Utseya lays racism allegations against Campbell

Zimbabwe offspinner Prosper Utseya has, in a letter to Zimbabwe Cricket, claimed that he is a victim of racism and has levelled a string of allegations against Alistair Campbell, managing director of ZC. In a letter to Wilson Manase, ZC chairman, Utseya claims Campbell:

  • Has a “personal agenda” against him which influenced his non-selection [in the playing XI] at the recent World Cup.
  • Appointed white coaches and administrators during his 2010-2012 stint as chairman of the cricket committee in order to take control of cricket.
  • Had a conflict of interest in setting up Dominus Sport, the company that ran ZC’s marketing affairs during his time as cricket committee chairman, and his actions had an impact on ZC’s funds.

Utseya confirmed to ESPNcricinfo that he had written the letter after the World Cup and prior to Zimbabwe’s tour of Pakistan, but could not comment further at this stage. Campbell said he was unable to comment as the matter was pending either legal or internal disciplinary action.With Utseya openly basing some of these claims in the letter on “rumour”, he would appear to be open to legal action, though the matter may ultimately be dealt with internally at ZC. It is understood that ZC is currently investigating the letter.“Racism and Victimisation”The letter copies all ZC board members and bears the headline “Racism and Victimisation”, and begins: “Through you Mr. Chairman I wish to share my frustrations as I believe I am a victim of racism and have come to a point where I feel I have been quiet for too long whilst a lot has been happening.” After more than 10,000 words, Utseya finally closes his case with a plea for the board to consider his concerns.Utseya, who was in Zimbabwe’s World Cup squad but did not get a game, claims he considered leaving the World Cup prematurely out of frustration, and cites Campbell’s pre-tournament comments as a back story to support his contention that ZC’s managing director conspired against his potential selection. Last year, the ICC banned Utseya from bowling offspin, and in a guest column for the governing body in the lead-up to the World Cup, Campbell wrote: “I’m still a bit baffled by how Prosper Utseya will get on without being allowed to bowl his off-spinner, but no doubt he’ll find a way. He’ll certainly be the only bowler in the tournament without a ‘stock’ ball. He has been bowling medium-pacers and off-cutters recently so perhaps that is the way he will go.”Utseya was banned from bowling after testing in September 2014. In December, his offbreak was found to be illegal but his other deliveries were deemed legal, and so he was cleared to bowl again so long as he did not utilise his stock ball.His new method was field-tested for the first time on a trip to Uganda in December 2014 and he then captained Zimbabwe A against Canada at home in January. In four games he took five wickets at an average of 17.80, bowling his full 10 overs in every match, never conceding more than 24 runs, and also contributed useful runs down the order. In his letter, he uses this as evidence that he deserved to be picked at the World Cup, but does not elaborate on how Campbell was able to influence selection at the tournament.Propser Utseya was part of the 2015 World Cup squad but did not play a single match during the tournament•ICC

Administrative allegationsTo support his racial allegations, Utseya goes on to list cases where Campbell appointed white people for coaching and administration posts, during his stint as chairman of the cricket committee and chairman of selectors, including coaching roles to Heath Streak and Grant Flower. Utseya claims the decision to make Mangongo assistant coach was merely “a cover up to have a black man”. The employment of foreign white coaches at franchise level – Jason Gillespie, Allan Donald and Andrew Hall all coached Zimbabwean franchises during this period – is also cited as a ploy to “make sure that it is dominated by whites and thereby taking control of cricket”.Utseya also alleges that the appointment of Elton Chigumbura as Zimbabwe captain after he stepped down in 2010 was a short-term set up for Campbell to achieve a long-term goal. “When I was removed from the captaincy with no genuine reason Elton Chigumbura was then appointed,” Utseya writes. “Their aim was simply to put a white captain in B Taylor simply because they believe a white coach cannot work with a black captain and the change from Utseya to B Taylor would not look good politically hence the Elton route. Elton was not given a chance to prove himself and was quickly dropped from the captaincy.”Chigumbura captained Zimbabwe in 20 ODIs between May 2010 and the end of the 2011 World Cup, but the extra responsibility affected his form. After the 2011 World Cup, Chigumbura said that he planned to resign and focus on his own game, but later retracted that statement. In June 2011, ZC’s then managing director Ozias Bvute announced that Taylor would take over the captaincy.

