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After Matthew Pennington bundled home from a corner, a fairytale Everton debut seemed to be unfolding right in front of a shaken Kop Stand. Instead, just two minutes later, the young centre-back was bamboozled by Philippe Coutinho, allowing the Brazilian to do the one thing you really shouldn’t allow him to do: cut inside onto his right foot inside the box.

There was a warning earlier in the game, too, as the Liverpool attacker’s shot from a similar situation was saved by Joel Robles.

Maybe if Everton had a more experienced option on the pitch the outcome would have been different. But we might well be saying that for the remainder of the season.

Seamus Coleman’s injury on international duty with the Republic of Ireland leaves Everton short of a more seasoned head at the back for the rest of the season – and, you’d imagine, quite a bit of next season, too. But if you’re looking for a prognosis for one of the Toffees’ most important players, casting a glance at tonight’s opponents Manchester United is perhaps the worst thing you could do.

Since his injury, sustained in a similarly horrific tackle in a Champions League game against PSV Eindhoven last season, Luke Shaw has found his game time at Old Trafford severely limited. At first because of the injury lay-off, but now because his new manager, Jose Mourinho, has publicly questioned his commitment, possibly as a way of trying to provoke a reaction. His form has suffered since his injury, but it seems as though his application has, too. Worryingly, it’s getting to a point where you start to wonder whether, although his leg has recovered, his footballing ability may not.

It seems harsh, all things considered. After all, what, exactly, is a reasonable length of time to expect a young player to get over the sort of injury that may have ended a player’s entire career 20 years ago?

Full-backs are special creatures, too. Their skillset has to consist of both attacking and defensive sides; they have to be fast of foot and fast of mind, and they have to make on-edge tackles as well as take them. There’s a lot of jinking and quick turning involved when you’re a full-back. So when coming back from an injury like the ones that Shaw and Coleman suffered, it takes more than just footballing ability. It takes mental strength.

It isn’t enough just to expect to just recover from that injury, or to work hard enough to regain the same level you had earlier. You need to be able to go back into a hard tackle again without remembering the fact that the last time it happened, your leg snapped like a dried stick of spaghetti. You need to be able to glide past a defender without fearing a tackle coming in when your leg plants into the ground again, right at the moment you become most vulnerable. You need to be able to ride a tackle without thinking about that time when riding it simply didn’t work.

And so, even though Shaw’s injury happened in September 2015, his rehabilitation is still ongoing. His physical recovery has been good, but the mental one takes more time. That’s what Coleman has to look forward to. It isn’t just a case of whether or not his leg will heal, it’s a case of being able to do all the unthinking things players usually do on the pitch without casting his mind back to that night at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin.

It’s probably harder for a full-back to recover from that sort of injury than it is for players in other positions. They have all the different risks that come with defending as well as attacking, and so coming back from an injury as traumatic as a leg-break will take longer than it takes for the bone to heal.

There are differences between Coleman and Shaw, too. For one thing, Coleman is older and more experienced. Shaw, too, has also been called out by Mourinho for being weak mentally, something that may go some way to explaining his difficulties recovering from what is, admittedly, a tough thing to get over.

Perhaps that stands in Coleman’s stead for his recovery, and perhaps the Irishman will be able to just recover from the break and get on with his career even stronger and better than he was before. But if he’s watching his team play at Old Trafford tonight, he might want to avoid thinking too much about Luke Shaw.

Though Liverpool may yet qualify for the Champions Leauge, there’s little doubt this season has seen it’s fair share of frustrations creep up throughout its duration.

Having looked like title challengers at one point, the Reds’ defensive frailty and the absence of Sadio Mane during the African Cup of Nations have proved mightily frustrating as a battle to finish in the top four took precedence.

Still, even the two aforementioned subjects aren’t the most annoying thing about Klopp’s first full season in charge, it seems. Indeed, the injury crisis that continues to rock the club almost every week has seriously impacted the complexion of their campaign.

