Everton have a huge summer up ahead, with David Moyes given the keys to the transfer chest as he looks to remould the Toffees squad to his own design.

After losing his first match back at the helm against Aston Villa in January, the distinguished Scotsman has restored the feel-good factor at Goodison Park, stretching an unbeaten streak to nine Premier League matches as the Merseyside derby at Anfield now looms large.

While the Blues are riding the crest of a wave at the moment, there’s little question that Everton need to fortify their ranks considerably if they are to compete at a higher level, having languished in the lower fathoms of the top flight over these past few years.

It’s been reported that new owners, The Friedkin Group, are willing to give him increased transfer powers as he fills Bramley Moore with exciting new parts.

However, outgoings are also possible, with Jarrad Branthwaite’s Everton future a hot topic of discussion once again.

Jarrad Branthwaite's Everton future

Branthwaite is into his second season as a first-team regular at Everton, previously completing a loan stint at PSV Eindhoven. Last term, talent scout Jacek Kulig described the 22-year-old as an “absolute monster.”

Framed at 6 foot 5 and with a strong-sinewed, no-nonsense style, Branthwaite is a real catch, and it was no surprise that Manchester United were warded off last summer.

Lodging a series of bids, the Red Devils were eventually deterred by Farhad Moshiri, who was resolute in his £75m demands. This is quite the figure, but Branthwaite has proved his worth over the past few years.

Matches (starts)

35 (35)

22 (20)

Goals

3

0

Assists

0

1

Clean sheets

12

7

Touches*

52.2

50.5

Pass completion

80%

82%

Dribble success

71%

75%

Ball recoveries*

5.2

3.1

Tackles + interceptions*

3.3

2.4

Clearances*

4.5

6.3

Duels (won)*

5.3 (68%)

3.5 (63%)

Of course, intrigue in the centre-half isn’t just going to disappear, and after being overlooked for Thomas Tuchel’s March England squad, he has been reported by Sky Sports to be considering his options.

Moyes will need to make some signings this summer to convince his defensive star to stay put as his second Everton era is staged. There’s one man in particular who has caught the eye of late and could be a wonderful addition.

Everton chasing new centre-back

Branthwaite has a strong partner in James Tarkowski, who is acting captain as the ageing Seamus Coleman makes only sporadic appearances.

But with Michael Keane set to depart when his contract expires in three months, it’s important that a talented new option is welcomed through the Bramley Moore gates.

Genoa’s Koni De Winter might be that man. As per Football Insider, the Belgian defender has been on Everton’s radar for a while and they have been informed that a £25m bid will be accepted this summer.

De Winter, 22, is also attracting attention from Wolves and Serie A leaders Inter Milan, but Everton will hope that Moyes’ pedigree and the chance to work alongside another rising star in Branthwaite could sway negotiations in the Blues’ favour.

What Koni De Winter would bring to Bramley Moore

Though it seems unlikely that Branthwaite will retire having devoted the span of his top-flight career to Everton, there’s no reason why he can’t be kept on the books for a few seasons more.

The England international will, however, want to receive bang for his own buck, and thus Moyes and incoming Director of Football Angus Kinnear will need to add players such as De Winter to the fold so that competing for a place in Europe becomes not so much a dream as a goal.

Having left Juventus’ ranks to join Genoa for €10m (roughly £8m) last summer after spending the 2023/24 season on loan at the Luigi Ferraris Stadium, De Winter has made steady progress, featuring 50 times in total.

This season alone, the 6 foot 2 star has bagged three goals in Serie A, denoting a tremendous aerial ability and innate incisiveness. Everton, physical and adept at using their noggins, could benefit from such a quality.

Indeed, as per FBref, he ranks among the top 2% of centre-backs in Serie A for goals scored, the top 4% for aerial duels won, the top 19% for clearances, and the top 16% for ball recoveries per 90.

Such goalscoring qualities and physical robustness have curiously seen Fiorentina’s Yerry Mina listed as one of his most comparable players by FBRef. Formerly of Everton, the Colombian has long been regarded as a high-class defender, just blighted by injuries throughout his career.

