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Mauricio Pochettino wants to join Manchester United ‘now’, according to Samuel Luckhurst of the Manchester Evening News. 

The lowdown

There’s a vacancy in the Old Trafford dugout after Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was relieved of his duties over the weekend, and United initially indicated that they would look to appoint an interim manager for the rest of the campaign rather than naming a long-term successor straight away.

Named by Sky Sports as the Red Devils’ top target for the job, Pochettino is currently in charge at Paris Saint-Germain, and although they are 11 points clear at the top of Ligue 1 and poised to progress to the Champions League round of 16, he’s reportedly unhappy in the French capital.

As per the Daily Mail, he is missing his family, who are still based in London, and is apparently growing tired of having to manage the egos of Neymar, Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe.

The latest

On Monday afternoon, Luckhurst shared a succinct yet potentially crucial update on Twitter as he said: “Brief but vital update to earlier story: Pochettino wants to join #mufc now”.

His accompanying Manchester Evening News article stated that the 49-year-old is prepared to swap Paris for Old Trafford mid-season rather than waiting until the summer, having held long-harboured ambitions of managing United.

The verdict

Before United fans get excited about the possibility of hiring a coach who’s been ranked inside the world’s top 10 by FourFourTwo magazine and guided Spurs to the Champions League final in 2019, they should consider where PSG stand in all this.

Club sources from the French capital have insisted that the man they only brought in last season is ‘going nowhere’, and perhaps this is why United planned to wait until the end of the current campaign to appoint a permanent successor to Solskjaer.

It could be much harder to land one of their top targets at this stage of the year when it would cause a great deal of disruption, so despite Luckhurst claiming that Pochettino would be willing to take over at Old Trafford straight away, there could be a lot of negotiation to be done with the PSG hierarchy first.

In other news, some United fans ripped into this man for his performance at the weekend

A number of Crystal Palace fans have been reacting to their club’s renewed interest in Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah.

It was in July that Fabrizio Romano initially revealed that Palace were keen on the Englishman. and according to Transfer Market Web, the 22-year-old is back on the Eagles’ radar.

The report claims that Leeds United, where Nketiah has previously spent time on loan, face fresh competition from Palace, as well as Bundesliga duo Bayer Leverkusen and Borussia Monchengladbach, in their pursuit of the striker.

The 22-year-old is apparently valued at €12m, which equates to about £10.2m, and he holds the record as England under-21s’ all-time leading scorer with 16 goals in 17 caps at that level.

He will be out of contract at the end of this season, and so there are three possibilities: he extends with the Gunners, he leaves in January so that they can recoup a fee, or he walks away in the summer on a free transfer.

Why might Palace fans be underwhelmed?

Nketiah has made 38 Premier League appearances but only scored five goals (via Transfermarkt), while Palace have recently shelled out £14m on a new striker in the form of Odsonne Edouard, who has already struck three goals in eight English top-flight appearances (via Transfermarkt).

The response to the news, as relayed by Palace Xtra, was mixed among some Eagles supporters.

Palace fans split on fresh Nketiah links

“Based on what happened in the summer I think we should move on. However if we can pick him up on a free in the summer……”

Credit: @brock_a_d_84

“Would be good on a free if wages aren’t crazy”

Credit: @davidjcayley

“RB pls”

Credit: @cpfctomm

“no”

Credit: @Eberzee

“We don’t need an ST”

Credit: @tomjones2610

“No, I beg”

Credit: @eaglessss_

In other news, many Palace fans were delighted by this international development

Everton have received a potential injury boost ahead of their Premier League clash with Brentford over the weekend after it was revealed the club are hopeful that Yerry Mina will be able to make his return to action.

What’s the word?

The 27-year-old last featured in the 1-1 draw against Manchester United on 2nd October before picking up a hamstring injury while on international duty.

However, according to the Liverpool ECHO, Mina could be in line to make his comeback for the trip to west London after making a full recovery.

Phil Kirkbride’s report states that: “Everton are hoping Yerry Mina is passed fit to play in London at the weekend.

“The Colombian centre-half has missed the last four league matches because of a hamstring issue but it is believed he was left out as a precaution.”

Rafa Benitez will be buzzing

News that Mina could play some part against the Bees on Sunday will have Everton manager Rafa Benitez buzzing with excitement, given his importance to the first-team squad.

Prior to his fitness woes, the South American had made six Premier League appearances this season, losing on just one occasion.

In his absence, the Toffees have lost four of their five encounters, keeping just one clean sheet in the 0-0 draw against Tottenham Hotspur. And his underlying numbers indicate why.

