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England’s quest for being double world champions ended in a whimper after batting implosion

The Report by Shashank Kishore25-Nov-2018Australia have never lost to England in a women’s cup final, and that record will now stay at least till the next world event in 2020. Meg Lanning’s side romped to their fourth World T20 crown with an eight-wicket vanquishing of England at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in North Sound, Antigua.As was the case four years ago in Bangladesh – when the sides last met in a World T20 final – England limped to 105. And remarkably, both times, Australia knocked off the runs in 15.1 overs – albeit this time, it was on a slow surface. Heavy dew negated England’s spin threat and run scoring was not really a bother.Alyssa Healy somewhat made up for multiple lapses behind the stumps to set the tone for the chase with a 20-ball 22, including 12 off Anya Shrubsole’s first over. She finished the tournament as the leading run-getter; her 225 runs came in one innings fewer than the next best. This also made her the undisputed choice for Player of the Tournament.In many ways, Healy’s career-turnaround came in 2014 in Bangladesh, where Australia last won the World T20. Still a rookie, far from assured of her place in the XI, it was her bristling knock at No. 7 in a tense semi-final chase against West Indies that put Australia in the final in the first place. Here in the West Indies, four years on, she stamped her authority to emerge as one of the undisputedly feared ball-strikers in the women’s game.Any chance England had of applying pressure on Australia lay in the Powerplay. But they ended up conceding 37 in exchange for just Healy’s wicket. Ashleigh Gardner and Meg Lanning then built on the early tempo to seal the deal. Australia’s batting, in many ways, masked their fielding lapses that may have proved costly on another night – they let go as many as five catches.Megan Schutt is ecstatic after dismissing Tammy Beaumont•ICC/GettyYet, that they found a way to still restrict England was largely due to the efforts of 19-year-old legspinner Georgia Wareham. Having begun senior cricket in men’s Division Three as a high-school student, she graduated to the WBBL, playing for Melbourne Renegades. All the early experience was put to use under pressure after Danielle Wyatt began briskly early in the innings. She would top score with 43.Wareham’s first touch in the final was a direct hit from mid-on to fell the in-form Amy Jones in the fifth over. Moving to her right quickly from mid-on, she swooped in and nailed a flat hit at the bowler’s end to offset two missed chances by Australia – first by Rachel Haynes at point and then by Healy – to reprieve Wyatt.She nailed two further blows and was on a hat-trick in the 13th over, having dismissed Lauren Winfield and Sophia Dunkley. Winfield was beaten by a flipper that crashed into the pad before hitting the bat; the wicket was triggered by Lanning’s late decision to review an lbw decision. Off the next delivery, Dunkley was beaten by drift as the ball spun away to sneak through the gap between bat and pad to hit the stumps. This double-wicket burst came in the same over when Healy missed a stumping chance.Heather Knight waged a lone battle, batting through pockets of resistance, but couldn’t get the final kick in the face of some superb death bowling by Australia. Her attempt to go over the top after plodding through a majority of her 28-ball stay that fetched 25 resulted in a chip to mid-off, to give Gardner her second wicket. She would finish with figures of 3 for 22.That wouldn’t be Gardner’s only contribution of the night. Still needing to dig in to ensure Healy’s quick start wouldn’t go to waste, Gardner rotated strike early and kept the scoreboard ticking. This gave the slightly rusty Meg Lanning, who hadn’t yet hit top gear, time to play herself in.With Australia needing 36, Gardner finally cut loose by walloping Knight’s full toss for six. Then, she took the attack to Kirstie Gordon by hitting her for two maximums in the next over – getting to the pitch on both occasions to negate any bite off the pitch. A savage blow came off Shrubsole, the hero of last year’s World Cup final, to level the score, before Lanning finished it off with a bunt into the off side to give Australia their fourth T20 title in five editions. The title was a shiny silver lining in what has been a tough cricketing year for Australia overall.

Ruben Amorim has reportedly drawn up a three-man shortlist of players that he wants Liverpool to sign in the summer if he takes charge at Anfield.

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Amorim reportedly would replace Jurgen KloppWill be given a handsome war chest by LiverpoolWants three of his favourites to follow him at AnfieldWHAT HAPPENED?

Having made a name for himself with Sporting CP in the Primeira Liga, where he is on the brink of securing his second league title, Amorim's managerial prowess has caught the attention of Europe's top clubs, including Liverpool. With negotiations reportedly nearing completion, anticipation is mounting over Amorim's imminent arrival at Anfield.

