Afghanistan will want to fix gaping holes in their batting

Mohammad Isam27-Feb-2022

Litton Das after raising his fifth ODI century•BCB

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Bangladesh have an opportunity to keep their top position in the ICC ODI Super League. However, given two of their upcoming series against England and Ireland aren’t set in stone yet, it is best to grab points when they’re in form, like they are currently.Bangladesh will be buoyed by how their less-experienced players have stood up in the previous two games. First, Afif Hossain and Mehidy Hasan Miraz engineered a magnificent turnaround from the depths of 45 for 6 in a chase of 216. Then, Litton Das and Taskin Ahmed rose to the occasion to seal the series.That said, they have a few things left to do, like ensure captain Tamim Iqbal, Shakib Al Hasan and Mahmudullah to get that one big score. As such, they’ve all been in form. Why just them? Newcomer Yasir Ali too needs a big knock too, to give him a head start.The visitors have a consistency problem with the batting. So far, neither Ibrahim Zadran nor Riaz Hassan have contributed significantly, while Rahmanullah Gurbaz has a knee niggle. Much of the work has been left to the middle order. They’ve all had starts, but no hair-raising contribution. Najibullah Zadran has two fifties, Rahmat Shah one. If allrounders Mohammad Nabi and Rashid Khan can chip in big, they will have ticked off a box.Bangladesh have negated their spin threat pretty well, with some assistance from the surface. Left-arm quick Fazalhaq Farooqi has been one of their standout performers. Having come off a four-for in the first game, the Bangladesh batters treaded with caution against him. Can he get some support from the others?Form guide
Bangladesh WWWWW
Afghanistan LLWWWIn the spotlightNajibullah Zadran’s two fifties has shown his importance in the middle order. He is the glue that holds the batting, especially when they falter. But now there’s a simple matter of moving on from the starts and converting them into big scores t have a greater impact.Taskin Ahmed bowled the most economical 10-over spell in his ODI career in the second ODI. Najibullah’s scalp at a vital time helped Bangladesh surge. Although he took just two wickets in the game, the performance underlined his growing improvement in skill and fitness in his second coming as a fast bowler.Team newsEbadot Hossain will be in line for an ODI debut if one of the regular pacers are rested. Najmul Hossain Shanto and Mahmudul Hasan Joy are the two batting options Bangladesh may consider if they want to make a change.Bangladesh (probable): 1 Litton Das, 2 Tamim Iqbal (capt), 3 Shakib Al Hasan, 4 Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), 5 Yasir Ali, 6 Mahmudullah, 7 Afif Hossain, 8 Mehidy Hasan Miraz, 9 Shoriful Islam, 10 Taskin Ahmed, 11 Mustafizur RahmanGurbaz is an injury concern. This would mean a forced change at the top. Among the ODI squad members, only the left-hander Shahid Kamal is the only one yet to get a go.Afghanistan (probable): 1 Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), 2 Riaz Hassan, 3 Rahmat Shah, 4 Azmatullah Omarzai, 5 Hashmatullah Shahidi (capt), 6 Najibullah Zadran, 7 Mohammad Nabi, 8 Rashid Khan, 9 Mujeeb Ur Rahman, 10 Fareed Ahmed, 11 Fazalhaq FarooqiPitch and conditionsExpect another batting surface where the ball will skid on late in the evening because of dew. No rain is forecast.Stats and trivia Litton’s 136 is the highest at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium. The 129* by Sean Williams in 2018 was the previous best. Soumya Sarkar’s 117 against Zimbabwe in the same ODI series was the previous best by a Bangladeshi here Bangladesh made 300 plus against Afghanistan for the first time two days ago. The 279 for 8 they made at the 2015 World Cup was their previous best.