As per WhoScored, Mina has averaged 1.5 interceptions per top-flight fixture, four clearances and 0.7 blocks, placing him in the top four amongst his teammates for each metric.

With Everton currently in desperate need of a positive result against Brentford, Benitez will be delighted to have Mina back at his disposal, providing a huge boost to their chances of securing all three points.

And, in other news…Forget Iwobi: Rafa must unleash rarely-seen 18 y/o “top-player” amid huge EFC setback

The ODI series between Bangladesh Under-19 and England Under-19 began with a thriller in Chittagong, as the hosts scraped home by one run

Cricinfo staff23-Oct-2009
ScorecardThe ODI series between Bangladesh Under-19 and England Under-19 began with a thriller in Chittagong, as the hosts scraped home by one run. Shaker Ahmed was the star for Bangladesh, taking 4 for 43 to help prevent England from overhauling a total of 212. Opener Joe Root top scored with 54, and was supported by Ben Stocks in the middle order, who chipped in with 45. At 159 for 4, England were favourites, but Shaker, backed up by the others, stopped the opposition in their tracks.Bangladesh’s batting effort was littered with valuable contributions from the middle and lower orders. They were struggling at 156 for 8 at one stage but it was a ninth-wicket stand of 56 between Noor Hossain (34) and Abul Hasan (32 not out) that won them the game in the end, taking them to a score they were just about able to defend.

A round-up of the final day’s play of the fourth-round matches of the Ranji Trophy Super League 2009-10

Cricinfo staff27-Nov-2009Group A
Scorecard
Chandrasekar Ganapathy and L Balaji put in superb performances with the ball as table-toppers Tamil Nadu stormed to a win against Himachal Pradesh in Dharamsala. With nine wickets between them, they helped Tamil Nadu cement their position at the top of the points table. Resuming on 199 for 5, the visitors were boosted by Ravichandran Ashwin’s fluent fifty and an unbeaten 44 from Ganapathy. They were bowled out in the 25th over of the day, not before setting HP a target of 247. Ganapathy had the top order in tatters, accounting for five of the top seven batsmen. Balaji proved to be the perfect foil picking up four wickets, as HP failed to hold on to first-innings points. Vikramjeet Malik was their top scorer with 45, but the day well and truly belonged to Ganapathy.
Scorecard
Gujarat slipped further down the points table with an innings defeat against Punjab in Mohali. They were staring down the barrel at 227 for 7 yesterday, and the Punjab bowlers wasted no time, taking just under 19 overs to wrap up proceedings. There was to be no fight from Rujul Bhatt, who added just two to his overnight score of 93. Manpreet Gony ended as Punjab’s most successful bowler with four wickets – a total of eight in the match – while Harmeet Singh finished with three. With the defeat, Gujarat fell to fourth position, handing the No. 3 spot to Punjab.
Scorecard
Railways would have to thank Marripuri Suresh and captain Murali Kartik for helping them avoid defeat against Mumbai at the Karnail Singh Stadium in Delhi. Beginning on 174 for 7, with a slender lead of 77, Railways were lifted by Suresh’s patient fifty. The overnight partnership with Karan Sharma finally ended on 81, but Suresh combined with Kartik to add another 83 for the ninth wicket. Suresh remained unbeaten, having struck 11 boundaries, as the innings came to an end in the 49th over of the day. The target of 213 could have tempted Mumbai to go on the offensive, but they chose to be content with first-innings points, as the openers put on an unbeaten stand of 69.
Scorecard
Anirudh Singh hit a combative half-century to carve out a thrilling draw for the home team after left-arm spinner Dhiraj Singh had nearly pulled off a sensational win for Orissa in Hyderabad. Chasing an improbable 321 for win, Hyderabad were on the brink after being reduced to 191 for 9, but Anirudh held out for 43 balls along No. 11 Lalith Mohan. Earlier today, resuming at 159 for 4, Orissa declared their second innings in the 24th over of the day, setting Hyderabad a stiff 321 for victory. Basanth Mohanty and Alok Chandra Sahoo shared four top-order wickets as Orissa pushed for the win. Dhiraj polished off the middle and lower order with a four-wicket burst to draw them closer. Orissa though, had the consolation of three points, courtesy their first innings lead, while Hyderabad managed one.

