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The Reds would be mad to pass up their final opportunity to make serious money on a 31-year-old who is acting and playing poorly

"If I speak today, there will be fire." So said Mohamed Salah as he poured petrol on a blaze that he himself had ignited at the London Stadium on Saturday. It was a staggering act of sabotage towards the tail end of a demoralising 2-2 draw with West Ham, albeit entirely in keeping with the calamitous conclusion of Liverpool's campaign, which has been a traumatising tale of self-inflicted damage.

Indeed, Salah's unseemly sideline spat with Jurgen Klopp came just seconds after the almost inevitable concession of yet another goal that had its origins in an unforced error (this time from Alisson Becker) – which had been preceded by the now customary squandering of a succession of chances to kill the game at the other end of the field.

Consequently, Liverpool's frustrated fans were left dealing with not only with the devastation of seeing their team's Premier League title hopes extinguished in fittingly farcical fashion, but also the sad sight of two of their most beloved figures involved in a surprisingly heated and depressingly public argument.

It was all so desperately undignified and only reinforced the belief that Liverpool should cash in on Salah this summer.

GettyTrue Liverpool legend

The Egyptian has long been Klopp's talisman, and his Liverpool legacy is already secure. As their all-time leading scorer in Premier League history, his greatness cannot be questioned. He is up there with Thierry Henry on the list of the finest forwards ever to play in England.

Even in a season affected by the Africa Cup of Nations and the injury he sustained in Ivory Coast, Salah has still managed to score 24 times and rack up 12 assists – only six players have been involved in more goals across Europe's 'Big Five' leagues.

Numbers-wise, a substandard season for Salah represents an incredible campaign for the likes of Cole Palmer and Ollie Watkins. In that sense, the winger is a victim of his own sustained excellence over the past seven years.

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There is also every reason to believe that a summer's worth of proper rest and recuperation will allow Salah to get back to his best next season, after being quite clearly hindered by the hamstring problem he suffered in January – even after his spring return to action.

After all, Salah has been borderline indestructible since arriving at Anfield from Roma. Obviously, there is always a bit of luck involved in avoiding serious injury, but Salah's renowned fitness regime has quite clearly played a pivotal role in his ability to play 50 games a season. It’s not difficult to foresee him performing at a high level well into his mid-30s.

However, the news that Liverpool are actually considering keeping Salah for another season makes little financial or sporting sense.

Getty Another Saudi bid incoming?

Liverpool were right to turn down a £150 million ($190m) offer from Al-Ittihad for Salah's service's last September as he was still performing at the peak of his powers and there was always a chance that Klopp might mastermind a Premier League title challenge – even after a summer of great upheaval at Anfield.

So it proved, with Salah's sensational form during the first half of the season one of the main reasons why the resurgent Reds were able to put themselves in a position to challenge for the quadruple before he headed off to the AFCON.

But an awful lot has changed since then. There are now legitimate doubts over Salah's form and fitness, as well as the quality of Klopp's likely successor, Arne Slot. So, if Al-Ittihad were to put anything like the same kind of cash on the table at the end of the current campaign, it should be snapped up.

Getty ImagesSell Salah to strengthen squad

Salah turns 32 on June 15 and has just over one year left on his contract. It has been reported that a new deal will be discussed with the club in due course, but this is likely Liverpool's final opportunity to sell Salah for a hefty fee. It needs to be taken, given a worthy replacement will not come cheap.

It’s also worth reiterating that Liverpool remain a work in progress. As the final few weeks of the season have so painfully underlined, the squad still needs strengthening in several key areas. Ibrahima Konate cannot be counted on, Jarell Quansah is still too raw to be first-choice, the No.6 problem has yet to resolved, while the nagging doubts over Darwin Nunez's suitability to the role of spearheading the attack have resurfaced in recent weeks.

So, just like the mad money Liverpool managed to convince Barcelona to pay for Philippe Coutinho, the Salah funds could be put towards either a Salah successor – or transformational signings elsewhere.

