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Manchester United will be hoping to pick up where they left off before the international break when Newcastle visit Old Trafford this afternoon.

The Red Devils picked up a healthy seven points from a possible nine in the opening weeks of the new Premier League campaign, and the addition of five-time Ballon d’Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo will provide a significant boost to their ambitions this season.

However, manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will have a difficult decision to make regarding who starts in midfield, with Scott McTominay unavailable for the 20-time English champions today due to injury.

There was also a doubt over Fred due to a dispute involving the Brazilian FA and coronavirus restrictions, but he has now been cleared to play.

The duo normally form either a double pivot alongside each other in United’s engine room, or if Solskjaer is feeling more adventurous, he drops one for a more attacking option.

On this occasion, the Norwegian will be forced to field a different setup in the centre of the park, handing an opportunity to one of the club’s fringe plays.

Against Southampton, 33-year-old Nemanja Matic got the nod to play alongside Fred, but his underwhelming display saw him return to the bench last time out.

The experienced campaigner would perhaps be the safe option for Solskjaer, yet a fixture at Old Trafford against a struggling Newcastle side on Ronaldo’s homecoming is no time to play things safe.

Therefore, he must bring Donny van de Beek into the starting lineup, giving the Netherlands international a perfect opportunity to showcase his true potential and stake a claim for a regular spot in the first XI.

Van de Beek arrived on English shores with a sizeable reputation after scoring 41 goals and providing 34 assists in 175 games for Ajax, as well as winning a domestic double in 2018/19 as they reached the Champions League semi-finals.

Nevertheless, the 24-year-old struggled in his maiden Premier League campaign, making just four top-flight starts last term as he attempted to get to grips with his new surroundings.

He did catch the eye from time to time, though. One such occasion was against Istanbul Basaksehir while on European duty, and his impressive showing drew praise from former United midfielder Owen Hargreaves.

“I thought Van de Beek was close to perfect. He is so unselfish, he can just fit in and play the right balls everywhere,” said the BT Sport pundit.

Van de Beek’s previous exploits for Ajax illustrate that he can be a real game-changer when on top form, and today’s fixture could be the ideal opportunity for him to show that in a United shirt, so Solskjaer must give the 24-year-old the opportunity to rediscover his golden touch.

In other news… Report reveals MUFC make “excellent” £63m-rated gem top priority, Ole will be elated 

Sheffield United failed in their bid to bring Alex Collado to Bramall Lane due to the winger’s representative’s unrealistic financial demands.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a claim made by Andy Giddings, with the BBC journalist revealing in a post on Twitter that, despite both Barcelona and Sheffield United being happy for the deal to go ahead, the 22-year-old’s move to the Championship side broke down due to the financial demands of the player’s representatives.

In his tweet, Giddings said: “Understand SUFC pursuit of Barca midfielder Alex Collado broke down at the 11th hour due to ‘unrealistic financial demands’ from the player’s representatives. Told both clubs are happy for the deal to be concluded.”

Jokanovic will be fuming

Considering just how short Slavisa Jokanovic’s side is in the wide attacking areas of the pitch, in addition to the sheer amount of potential Collado appears to possess, the fact that the Blades’ move for the right-winger fell through at the 11th hour due to something as trivial as the demands of the player’s representatives is sure to have left the 53-year-old manager fuming.

Indeed, following the closure of the summer transfer window on Tuesday evening, Jokanovic has been left with no players who are natural options on either the left or right-wing in his first-team squad, meaning that, until January, the Serbian will have to make do with fielding one of his centre-forwards out of position on the flanks.

Furthermore, while Collado has struggled to break into the Barcelona first team, making just two appearances for the LaLiga side, the £4.5m-rated man’s form for Barcelona B clearly illustrates exactly why Jokanovic wanted to secure his signing.

Indeed, over the 22-year-old’s 83 appearances for the reserve side, who play their football in the third tier of Spanish football, the winger has scored 18 goals and registered 11 assists, while also bagging four goals and one assist over his 20 fixtures for Barcelona’s U19 team.

As such, it would certainly have appeared as if the youngster would have made a very useful addition to the Sheffield United side prior to Tuesday’s transfer deadline, however, after missing out on his signing, Jokanovic will now have to make do with the options he has been left with in his squad – something that would not appear to bode overly well for the club’s Championship campaign, considering how poorly it has started.