A five-wicket haul from Chris Tremain has put New South Wales in the ascendency on a rain-affected second day of their Sheffield Shield clash with Tasmania at the SCG.Tremain tore through the Tigers’ top order claiming four of the top five before returning to clean bowl tailender Sam Rainbird to complete his ninth five-wicket haul in first-class cricket and just his second for his home state of New South Wales.Promising legspinner Tanveer Sangha also picked up three wickets while Hayden Kerr added one to go with his 88 with the bat to bowl Tasmania out for 213 and hand New South Wales a first-innings lead of 63.Tremain was on a hat-trick in the fourth over of the innings after Tim Ward and Eamonn Vines fell caught behind although Vines was dismayed at the decision having felt he missed it.Mac Wright and Jake Doran both ground out patient half-centuries on a tricky surface to resurrect the innings. But Wright was trapped lbw by Tremain to one that kept a touch low and darted back off the seam. That triggered a collapse of 6 for 54 but Doran held firm throughout. After Rainbird fell for a duck with the score at 9 for 174 he was left with Peter Siddle and the pair scratched out another 39 runs with Siddle smashing 31 of them in just 21 balls, to keep the lead in check.New South Wales openers Matthew Gilkes and Ryan Hackney had to face one over from Jackson Bird prior to stumps and Gilkes scored 8 unbeaten off 6 balls.Earlier, Bird claimed the last two wickets of the Blues’ first innings to finish with 3 for 38 as the home side was bowled out for 276. He clean bowled Kerr for 88 with a peach off the fifth ball of the day to deny Kerr a maiden Sheffield Shield century. Sangha fell hooking two overs later.

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Hoje titular absoluto da defesa do Corinthians e prestigiado pela torcida, João Victor passou um ano longe do clube antes de se firmar na equipe alvinegra. Olhando para trás, o zagueiro valorizou o período em que foi emprestado para a Inter de Limeira e Atlético-GO.

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> GALERIA – Veja o retrospecto do Timão no Paulistão desde o novo formato

João Victor chegou ao Timão em 2017 para a disputa da Copinha São Paulo. Após o período na base, a comissão técnica do clube decidiu emprestá-lo para a equipe do interior paulista. Lá, ele disputaria o Paulistão de 2020, com o intuito de receber mais oportunidades e acelerar seu desenvolvimento.

– Desde a Inter de Limeira já foi algo muito importante. Fazer nove jogos lá com o Elano foi importante demais para a minha carreira. Se eu não tivesse ido bem nessa oportunidade, não surgiria o Atlético-GO. A Inter foi algo muito especial para mim – disse João Victor em entrevista coletiva no CT Joaquim Grava.

Com o fim do Paulistão, o time do Parque São Jorge decidiu cede-lo para o Atlético-GO, que disputaria a Série A do Campeonato Brasileiro, onde ele ganharia mais experiência em jogos de maior dimensão nacional.

– O Atlético-GO jogando o Brasileirão, com mais visibilidade, ai que fui realmente aparecer. O Atlético é um clube que tenho muito carinho, falo direto com o presidente lá, se tornou um amigo meu. Fico feliz de ter feito uma boa passagem, campeão goiano. Agora é fazer história no Corinthians, e tenho certeza que vou conseguir – afirmou.

> TABELA – Confira e simule os próximos jogos do Corinthians no Paulistão

Após retornar do Dragão, João Victor recebeu suas primeiras oportunidades com Vágner Mancini. Desde então, se transformou em peça fundamental para o sistema defensivo da equipe. Para ele, o amadurecimento na Inter de Limeira e Atlético-GO foram fundamentais para a sua evolução.

– Às vezes a gente fica com receio de arriscar um passe, tentar uma jogada. Acaba sendo uma coisa natural, o que a gente faz nos treinamentos consegue replicar no jogo. Isso é muito do psicológico do jogador. Quando joga em uma equipe de menor expressão que o Corinthians, consegue impor o que fazemos nos treinamentos. E quando chega em um grande clube como o Corinthians, a gente consegue fazer com mais naturalidade – concluiu.

O Corinthians volta a campo neste sábado (12), às 18h30 na Neo Química Arena, contra a Ponte Preta, em duelo válido pela décima primeira rodada do Paulistão.