Now, as he prepares to potentially take the reins at Liverpool, attention is shifting towards the summer transfer window and the reinforcements he aims to bring to the club.

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According to reports from Portuguese publication Amorim has identified three key targets for Liverpool's hierarchy. These targets include Sporting CP defenders Goncalo Inacio and Ousmane Diomande, as well as midfielder Martin Hjulmand.

Both Inacio and Diomande have been integral to Sporting's success under Amorim, forming a solid partnership in the backline. Liverpool's defensive stability has been a concern in recent seasons, with injuries plaguing key players like Ibrahima Konate and Joe Gomez. Hence the two potential signings could provide much-needed reinforcements to bolster the Reds' defensive line ahead of the upcoming campaign.

DID YOU KNOW?

Despite adding significant firepower in midfield last summer, Amorim sees Hjulmand as a valuable addition to the Liverpool squad. The 24-year-old Danish midfielder has impressed during his time at Sporting and has attracted interest from other Premier League clubs like Tottenham, making him a sought-after prospect for the Reds.

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All three players are part of a team that have enjoyed considerable success in the Primeira Liga this season, boasting an impressive record of 23 wins in 27 matches. Amorim's preferred tactical approach, a 3-4-3 formation, differs from Klopp's usual 4-3-3 setup, indicating potential changes in defensive personnel should he take charge at Anfield. With a clear vision and targeted transfer strategy, Amorim aims to make his mark on Liverpool's squad and lead them to further success in the seasons to come after taking over the reins from the current German tactician.

West Ham have reportedly made contact to sign a £164,000-per-week forward who Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp is a big fan of.

Hammers search for new striker

As could've been predicted, an injury to preferred striker Michail Antonio has left manager David Moyes with a small conundrum to solve over the next two weeks. While the Jamaican's injury is nowhere near as bad as first feared, West Ham will still be left short of natural forward options.

Star winger Jarrod Bowen and Mohammed Kudus can be used in more central roles as alternatives to Antonio, with Moyes having those makeshift options and the out-of-favour forward Danny Ings to choose from right now. West Ham, even before Antonio's knock, have been prioritising the addition of a new number nine with technical director Tim Steidten currently at work identifying options.

West Ham may now bid for "very special" striker after accepted summer offer

The Hammers appear to want a new forward.

ByEmilio Galantini Nov 22, 2023

Stuttgart star Serhou Guirassy is a target for West Ham while there have been reports Moyes could go back in for Hugo Ekitike after failing to sign him from Paris-Saint Germain in the summer. Pundit Gabriel Agbonlahor, commenting before Antonio's latest absence, told Football Insider that a new forward is an absolute necessity for West Ham in January.

“100%. Antonio, similar to myself, struggles with hamstring injuries," said the former Villa striker.

“When you’re that quick and strong, you’re always going to get muscle injuries. It’s when, not if. Antonio shouldn’t be playing in the Europa League groups. They need another player to come in and start, but Danny Ings isn’t at that level.

“They definitely need to get another one in January, or you could be looking at bringing someone from the Under-23s or playing Benrahma as a false nine. They’ve definitely got to watch Antonio’s minutes.”

Another interesting transfer option to be mentioned by the press is former Chelsea star Timo Werner.

West Ham make contact to sign Werner

According to a report in the print edition of The Mirror (via West Ham Zone), West Ham have made contact to sign Werner from RB Leipzig.

The Germany international is out of favour at Leipzig and is open to making a return to the Premier League, meaning he could well contemplate a move to West Ham.

Fulham and Crystal Palace have also made approaches for Werner, who's scored 11 goals in 35 Bundesliga appearances since re-joining the Bundesliga side from Chelsea in 2022 (Werner stats – WhoScored).

Liverpool were once heavily linked with a move for the 27-year-old, and Klopp has expressed his admiration for Werner who he called a "great player".

"Timo Werner is a great player, Kai Havertz is a great player," Klopp said in 2020.

"Right time, opportunity – everything has to come together. Six, seven weeks ago, we didn't know if we could play again this year. If we hadn't played the second half of the season, we would have thought, 'OK, when can you really play football again?' And now it starts right away."

On a reported £164,000-per-week (Salary Sport), it will be interesting to see if West Ham take their approach further.

