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Liverpool fans have been treated to an incredible year under the wing of Arne Slot, and it’s only going to get better, with FSG making serious moves in the overtures of the summer transfer window.

A deal for Jeremie Frimpong is being finalised, and the Bayer Leverkusen right-sider will join as Trent Alexander-Arnold’s ostensible replacement.

But it’s another of a Werkself persuasion who is slated to be the true heir to Trent’s playmaking position. Indeed, in a saga moving faster than Mohamed Salah in his heyday, Liverpool are now clear favourites to sign Florian Wirtz, who has rejected Bayern Munich in favour of a move to Anfield this summer.

With Manchester City previously withdrawing from consideration (perhaps because they knew he favoured Merseyside?), everything is in place for sporting director Richard Hughes to finalise a deal.

It would be a record signing for Liverpool, but it’s one which makes a whole lot of sense.

Why Liverpool need Florian Wirtz

A deal for Wirtz is almost done, as per transfer guru Fabrizio Romano. Liverpool won the Premier League this season, but they aren’t resting on their laurels.

Though Slot’s system still needs a reliable and out-and-out striker, this is a stunning coup that signals a statement of intent. Bayern and Man City both wanted Wirtz, but he chose Anfield.

And what a player. As per FBref, the 22-year-old ranks among the top 6% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe’s top five leagues this season for goal contributions, the top 7% for shot-creating actions and progressive passes and the top 4% for successful take-ons per 90.

His ability to manipulate space and wrongfoot opponents is second to none; moreover, Wirtz is remarkably switched on, always making the right call and demonstrating precision through his creativity and his ball-striking ability.

This season alone, Wirtz has scored 16 goals and provided 15 assists across all competitions for Leverkusen. Last term, he spearheaded an invincible Bundesliga triumph, earning the division’s Player of the Season award; he won the DFB-Pokal too.

He’s the real deal, all right, having been hailed as a “generational talent” by sports media professional Cristian Nyari. And Liverpool might even be gearing up to partner him with a thriving centre-forward.

Liverpool considering move for LaLiga star

As per Spanish sources, Liverpool are battling Bayern Munich for yet another high-profile signing, with the two powerhouses joining Arsenal in a bid to sign Julian Alvarez.

The Argentina star has been immense since joining Atletico Madrid last summer, and while the La Liga giants don’t want to sell, they would be tempted by offers reaching toward the €100m (£85m) mark.

It’s too early to say which direction this story will take in the coming weeks, but Liverpool bosses may feel they have a trump card in Darwin Nunez, a striker they hope to offload this summer and a player who has been reported to be on Los Colchoneros’ radar.

The report claims that the Reds are one of the clubs considering a move to sign the World Cup-winning marksman, and that they would be interested in including Nunez as part of a deal for the striker.

What Julian Alvarez would bring to Liverpool

Liverpool supporters know Alvarez well, for he won a shedload of silverware across two seasons with Manchester City before leaving for Atletico Madrid in a whopping £82m deal last summer.

That figure raised a few eyebrows, but Diego Simeone will certainly feel he has received bang for his buck after the Argentine’s prolific season, surpassing any of his individual success at the Etihad Stadium.

Alvarez’s fine-tuned clinical edge could actually see him leap over Wirtz as Liverpool’s most important signing of the summer, especially when considering the issues the club have been beset with at number nine this term, Nunez and Diogo Jota’s troubles leading Luis Diaz into a makeshift centre-forward role.

River Plate

122

54

31

Manchester City

103

36

19

Atletico Madrid

53

29

6

Argentina

44

12

33

Refocused into more of a goalscoring force than his times in England, Alvarez has been described as “the best forward in the world” this season by journalist Roy Nemer, having indeed reached the verge of the 30-goal mark in his first year in Spain.

Alvarez might be a prolific player, but that’s not why Liverpool have a vested interest, of course. As per FBref, the 5 foot 8 striker ranks among the top 6% of positional peers across Europe this season for passes attempted and shot-creating actions, the top 7% for progressive passes, and the top 8% for progressive carries per 90.

This completeness and dynamism suggest Alvarez would be the perfect addition to Slot’s ranks, the perfect upgrade at number nine. He’s considered by FBref’s data-driven analytics to be a comparable player to Newcastle United’s Alexander Isak, and would be far cheaper at that.

