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Powerhouse player has had to overcome a lot to get a spot in the team and has started to show just how good she can be

Valkerie Baynes16-Feb-2023Grace Harris doesn’t do things by halves.Chamari Athapaththu, Sri Lanka’s captain and opener, announced a hint of the danger she could pose for Australia as she stepped to the pitch of Ashleigh Gardner’s delivery in the slot, dropped to one knee and clubbed it over cow corner for six. But when Ellyse Perry entered the attack in the fifth over and Athapaththu went aerial, back over the bowler’s head, in steamed Harris with a full-power sprint from mid-on, launching herself forwards and plucking the ball from the mid-air at full stretch for what could take some beating for catch of the tournament.Then Harris took not one but two wickets in an over to reduce Sri Lanka to 69 for 3. The first, from a delivery floated on a length outside off stump, drew Harshitha Samarawickrama into an attempted slog as the ball gripped and spun past the outside edge, into the waiting gloves of Alyssa Healy who completed the stumping.Harris runs back to her mark faster than she steps into her delivery stride to release her offbreaks and so it was when she tossed another length ball up on middle and off-stump and Oshadi Ranasinghe skied the ball to Tahlia McGrath at long-on.Related

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“I’m actually pretty sure it was Tahlia McGrath’s catch and Grace called her out of it and wanted to take a hanger, but full credit to her for hanging on to it,” a smiling Healy said of Harris’ screamer. “That’s sort of a key moment to get a key batter in that instance. She was loving herself sick out there in the field watching the replay, but it’s nice to have a character like that on the field.”It was only the second time Harris had bowled in a T20I since returning to the Australian team at the start of 2022 after an absence of more than five years. Called up to Australia’s Ashes squad after Beth Mooney broke her jaw, her appearance in the only T20I of the series not to be washed out was her first for her country since November 2016.She was in Australia’s squad for the 2016 T20 World Cup but, shortly before the she was due to fly to India, she was diagnosed with a 13cm blood clot in her leg and was unable to fly. She travelled to Sri Lanka later that year and played one ODI there before a handful at home to South Africa, but from there opportunities petered out.

If you haven’t had the chance of sitting at breaky with her or going to have a drink with her of an evening, do that because it’s an it’s an absolute laugh a minuteAlyssa Healy on Grace Harris

Naturally powerful with the bat, she honed her game and returned for the Ashes. A combination of bad weather and exceptionally good batting further up the Australian order meant that by the time she reached the Commonwealth Games, she was five matches into her comeback yet hadn’t faced a ball. Nor had she bowled with Australia’s spin stocks boasting the likes of Gardner, Jess Jonassen and Alana King, which had also meant she didn’t play at the ODI World Cup despite being in the squad.But then, with a belligerent 20-ball knock of 37 in a half-century stand with Gardner which rescued Australia in the opening match of their gold medal campaign against India, Harris announced herself.”Unbelievably resilient, Grace is,” Healy said. “Our group’s changed a lot as well and I’m really proud of Grace coming back into our group and everyone just embracing who Grace is and letting Grace be Grace out there on the field and also off the park as well. She’s an unbelievable character and if you haven’t had the chance of sitting at breaky with her or going to have a drink with her of an evening, do that because it’s an it’s an absolute laugh a minute.Healy on Mooney: It was good for her to spend some time at the crease, probably more for her own mental health than anything else•ICC via Getty Images”She’s a great person to have around our side not just for her personality, but for her skills. She’s unbelievably damaging with the bat in hand. We haven’t quite seen that just yet, but I guess that’s something exciting probably heading into the back end of this tournament.”A career-best 64 not out against India in December signalled Harris was in good touch ahead of this tournament, and she bowled for Australia in the second T20I against Pakistan in Hobart, incidentally picking up the wicket of opener Muneeba Ali, who became the first Pakistan Women’s player to score a century in a T20I on Wednesday in Cape Town.”She has the ability to hit any length over the boundary and I think that is super impressive in our game,” Healy said of Harris. “The women’s game has come along quite a lot over the last few years.”It’s become more dynamic, it’s become more athletic, it’s become more powerful but a player like Grace has been around for a long time and I think the way that she just trusts her game now… And she thinks about the game a lot more and knows the shots that she wants to play and the shots that she’s going to be able to clear the boundary with to certain bowlers, that work that she’s done behind the scenes has allowed her to come out and be this incredibly powerful player.”She’s that type of player in our middle order that when we’re a little bit behind or we need 12 an over she’s the perfect person to step out there and break the game wide open which is exactly what you want. So she’s a true asset to everyone.”Harris’ turn with the ball and in the field somewhat overshadowed Megan Schutt’s four wickets at the death – three in the final over. And it was Healy who was awarded Player of the Match for her three stumpings and unbeaten half-century alongside Beth Mooney, who broke a lean run with the bat at the tournament.”It was good for her to spend some time at the crease, probably more for her own mental health than anything else,” Healy said of Mooney. “She’s been hitting the ball really well in the nets and it just hasn’t quite been clicking on the field. I thought she played really well today and hopefully that gives her confidence moving forward.”If that happens and Mooney goes onwards and upwards, it may be longer before we see any fireworks with the bat from Harris. But the Australians won’t complain.

Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul put on 126 runs together for the first wicket

Sampath Bandarupalli12-Aug-2021126 Partnership runs for the first wicket between KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma, the first century opening stand for India outside Asia in Tests since the start of 2011. The last India opening pair to share a century stand overseas was Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir, who put on 137 in India’s second innings at Centurion in 2010.1 Rahul and Sharma are also the first visiting pair with a century stand in England since August 2016. The 126-run stand is also the highest opening partnership in England in this period, alongside Alastair Cook and Alex Hales against Pakistan in Birmingham in 2016.126 The partnership of 126 between Rahul and Sharma is the second-highest by a visiting team in England after being put in to bat. Michael Slater and Mark Taylor shared a 128-run stand in 1993 at Old Trafford.20.4 Overs per innings before the fall of the first wicket for India overseas in 2021. Between 2011 and 2020, the Indian opening pair lasted only 6.4 overs on an average in Tests outside Asia.ESPNcricinfo Ltd43.4 Overs batted by India’s opening pair of Rahul and Sharma on Thursday, the second-longest opening stand for India outside Asia since 1998. Wasim Jaffer and Dinesh Karthik take the top place as they batted out 56.1 overs for a 153-run stand in Cape Town in 2007.5 Instances of India’s opening partnership lasting 20 or more overs in Tests outside Asia since the start of 2011. All the five instances came in 2021, including twice in the ongoing series against England.247.5 Balls per dismissal for Sharma during the first 20 overs of innings away from home this year. Across nine away innings in 2021, Sharma got out just twice before the end of 20 overs.4 Hundreds by Indian openers in Test cricket outside Asia since the start of 2015. All those four are by Rahul – twice in England and one each in Australia and West Indies.

He starred for Bangladesh with his big hits and sharp fielding, but says it is a job he has to do each time he takes the field

Mohammad Isam14-Jul-2025In Sri Lanka, Shamim Hossain is doing things rarely expected from Bangladesh’s cricketers. He finds boundaries early in his innings and clears the rope regularly. He is taking excellent catches, both inside the 30-yard circle and in the deep. Even his bowling – his weakest suit – has been accurate. On Sunday, he executed one of the rarest dismissals by a Bangladesh fielder: a direct-hit run out from a tight angle.Shamim swooped in from point and struck the stumps at the non-striker’s end, with Kusal Mendis well short of his crease. Kusal, surprisingly, slowed down despite seeing Shamim charging in. Given Bangladesh’s poor history with direct hits, Kusal may be forgiven for underestimating Shamim, who ended his innings with sharp fielding.Bangladesh’s last direct-hit run-out came more than two years ago, when Mehidy Hasan Miraz removed Jos Buttler. Since then, and even long before, fielding has been a major problem for Bangladesh. Their drop-to-catch percentage remains high. Their approach to run-out opportunities receives less scrutiny, but is equally concerning, with frequent misses at the stumps – especially when only one stump is visible.Related

