Tag Futebol

In an ever more globalised game, and one obsessed with transfer activity, it’s easy to forget that there is perhaps even greater pleasure for supporters at seeing a homegrown talent emerge – not least at a club like Manchester United.

The modern, post-Sir Alex Ferguson era has been a rocky one, but arguably the brightest lights have emerged from Carrington, be it Marcus Rashford under Louis van Gaal, Scott McTominay under Jose Mourinho and Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo under Erik ten Hag.

The debate over whether it was right to move them on or not will continue to rage, but it is telling that three of that notable list of four are no longer part of the first-team ranks at Old Trafford, with Mainoo also now on the periphery under Ruben Amorim.

In an era of PSR and pure profit, academy sales have remarkably almost become incentivised, with the INEOS regime likely to be tempted to sell the 20-year-old sensation should his bit-part role continue.

For all the question marks over his suitability to Amorim’s system, it would be a crying shame if Mainoo were to depart in 2026 or beyond, with the 2024 FA Cup final hero surely deserving of a prime place as the centre-piece of the club’s long-term project.

The only saving grace, thankfully, is that the Stockport-born starlet isn’t the only rising star currently on the books – the Red Devils do at least have another talent on the conveyor belt to turn to.

Why Man Utd’s midfield could be completely overhauled in 2026

It is not hyperbole to suggest that there are question marks surrounding every senior midfielder in Amorim’s side right now, with drastic change likely to occur in that department, be it in January or next summer.

As already alluded too, Mainoo – in the short-term at least – looks destined to move on, amid talk of a loan move, with the ten-cap England international yet to even start a Premier League game this season.

The man he is directly competing with – as suggested by Amorim in the past – is Bruno Fernandes, albeit with the Portuguese genius’ own future up for debate, having come close to joining Saudi side Al Hilal over the summer.

At 31, the former Sporting CP certainly has plenty left in the tank, although he did hint that he will consider his situation again following next year’s World Cup, with his current deal set to expire in the summer of 2027.

Speaking of expiring contracts, there has been little news regarding the future of Casemiro, with the resurgent Brazilian’s current deal coming to a climax in June.

Currently raking in a reported £350k-per-week, the 33-year-old would seemingly have to take a significant pay cut to stay put in Manchester, with United and Amorim in need of a long-term replacement regardless, considering his age.

Manuel Ugarte was meant to be that defensive-minded, ball-winning successor, although the Uruguayan – starter in just two league games in 2025/26 – is also running out of rope at Old Trafford, in what is his second season at the club.

Games (starts)

29 (22)

9 (2)

Goals

1

0

Assists

2

0

Big chances created

3

0

Key passes*

0.3

0.1

Pass accuracy*

89%

86%

Total duels won*

53%

59%

Balls recovered*

4.2

2.2

Dribbled past*

1.3

0.4

Possession lost*

6.2

3.4

Having been given a dressing down by Amorim in front of his teammates following the Europa League final – in which he played no part – the former Sporting man is getting no favouritism right now, far from it, having yet to convince he is of United quality.

The 24-year-old is the de facto third-choice midfielder at present, although that is not a status he has warranted, with club legend Gary Neville putting it best when describing him as “not good enough” after the Manchester derby.

In truth, an in-house replacement is needed, both this season and beyond.

Man Utd’s new Mainoo can replace Ugarte

Ten Hag has become a figure of ridicule for many, but it’s easy to forget the initial progress he had made in the United dugout, setting a sinking ship back on course again following that initial calamity at Brentford.

In February 2023, for instance, United reached their apex under the Dutchman, memorably seeing off Barcelona in the Europa League, while also securing a deserved 2-0 win over Newcastle United in the Carabao Cup final.

In the aftermath of that triumph, Ten Hag turned from short-term celebrations to long-term thinking, making a beeline for a 17-year-old Mainoo amid the jubilation, seemingly outlining that the teenager would have a part to play in such scenes later down the line.

