Questions have been asked of Neymar on the back of his Saudi Arabian stint, but the Brazilian has been showing that he still boasts outrageous skill.
Article continues below
Article continues below
Article continues below
Made just seven appearances for Al-Hilal
Rebuilding form & fitness back at Santos
South American playing with confidence again
Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱
WHAT HAPPENED?
The 33-year-old, who has risen above Pele as his country’s all-time leading goalscorer, managed just seven appearances for Al-Hilal before seeing his lucrative contract terminated. An injury-ravaged spell in the Middle East led to Neymar facing accusations of becoming a fading force.
Advertisement
WATCH THE CLIP
THE BIGGER PICTURE
He has, however, embraced an opportunity to return to his roots at boyhood club Santos. An initial six-month deal has been agreed there, allowing Neymar to rebuild form and fitness. A first goal back in familiar surroundings was recorded from the penalty spot in a meeting with Agua Santa.
ENJOYED THIS STORY?
Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting
DID YOU KNOW?
Neymar has now helped Santos to back-to-back wins following their 3-0 victory over Noroeste. It was during that contest that the South American superstar broke out his bag of tricks and kept fans entertained with some stunning footwork and ball control.
Babar Azam’s 66 and Shoaib Malik’s unbeaten 54 set the stage for 72-run victory
Sreshth Shah07-Nov-20212:49
Masood: Shoaib and Hafeez will be big-match players in the semi-finals
Like he has done all through the tournament, Babar Azam set anchor and scored his fourth half-century of the competition while other batters rallied around him to lift Pakistan to their fifth win of the competition. Previously it was Mohammad Rizwan or Asif Ali who brought out the fireworks while Babar held up one end, but on this occasion it was their two most experienced batters who entertained the Sharjah crowd.Shoaib Malik, who made his international debut in 1999, smacked an unbeaten 54 in 18 balls. Mohammad Hafeez, who made his international debut in 2003, shellacked 31 in 19. And after their hitting lifted Pakistan to 189, another top bowling effort saw them defeat Scotland rather comfortably by 72 runs and seal a semi-final date with Australia after becoming the only team with a 100% win record in the group stage of the competition.Babar makes it a habitIt doesn’t matter if the scoring is tough. Lesser mortals like Rizwan and Fakhar Zaman might struggle on a two-paced surface, but if you’re Babar, you will find a way to score runs. Although the strike-rate wasn’t high, he picked his boundary-balls smartly. Wide balls were smacked square through the off side, tossed up deliveries from slower bowlers were met with a skip down the track, and half-trackers were walloped off the back foot. That ensured Pakistan kept ticking along even though Rizwan and Fakhar combined to score just 21 runs in 30 balls.After reaching his fifty in 40 balls, Babar smacked two sixes off the spinners Hamza Tahir and Mark Watt to show the first signs of Pakistan changing gears to make up for a slow start. Eventually he fell in the 18th over, but by then his strike-rate had bloomed to over 140 when he fell for 66.Age just a number for Malik, HafeezAt 60 for 2 after ten overs, Pakistan were definitely in an uncomfortable position. But Hafeez has begun to make his cameos a habit. Against Namibia, it was his 16-ball 32 that brought life into their innings, and on Sunday, it was his 19-ball 31 that not only boosted the run rate but also gave Babar a bit more freedom to play his shots.Hafeez set the tone for his innings with a straight drive off Tahir before smacking part-timer Richie Berrington over extra cover. Then he tore into the pace of Safyaan Sharif, hitting him for a six and two fours in the space of four balls. And although Sharif dismissed Hafeez at the end of the 15th over, the wickets still in the hut meant Pakistan would only operate in top gear from there.Watch cricket live on ESPN+
Sign up for ESPN+ and catch all the action from the Men’s T20 World Cup live in the USA. Match highlights of Pakistan vs Scotland is available in English, and in Hindi (USA only).
