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Yorkshire seamer made England debut in Barbados but is a major doubt for the 2022 season

Matt Roller17-May-2022Matthew Fisher is unlikely to feature for England this summer after scans revealed that his back injury was worse than initially feared.Fisher, 24, made his Test debut in Barbados in March as a late replacement for the unwell Craig Overton and took a wicket with his second ball, having John Campbell caught behind. He finished with match figures of 1 for 71 but would have been in contention for the first Test of the summer if fit, not least with a swathe of English fast bowlers unavailable through injury.Fisher was initially diagnosed with a “stress reaction” in his back following Yorkshire’s win against Gloucestershire in their first County Championship fixture this season and was expected to miss a month of cricket.Related

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But the reported on Monday evening that Fisher had suffered a stress fracture and Yorkshire confirmed in a statement that he is “set for a longer spell on the sidelines” than first thought.”Fisher’s rehabilitation program has been progressing well and the club’s medical staff will continue to monitor and work with the young fast bowler with his long term performance in mind at all times,” Yorkshire said.”Initially I’d said four weeks,” Ottis Gibson, their head coach, had said on Sunday. “But further reports from the medical team seem to suggest that’s going to be a slower process than anticipated. Because of his injury history, we’re going to have to take a more cautious approach with him.”Fisher is expected to miss the majority of the 2022 summer and it is highly unlikely he will have bowled enough overs to be considered for their final Test against South Africa, which starts on September 8.ESPNcricinfo understands that Fisher’s Hundred team, Birmingham Phoenix – for whom he signed a £50,000 contract last month – have already started to look at replacement options in the expectation that he is unlikely to play any part in the tournament, which runs from August 3-September 3.Tom Helm, who played for Phoenix in 2021 but was not retained and went unsigned in the draft, is understood to be the frontrunner after a bright start to the Championship season with Middlesex.

A Manchester United player who endured an awful night against Newcastle United has now agreed to leave the club in the January transfer window, according to a new update.

Another terrible night for Man Utd

It was another grim evening for the Red Devils on Monday, as they were soundly beaten 2-0 by the Magpies in their Premier League clash at Old Trafford. While the second half performance was better than a woeful opening 45 minutes, that was due in part to the visitors simply taking their foot off the gas.

It has been a sobering start to life as United head coach for Ruben Amorim, who will now be more aware than ever of what a huge job he has on his hands. He has a squad that gradually needs to be gutted, with too many individuals way off the pace this season.

Joshua Zirkzee vs Newcastle United

In midfield, Casemiro and Christian Eriksen look like shadows of the players they used to be, while Joshua Zirkzee was substituted before half-time on Monday evening, such was his ineffective nature leading the line.

Fortunately for Amorim, January offers United a chance to make new signings, and while it remains to be seen how many fresh faces will come in, the squad badly needs reinforcements of some kind, not least to ensure the Red Devils don’t become embroiled in an embarrassing Premier League relegation battle.

Man Utd star "agrees to leave" in January

According to UOL [via Sport Witness], Casemiro has agreed to leave Manchester United and quit the club in the January window, with a move to Saudi Arabia in the offing. PIF are “determined” to bring him to one of the Saudi Pro League clubs that they own, with the Brazilian deciding he wants to leave.

The £350,000-a-week-earning Casemiro simply has to seal a move away from United, having drifted well past his peak at this point in his career.

Forget Zirkzee: £57m Man Utd dud has become even "worse" under Amorim

Manchester United fell to a fourth straight defeat under boss Ruben Amorim last night.

ByEthan Lamb Dec 31, 2024

The 32-year-old has had a wonderful career, especially at Real Madrid, enjoying so much Champions League success, and he was also an influential figure for the Red Devils during the early part of his time at the club.

What we are now seeing is a shadow of the player who has dominated so many midfield battles down the years, however, with his performance against Newcastle painful to watch at times. The former Madrid man was so easily bypassed by the Magpies’ midfield of Bruno Guimaraes, Sandro Tonali and Joelinton, with both he and Eriksen powerless to match them in terms of pace and physicality.