In August 2018, Everton signed the towering colossus from Barcelona for a £27m fee. He had thrived at the World Cup in Russia, scoring against England in the knockout stage.

Former Blues gaffer Marco Silva said that Mina was “unlucky” during his time at Goodison Park, only hitting 20+ Premier League starts in two of his five campaigns before departing on a free in 2023.

However, his leaping headers and ball-playing quality, forged in the famed furnaces of La Masia, really underscored the vision. Now, Moyes is looking to repeat a trick with De Winter – hopefully one which won’t be hampered by fitness problems.

Who knows, by bringing such an aerially adept player into the fold, hailed for his “unreal” progress by journalist Antonio Mango, it may even convince Branthwaite to stay put for a time yet.

For all the Englishman’s ability, he’s not yet mastered dominance in the skies. That is to say, Sofascore record that Branthwaite’s aerial duel success rate stands at just 53%.

Conversely, De Winter’s is a whopping 71% in Italy this term. You can see that by combining the contrasting skill sets, Moyes’ Everton might just go from strength to strength.

De Winter’s youth and modern-tailored skill set suggest he could be the perfect fit for an Everton side looking to adapt to new climes.

Partnering with Branthwaite for the long run, this truly could be a duo for the ages, leading Bramley Moore to the higher peaks of the Premier League and maybe even exploits overseas.

Moyes is brewing the next Barkley in Everton star & it's not Alcaraz

Everton could have another talented academy graduate on their hands

ByJoe Nuttall Mar 29, 2025

Captain says random encounter during spa break reinforced faith in team’s tactics

Andrew Miller27-Jun-2023Ben Stokes says that a random encounter with a non-cricket fan during a spa break between Tests has brought home to him just how important and engaging this Ashes series is proving to be, and has vowed to continue to push for victory at all costs in this week’s second Test at Lord’s.Australia’s thrilling two-wicket win at Edgbaston in the series opener had left Stokes admitting to being “emotionally beat up” after the contest, a statement that seemed at odds with his previous insistence that England under his leadership are not a “results-driven team”.And, with only one side in Ashes history having previously come back from 2-0 down to win 3-2 – Don Bradman’s team in 1936-37 – the Lord’s Test might ordinarily feel like a match that England dare not lose.Stokes, however, insisted that he and his players are utterly unfazed by the prospect of bouncing back to square the series 1-1, and said that the public’s enthusiastic response to the team’s “Bazball” tactics will only embolden him for the rest of the campaign.”I think Baz has now just come to terms that it’s a thing now,” Stokes said at Lord’s, acknowledging that the Bazball buzzword is here to stay, despite his coach’s previous protestations.”We got a nice little break, and there’s been lots of people come up to me and saying how enthralled they were with last week,” he added, after a trip to Seaham Hall in Durham, where he is an ambassador. “They obviously wanted us to win but they just loved every minute of it.Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum will maintain their positive approach to England’s tactics•PA Images via Getty Images

“I had a conversation in a men’s changing-room at a spa about the game, which was a bit awkward. He said, ‘are you the cricketer or do you just look like him?’ and I was like ‘it is me’.”He just said that ‘I went down to the pub after work and I don’t even follow cricket, but I was just going to go down for a quick few’ and he ended up having a few more, and just said he was just transfixed on the game.”So when you hear stuff like that, it obviously makes you feel good about what we’re doing as bringing a new fanbase to the game, and it’s reaching people that it might never have reached before, so that’s what we’re about.”The onus on opening the game up to a wider audience feels all the more important following the overnight publication of the long-awaited ICEC report into the sport’s structural inequalities.Stokes opened his press conference with a pre-prepared statement on the matter, and later added: “We’re all about growing the game and just making it bigger than what it is right now, and I think we’ve managed to achieve that quite well.”England’s plans for the Lord’s Test suffered a pair of set-backs on Tuesday morning, with Moeen Ali deemed unfit for selection after his finger injury at Edgbaston, and Mark Wood omitted in favour of Josh Tongue, with Stokes admitting that Wood needed longer to be ready to play a full part in the third Test at Headingley.Related