D.C. United superstar Christian Benteke has revealed that his iconic 'silencer' celebration is inspired by Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James.

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Benteke has six goals for DCU this seasonReveals how LeBron James inspired his celebrationImpressed by LA Lakers star's work ethicGet the MLS Season Pass today!Stream games nowWHAT HAPPENED?

Speaking as a guest on MLS' ExtraTime radio show, the D.C. United striker was tell-all on the influence that the Los Angeles Lakers star has had on him. The former Premier League striker revealed that the 'work ethic' of James was one of his biggest influences.

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The Belgian has been on fire in 2024, scoring six goals in six appearances for the Eastern Conference club. He even opened his 2024 campaign with a hat-trick against the New England Revolution. Now, nearly two months into the campaign, his iconic 'silencer' celebration now has an origin: Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James.

WHAT BENTEKE SAID

“It comes from him,” Benteke said on Extratime Radio on MLSSoccer.Com. “Since I got into the basketball world, I've always been inspired by him. Me, as a footballer, you have players that you look up to. But then I was trying to look to a different sport and basketball was the closest to football. Then LeBron, you can't go wrong by choosing him. “It's work ethic, it's discipline about his work. We all know the great athlete that he is, but for me, it's more everything that he does to be so great.”

USA Today Sports WHAT NEXT FOR BENTEKE AND D.C. UNITED?

Benteke and D.C. are back in action on Saturday when they take on NYCFC in an Eastern Conference clash. Benteke will look to build on his tremendous goalscoring campaign when the aim for their third win of the campaign.

Yes, you read that right, the setting sun was at an awkward angle and straight in the batsmen’s eye

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Jan-20191:53

When a tiger and a pig stopped play

Ten overs into India’s chase, only one over after the dinner break, play was stopped for more than half an hour in the Napier ODI because of the sun. Yes, the sun. The setting sun was at an awkward angle and straight in the batsman’s eye.McLean Park has a previous for it with the angle of the sun at around 7pm making it unsafe to play cricket. Two years ago, a T20I between Bangladesh and New Zealand was held up because of the same issue. On January 19 this year, a Super Smash match between Central Districts and Canterbury was also stopped for a while. The organisers were actually hoping for some cloud cover during the ODI between India and New Zealand.Which Law was applied to halt play because of the sun?

2.7.1: It is solely for the umpires together to decide whether either conditions of ground, weather or light or exceptional circumstances mean that it would be dangerous or unreasonable for play to take place. Conditions shall not be regarded as either dangerous or unreasonable merely because they are not ideal.

2.7.2: Conditions shall be regarded as dangerous if there is actual and foreseeable risk to the safety of any player or umpire.

2.7.3: Conditions shall be regarded as unreasonable if, although posing no risk to safety, it would not be sensible for play to proceed.

The reason this happens at McLean Park is because of the east-west alignment of the pitches at the ground. Most cricket grounds have pitches running north to south.ALSO READ: All the weird reasons that have stopped a cricket match feat. burnt toast, pigs and a car driven onto the pitch”There’s nothing we can really do, to be honest, and it’s not the first time it has happened,” Central Districts chief executive Pete de Wet told , alluding to the Bangladesh T20I. De Wet hoped the sun-strike would happen during the innings break, which it did, but the play that resumed at 7.15pm caught the end of it on a lovely summer’s day.South African umpire Shaun George said he had never seen such an occurrence in his 14-year umpiring career. “The setting sun is in the eyes of the players and we need to think of the safety of the players as well as umpires,” he said. He also said the move to go off was initiated by the umpires. “There was an awareness of it by the players but they didn’t appeal.”New Zealand captain Kane Williamson said at the press conference there was no other option but to wait in such a situation. “We haven’t had to deal with too many sun-strikes. But we knew that in some of the domestic T20 games that had been the case… and it’s fairly considerable so it did have to happen because it’s hard to move the sun and hard to move the grandstand. So we didn’t have any other option and we had to sit down for a bit.”

