An “unbelievable” manager, who has won two promotions to the Premier League, is now on Leicester City’s “list” of targets to replace Ruud van Nistelrooy, according to former scout Mick Brown.
Ruud's time at Leicester coming to an end
Leicester have hardly put up a fight in their bid to avoid relegation, having collected just 18 points all season, and they have taken a significant turn for the worse since appointing Van Nistelrooy, whose record as manager is extremely poor.
The Dutchman has averaged just 0.48 points per match since taking the reins at the King Power Stadium, and it is now looking increasingly likely he will be replaced at the end of the season, with several potential replacements being identified.
Former Southampton manager Russell Martin is the Foxes’ first choice to replace Ruud, and the 39-year-old is believed to be keen on taking over, should an approach be made, while Sheffield Wednesday boss Danny Rohl is also on the shortlist.
Leicester City eye move for new 40 y/o manager who has same agent as Vardy
He’s been in the Championship before.
ByCharlie Smith Apr 9, 2025
Having led the Saints to promotion last season, Martin could be a sensible appointment for Leicester, but ex-scout Brown has now revealed a manager with two promotions to the Premier League under his belt is also on the shortlist.
Brown told Football Insider: “Ruud is going to be sacked, there’s no doubt about that.
“I wasn’t impressed by Russell Martin in the Premier League, but he was a big reason why they got promoted in the first place. That’s what Leicester are looking for – a manager to guide them back up straight away.”
“There are a few names on their list, Sean Dyche is one I’ve heard, for example. But it sounds like Martin is the leading candidate for it at the moment, based on what I hear.”
"Unbelievable" Dyche could lead Foxes to promotion
David Moyes’ success since replacing Dyche in the Everton dugout suggests the Englishman may not be the right man to lead Leicester’s long-term project, but there is every indication he could be capable of leading them to promotion next season.
The former Burnley boss took the Clarets up in 2013-14 and 2015-16, winning the title the second time around, while he has also received very high praise from former player Kieran Trippier, who lauded the 53-year-old as an “unbelievable manager”.
One thing that is clear is that Ruud will need to be replaced this summer, with former winger Matt Piper recently criticising the manager, while also insinuating some changes may need to be made to the playing squad, given their lack of effort this season.
“This season they are not good enough, there is no fight, there is no determination, there is no want to wear the shirt, there is no confidence.
“Then there is a manager that goes missing in the dugout. There are major things wrong at this football club and it’s been like this for some time. It’s just not good enough.”
Mayank Agarawal led from the front, seasoned pros were discarded, and a bunch of new faces made their presence felt in the winning run
Shashank Kishore20-Jan-2025Mayank Agarawal leads from the frontOver the past two seasons, the selectors had moved on from a number of seasoned players, who have had to find new teams or wait for answers on their future – R Samarth and Karun Nair have shifted to Uttarakhand and Vidarbha, respectively, while Manish Pandey and K Gowtham are out.Related
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The long-winding rise of Krishnan Shrijith
Karnataka hadn’t come close to winning the title in any of the formats last season, and in this one, 2024-25, they exited in the quarter-finals of the T20 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and have had a tough time during the first half of the Ranji Trophy season. Against this backdrop, Mayank Agarawal’s four centuries and 651 runs at an average of 93 in a title-winning campaign came at a time when there was a growing sense that the selectors were looking towards youngsters.”I thought I had a great tournament,” Agarawal told ESPNcricinfo. “To be overshadowed by somebody who had a record-breaking run like Karun – it was absolutely stunning for him to achieve what he did and I’m delighted for him – but, at a personal level, those four hundreds made a massive difference personally and for the team.”A slight shift in technique was the starting point. “I made subtle changes in my setup and backlift,” Agarawal explained. “It was also more about breaking down different phases in the game and making plans for those phases and executing those. When you execute it once, you get the confidence and a rhythm and hunger to keep going it again and again.”Agarawal’s upturn in form came after not finding any takers at the IPL mega auction ahead of the 2025 season.”To be honest, I gave myself six-eight hours to soak in what had happened and then said to myself, ‘listen, this is what has happened, this is where I’m at – what do I do next?’ I didn’t want to sit and brood over why it didn’t happen.”It was a knock on the chin and instead of getting upset, I tried to figure out what I need to do, what my immediate focus should be and how I get back on track. So the hundreds and runs was the coming together of all these processes I set for myself in rediscovering myself.”[File photo] Krishnan Shrijith is one of the bright new finds in the batting department•KSCARevamped middle order: KV Aneesh, R Smaran and K ShrijithAgarawal picked out Karnataka’s ability to win key moments regularly as a major reason for their success. It started from the go, with Karnataka chasing 381 against Mumbai in their tournament opener. “That instilled a lot of belief, because this is after all a team in transition,” Agarawal said.K Shrijith scored 150, and Praveen Dubey bounced back from an expensive spell with the ball (2 for 89) with an unbeaten 65. “You suddenly saw fearlessness that the younger group carried forward from there – it was as if that chase unlocked something within the youngsters.”In the second game against Puducherry, R Smaran got his first List A hundred in his maiden season. Smaran had been a standout player in the Under-23s last season for Karnataka. His temperament and ability to soak in pressure was evident again in the final. With Karnataka in choppy waters at 67 for 3, he put together a remarkable partnership with Shrijith to set up the finish for Abhinav Manohar.Smaran finished as Karnataka’s second-highest run-getter, hitting 433 runs in seven innings at an average of 72.16 with two hundreds and two half-centuries. Shrijith made 303 runs, 228 of those in two innings alone – against Mumbai and in the final against Vidarbha – which points to some thought in team selection, since they persisted with him despite a dip in the middle of the tournament.Like Smaran, KV Aneesh is a product of the Under-23s, and he flourished to play a crucial role in the middle order in Pandey’s absence. Aneesh, who grew up in the UAE but returned home to be able to give his cricket career the best shot possible, broke through into the state side on the back of 922 runs, including a double-century in the final, in the CK Nayudu Trophy last season. At the Vijay Hazare Trophy, Aneesh hit a crucial 83 against Saurashtra and 52 in the quarter-final against Baroda.It also helped that Devdutt Padikkal, who was available for the knockouts after the Australia Test series, hit 102 and 86 in their quarter-final and semi-final wins over Baroda and Haryana.”I thought I had a great tournament”•Mayank Agarawal Abhilash Shetty, the new left-arm pacer on the blockIt’s a dimension to Karnataka’s bowling attack that has been missing since S Aravind exited in 2017-18. While there have been a few left-armers, like Prateek Jain, who have played sporadically, they hadn’t found that one seamer capable of playing across formats. Until the Vijay Hazare Trophy.Abhilash Shetty arrived in style, taking a five-for against Punjab on his List A debut, and carrying on that form to finish with 17 wickets in seven games, the joint-third-highest in the tournament. Seven of those wickets came in the semi-final and final.”In the game against Punjab, Abhilash picked up two wickets in an over [Anmol Malhotra and Ramandeep Singh] as he came back for his second spell – which was the turning point I’d say between us having to chase 290 and chasing 248,” Agarawal said. “He’s a very talented bowler, who understood what he needed to do whenever he was brought on to bowl.”Shetty’s arrival coincided with Karnataka’s bowling stocks having been depleted. Vidwath Kaverappa and Vyshak Vijaykumar were both out injured, while Prasidh Krishna was away with the Test squad in Australia, though he rejoined the team on his return.This made Shetty the partner to the consistent V Koushik, who not only contributed 18 wickets (just two short of Arshdeep Singh’s chart-topping 20) but also made a crucial 7 not out at No. 11 in an unbroken 47-run stand with Agarawal to seal a tense win against Punjab, which was massive in the overall context of their qualification to the knockouts.Shreyas Gopal delivers on his returnThere had been a debate within the state circles over the decision to go back to legspinning allrounder Shreyas Gopal, who returned after a season with Kerala. But Shreyas showed that his rich experience counted for a lot, finishing as the joint-second-highest wicket-taker, his 18 wickets coming at an economy of 4.98. This included two thrifty spells of 2 for 36 and 2 for 38 in the quarter-finals and semi-finals respectively. He also contributed a useful 29 with the bat in the low-scoring one-wicket win over Punjab.
