Leeds are desperate for a new striker this summer, so could one of the World Cup’s most impressive performers be the answer?

It is often considered a mistake to spend big on players who impress at international competitions, as prices are inflated and performances can be misleading.

On the other hand however, momentum and confidence can be a major factor for attacking players, and there won’t be many forward players feeling more confident than Japan’s Yuya Osako right now.

The versatile 28 year-old, who plays his football in Germany with FC Cologne, was simply incredible in his country’s shock win over Colombia.

Osako scored the second goal in the 2-1 win, and could be a useful utility player for Marcelo Bielsa and Leeds, as he has the ability to play as a striker, number ten behind the striker, or even in midfield.

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He only scored six times last season, but he can do a little bit of everything, winning 1.4 aerial duels per game, averaging one key pass per game, and using his impressive movement and work rate to open up space for his teammates.

In the win over Colombia, the 30-cap man was rightfully crowned man of the match, firing in five shots at goal to go with his three successful dribbles and two key passes.

He also showed the fight that Leeds fans would love, battling with the towering Colombian defenders and winning four aerial duels.

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With the 6 ft striker valued at just £4m by Transfermarkt, Cologne’s relegation could see him leave for a bargain price, and Leeds should definitely snap him up if the price is right.

While he would likely not be the marquee number nine fans are so desperate for, he would be an extremely useful player to have in the fight for promotion.

So, Leeds fans, would bring in Osako this summer? Which other players have impressed you at the World Cup? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below…

Tottenham fans are fearing the worst about losing Heung-min Son, as South Korea are on the brink of exiting the World Cup.

South Korea will have to beat Germany if they want to stay in the World Cup, and their potential early exit could be really bad news for Son and Spurs.

The electric winger bagged a wonderful late goal for his side on Saturday, but it was quite simply too little too late as they fell 2-1 to Mexico.

The story about Son potentially having to leave Spurs to fulfil his mandatory military service has worried fans in the past, but the 25 year-old could have avoided his fate if he had guided his side into the knockout rounds.

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South Korean law means all males from the country must complete two years of military service by age 28, but sports stars can be made exempt if they achieve success at major international tournaments, like the World Cup or Olympics.

The Tottenham fan favourite’s future in North London now hinges on the Asian games, where a gold medal would allow the winger to stay with Spurs.

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Son has not spoken publicly about the issue, but fans are fearing the worst after images of their favourite wing wizard crying after the defeat to Mexico emerged online.

You can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below…

West Ham’s busy summer transfer window could force fan favourite Declan Rice out of the team, and Everton fans have been discussing swooping in to sign the youngster.

West Ham’s young player of the year is still yet to sign a new contract with the club, and fans were furious when they heard the 19 year-old had actually rejected the club’s latest offer.

Rice broke into the first team at the London Stadium last season, and was one of the few silver linings in an otherwise miserable season for the club and its fans.

Due to the youngster’s contract standoff and the Hammers links to the likes Alfie Mawson and Marlon Santos, one can’t help but speculate about a possible shock swoop from a Premier League rival.

[brid autoplay=”true” video=”258359″ player=”12034″ title=”The World Cup Twitter Report”]

Rice, who can play as a central defender or defensive midfielder, clearly loves West Ham, but the owner’s stingy new contract offer combined with new signings like Issa Diop pushing him down the pecking order could force him out.

Everton need to freshen up their defence, with Ashley Williams expected to leave, Funes Mori already gone and Phil Jagielka now closer to 40 than 30.

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Fans have been debating a shock swoop for the versatile Rice, but the majority are against a move, although we suspect a few Hammers might have had a say in the poll.

You can find the full poll results down below…

In Adnan Januzaj’s first start for Manchester United he scored twice as his side came from behind to win 2-1 away at Sunderland and it looked like he had the world at his feet. In 2014 he was even given Ryan Giggs’ number 11 shirt at United.

Unfortunately for the young Belgian, his career hasn’t quite worked out how most would have expected and last summer he signed for Real Sociedad in a £9.8m move.

Before that, Januzaj had spent an unsuccessful year on loan with Borussia Dortmund where he made just six substitute appearances and scored no goals. He then spent the 2016/17 season on loan at Sunderland as they finished bottom of the Premier League.

