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Sussex pulled off a confident win at the Ageas Bowl to extend their unbeaten record at the top of South Group

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Jul-2018
ScorecardLuke Wright scored his second fifty in a week to keep up Sussex’s 100 per cent win record in the Vitality Blast as they thrashed Hampshire by eight wickets.Opener Wright never looked in any trouble, and refused to give his opponents a sniff, as he struck 68 off 53 balls as he put on 96 with Laurie Evans, who also scored a brilliant half century.Having already beaten Essex and Glamorgan in the opening two rounds, Sussex looked confident chasing 158.Phil Salt and Wright attacked the task with a mixture of quick running and timely boundaries.Talking T20 Podcast

This week Dan Norcross is joined by David Hopps to debate world records feats in the Vitality Blast from Ed Pollock, Joe Denly and (nearly) Dan Christian and still finds time to discuss carrots with Isabelle Westbury.
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Salt was deceived by a brilliantly disguised slower ball from Gareth Berg but the let up didn’t come for the home bowlers, with 53 scored off the powerplay.Wright, on the back of an 88 against Glamorgan, arrowed a pair of impeccable cover drives off Kyle Abbott, although was involved in a controversial moment when Mujeeb Ur Raham thought he had bowled him but after a long delay was given a reprieve.The former England international reached his 35th format fifty off 40-balls, before he found Chris Wood on the long-on boundary.Evans, who collected a classy 55 not out, guided Sussex home with 10 balls to spare to leave Hampshire winless from their opening two Vitality Blast fixtures.Earlier, Hampshire were stuck in by Sussex skipper Wright on a wicket that never really came onto the batsmen.James Vince promoted himself back up to open, alongside Colin Munro, and took the attack to the Sussex bowlers – drilling Jofra Archer and David Wiese for three clean fours in each of their opening two overs.The Hampshire captain played one shot too many in his 16-ball 30, when his aggressive drive swirled high to cover.Munro attempted to keep the high run-rate going as he slapped a straight drive for six, to take the hosts to 59 for one at the end of the powerplay.But the runs and boundaries dried up, with 15 balls without the ball reaching the ropes, as Sam Northeast joined Munro.The former Kent batsman grew in confidence by taking Wiese for three successive fours but like Vince overhit one extra ball – as he found Archer at long off off Danny Briggs’ bowling.Rilee Rossouw smashed a six down the ground but was caught on the midwicket boundary attempting a slog sweep next ball.Briggs then claimed his third scalp, Munro caught at long off for a scrappy 30, as he ended with figures of three for 29, spoiled somewhat by a six and four from his final over.The backend of the Hampshire innings proved a battle against an experienced and wily Sussex attack with only 38 coming from the last five overs – despite Tom Alsop’s battling unbeaten 35.The main menace was Archer, who ended with figures of three for 26, with a yorker bowling Berg and a square leg catch getting rid of Lewis McManus.

The USMNT received a major boost for the future by securing the rights of Cole Campbell, who is a standout at Under 19 level for Borussia Dortmund.

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USMNT secure new dual-nationalCole Campbell switches from IcelandStandout U19 performer for DortmundWHAT HAPPENED?

The 18-year-old, whose father is American and mother Icelandic, had his switch to the USA approved by FIFA. Campbell grew up in the Atlanta United academy system, but opted to move to Iceland and made his professional debut at just 15-years-old in their top flight when the opportunity arose with FH Hafnarfjordur.

AdvertisementGettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Campbell completed a move to Dortmund ahead of the 2022-23 season, and has since been a standout with their U19 squad, scoring three goals and registering nine assists from midfield this campaign.

He could follow in the footsteps of two current American standouts in Gio Reyna and Christian Pulisic, who both broke out with the Black and Yellow as teenagers before making their USMNT debuts. The recruitment of Campbell, though, is also a continuing trend underneath Gregg Berhalter as manager of the USA. The 50-year-old has excelled in recruitment, with the likes of Folarin Balogun, Sergino Dest, Yunus Musah, Ricardo Pepi, Alejandro Zendejas, Brandon Vazquez and Aidan Morris among others.

DID YOU KNOW?

Campbell's mother is former Iceland international Rakel Karvelsson, who played D-1 soccer at the University of North Carolina.