With Crystal Palace next up on Sunday, Jurgen Klopp has yet another spate of injuries to contend with. Ragnar Klavan, Lucas and Joel Matip are all struggling for fitness, wrecking Liverpool’s backline for the crunch clash with an in-form Eagles side.

They, along with the likes of Jordan Henderson and Adam Lallana will miss Palace’s visit and Liverpool fans online have taken to Twitter to vent about the crisis.

As was evident during the recent win over Arsenal, Tottenham’s squad is ridiculously strong. While the expensive signings of Vincent Janssen and Moussa Sissoko are still to wholly convince, their strength in depth in key areas of the squad is one of the main reasons Mauricio Pochettino has been able to challenge for the Premier League title for the past two seasons.

This season more than ever, following the tactical shift on these shores that has seen variations of a 3-4-3 formation become so popular, we’ve been hearing just how important full-backs are. In Kyle Walker and Danny Rose, Spurs boast perhaps the strongest pair in the league, so recent suggestions the former could leave this summer would be a major worry to most teams in England.

Over the last few years, Walker has established himself as England’s No.1 right-back, which is no mean feat. For all of the problems plaguing the Three Lions, England’s options in those particular berths are rather strong indeed. As previously discussed in detail in another article, the likes of Nathaniel Clyne, Kieran Trippier and even Adam Smith offer much in the way of dynamism from that area.

If Manchester City’s reported interest in bringing the former Sheffield United man to the Etihad as Pep Guardiola plots the second wave of his revolution is true, it’s easy to see why. The Spaniard, who relied so heavily on the excellent Dani Alves while in charge of Barcelona, has had to make do with the ageing Bacary Sagna and Pablo Zabaleta all season, in a position on the pitch so important to the way in which his teams usually operate.

That’s not to directly compare Walker with the aforementioned Alves, of course, but the role he’d likely be handed at City is similar. Indeed, England is one of the only countries in Europe that still refers to players in that role as ‘full-backs’, with our continental brethren largely referring to the position as ‘laterals’, suggesting far more attacking enterprise.

So, Walker would stretch the pitch for City and offer much more in the way of a direct outlet to some of their possession play. Clearly, an athlete of such ability to bomb up and down the flanks like Walker would be a miss to any side.

Still, herein lies the beauty of Tottenham’s squad. Kieran Trippier, while not as searingly quick, is a more than capable replacement for Pochettino should Walker leave. The former Burnley man – ironically released by City – has had to wait for his chance, though proved particularly impressive in the north London derby.

We keep hearing about how the redevelopment of White Hart Lane will impact Tottenham, much as it did Arsenal during their stadium move, and how Spurs may be forced into selling one of their prized assets.

The likes of Dele Alli, Eric Dier and Toby Alderweireld have all been touted as potential summer exits as Daniel Levy and Mauricio Pochettino attempt to balance the books while remaining competitive at the summit of English football.

Well, if anyone is to leave, Tottenham are very well suited to allow Walker to go. With elite full-backs coming at such a premium these days, as well as the one English players come at, any fee a Premier League rival would have to pay for him is likely to be approaching a world-record one for a player in that position.

In Trippier, as well as the emerging Kyle Walker-Peters (a dynamic full-back of immense potential earning rave reviews in the youth ranks), Tottenham can afford to sell. Crucially, they have all the power in any negotiation and Levy certainly drives a hard bargain.

Whether or not top brass on Hotspur Way had planned the signing of Trippier back in the summer of 2015 in anticipation of the current situation is up for debate. Perhaps that’s lavishing too much praise on the transfer gurus at White Hart Lane, though the signing of a man who is thought to have cost them just £3.5m could allow Spurs to cash in on a deal potentially worth £50m this summer.

Selling Walker would benefit Tottenham off the pitch. However, unlike previous big sales from the club, they’re well prepared to deal with his exit without losing too much in the way of quality.

Pedro Caixinha’s Rangers have one last chance to defeat Celtic this season. The Gers have gone up against their city rivals a massive five times already this season but have failed to get one over on them.