Group A

Teams Mat Won Lost Tied Draw Aban Pts Quotient For Against

Tamil Nadu 4 2 0 0 2 017 1.378 1889/45 2010/66 Mumbai 4 1 0 0 3 012 1.537 1628/40 1721/65 Punjab 4 1 1 0 2 010 0.909 2018/66 1851/55 Gujarat 4 1 1 0 2 09 1.072 2027/60 1513/48 Orissa 4 0 1 0 3 05 0.822 1306/47 1589/47 Railways 4 0 0 0 4 04 1.000 1727/50 967/28 Himachal Pradesh 4 0 2 0 2 04 0.802 1564/62 2045/65 Hyderabad (India) 4 0 0 0 4 04 0.729 1606/66 2069/62 Group B
Scorecard
Abhimanyu Mithun and R Vinay Kumar shared the spoils for the second time as Karnataka duly completed an innings victory over Maharashtra at the Poona Club Ground. Resuming on 254 for 5, Maharashtra’s hopes lay entirely with overnight centurion Ankit Bawne. He held fort to add 40 along with Ganesh Gaikwad, before Sreesanth Aravind had him caught by Robin Uthappa. The end came about quickly after that, with Vinay Kumar adding two wickets to take his match tally to eight. Mithun, who wrecked the Maharashtra top order yesterday, picked up one more today to finish with seven in the match. Karnataka took six points from the win, opening up a five-point gap at the top of the table.
Scorecard
Virat Kohli’s fighting century notwithstanding, Delhi surrendered tamely by an innings and 22 runs to Uttar Pradesh in Lucknow. Delhi’s hopes of salvaging a point from this game lay with the overnight pair of Kohli and Puneet Bisht. They did try their best, adding a further 104 to the overnight third-wicket stand, before Kohli departed, having hit 22 boundaries. Suresh Raina then got into the act, picking up three wickets with his part-time offspin to hasten the end. Rajat Bhatia made a watchful 56 but ran out of partners as Delhi were badly hampered by Shikar Dhawan’s absence in both innings. The six points helped Uttar Pradesh become the new No. 2 on the points table, at the expense of Bengal.
Scorecard
Arindam Das ensured that Saurashtra did not force an innings defeat, though the visitors gained first-innings points at the Eden Gardens. With victory out of the question, Bengal began the day hoping that Arindam and Manoj Tiwary would continue their partnership and challenge Saurashtra’s mammoth first-innings score. However, their hopes were dashed when both batsmen fell early, sparking off a collapse in which Bengal lost eight wickets for 132 runs. Ravindra Jadeja picked up 4 for 71, as Saurashtra enforced the follow-on. Rohan Banerjee’s early loss in the second essay gave the visitors some hope of a win, before Arindam and Deep Dasgupta joined hands for the second time to steady the ship. Both reached fifties before play was called off after 32 overs.

Group B

Teams Mat Won Lost Tied Draw Aban Pts Quotient For Against

Karnataka 4 2 0 0 2 017 1.976 2201/44 1924/76 Uttar Pradesh 4 1 1 0 2 012 1.000 1858/57 2217/68 Bengal 4 1 0 0 3 08 0.883 1921/50 2436/56 Saurashtra 3 0 0 0 3 07 1.699 1616/27 1585/45 Baroda 3 0 0 0 3 05 0.995 1889/52 1132/31 Delhi 3 0 1 0 2 04 0.787 1536/48 1504/37 Maharashtra 3 0 2 0 1 01 0.313 1374/55 1597/20

Aston Villa should consider sanctioning the sale of Anwar El Ghazi in the January transfer window.

What’s been said?

That’s according to Ex-Premier League goalkeeper Paddy Kenny, who, in a recent interview with Football Insider, called for Aston Villa director of football Johan Lange to cash in on the 26-year-old this winter, following recent reports that Villa would be willing to accept an £18m offer for the winger amid interest from AS Roma.

Speaking about the future of El Ghazi, Kenny said: “He’s not been in their plans for a while now, so I don’t think this would be a bad move at all. If it frees money and wages up to maybe bring someone in January in, get it done.

“They’ve got a lot of really good attacking players now. Unfortunately, that means that they are going to have to have a bit of a clearout. If he is interested in that move and is ready to move to Italy, then it makes sense for both parties to go for it.”

Stealing a living

After enjoying an impressive debut campaign at Villa Park on a season-long loan deal from LOSC Lille back in 2018/19 – scoring five goals and registering six assists over 31 Championship appearances – a move which Villa would spend £8.1m to make permanent in the summer of 2019, the future appeared to be bright for El Ghazi under the guidance of Dean Smith.

