With the Lionesses' No.1 to depart and worrying news coming out of Carrington, a rough season for the Red Devils is only continuing into the summer
Twelve months ago, it looked like Manchester United had grabbed themselves a seat at the top table of English football for the foreseeable future. In just their fourth season in the Women’s Super League, the Red Devils pushed Chelsea all the way in the title race and reached a maiden FA Cup final. But in the time since, despite clinching a first major title at Wembley last month, there has been cause for concern.
Their on-field struggles have been difficult to ignore. Last season, United recorded a worst-ever WSL finish of fifth, winning just 10 of their 22 matches to end up some 20 points adrift of eventual champions Chelsea. An FA Cup triumph softened the blow but, in the words of striker Rachel Williams, did “mask over issues”. It meant there were plenty of questions asked when the club opted to renew the expiring contract of head coach Marc Skinner.
Now, there are more and more off-pitch situations that are adding to the frustrations of a fanbase ravenous for the success that Man Utd are associated with. As Lionesses star Mary Earps prepares to depart on a free transfer and news emerges that the women’s team have been temporarily moved into a portable facility to accommodate the men’s side, the Red Devils are never going to be among the elite in the women’s game if things carry on like this.
Getty
Warning signs
Despite the success of the 2022-23 season, there were a couple of warning signs off the pitch for Man Utd, most notably the departure of Alessia Russo. While it felt like there was little the club could do to stop star full-back Ona Batlle rejoining childhood club Barcelona on a free in the same summer, the England striker was supposedly open to staying.
However, United’s negotiating has become infamous by this point. Talks are often slow and the offers presented to players can be underwhelming. This was the case for Russo, with even reporting that the club went back on some conditions they’d shaken hands on previously. She would instead join WSL rivals Arsenal on a free transfer.
Advertisement
Getty
No lessons learned
Things have hardly improved in that sense over the past year. United ended the 2023-24 season with no fewer than five key senior players still yet to agree new contracts, despite their current deals expiring this summer. Those players are Earps, captain Katie Zelem, the prolific Nikita Parris, fan favourite Lucia Garcia and super-sub Rachel Williams.
Earps’ situation has been under the microscope most, given her profile and the fact that Arsenal were heavily interested last summer. Despite some thinking that could be a catalyst for United to sort a new deal for the Lionesses’ No.1, negotiations have dragged on. It’s hardly a good look when it takes this long to come to a resolution – not least when that resolution is a departure for the England star, who is set to join Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer.
Getty Images
Lacking clarity
It seems unlikely that Earps will be the only player to leave. Garcia is in line for a move to Mexico’s exciting Liga MX Femenil, just a month on from her match-winning display in the Women’s FA Cup final. It’s fair to say fans are not happy about that.
After captaining the club for the past five years, Zelem is attracting interest from elsewhere and the same goes for Parris, who showed her commitment to the cause when she decided against a move to the U.S. ahead of the FA Cup final. Despite that, she is still set to become a free agent in the coming days.
Even a standard released and retained list has yet to come from Man Utd, some five weeks after the season ended. It means that there will be no real goodbye to the supporters for those who do depart, which is just another factor in the feverous frustration building within the fanbase.
ENJOYED THIS STORY?
Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting
Getty Images
A worrying admission
That was all heightened this week in an interview given by Sir Jim Ratcliffe, CEO of Man Utd’s minority owners, INEOS. Ratcliffe spoke at length about the Red Devils’ men’s team with and when asked about plans for the women’s side, he responded: “We haven’t gone into that level of detail yet. We’ve been pretty much focused on how we resolve the first-team issues, in that environment, and that’s been pretty full-time for the first six months.”
The use of the term ‘first team’ to describe the men’s side hasn’t sat right with many, with both the men and the women having a ‘first team’. While that could just be a poor choice of words in the moment, the fact that it came at the same time as Ratcliffe admitting there’s not a detailed plan in place for the women’s side has been a bitter pill to swallow for many.
After the signing of Radu Dragusin from Genoa, it is believed one club's "superb" leader of assists could well follow him to Tottenham.
Spurs seal Werner and Dragusin deals
In a real boost for Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou, the north Londoners have granted him his wish of doing their January transfer window business nice and early.
The Australian has been very public in saying that Tottenham need to get new signings through the door in quick fashion, so that they can grow accustomed to his tactic and bed into the first team as quickly as possible.