The Australia captain insisted there was no damage after he took a blow while batting and also offered support to Mitchell Starc ahead of the Perth Test

Daniel Brettig in Adelaide10-Dec-20181:43

‘We’ve got a lot of faith in our lower order’ – Paine

If Shane Warne famously insured his rare spinning fingers for millions, then it is difficult to put a price on the premium that might be attached to the right index finger of the Australian captain Tim Paine. Operated on no fewer than seven times due to problems dating back to a bad break in 2010, Paine’s digit was struck a stinging blow on the final day of the Adelaide Test by Mohammed Shami.The blow required treatment from the Australian team physio David Beakley, and the finger, likened to a “Cumberland sausage” by the commentator and Paine’s former team-mate Ed Cowan, was significantly strapped before Paine continued.Watching from the commentary box, Ricky Ponting feared the worst: “Where he’s putting that tape on is exactly where he broke his finger, right up in that joint closest to the knuckle, is where he had the bad break. He’s had a number of surgeries on it, took him an eternity to get it right, he had titanium plates in it, screws inserted into his finger…”In the aftermath of Australia’s 31-run defeat, Paine refused to concede anything was wrong with the finger, nor could he really afford to. It’s not the first time he has grimaced through significant pain to stay on the field as captain – also doing so when he suffered a hairline thumb fracture when keeping up to the stumps to Chadd Sayers in Johannesburg earlier this year. Should Paine be invalided out of the side, the captaincy is an open question.One vice-captain, Mitchell Marsh, was dropped for this game and the other, Josh Hazlewood would be the first fast bowler to lead since Ray Lindwall led for one drawn Test in India in 1957. After their first ever loss of an opening Test against India at home, the Australia have plenty else on their minds. No wonder all Paine would say was this: “No doubt. I’m fine.”Paine raised one such issue in the form of the DRS, after the many ambiguities surrounding Aaron Finch’s dismissal on the fourth afternoon, when he declined to review a marginal call for a pad/glove catch, with the team later being told there would not have been enough evidence to overturn the decision. Equally, a ball-tracking call to overturn an lbw verdict for Nathan Lyon against the impassable Cheteshwar Pujara, based on the bounce of the ball over the stumps, had clearly stuck in Paine’s craw.”It’s one of those things. You can’t do much about it. We’ve been told Aaron’s for instance would still not have been overturned. Yeah, the DRS is interesting,” Paine said. “Aaron felt something on his glove, it ended up being his pad, that can happen. From a bowling and in the field perspective we’ve got a process we go through with myself and the bowler. Nathan Lyon’s at point a lot, he gives us the indication of height. You have to take everyone’s piece of information and make good decisions. We got a couple wrong but that can happen.Mitchell Starc walks away•Getty Images”I don’t want to talk about DRS. It’s just – it is what it is. A lot of balls seem to be going over the top of the stumps, I know that, that live don’t look like they are. So yeah, it is what it is. Look it’s not a perfect system and I haven’t got the answers. It’s just frustrating, I’d imagine it’s frustrating for everyone.”The fortunes of Mitchell Starc have waned considerably in recent months, and he has tallied 12 wickets at 48.66 since his most recent five-wicket haul in Australia’s most recent Test victory, over South Africa at Durban in March. Paine, though, countered arguments about some of his more wayward moments in Adelaide by saying that overall the left-armer was gaining in consistency rather than losing. A fiery pitch predicted for the new Perth Stadium from Friday will help, too.”I think for the majority of the Test, Starcy actually bowled really well,” Paine said. “I saw a bit of stuff last night, that people were pretty critical of him. But I think his economy rate for a lot of the Test was really good. He took some wickets. He didn’t set the world on fire but I think for a long time there’s been a really big gap between Starcy’s best and his worst and from what I’m seeing that is getting closer and closer every day. So yeah was he at his best? Probably not, but I still thought he played his role really well and opened up the game for us to be honest at times.”When Starcy’s on song there is no better bowler in the world. Particularly with the new ball and if he can get it to swing, I think in Perth the conditions will suit him down to the ground. I think it will be swing and from what I’m hearing the wicket is going to be really fast. So he’ll be a handful.”As for Shaun Marsh, who broke a sequence of 13 innings without passing 50 by making a sure-footed 60 in the second innings, Paine remained firmly behind one of his senior batsman despite his long-established inconsistency.”I think SOS, we all know how good he is, but I just love the way that he keeps coming when everyone writes him off,” Paine said. “He just keeps coming back and turning up and battling as hard as he possibly can and that can be really hard to do when you are always under the pump from you guys and always under the pump from the public and it just shows how strong a character he is and how good a player he is. He’s been in great form the last month or so and I think he is really close to cracking a really big score and winning us some games. He’ll take some belief out of that.”