And that was the case with Malik’s innings. Watt bore the initial brunt of Malik’s aggression with two sixes in one over. Sharif was then dispatched over deep midwicket and long on with ease. Before the last over, Malik’s numbers were already impressive having made 32 in 14 balls. But there was still some fuel left in the tank.For the 20th over, Scotland decided legspinner Chris Greaves – who had an economy of 5.67 after three overs – should finish the innings, and for Malik that was easy pickings. After Asif eked out three runs off the first two balls, Malik feasted on Greaves. First ball to Malik was pulled over the leg side, second ball was pulled for four through square leg, third ball was tonked over long on and the fourth ball was pulled in front of square. Malik helped Pakistan score 26 off the last over to not only reach the joint-fastest fifty (in 18 balls) of the competition, but also set Scotland an improbable 190 to win.Too much for Scotland to doWith those many runs to defend, Pakistan had the luxury of attacking with the new ball. They conceded 19 off the first three overs, but there were enough oohs and aahs from the infielders as the Scotland openers struggled with their timing. Tidy overs from Imad Wasim, Haris Rauf and Hasan Ali to close out the powerplay meant that Scotland were scoring at only four per over after six overs.Hasan got the first Scotland wicket in the final powerplay over. Kyle Coetzer, struggling on 9, failed to pick his slower ball to hole out. The second Scottish wicket was a run of bad luck as Matthew Cross was caught napping at the non-striker’s end off a faint Wasim touch after George Munsey hit a straight smack. Two more fell in quick succession as Shadab Khan removed two batters just after the drinks break with two googlies. At 41 for 4 after 10.3 overs, the game was only going one way.But Berrington did not want to wave the white flag just yet. Scotland’s only half-centurion in the tournament thus far added a second one to his tally by making an unbeaten 54. Hasan was struck over cover and midwicket, Shaheen’s delivery found the boundary too, Haris was swept smartly through backward square and Hasan was then smoked over long on. Berrington’s half-century came in 34 balls, but he was the only Scotland batter who could dictate the bowling. Otherwise, none of the other Scotland batters had a strike-rate of more than 100, and although they were not all out, they were well and truly beaten against a side growing in stature by leaps and bounds with the World Cup trophy now in their sights.Record-setting day for Babar, RizwanAlthough Rizwan made 13, it was enough for him to become the man with the most T20 runs in a calendar year. He went past Chris Gayle’s 2015 tally of 1665 runs.As for Babar, the records keep tumbling. His fifty took him to the summit for most fifties in a single T20 World Cup, tied first with Virat Kohli (in 2014) and Matthew Hayden, the Pakistan batting coach (in 2007). It was also his 19th T20 fifty in 2021, breaking Kohli’s world record of 18 fifties in 2016.
أصدر نادي الزمالك بيانًا جديدًا، للتأكيد على التزامه بخوض مباراة القمة أمام الأهلي بقيادة تحكيمية مصرية، على الرغم من طلبه سابًقا بتعيين حكام أجانب.
ومن المقرر أن تُقام مباراة الأهلي والزمالك مساء اليوم على أرضية استاد القاهرة، في تمام الساعة 9:30 بتوقيت القاهرة، 10:30 بتوقيت السعودية، في إطار لقاءات الجولة الأولى من المرحلة النهائية للدوري المصري.
ويحتل الأهلي المركز الثاني في جدول ترتيب الدوري، برصيد 39 نقطة، بعد خوض 17 مباراة، فاز في 11 مباراة وتعادل في 6 ولم يتلق أي هزيمة.
بينما على الجانب الآخر، يتواجد فريق الزمالك في المركز الثالث بترتيب جدول الدوري، برصيد 32 نقطة، من الفوز في 9 مباريات والتعادل في 5 وتلقى الهزيمة في 3 مباريات.
