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USMNT star Christian Pulisic has explained the quality that he shares with Argentine GOAT Lionel Messi. The United States international occupies a similar area of the field to eight-time Ballon d'Or winner Messi, with coaches and team-mates often looking to them for attacking inspiration. Pulisic has embraced that role down the years and believes that he has learned – much like an all-time great – how best to impact proceedings.

• Pulisic posting personal bests on the goal front

  Pulisic’s creativity and willingness to work hard for the collective cause has been embraced since making a senior breakthrough with Bundesliga giants Borussia Dortmund. He went on to become a Champions League winner at Chelsea, making history in the process, before heading to Italy in the summer of 2023.

  Impressive numbers have been posted at Milan, with personal-best tallies when it comes to goals scored being raised to 15 and then up to 17 last season. Pulisic has already found the target on six occasions across all competitions this term, while also registering a couple of assists. He is considered to have mastered the art of knowing when to take charge himself and when to move the ball on to a colleague.

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  The quality that Pulisic shares with GOAT Messi

  Messi has set the standard in that department for the best part of two decades, with the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner boasting the ability to alter the course of any given contest. Pulisic takes on similar responsibility with Milan and the USMNT. At 27 years of age, he is now mature enough to take chances and immediately shrug off any setbacks.

  Pulisic told of sharing those traits with one of the best to ever play the game: "I think it’s very important to understand when to take risks, and Messi knows how to do that. There are moments when you feel more confident than others, right now it’s even easier to talk, I’m scoring a lot, but there will also be negative moments and you have to be good at dealing with them."

• USMNT star Pulisic picks out his boyhood idols

  Messi is one of those that Pulisic looked up to when forging his own career, alongside a fellow countryman and other iconic wingers that have graced the grandest of stages. He said when asked to name his idols: "I had a few. When you’re little, you follow the national team: one of them was [Clint] Dempsey. I always followed him, especially during the World Cup, with the national team. I wanted to be like him. I liked the way he played, his attitude, his way of being on the pitch. In Europe, however, there were so many players I looked up to – [Luis] Figo, and obviously Messi."

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  How Pulisic has developed in Germany, England and Italy

  Pulisic’s experiences in Germany, England and Italy have presented him with different challenges. He has picked up many important lessons along the way, saying of how his game has developed: "I have learned a lot tactically, I have learned a lot here. I have faced different teams, and they all defend very well. It’s a different system and the same goes for the playing style."

  He went on to say of learning how to see so much of the ball, with a talismanic role being taken on with club and country: "I think soccer is a lot less about individual play: there’s much more teamwork. Compared to basketball, soccer is even more about instinct. You have to know where to position yourself in the box, because that’s where the goals are ultimately scored. Understanding how to occupy space, feeling it. And I think that’s my secret."

Varun Chakravarthy and Vaibhav Arora join the logjam at third place among bowlers

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Apr-2025

Varun Chakravarthy picked up 3 for 22 against Sunrisers Hyderabad•BCCI

Orange Cap leaderboardLucknow Super Giants’ (LSG) Nicholas Pooran continues to be the top run-scorer with 189 runs at an average of 63.00 and a strike rate of 219.76. He scored 44 against Punjab Kings (PBKS) following returns of 75 from 30 balls against Delhi Capitals (DC) and 70 from 26 against SRH earlier.Gujarat Titans’ (GT) B Sai Sudharsan is in second position after his 49 off 36 balls against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). In the earlier two games, Sudharsan had scores of 74 and 63. His overall tally – 186 – is just three short of Pooran’s.Next on the Orange Cap list is another GT batter: Jos Buttler. Batting at No. 3 this IPL season, Buttler scored a match-winning 73 not out off 39 balls on Wednesday night to steer GT’s chase. In all, he has 166 runs at a strike rate of 172.91.2:53

