It’s been one of the toughest selection calls imaginable, but England have opted to axe Jason Roy from their final World Cup squad, after a protracted saga that has dominated the back-end of the international season. Here’s how the timeline unfolded.August 13
Matthew Mott, England’s white-ball coach, tells the that he hopes to convince Ben Stokes out of ODI retirement: “Jos [Buttler] will probably lead the way on that communication, but Ben’s pretty straight with all of us. We will see if he’s keen.”August 14
report that Stokes will “make a sensational U-turn” and that he has indicated to England’s management that he will be available for the World Cup.August 15
England’s selectors meet in Nottingham, where Buttler is staying ahead of a Hundred fixture. They come up with a 15-man squad for their four-match series against New Zealand, which doubles as their provisional World Cup squad. Jason Roy is pencilled in as Jonny Bairstow’s opening partner, with Dawid Malan as the spare batter.August 16
England announce their squad, with Stokes’ return squeezing Harry Brook out. “That’s the incredibly tough decision we’ve had to make,” Luke Wright, one of the selectors, says of Brook’s omission. “I’m sure he’s disappointed but unfortunately in a 15-man squad, someone’s going to have to miss out.”August 18
Brook hits 44 off 24 balls for Northern Superchargers in the Hundred, 24 hours after Malan was dropped by Trent Rockets. “Obviously it’s disappointing but I can’t do anything about it now,” Brook says. “You’ve just got to move on. I’m trying not to think about it anymore.”August 22
Brook hits 105 not out off 42 balls for Superchargers against Welsh Fire, in a team total of 158 for 7. It is the highest individual score of the men’s Hundred season, and the fastest century in the tournament’s brief history. “I had my gameplan, stuck to it, and thankfully I middled a few,” he says.Harry Brook produced an astonishing century for Northern Superchargers, soon after his World Cup omission•Getty Images

August 25
Buttler leaves the door open for Brook’s return. “There’s still a long time before everyone is meant to get on the plane, so we’ll wait and see what happens,” he says. “We all know Harry’s a fantastic player and we saw what he can do the other night. It’s not like it’s a surprise: we know what a brilliant player he is.”August 27
Roy wins the men’s Hundred with Oval Invincibles, but makes his third duck of the season in the final and finishes the tournament with 154 runs in nine innings. “It was a great moment but then you wake up the next day and you’re like, ‘Sh*t, I’ve got work to do before the World Cup,'” Roy later tells the .August 30
England cruise to victory in the first T20I against New Zealand at Chester-le-Street: Malan makes 54 off 42 balls, and Brook ends 43 not out off 27. Asked if he feels under pressure from Brook, Malan says: “I don’t know where that comparison’s come from… I bat top three and he bats No. 4, 5, 6.”September 1
In the second T20I in Manchester, Malan makes 0 off 4 and Brook whacks 67 off 36, including five fours and five sixes. “Harry played brilliantly,” Buttler says. “[There is] a lot of noise around… credit to him for how he’s handling it.”September 3
Malan scores 2 off 11 in the third T20I at Edgbaston; Brook makes 8 off 8. The publish an interview with Roy, who admits he is unlikely to play international cricket beyond the World Cup: “It’s going to be tough with the 50-over stuff and I’m not in the T20 set-up… do they want to look at the future, which is probably the right thing? Will Jacks is ripe for that job. I’m at ease with it.”Jason Roy made a duck in the Hundred final, to compound his run of low scores•Getty Images