The mid-season trades didn’t work, pace bowling was a problem, and their most successful spinner had a tournament to forget
Sreshth Shah21-May-20235:04
Moody: KKR’s issue was juggling of top order and uncertainty around XI
Where they finished
Position on table: Seventh, with 12 points Wins: Six Losses: Eight By the time they produced complete team performances in the last fortnight of the league stage, Kolkata Knight Riders were all but eliminated. Their expensive mid-season trades did not provide a positive payoff, they identified their best openers very late and their most successful spinner in IPL history had an ordinary season. Pace bowling continued to be a problem and if it wasn’t for a couple of brilliant individual performances from their domestic talent, KKR could’ve finished even lower.Related
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The good – Domestic talent impress
Venkatesh Iyer, Nitish Rana and Rinku Singh (alongside Andre Russell) provided a robust and attacking middle order that was dangerous both against pace and spin. Rinku and Rana were the most consistent among the four, and both batters are among the top five run-getters between Nos. 4 and 7 this season.Fast bowlers Vaibhav Arora and Harshit Rana showed promise even if their inexperience proved to be expensive in some games. Both showed signs that they can be regular new-ball bowlers in the future with their impeccable seam positions and stepped up when a lackluster Umesh Yadav was injured.Varun Chakravarthy, too, returned to his mysterious ways, taking 20 wickets this season. He was one level above the other KKR bowlers that also includes Sunil Narine. In fact, young Suyash Sharma on his debut IPL season impressed more than Narine with his 10 scalps in 11 games.ESPNcricinfo Ltd
The bad – Unsettled at the top and trades underutilised
There were a lot of things that went wrong for KKR. Shreyas Iyer’s injury at the start of the season did not help, but neither did their choice of trying nine different opening pairs in 14 games. N Jagadeesan, Mandeep Singh, Venkatesh, Litton Das and Rahmanullah Gurbaz were all tried without each of them getting long runs, and till Jason Roy’s late arrival and subsequent boost, their first-wicket partnership always felt like a walking wicket.Shardul Thakur and Lockie Ferguson – two expensive trades between seasons – were not used enough in comparison to how much of their budget was spent on the pair. Ferguson had three ordinary outings, taking only three wickets with an economy north of 12.50 while Shardul averaged less than two overs per innings.Overseas player availability was also a problem. Their two Bangladesh overseas players had limited availability in the first place, and that problem was compounded when Shakib Al Hasan didn’t even travel to India. Roy, their best overseas player alongside Russell, was not even in their original squad and was drafted into the squad as a mid-season replacement.
Top performer: Rinku Singh
IPL 2023 has been a season of finishers across all teams but no story has quite been like Rinku’s. Backed by KKR since IPL 2018 through poor form and season-ending injuries, Rinku was the man who consistently saved KKR the blushes while also making his own case for an India cap.Rinku racked up 474 runs in one season – the most in IPL history by a batter coming in at No. 5 or below – while maintaining an average of 59.25 and a strike-rate of almost 150. Each of his four 50-plus scores came while chasing and while he was out there, other teams felt the pressure. Rinku hitting five sixes in the 20th over to seal a win over Gujarat Titans is one of the IPL’s most memorable moments, but he also closed out an important game against Punjab Kings with a last-ball four. He very nearly left LSG on the mat too in his last game with an unbeaten 67.
The highlights
Shardul’s 29-ball 68 in a come-from-behind win against Royal Challengers Bangalore. The Rinku special in Ahmedabad where KKR chased down 31 in the final over. The season double over RCB. And the win against Chennai Super Kings at Chepauk after 11 long years.
They are panicking and trying to attack from the crease rather than stepping out to get the bowler to change length
Ian Chappell27-Feb-20216:11
Rohit Sharma: ‘Intent wasn’t to survive, but to score’
Virat Kohli described the day-night third Test, in Ahmedabad, as “bizarre”, a word that aptly describes the England batsmen’s attempts to cope with India’s spinners.India’s decision to select three spinners for the Test was prompted by England’s batting on a tricky Chennai pitch, where their batsmen – Joe Root excepted – displayed a distinct ineptitude against spin. India correctly calculated that would result in mental scarring and used it to their advantage.From the moment Axar Patel conjured up the ultimate thimble-and-pea trick to dismiss Jonny Bairstow with a straight delivery, England were in a spin. Is the ball over there? No, it’s here.When faced with a serious spin challenge, the England batsmen didn’t trust their defence, which eventually resulted in panicked attempts to attack the Indian spinners. Their choice to reverse-sweep rather than to leave their crease to change the bowler’s length is a classic example.Related
