Sir Jim Ratcliffe has explained how many transfer windows it will take to rebuild Manchester United, with there no “€100m” player on their books.

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Little return seen on big investmentMore money will be spentDutch coach retained for nowGetty/GOALWHAT HAPPENED?

The Red Devils have continued to spend big in a bid to recapture former glories, with the unpopular Glazer family overseeing lavish recruitment drives. Little return has been seen on that investment since Sir Alex Ferguson headed into retirement on the back of the club’s last Premier League title triumph in 2013.

AdvertisementWHAT RATCLIFFE SAID

Ratcliffe – Britain’s richest man – has acquired a 25 per cent stake in United and intends to help turn the club around. He has, however, told of problems there and why no quick fix can be put in place: “There's room for improvement everywhere we look at Manchester United, and we will improve everything. We want to be where Real Madrid is today, but it'll take time. It will take two or three summer windows to get to a better place. Manchester United doesn't have any players that are valued at €100 million (£84m/$107m) or more. I’m not confident that we’ll solve all the problems in the first transfer window.”

GettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE

With issues to address on the pitch, United have also faced plenty of uncomfortable questions off it. Dutch coach Erik ten Hag appears to have survived those for now – having overseen an FA Cup triumph in 2023-24 – and Ratcliffe added when asked about the decision not to make another change in the dugout: “The coach isn't the central issue at Manchester United. It’s a sports club. It needs to be competitive, it needs a degree of intensity, but with a supportive side to it because you are dealing with players who are relatively young. It hasn’t had that type of environment historically.”

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WHAT NEXT?

United could only muster an eighth-place finish in the Premier League last season, but will be gracing the Europa League in 2024-25. It remains to be seen how many fresh faces will be welcomed through the doors before that campaign gets underway, while there could be plenty of departures – with the likes of Mason Greenwood, Jadon Sancho and Casemiro generating exit talk.

كشف ناصر ماهر لاعب الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي الزمالك، كواليس ما تم قبل انضمامه إلى القلعة البيضاء، معلقاً على احتقال أديبابيور مع اللاعبين بالتتويج بلقب كأس السوبر الإفريقي.

وتوج الزمالك بلقب كأس السوبر الإفريقي للمرة الخامسة في تاريخه، على ملعب المملكة أرينا بالسعودية بالفوز بركلات الترجيح بعد التعادل بهدف لكل فريق.

وقال ناصر ماهر في تصريحات عبر قناة “إم بي سي مصر”: “سمعت قبل انضمامي للزمالك أن غرفة الملابس ليست جيدة، لكن عندما انضممت أنا لم أرى مثلها، الموضوع مختلف، يوجد لاعبين كبار محترمين، كلنا نحترم بعض، أنا لم أرى أي شئ مما كان يقال”.

طالع أيضاً.. ناصر ماهر: لأول مرة أتلقى هدايا من جمهور.. وأريد صنع تاريخ مع الزمالك

وتابع: “السوبر الإفريقي بداية جيدة، لكن الزمالك ناد بطولات وهذه ليست أول بطولة، لكنها بطولة مهمة وتمنحنا ثقة”.

وأضاف: “كنا نريد أن نلعب مباراة الأهلي في الدوري، لكن نحترم قرار مجلس الإدارة بالانسحاب، نحن نتعذب في مصر لأننا بنلعب سنة كاملة، فكان لابد أن يحدث هذا، مع الوقت والتراكم اللاعب يشعر بالتعب”.

وأكمل: “نلعب في رمضان والأعياد، ونلعب في أي وقت، بالتأكيد أنت تحتاج إلى أن تكون جيداً، لكن طبيعي مستواك يتراجع ذهنيًا”.

واستكمل: “الزمالك أي بطولة يدخلها ينافس عليها، نحن شاركنا في الموسم الجديد بفكر مختلف، الدوري بالنسبة لنا مهم جدًا، جمهور الزمالك يقدرنا جدًا ونريد أن نسعدهم”.

وأشار: “تفاجأت أن أديبايور نزل واحتفل معنا بالكأس، شيكابالا قال لي هذا زملكاوي، لكن كان مشهد حميل جداً”.

وأردف: “نادي الزمالك كبير جدًا لا يجب أن يقلل أحداً منه أو من جماهيره”.

