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Ahead of the Super 4 game against Pakistan, the India coach’s media interaction was a mix of candour, wariness and dry humour

Shashank Kishore04-Sep-20221:35

When Rahul Dravid stopped just short of using the word “sexy”

Rahul Dravid’s expressions as he walked into the media conference on Saturday were typically studious. But it took less than five minutes of him fielding questions for those expressions to change. Over the next 20 minutes, he was witty, entertaining, happy to play along, all while keeping the media typically at an arm’s length over tactics and combinations.Is Dinesh Karthik the first-choice wicketkeeper ahead of Rishabh Pant? Has Ravindra Jadeja been ruled out of the T20 World Cup? Will you continue to, err, experiment? How do you react to guys who play outrageous shots, considering you hardly played those in your days? The questions flew in thick and fast.Related

• Dravid: With Virat, people get a bit obsessed with statistics

• Unbeaten India slight favourites in Round 2 against Pakistan

• Ind vs Pak: cricket, not hype, takes centre stage ahead of Round 2

• Jadeja out of Asia Cup with knee injury, Axar named replacement

• Naseem Shah, the boy who will rule the world

Dravid answered them all patiently. And in between serious answers, he triggered peels of laughter. Then, when he was asked if Pakistan’s fast bowlers were better than India’s in their opening game, his expression changed again. There were slight creases on his forehead.Was he annoyed? Perhaps not. He was more bemused, it seemed, at the “” (they were a lot stronger) description.”Pakistan’s bowlers bowled well, I accept that,” he said. “They are a very good bowling side. But we also restricted them to 147 through good bowling. The number you will see, sometimes someone has bowled 145 kph or 147 kph but, at the end of the day, bowling analysis is the most important thing. Whether you’re bowling at 135 or 145 or 125, swinging the ball or not, you are judged by the results you produce.”Bowling analysis of our fast bowlers was also pretty good. I respect their bowling, certainly, but I am very confident that we have a very good bowling attack as well. One that produces results. It might not be as, umm… I want to use a word, but I can’t use it here. The word I want is coming out of my mouth, but I can’t use it here.”Anyone walking into the press conference at that instant could’ve mistaken it for a Saturday laughter club. Several Instagram reels were being readied right there. Social media was shortly going to explode with funny memes. As the laughter subsided, people tried to coax Dravid into saying the word. He was mischievously asked if he meant “exuberant”.”No, not exuberant,” he laughed again. “Four letters, starts with S… It’s okay. Anyway, the point I am trying to make is that we might not look glamorous, but in terms of productivity, we are producing the results. And that’s all that matters.”Navigating a tough spell with the bat, or a barrage of questions from journalists? Rahul Dravid has it covered•Peter Della PennaHmm, a more starry feel to the Pakistani attack? Perhaps… He’s done now, you thought. Wrong. There was plenty more to come.”Yesterday, we saw you and Virat Kohli having a long chat at practice. What were you discussing with him?” he was asked next. If Dravid was taken aback by the brazenness of the question, he didn’t show it. Instead, he expertly clipped it off his pads to the boundary with dry humour.

“We might not look glamorous, but in terms of productivity, we are producing the results. And that’s all that matters.”Rahul Dravid when asked if Pakistan’s bowlers were better than India’s in their previous meeting

“It will take a long time [to explain] here,” he said, half-jokingly. “[But] what conversations happen between a player and a coach is not something I’m going to come here and reveal in the media. That’s obvious, clear no coach will do that.”And then he switched to Hindi.”” (We also talk about where to eat in Dubai, which are the good restaurants. He has lots of advice, he says do this, go there!)Cue in more laughter. Also cue in the inevitable question about experimenting ahead of the World Cup. Roughly a fifth variation of things touched upon earlier, but Dravid held his poise.”I’m not really experimenting. I don’t really know why people feel we’re experimenting. If people get injured, I have to try out other guys, no?” he asked. “We’re not actively going out and looking at this as some kind of experiment.”When Dravid answers in Hindi, there’s a bit of to his sentences, a pure and polished version of the language, slightly different to the colloquial form commonly spoken. He introduced Indian cricket audiences to “” (expert opinion) during his playing days. On Saturday, he added to the dictionary. He was speaking of his (responsibility) as coach to communicate clearly with his players on selection matters.Then towards the end of the interaction, it was almost as if Dravid was anticipating the final question arriving in his mother tongue, Marathi. When the question came, from a scribe he’d known for years, he offered a sheepish smile. He paused, probably wondering whether to answer in Marathi, but eventually began in English and then switched to Hindi.As he finished, he picked up his backpack, took a deep breath, and rushed off to the nets. The media session was over and gigabytes of footage soon exchanged hands and flew over cloud spaces. Dravid, meanwhile, was back to giving his reserve players some at the nets.It was business as usual. For everyone.

