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The England midfielder is ready to make the big move to the Etihad after propelling Forest's incredible rise this season

Many pundits and fans have argued that this has been an unmemorable Premier League season. They can point to the fact that Liverpool effectively wrapped up the title in February and that there has barely been any drama in the battle to avoid relegation, with the three promoted teams Southampton, Leicester City and Ipswich heading straight back down. The fact that the race for Champions League qualification is the only thing of intrigue says it all, according to the naysayers.

But one team have provided an antidote to the boredom: Nottingham Forest. Having flirted with relegation in their first two seasons back in the Premier League after a 23-year absence, the Tricky Trees' campaign has been nothing short of remarkable. Back in August bookmaker BetFred predicted they would finish 18th in the table, offering odds of 11/4 of them being relegated. The idea they could challenge for the top-six was laughable, priced at 50/1. Top-four was even more outlandish, priced at 100/1.

But Nuno Espirito's side have defied the bookies and doubters all season and, in January at least, repeating Leicester City's incredible title win of 2016 was genuinely possible. In the end their title hopes proved fanciful but they are still on track to finish fourth and qualify for the Champions League for the first time since they won the competition – then known as the European Cup – in successive seasons in 1979 and 1980.

And on Sunday they are looking forward to their first FA Cup semi-final in 34 years, when they take on Manchester City. Forest's stunning success has been a collective triumph, with the likes of Nikola Milenkovic, Anthony Elanga and Chris Wood coming to the fore and having their best ever seasons. But one man has attracted more attention than anyone else ahead of Sunday's Wembley showdown: Morgan Gibbs-White, who is being tipped to sign for City in the summer as the heir to Kevin De Bruyne…

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  In demand

  Gibbs-White is Forest's joint-third top scorer and second assist provider this season, with 12 goal contributions this season, 15 last campaign and 13 in 2022-23. He is the heartbeat of the team, the de-facto captain whenever main skipper Ryan Yates does not make the starting line-up. And when the transfer window opens he will be the club's most in-demand player.

  Manchester United and Liverpool are reported to be interested in him but City are the club that need him the most as they search for a successor to De Bruyne. And given their financial muscle, recent domination of English football and the pull of Pep Guardiola, they are believed to be at the front of the queue for the 25-year-old.

  Bayer Leverkusen's Florian Wirtz is still regarded as City's top choice to take the baton from De Bruyne but there are doubts about whether he wants to leave Germany and whether City will be prepared to pay more than £100 million ($133m) to get him. Gibbs-White, though, looks like their second choice and there are several reasons why he would be an even better fit at the Etihad Stadium than the 21-year-old.

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  Pace, power and passing

  Gibbs-White has spent his whole career in England and, unlike Wirtz, would need no time to adapt to the Premier League. He would fit well into the City dressing room, too, as he is close friends with Phil Foden, who he has known since he was 16 due to playing in England's youth teams, including winning the under-17 World Cup together in 2017. Gibbs-White is godfather to two of Foden's children and is now his team-mate in the senior squad.

  More importantly, he has physical attributes that few attacking midfielders of his mould possess. Take what Jamie Carragher said about him earlier this season on : "The thing I like about him, and we’ve seen the number he’s got, the number 10. What’s special about him is he’s got great pace and that’s what he gives Forest that a lot of teams don’t have with players in that position."

  The player's searing pace was on display when he scored against his former club Wolves earlier this season, when he picked the ball up in his own half and hared towards the opposing area, exchanging a pass with Anthony Elanga before picking his spot in the near bottom corner. And it is a big reason why City want to buy him.

  One of City's main weaknesses this season has been a lack of physical intensity, particularly in midfield since Rodri suffered a serious knee injury in September. City's midfield has been achingly slow, comprised of the likes of Bernardo Silva and Mateo Kovacic, who turned 30 at the start of the season, and those even deeper into their 30s, such as De Bruyne and Ilkay Gundogan, who were 33 and 34 respectively when the campaign began.

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  Resilient and brilliant

  And the coach, who became the most coveted tactician in the world due to mastering the art of positional play with Barcelona, Bayern Munich and then City, has become painfully aware of the need to adapt to a changing world. Guardiola said in January: "We didn't fight properly [for the title] because we were not in the rhythm that we should play. Today modern football is the way Bournemouth play, Newcastle play, Brighton play. Liverpool have always been like that, like we were. It's modern football. Today modern football is not positional, you have to ride the rhythm. We couldn't because we didn't have the players."

