All posts by h716a5.icu

Manchester United have an exceptional talent on their hands in Alejandro Garnacho.

It’s been a tough decade for the Red Devils, but class is permanent and is clearly embedded into the roots of the club – as can be seen with their academy product portfolio.

Despite the emerging talents of youth players such as Hannibal Mejbri, Shola Shoretire, Anthony Elanga and Charlie McNeill – there is a bigger buzz around former Atletico Madrid prospect; Alejandro Garnacho.

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The Manchester United youngster has achieved a cool 18 goal returns (12 goals, six assists) in 30 appearances that span from the U18s to the U23s in Premier League 2.

Despite not making a first-team appearance for the Red Devils, the 17-year-old was called up to the Argentina national team last month in what looked to be a bid to get the starlet to secure allegiance – with Garnacho also able to play for Spain having been born in Madrid and growing up there.

Garnacho was described by the Spanish media (via Playmakerstats.com) as the “jewel in the crown” of Atletico Madrid’s academy, though, that was until Manchester United beat several top European outfits to his signature.

The youngster has also been described as “rampant” by Manchester United themselves, after a performance against Stoke City in which he bagged a hat-trick in the U18s’ 6-1 win.

With his record healthy, his reputation growing, and the fact that he is 17-years-old plying his trade with the U23’s – the main hype around the starlet is his adoration and subsequent comparison to Cristiano Ronaldo.

Taking to Instagram, Garnacho has already stated: “Greatest of all times… @Cristiano” after the great Portuguese gave the youngster the match ball after hitting a hat-trick against Norwich City.

The United starlet has also been seen emulating Ronaldo’s “Siuu” celebration after netting in the academy whilst his deal with Nike is yet another resemblance of the famous attacker.

The fact that Garnacho has trained with both Lionel Messi and Ronaldo at the age of 17-years-old is incredible but he has earned the right to do so with his performances for the youth set-up.

His goal in the FA Youth Cup win over Wolverhampton Wanderers served as a fantastic example of his prowess as a player.

Ten Hag could instantly impress the fanbase by utilising the youngster in what looks to be a major rebuild for the club.

In other news: Ten Hag’s first blow: Romano relays big update that will leave MUFC supporters gutted…

Plays of the day from the third day between Australia and West Indies in Adelaide

Alex Brown at Adelaide Oval06-Dec-2009Oh no, Watto
Even the most hardened of West Indies fans would have felt a pang of sympathy for Shane Watson. Resuming play just four runs short of his maiden Test century, Watson attempted to swipe the second ball of the day through midwicket, only for Sulieman Benn to breach his defences and hit the top of off stump. A disconsolate Watson kicked at the air and trudged from the field, aware that he had missed a prime opportunity join the Test centurion ranks. No word yet on whether Watson offered to assist the South Australian Cricket Association by bringing forward the planned demolition date of the Adelaide Oval dressing rooms.No Siddle in the middle
Australia need to knock West Indies over cheaply in their second innings, so it was a concern for the home fans when Peter Siddle didn’t take the field when Chris Gayle and Adrian Barath walked out to bat. Siddle had a tight hamstring and is no certainty to bowl on the fourth day, but Michael Hussey was confident he would take his place at some point. “I certainly hope so,” Hussey said. “I think it was more precautionary tonight, just leave him out of tonight so his leg has got another 12 hours or so to try and give him a good go tomorrow. I’m pretty confident that he’ll be out there tomorrow for us.”Conversion tables
Ricky Ponting has long emphasised the importance of batsmen converting 50s to 100s, but his calls have failed to inspire his troops of late. Of the last 12 Australian batsmen to pass the half-century mark, only one, Hussey at The Oval, has reached triple figures. Simon Katich is most culpable, having scored 80, 92 and 50 in his last three Tests, while Ponting himself has twice fallen short of a century after passing 50 in that time.Wise Sulieman prediction
Prior to the Brisbane Test, the West Indies interim coach David Williams touted Benn a likely trump card for the three-Test tour. Benn may have possessed a Test average nudging 50, but Williams felt the bounce of Australian wickets would suit the 200cm Bajan against a batting line-up that has seldom looked comfortable facing quality finger spin. Having performed solidly in a losing cause at the Gabba, Benn arrived at Adelaide Oval with much to prove. And so it transpired. Watson, Simon Katich, Michael Clarke, Marcus North and Siddle formed the hit-list for Benn’s maiden five-wicket haul in Tests, handing West Indies a 12-run first-innings lead. The last time West Indies held a first-innings advantage on Australia was the Perth Test of 1996-97. They went on to win the match by ten wickets.What are the odds?
Punters have taken a dim view of West Indies since their arrival on Australian shores. With the Australians two wickets down in pursuit of the tourists’ first-innings total of 451, betting agencies were offering A$21 on West Indies breaking their nine-Test losing streak on Australian soil. That reduced to $17 at the fall of Ricky Ponting’s wicket, and $7.50 by the time the tourists headed to stumps with an overall lead of 35 and all second-innings wickets intact.

