Chelsea chiefs are considering a “significant” bid to sign a potential replacement for the exit-bound Ben Chilwell, amid consistent reports that the £200,000-per-week defender is set to leave Stamford Bridge next year.

Chilwell deemed surplus to requirements by Maresca at Chelsea

Head coach Enzo Maresca hasn’t managed to find a place for Chilwell in his long-term plans, despite the England international’s big-name status, and it is believed he is now almost certain to leave in 2025.

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Maresca has even admitted that Chilwell was meant to leave in the summer window, but unlike fellow high-profile ace Raheem Sterling, who sealed a season-long loan move to cross-town rivals Arsenal, a transfer didn’t quite come to fruition.

The 27-year-old is said to have plenty of admirers heading into January – including from clubs in the Premier League, Serie A and La Liga – and there is a growing clamor for his services, according to reliable Chelsea journalist Simon Phillips.

Chelsea’s next Premier League fixtures

Date

Man United (away)

November 3

Arsenal (home)

November 10

Leicester City (home)

November 23

Aston Villa (home)

December 1

Southampton (away)

December 4

“Chilwell now wants out because he wants to play football and save his international career, and Chelsea also want him gone,” wrote Phillips via his Substack earlier this month.

“Clubs are interested in Chilwell still, but at the moment there has been no serious approaches. However, SPTC sources have heard that Fulham, Crystal Palace, Ipswich, and Manchester United are the most interested clubs from the Premier League.

“Chilwell has also had interest and agent approaches from clubs in La Liga and Serie A. Chelsea are encouraging clubs to come forward for Chilwell by making them aware of his availability. They have spoken to a number of clubs for January already.”

It is worth noting that Chilwell attracted interest from Turkey before their window shut in September, but it appears the former Leicester City star had little interest in making a move to the Super Lig at this stage of his career.

Chelsea considering "significant" bid to sign Alejandro Grimaldo

Marc Cucurella has cemented his place as Maresca’s preferred left-back position, but when Chilwell does leave, which appears inevitable, Chelsea will need a quality replacement.

According to Spanish media, it is believed Bayer Leverkusen star Alejandro Grimaldo is on their radar. The Spaniard has dazzled as a left-wing-back under Xabi Alonso, playing a key role in their Bundesliga triumph last season, and has started this term in similar fashion.

Grimaldo’s started nearly all of his 14 appearances in all competitions, bagging two goals and four assists as an attack-minded wing-back in Alonso’s system.

Naturally, this has attracted attention from elite clubs, and Chelsea are one of them. One Spanish report claims that Chelsea are considering a “significant” bid to sign Grimaldo, who the Blues view as a “quality” potential reinforcement who can add dynamism to Maresca’s left-flank.

The 29-year-old wouldn’t possess much sell-on value due to his age, with BlueCo demonstrating a preference of buying younger players since their takeover in 2022. However, a player of Grimaldo’s ability could be worth steering away from that philosophy.

“Grimaldo’s work ethic and dedication are incredible,” said Julian Weigl.

“He is always trying to improve and helps lift the team with his performances.”

Everton’s strong run of recent form in the Premier League continued as they battled hard to draw 1-1 with Fulham at Goodison Park on Saturday.

A second-half goal from former Toffees attacker Alex Iwobi looked to be the difference between the two sides before Beto scored a fantastic header in stoppage time to secure a point.

The result extended their unbeaten run to five games without a defeat in the top-flight for Sean Dyche’s side, who had also kept back-to-back clean sheets heading into the match.

Whilst Everton picked up a solid point in the end, there were a few poor performers on the pitch for the Toffees and Jack Harrison was one of them.

Jack Harrison's performance in numbers

The former Manchester City forward, who is on loan from Leeds United, struggled badly on the flank and did not do enough to justify his selection in the starting XI.

Dyche opted to select him on the right side of the attacking set-up and Harrison did not offer much in or out of possession throughout his 68 minutes on the pitch.

