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Rahmanullah Gurbaz set to play for the Warriors as well, replacing Heinrich Klaasen

Deivarayan Muthu18-Sep-2022Shakib Al Hasan has joined Guyana Amazon Warriors for the remainder of CPL 2022. He replaces Tabraiz Shamsi, who worked particularly well with his idol Imran Tahir but now has to leave for South Africa duty. The Amazon Warriors’ attack has revolved around their wristspinners’ exploits this season, and though they now lose a bit of that X-factor, in Shakib, they get a player with vast experience and proven pedigree. He is the fifth-highest wicket-taker (419) in the history of T20 cricket.Shakib’s work in the CPL is also impressive: in 2016, he had won the title with Jamaica Tallawahs and three years later he repeated the feat with the Barbados Tridents (now Royals). He also holds the record for best bowling figures in CPL history, having bagged 6 for 6 in 2013.Shamsi was always meant to leave Amazon Warriors midway through the season and Shakib was always meant to join them, which is why he had obtained a No-Objection Certificate from the Bangladesh Cricket Board prior to the start of the CPL. But the league will now clash with a T20 World Cup preparatory camp in Dubai and BCB chief executive Nizamuddin Chowdhury said the team management will decide if Shakib will be called back from the CPL to attend the camp.Amazon Warriors captain Shimron Hetmyer had said that spin would play a huge part in the last leg of the tournament in Guyana.”It [spin] will be a big factor, especially going down to the end because all the pitches in the Caribbean are quite slow and they get lower and lower as we progress longer in the tournament,” Hetmyer said. “They will play a massive part for us in restricting teams for us and bowling teams out and just making sure if we’re bowling second to cross the line.”Amazon Warriors are currently at the bottom of the points table with just one win so far in five games.Nabi and Gurbaz get CPL deals tooJamaica Tallawahs have signed up Afghanistan T20I captain Mohammad Nabi for the final leg of CPL 2022 in Guyana. Nabi will bolster Tallawahs’ spin attack after they had released Nepal legspinner Sandeep Lamichhane from the tournament earlier this month.Lamichhane’s exit from the league came in the wake of his suspension by Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) after an arrest warrant was issued against him in Kathmandu over an alleged case of coercion of another person. Lamichhane maintains his innocence though and said he was ready to face the “baseless allegations”.Nabi, meanwhile, will also lend middle-order muscle to a fairly top-heavy Tallawahs line-up. He, like most of the other Afghanistan senior players, didn’t feature in CPL 2021 owing to national commitments. In his most recent stint, with St Lucia Kings, he was a vital part of then-coach Andy Flower’s all-rounder heavy side, picking up 12 wickets in 12 games and scoring 156 runs at a strike rate of 124.80. Nabi has also turned out for St Kitts & Nevis Patriots in 2017.Nabi’s Afghanistan team-mate Rahmanullah Gurbaz has also earned a CPL deal this season, as a replacement player for Amazon Warriors. He is set to slot in for South Africa wicketkeeper-batter Heinrich Klaasen who will return home to prepare for the six-match white-ball series in India, which begins with the first T20I in Thiruvananthapuram on September 28.Gurbaz is only 20 and is yet to make his CPL debut, but is a well-travelled cricketer, having had stints at Pakistan Super League (Islamabad United and Multan Sultans), Bangladesh Premier League (Khulna Tigers), Indian Premier League (Gujarat Titans) and Lanka Premier League (Jaffna Kings and Kandy Tuskers). In all, Gurbaz has played 90 T20s, boasting a strike rate of 154.

Newcastle United are now stepping up their pursuit of a £98k-per-week “monster” who is set to be available for an affordable price this month, according to a report.

Magpies still yet to sign a defender

As we approach the latter stages of the January transfer window, Newcastle are yet to make any signings this month, having missed out on Abdukodir Khusanov, who was their top target at one stage.

Khusanov’s agent, Garait Khasbiullin, has since revealed the Magpies’ need to comply with financial rules played a part in Manchester City winning the race for his signature, saying: “As far as I understand, financial fair play also played a role. And they didn’t have enough time.

