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In need of an attacking overhaul, Manchester United could now reportedly offer Rasmus Hojlund in a summer swap deal to sign an instant upgrade for Ruben Amorim and his side.

Amorim bemoans Man Utd's attacking struggles

Manchester United’s attacking problems couldn’t have been summed up much better than just how much more dangerous Harry Maguire looked when leading the line compared to the likes of Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee against Nottingham Forest.

The central defender offered the physical presence that Zirkzee and Hojlund otherwise lack and even moved with the attacking intelligence both forwards have failed to show consistently this season.

Minutes

1,479

1,328

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3

3

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0

1

Expected Goals

3

4.5

Amorim is well aware of his side’s attacking struggles too, telling reporters when asked what needs to change after Manchester United’s 1-0 defeat against Forest: “Yes, because if you look at some games, we cannot create situations where they create. The opponent sometimes create more opportunities and today was not the case.

“They scored one shot maybe two shots at goal and we manage not to score again. We have to improve in the last third. We are improving the way we build up. We are pushing the opponents more to their half, but there’s a lot to be given.”

Man Utd now open to selling star to fund move for "world-class" £62m striker

The Red Devils could cash in on a first-team player, following a very disappointing performance against Nottingham Forest.

1 ByDominic Lund Apr 3, 2025

That improvement, at this stage, looks unlikely to come by relying on Hojlund and Zirkzee which is destined to end in an attacking overhaul at Old Trafford. And whilst it remains to be seen just who arrives to solve Amorim’s problems, names such as Benjamin Sesko and Samu Aghehowa have already threatened to steal the headlines once or twice.

There’s no doubt that both would offer United instant upgrades, but there remains questions over their ability to lure such players to Old Trafford in current circumstances. Amid that doubt, the Red Devils have seemingly turned towards an option closer to home.

Man Utd could offer Hojlund in Mateta swap deal

Whilst Hojlund and Zirkzee have struggled this season, Jean-Philippe Mateta has continued to thrive and may yet find himself on his way to Old Trafford as a result this season.

According to Football Transfers, Manchester United could even offer Rasmus Hojlund in a shock swap deal to sign Mateta this summer, landing an instant solution to Amorim’s attacking problems in the process.

Dubbed “amazing” by Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner, the Frenchman has outscored United’s two struggling strikers in the current campaign with 12 Premier League goals to his name providing more than enough evidence of his quality.

With talks reportedly already open over a move worth €50m (£42m), INEOS could save themselves some vital funds by ending Hojlund’s Old Trafford nightmare and signing Mateta whilst doing so this summer.

India’s assistant coach says the side hasn’t prepared differently for Pakistan, but is “aware of the sentiments and strong feelings” about facing them

Shashank Kishore13-Sep-20254:27

Ryan ten Doeschate on Ind vs Pak: ‘Messaging has been to focus on the cricket’

India haven’t prepared any differently for Pakistan than they would for any other match, but are certainly respectful of people’s sentiments. So said Ryan ten Doeschate, India’s assistant coach, ahead of Sunday’s Asia Cup fixture in Dubai.”It’s a very sensitive issue and I’ve got no doubt the players share the compassion and feeling of the vast majority of the Indian public,” ten Doeschate explained. “The Asia Cup was in limbo for a long period of time and we were just waiting. We didn’t think we were going to be coming at one stage.”You know what the Indian government’s stance is and now the team and particularly the players, you have to put those sentiments and the emotions behind. That’s something we addressed in the team meeting today.”We’re aware of people’s feelings, at the same time we’ve got to go out, and the guys get a chance to play for their country, and they’ll be as professional and focused as they can be given the circumstances.”Related

New-look India and Pakistan set to renew old rivalry

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India vs Pakistan, minus the fervour

