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Former Norwich City boss Dean Smith has backed USMNT striker Josh Sargent to make a return to the Premier League.

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USMNT's Sargent backed for EPL returnScored five goals in FebruaryFormer boss Smith full of praiseWHAT HAPPENED?

Speaking on the studio desk on the CBS Sports GOLAZO show on Tuesday, the now-Charlotte FC boss shared that he thinks incredibly highly of the USMNT striker. Although Smith's time in charge of Norwich City was brief, he's backing the USMNT striker to return to the Premier League – with or without the Canaries.

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The English manager revealed his praise for Sargent, who has 10 goals and one assist in 14 matches this season for the Canaries. "He can go and play again in the EPL, that's for sure. He hasn't got a ceiling at the moment."

THE BIGGER PICTURE

With Sargent's brilliant form in 2024, many are now touting him for a potential starting role with the USMNT in the coming months. Folarin Balogun has struggled in France with Monaco with only five goals and three assists, and now, his starting role with Gregg Berhalter could be up in the air.

The Concacaf Nations League is less than one month away, and the Copa America is on the horizon. If Sargent can keep scoring, who is stopping him from leapfrogging Balogun in the XI?

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GettyWHAT NEXT FOR SARGENT AND NORWICH CITY?

Norwich City clash against Sunderland on Saturday, with the Canaries sitting one spot outside a promotion playoff position in seventh in the English Championship. A win could see them draw level with Hull City on points at 55.

Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano has provided an update on Newcastle United's centre-back pursuit.

The club are looking to strengthen their back-line, however, a recent development could stop the pursuit.

What is the latest Newcastle transfer news?

Newcastle have made a number of moves so far this window.

The biggest signing the Magpies have made is undoubtedly the £55m arrival of Italian midfielder Sandro Tonali from AC Milan, but the Tyneside club have also added Harvey Barnes from recently relegated Leicester City and Tino Livramento from Southampton, whilst the side have also agreed a deal with Chelsea to sign youngster Lewis Hall on a loan deal with an obligation to buy.

However, the side do look a little bit short in the central defensive area. Beyond the starting partnership of Sven Botman and Fabian Schar, the Tyneside club only have Jamaal Lascelles as an out and out centre-back option, with Dan Burn able to play the position if required.

Throughout the summer, the Magpies have been linked with a number of central defenders, with Crystal Palace's Joachim Andersen and Benfica’s Antonio Silva being names considered according to the Daily Mail's Craig Hope. However, he believes that those players will sit outside the club's price range at this point in the window.

A more realistic target would be Bayer Leverkusen's Edmond Tapsoba, who according to Football Insider is a name high on manager Eddie Howe's shortlist, with the club considering a hijack on Tottenham Hotspur, who have been interested in the player all summer long.

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, Romano revealed that Tapsoba, who has been called a "dangerous" player, and Silva are the names that Howe admires, however Financial Fair Play concerns could curtial any potential bid: "I think it’s almost impossible to make it happen because of the Financial Fair Play situation. Edmond Tapsoba and Antonio Silva are two centre-backs that they love. But at the moment they are way too expensive for Newcastle because with the Financial Fair Play situation, it’s complicated. So they would need to sell a player of the same value, and it means someone around €55-€60m, so it’s more than complicated.”

How will Newcastle end this window?

It seems that due to FFP constraints, the Magpies will have to complete loan deals if they want to bring in any more players.

One player being considered is Arsenal defender Kieran Tierney. According to Football Insider the player is open to making the switch to the North East, having fell out of favour at the Emirates following the arrival of Oleksander Zinchenko. According to the report, the Scotland international is eager to make the move as he searches for more regular first-team football. However, there are two real obstacles for Newcastle to overcome to complete the deal. The first is the stiff competition from La Liga outfit Real Sociedad, and the second and more pressing issue is the fact that Arsenal want to sell the defender, whilst Newcastle can only really make a loan deal work, so the Gunners would have to compromise to complete the deal.

Another player being considered is Manchester City's Kalvin Phillips. The 27-year-old has had a torrid time since his £45m switch from Leeds United, with injury problems limiting the midfielder to just 593 minutes last season across all competitions. According to reports, Newcastle are interested in the midfielder this summer as they look to strengthen their squad ahead of their first Champions League campaign in over two decades.