****

Later in the letter, Utseya claims that Campbell has suggested he become a coach, is not giving him a chance to remodel his action and is trying to prevent him from gaining a national contract. “Bearing in mind I still have an opportunity at 30 years old to work on my off spin. If I can reinvent in 2 months and make it Man of the Series in my comeback series with my new bowling action I reckon within 4 months I will be brilliant and what more in a year’s time I will be an artist at work. ICC can take away my offspin but they cannot take away my brains and experience which must count for something.”Utseya goes on to suggest that given Zimbabwe’s “unique” racial situation, the position of managing director should be split – and offers to fill the second post. “It is my humble wish that if Alistair Campbell can suggest that at 30 years old I can be involved in Franchise coaching and if the ZC Board also agrees with him in that I am not adding value as a player with my new bowling action I would like to go 2 steps further than his suggestion and put my hand up for consideration for the proposed split post as I have the credentials.”Race and cricket in ZimbabweThis is not the first instance of allegations of racism surfacing in the Zimbabwe cricket set-up. Cricket remained a predominantly white sport in Zimbabwe for two decades after majority rule in 1980, although after Henry Olonga became the country’s first black cricketer in 1995, other black players started to filter through.For a time it seemed that transformation of the game might happen organically, but the troubled wider political and social context caught up with cricket. In March 2001, ZCU announced the formation of an Integration Task Force focused on the “rapid evolution” of the game, and the eradication of racial discrimination in cricket. Players had to fill out a racism survey and, in the eyes of the predominantly white players, the integration targets set out by the Task Force amounted to an unofficial quota system. This was one of the factors that led to the player rebellion in April 2004, followed by the exit of 15 white players from the national squad. In September that year, the ICC held a hearing into allegations of racism began in Harare. The hearing ended amid allegations that ZCU was trying to create a hostile environment and intimidate witnesses and in October, then ICC president Ehsan Mani said he was satisfied with the findings of the report which found no evidence of racism in Zimbabwe cricket.In January 2013 issues of race came to the fore again when the Sports and Recreation Commission, headed by the then Minister of Education, Sport, Arts and Culture David Coltart, issued a directive that any person tasked with convening the selection of a national side should have played international sport themselves. The directive was portrayed as being racially motivated by Givemore Makoni, the convenor of selectors and the man most directly affected by it.Stephen Mangongo’s tenure as national coach was marked by general player ambivalence towards his coaching style, rather than any particular racial tension, but when Mangongo lost his position after Zimbabwe’s whitewashing by Bangladesh last December, he reportedly said: “I am inclined to comment that I don’t think that Zimbabwe cricket was ready for an indigenous black person. It’s about acceptance, it’s about being ready for that and the alarmists already rang a lot of bells because a black guy had taken the head coach’s mantle.” This was despite the fact that the people responsible for the termination of his position were also black, and is indicative, in a general sense, of the way in which matters of race and racism are drawn into areas of disagreement in Zimbabwean cricket.

Brighton in talks to sign Rangers’ Rory Wilson

A frustrating behind-the-scenes Rangers claim has emerged on Ibrox striker Rory Wilson…

What’s the talk?

According to Football Insider, a source has revealed that the Gers teenager could leave before even playing a minute under Giovanni van Bronckhorst.

It’s understood that Brighton are in talks over a deal to sign the attacker as they look to swoop in ahead of their rivals to land him. They are said to be pushing hard to get this over the line after the striker turned down fresh terms in Glasgow.

The report claims that Rangers will only rake in £300k in development costs should he leave to join the Seagulls as he is out of contract at the end of the campaign.

Wilson is said to have met with his namesake Ross Wilson and Gio van Bronckhorst to discuss staying at Ibrox, but has decided that he wants to move on to pastures new.

Fume

This update will leave the Gers sporting director fuming as £300k is a paltry sum of money for a player with the 16-year-old’s potential.

The Scottish striker has scored 40 goals for the youth teams in Glasgow this season, whilst he has also netted seven times in six matches for his country at U17 level – scoring his latest against Georgia on Tuesday. He has been in phenomenal form for the academy and this suggests that he has the potential to make it in the first team if he is able to continue to progress.

Wilson has been showing that he is too good to be playing in the youth sides as he has been finding the net at a ridiculous rate, hence why Premier League sides are now trying to swoop him up.

The last time the Gers lost a hugely-talented prospect to an English side was when Billy Gilmour signed for Chelsea in 2017. He reportedly left for £500k with performance-related add-ons and is now valued at a whopping £10.8m by Transfermarkt – significantly more than the fee Rangers have seen for his talents.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.