Boucher: Arora’s length and swing caused trouble

Purple Cap leaderboardNoor Ahmad continues to wear the Purple Cap in IPL 2025. Turning out for Chennai Super Kings (CSK), who also have R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja in their starting line-up, Noor has been by far the most successful, his left-arm wristspin bringing him 4 for 18, 3 for 36 and 2 for 28 so far. That’s nine wickets, five more wickets than Ashwin and Jadeja combined.Mitchell Starc is just one wicket behind Noor, with eight from just two games for DC. He was expensive in his first game, against LSG, conceding 42 runs for his three wickets, but against SRH, he had his career-best T20 returns – 5 for 35.There’s a six-way tie for the third spot. Varun Chakravarthy and Vaibhav Arora picked up three wickets each for KKR against SRH, taking their tally for the tournament to six. They have joined four others for third place: GT’s R Sai Kishore, RCB’s Josh Hazlewood, LSG’s Shardul Thakur and CSK’s Khaleel Ahmed.Highest batting strike rates
Best bowling economy rates
Most sixes
Best bowling figures in a match

With just two days until the transfer window slams shut, Manchester City have reportedly set their sights on an alternative option to Real Madrid’s Rodrygo.

Latest on Man City's transfer targets

Man City’s transfer window began with a flourish but has slowly petered out. Now, with deadline day approaching, there’s still a number of dominoes that must fall in order for them to get their main targets. One of those targets is of course Gianluigi Donnarumma. The Paris Saint-Germain shot-stopper has already said goodbye to fans in France, but those at the Etihad are yet to get their deal done.

As things stand, City are still waiting on Ederson’s exit before they push ahead and secure Donnarumma. There’s no denying that time is running out for that move to happen, however, and Pep Guardiola could yet miss out.

Donnarumma isn’t the only top star to be linked with a move to Man City, either. Real Madrid’s Rodrygo has also been on their radar this summer as he looks for a route out of the Bernabeu.

Just like Donnarumma, however, the Brazilian’s move likely relies on whether the Citizens sell one of their own first. For some time, it looked as though that could be Savinho, who didn’t feature in City’s first two Premier League games, but Tottenham Hotspur have since turned towards other targets.

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A better option than Rodrygo may yet also emerge. Reports are now suggesting that those at the Etihad have set their sights on an alternative superstar option for Guardiola.

Man City eyeing Olise

As reported by BILD’s Christian Falk, Man City are now eyeing a move to sign Michael Olise from Bayern Munich alongside Paris Saint-Germain and Premier League rivals, Liverpool. The Frenchman has starred since swapping Crystal Palace for the Bundesliga champions, who are not currently willing to sell their star man.

The interest of the Citizens is certainly interesting, despite Bayern’s reported stance. Guardiola has struggled to find a winger as effective as Raheem Sterling and Leroy Sane were during City’s peak under the Spaniard, but it hasn’t been for the want of trying. Jeremie Doku, Savinho, Grealish and others have all tried and failed to truly grab the same headlines. Olise, however, could be the man that Guardiola has been searching for.

Minutes

2,334

1,928

Goals

12

6

Assists

15

5

Completed take-ons

72

49

Compared to Rodrygo, there’s a clear standout. Olise is on another level to the Real Madrid man, but Guardiola will already be well aware of the quality that the winger has in abundance.

Described as “unique” by former Man City man Owen Hargreaves last season, it wasn’t so long ago that Olise was silencing the Etihad with a last-minute penalty to salvage a draw for Crystal Palace.

After a long summer, Arsenal finally kickstart their fourth attempt at winning the Premier League tomorrow afternoon.

It feels like it could be the competitive title race for some time, but thanks to their summer business, Mikel Arteta’s side feel well-placed to attack it head-on.

Sporting Director Andrea Berta and his team have overseen six first-team additions so far, with the most significant undoubtedly being Viktor Gyokeres, and if that wasn’t enough, they are still being linked with a move for the sensational Eberechi Eze.

However, if Arsenal really want to make a splash and complete a signing that’d be better than the Swede and Englishman, they should go back in for a player they were linked with earlier this summer.

Why Gyokeres and Eze could be game-changers

While there are always a multitude of motivations behind every transfer, it’s not hard to work out why Arsenal decided to splash £63.5m on Gyokeres this summer: goals.

The Gunners have needed a new goalscoring centre-forward for some time now, and when it comes to putting the ball in the back of the net, it’s hard to think of many players as good as the Swede.

For example, in just 52 appearances last season, the Stockholm-born “powerhouse,” as dubbed by analyst Ben Mattinson, scored a staggering 54 goals and provided 13 assists to boot.

In other words, the 27-year-old international averaged 1.28 goal involvements every game, or one every 63.40 minutes, which is frankly ridiculous.

When it comes to their interest in Eze, there is perhaps a little more to it.