Securing the 25-year-old’s signature alongside Wirtz’s would represent a staggering coup for Liverpool, but given the need for a new striker, he would indeed prove the standout, not just a new goalscorer but a multi-faceted force to be reckoned with.

Alvarez has scored 17 goals in La Liga this season, and he has only missed seven big chances, as per Sofascore, bespeaking his newfound skill as an elite marksman.

Wirtz is going to be a stunning acquisition, for sure, but Liverpool are already relatively well stocked in their attacking midfield area, whereas up front there is a gaping hole for a reliable marksman.

If FSG manage to pull this one off after swiping Germany’s prized playmaker from the Bundesliga, beating Bayern to the finish line on both occasions, it speaks highly of Michael Edwards’ vision and Liverpool’s potential over the coming years.

Fans have rejoiced over the triumph in the Premier League this season, but you might say that success has merely scratched the surface of what this team is capable of.

Open to leaving: Liverpool “machine” would be finished if FSG sign Wirtz

Liverpool are going punch-for-punch with Bayern Munich in the fight to sign Florian Wirtz.

ByAngus Sinclair May 23, 2025

Chelsea are now pushing hard to sign a “superstar” forward who’s been compared to Cristiano Ronaldo, with talks intensifying in recent days, according to a report.

Blues stepping up summer transfer plans

With the summer transfer window now on the horizon, the Blues are now stepping up their efforts to improve their squad, having identified the need to bring in reinforcements in a number of key areas, including between the sticks.

A £47m offer has now been submitted for Borussia Dortmund goalkeeper Gregor Kobel, given that Enzo Maresca has made the decision to drop error-prone Robert Sanchez at times this season, while the manager is also keen to strengthen in more attacking areas.

Talks have been opened over a deal for Borussia Dortmund’s Jamie Gittens, while Maresca’s side also have a strong chance of winning the race for Barcelona star Raphinha, whose future at the Camp Nou remains up in the air.

Chelsea now favourites to sign £50m player after 7-year contract offer

They’ve reportedly made a tempting proposal.

ByEmilio Galantini Apr 25, 2025

Having proven himself at the top level, the Brazilian could set the west Londoners back £77m, but they are also keen on signing an up-and-coming talent who could cost even more, according to a report from Caught Offside.

Chelsea are now pushing hard to sign Juventus winger Kenan Yildiz, with talks being intensified in recent days, but the Turkish forward will not come cheap, with the Italian side set to hold out for as much as €100m (£85m).

Yilldiz’s impressive performances have attracted the attention of the Blues, alongside Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester United and Manchester City, but Juventus are unwilling to sanction a departure unless they receive a huge fee.

The Germany-born winger is now viewed as a priority target for Maresca’s side, but Liverpool or Arsenal could be more tempting destinations, particularly if Chelsea miss out on Champions League qualification.

"Superstar" Yildiz has shades of CR7

The 19-year-old has already managed to establish himself as a key player for Juventus, picking up eight goals and five assists in all competitions this season, and there have been some suggestions that he could be destined for the very top.

The starlet is ranked among the best-performing teenagers in Europe’s top five leagues this season, so it is little wonder that Juventus are set to hold out for a huge transfer fee.

It is still very early days, but it goes without saying that £85m would be a fair fee if Yildiz is truly capable of emulating Ronaldo, and it is exciting news that Chelsea are now pushing to get a deal done.

That said, it would be a huge gamble to shell out such a huge amount on a player yet to prove himself at the very highest level over a sustained period.

South Africa had an appeal turned down after the Pakistan batter brought day three to an unusual close. What do the Laws say?