All confirmed Premier League done deals: January transfer window 2024
With the January transfer window coming towards its conclusion, FFC has all the info for tracking your club’s winter transfer activity.
By
Luke Randall
Feb 1, 2024
Speaking to the press last month, Postecoglou indirectly urged Lilywhites chairman Daniel Levy and co to make a head start on their competition and strengthen key areas.
"The January window, like for every club, is an important one," said Postecoglou on the January window (via football.london).
"My view on the January one is that if you can get your business done early in the window it certainly is more helpful because you leave it until the end of January and sometimes what you train to gain you've missed that opportunity by waiting a whole month."
The addition of Dragusin in particular is welcome news for Tottenham, as it greatly shores up their options in central defence after Postecoglou was left starved of depth for months.
Spurs also put pen to paper on a six-month loan deal for RB Leipzig forward Timo Werner, who comes in to provide attacking versatility and more potency in the final third.
Sky Germany journalist Florian Plettenberg broke news that Spurs were quickly after Werner, and the deal was concluded in swift fashion. An announcement was made days later, so these next few weeks could be interesting as the club have been surprisingly fast compared to recent transfer windows.
Frendrup has "big potential" to follow Dragusin to Spurs
Now, attention turns to a possible new midfielder, as widespread reports suggest Tottenham are pressing to sign a new number eight after sealing Dragusin.
According to GiveMeSport and journalist Dean Jones this week, it is believed Spurs could look to sign another Genoa player in Morten Frendrup.
Postecoglou's side are apparently keen on signing Frendrup, and Jones claims he has "big potential to follow Dragusin" to north London.
We will have to wait and see how this pans out, but the midfielder would be very affordable for Levy. Tutto Juve recently claimed Genoa value Frendrup at around £9 million, and that's a bargain considering his performances this season.
He currently boasts the most assists for his side with four in Serie A this season, playing more league minutes than any other player in Genoa's squad as a star mainstay (WhoScored).
Premier League Top Creators
Club
Nationality
Assists
Mohamed Salah
Liverpool
Egypt
8
Ollie Watkins
Aston Villa
England
8
Pedro Neto
Wolves
Portugal
7
Kieran Trippier
Newcastle
England
7
Julian Alvarez
Manchester City
Argentina
6
Anthony Elanga
Nott'm Forest
Sweden
6
Phil Foden
Manchester City
England
6
Pascal Gross
Brighton
Germany
6
Darwin Nunez
Liverpool
Uruguay
6
Pedro Porro
Tottenham
Spain
6
Football Talent Scout Jacek Kulig has also labelled Frendrup a "superb talent".
The BCB says it will take advice from various authorities, including SLC, before taking a decision on whether to go ahead with the tour
Mohammad Isam07-May-2019
IDI/Getty Images
The Bangladesh Cricket Board is monitoring the security situation in Sri Lanka, where the national side is scheduled to tour after the World Cup. According to Nizamuddin Chowdhury, the BCB’s chief executive, the board will take advice from various authorities, including Sri Lanka Cricket, before taking a decision.The tour is of three ODIs, likely to be held on July 25, 27 and 29, after the dates were brought forward from December, which is when the BCB plans to conduct the Bangladesh Premier League. However, following last month’s serial blasts in the island nation, which left over 300 people dead and many more injured, touring teams have been wary. A Pakistan Under-19 tour of the country was “indefinitely postponed”, and the BCB is being cautious.”We are concerned about the scenario,” Chowdhury said. “We will take advice from our foreign ministry and the Bangladesh High Commission in Sri Lanka. We are also likely to hold talks with the SLC during the Asian Cricket Council meeting later this month.”In March, Bangladesh’s tour of New Zealand was called off immediately after a terrorist attack on two Christchurch mosques. Most members of the touring party were nearly caught in the crosshairs after they arrived at the Al Noor Mosque, the site of one of the attacks, just minutes after the shooter had left the scene.Since the New Zealand incident, the BCB’s security team has been monitoring the security situation in whichever country representative teams are travelling, with BCB president Nazmul Hassan saying that the security team will properly vet every Bangladesh tour to try and avoid a repeat of the Christchurch situation.
Lionesses forward Alessia Russo and USWNT defender Emily Fox are among those in Arsenal's squad for their controversial post-season Australia trip.