واستطرد: “حسام حسن أسطورة، شخصية محترمة وحقيقي كنت سعيدا بإنضمامي للمنتخب تحت قيادته، وأعلم أنني لو اشتغلت جيداً سأكون موجوداً معه، ولابد علينا جميعا أن نكون معه وندعمه”.

وأتم: “أشكر جمهور الزمالك وكل شخص كان سببا في تواجدي في الزمالك، أشكر أحمد سليمان الذي كان مصمما أن أكون متواجدا في النادي، وكذلك حسين لبيب، وأتمنى أن أسعدهم وأكون عند حسن ظنهم”.

Celtic have been blessed in the striker department in recent years as they have enjoyed a number of impressively prolific goalscorers at Parkhead.

From Gary Hooper through to Kyogo Furuhashi, and hopefully Adam Idah, the Hoops have not been short of number nines with a penchant for finding the back of the net on a regular basis.

Current Hoops head coach Brendan Rodgers played a big role in the signing of one such talent back in 2017 as Odsonne Edouard joined from Paris Saint-Germain, initially on loan.

That move turned out to be a masterstroke from the club as the French marksman's value soared throughout his time with the Scottish giants.

Odsonne Edouard's market value when Celtic signed him

The 19-year-old dynamo was valued at €1.5m (£1.3m) by Transfermarkt at the time of his initial loan move to Parkhead ahead of the 2017/18 campaign.

He hit the ground running in his debut season in Scotland with a return of 11 goals and four assists in 29 appearances in all competitions for the club. This included nine goals in 22 Scottish Premiership matches for Rodgers.

That €1.5m (£1.3m) valuation on Transfermarkt remained the same during the summer of 2018 as Celtic decided to secure his services on a permanent basis.

They were richly rewarded for that decision, on and off the pitch, as Edouard went on to be a lethal scorer for the Hoops before making a big move to the Premier League in 2021.

How much Edouard was worth when he left Celtic in 2021

English side Crystal Palace swooped to secure his signature in the summer of 2021 and Transfermarkt valued him at a whopping €17m (£14.5m) at the time of that deal.

This means that his market value on Transfermarkt soared by a staggering 1,033% in three years from the €1.5m they valued him at in 2018 upon signing for Celtic on a permanent basis.

That soaring value also allowed the Hoops to make a big profit on the striker as Ange Postecoglou – who arrived as the manager that summer – sold him to the Eagles for a reported £18.5m, which was significantly more than the £9m Rodgers paid to sign him from PSG.

Edouard, who was once hailed as "prolific" by talent scout Jacek Kulig, earned that big move to Palace and helped his market value to skyrocket by performing on the pitch for Celtic.

17/18

19

Six

18/19

28

14

19/20

27

22

20/21

26

16

21/22

Four

Two

Stats via Transfermarkt

The former France youth international, as you can see in the table above, the impressive marksman was a reliable goalscorer for the Scottish giants over a significant period of time.

He averaged a goal every other match, or better, across his three-and-a-bit seasons in the top-flight after joining on a permanent deal in the summer of 2018.

This shows that Rodgers hit the jackpot by snapping him up from PSG, both on loan initially and then permanently the following year, as Edouard was a huge player for the club on the pitch, with his outstanding goalscoring, and his market value soared ahead of a big-money switch to Palace.

Aston Villa return to action this Friday as they travel to Stamford Bridge to take on Chelsea in the fourth round of the FA Cup.

It promises to be an exciting tie and one that could give the club confidence to finally end their 28-year wait for a major trophy.

Unai Emery has built a resilient side this season who have been outstanding thus far, but with the Midlands outfit battling it out in three competitions, he needs to add some depth to his squad.

The January transfer window is open for the next ten days, could the Spaniard delve into the market and bring in a player or two who could perhaps contribute heavily to their chase for glory over the next few months?

Aston Villa’s search for new signings

There have been no shortage of names linked with a move to Villa Park this month, but Emery is clearly being cautious with regards to who best to sign.

Adding players for the sake of it is just a recipe for disaster (just ask Chelsea supporters), but there has been one player who could certainly add something to this Villa side – Giovanni Reyna.

According to Football transfers last week, Villa are one of the clubs who are showing interest in the young Borussia Dortmund gem and the report goes on to claim that the club have made contact with the German side with hopes of luring him to the Premier League before the month is out.