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However, Stokes insisted that the selection issues had done nothing to dent the overriding feeling of optimism within the squad, adding that Zak Crawley had addressed the team huddle on Monday with an “unbelievable speech” that referenced an ancient Chinese story about a farmer, his horse, a broken leg and an invading army.”It was basically about ‘we’ll see’, one thing happens and might not mean it’s the end of the end of the world,” Stokes said. “You don’t know why things happen, if it’s for a good reason or not, it’s just one of those things to deal with. The team we’ve picked, I’m very confident we can walk away from here with a win. Rather than worry about things that I don’t have, I’d rather be confident in the things I do have.”I don’t want to get misheard when I say we aren’t a results-driven team,” Stokes added. “As I said last week, losing sucks. We always want to win every game we play, but if we don’t come away with the win at the end, then let’s move onto the next game and let’s keep going.”

More than at most Champions League-level clubs, plenty of players come and go at Celtic, due to the high turnover the Scottish Premiership champions experience in a high portion of summer transfer windows.

This was especially the case during Ange Postecoglou’s two-year tenure, with the Australian signing a whopping 29 players during his relatively brief reign.

Now, the player that Graham Falk of the Scotsman ranks as the second-least impactful of all 29 of Postecoglou’s signings, has just made a multi-million-pound move across the Atlantic, despite making barely any impression in Glasgow.

Once upon a time, he wanted to follow in the footsteps of the great Virgil van Dijk but that never happened.

Celtic's search for the next Virgil van Dijk

Given what he has gone on to achieve in the game, it’s pretty hard to dispute the fact that Van Dijk is Celtic’s best centre-back of modern times.

The Dutchman arrived in Glasgow from Groningen for a reported fee of £1.74m in 2013, with then manager Neil Lennon claiming he said to the defender on his first day “enjoy yourself… you won’t be here long” as he knew van Dijk was destined for the top.

In total, the Dutchman made 115 appearances for Celtic, winning two Premiership titles and the League Cup, before being sold to Southampton for £11.5m in 2015, with the Hoops also receiving a 10% sell-on fee when he moved to Liverpool for a then world-record £75m in January 2018.

Since, Celtic have simply been searching for the next van Dijk, so here’s a selection of all the centre-backs to make 100+ appearances since the Dutchman’s departure in August 2015.

Šimunović

2015-20

£4m

126

11

Boyata

2015-19

£1.5m

135

8

Ajer

2016-21

£650,000

176

9

Carter-Vickers

2021-present

£6m

150

8

As the table outlines, just four Celtic centre-halves have surpassed 100 appearances since van Dijk’s sale, underlining the flux experienced in that position, with defenders such as Carl Starfelt only at the club for a very brief period, while, at the other end of the spectrum, given that Marvin Compper made just one appearance in hoops, his Celtic career is more of an abstract concept.

Meantime, a highly-rated defender, who also appeared only once for the club, that almost every Celtic supporter worldwide will have forgotten about, appears to be getting his career back on track, having just made a big-money move.

Where Are They Now

Your star player or biggest flop has left the club but what are they doing in the present day? This article is part of Football FanCast’s Where Are They Now series.

Celtic's forgotten defender now MLS-bound

Osaze Urhoghide was one of Postecoglou’s very first signings as Celtic manager, arriving from Sheffield Wednesday for a compensation fee reported to be £200,000.

Upon his arrival, Postecoglou stated he believed the then-21-year-old possessed “all the attributes… to become a top player”, describing him as “a modern defender..good athletically” and “quick”, with Mark Walker of the Scottish Sun labelling him a ‘beast and a monster’.

Despite this high praise, Urhoghide made just one competitive appearance for Celtic, an unused substitute on 17 occasions, this coming in a dead-rubber Europa League group stage game against Real Betis.

Considering this was a player who wanted to emulate Van Dijk in Glasgow, he didn’t live up to the immense potential expected of him.