Indeed, after another decent season in 2019/20, with the £11.7m-rated man scoring four goals, providing four assists and creating for big chances over 34 Premier League appearances, the Netherlands international went on to score a highly impressive ten goals over just 28 top-flight fixtures last term – finishing as the club’s second-highest goalscorer in the league.

However, following the £100m sale of Jack Grealish this summer, Lange brought in a wealth of new attacking talent to Villa Park, landing the signings of players such as Emiliano Buendia, Leon Bailey and Danny Ings.

As a result, the £38k-per-week El Ghazi has fallen down Smith’s pecking order, making just four Premier League appearances so far this season, as well as averaging a disappointing SofaScore match rating of just 6.63.

As such, while it is undeniable that the man who The Villa View Podcast dubbed an “inconsistent” player has been a useful part of Smith’s squad over the years, considering his rather hefty weekly wage, the club should not allow the 26-year-old to simply sit on the bench for the remainder of the season.

That leads us to agree with Kenny’s claim that Lange should move the winger on in January – with it beginning to appear as if El Ghazi is somewhat stealing a living at present.

In other news: Aston Villa dealt potential blow on “exemplary” £5.2k-p/w beast, Johan Lange must act

West Ham academy gem Ben Johnson was an unsung hero as they defeated Tottenham Hotspur at the London Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

Michail Antonio’s sixth goal of the season was the difference as he slotted home from close range after an inch-perfect corner from Aaron Cresswell.

The left-back’s creativity has been crucial to the Irons’ success since David Moyes returned for a second stint at the club. He provided a squad-high eight assists last term and he has now finally gotten off the mark for the current campaign with his fine set-piece ability.

However, it was his fellow full-back that went a little unnoticed in east London.

The 21-year-old defender registered more touches (71) than anyone else on the pitch, including Cresswell (70) and even Declan Rice (58), which suggests that he deputised in the absence of Vladimir Coufal to great effect once again.

It also means he was one of the more influential players on the pitch as a lot of their play ran through him – and with these touches, the 5 foot 9 dynamo completed 100% of his crosses, created one key chance and even had a shot at goal.

He also did his defensive duties to a tee, recording a whopping five tackles winning 100% of his seven duels and even one clearance, as per SofaScore, who also graded him on par with Cresswell – both scoring 7.7 rating.

Johnson’s performance was even more impressive considering he was tasked with the massive job of defending against Heung-min Son, who is Spurs’ top goalscorer and one of the most lethal forwards in the Premier League on his day.

As football.london reporter Tom Clark explains, the youngster ‘did well up against Son’, whilst the Evening Standard’s Jack Rosser claimed he ‘continues to impress as he deputises for Vladimir Coufal. Confident on the ball and handled himself well at the back.’

On the above evidence, the 21-year-old Rush Green prodigy handled himself well on the biggest stage and he deserves just as much credit as Cresswell and Antonio combining for the winner.

AND in other news, 10 duels won, 8 tackles: West Ham’s “unbelievable” £60k-p/w beast ran the show vs Spurs…

Speaking to West Ham Zone, former Irons striker Frank McAvennie has shared what he’s ‘heard’ about Man United forward and linked star Jesse Lingard.

The Lowdown: West Ham attempt Lingard signing…

It is no secret that the Hammers and manager David Moyes wanted to re-sign Lingard after his sensational stint on loan at the London Stadium last season.

The 28-year-old, branded ‘phenomenal’ by talkSPORT pundit Adrian Durham, scored nine goals and assisted four others in just 16 Premier League starts for West Ham last campaign (WhoScored).

Alas, Lingard chose not to relocate down south from Old Trafford but reports post-transfer window have suggested West Ham could still return in January – with the club apparently set to maintain a ‘dialogue’ behind the scenes according to Football Insider.

The Latest: McAvennie makes Lingard claim…

Speaking to WHZ, McAvennie has now shared what he’s ‘heard’ whilst sending a bold West Ham transfer message – avoid bringing him back at all costs.

“They’re [Manchester United] not giving Lingard a new contract I heard,” the former Irons favourite explained.

“Brilliant isn’t it, he’s blown it.

“Listen, I hope West Ham don’t take him back. We knew he wasn’t getting a game. It’s not for me. I liked him, I wanted him, he was a breath of fresh air.

“[But] The bottom line is he’s blown his chance. Did he honestly think he was going to go and get a game with [Cristiano] Ronaldo and all of that lot?

“I saw it coming. It’s going to cost him his England place.”

The Verdict: Correct call?

We believe West Ham should, at the very least, contemplate returning for him in January – especially considering the Red Devils could offload for as little as £15m due to his contract situation – which currently expires in 2022.