Minutes played

68

Pass accuracy

62%

Shots on target

0

Key passes

1

Dribbles completed

0/2

Duels won

1/6

As you can see in the table above, Harrison was incredibly lightweight off the ball, losing 83% of his duels, and offered very little at the top end of the pitch.

Zero shots on target, one key pass, and zero ‘big chances’ created illustrate his lack of impact in the final third for the Toffees, in a game that they lost by just one goal.

Harrison also only had 29 touches of the ball – fewer than his goalkeeper Jordan Pickford (48) – and this shows that the Englishman struggled to get involved in the match before he was substituted, way before Beto’s equaliser.

Why Jack Harrison must be dropped

Dyche must now finally ditch Harrison from the starting XI as the Leeds loanee continues to underperform and underwhelm on the pitch for Everton.

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The left-footed dud has now started seven of his nine appearances in the Premier League this season and, yet, is still looking for his first goal involvement, with zero goals and assists.

His return of zero goals from 0.86 xG in nine outings highlights his lack of quality as a finisher as well as his lack of movement in the final third, as he has failed to generate many high-quality openings.

The winger has been slightly more unfortunate as a creator, with zero assists from two ‘big chances’ created, but has less than 1.0 Expected Assists – on 0.84.

Out of possession, Harrison has been a weak link for the Toffees. He has lost the majority of his duels on the ground and in the air, winning 46% of his ground battles and 40% of his aerial contests.

These statistics show that the 27-year-old lightweight is a liability for Everton in the final third, with his lack of impact on the ball, and out of possession with his weak play in duels, which is why Dyche must finally drop him from the team.

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Stephen Baard described Namibia’s final game against India on Monday as “the big one”

Matt Roller05-Nov-2021

Namibia players get together in celebration•Getty Images

Namibia will relish the chance to “play with freedom” in the final game of their maiden men’s T20 World Cup campaign against India on Monday according to opening batter Stephan Baard, in the knowledge that their progress to the Super 12s has ensured them a berth in next year’s tournament in Australia.Victories over Netherlands and Ireland in the initial group phase sealed a spot in both the Super 12s and the 2022 T20 World Cup for Namibia, and while they have been heavily beaten in their three second-round fixtures against full-member nations following a tight victory over Scotland, Baard said that they had made the most of the chance to play against the world’s best players.Watch cricket live on ESPN+

Sign up for ESPN+ and catch all the action from the Men’s T20 World Cup live in the USA. Match highlights of Namibia vs New Zealand is available in English, and in Hindi (USA only).

“It gives us the opportunity to express ourselves a little bit more,” Baard, the opening batter, said of playing against Afghanistan, Pakistan, New Zealand and India. “We’re used to playing in qualifiers where every game is almost a do or die type game. Here, the intensity is so much different to what we’re used to and the discipline is so much better than what we’re used to but it’s a great learning experience.”It is tough, I’ll be honest about that. It is tough to learn in a short space of time in between games when you only have two or three days in between. To execute your plans and talk about different approaches to different players at this level, it can be quite tough, but it’s a great experience and it’s great to be part of it. Going forward, I know we’re going to the World Cup next year as well, so it’s something that we need to work on for the next 12 months.”Baard described Namibia’s fixture against India on Monday – in a game that could see their opponents needing a huge win in order to take their net run-rate above Afghanistan’s to ensure semi-final qualification – as “the big one”, and said that it would be the final stage in a “surreal” month for the squad.”It gives us the chance to play with freedom,” he said. “That’s the big one. It’s a big group and every game is a big game, but to finish off with the India team? It’s something to look forward to. It’s something that a couple of months ago, you didn’t even think about, so yeah – we’re looking forward to that one.”It’s been absolutely massive. We’ve enjoyed every single minute of it. We want to compete, we’re here to compete, but in the same sense, we want to learn as much as possible. We want to see what these guys do on and off the field and up until this point, it’s been surreal.”Baard said that New Zealand’s late charge when batting first – which saw Jimmy Neesham and Glenn Phillips add 67 runs in the final four overs to take the game away from Namibia – provided them with opportunities to learn how to improve at the death with both bat and ball.”On the bowling front, it will definitely be about executing certain plans, especially on a field where the one side is a lot bigger than the other,” he said. “The big part from the batting side will just be to see how they execute at the back end. That’s one of the things I spoke about along with their batters next to the field – how they change it up in the last four or five overs and where their options would be.”