  As well as needing physically sharp players, Guardiola will be prioritising those with a good track record of staying fit. He has become immensely frustrated with the likes of De Bruyne, John Stones, Jack Grealish and Nathan Ake getting repeatedly injured this season. Earlier this month he outlined how important it was to sign resilient players, saying: "You cannot perform if you aren't reliable and you are injured. The players we have, they can either play every three days or they cannot. We need to build a squad for next season."

  Gibbs-White might not have the experience of playing European football every two weeks but he has an impressive record of staying fit and being available. He has missed just eight Premier League games in the last three seasons and two of those absences were due to suspension.

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  'He's got it all'

  But above all it is his ability to pick passes and score goals that make him a candidate to take over from De Bruyne. "He’s just got it all. He’s shining in that team and it suits him being the main man," said former Liverpool and England midfielder

  "He’s terrific with his back to goal, great skill, can score, good passer – he takes risks with his passes and through balls. The great advantage with someone like Gibbs-White is he wants to do the work without the ball and you don’t always get attacking players who want to. He can play centre-midfield, I’ve seen him play it in a two. He is phenomenal, he’s just really unlucky at the moment that England have got so many good players in a similar position. I think he could play in any team."

  Murphy had one doubt about Gibbs-White playing for a top club like City, though, when he admitted: "The only question you’d have is playing under bigger pressure and having to do it more consistently." And there has been some discussion about whether or not Gibbs-White would want to join City and be burdened with the task of replacing De Bruyne, who is arguably the club's best player ever.

Everton have now made an enquiry over a “powerful” striker who could be allowed to leave his current club this month, according to a report.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin back amongst the goals

Prior to David Moyes’ return to Goodison Park, Dominic Calvert-Lewin had been struggling in front of goal in the Premier League, but the striker broke his duck by opening the scoring in the 3-2 victory against Tottenham Hotspur at the weekend.

Moyes was left impressed by Calvert-Lewin’s performance, saying: “The biggest thing today is he played like a proper number nine at times today.

“He made the centre halves worried, he was a threat, he was challenging, winning a good percentage of his aerial duels. He got involved in everything, a lot of really good things today.”

Although the Englishman has returned to form recently, there is still major doubt over his future on Merseyside, with his contract set to expire at the end of the season and a number of clubs being linked with moves.

Everton "have made moves" to sign "very interesting" 24 y/o international

David Moyes isn’t messing around.

ByHenry Jackson Jan 20, 2025

As such, the Toffees may need to bring in another striker this month, and they have now made their first concrete move to sign AS Monaco’s Breel Embolo by making contact and enquiring about his availability.

West Ham United have also taken the same course of action, but Como are believed to be leading the race for the striker’s signature, so there may be serious competition for Embolo’s signature this month.

Monaco are believed to be willing to sanction the forward’s departure this winter, having signed Mika Biereth, and Moyes is keen to strengthen his strike force, so it is a deal that could make sense for all parties.

What Embolo could offer Everton

The 27-year-old has plenty of experience in the Europa League and the Champions League, and he has proven himself in both the Bundesliga and Ligue 1, posing impressive numbers in front of goal over the past five full seasons.

Season

League appearances

Goal contributions

2019-20

28

16

2020-21

31

11

2021-22

29

13

2022-23

32

14

2023-24

5

1

The Switzerland international missed nearly the entire 2023-24 campaign through injury, but he has since managed to force his way back into the Monaco starting XI, scoring three goals in his last five matches.

Journalist Josh Bunting was full of praise for the former Borussia Monchengladbach man at the beginning of the 2022-23 campaign, and provided an overview of his key strengths.

Moyes will be hoping that Calvert-Lewin has turned the corner after scoring last time out, but it could still be worth pursuing a move for Embolo this month, considering his record in front of goal and ability off the ball when it comes to making runs.

