Manchester United's Grace Clinton scored an outrageous lob past Aston Villa's Sabrina D'Angelo from 40 yards out as the Red Devils secure massive win.
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Clinton scores 40-yard lob for Man UtdAston Villa complain about foul in build up Man Utd win 4-0 against Aston Villa Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
Manchester United started their Women's Super League clash against Aston Villa in fine form as Elizabeth Terland scored a brace within the first half an hour of the game. However, the standout point of the game came from Clinton, who scored a 40-yard lob past Villa's D'Angelo just before half-time to give the Red Devils a three-goal lead.
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However, Aston Villa players were not happy with Clinton's goal as she appeared to foul their teammate Jill Baijings in her hunt to win the ball before she scored the goal. However, replays showed that her shove on the Dutch midfielder was not overly strong.
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Marc Skinner's side won the tie against Villa 4-0 to remain level on points in third place with Arsenal. Manchester United will be in action next when they take on Everton on Sunday, March 30.
Gary Stead said it was important to manage coaching workload during a long period on the road
ESPNcricinfo staff10-May-2022Luke Wright, the former England allrounder, will be part of New Zealand’s coaching staff during their upcoming limited-overs tours of Ireland, Scotland and Netherlands.Wright is part of an expanded coaching group which means no one will be involved in New Zealand’s full schedule of tours which begins with the Test series against England and runs through to August in West Indies.Dion Ebrahim, Dean Brownlie and Graeme Aldridge will also be part of the set-up alongside lead bowling coach Shane Jurgensen and batting coach Luke Ronchi.Ebrahim, the former Zimbabwe batter who played 29 Tests and is now Otago head coach, will be part of the England Test tour before Wright, who stepped down as Sussex’s T20 captain earlier this year and has previously worked as an assistant coach for Melbourne Stars in the BBL, joins for the white-ball matches.Related
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Head coach Gary Stead will miss the tour of Ireland – which will be led by Jurgensen – before returning for the Scotland and Netherlands series followed by a tour of West Indies in August. Jurgensen and Ronchi will return home after Ireland to be replaced by Aldridge and Brownlie. New Zealand used a similar mix of coaches last year.”A key lesson from last year’s Covid-enforced schedules was the importance of keeping not just our players fresh, but also our staff,” Stead said. “We’ve got 14 weeks of non-stop cricket ahead in all three formats and across four countries – along with a T20 World Cup also looming in Australia in October.”We need to ensure our coaches are at the top of their games throughout that period, and able to create an environment in which the team can continue to improve and thrive.”Aldridge and Brownlie have previously been involved in the national set-up while Stead was looking forward to the ideas that Wright and Ebrahim will bring.”Along with the practicality of having an extra set of hands, it’s also a way of introducing different voices and skills to the group, as well as giving the fourth coaches themselves an opportunity to learn and develop,” he said.”Dion is a promising new head coach on the domestic scene. I’m sure he will get plenty out of touring with the Blackcaps. Luke will offer in-depth knowledge of the conditions in the UK and his vast experiences in T20 cricket all around the world.”
Aston Villa’s victory over Manchester City at the weekend means they head into Christmas occupying sixth place in the Premier League table, just three points outside the top four.
It is no secret that Unai Emery wishes to secure a place in the Champions League again for next season, especially given how well the club have performed in the competition so far.
The Spaniard wishes to see more glorious European nights at Villa Park and it is clear that he must bulk up his squad during the January transfer window.
The question is, what positions will he aim to strengthen?
Aston Villa showing interest in Serie A star
In the attacking midfield slot, Emery has been able to call upon the likes of Morgan Rogers and Emiliano Buendia this term, with the former really beginning to demonstrate his class since the campaign began.
According to reports from Caught Offside last week, however, it looks as though Villa are keeping tabs on Atalanta midfielder Charles De Ketelaere ahead of making a potential swoop during the winter window.
Charles De Ketelaere for Atalanta.
The Italian side value the player at around £40m, which shouldn’t pose too much of a problem for Emery, especially if he can sell a player or two during the same window.