Despite making 25 appearances in the league that season, Januzaj again failed to score a single goal and only found the back of the net in an EFL Cup tie with Shrewsbury.

Now 23-years-old though, Januzaj popped up with an emphatic winner for Belgium in their final group game as they beat England 1-0 in Kaliningrad which left Sunderland fans wondering what might have been.

Check out some of their best reactions to the goal here…

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A summary of the fourth day’s play of the tenth round of games in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy

Cricinfo staff12-Dec-2009

Group A

A heroic effort from Zeeshan Nadir couldn’t quite seal a win for Pakistan Customs on the final day in Islamabad. Water and Power Development Authority had to sweat a bit but eventually completed victory by four wickets. Customs came into the day leading by 25 with five wickets in hand and extended that to 127, with Hassan Adnan making 84. Chasing 128, WAPDA were given a major scare by Zeeshan who backed up five in the first innings with 6 for 63. The one man he failed to dislodge, Aamer Sajjad, held his nerve to score an unbeaten 39 from 31 balls to finish the chase.Karachi Whites wasted little time in wrapping up an innings win over National Bank of Pakistan on the fourth morning in Karachi. They needed just two wickets when play began and they took them quickly, dismissing Mansoor Amjad for 85 to achieve the win.Sui Southern Gas Corporation batted patiently on the final day in Rawalpindi to ensure a draw against Khan Research Laboratories. They took in sessions, first erasing a deficit of 119 and then batting long enough to negate chances of a loss. The opener Asif Zaqir was the man of the moment, scoring 109 from 224 balls out of a total of 315, with assistance from Rizwan Ahmed (64). Shakeel-ur-Rehman took two wickets as KRL hit 32 in five overs before close.A tame draw played out at the Jinnah Stadium. Zohaib Khan, the Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited opener, had batted the entire third day and carried his bat for an unbeaten 114 out of a total of 270. Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited then played out 65 overs and made 283 for 6, owed largely to Saleem Mughal’s 102 not out from 132 balls, with 14 fours and three sixes. Mohammad Hafeez started the second innings with a 44-ball 50 and three other batsmen got starts.Five wickets from the slow left-arm bowler Nauman Alavi helped set up a nine-wicket win for Pakistan International Airlines over Lahore Shalimar at the Gaddafi Stadium. From 76 for 3 overnight, Lahore Shalimar were dismissed for 225, with Alavi taking a career-best 5 for 42. Yasir Hameed slammed an unbeaten 51 from 42 balls to help PIA chase down 100 in 14. 1 overs.

Group B

Peshawar, spearheaded by new-ball bowler Imran Khan, pulled off a superb victory over Lahore Ravi in Lahore. Lahore Ravi went into the final day needing what seemed an achievable 229 to win, but Imran’s five wickets put a major spanner in the works. Lahore Ravi were unable to get a solid footing, losing Asif Khan to Imran and two more via run-outs, and Mohammad Asim (53) was cut off before he could really do some damage. At 158 for 5 it was still anyone’s game, but Asim’s dismissal was followed by a major collapse at Imran’s hands. Lahore Ravi lost their last five wickets for 19 runs and Peshawar got their second win of the season.Sialkot duly achieved their victory over Hyderabad at the Niaz Stadium, their fifth of the season. The medium-pacer Faisal Rasheed completed a five-wicket haul early in the day as Hyderabad lost their last three wickets for the addition of 18 runs. Sialkot knocked off a target of 27 with just one wicket down.Set a monumental 495 to win, and resuming the final day on 93 for 2, Quetta denied Karachi Blues and batted out a draw by reaching 407 for 6 at the National Stadium. Karachi Blues would have really fancied their chances, especially after taking three middle-order wickets in the space of 12 runs, but a stubborn 224-run alliance between Arun Lal (98) and Shoaib Khan jnr, who hit an unbeaten century, denied them. That stand totally flustered Karachi Blues. Shoaib’s 111 took just 138 deliveries, studded with 15 fours and a six, and proved crucial in holding the opposition at bay.A day after Zulfiqar Babar put his name into the record books, Islamabad and Multan batted out a predictable draw at the Multan Cricket Ground. Rameez Alam’s unbeaten 119 proved the bulk of Multan’s total of 333 for 5 declared, after which Islamabad – set an improbable 267 – played out 16 overs before the captains agreed to call it off. Babar added two more wickets for a match haul of 12 for 168. Islamabad took three points from the game by virtue of a first-innings lead.What carried the possibility of being an intriguing final day ended with Rawalpindi – who had already taken three points from a first-innings lead – opting to bat out time against Abbottabad in Islamabad. Naved Malik carried on to an unbeaten 116 and added 125 for the seventh wicket with Fawad Hussain (66) as Rawalpindi made 238 for 7. Junaid Khan, taking the new ball, picked up 5 for 100 in that effort. Abbottabad were never going to chase 250 in the minimum overs left in the day, and after a top-order collapse they reached 52 for 4 when the match was called off.