Guillem Balague has revealed the four managers who have rejected the chance to manage Newcastle United so far.

The Lowdown: Manager scramble

The St. James’ Park faithful’s search for a new permanent manager to succeed Steve Bruce has been a bit of a mess so far, as Graeme Jones is set to take charge of another game at the weekend as it stands.

There have been so many names thrown around in recent days, including the likes of Paulo Fonseca and Zinedine Zidane, but it certainly begs the question whether any truly elite boss wants to take charge of a team currently locked in a relegation battle.

The North East club have a mere four points and no wins from their 10 opening games in the Premier League so far this season, sitting in 19th spot, just above Norwich City (Premier League).

The Latest: Four rejections

It is openly known that Unai Emery has now rejected the chance to manage the Tyneside outfit in favour of staying at Villarreal following a statement that he released yesterday, and it has also been widely reported that Antonio Conte rejected them as well, and is now the manager of Tottenham Hotspur

However, two names that may have gone under the radar are Joachim Low and Xavi, both of whom journalist Balague has now revealed have also said no to the Magpies job, among others.

The Verdict: Desperation

With so many rejections, these are desperate times now for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) consortium, who are clearly struggling to sell the long-term project amid a relegation battle.

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A true legend of the game as a player, Xavi now reportedly looks set to manage his former club FC Barcelona, which should in turn rule him out of any chance of managing the Toon, certainly in the short-term.

Having left his post as Germany manager following Euro 2020 after 15 years in charge (Sky Sports), Lowe is unlikely to want to get back into management straight away, leaving NUFC in a very difficult position as they scrap to see who is available at this moment in time.

In other news, find out which ‘phenomenal’ manager was Newcastle’s top choice here!

Newcastle United could attempt an ‘ambitious’ January move for Manchester City’s Oleksandr Zinchenko, according to Scott Wilson for The Northern Echo. 

The lowdown

The Ukrainian has only played 56 minutes across City’s first 12 Premier League fixtures, although that’s partly down to injury.

In total, he has made 105 appearances for the Cityzens, collecting three Premier League winners’ medals among the 10 trophies he has won at the club, and he was named Ukraine’s Footballer of the Year in 2019.

It’s therefore clear to see that the 24-year-old, who has been labelled ‘incredible’ by his manager Pep Guardiola, isn’t short of pedigree.

The latest

Sharing a link to his article for The Northern Echo (in which he linked Zinchenko) on his Twitter profile, Wilson wrote: “#NUFC stepping up plans for January – which increasingly looks like being make or break for the season. Proven Premier League players will be the order of the day”

The Manchester City defender fits Eddie Howe’s criteria in that he is proven in the Premier League and he also ticks an important box for the new PIF ownership, who are keen to scope out players who are struggling for game-time at their current clubs.

According to Wilson, there has been ‘talk’ that the Magpies will attempt an audacious swoop for Zinchenko if he can’t break into Guardiola’s first team on a regular basis.

The verdict

Newcastle operated with wing-backs during the first game of Howe’s reign last weekend, with Matt Ritchie on the left and Jacob Murphy on the right.

One player who watched on from the bench was Jamal Lewis, with the £15m signing being tipped to benefit from Howe’s arrival ‘given his engine’. However, this report is a worrying development for the Northern Irishman, who has played a mere six Premier League minutes this season and may struggle to dislodge a player of Zinchenko’s calibre and CV.

Lewis needs to prove to his new manager in the coming weeks that Howe doesn’t need to look elsewhere for a left-back when the next transfer window opens.