He will face plenty of competition for the Belgian, as Premier League clubs such as Liverpool, West Ham United, Arsenal and Manchester City are just a few teams who are keeping tabs on the situation regarding the player.
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Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.
Atalanta currently sit at the top of the Serie A table, which means it may be difficult for any club to prise away their star players when the window opens.
Morgan Rogers
Middlesbrough
Kosta Nedelkovic
Red Star Belgrade
Joe Gauci
Adelaide United
Lino Sousa
Arsenal
Jhon Duran
Chicago
Alex Moreno
Real Betis
This might not stop Emery, especially as he could make Jhon Duran unplayable by bringing the midfielder to the club.
How De Ketelaere could make Duran unplayable
The Colombian has been in sublime form this season, managing to find the back of the net 12 times across 25 appearances in all competitions, despite starting only six times for the club all season.
Duran was a wanted man during the summer transfer window, but Emery will be glad that he remained in the Midlands.
The South American has started the previous three Premier League fixtures, justifying Emery’s faith by scoring in all three games.
Rogers has been supplying the centre forward with the goods throughout the campaign, but might a deal to sign De Ketelaere give Duran even more opportunities in the final third?
For example, in the Italian top flight this term, the Belgian maestro has not only created nine big chances in 16 games, but he has also averaged 1.8 key passes per match and succeeded with 1.1 dribbles each game, underlining how impressive he is in the final third.
When compared to positional peers in Serie A this season, the 23-year-old currently ranks in the top 3% for assists (0.41), the top 3% for progressive passes (6.18) and in the top 10% for touches in the attacking penalty area (5.19) per 90, which is yet more evidence of how devastating he is in the opposition third.
These statistics indicate that he would be a dream signing for Duran, being able to link up well with the Colombian by operating just behind him in a number ten role under Emery.
After a stunning display for Atalanta against Young Boys in the Champions League earlier this season, where he scored twice and registered three assists, football talent scout Jacek Kulig said: “A truly magical European night for the 23-year-old Atalanta attacker”
It is clear that the biggest stage doesn’t faze the youngster, which could be yet another quality which would help him settle in well at Villa.
Furthermore, De Ketelaere is also similar to a Premier League superstar who is arguably one of the finest attacking talents in Europe; Bukayo Saka.
If Emery can somehow pull off the signing in January, he could have his very own version of Saka at his disposal, which would bolster their chances of finishing in the top four.
How De Ketelaere compares to Bukayo Saka
Ask any manager in the Premier League and they would love to be able to call upon the services of Saka in their starting XI, including Liverpool and Manchester City.
So far this season, the Englishman has already scored nine league goals along with registering 13 assists for the Gunners as they aim to end their two-decade wait for a league crown.
Even more impressive is the fact he has created 19 big chances in the top flight while averaging 2.7 key passes per game and succeeding with 2.1 dribbles each game, terrorising defences up and down the country.
According to FBref, Saka is the third-most comparable player to De Ketelaere in Europe’s top five leagues, which suggests Emery would be signing an extraordinarily talented player should he land the Belgian.
Indeed, the pair have even registered similar statistics across a range of metrics this season, including goals and assists (17 vs 21), shots on target per 90 (1.19 vs 1.27), goal-creating actions per 90 (0.94 vs 1.32), touches in the final third (88 vs 143) and successful take-on percentage (43.9% vs 42.3%).
These statistics prove that the Atalanta midfielder is certainly on par with Saka in a wide range of attacking metrics, which suggests he would be an excellent addition to the Villa squad from January onwards.
Emery might be looking to sell at least one player to raise some funds for any future transfers, but given their Champions League form, money shouldn’t really be an issue, especially as the fee quoted is around £40m.
For this price, Emery will be able to sign someone who is performing at a level similar to Saka this season, and the move could turn out to be a wonderful piece of business for the club. That’s a certainty.
Aston Villa have struck gold on their £100m star in the making
Aston Villa have “superb” star in their ranks who could be an £100m man in the making
Thibaut Courtois has returned to the Belgium squad after almost two years following his spat with former coach Domenico Tedesco.