Article continues below
Article continues below
Article continues below
Arsenal announce squad for controversial trip
Russo & Fox among senior internationals
Face long journeys back to play for countries
WHAT HAPPENED?
The Gunners will make the long journey Down Under this week for a match with an A-League Women's All-Stars team, which will take place in Melbourne on May 24. It is an occasion which will certainly capitalise on the popularity of the team in Australia, especially as there are three Matildas in the Arsenal squad, but it has not gone down well with others amid the scheduling chaos that is troubling women's football.
Advertisement
Getty
THE BIGGER PICTURE
Russo and Fox are among seven senior internationals likely to be involved in matches with their countries just a week later, on May 31 or June 1, thus needing to make long journeys back from Australia quite soon after the friendly in Australia to fulfil international duties. Katie McCabe, Victoria Pelova, Kathrine Kuhl, Frida Maanum and Cloe Lacasse are the others who look set to be in that situation.
WHAT WIEGMAN SAID
Arsenal's decision to play this game has frustrated some then, including England head coach Sarina Wiegman who admitted in March that she was "surprised" by the news.
"I think for all the players with the already complicated calendar, it's not good for them to go to the other side of the world, very short term, not having the time to adapt and play a game and come back and go for us in two games against France, home and away," she said. "But I would say that's not only for the English players, that's for every European player that goes into the qualifiers. That's the thing that will be hard for them to take and to perform at the highest level."
ENJOYED THIS STORY?
Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting
DID YOU KNOW?
The England duo of Leah Williamson and Beth Mead, No.1 goalkeeper Manuela Zinsberger and Sweden striker Stina Blackstenius are among those not to be selected for the squad. Defender Lotte Wubben-Moy is sidelined due to an injury that has ruled her out of the Lionesses' double-header against France.
As such, the rest of the Arsenal squad is made up of young prospects and players who no longer play at international level, such as former Scotland star Kim Little and France goalkeeper Sarah Bouhaddi, who will temporarily rejoin the Gunners for this trip despite seeing her short-term deal end earlier in the season.
O 2021 do Santa Cruz começou feliz. No estádio do Arruda, o Tricolor não deu bobeira diante do Vitória e venceu por 2 a 0. Os gols saíram através de Pipico e Léo Gaúcho.
Calendário
O Santinha volta a campo pelo estadual no ia 7 de março, quando encara o Central, fora de casa. O Vitória mede com o Vera Cruz, na Arena Pernambuco.
Primeiro tempo
A etapa inicial foi equilibrada. Mesmo fora de casa, o Vitória se lançou ao ataque e deu trabalho para o goleiro do Santa. Quando o confronto estava amarrado, Pipico recebeu cruzamento na medida e não desperdiçou, 1 a 0.
Santa Cruz superior
Nos 45 minutos finais, o Santa não deu bobeira, impôs o seu ritmo e começou a abusar das chances perdidas. De tanto insistir, Léo Gaúcho aproveitou o passe de Chiquinho e deu números finais ao duelo.
RelacionadasFutebol LatinoCarrasco do Timão, Guaraní massacra e encaminha vaga na LibertadoresFutebol Latino24/02/2021Fora de CampoCorpo de José Becker, pai de Alisson e Muriel, é encontrado sem vida após mergulho em barragemFora de Campo24/02/2021SantosBahia x Santos: Prováveis escalações, desfalques, onde assistirSantos24/02/2021
Aston Villa have had a better season than many could have possibly expected and are sitting merely three points off the top of the Premier League heading into the new year.
However, while head coach Unai Emery will be delighted with his players' performances this season, the Spanish coach may still feel as though one or two areas could be strengthened in January, with the window set to open in just a few days.
Aston Villa could sign "explosive" £20m gem who is better than Diaby
This £20m gem could be the perfect player to make up for Emery’s Diaby mistake.
ByAdam Scully Dec 28, 2023
One player in particular could be Emery's saving grace this winter and would improve Villa's backline immensely, although the signing will certainly come at a price.
Aston Villa transfer news – Nahuel Molina
As per reports in Spain back in October, Aston Villa had emerged as the front-runners to sign Atletico Madrid fullback Nahuel Molina in January. Furthermore, transfer expert Fabrizio Romano recently revealed in November that the 25-year-old was set to sign a new contract with Los Colchoneros, although this has yet to be made official by either party.