The 6 foot 1 star is currently valued at €24.4m (£21m) according to Football Transfers and with a contract that expires in just 18 months, Emery may be able to secure the sensation for a knockdown price.

Benfica, Lyon, Sevilla and AS Monaco are also keeping tabs on the American starlet this month as they seek to offer him more game time away from the Bundesliga and perhaps a fresh start is what is required for him to reclaim his status as one of the most exciting youngsters on the continent.

Former Birmingham City sensation Jude Bellingham firmly has the tag of not only the best young player in Europe, but his recent displays for Real Madrid suggest that he could well be one of the finest players in the world at this current moment in time.

According to FBref, Reyna’s former teammate at Dortmund is currently the most comparable player to him and considering Bellingham’s impact this season, it suggests Emery could be signing a sublime player.

How Giovanni Reyna compares to Jude Bellingham

While Reyna has struggled for game time this term, making only 13 appearances in all competitions, the Madrid sensation has been on fire since arriving in Spain last summer.

He has scored a remarkable 18 goals and grabbed eight assists in just 26 games, which works out as a goal contribution every game and there is no question as to who is the brightest talent in Europe just now.

The duo share similar traits however, as according to WhoScored, both Reyna and Bellingham excel at finishing and passing, while they both like to dribble and perform layoffs, indicating that they share a similar playing style.

Five previous winners of the Golden Boy award
Player	Year	Club
Jude Bellingham	2023	Real Madrid
Gavi	2022	Barcelona
Pedri	2021	Barcelona
Erling Haaland	2020	Borussia Dortmund
Joao Felix	2019	Benfica
Via GOAL

Not only that, but the pair have also registered similar statistics this season with regards to shots per 90 (2.47 vs 2.38), pass success rate per 90 (86.3% vs 87.2%), goal-creating actions per 90 (0.71 vs 0.47) and aerial duels won percentage (44.4% vs 44.7%), demonstrating that Reyna could certainly offer some wonderful qualities to Emery should he make the move to Villa this month, especially if he continues to perform in a Bellingham like fashion when he gets his chance.

Giovanni Reyna's style of play

Reyna was hailed as having “something special” by his former boss at Dortmund, Lucien Favre and since making his debut for the club in the 2019/20 season, the attacking midfielder has since gone on to make 120 appearances for the club, scoring 17 goals and chipping in with 16 assists.

Not bad for a player who only turned 21 last November. This season has been a bit of a struggle however, as he has started only two competitive matches for the German side and this lack of game time could see him potentially seeking a move either this month or at the end of the season.

No Bailey or Carlos & "phenom" lined up in Aston Villa's dream XI after January

In an ideal world, Unai Emery could snap up three or four new faces this month to bolster his ranks.

By
Robbie Walls

Jan 20, 2024

Despite his lack of time on the pitch recently, Reyna still performs exceedingly well when compared to players in similar leagues.

When compared to positional peers in Europe via FBref, the Durham-born American international currently ranks in the top 1% for shot-creating actions (6.81), touches in the attacking penalty area (6.23) and total shots (3.48) per 90, along with ranking in the top 5% for successful take-ons per 90 (1.88) and the top 6% for progressive carries per 90 (3.04), clearly demonstrating his wonderful attacking skills over the previous 12 months.

Furthermore, Reyna can be deployed in a variety of positions and still perform well. during his career, the 21-year-old has played on the right and left wings along with his preferred role as an attacking midfielder and he has contributed goals and assists in all three positions.

This versatile nature could appeal to Emery and come in extremely useful if Villa are struggling for injuries to key players, with the manager knowing that Reyna would be able to thrive across a handful of different areas in the team.

This surely makes a move for him this month vital, especially considering how good he can be if he manages to secure a regular spot in the starting XI and performs how he did during his early career at Dortmund.

The statistical comparisons to Bellingham indicate that he is certainly a special player but has lacked the consistency to do it at the highest level of late due to a variety of injury problems.

Emery has shown he can get players firing and Reyna would be no different should he join the club in the near future.

With his contract close to expiry, this month is the best time to test Dortmund’s resolve and secure a talented young attacker for what could be a bargain price.

Throughout the 2023/24 summer transfer window, Liverpool made an abundance of signings to enhance their engine room. Although the Reds have had a successful campaign of late, the 2022/23 season was far from that, failing to even qualify for the Champions League.

