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UNAI EMERY’S BLUNT COMMENTS LEAVE JADON SANCHO FACING PUBLIC SHAME.

Jadon Sancho's difficult loan at Aston Villa continued as he was substituted after just 45 minutes against Man City. The winger, struggling for form, was hooked despite Villa holding on for a 1-0 victory.

Unai Emery’s blunt comments leave Jadon Sancho facing public shame.
Jadon Sancho leaving the field against Manchester City (Image: PA)

In Sunday's match against Manchester City, Aston Villa loanee Jadon Sancho was brought on as a substitute but was taken off the pitch after just forty-five minutes. When Villa made a double substitution with Evann Guessand 16 minutes from the end, the winger, who had replaced the injured Emi Buendia in the first half, saw his number come up.

Since signing late in the summer transfer window on loan from Manchester United, Sancho has seen limited use. Although he began the Europa League loss to Go Ahead Eagles in the middle of the week, he had only made one league replacement appearance before playing City.

The 25-year-old just made a comeback from illness, and that performance in the Netherlands was his first since being sidelined. His performance versus City, however, did not seem to please Unai Emery, who supported Guessand, another summer acquisition, to finish the match.

Just before he withdrew, Sancho did catch a glimpse of the goal. Gianluigi Donnarumma made a save after he broke cleanly in from the left, and the City keeper also stopped his follow-up attempt.

When Sancho took the pitch, Villa had already taken a 1-0 lead thanks to Matty Cash. The winger made way as Villa tried to thwart their opponents' title challenge, but it was still 1-0.

Villa's ambitions of making it to the Champions League were dashed by a late loss to City at the end of the last campaign, but Emery was aware that a victory on Sunday might deliver Pep Guardiola's team a similar blow.

Erling Haaland drove the ball home late in the game, giving City the impression that they had saved a point, but the goal was disallowed for offside in the build-up. Cash's goal in the first half was sufficient for Villa to win at home after the six minutes of extra time had passed.

At the final whistle, Guardiola's team was still fourth in the standings, but they are in a precarious position. Tottenham had a chance to overtake City by defeating Everton in Sunday's late game, while Villa is only one point behind them.

Emery laid out his ambitions for Sancho back in September. The Spaniard stated, "Yes, of course, this is my mission, to get him back to his best - and if he does that, then he will come back to the national team."

"Every athlete aspires to play for their country. He did a tremendous job while he was at Borussia Dortmund. Additionally, he participated in roughly 25 games for the national team.

He is still young, of course. He is still eager to demonstrate his ability to play with his abilities and attributes, and perhaps we can take advantage of his finest here once more."

CONOR GALLAGHER CONFIRMED AS "VITAL" STARTER FOR SPURS FOLLOWING BENTANCUR’S INJURY LAYOFF

Conor Gallagher proved the doubters wrong against Man City. Discover why his €40m move to Tottenham is finally paying off for Spurs.

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Conor Gallagher secured first Spurs assist as Tottenham snatched a point at City

Chelsea and Atletico Madrid both decided Conor Gallagher wasn’t worth the trouble. At Chelsea, he had his moments—Pochettino liked him, but the fans never really warmed up. When Chelsea shipped him off to Atletico, it made sense. Enzo Fernandez stepped up, took over Gallagher’s role, and fit in perfectly next to Caicedo, with Cole Palmer adding that extra spark up front.

Things didn’t get much better for Gallagher in Spain. He barely got a chance at Atleti, lost his spot in the starting eleven, and pretty much ended up on the transfer list before anyone had time to blink. Interest was lukewarm at best until the winter window rolled around. Aston Villa wanted him and went after him pretty aggressively, but then Tottenham swooped in late. Spurs needed someone to patch up the midfield after Bentancur’s injury, so they just paid up—40 million euros, no hesitation.

His start at Tottenham? Rough. Honestly, that was to be expected. He’d played well at Palace before, but after his struggles at Atleti, he needed time to adjust. Sitting on the bench in Spain didn’t do him any favours.

Then Gallagher showed up. People doubted whether he could really add creativity and move the ball forward for Spurs, so his early struggles got people worried. But then came the 2-2 draw against Manchester City. He suddenly looked like the player both Ange Postecoglou and Thomas Frank were so desperate to sign.

Against City, Gallagher flipped the script. He set up a crucial assist, drove play forward on the dribble, and kept drawing fouls—everything the Spurs needed. Defensively, he was all over the place in a good way: two tackles, three interceptions, a full 90 minutes, and a huge part of the Spurs clawing their way back into the game.

Tottenham fans loved it. They saw the effort, the attitude, and the hunger to win. Gallagher just wouldn’t quit, and in that second half, he, Xavi Simons, Pape Matar Sarr, Destiny Udogie, and Dominic Solanke ran the show. Four of those guys have been carrying Spurs lately, so Gallagher is fitting right in with them. That’s a pretty good sign he’s going to work out just fine in North London.

AC MILAN MEDICAL FAILURE: THE HIDDEN KNEE INJURY THAT CRUSHED MATETA’S £30M MOVE

Jean-Philippe Mateta's £30m move to AC Milan is OFF. Discover why a failed medical has put his France World Cup dreams in jeopardy.

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Mateta’s "dream move" suddenly turned toxic.

Jean Philippe-Mateta’s got a real headache right now. The Crystal Palace striker just watched his £30 million dream move to AC Milan blow up at the last minute, all because a knee problem showed up during his medical.

The thing is, Mateta’s been carrying this injury for a while. Now he’s stuck: should he go under the knife and try to recover in time for the World Cup? He wants to make the France squad this summer, but nothing’s guaranteed. Even if he has surgery, there’s no telling if he’ll be fit enough—or have enough time on the pitch—to convince Didier Deschamps he deserves a spot.

The injury’s been dragging him down anyway. It’s messing with his form and his game time, and he’s worried he won’t get a real shot at proving himself for France if he isn’t at his best.

It’s tough because he’s coming off a fantastic year at Palace. FA Cup winner, big goals, helped the club reach Europe—it’s been a dream run. But now he might have to go back to Selhurst Park, even though he’s made it clear he’s had enough and wants out.

Honestly, it feels like only a matter of time before he leaves. His contract runs out next summer, and Palace can’t risk losing him for nothing. They’ve already watched Marc Guehi go to Man City for a bargain, just because his deal was running down.

Now Mateta has to sit down with Palace and the doctors to figure out what to do about his knee. Surgery would sideline him for months, probably killing his World Cup chances.

He’s gutted about Milan falling through, especially after Juventus cooled their interest and Nottingham Forest had an offer turned down. Over the weekend, he even unfollowed Palace on Instagram and posted a fed-up emoji. No one really knows if he’ll even make the squad for the Brighton game.

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