One of the best academies in English football throughout the Premier League era is undoubtedly Manchester United’s Carrington. The Red Devils have produced some spectacular players over the years, many of whom have gone on to become top-flight legends and iconic figures at Old Trafford.

In the first team at the moment, Erik ten Hag has several academy graduates. They range from the likes of Marcus Rashford, who has become a key player for his boyhood club, to breakout stars Kobbie Mainoo and Alejandro Garnacho, United’s goalscorers in their 2-1 FA Cup final victory over Manchester City last season.

However, not all of their academy graduates make it at Old Trafford, with some slipping through the cracks and making a name for themselves elsewhere. One of those players is Angel Gomes.

Angel Gomes' career so far

Gomes has been making waves recently, having impressed for England over the last week, making his senior bow under Lee Carsley against the Republic of Ireland, before making his first start against Finland.

He made his Premier League debut against Crystal Palace in May 2017 and became the first player born in the 2000s to play in the Premier League, at 16 years and 263 days old.

However, things did not really pick up for the midfielder, who could not get a look in for the Red Devils. By the time he left on a free transfer to Lille in 2020, he had made just ten appearances for his boyhood club.

The now 24-year-old, who is the godson of former Red Devils winger Nani, has since found a home at the French club. He has now made 118 appearances for the four-time Ligue 1 champions, scoring eight times and registering eight assists.

He has adapted his game superbly, going from an enterprising number ten as a youngster to the deep-lying playmaker we see today. His most recent appearance for the Three Lions at Wembley was superb, and he operated as a 'regista', orchestrating play from a deep role.

His performances earned him an 8/10 from Patrick Rowe, a journalist for Sky Sports, who dubbed him “an intelligent player”. His stats on Sofascore were also superb, completing an incredible 116 out of 123 passes at a 96% success rate.

Stat

Number

Touches

130

Passes completed

116/123

Pass completion rate

94%

Ground duels won

4/8

Long balls completed

3/4

Tackles won

2/2

There is certainly a case to be made that United made a mistake in letting such a talented academy graduate leave for free. It is certainly a mistake they would want to avoid making with another talented young midfielder they have coming through the ranks, Dan Gore.

Man Utd's next Angel Gomes

It has been a frustrating 12 months for United’s young midfielder Gore, who made his first-team debut last season. Ten Hag gave him his maiden Red Devils appearance in the Carabao Cup against Palace, the same opponent Gomes made his debut against, on his 19th birthday.

The youngster also played one minute against Aston Villa on Boxing Day last season, his Premier League bow.

Subsequently, the 19-year-old went out on loan to League One side Port Vale for the second half of the 2023/24 campaign. However, he made just one appearance for the Valiants, before unfortunately picking up an injury which ruled him out for the rest of the season.

As per a report from the Manchester Evening News, Gore dislocated his shoulder in a training session just before pre-season, meaning he missed the Red Devils tour to the United States.

However, the report explains he should be back soon enough, citing 'the early weeks of the 2024/25 season' as his targeted return from injury. He will be hoping he can break into a fairly thin-on-the-ground United midfield, with opportunities potentially coming in the Carabao Cup and the Europa League.

In terms of his profile, Gore is a technical midfielder and is particularly a superb ball carrier. He is small in stature, just 5 foot 5, although this is something he uses to his advantage, much in the same manner as the diminutive Gomes.

The Carrington graduate uses his low centre of gravity superbly and is able to slalom past defenders with ease and progress the ball through the lines. He was described as an “exciting talent” by football scout Antonio Mango.

Having already seen his FA Youth Cup-winning colleague, Mainoo, break into the first-team fold – with the pair lining up together in that showpiece triumph in 2022 – Gore could be the next big thing off the conveyor belt at Old Trafford.

There could be a case to be made that a Gore-Mainoo axis could be the future of United's first-team midfield, with the pair seemingly developing a real understanding together, as Gore himself has noted:

"Kobbie [Mainoo] is a top player and a good lad as well. We work well with each other. If one is out of position the other will fill in. We have a good connection, and we know each other very well."

While Gore’s contract expires in 2026, he still has plenty of time to recover from injury and impress the Red Devils’ coaches and manager, with the hope of soon following in Mainoo's footsteps.