Danyal Rasool22-Oct-2025There was so much that happened on the third day in Rawalpindi that it was easy to miss the odd circumstances of its end. Off the final ball of a day South Africa thoroughly dominated, Pakistan batter Mohammad Rizwan drove Keshav Maharaj to cover. There wasn’t a run on, and so he turned around, and, in one deliberate unbroken motion, tapped the base stump with his bat, knocking off the bails.There appeared no indication he believed he had done anything to get him in trouble, but South Africa wicketkeeper Kyle Verreynne threw his hands up in appeal immediately, believing Rizwan was out hit wicket. The umpire hadn’t yet called stumps, and fielder who had collected the drive hadn’t yet thrown the ball back to the wicketkeeper. Thus, the ball was not yet dead.Related

• Babar selected for SA white-ball series and tri-series against SL, Zimbabwe

• Muthusamy and Rabada's feisty stand flips the script on Pakistan

• Deja Vu for Masood as SA's tail wags and Pakistan's plans unravel

However, umpire Sharfuddoula at the bowling end almost immediately waved off the appeals with a smile, and square-leg umpire Chris Brown backed him up. ESPNcricinfo understands the umpires did not directly explain to the South Africans why they had ruled Rizwan not out.Conventionally, it is the umpires who take the bails off at stumps, with the bails at the non-striker’s end usually removed first owing to the umpire’s proximity to them. Batters do, on occasion, take the bails off – usually with their hands rather than bats – though it is almost always done after the ball is dead and the umpires have called stumps. That none of those criteria were met led to South Africa believing their appeal might be legitimate.The Laws of the game, though, appear to side with Rizwan, and the umpires’ judgment. Law 35.1 states that a batter can only be deemed out hit wicket after the bowler has entered their delivery stride

• in the course of any action taken by them in preparing to receive or in receiving a delivery
• in setting off for the first run immediately after playing or playing at the ball
• if no attempt is made to play the ball, in setting off for the first run
• in lawfully making a second or further stroke for the purpose of guarding their wicket

None of those criteria were met by Rizwan’s actions, and it remains unclear how committed South Africa were to the appeal. In the moments after, it appeared South Africa did not seem especially aggrieved anyway, with allrounder Senuran Muthusamy downplaying the incident at his press conference, saying he was fielding too far away and was unaware of what happened.South Africa finished the day with strong hopes of levelling the series, with Pakistan leading by 23 runs at stumps with six wickets in hand.

Abandonment of conventional top-six approach destabilised campaign that promised better