In other news, the Magpies are also lining up a move for another Premier League winner

Aston Villa’s owners Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens (NSWE) have promised new manager Steven Gerrard a huge January transfer budget, according to The Daily Record.

As to be expected, a number of Villa fans have been reacting to the news on social media.

Villa confirmed on Thursday morning that Gerrard has made the move to the Midlands, four days after the club parted company with Dean Smith.

Before the 41-year-old was officially appointed, The Daily Record shared a story claiming that Gerrard was set to become the best-paid manager in Villa’s history.

The report went on to add that Sawiris and Edens have guaranteed the new manager funds for the winter window despite the fact that Villa have spent more than £324m in the past two-and-a-half seasons following their return to the Premier League.

Villa fans react

@villareport shared the claims regarding Gerrard becoming the highest-paid Villa boss along with the January transfer kitty.

Here is what these Villa supporters had to say in reply, with many excited about NSWE’s budgetary promise.

“We are absolutely massive”

Credit: @tom_av1

“So excited to see who Gerrard brings in…”

Credit: @LordMillman29

“January window will be an exciting one.”

Credit: @LennanTomlins

“NEWCASTLE WHO???!!!!! STEP OUTSIDE”

Credit: @WazeUTV

“what a club”

Credit: @catrinavfc

“yessss”

Credit: @SadAVFC

“HERE COMES THE MONEY”

Credit: @avbiIly

In other news: Many Villa fans go wild over one man Gerrard could bring to Villa Park

Many West Brom fans have been left fuming as some transfer news emerged on Ahmed Hegazi.

As per The Express & Star, the Midlands club have now lodged a complaint to FIFA in relation to unpaid fees following the sale of the central defender to Al-Ittihad Jeddah.

Hegazi left The Hawthorns back in October of last year, initially on a loan deal with an obligation to buy.

Al-Ittihad had agreed to pay £2.5m to sign the Egypt international, but the Baggies believe that they have not yet received the full amount.

Of course, any extra money can help towards new signings in the January transfer window, renewing a contract or improving facilities around the stadium and training ground, and so it is no surprise at all to see so many Albion supporters left fuming over the news.

West Brom fans on Hegazi transfer news

These WBA fans were left fuming as the transfer news on Hegazi was shared on Twitter:

“What is it with our club? Ferguson and Barrie still no money now Hegazi. Promising youngsters been watched by big clubs as not signed pro terms. We don’t help ourselves”

Credit: @PORTZD2

“At this stage our club just gets pushed over at every opportunity.”

Credit: @Jack_J_Lewis

“Add them to the list what a shambles, never would have happened under Peace”

Credit: @scottwjones1988

“Once again, West Brom get walked over, surprise surprise…”

Credit: @JonW1995

“We are so weak behind the scenes it’s unreal…”

Credit: @Richbut

“It’s actually becoming a joke we are the biggest push overs in football, let Pereira got for £17m in instalments, received nothing for Hegazi and still haven’t received anything for Nathan Ferguson!!!”

Credit: @Nichola60335296

In other news, find out which former player Baggies want back here!

As per CaughtOffside, yet another Tottenham Hotspur player now wants to leave the club as a major update emerges on the future of midfielder Harry Winks.

The Lowdown: Spurs exit demands…

Over the summer, it’s safe to say there were a few Tottenham first team regulars linked with moves away from north London.

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Indeed, the most high-profile of them all in Harry Kane informed Spurs of his desire to leave and compete for trophies on the biggest stages in world football (Sky Sports). As well as the England captain, club record signing Tanguy Ndombele also told the Lilywhites that he would like an N17 exit (The Telegraph).

While both failed to get their wish, news has now emerged on yet another Tottenham player in Winks wanting to depart north London.

The Lowdown: Winks update emerges…

As per CaughtOffside’s information, the Spurs midfielder is now ‘keen to move on due to a continued lack of playing time’.

They added that Spurs are now ‘set to offload’ the 25-year-old when the January transfer window opens, with club chiefs now willing to part company with the ten-cap England international.

Despite no club making a formal approach, CaughtOffside expect ‘several sides’ to enter the race for Winks in three months’ time when the winter market opens for business.

The Latest: Time to go?

It has been quite a long while since Spurs supporters have seen the best of Winks. Former Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino once branded the player as ‘amazing’, but in the last year, he has arguably failed to make much of an impact on the field.