On Monday, Casemiro lost possession 15 times, according to Sofascore, also being dribbled past one and missing a big chance, and it was a performance that perfectly outlined why his United career needs to come to an end.

Sanju Samson and Suryakumar Yadav are also back in the squad

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Jun-20225:02

Jaffer: Hardik should be first-choice captain when Rohit is unavailable

Hardik Pandya will lead India during their two-match T20I tour of Ireland at the end of June. With the squad lacking a number of regulars who will be in England preparing for the Edgbaston Test match, Hardik will get a chance to bring to international cricket the leadership skills he displayed while captaining Gujarat Titans to the IPL 2022 title.Bhuvneshwar Kumar will be his deputy.The squad includes a first-time call-up for Rahul Tripathi, who scored an impressive 413 runs for Sunrisers Hyderabad during the recently concluded IPL season, at an average of 37.54 and a strike rate of 158.23. His performances, which were marked by his willingness to take risks early in his innings, drew widespread praise, with a number of experts suggesting he was ready to play international cricket. Speaking on the ESPNcricinfo show T20 Time:Out, former India coach Ravi Shastri said Tripathi was “not far at all” from an India call-up.India squad for T20Is against Ireland•ESPNcricinfo Ltd”It is a very big opportunity, a dream come true [moment] and [I] appreciate [it],” Tripathi told . “I am very happy that the selectors and everybody believed in me and whatever hard-work I have put in, I have got the rewards. And hopefully, if I get an opportunity to play, I will try and give my best.”There are also recalls for two other middle-order batters in Sanju Samson and Suryakumar Yadav, with the latter having recovered from the forearm injury that ruled him out of the closing stages of the IPL as well as India’s ongoing home T20I series against South Africa.The rest of the squad is along expected lines, with no unforced changes from the squad that is currently trailing South Africa 2-1 after three matches of the five-game series. The only exclusions are of Rishabh Pant, who is captaining India in that series, and Shreyas Iyer, both of whom will be part of India’s Test squad in England.The BCCI release announcing the squad has Dinesh Karthik slotted in as wicketkeeper, although he, Ishan Kishan and Samson can all fulfill the role in Pant’s absence. Arshdeep Singh and Umran Malik, the two uncapped fast bowlers who are yet to feature against South Africa, will travel to Ireland too.VVS Laxman will coach India on the tour, standing in for regular head coach Rahul Dravid who will be with the Test squad in England. Laxman will be assisted by batting coach Sitanshu Kotak, bowling coach Sairaj Bahutule and fielding coach Munish Bali.The two T20Is are scheduled to be played on June 26 and 28 in Malahide.

The AC Milan player mentioned that El Tri's coach is not very interested in playing styles and addressed his own struggles in front of goal

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Mexico won its first Nations League title under 'Vasco'Santiago Giménez has four goals for in 32 matches.He is currently on an eight-game goal drought across all competitions.Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱Getty Images SportWHAT HAPPENED?

Javier Aguirre is in his third stint as the head coach of El Tri and managed to secure the team's first Nations League title, with the country winning it for the first time in four attempts.

In a recent interview with Christian Martinoli and Luis García for , Santiago Giménez shared that during his early call-ups under Aguirre, the coach made it clear that he didn’t care about playing beautifully, but rather that his main goal was for other national teams to respect Mexico again.

"Aguirre told us he didn’t care about playing beautifully. He has reminded us who we are, he has brought back our DNA, that we are Mexicans, and he transmits that to us from the moment we arrive at the national team," Gimenez explained. "That also makes us want to step onto the field and defend our country with everything we’ve got."

AdvertisementWHAT SANTIAGO GIMÉNEZ AND HUGO SÁNCHEZ SAID

Giménez is struggling for form in front of goal recently. He is currently on a six-game goalless streak with AC Milan and was also unable to find the net in Mexico’s two Nations League matches. The striker has only scored four goals in 32 appearances for, but he remains confident in turning things around.