In explaining the process of trying to focus on the task, ten Doeschate revealed coach Gautam Gambhir’s message to the team. He also said there was no need for the team management to insulate the players from the external chatter.”The waiting period of knowing whether this [Asia Cup] was going to happen was the most frustrating part,” he said. “Once we knew we were going to be here, and playing, we have tried to get on with the business of it. This game, particularly, we haven’t prepared differently, like I said, but we are obviously aware of the sentiments and strong feelings.”Gauti’s message has been sort of very professional about not worrying about things that are not in our control and being emotionless when approaching the cricket side of things. The guys are professional enough, I am sure.”Individuals have different levels of feeling on the spectrum of where they feel the whole situation [geopolitical tensions] is, but the messaging has been to focus on the cricket, and try to focus on the one game tomorrow.”The cricket world has shifted its collective gaze towards Suryakumar Yadav’s India vs Salman Agha’s Pakistan•AFP/Getty ImagesAsked if the team was looking at sport as a tool to protest, ten Doeschate was clear that they were here to do what they were asked: to play cricket.”The other side of the argument is you separate sport and politics, and people have got different opinions on that,” he said, “Hopefully the way we play can represent how players feel about the country. I understand the position and, like I explained, the sentiment. We are following the direction of what the BCCI and Indian government have decided is right for the country at the moment.”In being as honest as he could be around the slightly delicate circumstances around which India are playing Pakistan in the tournament – the Pahalgam attacks and the aftermath of what followed taken into context – ten Doeschate explained their “processes” were very similar to how it would be for other games, while being mindful of what their opponents will come up with, given they are a young team wanting to play in a new direction.”I’ll be honest, no,” he said when asked if there was a little “something extra” for this match. “I was expecting a lot more niggle at the Champions Trophy game. I didn’t really feel that either. Certainly, the preparation and focus this week haven’t been any different to our preparation for any other important game.”Pakistan have started to come to terms with how they want to play T20 cricket, so it’s going to be a slightly different challenge from maybe the last 24 months. But we want to focus on what we’re doing and how we want to play is the most important thing for us, given we have the potential of playing Pakistan a couple of times in this tournament, and obviously in the next six months as well, there’s going to be a World Cup.”Again, it goes back to what we said about controlling those emotions, and we want to prepare for every single game in the same manner.”

“You can’t let it chew you up’ – Shams Mulani has done it for Mumbai year after year and will continue to, whether or not higher honours come his way

Shashank Kishore22-Nov-2025There’s a growing perception in Indian cricket that Ranji Trophy success alone isn’t enough to break into the Test team. IPL performances are seen as proof of temperament under pressure. But what does a player do when the IPL call doesn’t come?Ask Shams Mulani, who has neither been an IPL regular nor made the India A cut, seemingly due to intense competition, with all of Harsh Dubey, Manav Suthar and R Sai Kishore performing exceedingly well.Mulani’s record, though, is mighty impressive. Since 2022, no bowler in the country has taken more Ranji Trophy wickets than him: 198 at 21.92, with 16 five-fors and three ten-fors. The next best, Dharmendrasinh Jadeja, has 157.In this period, Mulani has also been a regular performer in white-ball cricket – most notably in a key role in Mumbai’s maiden Syed Mushtaq Ali (T20) Trophy triumph in 2022-23, where he picked up 16 wickets in ten matches. Yet, despite this unmatched consistency, the IPL door has never really opened for Mulani, who has played all of two matches for Mumbai Indians.Related

Auqib Nabi, Prithvi Shaw light up the Ranji Trophy

“You’re providing a service, bringing a skillset, and if there’s no demand, you just keep plugging away,” Mulani tells ESPNcricinfo. “The IPL is a great stage, but if you’re not playing there, you can’t let it chew you up. It’s easy to obsess over what you don’t have. I prefer to take pride in being a Mumbai cricketer, where nothing comes easy and you learn to enjoy the struggle.”It’s this mindset Mulani will carry into the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy next week, joining hundreds of hopefuls vying for visibility ahead of the auction.

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Mulani wasn’t supposed to get this far. He barely made age-group sides and spent nearly two seasons on the fringes before debuting for Mumbai in all three formats in 2018. “When you don’t expect something and it happens, the happiness is different,” he says. “But playing for Mumbai comes with pressure. That pressure drives me.”Along the way, he has also learned to live with the noise and the scrutiny that invariably follows. “One bad game, even one bad session, and people are talking about you by evening. I’ve heard people say, ‘he’s done’ or ‘he doesn’t have it anymore’ [like in the knockouts phase of 2024-25 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy when he was dropped]. I try to stay calm and stick to my routine. Five-for or failure, nothing changes that.”That routine includes never skipping training. “Big players come with a purpose. They do things like clockwork. I’ve adopted that mindset. First optional session or second, I’m there. I hate missing it even if it’s optional.”Mulani has come through the first leg of the 2025-26 Ranji season with the same relentless sense of purpose. After five games, he is third on the wicket-takers’ list and central to Mumbai’s rise to the top of Elite Group C.