Thus, he then spent the next 18 months on loan at Oostende in Belgium, before being allowed to join Ligue 2 side Amiens on a free transfer in 2023.

Well, he must have done something right during his 41 appearances for les Licornes because, last month, he joined Major League Soccer side FC Dallas for a reported fee of £2.5m, starting all three of the Texas-based club’s MLS fixtures so far this season.

That fee may not seem sky-high, but it’s certainly noteworthy considering, in their three decades of existence, Dallas have only paid a higher transfer fee for four players, with this the highest fee the club have ever paid for a defender, the previous record the $1m spent to sign Geovane Jesus from Cruzeiro.

It’s also noteworthy when you compare it with those still at Parkhead. Indeed, the £2.5m fee puts him above the likes of super-sub Hyun-jun Yang who, in the eyes of Transfermarkt, is rated at £2.1m.

So, does this prove Celtic were wrong to sell Urhoghide? No. But does this also prove players’ development is not linear, and just because it didn’t work out at one club does not mean it can’t work out at another? Yes.

Worth more than Tierney: Celtic must regret losing "amazing" star for £0

The former Celtic youngster is now worth even more than Kieran Tierney.

1 ByDan Emery Mar 10, 2025

Rajasthan Royals suffered a catastrophic collapse and were dismissed in 10.3 overs in Jaipur

Shashank Kishore14-May-20231:13

Bishop: Seeing growth and understanding in Maxwell’s game

With their campaign on the line in Jaipur, Royal Challengers Bangalore ambushed Rajasthan Royals, smashing them by 112 runs to stay in the race for the playoffs. It was their largest margin of victory away from home and it did wonders for their net run rate: RCB are now in fifth place with 12 points and two games to go.Glenn Maxwell blasted a 30-ball half-century on a tough pitch, while Faf du Plessis and Anuj Rawat played contrasting support acts. Yet the biggest contributor to RCB’s win was their bowling, and the five wickets they took in the powerplay set up the Royals’ decimation for 59 – the third lowest total in the IPL.Wayne Parnell was in top form, picking up three of those wickets: Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson and Joe Root. He wouldn’t have played had Josh Hazlewood been fit, and his spell of 3-0-10-3 won him the Player of the Match award.While RCB can get to 16 points, the Royals can now only reach 14 if they win their final game, and their playoff hopes are extremely slim.RCB’s steady powerplayRoyals trusted their match-ups in the powerplay.Virat Kohli v Sandeep Sharma: seven dismissals, the most he’s got out to any bowler in T20s.Kohli v legspin: strike rate of 110. So it wasn’t a surprise to see three overs in the powerplay bowled by Adam Zampa and Yuzvendra Chahal.RCB hit only four boundaries in the first six overs, but Faf du Plessis and Kohli ensured they didn’t lose a wicket on a tricky pitch, scoring 42. Kohli was eventually caught off a knuckleball from KM Asif, for 18 off 19 balls.Glenn Maxwell scored a fifty off just 29 balls on a tough pitch•BCCIDu Plessis drops anchor; Maxwell fliesMaxwell walked in at No. 3 and thumped his third ball, off R Ashwin, for a near 100-metre hit down the ground. In the next over, Chahal tried to bowl away from his hitting arc as Maxwell tried to outfox him by employing the reverse sweep. After two failed attempts, Chahal perhaps played on Maxwell’s ego by dangling the carrot for a third. Maxwell used the depth of his crease to slap a fierce cut to the boundary. This injection of momentum allowed du Plessis to drop anchor.After a lull – RCB didn’t score a boundary from overs 9.2 to 12.3 – Maxwell tore into Sandeep. The first of two boundaries was a reverse ramp over the wicketkeeper and the second was slashed over point. Maxwell then raised the tempo further by blasting Chahal into the stands to bring up a 30-ball half-century. And when Chahal went wide, Maxwell went wider to shovel one over the shorter leg-side boundary. The platform had been set. RCB stumble after du Plessis fallsRCB lost three wickets in six deliveries beginning with du Plessis in the 15th over, with Zampa taking out Mahipal Lomror and Dinesh Karthik in the same over. That meant that Maxwell had to delay the charge at the death, and when he eventually went after Sandeep, he was bowled trying to reverse sweep a yorker. At 137 for 5 in the 18th over, RCB were in danger of finishing poorly.Wayne Parnell picked up three wickets in the powerplay to derail the Royals•BCCIRawat comes to RCB’s rescueAnuj Rawat gave RCB the finishing kick in the final over by taking down KM Asif. Standing deep inside the crease to convert yorkers into half-volleys, he muscled two sixes and a four to end with 29 off 11 balls. RCB finished with 171, which was above par on a tough batting surface.Parnell’s powerplay punchFastest IPL fifty two nights ago. Two-ball duck today. Yashasvi Jaiswal drilled Mohammed Siraj to Kohli at mid-off to trigger a stunning collapse. Parnell was playing his first game since April 20 and he made the most of it, dismissing Buttler, Samson and Root inside the powerplay. Buttler was also out for a duck, slapping one straight to point; Samson was cramped for room and top-edged a pull; and Root was lbw playing all around a full delivery.Bracewell, Karn complete the routA niggle to Wanindu Hasaranga meant Karn Sharma got a game, but he was taken for three back-to-back sixes by Shimron Hetmyer. Ashwin was then run out by a nifty flick between the legs from the wicketkeeper Rawat, and Hetmyer holed out to long on for 35 off 19 balls. Bracewell returned to pick up his second wicket – Dhruv Jurel – and Karn made a strong comeback by taking the final two wickets to close out the game in the 11th over of the chase.