"In the Mexican National Team, my stats are low. I think I’ve been missing that moment of calm when finishing, but I’m sure the goals will come," he said.

Meanwhile, Mexican football legend Hugo Sánchez, who won five Golden Boot titles in Spain’s La Liga with Real Madrid, believes Gimenez needs to rebuild his confidence and it starts on the training pitch.

"Stay calm, don’t get desperate, don’t get discouraged. A striker must always be ready to take as many clear chances as possible—the more, the better. You shouldn’t lose inspiration just because of the eight-game goal drought," Sanchez told ESPN. "It’s been a while since you last scored for Mexico, but that’s just a number. Missing a penalty with Napoli in your last game, well, as strikers, we don’t like to miss. Whenever I missed a penalty, I’d go to training the next day and take 20 to 30 penalties to regain confidence for the next one. Keep your head up—those eight games are just a statistic."

AFPDID YOU KNOW?

Giménez's most recent goal with the Mexican National Team came on July 17, 2023, in the Gold Cup final against Panama, where Mexico became the champion. In a few months, the national team will compete in the tournament again, aiming to defend their title. However, it has been 16 matches since his last goal. The other teams he has scored against are Haiti (2023), Nigeria (2022), and Chile (2021).

Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR EL TRI AND GIMÉNEZ?

His next opportunity will come during the June FIFA window when Mexico faces Switzerland and Turkey in friendly matches ahead of the Gold Cup. Following that, the Mexican National Team will concentrate on competing in the tournament they have won 12 times, with opponents yet to be confirmed as the draw will take place on April 10.

Looking to repeat their transfer genius of the past, Brighton & Hove Albion have now reportedly opened talks to sign another South American youngster ahead of European giants Real Madrid.

Brighton transfer news

As arguably one of, if not the best, ran club in the Premier League, Brighton relish the transfer window and they could yet prove exactly why once again this month. For any side looking to become an established top flight side, those at The Amex have created the blueprint to follow by creating stars, selling them for huge profit and then welcoming replacements capable of enjoying a similar rise.

As a result, they once again find themselves on course for a top half finish in what would be a fantastic first season under Fabian Hurzeler – the youngest manager in Premier League history at just 31 years old.

Now, having previously welcomed Alexis Mac Allister, Moises Caicedo and Julio Enciso, the Seagulls look set to make a return to the South American market to land another young star.

According to Graeme Bailey for The Boot Room, Brighton have opened talks to sign Vitor Reis from Palmeiras in a deal that could cost as much as £25m. Despite interest from Real Madrid, Arsenal and Chelsea, the Sussex side look set to act early enough to secure another impressive coup.

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Fabian Hürzeler is keen to strengthen his defence this winter.

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Just 18 years old, Reis could yet prove to be an Enciso repeat, given that the midfielder also arrived at a young age and from his home country of Paraguay in the summer of 2022.

A central defender rather than a midfielder on this occasion, Brighton may have found their eventual replacement for ageing captain Lewis Dunk for years to come.

Brighton can land "heir to Thiago Silva" in Reis

At just 18 years old, Reis has found himself at the centre of some impressive praise, including from Ben Mattinson. The analyst even went as far as claiming that the defender is “Brazil’s heir to Thiago Silva” before describing his aerial ability as “strong” and dubbing the teenager a player with “ice-cold composure” back in October.

Real Madrid’s interest should paint quite the picture of just how highly Reis is rated across European football and, therefore, the significance of Brighton’s potential January swoop.

For the young central defender himself, meanwhile, Brighton represents an intelligent move. It’s a move that Mac Allister made – a player on course to become a Premier League champion at Liverpool these days.

It’s also a move that Caicedo completed before becoming one of the most expensive midfielders in football history by joining Chelsea in 2023. Now, it’s a path that Reis could follow to become the latest young South American to sign on the dotted line at The Amex.