In other news: “Deal agreed”: Journalist reveals SUFC transfer development that’ll have fans buzzing

Now in his third season in charge of Queens Park Rangers, Mark Warburton has seen his Rs side get off to a rather remarkable start to their 2021/22 Championship campaign, winning three and drawing two of their opening five fixtures of the season.

These results have left QPR sitting in an impressive third place in the second-tier standings, just two points behind the recently relegated duo of Fulham and West Bromwich Albion, who occupy first and second in the league respectively.

As such, it will perhaps come as no surprise that a number of Warburton’s players have highly impressed for the west London side so far this season, with Christopher Willock, Yoann Barbet and Jordy de Wijs all averaging a SofaScore match rating of 7.30 or above.

However, there is one player who has been the standout star of QPR’s Championship campaign thus far – Rob Dickie.

Forget Willock

While, as mentioned above, the headline-grabbing Christopher Willock has undoubtedly been in fantastic form for QPR this season, it is the industrious centre-half who has stolen the show for the club in 2021/22 so far.

Indeed, over his five Championship appearances for Warburton’s side, the £2.25m-rated Dickie has helped his side keep two clean sheets, as well as making an average of 1.4 interceptions, one tackle, 2.8 clearances and winning a remarkable 10 duels per game.

The man Ryan Dilks dubbed an “unbelievable” player has also impressed in an attacking capacity, scoring two goals, as well as taking an average of 1.4 shots and making 0.2 key passes per league fixture.

These returns have seen the £8k-per-week centre-back average an astonishing SofaScore match rating of 7.50, not only ranking the defender as QPR’s best performer in the league, but also as the joint sixth-best player in the entirety of the division.

As such, should Dickie be able to maintain this level of form over the course of the season, the 25-year-old could well go on to play a starring role in what very much appears to be a campaign in which the Rs could well mount a push for promotion out of the league.

In other news: Alan Nixon drops QPR claim on “outstanding” £4k-p/w beast which will have fans buzzing

Derby County are believed to be interested in signing Brighton goalkeeper Christian Walton this summer, as Wayne Rooney eyes up  some late additions.

The Lowdown: Key week at Pride Park

It has been an up-and-down start to the season for the Rams, with Rooney’s side picking up five points from their opening four Championship matches.

Derby have a week left to sign players, with next Tuesday’s deadline day edging closer all the time and the squad still desperately short of any real semblance of depth.

The Latest: Derby keen on Walton signing

According to Football Insider sources, the Rams are in the race to sign Walton in the coming days, seeing him as someone who could provide more quality competition within the squad.

The 25-year-old’s current deal runs out at the end of this season, meaning Brighton may be willing to let him leave this summer.

Derby are one of a number of clubs keen on acquiring Walton’s signature, with the likes of Norwich City and Nottingham Forest also in the mix.

The Verdict: Solid addition for Rams?

Walton may not necessarily be a big-name signing, but he could be someone who gives Rooney a strong extra option between the sticks.

He has made 156 appearances in the Football League, including 83 games in the Championship, proving his experience and suggesting that he would be a safe pair of hands.

Given Walton’s contract situation, Derby could also get a good deal for him, acting as a further positive if they wish to sell him on for profit in the future.

In other news, one pundit has aimed a dig at Wayne Rooney – find out who it is here.

Noel Whelan has offered his thoughts on Everton’s attempts to land Aston Villa beast Marvelous Nakamba.

What’s the talk?

Former Premier League forward Noel Whelan has suggested that Aston Villa midfielder Marvelous Nakamba could add some “energy and life” to Everton’s squad this summer. He told Football Insider:

“Everton bought a couple of midfield players last season, very good ones at that, who bring energy.

“Maybe Rafa Benitez has seen something in the side that he feels they need to be successful and progress. Look, you can never have enough energy in midfield. That’s the place on the field that you want to control and dominate.

“To have somebody with a bit more energy and tenacity about him… You’ve got Allan that they brought in last year in that defensive role.

“We know every time a new manager comes in he always wants to bring in his own players. That’s his stamp on the team. This could be one player he’s looked at before and feels could bring some energy and life to that midfield.”

This comes after it was revealed by The Telegraph earlier this month that Everton and Watford are both interested in signing the enforcer from Villa before the end of the transfer window.