طالع | في بيان رسمي.. الزمالك يؤكد خوضه مباراة القمة أمام الأهلي ويرفض تغيير طاقم الحكام
ونشرت الصفحة الرسمية للزمالك عبر موقع التواصل الاجتماعي (فيس بوك)، قائلة: “يؤكد مجلس إدارة نادي الزمالك برئاسة الكابتن حسين لبيب أن المجلس يدرك تماماً واجباته تجاه النادي وجماهيره العظيمة، وفي مقدمتها الحفاظ على حقوق ومصالح النادي وضمان عدالة المنافسات وتكافؤ الفرص كما يلتزم النادي برعاية المصالح العامة ونجاح المسابقات الرياضية”.
وأكمل: “وقد فوجئ الجميع بالإعلان بشكل مفاجئ عن موعد المباراة على نحو يتعذر معه طلب حكام أجانب وفقاً للمواعيد والضوابط المقررة في اللائحة”.
واستطرد: “وقد قبل الزمالك أداء المباراة بحكام مصريين للاعتبارات السابق ذكرها، إلى جانب مراعاة الحقوق التسويقية وثقة في قدرات اللاعبين والجهاز الفني فضلاً عن أن النادي تلقى في السابق تعهدات مؤكدة من المسؤولين عن اللعبة بعدم تكرار الأخطاء والكوارث التحكيمية التى كانت نتاج حملة إرهاب معنوي ضد الحكام قادها ودعمها بعض المنتفعين والمغرضين ممن ابُتلى بهم الوسط الرياضي والتي أدت إلى خسارة الزمالك الكثير من النقاط في المباريات الماضية وهو ما أقر به كل من يملك مثقال ذرة من عدل أو ضمير ولم ينكرها إلا قلة من الفاسدين”.
واختتم: “ونادي الزمالك إذ يؤكد التزامه بثوابته وقيمه والترفع عن تلك المهاترات، يعلن مجدداً أن تلك الحملات المشبوهة لا تخفى على أحد وأنه سيتصدى بكل حزم لمن يدبرها أو يستجيب لها ويدعو كافه الجهات المعنية باتخاذ كافه الإجراءات لضمان العدالة”.
Abdukodir Khusanov's agent has revealed that he held talks with Manchester United over a move to Old Trafford, but says Erik ten Hag nixed the deal.
Article continues below
Article continues below
Article continues below
Ten Hag rejected defenderHas since joined Man CityAgent reveals transfer regretFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
Earlier this week, City confirmed the signing of Khusanov in a £34 million ($42m) deal, but his agent has now revealed that he could have moved to United instead. The Uzbekistan international was being eyed by the Red Devils in 2023, after the Under-20 World Cup in which he played for his country, but manager Erik ten Hag opted against pressing ahead with the move.
AdvertisementManchester City FCTHE BIGGER PICTURE
Khusanov only spent two years in France with Lens and will now link up with City as he attempts to work his way into Pep Guardiola's plans. He has signed a contract until 2029, but his agent has now lifted the lid on the talks he held with City's biggest rivals.
WHAT GAIRAT KHASBIULLIN SAID
Gairat Khasbiullin told : "In May 2023, United scout Nicolas Chenalli was in Argentina for the U20 World Cup. After the second match of Uzbekistan at the tournament, he found my contact and wanted to meet."
He added:"[He said] that Khusanov has Manchester United DNA. It was at that moment that I realised that the guy would end up in a top club. The scout made a detailed report, but coach Ten Hag said that the defender was not quite ready to help the team at that time. Recently we corresponded with that Manchester United scout. He congratulated us on the transfer to City but regretted that the player did not end up at Manchester United."
ENJOYED THIS STORY?
Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting
(C)Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT?
City face Chelsea on Saturday in what could be Khusanov's debut, and Ten Hag may be wondering what might have been had he opted to snap him up.