For example, on top of his brilliant haul of 25 goal involvements in 43 games for Crystal Palace last season, the former QPR gem can play as a traditional number ten or fill in on the left, which is an area of concern for the Gunners.

Moreover, he is Premier League-proven and proved he has what it takes to step up in the biggest games last season during the Eagles’ incredible FA Cup triumph.

In short, Gyokeres is a brilliant signing, and Eze would be as well, although if Arsenal want to make an even better purchase than both, they should go out and get someone they were linked with earlier this summer: Bradley Barcola.

Why Barcola would be a better signing than Gyokeres & Eze

While the reports touting Barcola for a move to Arsenal seem to have disappeared in recent weeks, he was briefly linked with the club back in June, and since then, stories have claimed that Paris Saint-Germain value him at around £87m.

So then, if Berta were to go out and get the young Frenchman, why would he be a better signing than Gyokeres and Eze?

Well, the first argument comes down to this output, as even though he plays on the wing, the Lyon-born superstar, whom Mattinson has dubbed “one of the best LWs in Europe,” scored 21 goals and provided 21 assists in 64 appearances, totalling 3927 minutes, last season.

Appearances

64

Minutes

3927′

Goals

21

Assists

21

Goal Involvements per Match

0.65

Minutes per Goal Involvement

93.5′

That works out to a sublime average of a goal involvement every 1.52 games, or every 93.5 minutes, which trumps the Palace star’s average of one every 1.72 games, or every 132.12 minutes.

Now, you might be thinking that the Frenchman’s numbers still pale in comparison to the Swede’s, and while that is correct, you have to take into account the competitions they play in, as, according to Opta Analyst, the Portuguese league is only the eighth toughest in the world. At the same time, Ligue 1 makes it into the top five.

The second reason the “world-class” PSG gem, as dubbed by journalist Dougie Critchley, would be a better signing is down to what he team needs, as while a new striker was important, Kai Havertz was on 15 goals before his injury last season.

In contrast, neither Gabriel Martinelli nor Leandro Trossard have impressed off the left for some time now, making it a real weak point in the side.

Finally, and this is important when it comes to squad building and future success, the Champions League winner is still just 22 years old. In contrast, the other two are both 27, meaning they will likely start becoming less effective in three to four years, compared to eight or nine.

Ultimately, Gyokeres is an excellent signing, and Eze would be as well, but from his output to his position and age, we can’t help thinking Barcola would be the best addition of the lot.

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The former USMNT star questions decision-making, says Pochettino's side need to make a statement against Japan

• Donovan not surprised by loss to South Korea
• Concerned about results against quality teams
• Optimism is waning ahead of 2026 World Cup

• Getty Images Sport
  

  WHAT HAPPENED

  Landon Donovan provided a stark assessment of the United States men's national team's performance under Mauricio Pochettino in their 2-0 loss to South Korea on Saturday night.

  The former U.S. star acknowledged he wasn't shocked by the result, considering a pattern of underwhelming performances since Pochettino took charge. The USMNT lost four straight games before the Gold Cup. They then won five straight, before losing to Mexico in the tournament final.

  “Disappointing for sure, not surprised,” Donovan said in a post on Unfiltered Soccer. “The high-level takeaways are, that’s now six losses in the last eleven games, and one of those five wins was a tie against Costa Rica that we won on penalties. So it’s not good. Not optimistic at this point.

  "Some very interesting decisions, lineup decisions… but overall just not making us feel great, unfortunately, about what’s coming next summer. There’s still opportunities to change that around. I think one really good performance against Japan could start to lift the belief again, but it wasn’t a great day.”

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• WHAT LANDON DONOVAN SAID

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Since Pochettino took charge in September 2024, the USMNT has struggled to establish consistency in both results and performances, raising concerns about their readiness to compete on home soil next summer. They’ve played 17 games under the Argentine, winning nine.

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  WHAT’S NEXT?

  The USMNT face Japan in Columbus, Ohio on Tuesday.