The regular Monday column in which Steven Lynch answers your questions about (almost) any aspect of cricket

Steven Lynch22-May-2006The regular Monday column in which Steven Lynch answers your questions about (almost) any aspect of cricket:

Dilip Vengsarkar scored three hundreds in his first three Tests at Lord’s © Getty Images
I noticed that all Sri Lanka’s batsmen at Lord’s scored more runs in the second innings than they did in their first. How often has this happened in Tests? asked Nirmalan Wigneswaran and Steve Howe
It’s certainly very rare: the instance in the first Test at Lord’s was only the third in Test history. The last time it happened was way back in 1924, when all South Africa’s batsmen bettered their first-innings score second time around against England at Edgbaston. (It wasn’t difficult, as they were all out for 30 in the first innings but made 390 in the second!) England also managed it against Australia at Melbourne in 1894-95. Bangladesh achieved the feat in reverse – everyone scoring more in the first innings than the second – in their inaugural Test, against India at Dhaka in 2000-01.Was Sri Lanka’s total at Lord’s the highest in the second innings of a Test? asked Ajith Gunasinghe from Chilaw
Sri Lanka’s 537 for 9 at Lord’s was their own highest in the second innings of a Test – comfortably beating their 448 for 5 declared against Pakistan earlier this year in Colombo – but it was some way short of the overall Test record, which coincidentally was scored against Sri Lanka. That was New Zealand’s 671 for 4 at Wellington in 1990-91, when Martin Crowe (299) and Andrew Jones (186) shared a record stand of 467. There have been five other second-innings totals of more than 600.Mahela Jayawardene has now played two Tests at Lord’s, and scored two centuries. How many other visiting batsmen have done this? asked Nishan Seneratne from Colombo
The Indian batsman Dilip Vengsarkar uniquely scored centuries in each of his first three Tests at Lord’s, in 1979 (103), 1982 (157) and 1986 (126 not out), before falling short with “only” 52 and 35 in 1990. Only seven other visiting players had scored two Test centuries at Lord’s before Mahela Jayawardene joined them last week. Australia’s Warren Bardsley was the first, with 164 in 1912 and 193 not out 14 years later in 1926, by which time he was 43, but he missed out in his other three Tests at Lord’s; George Headley collected both of his in the same game, with 106 and 107 for West Indies in 1939 (but he had done less well in 1933); the inevitable Don Bradman reached three figures for Australia in 1930 – with 254, which he felt was the best innings he ever played – and 1938, with 102 not out (but he missed out in 1934 and 1948); his fellow Australian Bill Brown made 105 in 1934 and 206 not out 1938 (but also failed to repeat the feat in 1948); Garry Sobers hit 163 not out in 1966, and 150 not out in 1973, but didn’t reach 100 in his other three official Tests at Lord’s; another West Indian, Gordon Greenidge, scored 214 not out in 1984 and 103 in 1988, having missed out in his first two visits, in 1976 and 1980; and finally Martin Crowe hit 106 in 1986 and 142 in 1994 (but did less well in 1983 and 1990). Sobers did, however, slam 183 for the Rest of the World against England at Lord’s in 1970 (he also took 6 for 21!), in what was thought to be a proper Test at the time but was later deemed unofficial. And Greenidge hit 122 against the Rest of the World in the five-day MCC Bicentenary match at Lord’s in 1987.Did Fred Titmus play for England again after his terrible accident? asked Maureen Bird from Southsea
The accident you’re referring to happened during England’s tour of the West Indies in 1967-68. Fred Titmus, the Middlesex offspinner who was Colin Cowdrey’s vice-captain on that trip, lost four toes when his left foot tangled with the propeller of a motor-boat – the propeller was unusually placed in the middle rather than at the back, and Titmus let his legs go underneath the boat while he was holding on to it. He was lucky in one way, in that the big toe – which is important for balance – was virtually undamaged, and he returned to county cricket a couple of months later. It did look, however, as if his England career had stalled after 49 caps – but he received a surprise recall for the 1974-75 tour of Australia, and played four Tests there to take his total to 53, in which he took 153 wickets at 32.22. He made his last appearance for Middlesex in 1982, when he was 49. Titmus joked that “the only real problem the accident left me with was counting – afterwards, I always had trouble going over 16!”When (and where) is the next women’s World Cup? asked Anuka Jain from Delhi
The next one will be played in Australia in 2009, when the Aussies will be defending the trophy that they won for the fifth time at Centurion in South Africa last April. Four years later, in 2013, the tournament will be played in India.Who called his autobiography Beating the Bat? asked James Lee from Crawley
That was the name of the memoirs of Derek Underwood, the Kent and England left-arm bowler who finished up with a tantalising total of 297 Test wickets. The book came out in 1975, when Underwood’s first-class career still had a dozen years to run, so maybe it’s time he wrote another one! Having said that, he did update his story a little in Deadly Down Under, which came out in 1980, but that was mainly an account of England’s tour of Australia the previous winter.