Mohammad Isam31-Oct-2023Mohammad Ashraful made a noise with his hands that only batters watching other batters can. He stroked his right hand with his left palm the way Mahmudullah had made his wrist-work to play the square-cut off Mohammad Wasim in the 17th over. Ashraful is working as an analyst for one of the Bangladeshi TV channels. Obsessive about statistics and an acute observer, Ashraful quietly nodded his head to mimic Mahmudullah’s head position too.It was followed by loud applause from Ashraful who was sitting in the gallery below the Eden Gardens press box. Shortly afterwards, Litton Das tried to smack Usama Mir over the covers, but checked himself. Mahmudullah showed him how later in the over with a blast through the covers. Ashraful appreciated the shot, saying that either you hit it hard to this cover fielder’s left or you play that same ball down to mid-off for a single.”But, what can we do now?” Ashraful exclaimed.Indeed, as Bangladesh’s World Cup campaign reached its seventh match, regret hung in the air. A bit of common sense and smarter planning could have provided a different perspective to this tournament. Instead it is one that speaks loudly of the Bangladesh team management’s rigidity with their batting line-up.They finally got back to their conventional batting line-up against Pakistan, seven matches into the tournament. ESPNcricinfo understands that the “revert-to-type” instruction came from all the way up in the chain of command. BCB president Nazmul Hassan, after Bangladesh’s 87-run defeat against Netherlands, reportedly told the team management to get the batters in their right positions, and continue that pattern for the remaining matches.Mushfiqur Rahim and Mahmudullah went back up the order for the first time this year. Mahmudullah was batting above No. 6 for the first time since August 2022. Mushfiqur was back at No. 4 after seven months. The selectors have always maintained that they “rested” Mahmudullah after the England series back in March, even though that excuse was condescending to the man himself. Mushfiqur was given the No. 6 role to slog his way through the last ten overs, despite reaching his batting peak at No. 4.The changes meant that Najmul Hossain Shanto batted at three, with Shakib at six, and Towhid Hridoy and Mehidy Hasan Miraz at 7 and 8. This line-up might have worked but for Litton’s soft dismissal, or if Shakib Al Hasan’s 64-ball struggle had delivered greater reward. These regrets are nothing new to Bangladesh’s World Cup campaign. Even when Mahmudullah was looking set on Tuesday, he ended up receiving Shaheen Shah Afridi’s best ball of the day.Speaking at the post-match presentation, Shakib was asked by Ramiz Raja about the rejig – although the specific query was whether he’d consider a return to No.3, the position from which he made 606 runs at 86.57 at the 2019 World Cup. “I was batting in the top four and I hadn’t scored runs, so my confidence was low too,” Shakib replied. “Luckily I got some runs [today] and I’m feeling better so we can discuss it. At this moment, changing too many things gets difficult, but we have to keep moving forward and think of something which might work.”Mehidy Hasan Miraz’s role as Bangladesh’s enforcer ended up being one of a firefighter in a tournament that never took off•Associated PressNo member of the Bangladesh’s hierarchy showed up in the press conference or the mixed zone, however. It would have been interesting to learn more about their batting plans, but the fact they promoted Mushfiqur and Mahmudullah, and sent Mehidy to No. 8 finally, spoke volumes about their mindset.After Tamim Iqbal was jettisoned from the team late into the World Cup build-up phase, captain Shakib and coach Chandika Hathurusingha called all the shots. However, their plan to bring a changed identity to their batting approach in the World Cup now looks like cosmetic changes.Towards the start of the tournament, they wanted Mehidy to be the enforcer, and leave Mushfiqur, Mahmudullah and Hridoy to deal with the death overs, but given that the Bangladesh openers Tanzid Hasan and Litton Das didn’t fire in most of the matches, Mehidy was mostly firefighting bad starts. Shakib and Shanto never showed good form, while Mahmudullah seemed surplus to requirements, even though he now has 274 runs at 68.50. It is hard to fathom that he didn’t play against England.Shakib and Hathurusinghe simply didn’t have a plan B. That may sound simplistic, and some might argue that Mehidy being shuffled around was proof that they were trying something. But it now seems clear that Mehidy’s movement their plan A. Bangladesh sacrificed their whole batting line-up to implement a shortcut that always looked like failing. True, Mehidy made that century against Afghanistan in the Asia Cup, but how does one successful batting promotion prove that the rest of the batters are dispensable? It’s beyond the understanding of many who follow Bangladesh cricket closely.Instead, Bangladesh could have simply come to the World Cup with the tried and tested. Litton and Tamim have had a successful opening partnership, simply because of Tamim’s evolved role as the banker at the top of the order. He rotates the strike to ensure Litton can play his natural game. Shanto would then have followed at No 3, followed by Shakib, Hridoy and Mushfiqur.Related

Khaled Mahmud unhappy with role as Bangladesh team director

How Bangladesh became a shadow of themselves at the World Cup

Bangladesh meet Pakistan in derby of subcontinental misery

Live Report – Pakistan vs Bangladesh, Kolkata

Bangladesh knocked out after Afridi and Fakhar fashion big Pakistan win

Then, the debate could have centred on playing the seventh specialist batter or using six bowling options. It had been working pretty well for Bangladesh over the previous two years, especially when the top six fired. With 24 wins from 39 matches from the start of 2021 until the start of the Asia Cup, they looked like a side that knew what their next move was going to be. Bangladesh were also winning close games as they had chosen to go with six bowlers on batting wickets too.It is very hard to imagine had a problem with Tamim. He fell out with the BCB chief Hassan, which shouldn’t matter to the team’s cricketing plans. Instead, Hassan first riled him with an interview, and then begged him to come back from retirement.When they finally got rid of Tamim before the World Cup amid another embarrassing episode, Bangladesh believed that the team would soon forget Tamim’s impressive leadership. He had forged a strong unit since Mashrafe Mortaza’s resignation in 2020, bringing the team much success with his no-nonsense approach, and marrying well with Russell Domingo’s approach to allow players room to think.The same cannot be said about Shakib and Hathurusinghe. Both have struggled in their second stints as captain and coach respectively. This, despite BCB chief Hassan giving both the confidence and space to take their decisions. It is rare for Hassan to allow such freedom to the team management but perhaps it was because of Shakib’s stature as a cricketer. Hathurusinghe too is well respected in the BCB’s inner-circle. Now that the dust has settled, maybe it is time that someone in the BCB, perhaps the president himself, stepped up and asked the pair some tough questions.