Kamindu Mendis auditioned for the T20 World Cup with scores of 74, 53*, and 66 in the tournament
Andrew Fidel Fernando25-Aug-2021Dasun Shanaka’s outstanding batting form saw SLC Greys triumph in the board’s Invitational T20 Tournament – a two-week affair that served both as an audition for the national side in a T20 World Cup year, as well as training for the global tournament that starts in October.Having gone unbeaten through the round robin stages (each of the four teams played oppositions twice), Greys won the final against SLC Reds – led by Dinesh Chandimal – by 42 runs. Shanaka would have top-scored in the tournament even if he had not contributed in Tuesday’s final, but his 48 not out off 17 was instrumental to Greys’ total of 201 for 4. Reds lost three wickets in the powerplay before recovering somewhat through a 65-run partnership between Oshada Fernando and Asela Gunaratne, but were eventually squeezed out by Greys’ excellent attack. They were all out for 159.Top performers of SLC Invitational T20 League
Top seven run-scorers:
Dasun Shanaka – 258 runs (six innings), SR 184 Kamindu Mendis – 193 runs (three innings), SR 168 Dinesh Chandimal – 183 runs (six innings), SR 120 Pathum Nissanka – 167 runs (five innings), SR 138 Sadeera Samarawickrama – 155 runs (six innings), SR 120 Avishka Fernando – 154 runs (six innings), SR120 Dhananjaya Lakshan – 136 runs (six innings), SR 119
Sri Lanka’s team management will be heartened by new limited-overs captain Shanaka’s tournament performance. Batting in the No. 5 position he has recently occupied for the national side, Shanaka hit 84, 48, 8, 55*, 15, and 48* through the course of the event, maintaining a strike rate of 184, as he routinely provided the closing fireworks to Greys’ innings. His knock in the final was his most explosive, and propelled Greys to the first total of over 200 in the tournament. Greys were favourites from the outset and never looked like losing this final. Wicketkeeper-batter Minod Bhanuka, who seems likely to feature in Sri Lanka’s T20 World Cup squad, top-scored for Greys, with a 74 off 51 that set the scene for Shanaka.There were also three particular players on the fringes of the national T20 side who impressed in the tournament. Kamindu Mendis – who bowls fingerspin with both arms, but is mostly a batter – was the tournament’s second-highest scorer, hitting 74, 53*, and 66 in the three innings he played (several matches were rained out), maintaining a tournament strike rate of 168. Chandimal did not score as quickly – his strike rate down at 120 – but was nevertheless the third-highest scorer, with a tally of 183 in the tournament. On the bowling front, experienced seam bowler Nuwan Pradeep was the tournament’s joint-highest wicket-taker with seven dismissals, and an economy rate of 7.16.Sri Lanka’s two best players from the limited-overs series against India – legspinner Wanindu Hasaranga and fast bowler Dushmantha Chameera – did not play in the tournament. Neither did Kusal Perera, who tested positive for Covid-19. The entire tournament was played in Pallekele, within a biosecure bubble.
A técnica Pia Sundhage viu com boas perspectivas o desempenho da Seleção Feminina no Torneio Internacional de Futebol Feminino realizado em Manaus. Em entrevista coletiva após a vitória por 2 a 0 sobre o Chile na quarta-feira (1), a comandante apontou onde as Guerreiras vêm evoluindo em campo.
– Foi interessante porque tivemos mudanças no nosso ataque e melhoramos essas combinações. Acho que fomos mais imprevisíveis. Falamos sobre desafiar linhas e fazemos isso de formas diferentes – disse.
Pia exaltou o teste contra as chilenas na final da competição.
– Foi um jogo muito interessante, o Chile é uma equipe que impôs muitas dificuldades. Acho que todas nossas jogadoras conseguiram ficar na mesma página – afirmou.
Porém, a sueca vê ainda alguns aspectos nos quais a equipe tem de melhorar.
– O ataque é muito rápido. Precisamos da tomada de decisão mais rápida. Isso é diferente de abrir o jogo e partir para o cruzamento – declarou.
A treinadora ainda avaliou o potencial de Kerolin, autora do primeiro gol da vitória e uma das destaques do Brasil no torneio.
