Australia captain Meg Lanning will return to international cricket during the upcoming India tour as she will lead the ODI and T20 sides after being out of action for seven months. Allrounders Sophie Molineux and Nicola Carey will be in line for their international debuts as both were picked for both formats.Australia were, however, without two injured players – South Australia allrounder Tahlia McGrath and New South Wales quick Lauren Cheatle. McGrath played a key role in Australia’s Ashes success and was in good form during the WBBL as well but experienced back pain in the final round of the Women’s National Cricket League, as scans showed a recurrence of bone oedema in her lumbar spine. Cheatle had missed the Ashes T20Is with a back injury and has not played since then.Lanning played her last international match in July – the World Cup semi-final against India in Derby where Australia lost by 36 runs. In August, she underwent shoulder surgery and missed the Ashes as well as the WBBL as a result. She was hoping to make a return for Victoria in the final round of the WNCL last weekend but Australia decided to go easy with her return.”Meg’s rehab has been progressing well, she’s back to her old self with the bat and with a few weeks until the first match, we’re confident she’ll be right to play when the times comes,” national selection Shawn Flegler said. “Meg will resume the captaincy and we’re extremely fortunate to have Rach as her deputy after doing a fantastic job as stand-in skipper during the Women’s Ashes. She’ll be a great sounding board for Meg and will continue to drive the standards of the team.”Rachael Haynes was named the vice-captain of the two squads after Alex Blackwell retired from international cricket recently.Molineux and Carey are two promising allrounders picked in the squads. Molineux represented the Melbourne Renegades in the WBBL and was named the Young Gun of the Year during the third season after she scored 318 runs and picked six wickets with an economy rate of 6.38. In the six innings of the WNCL, Molineux scored 170 runs with two half-centuries and collected eight wickets with an economy rate of 3.46. The left-arm bowler was also given the Betty Wilson Young Cricketer of the Year award in January 2017.Getty Images

“Sophie is a really exciting youngster that has shown immense talent as a batter and spin bowler and someone who the selectors have had their eyes on for a while,” Flegler said. “She’s been a standout especially in the Women’s Big Bash and this tour will give her the opportunity to get a taste of the Australian setup in what will be some challenging Indian conditions.”Carey, who represented the Sydney Thunder, scored 149 runs from 10 innings in the WBBL but at an impressive strike rate of 126.27 and struck a 19-ball 47 against the Renegades in Sydney in December. Also a left-hand bat like Molineux, Carey bowls right-arm medium-pace and picked 17 wickets in the WBBL, joint-fourth on the wickets tally.With the 2018 and 2020 World T20s coming up, Australia also saw the inclusions of two youngsters and recent international debutants in the squad – NSW team-mates Belinda Vakarewa and Naomi Stalenberg. Vakarewa made her ODI debut in the World Cup last year and returned to the ODI squad after missing the Ashes. Stalenberg, on the other hand, made her T20I debut two years ago against India and will have chance to add more caps to her name after a few middle-order cameos for the Thunder in the WBBL.Former internationals Shelley Nitschke and Ashley Noffke will travel with the squads as assistant coaches in place of the outgoing coaches Tim Coyle and Joe Dawes.Australia will fly to India on March 3 and will play two warm-up matches in Mumbai on March 6 and 8 before heading to Vadodara for the three ODIs starting March 12. They will then return to Mumbai for the T20 tri-series featuring India and England.ODI squad: Meg Lanning (capt), Rachael Haynes (vice-capt), Nicole Bolton, Nicola Carey, Ashleigh Gardner, Alyssa Healy (wk), Jess Jonassen, Sophie Molineux, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Belinda Vakarewa, Elyse Villani, Amanda-Jade WellingtonT20 squad: Meg Lanning (capt), Rachael Haynes (vice-capt), Nicola Carey, Ashleigh Gardner, Alyssa Healy (wk), Jess Jonassen, Delissa Kimmince, Sophie Molineux, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Naomi Stalenberg, Elyse Villani, Amanda-Jade Wellington.

Jake Weatherald’s 62, coupled with an unbeaten 48 from Alex Ross, bolstered South Australia’s lead to 216 after Cameron White struck his 21st first-class hundred