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Earlier that day, Shamim had given Bangladesh a major lifeline with his 27-ball 48. He added 77 runs for the fifth wicket with Litton Das, who also returned to form in white-ball cricket. Bangladesh scored 76 runs in the final six overs, with Shamim’s big-hitting at the death taking them to 177 for 7 in 20 overs. It was 22 runs above Dambulla’s average first-innings total in the last five night T20Is at the venue. Bangladesh eventually won by 83 runs, their second-highest margin of victory in T20Is.Litton was named the Player of the Match, but Shamim was the toast of Dambulla, and one of the few bright sparks for Bangladesh on this tough tour of Sri Lanka. “Whenever I go out to bat, my plan is to stay positive,” Shamim said after the match. “Someone has to take risks, and I want to take that responsibility for the team. This was an important win for us.”The series is now level 1-1 heading into the third and final T20I on Wednesday.Shamim also took a fine catch in the second innings to complement his runs in the first innings, as Bangladesh dominated Sri Lanka in the powerplay. As much as he might want to be a trailblazer for his team, Shamim knows it starts with getting the basics right.”I think fielding is very important,” he said. “I can’t say I’m overly happy [with the run-out] because it’s my job, something I have to do every day.”Bangladesh’s 83-run win was built on two fifty-plus partnerships. Litton and Towhid Hridoy steadied the innings after the openers fell in the first two overs. Then Shamim and Litton got them to a strong position with their rapid fifth-wicket stand.”Sometimes, you have to slow things down a little,” Shamim said. “At that point (when Litton and Hridoy got together), we needed a good partnership because we had strong batters to come later in the innings, and we can always catch up if we have wickets in hand. So, that partnership between Litton and Hridoy was crucial.”Litton batted really well. It was a turning point because you need a good start early on, and because of that innings, we were able to finish strongly later.”Bangladesh have a chance to sign off the T20I series with a win in Colombo on Wednesday. Once again, they will expect their players to string together vital contributions. Shamim’s will be especially crucial because of his ability to mix the basics in with his mercurial acts: common for other teams, but rare for a Bangladeshi.

MatériaMais Notícias

da roleta： O Vasco quitou nesta semana a dívida que tinha com o Atlético-MG por conta da transferência do volante Jair. O pagamento foi possível por conta do recebimento da última remessa do aporte anual da 777 Partners na terça-feira (10).

RelacionadasVascoMedel assume papel de líder no Vasco e vira um dos símbolos na luta contra o rebaixamentoVasco12/10/2023FlamengoFlamengo x Vasco: veja informações sobre ingressos para estreia de Tite no MaracanãFlamengo11/10/2023VascoMedel tatua escudo do Vasco na pernaVasco11/10/2023

da marjack bet： O valor pago ao Galo foi de aproximadamente R$ 3,32 milhões, referente à segunda parcela da trasferência, que estava atrasada desde do dia 25 de julho. A informção foi dada pelo jornalista Fábio Torres.

+ Transforme sua paixão pelo futebol em profissão. Descubra o caminho com o curso Gestor de Futebol!

O montante total é de R$ 13 milhões e, por conta do atraso, o Atlético-MG chegou a acionar a Câmara Nacional de Resolução de Disputas para receber o valor.

Com o pagamento, agora o Gigante está em dia com o clube mineiro até janeiro de 2024, quando vence a próxima parcela. A quarta e última parte do pagamento está prevista para abril de 2024. Jair é uma das grandes contratações desse momento de reconstrução do Vasco.

تحدث الإعلامي أحمد شوبير، عن الأزمة المثارة مؤخرًا بين رابطة الأندية المحترفة والمدير الفني لمنتخب مصر الثاني، الكابتن حلمي طولان، بشأن طلب تأجيل مباريات فريق بيراميدز بسبب مشاركة عدد من لاعبيه مع المنتخب، مشيرًا إلى أن الموقف معقّد وأن كل طرف له مبرراته.