West Indies’ batting crumbled with Santner and Bracewell sharing six wickets

Associated Press12-Aug-2022

Glenn Phillips struck a half century from 31 balls to propel New Zealand to a 90-run win over the West Indies in the second T20I in Jamaica, clinching the three-match series with a 2-0 lead.After reaching his fifth T20I half century, Phillips went on to 76 from 40 balls and led New Zealand to 215 for 5, exceeding the 185 for 5 that was a winning total in the first match of the series. His innings included six sixes and four fours.West Indies managed only 125 for 9 in reply, lacking the partnerships that underpinned a New Zealand total which was the highest by a visiting team against the West Indies in a T20I in the Caribbean.Phillips put on 71 for the third wicket with Devon Conway who made 42 from 34 balls and 83 with Daryl Mitchell who made 48 from 20, the latter partnership coming off just 34 balls. In all, New Zealand scored 130 off their second 10 overs.West Indies’ best were stands of 35 for the seventh wicket between Romario Shepherd and Rovman Powell which began when the home team was 40 for 6 and the match already lost. Hayden Walsh and Obed McCoy put on 38 in an unbroken stand for the last wicket.Phillips put to good use his knowledge of conditions at Sabina Park, which is his home ground in the Caribbean Premier League.”Coming back to Sabina Park is amazing. I’ve got great memories here,” Phillips said in a television interview. “Being able to get a 50 for my country over here in front of a crowd which I really love is definitely very special for me.”Credit to the West Indies for the way they bowled up front with the new ball which was really, really good in terms of taking the pace off the ball when it was new and harder. As it got older the pitch became a bit nicer to bat on.”Seven West Indies wickets fell to spin bowlers, including the first four of the innings.Mitchell Santner, who was Player of the Match for his 3 for 19 in the first game, took a wicket with his first ball and two wickets in his opening over to set back West Indies’ run chase.Offspinner Michael Bracewell, who replaced fast bowler Lockie Ferguson in the New Zealand line-up, also took a wicket with his first delivery, dismissing captain Nicholas Pooran as West Indies slumped to 12 for 3 at the start of the fourth over.Santner and Bracewell both finished with 3 for 15. Tim Southee took the only wicket which fell to a fast bowler, removing Odean Smith at the tail.Shimron Hetmeyer was the first batter not to fall to a spin bowler, run out by a direct hit at the bowler’s end by New Zealand captain Kane Williamson. West Indies were 28 for 5 at that point and couldn’t recover.”We just didn’t show up today,” Pooran said. “They batted us out of it and we couldn’t see our way with the bat. We had to stay in the game. It just didn’t start well for us. We are struggling but the more cricket we play our performance will grow.”The final T20I will be played on Sunday at the same venue, followed by three ODIs

Somerset trail by 400-plus as Essex’s South African spinner looks the likelier threat

David Hopps26-Jul-2022Comparisons are odious, and they have been since John Lydgate, a 15th century monk and poet once based in these parts, first uttered something approaching the phrase nearly 700 years ago. But odious or not, with the South Africa Test series approaching it was hard to ignore the match-up between Jack Leach and Simon Harmer.Leach ground away for 39 overs without taking a wicket as Essex built a first-innings total beyond 500. By the time he turned one really sharply, Nick Browne was 203 and the ball ran away for a leg bye. Over ten-and-a-half hours, Browne, amassed an unbeaten 234, the worthiest and most consistent of efforts from a batter who knows his own limitations and is comfortable with them. It was his fourth double hundred in the Championship and the 20th in this season’s Championship – already the most since 2016.When Somerset replied, and Harmer was introduced for the ninth over, it took him only four balls to take a wicket that had eluded Leach for the best part of two days. His first ball to Tom Lammonby turned sharply, enough to get into his head. The fourth delivery, a length ball, ran straight on to strike his off stump. Lammonby had gone the way of many before him. He was lost in confusion, front foot splayed way out to the leg side, maybe a pull, then maybe a late cut, then nothing at all. Harmer strolled out to the off side to be joined by grinning teammates. It was his 45th first-class wicket of the season, only Ollie Hannon-Dalby ahead of him.There is a confidence about Harmer, a spin bowler devising sequences to befuddle his opponent. There was little sense of that from Leach, England’s premier spinner, good enough to have played 26 Tests, but often in a holding role. Not helped by bowling in the first innings of the match, he largely plugged a defensive line and rarely hunted out the rough to the left-hander outside off stump even though Browne was his major adversary. Browne took him for only three off-side boundaries and ticked over now and then with a leg-side single.In Matt Renshaw, he found a stoutly supportive teammate. “I know he went for none for a hundred but to bowl 39 overs into the wind to the short side was a testament to him and his skills, he said. “I was pleased how he bowled even if he didn’t get the wickets people might say he needed to.”Out on the boundary, if some Twitter jousting between a group of Essex supporters and Craig Overton was to be believed, Overton had identified this Chelmsford surface as “a Harmer pitch” on the opening day. In essence, it is, although it lacks pace and bounce, and Matt Renshaw and Tom Abell appeared to put things into perspective, both countering Harmer calmly enough, and picking off the seamers. Then from nowhere, just before the close, a ball flew spitefully past Renshaw’s outside edge. They negotiated the second day, gratefully, at 99 for 1.Just the thought of what might be to come had been enough to put Overton in mildly acerbic mood when he bit back at his Twitter taunters: “You forgot I was moaning about the fact [we] were changing in a marquee, have no showers and also portaloos for toilets at a first-class ground”.Chelmsford has always been a cramped, if characterful, ground comprised in part by curious wooden huts, fulfilling a variety of purposes, although now quite a few of them appear to be closed. Add the racism allegations that will bedevil the county until the results of their independent enquiry are published – that enquiry began last November and should be published before the year is up – and John Stephenson, the chief executive, has quite a task ahead in charting a way forward. Some of the most prominent criticism has come from Jahid Ahmed, who played seven first-class matches between 2005 and 2009, and who ultimately came to the conclusion that Essex felt like: “a white man’s world where brown people were outsiders”.As Browne batted staunchly on, adding another 107 to his overnight 127, a marquee rung to speeches and laughter to mark a 75th birthday celebration for David Acfield, a former Essex offspinner, chairman and president, and one of five Board members who were forced to resign in May during the racism affair. Acfield, apparently, will still have a committee room named after him.His birthday was marked by many of his fellow Essex players from the most successful, and entertaining, period in their history. As they exchanged old stories for the umpteenth time, Browne provided a constant backdrop. Their day was three-day cricket, played adventurously, but fortunately the red wine did not flow so freely that they appeared on the boundary edge demanding that he hit out for a quick declaration.Browne is powerfully built, but he has been primarily used over his career as a Championship specialist. He has his own speed limiter built in, set just below 50 runs per 100 balls. On the rare occasions he did try to go big, a couple of thick edges persuaded him to banish the thought from his presence. But the nearest he looked to losing his wicket was on 205 when Harmer played the ball in front of square and hurried him through for a tight single. He did accelerate, but only marginally – his bedding-in 50 took 124 balls, followed by 104, 95, then 94 – but his tenacity never wavered.Tom Lammonby found some value in the day with a career-best 3 for 35 (he had only previously taken six first-class wickets), the best of them the removal of Paul Walter’s off stump when he seamed one back slightly through the gate. Matt Critchley fell trying to run a wide one and Adam Rossington, who played with gusto for his 32, slog-swept him to deep midwicket.The innings then came to a halt as Browne and Harmer ground on, Harmer having seven from 49 balls at one point. In the marquee, some famous old players might have been a little impatient. But Harmer was probably just timing the declaration for his own needs, awaiting signs that the ball was ready to turn. Leach will hope that Somerset bat well enough to give him another opportunity on a wearing pitch, but he will be lucky.