The duo stood up and made it count on a day when Rohit Sharma, Kieron Pollard and Hardik Pandya were all quiet

Saurabh Somani12-Oct-20203:58

Manjrekar: Second time this IPL Capitals batted below their potential

When a Mumbai Indians one-two punch is responsible for your defeat, the first two names to come to mind might be Kieron Pollard and Hardik Pandya. Or Rohit Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah. Or a combination of them.Quinton de Kock and Suryakumar Yadav are the kinds who fly under the radar, even though they came into the game against Delhi Capitals having been the batting mainstays in Mumbai’s two previous wins – de Kock made 67 off 39 against the Sunrisers Hyderabad, while Yadav reeled off 79* off 47 against the Rajasthan Royals.That’s the kind of star power Mumbai have. It speaks about the depth in the team, that on a day when Rohit, Hardik and Pollard managed just 16 runs off 28 balls and Bumrah went wicketless – albeit in four excellent overs – they still reeled in victory against fellow table-toppers Delhi Capitals without any jangling of nerves. That was because both de Kock and Yadav hit aggressive fifties.Krunal Pandya led the way in bowling, where Mumbai’s precision and skill of execution restricted the opposition to a total that the Capitals captain Shreyas Iyer felt was “10-15 runs below par”.But even if the Capitals had got those extra runs and had 175 to defend instead of the 162 they got, the way de Kock and Yadav were going, it didn’t seem enough. When de Kock was out, at 9.5 overs, ESPNcricinfo’s Forecaster had Mumbai’s projected total at 177 (assuming a full 20-over innings). How well Yadav ensured momentum didn’t flag in the middle overs is illustrated by the Forecaster’s projection increasing to 183 when he was out, on the last ball of the 15th over.De Kock and Yadav’s partnership lasted only 4.5 overs, though they thumped 46 runs in that period. What stood out was how well their innings meshed together for Mumbai. The next partnership brought 53 runs in 5.1 overs when Ishan Kishan joined Yadav. Together, de Kock and Yadav had ensured that the ten-over period they controlled brought 99 runs for Mumbai. That allowed them to absorb a sedate start and a somewhat tepid finish, because what came in the middle was robust enough.Both men made 53, de Kock taking 36 balls to Yadav’s 32. If de Kock took the lead in the second-wicket stand with Yadav, hitting 28 off 18, it was Yadav took control in the third-wicket stand with Kishan, stroking 35 off 21.Quinton de Kock stroked his way to a half-century•BCCIThe Capitals had the bowling attack to defend their total, even if it was not as many as they would have liked. Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje form possibly the most potent twosome of pacers in IPL 2020. R Ashwin and Axar Patel have been the spinners to bowl most impressively in tandem throughout this tournament. But by the quality of their batting, de Kock and Yadav upset the bowling pattern that has been a staple for the Capitals: Rabada bowling one over up front and Nortje two, then the duo sharing five overs at the death. By the time Yadav was out, five overs were remaining in the innings but Rabada had just one left. Iyer had been forced to go to his strike bowler earlier than he would have liked because of de Kock and Yadav.Their approach against a quality bowling attack differed markedly from the Capitals’ own plan against an equally impressive set of bowlers. Just like Mumbai, the Capitals also had two batsmen making substantial scores in Iyer (42 off 33) and Shikhar Dhawan (69* off 52). But where Iyer and Dhawan were tied down by good bowling, de Kock and Yadav looked to actively disrupt bowling plans and rhythms. Dhawan and Iyer waited for the bad ball to be put away, while de Kock and Yadav manufactured balls that could be hit by moving around in the crease, by employing a wider attacking arc, and by being unafraid to go over the in-field.”When Surya came in, we just naturally assessed what we were dealing with out there. It did help that when he walked in he had intent, and he was off to a flier with boundaries and just rotating strike,” de Kock told . “It kept me a lot more relaxed. We just naturally batted together. I think we dovetailed really well.”Before this game, the match-up between Ashwin and de Kock was even: 43 runs off 32 balls and twice out. In this game, de Kock began by hitting a six and a four in Ashwin’s first over. When Nortje came to bowl his second over, the last in the powerplay, de Kock smacked two audacious sixes into the legside. Yadav used his wrists to whip Ashwin towards deep midwicket, and his reach to sweep Patel effectively. When Rabada was brought back for the 15th over, Yadav went 4,2,6 – hitting to third man, then over mid-off, then all the way over backward square leg.The plan might not have been to specifically target bowlers and areas, but overall, it was clear that these two were not going to let the Capitals’ quartet settle into a rhythm. It was a sound strategy because this tournament has shown that when the Capitals attack is humming nicely, the batsmen can’t do too much. Having a plan is one thing, but de Kock and Yadav also had the skill, boldness and form to execute it. Their combined attack against the Capitals’ best bowlers was decisive in swinging the game Mumbai’s way.”We’ve got really good players in our team,” de Kock would say later. “If it’s not one, it’s the other that’s going to do something for the team.”In a team of superstars, the batting chops of de Kock and Yadav may occasionally go under the radar. But as they’ve shown in the last three games, flying under the radar does not diminish the devastating effect they can have.