Whatever happens, the club will want to avoid another Gomes situation and lose an excellent youngster for free only for him to kick on and become an England international a few years later.

INEOS should've sold Man Utd dud who earns 10x more than Mainoo

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ByJoe Nuttall Sep 8, 2024

Phil Parkinson has delivered festive cheer for Ryan Reynolds, Rob McElhenney and Wrexham when giving injury updates on Elliot Lee and Arthur Okonkwo.

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• Lee forced off against Bristol Rovers
• Okonkwo recovering from broken wrist
• Neither will be sidelined for much longer

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The Red Dragons picked up another untimely knock in their latest League One outing against Bristol Rovers, with six-goal midfielder Lee being forced from the field in that contest after opening the scoring in a 1-1 draw. There were fears that a muscle complaint could keep him sidelined for some time.

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  WHAT PARKINSON SAID

  Lee is set to sit out a Boxing Day clash with Blackpool at SToK Racecourse, but Parkinson said after being quizzed on when the 30-year-old could figure again: “The good news is that Elliot's injury is only very minor. It is only a short-term injury. Kevin Mulholland brought him off before it got any worse, the scan has come back and it is only minor. I don't think he will make Boxing Day but I don't think he will be too far off on Sunday.”

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Wrexham are set to welcome Wigan to North Wales on December 29, and the presence of Lee in matchday plans for that contest would deliver an end of year boost. First-choice goalkeeper Okonkwo will not be available for any of the festive fixtures, but he is closing in on a return of his own after suffering a broken wrist.

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  DID YOU KNOW?

  Parkinson added on his other walking wounded, with training efforts being stepped up behind the scenes: “Jack Marriott was out running on the grass on Monday and Arthur Okonkwo was back doing handling work so it was a really positive day on the training ground.”

“I think we saw a lot of heart, a lot of commitment. What’s important to our group is our commitment to our style of cricket”

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Jun-20213:08

Is this the greatest New Zealand Test team?

New Zealand’s captain Kane Williamson has described winning the inaugural World Test Championship in Southampton as a “special feeling”, but would not go as far as calling it the biggest day in the history of New Zealand cricket.”Certainly is a very special feeling. A couple of close ones and then to get one [final win is special],” Williamson said before collecting the Test Championship trophy. “India are a formidable side and we knew coming into the game it was going to be an incredibly tough challenge.”It’s the pinnacle, isn’t it, being involved in the final,” he added in the post-match press conference. “Even coming into the last day, although it was staggered with the weather and all the delays that we had, all results were on the table. It was just great the heart the team showed to take it across the line.”We saw both teams grab the momentum at certain points in time, and then to have the sixth day as back-up made for a fantastic game to be a part of. For us it’s a very proud moment in our history and a proud moment, just as a team really, to stick to what we do well and come away with the win, which is a really great feeling.”After the heartache of consecutive World Cup finals in 2015 and 2019 – the latter an agonising loss on boundary countback after both the match and the subsequent Super Over were tied – the triumph was sweet vindication for a New Zealand squad that has arguably never been bettered in the country’s history. Williamson, however, was keeping his emotions in check.”It’s a very special occasion and a fantastic feeling,” he said. “We’ve been involved in a couple of finals previously, and I suppose the first one [2015] was one-sided, the second one was pretty interesting, and this feeling is a bit different to those, which is great. I know the guys will celebrate that.”2019 was a great occasion and a brilliant game of cricket as well,” he added. “But obviously it’s a slightly different feeling, being on the right side of the result for us, and also a part of a great game of cricket and a great occasion, the first official World Test Championship. This is a really good feeling.”Related