“Perhaps, if they had made an offer earlier, they would have managed to reach an agreement. Then City put so much pressure on Lens that it was difficult to make a comparable offer. The fact that the French needed this saving money also played a role.”

Newcastle scouts left impressed by 6 foot 3 giant who's "superb in the air"

The defender is now on the Magpies’ transfer radar.

ByDominic Lund Jan 22, 2025

As such, it could be prudent for the Magpies to look at low-cost signings to bolster their backline, and Spanish sources have now revealed they are stepping up their interest in Barcelona’s Eric Garcia.

Barca are willing to sanction Garcia’s departure for an affordable price this month, making him an attractive option for Eddie Howe’s side, however there may be competition for his signature from Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa.

Having missed out on Khusanov earlier this month, Howe’s side have also been unsuccessful in their pursuit of Sevilla’s Loic Bade so far, meaning they are now concentrating their efforts on signing the £98k-per-week Barcelona defender.

Garcia could be a better signing than Bade

At 24-years-old, the Spaniard is the same age as the Sevilla star, and there are signs that he could be a better signing in a number of ways. The La Liga duo are very evenly-matched in a defensive sense, with both players specialising in their tackling ability.

Statistic per 90

Loic Bade

Eric Garcia

Tackles

2.51 (96th percentile)

2.05 (86th percentile)

Interceptions

1.19 (62nd percentile)

0.86 (25th percentile)

Blocks

0.68 (2nd percentile)

1.41 (65th percentile)

Clearances

4.41 (61st percentile)

2.32 (3rd percentile)

Aerials won

2.37 (65th percentile)

2.23 (62nd percentile)

However, the Barcelona ace is much more of a threat at the other end of the pitch, ranking in the 99th percentile for non-penalty goals, showcasing his ability in the opposite box by scoring against Benfica in the Champions League last time out.

The former Manchester City man was also praised for his ability in possession of the ball by football talent scout Jacek Kulig.

As such, if an affordable deal can be done this month, amid Newcastle’s PSR concerns, it could be a shrewd move to sign Garcia.

Arne Slot has backed Trent Alexander-Arnold amid speculation over the player's future, saying the right-back remains fully committed to Liverpool.

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TAA out of contract in the summerRight-back could return to squad this weekendSlot hails England internationalFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱Getty Images SportWHAT HAPPENED?

Rumours that Alexander-Arnold has agreed to join Real Madrid at the end of the season have gained pace over the past few weeks. The 26-year-old is out of contract in the summer, and unlike Mohamed Salah or Virgil van Dijk, he has yet to put pen to paper on a new deal. However, his manager has suggested that dialogue between player and club remains open, but the conversations will continue to happen behind closed doors.

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Slot used his press conference to protect the player, saying he remains fully committed to Liverpool and has worked incredibly hard to get back to fitness after an ankle injury. The Dutchman suggested Alexander-Arnold will be part of the squad for Liverpool's trip to Leicester City on Saturday, but he isn't ready to start.

WHAT ARNE SLOT SAID

Slot responded to a question Alexander-Arnold's contract situation: "I think you would be surprised now if I answered differently than my answers for the whole season.

"It’s nice that we have already done two announcements and we can talk about that for hours but if you want to talk for hours with me about Trent then it’s, for hours, the same answer.

"We don’t talk about these things as long as they are not done yet and they aren’t so that’s why we don’t talk in public about his situation.

"Trent is coming back from an injury and trained with us yesterday. Every time he plays with us or trains with us he shows his commitment, he has worked so hard to be back already and the moment he’s on the pitch he shows me what a great football player he is and how much he’s involved in us trying to achieve our goals this season.

"He’s worked so hard during the whole season and now in his rehab to be back with the team again."

On Alexander-Arnold's injury situation, he said: "Not to start but if today and tomorrow things go well, he might be on the bench but definitely not to start because he’s been out for five weeks and his first session with the team was Wednesday, he did parts of the team session."

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Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR TRENT ALEXANDER-ARNOLD?

If Alexander-Arnold does not return against Leicester, he could do so when Tottenham Hotspur visit Anfield next Sunday.

Tottenham Hotspur starlet Mathys Tel was introduced off the bench in their crushing Carabao Cup defeat away to Liverpool on Thursday evening, but the Frenchman was one of very few who showed flashes of quality at Anfield.