The Argentine defender moved to the Spanish capital from Serie A club Udinese at the beginning of the 2022/23 campaign for a reported £17.3m fee. Since then, Molina has helped guide Atletico to a third-place finish last season and even picked himself up a World Cup winner's medal midway through the term with Argentina in Qatar.
Molina was Argentina's first-choice right-back in the Middle East last winter and scored a goal in the quarter-finals as the South American side eventually beat the Netherlands on penalties en route to glory. Journalist Josh Bunting described the Atletico defender as "beautiful to watch" during the tournament.
As a result of his superb performances over the past twelve to eighteen months, Molina's market value has soared to £70m, according to the CIES Football Observatory.
Nahuel Molina's stats this season
One area of Aston Villa's team that Emery has tried to mask the deficiencies of over the past few months is at right-back. The manager predominantly deploys Matty Cash on the right side of the back four during games against weaker opposition. However, when tasked with facing stronger opponents, such as Manchester United, Cash drops to the bench.
Matty Cash.
Emery prefers having a more defensive player in that position against the top teams, hence why Ezri Konsa has been asked to fill in as a right-back multiple times this season already, including during Villa's Boxing Day defeat to Manchester United. Up against Marcus Rashford on his return to the starting lineup, Konsa did quite well, winning 11 of his 15 duels and 67% of his tackles while also making eight ball recoveries.
Then, in theory, Emery will use Cash against teams with less quality than Villa, such as Sheffield United. However, the Poland international has struggled in recent weeks to offer anything on the right flank. In the 1-1 draw to the Blades last week, Cash lost possession of the ball 25 times and was handed a 4/10 match rating by Birmingham World for his errant display.
This season, Molina has been much better offensively and defensively than Cash and looks to be a clear upgrade on the Aston Villa fullback, having outperformed his counterpart across a string of metrics.
Goals
0.13
0.11
Expected Goals
0.06
0.21
Assists
0.2
0.11
Expected Assists
0.12
0.11
Progressive Passes
4.05
4.21
Progressive Passes Received
6.99
5.06
Key Passes
0.92
0.79
Passes To Penalty Area
1.5
0.84
Take-Ons Success Rate %
42.9
28.1
Crosses
3.46
1.76
Ball Recoveries
5.82
4.89
Stats via FBref
Emery doesn't trust Cash to start in big games so signing a new right-back could be of paramount importance for Villa in January. While Molina will be expensive, he'll certainly be worth the money.
Peter Handscomb was immediately in the runs in the BBL while Sandeep Lamichhane produced another fine display to help set up the Melbourne Stars’ first victory
The Report by Andrew McGlashan27-Dec-2018Different format, different conditions, different bowlers, but Peter Handscomb produced a thrilling response to his Test omission as he hammered a 22-ball half-century to power Melbourne Stars to their opening victory of the 2018 Big Bash campaign.The Stars were chasing a modest 131 and Handscomb’s innings made it a long way short of competitive as he tore into pace and spin alike on an SCG surface where all other batsmen had found timing the ball hard work.Sydney Sixers limped to 9 for 130 against a Stars attack well suited to the conditions. The spinners, led by the ebullient Sandeep Lamichhane, took 4 for 62 from 11 overs between them and the slower-ball variations of Jackson Coleman and Dwayne Bravo, who both struck with their first deliveries, bagged five wickets.The result lifted the Stars off the bottom of the embryonic table and left the Sixers with two defeats following their opening-match victory against the Scorchers which had raised expectations.Peter Handscomb struck a rapid half-century•Getty Images
Sixers’ top-order worriesIt has not been a great start to the BBL for the Sixers’ top four, among whom Joe Denly, Jack Edwards and Moises Henriques are yet to reach 30 runs for the tournament in three innings. They got away with it against the Scorchers when a stand of 124 between Daniel Hughes and Jordan Silk provided a match-winning total. But, against Sydney Thunder, they slid to 6 for 56 which couldn’t be saved, despite the efforts of Tom Curran, and this time they were 6 for 70 before the last four wickets forged 60.That was largely due to Silk’s 41 off 37 balls. There was not much more he could do than try to see out the innings and he managed just two boundaries – one of them off the final ball – but he is the Sixers’ highest scorer so far. There could well be a case for moving him up the order.Another star turnLamichhane has made a terrific start to the campaign and now sits jointly at the top of the early wicket-taking chart. He was fortunate to gain Curran’s wicket as replays showed the ball was comfortably missing leg when Curran tried the reverse sweep, but the first strike to remove Henriques was all his own skill. A perfectly-pitched googly spun past the inside edge and slammed into the front pad to continue Henriques lean start to the competition.With each success – and plenty of moments in between – came a huge smile from Lamichhane. He is having the time of his life. As was the case in Canberra in the Stars’ opening match, there was a group of Nepal fans cheering on every move of his at the SCG. They even brought large cutouts of their hero. When Lamichhane went back to the boundary, he saw these giant versions of himself, gave another huge smile and an appreciative clap to the fans.Sandeep Lamichhane leaps into the arms of Glenn Maxwell•Getty Images