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Feb-2018Getty ImagesJake Weatherald’s 62, coupled with an unbeaten 48 from Alex Ross, bolstered South Australia’s lead to 216 on day three at the Adelaide Oval. Cameron White headlined Victoria’s response with a 149 in a must-win match for them, but debutant left-arm medium-pacer Nick Winter struck with a five-wicket haul to hand South Australia a slim first-innings lead of eight runs.Seb Gotch was bowled on the fourth ball of the day by Daniel Worrall while White built on his overnight score of 68 to score his 21st first-class century, collecting a total of 10 fours and four sixes, before handing a catch to Ross off Joe Mennie. Chris Tremain’s 23 helped Victoria narrow the deficit, before Winter bagged a couple of lower-order wickets to add to his previous day’s three-for. Worrall and Mennie picked two wickets each while Winter ended with 5 for 85.Weatherald got South Australia’s second innings underway with a 16-run first over against Peter Siddle, helping them race to 40 inside five overs. Tremain, however, broke the partnership in the next over, removing Kelvin Smith for 10. Even as Weatherald, who followed his century in the BBL final with a duck in the first innings, motored on to his eighth first-class fifty, strikes from Scott Boland and Jon Holland, and a run-out by Siddle, reduced South Australia to 5 for 134. Ross and Harry Nielsen subsequently steadied the innings with an unbeaten 74-run partnership that hoisted South Australia to 208 without the loss of any more wickets.

MatériaMais Notícias

Dois times que empataram na última rodada da Série B e que precisam retomar o caminho das vitórias pensando em sua manutenção na parte alta da tabela de classificação. Esse pode ser considerado o panorama ideal para os adversários da próxima terça-feira (29) no compromisso entre Paraná e Chapecoense.

Equipe que já liderou a competição, atualmente o Tricolor da Vila é o segundo colocado com 21 pontos, somente um atrás do Cuiabá, e sabe que as partidas em casa são de suma importância para não deixar seu adversário direto abrir vantagem inalcançável.

Já pelos lados do Verdão do Oeste, a ideia é obter uma consolidação da entrada no G4 depois do empate em 1 a 1 diante do América-MG estando hoje o time catarinense na quarta posição com 18 pontos. É a mesma quantidade de pontos do último adversário na Série B, mas a Chape leva vantagem no saldo de gols.

O técnico Alan Aal disse ao portal ‘ge’ que não deve contar ainda com o meia Vitinho, mas tem boas expectativas de ter o atacante Bruno Xavier dentre os relacionados. Além dos citados, o suspenso pelo terceiro amarelo Jhony Douglas volta a ser nome elegível.

A Chapecoense só não conseguirá repetir o 11 inicial do último jogo em função do meio-campista Willian Oliveira ter tomado o terceiro cartão amarelo e estar suspenso. No mais, todos aqueles que entraram em campo foram relacionados pelo técnico Umberto Louzer.

RelacionadasBrasileirãoParaná sai na frente, mas não evita empate do Brasil de Pelotas pela Série BBrasileirão26/09/2020ParanáEmpresário confirma sondagens em cima de dois jogadores do ParanáParaná24/09/2020América MineiroChapecoense e América-MG ficam em um insosso empate no sulAmérica Mineiro25/09/2020

Kagiso Rabada turned the match around for South Africa in the space of two overs, ripping through Australia with the use of reverse swing

The Report by Brydon Coverdale09-Mar-20184:02

Holding: Rabada needs to control himself a little bit

Stumps
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsIt’ll do a bit early. Bit of grass, bit of moisture, big first hour.That about summed up the sentiments of Steven Smith and Faf du Plessis at the toss in Port Elizabeth, where Smith chose to bat and du Plessis didn’t mind one little bit. It was not surprising, then, that Kagiso Rabada took 5 for 13 in the space of 18 balls on this first day’s play. It was surprising that his spell that defined the day came either side of the tea break, when Australia had done all the hard work.In fact, there could hardly have been any less action in the first hour. The ball did nip around, and there were plenty of plays and misses, but Australia’s openers reached drinks on a yawning total of 23 for 0. That was a win for Australia. So were the 61 bonus runs that came from the ninth- and tenth-wicket partnerships between Tim Paine and Nathan Lyon, and then Paine and Josh Hazlewood. From 170 for 6, South Africa let Australia get away just a little bit.Still, Rabada’s efforts, plus contributions from Lungi Ngidi and Vernon Philander kept the total to 243, Australia’s lowest win-the-toss-and-bat-first score of the Smith captaincy era. South Africa should go to bed happy with their day, despite losing Aiden Markram during a challenging little batting period they faced as evening approached. Markram was trapped lbw for 11 by the first ball that Pat Cummins bowled in the innings, but it was Australia’s only breakthrough.Associated PressAt the close of play, South Africa were on 39 for 1 with Dean Elgar on 11 and Rabada, the nightwatchman, on 17 from 14 balls. It capped off an eventful day for Rabada, who will also spend the rest of the Test wondering if it will be his last match of the series. His dismissal of Smith sparked Australia’s mini-collapse, but also resulted in Rabada brushing his shoulder against Smith as the batsman walked off. With five demerit points already to his name, Rabada is perilously close to a two-Test suspension.It was understandable that Rabada would at least be exuberant after dismissing Smith, who spent much of the second session building a steady little partnership with Shaun Marsh. Rabada angled one in to Smith and rapped him on the pad to have him lbw for 25, the review requested by Australia’s captain only confirming how very out he was.In Rabada’s next over, the final one before tea, he had Shaun Marsh lbw for 24 to a delivery that curled in to the left-hander, and then had Mitchell Marsh caught behind off a thin inside edge behind as he tried to drive what should have been the penultimate ball of the session. Rabada returned after the break to have Pat Cummins caught behind first ball, and although Mitchell Starc survived the hat-trick delivery, he was bowled by Rabada soon after for 8.It was a chaotic period for Australia, but Paine displayed a cool head and set about working with the tail to lift Australia’s total up past 200, and close to 250. He put on 30 for the ninth wicket with Lyon and then 31 for the final wicket with Hazlewood. Both Lyon (17) and Paine (36) were bowled by Ngidi, who finished with 3 for 51 and justified his inclusion ahead of the veteran Morne Morkel, who was dropped for this Test.The morning had started with David Warner and Cameron Bancroft looking set to make it through the opening session unscathed, but their 98-run stand ended on the stroke of lunch when Bancroft edged an outswinger behind off Philander for 38. Warner had been so careful early that at the drinks break he was on 8 from 36 deliveries, but a change in approach resulted in him scoring 42 off 33 in the second half of the session.He brought up his half-century from his 69th delivery, showing no signs of distraction after three days of being in the spotlight following his stairwell altercation with Quinton de Kock in Durban. But despite his strong start, Warner could not capitalise and was bowled by Ngidi for 63 in the second session.By then, Philander had also had Usman Khawaja caught behind for 4. Philander was superb in helpful conditions, taking 2 for 25 from 18 overs. The Australians had to work hard to get through his probing new-ball spell. But much more probing was to come.