September 5
Malan hits 26 off 21 in the final T20I at Trent Bridge, while Brook makes 4 off 8. Speaking before the game, Mott repeatedly stresses that the squad is only “provisional”, telling Sky Sports: “What I’ve been most impressed by is his response since missing out and that’s what great players do. There’s a lot to play out before we pick that first XI against New Zealand in India and we’ve always said it’s a provisional squad.”September 6
Brook is added to the squad to play New Zealand as batting cover, with Malan’s wife expecting a baby and Bairstow sustaining a shoulder niggle. He is also included in a 13-man squad to play Ireland at the end of the month.September 8
Roy suffers a back spasm in Cardiff on the morning of the first ODI. Malan and Brook open the batting together, putting on 80 in 15 overs. Malan makes 54 off 53, while Brook manages 25 off 41; Liam Livingstone, who would not have played but for Roy’s injury, hits his second ODI fifty.September 10
Malan misses the second ODI at the Ageas Bowl, the day after his son’s birth. Brook opens alongside Bairstow and makes 2 off 12, while Roy is not deemed fit enough to return. Livingstone hits his second half-century in three days to secure his World Cup place.Malan’s ODI form against New Zealand was too good for the selectors to ignore•Getty Images

September 13
Roy suffers another back spasm on the morning of the third ODI. He tries hard to shake it off in the warm-ups but is ruled out. Malan rescues England from 13 for 2 at The Oval, hitting 96 off 95 balls and sharing a stand worth 199 with Ben Stokes – whose 182 breaks Roy’s record for the highest individual ODI innings by an England batter.September 15
Roy fails to convince England that he is fit enough to play in the fourth ODI at Lord’s. “It’s a frustration, and the most frustrated person is Jason,” Buttler says. “He is not quite fit to play a game of cricket today.” Malan hits a sublime 127 off 114 balls, his fifth ODI hundred in 15 months.September 17
England name their finalised World Cup squad, with Brook replacing Roy in the only change from the provisional list.September 18
Wright explains that Malan has leapfrogged Roy as Bairstow’s opening partner, and that Brook’s versatility and fitness gave him the edge over Roy as the spare batter: “It’s been an incredibly tough decision but it shows where we’re at in English cricket, that there are so many tough decisions.”

Newcastle United aren’t exactly in amazing form heading into some tough games in March which includes an opportunity to pick up some honours in the EFL Trophy final versus Liverpool.

Indeed, it’s been very hit-and-miss as of late for Eddie Howe’s Magpies, with home wins against Arsenal and Nottingham Forest in league and cup soured by losses to Manchester City and Arne Slot’s convincing league leaders on the road, alongside the club’s recent FA Cup exit to Brighton and Hove Albion.

Danny Welbeck and former employee, Yankuba Minteh, broke Toon hearts with an extra-time winner for the Seagulls, as Newcastle just didn’t have enough in their tank come the end of the 120-minute marathon, which wasn’t helped by Anthony Gordon’s petulant dismissal.

Anthony Gordon's poor performance vs Brighton

This reckless red card for Gordon means he will now likely miss his club’s trip to Wembley, although Howe and Co are apparently going to appeal this sending off in a bid to try and get the 24-year-old back for the final.

Regardless, it was a poor showing from the ex-Everton man against Fabian Hurzeler’s determined visitors, as he failed to complete a single dribble, before being given his marching orders late on after a scuffle with Jan Paul van Hecke.

Away from this incident, Gordon does have nine goals and six assists from 34 games to shout about this campaign, but potentially missing out on the upcoming final against his ex-club’s fiercest rivals will be a huge kick in the teeth.

Minutes

83

69

Goals

0

1

Touches

50

32

Shots

1

1

Accurate Passes

19/26

12/18

Key Passes

1

2

Successful Dribbles

0/4

1/2

Ground Duels Won

3/10

4/7

Aerial duels won

0/1

0/0

Tackles

1

2

He will surely return to the starting XI very soon, but Howe’s side would no doubt be boosted in attack more if they had a former flop on the scene who has resurrected his playing days away from St James’ Park.

Newcastle flop is now just as exciting as Gordon

The Magpies attack at full throttle this season has been an absolute treat to watch, with Alexander Isak firing in 22 goals in all competitions from the main striker spot, alongside Jacob Murphy also chipping in with some meaningful contributions next to the standout Swede.

But, Newcastle would potentially be elevated to another level if former flop Florian Thauvin was back and at his current excellent best, with his original stint on Tyneside completely forgettable when amassing just one goal from 16 games.

