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Aston Villa loanee Andre Green has confirmed that he has undergone a knee operation to remove a cyst in a post on Twitter that has since been deleted, as reported by Portsmouth News.

What’s the word?

The 20-year-old forward had featured just two times for the League One side after being forced out of Villa Park following the summer acquisitions of Anwar El-Ghazi and Yannick Bolasie, with Steve Bruce then deciding a spell on loan is best for his development.

However, that plan has now been shattered after Green confirmed he had undergone an operation and will therefore subsequently face a spell on the sidelines.

What was said?

“After feeling pain in my knee for the last year due to a cyst I finally decided to get it removed. Thankful everything went well & this small set back can allow me to get back to my best & play 100% fit.”

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What next?

After earning five first-team appearances for Aston Villa last season, his exit from the squad was a major blow and the injury news will also present the England youth international with another hurdle to overcome.

While it is not clear how long he will be sidelined for, Green is expected to remain at Portsmouth as his loan spell lasts until the end of the campaign.

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Aston Villa fell to their second defeat of the season on Saturday, and Steve Bruce absolutely must change up the attack after Tammy Abraham’s horror show.

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Villa have had an up and down start to the season, as enthralling wins over Hull and Wigan have since been sullied by infuriating draws and two shock defeats.

The latest of those defeats came courtesy of Sheffield Wednesday, as the Owls were able to make good use of their limited possession to leave Villa Park with all three points.

Abraham’s performance was especially concerning, as the ball just wasn’t sticking to the youngster’s feet.

The 20 year-old has scored once since joining on loan from Chelsea, but Bruce simply must switch things up and get both Yannick Bolasie and Anwar El Ghazi involved as every attack seemed to fall apart at the youngster’s feet on Saturday.

Abraham touched the ball just 29 times, and completed a truly horrific 55 per cent of his passes. He wasn’t able to use his size to hold the ball up either, winning just one aerial duel.

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The young striker just simply didn’t effect the game enough, completing one dribble and registering zero shots, and his goal drought at Swansea shows exactly what happens when he loses his confidence.

Bruce should switch things up when they visit Bristol City on Friday, using the likes of Bolasie and El Ghazi to play off and around the colossal Jonathan Kodjia.

So, Aston Villa fans, what did you think of the performance on Saturday? Should Abraham lose his place? Let us know your thoughts by voting in the poll below…

Liverpool continued their excellent start to the season with a late equaliser at Chelsea this weekend to extend their unbeaten run under Jurgen Klopp this term.

The Reds have some of the most sought after attacking talents in the world in their line up, but often their defensive players get overlooked when it comes to people singing the praises of their star performers.

And one man we think comes into this category – especially with his performances this season – is defensive star Joe Gomez.

The youngster, valued at a hefty £22m by Transfermarkt already, is showing his worth for Klopp and his teammates this term already, with a string of fine performances alongside Virgil Van Dijk really cementing his repuation as one of the standout young players in the Premier League at the moment.

Gomez has appeared to really develop his game in the last couple of years especially, and after initially flirting with a spot at right back, it looks like he is on course to cement his place as one of the best defenders in the world for years to come.

If Liverpool and Gomez can continue in their current vein of form, then there is little doubt that both the individual, and his club, can go to on to demonstrate an element of dominance in the game for the next few years at the very least.

Liverpool fans, what do you think to Gomez? Do you think he has potential to be one of the world’s best? Let us know in the comments!

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Sunderland manager Jack Ross has hinted via The Chronicle that fringe man Reece James is set to play a pivotal role in the coming weeks, following a double blow for the League One high-flyers.

What’s the word, then?

Well, after losing Denver Hume to injury – with Ross explaining via The Chronicle that the impressive youngster is set to be out for another six weeks – his deputy Bryan Oviedo picked up a straight red card in the 2-2 draw with Peterborough United at the Stadium of Light on Tuesday night.

The Costa Rica international will now sit out the next three matches, and while it is bad news for the Wearside outfit and their fans, 36% of whom who voted on our poll believe their key first-team star is worth more than £15m, it is a different story for a summer addition.

The Black Cats brought James to the north east for free on a one-year deal after his contract with Wigan Athletic expired, and he would have hoped for some regular first-team football after choosing to remain in League One – although that hasn’t been the case.

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How big an opportunity does he have now?

He has a huge opportunity – especially given the short length of his current contract.

Prior to coming on for the final 20 minutes against the Posh the 24-year-old had featured in just 190 minutes of League One football this term, with both Hume and Oviedo preferred ahead of him, and it seemed unlikely that his deal would be expired at the climax of the campaign.