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GettyWHAT NEXT FOR CAMPBELL AND THE USMNT?

The 18-year-old will continue his development at the U19 level, before hopefully, being called up to the first-team in 2024-25. As for the USMNT, Berhalter and co. take on Jamaica in the CONCACAF Nations League on March 21 in a semifinal clash.

Leeds United made the decision to appoint Daniel Farke as their new head coach for the 2023/24 campaign after Sam Allardyce left at the end of last season.

The Whites were relegated from the Premier League under the one-time England manager and opted to go in a new direction by bringing in the German tactician.

He is a proven performer at this level as the former Borussia Dortmund II boss earned promotion from the Championship in two of his three second division seasons with Norwich City.

Points

94

97

Goals for

93

75

Goals against

57

36

Games won

27

29

Farke's Championship title-winning seasons with Norwich (via Sky Sports):

As you can see in the table above, Farke has what it takes to lead teams to glory and can coach attack-minded sides that can score at will.

He currently has Leeds in fourth place with 17 goals in 11 matches and they are currently still in the race to secure an instant return to the top-flight.

The Whites may also have appointed Farke due to his proven ability to work with and develop young players. James Maddison, Todd Cantwell, Max Aarons, Ben Godfrey, Emiliano Buendia, and Oliver Skipp are just a few of the talented youngsters he developed during his time at Carrow Road.

Leeds have a number of fantastic prospects within their academy system at the moment and one player who could be unearthed as a future star is 20-year-old gem Sean McGurk, who could be Cantwell 2.0 for the German boss.

What's the latest on Sean McGurk's future?

Journalist Alan Nixon, via his Patreon, recently reported that the club are prepared to send the young midfielder out on loan for the second half of the campaign.

The Whites want the U21 starlet to gain valuable minutes playing for a senior side at the start of next year, after they opted to keep him around the group for the first half of the season.

However, it remains to be seen how much interest there will be in the talented gem and if he will be able to secure a Championship, League One, or League Two switch to gain experience.

His season could end up being similar to the one that Cantwell went through during Farke's first year at Norwich in the 2017/18 campaign.

The English wizard made his first-team debut in an FA Cup clash before being sent out on loan to Fortuna Sittard in the Netherlands for the second half of the season.

Cantwell went on to produce two goals and three assists in ten league appearances for the Dutch side before breaking into the first-team at Carrow Road the following term.

He had put himself into a position to impress the head coach after a return of five goals and five assists in 42 U21 matches for the Yellows.

How many goals did Cantwell score for Norwich?

The former England U21 international scored 14 goals in 129 first-team appearances for the Canaries throughout his time at senior level for his hometown club.

Cantwell's first experience of regular football for Norwich came during the 2018/19 promotion season as he played 27 matches in all competitions and contributed with one goal and two assists.

His real emergence as an impressive force for the East Anglian side came the following year as the talented wizard racked up six goals and two assists in 37 Premier League games, which included goals against Chelsea, Manchester City, and Arsenal.

He followed that up with six goals and seven assists in 33 Championship clashes throughout the 2020/21 campaign, which led to another league title for Cantwell and Farke.

The German head coach was relieved of his duties in November 2021 and the Canaries academy product did not score or assist another goal for the club before his move to Rangers at the start of this year.

However, the versatile ace, who can play as a central midfielder, a number ten, or on either flank, was an excellent attacking option for Farke during their time together, at Premier League and Championship level.

How many goals has McGurk scored for Leeds this season?

The 20-year-old dynamo has contributed with six goals in all competitions for the U21s so far this season and has showcased his ability to make an impact at the top end of the pitch on a regular basis.

McGurk has chipped in with six goals and four assists in nine matches and this shows that the Thorp Arch ace has been a nightmare for opposition defences throughout the 2023/24 campaign.

His immense form, which shows that he can score and assist goals in Cantwell-esque fashion, this term has come off the back of a return of three goals and one assist in 15 Premier League 2 outings last season.

The Liverpool-born whiz started his career with Wigan and scored three goals and provided one assist in five FA Youth Cup matches before Leeds snapped him up in 2021.