Lionel Messi took to social media to address fans following Inter Miami's 5-0 thrashing of C.D. Olimpia in Honduras.

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• Messi posted after Olimpia game
• Inter Miami pre-season preparation continues
• Superstar grateful to Honduras

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• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Messi posted on Instagram in the wake of the warm-up match, during which he scored the opener from a Luis Suarez assist. He also set up a third Miami goal for Noah Allen as the Florida side eventually won 5-0. Afterwards, the 37-year-old superstar expressed his gratitude to the country of Honduras for hosting his team.

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• WHAT LIONEL MESSI SAID

  Messi captioned his post: "Adding up the minutes of preparation…Thank you for everything, Honduras!!"

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Inter Miami are busy laying the foundations for their 2025 MLS season, in which they will hope to go one better than 2024 after falling surprisingly ealry in the MLS Cup play-offs, despite claiming the Supporters' Shield. The win over C.D. Olimpia marked Miami's fourth pre-season outing of the year so far, after previously going head to head with Club America, Universitario and Sporting San Miguelito in Nevada, Peru and Panama respectively.

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  WHAT NEXT?

  The 2025 regular season kicks off for Inter Miami on Febriary 22 when New York City FC visit Chase Stadium. Before then, however, one final warm-up will take place against Florida rivals Orlando City at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa on Valentines' Day.

Islamabad United have signed former Pakistan allrounder Azhar Mahmood as their head coach for the seventh edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL). Mahmood will take over from Johan Botha, marking a fourth change in their management since the first season of the league in 2016; Deans Jones, Misbah-ul-Haq and Botha were the previous coaches, while Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis had stints as directors of the franchise.Mahmood, 46, previously had two stints with Multan Sultans and one with Karachi Kings as bowling coach. He was also the bowling coach of the Pakistan men’s national team between 2016 and 2019. In his most recent coaching assignment, Mahmood had worked with England briefly as an assistant bowling coach during their series against Pakistan in August last year.Mahmood had represented Pakistan for 10 years, between 1997 and 2007. He had his domestic career extended until 2016, playing as a T20 specialist across various leagues in England, India, Bangladesh, New Zealand and the West Indies. Overall, he picked up 258 wickets in 230 T20 games.”I was part of Islamabad United’s title winning team in PSL 1,” Mahmood said. “The franchise and the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi are quite close to my heart as my hometowns. United have always paved the way and provided a platform for emerging players, from Shadab to Asif to most recently Wasim, all started their careers here. It is not only a great platform for grooming local players but coaches too.”Saeed Ajmal is such an example and I look forward to working with him this year now that I take a new path in my career. I am obviously familiar with most of the guys there. It was an absolute pleasure to be the bowling coach of Hassan, Shadab, Faheem and co in my stint as Pakistan’s bowling coach. Together, we became the No. 1 T20 team in the world for an extended period of time. I have played franchise cricket all over the world and I look forward to sharing my experience with the guys at Islamabad United.”Islamabad United are one of the most successful teams in the PSL, winning two titles, in 2016 and 2018. They also have the highest win percentage in the tournament’s history so far.On signing Mahmood, franchise owner Ali Naqvi said: “Azhar was with us back in 2016 and his subsequent success as a bowling coach is not a surprise to anyone who interacted with him then. Seeing the development of so many of the young bowlers in the national team over the last five years is a testament to his work ethic. Islamabad United believes in grooming our players and coaches from within, and we are pleased to have Azhar back as part of the family.”The development of our players has been a source of pride for us, with three former Emerging Category players being part of Pakistan’s T20 World Cup squad this year, but the same is true of our coaching staff. We began this journey with only one local as part of our coaching staff back in 2016, and we are pleased that our staff this year will be overwhelmingly local, led by Azhar. Furthermore, Azhar provides the progressive understanding of T20 cricket that we pride ourselves on, and we are confident that he will do his utmost in achieving our shared goals.”