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Williamson also said that while 11 people took the field for the WTC final, he wished to pay tribute to all 22 squad players who were part of the New Zealand Test side in the championship cycle. He also said that it was his players’ “heart and commitment” that earned them the final win.”I think for us, we know we don’t always have the stars, and we use our bits and pieces to stay in games and be competitive,” Williamson said. “I think we saw that in this match. I think we saw a lot of heart, a lot of commitment. What’s important to our group is our commitment to our style of cricket. And we had to, we know how strong this Indian side is in all conditions. We’ve seen it for a long time.”It’s not always easy I suppose when you’re playing in a one-off Test match as a final where anything can happen, and it’s a fickle game, and we respect that, but yeah, throughout all six days it ebbed and flowed and no one really got the upper hand for a long period of time.”The key partnership on the final day was Williamson’s unbeaten 96-run stand with Ross Taylor, who struck the winning boundary to finish unbeaten on 47. The pair first played together in Williamson’s Test debut back in 2010, also against India in Ahmedabad, and the captain paid tribute to his veteran batter.”It was fantastic to be a part of a partnership like that,” he said. “Obviously Ross is our most experienced player and a leader in the group, so it was nice that we were able to soak up some of the pressure and then score a few together, although it was really difficult to come by. But having an experienced hitter like Ross out there was certainly helpful.”It was a really special feeling to be there at the end together and tick those runs off. Even though it was 130-odd, on that surface you never felt comfortable. It was nice to soak up some of that pressure and put together a partnership.”Williamson also praised his lower-order batters in the first innings, who helped New Zealand take a 32-run lead. He said that while he personally found it tough to score runs against an “amazing” Indian attack, the way the lower order played with the freedom to take them to the lead played a big role in New Zealand eventually winning the match.He also praised the surface prepared for the final, calling it a “sporting wicket” for providing a result despite only four days of cricket possible.”That was tough obviously, an amazing attack, didn’t give you much to hit for long periods,” he said. “It was certainly tough going but we had to apply ourselves and the lower order played with a bit more freedom to take us closer to some sort of lead, which was important on a wicket like this. A very sporting surface, I suppose, and only four days of cricket produced some result.”The result, while a disappointment for India, was warmly greeted by the final’s neutral viewers around the world, who have taken to New Zealand’s style in recent years – starting with Brendon McCullum’s commitment to attacking cricket, and continuing through Williamson’s five-year tenure, including his grace in defeat in 2019.But after it was suggested on the match commentary that ‘nice guys do finish first sometimes’, Williamson insisted that the team’s only aim was to remain true to themselves.”In terms of our team and our behaviours, we try and commit to what’s important to us,” Williamson said. “People can comment on that, or tag us how they’d like, but it’s not about being anything other than authentic to us as a group and the sort of cricket that we want to play, and the behaviours that are important to us day in, day out. That’s something that is important to us as a team.”

Mickey Arthur has urged his Sri Lanka side to stay patient after they slipped to a second defeat in as many nights in Cardiff, leaving them on a run of 11 defeats in their last 12 completed T20Is dating back to October 2019.Opting to bat first in both games after winning the toss, Sri Lanka posted scores of 129 and 111, and while they came much closer to defending their total on Thursday night than in Wednesday’s eight-wicket pasting, they always looked a long way short of a par score, failing to hit a boundary in the powerplay for the first time in their T20I history. Arthur, Sri Lanka’s head coach, stressed at the start of the tour that he wanted to add a level of consistency to selection following a turbulent period of chopping and changing, and that it would be important to “nail down the guys’ roles” in this series.Dasun Shanaka, with scores of 50 and 8 from No. 7, is their leading run-scorer in the series, with Danushka Gunathilaka and Avishka Fernando – backed as opening options for the long term – both struggling to make an impact at the top of the order. Their lack of attacking intent with the bat came under scrutiny on Thursday, but while Arthur suggested that they could be “more proactive” in future, he said that there had been limited opportunities to score against a “world-class” England side on a slow, two-paced pitch being used for the second night in a row.Related

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• Arthur wants top-heavy SL to find middle-order balance in England