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How a spinner can break the rhythm of the batsman
The science of deception
How can a risky premeditated shot be less dangerous than what was previously a trusted technique to unsettle good spinners?One of the first principles of batting – especially on a pitch assisting spinners – is to keep the odds slightly in your favour.Following the memorable 2000-01 series in India where VVS Laxman made a magnificent 281 on a testing surface, I asked Shane Warne how he thought he had performed. “I didn’t think I bowled badly,” he replied. “You didn’t,” was my response. “When a batsman alters your length drastically by coming out three paces and then is quickly onto the back foot when you toss the next delivery a little higher and shorter, that’s not bad bowling, that’s excellent footwork.”Shrewd use of footwork not only helps negate the spin but also puts a batsman in a position to direct the ball where he wants, rather than where the bowler would prefer it to be hit.To be fair, this is a skill to be learned at a young age. Which prompts the question: why is it not widely taught in England, where sweeping is misguidedly touted as the secret to playing spin bowling successfully?Another prominent theory is to take block on off stump when the ball is spinning back in to the batsman.Ollie Pope was looking to attack India’s spinners but at the same time was worried about getting stumped•Saikat Das/BCCIThis flawed theory closes off scoring opportunities through the on side. It’s designed to reduce the chances of being dismissed rather than to create scoring opportunities, which is always a bad option. It also causes batsmen to play balls towards leg slip. Why deliberately hit the ball where there’s a catching fielder?I asked former Australia batsman Doug Walters: “How do you get caught at leg slip when an offspinner is bowling?””You can’t,” he replied.Walters is the best batsman I’ve seen against top-class offspin bowling. He scored a century in a session on a tricky Queen’s Park Oval pitch against Lance Gibbs and crafted a brilliant hundred against Erapalli Prasanna on a Chepauk pitch that was every bit as difficult as the one in the recent Test there between India and England. On both occasions he used lightning quick footwork to both negate the spin and manipulate the field placings against two champion offspin bowlers.Back in Ahmedabad, Ollie Pope decided to use his feet against the Indian spinners. He had the right idea but the wrong execution. Firstly, he jumped rather than glided out of the crease. Secondly, his front foot pressed forward but the back one lingered, as if searching for the safety of the crease.I was told two crucial things about footwork when I was very young: “Get stumped by three yards not three inches,” my coach said, “and never think about the keeper when you leave the crease.”Pope was conscious of the keeper as he tentatively ventured out of his crease, which meant he was worried he would miss the delivery. That results in footwork that hinders rather than helps.It’s never easy against good spinners on a challenging surface, but it is possible to play well; just not the way England are going about it.
كشفت تقارير صحفية تطورًا مفاجئًا في إطار اهتمام الدوري السعودي بالحصول على خدمات النجم المصري، محمد صلاح، خلال موسم الانتقالات الشتوي المقبل، في ظل تردي العلاقة بينه وبين إدارة ليفربول مؤخرًا.
كان محمد صلاح قد أشعل فتيل أزمة قوية داخل أروقة ليفربول بسبب التصريحات النارية التي أدلى بها، قبل أيام، ضد إدارة النادي والمدرب آرني سلوت.
وتضاعفت حدة التكهنات حول مستقبل محمد صلاح مع ليفربول، رغم أنه يمتلك عقدًا ساريًا حتى يونيو 2027، ولكنه يرتبط بقوة بإمكانية الرحيل، مع العلم إنه يمثل هدفًا طويل الأمد على رادار الدوري السعودي.
وذكرت شبكة “givemesport” الإنجليزية أن الأندية السعودية مُلزمة بتمويل أي صفقة لضم نجم ليفربول محمد صلاح في يناير، في تطور مفاجئ في هذا الصدد.
وأوضحت أن مركز التميز لاكتساب اللاعبين التابع للدوري السعودي، بقيادة المدير الرياضي مايكل إيمينالو، قد خصص ميزانيته الموسمية للأندية، ولن تُتاح أي أموال إضافية لدعم صفقة محمد صلاح في حال رحيله عن ليفربول.
ويُخصص للأندية السعودية حوالي ملياري يورو سنويًا للإنفاق على رسوم الانتقالات والرواتب ورسوم الوكلاء، وعلى الرغم من أن بعض التقارير أشارت إلى تخصيص ميزانية إضافية لمحاولة ضم صلاح إلى السعودية هذا الشتاء، إلا أنه قد اتضح عدم صحة ذلك.
اقرأ أيضًا.. سكاي توضح سر قرار سلوت تجاه محمد صلاح قبل مباراة ليفربول وبرايتون
ولا يتم توزيع التمويل المركزي بالتساوي بين الأندية، بل يُحدد بناءً على احتياجاتها، ولا تُسترد الأموال غير المُنفقة بعد تخصيصها، هذا يعني أن ميزانية موسم 2025/2026 ثابتة، وعلى الأندية السعودية الراغبة في ضم صلاح استخدام ما خصصه لها الدوري أو أموالها الخاصة.