While injury ensured it took until November 2023 for a first-team role to truly emerge – after making just three appearances in 2022/23 – Ten Hag’s faith in Mainoo was more than warranted, following his Man of the Match Premier League debut at Goodison.

Almost exactly two years on, and with Everton again the opponent, Amorim might well consider unleashing the next Mainoo-shaped figure into the midfield, in the form of Carrington sensation, Jack Fletcher.

The man who kept the club’s matchday academy record alive against Spurs, having been named on the bench in the absence of Mainoo, Fletcher – son of Darren and brother of fellow youth-team star, Tyler – is inching ever closer to a senior bow, with midfield evidently an area to address for Amorim.

Described as among the “best young players in England”, in the view of analyst and Como scout Ben Mattinson, the left-footed Fletcher looks primed for a left-sided central midfield role, having also been trialled at left-back in recent times in the youth ranks.

In the view of Mattinson, the 18-year-old is “one of the most technical of the lot” in the academy set-up, with his elegance and athleticism also ensuring he has “everything you’d want” from a left-sided number eight.

An England youth international, the former Manchester City starlet has enjoyed a promising 2025/26 thus far with three goals and one assist from ten recorded games, as per Transfermarkt, notably netting in the EFL Trophy defeat to Barnsley, prior to seeing red.

Oakwell was previously the scene for the standout moment of his United journey to date, as the Englishman netted twice to claim a comeback 3-2 win in the same competition last season, including an outrageous, long-range half volley at the death.

Much like there was an appetite for transfers over the summer, there is a real desire among the United faithful to see the next Mainoo, the next McTominay emerge in the coming weeks and months.

In The Pipeline

Football FanCast’s In the Pipeline series aims to uncover the very best youth players in world football.

With Mainoo, unfortunately, on the fringes, and Ugarte simply not up to scratch, Fletcher might well be primed to sneak into the mix as a genuine challenger to Casemiro before too long.

He's "much better" than Sesko: Man Utd pursuing "one of the best CFs in PL"

Manchester United could land a new centre-forward just months after landing Benjamin Sesko.

ByEthan Lamb Nov 21, 2025

Game 1 of the National League Championship Series came down to one deciding at-bat on Monday night and the person in the batter's box would have done something differently if he had the opportunity.

With the Dodgers holding onto a 2-1 lead in the ninth inning, Brewers' Brice Turang encountered a bases-loaded, two-out opportunity against L.A. reliever Blake Treinen. Turang quickly fell down 1-2 in the count and went into battle mode. The next delivery broke inside and potentially would have hit him on his back leg for a game-tying HBP, but Turang instead avoided it. Treinen would go on to notch a strikeout, ending the proceedings and giving the Dodgers a 1-0 series league.

Turang was asked about the pitch and his avoidance after the game and couldn't quite explain it.

"Well, if you see me look in the dugout, I'm thinking, 'Damn.' I know it. Everybody knows it. I couldn't tell you why I did it, I just got out of the way. That's how it is."

Turang didn't wear the breaking ball because he was in the biggest at-bat of his life and instinct kicks in when someone is throwing pure heat with incredible movement. It would have been nice for Brewers fans had he simply stood his ground and made the score 2-2 but it's much, much easier to make decisions given more than .1 of a second to consider them.

In a must-win Game 6 on Friday night, manager Dave Roberts and the Dodgers turned to Yoshinobu Yamamoto to make his third career World Series start.

Just like his past two outings on baseball’s biggest stage—including a nine-inning gem in Game 2— Yamamoto dazzled in a Dodgers win.

In six strong innings, Yamamoto allowed just one run on five hits with six strikeouts. He handed the game over to the bullpen in the seventh and watched as relievers Roki Sasaki and Tyler Glasnow survived a Halloween-worthy fright in the ninth inning to close out Los Angeles’s 3–1 victory.

The Dodgers and their $350 million payroll are still alive. For the first time since the Nationals defeated the Astros in 2019, the World Series is heading to a Game 7.

There will be baseball in November. But before we head into Saturday, here are three takeaways from the Dodgers’ 3–1 win:

Mookie gets his moment

Heading into Game 6, Mookie Betts hadn’t done much of anything in the World Series.

