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Manchester United are reportedly looking to sign an exciting young attacker ahead of rivals Manchester City next year.

Man Utd transfer news…

The Red Devils splashed the cash on three high-profile additions over the summer, with Mason Mount, Andre Onana and Rasmus Hojlund all arriving at Old Trafford. Altay Bayindir, Sofyan Amrabat, Jonny Evans and Sergio Reguilon also made the move to Manchester, but on the pitch, things haven’t been going to plan.

Erik ten Hag’s side have lost half of their opening eight Premier League games and their opening two Champions League group stage fixtures, with the Red Devils returning to action this weekend against Sheffield United.

The January transfer window is also fast approaching, and by the looks of things, those at Old Trafford are already identifying potential targets for 2024, one of which being "one of the world's biggest talents" in the eyes of football talent scout Jacek Kulig.

Sport Witness relayed a Florian Wirtz transfer update in the last 48 hours, claiming that Man Utd, Man City and Newcastle United are all in the picture to sign the player alongside Bayern Munich. The report adds that Wirtz is going to receive ‘very high proposals’ from England, with Leverkusen wanting around €85m (£74m) for his services next summer.

Florian Wirtz profiled…

Wirtz is primarily an attacking midfielder who can also play out wide or slightly further forward if needed. The Germany international has been on the books with Leverkusen since 2020 and has seen his transfer valuation rocket to a career-high €85m after starting at €10m when he arrived at the club. (Florian Wirtz profile – Transfermarkt)

Statistically, Wirtz has been a regular in recent years and has now made 113 senior appearances for Leverkusen, scoring 26 times and providing 34 assists, netting three times and registering four assists in 10 appearances during the current campaign. (Florian Wirtz stats – Transfermarkt)

Wirtz’s manager, Xabi Alonso, has even compared the player to Lionel Messi earlier this year, saying:

"There are good players and there are players who look good on the pitch. The player who looks good does things that are nice, but not necessarily efficient. Why is Messi so good? Because he knows how and when to play simple passes. Messi says: 'You're in a better position? Here, there you have the ball!' It's not always about making the most brilliant move, but the best and smartest. Florian can do that. That's why he's so good."

Therefore, with Bruno Fernandes approaching 30 years of age and Christian Eriksen already over 30 years old, United could see someone like Wirtz as a shrewd long-term addition, and by the looks of things, a deal is one to keep an eye on.

Lionesses Mary Earps, Lucy Bronze, Lauren James and Sarina Wiegman are among the nominees for top prizes at the 2024 Women’s Football Awards.

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Awards to be handed out on May 30Big names competing for recognition Leading lights in WSL figure prominentlyGettyWHAT HAPPENED?

The event, which takes place in London on May 30, will be hosted by former England international Eni Aluko and Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher and intends to celebrate the people, brands and organisations that are helping to grow the women’s games.

AdvertisementTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Manchester United goalkeeper Earps will be competing for the Player of the Year award alongside Chelsea stars James, Sam Kerr, Millie Bright, Jess Carter and Guro Reiten. Arsenal duo Katie McCabe and Frida Maanum are also up for that gong, along with United forward Nikita Parris and prolific Manchester City striker Bunny Shaw.

Getty ImagesDID YOU KNOW?

England aces Bronze and Georgia Stanway, who are now at Barcelona and Bayern Munich respectively, are nominated for the International Football Player of the Year award, while Lionesses boss Sarina Wiegman joins City manager Gareth Taylor among the Manager or Coach of the Year contenders.

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WHAT ALUKO & CARRAGHER SAID

Aluko has said of the WFA nominees: “This year’s shortlist is another incredible catalogue of players, brands, celebrities and organisations who continue to grow the presence of women’s football around the world. We have added four amazing new categories this year, which allows us to celebrate even more of the amazing people, both on and off the pitch, who are achieving so much in the sport. The SHEIN-sponsored Women’s Football Awards is going to be a fantastic event and it’s an honour to be a part of it for the second year running.”