– Ela é única. Tenho encorajado as jogadoras a desafiarem o um contra e um e ela é imprevisível. Se continuar evoluindo, vai ser cada vez mais difícil para um time se defender contra ela. Ela faz o time melhor, mais imprevisível – disse.
Pia Sundhage projetou o Torneio Internacional de Futebol Feminino na França, que será disputado de 14 a 23 de fevereiro. As brasileiras encaram as francesas, a Holanda e a Finlândia.
– Será muito importantepois vai exigir mais da nossa defesa. É sempre bom enfrentar adversários do TOP-10. Algo que exige tanto do nosso ataque quanto da defesa – concluiu.
Kylian Mbappe was left astonished to realise that his Real Madrid co-star Luka Modric has more major titles to his name than his own age.
Article continues below
Article continues below
Article continues below
Real Madrid beat Pachuca to lift the Intercontinental Cup
It was Modric's 28th major trophy with Real Madrid
Croatian happens to be the most decorated player in club history
Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱
WHAT HAPPENED?
At 39, Modrić continues to defy expectations with his longevity and remarkable influence on the field. Over the years, he has amassed six European Cups, cementing his place in history as a key player in Real Madrid’s dominance on the continental stage. Additionally, his trophy cabinet includes six FIFA Club World Cups, five European Super Cups, four La Liga championships, two Copa del Rey titles, and five Spanish Super Cups.
Advertisement
AFP
THE BIGGER PICTURE
Modric is officially Real Madrid’s most decorated player, with 28 titles after the latest Intercontinental triumph, an honour he holds with pride. He is trailed by teammates Dani Carvajal, who boasts 27 trophies, and Nacho Fernández, with 26 titles. Club legends Marcelo and Karim Benzema, each with 25 trophies, complete the top five.
WHAT MODRIC & MBAPPE SAID
During celebrations, a candid moment between Modric and Mbappe highlighted the awe inspired by the Croatian’s achievements. As a cameraman noted that the club skipper had secured his 28th major title, Mbappe, who celebrated his 26th birthday on Friday, reacted with a mixture of admiration and surprise. “More than my age,” he remarked with a smile. “Let’s hope to win another one for him and for all the others who are here.”
Whereas, reflecting on his latest triumph, Modric expressed immense pride. “It’s a unique feeling,” he told the club's official media.
"We already did it in the last title, in the Super Cup. This title is very important and I'm very happy to win it for the sixth time. It's a unique feeling to win titles with Real Madrid. I hope it gives us confidence for what's next because there are a lot of games ahead of us. A very demanding season."
ENJOYED THIS STORY?
Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting
AFP
WHAT NEXT FOR MODRIC?
Modric’s next opportunity to add to his already staggering tally of trophies will come in January 2025, when Real Madrid compete in the Supercopa de Espana. However, before that, he will focus on continuing his excellent form as Real Madrid prepare to face Sevilla this Sunday in a La Liga fixture.