Now, however, he’s a different beast altogether playing out in Italy with Udinese with his goal and assist haul across 2024/25 to date not far off Gordon’s ever-rising amount, with his own tally up at eight strikes and five assists from fewer matches (25), which included a curled strike hitting the back of the net in December.

Constantly twisting and turning defenders with ease, it’s safe to say the “unbelievable” star – as he was once heralded by former teammate Moussa Sissoko – hasn’t allowed his bruising Magpies experience to impact him one little bit.

Indeed, his form out in France right off the back of his short stay in England was equally as breathtaking as his peak in Serie A.

20/21

38

8

9

19/20

2

0

0

18/19

37

18

9

17/18

54

26

17

16/17

43

15

12

15/16

20

4

0

14/15

38

5

7

13/14

41

10

6

Looking at the table above is evidence enough that the electric French attacker never let his Tyneside demons get the better of him, with an outrageous 147 goals and assists coming his way during eight largely successful campaigns at Marseille after moving back in a £9m deal. All in all, he’s scored 88 times since moving away from the north east.

Gordon is deep into his second campaign back at Newcastle, with the 24-year-old striving to get back into his groove after all the drama surrounding this red card is over, whilst his equally as exciting counterpart aims to see out his career in style with Udinese.

Howe struck gold on Newcastle ace whose value's risen 780% since his debut

Newcastle and Howe will be pretty happy with this teenage talent.

1 ByRoss Kilvington Mar 1, 2025

da 888casino： Manchester United have told a Champions League club that they are planning to make a big bid to sign one of their stars this summer.

Plans for new 100,000-seater Man Utd stadium revealed

da apostaganha： The major breaking news coming out of Old Trafford recently has been the Red Devils’ plans to knock down the historic ground and build a new 100,000 capacity stadium.

Man Utd announced the plans in the week for a new arena that will be built close to the existing Old Trafford and is set to cost around £2bn.

Facts on Man Utd’s new stadium plans

Referred to as “New Trafford Stadium”

New Stretford End will have a capacity of 23,500

Stadium will be visible from the Peak District

5-10 years to build

Second largest stadium in Europe behind Nou Camp

Will be tallest building in Manchester

Images of the planned new stadium show three masts described as “the trident” and are set to be 200m high and visible from 25 miles away. The club are hoping the stadium can be built in just five years, although it is unclear how it will be financed, with United currently £1bn in debt.

Talking about the plans for the new stadium, chief executive Omar Berrada said: “Our long-term objective as a club is to have the world’s best football team playing in the world’s best stadium. We are grateful for the feasibility work done by the Old Trafford Regeneration Task Force exploring options for the future of Old Trafford.

“We have carefully considered its findings, together with the views of thousands of fans and local residents and concluded that a new stadium is the right way forward for Manchester United and our surrounding community. We will now embark on further consultation to ensure that fans and residents continue to be heard as we move towards final decisions.”

The new stadium may also impact spending on the squad, however, a number of players continue to be linked with a move to Old Trafford in the summer ahead of Ruben Amorim’s first full season in charge.

One of those targets is Atalanta midfielder Ederson, who Man Utd recently made a new approach for after interest in 2024. Now, a fresh update has emerged on the Brazilian and a potential move to England.

Man Utd tell Atalanta they are bidding £50m for Ederson

According to reports from Italy, relayed by Sport Witness, Atalanta, who played in this season’s Champions League, are trying to renew Ederson’s contract, however, the player is alerted by interest elsewhere.

One of those clubs is Man Utd, who have told Atalanta that a ‘€60m offer is coming’ and Ederson is fascinated by the idea of playing in the Premier League.

Juventus are also keen on the Serie A star, but it is Man Utd who are best placed to sign the 25-year-old, with the £50m pending bid potentially set to be enough.

Ederson has been among Atalanta’s best performers this season, with a WhoScored average match rating of 6.98/10. No Atalanta player is fouled more than Ederson per game, and by the looks of things, he could be a potential replacement for Christian Eriksen or Casemiro at Old Trafford.