Carragher added: “The 2024 Women’s Football Awards is set to be a fantastic night celebrating the trailblazers, gamechangers and outstanding talent in the women’s game. I am proud to be involved with the awards again and wish everyone on the shortlist the best of luck.”

The 28-year old Sri Lankan legspinner has been punished for conduct that was in breach of his player contract

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Jun-2018

Jeffrey Vandersay in his delivery stride•Getty Images

Sri Lanka have sent legspinner Jeffrey Vandersay back home from the tour of West Indies owing to conduct that was in breach of his player contract. A press release from the board said the team management had reported an “incident” following which this decision was taken.Sri Lanka have had a difficult time in the Caribbean. They lost the first Test by a huge margin, became the subject of a ball-tampering controversy in the second, and the penalties handed out mean they won’t have the services of their captain Dinesh Chandimal in the third.Chandimal along with the coach Chandika Hathurusingha and manager Asanka Gurusinha are awaiting sanctions on another charge, relating to their role in holding up play for two hours on the third day in St Lucia in protest against the umpire’s suspicions that they had altered the condition of the ball.

Shahbaz Nadeem will take his place in the India A squad, which will now be led by Ankit Bawne

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Feb-2018A day after he had been named captain of the India A squad, R Ashwin has been ruled out of the Deodhar Trophy. According to a BCCI release, the India spinner has a “niggling issue”, for which the board’s medical team has advised a week’s rest.The Jharkhand left-arm spinner Shahbaz Nadeem will take Ashwin’s place in the India A squad, which will now be led by the Maharashtra middle-order batsman Ankit Bawne. Bawne was originally in the India B squad; the Uttar Pradesh batsman Akshdeep Nath will move in the other direction to facilitate the change.India A: Ankit Bawne (capt), Prithvi Shaw, Unmukt Chand, Shubman Gill, Ricky Bhui, Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan (wk), Krunal Pandya, Shahbaz Nadeem, Mohammed Shami, Navdeep Saini, Basil Thampi, Kulwant Khejroliya, Amandeep Khare, Rohit RayuduIndia B: Shreyas Iyer (capt), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Akshdeep Nath, Manoj Tiwary, Siddhesh Lad, KS Bharat (wk), Jayant Yadav, Dharmendrasinh Jadeja, Hanuma Vihari, Siddarth Kaul, Khaleel Ahmed, Harshal Patel, Umesh Yadav, Rajat Patidar

It is believed an "underrated" Arsenal target actually would like the club to make a transfer bid for him as sporting director Edu continues his work this month.

Edu looking for January signings at Arsenal

Previous reports have suggested that manager Mikel Arteta would ideally like two new full-backs, a centre midfielder and a striker (Miguel Delaney), but certain roadblocks make strengthening all four positions near impossible this month.

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Arsenal spent north of £200 million last summer, which has somewhat limited their budget, and Financial Fair Play regulations mean they may have to be careful about how much they spend in January.

That being said, that hasn't stopped Edu from attempting to reinforce at least a couple of key areas. Indeed, there have been claims that Arsenal have opened talks to sign Everton midfielder Amadou Onana this month, with the Belgian apparently keen to join them.

Reliable transfer source Fabrizio Romano, speaking to Kick last week, also stated that Arsenal signing a new full-back is certainly a possibility.

“A new full-back for Arsenal? Yes it is a possibility, it is a possibility for Arsenal to bring in a new full-back in January," said Romano this week.

"They have to see what opportunity they can find, if it’s a loan deal, but Arsenal are exploring options in that position, they are in the full-backs market, I can confirm that, there is a possibility, there is a chance, we will have to see, but I think it’s a possibility."

Despite some limitations, Arsenal could still see some new faces make the move to north London. In terms of their chances of signing a new striker, one player who continues to attract attention is Brentford star Ivan Toney.

The England international, who is set to return from his ban for alleged gambling breaches this month, scored 20 league goals last season and has been heavily linked over the last few months.