Re-energise

Marcel Brands could re-energise Everton’s midfield options with a deal for Nakamba in the closing weeks of the window. The Toffees chief must work hard to ensure that he can land the powerhouse ahead of Watford to bolster Rafa Benitez’s squad and bring in extra depth and energy the Spaniard’s arsenal of workmen in the middle of the park.

Nakamba struggled for game time in the 2020/21 campaign, but comparing his form in 2019/20 to that of Tom Davies and Andre Gomes last season makes him appear to be a shrewd signing on paper. Per 90 in the Premier League, the Villa man made more ball recoveries, tackles and interceptions than the Toffees duo. He also made more clearances and blocks combined and won more duels than Davies and was level with Gomes on that front.

This suggests that he is able to get around the pitch more than the pair at Premier League level. He has proven that he can win the ball back with a higher degree of efficiency, backing up Whelan’s comments about him bringing more life and energy to the team.

Benitez could love having another busy body in the midfield to rat about and recover possession as it not only helps the defence but also gives Everton more chances to hit teams on the counter. Nakamba could make a crucial tackle and then set, for example, Andros Townsend away on the wing for him to then cross it into the box for Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Richarlison to score.

As Whelan says, with Allan already on the team, Benitez could build a dynamic midfield partnership with the £30k-a-week earning Nakamba alongside him.

AND in other news, Fabrizio Romano delivers exciting Everton transfer update, fans must be buzzing…

Australia’s contracted players are not guaranteed of significant pay rises despite Cricket Australia’s expectation it will have a turnover of more than $1 billion in the next four years

Cricinfo staff14-Dec-2008
Australia’s players are required to put in up to 22 public and sponsor appearances per year © Getty Images
Australia’s contracted players are not guaranteed of significant pay rises despite Cricket Australia’s expectation it will have a turnover of more than $1 billion in the next four years. The players begin pay negotiations with Cricket Australia next week but the new chairman, Jack Clarke, said it was vital money was distributed with the future in mind.”We have 568,000 players in Australia, and we plan to boost that to 750,000 by 2013,” Clarke told the . “CA is responsible for paying the elite, but equally it has so many other areas to consider when slicing the pie.”People always think they are worth more than they are getting. And they are entitled to seek what they are now asking. But you can only pay players what you can afford. It is not just about them.”We have a secondary competition, the Sheffield Shield, that incurs massive losses, but that is vital to the structure of our national game. Then there is maintenance and ground rental, local cricket competitions that survive mainly because of volunteers. If everyone put out their hands, there would be nothing left.”The Australian Cricketers’ Association is likely to push for a greater slice of the overall revenue than their current 25% share when the pay negotiations begin. The players have also raised concerns over their heavy schedule of public and sponsor appearances – they are required to do up to 22 a year – alongside the increasingly hectic international cricket calendar.

West Ham United return to Premier League action this afternoon and they’ll be looking to keep up their 100% record with a win over Crystal Palace at the London Stadium.

David Moyes’ side currently sit top of the standings after the opening two matches, having defeated Newcastle United and Leicester City by scoring four goals apiece in both games.

They now face a team that is winless under new manager Patrick Vieira, so it will be interesting to see if the 58-year-old Scot sticks with his starting XI for a third successive time.

The Irons know they have a Europa League campaign on the horizon, so rotation could be crucial in the coming weeks. There’s also the small matter of the transfer window still going on, with deadline day fast approaching on Tuesday night.

It’s thought that the east Londoners are on the verge of signing Kurt Zouma from Chelsea, whilst according to ExWHUemployee, the club have fielded offers for fellow centre-back Issa Diop.

The £18m-rated colossus is yet to feature this season but it could be beneficial to start him against the Eagles today.

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Craig Dawson’s presence in the backline has come under some scrutiny as both of the Hammers’ wins have come at the expense of three goals conceded – he was particularly poor against the Magpies, where fans lambasted him on Twitter after the game. One supporter dubbed him an “absolute donkey,” for example.

Last season, the 24-year-old was better on the ball (82.2%) than the English veteran (79.7%) and put in more tackles (1.1) per game, too (0.5), as per WhoScored.

Diop, who was once described as a “monster” by Jose Mourinho, is in desperate need of game time and there’s a good chance he will be required to play – even with the addition of Zouma – as the season rumbles on. West Ham could be faced with a 50-plus game campaign and he’s the youngest senior centre-back in Moyes’ ranks right now.