A switch to a fall to spring schedule for MLS is being discussed in the buildup to the 2026 FIFA World Cup

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Garber and CONCACAF president Victor Montagliani talk U.S. SoccerGarber shares MLS schedule change is a subject of discussionSays he has "big expectations" for USMNT at 2026 World CupFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

A change in the scheduling format for Major League Soccer – with a move to a fall-to-spring calendar – may be coming following the 2026 FIFA World Cup. MLS commissioner Don Garber spoke on the topic ahead of the 2024 MLS Cup final in Carson, California, saying that any change would be "complicated," but that the bodies around MLS and U.S. Soccer have "ongoing work" around a potential change.

Speaking at the Sports Business Journal's Business of Soccer conference this week, Garber – along with CONCACAF president Victor Montagliani – covered a plethora of American soccer topics, and the commissioner revisited the schedule change. Logical concerns about winter in the U.S., particularly with teams in the north such as Minnesota, Montreal, and Toronto – among others – were acknowledged, but a potential change is still on the table.

“Let’s just be obvious – having playoffs in May is probably better than having them in December, where we’re competing against college football and NFL football and lots of other things,” Garber said. “So we’re going to do the work… Nelson Rodriguez runs our competition group meeting with owners and chief soccer officers and chief business officers going through the math. And once we get through all that, we’ll then have to take it to that process of governance and figuring out whether it makes sense for the enterprise.”

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Although any change would not arrive until after the 2026 season, buildup to the 2026 World Cup has been a priority for both CONCACAF and MLS, with the tournament being hosted in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

“We have this opportunity with our [USMNT] – as the women have been able to achieve with so many World Cup victories – to have it be entirely about sport,” said Garber. “You have to have that. If the U.S. team doesn’t do well, it certainly is going to be a disappointment because of the high expectations.”

Montagliani, meanwhile, said that CONCACAF as a whole has an expectation to perform in the event at a competitive level, in both the Group Stage and the knockout rounds.

“I expect eight of our countries to be in there – six direct and two playoff for them to come out of the group,” said Montagliani. “Two of them to get to the quarterfinal and one of them to get to minimally the semifinal.”