Through five games, Betts—hitting at the heart of the Dodgers’ order—was batting 3-for-23 (.130) with five strikeouts in 26 plate appearances. His struggles coincided with Los Angeles’s team-wide slump when it scored a total of three runs in the Game 4 and Game 5 losses.

In Game 6, Betts finally came through. With two outs in the third inning and the bases juiced, Betts laced a ground ball into left field to score Shohei Ohtani and Will Smith for a 3–0 lead. It was all the runs that Yamamoto and company would need.

If Betts can continue to swing a hot bat in Game 7, Toronto might be in trouble.

Kevin Gausman was rolling … until he wasn’t

Gausman, who lost the Game 2 pitcher’s duel to Yamamoto, couldn’t have started off Game 6 much better. He struck out the side in the top of the first inning to get Rogers Centre rocking, becoming the 12th pitcher in World Series history to do so in the opening frame. In his first trip through the Dodgers’ batting order, Gausman allowed one hit and struck out seven batters.

It was the second time through Dave Roberts’s lineup that was the issue. Just like in Game 2, it was Smith getting to Gausman first with an RBI double in the third inning to start a three-run rally.

Gausman battled back to finish six strong innings with three earned runs allowed and eight strikeouts. The Blue Jays lost both games Gausman started in the World Series, but the 34-year-old logged two quality starts and 14 strikeouts in 12 2/3 innings. That’s nothing to be ashamed of.

Ninth inning nail-biter

Dodgers rookie starter-turned-closer Roki Sasaki got out of the eighth inning scot-free. But he ran into trouble in the ninth when Alejandro Kirk was hit by a pitch and Addison Barger smacked a ground-rule double to left-center field that got stuck in the bottom of the wall.

Had Barger’s hit not been ruled a ground-rule double, the Blue Jays likely would have scored a run, and Barger might have been standing on third base in a one-run game with no outs. Instead, Tyler Glasnow entered in relief and slammed the door.

Glasnow, the presumed Game 7 starter if the Dodgers kept the series alive, entered the game in relief and immediately got Ernie Clement to pop out to first base. The next batter Andrés Giménez looped a line drive to left field that was caught by Enrique Hernández, who fired a throw to second base to double up Barger.

We’ll see you tomorrow night.

No reason was given for the move, even as it came a day after Pakistan lost to India in Asia Cup final

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Sep-2025

The PCB has suspended all no-objection certificates for players who want to participate in T20 leagues outside Pakistan.Sumair Ahmad Syed, the board’s chief operating officer, sent a notice on September 29, informing players and agents of the decision.”With the approval of Chairman PCB, all No Objection Certificates (NOCs) for players with respect to participation in leagues and other out of country tournaments are hereby put on hold until further orders,” the notice, seen by ESPNcricinfo, read.No reason has been given as to why this action was taken. Reports have suggested the PCB aims to tie NOCs to a performance based system, the criteria for which has not been made public. The goal, from the board’s perspective, is for players to incentivise national and domestic performances. However, there is no information on how long such an evaluation will take before the current suspension on NOCs is lifted.The move came a day after Pakistan’s tight loss in the Asia Cup final to India in the UAE, but from a tour in which they also won a T20I tri-series. The Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, Pakistan’s premier domestic first-class competition, is also due to start in October, having been delayed from its original start date of September 22.The details around the NOCs and any possible exemptions, or how long they last, are not yet known.Seven Pakistanis, including Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan and Shaheen Afridi, are due to play in the BBL this season, which begins in December. There are also 16 Pakistan players in the shortlist for the ILT20 auction, which is due to take place on October 1 in the UAE. Three of those include Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub and Fakhar Zaman.