Norwich City's frailties in defence reared their ugly head once more away at Watford, the Canaries collapsing at Vicarage Road as Yaser Asprilla's late strike secured a 3-2 win for the Hornets who found themselves remarkably 2-0 down after 12 minutes.

David Wagner's men were calamitous at the back all night, George Long in-between the sticks for the Yellows let down by a shaky backline at times but the former Millwall goalkeeper didn't cover himself in glory either – spilling a Wesley Hoedt effort late on for Asprilla to then score the decisive winner on the rebound.

Wagner is now left in limbo once more about his future as Norwich manager, but the under-pressure German boss is only partly responsible for his side's capitulation versus the Hornets.

It was a poor overall team display from the short-on-confidence Canaries that lost the game also, only redeemed by one or two players having bright games to make the scoreline as tight as it was.

Norwich's game in numbers

On another occasion, Watford could have romped home to a comprehensive victory on their own patch. Valérien Ismaël's side had a far superior xG over the full 90 minutes compared to the lacklustre visitors, Watford coming in at a 1.59 xG as per Sofascore whilst Norwich's total falls flat at a lesser 0.59 xG.

Both teams considerably outperformed their expected goals therefore, Hwang Ui-jo's wonder goal for the visitors a bolt from the blue that helped Wagner's men race into a surprise 2-0 lead early on – Hwang's effort cannoning into the net unexpectedly, the Norwich away faithful in shock that the shot had even gone in.

That was a rare moment of joy for the visiting side however, the away supporters watching on painfully for most of the contest after this as their beloved team ended up surrendering a two goal lead.

Watford did control proceedings for large parts of the game, notching up 21 shots in total on Long's goal whilst also dominating possession with 66% of the ball.

How Norwich’s dream starting XI may look after signing 3 new players in Jan

This is what Norwich’s starting eleven could look like come January, with Wagner eager to add new faces into the building.

ByKelan Sarson Nov 18, 2023

Hwang might have stolen the headlines with his outrageous goal for the Canaries despite the loss, but his strike partner in Adam Idah had a night to forget against Watford with the Canaries lacking firepower for the majority of the contest after the South Korean's long-range strike.

Adam Idah's game in numbers

Norwich's number 11 was ineffective as a lone striker against the Hornets, hauled off by his manager just after the hour mark after an unimpressive showing.

Idah couldn't get another goal to add to his Championship tally for the season, the Republic of Ireland international on five goals for the campaign.

The 22-year-old only managed one shot on target before being substituted off, Ryan Porteous and Hoedt at the back for the hosts easily dealing with Idah.

Minutes Played

67

Touches

13

Accurate Passes

5/6 (83%)

Shots on target

1

Expected Goals (xG)

0.08

Duels Won

1/7

Possession Lost

x4

Fouls

2

Key Passes

0

Stats via Sofascore.

The striker was bullied by the physical Watford defenders all night too, losing 87.5% of his duels to the detriment of his team going forward.

It even led to Pink Un football journalist Samuel Seaman rating Idah's display as a 5/10 in his post-match thoughts, a sub-par showing from the Norwich academy talent turned seasoned first-team forward.

If Wagner remains in his job to oversee Norwich's next match away at Bristol City, Idah will be anxious that he could be dropped from the starting line-up at Ashton Gate after such an anonymous display.

The German boss will pray that star-man Hwang coming off with an injury after 17 minutes doesn't mean he's out for a significant amount of time, or he might well be forced into sticking with his misfiring Irish attacker up top.

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola was left fuming after his side's FA Cup semi-final win over Chelsea, due to the scheduling of the game.

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City played Real Madrid in midweekHad to play Chelsea on SaturdayGuardiola fuming at schedulingWHAT HAPPENED?

City beat Chelsea 1-0 on Saturday in a see-saw FA Cup semi-final, and will now play the winners of Sunday's clash between Coventry City and Manchester United. However, Guardiola was left fuming by the scheduling, after seeing his side crash out of the Champions League against Real Madrid on penalties on Wednesday; by comparison, none of the other three sides in the cup played in midweek.

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Guardiola believes that City's clash should have been scheduled on Sunday, for the well-being of his players, and he expressed his amazement that his City players were still on their feet come the final whistle, having played 120 minutes just a few days prior.

