The Premier League returns in midweek, after a weekend of FA Cup action, and there has been plenty for fans to sink their teeth into as we return from the international break
Saturday marks the return to action for four Premier League clubs, though not in the league itself. Fulham will take on Crystal Palace in the first of the weekend’s FA Cup quarter-finals, with Brighton and Nottingham Forest meeting later in the afternoon.
With the final international break of the season now done and dusted, all 20 top-flight clubs have clear air between themselves and their league (and in some cases cup) responsibilities. Several clubs remain in Europe, with the possibility that English teams win the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League.
In terms of the league, it will take a big swing for things to change when it comes to the title race and the relegation spots. Liverpool are 12 points clear at the top, while 17th-place Wolves are nine points clear of the drop zone.
There has been plenty of transfer chat as well, not least when it comes to the league leaders. Trent Alexander-Arnold appears destined for Real Madrid, but things are less certain when it comes to Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah.
After a fortnight without club football, things are starting to heat up. Here are Mirror Football‘s latest lines from the Premier League and beyond.
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Man Utd handed injury boost
Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim could have as many as five first-teamers back again after injury. United’s next game comes against Nottingham Forest on April 1, with a chance to build on the win at Leicester before the break.
Leny Yoro has returned to training after an ankle injury, while fellow centre-back Harry Maguire is also nearing a return. With both sidelined last time out, teenager Ayden Heaven was given a start at the King Power Stadium.
Luke Shaw is also close to being available again, having not played since December, while backup keepers Altay Bayindir and Tom Heaton have returned to training. Patrick Dorgu is also available to face Forest, having served a ban for his red card against Ipswich.
Kerkez drops transfer bombshell
Milos Kerkez has spoken about his future plans in a rare interview. The Bournemouth and Hungary left-back has emerged as a top target for Liverpool as they look to bring in a long-term successor to the experienced Andy Robertson.
“As a kid, you dream to play at the highest level, win the trophies, be on the best teams,” the former AZ star told The Athletic “These are the things that my agent is on. My dad is on.
“It is not something that they occupy me with because the season is still going, so there’s no point to talk about anything. There’s games left, the FA Cup is important for us — these are big things.
“And then, like I say, when someone comes (in for you) you never know what’s going to happen or where you’re going to end up. In the summer, we will see what happens.”
Mateta set to return with helmet
Crystal Palace striker Jean-Philippe Mateta will don a ‘Petr Cech-style’ helmet on his return to action. The Frenchman suffered a horror injury during Palace’s FA Cup fifth round victory over Millwall, but is in contention to make his comeback in the quarter-finals.
“It’s like a water polo helmet,” Palace boss Oliver Glasner said, comparing it to the headgear former Chelsea keeper Cech wore after a head injury. “But with one ear. In water polo it’s so they don’t get water into their ears, he has it just on one side. It sounds crazy but we are used to it.”
The boss added: “He has trained with us for two weeks with this protection. It’s also important for him to train a little bit with an internal game in the international break so he could play for 60 minutes without any problems so he’s ready.”
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