“Just not enough runs again,” Arthur told the BBC, when asked for his take on his side’s defeat. “We’re coming up against a really good bowling attack. They’re ranked No. 1 in the world, we’re ranked No. 9 [actually No. 8] and you can see the difference. We’ve started a journey with a young team and for us it’s about getting better, competing, learning from every game and every experience and getting better and better as we go along.”It’s tough. We’re consistently talking about freedom, about taking the handbrake off as a batting unit. But you can only bat as well as you’re allowed to and I thought England were world-class with the lengths they hit. They put us under a lot of pressure with the bat.”We can be more proactive and we’ve got to go back and work on that. We can walk around the crease a little bit more and try to do different things but our batters are learning all the time, particularly in these conditions. We’ve got a really exciting batting unit in our conditions but it’s about transferring those skills to conditions outside our own environment.”There have been more positives with the ball, with Dushmantha Chameera finding steepling bounce with the new ball in both games, Wanindu Hasaranga conceding only four runs per over across the series, and Binura Fernando striking with the new ball when handed an opportunity on Thursday night. Arthur also highlighted the improvements that have been made in Sri Lanka’s fielding after he had placed an emphasis on fitness, and noted the absence of the injured Lahiru Kumara and Kasun Rajitha.”I thought we bowled really well,” he said. “Our fielding has gone up to another level. Fielding is all about attitude, it’s measurable, and I think the guys are getting better and better with that. We’re really excited with our bowling unit and we’ve got a couple of guys that are injured as well, so when we get them back we’ll be good.”

Ipswich Town supporters will be looking forward to their side getting back to Premier League action after the lengthy international break has finished, with plenty of positives to take away from their last league game which ended in a 1-1 draw with Marco Silva's Fulham.

The Tractor Boys will aim to pick up their first three points soon in the testing division, but will know there are no charitable sides in such an intense league, with Brighton and Hove Albion away from home the next tricky clash awaiting the Suffolk underdogs.

Kieran McKenna would have taken many plus points from the home draw with Fulham to move forward with, happy that new recruit Liam Delap is now up and running in an Ipswich shirt after scoring the opener against the Cottagers.

Liam Delap's transfer to Ipswich

Fresh off multiple loan spells at EFL clubs, this major move to Ipswich – which sees Delap leave behind the comforts of Manchester City permanently – will be the ultimate test of the 21-year-old's character and talent.

Quiet in the opening two league contests in terms of goal contributions, Delap finally got the monkey off his back by scoring his first Ipswich goal last time out.

Placing a wonderful shot past Bernd Leno following a lightning-quick burst of pace which saw the Cottagers back off him, everyone with associations to Portman Road will hope that Delap can now go on a run of scoring important goals to help his team move away from the dreaded bottom three positions.

Costing a bumper £20m to acquire, the pressure will be on the ex-Man City wonderkid to deliver, with a significant wad of cash being splashed on his services.

He could well have been helped in his mission to affirm his status as Ipswich's new main man up top if the Tractor Boys had managed to secure a deal for Dennis Praet.

Dennis Praet's failed move to Ipswich

As per journalist Graeme Bailey, Ipswich – among a whole host of other lower Premier League outfits – had an opportunity to snap up Dennis Praet this summer on a free transfer after he walked away from Leicester.

Praet has now headed back to his native Belgium with Royal Antwerp, but the likes of Ipswich, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Fulham and many more just couldn't strike up a deal for the forgotten former Foxes man to join their respective clubs.

Praet could well have given McKenna's men another versatile body capable of cutting defences open with a killer through ball or pass, picking up six assists from the central midfield positions at the King Power Stadium from 38 games.

Capable of also playing further forward in an attacking midfield capacity, and all across many different positions in the forward areas, he could well have linked up with Delap well on his potential arrival to Portman Road, having notched up 15 goals and 21 assists in an attacking midfield spot for Anderlecht before a £18m move to Leicester occurred in 2019.

CM

133

6

12

AM

127

20

24

LM

40

7

11

RM

17

0

3

RW

14

1

0

LW

7

1

2

DM

3

0

0

SS

2

0

0

Labelled as "outstanding" by former Foxes boss Brendan Rodgers when the now Celtic manager was still situated at the King Power, moving to Ipswich would also have allowed Praet to redeem himself in the English game, having picked up just one paltry assist last season in league action under Enzo Maresca.

McKenna does have a knack of getting more out of talents who have been thrown to the footballing scrap heap, but Ipswich will have to make do with what they have now, as the Premier League gets back underway very soon.

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يواجه ليفربول أزمة مع اقتراب نهاية عقود ثنائي الفريق الأول لكرة القدم، محمد صلاح وترينت ألكسندر أرنولد، دون تقدم في مفاوضات التجديد حتى الآن.