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Courtois returns to Belgium squadLast played for Red Devils in June 2023Had a fall out with former coach TedescoFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
The Real Madrid custodian was named in the Red Devils' 26-member squad for their upcoming two-legged Nations League qualifying fixture against Ukraine. Courtois has not appeared for Belgium since June 2023 after he had a fallout with ex-Belgium boss Tedesco over captaincy of the national team. However, with Rudi Garcia replacing Tedesco in January, the goalkeeper has now returned to the national team setup.
AdvertisementGetty ImagesWHAT RUDI GARCIA SAID
Speaking to reporters about Courtois' selection, the new Belgium boss said: "We're starting with a blank slate. I won't see the players until Monday, but we'll talk to the leaders again about what happened. But after that, I'm not going to keep dwelling on what happened years ago. Otherwise we won't make any progress."
Garcia further revealed how he is planning to resolve the captaincy issue as he added: "I have an idea in my head about that. Kevin (de Bruyne), Romelu (Lukaku) and Thibaut are definitely candidates. We will see next week who the leaders are."
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The Madrid star's comeback did not go down well with Koen Casteels, who has been Belgium's first-choice custodian in the past few years. The Al Qadsiah goalkeeper even quit the national team following the news of Courtois returning to the national team was out. Speaking on Belgian podcast MidMid, Casteels said: "It's strange that the football association has turned 180 degrees and is rolling out the red carpet and welcoming him back with open arms.
"I think it's a bit strange that Courtois can decide for himself whether he can come back. It is not so much towards Thibaut, but mainly towards the football association. That does not fit in with the standards and values that I have about what a team sport or a sporting organisation should have. As of today, I am no longer available [for the national team]."
AFPWHAT NEXT FOR BELGIUM?
Belgium will first face Ukraine on Thursday, away from home, before hosting them for the second leg on March 23.
Yuzvendra Chahal opens up, not for the first time, about bullying by colleagues from the time he was a youngster trying to make a mark
ESPNcricinfo staff08-Apr-2022Yuzvendra Chahal has opened up – for the second time this year – about instances of physical harassment when he was a newcomer in the IPL. The latest revelation relates to an incident in 2013, when Chahal was with Mumbai Indians, and a player allegedly dangled him from a 15th-floor hotel balcony after “getting drunk”.”This dates back to 2013, when I was with Mumbai Indians,” Chahal said, speaking to R Ashwin in a Rajasthan Royals video, published on April 7, about how players handle tricky off-field situations. “We had a match in Bengaluru and there was a get-together after that. So there was a player who was very drunk – and I won’t take his name – he was very drunk, he just called me aside, and he took me outside and he hung me out from the balcony.”I was holding on to him, with my arms around his neck. If I had lost my grip, we were on the 15th floor… Suddenly many people who were there came and handled the situation. I kind of fainted, and they gave me water. Then I realised how responsible we need to be when we go anywhere. So that was one incident where I made a narrow escape. Had there been a small mistake there, I would have fallen down.”
“They were so lost that they taped my mouth and forgot about me completely during the party. Then they all left and, in the morning, someone came to clean [the room] and saw me, and called a few others and untied me”Chahal, on the time in 2011 when Symonds and Franklin tied him up and left him in a room overnight
Earlier in the year, on a podcast published by his earlier team Royal Challengers Bangalore, Chahal had recounted an episode from 2011, talking about how his then Mumbai team-mates, James Franklin and Andrew Symonds, had tied him up, taped his mouth, left him in a room and forgot about him for a whole night.”It happened in 2011, when Mumbai Indians won the Champions League. We were in Chennai. He [Symonds] had had a lot of ‘fruit juice’ . I don’t know what he was thinking, but he and James Franklin got together and tied my hands and legs and said, ‘no, you’ve to open’,” Chahal said. “They were so lost that they taped my mouth and forgot about me completely during the party. Then they all left and, in the morning, someone came to clean [the room] and saw me, and called a few others and untied me. They asked me since when I had been there, and I said, ‘I’ve been here the whole night’. So that became a funny story.”When asked if Symonds and Franklin had apologised after that, Chahal said, “No, they said when you drink so much juice you don’t remember stuff in the morning .” Chahal and Symonds have, however, developed a relationship over time. Speaking on , Chahal had revealed some time ago that the two were close friends who exchange messages from time to time.Mumbai was the first IPL team for Chahal, now 31, and he has since played for Royal Challengers before being bought by Royals ahead of the ongoing season of the IPL.