Ashley Giles, the managing director of England men’s cricket, has hinted that the upcoming Test series against New Zealand will be used to look at “some new faces”.While England have the unexpected availability of some players they had anticipated would be at the IPL to consider, Giles suggested there will be no hurry to rush such players back into action.The England management are also mindful that, with a busy schedule of cricket ahead of them and a working assumption that players will have to remain in bio-bubbles for long periods of time, they may require a larger squad than normal to ensure they can rest and rotate as required. To that end, they want to ensure fringe players who could well have a role to play later in the year have an opportunity to familiarise themselves with the environment.That means England are likely to use the two New Zealand Tests to provide opportunities for Ollie Robinson and James Bracey, who are both uncapped at international level, and recall Craig Overton, who has played four Tests and an ODI. All three have impressed in county cricket over a sustained period. Ben Foakes could also win a first Test cap in England.”What we do know and what’s not going to change is that given the weight of cricket, given the Ashes series, and we don’t know what conditions that’s going to be played in with regard to a Covid environment, we are going to need a bigger group of players,” Giles said. “We may also choose against New Zealand to look at some new faces.”Related
Timeless James Anderson targets 'mind-blowing' milestones as 1000 first-class wickets loom
Robinson presses England claims with nine-wicket haul
Ryan Higgins: The Stokes injury replacement hiding in plain sight
Boult returns to New Zealand and could miss both England Tests
Bracey shows he's real deal as Middlesex are muscled to margins
Several of England’s Test prospects, notably Chris Woakes, Jos Buttler, Sam Curran, Jonny Bairstow and Moeen Ali, are currently serving a quarantine period which ends at the weekend, while a few more – Ben Stokes, who is definitely out of the series, Dom Sibley, Olly Stone and Jofra Archer – are injury doubts.Sibley has just about recovered from the broken finger that he sustained in mid-April (he was considered fit to bat but not field in Warwickshire’s recently concluded match against Worcestershire), but will have been unable to play a first-team game before the squad for the Test series is picked.Stone, meanwhile, has an infection in his big toe for which he is taking antibiotics, while Archer made a cautious return from minor hand surgery and a long-standing elbow problem in second XI cricket recent days. Given his importance to England in all formats and the fact that the New Zealand series does not form part of the World Test Championship, it seems unlikely he will be rushed back into service. Stone is expected to be fully fit within days and has a good chance of inclusion within the Test squad.Jofra Archer made his comeback from injury for Sussex’s 2nd XI last week•Getty Images
But it is, perhaps, those players currently in quarantine who require the more careful management. Some of them spent more than four months in various bubbles over the winter and are expected to be given time to see their families before they return to cricket.”All these guys are currently in quarantine and have had a number of spells in quarantine and bubbles in this last period,” Giles said. “Some of it’s their choice, I get that. We need to look after them, with the amount of cricket they’ve got coming up. We’re not going to rush or force them back into cricket.”Chris Silverwood will work with each and every one of them, as will our medical teams on what’s best for their progress. On the matter of playing cricket, they are all different. We know historically that Chris Woakes, for example, likes to get more overs under his belt with the red ball before he’s up to speed. Others react differently to that, so it’s a case by case basis. We have got an awful lot of cricket coming up.”Even without the IPL players or injuries, the competition for places is tough. Stuart Broad and James Anderson are both expected to be fully fit for the series but the absence of Stokes may make balancing the side problematic. Woakes or Curran could, therefore, come into the equation. The Test squad is likely to be announced on May 17 or 18 with the players entering a bubble about 10 days later.
Singaporean batter uses Dutch second division as springboard into two-match county stint
Matt Roller08-Jul-2021Tim David, the Singaporean middle-order batter, has signed a short-term deal to play the final two games of the Vitality Blast group stage for Surrey thanks to a brief stint in Dutch second-division cricket which meant he was on hand during the club’s availability crisis.David, who is a regular for Hobart Hurricanes in the BBL and starred in the final stages of the PSL for Lahore Qalandars after signing as a replacement, played his first game for Quick Den Haag in the Dutch Hoofdklasse last weekend but has arrived in the UK in time to take part in Friday night’s game against Kent at The Oval. The Netherlands is on the UK’s ‘amber’ list, but David has not had to quarantine due to an exemption for elite sport and has taken multiple negative Covid tests.Surrey’s first-team squad has been decimated by injuries and illness in recent weeks, with Sam and Tom Curran and Jason Roy among the England white-ball players self-isolating following an outbreak in the camp, and Will Jacks drafted in as a late replacement. Kyle Jamieson injured his glute during the County Championship match against Hampshire, ruling him out of the final two games of his time at the club, while Ollie Pope is unavailable with a thigh injury and Hashim Amla took several blows on his gloves during his final-day rearguard at the Ageas Bowl.Related
Ashwin could play Championship match for Surrey
Derbyshire re-sign Rampaul for remainder of Blast, RLC
Mayers joins Bears for last three Vitality Blast group games
Glenn Phillips: 'If I don't know what's going on, how does the bowler?'