The WACA released a statement they are aware of the incident and the legspinner has be summoned court

Alex Malcolm04-Feb-2019Perth Scorchers and Western Australia legspinner Usman Qadir has found himself in trouble with police after being allegedly caught speeding 50kph over the limit in East Perth.The Western Australian Cricket Association released a statement on Monday advising that it was aware of the incident and that Qadir had fully cooperated with police. He has been advised that he will receive a court summons in relation to the incident.”We are extremely disappointed that this has occurred,” WACA chief executive Christina Matthews said. “The WACA takes road safety very seriously and we understand that speeding is a key contributor to accidents on our roads.”We expect all our players and staff to drive responsibly and our players know their behaviour has an impact on the community as role models.”Driving in excess of 40kph above the limit in Western Australia carries a penalty of a AUD1200 fine and being handed seven demerit points. If a driver gets 12 demerit points in total they will lose their licence for 12 months.Qadir was left out of the Scorchers’ last match against Melbourne Stars on form. He did play for his club side Melville in the WACA Premier T20 final against Subiaco-Floreat on Sunday.The son of former Pakistan legspinner Abdul Qadir, Usman has declared his desire to qualify to play for Australia ahead of the T20 World Cup in 2020. He has played seven matches for the Scorchers this season taking six wickets at an economy rate of 8.45.

Barcelona have named a steep asking price for Raphinha after reportedly rejecting a €60 million offer from a Premier League club for the Brazilian.

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Raphinha wanted by an English outfitBid €60m for the forwardBarcelona want a higher feeGettyWHAT HAPPENED?

Raphinha has emerged as a crucial player in Xavi Hernandez's squad, making significant match-winning contributions in recent fixtures. Notably, he scored the decisive goal against Las Palmas in La Liga and netted a brace against Paris Saint-Germain to secure Barcelona a 3-2 advantage in their Champions League quarterfinal against the French giants.

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Several European clubs have been closely monitoring the 27-year-old's performances and after his recent success, a Premier League club submitted a €60 million bid for the player, according to However, Barcelona have made it clear that they will not entertain offers below €80 million for one of their prized assets.

DID YOU KNOW?

Barcelona want to make the most of the financial might of top Premier League clubs and insist on a substantial offer reflecting Raphinha's quality that would boost its feeble finances. Manchester United, Arsenal, Tottenham and Chelsea have been cited as potential destinations, with Raphinha's previous experience in the Premier League during his time at Leeds United adding to his valuation. Despite the speculation, Raphinha has consistently expressed his desire to remain at Barcelona, with over three years remaining on his current contract.

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GettyWHAT NEXT FOR RAPHINHA?

Raphinha's journey at Barcelona has been somewhat underwhelming, with just 18 goals and 22 assists in 81 appearances across competitions. However, a tactical shift by Xavi deploying Raphinha on the left side has unlocked his potential, showcasing the qualities that initially attracted Barcelona to sign him. He will look to carry on with his purple patch when Barcelona host PSG in the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie on Tuesday.

Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney have been told why documentary stars Wrexham, with a “bigger than Leeds” mentality, have become “nauseating”.

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Hollywood co-owners arrived in 2021Red Dragons have seen their stock soarNot everybody is enjoying mass coverageWHAT HAPPENED?

The Red Dragons have become one of the most talked about teams on the planet after welcoming a takeover by Hollywood superstars back in 2021. A dramatic rise out of the National League and towards the top of League Two has been taken in since then – with every twist and turn being caught on camera by an Emmy Award-winning series.

AdvertisementGettyWHAT MACANTHONY SAID ABOUT WREXHAM

Not everybody is buying into the Wrexham hype, though, with Peterborough chairman Darragh MacAnthony telling : “Fair play to them, they bought in and came up with a project and they’ve managed to finance this project by selling documentaries, advertising and doing deals with skincare companies, drink companies where they’ve had to put very little of their own dough in. Anyone who comes in and has a couple of promotions and increases and grows their crowd – I saw their revenues the other day and it was £15-£20 million a year now as opposed to £5 million when they first came in. Anyone who does that is a successful person at what they do. They put some decent people in – I watched the Wrexham documentary and it was quite good, the first season and a half then peters out like a lot of sports documentaries do. The only thing that irritates me about the whole Wrexham thing isn’t Wrexham themselves – I have a lot of admiration for Wrexham, the owners, the people behind the scenes – it’s the media. You open a newspaper and there’s stuff about the Championship, League One and League Two, but every week there’s stuff about Wrexham and it’s nauseating. You get why they’re doing it because they want an American audience but at the end of the day there are 72 EFL clubs out there. They need to calm down thinking they’re bigger than Leeds or whoever.”

