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Manchester United are in the market for reinforcements, and INEOS may now use their negotiation powers to bring a talented midfielder through the door at Old Trafford.

Ruben Amorim will be the first to acknowledge that his side are a work in progress at this moment in time. However, they are now five matches unbeaten in the Premier League after their draw at Tottenham Hotspur yesterday.

From the jaws of defeat, Matthijs De Ligt secured a deserved point for Manchester United in injury time to cap off an enthralling encounter. However, the Red Devils’ Portuguese boss did confirm that Benjamin Sesko could be absent for a period after being hauled off due to an injury.

He stated post-match: “It’s the knee, and we never know. Right now, I’m not thinking about form or selection. I’m more concerned about the injury because it’s in the knee, and I don’t know how serious it is.”

Either way, a minor blot on a credible day at the office won’t distract Manchester United fans from the fact that their side appear to be headed in the right direction, finally, something that is bound to appeal when aiming to secure signings in January.

Looking towards the future, Hertha Berlin youngster Kennet Eichhorn is someone the Red Devils are keen to land, potentially filling a hole in the engine room long-term if they can see off Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona to land his signature.

La Liga is also a market Manchester United are looking to exploit by signing Barcelona winger Raphinha if they secure Champions League qualification.

Nevertheless, he could cost over £100 million. In contrast, Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS have eyes on a target based in Spain that could arrive in a financially advantageous deal.

Man Utd could land Valencia star Javi Guerra in cheap deal

According to reports in Spain, Manchester United could land Valencia star Javi Guerra for £21.9 million if they can see off competition from both Atletico Madrid and AC Milan for his signature.

The Spain Under-21 international has a release clause valued at £87.8 million, creating a scenario where he could end up at Old Trafford for up to £65 million less than his asking price.

Five similar players to Javi Guerra (FBRef)
Hicham Boudaoui	Nice
Sergi Darder	Mallorca
Oscar Mingueza	Celta Vigo
Sandi Lovric	Udinese
Luis Rioja	Valencia

Starting the campaign off, he has registered two assists in 12 appearances across all competitions for Valencia. However, they view a cut-price sale as an ideal solution for all parties due to what they believe is a drop in form from Guerra over recent months.

No longer guaranteed a starting spot, Carlos Corberan could offload the Valencia-born man, and the January window is set to become a defining point when determining his future.

Man Utd could also sign a proven striker for a bargain figure

It is an open secret that Manchester United want new midfielders, especially with Casemiro coming towards the end of his career, and Guerra could be a cost-effective solution for Amorim should he enter the market in mid-season.

Duo take five and four wickets respectively as Leicestershire Foxes ease to victory

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay 06-Aug-2025

Ian Holland claimed valuable wickets•Getty Images

Alex Green’s 5 for 25 and Ian Holland’s 4 for 37 undermined Surrey’s batting at Guildford, where Leicestershire Foxes then eased to 179 for 4 and a six-wicket victory with 21.3 overs to spare.Surrey were bowled out for 174 in 43.1 overs, leaving all the Foxes’ top order to enjoy themselves with a succession of cameos, until Ben Cox settled matters with successive sixes off Cam Steel’s legspin.Cox ended 38 not out from 36 balls and added an unbroken 57 in 8.5 overs with Peter Handscomb, who was unbeaten on 23.Openers Sol Budinger and Rishi Patel struck two sixes and 10 fours between them in their entertaining innings of 36 and 29, Shan Masood included a massive straight six in his 27 and Lewis Hill made 20.Fast bowler Alex French, 18, conceded 26 in two overs on his senior debut but at least also grabbed the wicket of Budinger for his efforts.Earlier, only Ryan Patel and Ollie Sykes, with 53 and 50 respectively, offered any real resistance to the Leicestershire attack in front of a 2,500 sell-out crowd at Woodbridge Road.Surrey, missing 15 players at The Hundred, were also without the injured former Test duo Dom Sibley and Matt Fisher, and their predominantly youthful line-up proved easy for highly rated England Under 19 fast bowler Green.Making only his fourth List A appearance, in addition to a first-class debut last September, Green first removed Ben Foakes before ripping out Sykes, who had pulled Tom Scriven for one huge six over mid wicket, Steel and James Taylor in his second spell in mid-innings. He then returned to finish off Surrey by dismissing Josh Blake for 31 and bowled with genuine pace throughout.Allrounder Holland’s clever medium pace was also too much for Surrey, although it was the occasional off spin of Rishi Patel which struck perhaps the game’s decisive blow when he claimed the wicket of namesake Ryan Patel for 53 in the 25th over.Surrey’s total, though ultimately below par, had been based on a fourth-wicket stand of 68 between Patel and Sykes that rallied the home team after a wobbly start.Rory Burns edged Holland to second slip to go for 3 in the third over and 19-year-old Adam Thomas, in only his third List A game, also fell to Holland who pinned him leg-before for six during a tidy five-over new-ball spell of 2 for 21.The introduction of the giant 18-year-old Green brought almost immediate results, with Foakes (5) nicking his second ball behind, but Patel and Sykes steadied the innings.Patel, captaining Surrey for the first time, has been the county’s leading run-scorer in this competition for each of the past two seasons and he looked in good order before falling to a low caught-and-bowled. Driving at Rishi Patel’s offspin, there initially seemed to be some doubt about whether the ball carried but the bowler was confident and a quick consultation between the umpires confirmed that it had.Patel’s dismissal proved a turning point in the innings, with 111 for four quickly becoming 141 for 8.Sykes was caught at mid on, Steel caught from a skied misfit first ball, Taylor taken at the wicket and Nathan Barnwell – who also scored just two – bowled by Holland between bat and pad.Yousuf Majid did add 32 with Blake but on 14 he fenced at Holland and edged behind, and one run later Blake holed out at deep square leg to give the impressive Green his fifth wicket.