وتتزايد التكهنات حول انتقال أرنولد إلى ريال مدريد، بينما يواصل الدوري السعودي سعيه للتعاقد مع صلاح، حيث سينتهي عقد محمد صلاح وأرنولد في نهاية الموسم الحالي وتحديدًا في 30 يونيو المقبل.

ويشكل رحيل الثنائي ضربة كبيرة للمدرب، آرني سلوت، إذ يعدان عنصرين أساسيين في أسلوب لعب ليفربول الهجومي، ويساهم صلاح وأرنولد في صناعة الهجمات، حيث يتصدران قائمة اللاعبين الأكثر صناعة للفرص في ليفربول.

اقرأ أيضًا.. كاراجر يكشف عن الفريقين المرشحين للمنافسة بقوة على لقب الدوري الإنجليزي

ويعد غيابهما في بعض المباريات مثل بليموث في كأس الاتحاد الإنجليزي بالأمس، الأحد، مؤثرًا للغاية بالنسبة للمدرب الهولندي مما أدى إلى خروج الريدز من البطولة، بحسب شبكة “Anfield Index” البريطانية.

المدرب سلوت يمنح كلاً من صلاح وأرنولد أدوارًا هجومية أكبر وهذا ما كان واضحًا في مباريات الموسم الحالي، مما عزز فاعلية الفريق في المناطق الأمامية.

وبالتالي، في حالة رحيلهما عن ليفربول، سيعاني الريدز من إيجاد بدلاء مناسبين في الأندية الأخرى يمكنهم تعويض الثنائي بنفس المستوى، مما يجعل فقدانهما كارثة محتملة.

على ليفربول التحرك سريعًا لضمان بقاء صلاح وأرنولد، لأن خسارتهما قد تؤدي إلى أزمة فنية كبيرة في الموسم المقبل.

MatériaMais Notícias

OPalmeirasfinalizou na manhã da última sexta-feira (19), na Academia de Futebol, a preparação para o confronto com oFortaleza, que acontece neste sábado (20), às 19 horas (de Brasília), no Castelão. A equipe viajou para a capital do Ceará e dormiu na cidade do confronto de logo menos.

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Apesar da tendência de entrar em campo com força máxima, Abel Ferreira não poderá contar com Felipe Melo, que ficou em São Paulo. O volante não esteve presente nas atividades de preparação para o jogo e será preservado. COm isso, Danilo deve seguir no time titular.

Felipe, inclusive, fez um post em suas redes sociais enquanto assistia ao duelo entre Remo e Vasco, disputado na noite de sexta (19), pela segunda divisão do Brasileiro.

Dessa forma, espera-se que Abel mande a campo a equipe com força máxima pela última vez antes da final da Libertadores.Normalmente titular, Marcos Rocha está suspenso para a decisão e deve ceder a vaga para que Mayke ganhe ritmo de jogo.

O time que deve enfrentar o Fortaleza tem:Weverton; Mayke, Luan, Gustavo Gómez e Piquerez;Danilo, Zé Rafael, Gustavo Scarpa, Raphael Veiga e Dudu; Rony.

Palmeiras e Fortaleza se enfrentam neste sábado (20),às 19 horas (de Brasília), na Arena Castelão, pela 34ª rodada do Brasileirão.

continua após a publicidade

Former Everton midfielder Dele Alli has taken part in his first individual training session during his trial with Serie A side Como.

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Dele leaves EvertonBegins trial at ComoHas first solo sessionFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Dele confirmed he would be leaving Everton earlier this month, before linking up with Cesc Fabregas' Como. Reports in Italy state the 28-year-old is on a trial period with the Italian side and now Sky Italia says the ex-England international is training on his own but will then join the first-team squad when he has reached a 'satisfactory condition'.

AdvertisementGetty/GOALTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Former Tottenham star Dele is trying to get his career back on track after difficult spells at Everton and Besiktas. He last played competitively in February 2023, with a string of injuries keeping him on the sidelines since then. Dele is targeting a spot at the 2026 World Cup so he will need to get back to his best to achieve that lofty goal.

DID YOU KNOW?

Fabregas spoke on the links with Dele but played down claims he would be signed.

"I don't want to talk too much about this but perhaps there is a chance Dele will start training with us after Christmas. It would be to help him get in shape and nothing more," he said.