كشف لامين يامال، لاعب فريق برشلونة، تأثير الصيام في شهر رمضان على مستواه خاصة مع تواجده حاليًا في معسكر منتخب إسبانيا، خلال فترة التوقف الدولي الخاص بشهر مارس.

ويخوض منتخب إسبانيا مباراتين في دوري الأمم الأوروبية ضد نظيره منتخب هولندا، في مرحلة ربع النهائي.

ويُعد لامين يامال أول لاعب مسلم سيمارس طقوس رمضان، على رأسها الصيام، في معسكر منتخب إسبانيا الذي يتزامن مع الشهر المعظم (لمطالعة التفاصيل من هنا).

وعندما سُئل عن كيفية سير الأمور في معسكر منتخب إسبانيا خلال صيامه، قال لامين يامال في حواره مع صحيفة “سبورت” الإسبانية: “تمامًا كما هو الحال في برشلونة، إلا أنني أتدرب هناك وأعود إلى المنزل، هنا توجد أنشطة أكثر”.

وأضاف: “يجب أن أذهب للحديث إلى وسائل الإعلام وأقوم بالإعلان وغير ذلك، الأمر مختلف، ولكنني أستيقظ في الرابعة صباحًا لشرب الماء، ثم أتبع نفس روتين زملائي، باستثناء وقت تناول الطعام”.

وواصل: “أنا بخير من الناحية الجسدية، وفي لحظة بدنية وعقلية جيدة”.

وعن العودة إلى المنتخب بعد مرور عدة أشهر على آخر معسكر دولي، قال: “لدينا علاقة عائلية جدًا، الجميع يرحب بك بشكل جيد في هذا الفريق، أنا سعيد جدًا برؤية زملائي في الفريق مرة أخرى والآن حان الوقت للاستمتاع واللعب”.

وعن استبعاد مارك كاسادو بعد تعرضه لإصابة رفقة برشلونة ضد أتلتيكو مدريد، قال: “لقد تواصلت معه بعد المباراة ضد أتلتيكو، سألته كيف سيصل إلى معسكر التدريب، أخبرني أنه سيحتاج إلى إجراء فحص بالرنين المغناطيسي لأنه كان يعاني من آلام في ركبته، تمنيت له الشفاء العاجل يوم الإثنين، عندما أعود سأزوره وسنقضي معًا بعض الوقت، نأمل تعافيه قريبًا، نحن نحبه كثيرًا”.

واسترسل: “لقد كان لديه موسما لا يصدق، كان يلعب بمستوى رائع في موسمه الأول مع الفريق الأول، كان يقدم التمريرات الحاسمة، سعيد لأنه يقدم أداءً جيدًا”.

وعن كيفية قيامه بدوره كنجم لـ برشلونة ومنتخب إسبانيا، قال: “أخرج للاستمتاع ولا أفكر في هذا، أريد الاستمتاع بوقتي وقضاء وقت ممتع، ألعب كرة القدم، هو ما أفعله بشكل أفضل، لا أفكر في تلك الأشياء”.

وعما إذا كان هانز فليك ولويس دي لا فوينتي يقدمان له النصيحة في هذا الشأن وألا يفكر كثيرًا في النجومية، قال: “لقد قيل لي هذا مرات عديدة لدرجة أنها لم يعودا يكررانه بعد الآن، إنه شيء يجب أن تضعه دائمًا في الاعتبار، لن يؤذيك إلا إذا كنت تعتقد أنك الأفضل في كل شيء، عليك أن تستمتع بوقتك ولا تفكر في أي شيء آخر”.

