Manchester United have had an abundance of players come through the doors at Old Trafford over the last decade, with it fair to say that while some have worked out for the better, others have seemingly flopped.

A recent example of this is that of Jadon Sancho, the winger signed from Borussia Dortmund for a fee in the region of £73m back in 2021.

Although for his first couple of seasons, the Englishman put in solid numbers by being involved in eight goals during the 2021/22 campaign and then a further ten in the following term, he was hardly a pivotal player within the Red Devils' squad.

Those woes culminated in his decline during the early stages of 2023/24, as the wideman was isolated from Erik ten Hag's squad and shipped back to Dortmund in January on a loan move until the end of the season, where, in just seven games, he has managed to assist his teammates twice.

Another of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's signings who can be included in the same sort of category as Sancho is that of Daniel James. The one-time Swansea City attacker joined the club in 2019 for a fee worth up to £18m after add-ons, before leaving just two years later.

Despite the Welshman's mixed fortunes at Old Trafford, he certainly had his moments at the club, with his strengths making him the type of player who could have thrived in tomorrow's eagerly-awaited Manchester derby.

Dan James' stats whilst at Man Utd

Whilst he only spent a couple of years in Manchester before joining Leeds for £25m, James certainly wasn't a complete disaster as he played in a total of 74 games and managed to contribute to 18 goals and assists.

That record holds up well in contrast to current flop, Antony, for instance, with the Brazilian having contributed just 13 goals and assists in 71 games in all competitions for the club to date, following his arrival on a mammoth £86m deal.

With the trip to the Etihad on the horizon, Ten Hag may wish he had a figure like James to call upon instead of the struggling Antony, with the Leeds man having that willing work ethic to be a useful asset in a one-off game like the derby.

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The star has been unable to live up to his huge price tag.

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That can also be seen in his potential likeness to a certain, Park Ji-Sung, with South American journalist Leo Escudeiro making that comparison between the pair due to James being "technically limited, mega-fast and very dedicated".

Park, of course, may not have been the most high-profile of players, but he cemented cult hero status at United due to his hard-working nature and ability to deliver the goods on the big occasion, with former teammate Wayne Rooney stating that the South Korean was "almost as important to our success" as the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and 'Wazza' himself.

In moments, James could offer something similar, with Solskjaer previously saying of his talents: "Dan with the energy he has, the X-factor and the pace, he gives us something that must be hard to play against if you are a defender."

This level of praise from the treble-winner outlines how well the Wales international played whilst at the club and shows that he could've given the Red Devils something extra to offer against the reigning Premier League champions on Sunday.

Dan James' record against Man City

As aforementioned, United are set to face Manchester City tomorrow afternoon and will be looking to try and get one over their imperious arch-rivals.

The club currently find themselves residing outside the top four after winning four of their last five top-flight games, albeit while slipping to a meek defeat at home to Fulham a week ago.

Blast from the Past

Football FanCast's Blast from the Past series takes a trip down memory lane. Do any of your classic icons of days gone by fit into a modern-day starting XI?

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With Rasmus Hojlund currently sidelined, Ten Hag may have to select a forward line of Alejandro Garnacho, Marcus Rashford and the aforementioned Antony, although there may be a sense that a talent like James would've been far more useful.

The 26-year-old's ability to hurt the Cityzens was notably laid bare following United's 2-1 triumph away from home back in December 2019, with James playing so well that United legend, Peter Schmeichel described his performance as "unbelievable".

As Gary Neville stated in commentary at the time, the hosts were simply "battered" on the counter-attack with the speedy winger central to that game plan, with journalist Samuel Luckhurst writing for Manchester Evening News that 'City could not keep up with his blistering pace' while awarding him an 8/10 match rating.

While James has played against City a total of ten times in his career and only managed one goal involvement – that assist coming in that 2-1 triumph in 2019 – he certainly provided Solskjaer's side with a real outlet that Ten Hag is currently lacking.