Under-fire boss Ange Postecoglou is already dealing with an injury-hit Tottenham Hotspur squad right now, but it is now rumoured that another star player in their squad is set to be sidelined for weeks.
Tottenham injuries and suspensions
Spurs currently have as many as eight first team players suffering with one issue or another in terms of fitness, while both Rodrigo Bentancur and Yves Bissouma are currently suspended from action.
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Bentancur is in the midst of a domestic ban from the FA, while Bissouma is set to be ineligible until their clash against Liverpool on December 22 after picking up his fifth yellow card of the campaign in their 4-3 defeat at home to Chelsea on Sunday.
It is unclear whether Mikey Moore will finally return from his illness to face Rangers in the Europa League on Thursday, with star winger Brennan Johnson in the same boat after Postecoglou hauled the in-form Welshman off against Chelsea.
Southampton vs Tottenham
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Tottenham vs Liverpool
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Nottingham Forest vs Tottenham
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Tottenham vs Newcastle
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“Brennan just didn’t feel well,” said Postecoglou on Johnson’s substitution against Chelsea.
“He didn’t feel well at half-time, but he wanted to give it a go. He just wasn’t feeling 100 per cent, so I had to take him off.”
Left-back Ben Davies missed Tottenham’s defeat to Chelsea with a thigh injury, while striker Richarlison, goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario and summer signing Wilson Odobert are all sidelined with long-term injuries and won’t be back until the new year.
Postecoglou was gifted a reprieve when star centre-backs Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven returned to the starting line-up on Sunday, but the former was replaced after just 15 minutes.
Van de Ven was taken off later in the 90 after feeling tightness (Postecoglou), but it is far more worrying for Romero, who apparently picked up a fresh injury around his quadriceps.
“Romero is just obviously hugely disappointing,” said Postecoglou on Romero’s injury against Chelsea.
“He felt something in his quad. He trained really well. He wasn’t the one I was worried about, to be honest, but, you know, it’s just like I said, the way the season’s going for us unfortunately. So we just have to wait and see.”
Tottenham set to be without Romero for six weeks after fresh injury
The Argentina international had been sidelined with a toe injury, but this instance is a completely separate problem, with TyC Sports reporter Gaston Edul providing an update on the £150 million defender’s condition.
Edu, taking to X, writes that Romero will be sidelined for six weeks at Tottenham after his fresh muscle injury, dealing a major blow to Postecoglou, who must now contend without his “unbelievable” player yet again.
As a result, the former Atalanta star won’t return to the field until 2025, and he is set to miss crucial games against Liverpool and in the Europa League.
Who's hot, who's not? GOAL ranks all 30 teams across Major League Soccer
The LA Galaxy have officially set an unwanted record as the worst reigning MLS Cup champions through the first three weeks of the following season, suffering their third straight loss in a 3-0 drubbing by St. Louis CITY SC.
The team's winless start after three matches sets an unwanted record as no previous MLS defending champion has started the season with three-straight losses. According to Elias Sports Bureau, the longest all-time winless streak by a reigning champion was also held by the Galaxy, going eight straight without a win in 2003. However, that team got off to a better start than the current team, drawing its first three matches.
However, MLS Matchday 3 was full of milestones — most of them worth celebrating.