Amid some worries that North America may not be prepared to host the event, Garber shrugged off the notion.

“I don’t really worry much about that,” Garber said. “I’ve been in the event business for a really, really long time. The fear and loathing of what you have to do, and then all the challenges of ensuring you’re managing your plan always happen, but it always pulls off.”

DID YOU KNOW?

No CONCACAF nation has ever won the World Cup, and no team has ever made it past the quarterfinals. In 1970 and 1986, Mexico made it to the stage, as did the U.S. in 2002 and Costa Rica in 2014.

AFPWHAT NEXT?

Matchday 5 of the 2025 MLS season kicks off Saturday, while the USMNT report back to the pitch on Sunday in the the third-place match of the CONCACAF Nations League finals.

Mauricio Pochettino's men meanwhile take on Jesse Marsch's Canada in the contest.

Cole Palmer’s stunning return to action at Stamford Bridge against Everton has drawn extraordinary praise from inside the Chelsea dressing room. The attacking star opened the scoring for the Blues against the Toffees, and Wesley Fofana later compared his team-mate to his highly successful compatriots, Kylian Mbappe and Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembele.

• Palmer shines on return to Stamford Bridge

  Chelsea secured a crucial Premier League victory over Everton at Stamford Bridge, with Palmer marking his return to the club’s home ground in emphatic fashion. The 23-year-old opened the scoring with a composed finish past Jordan Pickford, setting the tone for a performance that underlined his importance to Enzo Maresca’s side.

  The match represented a significant moment for Palmer, who had not featured at Stamford Bridge since the opening day of the season, as injury problems, including groin issues, had restricted his involvement and limited him to just a handful of Premier League starts. Despite those setbacks, Palmer looked sharp and influential from the outset against the Toffees through the first half.

  Although he was withdrawn after 58 minutes as Maresca managed his workload, Palmer’s impact on the Blues' performance was clear. His movement, decision-making and composure in possession consistently unsettled an Everton side that could have posed trouble to Chelsea if they were handed enough opportunities.

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  Fofana compares Palmer with Mbappe and Dembele

  Speaking after the match, Fofana offered glowing praise of Palmer, placing the Englishman among the very elite attackers he has played alongside. He said: “He’s from a different planet. He’s close to the likes of Mbappe and Dembele, very, very close. I play with them for France, and they’re very good players, but he’s right at the top.”

  Fofana also stressed Palmer’s influence, even in a managed appearance. “Everyone can see it, even though he only played 58 minutes; the fans can see his importance,” the defender explained. “He’s the best player in our team when he’s on the pitch. He’s different. He’s a star.”

  The Frenchman went on to reflect on Chelsea’s wider situation during a demanding run of fixtures. “It has been a hard month, and it’s not finished because we have games coming every two or three days,” Fofana added. “We are trying to give everything. The manager and the staff have managed the team well… The most important thing is to keep the guys fit and to try to win games.”

• Palmer's rapid rise at Stamford Bridge after leaving Man City

  Palmer’s rise has been one of the standout stories in English football over the past two seasons. After coming through Manchester City’s academy and contributing in big moments, he moved to Chelsea in search of regular football, and that decision quickly paid off, as he became the Blues’ primary attacking reference point almost immediately.

  During his first full season at Stamford Bridge, Palmer delivered elite-level output, combining goals, assists and match-winning performances. His calmness from the penalty spot and ability to decide games in key moments earned him individual recognition and cemented his status as Chelsea’s most reliable attacking threat.

  This season, however, has tested Palmer in different ways, as injuries have disrupted his rhythm and forced Chelsea to manage his minutes carefully. Even so, performances like the Everton display and his showing at the Club World Cup make it difficult for his name to be ignored in conversations about the best young players in the world.

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  Palmer not yet fully fit as Chelsea prepare for second part of December

  Chelsea face a relentless run of fixtures, beginning with a Carabao Cup quarter-final away at Cardiff before a packed December schedule continues. Maresca has already indicated that Palmer cannot yet be relied upon for consistent starts, meaning rotation will remain a key part of his management plan.

  For Palmer, the focus will be on building fitness and maintaining availability rather than rushing minutes. Chelsea are acutely aware of how central he is to their attacking identity, and are set to be mindful of the long-term picture. As for Fofana’s comparison, Palmer’s standing in the dressing room and being likened to Mbappe and Dembele sets an significant benchmark, and Chelsea believe he has the talent to justify such lofty company.