The closest they’ve come was a 1-1 draw at Celtic Park in March, just before Caixinha took control of the team. However, the gap between the two sides looked as wide as ever just this Sunday when the two played at Hampden.

Celtic dominated the match and never looked like conceding or losing across the 90 minutes, cruising to a 2-0 win thanks to goals from Callum McGregor and Scott Sinclair.

They got at it again this weekend and the Gers know they perhaps have the best chance of any team in stopping the Hoops’ incredible unbeaten season.

To do that Caixinha needs to get all his decisions right from line-up to tactics to substitutions.

Here are three changes he must make to the starting XI from Sunday’s fixture…

Jon Toral in for Andy Halliday

Andy Halliday put in a woeful performance at Hampden. Brought in to add a bit of defensive steel to proceedings, his biggest contribution was a tackle on Patrick Roberts that could have easily seen him sent off.

He was eventually hooked at half-time for more attacking options and that’s exactly what the Gers need this Saturday. They need to bring the game to the Hoops and show they are no pushovers. Buoyed by their home fans, they should have the initiative, at least in the early stages. We saw that at Ibrox earlier in the season after all.

As such they should bring in a more dynamic and forward thinking central midfielder and that man should be Jon Toral. The youngster has made a decent impact at the club since joining on loan in January and has the guile and vision to make something happen in the final third for Pedro Caixinha’s men.

The same can certainly not be said of Halliday.

Joe Dodoo in for Joe Garner

Joe Garner has been a flop in a Rangers shirt, there’s no two ways about it. Arriving for decent money by Scottish standards last summer, he’s failed to live up to the hype, regularly found missing in matches and not even getting himself into scoring positions, never mind finishing off chances. Scoring just 8 goals this season, there’s little reason to think he will add to that tally on Saturday.

Joe Dodoo has been on the verge of a Rangers start for weeks after a number of showy displays off the bench. He’s made 21 appearances for the Gers but started just 3 times, last appearing from the beginning of a match way back in November.

He looked decent in the second half on Sunday and deserves his chance in front of a home crowd that would be delighted and eager to see what he can do across a 90 minutes.

Barrie McKay in for Martyn Waghorn

Like Joe Garner, Martyn Waghorn has been fairly ineffective for Rangers this season, especially in the Scottish Premiership. The 27 year old attacker has only scored 6 league goals this term and up against a strong defence on Saturday will likely be shut out again.

Benching Barrie McKay on Sunday was a popular decision by Pedro Caixinha but now the winger has had a reality check, it’s time to unleash him again on the big occasion. He was by far the Gers’ most effective player the last time the two teams met at Ibrox and deserves his chance to shine.

He has the pace and trickery to make something happen and would at least give supporters something to cheer about if he tries something a little bit special.

The Bundesliga’s most hated team, RB Leipzig, are considering a move for Chelsea youngster Dominc Solanke as they look to make the most of the untapped market of English youngsters not getting their chance in the Premier League, according to reports from the Daily Mail.

What’s the word?

The German sensations, who finished second behind Bayern Munich in their first top flight season, are looking to invest in young English talent over the summer as they prepare for Champions League football.

The Red Bull-backed side, who are far from popular in their home country, are targeting a move for Chelsea striker Dominic Solanke this summer, as well as Manchester City’s Jadon Sancho.

The controversial club have risen through the leagues at an alarming rate and are now basing their future plans around allowing young players the chance to grow within their ranks, where they may not be allowed the chances at Premier League clubs.

Another one bites the dust?

Chelsea have long been criticised for their youth strategy.

Each season the Blues have well over 30 players out on loan as well as maintaining the most successful youth side in the country, however, it is unlikely any of those away from the club or staring in the development ranks will ever make an impact on the first team.

There is an endless list of former Blues who are impressing in the Premier League having never been given the chance in west London, from Romelu Lukaku and Kevin de Bruyne at the top of their game to the likes of Ryan Bertand and Oriol Romeu at Southampton.