McGurk can play off either flank or in an attacking midfield position, like Cantwell, and is now starting to show off his ability to contribute with goals and assists week-in-week-out at U21 level.

What's next for McGurk?

The plan appears to be for the 20-year-old marksman, who journalist Josh Bunting claimed has a "big future", to continue to shine for the U21 side between now and January to drum up interest in him for a beneficial loan move for the second half of the campaign.

He has previously displayed his ability to perform against lower league opposition in the EFL Trophy for Leeds. McGurk produced 2.3 key passes per game across three matches against Tranmere, Oldham, and Salford during the 2021/22 season.

Footage via LUFCTV:

That was an impressive return when you consider that no Leeds player has created more than 2.5 chances per match in the Championship for Farke's first-team so far this term.

The Thorp Arch prospect has the potential to make a breakthrough at senior level in the future, based on his exceptional form this year, but he needs to prove himself in a first-team environment out on loan during the second half of the season, as Cantwell did under Farke back in 2018.

It will then be down to McGurk to make the most of his opportunity and then return to Leeds next summer with the aim of making his way into the German's plans in the same way that the ex-Norwich midfielder did.

Therefore, Farke could unearth his new version of the Rangers star by working with the exciting talent to unlock his ability at senior level over the coming years.

Harry Kane has generated talk of a move to NFL being made when leaving football, but could he go on to become a professional golf star instead?

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Prolific frontman a regular on the fairwaysWill hang up his boots at some stageMay move in a different sporting directionWHAT HAPPENED?

The England captain, who is currently plying his club trade at Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich, has revealed that he plays off a three handicap. That is mightily impressive and suggests that Kane could pursue a career on the fairways when freed to focus even more time on his game.

AdvertisementWHAT KANE SAID

Asked if that could become a possibility once he hangs up his boots, Kane told : “I’d still say ‘never say never’, because I don’t like to rule anything out. It takes such a lot of time and dedication, it would be really, really, really tough. I think sometimes people don’t appreciate how much work goes into it. You watch it on the TV and you see them doing it so effortlessly and you think ‘I could have a go at that’, but it’s really tough. I’d never say never, but I think it’s really unlikely that will happen.”

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Kane could, however, take to the greens on the Pro Golf Tour at some point in the future. He added: “That’s something I’d love to be able to do. Watching the Pro tournaments all the time, I think ‘I’d love to play in one of those tournaments one day’. I hope to be good enough to maybe give that a go or be invited to play in one, that would be an amazing experience. It’s cool for the fans to have that multi-sport, they see people cross over in sports. You see it more and more in different sports, with boxing and UFC, so I think there is a real crave from the fans to see the high end sportsmen doing another sport. There is something attractive about that. We’ll have to see but for sure I’d like to give that a go.”

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WHAT NEXT FOR KANE?

Kane is still focused on perfecting his own art for now, with Bayern in danger of ending the 2023-24 campaign empty-handed. They still have a shot at Champions League glory, while England are counting down the days to another European Championship in the summer – which will take place on German soil.

