حرص نادي ريال مدريد على تأبين النجم الراحل، ديوجو جوتا، عشية مباراتهم المرتقبة ضد نظيره فريق ليفربول في بطولة دوري أبطال أوروبا، مساء يوم الثلاثاء.
ويستضيف ملعب “الأنفيلد” مباراة فريقي ليفربول وريال مدريد في الجولة الرابعة من دوري أبطال أوروبا، مرحلة الدوري، موسم 2025/26.
وتوجه المدير الفني لفريق ريال مدريد، تشابي ألونسو، رفقة مدير العلاقات المؤسسية في النادي وكذلك اللاعب دين هويسن وزميله ترينت ألكسندر أرنولد إلى النصب التذكاري للراحل ديوجو جوتا خارج “الأنفيلد”، حيث وضعوا إكليل من الزهور، تكريمًا للبرتغالي الذي لقى مصرعه في حادث مروع رفقة شقيقه في يوليو الماضي.
وبدا التأثر على ترينت ألكسندر أرنولد خاصة أنه سبق له اللعب رفقة جوتا في صفوف ليفربول، بعدما انضم البرتغالى إلى الفريق قادمًا من بورتو في 2020.
Homenaje @realmadrid a Diego Jota @XabiAlonso @DHuijsen Trent Alexander Arnold y Emilio Butragueño pic.twitter.com/oRfYmL0unA — Javier Herráez (@javiherraez) November 3, 2025
وترك أرنولد رسالة جاء بها: “صديقي ديوجو، نفتقدك كثيرًا، ولكننا ما زلنا نحبك كثيرًا، ستبقى ذكراك وذكرى أندريه خالدة دائمًا، أبتسم كلما فكرت فيك، وسأتذكر دائمًا الأوقات الرائعة التي قضيناها معًا”.
وأضاف اللاعب الإنجليزي: “أفتقدك يا صديقي كل يوم، إلى الأبد 20، لن تسير بمفردك أبدًا، مع حبي”، واضعًا ذراع بلاي ستيشن يحمل توقيع “بطل إلى الأبد، 20”.
Trent Alexander-Arnold laid down flowers with a Playstation controller and left a letter for Diogo Jota at Anfield ❤️ pic.twitter.com/o6F1PXQXsA — Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) November 3, 2025
Sunderland haven’t travelled to Old Trafford in Premier League action since Boxing Day in 2016, but that is soon to change this Saturday as Regis Le Bris’ plucky Black Cats make the trip down to Manchester United, eager to maintain their electric start to life back in the top-flight this season.
History does dictate that the Wearside outfit will struggle to pick up a result, having last won at the Theatre of Dreams in 2014 courtesy of a Sebastian Larsson winner.
Staggeringly, that is the only three points they have picked up in Manchester – with Manchester City also added to the equation – from their last 29 away clashes in the capital of the North.
Still, poor stretches of form like this are meant to be broken, and with Sunderland already picking up three league wins this season after promotion, Le Bris’ men will not be written off at all on Saturday.
Another interesting narrative to throw into the mix is the potential return of Amad Diallo for Ruben Amorim’s hot-and-cold hosts, with the Ivorian a beloved former loanee at the Stadium of Light, who very much used his formative Black Cats experience as a springboard to greater success.
Amad's Sunderland reunion
Before delving deeper into Amad’s injury situation ahead of the showdown on the weekend, it only feels right – from a Sunderland perspective – to reminisce about his terrific displays on Wearside.
Indeed, in total, the 23-year-old attacker bagged a stunning 14 strikes donning Sunderland red and white, with journalist James Copley glowingly labelling the slick forward as a “wizard” for his constantly entertaining displays.
Therefore, Sunderland will know all too well the damage he could cause if he is selected to start this weekend, with the FA Cup-winning winger already one assist down this season.
Reports do suggest that Amad could be back fit to reunite with his former loan employers, having re-entered training recently for Amorim and Co.