Solanke, who was previously loaned to Vitesse Arnhem, has played just 17 minutes of first team football for Chelsea and, despite being regarded as one of the top young talents in English football, that seems unlikely to change in the near future.

The 19-year-old could well be on his way this summer, especially with the tantalising offer of first team football which Chelsea simply won’t match.

Manchester United have confirmed that midfielder Michael Carrick has signed a new one-year extension with the club which will take his deal through until June 2018.

The 35-year-old, who will lead out the 2008 team with which he won the Champions League at Old Trafford for his testimonial next week, has been impressive under Jose Mourinho this season.

The Portuguese had remarked earlier this season about how he wished the former Tottenham man could be ten years younger such was his enjoyment in working with him.

During his time at Manchester United, as well as that 2008 European triumph, Carrick has won five Premier League titles, an FA Cup, two League Cups, a FIFA Club World Cup and, most recently, the Europa League in Stockholm last week.

The West Ham academy graduate is a popular figure amongst the fans at Old Trafford and thus it is hardly a surprise that news of his extension has gone down so well on Twitter…

Inter Milan’s Mauro Icardi will be on plenty of big European clubs’ radars this summer, especially those in the Premier League – Arsenal being one of them.

The recent FA Cup winners have been on the hunt for a top striker for years, with no success thus far, and the man born in the same place as Lionel Messi should be top of their transfer list this summer if they want to show real ambition.

But why Icardi? Here’s why Wenger must break the bank for the Argentine this summer…

Affordable, even at £96m

Arsenal have reportedly given manager Arsene Wenger a £100m budget for the summer to improve the squad.

The north London outfit have been lacking a world class striker since Robin van Persie departed for Manchester United back in 2012 and whilst Alexis Sanchez can do a job, Wenger clearly prefers him on the wing.

Icardi would be the perfect finisher the Gunners have been lacking for many years and despite Inter Milan reportedly unwilling to sell for any less than £96m, that fee is not necessarily beyond Arsenal’s spending power.

It may need a world record fee to prise Icardi away from the San Siro, but Arsenal’s reluctance to spend big money on top talent over the last decade or so has arguably cost them a credible title challenge and that has to change fast if they’re to return to the Premier League’s summit.

A huge upgrade

Olivier Giroud is Arsenal’s recognised main striker; the France international played a part in 20 goals this season (16 goals, 4 assists). In comparison, Mauro Icardi was directly involved in 34 goals in total (26 goals, 8 assists) at Internazionale.

The difference in quality is clear and the numbers show that the 24-year-old would take the Gunners to the next level, providing they hold onto their best players. If so, they could be a huge force in the Premier League next season.

A born leader

Mauro Icardi became Inter Milan’s captain at the age of 23, his leadership qualities were rewarded by Roberto Mancini by giving the forward the armband in 2015.

Arsenal have lacked leadership since Patrick Vieira left the club in 2005 and they have been unsuccessful in their pursuit of a replacement in this department ever since. Bringing a player in to this current squad that can help galvanise the squad during important times could be the difference between failure and silverware.

The addition of Icardi would undoubtedly transform Arsenal in to serious title contenders.

A different animal

Inter Milan currently are predominantly a counter-attacking side and this has always been the case for Icardi at the San Siro. The striker is known for his magnificent conversion rate and clinical finishing in and around the 18-yard box.

Arsenal typically waste a lot of chances and the need for a goal scorer that doesn’t often give teams a second chance could make it a match made in heaven, at least on paper.

The possession based ‘total football’ Arsene Wenger strives means Icardi would have more opportunities in front of goal, which increases the chance of him hitting the back of the net.

WIN! Take our survey below for a chance to win your favourite club’s new 17/18 home or away shirt…

As reported by The Daily Mirror, Liverpool are ready to test RB Leipzig’s desire to hold on to midfielder Naby Keita with a potential transfer record busting move.

The report reckons that the Reds are willing to pay more than the fee it took to bring Mohamed Salah to the club in the close season.