Despite the Irons signing Nikola Vlasic in the summer, Moyes will need plenty of options in the attacking areas if he is to maintain West Ham’s excellent 2021/2022 start.

In other news: Contact made: West Ham have already positioned themselves to sign 17-goal ‘real handful’ for Moyes, find out more here.

Only 18.4 overs were possible on the third day of a match in which 906 runs have now been scored for the loss of just five wickets

The Bulletin by Jeremy James at Taunton 21-Aug-2009
ScorecardOnly 18.4 overs were possible on the third day of a match in which 906 runs have now been scored for the loss of just five wickets and which, unless Somerset collapse dramatically on the final morning, will be lodged by the scorers as yet another high-scoring draw at Taunton. There was time enough for Marcus Trescothick, the leading run-scorer in the land, to add 38 with Arul Suppiah, who for once has out-scored him.Trescothick, who has made 71, has now scored 1401 runs this season, overtaking his best tally in a county championship year, 1343 in 2007. He has no regrets about not returning to Test cricket this week: touring with England will never be a part of his life again, although he is still intent on taking part in the Champions League Twenty20 tournament in India in October. Richard Gould, the Somerset chief executive, is looking at flying him in for matches as opposed to commuting daily from the Middle East.No-one who watched Trescothick resume his innings after heavy overnight rain could conceivably imagine there was anything awry with his technique, desire to pile up the runs at county level and intention on prolonging his career until he reaches middle age. In such play as there was, he glanced and drove with customary élan while Suppiah, who possesses no little elegance at the crease, progressed to 80. Somerset, though, are 578 runs in arrears.The issue of heavy run-scoring on this square will be addressed by Somerset this winter. The head groundsman, the long-serving Phil Frost, is planning to top dress and re-seed the pitches with a mix of loans as opposed to the Ongar loan that is used at present. The drawback the club has in terms of digging up a pitch is that it cannot then be used for two years.”This is an issue for the ECB and above, not just for us,” said Gould. “It is an issue that needs addressing as Test match crowds are dwindling and we need to re-define what constitutes a good pitch.” He himself will be going to Harvard Business School in Boston for two months in the autumn to undertake its Advanced Management Programme at the suggestion of his chairman, Andy Nash. It is all a far cry from the days when Brigadier E.H. Lancaster and Air Vice-Marshall M.L. Taylor ran Somerset in their less-than-glory days before and after the Second World War.As for Sussex, whose batsmen gorged themselves on Thursday, Mark Robinson, their cricket manager who takes a Yorkshireman’s pragmatic view of cricketing matters, was less than impressed at the time it took the four-man Taunton groundstaff to bring on the tarpaulin covering when a heavy downpour occurred in mid-afternoon. In fairness to Frost, he had a fair number of old pitches to protect – pitches which, within five minutes were sodden to the point at which it was evident there would be no further play. His players will do well to achieve anything other than the odd bonus point before stumps are finally drawn.

Younis Khan has said that he had decided even before the World Cup started that he would retire from Twenty20 format if Pakistan won the tournament

Cricinfo staff23-Jun-2009Younis Khan has said that he had decided even before the World Cup started that he would retire from Twenty20 cricket if Pakistan won the tournament. He also said his statement about Twenty20 cricket being a fun game was part of his plan to ease the pressure off his players.”It’s not a disaster for Pakistan if we fail to qualify for [the] Super Eight round because this Twenty20 cricket is all about fun, though its an international but it’s all a fun game,” Younis had said at the start of the World Cup. Now, after winning the cup, Younis has revealed that it was part of a well-thought out plan.”It was in my mind before going to the World Cup that if we win it I will retire from Twenty20 cricket,” Younis told the Pakistan television channel Geo. Younis said he was confident about the success of Pakistan’s campaign. “We felt if we played consistently and played seriously we can win it. I was cool and calm and knew if we played well we can win. I had worked a lot during the series against Australia which affected my performance but I think the way we worked hard it paid [off] in the World Cup. Like all my other countrymen I am also proud to win the World Cup. Like in the last World Cup we came very close to winning it, but we could not.”Younis said that he chanced upon the ideal playing combination during the Super Eight games. “When we won last match in the Super Eights I knew which combination we have to play with, lots of players like Misbah, myself, Shoaib Malik and even Fawad Alam did not bat in the last few matches as our team clicked at the right time.”He also said he wanted to give opportunities to youngsters like Shahzaib and Mohammad Aamer so that it would benefit Pakistan in the upcoming Tests and ODIs.