Brentford manager Thomas Frank poured cold water on the possibility of Toney leaving before January 31, unless they were handed an unbelievable offer. The Dane refused to clarify what he defined as an irresistible bid for his man, and given the nature of the transfer window, you cannot rule anything out.

Toney would welcome Arsenal move to sign him

According to CBS journalist Ben Jacobs, speaking on The Done Deal Show, relayed by TBR Football, Toney would welcome an Arsenal bid to sign him over Chelsea.

"My understanding remains that yes Toney would welcome a move from Arsenal, more so than Chelsea, and for Chelsea he’s not necessarily top of the list," said Jacobs.

The desire of the player to join Arsenal is certainly there, and that may help in Edu's possible attempt to bring him to the Emirates Stadium – either this month or later in the year.

The 27-year-old, even before his excellent 2022/2023 campaign, was starring at Brentford with journalist Dean Jones calling him a largely "underrated" player.

Manchester United boss Erik Ten Hag is in the market for reinforcements and is now eyeing a short-term solution to a key problem at Old Trafford, according to a report.

Manchester United's goalscoring woes…

Despite bringing in Rasmus Hojlund for £72 million in the summer window, Manchester United have struggled in front of goal this term and have scored just 18 times this campaign in the Premier League, making them the sixth-lowest chance convertors in the division.

Man Utd now eyeing £80m+ deal for "incredible" player to replace Martial

Martial will leave Old Trafford at the end of the season…

BySean Markus Clifford Dec 19, 2023

Only Crystal Palace, Nottingham Forest, Luton Town, Burnley and Luton Town have scored less than the Red Devils in the league, which is a damning indication of where they need to spend in January in order to keep pace in their hunt for continental qualification.

Aside from Hojlund, who is yet to net a single Premier League goal for the club, Anthony Martial exists as Ten Hag's other striking option; however, the Frenchman now looks to be firmly on his way out of Old Trafford after The Athletic revealed that Manchester United will not trigger his 12-month contract extension clause, leaving him free to depart either in January for a fee or next summer on a free transfer.

In light of this, acquiring a new centre forward in January will become a crucial priority for the Red Devils as they seek to offer Hojlund assistance following his tough start to life at Old Trafford.

Now, one man who could add a wealth of experience to Manchester United's forward line has been identified as a potential loan target, according to a report.

Mauro Icardi wanted by Manchester United

According to Football Transfers, Manchester United are considering a loan swoop for Galatasaray forward Mauro Icardi in January as Ten Hag urgently looks to bring in another attacking option at Old Trafford.

Similar players to Mauro Icardi (based on statistical profiles from FBRef)

Player

Club

Cyle Larin

Mallorca

Dusan Vlahovic

Juventus

Akor Adams

Montpellier

Ludovic Ajorque

Mainz 05

Davie Selke

Koln

The 30-year-old is reportedly open to a move to the Premier League and any deal to bring him to the North West on loan would likely include a clause to make the agreement permanent. Argentina international Icardi netted against the Red Devils alongside former player Wilfried Zaha in the Champions League earlier this campaign, condemning Manchester United to a 3-2 home defeat.

Labelled an "animal" by former boss Luciano Spalletti, Icardi has been in brilliant goalscoring form this term, registering 17 goals and six assists in 25 appearances across all competitions (Icardi statistics – Transfermarkt).

Having also averaged around four shots per match in the Turkish top-flight term, Icardi knows where the goal is and could provide some crucial short-term cover in the final third for Manchester United (Icardi statistics – WhoScored).

Serhou Guirassy

19th December

Nico Williams

19th December

Donyell Malen

8th December

Max Moerstedt

7th December

Timo Werner

1st December

Wolverhampton Wanderers face Fulham tonight in the Premier League, looking to put two consecutive wins together in the top flight for the first time this season, having put Tottenham Hotspur to the sword prior to the international break.