Ian Bell had a disastrous 2017, resigning from the Warwickshire captaincy and overlooked by England for the Ashes, but he began a new season in seductive fashion

George Dobell14-Apr-2018
ScorecardIt is centuries, not 70s, that grab the attention of selectors.But on a day when only one other man could reach 30, Ian Bell provided a reminder of his considerable qualities with an innings of charm and substance to help his side to the brink of a third batting point in testing conditions. For a side that managed only 19 such points in the 2017 season – the fewest in either division – it represents a decent effort.It is, you would have thought, too late for Bell to make a return to England’s Test side. He is 36 now and, while it is probably true that he has never been satisfactorily replaced, selectors tend to look to younger men for solutions. Whoever the new head selector turns out to be – it is understood Mick Newell is in the final two and a decision will be announced in the next few days – it will probably require a barrage of three-figure scores from Bell if he is to convince them to look beyond the likes of Joe Clarke and Liam Livingstone.But context is important. And, in conditions where the ball moved in the air and off the pitch, Bell demonstrated the technique and temperament to flourish against an attack containing India’s Ishant Sharma. Tim Ambrose, who was badly missed in the slips when he had five, was the only other man to pass 25.It is easy to be seduced by Bell in such form. The cover drives he unfurled off Stuart Whittingham, a fast bowler with a hint of Dale Steyn about him, and the on drives he pushed off Ollie Robinson were the sort to have spectators purring with pleasure. And while it is true he did not hit any of his 14 boundaries off Sharma (he took six off Robinson and five off Whittingham), Bell played him off relatively comfortably. As David Wiese put it: “He looked as if he was batting on a completely different wicket.”The selectors would have loved Bell to have given them an excuse to pick him for the Ashes tour. But a campaign that produced just 596 runs (at an average of 25.91), without a century, gave them little opportunity. He did look more fluent than at any time last year, however, and will have noted the struggles of James Vince to cement a position. It might also be noted that he started the first-class season with a century – albeit against Durham MCCU – which is more than he managed last year.Ian Bell steers through the covers•Getty ImagesPerhaps more pertinently, he also gave Warwickshire a strong platform in a game that, weather permitting, could yet prove intriguing. Despite all the talk of a new era at Edgbaston, it was notable that it was two men in their mid-30s who provide the bulk of the runs. Ambrose, out of form at the end of the season, also produced an innings of character against his old club, but was honest enough to admit afterwards that Bell’s innings was “a class above” anything else on show.But for Ambrose and Bell, Warwickshire would surely have struggled to register even a single bonus point. With Sharma bowling beautifully – hitting a nagging line and length and nipping the ball around – and Wiese jumping wide of the crease, angling the ball in and gaining sharp movement away, batting was desperately tough for the first half of the day. Will Rhodes shaped up nicely but edge to slip, Dominic Sibley was caught behind trying to withdraw the bat and Jonathan Trott was beaten by a beauty that drew the stroke and left him sharply. With Adam Hose playing across one, Sam Hain leaving another and Bell finally undone by one that drew the stroke but nipped away to take the edge, Warwickshire were 147 for six and in some trouble.But Sussex will kick themselves for their errors. Not only did the dropped chance – it was Harry Finch, at slip, who put down Ambrose off Wiese – prove crucial, but they donated 16 runs from no-balls and 12 from wides. In a low-scoring contest, that could prove defining. Both Chris Jordan, who helped bowl Warwickshire out for 87 here four years ago in similar conditions, and Jofra Archer, who are currently non-playing members of their IPL sides, were sorely missed.As it was, Ambrose led the way as Warwickshire added an unbroken 62 for the tenth-wicket with the obdurate Chris Wright. Now aged 35 and one of many Warwickshire men to find himself out of contract at the end of the season, this is a big year for Ambrose. But he has shown, again and again, that he relishes such situations and whoever Warwickshire bring in as his successor – they are sure to be in the market for another keeper – may face a year or two on the sidelines yet.