The left-arm wristspinner who was let go by the Knight Riders produced a statement performance against them

Deivarayan Muthu10-Apr-20223:19

Manjrekar: You can see Kuldeep’s angst, wanting to prove himself again

Kolkata Knight Riders’ head of talent scouting and player acquisitions AR Srikkanth spotted Kuldeep Yadav in the Buchi Babu tournament in Chennai in 2014 and was so impressed by him that he immediately called up Trevor Bayliss, the then head coach of the franchise, and convinced him to snap up the left-arm wristspinner at the IPL auction that year. This was even before Kuldeep had emerged as India’s highest wicket-taker in the 2014 Under-19 World Cup in the UAE, where he also claimed a hat-trick.Knight Riders picked Kuldeep up for INR 40 lakh and he stayed with the side until 2022. He had made his IPL debut, for KKR, in 2016 and across the next two seasons, he became their highest wicket-taker, with 29 strikes in 27 games at an economy rate of 8.20.Then his world turned upside down. After being taken to the cleaners by England on a flat Edgbaston pitch in the 2019 World Cup, he was no longer a regular in India’s white-ball sides. By 2020, he was no longer a regular in the Knight Riders’ XI, with the franchise veering towards pairing Sunil Narine up with another mystery spinner in Varun Chakravarthy.In IPL 2021, Kuldeep didn’t get a single game before a knee injury prematurely ended his stint and forced him to fly back home for rehab.On Sunday afternoon, Kuldeep, who was recruited by Delhi Capitals at the auction earlier this year, ran into his former franchise. A few hours later he was toasting a Player-of-the-Match performance.Sure, Kuldeep (4-35) had scoreboard pressure to lean on in Capitals’ defence of 215, but his control over his variations against a power-packed Knight Riders line-up saw him add another chapter to his re-emergence.The left-handed Nitish Rana lined up Kuldeep in his very first over and walloped a slog-sweep over midwicket for six. Then, when he returned, Shreyas Iyer was in big-hitting mode, having charged at Axar Patel and launched him over his head for six. The preceding over from Rovman Powell had gone for 17 runs.Kuldeep cut his pace down to 78.9 kph and dangled one so wide that it would’ve been an off-side wide had Shreyas missed it. Not only did the batter reach it, he also expertly shovelled it to the left of Shardul Thakur at wide long-on. Shreyas then dashed out to Kuldeep as well, pumping his stock ball over the midwicket boundary for a six that brought him his fifty off 32 balls. With Andre Russell – and Pat Cummins – in the dug-out, it felt like Knight Riders were onto something, despite the rapidly rising asking rate.The Brabourne Stadium pitch was perhaps as flat as the Edgbaston one where he was torn into shreds in 2019, but Kuldeep was now wiser and more confident with his skills. He immediately struck back, sliding a wrong’un across an advancing Shreyas from a shorter length and having him stumped for 54 off 33 balls.He then took out Cummins, Narine and Umesh Yadav in the space of four balls in the 16th over to send Knight Riders tumbling to a 44-run defeat. Cummins was done in by a skidder while Narine and Umesh skied the legbreak. No longer one to leave anything to chance, Kuldeep tore across to the midwicket region from his followthrough and dived full-length to snag Umesh’s return catch near the 30-yard circle.Was that a point proven to his former franchise? The cathartic roar that he let out after completing that spectacular catch suggested it might well have been.

The bottom of the 11th inning of Game 4 of the National League Division Series between the Phillies and Dodgers will be remembered largely for one reason: Phillies relief pitcher Orion Kerkering's throwing error that led to the winning run scoring in the form of Hyeseong Kim, ending Philadelphia's season and sending Los Angeles to the National League Championship Series for the second straight year.

But it very nearly could have been remembered for a different sort of mistake, one that was quickly remediated despite being missed in all of the end-of-game chaos.

In his haste to hurry home and score the winning run, Kim seemingly failed to touch home plate.

Fortunately for the Dodgers, Kim quickly realized what had occurred and, after Kerkering's throw sailed past catcher J.T. Realmuto's head to the backstop, doubled back to touch home plate.

It was another what-if moment in an eventful inning filled with them.