Enzo Maresca has conceded that Liam Delap could be set to spend another period on the sidelines, after the Chelsea striker was taken off in the 32nd minute of his side's 0-0 draw with Bournemouth following a shoulder injury. The 22-year-old has already spent two months out of action with a hamstring injury since arriving at Stamford Bridge for £30 million ($40m) from Ipswich Town, and could see his frustrating start to life at Stamford Bridge continue.

• Delap could be set for another worrying injury lay-off

  Maresca spoke to reporters at full-time and revealed his concerns surrounding Delap, who has already missed 11 matches this season and was replaced mid-way through the first half following a shoulder injury. The Blues are set to assess Delap’s injury in the next 48 hours to determine for how long he will be on the sidelines.

  With both of Joao Pedro and Marc Guiu on the bench the Blues have a range of attacking options – though Maresca questioned the quality of his side's depth after defeat to Leeds United in midweek – but there is no doubt that injuries have curtailed Delap’s progress in west London since his big move from the Tractor Boys, which came with lofty expectations after 12 goals in his first top-flight season.

  Delap looked in clear pain after he was bundled to the ground by Marcos Senesi and subsequently taken off, ahead of what would go on to be a disappointing goalless draw for Maresca’s side.

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  'He has been unlucky' – Maresca reacts to Delap injury blow

  Maresca said in his post-match press conference: “Unfortunately he has already been out for two months and he has to be out again. We don't know for how long, but it looks quite bad, his shoulder.

  “He has been unlucky," Maresca added. "We are also a bit unlucky because we need that kind of a No.9.”

• Maresca reflects on goalless draw for his side after Delap's injury

  Maresca added on the result on the south coast: “I think it was a game where we lacked and we missed a little bit of quality in the last third. For me, there were many mistakes. We missed some passes in the last third, some moments that we could shoot and didn’t.

  “But overall, when you are not able to win, we have said many times, that it's important that we don't lose. I think it is because of a lack of quality in the last third for me, personally, in terms of last pass, some crosses, some moments.

  “We know that we are not going to score every game. I didn't know, to be honest, that [Chelsea had scored in every game] since Crystal Palace. Now we're going to try to score on Tuesday, but it's important at least to keep the clean sheet that gives us at least the chance to take points."

  Maresca also referenced Cole Palmer on his first start since September, and was asked by reporters if the reason his side lacked the cutting edge on Saturday was due to a lack of individual confidence from his players.

  He responded: “No, no, no, not because of this. I think it's a normal mistake that can happen, you know, a last pass in the last third. It's just that. I think Cole [Palmer] was quite good on that, he played half an hour the other day, played one hour today. So now it's important that he can build his physical condition.”

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  What next for Chelsea and Delap?

  Chelsea have faced a challenge keeping players fit so far this season, with the after-effects of the Club World Cup and a lack of pre-season apparent for Maresca and his players. While the return of Palmer is a welcome one, another injury blow for Delap is concerning for a young player still becoming accustomed to his new club and team-mates.

  Injury has prevented the 22-year-old from having enough of an opportunity to settle in on the pitch at Stamford Bridge, and Maresca will hope that he can get the England Under-21 international back on the field to help the team as soon as possible.

  Currently in fifth place, the Blues face a challenging end to 2025 – with Atalanta next up in the Champions League, and league fixtures with Everton, Newcastle United, Aston Villa and Bournemouth once again set to test Chelsea’s resolve over the festive period.