Venkatesh Prasad reiterates his commitment to bringing big-ticket cricket back to the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru

Shashank Kishore08-Dec-2025

Venkatesh Prasad has vowed to restore the image of the M Chinnaswamy Stadium•The India Today Group via Getty Images

Venkatesh Prasad, the former India seamer, has been elected president of the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA). Sujith Somasunder, who played two ODIs in 1996 and was until recently head of education at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence, is the vice-president.Prasad, who received unanimous backing from former colleagues Anil Kumble and Javagal Srinath among others, defeated his rival KN Shanth Kumar by a 749-558 margin. Flanked by his team members, Prasad reiterated his commitment to work with the state government to restore “Chinnaswamy’s lost glory”.”First and foremost, this is a victory for the sport of cricket,” Prasad said. “Secondly, this is a victory for all the members who wanted a change, all the people who wanted international cricket to come back to the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.”Related

Probe panel deems Chinnaswamy 'unsafe' for large-scale events

The venue hasn’t hosted a big-ticket game since a stampede outside the premises claimed 11 lives during a Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) IPL victory party on June 4. Since then, the KSCA has been a no-go for cricket in Bengaluru, with the BCCI preferring to host the Duleep Trophy and ‘A’ series between India and South Africa at the Centre of Excellence.The M Chinnaswamy Stadium was scheduled to host five women’s ODI World Cup games, including the final. But they had to be moved out after the previous KSCA dispensation, which was operating without a treasurer and secretary, who had resigned on moral grounds after the stampede, failed to obtain the necessary clearances from the state government.KSCA subsequently ran into trouble with the state’s electricity suppliers over fire-safety compliances, which led to power supply to the venue being cut-off. Power has since been restored after a fire-safety audit that said KSCA was in compliance with regulations.Prasad has now instructed his team to study the other possible changes they can implement by studying the findings of the Justice John Michael D’Cunha Commission, appointed by the Karnataka government in the aftermath of the stampede.DK Shivakumar casts his vote at the KSCA elections•PTI

In its report in July, the commission had stated that the stadium’s “design and structure” were inherently “unsuitable and unsafe” for mass gatherings. It warned that continuing to hold high-attendance events at the venue would pose “unacceptable risks to public safety, urban mobility, and emergency preparedness”.On Sunday, Karnataka’s deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar, a KSCA life-member and among the early voters, vowed to bring the IPL back to the Chinnaswamy.”I’m a cricket lover,” he said. We will ensure that the accident in Karnataka does not happen again and hold cricket events at Chinnaswamy Stadium in a manner that upholds the honour of Bengaluru. We will not shift the IPL elsewhere and will continue to hold it here at Chinnaswamy Stadium. This is the pride of Bengaluru and Karnataka, which we will retain.”Prasad joins a small group of former India players currently in cricket administration. Recently, Mithun Mahnas, the former Delhi captain and a cricket administrator in Jammu & Kashmir, was elected BCCI president, while Sourav Ganguly, Prasad’s former India colleague and captain, was unanimously elected as president of Cricket Association of Bengal. Saurabh Tiwary and Shahbaz Nadeem, who also had brief India careers along with a strong body of work in domestic cricket, have entered cricket administration in Jharkhand in positions of authority.

Splashing the cash in the transfer market hasn’t been alien to Manchester United over the last couple of years, with INEOS massively backing various managers at Old Trafford.

Since the summer of 2022 alone, the hierarchy have spent upwards of £800m on new additions, but it’s safe to say they’ve failed to have the desired effect in the Premier League.

Ruben Amorim could only direct the side to 15th place last time around, with the 40-year-old’s men now sat in eighth in 2025/26, but it could be about to get tricky for the manager.

Many of his key starters are set to go away with their respective nations for AFCON at the end of December, which could leave the squad bare in numerous areas.

As a result, the board have drawn up a plan, which could see numerous big-money talents make their own move to Old Trafford during the January transfer window.

United’s hunt for new signings in January

Over the last couple of days, Real Madrid star Rodrygo has once again appeared on United’s radar, but it seems a deal for the forward’s signature could prove to be a tricky one.

Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea are all said to be monitoring the progress of the Brazilian international, which could lead to a bidding war in the winter window.

He’s fallen down the pecking order of Xabi Alonso over the last couple of months, which could see him depart the Bernabeu in a deal worth around the £70m mark.