Chief executive spells out players’ union position as negotiations with ECB

George Dobell13-Jun-2018Daryl Mitchell, the chairman of the Professional Cricketers’ Association, has warned that a rise in the salary cap is a “non-negotiable” part of any deal with the ECB.Mitchell, the players’ union boss, is one of the team negotiating a new deal for players for the period from 2020 to 2024, as part of both the Team England Player Partnership (TEPP; which effectively decides the value of central contracts for international players) and the County Partnership Agreement (CPA; which decides how much money each county should receive and guidelines over how it should be spent). The PCA are also negotiating the women’s pay deal, both domestically and internationally.And, with the new broadcast deal injecting more money into the game than ever before, Mitchell expects a “fair share” of that revenue to find its way to the players.So he admits he was “very surprised” to read reports that the ECB had told county chief executives that there would be no rise in the salary cap as part of the CPA.”The salary cap has to rise,” Mitchell told ESPNcricinfo. “That is non-negotiable.”You can’t have a situation where a huge amount more money comes into the game and the players do not benefit from it. We have made thatvery clear to the ECB and we are going to be very strong on this issue. It really is non-negotiable.”The salary cap – currently set at around GBP2million a year – dictates the total amount that counties can pay their players. While it is notrelevant to a majority of counties – some spend less than half that amount and it is understood that only one, Surrey, argued for a riseat the chief executives’ meeting – there is an expectation that salaries will rise as more money comes into the game. The ECB hasalready promised the counties an extra GBP1.3million a year each from 2020.The PCA are also insisting upon a rise in the salary collar (the minimum amount paid by a county in salaries to players; the current figure is GBP750,000 a year), a rise in the minimum wage – and the means to force counties to stick to it – and assurances that all current players will benefit in a tangible way from the new broadcast deal. At present the PCA recommend a minimum wage (it starts at GBP17,897 for 18-year-olds and rises to GBP25,354 for 24-year-olds) but found widespread abuse of the system as part of a recent survey.”Those are the four principles,” Mitchell confirmed. “The salary collar figure is very low at present and must rise. Some counties are only just above it. And we’ll also be looking for the CPA to have some teeth to compel counties to ensure they respect the minimum wages requirements.”We also want to make sure that all our members – and we have 420 current players to consider – benefit from the new broadcast deal. Not just the England players; not just those involved in The 100 and not just those on minimum wage: all our members in the middle of those groups.”In any negotiation process, you have some wins and you make some concessions. But these four principles are very simple and we won’t be budging from our stance on them.”News of the ECB’s comments at the chief executives’ meeting come at an awkward time in their relationship with the PCA. A few weeks ago, the ECB chairman, Colin Graves, appeared to contradict his chief executive, Tom Harrison, in insisting plans for the new 100-ball tournament were “set in stone.” A few days earlier, Harrison had told the PCA the competition was only at the conceptual stage.And, while there has been much talk of late of the ECB’s need to tighten the purse strings, their recently-published accounts show that on top of the salaries of top executives (and the highest paid executive at the ECB earns GBP605,000 a year before pension contributions), an incentive plan has been set up that will see up to GBP3.2million extra paid to those executives by the end of 2022.”Our relationship with the ECB is still good,” Mitchell said, “but there are times I think their communication could be better. All the conversations we’ve had with them should have left them in no doubt over our views and at no stage have they led us to believe that there will be no more money. We’re still confident this can be resolved amicably.”

Leeds United could suffer another blow regarding one of their star men's injury situation following their disappointing defeat to Southampton at St Mary's Stadium on Saturday, according to reports.

What's the latest news involving Leeds United?

Daniel Farke cut a frustrated figure on the South Coast against Southampton as his side lost out by a score of 3-1, with a double from Adam Armstrong and an effort from Will Smallbone rendering Pascal Struijk's reply nothing more than a consolation.

The Whites' six-match unbeaten streak is now at an end in the Championship and Farke lamented their defensive work in his post-match press conference, stating via BBC Sport:

"Southampton were more effective in this game. We have won more or less every statistic but all that matters is that they have won 3-1. What was decisive was that our defensive behaviour was not spot on, like it was in the last games, when we had four clean sheets in a row. We need to be more aware, more awake, sharper in decisive moments. Tiny little moments can make a big difference. The first goal would have been ruled out for offside by VAR but there is no VAR in the Championship so you have to drop a little bit quicker to defend the run of Armstrong."

Former Whites icon Jermaine Beckford explained his reasoning as to why he believes Southampton got the better of their divisional rivals, stating on Sky Sports via The Yorkshire Evening Post:

"It was very frustrating, they just didn't seem to get in the groove of things at all. They were second to most balls, especially in that first half. Southampton were fantastic, they moved the ball really well, they didn't keep the ball at the back as I expected them to do, they changed their game-plan very, very quickly and very cleverly. It was an uncharacteristic performance from Leeds United and one that I don't expect to see again any time soon."

In other news, Leeds summer transfer target Matt O'Riley has signed a new deal at Scottish Premiership outfit Celtic, ending speculation linking the Denmark Under-21 international with a move to Elland Road, as per Leeds Live.

Looking ahead, the Whites will take on Queens Park Rangers at Elland Road on Wednesday, who have taken just eight points from their opening nine fixtures in the league and sit in 22nd position.

When will Wilfried Gnonto return from injury?