U.S. international Jordan Morris led the Seattle Sounders to a dominant win over previously unbeaten LAFC, scoring a stunning goal to become the club’s all-time leading scorer. Just north, the Vancouver Whitecaps defeated Canadian rivals CF Montreal, making it three wins in three to start the season. Elsewhere in the Western Conference, Minnesota United ended San Jose’s unbeaten run, while expansion side San Diego FC roared back from a two-goal deficit to stun Real Salt Lake in Utah.
The Eastern Conference brought its own fireworks.
The Philadelphia Union joined Vancouver as the only team to start the season with three straight wins, while Tai Baribo netted his sixth goal of the campaign to take an early lead in the Golden Boot race. The Columbus Crew settled for a goalless draw against Houston Dynamo, and FC Cincinnati cruised past Toronto FC. Then, the Chicago Fire stunned FC Dallas late, scoring three times in quick succession to seal Gregg Berhalter’s first win as manager.
Inter Miami, still without Lionel Messi for a third consecutive match due to fitness concerns, edged past Charlotte FC — but also picked up their third red card of the season.
It wasn’t all glory, though.
Phil Neville’s Portland Timbers collapsed against Nashville SC, Austin FC’s high-spending offseason has yet to yield results, and Sporting Kansas City remain winless in five matches across all competitions.
So, which club is leading the pack, and who is falling short of expectations? GOAL presents the latest 2025 MLS Power Rankings.
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30CF Montreal ⬇️
MTL are 0-3 with a negative-four goal-differential. It's been really poor — and a roster overhaul might not be enough at this point.
Advertisement29Sporting Kansas City ⬇️
Winless in five matches across all competitions to start the 2025 season. A 2-1 loss to a bottom-half side in D.C. on Saturday summed up how their season has gone so far.
Longtime manager Peter Vermes has the biggest task of his career ahead of him, and if he cannot turn things around, it might be time to look elsewhere for a leader on the touchline.
USA Today Images28New England Revolution ⬇️
Another week, and another goalless showing from . That's three straight matches without a goal – and it's not going to get easier. Striker Leo Campana exited their match on Saturday with a lower-leg injury, which could prove to be a huge roadblock to overcome if it sidelines him for a period of time.
Caleb Porter has been handed the longest leash in MLS, but time is slowly running out.
Woeful defending, woeful attacking and more alarmingly for the club, woeful attendance showings. It is trying times in the Northeast for one of MLS' most storied clubs.
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Getty Images Sport27Austin FC ⬇️
They spent all that money on Brandon Vazquez and Myrto Uzuni, yet neither have a goal-contribution through three games this season. The alarm bell is starting to be looked at.
Leeds United’s lead at the top of the Championship table did not last for long after they were knocked out of the automatic promotion places in the division at the weekend.
The Whites are now third in the league and three points behind Sheffield United in first place, after the Blades beat Sunderland 1-0 on Friday night.
Daniel Farke’s side could have moved back to the top of the table with a win against Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park on Saturday, only for them to lose 1-0 to a penalty from Todd Cantwell.
The West Yorkshire outfit are currently sat in the same position that they finished the regular season in last term, which led to them losing in the play-off final against Southampton.
Leeds will be hoping to go one better and finish inside the top two to secure automatic promotion to the Premier League this season, rather than rely on going through the play-offs.
The Whites have done well to bounce back from the disappointment of last season to remain in the hunt for promotion this term, particularly after they lost a number of their top performers in the summer transfer window.
The money Leeds raked in over the summer
Academy graduate and Young Player of the Year Archie Gray moved on from Elland Road after just one year in the first-team, joining Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur.
It was reported that Spurs agreed a fee of up to £30m for the England U21 international’s services, whilst centre-back Joe Rodon returned to Leeds on a permanent deal going the other way.
Finland international Glen Kamara also moved on from the club to sign for Ligue 1 outfit Rennes for a reported fee of €10m (£8.3m), just one year after his move to Elland Road from Scottish giants Rangers.
Crysencio Summerville was sold to Premier League side West Ham United for an initial fee of £25m, after his haul of 19 goals and nine assists in the Championship during the 2023/24 campaign.