Amad’s split-second ability to conjure up a moment of immense quality could be a potential difference-maker that hands Amorim’s side a much-needed win, but Le Bris will be confident he has his very own version of the dynamic Ivorian in one promising youngster.
Sunderland's new version of Amad
Sunderland have a whole host of exciting attackers on their books, with Wilson Isidor already up to three goals for the Black Cats in the Premier League, on top of Enzo Le Fee also possessing that same Amad-like quality to impress in a flash with an audacious skill here and there.
Yet, it’s not the ex-Lorient man being lauded as Le Bris’ very own Amad. Rather, it’s 20-year-old attacker Chemsdine Talbi, who will hope he can grow into what the 23-year-old has turned into at the Red Devils by transforming into a recognised Premier League-calibre forward.
Already, much like Amad showed in spades at the Stadium of Light, it’s clear that the Moroccan is a raw talent destined for the top, having arrived in England this summer from former side Club Brugge with seven goals and five assists under his belt for the Belgian Pro League outfit, with three of those goal contributions even coming in the Champions League.
Scout Antonio Mango went as far as to label Talbi as “electric” off the back of his blistering performances in Belgium, with his direct and quick approach often seeing him leave defenders for dead, which is very much similar to Amad’s gung-ho approach in the Championship for Sunderland.
The worry will be that Talbi has just one assist to show for his promising displays so far at the Stadium of Light, but – unlike Amad’s one-season story – Sunderland have time on their side to get the very best out of their rapid number seven, with Le Bris already stating that the 20-year-old needs “time” and “support” to live up to his hype.
However, there is no time like the present to leave your mark, with a first goal for the club at Old Trafford a fitting place to get off the mark, particularly if Amad gets the nod to start.
Selected Sunderland youngsters under Le Bris
Player
Age
Games
Goals + Assists
1. Rigg
18
45
4 + 1
2. Bellingham
20
43
4 + 3
3. Watson
19
22
3 + 0
Sourced by Transfermarkt
If Sunderland’s track record with youngsters is anything to go by – when looking at the table above – they could have a real gem on their hands, as a permanent Amad-style presence is potentially unearthed.
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The external noise around Liverpool’s decision to sign both Hugo Ekitike and Alexander Isak this summer is curious, to say the least.
Already the volume has been cranked up as rivals look to pounce on any slight sense of a puncture to the harmony of Arne Slot’s squad, with both strikers billed as being among the best in the Premier League and indeed across Europe.
Ekitike is the understudy, but the French forward has scored five goals and laid on an assist across his first eight matches in a Liverpool shirt, starting six times.
He arrived from Eintracht Frankfurt for a hefty £69m fee, but that figure is minnowed by the record-breaking signing of Isak from Newcastle United, who, pre-season-less, has only started twice so far, scoring his first in the Carabao Cup against Southampton on Tuesday evening.
They are both in contention to take the talismanic berth from Mohamed Salah in the coming years, but then the Egyptian King hasn’t hung up his Liverpool laces just yet, and still wears the crown.
Salah's Liverpool future
In April, Salah extended his Liverpool contract, which now runs until the end of the 2026/27 campaign. In the months leading up to the joyous renewal, many thought he would leave on a free, and Virgil van Dijk too.
But Salah stays, having scored 34 goals and supplied 23 assists across all competitions last season, winning the full gamut of individual accolades and lifting the Premier League title for the second time in a Liverpool shirt.
Mohamed Salah celebrates Liverpool's Premier League triumph
It’s been a somewhat slow start to the season for the right winger, with his ageing legs being considered by some as a reason behind the ostensible decline.
Decline? Salah has scored three goals and provided three assists across seven matches so far this season, and he now carries less responsibility on his shoulders, with Ekitike and Isak jostling for a place in the starting line-up and thus
Even as he embraces his veteran status, Salah remains a valuable commodity on the transfer front. Indeed, according to Transfermarkt, he is still worth £44m.