Jose Mourinho’s bit-part use of the midfielder last season is largely to blame but it seems that Nuno Espirito Santo isn’t that big of a fan either, having started him in just one Premier League game this season (WhoScored).

While he is still fairly young and commands a somewhat respectable market value (£18m on Transfermarkt), we believe that it’s time Tottenham look for buyers, with the 25-year-old eager to leave and unable to break into a team whose form has collapsed over the last three weeks.

In other news: Levy plan to offload big name Spurs player emerges as source leaks damning Hotspur Way behaviour, find out more here.

Marcus North’s Test career is still shiny and new but he has another lasting memory after his 110 put Australia within touch of levelling the Ashes series

Peter English at Headingley08-Aug-2009Marcus North’s Test career is still shiny and new but he has another lasting memory after his 110 put Australia within touch of levelling the Ashes series. His composed innings earned him a third Test century and when he launched a six to reach three figures he experienced a never-before-felt emotion.”I enjoy scoring hundreds wherever I play,” he said. “But to score one in a Test like we are playing at the moment, and to put ourselves in a position to have a 300-run lead in an Ashes Test, it is pretty satisfying.”North has succeeded in this arena almost as quickly as Michael Hussey, his fellow Western Australian, who brought up three centuries in his opening five Tests. It has taken North one more game to match the record, but even though he still does not feel secure he can relax in the knowledge he is now an accomplished Test batsman.His hundred came in spectacular style when he biffed a slog sweep over midwicket off Graeme Swann and celebrated before the ball succumbed to gravity. It made up for his near-miss on 96 at Edgbaston last Monday.”I just thought if he bowls in that slot then I will back myself to hit it,” he said. “It worked out, that bit of premeditation, and Swann kind of put the ball in the right area and I just followed through with it.”The method showed his increasing confidence at this level, but he soon fell attempting more big runs after being stuck with the tail. There was one powerful cut for four off Graham Onions, when the boundary was supposed to be covered by fielders, before he fell attempting to clear midwicket off Stuart Broad.On the first afternoon he spent 42 deliveries avoiding risk to make 7, but his mood changed this morning and he increased his pace significantly once set. He stayed for 206 balls overall, collecting 13 boundaries and the six, in a complete innings from an impressive batsman.”I was pretty pleased that I stuck with it and did a job for the team [on day one],” he said. “I let the team down a little bit at Edgbaston, where James Anderson bowled very well to me [he got 12 in the first innings]. I was disappointed to get drawn into a poor shot there. I wanted to make things right and felt that I did that last night. By doing that it set me up and I got the rewards today.”In this series he has collected 349 runs at 69.80, sitting second on the run list behind Michael Clarke, who added 93 to improve Australia’s already healthy position. North has formed a strong on-field bond with Clarke and the pair, who enter at five and six, shared another large contribution with 153, their third century stand of the tour.The combination took Australia towards 445 and earned a lead of 343, a position which gained in strength as the hosts slumped to 82 for 5 in their timid reply. It would have been even better if North had held Matt Prior’s edge at third slip from the final ball of the day.

Everton suffered their first home defeat of the season after Angelo Ogbonna’s headed effort proved enough to seal all three points for West Ham United at Goodison Park over the weekend.

It was a tough afternoon for the hosts, who were missing several key players through injury once again, and Rafa Benitez’s charges only managed two shots on target all afternoon.

The Hammers dominated the first half but couldn’t find a way through an organised defence and called Jordan Pickford into action just once.

Things improved for Everton after the break, although it remained a game of few chances, and Ogbonna rose highest to meet a Jarrod Bowen corner in the 74th minute, heading home the ball to secure a hard-fought victory.

However, things could have been very different for the Toffees. After missing the Manchester United game through injury, Alex Iwobi returned to the starting lineup and had a game to forget.

Following good work from Demarai Gray down the left-wing, the Nigeria international missed a glorious opportunity when he failed to make any contact with the ball from just six yards out.

Then, in the second half, Iwobi’s spin and strike was blocked, condemning the Blues to just a second league loss of the campaign.

The 25-year-old’s underwhelming display saw him awarded a match rating of just 6 out of 10, by far the lowest total awarded to anyone on the pitch, as per SofaScore.