وقال شوبير خلال برنامجه الإذاعي صباح اليوم الأربعاء: “دعوني أبدأ بحدوتة أصفها بأنها “ملتوتة” بعض الشيء، أي معقدة وصعبة الفهم، وهي أزمة الرابطة مع الكابتن حلمي طولان، بصراحة أنا لا أحب مثل هذه الأمور، خاصة أننا نتحدث عن منتخب وطني يستعد لخوض بطولة مهمة في الأول من ديسمبر، بعد أن خاض عدة مباريات ودية أمام تونس والمغرب والبحرين، ويستعد لمباراتين أمام الجزائر”.

وتابع: “الكابتن حلمي طولان، وهو شخصية محترمة جدًا وصديقي العزيز، خرج مؤخرًا ليقول إنه لا يجد ملاعب للتدريب، وإنه يريد تأجيل بعض المباريات لأن لاعبي بيراميدز يجب أن يكونوا معه في المنتخب، والحقيقة أنني بالأمس أيّدت هذا التوجه، وما زلت مؤيدًا لفكرة الاستعانة بلاعبي بيراميدز، لكن بيراميدز لديه أزمة، إذ يخوض مباريات متلاحقة، ولا أحد يعلم حتى الآن هل سيتم التأجيل أم لا”.

وأضاف: “المهندس هاني أبو ريدة صرّح بأنه طالب الرابطة بتأجيل مباراتي بيراميدز أمام بتروجيت والإسماعيلي يومي 3 و6 ديسمبر، لكن حتى هذه اللحظة الرابطة ترفض التأجيل حفاظًا على انتظام المسابقة، خصوصًا أن الجدول مزدحم للغاية، وفيفا حدد يوم 31 مايو كآخر موعد لانتهاء الدوريات حول العالم، وإذا تأخرنا عن ذلك، سنضطر لاستكمال الدوري بعد كأس العالم، وهذا أمر صعب جدًا”.

وأردف: “الرابطة تقول إنها مندهشة من تصريحات الكابتن حلمي طولان، وتؤكد أنه لم يقدّم حتى الآن برنامج إعداد واضح للمنتخب الأولمبي، على عكس الكابتن حسام حسن الذي قدّم خطة إعداد المنتخب الأول منذ فترة طويلة، وتم بناء جدول الدوري على أساسها، وبالتالي لم يكن هناك منتخب ثاني واضح قبل انطلاق الموسم ليُراعى في الجدول”.

وواصل: “مسؤولو الرابطة يرون أن انتظام المسابقة أولوية قصوى لا تقل أهمية عن إعداد المنتخب، ويقولون إن الكابتن حلمي يمتلك قائمة موسعة تضم أكثر من 20 لاعبًا يمكنه من خلالها تعويض غياب لاعبي بيراميدز، خاصة أن المنتخب المشارك في كأس العرب قائم بالأساس على اللاعبين المتاحين في الدوري المحلي، دون اتفاق مسبق على استثناءات أو مواعيد خاصة”.

طالع أيضًا.. خاص | رابطة الأندية توضح حقيقة تأجيل مباراتي بيراميدز في الدوري بسبب منتخب مصر الثاني

واستطرد: “لكن من ناحية أخرى، الكابتن حلمي طولان يرى أن الأمر صعب، لأن الحارس الأساسي للمنتخب أحمد الشناوي من بيراميدز، وكذلك عدد من العناصر المهمة الأخرى، مما يجعل موقفه الفني معقدًا، أما الرابطة فتؤكد أن الموضوع كله لن يتجاوز أسبوعًا، وأن بيراميدز نفسه مرتبط بمباريات رسمية في بطولة كأس إنتر كونتيننتال، منها نصف النهائي يوم 13 ديسمبر، أي أن الفريق سيكون مشغولًا قبلها بأيام قليلة، وهو ما يجعل التأجيل شبه مستحيل”.