MatériaMais Notícias

Vasco e Criciúma se enfrentam, neste sábado (27), pela quarta rodada do Brasileirão, em São Januário, às 16h, com transmissão do Premiere (pay-per-view). O Cruz-Maltino aposta na volta para o Caldeirão para voltar a vencer. Já o Tigre vai em busca da sua primeira vitória no campeonato após dois empates.

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🗓️ Data e horário: sábado, 27 de abril de 2024, às 16h (de Brasília)
📍 Local: São Januário, no Rio de Janeiro (RJ)
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ECB confirms central contracts for 26 players, with four more on development deals

Matt Roller04-Nov-2025Ben Stokes has signed a fresh two-year England contract, providing the clearest indication yet that he intends to play in the 2027 Ashes series on home soil.Stokes, 34, has tapered his schedule significantly due to injury, to the extent that the only side he has represented in the past 12 months is England’s Test team. He has been sidelined with hamstring and shoulder issues this year and has not played a limited-overs international since November 2023, but his new contract suggests he has no plans to stop soon.Brendon McCullum, England’s head coach, is under contract until the end of 2027 and Stokes’ new deal suggests that the coach-captain combination could continue for another two years. England have won 25 and lost 14 Tests since McCullum and Stokes took over in June 2022, but are yet to register a series win over a “Big Three” opponent ahead of the imminent Ashes tour to Australia.Related

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Stokes is one of 14 players to have signed a new two-year central contract, with a further 12 players under contract until October 2026 and four more signing development deals. The ECB announced the list on Tuesday, which director of men’s cricket, Rob Key, said reflected “the depth and strength of talent” in the English game.Five players have signed their first central contracts: Sonny Baker, Liam Dawson, Saqib Mahmood, Jamie Overton and Luke Wood. A further six players were not offered deals after their contracts expired: Jonny Bairstow, Jack Leach, Liam Livingstone, Olly Stone, Reece Topley, and Chris Woakes, who has retired from international cricket.Key said that multi-year contracts – which were introduced two years ago – were designed to help the ECB manage workloads of all-format players and to ensure that, in the case of players in high demand on the franchise circuit, “England remains their priority”.England central contracts 2025-2026•ESPNcricinfo LtdThese include Adil Rashid, whose new deal implies that he will continue until at least the 2027 50-over World Cup, while Sam Curran’s two-year contract marks a return to favour after he spent the first half of this year outside England’s white-ball squads. Jos Buttler has also committed to a two-year deal despite stepping down as white-ball captain earlier this year.Notably, several members of England’s Test side have only signed one-year contracts, leaving open the possibility of a post-series clear-out in the event of a heavy defeat in the upcoming Ashes. These include Shoaib Bashir, Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope and Mark Wood, who is now in the final year of the three-year contract he signed in 2023.Four seamers in the England Lions squad to tour Australia have been awarded development contracts for 2025/26: Josh Hull, Eddie Jack, Tom Lawes and Mitchell Stanley. Hampshire’s John Turner, who missed most of the 2025 summer after a back stress fracture, has lost his development deal.”This structure allows us to support our players properly while maintaining strong squads across all formats as much as possible,” Key said.The most notable omissions from the contracts list are Tom Banton, an ever-present in England’s T20I side since Brook took over as white-ball captain, and Jordan Cox, who has been a regular squad member across formats in the last year.England men’s central contractsTwo-year contracts: (until Sep 30, 2027) Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Jos Buttler, Brydon Carse, Sam Curran, Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jamie Smith, Ben Stokes, Josh TongueOne-year contracts: (until Sep 30, 2026) Rehan Ahmed, Sonny Baker, Shoaib Bashir, Zak Crawley, Liam Dawson, Saqib Mahmood, Jamie Overton, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Phil Salt, Luke Wood, Mark WoodDevelopment contracts: Josh Hull, Eddie Jack, Tom Lawes, Mitchell StanleyLapsed contracts: Jonny Bairstow, Jack Leach, Liam Livingstone, Olly Stone, Reece Topley, Chris Woakes, John Turner

There have been some emotional farewells from Tottenham Hotspur over the last couple of years.

While Ange Postecoglou’s exit was not met with tears, the departures of Harry Kane back in 2023 and Son Heung-min in 2025 were sad indeed.