The spin duo of Shreyanka Patil and Mannat Kashyap starred with the ball after a sedate batting effort to guide the India A team to the Women’s Emerging Teams Asia Cup title with a 31-run win over Bangladesh A in the final in Mong Kok.Electing to bat, India A first posted a modest 127 for 7 before the bowlers rose to the occasion with Patil (4 for 13) and Kashyap (3 for 20) sharing seven wickets between them to bundle out Bangladesh A for 96 in 19.2 overs. Off-break bowler Kanika Ahuja also chipped in with two wickets.It was complete spin-show from the Indians with off-spinner Patil and slow left-arm orthodox Kashyap ruling the roost on a slow Mission Road Ground pitch. Sobhana Mostary scored 16, while Nahida Akter remained stranded on 17 not out for Bangladesh A.Vrinda Dinesh was the top-scorer for India with 36 off just 29 balls while Ahuja remained unbeaten on 30 off 23 balls. It was a struggle for Indian batters as only four of them managed double-digit scores with Bangladesh A bowlers picking up wickets at regular intervals, not allowing India to build any substantial partnership. Besides Vrinda and Ahuja, wicketkeeper Uma Chetry (22) and skipper Shweta Sehrawat (13) were the other two Indian batters to reach double figures.For Bangladesh, slow left-arm orthodox bowler Nahida Akter (2/13) and off-spinner Sultana Khatun (2/30) picked up two wickets apiece.India progressed to the final after their semifinal against Sri Lanka was washed out without a ball being bowled on Tuesday.In a bizarre run of events, India played only one game in the run-up to the final, their opener against hosts Hong Kong, which they won by nine wickets. India’s other three matches, including the semifinal against Sri Lanka, were washed out without a ball being bowled. In fact, rain played spoilsport throughout the tournament, forcing as many as eight games to be washed out.

Julian Nagelsmann lauds Cristiano Ronaldo’s dedication and fitness after Portugal’s 2-1 Nations League semi-final win over Germany.

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Portugal defeat Germany 2-1 in Nations League semisNagelsmann admits Germany fell shortRonaldo’s goal a result of hard work, 'not by chance'Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Portugal stunned Germany with a 2-1 win in the Nations League semi-final, knocking out the tournament hosts in Munich. The four-time World champions took the lead through a well-directed header from Florian Wirtz, but Portugal hit back quickly with Francisco Conceicao equalising before the Portuguese star netted the winner right five minutes later. It was Ronaldo's first-ever international win over Germany after five straight defeats.