Isak and Ekitike, young and rising superstars, dwarf him, but there’s another forward in Liverpool’s squad whose market price has shot up in recent times, and he’s an underrated gem for Slot, no doubt about it.
Liverpool's underrated forward
Liverpool are a team of many parts, with Slot and Richard Hughes clearly focusing on establishing greater strength in depth, so as to not only defend the Premier League title claimed last year but also challenge for the various prizes dotted about other forks in the road.
There has been plenty of talk about Ekitike playing off the left, allowing both him and Isak to work together. The former is a central striker, but his athleticism and pace lend themselves to such a role, should he be required. According to FBref, Ekitike ranks among the top 7% of strikers across Europe for progressive carries and the top 15% for shot-creating actions per 90.
But Liverpool, of course, have another who is more than competent on the left wing. In January 2023, Liverpool signed Cody Gakpo from PSV Eindhoven for an initial £35m fee.
Gakpo, 26, has chalked up 135 appearances since signing for Liverpool, scoring 42 goals and supplying 19 assists. His first term under Slot’s wing was indisputably his most productive, having posted 18 goals and seven assists across all competitions en route to the title.
And this while flitting in and out of the starting line-up. Gakpo ranked among the top 5% of positional peers in the Premier League last year for goals scored per 90.
He hasn’t started the campaign as prolifically as he might have liked, especially after notching a goal and two assists from his opening two games, blanking thereafter, but the Dutchman remains a real threat, so settled into his left-sided role for Slot.
25/26
5
1 (2)
24/25
35
10 (4)
23/24
35
8 (5)
22/23
21
7 (2)
But the underlying data from his showings thus far says much of his form, creating two chances and winning 7.2 duels per game.
He might not have Salah’s potency, nor the same degree of output as Isak or Ekitike, but Gakpo offers so much to this Liverpool side, with pundit Peter Crouch even remarking last season that he had “gone up a level” since Jurgen Klopp was replaced by Slot.
It’s hardly a surprise that the £35m fee paid now looks an absolute bargain, with Gakpo recorded to boast a market price of £61m.
Whether Liverpool would actually entertain the Netherlands star’s sale for a figure so comparatively low is up for debate, but it’s certain that he would not leave for a lesser figure.
It’s worth noting that Gakpo, praised by Klopp for his “special” qualities, is of an age akin to Salah’s when the experienced superstar first alighted on Merseyside. He still has so much room for growth, and that £61m price tag is hardly a fixed point as he enters his prime.
Liverpool fans are excited for the present, but Liverpool have built a team capable of challenging in the future too. Rio Ngumoha is a testament to that, the teenage winger billed as a prodigy.
However, ousting Gakpo from his berth will take some doing, and the Dutch talent will continue to thrive in a high-flying Liverpool side over the coming years, an unsung hero.
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From their worst-ever Premier League finish, to managerial changes and a Europa League final defeat, it certainly was a year to forget for Manchester United in 2024/25.
Ruben Amorim was chosen as the man to try and save the sinking ship after Erik ten Hag’s dismissal, aiming to bring the glory days back to Old Trafford during his tenure.
He alluded to their struggles when taking the reins, but promised that ‘better days are coming’ – still, as everyone knows, actions speak louder than words at the top-level of professional football.
Judgement on whether his ambitions come to fruition will be seen in due course, as England’s top-flight once again gears up for another year of promise, disappointment and expectations.
A mammoth reaction is needed from everyone associated with the Red Devils in the coming months, especially after the backing provided by the board during the off-season.
Manchester United manager RubenAmorimduring training
Man Utd’s hunt to land a new midfield star
Their failures on the pitch in recent times are there for all to see, but there’s no question the United board are showcasing their attempts to prevent such an embarrassing year from reoccurring down the line.