Kane left for Bayern Munich as the greatest goalscorer in Spurs history while Son will certainly go down as one of the most electrifying and most-liked players the supporters have ever seen.

While the South Korean saw his powers wane last season, he did still score 11 goals and register 12 assists in his 46 appearances.

Trying to replace that output has been a challenge. While Son reminds everyone of just how good he still is at LA FC, bagging ten goals in his first 12 outings in MLS, the likes of Wilson Odobert, Richarlison and Brennan Johnson continue to divide opinion with their displays in the Spurs forward line.

Richarlison, in particular, is a polarising figure and despite his goal against Manchester United on Saturday, is not likely to last too much longer as a Lilywhite.

Why Richarlison's Spurs career is under threat

Has there been a more perplexing player in Tottenham’s recent history than Richarlison?

Signed for a mega £60m back in 2022 after an 11-goal and five-assist season for Everton, hopes were great for a player who had been a real nuisance in the Premier League.

That said, whatever possessed Daniel Levy and Co to pay such a massive sum was questionable even then. It’s a question we’re still trying to answer to this day.

It’s been a troubled few years for the Brazilian in north London. Back in 2022/23, he scored just one goal in 27 Premier League outings. He did net 11 in 2023/24 but followed that up with another terrible return last season, bagging five goals in 24 outings across all competitions.

On paper, the forward’s numbers from the ongoing campaign don’t look bad. The 28-year-old has scored four goals in 11 top-flight outings but his inconsistency is what frustrates supporters so much.

Having missed a big chance in the first half in classic Richarlison fashion, he flicked home a deft header on Saturday, a moment that looked as though it had won Thomas Frank’s side the game. We all know how that ended.

That rather summed up the attacker’s time at Spurs. A rash finish followed by a goal, but it simply hasn’t been acceptable for a number of years now.

BBC Sport’s Nat Haywood perhaps described Richarlison best this season, simply beginning an article by describing him as an “enigma.”

While he has found himself in decent form during 2025/26, the former Everton and Watford man has had his chance. He’s often found wanting in front of goal and his injury record is not the best either. As per Transfermarkt, he has missed 377 days of action since moving.

So, what’s the solution? Well, fortunately enough for Frank, Spurs have a number of top-drawer youngsters in their ranks.

How Spurs can solve their Richarlison problem

Truth be told, not many clubs in the country possess the calibre of young talent that Spurs currently have in their ranks.

From Lucas Bergvall, once wanted by Barcelona, to Archie Gray and Wilson Odobert, there are plenty of fresh faces in the first-team squad.

Beyond that, teenager Mikey Moore, who was previously compared to Neymar by James Maddison, has just scored his first goal on loan at Rangers while Spurs are also due to welcome the “Irish Alexander Isak” to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the form of young Mason Melia.

Lest we forget Luca Williams-Barnett too, a 17-year-old who made his senior debut just a matter of weeks ago.

For now, however, we’d like to focus on a young South Korean by the name of Yang Min-hyeok.

Spurs officially announced the signing of Yang back in the summer of 2024 and he joined the club once he had turned 18 in January of this year.

A winger by trade, before he’d even moved to Spurs, journalist and South Korean football expert, Jason Lee, suggested that the teenager “is expected to be Korea’s next superstar like Son Heung-min.”

While the forward is yet to hit those dizzy heights just yet, it’s been an impressive start in senior football.

Before he’d even become an adult, Yang was making a mighty fine impact for Gangwon FC in the K-League, playing 38 times for the South Korean side, scoring 12 times and supplying six assists. It’s easy to see why he’d captured the eye of Spurs scouts.

Gangwon FC

38

12

6

QPR

14

2

1

Portsmouth

10

2

1

Spurs

0

0

0

The young attacker is yet to play a senior competitive game for the Lilywhites but has enjoyed two separate loan spells in the EFL, firstly with QPR last season and secondly with Portsmouth in 2025/26.

Yang’s numbers don’t capture the imagination too much just yet but one can excuse a period of adaptation for someone who has only been in Europe for 11 months now.

It took him a few months to get up to speed at Portsmouth but he is now earning some impressive reviews. Scout Jacek Kulig wrote how he is “on fire” at Pompey, having scored against Watford and also fired in a winner against high-flying Middlesbrough in October.

Further described as the “Korean Marco Reus” by football writer Albert Kim, he wrote that “if you give him too much time and space, he’s going to hurt you.” That certainly sounds a lot like Son.