حصل الدولي الإنجليزي جود بيلينجهام، على جائزة أفضل لاعب شاب في بطولة دوري أبطال أوروبا 2023\2024، بعد تتويج ريال مدريد باللقب.

وفاز ريال مدريد ببطولة دوري أبطال أوروبا في النهائي على حساب بوروسيا دورتموند بثنائية نظيفة، ليتوّج النادي الملكي باللقب 15.

طالع أيضًا | يويفا يُعلن التشكيل المثالي للموسم في دوري أبطال أوروبا

واختارت لجنة المراقبين الفنيين في الاتحاد الأوروبي لكرة القدم، جود بيلينجهام لاعب وسط ريال مدريد، أفضل لاعب شاب في بطولة دوري أبطال أوروبا.

بيلينجهام استمتع بموسم مُذهل مع ريال مدريد، وتمكن صاحب الـ20 عامًا، من تقديم الإضافة خلال 11 مباراة وسجل 4 أهداف وصنع 5 أهداف، ودقة تمريراته وصلت لـ 90.5%، والمسافة المقطوعة 1117.5 كيلومتر.

بيلينجهام انضم إلى ريال مدريد في الصيف الماضي قادمًا من بوروسيا دورتموند، ولعب 42 مباراة وسجل 23 هدفًا وصنع 13 في مختلف المسابقات.

Chelsea travel to face Bournemouth on September 17th in a game that they'll view as must win. Their new, expensively assembled squad will have eyes on at least Champions League qualification – beating lower Premier League sides should be fairly standard.

Of course, having so many new players – especially young ones – means a lack of experience in the squad. That's particularly noticeable up front, where Raheem Sterling is really their only forward player with plenty of Premier League success.

So what is his personal record against Bournemouth, then? We at Football FanCast have had a dip into the data to have a look and see what we can expect from him when the Blues face the Cherries.

What is Raheem Sterling's goals record vs Bournemouth?

Sterling has faced Bournemouth for every year they've been a Premier League side – and has only missed one fixture since. That came in 2016 during the Cherries' first top-flight season as he missed the second fixture through a groin injury.

His history with them actually starts a little before that, though. There were six minutes in an FA Cup game for Liverpool back in 2014, and a start for the Reds in the EFL Cup the following year. The latter brought his first goals against Bournemouth – a brace in a 3-1 win.

And when he was played, Sterling has shone. His very first Premier League game against Bournemouth saw him bag a hat trick and started a run of six consecutive meetings where he scored.

As a result, Sterling's record against Bournemouth is fantastic. He's faced them 14 times across his career, scoring 11 times. This is his third-best record against any opponent, with only Watford and Norwich struggling more.

What is Raheem Sterling's assists record vs Bournemouth?

Sterling hasn't picked up assists against Bournemouth at quite the same rate. Still, he has several to his name, particularly after the season just finished.

In all, there have been four. The first came in 2016 for Manchester City and another followed in 2018. He's already matched that total with Chelsea, though, as Sterling assisted in both fixtures in the last campaign.

Four assists in 14 games, then. Along with 11 goals, it's an incredible record from the England star.