Benjamin Sesko, Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha have all been recruited to improve the frontline, resulting in a whopping £200m already being splashed in the summer window.
Carlos Baleba alternatives
After such moves, reports of landing a new midfielder have intensified, with such a hunt leading them to Brighton star Carlos Baleba – albeit being a complex move given his £100m price tag.
The Cameroonian isn’t alone on their shortlist, as Amorim seemingly wants a reunion with Sporting CP star Morten Hjulmand – leading to The Sun reporting a potential £50m bid is currently being lined up.
Within the piece, it’s claimed that the player himself would be open to switching to England, but any move could hinge on any development in the move for Baleba.
With the trasfer deadline now rapidly approaching in the rearview mirror, it’s vital the right move is made to allow the players currently on the books to thrive alongside any new addition.
How United’s £50m target would impact United’s midfield
United’s failures in recent times have largely been down to poor recruitment, forking out mammoth sums for talents who’ve been unable to adapt to the demands of the Premier League.
Erik ten Hag
However, the same can’t be said for one man – Bruno Fernandes, who may well end his career at Old Trafford as one of their greatest ever purchases.
No supporter could’ve foreseen the impact he would make, after the board forked out an initial £47m to prise him away from Sporting in January 2020.
The Portuguese international – who’s since been made club captain – has amassed a staggering 98 goals from his deep-lying position, often being the club’s go-to in terms of goal contributions.
However, the arrival of the attacking trio will likely take such responsibility off his shoulders, able to form a partnership with Hjulmand – solving the massive issue which has been apparent at the heart of the side.
Morten Hjulmand for Sporting Lisbon
Like Fernandes, the Dane may be an unknown quantity to many at present, but any move to the Theatre of Dreams could catapult himself to stardom, whilst aiding Amorim’s ambitions of bringing the glory days back to the club.
According to FBref, Hjulmand ranked in the 99th percentile for passes completed (90%), offering a needed composed figure to the side – who sat sixth in average possession in the Premier League throughout 2024/25.
Games played
28
Goals & assists
4
Pass accuracy
90%
Progressive passes
6.4
Take-on success
62%
Passes into final third
6.7
Tackles won
2.2
Interceptions made
1.1
Aerial success
56%
Being comfortable on the ball is always important in a system that demands intricate play, but the 26-year-old has also demonstrated his ability to break the lines in Portugal.
He made 6.7 passes into the final third per 90, ranking him in the top 8% of all players in Europe – ultimately leading to analyst Ben Mattinson labelling him a “complete midfielder”.
Such comments also take his ball-winning ability into account, notching 2.2 tackles won and 1.1 interceptions made per 90 – numbers which could put an end to the club’s hunt for a new midfielder.
Hjulmand’s all-round quality would allow him to operate slightly deeper, seeing Bruno take up a free role ahead of him, enabling him to continue his phenomenal levels of output in attacking areas.
Sporting CP's Viktor Gyokeres celebrates scoring their second goal with Sporting CP's MortenHjulmand
Now, the question becomes whether Amorim pursues a move for his former player, or breaks the bank and makes a club-record move to prise Baleba away from the Seagulls’ clutches.
A move for Hjulmand would make perfect sense, already knowing the demands of the manager, but also offering a much cheaper alternative for the hierarchy.
The new additions are undoubtedly providing excitement within the fanbase, but it remains vital they don’t neutralise players like Bruno as a result – with the Sporting star able to aid the captain in taking the Red Devils up the table in 2025/26.
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Lionel Messi's former team-mate, Diego Gomez, scored a contender for the Puskas Award with an insane 35-yard goal for Brighton in the Carabao Cup against Barnsley. The Paraguayan midfielder ripped the Tykes to shreds in the Carabao Cup, smashing home four goals in a performance that will find a place in the Seagulls' folklore.