There may even be a benefit to putting him in the shop window right before deadline day. If they do want to move him on, then a good performance this weekend could put a few of those unnamed interested teams on alert.

It could be a game-changing call from Moyes to unleash the Frenchman today – it’s surely a win-win, whatever the Irons’ stance is.

AND in other news, Moyes could find West Ham’s new Payet in swoop for “creative” £22.5m-rated speed demon…

The BCB President said that after Pakistan turned down the tour of Bangladesh in July 2017, Bangladesh’s High Performance and U-19 teams will not be touring Pakistan later this year

Mohammad Isam27-May-2017Bangladesh will not consider or discuss tours to Pakistan, as relations between the two sides continue to remain cold.There had been talks – in April – of sending Bangladesh’s the High Performance or Under-19 team to Pakistan but those plans have been put to bed with the BCB making arrangements for them to play teams from New Zealand and England.”We haven’t spoken about going to Pakistan since we heard their decision from the media,” BCB president Nazmul Hassan said. “The national team [touring Pakistan] is out of the question. Our HP or U-19 [teams] might have gone there but when they made this announcement [of postponing the Bangladesh tour] we are no longer in talks. After this, there is no question of talking about the HP tour.”They will go elsewhere. We have confirmed programmes with New Zealand and England. We are in talks with two more countries. Within a couple of months, we will be releasing the specific schedules. Many of these series will be held at home.”Rather than forcing the Pakistan tour in July this year, the BCB want the Bangladesh players rest so they can be ready for the home Tests against Australia in August-September, the tour of South Africa in September-October and the Bangladesh Premier League T20 tournament in November-December.”I think we can rest our players during that time,” Hassan said. “Our boys are playing a lot these days. From Champions Trophy they’ll come home, play against Australia and then head off to South Africa. From there, they will come home and start with the BPL, and then they have more cricket.”I am not too keen about the Pakistan tour. But if we need to play [in that time], we have four or five countries lined up to play against Bangladesh. It won’t be hard to arrange matches, but right now we are not really keen on filling that gap either.”However, the only caveat is the ICC deadline for automatic qualification for the 2019 World Cup, which is on September 30 this year. Hassan said on Saturday, as he did couple of times last year, that the BCB are in touch with the ICC to find out what they have to do to make the cut for the World Cup.

Dom Bess fifty could prove priceless as visitors dominate at the Ageas Bowl

ECB Reporters' Network31-Aug-2021Yorkshire 243 (Bess 54, Abbott 3-47, Wheal 3-47) and 34 for 1 (Kohler-Cadmore 16*, Hill 10*, Wheal 1-16) lead Hampshire 163 (Vince 49, Coad 3-29, Thompson 3-35) by 114 runsYorkshire’s bowlers put their side in full control of the LV = County Championship clash against Hampshire on a day of White Rose dominance at the Ageas Bowl.Victory for either team would greatly enhance a push to be in the title mix, but it was the visitors who seized the initiative as Hampshire were bowled out for 163 having earlier dismissed the visitors for 243 before lunch.Yorkshire closed the day on 34 for 1 in their second innings – an imposing-looking lead of 114 – despite losing Adam Lyth for seven before the close.The visitors added 46 to their overnight total of 197 for 6, missing out on a second batting point by just seven runs, as Mason Crane mopped up the tail.Dom Bess top scored with a potentially priceless 54 before playing on to Keith Barker after Jordan Thompson had departed to the second ball of the morning from Brad Wheal.Crane then trapped Matthew Fisher and Ben Coad lbw to wrap up the innings and leave Hampshire’s batsmen with a tricky 35 minutes to negotiate before lunch.It was a task they failed miserably as the fired-up Yorkshire bowlers ripped through the top order with Ian Holland falling for a first-ball duck to Coad before Joe Weatherley edged Fisher behind to leave Hampshire reeling at 1 for 2.Nick Gubbins looked in decent touch as he unfurled three boundaries only for Coad to find the edge of his bat and Harry Brook pouched the catch at slip as Hampshire limped to lunch on 29 for 3.When play restarted the murky skies that had enveloped the ground since day one lifted as sun briefly broke through the clouds to create the best batting conditions of the match.In an encounter where run-scoring has been at a premium, James Vince showed his class with two boundaries from the first two balls he faced to raise hopes of a Hampshire rebuild.Yorkshire were convinced they had their man on 35 when Vince was struck on the pad by opposite skipper Steve Patterson with a ball that looked destined for middle and off-stumps. But umpire Nigel Llong kept his finger down, much to the dismay of the fielders, who then saw the elegant right-hander crunch the ball to the boundary two deliveries later.Yorkshire finally got the vital breakthrough when Vince, who had played a relatively risk-free innings, changed tack when on 49 only for his attempt to lift a short ball from Fisher over the rope finding the hands of George Hill.Vince’s exit sparked a collapse of 6 for 37 as Tom Alsop, who soaked up 96 balls for 12 runs, saw his torturous vigil ended by a peach of a delivery from Bess that clipped his off-stump.The impressive Thompson picked up the wickets of Liam Dawson, Barker and Crane either side of tea with Bess grabbing his second victim when Lewis McManus was smartly caught off his boot by Harry Duke.Wheal and Kyle Abbott added some valuable runs in a last-wicket stand of 40 before Coad wrapped up the innings to finish with 3 for 29.