How many goal contributions does Raheem Sterling have vs Bournemouth?

It's 11 goals and four assists across 14 fixtures in all competitions. He's contributed for three different clubs, too, with two goals for Liverpool, nine goals and two assists for Man City, and another two assists for Chelsea.

In other words, Bournemouth really struggle to handle Sterling – no matter who he's playing for. He finds a way to contribute against them and has been doing so for around a decade now.

What is Raheem Sterling's head-to-head record vs Bournemouth?

Sterling has played for Liverpool, Man City and Chelsea, so you'd imagine his record is pretty fantastic against a team like Bournemouth. But it's actually even better than you'd think.

In 14 meetings, Sterling has never lost to Bournemouth. He's also never drawn with them – in other words, his side has won on literally every occasion. It's difficult to boast a better record than that and we can't imagine many players in the Premier League could match that against any opponent.

14 wins in 14 games across three competitions, for three different clubs. It feels safe to expect another when Chelsea visit Bournemouth this season.

Who has Raheem Sterling scored the most goals against?

Sterling hasn't scored against anyone more than the 11 he has against Bournemouth. But given they came in 14 games, it's not actually his most notable opponent.

That would be Watford. Sterling also has 11 goals against them but they came in just 10 matches. The fact he's also managed two assists in that span just makes it even more remarkable and few players boast a record that good against anyone.

In terms of just overall goal contributions, though, Bournemouth have suffered the most. Sterling's 11 goals and four assists combined for 15 contributions in 14 games. That's the most of any opponent in his career and you can likely expect more to come.

How many goals does Raheem Sterling have in September?

September has been a very good month for Sterling. He's bagged 21 goals in the month since the start of his career, for all three clubs and England.

His first came all the way back in 2014 as he scored against West Ham for Liverpool. Since then, he's picked up at least one September goal every single year – most years he finds multiple.

Of course, Sterling struggled in front of goal for Chelsea last season. He did manage to find one September goal, though, as he scored against RB Salzburg in the UEFA Champions League. The forward would only score once more for the Blues until January.

How many goals does Sterling have for Chelsea?

Unfortunately few, given his £50m price-tag. Sterling has just nine goals since moving to Chelsea, with three of those coming in the Champions League last season against RB Salzburg, Dinamo Zagreb and Borussia Dortmund.

In the Premier League, things arguably look even worse than 'six goals all season' sounds. Sterling scored three times in August last year but wouldn't find another league goal until January and then didn't score again until May.

But it's the nature of the goals that's worrying. The August three came as a brace against relegated Leicester City and a single strike against relegated Southampton. All three post-New Year were in two fixtures against Nottingham Forest.

So Sterling only actually scored against three Premier League teams last season, two of which were relegated and the other battled relegation.

What is Raheem Sterling's Premier League goal record?

Sterling hasn't been the most prolific goalscorer in the Premier League but his longevity has him high on the all-time scorers list. In total, the forward has 115 Premier League goals.

That's two more than Ian Wright and good enough for 22nd all-time in the competition. In fact, Sterling only needs to match his small haul of last season in order to move into the top 20. He'll hope to do better than that, of course, but it just goes to show how long the player has been going for.

As for assists, Sterling is now 23rd on the all-time Premier League list with 59. Mohamed Salah knocked him down a spot with his assist against Chelsea on the opening day – so Sterling could move back up there quickly.

In fact, the seven players above Sterling – Salah aside – are all out of the Premier League now. There's potential for him to shoot up the rankings at quite a pace if he finds his creative boots this season.

What is Chelsea's record against Bournemouth?

Chelsea vs Bournemouth isn't exactly the most common fixture in football. It's only happened on 19 occasions, with the vast majority since 2015. Before that, there were a couple of League Cup meetings in 1994, two Division two games in 1988 and one fixture in the short-lived Full Members' Cup in 1989.

Of course, the Premier League history since 2015 is the most relevant stuff here – and Chelsea do have the better record there. But not by as much as you'd likely think.

There have been 12 Premier League meetings and Chelsea have won seven of them. Bournemouth have four wins of their own, however, with one game finishing in a draw.

Notably, the two wins last season were Chelsea's first after failing to win either of the previous three. It's also interesting to note that the two biggest wins in the history of this fixture are for Bournemouth – 4-0 at home in 2019 and 3-0 away in 2018 (Chelsea do also have a 3-0 win at home in 2016, though).

This certainly isn't one that always goes Chelsea's way, then. But with Raheem Sterling and his perfect record in the squad, perhaps they've found a way around that.

When is Chelsea vs Bournemouth?

Bournemouth host Chelsea on Sunday, September 17th at 14:00 UK time. It's a game that will give everyone a good idea of where these two teams stand this season.