Handy night for HandscombHandscomb was quickly released from Australia’s Test squad after his Boxing Day omission so he could play the BBL. A very sensible decision for all concerned. And he did not waste time making an impact for his T20 team. His evening started well with a superb piece of glovework to stump Edwards. Beaten by Adam Zampa’s second-ball leg-break, Edwards lifted his foot out of the crease and Handscomb timed his move perfectly to break the stumps before the toe was grounded.Then, with the bat, it all looked somewhat different to his Test struggles. He was making a far more positive forward movement into the ball, albeit against a very different attack than the one he faced in Adelaide or Perth. Still, it was a show of mental strength that he could move on from the recent disappointments and come out swinging – maybe it was even cathartic.Handscomb’s off-the-mark shot was a pull for six and he used swift footwork against the spinners. He plundered 14 off Curran’s first over, also tore into Greg West and was largely responsible for overs six, seven and nine going for a combined 52 runs. None of it meant the Australia selectors had made a mistake (although those who booed Mitchell Marsh may disagree), but it was a reminder of the side of Handscomb’s game that gets so many people excited.
A second-place finish last season was the closest Arsenal had come to achieving Premier League glory in almost two decades, having been top of the division for 248 days before losing the lead to treble-winners Manchester City.
A back injury to star defender William Saliba in February was arguably the primary catalyst behind the Gunners' demise – as hinted at by teammate, Gabriel Jesus – but head coach Mikel Arteta is keen to add depth to his defensive department to ensure the same doesn't happen this time around.
The Spaniard has identified one player in particular who could have a massive impact at the Emirates Stadium for years to come.
Arsenal transfer targets – Yarek Gasiorowski
According to Spanish outlet Diario AS, the north London club are keen to secure the services of Valencia defender Yarek Gasiorowski and have been keeping tabs on his progress for a number of years with Los Ches. The report also states that Arsenal couldn't make a move for the youngster until his 18th birthday due to Brexit regulations, prohibiting English clubs from signing foreign players aged 17 and under.
Gasiorowski, who is eligible to play for both the Spain and Poland national teams, made his debut for Valencia this season in a 1-1 draw with Mallorca back in October and has gone on to feature three times in La Liga, including a 35-minute cameo against European giants Real Madrid.
The player was pursued by Austrian champions RB Salzburg during the summer, with Valencia even turning down a £4.3m offer for the player who was described as a "rare" talent by journalist Antonio Mango, after scoring a hattrick as a central defender on Wednesday for Spain's U19s in a 5-0 win over Moldova.
Yarek Gasiorowski's stats this season
Gasiorowski is a versatile youngster, having played as a left centre-back, a left-back and a right centre-back this season for Valencia in all competitions. Despite being left-footed, the 18-year-old has also featured twice at right-back since the beginning of the 2022/23 season and possesses a wonderful passing range, capable of breaking lines of opposition pressing with ease.
Arsenal defender Gabriel Magalhaes is a lot less versatile than this, having played solely in the heart of defence under Arteta this term. The Brazilian has had experience at left-back and even in midfield as a single-pivot but has been utilised in these positions just once throughout his entire playing career, according to Transfermarkt.
Gabriel is a solid defender but has certain defensive weaknesses which could force Arteta to look for a stronger candidate to partner with Saliba at the back in the near future. The Brazilian is in the top 4% for challenges lost per 90 this season compared to all centre-backs in Europe's top-five leagues. Furthermore, the former Lille man is in the top 19% for errors per 90 and has won merely 58.4% of his aerial duels per 90, according to FBref. Gasiorowski, on the other hand, has yet to lose a single header since being called up to the first team.