Liverpool are believed to be working on a deal to sign an “exceptional” youngster with a similar playing style to Real Madrid superstar Vinicius Jr, according to a fresh transfer update.

Liverpool contract & transfer latest

The futures of Trent Alexander-Arnold, Virgil van Dijk and Salah continue to dominate the headlines at Anfield, with all three out of contract at the end of the season.

It arguably looks like Van Dijk is the most likely to extend his stay at Liverpool currently, with the 33-year-old reportedly reaching a breakthrough in talks. He was again outstanding in his side’s 2-0 win at home to Manchester City in the Premier League on Sunday, highlighting why retaining his services is so important.

In terms of possible new signings for the Reds, Shakhtar Donetsk attacking midfielder Georgiy Sudakov has been linked with a move to the club, with scouts sent to watch him in action.

Meanwhile, Liverpool’s interest in Takefusa Kubo still isn’t going away, with the Real Sociedad winger potentially seen as an option to replace Salah on the right-hand side, should the Egyptian King depart in 2025.

Liverpool working on move for "explosive" ace

According to a fresh claim from Football Insider, Liverpool are interested in signing Gent winger Momodou Sonko, as Michael Edwards and Richard Hughes eye top young talent moving forward. The Reds are said to be “working on a deal” for the 19-year-old, who has been likened to Bukayo Saka.

The teenager is a player with so much long-term potential, scoring three goals in 24 appearances for Gent at senior level. He also bagged 22 goal contributions (14 goals and eight assists) in 44 appearances for Hacken, showing how he is already capable of producing a consistent stream of end product.

Scout/writer Jacek Kulig believes Vinicius is a better likeness than Saka for the young winger, given the pair’s quick feet, bravery and directness in one-on-one situations.

Another scout, Mateusz Belza, has also lauded the “explosive and flamboyant winger traits” that Sonko possesses, and if Liverpool could snap him up, they could solve their post-Salah right wing issue for many years to come.

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Ideally, their current attacking superstar will sign a new deal that keeps him at Anfield for another two or three years, allowing Sonko to come in and learn from him, maturing as a player at the same time.

Celtic moved nine points clear at the top of the Scottish Premiership table with their 3-0 win over Hibernian at Parkhead on Saturday afternoon.

Arne Engels, an own goal from Joe Newell, and Kyogo Furuhashi were the scorers of the goals for the Scottish giants, who are now well clear of Aberdeen in second place.

Brendan Rodgers will surely be delighted with the incredible consistency of his team, with 14 wins from 15 league games, in the top-flight so far this season.

He will also be pleased by the form of right-back Alistair Johnston, who was recently nominated as one of the best players in his position in the world.

Alistair Johnston nominated for FIFA award

The Canada international is one of 22 defenders on the shortlist to be named in the 2024 FIFA’s The Best Men’s 11, and one of four right-backs in contention to make the team.

He is competing against Achraf Hakimi, former Celtic ace Jeremie Frimpong, and Dani Carvajal, whilst defenders like Virgil van Dijk, Ruben Dias, and Antonio Rudiger are also up for voting.

The presentation of the awards and the unveiling of The Best 11 will be in January 2025, which means that there is still time for supporters to vote for the Hoops star to make the team.

Celtic agreed a new contract with Johnston in November, at which point Rodgers hailed his “phenomenal” work rate, and they appear to have hit the jackpot with the impressive full-back.

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Ange Postecoglou swooped to sign him for a reported fee of £3.5m from MLS side Montreal in the January transfer window at the start of 2023, and his value has soared since then.

Alistair Johnston's current market value

The 26-year-old star is currently valued at €9m (£7.5m) by Transfermarkt, which shows that his value has soared in his almost two years at Parkhead to date.

His market valuation has skyrocketed as a result of his terrific performances on the pitch for the Hoops, particularly since the start of the 2024/25 campaign.

Johnston, who assisted the opening goal from Engels against Hibernian at Paradise on Saturday, has provided a big attacking threat whilst also being solid defensively in the Scottish Premiership this season.