Bournemouth, of course, go into this one with few expectations. A defeat is pretty much expected after losing both fixtures last season and another here would essentially confirm them as a lower-table Premier League side.

Chelsea are a little different. Their enormous overhaul over the last couple of transfer windows makes their entire squad one big question mark. No one knows what to expect – with a near-£1bn spend, you'd expect a title challenge but few would put them in that bracket. A top-four finish feels like a must but their squad far from guarantees that.

And after finishing 12th last season, should they simply count a higher finish as progress? Or would that be a gigantic underperformance?

It's really unclear but this game with Bournemouth could give us an idea. Lose and you're looking at midtable again. Win with conviction and perhaps Chelsea could threaten at the top of the Premier League table – if they find consistency.

Dean Elgar wants South Africa to unleash all four of their frontline quicks against Australia. The opening batsman has also stressed the need for a slower bowler to change the pace in the upcoming four-Test series.”I’d like to see all the [fast] bowlers play and the spinner,” Elgar said. “I think against Australia you potentially need to slow the game down, which they probably aren’t used to. So a guy like Keshav [Maharaj] has played well against them in the past, so he’ll play a big part in the series. Whether we play more quicks than what we usually do or less is up to the captain, coach and selectors.”The South African squad includes four quicks – Vernon Philander, Morne Morkel, Kagiso Rabada and Lungi Ngidi – and young allrounder Willem Mulder. While Elgar played down the possibility of a debutant, saying the starting XI for the first Test would likely be “stock standard”. he would like the quartet of quicks to play, thereby continuing the strategy Ottis Gibson has employed since the India series.Gibson is a fast-bowling-minded coach and has changed South Africa’s team composition to a 6-5 balance, with only half-a-dozen specialist batsmen including the wicketkeeper. Previously, during the Gary Kirsten and Russell Domingo eras, South Africa regularly fielded seven specialist batsmen, but towards the end of Domingo’s days shifted slightly to six batsmen, an allrounder, three quicks and a spinner. Gibson also tried the allrounder against Bangladesh but then opted for four out-and-out quicks for the first two Tests against India. The third Test, at the Wanderers in late January, saw four quicks and an allrounder with Maharaj sitting out, further emphasising his penchant for pace power.Given that the Australia series is being talked up as a battle between the two bowling attacks, it might be tempting for South Africa to go in all guns blazing and field five quicks. But on coastal wickets at the end of the summer, which should be slightly slower than usual, Maharaj is almost certain to be included and Elgar believes both he and Nathan Lyon will play a big part in the series.”I think either way they (spinners) are going to have an influence in the Tests, even if it’s holding up an end or trying to be attacking, which some surfaces might allow,” he said. “It is a bit of a battle of the seamers, but there is a world-class spinner in both sides, so it’s going to be exciting Test cricket.”BCCI

The real selection question then is whether South Africa play four quicks alongside Maharaj or if they feel they need to strengthen the batting against an Australian attack even Elgar is talking up. “They’re a vastly developed bowling attack,” Elgar said. “[Mitchell] Starc and [Josh] Hazlewood have been there for many a year and have honed their skills in different formats. Then there’s a guy like [Pat] Cummins who is good for the game because every time he has risen up he got injured. It’s good to see him staying in the game longer than usual.”South Africa have three reserve batsmen in the squad – Temba Bavuma, Theunis de Bruyn and Heinrich Klaasen – all of whom have proven themselves. While Bavuma has been injured this year, he played two of his most noteworthy and nuggety innings against Australia in Perth and Hobart on South Africa’s tour in 2016-17, de Bruyn is coming off two big scores – 190 and 83 – in three first-class games earlier this month and Klaasen came to the fore in the limited-overs series against India. Any of the three could slot into the middle order.Bavuma and de Bruyn are probably ahead of Klaasen in the queue but Klaasen’s presence is of particular interest because he is also the reserve wicketkeeper and Quinton de Kock has been out of form and injured. De Kock’s highest score in eight innings across all formats against India was 43 and he was dismissed in single figures four times in six Test innings. He has not scored a Test fifty in 14 innings since July last year and though both coach and captain have given him a vote of confidence, de Kock knows he now has a challenger. But that person, Klaasen, is unlikely to play as soon as the first Test, where South Africa will back their big names to come good.Elgar, Hashim Amla, AB de Villiers and Faf du Plessis will form the spine of the line-up and young opener Aiden Markram will have a chance to test himself against a strong attack again. After two hundreds in his first three Tests against Bangladesh and Zimbabwe, Makram had one significant score against India in six innings, 94 at SuperSport Park. He was then thrust into ODI leadership and under his watch, South Africa lost the series 5-1, with Markram unable to get past 32 in the series.Gibson has admitted something was amiss with Markram and he was batting unlike the player he had first seen earlier in the summer. Now, he will hope Markram has dealt with the disappointment of his first taste of international captaincy and the dip in his own form and is ready to partner Elgar in giving South Africa strong starts in what is set to be a big series.”It’s very important for him to clear his mind,” Elgar said. “He’s had seven to 10 days off which is potentially good for him given what happened in the ODIs. But Aiden has got a strong head and he will take in a lot of information. It’s important for him to use what info is going to strengthen his game. It’s always tough to see a guy go through that but Aiden is massively talented and is a cricketer for SA’s future. He’ll bounce back. He’s putting in a lot of hard yards. I think he realises he can’t take his talent for granted. It’s almost like you have to overprepare at this level.”