أستأنف برشلونة تدريباته استعداداً لمواجهة ريال بيتيس، غداً على ملعب لاكارتوخا ضمن منافسات الجولة السادسة من الدوري الاسباني لكرة القدم.

وأفادت صحيفة “سبورت” الإسبانية بأن فيرمين لوبيز وفرينكي دي يونج واصلا تدريباتهما صباح الجمعة في مدينة خوان جامبر الرياضية مع بقية زملائهما.

ومن المتوقع أن يعتمد هانز فليك مدرب برشلونة على ثنائي الفريق ضد ريال بيتيس وسيكونا في قائمة المباراة إلى جانب بيدري ورافينها اللذين تدربا أيضاً بشكل طبيعي.

أقرأ أيضاً.. شلوتربيك يحسم اختياره بين الانتقال إلى برشلونة أو ريال مدريد في الصيف

وعاد نجما برشلونة لأداء التدريبات الجماعية أمس الخميس وأستأنفا عملهما أيضاً صباح الجمعة، ومن المتوقع أن يحصلا على التصريح الطبي غداً.

وكان فرينكي دي يونج قد غاب عن آخر ثلاث مباريات لبرشلونة ضد أتلتيك بلباو بسبب الإيقاف وضد ألافيس وأتلتيكو بسبب الحمى ورغم استمرار معاناته من الأعراض لكنه تدرب بشكل طبيعي.

ومن جانب آخر فقد تدرب أيضاً الحارس الألماني مارك تير شتيجن والذي عاد لأداء المران بشكل طبيعي تحت قيادة هانز فليك، بينما غاب أراوخو ولم يتم رؤيته في مدينة خوان جامبر الرياضية صباح اليوم.

Ruben Amorim’s polarising tactical set-up is reliant on fluent and efficient wing-backs. Establishing a winning formula down the flanks has proved difficult for the Manchester United manager in his year at the Old Trafford helm, though.

Though the right-sided pairing of Bryan Mbeumo is an imperfect combination, there is much to like about this front-footed and dynamic dimension.

The same can’t be said for Patrick Dorgu down the left, who Amorim admitted last week creates an air of “anxiety” when on the ball at the moment.

Harsh words, but not without the ring of truth. The Red Devils are short on effective options on the left, with Diogo Dalot the stand-in. However, he too leaves much to be desired, as was clear as United secured a from-behind Premier League win over Crystal Palace on Sunday.

Dalot flatters to deceive at Selhurst Park

Dalot has struggled under Amorim’s wing, having found tough work in adapting to the new system. Content creator Liam Canning actually said a month ago that the Portuguese defender is “becoming a worry long term”, given that he “doesn’t look like he suits the wing back role”.

Such words rung true against Palace at the weekend, albeit with the intensity and aggression improving after the break.

While content creator Adam Joseph feels the left side is “completely toothless”, there are signs of life.

Dalot did win eight duels on the afternoon, as per Sofascore, succeeding with his one tackle and making six ball recoveries besides. But he also failed with two attempted crosses and didn’t create a single chance, illustrating the on-the-ball imbalances that Amorim has yet to iron out.

However, given Dorgu has been so unconvincing and the alternative options are few and far between, it’s unlikely we will see any drastic upheaval in the immediate future.

But Amorim may look to chop and change another part of his backline.

Amorim must drop 3/10 Man Utd star

There has been a promising increase in levels at Manchester United this season, but Amorim still has much ground to cover before his tenure can be confirmed as a success.

Going forward, he may need to make a few tough calls, and one of those calls centres on dropping Leny Yoro, who has struggled of late and must be pulled to the bench.

Yoro, 20, is considered one of the most talented centre-backs in the world, and United scored a coup when beating Liverpool and Real Madrid to his signature.

However, he’s been out of form this season, and journalist Nathan Salt believes he “needs a break from the XI to restore some confidence”.

Yoro was at fault for the penalty which Jean-Philippe Mateta dispatched – controversially – to put the hosts 1-0 up before half-time. The Manchester Evening News gave him a 3/10 match rating after an error-strewn performance that saw him hooked before the hour mark.