One thing is for sure, most United supporters would rather see James lining up on the right flank, ahead of the hapless Antony…

Australia’s ODI and T20 captain Aaron Finch wants to make one more push at trying to play Test cricket again after a brief and ultimately unsuccessful stint last summer.Finch was surprisingly drafted into the Test team for the UAE series against Pakistan last October, in the wake of the suspensions to Cameron Bancroft, David Warner and Steven Smith following the ball-tampering scandal, despite a middling first-class record.He played five Tests, two against Pakistan away and three against India at home, making two half-centuries before he was dropped after the Boxing Day Test.Finch’s experiment at the top of the order in Tests had a huge impact on his limited-overs returns and put him under pressure heading towards the World Cup, but he regained his form and his confidence to lead Australia to the semi-final.But after riding the rollercoaster last year, Finch is ready to have one more push at trying to play Test cricket again this summer.”For me personally, it’s about probably having one really good crack at trying to get back to the Test team again,” Finch told radio station. “The young guys who came in and did well throughout the back half of last summer did a really good job. I still think that I’ve got one really good crack at it left in me.”There are four Sheffield Shield games before the first Test against Pakistan for Finch to make his case although he is likely to miss one game when he is required to lead Australia’s T20I team in six matches against Sri Lanka and Pakistan.He played one County Championship game for Surrey during his stint in England after the World Cup, scoring 90 against Hampshire at The Oval. He only managed one game for Victoria last summer in between Test, ODI and T20I duties.”Obviously [I’ll] just try and get some runs, get some big runs there. That’s my plan,” Finch said. “I think, the young kids who have come in a taken their opportunities, Kurtis Patterson and Travis Head, these guys have come in and done reasonably well when they’ve played.”Kurtis got a hundred in the last Test that he played. Will Pucovski and that whole crop of young batters who are coming through are so talented, so I think I’ve got one more push in it for myself. If it doesn’t happen then it doesn’t happen. I’m comfortable with that. It will be nice to play a few Shield games in a row to be fair. It’s been a while since I’ve played more than one in a row.”Finch said he watched the Ashes with envy and still felt a desire to be part of Test cricket. He took heart from Matthew Wade’s effort to get back to Test level and score two Ashes centuries after dominating Shield cricket last summer.One point of conjecture will be where he bats for Victoria. There was a lot of debate last year about his selection as a Test opener given in his 44 first-class innings prior to his Test debut he had batted no higher than No. 4 for either Victoria or Surrey.Victoria coach Andrew McDonald was adamant Finch would not open in his only game for Victoria last season and the compromise was that he batted at No. 3 against Queensland ahead of the first Test against India.”We haven’t spoken about that just yet,” Finch said. “There’s a lot of quality players in Victoria at the moment so getting a game might be the first start. I think middle order will probably be my preferred spot. I know doing the opening duties last summer was one of first times I’d really done it in the longer format but you take any opportunity you can when you play for Australia.”

MatériaMais Notícias

O São Paulo terá que contar com a força do seu elenco na maratona de jogos que pode acontecer neste mês de maio. Com as lesões de Daniel Alves, Luciano e Eder, o técnico Hernán Crespo vai ‘quebrar a cabeça’ para achar uma escalação ideal, ainda mais em jogos decisivos, onde escalará os titulares.

ATUAÇÕES: Miranda faz ótima partida, e São Paulo segura o empate fora

O setor ofensivo promete ser o mais prejudicado pelas ausências. Luciano é titular do ataque do Tricolor ao lado de Pablo, e tem importância por sua liderança e garra dentro de campo. Já Eder vinha sendo opção para o segundo tempo e entrava com certa frequência.

VEJA A TABELA DO CAMPEONATO PAULISTA

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Com as baixas, alguns jogadores do São Paulo podem ganhar sequência como titulares, casos de Vitor Bueno, Galeano e Bruno Rodrigues. O mais provável é que o camisa 12 seja escolhido, já que vem fazendo boas atuações no ataque e já marcou dois gols na competição.

O equatoriano Joao Rojas, que tem o seu contrato se encerrando no final desse mês, também fez boas partidas, sendo artilheiro da equipe no estadual até o momento, com quatro gols. No entanto, ele se recupera de um edema na coxa esquerda e ficou fora do jogo contra o Racing.

Na ala-direita, onde Daniel Alves está atuando nesta temporada, Crespo pode escalar Igor Vinicius ou Galeano. O primeiro, inclusive, foi o escolhido do treinador para a substituição do camisa dez diante do Racing. No entanto, o jovem paraguaio tem mais o apoio da torcida e já foi destaque nesta posição.

Crespo já havia ficado preocupado com o calendário, mesmo antes de saber da gravidade das lesões dos seus atletas.

– Muito preocupado com o calendário, muito. Neste momento, devemos jogar, na próxima semana, a Copa Libertadores e as quarta de final (Paulistão), em menos de 48 horas – comentou o argentino.