Manchester United's start to the season has been a fairly messy one on multiple fronts.

On the pitch, United have made a shaky start to their Premier League campaign. Two unconvincing home wins and two defeats away to continue the side's woes on their travels have left them in the bottom half of the table going into the international break.

Off the pitch hasn't been much better either. Delays in the transfers they've conducted meant the side rushed to make three signings on deadline day. Frustrations in the fanbase has also continued to build with rumours that the Glazer family are planning to take the club off the market after months of sale negotiations.

Just when supporters thought they may be a break in the drama surrounding the club thanks to the two-week break, they were wrong.

Jadon Sancho, who is yet to start a game this season, came out and criticised manager Erik ten Hag following their late 3-1 defeat to Arsenal.

Why have Sancho and Ten Hag fallen out?

Sancho was conspicuous by his absence after the former Man City academy player was left out of the squad for the trip to the Emirates. His manager revealed after the game that the winger hadn't been selected "based on performances in training."

This comment clearly irked Sancho, as he took to social media to dispute these claims.

The Englishman, who joined the Red Devils for £73m, said the following:

"Please don't believe everything you read! I will not allow people saying things that is completely untrue. I have conducted myself very well in training this week."

Sancho continued by claiming he's "been made a scapegoat for a long time" and in a possible attempt to appease the Old Trafford faithful by saying "I will continue to fight for this badge no matter what!"

It has since come out that tension has been brewing between player and manager for a long time.

Taking to his YouTube channel, Fabrizio Romano cleared up a few of the details surrounding this latest saga. "He [Sancho] believes there is something else not related to his training performances and this is why he was not selected."

"Ten Hag believes that he did his best for Sancho to help him in a difficult a moment last season."

While the Dutchman may believe he looked after his player when he took a substantial break from the team, it later surfaced that the tension may stem from this.

Sami Mokbel of the Daily Mail reported that Sancho and his camp were unhappy as Manchester United "did not obtain permission to publicly confirm that his mental state was suffering." However, Ten Hag does not believe he did anything untoward and felt he was supportive of the player through this period.

Sancho's outburst last week has seemingly not gone down well with his teammates. ESPN states that "the players accept and respect Ten Hag's firm approach because it applies without exceptions to squad members, regardless of their status, and that Sancho's reaction has gone down badly within the dressing room."

How many goals has Sancho scored for Man United?

Sancho has not lived up to expectations since signing in 2021. He has only registered 12 goals and six assists in 82 games.

Last season, the former Dortmund star achieved a Sofascore rating of just 6.85. This was below the likes of Antony, Marcus Rashford and Bruno Fernandes, who all play in similar positions to the England international.

Ten Hag has shown he can be ruthless when players are not behind him. Case in point, Cristiano Ronaldo. It remains to be seen if Sancho receives similar treatment.

If he does though, there may be someone waiting in the wings ready to step up and take his place. That person is Amad Diallo.

When did Amad join Manchester United?

Amad officially signed for the club in January 2021 after a £37m deal was agreed with Atalanta the previous summer.

The winger only made five appearances for the Italian club, scoring once in that time. But his performances in their youth set up was enough to convince the United hierarchy to splash the cash to bring him to the North West on a £29k-per-week deal.

Amad came highly recommended and with a lot of potential. Former Italian goalkeeper Giovanni Galli revealed to Football Italia the moment he first laid eyes on the electric forward.

Translated via the Daily Mail, Galli said "Amad was tremendous. Great technical skills, outstanding personality. They [Amad and his brother] They were on another level."

He made a bright start to life at his new club, scoring on his Old Trafford debut in a 1-1 draw against AC Milan in the Europa League.

He went on to make a handful of appearances for the club before it was decided he needed more first-team experience in order to develop.

Diallo joined Scottish side Rangers on loan during the 2022 January transfer window. He once again got off to a flyer, scoring on his debut. However, things didn't continue in that trajectory. He ended up making 13 appearances in all competitions, scoring three times and was not involved in the side's historic run to the Europa League final.

His lackluster loan spell left people wondering if he was ready to make the step up at a club the size of Manchester United.

A second chance came knocking the following season, and it was an opportunity Amad took with both hands.