However, one of the stars of Wolves' showing against Spurs will be absent in London as Craig Dawson is suspended for the trip to Craven Cottage for picking up too many yellow cards this term.

In the short term, head coach Gary O'Neil could simply look to make a like-for-like replacement for the ex-West Ham United defender, but the manager could also choose to make a bold tactical decision which would affect the rest of the team.

Craig Dawson's stats this season

Losing Dawson through suspension is a big miss for O'Neil and for Wolves as a whole. The experienced centre-half moved to Molineux back in January for a nominal fee of £3.3m, after spending the last three years with West Ham in what was the most fruitful spell of the Hammers' history since the Premier League began.

Wolves "colossus" who won 100% duels was the hero alongside Lemina

Wolves roared home to a late win at Molineux yesterday, with this player standing out alongside goalscorer Lemina.

ByKelan Sarson Nov 12, 2023

In fact, Dawson even earned himself a Europa Conference League winner's medal in June despite the fact that he hadn't featured for the east London club for five months.

The 33-year-old has been a rock at the back over the past year for the Old Gold and ranks well above average in a whole host of key defensive metrics when compared to all other centre-backs across Europe's top five leagues.

Per 90 Metric

Percentile Ranking

Blocks

94

Shots Blocked

99

% of Dribblers Tackled

81

Clearances

75

Passes Blocked

80

Shots

83

Shots On Target

74

Stats via FBref.

Dawson is particularly efficient when defending in his own box, hence why he ranks in the top 6% for blocks per 90, the top 1% for shots blocked per 90 and the top 25% for clearances per 90.

Against Spurs a fortnight ago, the veteran completed two tackles, competed in four aerial duels and even blocked one of the opposition's six shots on goal as Wolves clinched the victory in the game's dying stages. Nevertheless, the Midlands club will have to make do away at Fulham without Dawson's defensive nous.

Pablo Sarabia's stats this season

Wolves deployed a 5-3-2 formation in the win over Tottenham two weeks ago, with Dawson employed in the centre of the back three, supported by Max Kilman and Toti Gomes either side of him.

Speaking in his pre-match press conference, O'Neil admitted that the most like-for-like replacement for Dawson is £8.5m summer signing Santiago Bueno, who has yet to make a single start in the Premier League.

The Uruguayan defender has featured for just six minutes for Wolves this season, coming off the bench during a 1-1 draw away at Luton Town back in September and so it could be seen as a risk to throw the 25-year-old into the deep end this week. However, O'Neil also has the option to change the team's formation completely.

Wolves' 5-3-2 worked wonders against Spurs prior to the international break but O'Neil has also chosen to set his side up in a 4-2-3-1 this term. While the former Bournemouth boss may not want to change a winning team, the absence of Dawson could allow O'Neil to revert to a back four by shifting Toti alongside Kilman in the heart of the defence and dropping Rayan Ait Nouri deeper as a left-back, freeing up the wings for Pablo Sarabia.

Sarabia moved to Molineux in January for £4.4m, like Dawson, but has failed to become a regular in the first eleven, having made just two starts in the Premier League this term. Nevertheless, the Spanish playmaker has registered five assists this season in all competitions. Only Pedro Neto has boasted more for Wolves.

The 31-year-old changed the game for Wolves last time out, coming off the bench to score the equaliser and assist the winner, leading Joe Cole to label his leveller as "brilliant". Sarabia starting would also cause Hwang Hee-chan to push over to the right wing in O'Neil's 4-2-3-1, leaving Matheus Cunha alone up top, although this could offer a nice blend of goalscoring and playmaking brilliance on the flanks for the visitors.

While O'Neil may not be keen to change a winning side, it will be difficult for the coach to ignore Sarabia's calls to start after his heroic late display against Spurs.