Crespo fez questão de afirmar que o São Paulo representa os organizadores dos campeonatos nacionais em competições como a Libertadores, logo, estes deveriam tomar medidas que ajudassem as equipes a apresentarem um futebol melhor nos torneios continentais.

– Representamos a federação paulista, representamos a federação brasileira. Isso que deve pensar a Federação Paulista quanto ao calendário, para ajudar. Seria realmente importante se a federação começasse a pensar em seus representantes, em um de seus representantes na Copa Libertadores – pediu.

O São Paulo volta a jogar neste domingo, quando encerra a fase classificatória do Campeonato Paulista diante do Mirassol, ainda sem horário definido, no interior paulista. O Tricolor é o líder do Grupo B, com 26 pontos conquistados.

Aston Villa’s revival since Unai Emery arrived at the club in October 2022 has been nothing short of remarkable, especially considering where they were under Steven Gerrard.

The former Rangers manager was widely expected to take them to the next level, with his success in Glasgow key to him getting the job, but he turned out to be a poor appointment in the end.

Not only has Emery managed to get the better of the likes of Mikel Arteta and Pep Guardiola this season, but the Spaniard has shown diligence in the transfer market, improving his squad piece by piece, making some excellent signings.

This has not always been the case at the Midlands outfit, however, as previous managers spent lavish sums of money on players who either rinsed the club dry or failed to live up to expectations.

On rare occasions, a player would fit both of these criteria and one name which springs to mind is that of Ross McCormack, who failed to build upon his initial hype upon his arrival during his spell at Villa.

Ross McCormack’s career statistics

The Scottish striker started off his career by working through the youth system at Rangers, finally earning his big break towards the end of 2003/04, scoring in the last match of the season against Dunfermline Athletic.

It wasn’t until the 2005/06 season that he began to make more appearances under Alex McLeish, with the youngster scoring against Porto in the Champions League, and it looked as though he could be a useful option for the Gers.

Club

Games

Goals

Leeds United

157

58

Fulham

100

42

Cardiff City

88

30

Motherwell

51

9

Aston Villa

24

3

Doncaster

19

5

Melbourne City

17

14

Rangers

13

3

Nottingham Forest

7

1

Central Coast

5

1

Aldershot

2

0

The striker ended up joining Motherwell and eight goals during 2007/08 convinced Cardiff City to take a chance on the Scot, and it turned out to be a wise choice, as he scored 30 goals in 88 appearances for the Welsh side, enhancing his reputation in England.

A productive spell at Leeds United meant Fulham shelled out a transfer fee in the region of £11m to secure the services of the former Light Blues striker in 2014, and he continued his fine scoring rate in the second tier, netting 42 goals for the Cottagers in just 100 appearances, while it looked as though he was ready to make the step-up to a team who held Premier League ambitions.

In the summer of 2016, Aston Villa began to show interest in McCormack and, given that they had just been relegated from the Premier League, they clearly wanted to spend as little time in the Championship as possible.

How much Aston Villa paid to sign Ross McCormack

The club were relegated at the end of the 2015/16 season, their first-ever relegation during the Premier League era, and it meant big changes for the club.

Roberto Di Matteo took over the club in the summer and was looking to build a squad which would secure promotion at the first time of asking.

McCormack was high on the list of transfer targets and, considering he had scored 116 goals in the second tier during his spells at Cardiff, Leeds, and Fulham, snapping him up would give the Italian the best chance of success.

Indeed, the former Chelsea manager spent £12m to secure his services ahead of the 2016/17 season and with the hope of matching the sort of numbers he had enjoyed at Fulham, this move had the potential to be a stunning bargain.

"He is a player whose goalscoring record has been excellent everywhere he has been and we feel he can be an important addition," said Di Matteo upon his arrival, yet the move soon turned sour and McCormack would fail to live up to these lofty heights.

Ross McCormack’s statistics at Aston Villa

The Scottish hitman got off to a decent enough start in his new surroundings, scoring twice and grabbing an assist in his first seven Championship matches for Villa.

They only managed to win one of these, however, losing two and drawing the other four as the drop-down into the second tier was proving harder than first anticipated.

It took McCormack until Boxing Day to score his third Villa goal, yet just over a month later, he was sent out on loan to Nottingham Forest following a strained relationship with Steve Bruce, the new manager.

This was the beginning of the end for the player, and he never scored for Villa again, costing the club millions in wages and his transfer fee.