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Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT?

While Dele continues to train individually at the Italian team, he may keep a close eye on Como's Serie A clash with Lecce on Monday.

Without a CEO since James Bisgrove swapped Ibrox for Saudi Arabia and Al-Qadsiah four months ago, Glasgow Rangers have now reportedly been offered the services of an experienced option who previously worked in both England and Wales.

Rangers still looking to replace Bisgrove

The Gers looked to have finally found their replacement for Bisgrove in St Mirren vice-chairman Jim Gillespie before he suddenly pulled out of the move to leave Rangers back to square one once again.

Their off-pitch fortunes have far from helped things on the pitch, with Philippe Clement's side making a stuttered start to the season which included an all too comfortable 3-0 defeat against Old Firm rivals Celtic. As the gulf in class between the two sides potentially begins to grow on the pitch, those at Ibrox must ensure that they find a way to close the gap away from the action, at the very least.

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In a summer that saw plenty of inexperienced players arrive as part of Clement's project, the Gers may now be best served turning towards experience when it comes to replacing Bisgrove, which may yet see Adrian Bevington emerge as an option.

Bevington told Go Radio last week that he's open to becoming Rangers' next CEO, claiming that he's "made no secret" of his interest in one day working in Scotland.

Relayed by The Scottish Sun, Bevington said: "Look, Scottish football I have made no secret over the many years that I would at some point in my career always be interested in working in Scotland.

"Rangers football club should be able to attract someone who has that stature and the ability to lead from the front but also have a real good understanding of how the industry works and a great network of contacts and relationships with people right throughout the game in Scotland but also at UEFA, the European Club Association.

"There are people within Celtic who have some of those relationships already and Rangers should be expecting similar."

The Scottish Sun have now added that the highly experienced 53-year-old 'would welcome an approach from Rangers chairman John Bennett to discuss the vital Ibrox role.'

Rangers need swift CEO solution

The more that Rangers fail to match Celtic on the pitch, the more the finger will be pointed the way of those away from the action when it comes to handing out blame. And if those at Ibrox do not find a replacement for Bisgrove sooner rather than later, then that blame would be aimed fairly accurately.

Clement's side cannot be expected to go toe-to-toe with their Old Firm rivals if those higher than them cannot find adequate replacements within the structure of the club.

After failing to welcome Gillespie, turning to Bevington wouldn't be a bad idea either. The 53-year-old has plenty of experience, having enjoyed roles at England, Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest, and could now put that experience to its best use at Rangers. Considering that he's open to the role too, Bevington may be one to watch.

The confusion was because the umpires wanted to ensure Irfan’s injury was genuine

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Jun-2021A strange passage of play briefly left the Peshawar Zalmi fielding with ten men during the second PSL 2021 eliminator against the Islamabad United on Tuesday, after their pacer Mohammad Irfan left the field because of an injury.Haider Ali, the substitute sent out by the Zalmi, was asked to leave the field by the umpires, who were apparently not convinced that Irfan was injured, leaving Zalmi down by a man.In the 11th over of the United innings, Irfan, who was bowling the final over of his spell, went down after his penultimate delivery. Following a delay, he got back up to complete the over, but fell to the ground again. During the 12th over, Irfan was taken outside the boundary for treatment, with Ali coming on to replace him.However, at the end of the 12th over, bowled by Amad Butt, Aleem Dar, the onfield umpire, signalled that Ali should not be allowed to field, causing another lengthy delay.After a break in play, with Irfan still receiving treatment, Ali also stepped out of the field, meaning the Zalmi had to bowl the 14th and 15th overs without Irfan or a substitute fielder.Eventually, at the start of the 16th over, after a conversation between Dar, the Zalmi captain Wahab Riaz, and Shoaib Malik, also of the Zalmi, the team was allowed to bring in another substitute, Khalid Usman taking the field.ESPNcricinfo understands that the delay was caused because the umpires wanted to ensure Irfan’s injury was genuine, and when they got a confirmation of the same from the paramedics at the ground, they allowed the substitution.During a timeout in United’s innings, Irfan’s team-mate Butt suggested that the pacer’s injury was only a case of cramps.