Jeff Vaughan appointed as Hurricanes’ new coach with James Hopes and Darren Berry alongside him

Alex Malcolm22-Jul-2022Justin Langer won’t return to coaching in the near term after deciding to take up “other opportunities” despite Ricky Ponting pursuing him vigorously for the Hobart Hurricanes’ head coaching role.Hurricanes announced Jeff Vaughan as their new head coach on Friday and he will combine the job with his role as Tasmania head coach. Vaughan is Ponting’s first appointment in his new role as Hurricanes’ head of strategy. Ponting also appointed James Hopes and Darren Berry as assistants alongside Vaughan.But Ponting was candid in explaining that his close friend Langer had been his first choice. The pair had discussed the role at length and Langer had shown interest early in the process before other opportunities piqued his interest.Related

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'He's got a bit more thinking to do..' – Ponting reveals Langer might be interested in coaching Hobart Hurricanes

“I’m on record saying that I’ve spoken with Justin quite a bit about coming down here and being the head coach of the Hurricanes and he was quite keen,” Ponting said. “The initial conversations were pretty exciting. And he would like to get back involved again. But as things got progressed and things got a little bit closer, I think he’s had some other opportunities and exciting things maybe come across his desk that he thinks he might be able to enjoy a little bit more through the course of the summer.”I’m sure you’ll find out about some of those things over the next little period of time. But as soon as he [took] himself out of the running, it was really obvious to me who the next guy had to be and that’s the guy that we’ve appointed as head coach in Jeff. I’m not hiding from the fact that I spoke to him [Langer]. I spoke to him a lot about it and I think everyone, probably around Australian cricket circles knew that I was trying to get him down here for the Hurricanes but it wasn’t to be.”Langer has remained in Perth since his messy departure from the Australia men’s coaching job in February. He has been doing a lot of corporate speaking as well as fulfilling his duties as a board member for the West Coast Eagles, an Australian Football League club.When Ponting first flagged Langer’s name as his number one candidate for the Hurricanes job back in June, it was met with a lukewarm reception from Hurricanes’ veteran Matthew Wade when he was asked about Langer’s style.Vaughan’s appointment is likely to be a popular one. He has vast experience having been with Tasmania and Hurricanes previously as an assistant under former coach Adam Griffith. He left both in 2021 to join the Australia men’s coaching team under Langer for the T20 World Cup and the Ashes, but returned to take the Tasmania job earlier this year just prior to Andrew McDonald taking over as Australia’s head coach.”Everyone that I’ve spoken to around Tasmanian cricket or around the Australian cricket team just had glowing reports about Jeff with his coaching ability and his coaching style and his people management,” Ponting said. “I think that’s exactly what the Hurricanes need right now.”Hobart Hurricanes coaching team (left to right), James Hopes (assistant), Ricky Ponting (head of strategy), Jeff Vaughan (head coach) and Darren Berry (assistant)•Cricket TasmaniaCombining the Tasmania men’s domestic program with Hurricanes’ BBL team under one coach is a model that has worked successfully in Western Australia under both Langer and Adam Voges and is currently employed in South Australia and Queensland.But the addition of Hopes and Berry adds significant global franchise experience to Hurricanes. Hopes has been an assistant under Ponting in the IPL at Delhi Capitals while Berry has previously coached Adelaide Strikers in the BBL and coached South Australia to a T20 title in the old Big Bash competition. Berry has been an assistant coach at title-winning teams in the IPL and PSL and also works in the Hundred.”With Jeff being the head coach of the Tigers and what I felt the Hurricanes needed right here and right now it just seemed like the perfect fit for him to be in charge of both programs,” Ponting said. “But in saying that was also really important to me that I got high-quality experienced assistant coaches underneath Jeff to make sure that when Jeff is away with the Tigers that the Hurricanes program is actually in as good a shape as possible by the time he joins, which will be probably two weeks before the first game.”In other coaching news, Griffith has joined Victoria as their men’s bowling coach under head coach Chris Rogers. Victoria have also appointed Ben Rohrer as their new batting coach to take over from Andre Borovec, who has joined the Australia men’s team as an assistant coach in the role Vaughan vacated.Former Victoria and Australia batter Cameron White has departed Adelaide Strikers to join Sydney Sixers as an assistant coach under Greg Shipperd.