MatériaMais Notícias

da pinup bet： Neste Campeonato Paulista, mesmo que o São Paulo esteja na liderança do grupo B, com 11 pontos, a derrota para o Red Bull Bragantino acendeu um alerta: de nove pontos disputados contra times que estão na série A do Campeonato Brasileiro, o Tricolor só conseguiu um.

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da pixbet： Até agora, foram sete partidas disputadas no Estadual. As únicas vitórias do Tricolor no Paulistão aconteceram contra a Ferroviária, a Portuguesa e o Santo André. Nenhuma destas equipes disputa o Brasileirão na série A em 2023.

ATUAÇÕES: Galoppo faz golaço, mas meio de campo não ajuda em derrota do São Paulo

Veja tabela do Campeonato Paulista e simule os próximos jogos

Porém, contra o Palmeiras, o Corinthians e o Red Bull Bragantino, nenhuma vitória. O único ponto que surgiu entre estes nove disputados contra estas equipes mais complicadas foi no clássico contra o Palmeiras, que aconteceu no Allianz Parque e terminou em um empate sem gols.

Contra o Corinthians e o Bragantino, foram duas – e únicas até então -, derrotas. E ambas com o mesmo placar: por 2 a 1. A única diferença é que o Majestoso aconteceu no Morumbi e o encontro com o Massa Bruta foi no Nabizão.

Neste domingo (12), o Tricolor tem a chance de melhorar este aproveitamento contra equipes de maior porte, e que mais tarde reencontrará no Brasileiro. O São Paulo enfrenta o Santos, no estádio do Morumbi. Analisando números das duas equipes no Paulistão até agora, a equipe de Rogério Ceni tem um certo favoritismo ao seu lado.

Além do fator casa e mais de 23 mil ingressos vendidos até o momento, está em uma situação melhor na tabela. Como dito antes, lidera o grupo B e soma três vitórias, dois empates e duas derrotas. Já o Peixe, está em terceiro lugar no grupo A, com nove pontos e duas vitórias, três empates e duas derrotas.

Veja as movimentações do São Paulo na janela de transferências

O duelo com o Santos será o último do São Paulo contra times da série A nesta primeira etapa do Paulista. Depois, encontra Inter de Limeira, São Bento, São Bernardo e Botafogo-SP. Os próximos duelos contra estas equipes maiores só acontecerá se o Tricolor passar para a próxima fase.

غاب لاعب الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي برشلونة عن التدريبات التي قادها المدرب الألماني هانز فليك، استعدادًا للجولة الثانية من بطولة الدوري الإسباني 2025/2026.

ومن المقرر أن يواجه برشلونة نظيره ليفانتي، مساء السبت المقبل، ضمن منافسات الجولة الثانية من بطولة الدوري الإسباني، في تمام الساعة 10:30 بتوقيت القاهرة ومكة المكرمة.

وحل برشلونة ضيفًا على ريال مايوركا، في المباراة التي جمعتهما ضمن منافسات الجولة الأولى من بطولة الدوري الإسباني، موسم 2025/2026.

اقرأ أيضًا | ليس لامين يامال.. راشفورد يتغنى بزميله في برشلونة ويكشف سبب رحيله عن مانشستر يونايتد

وتمكن برشلونة من تحقيق فوز مهم على ريال مايوركا، في بداية مهمته في الليجا، إذ انتصر بثلاثة أهداف دون رد.

وغاب الهولندي فرينكي دي يونج، لاعب خط وسط برشلونة عن تدريبات الفريق اليوم بموافقة النادي وتوجه إلى المستشفى في انتظار مولوده الثاني، وذلك وفقًا لصحيفة “موندو ديبورتيفو”.

أصبح دي يونج البالغ من العمر 26 عامًا، أبًا في 21 نوفمبر 2023، لذلك اختار فرينكي الرقم 21 لارتداء قميص برشلونة مع سبب آخر وهو تكريم لجده الذي اعتنى به كثيرًا في طفولته.

Tottenham Hotspur have laid some groundwork over potentially re-signing a former Spurs player who’s also a transfer target for West Ham, with chairman Daniel Levy and technical director Johan Lange seemingly weighing up the possibility of a reunion at N17.