His century in Multan was a reminder that Pakistan can still be on the right side of Test-match rejoicing

Danyal Rasool08-Oct-2024Pakistan domestic cricket is an unglamorous, hard watch, and you can tell Salman Agha was shaped by its caring, if calloused, hands – he is as close as you can get to a personification of it. The red-ball domestic system is constantly shapeshifting, and Salman’s own adaptability – from pressure absorber to pressure transmitter, from second fiddle to leading man – reveals the turbulent fires his game and personality have been welded in. Since making his international debut, Salman has rarely been in the spotlight; not stylish enough as Saud Shakeel, not charismatic enough as Mohammad Rizwan, and shunted to the outposts of the lower-middle order.His understated nature extends off the field. You speak to him and sense there’s a grin tugging at the corners of his mouth, a man who, despite reaching the other side of 30, never forgets he’s ultimately playing cricket for a living, and thus life isn’t that bad. Even his unbeaten 104 feels like the footnote to an impressive Pakistan innings, devoid of the delightful panache of Abdullah Shafique or the engrossing personal narrative of Shan Masood’s effort.When Salman came out, Pakistan had lost two quick wickets and were wobbling at 393 for 6. Just two Tests ago, a first-innings score of 448 for 6 declared against Bangladesh had resulted in a ten-wicket defeat.Related

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The first ball of the second session on Tuesday was a harbinger for England; Jack Leach pitched one up, and Salman half-volleyed it through the covers. It was the defining match-up of the session; Leach would bowl 61 balls to him with Salman plundering 65 runs off them. It included three sixes, one in fortunate circumstances as Chris Woakes caught him on the long-off boundary, only to leave a trailing foot planted outside the rope as he took the catch upon his return into the field of play. The call may have gone either way, and upon his reprieve, Salman chuckled before launching Leach over long-on the very next ball. Salman later said he looks to attack “all spinners in any situation”, but Leach – at the receiving end of more of Salman’s milestones – was singled out. He was clipped for the couple that brought up Salman’s half-century, smashed for the boundary that fetched him his 1000th run, and milked for the run that got him his century.The word in vogue is aura, and Salman has precisely none of it. It is perhaps that which discombobulated Salman as he batted on with Shaheen Afridi. England’s field settings bordered on the curious by this time, the visitors leaving several fielders in the deep towards the end of overs allowing him to farm the strike. Even when Abrar appeared to be trying to get out, England made him work to give his wicket away, Jamie Smith missing a straight stumping before Gus Atkinson put down a sitter. Abrar had a look of amusement at the other end; England might have been bored by this point, but having done this for over a decade in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, Salman is close to unboreable.But his nonchalance belies a steel that has been present since the day he made his Test debut. Runs scored with the lower order intrinsically feel lower-value, but Salman’s have been anything but. In this WTC cycle, Pakistan have scored exactly 2000 runs from batting positions five to eight, averaging 44.44 runs per wicket – no other side betters that. If you’re in any doubt about Salman’s outsized role in that statistic, here’s another one; no batter in world cricket has managed more runs in positions 7-8 than Salman’s 946 since he made his debut. If you consider Pakistan’s top-order-batting woes for the best part of Salman’s time in the side, those have not been bonus runs, but Pakistan’s bread and butter.Salman’s adaptability was on show in Multan•Getty ImagesFor the last year, Pakistan have been present at the scene of much Test-match rejoicing. Australia enjoyed themselves so much that David Warner, coming out to bat in his farewell Test to seal a series whitewash over Pakistan, allowed himself a beer at lunch before knocking off the winning runs. Bangladesh’s exultation was on an altogether higher plane, their Test series victory in Pakistan seen as an optimistic portent in the wake of a revolution.The last two days, Pakistan have got something of a taste of how all that felt in a remarkable inversion of the script. It was England who lined up with a bowling attack that looked wholly unsuited to these conditions, the next 149 overs dishing up further proof. England missed a key chance by inches to get Salman out early, the frustration exacerbated as he went on to reach three figures. It was England that lost their discipline and intensity as Pakistan’s last four put on 163.Pakistan were the side backing a struggling batting line-up, eschewing the ever-present temptation of frenetic changes. And – heaven above! – Pakistan were even taking stunners, Aamer Jamal refusing to let his magical Australian summer fade as England’s last-minute opener Ollie Pope was sent packing inside two deliveries. Even as England’s subsequent partnership delivered its reality check, Pakistan finally had the chance to remind themselves that is what made it all so much fun.And with Salman’s wide grin reminding them every single day, who could really forget?