“As I look ahead, winning matches for Mumbai is what I train for. Anything else – any other team, any other setting – will just be a by-product”Shams Mulani

He revels in being Mumbai’s crisis man, and the season opener in Srinagar offered a reminder. After Mumbai’s top order was blown away by Auqib Nabi – 70 for 5 – in the second innings, Mulani’s gritty 41 dragged them to 181 and set Jammu & Kashmir a target of 243. He then produced a career-best 7 for 46 to secure a tense 35-run win, just when a second straight loss to J&K loomed. Amid the euphoria of that dramatic win, his first-innings 91, which set up the game, almost seemed like a footnote.”The main thing for me is getting a feel of the game,” he says. “Once I get that, I start visualising wickets. In Srinagar, the pitch was helping fast bowlers, so I didn’t get much in the first innings. But on the evening of day three, I told my room-mate Akash Anand, ‘I feel like tomorrow I’m going to change the game’. He wasn’t convinced. But I just had that feeling.”Two weeks ago in the fourth round, against Himachal Pradesh, he rescued Mumbai from 73 for 4 with a vital 69 and returned on the final day to take five wickets and finish the job. This ability to wheel away tirelessly is the result of years of work. “I played Ranji for years as a very different bowler,” he explains. “My mentality was simple: don’t give runs, control the game.”

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Everything changed when he began working with Amol Muzumdar in mid-2021 when Muzumdar was appointed Mumbai coach. “He really challenged me. He said containment alone wouldn’t take me to the next level. We debated a lot. He had his ideas, I had mine, and we found a middle ground. That shift helped massively.”Mulani ended the 2021-22 season with 45 wickets in six matches as Mumbai reached the final. “My mindset changed, and that happened because Amol backed me completely. Even now, Omkar Salvi [head coach] and Dhawal Kulkarni [bowling coach] keep pushing me.”And what changed technically?”I’ve always bowled left-arm around the wicket, running in straight. But most left-armers cut across the crease or go more side-on for angles,” Mulani says. “Before the season, Amol wanted me to try that. I was sceptical. I’d bowled the same way for years. But he told me, ‘don’t worry, I back you’.”They had an agreement: start spells with the new angle, return to his natural method later if it didn’t work.Shams Mulani is someone Mumbai trust to bail them out of tricky situations, even with the bat•PTI “It took a month to convince me. But once it settled, it felt really good. The ball came out faster, with more nip and bite. Being slightly more side-on helps create the angle and makes the ball carry off the pitch. The balance – not fully side-on, not fully straight – has made a big difference.”Another big shift has been fitness.”That’s played a huge role,” he says. “I’ve trained for five years with Vishal Chitarkar. He knows my body inside out. How fatigue affects me, how I should recover. We worked a lot on endurance, especially on the muscles that tire late in the day.”But training only takes you so far. In 95% humidity, in blazing heat, it’s willpower. You can give up and say you’re tired, but then you remind yourself the team needs you. Last year in the [Ranji Trophy] semi-final, I bowled 44 overs in the second innings. After 25, it was pure willpower. That ability to keep going has developed over time.”Over these years, Mulani has also fought to change perceptions. Early on, he was boxed in as a white-ball bowler. Now, his red-ball success has seen him being typecast at the other extreme. The younger Mulani might have been bothered; the 28-year-old version is not.”As I look ahead, winning matches for Mumbai is what I train for,” he says. “Anything else – any other team, any other setting – will just be a by-product.”If bigger doors open, Mulani will walk in. If they don’t, he’ll keep knocking on them the way he knows: one grinding spell, one hard run, one Mumbai win at a time.

Namibia have qualified for the 2026 men’s T20 World Cup and will be one of the three hosts of the 2027 edition as well