Often, bad seasons can be ruled down to things such as injuries or a lack of confidence, but this wasn't the case for Jurgen Klopp's men.

They had just come off one of their most gruelling seasons in recent memory as they played every single game they possibly could during the 2021/22 campaign.

This resulted in the entirety of Liverpool's squad becoming dilapidated and tired, which resulted in them having one of their worst Premier League finishes during the Klopp era; a fifth-place finish.

With a massive influx of new midfield signings, this meant players needed to be shipped out. The likes of Naby Keita, Jordan Henderson and Fabinho were all sold, which helped the Reds generate a kitty of around £51m, leaving the Reds in need of a rebuild.

One player who was certainly a surprise addition to the squad was that of Wataru Endo. Due to the sale of Fabinho, Klopp's men were in dire need of a defensive-midfielder which is why the Japan international was brought into the squad for a fee worth around £15.4m.

Despite bringing in the 30-year-old to the squad, in Liverpool's youth ranks there was an abundance of talent waiting to be brought into the first-team.

Each of Tyler Morton and Stefan Bajcetic have made their senior debuts for the squad and were each vying for their shot at first-team football.

However, due to the injury to Bajcetic, this was met with no avail in the case of the Spaniard. Morton, on the other hand, was sent out on loan to Championship side, Hull, and looks to be having a stellar season.

Tyler Morton's season in numbers

Morton has been at the helm of many-a-compliment from Tigers manager, Liam Rosenoir with the manager even stating "he can do anything."

"Some of his play, honestly," Rosenoir gushed via the Echo. "He can do everything as a midfield player. When we were recruiting in the summer, he fits completely into the way we want to play."

His praise has been well met by the youngsters' performances, as he has played in 26 games across all competitions and contributed to seven goals.

Due to his stellar performances, the "incredible" 21-year-old – as dubbed by one Blackburn onlooker last term – will likely be looking to make an impact on Liverpool's first-team squad next season.

According to Sofascore, Morton has been defensively sound, with the midfielder recovering 4.5 balls per Championship game and making 1.5 tackles. For context, when these statistics are compared to those of £105m Arsenal star Declan Rice, the 21-year-old isn't far off.

In the Premier League, Rice has made 2.1 tackles and five ball recoveries per game. Although they aren't the exact same, it is clear to see why comparisons have been made between the pair.

How Morton's style of play compares to Declan Rice

Morton has recently featured on a list of the top 100 midfielders across the world of football for one specific metric; ball retention under high pressure. This list includes the likes of Manchester City's Rodri and the aforementioned Rice, something that showcases how well the Liverpool youngster has developed this season.

As per CIES Football Observatory, Morton sits in 74th place with 86.9% successful ball retentions, whilst Rice has a percentage of 89%. Morton's 74th place in the table happens to rate the youngster ahead of the likes of Amadou Onana and Douglas Luiz.

The 21-year-old looks set to have a bright future ahead of him if he can continue his development. Much like Rice, he isn't an out-and-out defensive midfielder, but rather a mixture of a ball-winning midfielder and an attacking trojan. Clearly both adept at evading the press, Morton is an exciting all-round star.

So long as Morton doesn't get injured, he could be in line to get a starting position within the Anfield club's starting XI next season.

The Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC), which oversaw the reappointment of Ravi Shastri as head coach of the India men’s team, wants to have a say in picking his three assistants too.The CAC has written to the BCCI expressing its desire to be involved in selecting the batting, bowling and fielding coaches, even though the senior selection panel, currently headed by MSK Prasad, is empowered to choose them as per the board’s new constitution.All three CAC members – former India captain Kapil Dev, former India opener Anshuman Gaekwad, and the former India women captain Shanta Rangaswamy – have signed the letter, which reasons that the task of picking the three assistant coaches should be given the same importance as the selection of the head coach, and to that end, the CAC’s opinion should be taken on board. ESPNcricinfo understands that Shastri could also be consulted before finalising the three assistant coaches.”Yes, we should have a say,” Kapil said during the announcement of the head coach, in Mumbai on Friday. “If you ask me, we have a recommendation to the board from the three of us and [we have asked for it] to put in black and white in the minutes [that] it is not right if we are not doing that job also. We [have] given a letter to the board.”When asked if the CAC should exclusively be entrusted with the responsibility of selecting the support staff – as was the case with the head coach’s appointment – Kapil disagreed.”No, including [both the CAC and the selection panel],” Kapil said. “There should not be a communication gap. Their (the selectors’) strength and our strength is the same for the team; we want to make sure that team should get benefited, and that’s what we wanted. If we can help them (the selection committee), and the chairman of selection committee, and his team can help [us], and the board also want[s] the same and I have no doubt you (the media) also want the same [that] the Indian team should do well.”Mohammed Shami has a chat with India’s bowling coach Bharat Arun•BCCI