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Germany boss Nagelsmann admitted Portugal “deserved” the win and revealed he would have to “speak to some players” after a performance that lacked full commitment from certain individuals. He may hold Ronaldo up as an example for them to follow as he heaped praise on the the 40-year-old superstar, who scored his 137th international goal to take his career tally to a whopping 937.

AFPWHAT NAGELSMANN SAID

On CR7’s performance, Nagelsmann offered praise and acknowledged the veteran’s continued excellence: "At 40, Ronaldo has a great body and he invests a lot in it. He invests a lot in himself and the result is there for all to see. He scored a goal, it's not by chance."

Die Mannschaft's coach admitted his team were second best on the night, adding: "It was a deserved victory for Portugal. They were better than us. We gave everything in the first half, but if we are not at 100 percent, we cannot compete with the best teams."

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AFPWHAT NEXT FOR RONALDO?

Ronaldo’s club future remains uncertain after his contract with Al-Nassr expired this summer. Reports linked him to Brazilian side Botafogo and a possible short-term Club World Cup stint. However, multiple reports now suggest Ronaldo could extend his stay at Al-Nassr until he turns 42.

Chelsea midfielder Andrey Santos has opened up on his future amid transfer links to some leading European clubs.

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• Santos revealed future plans
• Had a fruitful loan spell at Strasbourg
• Midfielder has attracted interest from Bayern & Arsenal

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• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Santos joined Chelsea from Vasco da Gama in January 2023 but was immediately sent back to the Brazilian outfit on a short-term loan. At the start of the 2023-24 campaign, the young midfielder was once again sent out on a temporary deal to Nottingham Forest, but was called back in January 2024 due to lack of game time. A subsequent loan move to the Blues' sister club Strasbourg finally proved to be fruitful for the 21-year-old as he contributed 11 goals and five assists in 34 appearances across all competitions in 2024-25.

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  Santos' impressive stint in France attracted interest from top European sides like Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain, while Arsenal are also keen on signing the midfielder. Amid rising speculation over his next move, the youngster has opened up on his future

• WHAT ANDREY SANTOS SAID

  Speaking to journalist Eduardo Burgos, Santos said: "In principle, I'm staying at Chelsea. I want to play, I want to get minutes so I can earn my place at the World Cup. I want to establish myself at Chelsea, I want to play regularly and be an undisputed starter, and win titles in this shirt."

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  WHAT NEXT FOR CHELSEA?

  Enzo Maresca's side will begin their journey in the Club World Cup on June 16 against Major League Soccer side LAFC.

Fast bowler Titas Sadhu and allrounder Kanika Ahuja earned maiden call-ups

S Sudarshanan14-Jul-2023After being left out of the tour to Bangladesh, Richa Ghosh has returned to India’s 15-member squad for the women’s cricket competition at the 19th Asian Games. Fast bowler Titas Sadhu and allrounder Kanika Ahuja earned maiden call-ups while experienced allrounder Pooja Vastrakar was named among the five reserves.Left-arm spinner Rajeshwari Gayakwad, who was also dropped for the Bangladesh tour, was picked while uncapped wicketkeeper Uma Chetry was preferred over Yastika Bhatia.Sadhu impressed in India’s victorious campaign at the Under-19 Women’s T20 World Cup earlier this year, where she took six wickets. She was also part of the Women’s Emerging Teams Asia Cup last month, striking with the new ball in each of India A’s two games. Her ability to move the ball and her accuracy stood out and she was part of Delhi Capitals in the Women’s Premier League (WPL). An injury to Renuka Singh sustained during the WPL resulted in her omission for the Bangladesh tour and gave Sadhu her chance.Ahuja, on the other hand, impressed with her finishing skills for Royal Challengers Bangalore in the WPL. She scored 155 runs in six outings in the Senior Women’s T20 Trophy, the second-most for Punjab behind Amanjot Kaur, at a strike rate of 107.63. She also starred in the final of the Emerging Teams Asia Cup with an unbeaten 30.Offspin allrounder Minnu Mani, who took five wickets in the T20Is against Bangladesh, kept her place in the squad as did left-arm spinner B Anusha.Harleen Deol was relegated to the standbys list while S Meghana, who did not play a game, was left out altogether.Saika Ishaque, the Mumbai Indians left-arm spinner, as well as Chandigarh fast bowler Kashvee Gautam are also among the reserves, apart from Sneh Rana.The women’s cricket competition will be held from September 19 to 28 at Zhejiang University of Technology Pingfeng Cricket Field.India women squad: Harmanpreet Kaur (capt), Smriti Mandhana (vc), Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh (wk), Amanjot Kaur, Devika Vaidya, Anjali Sarvani, Titas Sadhu, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Minnu Mani, Kanika Ahuja, Uma Chetry (wk), Anusha BareddyStandby players: Harleen Deol, Kashvee Gautam, Sneh Rana, Saika Ishaque, Pooja Vastrakar