WHAT GUARDIOLA SAID

Guardiola told BBC Sport: "It's unacceptable. It's really unacceptable. Coventry, United, Chelsea don't play in the week and they had us play today. Next week, on Friday, will be better."

Asked by presenter Gary Lineker if he felt unfairly treated, Guardiola replied: "It's impossible. For the health of the players. It's not normal, honestly, it's not normal. So because I win I have the courage to tell you and in defeat I would shut up but it's not possible. It's unacceptable to go 120 minutes, all of you are football players, the emotion to play Madrid, the semi-finals, the way we lose and everything, so honestly, I know in this country it's special for many reasons, but it's for the health of the players. I don't understand how we survived today."

Asked if he had raised it with the FA, he replied: "Gary, do you think our demanding is going to change something? The only power I have I say here, it's not going to change anything. I've known it for many years but why do you play today and not tomorrow when Coventry, United and Chelsea don't play in midweek? Why? Why not have one more day for the health of the players?"

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City are next in action in the Premier League on Thursday against Brighton, and they then play again on Sunday against Nottingham Forest.

Aston Villa star Alisha Lehmann has celebrated scoring her first Women's Super League goal of the season with a post on social media.

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Lehmann on target against West HamNets first WSL goal of the season for Aston VillaCelebrates with team-mate Rachel DalyWHAT HAPPENED?

Lehmann finally opened her WSL account for the season on Sunday, scoring with a mis-hit volley in a draw for Aston Villa against West Ham. The Switzerland netted just minutes after coming on as a substitute to put the Villans 1-0 up, but West Ham hit back deep into stoppage time to salvage a point at Villa Park.

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Lehmann celebrated the strike afterwards on Instagram with a series of photos, which included Lionesses legend Rachel Daly, and the message: "Villa park feels different, thanks for coming Villans."

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West Ham's late equaliser secured an important point for the relegation-threatened visitors. The Hammers will now be assured of top-flight status for another season if bottom side Bristol City fail to beat league leaders Manchester City in Sunday's final WSL fixture.

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GettyWHAT NEXT FOR LEHMANN

Lehmann and Aston Villa are back in WSL action on Saturday against Brighton. The team then conclude their campaign the following week against current table-toppers Manchester City.

David Warner will get around a month’s batting practice ahead of his return from the Newlands scandal ban that ends on March 28

Daniel Brettig23-Jan-2019David Warner will get around a month’s batting practice ahead of his return from the Newlands scandal ban, after clean-up surgery to his elbow did not uncover as many issues as those experienced by the former Australia captain Steven Smith.In surgery following his return home from the Bangladesh Premier League, Warner was hopeful of regaining a full range of movement in the elbow after a series of problems in recent years.ALSO READ: Steven Smith international return date in doubt due to elbow surgeryNevertheless, the procedure was less involved and not as serious as the one undertaken by Smith, who will be in a race against time to be fit to play when the duos’ bans expire at the end of March, most likely in the midst of an ODI series against Pakistan.”David Warner underwent surgery yesterday to remove a bone spur and loose bone in his elbow that was causing an inflamed joint,” a CA spokesman said.”David will undergo rehabilitation in which we expect him to be able to begin moving his arm by the end of the week, and within 3-4 weeks resume batting, with his return to playing to be determined soon after that.”Australia’s captain Tim Paine and coach Justin Langer have more or less conceded that both banned batsmen will be recalled the instant they are eligible, after the minimal batting depth in the national system was ruthlessly exppsed at home by India.”I spoke to them both last night actually,” Langer told on Tuesday. “I think Davey is going to get a clean-up, I don’t think Davey’s is as serious as Steve’s was. That said, Steve is in a brace for the next 5-6 weeks I think.”What we do know about them is, they haven’t been good players, they’ve been great players for Australia.”We are obviously monitoring them very closely and we are hopeful they will be getting themselves fit and strong and putting their name up for selection. It’s an exciting time coming up.”

To describe the first third of Manchester United's season as rough this year would be quite the understatement.

The Red Devils enjoyed a brilliant season last year, winning the League Cup and qualifying for the Champions League; however, they have already been knocked out of the former and are standing on the cusp of an early exit from the latter this season.

Their Premier League form hasn't been much better either, with the team following up on their 2-1 win over Chelsea with a 3-0 home loss to Bournemouth, further increasing the pressure on Erik ten Hag.