During the previous appointment procedure of the head coach and his support staff, in 2017, the CAC at the time – Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman – also recommended to the Supreme Court-appointed Committee of Administrators (CoA) that Zaheer Khan (bowling consultant) and Rahul Dravid (batting consultant for overseas Test series) come on board. The CoA said these weren’t official appointments, and that the CAC hadn’t been empowered to make them. In the end, following the recommendation of Shastri himself, the BCCI appointed Sanjay Bangar (batting), Bharat Arun (bowling) and R Sridhar as his assistants.Now, the BCCI will forward the CAC’s letter to the CoA ahead of the interview process for the three assistant coaches, which will take place next week, tentatively from August 19 to 22.The process of selection of the head coach and remainder of the backroom staff began last month with the BCCI putting out an advertisement to invite applications. The board had stated in the advertisement that Shastri and the rest of the existing coaching staff comprising Bangar, Arun and Sridhar would get automatic entries during the recruitment process.Former chief selector Vikram Rathour and former Mumbai and India batsman Pravin Amre are understood to have also thrown their hat in the ring for the role of batting coach, while Venkatesh Prasad is among those vying for the job of bowling coach.

The PCB has trimmed the pool from 33 to 19, reducing the number of categories from five to three

Umar Farooq08-Aug-2019Shoaib Malik and Mohammad Hafeez have been dropped from the PCB’s annual central-contracts list for the 2019-2020 season. The board has trimmed the pool from 33 to 19, reducing the number of categories from five to three. Only three players – Babar Azam, Sarfaraz Ahmed and Yasir Shah – have been included in the top-most bracket. The players’ performances and prospects were taken into consideration under the new system, which sees a significant increase – in the range of 25-40% – in the financial value of the annual contracts.Malik, who recently retired from ODIs, and Hafeez were in categories A and B respectively last year. Other important demotions include Mohammad Amir and Fakhar Zaman, who were in categories A and B respectively last year are now in category C, and Test specialist Azhar Ali, who averaged 28.23 last year, and was demoted from category A to B.Imam-ul-Haq, Haris Sohail, and Mohammad Abbas, meanwhile, have been promoted from category C to B. Asad Shafiq was retained in B.Amir’s demotion comes in the wake of his retirement from Tests while Malik’s decision to only play T20Is may have played a part in his omission. Asif Ali, who has been among Pakistan’s major investments in the recent past, was left out along with Junaid Khan, Hussain Talat, Bilal Asif, Mohammad Nawaz, Ruman Raees, Rahat Ali, Usman Salahuddin, Sahibzada Farhan, and Saad Ali.The PCB’s new annual contracts will be valid from July 1, 2019 to June 30, 2020, with Pakistan playing 42 days of international cricket, including 32 in Tests, in the next 12 months. Although the focus of the shortlisted pool has been around backing young players, the PCB, commenting on the exclusion of Malik and Hafeez, said both players ‘will remain available for selection’.At age 38, Hafeez’s prospects on the international circuit appear somewhat bleak. At the World Cup, the bowling allrounder scored only 253 runs at an average of 31.62 in eight innings and took two wickets in seven innings. In Tests, over the past 12 months, he has amassed only 200 runs in nine innings while his performance in ODIs – 507 runs in 18 matches, at an average of 33.80 – has been lukewarm at best. In the shortest format, though, he has been prolific, averaging 81 in six innings since August last year.Given the PCB is without a selection committee at the moment – chief selector Inzamam-ul-Haq had decided against renewing his contract once his stint ended in July – the list of contracted players was drawn up by the PCB director Zakir Khan (international cricket operations), Haroon Rasheed (domestic cricket operations), Muddasir Nazar (director, National Cricket Academy), and Wasim Khan (managing director, PCB). Once a new selection committee has been named, it will be able to add players to the contracts list.”We have significantly increased the financial value of the 2019-20 retainers across each category,” Wasim said in a statement. “This is over and above what had been agreed in the current agreement, which is due to run until 2021.”The PCB have set high standards and targets in its strategic plan for the upcoming season. We want to attach a high value to receiving a central contract. We have complete faith and confidence that these players will set up and produce on-field performances that will help us collectively achieve our objectives and targets.”Category A (PKR 1.1m) : Babar Azam, Sarfaraz Ahmed and Yasir Shah
Category B (PKR 750,000) : Asad Shafiq, Azhar Ali, Haris Sohail, Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Abbas, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Wahab Riaz
Category C (PKR 550,000): Abid Ali, Hasan Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Rizwan, Shan Masood and Usman Shinwari
Out: Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik, Faheem Ashraf, Junaid Khan, Bilal Asif, Saad Ali, Mir Hamza, Umaid Asif, Sahibzada Farhan, Mohammad Nawaz, Rumman Raees, Asif Ali, Hussain Talat, Rahat Ali, Usman Salahuddin
Players who were demoted: Fakhar Zaman (B to C), Mohammad Amir (A to C), Hassan Ali (B to C)
Players who were promoted: Haris Sohail (C to B), Imam-ul-Haq (C to B), Mohammad Abbas (C to B), Wahab Riaz (C to B), Shaheen Afridi (E to B), Mohammad Rizwan (E to C) (edited)