By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

If Wilson is able to follow in Gilmour’s footsteps and make his mark in England and at international level, then the £300k Brighton will need to pay this summer will look like a huge bargain.

This is why Rangers’ sporting director will be fuming that the Seagulls are now pushing to get a deal done and that they will only need to shell out less than half a million pounds for his signature.

AND in other news, Sold at £4m, then became a £22.5m hero: Rangers had a disaster on iconic “phenomenon”…

Nanda spins Delhi to the verge of victory

Mithun Manhas scored 100 off 161 balls at the Kotla © Cricinfo Ltd

ScorecardMithun Manhas’ hundred and Rajat Bhatia’s 83 took Delhi to 387 before the home side’s bowlers, led by legbreak bowler Chetanya Nanda, took seven Rajasthan wickets on day three at the Feroz Shah Kotla. Manhas duly moved from an overnight 86 to 100, but Bhatia could only add 18 to his score in the morning as fast bowler Pankaj Singh took his second five-wicket haul in the game to bowl Delhi out.Gagan Khoda (71) and Robin Bist (50*) battled hard but there was little support against Nanya (3 for 61) and Delhi’s opening duo, Pradeep Sangwan and Amit Bhandari. Rajasthan need 234 to win, but with the pitch suddenly cracking, it is Delhi’s game tomorrow.
ScorecardBowled out for 227 in 79.1 overs, Hyderabad were forced to follow on and finished day three 158 runs behind Bengal’s 461 at Eden Gardens. Resuming the third day 386 runs behind Bengal, Hyderabad combusted further and needed a career-best from Amol Shinde, in his third game, to get them to a respectable total. He added 74 for the eighth wicket with Pragyan Ojha (35) but fell to Saurashish Lahiri ten short of a maiden hundred. Lahiri picked up his fourth wicket to finish the innings, and following-on, Hyderabad slipped to 86 for 3 by stumps, all three wickets falling to Murtaza Lodhgar’s slow left-arm spin.
ScorecardHimachal Pradesh rallied around Ashok Thakur’s second five-wicket haul in the match, and a maiden first-class hundred from opener Manish Gupta, to draw with Saurashtra at Dharamsala. By virtue of a first-innings lead Saurashtra took three points to HP’s one, and but lost their last four wickets for 47 runs in the morning. Cheteshwar Pujara added just three to his overnight 106 as Thakur, who took 6 for 73 in the first innings, finished with 5 for 73. With an unattainable target of 384, HP lost two early wickets but Gupta, with 104 from 144 balls, and Ajay Mannu, with 57 from 93, steadied the ship.

Hemal Watekar hit his second hundred of the game at Dharamsala © Cricinfo Ltd

ScorecardAndhra made Punjab toil in the field, hitting 287 for no loss on a fourth-day pitch, but the hosts took three first-innings-lead points from their draw at Amritsar. Pankaj Dharmani declared at Punjab’s overnight 372 for 9, just 38 runs ahead of Andhra, but none of his bowlers could manage a wicket as the top order weighed in. Hemal Watekar followed up his first-innings century with 100 from 146 balls before retiring hurt, and fellow opener Prasad Reddy finished with an unbeaten 114*, his fourth first-class ton. For good measure, No. 3 Satya Kumar Varma chipped in with an unbeaten 58 from 86 balls to deny Punjab. Medium-fast bowler Gagandeep Singh, who took 4 for 53 in Andhra’s first innings, did not bowl and his absence was felt on the final day.
ScorecardRahul Dravid found his true form on the last day of this match, hitting a double-century to guide Karnataka to a draw against Mumbai at the Wankhede Stadium. Karnataka made 397 for 6 at tea before declaring to set Mumbai a target of 256 in 32 overs, 17 of which had gone by before both captains settled on a draw. Dravid fell one short of his highest score in the Ranji Trophy. Mumbai secured three points for their first-innings lead while Karnataka got one.Maharashtra 430 (Takawale 76, R Ashwin 6-133) drew with Tamil Nadu 338 for 7 (Badrinath 72, Srinivasan 62, Karthik 56, Ashwin 51*)
ScorecardTamil Nadu fought back from an overnight 58 for 3 to finish 338 for 7 in their rain-hit draw with Maharashtra at Chennai. There were no hundreds, but fifties from Dinesh Karthik, S Badrinath, Rajhamany Srinivasan and R Ashwin helped the host complete a facile draw. Ashwin, after taking 6 for 133, scored his maiden half-century in his just sixth match. Both teams shared one point each.