Tottenham Hotspur are busy attempting to back under-fire boss Ange Postecoglou with fresh faces in January, but a current squad member has now set his sights on leaving N17.

Ange Postecoglou facing mounting pressure at Tottenham

Postecoglou, who has been forced to cope with a severely-depleted squad for the majority of this Premier League season, faces mounting pressure amid backlash from critics – with Spurs losing a dismal 11 top flight matches already.

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The Lilywhites slipped to 14th earlier this week, losing four out of their last five matches, and this kind of form has prompted questions whether Postecoglou is really the right man for the job after all.

Chairman Daniel Levy reportedly continues to back the 59-year-old behind-closed-doors, but the tactician faces an end-of-season review. Tottenham have also shortlisted Edin Terzic as a potential replacement for Postecoglou, should they part company, as the club do their due-diligence on managerial targets in the event they’re forced into a tough decision (TEAMtalk).

Everton (away)

January 19

Leicester City (home)

January 26

Brentford (away)

February 2

Man United (home)

February 16

Ipswich Town (home)

February 22

In the meantime, Postecoglou’s desperately looking to turn Spurs’ fortunes around, and technical director Johan Lange is actively looking for potential solutions in the January transfer market.

Lange missed out on a deal for Randal Kolo Muani, who ended up joining Juventus on a season-long loan deal from PSG, with Tottenham now back in the market for a forward as they seek to bolster Postecoglou’s attacking options.

Spurs have been offered Lyon star Rayan Cherki (GiveMeSport), who could leave for a bargain £25 million this month amid the Ligue 1 side’s financial crisis, and he may well be perfect for Postecoglou, considering the Frenchman stands out as their star player.

There are options for the north Londoners, and their need to bring in another attacker could be exacerbated further by a potential exit for Richarlison.

Richarlison decides he wants to leave Tottenham

As per Football Insider and journalist Wayne Veysey, Richarlison has told friends he wants to quit Tottenham, and he’s fully made up his mind on the decision.

The Brazilian appears determined to make a move away, and clubs in the Saudi Pro League are rumoured to have registered a past interest in tempting him to the Middle East.

The former Everton star enjoyed a serious purple patch under Postecoglou this time last year, but his 24/25 campaign has been hampered by injury. Richarlison cost £60 million to sign from the Toffees in 2022, and on the whole, he hasn’t quite justified that price tag despite flashes of brilliance.

For Brazil, he’s been a consistent goalscorer, with pundit Micah Richards calling the South American “underrated” during his time at Tottenham.

“He’s underrated isn’t he. If you look at how Everton set up going through a relegation battle, a lot of times he receives the ball he’s deep,” Richards said on the BBC in 2022 (via TBR).

“ I think we are seeing someone who can play the number nine role, and he has been given a chance. The big talk was about Gabriel Jesus and Richarlison and we were like Jesus has to play, but he’s showing us why he’s the number nine.”

Former South Africa captain says CSA’s new T20 league will bring an investment that their game desperately needs