Tottenham slump to 1-0 Europa League defeat at AZ Alkmaar

Ange Postecoglou watched on from the sidelines as Spurs slumped to another poor away defeat in Europe on Thursday evening.

£35m Premier League forward wants to join Tottenham after talks

Spurs are convinced.

ByEmilio Galantini Mar 6, 2025

The travelling side couldn’t force AZ Alkmaar’s keeper into any real saves over their lacklustre 90 minutes abroad, with striker Dominic Solanke also picking up a late knock on what was a night to forget for Tottenham, as they fell to a 1-0 defeat in the first leg of their Europa League last 16 tie.

“Yeah, it wasn’t great from us tonight,” said Postecoglou on Tottenham’s 1-0 defeat to AZ.

“Pretty much all facets of the game. We didn’t really get to grips with any part of the game. We struggled to gain any momentum with the ball, we weren’t as aggressive as we needed to be without the ball.

“It was a tricky surface but having said that we kind of knew that from yesterday and yeah we just didn’t tackle the challenges we had out there in a real positive way. That allowed AZ to get into a rhythm, which when you’re playing away from home, it is difficult to stem the tide.

Bournemouth (home)

March 9th

Fulham (away)

March 16th

Chelsea (away)

April 2nd

Southampton (home)

April 5th

Wolves (away)

April 12th

“I don’t think it is going out there and not trying, but like I said we didn’t really come to grips and have the right mindset to tackle an away fixture in Europe. It is always tough, and we obviously conceded the goal, which was a disappointing set of events but even after that we didn’t really settle down into the game at all. You are going to face some pressure when you play away from home in Europe and weather the storm and get to grips with it, but we never really did, so that was a disappointment.”

A good Europa League run is Spurs’ only real opportunity to make anything of this disappointing campaign, so the pressure is on Postecoglou to turn this first leg deficit around.

Off the field, Tottenham are planning for next season already in terms of transfers. Spurs are believed to be targeting new full-backs, with Flamengo defender Wesley Franca among their options as alternatives to the likes of Pedro Porro, Destiny Udogie and the in-form Djed Spence.

Tottenham lay groundwork over re-signing West Ham target Dennis Cirkin

According to journalist Graeme Bailey, the Lilywhites could even turn to an ex-player of theirs to reinforce the left-back area – Sunderland defender Dennis Cirkin.

The 22-year-old left Spurs in 2021 to join the Black Cats for an undisclosed fee (BBC), and he’s since gone on to become a crucial player for Regis Le Bris’ side as they chase promotion back to the Premier League.

Cirkin is currently among their top five best-performers in the Championship by average match rating, according to WhoScored, and his performances are attracting attention from elite English sides – including Tottenham.

According to Bailey, Tottenham have been doing work on re-signing Cirkin, but he’s also a target for a plethora of London rivals like West Ham.

“Keep a close eye on Cirkin,” said Bailey to Sunderland AFC News.

“I am told a lot of Premier League clubs have been doing work on him. Chelsea, Tottenham, Crystal Palace, West Ham, Everton and Leeds – he is an outstanding prospect.”

Only Enzo Le Fee has averaged more tackles per 90 for Sunderland than Cirkin, while the Englishman sits joint-top for their highest number of interceptions per game (WhoScored). Cirkin also has three goals and two assists to his name from 31 Championship appearances.

Karnataka’s 24-year-old left-handed batter Satheesh Shubha also earned a call-up for the Tests against England and Australia

Shashank Kishore01-Dec-2023Renuka Singh has made a comeback from a stress injury, while WPL breakout stars Shreyanka Patil and Saika Ishaque have earned maiden T20I call-ups for the three-match series against England beginning December 6 in Mumbai.Renuka and Ishaque are also part of the Harmanpreet Kaur-led 15-member squad for two back-to-back Tests against England and Australia. There was also a maiden Test call-up for Karnataka’s 24-year-old left-handed opener Satheesh Shubha, who impressed with scores of 99 and 49 in the practice four-day fixture prior to selection.India will be playing a home Test for the first time since November 2014. Since then, they’ve featured in just two Tests (one each in England and Australia). The upcoming games will mark a change of guard in many ways, given it will be India’s first Test outing in over 20 years without retired stalwarts Mithali Raj and Jhulan Goswami. This will also be the first time that Harmanpreet will lead India in a Test.Related