How much Ross McCormack cost Aston Villa

The striker eventually terminated his contract at the club in the summer of 2019, three years after joining for £12m.

After his loan to Forest, McCormack endured another three loan spells away from Villa over the next two years to clubs such as Melbourne City, Central Coast Mariners, and Motherwell, yet failed to hit the lofty heights he had achieved earlier in his career.

Combining his transfer fee with the £38.5k-per-week wages that the player had earned during his spell at Villa, he cost the club £17m in total in what proved to be a total waste of money.

This was at a time when big-money signings could not be afforded due to their status as a second-tier side, yet he rinsed the club of nearly £20m for three paltry goals.

Bruce criticised him during his spell in charge at Villa Park after he missed training due to an excuse about an electric gate, saying: “In my opinion, he is not fit enough to play, and he will not play unless his attitude towards training and missing training improves. If that improves then I will reconsider him but if he continues to miss training, as he has done, that will be the situation."

Simon Jordan also got in the act, dubbing McCormack a “lazy slob” in February 2017, and it was clear the move was a failure for all parties involved.

Emery, meanwhile, has spent millions in the transfer market, but his signings have been calculated pieces of business that can either improve Villa immediately or come good in the future.

Tottenham legend Ledley King has privately told Spurs chiefs to make a transfer swoop this summer.

Spurs want to sign new defenders for Postecoglou

Despite already bringing in Radu Dragusin from Genoa for £25 million in January, reports in the last few weeks suggest that Ange Postecoglou's defence could look very different next season.

Club determined to sign Tottenham player as chiefs already open talks

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ByEmilio Galantini Mar 19, 2024

Indeed, Postecoglou has already expressed the club's wish to bring in another centre-back, as the Lilywhites head coach claims it's an area which needs further reinforcement.

“If you’re saying, ‘Is it an area we can strengthen?’, yes it’s an area we will probably look at”, said Postecoglou on Spurs signing another centre-back.

“With all these things, it’s about trying to strengthen the group as much as anything else. If you think about when I first arrived, we had maybe six or seven centre-backs at the club. So it’s not just numbers. It’s more about the ability of those players to play the football we want and to fit in to what we’re trying to build here.

Luton Town (home)

March 30th

West Ham (away)

April 2nd

Nottingham Forest (home)

April 8th

Newcastle United (away)

April 13th

Arsenal (home)

April 27th

“I think it is an area of the park we will look to strengthen, but I think we’ll look to strengthen all areas of the park come the end of the season. That is planning that’s already underway, and other people are in charge of it at the moment.

“We’re a squad that needs to develop, and we’re looking for that younger demographic. But at the same time you’re looking for guys that have played."

As well as at centre-back, Spurs are identifying potential full-back signings, with Postecoglou believed to want alternatives to star defensive duo Pedro Porro and Destiny Udogie. The pair have been crucial to Tottenham's success under Postecoglou and are a major foundation of their push for Champions League qualification next season, but there are arguably few quality alternatives to the duo behind them.

Emerson Royal stands out as the only choice behind Porro, while questions surround the longevity of Ben Davies at left-back and the torrid injury record of Ryan Sessegnon.

Tottenham told to sign Ben Johnson by Ledley King

Now, according to Football Transfers, Spurs legend King has told Tottenham to sign West Ham defender Ben Johnson to help fix their lack of depth at full-back.

The Englishman, who is now attracting interest from Tottenham as a result, is out of contract at the end of this season and could join the club for free. Former West Ham staff member Stuart Pearce highly rates the 24-year-old from their time together in east London as well.

"He's a wonderful professional to deal with and work with," said Pearce on the £20,000-a-week defender.

"We're very proud to have him out of our academy system as well, which is a real plus for us, especially with the connection to this club with the academy. I think he's just developing and getting better and better, and like with all young players, the more game time they have, the better they'll get, so I am delighted for the boy."

The sentence is of two years, with one year suspended

Mohammad Isam and Nagraj Gollapudi29-Oct-2019

Shakib Al Hasan has been banned for a year, with one year suspended, for not reporting bookie approaches•Getty Images

Shakib Al Hasan, Bangladesh’s Test and T20I captain, has been banned by the ICC from all cricket for two years, with one year of that sentence suspended, after he accepted three charges of breaching the ICC anti-corruption code.What rule did Shakib violate?