Sunderland are running out of time to do some late transfer business, but they could still sign a Premier League player, according to journalist Alan Nixon.

Will Sunderland make late signings?

The Black Cats have made a fairly disappointing start to their Championship season, having come so close to finishing the playoff places last term. They have only picked up four points from as many matches, with just one win coming their way.

That came at home to Rotherham United earlier in the month, but they have suffered defeats to Ipswich Town and Preston North End, with their only draw a goalless stalemate at Coventry City last weekend. They have also been knocked out of the EFL Cup at the expense of Crewe Alexandra, so there isn't a huge amount of positivity at the club, with Tony Mowbray's job perhaps even under threat.

It could be that a host of players leave Sunderland before the summer transfer window reaches its conclusion on Friday night, with the likes of Ross Stewart, Patrick Roberts, Lynden Gooch, Alex Pritchard and Dan Neil all potentially moving on.

On the flip side, the hope is that some late incoming business is also in the pipeline, in order to improve the Black Cats' squad up until the January transfer, at the very least. Now, a new update has emerged that suggests they are pushing hard to do just that.

Who are Sunderland signing?

According to journalist Alan Nixon on Patreon [via Football League World], Sunderland are looking to complete the signing of Crystal Palace gem Jesurun Rak-Sakyi on Friday. They have reportedly expressed an interest in snapping him up in the recent past.

A loan move for the 20-year-old attacker is in the offing, although the Eagles are hesitant to sell him if they don't believe they have the required squad depth comes the deadline.

Rak-Sakyi would be a brilliant signing by Sunderland if they do manage to get a deal over the line on Friday, with a host of Championship clubs keen on him. Granted, he is still a very young player learning his trade, but he has made four first team appearances for Palace already, with three of those coming in the Premier League. He is also a five-time capped England Under-20 international, scoring once for his country along the way.

Rak-Sakyi has been described as "wonderful" by former Charlton Athletic manager Dean Holden this year, having spent an excellent season on loan at The Valley in 2022/23, scoring 15 goals and registering nine assists in 49 appearances.

That proves what an impact he can make in the Football League, and with regular starts unlikely to come his way in a Palace shirt over the next 12 month or so, it could be most beneficial for his development to move elsewhere for a temporary spell.

Sunderland would be acquiring the services of a special young talent who could produce attacking brilliance at the Stadium of Light, so the hope is that Palace's stance softens in the remaining hours of the transfer window, allowing the Black Cats to complete a significant piece of business.

Mikel Arteta issued an optimistic update on Bukayo Saka after the winger was forced off during Arsenal's 3-1 win over Liverpool on Sunday.

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Arteta says Saka 'should be fine'Expresses more concern over ZinchenkoGunners have free week to rest upGettyWHAT HAPPENED?

Saka opened the scoring as the Gunners put the Premier League leaders to the sword at the Emirates Stadium, but was substituted late on after receiving treatment for an injury. Arteta, however, did not seem concerned and does not expect to lose the England star for any significant length of time. The Spaniard was more concerned over an injury sustained by full-back Oleksandr Zinchenko, who seemed to aggravate a pre-existing calf issue.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesWHAT MIKEL ARTETA SAID

Speaking after the game, Arteta appeared optimistic about Saka, as he told reporters: "He should be fine. He got a kick I think on the ankle or on the back of his foot, but he should be fine."

On Zinchenko, the Arsenal boss seemed a lot more uncertain. "With Alex (Zinchenko), we don't know," Arteta added. "He had this feeling in his calf again and we had to take him off."

Getty ImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Arteta's initial prognosis follows a familiar pattern for both players. Saka's driving runs frequently see him pick up knocks but it's very rarely anything that prevents the 22-year-old from lining up for his club.

Zinchenko, meanwhile, has encountered a number of issues since moving to north London from Manchester City, with three separate spells on the sidelines attributed to calf problems. Arteta will be hoping this latest issues is a minor one.

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WHAT NEXT FOR ARSENAL?

After Sunday's big win, Arsenal's calendar offers some respite with just one game a week to prepare for in the next fortnight. There's a full six days for the bumps and bruises to heal before the Gunners make a short trip to the London Stadium to face West Ham next Sunday.