Mathys Tel impresses as Tottenham crash out of Carabao Cup

Ange Postecoglou’s biggest game of the season so far couldn’t have gone any worse on paper, with Arne Slot’s side swiftly and ruthlessly overturning their 1-0 first leg deficit to reign 4-1 victors on aggregate.

"Alarm bells" – Pundit shares Kevin Danso "concern" for Tottenham

The Austrian comes in as much-needed centre-back cover.

2 ByEmilio Galantini Feb 6, 2025

Goals from Cody Gakpo, Mohamed Salah, Dominik Szoboszlai and Virgil van Dijk handed Liverpool a comfortable 4-0 win and booked their place in the final at Wembley against Newcastle United, all while dealing a seismic blow to Postecoglou, who was just two games away from a piece of major silverware at Spurs before kick-off.

Man United (home)

February 16th

Ipswich Town (home)

February 22nd

Man City (home)

February 26th

Bournemouth (home)

March 9th

Fulham (away)

March 16th

One small silver lining for the Lilywhites was Tel’s flashes of brilliance and overall positive performance, after coming off the bench to replace Richarlison, who was forced off with yet another injury.

Tel was spotted waving his Tottenham teammates on against Liverpool and encouraging them to get forward, while there were also glimpses of his real tidyness on the half-turn and attacking flair at times.

The 19-year-old, going off this cameo alone, could be crucial in helping to ressurrect Postecoglou’s stuttering campaign. Beyond 2024/2025, the question remains – will Tel still be a Spurs player next season?

Journalist shares what Tottenham are actually planning for Mathys Tel

Tottenham are convinced they’ve signed a “generational talent” in Tel, with journalist Dean Jones now sharing what the future holds in store for him after Spurs signed the attacker on loan with an option to buy.

According to Jones, speaking on the Ranks FC Ultras Podcast, Tottenham fully intend to sign Tel permanently, but the reporter personally doubts whether Postecoglou’s newest recruit wants the same thing.

“At the end of the day, even if it was a dry loan, which it was going to be, in that moment, I spoke to Tottenham and I wrote a story about it. It was like Tottenham still, I think I tweeted it, I think, rather than wrote about it, it was like, Tottenham still intend to make this a permanent signing,” said Jones.

“Like, this isn’t what they want, like they’ll do it. If this is the way to do it, then all they’ll do over the following months is try to convince him that this is the place for him.

“I still feel like the player doesn’t fully want to leave Bayern Munich, and even if he does really well here at Tottenham, he might see it as, well, if I do really well, I can play for Bayern Munich again. So maybe I’m being cynical about that, but I get that impression. He didn’t really want this transfer to happen, did he?

“It was only when Man United pulled out that it came back on the table because he wanted to go there.

“Yeah, I mean, there is an element, I imagine, that he really did want to go out and get minutes, whether that meant he wanted to depart Bayern permanently or not, it is a different question. But I’m quite interested with this whole Ange Postecoglou getting on the phone and basically being like, look, this is how I see you fitting into my system. This is where I foresee you getting minutes.”

Wasim, Nawaz triggered middle order-collapse as Bangladesh fell short by 21 runs in chase of 168