If they make the World Cup final, both sides will have less than 72 hours to prepare for the series

Shashank Kishore08-Oct-2024New Zealand will tour India for three women’s championship ODIs later this month. The series, part of the women’s FTP for the current cycle, had been postponed indefinitely in July last year due to a crowded calendar, where India hosted England and Australia.All three ODIs, on October 24, 27 and 29, will be played in Ahmedabad, with both teams expected to fly in straight from the women’s T20 World Cup in the UAE. If they make the World Cup final, both sides will have less than 72 hours to prepare for the series.The late addition to the cricket calendar means a number of first-choice players across both sides, including India vice-captain Smriti Mandhana, Jemimah Rodrigues, Deepti Sharma, Yastika Bhatia and D Hemalatha could miss at least the first few games of the 2024-25 WBBL season.Mandhana was among the WBBL’s big-ticket pre-draft signings by Adelaide Strikers. Meanwhile, Sophie Devine, the New Zealand’s captain and Mandhana’s WPL team-mate, will also be unavailable for the first few games of the tournament for Perth Scorchers.Related

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With eight wins in 18 matches, New Zealand are currently placed sixth, a spot below India, in the women’s championship table. With West Indies and, theoretically even Bangladesh, capable of leapfrogging them on the points table, the series is crucial for New Zealand as far as direct qualification is concerned.The hosts along with five top-placed teams will earn a direct entry to next year’s 50-over World Cup in India. Two others will be identified through a global qualifier, where the bottom four from the championships and four associates will compete.New Zealand last played ODIs in India in 2015, during the first iteration of the women’s championships. Back then, New Zealand overturned a 1-0 deficit to clinch the series.

Although they showed some good signs under David Moyes at the end of last season, Everton certainly had their struggles in front of goal.

The Toffees’ main centre-forward options last season were Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who could leave this summer with his contract set to expire, and Guinea-Bissau international Beto.

As per Understat, the Toffees were outscored by all but three teams in the Premier League in 2024/25, the trio of relegated sides. They found the back of the net just 42 times, and with an expected goals tally of 46.87 xG, they underachieved from where they should have been.

Everton fans might be glad to hear that their side are looking to bring a new striker to the Hill Dickinson Stadium before next season.

Everton’s centre-forward target

With Calvert-Lewin perhaps ready to leave the club, and Beto struggling for consistent form in front of goal, it surely is no surprise that the club on the Blue half of Merseyside are looking to recruit a new number nine.

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Well, it seems like Moyes’ side have found the man they’d like to sign. According to a recent report from The i Paper, ‘the club are in talks’ with Spanish side Villarreal over a move for their striker, Frenchman Thierno Barry.

The France U21 international seems to be ‘keen’ on the idea of a move to Bramley-Moore Dock, next to which the Toffees’ new ground is situated.

He has a £40m release clause in his current deal with the Yellow Submarine, but Everton ‘want to negotiate a lower fee’ instead.

How Barry compares to Beto

Everton’s hunt for Barry has been well documented over the past few weeks. It is clear he is the guy they want to lead the line as they enter a new era in their new stadium this summer. He has certainly impressed for Villarreal last season.

The 22-year-old, who was born in Lyon, France, played 41 games in all competitions last season. In that time, he scored 19 goals and grabbed four assists, leaving him with an average of roughly a goal involvement every other game.

In La Liga during the 2024/35 campaign, Barry was hugely impressive. He made 35 appearances, finding the back of the net 11 times and grabbing a further four assists. Perhaps the highlight of those 11 goals was a fantastic hat-trick in a 5-2 win over CD Leganes.

Those top-flight goal involvement numbers far exceed what Beto managed in the 2024/25 campaign for Everton. That, surely, is a positive for the Toffees, who will certainly want to improve on their 42 Premier League strikes from last term.

The Merseysider’s number 14 played 30 times in the Premier League, but only managed to score eight goals. He also failed to register an assist, suggesting he is less of a playmaker than Barry, who chipped in with a few last term.

Football scout Antonio Mango explained that Barry has an “elite profile”. Perhaps the fact that he is able to facilitate teammates and create chances for them is an example of the well-rounded profile Mango was alluding to.

Well, the underlying stats on FBref suggest that Barry would be a huge upgrade on Beto, too. For example, the Villarreal striker averaged 0.7 goals and assists and 0.23 goal-creating actions per 90 minutes last season. In comparison, the Toffees centre-forward averaged 0.47 goals and assists and 0.06 goal-creating actions each game.