كما يمكن للأندية أيضًا طلب الدعم الخاص، وهو ما ساهم جزئيًا في تمويل نادي الهلال لصفقة نيمار من باريس سان جيرمان.
ويعتبر الهلال الأقرب من داخل السعودية للتعاقد مع محمد صلاح، بعد محاولته ضمه قبل بطولة كأس العالم للأندية الصيف الماضي، مع ذلك من المرجح أن يضطر مالكوم، المرتبط بعقد حتى عام 2027، إلى الرحيل لإتمام الصفقة خلال فترة الانتقالات الشتوية.
إلى جانب ذلك، يعد كل من نادي نيوم والقادسية من الأندية السعودية الأخرى المهتمة باللاعب، يتمتع النادي الأول بميزة تمويل أي صفقة عبر مالكه أرامكو، الشركة الغنية بالنفط.
وسبق أن قدّم الاتحاد عرضًا بقيمة 150 مليون جنيه إسترليني لضم محمد صلاح في صيف 2023، لذك لا يمكن استبعادهم تمامًا، ولكن يُعتقد أنهم غير قادرين على التحرك في يناير.
ويُعد مستقبل كريم بنزيما مع اتحاد جدة غير واضح، وإذا رحل الصيف المقب عند انتهاء عقده، فقد يُعيد النادي إحياء اهتمامه بـ محمد صلاح، ولكن في الوقت الحالي، اكتملت حصة النادي من اللاعبين الأجانب.
Needing a win to clinch a postseason berth, the Red Sox battled back from a 3-1 deficit on Friday night to walk off the Tigers 4-3 at Fenway Park. Ceddanne Rafaela played hero, mashing a triple off the wall in center field in the ninth to bring home Romy Gonzalez and punch Boston's ticket to the playoffs.
Four of the six playoff spots are decided in the American League now that the Blue Jays, Mariners, Yankees and Red Sox have all clinched. The two remaining playoff spots will be decided in the final two days of the regular season as the Tigers, Guardians and Astros jockey for position.
The Tigers, who held a 10.5-game lead in the AL Central at the beginning of September, could have clinched a playoff berth Friday night with a win combined with an Astros loss. The good news for Detroit? The Guardians also lost, falling 7-3 to the Rangers, as did Houston in a 4-3 loss to the Angels.
Despite the loss, Cleveland, which owns the tiebreaker over Detroit, still sits in first place in the AL Central with an 86-74 record. The Guardians can clinch a division title Saturday night with a win over the Rangers combined with a Tigers loss.
The Tigers and Guardians can both clinch a playoff spot Saturday night with a win another loss by Houston to the Angels.
Elsewhere in the American League, the Mariners lost 3-2 to the Dodgers on Friday night. That means the No. 1 seed and home-field advantage in the playoffs belongs to the AL East champion—either the Blue Jays or Yankees, who remain tied with identical 92-68 records.
Here's how everything stands following the Red Sox' big win:
Celtic were saved by their captain yet again on Saturday night when they were heading for a drab 0-0 draw away at St Mirren before Callum McGregor stepped up with seconds remaining.
The Hoops skipper picked the ball up from range in the 95th minute and unleashed a screamer of a shot that nestled in the top corner to secure all three points for the visitors.
Up until that point, Martin O’Neill’s side had struggled to show much in the way of quality against St Mirren, despite holding 73% of the possession, per Sofascore, which is why the game was tied with seconds remaining.
The hosts even created a ‘big chance’ from one of their 13 shots on goal, but, thankfully, they were unable to convert any of the opportunities that they created on the night.
Celtic, meanwhile, did not create a single ‘big chance’ from their 16 efforts against St Mirren, per Sofascore, which is why they needed a long-range strike from their captain to win the match.
Whilst McGregor’s sensational strike from distance bailed the club out in general, the skipper also bailed out several of his underperforming teammates on the night.
Celtic's worst performers against St Mirren
It would be remiss of us to speak about the worst performers on the night without starting with the player who was withdrawn from the match after 45 minutes, Johnny Kenny.
The Ireland international, who scored four goals in four matches for Celtic before Saturday’s game, won just one duel and lost possession six times from 17 touches in the first half, per Sofascore, as he failed to provide a focal point up front.