However, the latest setbacks for Sunderland mean now that he has now gone from third-choice to first-choice in a matter of days, and he now has the chance to impress and stake his claim to remain in the starting XI even when Hume and Oviedo make their respective returns.

James has gone from being a fringe player to one that is going to be pivotal in the club’s promotion push in the coming weeks, as they look to make an instant return to the Championship.

Tottenham Hotspur host Barcelona at Wembley in second round of the Champions League on Wednesday and the encounter is poised to be a cracking one. The Spanish club travel to London with a very good record at the England national stadium, having claimed some historic victories there over the years.

The History!

Barcelona won the European Cup at Wembley back in 1992 when they beat Italian side Sampdoria 1-0 in the final thanks to free-kick by former Southampton and Everton manager Ronald Koeman. Not only was it the Catalan giants’ first ever appearance at the iconic venue but it was also the first time they won the biggest prize in European club football.

Managed by Dutchman Johan Cruyff the Barcelona side also had Pep Guardiola in the team as a defensive midfielder, while former Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini was the captain of the Sampdoria team that day.

Another impressive display by Barcelona at Wembley was in the 1999 Champions League group stage when they beat another North London club Arsenal 4-2 thanks to goals by Rivaldo, Luis Enrique, Luis Figo and Phillip Cocu who currently manages Turkish side Fenerbahce.

But in recent times their most notable performance at the venue came in 2011 when Guardiola led the side as manager into battle with Sir Alex Furgeson’s Manchester United in the Champions League final. Pedro, who at the time was still playing for Barcelona, opened the scoring before striker Wayne Rooney equalised before half-time.

The game was however turned on its head when Lionel Messi found the back of the net with a long range shot in the 54th minute and then David Villa made sure of the result when he curled a shot past Edwin van der Sar into the top right corner.

Coming back to Wembley!

Barcelona, now managed by Ernesto Valverde, will certainly be eyeing another memorable performance when they face Spurs on Wednesday with a capacity crowd expected. Lionel Messi, Sergio Besquests and Gerard Piqué are all three players that will have fond memories of Wembley as the only remaining players in the current side that played in that final back in 2011.

With Mauricio Pochettino’s side struggling with a lot of injuries, Barcelona will be favourites heading into the game but for Spurs to keep them out they will need to produce a similar performance as the one last year when they beat Real Madrid 3-0 at Wembley. The potential return of captain Hugo Lloris should give the side a vital boost but striker Harry Kane will need to be at his very best, with Christian Eriksen and Dele Alli both missing out due to injury, if Spurs were to have any chance of getting points from the match.

Aston Villa fans were treated to a triple appointment on Wednesday night with Dean Smith being announced as their new manager, John Terry as his assistant and Jesus Garcia Pitarch as sporting director.

Smith, who is a lifelong Villa fan, leaves his role as Brentford manager with the Bees three points and eight places above his new side, and Terry returns to the club where he played last season.

Villa fans on Twitter were hugely excited with Terry’s new role, with many hoping he would be the man to organise their leaky defence. The former Chelsea legend announced his retirement from football on Sunday after he left Villa at the end of his one-year contract in the summer.

Although the Villans are sitting in 15th in the Championship table, things could have been far worse as after missing out on promotion to the Premier League via the play-offs, the Birmingham-based club were plunged into financial difficulties and had to agree a payment plan with HMRC after failing to pay their taxes.

New owners Wes Edens and Nassef Sawiris took control though and began pumping money back into the club, and they now have Terry back in a different role. Check out the best reactions from Villa fans to the new No.2’s appointment below.

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The absence of Seamus Coleman in the Everton line-up gave Jonjoe Kenny the chance to stake his case to be the club’s first choice at right-back.

Five games in a row, 450 minutes of football and no one in line to steal the spot sounds like the perfect audition, especially when your rival is entering into the latter years of his career whilst yours is really just beginning.

Going up against an established right-back in Coleman presents enough challenge for Kenny as it is -without injuries, opportunities to show what he has in the tank come thin and far between.

However, the chance did come for the 21-year-old and now Marco Silva has a decision on his hands with the Irish international expected to be fit again come the club’s next match, at home to Crystal Palace on October 21st.

Playing to the style of the manager is what established Seamus Coleman as not only Everton’s best choice for the right-back spot but one of the best in the Premier League.