واستكمل: “شعوري بالغضب عند الاستبدال؟ هذا يُظهر أن الجميع يريد اللعب، يغضب كل لاعب وقت التبديل، هذا طبيعي”.

وفيما يخص كونه قدوة للأطفال، قال: “عندما أرى الأطفال يرتدون قميصي، أو عندما أخرج متخفيًا وأرى الأطفال يرتدون قميصي، أشعر بسعادة شديدة، هذا ما لطالما حلمت به، أخبر أمي دائمًا بذلك، لا أعرف ما الذي أمر به، لكنني أستمتع به حقًا”.

واستأنف: “إنهم يقلدون طريقة تصفيف شعري كذلك، وأخبرني طبيب الأسنان بأن الأطفال سيضعون تقويم الأسنان لأنهم رأوني به، إنه أمر يرتبط بكرة القدم، يريد الأطفال أن يصبحوا مثل نجومهم المفضلين، أستمتع بذلك حقًا”.

وعن مواجهة منتخب هولندا يوم الخميس، بقيادة فرينكي دي يونج، قال: “لا أعرف كيف سيكون حاله، كان يعاني من ألم في المعدة، تمنيت له التوفيق وأتطلع للعب ضده، إنه لاعب رائع، نتطلع حقًا للعب ضد هولندا”.

وعن اللعب تحت قيادة المدرب هانز فليك، قال: “نشعر بكوننا أفضل، إنه أمر واضح، نحن فريق متماسك، أصبحنا أكثر تماسكًا من العام الماضي، هذا ما يحدث عادةً مع مرور الوقت عندما يجتمع اللاعبون ويقضون وقتًا معًا، نحن جميعًا سعداء لبعضنا البعض، وهذا هو مفتاح الفريق”.

وعن من سيفوز بجائزة الكرة الذهبية لهذا العام، هو أم رافينها، قال مبتسمًا: “لم نتحدث عن هذا، إذا فاز برشلونة بالألقاب المقبلة، فسوف يحصل عليها أحدنا، مهما كان، أنا سعيد جدًا من أجل رافينها، أقول له دائمًا، لقد كان تحوله مذهلاً ويخوض موسمًا رائعًا، الكرة الذهبية لا تقلقني”.

وعن مفاتيح نجاح فليك، قال: “لقد غرس فينا أن أهم شيء هو الشدة وأن نقاتل من أجل بعضنا، وأن نعطي كل شيء من أجل القميص واللاعبين والمشجعين والعائلة، يجب أن تكون لدينا دائمًا الرغبة في الفوز، إنه شخص سهل التعامل معه، يهتم بالجميع، ويشرح لك كل شيء حتى تعرف ما يجب تحسينه، نحن نقدر ذلك”.

وعما إذا كان قد سبق له أن تأخر عن اجتماع، قال: “لحسن الحظ لم يحدث ذلك، وإلا لما كنت لعبت مثلما حدث مع كوندي، إنه مدرب يعرف ما يجب عليه فعله لكسب احترام الفريق، أتعامل معه باللغة الإنجليزية، ولكنه يتحدث أحيانًا بالإسبانية”.

وعن خوف جمهور برشلونة من إمكانية مواجهة ريال مدريد في نهائي دوري أبطال أوروبا هذا الموسم، قال: “ولم لا؟ لا داعِ للخوف من أي فريق، لقد قلت بالفعل إنه في دوري أبطال أوروبا، كان ليفربول هو المرشح الأوفر حظًا لأنه احتل المركز الأول في مرحلة الدوري وكنا الثاني، أنا لا أخاف من أي فريق، نحن من يسبب الضرر الأكبر لريال مدريد والعكس صحيح”.

وعما إذا كان يرى أن برشلونة هو المرشح الأوفر حظًا للتتويج باللقب، قال: “إذا كنت تعتقد أنك لست المرشح الأوفر حظًا، فأنت بدأت تخسر بالفعل، لا تفكر في احتمالية الخسارة، بل تعتقد أنك الفريق الأفضل، الفريق الذي يلعب بأفضل أداء ولديه أفضل فرصة للفوز”.