Kenny’s withdrawal meant that Daizen Maeda moved into the centre-forward role, after starting out wide. However, he ended the 90 minutes with two out of seven duels won, no key passes, and no shots on target, per Sofascore, which illustrates his ineffectiveness in the final third.
Celtic’s starting wingers vs St Mirren
Stats
Sebastian Tounekti
Daizen Maeda
Minutes
67
90
Shots on target
0
0
Key passes
1
0
Big chances created
0
0
Dribbles completed
2/6
1/2
Duels won
3/11
2/7
Possession lost
14x
12x
Stats via Sofascore
As you can see in the table above, Sebastian Tounekti and Maeda both struggled out wide, and the latter up front in the second 45, throughout the game against St Mirren.
These statistics show that all three of the forwards who started on Saturday night failed to do enough to suggest that O’Neill should keep them in place for the club’s trip to play Feyenoord in the Europa League on Thursday evening.
Tounekti, Maeda, and Kenny were not the only underperforming Celtic players who failed to provide enough quality on the pitch against the Saints, though, as one Hoops flop is now looking like the new Luis Palma.
Chalkboard
Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.
Supporters will likely remember Palma, who is currently on loan at Lech Poznan, as a player who made a fast start to life in Glasgow before falling off and eventually being deemed surplus to requirements.
The Honduras international produced seven goals and nine assists, with 14 ‘big chances’ created, in 28 Scottish Premiership games during the 2023/24 campaign for the club, per Sofascore.
Unfortunately, though, the winger followed that up with a return of zero goals and zero assists in eight league matches the following season before being sent out on loan to Olympiacos for the second half of the campaign.
Whilst his fall-off this term may not be quite as drastic as Palma’s was, Celtic central midfielder Reo Hatate appears to be heading in the same direction.
Why Reo Hatate should be dropped by Celtic
The Japan international was a sensation in the middle of the park for the Scottish giants in the 2024/25 campaign with a return of nine goals and 14 ‘big chances’ created in 37 outings in the Premiership, per Sofascore.
Hatate provided regular quality at the top end of the pitch with his ability to make a difference as both a scorer and a creator of goals, as evidenced by his statistics, and that made him a vital player for Brendan Rodgers.
This season, however, the 28-year-old star has failed to deliver consistent quality in midfield for Celtic, with the clash against St Mirren being his latest underwhelming performance, which is why he should be ruthlessly dropped by O’Neill.
The Japanese midfielder, who was described as “sloppy” by ex-Hoops boss Neil Lennon during the game against Sturm Graz in the Europa League, ended the night with no shots on target, no ‘big chances’ created, and a duel success rate of 20% (1/5), per Sofascore.
This shows that his performance was lacking in both quality and physicality, as he lost 80% of his physical tussles without providing any moments of genuine quality on the ball, and that has not been a rare occurrence for him this season.
Reo Hatate – Premiership
24/25
25/26
Appearances
37
10
Goals
9
1
Minutes per goal
241
708
Conversion rate
14%
10%
Big chances created
14
2
Assists
4
1
Dribble success rate
70%
57%
Stats via Sofascore
As you can see in the table above, Hatate’s performances have dropped off since the end of last season, as he is scoring and creating goals far less frequently for the Premiership champions.
The Japan international’s last league goal for the club came against Aberdeen on the 10th August, and he has only produced two goals – including one penalty – and one assist in 18 appearances in all competitions this term, per Transfermarkt.
His concerning drop-off in form this season suggests that he may be on the road to becoming the next Palma, as a once supreme talent who now looks too inconsistent to be reliable to the Celtic manager.
Therefore, O’Neill should ruthlessly drop the central midfielder from the starting line-up to face Feyenoord away from home, as the Hoops may need quality and physicality to beat their Dutch opponents, and Hatate did not show either against St Mirren.
Nancy can forget Maeda by making £325k-per-week star his 1st Celtic signing
Celtic’s potential new manager could forget about Daizen Maeda by signing this reported transfer target.
António Oliveira, novo técnico do Corinthians, concede entrevista neste sábado (10), às 12h15 (de Brasília), no CT Joaquim Grava. Assista à coletiva no vídeo acima.
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O treinador português chega para o lugar de Mano Menzes, demitido do clube após sequência de cinco derrotas no Campeonato Paulista.