Appearances

15

Goals

4

Big chances created

9

Assists

4

Duel success rate

59%

As you can see in the table above, the Celtic number two has held his own in his physical battles, winning the majority of his duels with opposition players in the division this term.

His attacking numbers are also extraordinary, particularly in comparison to his form in the 2023/24 campaign, as he has contributed with 13 goals and ‘big chances’ created combined in 15 matches.

Last season, Johnston scored one goal and created 11 ‘big chances’ in 32 appearances for Celtic in the Premiership, which means that he has already offered more in the final third despite not even playing half as many matches yet.

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Therefore, Postecoglou hit the jackpot when he signed the Canadian dynamo at the start of last year, as he his value has soared, his performances on the pitch have improved, and he is now among the best in the world in his position – given his nomination for FIFA’s award.

Saturday in the Premier League sees a crucial clash as two of the bottom three go head-to-head, with Wolverhampton Wanderers taking on Ipswich Town at Molineux.

Wolves are undefeated in seven league meetings with the Tractor Boys, beaten during only one of their 16 encounters in the Black County since 1991, but could really do with a victory in this one, considering both sides kick off four points from safety.

Following Monday night’s 2-1 defeat at West Ham, the Old Gold have won only three of their last 25 Premier League matches, dating back to early-March, pressure is really starting to mount on Gary O’Neil, desperately requiring a victory either here or at Leicester next Sunday, or potentially from both, if he’s to remain in charge this Christmas.

So, ahead of this huge relegation six-pointer, we assess the biggest selection dilemma O’Neil is facing.

João Gomes' suspension

Having collected his fifth yellow card of the campaign at the London Stadium on Monday, João Gomes will sit out Saturday’s crucial clash with Ipswich suspended.

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He had been carefully treading this tightrope for six matches beforehand, but was cautioned by referee John Brooks shortly after the hour mark during the defeat at West Ham.

This is a big blow considering Gomes has racked up 1,273 minutes in the Premier League this season, the second-most of any Wolves player, a mere ten minutes fewer than Rayan Aït-Nouri, starting all 15 fixtures and scoring two goals, finding the net against both Crystal Palace and Fulham.

So, could Wolves’ forgotten man fill Gomes’ void this weekend?

The perfect Wolves replacement for Gomes

When Hwang Hee-chan arrived from RB Leipzig in 2021, initially on loan with a £14m option to make the deal permanent, which was taken up, he did so to much excitement.

Nubaid Haroon described him as “exciting” and, given that the South Korean international had scored 45 times for RB Salzburg, 11 of these goals coming in UEFA competitions, it was easy to understand why.

The highlight of Hwang’s time in the Black County to date remains the winner he scored against Manchester City last season, coming days after Pep Guardiola, rather patronisingly and dismissively, named Wolves’ front three as “Neto, Cunha and the Korean Guy”.

Overall,the 28-year-old has scored 22 goals for Wolverhampton Wanderers to date, yet to get off the mark this season, following by some considerable margin his best campaign in an Old Gold shirt last time round.

Statistic

21/22

22/23

23/24

24/25

Appearances

32

27

29

9

Minutes

1,865

1,130

2,119

300

Goals

5

3

12

0

Goals per 90

0.24

0.24

0.51

0

Assists

1

1

3

0

Expected goals

4.6

2.9

7.7

0

Shots

28

18

44

0

Shot-creating actions

38

30

48

5

Goal-creating actions

2

2

9

1

As outlined in the table above, 2023/24 was by far Hwang’s most productive campaign at Wolves, ending the season as their joint-top scorer in the Premier League, alongside Cunha.

However, this season, he’s yet to score, register an assist or even take a shot in just 300 minutes on the field.

Since suffering an ankle ligament injury during Korea Republic’s World Cup qualifying victory over Jordan in Amman back in October, Hwang has made just three cameo appearances off the bench, the longest of which was a 33-minute appearance at Goodison earlier this month, remaining amongst the substitutes on Monday night, despite the urgent need for an equaliser.