Several England players have moved teams ahead of the 2018 Kia Super League

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Mar-2018Several England players have moved teams ahead of the 2018 Kia Super League (KSL). Sarah Taylor has left Lancashire Lightning for Surrey Stars, with Alex Hartley going the other way, while Tammy Beaumont moves to Southern Vipers from Surrey.There has also been a straight swap between Loughborough Lightning and Yorkshire Diamonds of Jenny Gunn for Beth Langston.The changes are overseen by the ECB and aimed at keeping a balance between the six sides, ahead of the third edition of the T20 competition. Each of the teams will still be able to recruit their own overseas players.”The latest player movements are to ensure the best balance between the six sides and to maintain a fair and competitive competition with the over-arching principle of trying to ensure a best versus best competition,” KSL general manager Jo Kirk said.”We want the KSL to continue to go from strength to strength in its third year. Attendances rose by 44% last year and we’re looking forward to even more fans attending games this summer, hopefully culminating in a sold-out Finals Day down in Hove.”This year’s KSL begins on July 22 and features an expanded group stage, with the teams now playing each other twice. The top three will then go on to Finals Day at Hove on Bank Holiday Monday, August 27.

Brett Lee is probably the only Australian who has welcomed the retirements of McGrath and Warne and is thriving in an environment where he is the alpha male

Peter English at the Gabba03-Feb-2008
Brett Lee: Basking in the limelight © Getty Images
Brett Lee now bowls like a man with nothing to prove. The shadows of Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne have gone and the only clouds on his mind in Brisbane were the leaky ones above the Gabba. A parent of a toddler, Lee is also the head of Australia’s bowling family and is becoming more relaxed about the responsibility with every innings.Australia’s attack included a debutant in Ashley Noffke and Mitchell Johnson, who has played 26 matches, was the only other one backing up from the Test series. Lee was not concerned by his lack of big-name help and against an opponent with similarly fresh faces he showed why he is the big daddy.This is the point Lee has wanted to reach since making his international debut nine years ago. He gets the new ball, comes back mid-innings to mop up or blast out and returns at the finish to create more damage. There is never any question over his end and when Ricky Ponting wants a wicket it is Lee who takes the ball. Throughout the Tests he was there when Ponting needed him and he has started the CB Series in the same way.The only thing Lee could not control was the weather, which prevented him from earning the victory his bowling deserved. In between taking 5 for 27 he ran across to support Noffke during his early expensive overs and tapped a batsman in apology after almost running into him. The downscaling of hostilities since Sydney actually suits Lee and does not result in any loss of bowling venom. Without needing to think about what to say to a batsman, he can concentrate more on how to remove them.There was no generosity shown to the debutant Manoj Tiwary as he was attacked with a series of shorter deliveries. Tiwary did well to avoid a couple of dangerous balls aimed around head height, but he was so sure of getting another that he could not deal with a fuller one and was bowled off his pad. At the end of the over Lee was given a rest, his four-over second spell costing only 11 runs and including two wickets. India had threatened to come back after losing their experienced openers, but when Lee removed Rohit Sharma and Tiwary three wickets had fallen for three runs.Sachin Tendulkar also miscalculated Lee in the final over of his opening collection, pushing back too far and stepping on his stumps. The new and old were taken care of along with a couple of wickets in the last over of the innings and the upshot was Lee’s seventh career five-wicket haul.Lee is probably the only Australian who has welcomed the retirements of McGrath and Warne and is thriving in an environment where he is the alpha maleThe rest of Lee’s fast-bowling family had a mixed day. Nathan Bracken was expensive after his early breakthrough while Noffke recovered well from giving up 27 runs in his opening four overs. Like Noffke, Johnson was playing on his home ground and he would have had something to cheer two overs earlier if Australia’s slips fielders were on message.Michael Hussey and Ricky Ponting both dropped chances off Gautam Gambhir within three balls, but Johnson recovered to trap the batsman in front. He remained a threat and gave up only 33 runs in nine overs, although all the serious danger came from Lee until Ishant Sharma stormed through after another rain break.Given limited opportunities, Sharma was the only bowler to match Lee’s potency in a brief spell where he weaved the ball on a surface freshened by the extra moisture. James Hopes’ off stump was lost and Michael Clarke was welcomed with a hit in the chest. Sitting in the dressing room Lee would have been impressed with the discomfort caused for the batsmen.The conditions were steamy, the ball became slippery and the bowlers had many excuses for things not working. Lee did not need any and excelled despite the heat, the rain interruptions and the new-look India.To reach this level he needed to look around the field and not see any safety nets. Lee is probably the only Australian who has welcomed the retirements of McGrath and Warne and is thriving in an environment where he is the alpha male. Now when he stands at the top of his run he is no longer confused over his position. This is Lee’s team as well as Ponting’s.