Firdose Moonda19-Aug-2022Test cricket could be played by only five or six countries with competitive teams in the future, according to former South Africa captain Graeme Smith. Speaking on on day three of the first Test between South Africa and England at Lord’s, Smith, who is now Cricket South Africa’s T20 league commissioner, said he didn’t think South Africa “have any intent to not play Test cricket,” but that the format appears destined to shrink overall.”With Test cricket, it’s just iconic nations or the big cricketing nations that are contributing to Test cricket at the moment,” Smith said. “I think it’s fantastic especially under Virat Kohli that India really took Test cricket seriously. They lead the way with that. But as long as we’ve got competitive teams, you’re not going to have 10, 11, 12, 13 or 14 competitive teams. You might only be down to five or six nations that play Test cricket at this level.”Smith’s comments came on the back of the ICC’s new FTP, according to which South Africa play fewer Tests in the next cycle (2023-2027) than the current one (2019-2023) and no three-Test series in the 2023-2025 World Test Championship (WTC).CSA CEO Pholetsi Moseki explained that their calendar was constrained by their new T20 league and the financial implications of hosting Test cricket but understood there would be disappointment with their sparse fixture list. The South African Cricketers’ Association (SACA) were among the first to voice their frustration.”We are disappointed with the lack of Test cricket. For youngsters, it’s the optimum test of your cricket ability,” Andrew Breetze, SACA CEO told ESPNcricinfo. “With fewer Tests being played and more two-Test series, Test cricket is being diluted. If you look at what FICA and SACA have been saying for the last five years, we said that the ICC should take ownership of this by looking at how we balance bilateral cricket with T20 events and if they don’t do that we are going to see Test cricket being diminished by the non-big three. We are there. And that’s disappointing.”Related

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CSA forfeits Australia ODIs to secure 'long-term sustainability of the game' in South Africa

Despite that, SACA and its members (South African domestic and international players) will throw their weight behind the new T20 league as they recognise the pivotal role it will play in keeping South African cricket sustainable. “We support the league. The league is critical for the survival of cricket in South Africa,” Breetzke said. “We’ve got three sources of revenue for cricket in South Africa – broadcast revenue, sponsorship and ICC revenue. Two of those are reducing, and because of that, we’ve got to find a source of revenue and that is the T20 league.”Broadcast revenue and sponsorships are the two streams that are shrinking, partly because of the state of the global game and economy and partly because of CSA’s recent administrative meltdown. “If you are not playing India enough, your broadcast revenue is down,” Breetzke said. “Sponsorship revenue is two-fold because we’re not playing as much and because of the last five years at CSA. No-one wants to get involved in our cricket and that’s the sad reality. There is a lot of work for CSA – and to give them credit they are doing it – to enhance the work of CSA and to get sponsors. That’s more critical than ever. The market has changed post Covid. You are not getting those 18-million-rand-a-year Standard Bank sponsorships. The market is more about short-term sponsorship deals, smaller sponsorship and more specific sponsorship. That’s where CSA have to up their game.”Graeme Smith: ‘I don’t think world cricket can afford South Africa or any one of the top nations to start fading away’•BCCIThe six teams in CSA’s new league have all been bought by IPL owners, a development that will inject unprecedented amounts of money into the country’s game. “It’s certainly going to be an investment into our game that South African cricket desperately needed,” Smith said. “The pressures on nations like New Zealand, West Indies, South Africa to stay financially sustainable to keep up with England, India, and the world game to stay competitive is hugely important. I don’t think world cricket can afford South Africa or any one of the top nations to start fading away.”Asked whether he thought there were any dangers to private ownership, Smith said he did not see any drawbacks. “Cricket South Africa is still the major shareholder in this league. The investment into the South African game is still going to happen. It’s not people coming in and taking cricket away from the federation. A big part of this private ownership is that these owners had to look at the grassroots programmes, development programmes and how they would impact that. Hopefully we’ll see a talent pool would really get stronger and stronger and benefit cricket across the board. We needed partners that were sustainable. They’re not looking to make a dollar early on, they were prepared to invest in South Africa and grow this opportunity with us. And I think the key difference for us is that the money will still flow back into the game.”Given all the promises of the new league, CSA has been willing to move other commitments aside, including future Test engagements and forfeiting World Cup Super League matches in Australia next January. Smith said it was a necessary sacrifice, which was actually a lot smaller than it may seem. “For four weeks of an entire year, the priority will be the league. I feel that if we hadn’t done this South African cricket could have probably lost eight to ten players to this UAE league,” he said. “People also look at those three ODIs wrong. Yes, South Africa hasn’t handled ODI cricket as well and it should never be in this position. But for South Africa to be in Australia out of their key part of the summer financially is a huge stress for them. It’s like asking England not to play during your summer. The commitment that South African cricket made to go for the three Test matches is good for the game. It’s something that won’t happen often.”South Africa will not travel to Australia for Tests at all in the next FTP, and overall they also play fewer ODIs than any of the other Full Members, and the third-lowest number of bilateral matches in total after Ireland and Zimbabwe. That number may increase after ongoing discussions with other members.Moseki said CSA were looking at ways to organise more ODIs before the 2027 World Cup but SACA hoped additional fixtures can also be secured before then. “It’s placed CSA in a position where they have to go out and negotiate additional white-ball matches,” Breetzke said. “If you look at that FTP and you look at areas there, there’s a negotiation for additional matches. Relationships are going to be critically important as to can we enhance that FTP with white-ball cricket.”