واختتم: “الأزمة صعبة فعلًا، فالمباريات يومي 3 و6 ديسمبر، ثم بيراميدز مرتبط بلقاء مهم يوم 13 ديسمبر، أي أن الجدول مزدحم تمامًا، السؤال الآن: هل سيتدخل المهندس هاني أبو ريدة لحل الأزمة؟ أم سنعود بعد ذلك لنلوم الرابطة لأنها رفضت التأجيل؟ الرابطة تقول إنها تحاول فقط الحفاظ على انتظام الدوري، فهل هذا خطأ؟”.

The Premier League trophy’s ribbons run red once again, with Liverpool dethroning Manchester City after their historic four-in-a-row dynasty at the peak of English football.

Arne Slot oversaw Anfield’s success, and it was a triumph that few beyond the club’s fanbase saw coming. But it’s happened, Liverpool so dominant through the course of the campaign, easing the intensity over the past month, picking up two points from 12 available after thrashing Tottenham Hotspur 5-1 in April to wrap up the title and spark frenzied celebrations.

It’s got to be said, the job Slot and FSG have done over the past year has placed Liverpool in a promising position, surely primed for a sustained period of success at the forefront of domestic and European football.

With the elite support, peerless conditions and illustrious history, prospective transfer targets must leap at the chance to join Slot’s side, especially when looking at the sky-high growth of talents such as Ryan Gravenberch and Cody Gakpo.

This is certainly applicable in the case of Bayer Leverkusen’s Florian Wirtz.

The latest on Florian Wirtz to Liverpool

FSG have a certain way with finalising transfers swiftly once settled on a top target. This is especially true in the case of Wirtz, who is in the final stages of a transfer to Merseyside less than two weeks after Manchester City cooled their interest in the German international, citing concerns over the bulk of the financial package.

As per Fabrizio Romano, Wirtz, 22, has been enticed by the Liverpool project and only wanted to leave Leverkusen for Slot’s project, with the structure of the package all that stands in the way of that glorious official announcement.

It will break the bank, for sure, with FSG ready to crush their transfer record by signing Wirtz for a fee rising to £110m with add-ons and bonuses.

It’s a stunning show of strength from the Anfield side, ready to defend their title by making impactful additions. Bringing Wirtz in shouldn’t spell the end of the forward arrivals, however.

Liverpool join race for PL talent

According to Stretty End, Liverpool are among the contenders to have joined the race for Brighton & Hove Albion talent Yankuba Minteh, alongside rivals Manchester United.

With the Red Devils looking to strengthen their attacking flanks this summer, Liverpool may be forced into acting now, should they want to sign the 20-year-old after his promising breakout campaign in the Premier League.

Brighton signed Minteh from Newcastle United for £30m last summer before he had ever kicked a ball in black and white, swooping as Seagulls do when presented with an opportunity.

Why Liverpool want Yankuba Minteh

Slot knows Minteh well, having managed the Gambian prospect across the 2023/24 campaign at Feyenoord, the loanee hitting 16 goal involvements from 37 matches.

Now, he’s passed the first level of the Premier League test, scoring seven goals and providing five assists across all competitions this season.

With his explosive pace and budding eye for goals and assists, Minteh could become Liverpool’s new version of Sadio Mane, three years on from the 33-year-old’s departure to Bayern Munich, ending his illustrious Merseyside career.

The key point of difference, of course, would be that Minteh is typically more of a right-sided forward, thus illustrating a future role as Mohamed Salah’s successor, but maybe more in the mould of the one-time Jurgen Klopp favourite.

One football scout has even put it more directly, saying Minteh “can reach Sadio Mane[‘s] level” in the future, with his athletic properties and killer instinct reminiscent of the Senegalese sensation in his pomp.

As per FBref, Minteh ranked among the top 8% of Premier League attacking midfielders and wingers this season for touches in the attacking box, the top 12% for successful take-ons and the top 13% for tackles per 90.

Here you can see the strength, progressive power and tenacious attitude, all wrapped into one. Minteh is, undoubtedly, one of the most talented young wingers in the Premier League, and he could explode in the coming years, especially if he makes the move to Merseyside and replicates Mane’s own rise.