And when taking a closer look at his underlying numbers, it’s easy to understand why. Iwobi had just 29 touches during his time on the pitch, 14 fewer than goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, highlighting his inability to influence proceedings.

He also failed to win any of his three duels, couldn’t pick out a teammate with either of his attempted crosses and had a passing accuracy of 71%. What made things worse was a tally of 0 dribbles or key passes.

It was a hugely disappointing showing from Iwobi as he let Benitez down against West Ham, and the Spanish tactician will be hoping the winger puts in a better performance against Watford next time out.

And, in other news…”It hasn’t worked”: Journo makes damning Everton claim, fans surely fuming with Brands 

A round-up from the latest County Championship matches as Joe Sayers puts Yorkshire in command and Kent sense victory after Azhar Mahmood’s three wickets

Cricinfo staff02-Jul-2009Division OneJoe Sayers’ century and substantial contributions from Yorkshire’s middle-order batsmen put them in an extremely strong position against Somerset at Taunton as the home side paid for a poor fielding display. Sayers, who was dropped at slip off Andy Caddick when he had 30, scored 152 after losing his opening partner Jacques Rudolph for duck, while Adam Lyth, also given a life, made 71 and Jonathan Bairstow 54 not out to take Yorkshire to 329 for 5, leading by 441 runs heading into the final day. Earlier Matthew Hoggard had Charl Willoughby caught behind to ensure that Somerset made no addition to their overnight score of 326 and secured a 112-run first-innings lead for Yorkshire.Click here for John Ward’s report from the third day between Durham and Worcestershire at Chester-le-Street.Click here for Jon Culley’s report of the third day’s play at Trent Bridge between Nottinghamshire and Lancashire.Division TwoDerbyshire’s bowlers limited the damage caused by a first-innings stumble to set up an intriguing final day against Leicestershire at Derby. Derbyshire resumed on the third morning at 188 for 2 and progressed to 207 before Garry Park was caught off George Walker for 72. Iain O’Brien then hit his stride, ripping out six Derbyshire batsmen for 87 runs and helped Leicestershire dismiss the hosts for 365, clinching a handy 47-run lead in the first innings. O’Brien’s spell brought 5 for 13 in 23 balls while Tom New continued to impress with six catches. Leicestershire’s batsmen failed to capitalise on that slender advantage, though, and they slumped to 92 for 5 before a valuable sixth-wicket partnership worth 51 between Jim Allenby and New. Allenby was eventually dismissed for 52 but New remained unbeaten on 63 to steer Leicestershire to 209 for 7 at stumps, leading by 256 runs with three wickets in hand.Mark Ramprakash scored the fourth century against his former team to lift Surrey’s hopes of a sizeable first-innings lead against Middlesex at Lord’s but they were dashed by the left-arm spin of Murali Kartik. Surrey began the day on 186 for 2, trailing Middlesex by 199 runs, and Ramprakash moved on from 64 to 136 before he was lbw to Kartik, who operated for much of the day with a negative leg-stump line. It took his tally against Middlesex since leaving 10 years ago to 1009 runs. Usman Afzaal chipped in with 58 before being caught at deep square-leg, but there were no contributions from the lower-order batsmen as Kartik ran through them to finish with 5 for 65. Surrey eventually managed only 392, ahead only by seven runs. Middlesex’s openers, Billy Godleman and Nick Compton, wiped out that deficit and progressed to 38 for 0 at stumps.Gloucestershire’s lower-order batsmen will have to play remarkably in order to pull off a victory – they need 201 more with five wickets in hand – against Kent at Beckenham. Kent began the day on 146 for 6 in their second innings, ahead by only 214 runs, and started badly by losing three quick wickets to slump to 179 for 9, with Steve Kirby completing his five-wicket haul. They were revived, however, by their last pair, Ryan McLaren and Simon Cook who scored 42 and 40 respectively to push the score up to 266, with an overall lead of 332. Azhar Mahmood and James Tredwell consolidated Kent’s position by striking regularly to deny Gloucestershire momentum in their chase. Mahmood took 3 for 11 in 11 overs, including the key late scalps of Hamish Marshall caught at slip and Craig Spearman leg before, while Tredwell picked up 2 for 50 off 20 to limit Gloucestershire to 131 for 5 at stumps.