The largest fee raked in by Leeds during the summer transfer window, however, was the reported £40m that Brighton & Hove Albion spent on Georgino Rutter, after his return of 15 assists from a number ten position in the second tier last season.
Whilst Leeds will not want to cash in on their best players every summer, the Whites may have a player in their ranks who could go for even more than any of the players sold in the most recent window.
Leeds have struck gold on Pascal Struijk
Central defender Pascal Struijk has matured into a terrific player for the club in recent seasons under Farke’s coaching, after some struggles at Premier League level at the start of his career.
The Dutch titan, who came through the academy after joining from Ajax’s youth set-up, played 29 times in the top-flight in the 2022/23 campaign, as the Whites were relegated from the division.
Struijk was dribbled past 0.9 times per game and gave away two penalties that term, as he struggled at times under Jesse Marsch, Javi Gracie, and Sam Allardyce.
pascal-struijk-leeds-united-premier-league
The drop down to the second tier and the arrival of Farke as the club’s new manager provided the Dutchman with a chance to emerge as a start for the Whites, by thriving week-in-week-out as a regular.
In the 2023/24 campaign, Struijk started 22 of the first 23 league games of the season before suffering a groin injury that ruled him out for the final 27 matches in all competitions.
Appearances
23
Pass accuracy
90%
Penalties committed
0
Dribbled past per game
0.3x
Duel success rate
61%
As you can see in the table above, the 25-year-old brute did not give away any penalties and was rarely dribbled past by opposition players, which was a significant improvement on his Premier League form.
The Leeds defender, who was once hailed as a “monster” by writer Daniel Fraiz Martinez on X, has now returned from his groin injury and emerged as a key player for Farke in the current campaign.
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In fact, his performances at Championship level have been impressive enough to earn him a comparison to a £50m-rated international central defender.
Struijk is a £50m star in the making
Over the last 365 days of action in the second tier, Struijk’s statistics have been good enough for FBref to list Sporting centre-back Goncalo Inacio as one of the most similar players to the Leeds man.
They are both relatively young – 25 and under – left-footed defenders who are incredibly progressive in their use of the ball, as they look to get their respective teams playing out from the back to create chances.
As you can see in the chart above, they both rank very highly among defenders in the Men’s Next 14 Competitions (outside the top five leagues) over the last 365 days in a number of key possession-based statistics.
Inacio has been linked with Arsenal this year and has a release clause of €60m (£50m), which shows the kind of fee that his performances could see him moved on for.
Liverpool transfer target Goncalo Inacio
The Leeds giant, therefore, could be a £50m player in the making for Farke, who has turned him into a progressive monster at the heart of the defence, given his similarities to Inacio and his style of play suiting the top teams in Europe – who want centre-backs who can play out from the back and be progressive.
Passes attempted
90.72
Top 2%
Progressive passes
6.89
Top 1%
Pass accuracy
91%
Top 8%
Progressive carries
1.22
Top 12%
Shot-creating actions
1.44
Top 6%
As you can see in the table above, Struijk also ranks highly among his positional peers in the Championship this season, which speaks to his quality in possession at that level.
Defensively, the 25-year-old ace has won 61% of his duels across 18 starts and helped his side to keep nine clean sheets, with zero errors that led to shots or goals, and zero penalties committed.
If he can continue his fine form, in and out of possession, and avoid any more major injuries then the club could have another hugely valuable asset on their hands in the future.
As well as Piroe: Farke must drop 3/10 Leeds man who lost possession 18x
The Leeds United head coach should drop Joel Piroe as well as this struggling midfielder.