Goals and assists

0.47

0.70

Goals per shot on target

0.35

0.45

Key passes

0.71

0.89

Shot-creating actions

1.53

1.78

Goal-creating actions

0.06

0.23

Progressive carries

0.88

1.71

Progressive passes

0.94

1.05

The stats suggest that Barry would be a big upgrade on Beto. Not only is he more clinical in front of goal, but he is able to bring teammates into the game and is involved in his side’s goals far more often, even if that is indirectly.

Even if Everton pay the £40m Villarreal want, it seems like an excellent piece of business for a side who are looking to increase their output in front of goal next season.

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India spinner pleased with return to starting XI in Super Eight after sitting out first round

Melinda Farrell22-Jun-20241:23

Kumble: Kuldeep broke the back of the opposition in the middle overs

After spending the group stage waiting in the wings, Kuldeep Yadav continued his run as Super Eight specialist, taking 3 for 19 in India’s comprehensive victory over Bangladesh in Antigua.Kuldeep has now taken five wickets across India’s two Super Eight matches, after picking up 2 for 32 against Afghanistan on Thursday in Barbados.India held Kuldeep back for the Caribbean leg of the tournament in the belief the pitches would suit his left-arm wristspin more than those in the USA. And, while he admitted he was keen to play in the group stages, he knew once he returned to the islands where he made both his white-ball debuts for India, during the 2017 West Indies tour, his experience would be called upon.Related

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Hardik and Kuldeep lead India to their second win in the Super Eight

“I was helping out the team-mates and carrying the drinks [in the US]. That is more like playing,” joked Kuldeep. “I would have loved to bowl there. But it’s more like an Australian sort of wicket. But here I made my T20 [and] ODI debut back in 2017. I knew the conditions very well, just the length and trying to vary my pace. So it’s perfect for spinners to come here and bowl.”While there was a sound reason to bring Kuldeep into the side on Caribbean surfaces, having a bowler play their first competitive match so late and at such a crucial stage of a T20 World Cup is unusual. But Kuldeep said he didn’t feel any added pressure playing for the first time in the tournament at the Super Eight stage.Kuldeep Yadav was at the top of his game•CREIMAS

“It’s very important to play every game, take every game as a normal game. Now obviously we playing at Super Eight, obviously we have a lot of pressure as well. We’re going to play Australia in a couple of days’ time. The wickets are good for spinners, as you have seen in the last few games as well. Nothing changes. I’ve got four overs to bowl and that was my plan. Just sticking with the length and varying my pace. For me it’s nice.”Bowling in the middle phase, Kuldeep went wicketless in his first over but struck in each of his next three. He flummoxed Tanzid Hasan with a fizzing googly that jagged back in and cannoned into the front pad before foxing Towhid Hridoy with a straight one that struck the back pad. After Shakib Al Hasan slog-swept a looping delivery for six, Kuldeep tossed another one up as a tempter, but the slower pace and extra bounce drew a top edge and a third wicket.Kuldeep bowled his four overs from the Sir Andy Roberts End, which gave assistance to left-handed batters hitting into the wind on the leg-side and help to right-handers outside their off stump. But while the stiff cross breeze posed challenges, he said it was important not to overthink its effect.”It was difficult from this end as a spinner because my rhythm is like, not like running rhythm, it’s more like a one step and then aggressive. I didn’t think about the wind, just the length matters. And obviously reading the batter what they are expecting from me, just reading one step ahead, what they are thinking. So just keeping this in mind and changing the line and length, and obviously they were targeting the windy side, and just reacting to what they are doing.”When the other team needs 10 runs or 12 runs per over and the batter’s going against you my plan is to just stick with the length, and obviously when they try to attack you, if you have a proper plan against them and you are bowling in probably the better length, you have maximum chances of getting the batter out. So that is my thinking, not thinking I have to get him out, just the length.”

Glasgow Rangers search for a new manager might well stretch into June as the Ibrox side are not any further forward after the end of the 2024/25 campaign last week.

The longer the club waits, the harder it will be for the new manager to integrate smoothly, thus wasting precious preparation time.

Celtic are on course to win yet another domestic treble, their sixth in the previous nine seasons. If the wrong man is appointed this summer, Brendan Rodgers will only continue to motor his side further and further away from Rangers.