England opener delivers in fine style to set up England’s shot at Ashes-levelling win

Andrew Miller20-Jul-2023

Zak Crawley cracks another shot through the covers•Getty Images

Right from the moment he drilled the first ball of the Ashes – from Pat Cummins at Edgbaston – for four, Zak Crawley has looked in the mood to repay the unequivocal faith that he’s been shown by Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum since the start of the Bazball era.On the second day at Old Trafford, he delivered on that promise with an extraordinary innings of 189 from 182 balls – an innings that took the attack to Australia’s bowlers in such an uncompromising fashion that, weather permitting, England already seem to be on course for an Ashes-squaring victory.And speaking to Sky Sports at the close, Crawley acknowledged that his pedal-to-the-metal approach had been causing him some moments of self-doubt, in spite of the relentless positive reinforcement that emanates from England’s dressing-room. However, this performance, with the series on the line, made all the harder times worthwhile.”Today was good day for us. We are in a good position as a team,” Crawley said after England had rattled along to 382 for 4, a lead of 67. “It was good fun. I rode my luck at times but hit some good shots along the way.”I do doubt myself at times but I have to say ‘keep being me’,” he added. “That is the way I play. I am quite streaky but then I go on a run. They [coach and captain] tell me to go out and have an impact at the top of the order. Sometimes I am going to have streaks of a low scores, because I’m taking a punt, but thankfully today it came off.”Speaking last summer, in the midst of a run of low scores that had left Crawley’s career average in the mid-20s and his place under media scrutiny, McCullum declared that his “skillset is not to be a consistent cricketer”. Since his series-sealing half-century against South Africa at The Oval, however, Crawley has now racked up 820 runs at 43.15 and a strike rate a notch below 90, while his first Ashes century lifted him to the top of the run-charts for the series, with 385 from 428 balls at 55.00.”They don’t want me to lose days like today,” Crawley added. “If I try to be more consistent, maybe I wouldn’t have a day like today. I much prefer this, a few low scores and then a big one. [Criticism] is definitely fair, because I haven’t been consistent, but I think I’ve shown that, at my best, I’m good enough for this level. I was pleased with how it went. That was more my template.As with that first-ball boundary at Edgbaston, Crawley’s innings was once again notable for his pre-meditated aggression, not least his first-ball reverse-sweep for four that helped to drive the part-time spin of Travis Head out of Australia’s attack after just six overs for 48. And in keeping with an enduring theme of the series, he was again relentless in his aggression against Cummins in particular, whose 16 overs went for an eye-watering 93.Zak Crawley gets a handshake from Joe Root•Getty Images