The independent head of BCB’s integrity unit said keeping some players out of the auction was “one of many actions” to “protect” the BPL

Mohammad Isam30-Nov-2025Alex Marshall, the independent head of BCB’s anti-corruption unit, wanted to keep some individuals away from the upcoming edition of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) as it would make the tournament “much safer” without them. On Saturday, the BCB had removed several players from the auction that took place on Sunday. The BCB integrity unit is carrying on investigations to look into previous editions of the BPL.Marshall’s statement was played ahead of the BPL auction’s broadcast. “In advance of BPL 12, I have provided advice to the (BPL) governing council about some people who should not be invited to this year’s event,” he said. “That’s just one of many actions that are being taken to protect this year’s BPL. And I just felt it would be much safer to keep some people away while investigations are completed and we look back over recent years.”Marshall and the BCB have, however, not officially named anyone as part of their reports. “I’ll say no more about any individuals because that would be wrong, and I will never discuss the details of a live investigation. That’s unfair to victims and witnesses, and it’s unfair to people who are suspects. My team will maintain confidentiality.”Shortly before the auction started, the BCB also announced that the country’s high court had rejected three writ petitions which challenged the board’s decision to exclude nine cricketers from the BPL auction.The board released an official statement that said: “Upon hearing the petitioners’ lawyer Barrister Ruhul Quddus Kazal, Senior Advocate, Supreme Court of Bangladesh and Bangladesh Cricket Board’s lawyer Barrister Mahin M Rahman, Advocate (Appellate Division), Supreme Court of Bangladesh, a Division Bench of the High Court Division of the Supreme Court of Bangladesh, Mr Justice Sikder Mahmudur Razi and Mr Justice Raziuddin Ahmed, vide an Order dated 30 November 2025, summarily rejected the said writ petitions. Accordingly, the auction of the BPL 12th Edition will proceed without the names of the nine players.”

Over the years, the Tottenham Hotspur faithful have been blessed by numerous partnerships that have handed them countless memorable moments on the field.

Harry Kane and Heung-min Son will no doubt be the first duo to pop into the minds of the fanbase, mainly due to their incredible performances together in North London.

The duo made themselves the best partnership in Premier League history, assisting one another for a combined total of 47 goals – over ten more than any other pairing in the division’s history.

As a result, the pair both rank within the top five goalscorers in Lilywhites history, with Kane topping the list on 280 goals, whilst Son sits fourth with his total of 173.

Despite the success of the aforementioned pair, one other duo failed to reach the same heights, leading to huge amounts of criticism from various pundits.

The failures of Skipp & Hojbjerg in Spurs’ midfield

In the 2021/22 season, under the guidance of Nuno Espírito Santo and Antonio Conte, a midfield duo of Oliver Skipp and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg was often utilised.

However, such a decision would lead to the Lilywhites ending the campaign in fourth position, but it’s safe to say it could have been a whole lot better without the aforementioned pair.

Skipp ended the year with 18 Premier League appearances, but struggled to match the faith shown in him by various managers in North London.

He only ranked in the 19th percentile for chances created and the 8th percentile for dribbles completed – leading to the Englishman coming under fire for his lack of quality in possession.

As for Hojbjerg, he started all but two outings, but also struggled to provide any quality going forward, as seen by his measly tally of 0.7 chances created per 90.

The Dane also only won 1.2 tackles per 90, subsequently struggling to provide the quality in the area in which he was selected in the side to do in the capital.

Their lack of quality together led to former Spurs star Danny Rose to claim the pair were good players but were extremely “limited” in what they could offer the side in transition.

Former professional Perry Groves doubled down on the pair and stated that the duo were “like a double appendix” – even describing them as “useless” when operating alongside one another.

However, in the present day, boss Thomas Frank has been presented with a similar scenario with two players who have struggled to provide the goods in 2025/26.