Stellar Stelling edges Netherlands home

Scorecard

Stelling held his nerve © ICC

Netherlands sneaked past Canada by one wicket in the rain-affected fifth one-dayer at Benoni to take the ICC Tri-Series on Thursday.Set a revised 205 from 42 overs, Netherlands made good progress thanks to a counterattacking partnership between Ryan ten Doeschate (38) and Luuk van Troost (34). And when Daan van Bunge passed fifty from 52 balls, Netherlands appeared to be cruising home before they stumbled from from 142 for 6 to 178 for 9, with Billy Stelling the last of the recognised batsmen. However, he held his nerve – crashing two fours and lofting two sixes – in his 34-ball 39 as Netherlands crept home with just two balls to spare.Earlier Canada’s innings was a stuttering affair with Ashish Bagai (23) and Abdool Samad (44) sharing a promising second-wicket stand of 52. But the innings foundered somewhat, with Tim de Leede picking up two cheap wickets, before a huge thunderstorm during the lunch interval delayed the start of Netherlands’ innings, causing the intervention of Duckworth and Lewis.The final game of the series between Canada and Bermuda will be played on Saturday.

'We won't make the same mistakes', says Moody

Tom Moody: ‘We have a series to save, and a Test to win’ © Getty Images

MoodyOn the fitness worriesA number of players are suffering with various illnesses – a viral stomach bug and flu. It’s no different from the Indian team. A couple of guys stayed back at the hotel to rest, and we’re hoping to pick from a full squad.Once the match starts, we’ve got to get on with it. The adrenaline takes over, and you’ve seen many fine performances from players who are injured or ill.On Dilhara Fernando and Chaminda VaasThey have a bit of fever, but we’re pleased that it’s 24 hours before the match because these things ease off. But they’re not 100 percent at the moment. Marvan [Atapattu] is also suffering a bit from flu, and has been going about things in a low-key way.On the pitchIt looks much the same as the one we had for the ODI. It’s a good cricket wicket, and it looks like there’ll be turn. It should be a good-scoring game.On what the team approach would beWe have a series to save, and a Test to win, which we’ve never done before in India. There’s obviously pride involved. We’re going with in confidence, like we did in Delhi. The defeat has not taken that away.On the batting collapses in DelhiI can’t do anything about that. It’s up to the players to learn from them. Delhi was not a difficult pitch to bat on. It was just the first 20 minutes when you were unsure if you were in or not in, which was probably why wickets fell in bunches there. But once a batsman was established, it was hard to budge them. We need to review our performance, look where we went wrong and correct those mistakes. That’s the difference between a good team and an average one.We lost that match over the course of 60 minutes of bad batting. This time, we won’t make the same mistakes, and we will hope that it’s the opposition that make them.JayawardeneOn recovering from DelhiDelhi is finished. We start all over again here. We have talked of attacking their bowlers, and depending on the pitch and the match situation, we’ll try and do that again.On Anil KumbleWith close to 500 wickets, he’s way up there with the great bowlers. He’s been a great campaigner for so long, and a very intelligent bowler. The way he’s been bowling, he’s the best in their side.On whether Sanath Jayasuriya was being missedWhen someone has played 100 Tests, will you not miss him? We miss the experience and the contribution he could have made if he had been around, but we can’t think about it now. There are some talented players here, and we have to perform.

'We are good enough to handle the pressure'

Ray Jennings insisted that his team were upbeat despite a long day in the field which yielded just one wicketGetty Images