The most basic form of offence for failing the report an approach is covered under 2.4.4 of the ACU code. It says: “Failing to disclose to the ACU (without unnecessary delay) full details of any approaches or invitations received by the Participant to engage in Corrupt Conduct under the Anti-Corruption Code.”
The reason behind reporting any approach promptly and quickly is because any delay can hamper investigations.
“It is acknowledged that the assessment of whether there had been ‘unnecessary delay’ in each case will depend on its own circumstances, but it is always unacceptable (and will therefore constitute ‘unnecessary delay’) for a Participant to wait until after the match in respect of which he/she was invited to engage in Corrupt Conduct before reporting that approach to the ACU,” the ICC code says.
What is the sanction?
A minimum of six months and a maximum of five years.

His offences related to two tournaments in 2018: an ODI tri-series in January, also involving Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe, and one match in the IPL, where he was a player with Sunrisers Hyderabad.Shakib, 32, is Bangladesh’s leading current cricketer and among their all-time greats. He is currently at No. 3, No. 1 and No. 2 in the ICC allrounders’ rankings for Tests, ODIs and T20Is respectively, and is also a valuable member of the various T20 franchises he is part of across the world.He will be free to resume international cricket on October 29, 2020, subject to his satisfying the conditions in respect of the suspended part of the sanction. He is likely to miss most – or all – of next year’s headline event, the World T20 in Australia, which runs from October 18 to November 15.ALSO READ – ‘Do we work in this or I wait til the IPL’ – Bookie to Shakib
The ICC charged Shakib under Article 2.4.4, for failure to report two approaches to engage in corrupt conduct during the tri-series and for failure to disclose full details of any approaches or invitations he received to engage in corrupt conduct in relation to the Sunrisers Hyderabad v Kings XI Punjab match in IPL 2018 on April 26, 2018.In order to avoid the one-year suspended sentence coming into effect, Shakib must not commit any offence under the ACU code during the initial one-year suspension, and participate regularly in anti-corruption education and/or rehabilitation programmes.The ICC’s case revolved around a series of messages exchanged between Shakib and the alleged corruptor Deepak Aggarwal, and Shakib’s failure to report “not one but three approaches” – as the ICC put it – by him. Those approaches, and Shakib’s failures to report, occurred over a period of several months.The approaches made to Shakib were “clear in their content and intent”, the ICC said; it was clear to Shakib that Aggarwal’s intention was to obtain inside information to use for betting purposes. It also noted that Shakib was an experienced international cricketer fully aware of his responsibilities under the ICC’s code of conduct and, additionally, he was captain of his national side.The ICC said that Shakib had accepted the charges and agreed to the sanction in lieu of an anti-corruption tribunal hearing.”I am obviously extremely sad to have been banned from the game I love, but I completely accept my sanction for not reporting the approaches,” an ICC statement quoted him as saying. “The ICC ACU is reliant on players to play a central part in the fight against corruption and I didn’t do my duty in this instance.”Alex Marshall, ICC’s general manager – integrity, said, “Shakib Al Hasan is a highly experienced international cricketer. He has attended many education sessions and knows his obligations under the Code. He should have reported each of these approaches. Shakib has accepted his errors and cooperated fully with the investigation.”BCB President Nazmul Hassan said Shakib first told him about the case two or three days ago, after the players’ strike was withdrawn, and informed the board about the punishment this evening.The board, he said, was “shocked and extremely disappointed that an experienced player like Shakib” had failed to report corrupt approach on three occasions. “We hope he will come back as a better and wiser cricketer and serve Bangladesh for many more years” when his sanction ends.”I also want to make it clear that BCB had nothing to do with it, neither did any of us know. The ACSU, which did this investigation since January, was done independently of the ICC. We only knew that they contacted Shakib, so we just heard the verdict.”The Shakib development has come at a time of huge upheaval in the BCB. Only a week ago, Shakib had led a players’ strike in Bangladesh, which came to an end last Wednesday after the BCB ceded to all the demands.The news also comes on the eve of Bangladesh’s tour of India, which starts on November 3. Shakib was meant to leave with the Bangladesh T20I squad on Wednesday for the tour, which comprises three T20Is and two Test matches.

Two years ahead of the World Cup, and in the wake of a failed Copa America, Gregg Berhalter was fired as USMNT coach

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

• Berhalter coaching tenure officially comes to end
• USMNT eliminated in Copa America group stage
• Move comes 2 years before World Cup

• Getty
  

  WHAT HAPPENED?