• New Test dawn for India, but focus firmly on road to T20 World Cup

• Harmanpreet 'really excited' for Test homecoming

• Amol Muzumdar named India women head coach

Patil was one of the bright stars for Royal Challengers Bangalore during an otherwise dismal maiden WPL campaign for the team. Earlier this year, she also became the first Indian to play in the women’s CPL where she was the tournament’s top wicket-taker while representing Guyana Amazon Warriors. Patil is currently part of the India A squad for the three-match T20 series against England A.Meanwhile, Ishaque, the left-arm spinner, was a key figure for Mumbai Indians during their spectacular run to the inaugural WPL title in March. Ishaque was the tournament’s joint second-highest wicket-taker with 15 scalps, with her ability to bowl across phases earning plaudits. Ishaque’s inclusion in the T20I squad leaves no room for experienced left-arm spinner Rajeshwari Gayakwad, while Patil’s call-up has led to Devika Vaidya being dropped.In addition to Patil, Ishaque and Deepti Sharma, India also have a fourth spin option in the form of left-arm fingerspinner Mannat Kashyap, who was part of India’s Under-19 World Cup winning squad earlier this year. Middle-order batter Kanika Ahuja, who like Patil impressed for RCB in the WPL, retains her place in the T20I squad.Saika Ishaque picked 15 wickets to help Mumbai Indians win the inaugural WPL title•BCCI

Yastika Bhatia was handed a comeback as one of two wicketkeeping options alongside Richa Ghosh. Bhatia was dropped from the Asian Games squad that returned with a gold medal from Hangzhou in October. Her inclusion meant there was no place for rookie wicketkeeper Uma Chetry.The selectors have also opted to overhaul the pace stocks for the Tests. With Goswami having retired and Shikha Pandey left out, Renuka will lead a four-member attack consisting of Titas Sadhu, Meghna Singh and allrounder Pooja Vastrakar. Also returning for the Tests is Sneh Rana, the offspinning allrounder.The upcoming home series marks the beginning of a long stretch of games for the Indian women’s team leading into next year’s T20 World Cup in Bangladesh. After the three T20Is and Test against England, India are slated to play Australia in a Test, followed by six white-ball matches.The upcoming series marks the first assignment as head coach for Amol Muzumdar, the former Mumbai captain, who takes over from Hrishikesh Kanitkar, who had helmed the team in an interim capacity.India Women’s squad for England T20Is: Harmanpreet Kaur (capt), Smriti Mandhana (vice-capt), Jemimah Rodrigues, Shafali Verma, Deepti Sharma, Yastika Bhatia (wk), Richa Ghosh (wk), Amanjot Kaur, Shreyanka Patil, Mannat Kashyap, Saika Ishaque, Renuka Singh, Titas Sadhu, Pooja Vastrakar, Kanika Ahuja, Minnu ManiIndia Women’s squad for England and Australia Tests: Harmanpreet Kaur (capt), Smriti Mandhana (vice-capt), Jemimah Rodrigues, Shafali Verma, Deepti Sharma, Yastika Bhatia (wk), Richa Ghosh (wk), Sneh Rana, Shubha Satheesh, Harleen Deol, Saika Ishaque, Renuka Singh, Titas Sadhu, Meghna Singh, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Pooja Vastrakar

Christian Pulisic’s agent has reportedly sounded out interest “in Italy and abroad” as the USMNT star stalls on signing a new contract at AC Milan.

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American has been posting personal bests in ItalyRossoneri eager to agree fresh termsOptions being mulled over before summer windowFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

The United States international is currently tied to terms at San Siro through to 2027. The Rossoneri are doing all they can to add a further 12 months to that deal, with Pulisic lined up for a much-deserved pay rise.

AdvertisementGettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE

He has become a talismanic figure for Milan, registering a career-best 17 goals and 12 assists this season, but is said to be mulling over his options after enduring a tough Serie A campaign that is destined to finish without European qualification being secured.

DID YOU KNOW?

There has been talk of Premier League teams casting admiring glances towards the ex- Chelsea forward, while heavyweight outfits in Italy have seen what Pulisic is capable of and would be willing to do a deal at the right price.

GettyWHAT AN INSIDER SAID

Matteo Moretto has told when offering an update on Pulisic’s situation: “He does not have a short contract, he expires in 2027 with an option for 2028, but Milan has been negotiating his renewal for several months now. The parties have arrived, I would not say at the contracts, but almost. They have reached a verbal agreement, they have discussed figures and numbers, contract adjustments and everything in terms of salary.

“Then at a certain point, Pulisic asked and took time because he wanted to understand Milan’s sporting project between the sporting director and the coach. He wants to have guarantees for the future.

“Pulisic’s agent is moving a lot, he proposed the boy both in Italy and abroad. But the player certainly has a contract with Milan, and in my opinion, once these ideas are clear, then we can also get to a contract extension. As of today, the renewal is on standby.”

One of the proudest things about Manchester United is their incredible academy. Over the years, they have produced some legends of football, going back to the Busby Babes and the Class of ’92.

More recently, some of the best Carrington graduates to come out of Old Trafford include Paul Pogba, Jesse Lingard, Marcus Rashford and Scott McTominay. That particular quartet all enjoyed success in the famous red shirt.

Under Rubem Amoirm, there have been several academy stars who have had first-team involvement already. Players with less experience, including striker Chido Obi, have been given minutes, and more prominent members of the squad have featured heavily, including Kobbie Mainoo.

However, one Carrington graduate who has struggled for his best form consistently this term is Alejandro Garnacho.

Alejandro Garnacho's struggle in 2024/25

After a couple of breakout seasons in the past two campaigns, notably scoring that audacious overhead kick against Everton last term, Garnacho has been a little inconsistent in the 2024/25 campaign.

Of course, the Red Devils have struggled as a team, and the Argentina international has been in and out of the side.

The 20-year-old’s numbers are, on the face of things, impressive. He has scored nine times and managed to provide eight goals across all competitions, having featured in 45 games so far this term.

However, his goal involvements have tended to come in clumps, and he grabbed six goals and assists in the first two rounds of the Carabao Cup against Barnsley and Leicester City. He has also grabbed three assists in United’s last three Europa League games.

In the Premier League, the Argentina winger scored last weekend, also against the Foxes, but had previously gone on a 16-game goal and assist drought. The goal was a well-taken finish, getting on the end of a pass from Bruno Fernandes and firing into the bottom right corner.

Garnacho is clearly a talented player, who has shown just how good he can be this term. However, his inconsistencies might lead Amorim to rotate him out of the side more, so he can stay fresh and have more of an impact off the bench.

If this is the case, perhaps there is another Carrington graduate who can help supplement Garnacho’s playing time.

In The Pipeline

Football FanCast’s In the Pipeline series aims to uncover the very best youth players in world football.

Carrington star breaking through could replace Garnacho

United are not short of quality options in their academy, but perhaps none are more exciting than Gibraltar international James Scanlon.

The 18-year-old winger has been in superb form for the Red Devils U18s this term and has made the bench once for the first team against Real Socidead in the Europa League last week.

The 10-cap Gibraltar star, who has one international goal already, has certainly not forgotten his shooting boots this season for United’s academy. He has 17 goals in 24 games across all competitions, as well as six assists.

Scanlon has been in particularly deadly form in the U18s Premier League for United this season. He has an impressive 13 goals in 13 appearances, including four goals against Blackburn Rovers in a 9-0 win.

Aside from his excellent performances this season, one of the reasons the 18-year-old could be propelled into the United first team is due to his international experience. He has already played senior football for Gibraltar, which will certainly have got him used to the physicality he can expect.