Danyal Rasool07-Oct-2022
There was criticism around an insipid batting performance from Pakistan, but Bangladesh topped it with one even more limp and succumbed to a clinical 21-run defeat in Christchurch, on Friday. Mohammad Rizwan, as you might expect, was the architect behind the 167 Pakistan put up, stroking an unbeaten 78 off 50. But if they felt they were a few runs short, their bowlers bailed them out by shutting Bangladesh out of the contest entirely. Nurul Hasan’s side found themselves behind the rate immediately, never to recover, and a middle-order collapse extinguished any hopes they harboured of an unlikely chase. Mohammad Wasim put the final touches on Pakistan’s win as Bangladesh staggered to 146 in the tri-series.Bangladesh won the toss under a cold wintery sun and inserted Pakistan in, and, thanks to Taskin Ahmed, seemed to have made the better start. Babar Azam and Rizwan put together a 52-run partnership, but couldn’t quite manage to take full advantage of the quality of the surface. Mehidy Hasan Miraz struck to remove the Pakistan captain off his first ball, before a Shan Masood cameo kept the pace up. However, regular wickets and a relative lack of ambition kept Pakistan hovering around seven an over, before 51 runs in the final four turbo-charged them to 167.Bangladesh sent Mehidy to open the batting, something they had tried in the Asia Cup, too. But it never really worked out, because nothing really worked for any Bangladesh batter. A couple of loose Mohammad Wasim overs aside, Pakistan’s pacers were all over them in the powerplay, exploiting high pace as well as the slower ball expertly to keep them guessing. Shadab might have been expensive, but Mohammad Nawaz took up the baton with a characteristically understated yet effective four-over spell. In his final over, he removed Litton Das and Mosaddek Hossain off consecutive balls, triggering a Bangladesh collapse.Wasim would do the rest, taking two wickets in his final over. A few lusty blows brought the margin of defeat narrower, but the defeat had been assured well before it was officially confirmed for Bangladesh.Regal Rizwan, routine Rizwan
A big contribution from Rizwan is part of the furniture for a Pakistan scorecard these days, and, back to where it all started for him two years ago, Rizwan simply picked up in Christchurch where he’d left off in Lahore. Content to play second fiddle to Babar in the first half of the powerplay, Rizwan got the ball rolling with a timed six over mid-off and found the fence in each of the following three overs.When Babar fell, Masood took up the run-scoring reins, but almost imperceptibly, Rizwan was coasting along to another half-century. At every stage of the Pakistan innings – the mid-overs stall, a middle order collapse, the late acceleration, it was Rizwan who provided the impetus for Pakistan. When Masood and Haider Ali fell in quick succession, Rizwan held the innings together, bringing up his ninth half-century in 13 innings. With four overs to go, and the Pakistan innings seemingly caught in quicksand, a pair of boundaries against Mustafizur Rehman helped Pakistan plunder 16 from the over.He seemed to be the only batter who could find a way to score runs off Taskin and was responsible for much of the carnage Pakistan inflicted in the final 24 balls. Once more, there might have been criticism around him starting too slowly, but 35 off his final 16 balls gave him a strike rate of 156 and saw Pakistan surge to a total they could just about defend.Taskin Ahmed picked up two wickets and went for just 25 in his four overs•AFP/Getty ImagesTaskin takes Pakistan to task
Some of Pakistan’s stodginess could be put down to habitual conservatism, but that wouldn’t do justice to the role Taskin performed for Bangladesh. He was handed the ball in all three phases of the innings, opening the bowling and giving away just one in the first over, while keeping Rizwan and Babar to just seven in the fifth. Coming back nine overs later, Rizwan greeted him with a first-ball four, but canny use of both the shorter ball and the slower ball kept Pakistan’s batters off balance. Taskin has bulked up over the years and perhaps added a yard of pace to his game, which played a role in one rearing up to Haider a shade quicker than he expected, and drawing him into holing out at midwicket.When Pakistan were flying at the death, Nurul would turn to him once more to keep a lid on, and Bangladesh’s spearhead would rise to the challenge. Despite a first-ball six, only ten came off that 19th over, the most economical of the final four overs. Hitting that hard length would come in handy for him once more to dismiss Asif Ali as Taskin rounded out his spell with 2 for 25 in four, preventing Pakistan from running away with it at the death.The collapse
The lopsidedness of the final scorecard belied the extent to which the first half of the two innings mirrored each other. After the 12th over, Bangladesh were 84 for two; Pakistan at that stage had been 91 for one. But where Pakistan kicked on soon after that, Bangladesh crumbled, losing four wickets for 12 runs off 14 balls. Nawaz, Shahnawaz Dahani and Shadab all found themselves among the wickets, and, like the air being let out of a balloon, all life hissed out of the contest. Pakistan needed to only go through the motions to get off to a winning start, and despite an entertaining final-over cameo from Yasir Ali, a comfortable Pakistan victory was assured.

Jules Kounde went from villain to hero in a crazy Copa del Rey final as Barcelona stole away the crown in extra-time, beating Real Madrid 3-2.