According to Football Insider reporter Pete O'Rourke, Leeds attacker Wilfried Gnonto could be out until November or even early December after having surgery on his ankle.

Timeline wise, a figure of around eight weeks has been detailed as a potential worst-case scenario for Gnonto amid indications that Leeds are keen to offer the Italy international a new contract at Elland Road to prevent speculation over his future at the club.

Gnonto, who was labelled "special" by Leeds coach Michael Skubala back in February, has made six appearances this term for his current employers across all competitions, registering one goal in the process, as per Transfermarkt. Nevertheless, Farke will have to do without the ex-Zurich star for a while longer as he looks to motivate his side for a busy upcoming fixture schedule.

Kings XI Punjab began their season with a clinical win against Delhi Daredevils, but on the evidence of that game, they still have several holes to plug

The Preview by Nikhil Kalro12-Apr-20184:11

Dasgupta: Important to have at least six bowling options in T20s

Big PicturePrior to Royal Challengers Bangalore’s first game this season, captain Virat Kohli said this was ‘our most balanced side ever’. After the first round of games, it appeared Royal Challengers had the most unbalanced XI among all teams: a star-studded top four, followed by an untested middle order and a bowling attack lacking penetration. Kolkata Knight Riders chipped away at that top four and then romped to a four-wicket win on Sunday.Back home, Royal Challengers need to achieve two things with immediate urgency: find their best team balance and regain home-ground advantage. On a relaid pitch that favoured spinners, Royal Challengers won only one game at the Chinnaswamy Stadium last season.Kings XI Punjab, on the other hand, have laid out their template for this season: using spin at various points of an innings to stifle opponents and staying aggressive with the bat. It worked in their tournament opener, against Delhi Daredevils, but there are also holes to plug, such as Yuvraj Singh’s form: he laboured to a 22-ball 12.Also, considering the relative ease with which fingerspinners are handled in modern-day T20 cricket – Kings XI have two in R Ashwin and Axar Patel – and with death-overs specialist Andrew Tye being taken for 38 runs in four overs, there aren’t many fall-back options. Against one of the better batting teams in the IPL and with the small dimensions of the Chinnawamy Stadium, the margin of error for Kings XI is little.In the newsAaron Finch has joined the Kings XI squad after his wedding, and could slot in the opening position in place of Mayank Agarwal. Chris Gayle and KL Rahul also return to the home ground of their former franchise.The likely XIsRoyal Challengers Bangalore: 1 Brendon McCullum, 2 Parthiv Patel (wk), 3 Virat Kohli (capt.), 4 AB de Villiers, 5 Mandeep Singh, 6 Sarfraz Khan, 7 Washington Sundar, 8 Chris Woakes, 9 Tim Southee, 10 Umesh Yadav, 11 Yuzvendra ChahalKings XI Punjab: 1 KL Rahul (wk), 2 Aaron Finch, 3 Karun Nair, 4 Yuvraj Singh, 5 Manoj Tiwary, 6 Marcus Stoinis, 7 Axar Patel, 8 R Ashwin (capt.), 9 Andrew Tye, 10 Mujeeb Ur Rahman, 11 Mohit SharmaESPNcricinfo LtdStats that matter Compared to pace, Yuvraj Singh has struggled against spin in the IPL since 2015. He has scored 222 runs off 219 balls against the slow bowlers, at a strike rate of 101.4 and a dot-ball percentage of 50.2. Against pace, he has scored 526 runs off 369 balls, with a strike rate of 142.6. The average score batting first at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium last year (142) was 32 runs below the average overall score (174) in the IPL at this ground. AB de Villiers does not have a strike rate below 150 against any form of bowling. Virat Kohli has a strike rate under 125 against left-arm pace, right-arm offspin and left-arm orthdodox spin. Strategy puntWith five specialist bowlers in their team, Kings XI have plenty of depth in their attack. There is, perhaps, a case for Kings XI to go against the chasing trend – the team batting second has won all the matches so far this season. Also, in 25 IPL games at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium since the start of the 2015 season, only two teams have elected to bat after winning the toss.Kings XI could opt for a high-risk, high-reward choice of staying aggressive from the outset, like they successfully did last season at the chasing-friendly Wankhede Stadium, and bat Royal Challengers out of the game. If all they manage is a par score, they have the failsafe of their stronger suit in the clutch moments of the game.Fantasy picksKohli v de Villiers? Like in the real world, you’d want your best fantasy batsman to play as many balls as possible, allowing you to maximise on points. Kohli will bat higher than de Villiers, and could face considerably more deliveries. Even though de Villiers’ strike-rate is higher, Kohli could you earn more runs, and therefore more points.Quotes”From what I see, he’s very calculated. He thinks about the game well. Every decision he makes, there’s a reason behind why he does that. So far it’s been pretty relaxed, pretty low-key, letting the guys do what they need to do.”
“We probably won’t expect playing against Chris (Gayle) tomorrow with the way they set the team up in the first game and with Aaron Finch coming back to the side. But if he does, if any team knows how good he is, it’s RCB with what he’s done for the team for a number of years.”