Getty Images Sport
Goal of the season shouts
Gomez opened the scoring of a 6-0 win with a routine close-range finish, the kind you’d expect any midfielder worth his salt to tuck away. But the second was a belter, rifled in from the edge of the Barnsley box with venom that had supporters screaming 'goal of the season' across social media.
That would’ve been enough to headline any highlight reel, but Gomez wasn’t finished. Just after the half-hour mark, he launched a half-volley from close to 40 yards out.
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Watch the clip of Gomez's goal
Gomez refused to stop at a hat-trick
Most players would’ve walked off happy with a match ball and a hat-trick, but Gomez. On 68 minutes, the midfielder popped up again to tuck home his fourth, rubbing salt into Barnsley’s already gaping wounds.
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Brighton kids pile on the misery
Even when Gomez’s number went up in the 75th minute, Brighton didn’t take their foot off the gas. Academy prospect Harry Howell stepped onto the stage with his first-ever professional strike. Moments later, Yasin Ayari added the sixth to round off a 6-0 thrashing under the Oakwell floodlights.
Pant will join the Delhi squad in Rajkot ahead of their match against Saurashtra, DDCA secretary Ashok Sharma said
PTI15-Jan-2025 • Updated on 16-Jan-2025Rishabh Pant has made himself available for Delhi’s next Ranji Trophy match, against Saurashtra, beginning in Rajkot on January 23, DDCA secretary Ashok Sharma said on Tuesday. Pant last played a Ranji Trophy match back in the 2017-2018 season.Ravindra Jadeja will also make his first-class return. He last played represented Saurashtra in a first-class game in January 2023.However, there is no clarity over the participation of Virat Kohli, who last featured in the Ranji Trophy for Delhi back in 2012.Related
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Gill makes himself available for Punjab's next Ranji Trophy match
Both the India players have been named in Delhi’s list of probables for the remainder of the season.”Yes, Pant has confirmed his availability for next Ranji game and will join the squad in Rajkot directly,” Sharma told PTI. “About Virat Kohli, we want him to play but we haven’t heard from him, while Harshit Rana is selected in the T20 squad [for the England games] and hence is unavailable.”Former India players Sunil Gavaskar and Ravi Shastri are among many who want the current crop of India Test players, especially the struggling Rohit Sharma and Kohli, to play red-ball cricket following the series loss in Australia.Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal are also expected to play for their respective state teams, Punjab and Mumbai.Will Virat Kohli return to the Ranji Trophy?•Getty ImagesRohit’s training with the Mumbai team on Tuesday led to plenty of interest but it remains to be seen if he makes himself available for the next round of Ranji Trophy matches.There has also been speculation around Kohli returning to the Ranji Trophy to regain red-ball form. The DDCA naming its star players in the list of probables is the norm, but their inclusion in the final squad is subject to their availability.While Rohit had stood down from the final Test in Australia due to poor form, Kohli’s struggles outside the off stump worsened as his tally of being caught behind swelled to eight over the course of the five Tests.Besides Kohli, Pant and Harshit, Delhi have named 38 probables for the remaining two games. In Group D, Delhi are fourth in the standings with 14 points from five games.
Chelsea icon Didier Drogba and ex-AC Milan star George Weah have been named among a host of former players on a newly-formed anti-racism panel by FIFA. The idea behind the panel of ex-players is to bolster FIFA's efforts to tackle racism in the game. The group will help in developing anti-racism strategies, participate in educational programmes and contribute to reforms across football.
FIFA forms a new anti-racism panel
Drogba and Weah are part of the panel
16-member panel of ex-players will advise FIFA to tackle racism
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WHAT HAPPENED?
FIFA first announced the creation of a players' voice panel during its annual congress in Thailand in May last year. Both men's and women's footballers are part of this 16-member panel and Weah has been named as its 'honorary captain'.
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AFP
WHAT WEAH SAID
Speaking to the , the Liberian legend said: "Football brings unity and development. It also enhances humanity. I will always exert all efforts, as I have done in the past and continue to do, to promote the sport because football is life. I am honoured to serve in this role."