Keita had an exceptional season in the Bundesliga last term, providing consistent and dynamic performances in the heart of RB Leipzig’s midfield. His eight goals and seven assists point to a player capable of being an effective presence in Jurgen Klopp’s attack-minded side.

Coupled with that though he has defensive capabilities and could be the player Liverpool need to add steel to a midfield that was accused of being lightweight last season.

It’s certainly a potential move that has Reds fans excited. They’re desperate for the club to make big moves in the transfer market this summer and reckon Keita fits the bill.

Supporters took to Twitter to share their thoughts on it all…

As reported by The Daily Record, Dave King has made controversial comments about the amount of titles Celtic have won and could potentially win.

After a dominant season in which Celtic went unbeaten domestically, won the treble and finished 39 points ahead of Rangers, you might expect that figures at the Ibrox club would be pretty quiet this summer as they go about the business of building a squad that can potentially challenge the Hoops.

That definitely isn’t the case however and Light Blues chief King is making headlines again for his comments about the value of Celtic’s recent title wins.

As quoted by The Daily Record, King said:

I was asked recently if I thought Celtic could get 10 in a row. My response is that Celtic have got two in a row at this point in time. So they need to win another eight to get to 10. Do I think there’s any chance of them getting another eight? I don’t think there’s any chance of them doing that before us winning another league title.

We’re not quite sure of the logic King is using to come up with the two-in-a-row number. The fact remains that Celtic have in fact won six titles in a row in the Scottish top-flight and in truth are showing no signs of slowing down under Brendan Rodgers.

As you can imagine his comments haven’t exactly gone down well with Hoops fans, nor the rest of Scottish football, and supporters took to Twitter to share their thoughts on his comments…

When Manchester United are linked with one of your players, alarm bells immediately begin to ring – and they may well be ringing for Spurs right now.

There have been a number of reports linking the 23-year-old with a move to Old Trafford, with the Guardian the latest to report that United would be willing to offer £50million and double the Spurs man’s wages.

It would be a huge pay rise for the defender as Spurs currently have a £100k-per-week ceiling on wages. He would also be joining a side he was keen on before moving to Spurs from Sporting Lisbon, and would get to play in his favoured defensive-midfield role – a position he appeared to lose to Victor Wanyama last year as Mauricio Pochettino used him as a centre-back.

On paper it seems like a no-brainer to join what is still considered by most to be England’s biggest club – but should Dier leave?

While whatever offer United put on the table would be difficult to resist, Dier currently stands to gain a lot more by rejecting their advances and staying at White Hart Lane.

For a start, he’s at a side that has been on the up ever since Pochettino took charge. Dier was one of the Argentine’s first signings after moving to White Hart Lane and has been a key player in a side that had finished 5th, 3rd and 2nd in their three seasons at the club.

Spurs have been the best Premier League side over the last two seasons. They have had the best defence, been free-scoring and played attractive football while their at it. While Manchester United will undoubtedly step up their title challenge after a disappointing sixth-place finish last year, finishing above Spurs will be no easy feat.

As well as that, Dier needs to consider what will best benefit him as a player. The allure of playing in his preferred holding midfield spot is understandable, but at Spurs he has carved himself out a glowing reputation as solid defender integral to both his club and international sides.

And while he was mostly used by Pochettino in a centre-back role last year, it was a half-back hybrid role between a centre-half and defensive midfielder. Even though he’s playing from the back, Dier still has the opportunity to break forward and pick out a pass – perfect for his cultured playing style.

His international career will also hugely benefit from staying at White Hart Lane. Through his selections so far, Gareth Southgate is clearly looking to build a side with a core from Spurs, with Harry Kane and Dele Alli undoubtedly the focal points and Danny Rose the Three Lions’ best left-back. With the likes of Harry Winks while Josh Onomah and Marcus Edwards tasting success in youth internationals, it appears this trend could continue for a while yet.

Resisting Old Trafford is difficult for most players, but for his personal development, international career and possibly even trophy prospects, doing so would be the right choice.