“It’s definitely a conscious effort to take them down, because obviously they are great bowlers who are trying to rest [between spells],” Crawley said. “When those bowlers come on, I think it’s important to put them under pressure and so that doesn’t give them time to rest and come back. I’d try to bat time and build an innings like [Joe] Root or any of those guys up there, but it’s much better when I put the bowler under a bit more pressure before they can get me. Sometimes it comes off, and sometimes it doesn’t.”Crawley’s innings will not have convinced all of his doubters, however, even though it has now enabled his average to poke above 30 for the first time since March 2022. By the time he was dismissed, his control percentage, according to ESPNcricinfo’s database, was 70.88%, having been in the mid-60s for much of his knock. On several occasions, he inside-edged past his own stumps for four, while a number of flashes outside off flew over the slips for further boundaries.The man himself, was unrepentant about the good fortune. “I’ve had a lot of nicks over the slips this series,” he said. “And actually, I don’t think that’s good luck. I’ve earned that luck. If you go harder, the ball goes over the slips. So I’d rather err on that side then go negative.”In the course of his onslaught, Crawley brought up his hundred from 93 balls – the second fastest at Old Trafford in Ashes history. And the acclaim he received for the achievement was in stark contrast to his last century in England, his epic 267 against Pakistan in 2020, which was played behind closed doors at the Ageas Bowl due to the pandemic.”The crowd were amazing,” he said. “Obviously I hadn’t scored a hundred in England, apart from in Covid, so there was no-one to clap me off there. But it’s pretty cool to have the whole crowd clapping you off and the Aussies too, some great players there shook my hand, so that’s pretty cool as well. It was an amazing feeling. You have a lot of low scores and bad form along the way. So days like today make it all worth it. I wouldn’t swap it for anything.”Related

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While Crawley was at the crease, particularly during an astonishing afternoon session in which England racked up 178 runs in 25 overs, a total of 500 in the day seemed on the cards. However, as the ball got older and softer, the going became rather tougher for England – with both Crawley himself and, most notably, Root, succumbing to deliveries that kept visibly low.”The ball definitely went soft. They were trying to change it a lot and it was definitely out of shape, which made it two-paced,” Crawley said. “Joe was so unlucky. That wicket was unplayable and even Stokesy had a couple of pop up at him and keep low. So it might be the oldness of the ball, but hopefully it’s the wicket, and hopefully it keeps playing tricks and we bowl well [in the second innings].”Before then, however, there’s a lead for England to build, and the potential for a declaration given that the weather forecast for the weekend is not entirely promising.”I’ll leave that to the bosses up there,” Crawley said, “but if we can get another 130-140, it’ll be really good. It may be even just another 100, because it’s looks like it’s going to be trickier out there at the back-end, so it could be a good chance to bowl tomorrow afternoon and hopefully get a few wickets.”

Alvaro Morata claims he would not want to continue with Spain if he continues being insulted, as he weighs up international retirement.

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Morata discusses his experience with Spain Admits he has had unpleasant timesStriker considering retirement from international footballFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Morata is the captain of the Spanish national team, but the former Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid forward has been hinting at international retirement following his decisive penalty miss in the Nations League final defeat to Portugal earlier this month. The striker, in his documentary titled Morata: They Don't Know Who I Am, revealed that continuing with La Roja wouldn't be worth it if all he'll experience are the insults and jeers from the Spain faithful.

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The 32-year-old has been going through intense internal turmoil, battling depression months before the 2024 European Championship. He was extremely fatigued mentally, to the extent that he even considered faking an injury in order to avoid playing at last summer's tournament with the eventual champions. The Spain star has admitted to suffering from anxiety attacks as well, and is now seriously considering retirement from international football. In the aftermath of the recent defeat to Portugal, fans on social media sent death threats to the player, pitting the entire blame of the loss on the ex-Juventus and Chelsea man.

WHAT ALVARO MORATA SAID

In his documentary, Morata explained why he wouldn't want to return to the national team, stating: "Is it worth it that every time I go to Spain with my family, I have unpleasant experiences and people mock you, insult you, and laugh at you? I don't know if it's worth it. Is it worth it to keep coming to the national team only to be insulted and whistled at in the stadiums where you play wearing the national team jersey? It's not worth it."

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DID YOU KNOW?

Morata has been at the receiving end of booing and whistling from Spain fans at stadiums from quite a long time, with head coach Luis de la Fuente even saying that he was "hurt" by the fans' behaviour following their game against Brazil in 2024. What's more, Morata received death threats aimed at his children after missing a goal-scoring opportunity against Poland at Euro 2020, revealing that he "did not sleep for nine hours."