  Gregg Berhalter was fired as U.S. men’s soccer coach on Wednesday, less than two weeks after the USMNT was eliminated in the Copa America group stage on home soil. After a tournament-opening win over Bolivia, the U.S. fell to Panama in their second match before losing to Uruguay in a do-or-die group stage finale.

  That unexpected Copa America failure ultimately cost Berhalter his job, as the USMNT will move in a new direction just two years before the 2026 World Cup arrives stateside.

  U.S. Soccer announced that it has launched a search for Berhalter’s replacement, led by Sporting Director Matt Crocker, who said in a statement, “Our immediate focus is on finding a coach who can maximize our potential as we continue to prepare for the 2026 World Cup, and we have already begun our search process."

  “We are deeply grateful to Gregg for his commitment the past five years to the Men’s National Team and to U.S. Soccer,” said Crocker. “Gregg has earned the respect of everyone within our organization and has played a pivotal role in bringing together a young team and moving the program forward. We wish Gregg all the best in his future endeavors, and we know he will find success in his next coaching position.”

  U.S. Soccer President Cindy Parlow Cone also thanked Berhalter, and said in a statement that the federation would leverage Crocker's "experience at the highest levels of the sport to ensure we find the right person to lead the USMNT into a new era of on-field success."

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• Getty Images
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Berhalter initially took charge of the USMNT in 2019, helping lead the team back to the 2022 World Cup. He was then rehired in the summer of 2023 as U.S. Soccer handed him the reins for a second World Cup cycle.

  He departs the job with a total of 44 wins, 13 draws and 17 losses across his 74 USMNT matches. His 44 wins are the third-most by a USMNT manager of all time, trailing only Bruce Arena (81) and Jurgen Klinsmann (55). Notable victories during his tenure came in the CONCACAF Nations League, where he was in charge for two trophies, as well as the 2021 Gold Cup.

  Under Berhalter, though, the U.S. struggled to defeat non-CONCACAF foes, and the team's failures at the Copa America – especially in the wake of heightened expectations, with the matches played in the U.S. – robbed them of a chance to face some of South America's heavy-hitters in the knockouts.

  Berhalter had eight years of managerial experience before joining the USMNT. He got his start at Hammarby in the Swedish League in 2011 but was fired in 2013. He led the Columbus Crew in MLS from 2013 to 2018.

• Getty
  

  WHAT BERHALTER SAID

  “I want to thank the U.S. Soccer Federation for entrusting me to lead this team for the past five years — representing our country is a tremendous honor and I am proud of the identity we have built on and off the field," Berhalter said in a statement. "It was very gratifying watching this team improve over the years and I remain grateful for the lifetime bonds created with our players, coaches, and staff members. The Copa America result is extremely disappointing and I take full responsibility for our performance. Our approach and process was always focused on the 2026 World Cup and I remain confident that this group will be one of the great stories in 2026.”

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• Getty
  

  WHAT NEXT FOR USMNT

  As U.S. Soccer embarks on another coaching search, the USMNT will be back in action in September, with two friendlies already on the schedule. The U.S. will face Canada, led by one-time USMNT coaching candidate Jesse Marsch, on Sept. 7 in Kansas City before taking on New Zealand three days later in Cincinnati.

Seamer replaces Lockie Ferguson in New Zealand squad for final two T20Is

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Nov-2019Trent Boult will try to be aggressive and take wickets in his first T20I appearance in more than 18 months, as he comes back into the New Zealand side for the fourth game of the series against England in Napier.Boult has not played a T20I since the final of the tri-series against Australia and England in January 2018, having been rested and rotated to manage his workload, but replaces Lockie Ferguson for the final two games of the ongoing series.”There’s a series on the line here at the moment,” Boult said, “and obviously I’m eager to come in and put my best step forward. It’s a format that I haven’t been involved in much at the international level over a period, but I’m looking forward to coming in and trying to do my thing.”Watch cricket on ESPN+