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Dec-2025Gary Kirsten has been appointed consultant for the men’s national teams of Namibia and will work with Craig Williams, the former Namibian cricketer who is the head coach of the men’s national team in the build-up to the next T20 World Cup, to be played in India and Sri Lanka in February-March 2026.”It is indeed a privilege to work with Cricket Namibia. I have been thoroughly impressed with the dedication and determination to create a high-performance cricket environment,” Kirsten said in a Cricket Namibia statement. “Their new state-of-the-art cricket stadium is a testament to their commitment to making sure their national teams are competing with the best cricket countries in the world. Their senior men’s national team is performing well, and I look forward to adding value to their preparation for the T20 World Cup in February next year.”Namibia, a team on the rise in men’s T20 cricket, qualified for each of the last three T20 World Cups, in 2021, 2022 and 2024, and are in the mix for the upcoming one too, and will also be one of the three hosts for the 2027 edition, with South Africa and Zimbabwe.”Kirsten’s appointment as consultant reflects Cricket Namibia’s commitment to strengthening its high-performance environment and supporting the existing coaching structure,” a statement from the board said. “His blend of international playing experience, coaching success, and passion for player development brings valuable insight and added depth to the Eagles [men’s national team] setup.”Kirsten, one of South Africa’s best batters from 1993 to 2004, turned to coaching after retiring. He was first part of the team that founded a cricket academy in Cape Town and took up roles at various levels in South Africa before becoming India’s head coach in 2007. Under him, India won the 2011 ODI World Cup. He was subsequently appointed head coach of the South Africa national team and has also held positions with a number of teams across the world in T20 franchise leagues. Most recently, he served in an aborted stint as head coach of the Pakistan men’s team in 2024.

It was only fitting that Game 7 of the World Series between the Blue Jays and Dodgers ended in another extra-inning thriller, but it was ultimately L.A. who emerged with baseball's biggest prize in front of thousands of heartbroken Blue Jays fans at Rogers Center.

The Blue Jays held a slim lead until the top of the ninth, when the Dodgers evened things up and sent the game to extra innings. In the 11th inning, Dodgers' Will Smith crushed a homer to put his team in front, 5-4. Yoshinobu Yamamoto—who would go on to win World Series MVP—then stepped onto the mound and helped induce a game-ending double play to clinch the title for the defending champs.

Saturday's loss dealt a brutal and devastating blow to the Blue Jays, who held a 3-2 series lead entering Game 6. Blue Jays star Bo Bichette was asked about his three-run home run off Shohei Ohtani early in Game 7's loss, and what it was like to cross home plate with teammate Vladimir Guerrero Jr. waiting for him.

He answered with a sad line about what could have been for Toronto:

"I wish we could have won it together," Bichette said. "I wish we could have shared that moment together. But just to share the moment with everybody is special."

Bichette missed a large chunk of the year due to a knee injury, but he returned for the World Series going 8-for-23 with one home run and four walks against the Dodgers.

The 27-year-old is set to be a free agent this offseason but restated his intention to stay in Toronto for the foreseeable future.

"Yeah, I already said it. I want to be here, but I just lost a Game 7 so you can keep on asking me," Bichette said when probed about his MLB future on Saturday night.

Bichette's dream of winning a World Series with his longtime partner-in-crime Guerrero seems feasible enough, assuming the Blue Jays choose to keep Bichette around. Guerrero's future with the Blue Jays is already locked in after the star slugger inked a 14-year, $500 million deal earlier this year, so now it's about how much the Blue Jays can afford to pay Bichette as well as other key position players on the roster.

"Vladdy is one of my best friends. We’ve had tons of [World Series] conversations like that," Bichette said of Guerrero in February. "We’ve talked about playing together forever since he was 18 and I was 19. That’s still a goal of ours."

ACB claims several lives were lost in attack in Urgun district, including three local cricketers

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Oct-2025The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) has withdrawn the national team from next month’s tri-series in Pakistan following the death of three local cricketers in a cross-border attack in the Urgun district of the country.Following the incident, the ICC and BCCI expressed solidarity with the ACB, who also urged “the implementation of firm and decisive measures against those responsible for this inhumane attack.” Pakistan’s government issued a statement contesting the claims that “cricketers” had died in an “airstrike”.In a post on X on Friday, the ACB claimed several lives had been lost in the attack, including three local cricketers who had been returning home after playing a “friendly” match in Sharana, the capital of Paktika province. “The ACB considers this a great loss for Afghanistan’s sports community, its athletes, and the cricketing family,” it said in a statement.Describing the incident as “tragic”, the ACB said “as a gesture of respect to the victims” it had “decided to withdraw from participating in the upcoming Tri-Nation T20I Series.”

I am deeply saddened by the loss of civilian lives in the recent Pakistani aerial strikes on Afghanistan. A tragedy that claimed the lives of women, children, and aspiring young cricketers who dreamed of representing their nation on the world stage.

It is absolutely immoral and…

— Rashid Khan (@rashidkhan_19) October 17, 2025