As you can see below, Minteh has produced this season a similar sort of roundedness to Mane before his big break, with work to be done on his finishing, sure, but not a drastic amount. Indeed, Minteh is proving to be the full package, with his existing ability to find the back of the net something which could develop in the years to come, especially if under Slot’s wing.

The Southampton version of Mane still has the edge over Minteh, but not by a significant margin. Moreover, the legendary Premier League winger joined Liverpool in a £34m deal when he was 24 years old; Minteh, conversely, is still only 20.

This all points toward an auspicious future for Minteh, and Liverpool would be wise to invest their stakes now, before his value skyrockets.

If rumours of Federico Chiesa and Ben Doak’s respective departures carry truth, this would be the perfect way for FSG to sign a new Salah understudy after the elation of bagging Wirtz.

And given his similarities to one Mane, it might be a deal that fans look back on in the years to come as yet another masterstroke on Michael Edwards’ part.

Another Suarez situation: Liverpool expect bid for "world-class" £72m star

Liverpool may have to contend with the sales of a few stars this summer.

By
Angus Sinclair

May 30, 2025

“The players are ready and raring to go in the multi-day format; to adjust to that is a different story,” India head coach says

Sruthi Ravindranath26-Jun-2024India are going into the one-off Test against South Africa on the back of successive white-ball series sweeps – T20Is in Bangladesh and ODIs vs South Africa at home – but head coach Amol Muzumdar believes there’s scope for improvement in every department for the team.”We do have the momentum – we won in Bangladesh, we won against South Africa,” Muzumdar said two days out from the Test in Chennai. “They are different formats, but at the same time, we are trying to focus on every game as it comes. The demands [of playing a Test] are different. I think the team is up for it, and I think as far as improvement is concerned, I think all three departments – batting, bowling, and fielding, and fitness – four departments [can improve].”India last played a Test in December, beating Australia in Mumbai by eight wickets. That came on the back of another one-off Test at home, against England, which also India won. Also, most of the top players were also part of the Senior Women’s Inter-Zonal Multi-day Trophy in Pune in March-April.Related

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The teams got only five days to prepare for the upcoming Test against South Africa following the conclusion of the ODIs on June 23, but Muzumdar feels the players are aware of the challenge of switching formats, considering red-ball cricket is part of their long-term plans.”In December, we played against England and Australia; we played back-to-back Tests,” he said. “We are aware that red-ball cricket will be a part of women’s cricket going forward, and hence I feel that the inter-zonal, which happened in March-April, was very critical. So that the players also get the message that it’s not just white-ball cricket or just T20s that we are focusing on. We are also focusing on the red-ball stuff, and I think they are aware and they are ready and raring to go in the multi-day format. To adjust to that is a different story.”Those are the demands of modern-day cricket. You know you cannot escape that as a team. So we try to cater to all the demands. It’s not easy, but at the same time it’s a challenge and we accept it as a challenge to adapt to different formats.”While the core of the team won’t change as India switch formats, the likes of Shubha Satheesh, Sneh Rana, Rajeshwari Gayakwad and Meghna Singh, who did not play the ODIs, will be coming in for the Test.”I think those four players are very important players. We did have a camp that happened at the NCA about 15 days back, and they were specifically given red-ball stuff to be done in the camp,” Muzumdar said. “So they’ve already had the workload. The workload has been shared to them, and also when they went back home, they were told a few things to do. Their weekly chart was organised and given to them. So they’re completely fresh and raring to go. Even when they’ve come here and [are] in the squad, we just had a practice session yesterday with those four players, and they look absolutely fine.”India won back-to-back Tests against England and Australia late last year•Getty ImagesWhile the ODIs against South Africa were part of the Women’s Championships, Muzumdar said he wouldn’t mind a men’s style World Test Championship for women to add more context to the format. However, only four teams – Australia, England, India and South Africa – currently play Test cricket.”It’s not a bad idea to have Test Championships,” he said. “That’s something to look forward to, but that is for the board to decide. And if it happens, it’s even better for the game. Test cricket is always special. We like to keep it that way, that you know every game is important [regardless of the context] – whether it’s ODI, T20 or Test match. I know there is no Test Championship to look forward to, but at the same time, every game is important. We take part to win them.”Muzumdar also said that Shabnam Shakil, the 17-year-old uncapped medium-pacer, was brought into the side for all three formats so she could get a feel of the team culture. Shakil was part of the U-19 World Cup-winning India team last year, and also made an impression at WPL 2024 for Gujarat Giants, especially when she took 3 for 11 against Mumbai Indians.”She’s definitely a superb talent, and that’s the reason she is here,” he said. “We’ve made a conscious decision of including her in the team so that she gets a feel of the dressing room, and also the atmosphere and the culture that we’re building. She gets a first-hand experience to that. She’s definitely a good talent, and we will hear more about her in the future.”