Manchester United’s centre-back depth has been questioned over the past couple of seasons, and Ruben Amorim will need to assess who is at his disposal.

Despite adding Leny Yoro and Matthijs de Ligt to their options at the heart of the defence, it still feels like they do not quite have the quality or availability in their squad.

One of the newcomers, Yoro, is yet to play for the club, although De Ligt has performed well since making the move from Bayern Munich. Lisandro Martinez seems to have put his fitness issues behind him, Jonny Evans has been a good squad player over the past two seasons, and Victor Lindelof is only on the fringe of the first team now.

Another of their first-team centre-backs who might split opinion is Harry Maguire.

Maguire’s Man United career

England international Maguire joined the 13-time Premier League champions in 2019, signing from Leicester City for £80m, a fee that is still a world record for a defender. He has certainly had a mixed time of things at United.

In total, the former club captain has made 215 appearances for the club, scoring 12 goals and grabbing eight assists in that time, one of which came in the FA Cup semi-final last season, a trophy United went on to lift.

Maguire was superb under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and was made the captain just months into his Old Trafford career. However, upon the United legend’s sacking in 2021, he fell out of favour and has struggled to lock down a regular first-team spot.

This came to a head under former manager Erik ten Hag, with the Dutchman stripping the captaincy from United’s number five and giving it to Bruno Fernandes. Despite this setback, Maguire acted like a model professional and simply continued to work hard for a starting berth.

Sadly, the Englishman has struggled with injuries in recent times. Maguire has missed four games already this term, and last season was even more; he was sidelined for 17 games in a campaign where his fitness problems were frustrating.

It remains to be seen whether or not Maguire will remain at Old Trafford beyond the 2024/25 season. His contract expires in June, but United can trigger a one-year extension. With that in mind, new boss Amorim may well decide to cut his losses and sell the experienced defender, much like Ten Hag reportedly planned to do.

If that is the case, the Red Devils have a superb young replacement in the esteemed Carrington academy who could be ready to step into the fold in a few years.

United’s academy centre-back prodigy

The player in question here is Godwill Kukonki. At just 16 years of age, he is highly rated by many at Old Trafford, with his inclusion in first-team training described as “exciting” by Manchester Evening News journalist Steve Railston. He is, however, yet to make a senior appearance for the club.

Kukonki is a left-footed centre-back, who is exceptionally talented on the ball. He has played all of his football so far for the Red Devils under-18 side, both domestically and in the UEFA Youth League. However, he has featured on the bench once in the Premier League 2.

This term, the defender has featured eight times in the under-18s Premier League, and once in the UEFA Youth League. Not only has he proven to be an excellent defender, but can also chip in with goals, and has three goal involvements to his name this season.

An excellent example of the youngster’s talent came in the European fixture, away to Lithuanian side FK Zalgiris under-19s. Not only did he showcase versatility by starting at left-back, but Kukonki was composed on the ball, completing 90% of his passes and grabbing an assist, as per Sofascore.

Stat

Number

Pass accuracy

90%

Touches

78

Passes completed

53/59

Dribbles completed

2

Ground duels won

2

Clearances

2

Assists

1

The first team could be a little too far out of reach yet for Kukonki. However, Amoirm is a manager who believes in academy players and gave 27 Sporting youth players their debut.

Combine that with United’s ethos of believing in the academy, and a debut for the youngster is not out of the question if he continues to thrive, thus putting Maguire’s status in the squad at further risk.

Amorim can start reign with a bang by unleashing "outstanding" Man Utd star

Ruben Amorim takes charge of his first game of Man Utd this weekend.

ByEthan Lamb Nov 23, 2024

Mitchell Starc and Ashleigh Gardner have taken the top honours for the first time at the Australian Cricket Awards.Starc was named the Allan Border Medalist and Gardner the Belinda Clark Medalist having topped the voting period of the awards from January 26, 2021 through to January 18, 2022.Starc, who took 43 wickets across all formats in the 12-month period and 19 of which came in the men’s Ashes, pipped Mitchell Marsh to the honour by one vote. He was the only specialist fast bowler to play all five Tests against England. Gardner, the first Indigenous player to take one of the top awards, came in seven votes ahead of last year’s winner Beth Mooney.The awards for international cricket are based on votes from players, umpires and the media on a 3-2-1 basis from each match.Across 10 innings Gardner struck 281 runs at an average of 35.10 that included four half centuries claimed nine wickets.Getty Images

Starc also took the male ODI Player of the Year award, albeit Australia played only three games in the format, while Marsh was an unsurprising winner of the T20I title – 24 votes ahead of second-placed Josh Hazlewood – after his starring role in the T20 World Cup victory and the lead-up matches.Travis Head took the male Test player award ahead of Scott Boland, who only missed out by two votes despite playing just three matches, and Starc. Head was named Player of the Series during the men’s Ashes having made 357 runs at 59.50 including two centuries.Alyssa Healy was named female ODI player of the year for the third year in a row and Mooney took the T20I honour.One the domestic front, Head and Elyse Villani took the respective Player of the Year titles while Darcie Brown and Tim Ward were named the Betty Wilson and Bradman Young Cricketers of the Year.