At the start of the Test, it was England’s turn to put their coach beforethe press to explain away their bad day at the office. Today however, itwas Ray Jennings’ job to front up for South Africa, after they had beenput to the sword by Marcus Trescothick and Andrew Strauss. And true toform, Jennings had plenty to say for his players and their performance.”Cricket to me is all about how you put the effort in, and what you getout of it,” he said, after his players had put in 80 overs of hard toil,and got the solitary late wicket of Trescothick as a reward. “The lack ofwickets, plus the perception that the wicket was flat, maybe affected ourperformance. There’s no such thing as a flat wicket, just as there’s nosuch thing as an easy catch.”But I’m not unhappy with the performance,” Jennings insisted. “Nicky Bojemaybe could have exploited the rough better, but in the last 45 minutes,we were full of energy and the wicket didn’t look at all flat. This matchhas been dominated by three batsman – Jacques Kallis and the Englandopeners – and it all depends on the mood of the game when they first getin. For the first 20 or 30 balls, any player can look out of nick on thiswicket.”By the close, England led by 88 with nine wickets standing, and despitetheir tough day in the field, Jennings had no doubt the match was still inthe balance. “Our guys are upbeat,” he insisted. “We were full of energyin the last 10 or 15 overs, and there was a positive rap in thedressing-room at teatime. It takes a lot more to get this South Africanside down. Not many sides would have handled the heat and the mindset ofhaving a lead and losing it like we did. We see 250 runs in 80 overs forone wicket as a positive.”A winning lead on this pitch could be anything from 150 to 400,” addedJennings. “It’s that type of game. The way Kallis is playing, he can chasethe target himself. I’m sure we are good enough to handle the pressure,and we’ll handle the conditions as well. There are still 180 overs to go,and I reckon we’ll be set about 300.”But with Andrew Strauss at the crease – again – South Africa have theirwork cut out if they are to claw their way back into the game. Jennings,naturally, had an interesting take on his instant impact on Test cricket.”I think Strauss’s youth adds value to the package,” he said, somewhatcryptically.”He’s young, he likes a challenge, he has freedom to play, and he’s happyand he smiles. It’s when you get older that the expectations increase, andyou become a bit bored of spending too much time away. That’s when the troublestarts. But he’s not thinking too much just yet. He’s in Phase One of hisTest career.”South Africa will be hoping he becomes a cynical old pro overnight.

Punter's a winner

Five years ago, Ricky Ponting’s captaincy credentials were pretty thin on the ground, blighted by repeated run-ins with authority and inconsistent form. When Steve Waugh’s one-day career came to a shuddering halt after the VB Series in 2001-02, Adam Gilchrist was considered by most to have the best chance of becoming first among equals. But Australian cricket got to its position of pre-eminence largely because of the establishment’s knack for following up on inspired hunches, and the appointment of Ponting may be considered one such in the years to come.


Ricky Ponting – Wisden’s Cricketer of the Year
© AFP

Waugh had led them to World Cup success in 1999 and presided over the era of dominance that followed, but anyone who expected a mini-dip under Ponting was in for a rude awakening. Australia lost only one one-day match of any consequence – against Sri Lanka, on a sluggish pitch, at the ICC Knockout Trophy – and Ponting ended the season with a win-loss record that read 30-5. More importantly, a team deprived of the services of Shane Warne at the stroke of midnight progressed unbeaten through the World Cup campaign.Not only did Ponting lead the side with flair, imagination and the aggression that we have come to expect from those in baggy green, but he also contributed immeasurably to the victory with his bat. A blistering hundred in the Super Sixes helped rout Sri Lanka, and he followed that with a glorious 121-ball 140 in the final, hammering India’s in-form attack into submission. It was easily the highlight of his one-day season, one that produced 1150 runs – inclusive of five 100s and three 50s – at a tremendous average of 47.91.Not having to concern himself with the captaincy, he was even more impressive in the Test arena. Two glorious hundreds at Colombo and Sharjah contributed to a 3-0 thrashing of a hapless Pakistan side, and he followed that with back-to-back Ashes centuries at Brisbane and Adelaide as Australia retained the urn inside 11 days.The pinnacle though was reached in West Indies, where Ponting chiselled out superb hundreds at Georgetown, Port-of-Spain and Bridgetown to continue Australia’s recent domination of the Frank Worrell Trophy contests. It ensured that he finished the season with 1351 Test runs at 75.05, and the small matter of seven centuries.Great players have enjoyed halcyon years in the past, but few will ever be able to look back on a catalogue of achievement that reads 2501 runs, 12 centuries and a bauble called the World Cup. If 1930 belonged to Sir Donald Bradman and 1976 to Sir Vivian Richards, 2002-03 will forever be associated with a man who got lucky with every punt he made, a batsman and leader with few peers in modern-day cricket.