Liverpool are set to soften their stance on Luis Diaz and accept a bid of under €80 million (£69.9m/$93.9m) from Bayern Munich. The Colombian forward, who still has two years remaining on his current deal, has already expressed his desire to leave Anfield this summer, with his preferred destination being the German champions.

Liverpool ready to soften stanceBayern determined to sign DiazLeft out of squad for Milan friendlyFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Diaz, along with Darwin Nunez, was left out of Liverpool's matchday squad for their first pre-season friendly of the Asia tour against AC Milan on Saturday. Reds boss Arne Slot later confirmed that Diaz was not included in the team due to the ongoing speculation over his future.

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According to journalist , Liverpool have accepted that Diaz will leave the club this summer, while they are ready to soften their stance and accept a bids of less than their previous €80m valuation. Diaz, however, has still travelled to Tokyo for the next part of their Asian tour.

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Bayern are determined to get Diaz's signing over the line this window after seeing their earlier bid worth €68m turned down by the English champions.

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Slot's men will be back in action on July 30 when they take on Yokohama F. Marinos in a pre-season friendly. Diaz is unlikely to feature again given the latest updates surrounding Bayern's interest.

da betsul： As Sunderland prepare for life back in the Premier League, they have suffered a blow this week with news emerging of Jobe Bellingham’s pending exit, but the Black Cats are acting quickly and have already found a Premier League talent to replace him, according to a recent report.

Bellingham set for Borussia Dortmund move

da dobrowin： Since arriving at the Stadium of Light in July 2023, Bellingham has been a breath of fresh air for the Black Cats. While the midfielder didn’t manage to score as many goals in the 2024/25 campaign as he did in the 2023/24 season, his overall performances were very consistent and helped Sunderland seal a return to football’s biggest league.

Related Sunderland now set to sell "excellent" 19 y/o for £9m less than they wanted

He is now reportedly in advanced talks over a move away.

Posts ByHenry Jackson Jun 3, 2025

Despite that accomplishment, Bellingham has been weighing up his future in the last couple of weeks. The 19-year-old is under contract until 2028, but there has been significant interest in a possible transfer this summer, particularly from Germany.

Eintracht Frankfurt and RB Leipzig were two teams who made a move to sign Bellingham, but the young Englishman has decided to follow in the footsteps of his brother and make a move to Borussia Dortmund. Bellingham wants to join Dortmund, and now, according to Keith Downie, Sunderland are in advanced negotiations and are set to sell the midfielder for £25 million.

Sunderland want to sign £3m Wolves ace as Bellingham replacement

So as the Black Cats work on selling Bellingham to Dortmund, the club’s hierarchy already have a player in mind when it comes to replacing him. According to TEAMtalk, Sunderland are interested in signing Tommy Doyle from Wolves this summer.

The report states that the Black Cats want to strengthen the spine of their team as they prepare for life back in the top flight, and Doyle has been earmarked as a potential arrival. Sunderland tried to sign the 23-year-old on loan back in the January transfer window, but ultimately failed.

Now they want to try again, but this time on a permanent basis, as Doyle has been told by Wolves that he is free to leave the club. The midfielder has fallen out of favour under Vitor Pereira, failing to make five of the last nine Premier League matchday squads.