The Dutch manager needs his players to start performing, and in particular, he needs new striker Rasmus Hojlund to open his league account. However, if the Dane continues to struggle, Ten Hag could replace him with the latest promising youngster linked to Old Trafford, Loïs Openda.

Manchester United transfer news – Loïs Openda

According to The Mirror, Manchester United have been tracking RB Leipzig's exciting young attacker Loïs Openda in recent months and had scouts in attendance at the Etihad to see him score a brace against Manchester City in the Champions League last month.

The report reveals that the scouts were incredibly impressed with what they saw and reported it back to Ten Hag, leading to the club making Openda a 'serious target' for 2024.

The same report also mentions the interest of several other sides, including Premier League rivals Tottenham Hotspur, as well as the fact that any move is likely to cost United in the region of £75m, more than twice the £35m fee the Germans paid to sign the forward from RC Lens in the summer.

The transfer would be an undeniably pricey one to complete, but considering the "terrifying" striker, as described by The Athletic journalist Seb Staffod-Bloor, has scored 14 goals in 19 appearances for Leipzig this season, it would be worth pursuing.

Why Openda has a brighter future than Hojlund

Now, it would be unfair and quite foolish to rule out Hojlund at this point in his United career, especially as he has shown glimpses of brilliance in Europe, but when it comes to who looks more likely to succeed at this moment in time, you would have to side with Openda.

Man Utd could unlock Fernandes by signing "ice-cold" Hojlund upgrade

Manchester United could sign the perfect striker for Bruno with a player who has scored three times more goals than Hojlund.

ByAdam Scully Dec 3, 2023

Where the Dane has flattered to deceive on the domestic front, the Belgian has flourished. It isn't just that he has scored more goals either; the former Lens man has generally just been the more impressive player for a couple of years now.

Comparing the pair's numbers from last season proves this, and what makes it more convincing is that Hojlund was in good goalscoring form last year, so it can't just be blamed on a poor few months.

Goals

0.75

0.48

Non-Penalty Expected Goals + Assists

0.77

0.58

Progressive Passes

1.50

1.82

Progressive Carries

2.18

1.97

Shots on Target

1.75

1.41

Pass Completion

67.0%

73.1%

Goal-Creating Actions

0.43

0.25

Miscontrols

2.11

4.63

The "exceptional" attacker, as described by one journalist, clearly outshines his potential new teammate in almost every critical attacking statistic, only falling just short in his progressive passing and his overall passing accuracy. It's notably exciting to assess Openda's ball-carrying skills. Indeed, the ability to beat a man and then find the net is something that shouldn't be sniffed at by United's recruitment team.

There is, of course, every chance that Hojlund can improve at United as he grows more accustomed to English football. However, the fact that Ten Hag has opted to start Anthony Martial ahead of him in certain games is undoubtedly concerning, given the Frenchman's uninspiring record at the club.

Ultimately, if United want to fight their way back to the pinnacle of English and European football, then going in for and signing a player like Openda wouldn't be the worst idea, even if it means that their current Danish wonderkid has to take a backseat for a while.

Paul Mullin has highlighted his emotional swing at Wrexham in 2023-24 when posting a “how it started v how it ended” season review.

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Campaign started with a injuryFinished with wild celebrationsMore to come from star strikerGettyWHAT HAPPENED?

The Red Dragons frontman registered 47 goals last season when helping to deliver a record-breaking National League title triumph. He was able to add another 26 to his tally this term, taking him beyond 100 in total for Wrexham, and has savoured back-to-back promotions.

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It was not all smooth sailing for Mullin, though, as he suffered a punctured lung during a pre-season friendly outing against Manchester United. He was kept out of action until September, but quickly found his feet and has remained a talismanic presence for Phil Parkinson.

WHAT MULLIN SAID

Mullin is now in a position to reflect on his experiences in the last nine months, with some serious highs and lows experienced when riding another emotional rollercoaster. He has posted on social media alongside images of him in a hospital bed and chugging champagne during a promotion celebration: “How it started v How it ended! Another season completed creating memories that will last a lifetime and beyond! We are going up!”

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WHAT NEXT FOR WREXHAM?

Wrexham have Mullin tied to a contract through to 2027 and will be hoping to see him fire again in League One. Parkinson, along with Hollywood co-owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, is currently in the process of piecing together transfer plans that will make the Red Dragons as competitive as possible in 2024-25.