Still tight going at National Under-17 tournament

Central Districts and Wellington with eight points each, share the lead in the National Under-17 tournament being played at Nelson Park in Napier today.Central Districts 192 and 124/7 (M Sim 55; P Carey 2-6, J Morgan 2-9) beat Northern Districts 169 (K Read 37, A Devicich 25; D Bolstad 3-19, D MacDonald 2-30), on the first innings.Otago 129 and 201/5 (W Henry 72 not out, C Smith 69, T McLean 31; C McDowell 3-41) lost to Auckland 173/7 dec (D Winger 80 not out, C McDowell 52 not out; B Paterson 4-16) on the first innings.Wellington 258 beat Canterbury 144 (M Goldstein 67; K Forde 4-14, S Rennie 3-36, L Crisp 2-10) and 163/4 (D Crosbie 43, M Ling 39, B Findlay 35 not out, T Astle 31 not out; A Corless 2-36) on the first innings.Points are: Central Districts 8, Wellington 8, Northern Districts 4, Auckland 4, Canterbury 0, Otago 0.

North West in command after first day against Boland

North West held the edge after the first day of the four-day SupersportSeries match against Boland in Paarl, on a day when 12 wickets fell and one batsman was hospitalised.The visitors won the toss, elected to bat and scored 216 for nine. It was effectively all out as North West skipper Martin Venter went to hospital after being struck by a fearsome rising delivery from left-arm seamer Neil Carter.The ball rose off a good length shortly after lunch with the captain on 44. Venter has severe damage to his hand and may have to undergo surgery. Carter was aggressive throughout the day and bowled for almost the entire session between lunch and tea. He finished with three for 50. His opening partner Charl Langeveldt continued his good form this season taking four for 48.North West were unable to string any good partnerships together, although the final wicket stand between Alphonso Thomas (33) and Garth Roe (19 not out) yielded 50-runs. The same two batsmen put on 174-runs for the tenth wicket last week in the match against Griquas – a South African record.Glen Hewitt scored 34 and batted beautifully after a shaky start, only to be thwarted by a sharp rising Langeveldt delivery outside the off-stump. Craig Light scored 31 with no other significant contributions from anyone else.Boland, in response, were 40 for three at the close. West Indian Mark Lavine removed opener Jonathan Trott, leg before for five, and Louis Koen for a duck in the same over. Boland were struggling on seven for two, but a competent 33-run partnership between James Henderson and Pieter Barnard helped steady the innings.With the last ball of the day’s play, Lavine had Barnard trapped leg before for 19 to a delivery that appeared to have hit the bat. On Saturday Justin Ontong should make his way to the crease.

How is Joe Hugill doing after leaving Sunderland?

Sunderland’s youth academy has produced a number of important players for the club over recent years, with the likes of Lynden Gooch, Elliot Embleton and Dan Neil all becoming key parts of the team.

The club also have homegrown duo Anthony Patterson and Benjamin Kimpioka part of the first-team squad, while the likes of Norwich City-owned Bali Mumba, Stoke City striker Josh Maja and Hull City star George Honeyman have all gone on to make excellent starts to their careers after leaving the Stadium of Light.

One man they will be having nightmares over letting go so early is 18-year-old Joe Hugill, who signed for Manchester United back in the summer of 2018 for a £297k fee.

Having scored 12 goals in 21 games this season across the Red Devils’ youth teams, he has slowly become one of the Premier League giants’ most exciting prospects.

“Joe Hugill’s progress has come as a pleasant surprise to the coaching staff at Manchester United who recognised his potential when they brought him in from Sunderland,” said Sky Sports News reporter James Cooper about Hugill’s development last year.

“But the speed of that progress has exceeded expectations, bearing in mind he’s only been at the club for three months.

“Hugill was part of a recruitment drive that has seen some of Europe’s best young talent arrive at Manchester United in recent weeks to not only bolster the club’s Academy but also provide Ole Gunnar Solskjaer with more options further down the line.”

With comparisons made between him and Harry Kane due to his ability to hold the ball up, link-up play and finish clinically, we may finally get to see more of the 6 foot2 forward over the next few seasons, either playing in the Premier League 2, or out-on-loan at a Football League side.

While Sunderland striker Ross Stewart has notched 22 goals already this season, the next highest goalscorer is Embleton with five, level with Nathan Broadhead – and despite goals not particular being the team’s biggest issue, if the North-East club kept Hugill for just a little longer, he would have thrived in League One, and the transfer fee they earned for him could have been far larger.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.


By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

It’s safe to say this was somewhat of a howler from Stewart Donald to let him move away so easily and indeed cheaply.

In other news: Speakman masterclass: Major SAFC claim emerges that’ll leave supporters buzzing

Game
Register
Service
Bonus