This weekend though, in Gomes’ absence, now is surely the time for O’Neil to unleash Hwang, starting him alongside the aforementioned Cunha, as well as Jørgen Strand Larsen, both of whom have been impressive this season, when Ipswich visit on Saturday.

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Celtic lifted their first trophy of the 2024/25 campaign on Sunday after they beat Rangers 5-4 on penalties in the final of the League Cup at Hampden Park.

It was not an easy afternoon for the Hoops in the national stadium as they had to battle from 1-0 down at half-time to take the lead and then were twice pegged back to make it 2-2 and 3-3 before winning on penalties.

Greg Taylor was one player who underperformed, despite scoring, as it was his huge error that led to the opening goal from Nedim Bajrami in the first half.

The Scotland international was criticised for his performance, with fan account ‘Everthing Celtic’ on X hoping for him to be sold next month, and the Hoops may be wishing that they still had Kieran Tierney in their ranks.

Kieran Tierney's time at Celtic

The Arsenal defender came up through the ranks in Glasgow and went straight into the first-team set-up at Celtic without any loan moves elsewhere to develop.

Tierney went on to make 170 appearances in all competitions for the Scottish giants, and contributed with eight goals and 37 assists in that time, winning five Scottish Premiership titles.

As you can see in the graphic above, he was then sold to Arsenal for a fee of £25m in the summer of 2019, which led to Taylor’s arrival from Kilmarnock.

Celtic may have thought they had found their next Kieran Tierney, though, when Adam Montgomery came through the ranks the season after, in the 2020/21 campaign.

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Montgomery made two appearances in the Premiership as an 18-year-old, which caught Tierney’s eye. The Gunners full-back described him as a “good talent” that was “good enough” to follow in his footsteps.

Where Adam Montgomery is now

Now 22, the left-back has been out of action since February with a ‘serious’ hamstring injury, that he suffered whilst on loan with Motherwell in the Premiership.

Unfortunately, the Scottish defender has not kicked on in the same way that Tierney, who went straight into the first-team and emerged as a regular starter, did.

Montgomery did make 18 appearances in the first half of the 2021/22 campaign and was hailed by Ange Postecoglou for his “tremendous” composure, but was then sent out on loan to Aberdeen in January.

Postecoglou decided that the academy graduate was not up to the level required to be part of his first-team squad, much less to overtake Taylor, and sent him out on loan to St. Johnstone for the 2022/23 season.

22/23 Premiership

Adam Montgomery

Appearances

28

Starts

26

Goals

0

Assists

1

Dribbled past per game

0.8x

Pass accuracy

72%

Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, Montgomery was a regular in the team at Premiership level but failed to catch the eye with his performances, as he struggled to offer much in possession and was beaten by opposition forwards too often.

He was then sent on loan to Fleetwood Town in League One in England at the start of last season before being recalled after injury issues, before returning to Celtic in January and then suffering his hamstring issue after joining Motherwell.

At the time of writing, Transfermarkt values the young defender at just €500k (£413k) and this illustrates his lack of progression in recent years, with his performances lacking in quality even before his injury issues.

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Whilst he still has time to turn his career around, at the age of 22, Montgomery does not seem likely to emerge as the next Tierney for Celtic, despite his early promise after breaking through.

Ruben Amorim will take charge of his first Manchester United game this afternoon, away to Ipswich Town. The Red Devils are coming off the back of a four-game unbeaten run, with interim manager Ruud van Nistelrooy seeing them to three wins and a draw during his spell in charge.

The competition for places will be tough, with every player looking to impress the new manager. Amorim is set to use his 3-4-3 system that saw so much success at Sporting. There are plenty of options for the Portuguese manager in the attacking areas, as journalist Rich Fay pointed out on Friday…

One player who might not get a starting spot is Marcus Rashford.

Where Rashford fits in under Amorim

Rashford’s campaign has been mixed so far. The United number ten has four goals and three assists in 18 games so far this term, but the number of minutes Erik ten Hag played him for was certainly odd.

