perhaps mirror that approach, having been described as an "engine" in the side in the past by ex-teammate and compatriot, Juan Foyth.

That was apparent during his time with Villarreal last term as the 27-year-old averaged 1.5 tackles per game from his 22 La Liga appearances, just slightly ahead of what Sarr has achieved from his nine league outings this time around – 1.4 tackles per game.

Although Lo Celso has been something of a forgotten man in recent years amid various stints out on loan, the £70k-per-week ace could represent something of a secret weapon in the coming weeks and months.

There have been question marks over the future of "outrageous" Celtic hero Reo Hatate in recent times, but now a key update has emerged, providing more clarity over the situation.

Hatate's Celtic future

The 25-year-old has proven to be an excellent signing by the Hoops since arriving at the club last year, completing a move from Japanese side Kawasaki Frontale.

Hatate's statistics highlight the impact that he has made in a Celtic shirt in his relatively short time at the club, with 15 goals and 16 assists coming his way in a total of 76 appearances to date. This season, he has two apiece in the Scottish Premiership, helping Brendan Rodgers' side top the table.

That being said, there have been some doubts over the Japanese's future at Parkhead, even though Hatate signed a new deal with Celtic in September, with a move away during the January transfer window not out of the question. The Hoops ace has been linked with a move to Tottenham, which would see him link up with former manager Ange Postecoglou in the process.

He has, however, picked up a serious hamstring problem that will keep him sidelined for around two months, having suffered the issue in the Champions League clash with Atletico Madrid in October, when Rodgers' men drew 2-2 at home to the La Liga giants.

Fresh Hatate update

According to a new update from Football Insider, Hatate looks set to stay at Celtic beyond the January transfer window due to the hamstring injury he is suffering from:

"Reo Hatate’s hamstring injury has ended any possibility of a January move away from Celtic. Premier League clubs have sent their scouts north of the border on several occasions to assess the 25-year-old central midfielder – who has been linked with Tottenham."

While Hatate's injury is clearly a big blow for Celtic, it could potentially end up being a blessing in disguise if it means he stays put at Parkhead for the remainder of the season and beyond.

The central midfielder has been such an important part of the Hoops' success since arriving at the club, so to lose him midway through the season, especially after only just extending his stay at Parkhead, would represent a major setback.

Hatate's quality is highlighted by the fact that Scotland and Aston Villa midfielder John McGinn has described him as "outrageous" in the past, while Liverpool star Andy Robertson has called him a "serious player".

Appearances

76

Goals

15

Assists

16

It could be that the midfielder decides to look for a new challenge at the end of the season should interest in his signature emerge, but on the plus side, Celtic do at least find themselves in a strong bargaining position given that he has only recently signed a new deal.

For now, Rodgers will just hope to get Hatate back in the fold as soon as possible and allow him to play a key role in what is hopefully yet another Scottish Premiership title win this season.