The third-umpire gaffe while ruling on Andrew Symonds’s run-out

Play of the Day by Peter English at Hobart19-Nov-2005

Andrew Symonds was beaten by a direct hit from Dwayne Smith, but for a brief moment, he thought he had survived © Getty Images
Technology extended Andrew Symonds’s batting return toTests by about two minutes as Steve Davis, the thirdumpire, pressed the wrong button when ruling on hisrun-out decision. Recalled for his third Test, Symondswas completing a start-stop-start single when DwayneSmith’s direct hit caught him well short and Aleem Darfavoured caution by calling in Davis. Using a newcomputer program, Davis accidentally clicked “not out”and Symonds, who knew he was gone and had angrilywandered almost as far as the boundary, ambled back ina better mood. A quick two-way conversation betweenthe on-field umpires ensued before the red “out”signal finally appeared on the big screen and Symondsdeparted even more frustrated.

Aston Villa are back in action in Europe tonight, as Unai Emery’s side hope to kickstart their progression in Group E of the UEFA Europa Conference League against Zrinjski.

Despite cruising through the qualifiers with an 8-0 aggregate win over Hibernian in an all-British tie, the Villans were dragged back to reality in the opening group game as they faced defeat to Legia Warsaw in Poland.

Emery’s side were hit with a footballing lesson against Legia, losing the game 3-2 in what was an overall disappointing performance by the Midlands club who were well poised to top the group at first glance.

What is the latest Aston Villa team news?

Just as Villa learnt in their opening game of the tournament, no side should be underestimated, which is a lesson that must be carried over to tonight’s contest as Zrinjski were victorious in their opening fixture against AZ Alkmaar.

Villa got back into their groove last weekend by seeing off Brighton & Hove Albion 6-1 at Villa Park, however the match saw two integral members of Emery’s squad sustain knocks forcing them to withdraw from the contest.

The Spaniard confirmed in his pre-match press conference that he will be without Moussa Diaby and Boubacar Kamara for the showdown at Villa Park, with both players having not trained following their withdrawal against Brighton.

Another unfortunate blow is Jacob Ramsey, who scored his first goal of the season against the Seagulls after missing the start of the campaign due to a broken metatarsal injury, with Emery confirming that the Englishman is also unavailable.

In the Conference League opener against Legia, a host of players were far below par, leaving questions over whether Emery will continue to rotate his side to accommodate those that were incapable of fighting for the win in Poland last time out.

Should Douglas Luiz start against Zrinjski over Leander Dendoncker?

Away from the Conference League, the manager opted to rotate his squad against Everton in the Carabao Cup, seeing Leander Dendoncker come into midfield to hand Kamara a rest.

Now that the Frenchman is out of contention, the Spaniard should avoid rotating the former Wolves dud back into the side, after his woeful performance against the Toffees that saw him earn a 6.4 Sofascore match rating.

Instead, Luiz should partner Youri Tielemans, who despite being another poor performer on the night, has shown glimpses of what he can offer to the side when at the top of his game.

Once lauded as a “warrior” by journalist Jack Grimse, Luiz has been the glue to Villa’s transformation in the middle of the park, and while the Brazilian would be the natural target of rotation due to his importance, tonight’s fixture poses little room for error.

With just 33 touches and a failure to impose himself defensively in midfield against the Toffees, Dendoncker was hooked at halftime, with Birmingham Live's John Townley writing that the 28-year-old was 'slow in possession and didn’t progress the ball particularly well'.

Considering Villa’s growing injury problems, Emery will be short on his options in midfield after losing both Kamara and Ramsey, however he should opt against risking another Dendoncker disasterclass.

After the defeat to Legia, Villa must begin to make waves in the group, which they could start tonight with a win over Zrinjski, which they will have to be at their best to ensure with Luiz often possessing the keys to the squad’s success.