Arteta notoriously enjoys players who are versatile. Thomas Partey has played as both a defensive midfielder and at right-back, Oleksandr Zinchenko can play at left-back and in the middle of the park, while Ben White and Takehiro Tomiyasu can feature all across the backline. Gasiorowksi is far more flexible with his positioning than Gabriel and could be the perfect player for the Spanish coach's fluid style.
As such, the young left-footer could usurp the Gunners man in the years to come to form a long-term partnership with Saliba in the heart of the backline, with that potentially set to be a truly mouthwatering duo, indeed.
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsIf there was any doubt how much assistance the surface in Pallekele would provide for spinners in this match – and there really wasn’t very much – it was banished within a few minutes of the start of the second Test.The first and final balls of the second over of the innings, bowled by offspinner Dilruwan Perera, fizzed past the outside edge of Rory Burns’ bat. By the close, 10 of the 11 wickets to fall had been taken by spinners with few more dramatic than the last – Kaushal Silva being bowled by a beauty from Jack Leach that drew him forward, gripped and turned past the outside edge to clip the top of off stump. Not many are expecting to be here on Sunday.Certainly Joe Root would have been delighted to win his seventh toss in succession in Test cricket. England’s theory – and they are probably right – is that batting (or at least run-scoring) on this unusually dry surface will become more difficult throughout the game. While it is possible that the pitch will, instead of the pitch crumbling – there is little if any precedent for that here – simply lose pace, scoring runs is unlikely to become any easier.That England were able to set something around a competitive total in such circumstances was largely due to half-centuries from Jos Buttler and Sam Curran. Both men owed their success to the use of calculated aggression, confidence in their own ability and abundant natural talent.There was a time when batsmen would have reacted to the turning ball and pressure that Sri Lanka built with careful defence and hours of concentration. Not any more. Buttler’s first response was to attempt to sweep (either reverse, conventional or lap) almost every delivery he received – at one stage he swept five balls in an over and 51 of his 63 runs came from different variations of the stroke – while Curran thumped six sixes, all of them before he had hit a four, in a remarkable late-innings blitz. The modern game has lost some qualities it used to have – some rigour, some grit, some attrition – but it might never have offered more entertainment.Both Buttler and Curran started their innings in fairly conventional fashion. But Buttler soon abandoned that after just recovering his ground to avoid being stumped before he had scored and instead reasoned that his best method of combating the turn was to sweep. Sometimes he swept through extra-over, sometimes he swept just past the keeper’s left hand and, at one stage, Akila Dananjaya was swept for three fours in succession.While the shot eventually brought his downfall – he top-edged a reverse to backward point – his innings had helped revive England just as they appeared to be falling away. Burns, who batted nicely in making 43, was the only other man in the top seven to reach 20.Curran’s contribution was every bit as impressive. England were 225 for 9 when James Anderson joined Curran but, so well did he strike the ball and farm the strike that the final pair added 60 in 11 overs in a stand – the highest of the innings – that seemed to dishearten an increasingly ramshackle Sri Lanka.Curran thrashed six sixes – he has now brought up all three of his Test fifties with a six, and has hit more sixes than anyone else in Test cricket this year – while Anderson contributed just seven runs in the partnership. Five of those sixes were off the unfortunate Dananjaya- twice he was driven over long-off, once over long-on, once he was pulled and once, impossibly, he was swatted over extra cover when the bowler delivered a wide one in an attempt to thwart him – while Perera was also lofted over mid-off to help England progress from an adequate total to, perhaps, a dangerous one. Anderson was also reprieved on review after he had been given out lbw first ball.Sri Lanka will rue a couple of missed opportunities, though. Curran was reprieved on both 1 – when Niroshan Dickwella whipped off the bails just before Curran overbalanced and fell out of his ground – and again on 7 when he edged the deserving Dananjaya through the left hand of a diving slip fielder.He was dropped on 53, too. On that occasion Malinda Pushpakumara, who came into the side in place of the retiring Rangana Herath, was back on his heels on the long-on fence and subsequently put down a relatively straightforward chance driven straight into his midriff. It summed up the latter stages of an increasingly untidy performance in the field by a somewhat demoralised Sri Lanka side.For all the talk of spin, it remains seam – or at least pace – that appears Keaton Jennings’ weakness. Here he fell jabbing at one he could have left from Suranga Lakmal; the only man to fall to seam bowling all day.Burns was the most comfortable of England’s batsmen. Three times he swept Dilruwan to the boundary; on another occasion he cut him there. He also picked up an early boundary off his legs from the seam of Lakmal. It was some surprise when he was drawn forward and edged to slip by a fine delivery in Dananjaya’s first over.While Burns might be forgiven for wondering how he could play such a delivery, Root might be forgiving for wondering how he missed the one that bowled him. Lunging forward to the left-arm spin of Pushpakumara, Root left a gate so large you could reverse park a caravan in it and simply missed a straight one. It was the third time in the series he has been dismissed by left-arm spinners. Shades of Kevin Pietersen, perhaps?Ben Stokes started his first innings at No. 3 in typically positive style. He was down the pitch to his first delivery, bowled by Lakmal, and flicked his third through square leg for four. But while there was another flowing drive to the boundary off the seamer, life against spin proved harder. He survived a reviewed appeal for lbw on 10, on the basis of umpire’s call, but fell in almost identical fashion shortly afterwards, back when he should have been forward and struck on the back pad by one that turned and beat his outside edge.For the second match in succession, Adil Rashid contributed valuable runs, too. England were 171-7 when he came to the crease but, so well did he strike the ball that England added 45 – the second-highest partnership of the innings – for the eighth-wicket.England may yet regret a couple of somewhat soft dismissals, though. Moeen Ali simply missed a short ball he had tried to turn into the leg side, while had Ben Foakes called for a review, he would surely have won a reprieve after being adjudged to have edged to slip. Replays suggested the ball brushed both his front and back leg but at no stage touched his bat. In a low-scoring game, such moments could yet prove crucial.
Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag could have a chance to offload one of their players in January after a surprise contender emerged for his signature, according to reports.
Jadon Sancho Man United's future
Jadon Sancho has been a major talking point at Old Trafford this term following his controversial public spat with Ten Hag after the Dutchman criticised his performance levels in training, culminating in the England international being left out of the Red Devils' in their 3-1 defeat to Arsenal earlier in the season.
Replying to Ten Hag's criticism, Sancho took to social media platform X, stating: "Please don't believe everything you read! I will not allow people saying things that is completely untrue. I have conducted myself in training very well this week. I believe there are other reasons for this matter that I won't get into, I've been a scapegoat for a long time which isn't fair! All I want to do is to play football with a smile on my face and contribute to my team."
In turn, a frenzy has followed from the media and other internet platforms as speculation continues to intensify over the former Borussia Dortmund winger's long-term future at Old Trafford, which has still not been resolved after Sancho refused to apologise to Ten Hag for his role in developments.
Sancho is also said to be angry at Brazilian winger Antony's continual involvement at first-team level despite his inconsistent performances for the Red Devils. Nevertheless, there could now be a way out for Sancho at Manchester United, with a surprise contender now emerging to potentially lay claim to his services, according to latest developments.
Jadon Sancho's time at Man Utd (Transfermarkt)
Appearances
82
Goals
12
Assists
6
Jadon Sancho wanted by Tottenham
According to a report from Spain, Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou is keen on Sancho and Spurs are believed to be seriously contemplating a swoop for the England international for a fee in the region of €35 million (£30 million).
In a move that would enable Sancho to stay in the Premier League, Lilywhites boss Postecoglou is believed to see his potential arrival as an important quest, with injuries to the likes of Manor Solomon and Ivan Perisic limiting his pool of available players on the left-hand side of his attack.
Jadon Sancho
Controversy off the field surrounding Sancho has detracted from the fact that the 23-year-old possesses game-changing ability when on his best form, which is reflected by the fact that he fares well in regard to his positional peers across Europe's top five leagues in the art of shot-creating actions, having carried out around 5.23 per 90 minutes in the last 365 days, putting him in the 93rd percentile for this metric. (Sancho stats – FBRef)
Labelled "brilliant" by Manchester United boss Ten Hag earlier in 2023, the London-born man clearly has something to offer at the elite level and a move away from the pressure associated with his time at Old Trafford could do him the world of good, making this one to watch.