Middlesex 292 for 9 (Fernandes 92, Morgan 61, de Caires 50, Singh 4-27) beat Lancashire 291 for 8 (Harris 64, Blatherwick 48*, Hollman 2-30, Brookes 2-57) by one wicket Nathan Fernandes’ brilliant 92 off 79 balls helped Middlesex conjure an extraordinary one-wicket over Lancashire in the Metro Bank One-Day Cup, a result that also ensures the visitors qualified for the quarter-finals of the competition.But the bland facts tell only half the story. Coming to the wicket with his side in the toils on 105 for five and needing another 186 runs, Fernandes put on 126 for the seventh wicket with Seb Morgan and despite being caught on the boundary in the final over, went on watch Noah Cornwell clinch the victory on an evening that recalled the great limited-overs matches on this ground.Part-time off-spinner Harry Singh had earlier taken a career-best four for 27 and it seemed the visitors’ chances were gone when they were 127 for six, despite Josh de Caires 50. But their hopes were raised in dramatic fashion late in the game by Fernandes and Morgan, whose fearless batting inspired a quite wonderful victory for their team.Having reached his maiden List A fifty, Morgan was eventually caught on the boundary off George Balderson for 61, but Fernandes went on to make his best List A score and the tailenders did the rest.Lancashire skipper Marcus Harris made 64 for the home side but the main acceleration towards a defendable total had come late in the innings from youngsters Arav Shetty and Joe Moores before Jack Blatherwick clubbed an alarmingly violent 48 in 20 balls.Lancashire’s innings had begun poorly when George Bell was caught behind by Joe Cracknell off Cornwell for a first-ball duck in the day’s opening over. Michael Jones and Harris then oversaw a recovery with a partnership of 61 in eleven overs before Jones, who had hit earlier hit two big leg-side sixes was caught by Jack Davies at deep square leg off Morgan for 42 when trying to repeat the trick.For the next 20 overs Lancashire’s batsmen struggled to score fluently on a stodgy pitch against an accurate Middlesex attack. Josh Bohannon made 24 off 33 balls but perished when he skied Luke Hollman to Morgan at mid-off. Hollman was clearly the pick of the visitors’ attack, bowling his ten overs for 30 runs, and in his penultimate over he took the prize wicket of Harris when the Lancashire skipper was lbw for 64 when trying to reverse sweep.It was left to the home side’s youngsters to supply some much-needed acceleration. Shetty made 30 off 23 balls and put on 50 with Singh, thereby hoisting the total to 192. And after Shetty and Balderson had fallen to successive balls from Henry Brookes, Moores clubbed two sixes in his 21-ball 35 before he top-edged de Caires to Noah Cornwell at deep square leg.Put under pressure, the Middlesex attack crumbled a little. Blatherwick maintained the tempo, whacking two sixes off a Cornwell over that cost 21 runs and a remarkable 99 runs were scored off the final nine overs, Blatherwick thrashing four sixes and four fours in an unbeaten innings that changed the shape of the game. Singh was dismissed in the penultimate over caught at mid-off by Ben Geddes off Gilchrist for a 116-ball 38. Apart from Hollman, Brookes was the most successful Middlesex bowler with two for 57.Middlesex’s pursuit began badly when Joe Cracknell was pinned on the back foot by Tom Bailey for ten and their intent to score quickly was constantly hampered by the regular fall of wickets.Sam Robson was bowled via bat, pad and foot by Singh for 31; Geddes lost his stumps in more conventional fashion to the same bowler for eight; Davies shovelled Balderson to Singh at midwicket when her had made only nine; and when Bailey ran across from deep mid-off to catch Hollman without scoring Middlesex were in deep trouble on 108 for five with almost half their overs gone.Seven overs later, de Caires holed out on the deep square leg boundary, Moores taking the catch to give Singh his fourth wicket but the rest of the day belonged to Fernandes and Morgan, whose partnership seems certain to become part of Middlesex folklore.
For some, a shirt number may seem arbitrary, although it is hard to ignore the status and significance of the number seven at Manchester United, having become synonymous with the club’s brightest and best.
From Eric Cantona, to David Beckham, to Cristiano Ronaldo, the Red Devils enjoyed a glittering 17-year period in the Premier League in which that shirt had a rightful home, with all three wearing it with distinction.
In the 16 years since Ronaldo’s exit for Real Madrid, however, the No.7 has become something of a poisoned chalice, a cursed offering for a string of new signings who have all flattered to deceive.
Its current incumbent, Mason Mount, has notably scored just five goals during an injury-hit two-year spell at Old Trafford, with questions likely to be asked over whether the Englishman was worthy of such an honour in the first place.