Matt Taylor led the way with four wickets as Gloucestershire recorded their second Specsavers County Championship win of the season with a 41-run success against Durham at Cheltenham

ECB Reporters Network25-Jul-20181:13

Somerset silence stubborn Worcestershire

ScorecardMatt Taylor led the way with four wickets as Gloucestershire recorded their second Specsavers County Championship win of the season with a 41-run success against Durham at Cheltenham. The left-arm seamer finished with 4 for 31 from 16 overs to help bowl out the visitors for 298, chasing a victory target of 340.Cameron Steel and Tom Latham gave Durham a promising start, but they wilted against Taylor, Craig Miles and Ryan Higgins on another sweltering afternoon and Mark Wood’s unbeaten 61 proved in vain.Gloucestershire took 23 points from their first Championship win since the opening round of fixtures, while their opponents had to be content with five after four days of tough and competitive cricket.Durham began the day on 35 without loss and enjoyed the better of the morning session. Latham and Steel took their opening stand to 94 against some accurate Gloucestershire bowling before Latham fenced at a ball from Matt Taylor and edged through to Gareth Roderick.Steel was unbeaten on 57 at lunch, with the total 121 for 1, but he when he perished in the second over after the interval, lbw to Miles falling across his stumps, it signalled a transformation in fortunes. Taylor and Higgins settled in to bowl probing spells from the Chapel End and College Lawn End respectively, tying the batsmen down and making vital breakthroughs.Higgins removed Graham Clark and Will Smith during a six-over spell that brought him 2 for 23, Clark falling to a fine full-length diving catch by Roderick and Smith pinned lbw.Taylor was equally impressive and claimed the key wicket of Ben Stokes, who had begun positively, but moved to only 9 before being bowled on the back foot. The same fate befell Stuart Poynter, on 8, and at 201 for 6, Durham still required a further 139.They were given renewed hope by Wood and Michael Richardson, who took the score to 226 for 6 at tea and continued to bat solidly in the final session. Wood was dropped on 18 by Miles Hammond at cover off Kieran Noema-Barnett and responded by hitting four fours in an over from Miles just before the second new ball.Richardson had helped add 59 when falling lbw for 26 looking to work Miles through the leg side. Soon it was 267 for 8 as Matt Salisbury was bowled on the back-foot by Miles for a single.Gloucestershire had their tails up, but while Wood was there Durham had a chance. He began to run out of partners when George Harding chipped a tame catch to midwicket off Taylor and departed for 7.Wood, who was able to bowl only six overs in the match because of a sore heel, moved to a defiant fifty off 74 balls, with nine fours. But when Chris Rushworth was caught behind to give Higgins his third wicket, Gloucestershire had won with 11 overs left in the day’s play.

They played key roles in Sri Lanka not taking the field for two hours on the third day of the St Lucia Test and were hit with a Level 3 charge