Yang has a long way to go before he can be considered a player ready to make an impact in the Spurs first team but capable of playing on either flank, as well as a striker, he has the positional versatility and attributes to take Richarlison’s place in the squad in the future.

There’s a lot to like about Manchester United at the moment. Of course, many more improvements are needed before Ruben Amorim’s project hits the desired level, but recent results and, perhaps more importantly, performances, suggest a page may have been turned.

Amorim has stuck to his guns in the Old Trafford hot seat and received more than a measure of criticism and question marks in return. But are the signs of vindication just about appearing for the thought-filled tactician?

A summer well spent has seen first-team outliers cast away and upgrades in the form of Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha arrive and work their stuff under the Theatre’s lights.

Benjamin Sesko is a talented striker, but the jury remains out in regard to his potential as the leading man for many years to come.

What Sesko has to prove at Man Utd

Sesko joined Man United from RB Leipzig for a £74m fee this summer, ending a protracted search for a new striker.

So far, the 23-year-old has only scored two goals and provided one assist across 11 matches, but his link-up play and presence in the area offer much promise.

Podcast host Adam Joseph noted that the Slovenian “needed a better touch” during Saturday’s hair-raising draw to Forest, unable to capitalise on the wizardry of Mbeumo. But this will come.

Mbeumo and Cunha, after all, are seasoned Premier League stars, whereas Sesko is only a few months into his career in English football and younger besides.

We know he can score goals. But Man United’s finest strikers in modern times have proved they have many more strings to their bow.

Take Robin Van Persie. The iconic centre-forward was hailed by Sir Alex Ferguson for his “sensational” shooting and for having “an impact as big as anyone” at Old Trafford after joining from Arsenal for £24m in 2012.

His movement and intelligence in the final third set him apart from the masses, and Sesko, tall and well-built, could emulate the Dutchman in that regard.

But there might actually be an up-and-coming Carrington talent with more potential than the summer recruit.

Man Utd's biggest striker talent since RVP

Last week, Amorim acknowledged JJ Gabriel publicly and confirmed he has been paying attention to the 15-year-old forward’s progress, even handing him an opportunity to train with the first team.

Hailed for his “exceptional skillset” by talent scout Jacek Kulig, “combining flair and confidence on the ball”, Gabriel hasn’t yet developed positionally, capable both on the left and in a central striking berth, but there’s so much to like and he could even make his debut in the not-too-distant future.

Already a regular for the U18s, Gabriel has shattered expectations with his prodigious technical ability and fleet-footed work on the ball. He’s too good for the youngsters around him, and journalist Nathan Salt confirmed that “one insider thinks ‘he’s already better than Premier League players'”.

Correspondent Steven Railston has even suggested that Gabriel “the best talent United’s academy has ever seen”.

Sometimes, you can just tell. Gabriel is a one-of-a-kind dribbler and is the top goalscorer in the U18 Premier League this season, with seven goals (and one assist) from just eight matches. Darren Fletcher has predominantly used him centrally, despite being schooled out wide, but the prolific potential of this young star suggests this might be a wise call.

Though he’s not physically developed, nor has he tried his hand on the senior stage, Gabriel has so much potential, and there’s no question that his ceiling reaches higher than Sesko’s.

Could the teenager turn out to be United’s best since Van Persie? It is far too early to tell, but the signs so far are more than promising, to be sure.

Man Utd's "anonymous" flop is rapidly becoming a bigger problem than Dalot

Ruben Amorim has a job on his hands to put one Manchester United player on the right track.

By
Ethan Lamb

Nov 3, 2025

England Men’s managing director unconcerned about throwing fast bowler straight back into Test cricket

Andrew Miller27-Jun-2025Jofra Archer will be ready to hit the ground running, as and when his return to Test cricket comes, despite having bowled just 18 overs for Sussex against Durham in his long-awaited comeback to first-class cricket at Chester-le-Street last week.That is the view of Rob Key, England Men’s managing director, who is confident that Archer’s slow but steady return from a series of career-threatening injuries means he’ll be ready to slot straight back into England’s starting XI, either in next week’s second Test against India at Edgbaston, or – perhaps more likely – in the subsequent third Test at Lord’s, beginning July 10.Archer was this week named in England’s 15-man squad for the second Test, meaning he is in line to play the format for the first time since the tour of India in February 2021. England have played 52 Tests in the intervening years, during which time Archer’s career was left in limbo due to multiple operations on his right elbow, and a stress fracture of the back.However, he made a successful return to white-ball cricket for England in May last year, with appearances at each of the last two ICC global events: the T20 World Cup in June 2024, and the Champions Trophy in February this year.Related