Barcelona suffocated Real Madrid from the outset as they outworked and outplayed the men in white in the opening exchanges. The forward line harried the Madrid defence relentlessly which crumbled and submitted to the persistent pressure. Barcelona held the majority of possession and it was only a matter of time, just under half an hour, before they took the lead.

Pedri fed Lamine Yamal, who stood Fran Garcia up before laying back to the midfielder in acres of space to stroke home into the top-left corner from outside the area. Madrid never looked like threatening the Barcelona defence which looked completely assured throughout the first half.

Mbappe was introduced at half-time and Los Blancos threatened immediately. Vinicius robbed Pedri and flashed one past the post, before Mbappe’s runs through the middle started to cause problems. The Frenchman, fouled by Frenkie de Jong, swept the resulting free-kick off the left post and in to equalise. The Madrid attacks continued to flow and when Aurelien Tchouameni headed in Madrid's second from a corner, they looked set to become champions.

But Yamal had other ideas, sending Ferran Torres through, who rounded Courtois and passed into the gaping net. With the score at 2-2 and seeming destined to be heading to extra-time, Raphinha jinked past a lunging Asencio and collapsed to the floor – winning a penalty. However, after a VAR review, the decision was overturned and the game went to extra-time.

If fans were expecting the fireworks of the second-half to continue then they would be disappointed. But with both sets of players looking exhausted and the affair starting to peter out, Kounde stole ahead of Brahim Diaz to intercept and fire low and into the bottom corner. Just when Barcelona thought they had won it, Gavi fouled Mbappe in the box but was saved by an offside in the build-up. The seconds eventually trickled away and Barcelona were the Copa del Rey champions.

GOAL rates Barcelona's players from La Cartuja…

Getty Images SportGoalkeeper & Defence

Wojciech Szczesny (6/10):

Had little to do in the first half, made a smart stop from Mbappe early in the second half. Could do little with the Madrid goals.

Jules Kounde (8/10):

Did not allow Vinicius an inch of space but lost Tchouameni at the corner for Madrid's second. Stunning winner in extra-time will steal all the headlines.

Pau Cubarsí (7/10):

Made an important cutout from a Jude Bellingham pass which led to the first goal – solid throughout.

Inigo Martínez (6/10):

Fortunate that the offside flag saved him from conceding a penalty on Vinicius.

Gerard Martín (6/10):

Picked up a yellow card for a late challenge but kept a lacklustre Rodrygo quiet.

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Pedri (7/10):

His spectacular finish from outside the area fired Barcelona ahead. Dictated tempo in the first-half but struggled with physical Madrid midfield after the break.

Frenkie de Jong (5/10):

Started strongly but was isolated and consistently tested by Mbappe. De Jong gave away the free-kick on the Frenchman that led to the equaliser.

Dani Olmo (6/10):

Did not offer too much of a threat going forwards and, after being on the end of a number of heavy Madrid challenges, was substituted just after an hour.

GettyAttack

Lamine Yamal (8/10):

Toyed with Fran Garcia and took his time to pick out Pedri for the opener. Faded in the second half until special assist for Ferran Torres.

Ferran Torres (6/10):

Had looked unable to fill the Robert Lewandowski-sized hole until he popped up to make it 2-2.

Raphinha (5/10):

Thrashed two good chances yards wide of the post in the second-half which could have put the game out of Madrid’s reach – almost deeply costly misses.

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GettySubs & Manager

Fermin Lopez (6/10):

Struggled to help stem the flow of Madrid attacks in the second-half. Stepped up in extra-time and looked most likely to create an opening.

Gavi (5/10):

Flickered in and out of the game but failed to make a huge impact.

Ronald Araujo (7/10):

Helped shore up the Barcelona defence in extra-time and made a vital block from a cross.

Eric Garcia (5/10):

Brought on in extra-time, Garcia had little to do in a quiet 22 minutes.

Pau Victor (N/A):

Came on just before winning goal.

Hansi Flick (6/10):

An almost perfect first-half was undone by one Madrid change. Failed to respond to the more physical challenges posed by Mbappe and Madrid in the second-half. Will be relieved to have won the trophy.