The system brought in by Roberto Martinez utilised the full backs at Everton in a way that was still viewed as fairly unconventional, having them push high up the pitch and join the attack at every opportunity.

This style saw Everton improve on where they finished under David Moyes to being a Champions League contending team. Martinez had his flaws and the following season his Toffees team were found out by the opposition as they plummeted down the table, but the style he instilled on Coleman kept the full-back at the top of the class.

21-year-old Kenny must look to the way Coleman established himself and made the position his own if the Kirkdale lad has any true desire to be the Toffees’ number one right-back.

His outings in recent games have laid down another layer on the foundations set last term, but the former Wigan and Oxford loanee still leaves a lot to be desired.

Take Everton’s recent fixtures against West Ham and Leicester as two examples of the good and the bad the Englishman has to his game.

Against West Ham, Kenny was thrown into the team on the back of his teammate being ruled out through injury. In this match, he performed strongly by assisting Gylfi Sigurdsson’s effort to pull one back as their side trailed by two goals approaching half time. But come Leicester away, his weakness came to the fore.

Playing at right-back may mean getting forward more and more these days, but the role still requires a high level of defensive ability.

Against the Foxes, fellow full-back Ricardo Pereira made Kenny dance to his Portuguese beat as he cut inside and out to trick the defender four years his junior into committing to a block that simply opened the space for the ex-Porto star to score. More experience, like what Coleman could have brought to that moment, may have seen the situation unfold differently.

Only more minutes on the pitch will see Kenny build that football brain for scenarios like this, as training never amounts to the same intensity of a match. Therefore, keeping Kenny in the side for upcoming tests away at Old Trafford and Stamford Bridge may bring out the best in the man in line for Coleman’s crown.

So, Everton fans, who do you see as the club’s first-choice right-back? Let us know by voting below…

Everton are on a good run of form heading into Sunday’s Premier League encounter against Manchester United.

Marco Silva has overseen his team earn back-to-back wins over Leicester City and Crystal Palace.

A trip to Old Trafford will be a very different test for the Toffees, but Jose Mourinho’s side are struggling for form, which could present an opportunity for Everton to strike.

Much has been spoken of Silva’s attacking options up front, but there are other elements of the pitch that the fans feel could do with some tweaking this weekend.

Theo Walcott has started all nine of Everton’s Premier League games this season, and in the first three he scored two goals and created an assist.

However, in his last six league outings the former Arsenal star has contributed only one assist, and now some fans feel that a change should be made.

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Ademola Lookman came under fire during the summer transfer window amid rumours of a proposed permanent move to RB Leipzig.

In the end, though, the attack-minded star stayed put but has only featured in three matches so far this season.

Interestingly, results from our poll indicate that plenty of Everton fans would prefer to see Lookman get the nod over Walcott this weekend.

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According to The Sun, PSG are keen on signing Alexis Sanchez, who is currently struggling to adapt to life at Manchester United.

The Red Devils made the Chilean the highest-paid player in the Premier League when they prised him away from Arsenal in January, however he has struggled for form since his arrival at Old Trafford. In recent weeks, the 29-year-old has failed to even make Jose Mourinho’s starting XI.

At this stage of his career and in his current slump, time is running out for United to recoup much of their significant investment in the attacker. Accepting a bid from PSG could be their last chance to get big money for Sanchez.

However, doing so would be an admission of having made a huge error in the transfer market and would reflect very poorly upon the club and manager. What’s more, Sanchez remains a talented player with the potential to light up the Premier League, giving up on him so soon could easily prove to be a mistake.

What do you think, United fans – should Sanchez be sold to PSG?

A few seasons ago Michail Antonio was one of West Ham United’s key players.

His versatility to play in various positions across the pitch made him a vital cog in the club’s machine, and he was rewarded with an England call-up.

However, in recent seasons the 28-year-old’s glimmer has started to dull and in the current campaign he has struggled to impress on the pitch.

Under new manager Manuel Pellegrini, Antonio has had to settle for a bit-part role as he has played in nine of the Hammers’ 10 Premier League matches but only as a substitute.

On Wednesday night, Antonio played the full 90 minutes of the Hammers’ 3-1 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur in the EFL Cup.

The former Nottingham Forest player was positioned on the left side of the attack, with Grady Diangana on the other flank and Javier Hernandez up front.

Antonio struggled to influence the game in any way and he also lost the ball numerous times.

His performance has led us to ask you if it is time for West Ham to part ways with the versatile player, who is valued at £13.5m by Transfermarkt.

Let us know by voting below.