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While Boult hasn’t pulled on the grey strip for some time, he has been an IPL regular for Delhi Capitals over the last two years. He took 18 wickets in the 2018 season, finishing as the leading wicket-taker of the side [Delhi Daredevils at the time], and played five games this year, though struggled to nail down a spot.”It’s the same mindset that I always take into most formats: trying to be aggressive, trying to take wickets, and trying to do my role for the side,” Boult said of his T20 gameplan, “and that is being aggressive with the ball – I’ll try and do that over the next couple of nights.”She’s always a beautiful wicket here [at Napier]. I hope I don’t get to bat on it, but I’m presuming it’s going to be a pretty good surface. It’s not the first time I’ve played here obviously, and we’re familiar with the grounds around the country.”It’s 2-1 in the series, and hopefully we can put a good performance forward and seal off a nice victory in the series.”Boult has been tuning up for the upcoming Test series by playing for Northern Districts in the Plunket Shield, and took eight wickets across the two games he has played for them in the last two weeks.The second of those games was a defeat in Mount Maunganui, which will host its first Test from November 21 as the England series gets underway, and Boult said he was looking forward to playing international cricket at the ground.”It was nice to get some red-ball stuff done at the Mount looking towards the Tests in a couple of weeks’ time,” he said. “It’s just beautiful this time of year. [I’m] looking forward to that Test match there, the inaugural one, and it looks like it’s going to be a good wicket. There’s a lot of hum and a lot of vibe going on in the Bay of Plenty for some Test cricket there.”Another man who could join Boult in the squad for that Test is Ferguson, who is set to play for Auckland in the round of Plunket Shield games starting on Friday. Ferguson is yet to make his Test debut, but could force his way into the reckoning with a strong performance in what will be his first first-class game since March.

Glasgow Rangers face one of their most important matches of the season on Thursday as they welcome Benfica to Ibrox.

A win of any kind will see the Gers progress into the quarter-finals of the Europa League for the second time in three years and set the club up for a hectic climax to the season.

The job Philippe Clement has done during his first six months in charge of the Light Blues is nothing short of remarkable.

The Belgian manager will face various challenges over the next few months, especially with regard to improving his squad in the summer transfer window.

There are a host of players out of contract at Ibrox come the end of the season and Clement will need to replace them should they move on.

Out of contract Rangers players in 2024

Last season, Michael Beale faced a similar situation. In the end, players such as Allan McGregor, Ryan Kent, Alfredo Morelos, Filip Helander and Scott Arfield were not offered extensions and departed the club.

In total, six players are currently out of contract at the end of the current season and, as it stands, will leave Rangers.

Players out of contract at Rangers this season

Player

Club joined from

Games played

Kemar Roofe

Anderlecht

97

Borna Barisic

NK Osijek

230

Jon McLaughlin

Sunderland

46

Leon Balogun

QPR

79 (across two spells)

Ryan Jack

Aberdeen

210

John Lundstram

Sheffield United

143

Via Tansfermarkt

Jon McLaughlin, Kemar Roofe, Ryan Jack, Leon Balogun, Borna Barisic, and John Lundstram are the six players, and in reality, only the latter will be offered an extension due to his impressive form under the Belgian tactician.

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The likes of Roofe and Jack will likely say goodbye in the next couple of months due to their worrying injury record, but it is Barisic who could give Clement the ultimate headache with regard to an extension.

What the future holds for Borna Barisic

The Croatian defender has had no shortage of admirers over the previous 12 months as his contract comes to an end.

Back in November, reports in Italy were linking AS Roma with a move for the left-back, while Aston Villa were also in the hunt to either sign the player on a cut-price deal in the January window or secure him for nothing at the end of the season.

According to Sports Digitale (via Football Scotland) more recently, Turkish outfit Trabzonspor are keen on snapping up the 31-year-old, with the report claiming that his agent has flown to the country for talks with the club.

Barisic has made 230 appearances for the Light Blues since arriving in the summer of 2018, becoming one of Steven Gerrard’s first signings for the club.

In that time, he has won every major domestic honour in Scotland, while helping the Gers reach the Europa League final in 2022, but his form has dipped this season.

Barisic ranks in a lowly 16th position among his teammates for big chances created in the Premiership this term (one), while also ranking ninth for accurate passes per game (29.7), 18th for successful dribbles per game (0.3) and third for possession lost per game (15.5), indicating that when he does get a chance, he has failed to really impress in the starting XI.

Ridvan Yilmaz has taken full advantage of this by becoming the first-choice left-back under Clement in recent months, and it is good to finally see the Turkish gem showcasing his talents.

If Barisic goes, however, there will still need to be another left-back in the squad to cover his departure, but Clement may have an ideal player waiting in the wings…

An exciting replacement for Barisic at Rangers

Clement has placed his trust in youngsters plenty of time this season, keeping Ross McCausland in the side along with giving the likes of Cole McKinnon minutes against Benfica and Hibs recently.