While Virender Sehwag & Co. were going berserk at the Brabourne, Mumbai’s batsmen went on a rampage of their own to leave Hyderabad facing defeat at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium

Siddarth Ravindran in Hyderabad03-Dec-2009
Scorecard
While Virender Sehwag & Co. were going berserk at the Brabourne, Mumbai’s batsmen went on a rampage of their own to leave Hyderabad facing defeat at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium. Mumbai’s utter domination of the day was shown by the inflation in the number of fielders patrolling the boundary: two at the start to six by an hour after lunch, as a double-century from Ajinkya Rahane and yet another Wasim Jaffer hundred dismantled the bowling.The overnight batsmen, Rahane and Sahil Kukreja, blunted the second new ball and moved unfussily to their centuries early in the day; their 258-run association was the largest-ever at the ground. Soon after Mumbai eased into the lead, and off the first ball after morning-session drinks Kukreja edged to slip, giving Hyderabad their sole moment to shout about in the day.The Hyderabad fielders were thrilled at breaking that stand, but things only got worse when Jaffer walked in. The Mumbai captain has been terrifying domestic attacks since his axing from the national team last year, and today was just another day in the office for him. Unlike all the other batsmen in this match, he didn’t need any time to start stroking the ball around; his first four was a lofted cover drive, followed by a stylish punch to the long-on boundary. His arrival put the Mumbai innings into overdrive – 39 runs coming off five overs, with Jaffer racing to 25
off 21.His aggression encouraged Rahane also to open up. On Wednesday, it had been a controlled effort from Rahane, but today he started to take more risks. Wide deliveries that he was happy to leave on Wednesday were crunched to the point region today. Full deliveries outside off were
flicked to square leg, and he jumped down the track to the fast bowlers to punch them down the ground. A six over cover off the front foot, just after Mumbai reached 450, was perhaps the highlight of his innings.Hyderabad tried everything to slow the pair down on a track which still had nothing to interest the bowlers. Bouncers were easily evaded; offspinner Amol Shinde’s leg stump line from around the wicket with a 3-6 on-side field was negated by Jaffer’s reverse-sweeps. The third-man area proved very productive for Jaffer, playing several controlled steers past the slips on his way to a second century of the season. With no bowler with serious pace, and spinners of only middling ability, Hyderabad could do little to stop Mumbai’s batsmen.The 24 overs Mumbai batted after lunch were the most manic; Hyderabad had virtually given up – no chirping at the batsmen, most fielders giving the teapot as they waited for a declaration – as Rahane and Jaffer smashed 141 runs. Rahane, in particular, was having a blast, and was stampeding towards a triple-century when Mumbai decided to declare with 35 minutes to go for lunch. The Rahane-Jaffer show had added 236 runs in 251 deliveries.The docile pitch, on which prising out a batsman is difficult once he’s set, prompted the early declaration, leaving Mumbai 117 overs to collect five (or six) points and move ahead of Punjab into second place.The Hyderabad openers survived a probing spell with the new ball. Both of them, Rushi Raj and Shashank Nag, needed a solid performance, as one of them is likely to be sidelined when VVS Laxman returns for the remaining two Ranji matches. Both their auditions nearly ended almost as soon as it began: substitute Prashant Naik spilled a chance at slip off Raj, and Mumbai were sure they had Nag caught behind on the final ball before tea but the umpire didn’t.They gritted it out against a buoyant Mumbai pace attack, but the introduction of spin ended their 90-minute resistance. Raj charged down the track thrice in offspinner Ramesh Powar’s first over, the third time he slapped the ball back to the bowler.Hyderabad’s batting has been abysmal this season. Not only has there been no centurion so far, there hasn’t even been a hundred partnership. Friday is when they need to change that statistic, and salvage a point that could prove vital in the relegation battle.