His 12-ball 28 set the game up, before his thrifty 0 for 22 applied the brakes on West Indies

Sreshth Shah14-Dec-2021For the second night in a row, Pakistan’s well-rounded bowling attack saw the home side successfully defend a total, and in the process gave the hosts an unassailable 2-0 lead over West Indies in the three-game T20I series.Ten overs into the chase, West Indies looked on course to chase the 173 target down courtesy opener Brandon King’s elegant strokeplay, but it all unravelled rather quickly thereafter.Shadab Khan strangled the batters with 0 for 22, Mohammad Nawaz got crucial wickets, Mohammad Wasim Jr bowled to his plans, Shaheen Shah Afridi claimed three middle-order victims in one over and Haris Rauf dismissed King – and the tenth wicket off the game’s last ball – to seal the deal for Pakistan.In hindsight, though, Shadab’s more crucial contribution came with the bat and not the ball. His 12-ball cameo of 28 in the first innings ended up being the difference between the two sides with Pakistan winning by only nine runs.Akeal Hosein’s encoreOn Monday, Hosein got Babar Azam for zero in his spell of 1 for 19. Tonight, he indirectly effected Babar’s dismissal for 7 when he strangled the run-scoring from one end after Pakistan chose to bat. Mohammad Rizwan tried to look for a run that wasn’t there and ran his opening partner out in the third over when they took on Hayden Walsh Jr’s arm from backward point. Hosein’s stock ball was the length delivery that drifted into the right-handers when the ball was brand new, not allowing them to free their arms.When Fakhar Zaman came in, West Indies captain Nicholas Pooran persisted with Hosein despite what conventional wisdom suggests for a left-arm fingerspinner. He dragged back a delivery’s length – in the first ball of the fifth over – after spotting Fakhar giving him the charge, and the away movement in the air took the ball past the bat for Pooran to stump him. Hosein bowled four straight overs after taking the new ball, and was done for the evening by the seventh over, taking 1 for 16 with 14 dot balls. At the time, Pakistan’s score read 55 for 2 and with Rizwan and Haider Ali at the crease, the situation was eerily similar to the first T20I.A middle-order wobbleBut it wasn’t to be like the first T20I where Rizwan and Haider struck exquisite fifties to lift Pakistan to 200. Instead, Rizwan fell for a 30-ball 38 off sixth bowler Odean Smith’s first delivery of the match, just when he looked to accelerate. In Smith’s next over, Haider was caught at deep point for a struggling 34-ball 31. Neither of those were wicket-taking deliveries though, Rizwan was out to a wide slower ball that he bunted to cover and Haider had almost enough in his shot for a six after heaving a wide ball over point.The 15th over brought another wicket with Nawaz sweeping a Walsh delivery strongly, but was gone for 1 after finding the only fielder in the deep on the leg side. With three wickets falling for 25 runs, it seemed that Pakistan would miss out on the impetus they needed for a big whirl in the death overs.Iftikhar, Shadab turn it onIftikhar Ahmed, though, stayed aggressive despite the fall of wickets. He came in after Rizwan’s wicket, and punished Walsh’s half-tracker early for four. He then dealt in quick runs between the wickets in Asif Ali’s company. And when Oshane Thomas brought back some extra pace in the 18th over, he punished the tall right-arm quick by drilling two sixes over deep midwicket and long off. However, just when Iftikhar looked to give Pakistan a big flourish, he was caught behind off Thomas’ last ball of the over for a 19-ball 32.With two overs to go and Pakistan having gained some momentum after the middle-overs trouble, Shadab took over. The 19th began with him hitting a four and a six, and the 20th saw Shadab smacking Romario Shepherd over his head for two sixes. Shadab uses the depth of the crease to get right under the ball, and his 12-ball cameo of 28 lifted Pakistan to a competitive 172 for 8.Brandon King gave a good account of himself•PCBKing’s regal inningsHis first boundary was streaky, an inside edge down to fine leg, but after that, the opener found his range. Nawaz, who shared the new ball with Afridi, was drilled over long on for six in the second over and Rauf was swatted over mid on in the penultimate ball of the powerplay. In between, he resorted to safe shots along the ground while hitting occasional fours after watching Shai Hope and Shamarh Brooks return to the dugout for low scores.While King got on top of the bowlers, the No. 4 Pooran struggled to hit the gaps. He scored only 20 runs in his first 24 balls. Then came Pooran’s first six in the 11th over, cracking Nawaz over deep square leg but was holed out next ball as he tried to repeat the process.In Rovman Powell’s company, King reached his fifty in 35 balls by finding a boundary behind point in the 13th over and then swatted Shadab for a one-handed six over the bowler’s head. But like King’s previous partner Pooran, Powell was not fluent, and was gone for an 11-ball four.Nonetheless, with six overs to go and six wickets in hand, the target was within touching distance for West Indies, more so with King out there and the line-up possessing big hitters right up to No. 9. He brought the equation down to 55 off 29 after smacking Rauf over deep midwicket for six, but just like Pooran, was out next ball trying to repeat a maximum. His 43-ball 67, though, had set the base for rest of West Indies’ batters to get to the target with a few big shots every over.Shaheen too hot for West IndiesBut Afridi still had two overs up his sleeve when West Indies needed 46 off 24, and the first of them brought three wickets. Odean found Asif on the boundary line, Dominic Drakes edged one to Rizwan and an almost-yorker rattled Walsh’s stumps. The score of 127 for 5 now read 131 for 8, only one result likely from here on.But Romario Shepherd had one last throw of the dice. After pumping a six in the 18th and a four in the 19th, the equation read 23 off the last over that was to be bowled by Rauf.Shepherd eked out two off the first ball and followed it up with a six over square leg. After refusing the No. 11 a single, Shepherd then found the third-man boundary to bring the equation down to 11 off two. The fifth ball had four written all over it after Shepherd drilled a shot over cover, but Asif ran along the boundary line and got his thigh in the way to stop the four. And with the No. 11 on strike for the final ball, Rauf ensured Pakistan claimed all ten wickets for the second night in a row by bowling a yorker that was too good for Oshane.