Who is Tim David, and why do we need to talk about him?
“After finishing the PSL in the UAE recently, I decided to play some league cricket in Holland instead of flying back to Australia to quarantine and I am really excited that an opportunity has come up,” David said. “Hopefully I can have an impact for Surrey in their final few T20 Blast games.”I’m stoked with the chance to play for a county as big as Surrey and to get my first experience of playing in the Vitality Blast. It has been a busy few days since I got a call with the potential opportunity and I can’t wait to play at the Kia Oval tomorrow night, hopefully in front of a big crowd.”Alec Stewart, Surrey’s director of cricket, said: “With the loss of Kyle Jamieson to injury and Will Jacks to international duty, as well as the unavailability of Ollie Pope and Hashim Amla we wanted to try and cover off a middle-order ball-striker and fortunately we were able to secure the services of Tim David at very, very late notice.”Elsewhere, Essex have extended Jimmy Neesham’s deal with the club, which will see him play in next week’s County Championship game against Derbyshire and in the second half of the Royal London Cup group stages following his three games with Welsh Fire in the Hundred.Essex were missing a middle-order batter following Dan Lawrence’s last-minute ODI call-up and had a vacant overseas spot following Peter Siddle’s return to Australia.
With the Championship campaign underway, Leeds United are reportedly eyeing a move to sign an alternative to Jonathan Rowe who has been valued at up to £10m this summer.
Leeds transfer news
Following the heartbreak of last season's Wembley defeat, Leeds will be hoping to go again in pursuit of what they'll desperately want to be a successful promotion push.
Daniel Farke
As ever though, it's unlikely to be an easy route to the Premier League, with the Whites opening their campaign with a disappointing, action-packed 3-3 draw against newly-promoted Portsmouth.
Salvaging a point, those at Elland Road at least showed plenty of fight and the type of fight that they may yet need to show in the remainder of the summer transfer window if they want to land their targets.
That could yet include in their pursuit for Rowe, who has made his desire to leave Norwich City clear after dropping out of their squad in an opening-day defeat against Oxford United. Alas, as things stand, the winger remains a Norwich player, with the Canaries' £15m price tag reportedly deemed too steep for the likes of Marseille.
Alioski 2.0: Leeds join the race to sign "spectacular" £3m star
The Whites are reportedly interested in a swoop to land the Premier League youngster.
ByDan Emery Aug 14, 2024
With that said, the Whites and the 49ers Enterprises may now turn to an alternative option. According to TEAMtalk, the 49ers and Leeds are now eyeing a move to sign Million Manhoef from Stoke City before the end of the transfer window, with the Potters valuing him at up to £10m. The winger has reportedly attracted the interest of a number of Championship clubs, with Leeds among those exploring the option of a move.
A cheaper alternative to Rowe and a player who could help fill the void left behind by Crysencio Summerville, Leeds' pursuit of Manhoef could prove to be a stroke of genius.
"Great" Manhoef can replicate Rowe's quality
It's no real shock that Norwich value Rowe at a hefty £15m this summer, but that may leave Leeds with no choice other than to pursue Manhoef over the the want-away winger. The Stoke star has shown glimpses of his quality since arriving in January, which has seemingly been enough to attract those in Yorkshire to a player more than capable of replicating Rowe's quality on the right-hand side.
Minutes
816
2,040
Goals
4
12
Assists
1
2
Expected Goals
3.2
5.3
Key Passes P90
1.76
1.06
In the equivalent of just over nine games, Manhoef managed five goal involvements and was outperforming his expected goals in positive signs that there's plenty more to come from the 22-year-old Dutchman.
On the cusp of bursting into life for the Potters, Leeds could be wise to make their move for Manhoef this summer, rather than wait for his price tag to reach levels similar to that of Rowe.
Described as a "great signing" for Stoke by Football Talent Scout's Jacek Kulig, the former Premier League club may not be keen to lose their winger just seven months after securing his signature, however.