Much of Newcastle United's January transfer window has been centred around potential departures, as they look to balance the books and stay within the Premier League's profit and sustainability rules. However, into the final week of the winter window, the Magpies could turn their attention to a surprising reinforcement.

Newcastle transfer news

So far this month, and more so in the last week, we've seen Miguel Almiron heavily linked with a move to Saudi Arabia side Al-Shabab, Callum Wilson linked with a number of Premier League clubs in a deal worth £18m, and Kieran Trippier linked with a winter switch to Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich.

Yet, as the deadline approaches, none of the aforementioned stars have sealed an exit away from St James' Park. Instead, Eddie Howe could welcome a bargain transfer to reinforce his midfield.

According to Aaron Stokes, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg is a name being discussed behind the scenes at St James' Park by Newcastle. The reporter told The Chronicle: "There's one name that has been bubbling away under the surface and that is Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg."

The Premier League's profit and sustainability rules state that clubs are only allowed to record a loss of £105m in the space of three seasons. Newcastle's loss in that time reportedly stands at £155m. And although investment into the women's team, charity foundation and academy don't count towards the final figure, PIF are certainly walking a fine line.

Given Hojbjerg's struggle for game time under Ange Postecoglou at Tottenham Hotspur, the Dane is certainly in need of a move away this month, and Newcastle could offer him exactly that. It's a deal that could suit the Magpies too, as they look to avoid spending big whilst still welcoming key additions.

"Important" Hojbjerg can provide short-term solution

With summer signing Sandro Tonali still serving his long-term ban for breaching betting rules and Joelinton now sidelined with a long-term injury, Newcastle have been left short on options in midfield. But that's where a player of Hojbjerg's experience can come in. The Denmark international is a player who has played on the biggest stage and one who has earned the praise of Postecoglou, despite falling down the pecking order.

Postecoglou said via The Independent: “I don’t think there was any time during the transfer window where I thought Pierre would move,” Postecoglou insisted. The discussions I had with him were that he was here and wanted to contribute, he wanted to be part of what we were building.

“It is obvious someone that has played regularly would have wanted to play more but ultimately our performances have been strong and he has had to bide his time. He has also been very important in a lot of the games that we’ve won late or had to shore up late. He has been one of the people who has helped us and it is not like he hasn’t contributed at all. He’s been a really important part for us."

Manchester United have had something of a mixed campaign this season. Finding themselves residing in sixth, eight points outside the top four spots.

The Red Devils have managed to win three out of their last five Premier League games, beating the likes of Wolverhampton Wanderers and Aston Villa.

Although their result against Wolves was a lot closer than they would've liked, academy graduate, Kobbie Mainoo, managed to give Manchester United all three points in the 97th minute.

This was even after Wolves managed to score an equaliser in the 95th minute to bring the game to 3-3.

Over the course of the season, Ten Hag's side have been brought under a lot of scrutiny due to their performances. However, youngster, Mainoo, has received many plaudits from pundits, fans and even his coaches.