MatériaMais Notícias

Nesta quarta-feira, às 21h35, Palmeiras e Ponte Preta se enfrentam, no Allianz Parque, pela primeira rodada do Paulistão-2022. Enquanto o Verdão já jogou pela competição, a Macaca faz sua partida de estreia. Ambos os técnicos terão desfalques para o duelo. Sintomas gripais e Data Fifa são os principais motivos.

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TABELA
> Veja classificação e simulador do Paulistão-2022 clicando aqui

> Conheça o aplicativo de resultados do LANCE!

GALERIA
> Confira a pré-lista de inscritos do Palmeiras para o Mundial de Clubes

Após vencer o Novorizontino no último domingo com time completo, o Alviverde entra em campo com dois desfalques importantes: Gustavo Gómez e Weverton, que foram convocados para as Eliminatórias da Copa do Mundo. Além deles, Kuscevic está fora por conta dessa Data Fifa. Dessa forma, Murilo e Marcelo Lomba, recém-contratados, devem ganhar chance na equipe titular.

Já pelo lado da Ponte Preta a dúvida fica por conta da estreia ou não do zagueiro Dedé nesta quarta-feira. Depois de dois anos sem jogar, ele pode ser utilizado pelo técnico Gilson Kleina, que manteve o mistério. Caso decida por não promover essa volta, Léo Santos, ex-Corinthians, deve ser o zagueiro titular. Quem desfalca a Macaca mesmo é o atacante Pedro Júnior, com gripe.

Veja as informações da partida:

PALMEIRAS x PONTE PRETA

Local: Allianz Parque, em São Paulo (SP)
Data/Horário: 26/1/2022, às 21h35
Árbitro: Raphael Claus
Assistentes: Danilo Ricardo Simon Manis e Rafael Tadeu Alves de Souza
VAR: Daiane Muniz dos Santos
Onde acompanhar: Paulistão Play, Premiere, Record TV e em tempo real no LANCE!/Voz do Esporte

PALMEIRAS

Marcelo Lomba; Luan, Murilo e Piquerez; Mayke, Danilo, Zé Rafael e Gustavo Scarpa; Raphel Veiga, Dudu e Rony. Técnico: Abel Ferreira.

Desfalques: Kuscevic, Gustavo Gómez e Weverton (convocados para seleções)

PONTE PRETA

Ygor Vinhas; Norberto, Dedé (Léo Santos), Fábio Sanches e Guilherme Santos; Moisés Ribeiro (Matheus Jesus), Léo Naldi, Marcos Júnior, Wesley e Fessin; Lucca. Técnico: Gilson Kleina.

Desfalques: Pedro Júnior (sintomas gripais)

continua após a publicidade

Rangers have received an injury boost regarding a “very good” player who was rumoured to have picked up a knock on international duty, acting as a relief for Philippe Clement.

Rangers struggling with injuries

The Gers have had a taxing start to the new season, struggling to hit top gear in the Scottish Premiership and in Europe, with results proving to be patchy.

It has meant Clement finds himself battling to save his job, with those high up at Ibrox no doubt wary that Rangers cannot afford to lose much more ground on Celtic even this early in the title race. The 4-1 defeat at home to Lyon in the Europa League was also a worrying result, having already been dumped out of the Champions League by Dynamo Kiev at the beginning of the campaign.

One valid excuse that the manager can use is that injuries haven’t helped his cause, with a number of important players unavailable at different points during the season already. Ridvan Yilmaz and Rabbi Matondo are two current absentees, while loanee Oscar Cortes could be a “long-term” injury victim for Rangers.

Granted, these fitness issues don’t excuse some poor performances and results to date, but having a fully fit squad could still make a world of difference for the Gers.