Leeds United and the 49ers are looking to sign a “monster” new goalscorer in the summer transfer window, according to a recent report.

Leeds searching for new striker

The Whites look very much in control at the top of the Championship table and if it remains that way, then they will be back in the Premier League next season. That would see Leeds in the top flight for the first time since the 49ers took over, and it is expected that they would look to significantly invest in the squad as they try to stay in the Premier League for as long as possible.

Leeds now considering signing £5m Sunderland star and "interesting" striker

Leeds are beginning to put plans in place for next season and are keen on adding more firepower to their forward line.

ByBrett Worthington Feb 19, 2025

Daniel Farke will want to strengthen a few areas of his team, but probably none more so than the forward line, as they are currently low on options and are heavily reliant on Joel Piroe. Patrick Bamford could be coming to the end of his time at the club and, therefore, a new number nine is needed.

It was reported by TEAMtalk this week that Leeds are interested in signing Wilson Isidor from Sunderland, as he’s been added to their shortlist following an excellent Championship campaign with the Black Cats. As well as Isidor, Leeds are also interested in Evann Guessand from Nice, as he’s scored nine goals in Ligue 1 this season.

The Yorkshire side still have Southampton’s Cameron Archer as a top target for the summer, but even if he arrives, they could still look to add a more defined number nine, given Archer can play anywhere across the front line.

49ers looking to sign £90k-p/w “monster” for Leeds

So as well as looking at Isidor and Guessand, according to TBR Football, Leeds are interested in signing Tammy Abraham in the summer, but face strong competition.

Abraham is currently on loan at AC Milan from Roma, but the deal being made into a permanent switch looks unlikely, as the Italian giants have just signed Santiago Gimenez. Therefore, Abraham could be made available for a transfer this summer and has his eyes on a move back to the Premier League.

Newcastle, Nottingham Forest, Fulham, Everton, West Ham and Leeds are all keen on the forward, but obviously the Whites would need to make sure they secure promotion to have a chance of signing the striker. Roma paid Chelsea £34 million back in August 2021, but it is unclear how much they would want now, as he is under contract until 2027.

Apps

20

Starts

9

Minutes per game

44

Goals

2

Shots per game (On target)

1.1 (0.6)

Big chances missed

10

Chance conversion

10%

Assists

2

Big chances created

3

Key passes per game

0.4

The 27-year-old, who currently earns €110k a week (£90k), described himself as a “monster” back in 2021, as he believed José Mourinho had turned him into one. Abraham has struggled to be that monster in Milan this season, but given he has 26 goals in 89 games in the Premier League, Leeds would love to add that level of top flight quality to their squad in the summer.

Manchester United have been in disarray for some time now, struggling to find any consistency, suffering from poor recruitment strategy and leaving the fans with a sour taste in their mouths.

The Red Devils currently sit 15th in the Premier League after 25 games played, just 12 points off of 18th place Ipswich and 15 points off of fourth place Manchester City.

Ruben Amorim’s side are averaging 53.6% possession (sixth highest in the division), taking 13.4 shots per game (12th highest in the division) and are conceding 11.4 shots against them per game (seventh fewest in the division).

When things really aren’t going your way, you sometimes need the big characters in the dressing room to step up, lead the team, lead by example and get you out of a bad spot. The main issue with this, is Man Utd don’t seem to have many of these characters at the club anymore.