THE BIGGER PICTURE
FIFA president Gianni Infantino further added: "They will further push for a shift in football culture, making sure measures to counter racism are not just talked about, but actioned, both on and off the pitch. Let's be clear on this: racism and discrimination are not simply wrong – they are crimes. All incidents of racism, whether in stadiums or online, must be fully punished both by football and across society."
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WHAT NEXT?
Club football is on hold at the moment as the international break is on. National teams across the world are competiting in the 2026 World Cup qualifying games in their respective confederations.
After flying out the blocks in the early weeks of the transfer window, Manchester City have now reportedly initiated contact to pick up where they left off by signing another impressive star.
Nypan "very proud" to join Man City
The most recent player through the door has of course been the young Sverre Nypan. The Norwegian midfielder has put pen to paper on a five-year contract, which has seen Pep Guardiola welcome one of the most exciting talents that Europe has to offer.
Speaking for the first time since arriving, Nypan told Man City’s official website: “I am incredibly happy and proud to have joined Manchester City. It’s a dream for any young footballer to become part of this Club and to join such a group of world class talent.
“I am still very young with a lot to learn but the chance to be coached by Pep Guardiola, the best manager in the world, will only help me to become a better player.
“There is already a special connection between Norway and Manchester City through Erling Haaland and Oscar Bobb, and I am very proud to have become the latest Norwegian player to have joined the club.”
Nypan’s arrival makes it five fresh faces for Man City, who have rebuilt their side in the last six months following their worst period of form during Guardiola’s entire tenure last season.
Even after signing Rayan Cherki, Tijjani Reijnders, Rayan Ait-Nouri, Nypan and Marcus Bettinelli, however, those at the Etihad still reportedly have unfinished business in the summer transfer window.
As they set their sights on reclaiming their Premier League crown next season, Man City have now reportedly initiated contact to sign an impressive star who Guardiola loves.
Man City initiate James Trafford contact
In a shock twist, the Citizens have now set their sights on compiling Newcastle’s misery in what has been a summer to forget for the Magpies. According to Fabrizio Romano, Man City have now initiated contact to sign James Trafford in a deal that would see them hijack a deal that Newcastle had otherwise been advancing towards.
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The Manchester club reportedly have a buyback clause worth £40m, but are now attempting to negotiate a lower price with Burnley, who are also reportedly set to receive a £40m bid from Saudi PIF-owned Newcastle for their shot-stopper.
City’s unexpected pursuit follows a difficult season for Ederson, which may have forced those at the Etihad to ask questions of the Brazilian for the first time.
Dubbed “world-class” by Burnley boss Scott Parker, whether Trafford’s arrival would see Ederson step aside or head for the exit door is the big question that City may yet have to answer.