Rangers handed injury relief after update on "very good" player

According to an update from The Daily Record, Rangers youngster Connor Barron picked up a knock while representing Scotland’s Under-21s, but that myth has been dispelled with the news that he has been called up to the senior squad, filling in for James Forrest for the visit of Portugal on Tuesday night:

This will be music to the ears of Clement ahead of the return to Scottish Premiership action this weekend, with his Rangers side travelling to Kilmarnock on Sunday lunchtime.

Barron has been an important player so far this season, starting six matches in the league, not to mention averaging 2.3 clearances and two tackles per game. Jim Goodwin has described him as a “very good” player with “great potential”, while Scot Gemmill has said of him:

“We speak about players who have quite obviously got that mentality and that dedication. Conor is a very good example of that, but he has to keep going. I’m sure his new manager and staff will be demanding that from him too. He’s gone to a new club, big expectations and he’s started really well, but he has to keep pushing. This is only the beginning.”

It looks as though rumours of a setback for Barron were nonsense, and he will now be available for Rangers selection this weekend, in what represents a must-win game for Clement’s men.

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Not having him in the squad would have created another headache for Clement at a time when he needs things to run more smoothly, so he and the supporters will be equally relieved.

One of the most talented players in Manchester United’s recent history is Paul Pogba. The Red Devils broke the world record transfer fee at the time, 2016, to bring him to Old Trafford from Juventus for £89m.

Whether or not he lived up to the expectation is entirely down to personal perspective.

The midfielder’s stats at Old Trafford, however, are more than respectable. He played 226 times between 2016 and 2022 in that famous Red shirt, scoring 39 goals and grabbing 48 assists.

The midfielder also won two trophies, the Carabao Cup and the Europa League, scoring in the final of the latter.

What made Pogba’s move to Old Trafford even more incredible was the fact it was his second spell at the club, after he left for free in 2012. He is a graduate of the esteemed Carrington academy, and it was there where all the hype for the Frenchman was built.

Pogba’s first spell at United

Back in his academy days at United, Pogba was unstoppable. He was already physically far more developed than most others his age and stood tall above the rest, although not only in his height; the Frenchman was simply better than many other players.

Watching back clips of the former United midfielder during his time as an academy player, it is clear to see just how much of his game today has been transferred from those early days. The silky talent, who is known today for his wicked long passes, trickery on the ball and strength in duels, possessed all those traits in the academy.

His performances for the Red Devils reserve side in 2011/12, the campaign he broke into the first team under Sir Alex Ferguson, showed exactly why the legendary Scotsman put his faith in the youngster. Pogba played 16 reserve games that term, scoring three goals and grabbing six assists.

The France international, who won the World Cup in 2018, achieved FA Youth Cup success with the academy, alongside the likes of Jesse Lingard and Ravel Morrison. That side of 2011 did have the claim as United’s most recent triumph in the competition until 2022 when Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo began to get widespread recognition.

Pogba made seven first-team appearances for the Red Devils before leaving for Juventus in 2012, and, of course, rejoining the club four years later. It is fair to say he was creating some of the biggest hype in world football and was described as a “highly-rated young player” back in 2012 by The Guardian.

In recent years, United may well have lost another talent who was even once compared to Pogba, although he too departed in underwhelming circumstances like the Frenchman.

The midfielder who Man Utd sold for peanuts

The player in question here is another Red Devils academy graduate, Zidane Iqbal. The 21-year-old once had plenty of hype around him, just as Pogba had in his academy days, but it did not work out for him at Old Trafford.

A composed, press-resistant midfielder, Iqbal made well over 50 appearances for the United academy. He first got the chance to show what he could do in the first team under Ralf Rangnick in 2021, making his sole Red Devils appearance in December in the Champions League against BSC Young Boys.

He was compared to United’s former number six by Goal, who claimed the excitement level surrounding the Iraq international was similar to that of Pogba, before going on to say ‘Iqbal’s talent is undeniable’.

It may seem puzzling, then, that Erik ten Hag was happy to sell him in June 2023, particularly after claims that the Dutchman had been left impressed by him during the 2022 pre-season.