Sunderland got their early Championship season back on track with a hard-fought 1-0 win over Middlesbrough last time out after surprisingly coming unstuck against Plymouth Argyle the match before.

That now means Regis Le Bris’ Black Cats have picked up five league wins from a possible six, with a trip to face Tom Cleverley’s Watford up next for the Wearside outfit in the second tier.

The popular Frenchman now occupying the Stadium of Light dug-out will continue to keep picking Romaine Mundle and Eliezer Mayenda in the games to come, having managed to get a tune out of the raw attacking pair since his arrival to England, when other Black Cats bosses hadn’t.

Mundle & Mayenda's form this season

Both Mundle and Mayenda weren’t exactly first-team figures for Sunderland last season, with Mayenda failing to score a single goal across the full campaign as a reserve option up top, whilst Mundle only managed five league starts after joining in January from Standard Liege.

Now, however, they are both taking the Championship by storm, with a combined seven goals and assists managed between them, which included Mundle powering home a strike against Portsmouth last month after being played into space by his attacking teammate.

Both standout performers took a backseat last match against Michael Carrick’s Boro, however, as 17-year-old Chris Rigg basked in the limelight with a clever finish to win the even clash by a solitary goal.

But, it’s very unlikely that either will be dropped for the trip to Vicarage Road this coming weekend with the players in question yet to be absent from a league clash so far this campaign.

Whilst Le Bris will be delighted with the continued efforts of his exciting duo up top, Sunderland are currently being kept off the top spot in the division courtesy of a former youth product’s exploits for West Bromwich Albion.

Maja's form for West Brom

Josh Maja will be remembered fondly at the Stadium of Light as a promising youngster who showed off his ability to be an ice-cold finisher when chucked into the first team.

When Sunderland were swamped in League One, the former Black Cats man was a bright spark that managed to break through the doom and gloom.

He netted a stunning 15 goals from 24 third tier contests during the 2018/19 campaign, before a bumper £3.5m move to French side Bordeaux then materialised.

Games played

6

Goals scored

6

Assists

1

Shots per game

2.8

Scoring frequency

81 mins

Goal conversion %

35%

Big chances missed

4

Sunderland must rue losing the now 25-year-old during the infancy of his playing days even more when you take into account his blistering form for West Brom so far this campaign, with a ridiculous six strikes coming his way from as many games as Corberan’s main man up top.

The 5 foot 11 menace is outscoring both Mundle and Mayenda in the league as a result – who have amassed five league strikes between them – with the former Bordeaux man looking to be an absolute steal for the promotion-chasing Baggies now, who managed to get him in on a free transfer last year.

Of course, strikers are bound to experience a barren patch of form across a full league season, with Le Bris hopeful that Maja’s rich vein of form will dry up soon alongside West Brom then dropping off the top of the table.

At the moment, however, it looks as if everything Maja touches turns to gold, as Sunderland and West Brom continue to battle it out to be the early Championship top dogs.

Sunderland dud who left in 2022 outscored every player at the club in 23/24

This past Sunderland flop has been enjoying life away from the Stadium of Light.

ByKelan Sarson Sep 16, 2024