Pair expected to be fit for the second Test; Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Wasim jnr called up as cover
ESPNcricinfo staff27-Feb-2022Pakistan have suffered a massive blow ahead of their historic first Test against Australia with the loss of both Hasan Ali and Faheem Ashraf through injuries. Iftikhar Ahmed and Mohammad Wasim jnr have been called up to replace the pair, but the holes left by the injured pair will not be easily filled.Both Hasan and Ashraf were part of Islamabad United’s injury-hit PSL campaign that ended on Friday evening with their narrow loss to finalists Lahore Qalandar.Ashraf missed the game with a hamstring strain while Hasan played, but limped off towards the end of Lahore’s innings with what has now been confirmed as an abductor strain.The pair have been key to Pakistan’s Test side over the last year. Ashraf has been the seam-bowling allrounder Pakistan haven’t had for years and though he’s taken only 10 wickets in the eight Tests he played in 2021, he was essential in providing shape and discipline to the attack, as well as relief for the other bowlers – something successive Pakistan attacks over the years have lacked. With the bat he’s averaged nearly 40 through 2021.Related
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Hasan, meanwhile, was the third-highest wicket-taker in Tests last year, behind his team-mate Shaheen Shah Afridi and R Ashwin with 41 wickets at an average of just 16.The pair is expected to be fit for second Test, which starts in Karachi on March 12.”Faheem and Hasan will rejoin the squad in the coming week and, after completing their three-day mandatory isolation, integrate with the rest of the squad during the first Test. Both are expected to regain full fitness before the second Test that will be played in Karachi 12-16 March,” the PCB said.”Both Iftikhar and Wasim (chosen due to their all-round ability) will reach Islamabad tonight and start their three-day isolation at the team hotel, after which they will join the rest of the squad after clearing Covid tests.”The first Test begins in Rawalpindi on March 4, the first international game Australia have played in Pakistan in over 23 years.
One Everton player’s agents has been in contact with a club in Italy over a potential January move, it has emerged, with the Toffees battling for survival in the Premier League.
Everton in a relegation battle
A 4-0 thrashing at the hands of Manchester United in their most recent outing confirmed that Everton are going to be in a relegation battle this season. A series of mistakes saw Sean Dyche’s side fall apart in half an hour either side of half-time as goals from Marcus Rashford and Joshua Zirkzee helped the hosts to a comfortable win.
It leaves the Toffees in 15th place in the Premier League, but just two points above the relegation zone and 19th placed Ipswich Town, with an equally poor goal difference as Kieran McKenna’s side.
Now without a win since they beat Ipswich six games ago, things are only likely to get worse for the Toffees in the weeks to come, with a tough fixture list that sees them face four of the current top five in successive games, beginning with the final Merseyside derby at Goodison Park.
Wolverhampton Wanderers (Home)
Liverpool (Home)
Arsenal (Away)
Chelsea (Home)
Manchester City (Away)
That could pile pressure on Sean Dyche, and with the club also mid-takeover, there is little certainty on Merseyside at present in what could could prove a difficult campaign for them. They also have the issue of Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who has been linked with a move away in January and will leave in the summer at the latest as things stand, with his current deal coming to an end amid widespread interest. Now, another player has been receiving enquiries ahead of January.
Everton man in the sights of Serie A sides
That comes courtesy of reports in Italy, which claim that Beto’s agent has been in talks with Serie A side Torino, while two more Italian sides wait in the wings.
Beto was handed his first start of the season against Manchester United, but missed a glorious chance with the score at 0-0 and had little other service. In the post-match player ratings, the Liverpool Echo handed him a 5/10, warning that he needed to be more composed and lacked the quality for the Premier League.
“We saw a lot of what we already knew about Beto as while he found himself on the end of several more chances than Dominic Calvert-Lewin has been getting, he needed to be more composed with his finishing having skewed an early left foot chance high over the bar and then shooting wide when one-on-one with Andre Onana, more quality must be shown to be a success in the Premier League.”
Since moving to Goodison Park from Udinese, Beto has struggled for game time, starting just 13 times in 2 seasons and having little impact off the substitutes bench when turned to.
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With that in mind, Torino have spoken to Beto’s agent, in order to “find out more about Beto’s situation and the possibility of a transfer” in January, while it is added that both Juventus and Roma are also keeping a close eye on the forward’s situation.
Beto still has almost three years left to run on his £50,000 a week deal at Goodison Park, and with Calvert-Lewin’s future unclear, Everton would likely be reluctant to sell him unless they could recoup their initial outlay.