In fact, one of his best performances for the national side came against Wales in a friendly last summer. His side didn’t see much of the ball, but Scanlon impressed in possession and without the ball, too. As per Sofascore, he won three out of five ground duels and completed 80% of his passes.

Touches

18

Pass accuracy

80%

Passes completed

8/10

Ground duels won

3/5

Dribbles completed

1

Tackles and interceptions

2

Tackle win rate

100%

It is certainly hard to argue that giving Scanlon first-team opportunities this season would not be deserved. Not only is he a full international for his nation, but has been “absolutely flying” for United’s youth sides this season, as Statman Dave said.

With Garnacho’s form patchy, perhaps Scanlon is the man to come into the first team and help take the workload off him, to let him rediscover his best form.

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The winter transfer window was nothing short of disastrous for Arsenal this year.

Mikel Arteta’s side were still in both domestic cups and just about within touching distance of Liverpool atop the Premier League when it was opened, yet the board opted not to sign a single player despite the attack being decimated.

The Gunners are now out of both cups, miles off the Reds in the league, and could still be without two of their regular front three when they face Real Madrid in the Champions League next month.

The only transfer-related positive to come out of January was the surprise news that the North Londoners were seen as the most likely to sign Real Sociedad’s Martin Zubimendi come the summer.

However, recent reports have linked Arsenal with a potential upgrade on the Spaniard, a player that incoming Sporting Director Andrea Berta has reportedly tried to sign before.

Arsenal targeting Zubimendi upgrade under Berta

According to a recent report from Spain, Arsenal are planning for a big summer of transfer activity and have identified Newcastle United star Bruno Guimarães as one of their key targets.

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In fact, the report has revealed that the desire to chase the Brazilian international stems primarily from incoming Sporting Director Andrea Berta, who is ‘in love’ with him and tried to sign him three times while at Atlético Madrid. The fact the Italian would like to bring him to the Emirates has already been brought up in talks with the player’s circle.

The good news for the North Londoners is that the story claims a failure to qualify for the Champions League this season will see the asking price for the midfield monster drop to just £60m.

It could be a complicated and still relatively costly transfer to get over the line, but given Guimarães immense ability, one well worth pursuing, even if that means skipping out on Zubimendi.

How Guimarães compares to Zubimendi

In an ideal world, Arsenal would be able to sign both midfielders this summer, but with the attack needing some serious investment, we can see a world in which it’s one or the other.

In that case, it would probably be a wise choice for Berta and Co to come down on the side of Guimarães, as while he and Zubimendi can both play in either the eight or six roles, he is the more dangerous of the pair in an attacking sense.

Moreover, with someone like Declan Rice on the team who can also play both roles to a high level, we’d argue that the ability to help out in attacks is more important, considering the defensive solidity of Arteta’s side.

For example, in just 36 appearances this term, the “world-class” midfielder, as dubbed by talent scout Jacek Kulig, has scored three goals and provided eight assists, equating to a goal involvement on average every 3.27 games.

In contrast, the San Sebastian-born ace has scored one goal and provided two assists in 36 appearances, equating to a goal involvement every 12 games.

Progressive Passes

7.32

6.15

Progressive Carries

1.45

1.21

Shots

1.15

0.59

Key Passes

1.38

0.54

Passes into the Final Third

5.06

4.98

Shot-Creating Actions

3.38

1.51

Goal-Creating Actions

0.52

0.21

Tackles

2.12

2.34

Interceptions

0.93

1.34

Successful Take-Ons

0.97

0.63

Ball Recoveries

5.06

4.44

The one-sided nature of this comparison only continues when we take a look under the hood at their underlying numbers.

For example, per FBref, the Toon star comes out on top in most relevant metrics, including but not limited to, actual and expected non-penalty goals plus assists, progressive passes and carries, shots and shots on target, ball recoveries, successful take-ons and more, all per 90.

Ultimately, while both players would be fine additions to this Arsenal squad, Guimarães would undoubtedly be the better signing and one that would kick-start Berta’s tenure in a big way.

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