Talented, but undoubtedly unreliable due to his repeated stints on the treatment table, Mount could well benefit from relieving that burden and pressure on himself, with Ruben Amorim perhaps already having the perfect successor lined up.
Man Utd's post-Ronaldo number seven curse
Have United ever truly recovered from the summer of 2009? Out went Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez, with Sir Alex Ferguson securing Gabriel Obertan, Antonio Valencia and an ageing Michael Owen as their replacements.
That significant drop in quality perhaps epitomises the malaise that has set in during the much-maligned Glazer regime, with initial success post-Ronaldo having quickly been extinguished in the years following Ferguson’s retirement.
To have gone from the Portuguese sensation to that man Owen as the club’s new no.7 remains a real headscratcher, with the former England international – that Manchester derby goal aside – proving something of a forgotten figure at Old Trafford.
The mantle was subsequently passed on to Valencia for 2012/13, although the Ecuadorian swiftly relinquished such status, while the next recipient – Angel Di Maria – lasted just a solitary season before departing the club for Paris Saint-Germain.
Memphis Depay, meanwhile, scored just seven times in 53 games before being shown the door by Jose Mourinho, while Alexis Sanchez could only fire home five times in 45 games, during his miserable £400k-per-week stint at the club.
Fellow South American star Edinson Cavani enjoyed a promising first campaign as the no.7 with 17 goals in all competitions, before the decision was made to hand the returning Ronaldo the honour instead, for the 2021/22 campaign.
The Portuguese goal machine’s homecoming ultimately proved short-lived, amid his explosive exit under Erik ten Hag, with Mount later taking on the honour following his 2023 summer arrival from Chelsea.
Man Utd No.7’s since 2009
Player
Games
G (A)
Michael Owen
52
17 (3)
Antonio Valencia*
40
1 (6)
Angel Di Maria
32
4 (11)
Memphis Depay
53
7 (5)
Alexis Sanchez
45
5 (9)
Edinson Cavani**
39
17 (6)
Cristiano Ronaldo
54
27 (5)
Mason Mount
53
5 (2)
*just in 2012/13 season
**just in 2020/21 season
Stats via Transfermarkt
All in all, the jersey has been an albatross around the neck for a succession of high-profile figures, with United now needing to look inwards to find a rightful holder again.
Why Bruno Fernandes should be the new number seven
The man who scored the opener against Sunderland last time out, Mount has shown flashes that he can be a go-to figure under Amorim, with the Portuguese coach lauding him as a “proper footballer” amid his arrival at the club just under a year ago.
As already explained, however, the 26-year-old unfortunately can’t be trusted to stay injury-free, making just 53 appearances in all competitions since joining on a £55m deal.
Whether Mount stays or goes next summer, it would be wise for United to consider re-housing the number seven, with ever-reliable skipper, Bruno Fernandes, surely deserving and worthy of such an honour.
Described as a “genius” in the past by Ten Hag, Fernandes has been central to anything and everything good about the club over the past five years or so, recently reaching a milestone of 100 goals from his now 298 appearances.
With a further 86 assists to add into the equation, the 31-year-old has for so long been United’s chief provider and goal-getter, a fact emphasised only last season, as he ended the campaign with 38 goal involvements across all fronts.
Despite flirting with an exit both last summer and during the most recent window – amid interest from Saudi Arabia – the Red Devils skipper has remained intently loyal to the club, seemingly relishing his talismanic status as the central figure in the side.
Right from the off, the ex-Sporting CP man has been a game-changer for United, even while those around him might have suffered, with comparisons to that man Cantona having flooded in amid his early impact at Old Trafford.
While the silverware has unfortunately not followed in the degree that it did after the Frenchman’s entrance in 1992, Fernandes is a similarly heroic figure, carrying the responsibility on his back time and again.
Like Cantona, he certainly isn’t perfect – having notably seen red on three occasions in 2024/25 – but the at-times combustible playmaker more than makes up for that with his repeated genius.
Two penalties might have been missed this season, but Fernandes is never one to shy away from the pressure and the limelight, showing all the attributes of a player worthy of joining the likes of Cantona and Ronaldo as the next number seven.
It would perhaps be a brutal act to snatch that status away from Mount, although few could argue against Fernandes being rewarded for such fine service with a richly deserved promotion.
Man Utd's "insane" talent is being given the Mainoo treatment by Amorim
It isn’t just Kobbie Mainoo who is being given the cold shoulder by Man Utd by Ruben Amorim.