Manchester United are keen on signing Ajax wonderkid Abdellah Ouazane, who has been compared with Jude Bellingham, this summer.

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Ouazane wanted by UnitedJust 16-years-oldPlayed at U17 African Cup of NationsFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Per the , United are interested in Ajax teenager Ouazane amid a series of fine displays at the Under-17 African Cup of Nations. The Moroccan teenager has shone at the tournament, and United are now considering an approach to the Dutch giants.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportTHE BIGGER PICTURE

The reports that Ouazane has been likened to Bellingham in terms of his playing style, and United are looking for young players this summer as they operate with a limited transfer budget. They will have to sell to buy, but it is unlikely the Ajax star would break the bank.

DID YOU KNOW?

United are also said to be interested in signing Ryan One from Sheffield United. A Scotland Under-19 international, the striker has made 14 senior appearances for the Blades at the age of 18.

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Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT?

United are next in action on Thursday against Lyon in the second leg of their Europa League quarter-final.

Liverpool could sign a “magnificent” two-footed player within the next few days, as they are now willing to pay his £19m asking price, according to a report.

Reds eyeing a midfielder

Arne Slot is very keen to bring in a new defensive midfielder either this month or in the summer, and the manager believes he may well have identified the perfect option, with Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Joao Gomes being identified as a major target.

The Reds are also considering some options from further afield, and VfB Stuttgart’s Angelo Stiller is now rising up their transfer shortlist, with a deal possible for a fee in the region of £34m in the summer.

Real Madrid’s Aurelien Tchouameni also remains an option for the Merseyside club, having reportedly submitted a bid for the 24-year-old midfielder earlier this month, although the move has seemingly not progressed since then.

Not only are the Premier League leaders keen on signing a defensive midfielder, but they are also considering some more attacking options, with Lyon star Rayan Cherki previously being identified as a January target.

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FSG are willing to spend big and complete Liverpool’s midfield at the end of the season.

ByAngus Sinclair Jan 20, 2025

According to the latest update from Spanish sources, Liverpool are now willing to pay €22m (£19m) to bring Cherki to Anfield this month, having stepped up their interest over the past few weeks.

The French club’s financial issues mean they are willing to sanction the attacking midfielder’s departure in the January transfer window, and with the Reds happy to meet the asking price, the deal could be done imminently.

The report states the 21-year-old could complete a move to Anfield in the next few days, with Slot viewing him ‘as an ideal option to add dynamism and creativity to his midfield’.

Cherki showing promising signs in Ligue 1

The Lyon ace, who doesn’t have a weak foot as per Transfermarkt, is still in the infancy of his career at 21-years-old, but he has cemented himself as a key player since first making his breakthrough in the 2019-20 season, and he has shown signs of year-on-year improvement.

This season, the starlet has picked up three goals and three assists in 14 Ligue 1 games, meaning he is on course to better his total of 10 league goal contributions last term.

Football talent scout Jacek Kulig also lauded the youngster for his performance against Switzerland U21s just over 18 months ago.

Liverpool should not pass up the opportunity to sign Cherki this winter, considering he will be available for a very affordable price, and it is exciting news that a deal could be done in a matter of days.