The Spurs stars who are looking like the new Skipp & Hojbjerg

After taking the reins in the summer transfer window, there’s no disputing that new boss Frank would need time to settle into the role at Spurs to discover his best starting eleven.

To aid his chances of success in North London, the board handed the Dane over £100m worth of funds to make the changes he craved to his first-team squad.

Such a decision made his bedding-in period somewhat trickier, leaving him with the prospect of integrating the players into the current crop of talents on the books.

However, he did decide to secure the services of Joao Palinhina on a season-long loan from Bayern Munich, with the Portuguese international making an immediate impact for the Lilywhites.

He’s already scored twice for the club, whilst offering the needed ball-winning presence the side massively lacked under Ange Postecoglou last campaign.

The 30-year-old has often been partnered alongside the likes of Lucas Bergvall and Pape Sarr at the heart of the side – with the duo offering a progressive partner alongside him.

However, Frank opted to utilise Rodrigo Bentancur alongside him against Monaco on Wednesday night, but it was a decision that ultimately proved to be the wrong one.

The duo, who earn a combined £210k-per-week, struggled to impose themselves on proceedings – often being criticised for being too defensive-minded and struggling in transition.

They only registered a total of six combined passes into the final third, whilst only completing a total of one dribble – highlighting that the criticism was rightly warranted.

Palhinha & Bentancur – combined stats v Monaco

Statistics

Tally

Touches

79

Passes completed

48

Passes into final third

6

Dribbles completed

1

Shots registered

0

Times dispossessed

4

Times dribbled past

4

Stats via FotMob

Other figures, such as zero shots and four times dispossesse,d also highlight the struggles the pair faced against the French side, with Frank needing to take immediate action and operate a different duo.

There’s no denying, Palhinha has done enough to warrant his place in the starting eleven, but he desperately needs a more mobile and transitional player alongside him to bring added success to the club.

Should the manager struggle to identify such a problem, it could see a repeat of the Skipp and Hojbjerg partnership, which saw the side massively struggle under Conte’s guidance.

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Posts ByEthan Lamb Oct 24, 2025

The England captain attempted to reset the tone for the tour as the team begins preparations for the second Test

Vithushan Ehantharajah29-Nov-20253:04

Should England fans be worried about Root?

Ben Stokes is willing to accept criticism of England’s performance in the first Test as “rubbish” but feels labelling his side “arrogant” is a step too far.Australia’s victory in Perth has seen the tourists come under heavy fire, after succumbing to defeat inside two days. Despite holding a strong position on day two – 105 in front, with nine second innings wickets in hand – England capitulated, losing 9 for 99 through questionable shot selection, before Travis Head completed the rout for an eight-wicket victory.With an 11-day gap between the end of the first and the start of the second Test at The Gabba next Thursday, there has been ample space for postmortems, particularly in the Australian media. Publications and pundits have lined up to take shots at not just England’s approach in the match, but around it, too. Mitchell Johnson was the latest former Australian cricketer to seek his pound of flesh with his column on Friday. Such critiques have also come from the UK.Related

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A lack of an intense warm-up ahead of the series, with a three-day match against the Lions at Lilac Hill, has been followed by a decision for all but three unused squad members to miss the Prime Ministers’ XI match in Canberra this weekend – a two-day pink-ball fixture ahead of Brisbane’s day-night Test. Factor in paparazzi shots of the team playing golf and an unflattering picture has been painted of an unserious team not committing wholly to one of the most anticipated Ashes tours in recent history.Stokes, however, was keen to set the record straight in England’s first official media engagement since the end of the Perth Test. Prior to an additional training session at Allan Border Field on Saturday morning – the first of five ahead of the second Test – England’s Test captain ceded they must wear what comes their way, but stressed not all of it was valid.”Look, you can call us rubbish, call us whatever you want,” Stokes said. “We didn’t have the Test match that we wanted to. We were great in passages of that game… but I think arrogant might be a little bit too far.”But that’s okay. We’ll take the rough with the smooth. I’d rather words like ‘rubbish’, but ‘arrogant’, I’m not so sure about that.”Ben Stokes speaks to the media as England resume training•Getty Images