How did Amad Diallo do at Sunderland?

The young winger made the loan move to Sunderland last summer and his performances made himself a fan favourite with the Mackems.

With the Black Cats returning to the Championship after a four-year stint in League One, they were looking to make an impact. Diallo helped massively with that. He scored 14 goals and registered four assists as Sunderland managed to make the play-offs.

In the play-offs, Amad showed up in style, scoring a screamer against eventual promotion winners Luton Town.

Sunderland's number 16 made such an impact with his exhilarating displays, that he was named PFA Fans Championship player of the season. He truly is the "very special" talent that ITV pundit Courtney Sweetman-Kirk suggested.

He had arrived and done enough to convince people that he was ready to move to the next level.

Amad's Career Stats

Club

Appearances

Goals

Assists

Atalanta

5

1

0

Manchester United

9

1

1

Rangers

13

3

0

Sunderland

42

14

4

What happens next for Amad?

The 21-year-old returned to Manchester following his loan spell and played an important part in the early pre-season games. His energy and direct attacking flair were impressive to see. It showed a player full of confidence following his most productive season of his professional career.

Unfortunately, the attacker's development was cut short after suffering a knee injury during the club's tour of the United States.

United confirmed in a club statement that "unfortunately, he has also been ruled out of the first part of the 2023/24 campaign, and we await further details on his estimated recovery date, with the home league clash against Wolverhampton Wanderers up first for Erik ten Hag's Reds on Monday 14 August."

It is since believed the youngster has undergone surgery on his injury, which will slow down his recovery.

The problem has not only prevented him from being part of United's squad in the early season, but has also meant he has missed out on a potential loan deal, with many rumoured suitors pulling their interest.

With the latest developments surrounding Sancho, Amad's injury may be a blessing in disguise. After all, his trickery down the flanks paints him out as the perfect replacement.

Leeds United have suffered in their opening few fixtures in the Championship due to a lack of focal point up top, with the diminutive Wilfried Gnonto having had to deputise on occasion.

The Whites were admittedly profligate, having created plenty of chances, but were craving that hulking front man to bulldoze defenders and forge opportunities for his teammates, as well as be in the right places to finish off chances themselves.

Daniel Farke obviously understood this, acting incisively in the market to bring Joel Piroe in to answer their striking woes. The Dutchman had previously scored 19 and 22 in his last two league campaigns with Swansea City, so the expectation was that he would pick up where he left off in Elland Road.

However, the German clearly has other ideas, having trialled a deeper role for the 24-year-old in their 0-0 draw with Sheffield Wednesday.

Despite a natural striker having been thrust into the starting line-up, they once again fell victim to the same issues that plagued their first few fixtures.

It draws into question what the former Norwich City might do if he had one of the world’s best in that position, and whether he could conform to a similar structure as he seeks to lead his new side back into the Premier League.

Well, reports have suggested that such an eventuality could have been the case, with Manchester City’s Erling Haaland coming desperately close to an Elland Road switch years ago. It's a move that would surely have meant the Championship never even became a possibility again.

Did Erling Haaland nearly sign for Leeds United?

Having caught the eye as a youngster at Molde, already the Norwegian was drawing the interest of some of Europe’s top outfits. After all, as a hulking young forward who had scored 20 in 50 in his homeland, he was bound to leave for greener pastures eventually.

Although it would be RB Salzburg who were lucky enough to register his capture, handing him the perfect platform to begin his eventual rise to the top of the game, his agent Hayden Evans told The Athletic's The Phil Hay Show (via Marca) that things could have been very different.

He noted: “He was at Molde, around about 17 [years old], and he was ripping it up but also fervently following Leeds United. We spoke to Victor [Orta, Leeds' sporting director] and said, 'Look, I can bring Erling to Leeds and the rest will be over to you.'

"The best proof you can have [that a player wants to join] is to physically bring a player into the club, so we said we can do that. He said, 'Absolutely, of his age he's the number one in the world that anyone would want. If you can bring him to Leeds, we'll do the rest.'"

Given he was born in Leeds and had grown up as a fan of the club due to his father’s brief tenure there, it seemed like the perfect move for a side still stuck in the Championship following their 2004 relegation.

However, their financial troubles at the time proved to thwart them in ways far worse than the sales they were forced to make, which Evans would expand on: “It went quite well, we went back, but the bottom line was that [Molde] wanted around four million pounds. Leeds were not in the stable [financial] position they are in now and he was not going to play, even the talent he was, he was not going to play first-team football at that age.

"It was seen as just a step too far for a player at that time who would only play [for the] U23s, so we were back at Oulton Hall, it was all okay, [but then] Alfie opened up and said, 'I'll be honest with you, next week we're going to Juventus, who want him.'