The 18-year-old has burst onto the scene at United this season and seems to be performing ahead of his years. According to Transfermarkt, he has appeared a total of 14 times for The Red Devils' senior squad and has even managed to contribute to four goals during that time.

These stats alone showcase how quickly he is developing and why Ten Hag is trusting him with first-team appearances.

Kobbie Mainoo's season in numbers

As aforementioned, Mainoo has been among the first-team fold at Manchester Utd for the majority of the season. However, it isn't just his goal contributions which have allowed him to stand out.

For example, his average rating via Sofascore for this season alone is a solid 7.02. When comparing this rating to other defensive midfielders such as Scott McTominay, the Scotland international has only achieved a rating of 6.98.

Granted, he has played more games than the youngster, which obviously affects his average rating. However, these numbers alone showcase the positive effect he has on the side.

Mainoo's effect has been so beneficial to the squad that the youngster has even managed to bench McTominay in recent weeks. This further outlines the maturity that the 18-year-old possesses and shows why Ten Hag trusts him.

Games

9

Goals

1

Pass accuracy

85%

Touches per game

48

Tackles per game

1.8

Interceptions per game

0.9

Duels won per game

4.7

However, Mainoo isn't the only academy graduate who has made his way into Manchester United's first team this season.

Omari Forson is another player who Ten Hag chose to give his debut to this season. The 19-year-old was brought on in the 86th minute against Wolves in order to make his Premier League debut. Although the youngster wasn't on the pitch for too long, his quality shone through and he looks like a truly exciting young talent.

Why Omari Forson could be in line for a breakthrough season

Despite only just making his Premier League debut for The Red Devils last week, Forson has appeared twice in the FA Cup.

However, his U21 displays this season have been "exceptional," in the words of United Academy director Nick Cox, showcasing the talent the youngster possesses. According to Transfermarkt the winger has appeared eight times and managed to contribute to a total of ten goals thus far.

Although his natural position is on the right-wing, he can also play as an attacking midfielder or on the left-wing. His versatility is key to his game and his addition to the squad squad would allow Ten Hag to have more options on the bench.

Manchester United's Director of Academy spoke about how 'proud' he was to see Forson make his debut against Wigan Athletic in the 3rd round of the FA Cup.

"On Monday evening, everyone at Manchester United was proud to see Omari Forson making his senior debut as a substitute in the Emirates FA Cup win over Wigan Athletic," he said. Omari featured heavily in last season’s U21 programme and his development accelerated significantly. What a great way to start the year and congratulations again, Omari."

Also supplying an assist on debut, it's evident the future is bright for the teenager at United. He could just be set to follow in the footsteps of a certain Mainoo.

At the end of an English summer and an Ashes series that had provided so many passages to remember, Jofra Archer and Matthew Wade squared up for the last of them. Archer was striving for a final burst of wickets to seal the Test, Wade for a century to underline his re-emergence as a batsman of quality after too many years as an indifferent wicketkeeper.Even if the Ashes were already Australia’s and the match was more or less already England’s, 24,000 spectators were transfixed one more time as Archer, for the umpteenth time, backed up his words that the touring coach Justin Langer had “another thing coming” after suggesting that Test cricket would beat the 24-year-old down with its sheer physical brutality.Undoubtedly, Wade had enriched the occasion through his series-long dialogue when in the field, yammering away at whoever would listen and many who would not, at one point talking across Archer about their shared history at the Hobart Hurricanes and how, in the opinion of Travis Head, the fast man would be moving across Bass Strait to the Adelaide Strikers next summer. All this history, plus the sense that this was summer’s final fling, made for a wondrous contest.”We all thought he’d slow down eventually but I can tell you that, through that spell, he certainly didn’t slow down too much, and he kept coming,” Wade said. “I was saying to Patty ‘he’s going again’. Patty was like ‘you’re right, you’ll get through’. I was like ‘yeah, we’ve been saying that for four overs now!’. He just keeps coming and coming. It’s good hard Test cricket, I was feeling comfortable with the way I was playing.”I felt like I could deal with what he was delivering, and he obviously thought he could rip my head off or get me out. It was a good battle, there was a little bit of banter, no words really. Just good, hard Test cricket. That’s what I expected coming into an Ashes series, I’d never played an Ashes series before and the way Jofra has taken to Test cricket – I knew he was obviously a freakish talent – and when he was around the England team I knew he’d be playing this series.”That’s what Test cricket is. Especially Ashes cricket, you’ve got to be ready for the contest. It’s a take-no-prisoners kind of environment when you walk onto the ground and when you walk off the ground, all is forgotten. You move on with your lives, hopefully he comes to Hobart and plays with me again but we’ll wait and see. That’s the way it is.”At the height of the battle, Archer struck Wade a stinging blow on the shoulder, something the Tasmanian did his very best to shrug off. “A little bit of a bruise. I wasn’t showing him too much, I wasn’t letting him know, that would have got him going again. I don’t know how many overs he bowled in a row, it felt like a long, long time so I wasn’t showing him too much pain. I was just trying to get through it.”The spell, all up, lasted for eight overs and ended wicketless. Wade went on to his fourth Test century, going a long way to shoring up his spot for the Gabba Test against Pakistan in November, and demonstrating how he had, at critical times, found ways to survive more effectively than the other left-handers on the tour – none of whom managed to reach three figures. Wade walked towards Australia’s viewing area to toast his century, applauded by none other than Steve Waugh, who had seen off similar bursts by Curtly Ambrose and company decades before.Matthew Wade and Jofra Archer exchange words during their duel•Getty Images