Napoli star Scott McTominay has been hailed as "massively underrated" after a series of superb displays for Antonio Conte's title-chasing side.

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Napoli three points clear at Serie A summitMcTominay has scored 11 league goalsFormerly of Manchester UnitedFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

McTominay has been in truly exceptional form for Napoli, and has scored five goals in his last three outings, with the club three points clear of Inter at the Serie A summit. Manager Conte has altered his usual three-at-the-back system to give McTominay a roaming midfield role, and former Scotland international Don Hutchison has hailed his countryman.

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McTominay has developed into one of Napoli's most important players under Conte and he has even been compared to Germany legend Lothar Matthaus and former Juventus hero Arturo Vidal, so good have his performances been throughout the campaign.

WHAT DON HUTCHINSON SAID

Hutchinson told goldenpanda: "He's scored more Serie A goals than Denis Law now, breaking his record at the weekend.

"He's playing in his best position. The biggest compliment is that his manager, especially someone like Antonio Conte, who's normally been quite rigid in his playing style, he's gone from a back three to a back four to accommodate Scott McTominay. I mean, that's a massive compliment when a manager changes your complete style and philosophy for one player.

"So [he is] massively underrated. Steve Clarke puts him in his best position for Scotland. That's why he scores goals when he's playing for the national side. Conte's doing the same thing and now what you've got is you've got a No.8, No.10 that's got freedom to get in the box and score goals.

"That's what he's good at. He's not a No. 6. He's not a deep-lying midfield player. He can play at eight, of course, he can do it, but he needs the license to go forward. He's one of those sorts of players where you build a side around him because he will get and he should be getting double figures every season."

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Napoli's Serie A title destiny is in their own hands, and they face Lecce, Genoa, Parma, and Cagliari in their final four games of the campaign. If they manage to take 12 points, they will be champions.

Ipswich Town have been hit with an injury setback regarding a player who has been described as a “phenomenon”, in a fresh blow for Kieran McKenna.

Latest Ipswich news

The Tractor Boys are back in Premier League action on Saturday afternoon, welcoming Tottenham to Portman Road, in another big game for both sides.

Ipswich go into the match sitting 18th in the table and only two points behind Wolves, so victory could feel like a significant moment in their season. They will need to play well to win, though, with Spurs buoyed by a 1-0 victory at home to Manchester United last Sunday.

In terms of transfer news ahead of the summer window, the Tractor Boys have been linked with a move for Millwall defender Japhet Tanganga. The 25-year-old has made 30 appearances in the Championship this season, averaging 5.7 clearances and 3.4 aerial duel wins per game in the competition.

With Ipswich battling for their Premier League survival, they will need as many players to stay fit as possible, but a concerning injury update has now emerged.

Ipswich suffer worrying injury blow

According to The Athletic, Ipswich attacker Julio Enciso is “facing up to four weeks on the sidelines” through injury, which is set to keep him out of the next four top-flight matches.

While a scan has revealed no serious damage to his knee, having been forced off in last weekend’s 1-1 draw away to Aston Villa, he is still set to be missing for a sustained period of time.

Being without Enciso this weekend is an undoubted negative for Ipswich, not to mention the fact that he looks likely to miss the upcoming league clashes with Tottenham, Man United, Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest should he be out for four weeks.

Granted, the 21-year-old has struggled to feature much since sealing a loan move from Brighton last summer, but he is a dangerous player on his day, being hailed by football talent scout Jacek Kulig as a “phenomenon” in the past.

Not only that, but Ipswich teammate Jacob Greaves also spoke about how highly he rated the Paraguayan within days of working alongside him, saying: “I’ve only seen him for two days, but I’ve seen a little bit of him in training. I saw the goal he scored against Man City, which I think was nominated for the Puskas Award.”

Hopefully, Enciso is back on the pitch as soon as possible, playing a positive role in Ipswich preserving their Premier League status for another season.

Ipswich must now sell £35k-p/w flop who McKenna said had a 'high ceiling'

Kieran McKenna could be ruthless this coming summer in ditching this expensive Ipswich Town flop.

1 ByKelan Sarson Feb 20, 2025

He showed at Brighton what a handful he can be, scoring four league goals in 2022/23, and there could still be plenty more to come from him on loan at Portman Road once he returns.