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While a little frustrated at the attention Wrexham continue to attract, MacAnthony admits that they are a club on the rise. He added on Reynolds and McElhenney’s efforts to guide the Welsh outfit up the EFL pyramid: “I said to my wife when this started that they’ll be in the Championship in four years’ time and she said, ‘never going to happen’. I said ‘trust me, they’ll be in the Championship and we’ll probably be in League One’ because they can pay £7,000, £8,000, £9,000, £10,000 a week to players and we can’t. That’s the dynamic of the game. By the way, I respect anybody who comes in and spends very little of their own money, turns a project into a lot more money and makes them worth a lot more money because if they sold Wrexham tomorrow, they’d make a hefty profit.”

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GettyWHAT NEXT FOR WREXHAM?

Wrexham have four games left to take in this season. They sit second in the League Two table as things stand, four points behind leaders Stockport and three clear of Mansfield in fourth, and a top-three finish will be enough to see them bounce straight up into the third tier of English football.

Virat Kohli credited the efforts of Cheteshwar Pujara and the bowlers in India’s historic Adelaide win

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Dec-20183:06

Laxman: ‘Pujara would have inspired his team-mates’

“Priceless.”That was India captain Virat Kohli describing the value of Cheteshwar Pujara’s runs after a 31-run victory in the first Test against Australia in Adelaide.Batting at No. 3, Pujara scored a first-innings 123 that dragged India back from 5 for 86 to 250, and then a second-innings 71, with two important middle-order partnerships, allowing India to set a fourth-innings target of 323. It was the first time he had made a century and a fifty in the same Test match.Kohli and his men had to endure a nervous wait on the fifth afternoon, the final few wickets proving difficult to dislodge. But eventually they bowled Australia out for 291 and celebrated the first time India had ever won the first Test of an Australian tour.”We were down and out at lunch on day one. His belief, grit and determination kept us in the game, he brought us back beautifully,” Kohli said after the match. “The game was poised equally on day two. We knew runs on the board, their position playing at home, they’ll obviously be a bit tentative and we cashed in on that. Any lead would have been gold and we built on that (with) a couple of partnerships in the second innings, particularly Pujara and Rahane. When they bat together like that they are our most solid pair. They gave us that safety for the bowlers to go out and get ten wickets. It took grit and determination from both of them to put us past Australia where it was hard for them to chase that total down.”Cheteshwar Pujara carves the ball away•Getty ImagesAustralia captain Tim Paine acknowledged that his side’s batsmen could learn a lot from Pujara.”Pujara was probably the difference between the two sides,” he said. “It’s what you want from your top 5-6 batters, hundreds and a (playing) lot of balls into our bowlers as well. He made us work very hard to get him out and we can take a lot from that for our batting group.”Kohli pointed to the Pujara-Rahane partnership as an example of how the India batsmen needed to step up and support the side’s bowlers who are “at their peak”. They went in with a four-man attack with Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma and Mohammed Shami as the lead pace bowlers and R Ashwin as the sole spinner.”Super proud (of India’s bowling attack). To have four bowlers take 20 wickets to win the Test is an outstanding feat, something we haven’t done in the past in Australia. That’s why we are very proud of our bowlers. They are at their peak, all of them together and it’s something that we as batsman look at as an opportunity to put in good performances. We will be, in every Test match, gunning for a result. It’s up to our batsmen to step up in this particular series and Pujara and Rahane particularly showed that.”Pre-tour preparations were key to his success, Pujara acknowledged, and he also praised the bowlers for giving India a psychological advantage in the form of the 15-run lead”Playing here before has helped me a lot. The most important thing for me was the preparation, when I was back home. I knew what to expect from Australian pitches and playing some of their bowlers in the past has also helped me.”It was special, the way we came back in the game, we were four wickets and 40 runs and from there to make a comeback and get to 250 was the most important. Ultimately, winning the Test match, credit goes to all our bowlers for getting them out and getting the 15-run lead was a psychological advantage which made us believe we can bat well in the second innings and the partnerships in the second innings were very crucial. I think it’s our self belief which made it possible.”