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Jofra Archer: 'I know my body can hold up to red-ball cricket'

Jofra Archer added to England squad for second Test

Though a broken thumb sustained at the IPL delayed his return to red-ball cricket, Archer himself confirmed this week that his body was ready to hold up to the demands of the longer format, having returned figures of 18-8-32-1 on a flat deck against Durham in the County Championship.”To see him back will be brilliant,” Key said at a Rothesay media event in London. “He’s an unbelievable talent, and it’s been such a long road. For two years now, [we’ve] mapped it out: from T20s and four-over spells, into 50-over cricket to build up his robustness, to now. He has been doing so much work in the lead-up – even when he’s not playing – to building up that resilience to being able to play, because he’s a serious talent.”England’s impressive victory in the series opener at Headingley, allied to the nine-day turnaround between games, might persuade the selectors to stick with an unchanged frontline seam attack of Chris Woakes, Brydon Carse and Josh Tongue. That could also enable Archer to be released for at least two days of Sussex’s next County Championship fixture against Warwickshire, after his county coach Paul Farbrace suggested he might benefit from more red-ball overs under his belt.However, Key liked what he saw of Archer’s rhythm at Chester-le-Street, having tracked his performance on the county live stream, and insisted he was ready for selection, come what may.Rob Key, England Men’s managing director, speaking at a Rothesay media event in London•Getty Images”Jofra is such a talent,” Key said. “He was straight on the money. Bowling on a slow pitch, with good pace. He ain’t gonna forget how to bowl, so when we have that call, we’re not concerned. He will be fit and available for both [Tests]. Whether he could play both, we’ll find that out afterwards, if he did play at Edgbaston.”Despite his long absence from red-ball cricket, Key likened Archer to Mark Wood – currently injured, but on course to be available for next month’s final Test of the series – for his ability to pick up from where he left off, without the need to build up his workloads.”The spectrum for that is Mark Wood to other guys who you feel need a longer [lead up],” Key said. “You saw those guys playing in the last Test; they got better the more they bowled. Mark Wood is someone that could just turn up after bowling a bit in the nets, like he did at Headingley in the Ashes, and bowl 96mph, swinging in and hitting a length.”On that sort of scale, Jofra is close to the Mark Wood end. He’s a pretty pure talent. There’s not a lot of moving parts to his action in terms of complications, and he’s 30 years old now, so he knows exactly what he’s doing and what he’s about. So it’s more of a question of him just getting back into red-ball cricket.”We’ve picked him in the squad, and we’ll see how the conditions are. We’ve got decisions to make because these next two Tests are very close together, and you want to be able to sustain that pressure throughout these back-to-back Test matches. So we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. At the moment, he’s in the squad [but] any of those players can go back to county cricket as well.”

“We don’t know who’s the next great England opening partnership – the next Broad-Anderson – because there’s a number of those options that could be the mainstay of England bowlers for years. I can’t wait to see who that will be.”Rob Key on England’s bowling stocks

With Jamie Overton and Sam Cook also in England’s Test squad, plus last season’s break-out star Gus Atkinson likely to come into contention later in the series, Key was upbeat about the state of England’s bowling stocks – both for the remainder of this summer, and the Ashes tour to follow.”There was a time where you thought it was all about Wood and Archer, and we needed that X-factor pace – but now we’ve got a few of them,” Key said. “It’s so encouraging. You need bowlers for all conditions, [and] not just the Ashes. You need a pack of bowlers that all complement each other.”Jofra is another piece in that puzzle as Woody will be if he comes back at the end of the series. We don’t know who’s the next great England opening partnership – the next Broad-Anderson – because there’s a number of those options that could be the mainstay of England bowlers for years. I can’t wait to see who that will be.”

Manchester United are keen to add more talent under Ruben Amorim and could now look to make a move that would make the world sit up and take notice of developments at Old Trafford.

Man Utd look to strike tactical balance under Ruben Amorim

Undoubtedly, Amorim’s decision to stick with his complex 3-4-3 formation has drawn his fair share of admirers and critics. However, the Portuguese boss doesn’t appear likely to change that any time soon.

Per Pundit Arena, Emile Heskey has claimed that regardless of their tactical set-up, a lack of leaders in the Old Trafford dressing room is a reason behind their inconsistent form this season.