In the end, the 21-year-old moved for a fee in the region of £857k to Eredivisie side Utrecht, having surprisingly failed to make a first team appearance in 2022/23 under Ten Hag’s watch.

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The youngster has impressed in the Netherlands, making 22 appearances so far after injuries disrupted his progress. Some of his performances in particular stand out, including two impressive showings at the start of the season.

Stat

vs. Zwolle

vs. Heerenveen

Touches

68

60

Pass accuracy

87%

82%

Passes completed

47/54

31/38

Ground duels won

5/6

10/14

Tackles won

1/1

5/7

Long balls completed

4/7

2/3

Fouls won

3

4

The Red Devils may well look back on the deal to sell Iqbal one day as the wrong move, just as they arguably regretted losing Pogba.

They will surely be disappointed the youngster could not quite live up to expectations and become the next great academy graduate at Old Trafford.

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“We respect his feelings but once I explained to him, he understood,” says head coach Mohammad Akram

Umar Farooq15-Dec-2021

Kamran Akmal is the most-capped player in PSL history•Pakistan Super League

Peshawar Zalmi have confirmed that Kamran Akmal will “very much be a part” of the franchise, and that he will be playing for the team next season. Akmal also confirmed to ESPNcricinfo that he was on board with Zalmi and that the misunderstanding between the two parties had been cleared.On Sunday, Akmal said he felt “humiliated” after being picked up in the lowest category at the PSL draft, and refused to take part in the next edition of the PSL. Akmal had been relegated from the Diamond to the Gold category on draft day, and Zalmi made him their last pick, from the Silver category, against his wish. The back-to-back demotions didn’t go well with Akmal, who is the most-capped player in PSL history as well as the tournament’s second-highest run-scorer.”For me self-respect is foremost and it’s not about money,” Akmal told ESPNcricinfo. “Had it about the more money I could have left Zalmi long ago but they are like a family and I never imagined leaving them. It’s the process that basically was surprising and how the board disregards the senior cricketers. It’s hurtful as it’s a domestic tournament and I am not done yet. It’s the passion for the game that kept me going and the performance that matters. I am not looking at the international level as I know I don’t deserve it but at PSL I think I deserve a lot at this level. Zalmi is my pride and I will be playing for them.”Related

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According to PSL draft rules, if any player isn’t picked up in their nominated category, he has to give a consent to be picked up in the lower category, but players often set a limit for the demotion. In Akmal’s case, he reportedly never wanted to be picked in a category lower than Gold. However, Zalmi selected him anyway in the Silver category, though they elevated his monetary value by naming him a mentor.”We have a great respect for Kamran,” Mohammad Akram, Zalmi’s head coach, told ESPNcricinfo. “Picking him in the Silver category was a part of our strategy as draft dictates who you pick at what stage. We had the right-to-match card with us and we saved it for him in case any team could have tried to pick him. So when you have a tool to protect your player you make sure that he isn’t hurt money wise.”We respect his feelings but once I explained to him, he understood. We lifted him in the silver category but at the same time we named him as mentor as well. He is a very senior cricketer and as a coach I get motivation from his passion and hunger and hard work that he still puts in like an Under-19 boy. So it’s all sorted and he is very much part of our side.”Akmal’s PSL record carries significance as he has 1820 runs from 69 games, the run tally second only to Babar Azam’s 2070 from 58 games. Akmal has scored his runs at a strike rate of 136.84 and is the only one to have scored three hundreds; Sharjeel Khan has two. A Zalmi player from the start of the competition in 2016, Akmal is also the leading wicketkeeper in the PSL with 60 dismissals to his name.Before the draft, the PCB opened up a trade and retention window allowing each franchise to retain up to eight players, and Zalmi chose not to retain Akmal, the plan being to pick him from the draft instead. Wahab Riaz, the captain of the team, was retained, while Shoaib Malik was acquired from the Diamond category. The team has also brought in Mohammad Harris as an additional wicketkeeper.