Mauricio Pochettino has shared a worrying update on injury-plagued forward Christopher Nkunku, suggesting that his season could be potentially over.

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Nkunku finds himself on treatment table againWas expected to be out for a month with latest issueCould now miss remainder of seasonGettyWHAT HAPPENED?

The 26-year-old France international has endured a turbulent debut season at Chelsea marred by recurrent injuries following his €60 million (£52.7m, $58.8m) move from RB Leipzig in the summer. Pochettino revealed that despite initial expectations of a short absence with his latest issue, Nkunku's recovery has been protracted, casting doubt on his availability for the rest of the campaign.

AdvertisementWHAT POCHETTINO SAID

Asked whether Nkunku will feature for Chelsea again this season, Pochettino said: "I don’t know. Still, we don’t know. At the moment we do not know when it is possible for him to start training with the team. At the moment he is not training with us. It did not happen (a setback). I have no information about that. His recovery is taking longer than we expected. That was after the final (League Cup final). He played in the final with a problem that we did not know about and found after the game.

“There are different circumstances that affect things. It is not only him. Too many players have suffered injuries this season. We hope that he can be involved again quickly. As soon as possible. It will be really good if he can join the team again before the end of the season. We hope that will happen.”

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The forward's injury woes began with a knee injury sustained during a pre-season match last summer, which left him needing to undergo surgery and sidelined him for the first four months of the season. Although he did return to action for a brief spell, the striker soon picked up a hip injury that further disrupted his playing time – restricting him to just 10 appearances across competitions. His last appearance came in the Blues' Carabao Cup final defeat to Liverpool on February 25 and he has since remained out of action.

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POCHETTINO UPDATES ON CHALOBAH, GUSTO & CHILWELL

Pochettino's concerns extend beyond Nkunku, as Chelsea grapple with a spate of injuries affecting key players. Defenders Trevor Chalobah and Malo Gusto, absent from Chelsea's recent fixture against Burnley due to injuries, are poised to make a return to training, bolstering the squad ahead of their upcoming clash against Manchester United.

Pochettino said: “Trevor (Chalobah) and Malo (Gusto) will train with us. I think they will be ready to be in the squad (against Manchester United on Thursday)."

However, the fitness of Ben Chilwell remains uncertain due to illness, casting a shadow over his availability for the pivotal fixture.

“Chilly (Chilwell) no," Pochettino added. "We haven’t seen him since Friday. The doctor and medical staff removed a lot of fluid from his knee after he returned from the national team. Saturday he got ill and he has been at home since recovering. Rob Sanchez is training. We will see if he is in the squad.”

The veteran allrounder batted through till the end of the innings in a low-scoring innings, and bowled economically as Bangladesh played meekly in their chase