"[There was ] a lot of truth about everything that went on and unfortunately then money talked. [Mino] Raiola came in and made the family a massive offer because he had a whole track of future transfers, clubs ready for everybody to earn fortunes with, and the rest is history."

How many goals has Erling Haaland scored?

Given how Haaland’s career has soared ever since his move to Austria, already this has proven to be a devastating error for Orta, who continues to add to his ever-growing embarrassing rap sheet even if he left over the summer.

He would move to Borussia Dortmund in a £17m move, which would have been vital funds to boost Leeds’ coffers; or, had they kept ahold of him, they could have sought to oversee his development and instead reap the rewards of his clinical finishing for themselves.

Just two years in Germany was enough to prove to the rest of the world that he was ready to step up to the elite level, scoring 86 and assisting 23 across just 89 appearances for the die Schwarzgelben.

Such form was not to come at a cut price, but the £51m that Pep Guardiola expended to bring him to Manchester has already proved a coup. The treble-winning number nine scored the most goals in a single Premier League term during his debut year, among the numerous other records he shattered, and has now amassed 68 goal contributions in just 59 games for the Sky Blues.

That fee has certainly already skyrocketed because of this fine form in the best league in Europe, with CIES Football Observatory now valuing him at a mouth-watering €250m (£215m).

As such, former Citizens defender Joleon Lescott has rushed to compare the youngster to some of the greatest forwards in the history of the game, such is his pedigree already.

He spoke to 90min just before their victory over Inter Milan to claim European glory: "I think the generation I played in, against the likes of [Didier] Drogba, [Ruud] van Nistelrooy, [Emmanuel] Adebayor, I think there's attributes that were probably more familiar because there was more of that type of striker.

"I think he's definitely a unique talent, generational talent. There's types of goals that not many forwards could score, and that's kind of why I've compared him to Zlatan. There's a couple in his catalogue that only he reaches, he attempts, he executes. That would be the closest comparison."

To think that Leeds actually had Haaland in the building, ready and raring to sign before having to reject him, will forever haunt the likes of Orta and those around him at the time. Their financial woes of the time were certainly debilitating to deal with, but this arguably marks their greatest failure in modern history, as the quintessential example of the one that got away.

Heart of Midlothian suffered an agonising 2-1 defeat to Greek side PAOK in their Europa Conference League qualifier on Thursday evening.

With the match finely poised at 1-1, Lawrence Shankland scored a stunning goal which looked to have given Hearts the lead. It was chalked off, however, and Andrija Zivkovic netted the winner 15 minutes from time with a wonderful strike.

It wasn’t the result Steven Naismith would have hoped for, yet it showed that there wasn’t much between the two teams, and given how many young talents he has at his disposal such as Alex Lowry, Hearts could respond well next week.

How has Alex Lowry performed at Hearts?

The young midfielder joined on loan from Rangers, and it could turn into a stroke of genius from Naismith.

He has played five times so far and grabbed two assists while demonstrating glimpses of his vast talent during his two appearances in the Premiership.

Averaging just 45 minutes per game, the 20-year-old has taken 33 touches per match while making one key pass and one tackle per match, suggesting that he is comfortable getting on the ball and trying to make things happen, while also looking to win the ball back.

Having burst onto the scene in January 2022 by scoring on his Gers debut in the Scottish Cup, he couldn’t quite become a regular starter last term due to injury issues, and a loan spell looked like the best option.

There is no doubt a move to Hearts will aid his development. Naismith will only benefit from his presence for a year – however, could he perhaps unearth his own Lowry with a teenage starlet from the B side in Callum Sandilands?

Who is Callum Sandilands?

The 17-year-old joined the Gorgie side back in 2021 following his release from Rangers, and was previously lauded by John Rankin, who was the Hearts U18 manager at the time.

He said: "Callum first came in on trial back in June and really impressed us.

"He’s a goalscoring midfielder who brings so much energy to the team and he can also play in a number of positions across midfield.

"He’s got good vision and technical ability and, equally as important, has a fantastic attitude.

"I believe Hearts is the perfect place for him to continue his development and I look forward to seeing him progress over the coming months and years."

High praise indeed for someone so young, and his time in Edinburgh has enabled him to gain some crucial game time for the B team.

He has played across a few positions over the previous two seasons, most notably in an attacking-midfield role, yet the teen can also operate wide on the right or slightly deeper if required.

Like Lowry, Sandilands is a goalscoring midfielder who tends to push forward as often as possible, and across 41 matches for the B side, he has racked up an impressive 18 goals and four assists.

Yet to make his senior bow, Naismith could change that this term, especially if they do make the group stages of the Europa Conference League, with squad rotation vital to keeping the starting XI fresh.

The manager should enjoy Lowry for the single campaign he will spend at Tynecastle, but in Sandilands, he could unearth his very own wonderful talent who could go on to emulate what Lowry has already achieved.