Stokes also defended England’s decision not to send more of their first-string to join the Lions for the PM’s XI match, which starts on Saturday afternoon. Only Jacob Bethell, Josh Tongue and Matthew Potts are at Manuka Oval, with the remainder of the Ashes squad in situ in Brisbane since Wednesday.It left Lions captain Tom Haines in the uncomfortable position of fielding questions from local media on Friday at the captain’s press conferences, asking if England had disrespected the match – and by association – prime minister Anthony Albanese.”I do understand it,” said Stokes of the blowback to shunning the fixture. “We have a pink-ball match coming up in Brisbane, and we have an opportunity to play some pink-ball cricket. When you look at it just like that, I don’t want to say it makes sense, but I totally understand it [that view].”But there’s obviously a lot more to it than just that. There’s where it is, in Canberra, which is a different state from Brisbane. The conditions are going to be completely different to what we are going to have coming up.”You take all the factors into consideration, the pros and cons, whatever it may be. We then discuss that and decide what we think is the best preparation. We have a few more days off than we planned after that Test. We had to go away and ask how we use these next few days wisely in order to be prepared for what it will be like in Brisbane.”We schedule everything as if the Test match is going to go five days. It didn’t go five days, so we had three days planned of training, and that obviously had to change. That’s why now we have a longer build-up for this pink-ball game.”Saturday’s session lasted close to three hours before rain arrived in Brisbane. The week has been punctuated by thunderstorms, with more expected in the next few days that could hamper both team’s preparations and the Test itself although the forecast does become more settled.Pink ball in hand: Jofra Archer prepares for the day-night Test•Getty Images

Regardless of the weather, Australia will be seen as the dominant force coming into next week. They boast an impressive 13 wins from 14 in day-night Tests, suffering their first defeat against West Indies at the Gabba in 2024. Mitchell Starc, fresh from 10 wickets in the first Test, is the standout with the pink ball, with 81 dismissals at an average of 17.08.With the odds stacked against England, Stokes issued a rallying cry to his team – and supporters – as he seeks to right the wrongs of Perth.”We did some amazing things in that Test match,” he said. “The way we bowled in the first innings, and we were [effectively] 100 for 1, and put a score on the board that we felt was definitely defendable. We all know, and have looked back on it, that there were moments in that game where we could have been a lot better to help us gain even more of an advantage.”The important thing we need to do as a team and individuals is learn from it. We have identified those moments, spoken about them as a group, that’s what we need to do. In terms of execution, could we have been better at executing what we want to do, definitely. But again, we have a mindset of playing the game which is looking to put the opposition under pressure, but also absorbing pressure.”Sometimes when you go out there and make a decision, it doesn’t always pay off, or work the way you want it to. That’s the key for the rest of this tour, staying true to the beliefs of how we play our cricket. But also we do know we could have been a lot better in certain ways.”We know that there’ll be a lot of disappointed fans in England after that first defeat. But it’s a five-game series, we’ve got four games to go, we’ve lost the first one – we’re absolutely desperate to come home with that goal from before we even started the series, which is to win the Ashes.”

قدّم محمد شريف لاعب منتخب مصر الثاني، اعتذارًا علنيًا لمدربه حلمي طولان، موضحًا حقيقة الموقف الذي أثار ضجة كبيرة عبر مواقع التواصل خلال المباراة الماضية أمام الإمارات في كأس العرب عقب استبداله.

وقال محمد شريف خلال المؤتمر الصحفي قبل مواجهة الأردن غدًا: “الكابتن حلمي طولان بمنزلة أبي، وهو أول من منحني الفرصة للعب في هذا المركز، أعتذر له أمام الجميع، رغم أنه لم يحدث ما يزعجه، ولكنني أوضح الأمور حتى يفهم الجميع الحقيقة”.