Minutes played

54′

Goals conceded

1

Touches

33

Accurate passes

22/23 (96%)

Unsuccessful touches

3

Recoveries

3

Tackles won

0/2

Clearances

3

Duels won

3/6

The timing is at least fortuitous. Lisandro Martinez has completed his long-anticipated return from injury, and the Butcher at his best will be sure to nail down a starting berth in Amorim’s team.

Yoro is strong on the ball and a progressive passer, ranking among the top 14% of positional peers in the Premier League this season for shot-creating actions per 90, as per FBref, but he’s also shorn of confidence.

United fans must retain their excitement over the dynamic, promising defender, who has what it takes to become one of the very best in the business. But, for now, he needs to put the brakes on his campaign.

After the match, content creator Adam Joseph acknowledged that the Frenchman is “going through a tough period in his development”, but that he was “brilliant last season” and will bounce back soon.

This is true, but, for now, Amorim would be wise to take the young centre-half out of the firing line, especially now that Martinez is match fit once again.

Not just Zirkzee: Man Utd star who was a "waste of time" is now undroppable

This Man Utd player starred in their 2-1 win away to Crystal Palace

1 ByJoe Nuttall Nov 30, 2025

Pant had suffered a fractured left foot during the England tour in July and is currently in rehab at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru

Nagraj Gollapudi22-Sep-20252:05

Is there a role for Nitish Kumar Reddy in home Tests?

India wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant is set to miss the two-match home Test series against West Indies, starting in Ahmedabad from October 2.India’s selection meeting for the series is scheduled for September 24. ESPNcricinfo has learned the Ajit Agarkar-led panel will pick 15 players, which is two fewer than the squad for the New Zealand Tests last October, the last home series India played.Pant, who was India’s vice-captain in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy in England this year, suffered a fractured left foot during the fourth Test in Manchester. While he limped out to bat in the first innings, he was replaced by N Jagadeesan in the squad for the final Test at the Oval. Pant is currently at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru.It is learned that Pant has been undergoing strength and conditioning and is awaiting further updates from the BCCI medical team before he can resume batting and keeping. There is no firm timeline drawn for his return. India are scheduled to play a white-ball series in Australia from October 19, after the West Indies series.In Pant’s absence, Dhruv Jurel is expected to be India’s wicketkeeper during the West Indies series. Jurel, who is currently in Lucknow playing against Australia A, kept wicket in the final two Tests of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. Jagadeesan, who opened in the first match against Australia A as well as swapped keeping duties with Jurel, could be the back-up in case the selectors opt for a second specialist wicketkeeper for the West Indies series.It is also understood that the selectors are likely to consider Nitish Kumar Reddy and Devdutt Padikkal for the Test series. Padikkal, who made 150 for India A against Australia A in the first four-day game in Lucknow, has played two Tests so far. He was part of the Perth Test against Australia last year, when he made scores of 0 and 25 from No. 3.Reddy was also part of that series, as well as the England Tests that followed, and has played a total of seven Tests so far. Reddy, who was supposed to make a comeback from the knee injury he suffered in England in the first four-day game against Australia A, did not make the XI. Both players are in the squad for the second four-day game which begins on Tuesday.The India-West Indies Tests are part of the World Test Championship (WTC). India are currently third on the WTC table, after drawing the five-match England series 2-2. West Indies are sixth after three losses in three games.

The Los Angeles Dodgers continued to reshape their roster on Thursday, shipping a former top prospect to the Minnesota Twins.

Los Angeles sent catcher Diego Cartaya to the Twins in exchange for minor-league pitcher Jose Vasquez. Cartaya was long thought to be the team's future backstop and was the Dodgers' No. 1 prospect on MLB Pipeline as recently as 2023, and MLB.com rated him as the No. 14 prospect in all of baseball before the 2023 campaign.

The 23-year-old Cartaya has yet to reach the major leagues and spent the 2024 season split between Double-A and Triple-A. In 95 games, he slashed .221/.323/.363 with 11 home runs and 52 RBIs.

Cartaya was MLB Pipeline's top-rated player in the 2018 international class, and Los Angeles signed him for $2.5 million out of Venezuela. He was designated for assignment last week to open a 40-man roster spot for the recently signed Hyesong Kim.

In return, the Dodgers are getting the 20-year-old Vasquez, who went 4-0 with a 4.99 ERA for the Twins in the Dominican Summer League in 2024.