He stated: “Nothing seems to go right for Ruben Amorim. Everyone keeps talking about the tactics, but when you put 11 players on the pitch, they’ve got to fight. Where’s your leaders? I remember playing at Liverpool, I was only 22 at the time, we had Gary McAllister and he would be on to us. Steven Gerrard was younger than me, he would be on to us, Sami Hyypia, too.

“It doesn’t look like Man Utd have any leaders on the pitch, who are really digging people out.”

Now, that may be a little harsh. Bruno Fernandes and Harry Maguire are two shining examples of leadership, but ultimately, the best form of authority in football comes from players who do their talking with the ball at their feet.

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Bringing new talent with the potential to be world-class is what will take Manchester United closer to their glory days. Nevertheless, that is easier said than done, all things considered.

However, they may now be plotting a seismic move to sign a proven international who is becoming one of Europe’s best attacking forces due to his excellent displays.

Man Utd ready to go big for Kenan Yildiz

According to reports in Europe via Stretty News, Manchester United are planning to launch an offensive for Juventus star Kenan Yildiz, someone who was previously of interest to the club during the summer window.

Regardless, it would take a fee well over the region of £86 million to entice him to Old Trafford, with the Serie A giants keen to retain the 24-cap Turkish international at all costs.

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Labelled “brilliant” by Massimiliano Allegri, Yildiz has registered two goals and four assists in eight appearances for Juventus this term across all competitions, proving his worth as the Old Lady aim to push for the league title.

Furthermore, the Regensburg-born winger has already created 17 chances and delivered eight successful crosses in Serie A, per Fotmob, illustrating his ability to carve open defences.

With Manchester United pushing hard for his signature, it remains to be seen whether they can come to an agreement with Juventus on a structure for a potential deal and whether he would be open to moving to Old Trafford.

Looking ahead to 2026, Everton have reportedly joined the race to sign a former Real Madrid defender alongside a number of Premier League rivals.

David Moyed "thrilled" with Crystal Palace win

Without a win in four games in all competitions and heading into the Hill Dickinson to host a Crystal Palace side without a defeat in 19 games, Everton looked destined for an uphill battle on Sunday. The Eagles had just defeated the Premier League champions in Liverpool and were after another Merseyside scalp – taking the lead through Daniel Munoz.

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From there, it seemed as though Everton were set to hand Palace the 20-game unbeaten run that they were after, only for the Hill Dickinson to get its most dramatic moment yet.

After equalising through Iliman Ndiaye in the final 15 minutes, the stage was set for someone to become a hero and that someone was Jack Grealish. The Manchester City loanee was perfectly placed to benefit from Munoz’s clearance and simply deflected home to hand his side a 93rd-minute winner.

David Moyes, like every Everton fan inside the Hill Dickinson, was left “thrilled” by his side’s dramatic comeback – telling reporters: “I’m thrilled with the three points, thrilled with the result.

“Mixed emotions on the performance. Not very good at all in the first half and could have been three down, but kept defending, kept stuck at it, showed a bit of resilience.

“I’ve been waiting on a late goal here. Aston Villa was 0-0, we couldn’t quite get the winner against West Ham, so I was hoping we’d get one of them. Thankfully, we got it today.”

Having sealed the three points, Moyes’ side now sit as high as eighth in the Premier League and providing an early marker to become shock contenders for a European place – something that should boost their transfer ambitions.

Everton join race to sign Mario Gila

According to The Boot Room, Everton have joined the race to sign Mario Gila from Lazio in 2026. The former Real Madrid defender has attracted interest from all around the Premier League, with Tottenham Hotspur, Crystal Palace and Bournemouth all joining Everton in the battle to secure his signature.

It’s no real surprise that interest is rising in the 25-year-old, who has been one of few bright sparks in Maurizio Sarri’s struggling Lazio side.

Former Lazio sporting director Igli Tare was also full of praise for the Spanish defender after signing him from Real Madrid, saying: “He is fast, intelligent and never puts a foot wrong. He can become one of the top 3-4 defenders in the world and it wouldn’t surprise me if Real wanted him back.”

Considering concerns that Jarrad Branthwaite could still leave Everton, Gila wouldn’t exactly be a bad signing to welcome in 2026. The Spaniard is at the peak of his powers and already has impressive experience under his belt.

It would be yet another ambitious move from The Friedkin Group, who’d be signing a former Real Madrid gem ahead of their rivals.