Varun Shetty14-Nov-2018Sri Lanka kept their semi-final prospects alive in Group A with a comprehensive win over Bangladesh that they would not have counted on at the halfway mark. Put into bat, they managed only 97 from their 20 overs, thanks mostly to former captain Shashikala Siriwardene’s 31. The allrounder batted until the last over of an innings that never found momentum, and returned figures of 4-0-10-2 as Asia Cup winners Bangladesh surrendered early in the chase against their regional rivals.It was Jahanara Alam who had given them a strong chance once again. The seamer managed to utilise the conditions right from the first ball, getting an outswinger to curve back at Yasoda Mendis’ toes and roll onto leg stump. This made it appear like the strategy to not open with Chamari Atapattu would not make much of a difference. But Sri Lanka chose to promote wicketkeeper Dilani Manodara to No. 3.But Alam and the spinners gave away nothing to her or to makeshift opener Hasini Perera, and the Powerplay score of 17 for 1 wasn’t wildly different from what they’d managed against South Africa two days ago. And the batting experiment looked even worse as Sri Lanka fell to 30 for 3 in nine overs, that third wicket a complete mess with Manodara and Atapattu at the same end as Bangladesh got rid of the former at the other.Atapattu and Siriwardene pushed the pace over the next two overs, but with the captain’s top edge and dismissal in the 13th over, another experiment had failed. With the big hitters all gone early, Siriwardene was left with the lower middle-order, using her experience to manoeuvre the gaps on an outfield that was still reeling under the effects of rain that has affected the entire week. She hit two fours and a six, most of which came late in her innings, and fell with two balls to go. Alam, once again, cut short any momentum Siriwardene wanted to provide, and followed it up with her third wicket to stop Sri Lanka from getting to three figures.At the toss, Sri Lanka had wanted 120, and Bangladesh had wanted to restrict them to 120; but Sri Lanka fell 23 short of their target and Bangladesh fell 25 short of that. Such was the shock from left-arm seamer Udeshika Prabodhani’s two wickets in the first over, that Bangladesh looked like they had decided not to attempt any attacking shots. It was the chase of an inexperienced side, and that was visible with the first ball. Sanjida Islam received a poor decision from umpire Jacqueline Williams, being struck well outside off stump, but Ayasha Rahman was not alive to the situation and the review was not taken.Three balls later, Fargana Hoque did review, but her 50-50 lbw decision was deemed umpire’s call, the tracker showing the ball brushing leg stump. Prabodhani continued tormenting them with inswingers, but went off in the fifth over when she dropped a return catch and seemingly split the webbing between middle and ring finger.They wouldn’t need her though. The Sri Lanka spinners took charge, using the wind to drift the ball menacingly away, lobbing it slower and slower at the batsmen. Most of them defended for the most part, two of them looked to drill it through the off side only to be caught at short extra cover, and the occasional slogs didn’t go too far on a sluggish pitch.At the halfway stage, Bangladesh hadn’t even made 30, and their lack of intent made it evident they weren’t getting anywhere close to the target. In all, they hit three boundaries, and played 75 dot balls, the kind of batting performance that fits with an early exit from a major tournament.

Manchester United loanee Brandon Williams faces court claims he 'inhaled laughing gas from balloons' before a high-speed car crash.

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Williams crashes carFaces claims of 'inhaling laughing gas'Currently out injured while on loanWHAT HAPPENED?

According to The Sun, the 23-year-old defender has been accused of 'inhaling laughing gas' before the car crash unfolded on the A34 in Wilmslow, Cheshire, last year. Prosecutor Katie Johnson stated Williams was involved in the incident which saw his Audi A3 S Line crash at 74mph. Williams appeared in court on Friday.

AdvertisementGettyWHAT JOHNSON SAID

Speaking in court on Friday, Ms Johnson said: “He was seen by witnesses to have taken nitrous oxide from balloons.” Williams denied the claims of dangerous driving and did not accept responsibility for the incident.

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Magistrates have since sent the case for trial at Chester Crown Court after Williams also denied he was impaired during the accident and had no insurance. The trial will take place on April 19 and Williams has been granted unconditional bail.

This isn't the first driving-related incident Williams has encountered, after the United loanee was recently called out by a member of the public for parking his car in disabled spaces. One witness claimed he was either 'arrogant, ignorant or both' after it unfolded.

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GettyWHAT NEXT FOR WILLIAMS?

Williams is currently on loan at Championship side Ipswich Town for the 2023-24 campaign. He has made 15 appearances, scoring two goals, during the temporary move but has missed the last eight games through injury. The defender is now back at his parent club undergoing further medical assessments.

Williams rose through the Red Devils academy as a boy and has made 51 appearances for the first team.