Following a goal against Southampton, he was promptly dropped for United’s next league game away to Crystal Palace. In a Europa League game away to Porto, Ten Hag substituted Rashford at half-time after a goal and assist, citing rest as the reason for his withdrawal.

There is perhaps a concern that the United academy graduate has no obvious spot under Amorim. He plays his best football as a winger, although the 39-year-old does not set up with them in his system.

That leaves two potential positions for Rashford to play. One of those is wingback, although to restrict a player of his extraordinary attacking ability to a more defensive role seems like a waste of his talent.

The other role the Englishman could play is as the number nine. Amorim got the very best out of Viktor Gyokeres at Sporting; the Sweden striker scored 66 goals in 68 games under his former manager. It is certainly an environment Rashford could thrive.

However, Rasmus Hojlund is knocking on the door for a starting spot and is a very similar profile to the Sporting centre-forward. Former United scout Mick Brown told Football Insider the Dane is similar to Gyokeres. He explained that like the Swede, Hojlund can “put defenders under pressure, he can be physical and he can run in behind”.

It remains to be seen where Rashford fits into Amoirm’s system, but there might not be a starting sport for him at all against Ipswich. Alejandro Garnacho is another player who might only be a substitute for the Red Devils’ trip to East Anglia.

Why Garnacho may not start against Ipswich

It has been an impressive season for 20-year-old Garnacho. The Argentina international has scored seven goals and has four assists to his name in 18 games. Ten Hag was full of praise for the youngster, describing him as the Red Devils “best player” earlier in the season.

Garnacho record by competition 2024/25
Stat	Premier League	Europa League	Carabao Cup	Community Shield
Games	11	4	2	1
Minutes	713	223	157	31
Goals	3	0	3	1
Assists	1	0	3	0
Stats from Transfermarkt

Thus, it might be strange to suggest the United number 17 does not make the starting lineup. However, he largely has the same problem as Rashford, because he seemingly does not fit in anywhere.

There are several players ahead of the youngster in the pecking order for one of the attacking midfield spots. They include the likes of Bruno Fernandes, Mason Mount and Amad, so it is unlikely Garnacho will start as a number 10.

His physical profile does not really suit an Amoirm centre-forward, the mould of Hojlund or Gyokeres, despite his direct nature and pace to run in behind.

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The only place he could likely feature is at wing-back, but United’s new boss told Gary Neville in an interview they will “start with full-backs in wing-back roles because to teach a winger to defend is harder”.

That is not to say that he can’t operate as a wing-back further down the line. He works hard defensively, as shown by his FBref stats. Per 90 minutes in the Premier League this season, the Argentine makes 5.66 ball recoveries, ranking him in the top 7% of wingers.

It is frustrating for Garnacho, who might face a few weeks as a substitute, making cameos off the bench rather than starting games. However, he will be hoping to make an impact still, and eventually break into the starting lineup, be it at wing-back or in a more advanced role.

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Sunderland head back into the swing of things in the Championship winless in their last three games, which is a strange predicament to be in considering the Black Cats are also top of the current second-tier pile.

Three draws on the spin will have frustrated the Wearside outfit nonetheless, especially when you cast an eye at their last match versus Coventry City, with Sunderland coasting into a 2-0 lead before a late Sky Blues comeback saw the entertaining affair end 2-2.

Regis Le Bris will just pray that his team gets back to winning ways away at Millwall on Saturday, as the intense pressure of being near the top of the table begins to heat up.

That pressure might be getting to the Black Cats already, who have some unfortunate selection issues heading into the clash at the Den that won’t ease those nerves whatsoever.

Sunderland team news ahead of Milwall

As the Sunderland Echo has highlighted recently, there could be up to five players missing for this trip to face off against Neil Harris’ Lions, with three casualties confirmed already owing to suspensions.

Jobe Bellingham, Patrick Roberts and Trai Hume will all be unavailable, whilst Alan Browne is also now confirmed to be missing out after picking up an injury versus Coventry.