“I think the new ball was obviously quite difficult for our left-handers at the top of the order, with the way Stuart [Broad] was bowling, scrambled seam as well,” Wade said. “To be honest through the middle – facing Stuart and Jofra, I was quite comfortable facing those two through the whole tour. So I can only speak on what I faced. I obviously hit the ball in slightly different areas to the guys at the top of the order. But no doubt, the guys at the top of the order would love to have scored a lot more runs.”Round the wicket was really, really effective to our left-handers at the top of the order, But personally I felt quite comfortable against those two. I bat on an off stump guard, and feel like if they get outside my body I can leave them. If they come straight, I’ve got to hit it, otherwise I’m in trouble. But we’ve got to get better in all departments. Barring Smithy, nobody really lit it up this tour for us.”Whether or not Wade is still playing Test cricket in two years is very much an open question, but he reckoned that Archer would pose a considerable, if somewhat different, challenge on faster and truer Australian pitches. “I think he’ll be a handful on any pitch he plays on. Traditionally Australia is a little bit easier to play the short ball especially, because of the consistency of the bounce,” he said. “You can get under balls, but in this series you saw a lot of guys ducking into balls, myself included.”The pace of the wickets aren’t the same as what we have, and the consistency in Australia. He’ll be hard work, you’ve gotta bowl probably a touch fuller than what you can bowl sometimes over here with the slowness of the pitches and not as much bounce. But he’s going to be a handful on any pitch that he bowls on over the next couple of years, and Australia will be no different. At least with his bouncer you can trust that you can get underneath it which will be nice, instead of copping it on the body.”Reflecting on the series, Wade defended his verbally active ways, and there were certainly few signs of animosity at the end-of-season party, as both teams mixed freely. “That’s the great thing about Ashes cricket and the way this series was played,” Wade said. “There was no abuse throughout this series – it was hard Test cricket. I know there’s been a lot of stuff reported and written, on the ground it’s just been good, hard cricket. I can only speak for myself, and for the whole team in our dressing room. Once you walk off the ground, all is forgotten.ALSO READ: Why Australia deserved to go home with the Ashes“We don’t really need to jump in and talk about in the media. Whatever happens on the ground stays on the ground, that’s just the way Australian cricket teams play. But I can tell you now it’s been a tame series compared to other series I’ve played in.”Tame, though, did not reflect how consuming the atmosphere of an Ashes series can be. Even Wade, who had spoken at length after his Edgbaston century about the perspective he had found since his previous stint in the national team, admitted that it was easy to get caught up.”It’s been difficult at times. I think you get caught up at times in the whirlwind of Test cricket, and this series and everything that’s reported,” he said. “”It can grind on you pretty quick. I’m lucky to have my family over here, two kids keep you away from the game a lot and keep your mind off the game and they don’t care too much what’s going on at the ground.”But it is important to understand that it is only a game and that everyone is doing their best, and when we walk away in 20 years there won’t be too many people talking about us.”But they will talk, for many years, about Archer and Wade at The Oval, just like they will about Smith, Stokes, Broad, Cummins and the bewitching summer of 2019. Rightly so.