The pitch for the India vs Pakistan game, where India won by six runs after scoring just 119, has been rated “satisfactory”
Shashank Kishore20-Aug-20242:03
Flower on New York pitch: “Bordering on dangerous”
The pitches for the first two matches at New York’s Nassau County Stadium – a modular venue that no longer exists – during the men’s T20 World Cup 2024, as well as the one for the semi-final between Afghanistan and South Africa at the Brian Lara Academy in Tarouba, have been rated “unsatisfactory” by the ICC.The verdict comes nearly two months after the tournament, which India won by beating South Africa in the final.In those two games in New York, Sri Lanka were bowled out for 77 against South Africa and Ireland were shot out for 96 by India two days later.Related
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ICC working to improve quality of pitches at New York venue
In the India-Ireland game, a number of players copped body blows due to uneven bounce. Rohit Sharma had to retire hurt after being hit on the upper arm by Josh Little. Rishabh Pant, too, was struck on the body by Little, while Ireland’s Harry Tector was struck on the finger by a short ball from Jasprit Bumrah.At the time, Andy Flower, the former Zimbabwe captain, had said the pitch in New York was “bordering on dangerous”, while former England captain Michael Vaughan called it “shocking”.The modular venue was readied in five months with Damian Hough, the Adelaide Oval chief curator, brought in by the ICC to prepare the drop-in pitches. But after criticism from various quarters, the ICC had acknowledged that the pitches there had been substandard and the short turnaround time between matches – New York hosted eight games in two weeks – didn’t help.4:14
Moody, Flower on Tarouba pitch: “Not good enough”
Remedial work was carried out, and ahead of the following game, between Canada and Ireland, areas where grass shoots were growing under the cracks were covered with topsoil and rolled in to make the surface much flatter. The surfaces used for the subsequent fixtures in New York, including India vs Pakistan, where 119 beat 113 for 7, have been rated as “satisfactory”.But the bigger point of scrutiny, perhaps more than New York, was on the surface for the semi-final, where Afghanistan were bowled out for 56. Some deliveries rolled along the ground, while a few reared up from a similar spot. At the time, Afghanistan head coach Jonathan Trott was clear “that’s not a pitch you want to play a semi-final on”.In general, surfaces at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy were challenging. West Indies, who scored 149 there and defended it narrowly against New Zealand, were tottering at 30 for 5 at one stage.The ICC rates pitches, and outfields, for all international games on a scale of very good to unfit: very good, good, satisfactory, unsatisfactory and unfit. The surface at Providence for the India vs England semi-final was rated “satisfactory”, while the Kensington Oval deck for the final between India and South Africa was rated “very good”.The ICC was largely happy with the state of the outfields, with only New York and Guyana receiving “satisfactory” ratings, while the others were “very good”.
Signing a replacement for Andre Onana has seemingly been one of Manchester United’s biggest priorities since the start of the summer. Now, chasing exactly that, the Red Devils have reportedly joined the race to sign a Club World Cup star.
Man Utd's goalkeeper search goes on
Although reports have suggested that Onana believes he’ll still be the No.1 at Manchester United next season and he’s keen to fight for his place, Ruben Amorim may not share that view. The Portuguese manager must be ruthless and showing the Cameroon international the door should be one of his first acts this summer.
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That said, the Red Devils must get their next move right after Onana. They cannot risk signing another liability. Whoever arrives, be it Emiliano Martinez, Andriy Lunin, Diogo Costa or another option, simply has to be a significant upgrade on the former Inter Milan man.
Whilst Martinez has been the most prominent name in recent rumours, the numbers indicate that the Aston Villa man would not be the much-needed upgrade that Amorim needs, as highlighted by Statman Dave.
Four errors leading to shots is far from an ideal record, but signing Martinez wouldn’t exactly solve that problem for United. Instead, their troubles may simply take the shape of a new No.1 if they sign the World Cup winner this summer.
Those at Old Trafford certainly have plenty to think about and that thinking has reportedly seen them turn towards the Club World Cup for a fresh option.
Man Utd plotting John Victor move
According to Football Insider’s Pete O’Rourke, Manchester United are now plotting a summer swoop to sign John Victor from Botafofo who has a release clause worth just $8m (£6m).
John Victor for Botafofo.
The impressive shot-stopper agreed to stay put at the Brazilian side to play at the Club World Cup in a decision which has resulted in a moment to remember against Paris Saint-Germain.
Joining Alisson Becker as the only goalkeeper to keep a clean sheet against PSG this season, the Botafogo goalkeeper played a pivotal part as his side shocked the Champions League holders to win 1-0.
For just £6m, Manchester United could sign a goalkeeper who managed to keep Desire Doue and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia out and someone who is ready to step into European football.
Having reportedly sent scouts to watch the 29-year-old in action, United should be well aware of Victor’s talents and, more importantly, his ability to play at the very top level.
Rather than signing the likes of Martinez or Costa this summer, INEOS could yet turn towards an unexpected option in the Brazilian.