وتابع: “حين خرجت من الملعب وضعت يدي على فمي لأنني أدرك كثرة الكاميرات، قلت له: يا كابتن، كنت أتمنى الاستمرار لأنني كنت أشعر بأنني قريب من التسجيل، لكن للأسف في مصر نضخم كل شيء دون معرفة السبب الحقيقي”.

وأضاف: “الكابتن حلمي قال لي: (اخرج يا شريف مش وقته)، وفهم البعض أنني قلت لفظًا غير لائق، وهذا غير صحيح إطلاقًا، لا طبعي ولا تربيتي تسمحان بذلك، والرجل بالنسبة لي أب. حديثي معه كان من باب القرب والثقة فقط”.

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وأوضح شريف: “لم أعترض يومًا بطريقة غير لائقة سواء مع المنتخب أو الأندية، مررت بمواقف أصعب كثيرًا ولم يصدر مني أي رد فعل، المشكلة أننا نُضخّم الأمور دون أن نسأل أولًا، هذا هو كل ما حدث”.

ومن جانبه، علّق حلمي طولان، مؤكدًا متانة العلاقة بينهما: “أنا اخترت هؤلاء اللاعبين بعناية، وكلهم أصحاب أخلاق والتزام، شريف تحديدًا لاعب أعرفه جيدًا منذ أن كان في إنبي، وغيّرت مركزه ولعب رأس حربة وسجّل وأبدع حتى ضمّه الأهلي”.

وأردف: “علاقتي بشريف وبجميع اللاعبين علاقة أب بأبنائه، وشريف تحديدًا علاقتي به ممتازة للغاية، لم يتجاوز في حقي يومًا”.

واختتم طولان: “كل ما في الأمر أن شكل اللقطة أمام الناس لم يكن جيدًا، وهذا فقط ما آخذُه على شريف، لكنه لم يتجاوز، ولن أسمح له بذلك أصلًا، علاقتنا والحمد لله علاقة احترام”.

Everton have now been told that they’ll have to pay a record price to sign an attacking reinforcement, who’s also in the sights of German giants Bayern Munich.

Everton plotting attacking additions

Whilst Thierno Barry certainly did his job against Manchester United, his run for a first Everton goal only continued. The fact that the Toffees were down to 10 men didn’t help his chase for that vital goal, but questions about continuing to arrive as to whether David Moyes should look to January for key reinforcements in the striker’s position.

Ahead of the winter window, several names have already been linked with a move to the Hill Dickinson Stadium, including Troy Parrott. The Republic of Ireland striker has been in sensational form for club and country this season and grabbed Everton’s attention by scoring five goals in two games to help Ireland into the World Cup playoffs earlier this month.

The former Tottenham Hotspur youngster would be an excellent addition, but so would Celtic’s Daizen Maeda. The Japan international reportedly wants to leave the Scottish club and could do so for as little as £15m in January – allowing Everton to land a bargain deal.

At his best, Maeda scored 33 goals in all competitions for Celtic last season, before struggling to replicate that in an inconsistent side in the current campaign.

So, Everton certainly have options if they do want to add competition to Barry and Beto this winter. So much so that they may not even need to turn towards Parrott or Maeda. Instead, they could sign Franculino Dju from Midtjylland.

Everton told to pay record fee to sign Franculino Dju

According to Danish outlet Tipsbladet, as relayed by Sport Witness, Everton have been told to pay €35m (£31m) to sign Franculino in January, which would break Midtjylland’s transfer record.

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Joined by Bayern Munich and Manchester United in pursuit of the forward, it remains to be seen whether the Toffees are willing to pay such a price to secure his signature after sending scouts to watch him recently.

The Friedkin Group certainly weren’t afraid of splashing the cash in the summer, having made Tyler Dibling their second most-expensive ever signing at £42m and spent £27m on Barry’s arrival.

Dubbed “unstoppable” by scout Jacek Kulig earlier this month, Franculino is well worth the chase for Everton. The 21-year-old has recently taken his total to 19 games in 28 games for the season and that clinical form makes him someone to watch ahead of January.

Everton ready to replace £120,000-a-week star with key January signing