But, the most devastating absentee of the lot is Romaine Mundle, who also suffered a similar fate to Browne last match, with confirmation now that the electric left winger is set for up to eight weeks out in the treatment room.

This will be disorientating for Le Bris and Co, with Mundle taking over duties down the left wing in terrific fashion this season after Jack Clarke’s departure by finding the back of the net four times from 16 Championship appearances before this unwanted development.

Therefore, the Frenchman could be forced into starting one youngster in his place this weekend for just their second start of the campaign.

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The "exciting" talent who could replace Mundle

With Roberts also out, Sunderland starlet Tom Watson might well be thrown in at the deep end at the Den on the left, having previously started away at Preston North End when numbers were also low.

He didn’t really get going in that contest at Deepdale, but he did show occasional flashes of the brilliance that has seen him light up the Premier League 2 for the U21s, with one effort on goal registered alongside managing one successful slaloming dribble.

Newcastle

0

0

Middlesbrough

1

1

Liverpool

1

0

Everton

1

1

Derby

2

2

Looking at the table above, it’s clear to see why the “exciting” forward – as he has been described in the past by Sunderland Academy manager Robin Nicholls – has been fast-tracked up to the senior mix, with five goals and four assists tallied up from just five games in the Premier League 2.

His stunning display against Derby actually came from down the left flank, with Watson adaptable enough to play in central midfield or down the right channel if needed, but Le Bris could well call upon the raw youngster in this spot for the game at Millwall.

After all, the former Lorient boss has managed to get the best out of the likes of Chris Rigg since his arrival from France, with the 17-year-old on three goals in Championship action under the tutelage of Le Bris.

Watson will hope he can explode into life in a similar manner soon, with the perfect opportunity potentially opening up for him in London.

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Sunderland wasted a lot of money on this expensive dud.

ByKelan Sarson Nov 21, 2024

Netherlands head coach and former Australia ODI wicketkeeper Ryan Campbell is in intensive care in a hospital in the UK after suffering a heart attack on Saturday.The 50-year-old was at a playground with his children at the weekend, before collapsing. It was reported on on Tuesday morning AWST that he remained in an induced coma although under the care of his doctors he has made some attempts successfully to breathe on his own.On Wednesday morning AWST, his brother Mark Campbell told that he was out of his coma but remained in ICU under observation.”They’ve taken the heavy sedation off, so he’s actually woken up,” Mark Campbell said.”Now they’re just looking at trying to work out what’s wrong with his heart.”He did a few tests and they’re saying there doesn’t appear at this stage to be any brain damage, his brain wasn’t starved of oxygen.”They’re not sure now why his heart is still being arrhythmic. So that’s another issue that they’re now going to look at over there.”He’s been in intensive care since Saturday night.”His wife is there with him and one of his friends from Hong Kong has flown to be there.”The family have been overwhelmed with the messages of support we’ve been getting from all over the world,”He has coached the Netherlands cricket team since April 2017 and led them on the recent limited-overs tour of New Zealand. He had been travelling back to Europe from the tour, and had visited friends and extended family in his home city of Perth just a week earlier.A swashbuckling batter and wicketkeeper who made his name in Western Australia, Campbell played two ODIs for Australia in 2002 when Adam Gilchrist was absent to spend time with his newborn son.During an illustrious 98-game first-class career between 1994 and 2006, Campbell starred for Western Australia with 6009 runs at an average of 36.31.WA cricket CEO Christina Matthews offered her support to Campbell’s family..”WA Cricket is in shock to hear of Ryan’s medical emergency after suffering a major heart attack over the long weekend,” Matthews said in a statement.”On behalf of all WA Cricket staff, players and the wider cricket community, I would like to pass on our heartfelt thoughts to Ryan, his wife Leontina and their family at this time.”We know he is in the best care, and hope he pulls through and is able to make a full and speedy recovery.”He played for Hong Kong during the 2016 Twenty20 World Cup at the age of 44.