Tommy Doyle’s 24/25 Premier League stats

Apps

24

Starts

3

Assists

1

Interceptions per game

0.2

Tackles per game

0.5

Balls recovered per game

1.8

Clearances per game

0.5

Wolves have put a £3 million price tag on Doyle’s head, but the Black Cats are not the only team chasing the former Man City man, as Sheffield United, whom Sunderland beat in the play-off final, are also interested in a deal, as well as Wrexham, who are playing in the second tier next season.

But Sunderland may hold an advantage – Doyle has the same agent as current Sunderland defender Luke O’Nien, who has been key for the club for a number of seasons now, perhaps smoothing negotiations along.

Indeed, it is claimed that Sunderland are in the box seat to sign Doyle, who was dubbed “unbelievable” by former Wolves boss Gary O’Neil. He’s played over 50 games in the Premier League, so his mixture of top flight experience and youthful exuberance could go a long way to replacing a departing superstar.

Manchester United booked their place in the Europa League final last night, after a 4-1 win at Old Trafford against Athletic Club, building on their triumph from the first leg.

Goals from Mason Mount, Rasmus Hojlund and Casemiro secured the win for Ruben Amorim’s side, setting up a tie with fellow Premier League outfit Tottenham Hotspur.

The 7-1 aggregate victory demonstrated the clinical nature posed by the Red Devils, something which they will need to replicate if they are to claim the title at the end of the month.

Should they manage to once again win in Bilbao, it would secure Champions League football for the club, putting a superb end to what’s been a terrible season on the pitch.

Despite the convincing victory, numerous players failed to deliver at the Theatre of Dreams, potentially putting their places in the side at huge risk.

United’s poor performers against Athletic Club

After Diogo Dalot’s injury, Noussair Mazraoui was forced to operate in an unnatural right wing-back role, largely featuring as part of the back three since Amorim’s arrival.

The Moroccan failed to win any of the tackles he entered, whilst losing 100% of the ground duels he contested – with last night’s showing one to forget for the former Bayern Munich star.

He wasn’t alone in failing to impress, with forward Alejandro Garnacho once again falling way below the high levels of performance he’s set for himself at United.

The youngster only managed to complete one of his three attempted dribbles and only registered one effort on goal as he failed to add to his tally in Europe this campaign.

However, despite the showings from the aforementioned duo, one other Red Devils star failed to deliver, potentially becoming a new version of one other former failure at Old Trafford.

The United player who’s becoming the new Amrabat

Midfielder Sofyan Amrabat arrived at United with high hopes of being a success last season, but ultimately failed to deliver during his temporary spell at the club.

The Moroccan, who joined on loan from Fiorentina, featured for a total of 30 times across all competitions, often being utilised as a bench player and brought on late in matches.

However, despite his poor displays, he was useful in terms of seeing out games, managing to regain possession and winning 60% of the tackles he entered at Old Trafford.

Fast forward to the present day, Amorim has found his own version of the 28-year-old in Uruguayan Manuel Ugarte, who failed to impress once again last night.

The former PSG ace has been impressive during his early days at the club, managing to follow in Amrabat’s footsteps of impressing in regaining the ball for the Red Devils.

Last night was no different, winning two tackles and seven duels, managing to break up the play in the heart of the side – undoubtedly contributing to the victory.

However, with the ball at his feet, he struggled to make a huge impact, losing possession 15 times and managing to complete just 67% of the passes he attempted.

Minutes played

62

Touches

48

Passes completed

22/33 (67%)

Possession lost

15x

Tackles won

2

Duels won

7

Dribbles completed

1/2 (50%)

Ugarte also only competed 50% of the dribbles he attempted and was unable to make a single key pass, having little to no impact on the club’s goalscoring antics.

As a result, the midfielder was handed a measly 4/10 match rating by Manchester Evening News journalist Samuel Luckhurst – further highlighting how poor he was throughout the triumph.

After such a showing, it’s safe to say the Uruguayan could be on borrowed time within the starting eleven, with other options needing to be considered ahead of the final.

With nothing left to play for in the league, Amorim can use the matches as an opportunity to trial other players in such a role to bolster their ambitions of claiming the trophy in the coming weeks.

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