The ban on the use of saliva had been in place for over two years as a covid-related measure before being made permanent this September

Shashank Kishore16-Nov-2022UAE were the first casualties of the ICC’s decision to impose a permanent ban on the use of saliva to polish the ball.On Wednesday, when Alishan Sharafu applied saliva to shine the ball during the second ODI against Nepal in Kirtipur, on-field umpires Vinay Kumar Jha and Masudur Rahman awarded Nepal five penalty runs in line with the ruling that came into effect this September.In any case, the ban on saliva use had been in place for over two years as a Covid-related measure. At the time, the ICC Cricket Committee headed by Anil Kumble had recommended that sweat and not any artificial substance should be used to shine the ball.That sweat was a safer option than saliva was approved by the ICC’s chief medical expert Dr Peter Harcourt, who had highlighted that Covid-19 was airborne respiratory infection and highly contagious.In September this year, this temporary ruling was made permanent following a meeting of the ICC Cricket Committee. Given the ongoing three-match series between UAE and Nepal has ODI status, the rule was automatically applied.”If the umpires spot someone applying saliva on the ball blatantly, there’s no option but to award five penalty runs to the oppositions straightaway,” a former ICC panel umpire confirmed to ESPNcricinfo.”Earlier, when the rule was initially implemented after the pandemic, there was some leniency in the form of two warnings to the fielding team, since everyone was getting adjusted to the new ruling. We used to talk to the captain and give him a heads up simply because it was a new rule. Two years on, teams and players are used to it now.”For the record, Nepal squeezed home by three wickets in a tight game to level the series at 1-1. Victory was orchestrated by Aarif Sheik and 16-year-old Gulshan Jha, who added 62 for the eighth wicket. While Jha made 37, Sheikh remained unbeaten on 33 to take Nepal home in their chase of 191.The series decider will be played at the same venue – Tribhuvan University Grounds in Kirtipur – on Friday.

Already setting their sights on the summer transfer window, Manchester United have now reportedly made contact over a potential deal to sign a Champions League defender for Ruben Amorim.

Man Utd transfer news

Sat in the depths of the bottom half fresh from defeat at Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester United are on course for their worst-ever finish in the Premier League, marking a start to forget for Amorim.

Meanwhile, things aren’t much better away from the pitch either. INEOS tenure has already split opinion and after recent reports revealed the state of the club’s finances, they’re hardly likely to win a popularity vote at Old Trafford.

Whether INEOS bleed out before they can rebuild the club remains to be seen, but it certainly won’t help their summer ambitions. Before United can even consider the reinforcements that they so desperately need, they must sell a number of big names for profit. Then, and only then, will they be in a position to sign players such as a certain Champions League defender.

According to reports in Spain, Manchester United have made contact with AC Milan over a potential deal to sign Theo Hernandez. The defender has recently found himself at the centre of criticism from those at the San Siro and could now be allowed to leave this summer as a result.

Man Utd ready to trigger £62.5m star's release clause if Garnacho leaves

Man United already have their eye on a replacement for Garnacho should he be sold in the summer.

ByBrett Worthington Feb 21, 2025

Of course, it was just Tuesday night when the left-back saw red in embarrassing fashion when he received a second yellow card for simulation on the way to Milan’s Champions League exit at the hands of Feyenoord. Having reportedly fallen out with fans, Hernandez could yet be heading to the Premier League and to Old Trafford.

"Electric" Hernandez could be ultimate Shaw upgrade

If Amorim is looking for the ultimate solution down his left-hand side then he should look no further than Hernandez if he becomes available this summer. The AC Milan man is one of the best players in his position and at 27 years old should be at the peak of his powers – something Luke Shaw simply is not.

The England international is often among those at the centre of Old Trafford frustration, with his injury issues piling up more than ever to leave United desperate for a replacement. Dubbed “electric” by analyst Ben Mattinson, that’s why Hernandez should be seen as a top candidate to arrive this summer.

AC Milan’s loss can quickly become Old Trafford’s gain if Manchester United get their finances in order and go in pursuit of Hernandez this summer.