Tom Harrison, the ECB chief executive, says he has “received the backing of the game” to carry English cricket through its ongoing racism scandal, following an all-day meeting of the sport’s stakeholders at the Kia Oval.Harrison, who had been braced for calls to resign in the wake of his torrid appearance before a parliamentary select committee this week, told reporters outside the ground that he was “determined to lead this change through cricket”, amid reports that he is likely to step away from his role next year once the groundwork for reform has been laid.”I feel passionately about this issue,” Harrison said. “It’s something I feel to my core. I’ve been trying to drive an inclusive and diverse sport from the moment I arrived as chief executive in 2015. I feel very motivated and very supported to make sure that change happens in the game. I received the backing of the game today, absolutely.”In addition to Harrison’s comments, the ECB also issued a joint statement on behalf of its 41 members, promising “swift, positive changes to the culture of the game” in the wake of Azeem Rafiq’s emotional testimony at the select committee hearing.The statement, which followed a day-long meeting of the sport’s stakeholders at the Kia Oval, “committed to taking wide-ranging action to tackle discrimination and promote inclusion and diversity at all levels,” but was met with widespread condemnation on social media due to the lack of specific action outlined.However, there was a commitment to a further update next week, following individual consultations within the relevant bodies – namely the first-class counties, MCC, the Professional Cricketers’ Association, the National Counties Cricket Association, and the First Class and Recreational County Cricket network.Related

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• Azeem Rafiq 'ashamed' after historic anti-Semitic exchange comes to light

“[The game’s stakeholders] have committed to tangible action and discussed several areas of focus including stamping out discrimination, making cricket more open and inclusive and ensuring effective governance and leadership,” read the statement.”Azeem Rafiq has shone a light on our game that has shocked, shamed and saddened us all.”Racism and discrimination is a blight on our game. To Azeem and all those who have experienced any form of discrimination, we are truly sorry. Our sport did not welcome you, our game did not accept you as we should have done. We apologise unreservedly for your suffering.”We stand together against discrimination in all its forms, and are united as a sport to act. We will continue to listen, and make swift, positive changes to the culture of the game. We will embrace and celebrate differences everywhere, knowing that with diversity, we are stronger.”Today, as a game, we discussed a series of tangible commitments to make cricket a sport where everyone feels safe, and everyone feels included. We will now finalise the detail and publish these actions next week.”Our game must win back your trust.”