Roy Keane's record Manchester United

Roy Keane, perhaps one of the biggest types of this character, made 479 appearances for Manchester United, scoring 51 goals, providing 41 assists and totalling 40,275 minutes played.

First Impressions

In this time, Keane captained a historic United side to the famous treble, winning the Premier League, the FA Cup and the UEFA Champions League in 1998/99.

Whilst the Irishman was hot-headed, his teammates clearly respected him, giving their all on the pitch, being led by Keane, with many regarding the United legend as the “best captain they have ever seen”.

Manchester United did sign a midfielder who was compared to Keane in the 2022/23 campaign, with Teddy Sheringham comparing the two players, but since having a brilliant first season at the club, his rapid demise has been clear for all to see.

Man Utd's new Roy Keane

Casemiro was signed for a fee of around £60m plus £10m in add-ons from Real Madrid in 2022 and has made 108 appearances for the Red Devils since joining the club, scoring 15 goals, providing nine assists and totalling 8,020 minutes played.

In his first campaign at Old Trafford, the experienced Brazilian was hugely influential – notably scoring in the club’s Carabao Cup triumph – with Sheringham highlighting the likeness between him and the talismanic Keane:

Stats (per 90 mins)

2022/23

2023/24

2024/25

Goals + Assists

0.32

0.28

0.18

Progressive Carries

0.78

0.54

0.28

Progressive Passes

6.69

5.15

4.82

Passes into Final Third

6.20

5.52

5.11

Tackles

3.46

3.72

3.97

Blocks

2.48

3.22

2.48

Interceptions

1.51

0.94

0.94

Ball Recoveries

8.82

6.32

6.17

Aerial Duels Won

2.59

1.76

1.42

You can see in Casemiro’s three years at the club, the gradual decline in all areas. The only metric Casemiro ranks higher in this season than either of his previous two seasons is tackles per 90, and that is with far fewer minutes played, slightly skewing the data.

It has gotten to the point where Casemiro’s legs are seemingly gone, the United system is becoming more and more reliant on ground covering and physical qualities, and content creator Mark Goldbridge has now labelled the Brazilian a “total waste of time”, following the defeat to Tottenham Hotspur.

Manchester United clearly need to get rid of players before they can buy, and not only getting the right profile but also the right mentality of players will be key if the Red Devils want to have any chance of returning to the top.

Casemiro may have indicated his desire to see out his contract – which runs out in 2026 – yet Sir Jim Ratcliffe and co need to do all they can to shift the £350k-per-week star from the wage bill.

Man Utd have unearthed their new Berbatov who "belongs to a different era"

The Man Utd star stood out against Spurs

ByJoe Nuttall Feb 17, 2025

The Islamabad United captain has suffered a hairline fracture in the side of his hand, near the wrist

Umar Farooq in Dubai18-Mar-2018A hand injury has left Misbah-ul-Haq a doubtful starter for the PSL Qualifier against Karachi Kings in Dubai on Sunday night. The Islamabad United captain has suffered a hairline fracture in the side of his hand, near the wrist. The 43-year-old also missed Islamabad’s first two games of the season with a hamstring injury.If he does not play, Islamabad will miss Misbah’s leadership even if his batting has been a peripheral force this season: he has only batted four times in eight matches, with a top score of 22.Misbah spent Saturday in hospital, getting his injury assessed, and insists that he can play the game with injections. In the worst-case scenario that he cannot play, the South African batsman JP Duminy is expected to lead the side. Rumman Raees, Islamabad’s vice-captain, led the side in Misbah’s absence in the first two games of the season, but was himself ruled out of the tournament with a knee injury, after playing only three games.Islamabad finished top of the PSL’s league table, with seven wins from their ten games. The winner of the Qualifier will directly enter the tournament final, which is scheduled for March 25 in Karachi. The loser will take a flight to Lahore to play an Eliminator on March 21 at the Gaddafi Stadium, against the winner of the other Eliminator between Peshawar Zalmi and Quetta Gladiator on March 20.The Pakistani players in the Peshawar and Zalmi squads have already landed in Lahore. The overseas players who have committed to travelling to Pakistan will fly out from Dubai on March 19.