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Jun-2018Sri Lanka captain Dinesh Chandimal, coach Chandika Hathurusingha, and manager Asanka Gurusinha have admitted to breaching the ICC Code that relates to “conduct that is contrary to the spirit of the game” and could be suspended for two to four Tests, or between four and eight limited-overs internationals.They were charged with a level 3 offence by ICC chief executive David Richardson, after Sri Lanka refused to take the field on the third morning of the second Test against West Indies in St Lucia and delayed the start of play by two hours. Sri Lanka did this after the on-field umpires had informed them ten minutes before the start of play that they were changing the ball because they suspected its condition had been illegally altered.”This action was alleged to amount to a serious breach of the Laws of Cricket and to be contrary to the spirit of the game,” the ICC said.The ICC appointed Michael Beloff QC as the Judicial Commissioner to hear the case against Chandimal, Hathurusingha and Gurusinha to determine the appropriate sanction.Among the points the Sri Lanka camp is likely to make to Beloff is that the entire two-hour delay was not exclusively down to their reluctance to play. It is possible Sri Lanka’s team management believe that roughly midway through the scheduled morning session, they felt they had come to an agreement with the match officials, wherein although Chandimal would still have to face a ball-tampering charge at the end of the Test, the officials would refrain from imposing the five-run penalty and changing the ball. In fact, on the basis that there would be no immediate penalties, the Sri Lanka side did take the field at 10:50 am, an hour and 20 minutes past the scheduled start. However, to Sri Lanka’s surprise, the umpires changed the ball at this stage. It was at this point that the Sri Lanka team dug in its heels again. They left the field, returning only forty minutes later, to actually start play.It must be stressed, however, that there is strong disagreement about this sequence of events. There is another suggestion that no deal was actually struck; such a deal, it is felt, would effectively mean there was no charge to be laid, and that umpires were not following playing conditions. In this version of events, the false start is blamed on a misunderstanding between the match officials and the Sri Lanka team.When play did eventually begin on day three, Sri Lanka Cricket issued a release denying wrongdoing and said they were playing “under protest”. The Sri Lanka captain later pleaded not guilty to the charge of ball-tampering, but video footage suggested he had taken something from his pocket, put it in his mouth, and applied saliva to the ball only a few seconds later.The ICC match referee Javagal Srinath found Chandimal’s explanation unsatisfactory and gave him two suspension points – meaning he would miss the third Test against West Indies – and fined him 100% of his match fees. Chandimal, however, appealed the ball-tampering verdict and his case will be heard by Beloff on June 22.The ICC said Beloff would use Chandimal’s appeal hearing to “establish the procedural schedule on the Level 3 charges.” A person guilty of a level 3 offence could get between four and eight suspension points.

After the Tim and Trent show on the first day, it was the turn of Neil Wagner and Todd Astle to impress on the final day at Eden Park

Andrew McGlashan27-Mar-2018The Tim and Trent show stole the early headlines at Eden Park, but for New Zealand coach Mike Hesson there was huge satisfaction in his side showing they are an attack for a variety of conditions as they put in the “grind” to bowl England out a second time and secure an innings victory.There were still four wickets shared by Southee and Boult in England’s second innings but the other six went to Neil Wagner and Todd Astle. For Wagner it was just another example of his match-seizing capability when the going gets tough, but for Astle his 3 for 39 was his first significant intervention in Test cricket five-and-a-half years after making his debut.”I think we’ve got first-innings bowlers and second-innings bowlers which is what you need,” Hesson said. “Neil Wagner is testament to that and I thought Todd Astle did a great job.””The balance of the attack allows Neil to play that role, particularly in the second innings. When not a lot is happening he can make things happen. It was such a good surface we needed something special and Neil provided that again.”In just his third Test, and having waited until the 69th over for his first bowl, Astle dragged a few down in his first spell – although it didn’t stop him picking up Jonny Bairstow at midwicket – but in the evening session produced a teasing display where his googly caused a number of problems. He trapped Craig Overton lbw before claiming the final wicket when James Anderson spooned to mid-off.A couple of days earlier, fellow legspinner Ish Sodhi had claimed a career-best 7 for 30 in the Plunket Shield and there were a few murmurings about why he had not been preferred to Astle. Partly, New Zealand will have wanted to cover for the loss of an allrounder in Mitchell Santner but Hesson said Astle’s position in the side was no less than he deserved.”A lot of the selection debate comes from people who don’t watch first-class cricket,” Hesson said. “Todd has been amazing in first-class cricket for three or four years and is a fine bowler. He probably just hasn’t got the opportunities that he’s earned over time because we’ve had Dan Vettori and Mitchell Santner in that role. Todd has good variation, he brings the stumps into play. We thought the lbw and bowled would be crucial.”Victory in Auckland has put New Zealand on the brink of just their fourth series win over England heading into the final match of their season in Christchurch as the format switches back to the red ball. There have been results in all four Tests at the ground with New Zealand winning three and there will be no thoughts of playing it safe.”This is a huge opportunity, you don’t go in thinking about drawing,” Hesson said. “It’s been a big series, we’ve been planning for the last six months and need to make sure we use the next few days wisely.”