Name

Days in post

Games

Points per game

Philippe Clement

497 days

86

2.09

Michael Beale

307 days

43

2.26

Giovanni van Bronckhorst

368

68

2.01

Steven Gerrard

1228

192

2.15

Pedro Caixinha

229

26

1.81

It is no exaggeration to say that this is perhaps the most important summer in the club’s recent history. Get the right manager in, and the Light Blues could enjoy their own Martin O’Neil or Ange Postecoglou, a force which stops the opposition juggernaut.

If not, the consequences could prove to be catastrophic, no doubt about that.

The latest on Steven Gerrard and Davide Ancelotti

The two names that have been routinely linked to taking over the vacant role at Ibrox are Steven Gerrard and Davide Ancelotti.

Gerrard has plenty of history with the Gers. His first senior managerial role came in Glasgow, arriving in the summer of 2018 to try and restore the club to the summit of Scottish football.

His first two seasons saw plenty of progress, including three victories over Celtic, with a win at Parkhead for the first time since 2010, but no trophies were won.

The 2020/21 season changed all that. After some smart recruitment in the summer of 2020, signing players such as Kemar Roofe, Ianis Hagi, and Calvin Bassey, the Light Blues won their first Premiership title in a decade.

Not only that, they went through the league season undefeated, and it looked as though this was just the start of another era of dominance.

For Gerrard, however, a lack of backing in the transfer market ahead of the 2021/22 campaign saw him doubt his future at Ibrox. When Aston Villa came calling, he jumped ship to the riches of the Premier League.

Now, it looks as though the Englishman is ready for a return to the club where he began his managerial career. He knows the club inside out, that’s a certainty, but will a return be the right thing for Rangers?

Elsewhere, Ancelotti has been linked with a surprise move to the Gers to become their new head coach. It was then revealed that the Italian was going to join his dad, Carlo, as Brazil assistant in the run-up to the 2026 World Cup. This meant he was out of the running.

Recent news suggests that Ancelotti is set to make a name for himself as a manager this summer, which puts a move to Rangers back on.

He has worked with his father at clubs such as Madrid, Bayern Munich and Napoli over the years, but is he ready for the step-up to a managerial role?

There has been another name surprisingly, linked with a move to Ibrox. And he also has a previous history with the club…

Rangers considering move for Gennaro Gattuso

While all the talk has surrounded Gerrard and Ancelotti, names such as Russell Martin, Rob Edwards and Gary O’Neil have also been considered by the board for the role, according to journalist Graeme Bailey.

One name stands out among the noise, however, and that is Gennaro Gattuso. Bailey mentions the Italian as a manager the club are also considering, but unlike the rest of those linked, Gattuso is currently in charge of a club.

Indeed, he could lead Hajduk Split to their first domestic title since 2005, although it will be a long shot after their collapse over the previous few weeks.

Reports state that he could leave the Croatian side, even if he somehow leads them to the title, which means he would be available this summer.

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Would Rangers take a chance on their former player? That much remains to be seen.

Gennaro Gattuso could be a perfect left-field choice for Rangers

The 2006 World Cup winner has managed nine clubs since hanging up his boots, winning the Coppa Italia with Napoli in 2020, which is his only trophy in management thus far.

Truth be told, he hasn’t been a major success at any of the clubs that he has taken over in the past. He spent nearly two years in charge of AC Milan between November 2017 and May 2019, but he failed to return them to the top of Serie A.

Utilising a 4-2-3-1 system throughout his career in the dugout, this could work well with the players he would have at his disposal should he surprisingly take the reins at Ibrox.

After his cup glory with Napoli five years ago, journalist Anthony Lopopolo lavished praise on the former midfielder, saying:

“Gattuso is one of the best men in football. He deserves the Coppa Italia and so much more. He’s had some odd jobs in his coaching career, and he’s faced a lot of criticism, but he’s a winner because he has principles.”

These sorts of qualities would work in Glasgow. He knows what it is to win, having led AC Milan to two Serie A titles and two Champions League trophies between 2003 and 2011.

He spent a single season at Rangers during 1997/98. Although they failed to win their tenth league title in a row, Gattuso’s early abilities were on show, and it was clear he would have an excellent career in the game.

It would be taking a big gamble in appointing Gattuso, but is it any bigger than making a move for Ancelotti?

The hot-headed coach may not be perfect, but the Light Blues need someone with that winning mentality. The former Italy international knows plenty about that. That’s for certain.

Whoever is appointed faces a busy summer transfer window indeed.

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