Plays of the day for the second day of the second Test between Australia and Pakistan at the MCG

Osman Samiuddin and Brydon Coverdale27-Dec-2009Umpires receive mixed reviews
The umpire decision review system contributed to Australia’s continued
failure to find a Test centurion this summer. Michael Hussey was given lbw
for 82 when he tried to sweep Saeed Ajmal and although it was a close
call, Billy Doctrove’s decision was upheld when Hussey asked for a review.
The ball struck him marginally in line with off stump and Hawkeye
suggested it was just clipping the stump, so the out verdict stood. Later,
a less-than-enthusiastic Mohammad Yousuf requested a review of a not-out
lbw decision against Nathan Hauritz, who was on 75. Abdur Rauf picked up
his first wicket of the innings when Asoka de Silva viewed the footage and
saw an appeal that couldn’t have been much more plumb, and duly overturned
Rudi Koertzen’s call.Fail of the century continues
Australia remain the carry-over champions in this show and the
million-dollar question is how many half-centuries they will post before
someone finally registers a hundred. The efforts of Hussey and Hauritz
took Australia’s remarkable record to 20
half-centuries this home summer without a single person reaching
triple-figures. The last time an Australian made a Test hundred was when
Hussey struck a career-saving 121 in the final Ashes Test at The Oval.Six and out…or not
Pakistan’s catching has been as poor as their luck so far at the MCG and
thus it was entirely appropriate that the best catch they took wouldn’t
actually get them a wicket. Hauritz was just beginning to cut loose
after lunch when he smacked Saeed Ajmal high back over his head towards
the sightscreen. Mohammad Aamer came running round from long-on and took
an extremely well-judged catch, only for the momentum to carry him
comfortably across the boundary.PM puts the heat on Warne
Australia’s prime minister Kevin Rudd enjoyed a stint in the Channel Nine
commentary box and told Shane Warne it was his national responsibility to
make a comeback. The prime minister cited the example of Colin Cowdrey,
inflating his yarn a little by having Cowdrey make his comeback at 43
rather than 41. That gave Warne his out clause: I’ve got three years to
think about it then?Dry spell
The MCG is a big ground and boundaries aren’t always easily to come by,
but 36.2 overs without one was stretching it. Pakistan’s batsmen were solid
after Australia’s early declaration, but never spectacular. There were
three threes and 12 doubles in their 50 – brought up in the 28th over –
but no boundaries, though there was a rare all-run four. Finally, in the
innings’ 32nd over, it took a typically elegant dance down the pitch from
Mohammad Yousuf to break the rot with a maximum. And to think we live in
the age of Twenty20.

Three Tasmanians collected half-centuries but they were in danger of giving Victoria a first-innings advantage at Bellerive Oval

Cricinfo staff30-Jan-2010Tasmania 7 for 249 (Paine 64, Marsh 60, Cowan 53) trail Victoria 297 (Hastings 93, Hussey 72) by 48 runs

ScorecardTim Paine made a useful contribution of 64•Getty Images

Three Tasmanians collected half-centuries but they were in danger of giving Victoria a first-innings advantage at Bellerive Oval. After being dismissed early in the day for 297, the Bushrangers struck regularly and finished with the upper hand as the hosts reached 7 for 249.Tim Paine’s bright 64, Dan Marsh’s 60 and 53 to Ed Cowan put Tasmania on track for two points, but they were set back late in the day when Marsh and Luke Butterworth departed to leave Brett Geeves and Jason Krejza with a tough task in the morning. There were also some difficulties early in the innings as the Tigers slipped to 4 for 88 when Cowan exited, but the middle order was able to overcome the initial problems. Paine collected seven fours and a six in his 83-ball innings while Marsh, the former captain, was more considered in his 157-ball stay.At the start of the day John Hastings resumed on 82 and was annoyed to miss his maiden century when bowled by Butterworth on 93. He deserved to be satisfied with his effort and went on to add two wickets, as did James Pattinson and Damien Wright.