One player he has not utilised as yet is Johnly Yfeko. The defender signed for the Gers back in January 2022 and primarily played for the B team last season, although he was called up to the matchday squad for clashes against St Johnstone, Hearts, and St Mirren due to an injury crisis, but he did not get on the field.

It appeared as though Beale took a shine to him in pre-season, as Yfeko featured against the likes of Hamburg.

“He's in my thoughts for a first-team place, but so is Bailey Rice and Zach Lovelace,” said Beale after Yfeko played the second half against the German side last July.

“But I think Big Johnly has done well again and it's lovely to see when you have a young players come in, you can see the energy. He's not there, he's got some work to do, but I think we might have a good player.”

It did not take long for Beale to unleash him for his competitive debut. In a League Cup tie against Morton last August, several first-team players were rested, as Beale gave the youngsters a chance to shine.

Yfeko was one and the defender did not look out of place in the 2-1 win over the Championship outfit.

He was given a match rating of 7/10 by Football Scotland for his performance, with the report stating that Yfeko was a ‘towering presence’ and that he ‘doesn’t shirk out of a challenge’ in what was a promising debut.

Since then, the 20-year-old has failed to make another appearance, but he has been included in the matchday squad on two further occasions, most recently the last 16 clash against Benfica last week.

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With trophies to be won and continental progress to be achieved between now and May, Clement may not look to throw Yfeko into the deep end, especially with the form that Yilmaz is showing.

He should be encouraged about his prospects heading into the future, however, as Clement has given plenty of able youngsters an opportunity in the first-team squad, and they have not let him down yet.

It is time Barisic moves on from Rangers so that the club can unearth a new generation of player. The Croatian has been a wonderful servant for the Light Blues over the previous five and a half years, but to move forward, Clement has to make some big decisions and this means losing the full-back this summer.

Chelsea lost a tense Carabao Cup final to Liverpool yesterday despite having a string of chances throughout the match.

They were outdone by poor finishing and the brilliance of Anfield ‘keeper Caoimhin Kelleher meant it was the sixth successive English domestic cup final that the Blues had lost.

Throughout the match, several Chelsea players did impress, and they came close to opening the scoring on numerous occasions, most notably when Raheem Sterling had the ball in the net, but the goal was disallowed due to offside.

The Englishman was one of their weakest links, however, failing to rise up to the occasion.

Raheem Sterling’s match in numbers vs Liverpool

If Nicolas Jackson had held his run for a fraction of a second, Sterling would have netted the opener, but aside from that, the former Manchester City wizard offered nothing.

The winger took just 19 touches and completed only eight passes during his 67 minutes on the pitch, and he even failed to succeed with any of his three dribble attempts.

Sterling even managed to lose every single duel he contested as he was easily bullied off the ball and his overall performance simply meant Chelsea looked like they were down to ten men.

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He wasn’t just the main villain though, as Jackson had a chance to make himself a hero for the Stamford Bridge side in his first cup final since arriving last summer, but he too failed to make an impact at Wembley.

Nicolas Jackson’s statistics vs Liverpool

While Jackson may have been slightly more involved during the match than Sterling, as he made a key pass, won six of his 15 contested duels and succeeded with two of his four dribble attempts, his lack of composure did not bode well for Chelsea.

The striker completed just 12 passes throughout the 90 minutes, which was alarmingly 15 fewer than goalkeeper Djorde Petrovic, while only taking 31 touches, showing that when he had the ball at his feet, the former Villarreal forward was rather wasteful.

Liverpool were there for the taking during spells of the final yesterday, and the Blues had a variety of chances to score, but they were outfoxed by their opponents time and time again with Jackson arguably having one of the better chances in the game.

Sent over the top by Enzo Fernandez, the forward raced towards goal only to be denied as Ibrahima Konate dashed back to help deny him. In truth, Jackson really should have found the net.

Mauricio Pochettino would have been counting on his two biggest attacking threats to pose more of a danger to the Liverpool defence, yet they both failed to even register a shot on target during the match.

There is no doubt this Chelsea side will eventually come good, especially with the sheer volume of young talent present in their squad, but will it be Pochettino who brings out the best of his so-called 'billion pound bottle jobs'?

Both Jackson and Sterling need to show big improvements heading into the future, as their display at Wembley yesterday was far from good enough, and it shows that in order to win a major trophy, Pochettino simply has to have a proper out-and-out striker to convert chances.

Between now and May, the Argentinian must raise morale for the Blues to move into the top half of the Premier League table, otherwise he may be handed his P45 at the end of the campaign.