Younis Khan, the former Pakistan captain, has pulled out of the domestic RBS Twenty20 Cup that is underway in Karachi, due to unknown reasons.

Cricinfo staff02-Mar-2010Younis Khan, the former Pakistan captain, has pulled out of the domestic RBS Twenty20 Cup that is underway in Karachi, due to unknown reasons.Younis was slated to lead the Abbottabad Rhinos, but did not play in the team’s opening match, a defeat against Faisalabad Wolves on March 1, before deciding to withdraw from the tournament, which features Pakistan’s leading cricketers.The decision was confirmed on Monday by Taimur Khan Afridi, the manager of Abbottabad Rhinos. Afridi said that he was unaware of Younis’s reasons to pull out of the event.Younis, had earlier retired from Twenty20 internationals after leading Pakistan to victory in the ICC World Twenty20 in 2009. He normally plays for Peshawar Panthers in domestic events but joined the Rhinos’ set-up for the Twenty20 Cup.

The plays of the day from the second day between Bangladesh and England in Dhaka

Andrew Miller in Dhaka21-Mar-2010Partnership of the dayAfter whittling away eight wickets to atone for their morning mauling, England believed they had snatched the ascendancy by the close of the first day. But if Alastair Cook thought his work in the field was done, he was sorely mistaken. By employing a peculiar split field that invited the batsmen to make their own mistakes, he allowed Naeem and Shafiul Islam to cruise along at the tempo of their choosing. In Naeem’s case, he opted for slow and steady, nudging along to 59 not out from 172 balls, while the young gun Shafiul blazed with impunity at the other end. Of his 11 fours, two were edges through an under-manned slip cordon, and most of the rest were belted through the covers to bring up his maiden Test fifty from just 47 balls.Shot of the dayIn six Tests and 11 previous innings, Rubel Hossain had mustered 13 runs at 2.16, with a top-score of 4 not out and no boundaries to his name. His arrival at the crease at 388 for 9 prompted England to believe, finally, that the end of Bangladesh’s innings was nigh. Not so fast. Having opened his account with a thick edge through the slips, Rubel decided that his eye was now in, and followed that up with an exquisite full-faced cover-drive off Steven Finn, to double his career-best and bring up the 400. As if to prove the stroke was no fluke, he repeated it in Finn’s next over, en route to an invaluable 17.Stodge of the dayJonathan Trott is not the most free-flowing batsman in world cricket, least of all when he’s stuck in one of his introspective moods. That was the case when he came out to open the innings for the first time in Test cricket, with 20 minutes to go until lunch. He duly poked his way to 0 not out from 13 balls, but then found that, upon the resumption, his mindset had already been established. It wasn’t until his 33rd delivery that he finally got off the mark, with a frantic scrambled single that rivalled one of Kevin Pietersen’s Red Bull runs. By the close, he was the glue that was both holding England’s innings together, and arguably preventing them from making much headway.Stat of the dayKevin Pietersen’s travails on this trip have been well documented, but at least today he reached a landmark of note. On 45, he became the quickest batsman in terms of days to reach 5000 Test runs, and at 29 years and 267 days, he became the fourth-youngest Englishman after David Gower, Michael Atherton and Colin Cowdrey to reach the mark. (Although, in a testament to the number of matches that England churn through these days, he was only the 16th quickest in terms of matches). Sadly, he didn’t have long to enjoy the moment. Before he could notch up his 5001st run, he had fallen to a left-arm spinner – Shakib Al Hasan on this occasion – for the sixth consecutive international innings.Show-off of the dayTowards the end of the second session, the eardrums of everyone in Mirpur Stadium were shattered as a low-flying MIG zipped across the neighbourhood, and began performing dramatic high-velocity handstands against the city skyline. It’s not the sort of thing that tends to take place in a built-up area, let alone an area populated by 14 million people, but it’s fair to say it was one of the more eye-catching spectacles of a sluggish afternoon. With Bangladesh’s Liberation Day Parade set to take place on March 26, there might be more such aerial gymnastics to come.