However, he’s not the only player mentioned with a potential switch to Old Trafford, with Bournemouth star Antoine Semenyo another player seemingly on their radar.

According to Football Insider, INEOS have identified the 25-year-old as the perfect player to come into the club in January to bolster the frontline during AFCON.

The report also states that the player has a £65m release clause that becomes active in the new year, with such a fee one the board are looking to activate and fast-track a deal for.

Why United’s £65m target would be Cunha 2.0

Investing big on Premier League players who have caught the eye in recent times is another thing United have done, as seen by the deal to land Matheus Cunha from Wolves during the summer.

The Brazilian scored 15 times in England’s top-flight last season, which massively attracted the interest of the Red Devils and Amorim during the recent summer window.

As a result, the board forked out a reported £62.5m for the attacker’s signature, with Cunha just one of three forwards signed to make a difference in the final third.

During the opening months of his career in Manchester, the 26-year-old has struggled to replicate his best form, as seen by his tally of one goal in his first 11 outings.

However, there’s still bags of time for the big-money addition to resurrect his career at Old Trafford, especially if Semenyo makes the move in the coming months.

They could star together, or the Ghanaian international could overtake him in the pecking order – something which could come to fruition when comparing their figures.

In 2025/26, Semenyo has massively outperformed Cunha in numerous key areas, with the Cherries star the perfect man to improve the frontline in 2026 and beyond.

The 25-year-old, who’s been dubbed the “best winger in the country” by Chris Waddle, has already posted more combined goals and assists this season – showcasing his incredible ability in front of goal.

Semenyo has also completed more carries into the final third, whilst achieving a higher take-on success rate, with such numbers making him a much better ball-carrier than the Brazilian.

How Semenyo & Cunha compare in the PL (2025/26)

Statistics (per 90)

Semenyo

Cunha

Games played

13

11

Goals & assists

9

1

Shot on target accuracy

52%

40%

Progressive carries

3.5

2.8

Progressive passes

3.7

3.6

Take-ons completed

1.9

1.7

Take-on success

53%

52%

Crosses completed

1.7

1.6

Aerials won

2.3

0.8

Stats via FBref

His dominance over the United star is further reflected in his higher tally of crosses completed per 90, with such a tally showcasing his ability to add an end product to his mazy runs.

Other numbers, such as a higher shot on target accuracy rate and a better pass accuracy rate, highlight his all-round dominance in attacking areas.

£65m for a player of Semenyo’s quality would be an excellent piece of business, with such a move softening the blow of Bryan Mbeumo and Amad Diallo’s absence at AFCON.

However, given the money spent during the summer, it would be another huge investment, with the backing certainly there – but it’s down to Amorim to get a tune out of the current crop of players at his disposal.

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Posts ByEthan Lamb 7 days ago

Scott Boland says he’s not driven by comments that England’s batters don’t fear him

Alex Malcolm17-Oct-20252:25

Mitchell Starc backs Australia’s fast-bowling depth

Scott Boland could not hide the smirk on his face.Not long after he had scythed through New South Wales to take a match-winning 5 for 67 to go with his 3 for 59 in the first innings to help Victoria claim a thrilling Sheffield Shield win at the Junction Oval, Boland was asked the obvious question in his post-match conversation with a group of reporters.Boland was asked if he had seen former England captain Michael Atherton write in the that he “holds no fear” for England’s batting line-up based on how they played him in England two years ago.”I saw it. My cousin sent it to me. He [Boland’s cousin] was taking the piss,” Boland said. “I’m sure there’s going be so much banter between the former players in between now and the first Test and even the end of the summer.”Related

Konstas wins the battle, Boland wins the match for Victoria

Stuart Broad: 'Worst Australian team since 2010-11'

Boland's MCG heroics more relevant than 2023 Ashes blip

Cummins 'running out of time' as Perth D-day looms

He was asked if it motivated him at all ahead of the Ashes.”Not really,” Boland said. “I’ve got my own internal motivations for what I want to do for the summer. I’ve never gone into a game where I’m just middling along. I guess there’s always some motivation for me to try and either come into the team and try to put in a really good performance, to try and keep my spot. There’s so many good fast bowlers in Australia that you just don’t want to give anyone an inch. So that’s sort of my goal when I’m playing Test cricket.”Boland, 36, always speaks like a man on the outside looking in. But right now, he is actually an incumbent in Australia’s Test XI having played in their last Test match in Jamaica in place of Nathan Lyon as part of a four-man pace attack. In fact, he took a Test hat-trick in the last Test over he bowled.And it’s looking increasingly likely that he will retain his spot even though Lyon is set to return for the first Test against England in Perth, with skipper Pat Cummins saying it’s “less likely than likely” he will be fit to play as he continues a slow recovery from a back injury.Boland said he had not spoken to Cummins in several months. But he was not expecting the skipper to miss all five Tests.”Patty’s so resilient,” Boland said. “He can play through a little bit of pain if he has some. Those guys play so much cricket there’s bound to be games where someone misses out. But if Pat happens to not play the first game, we’ve got a pretty handy incoming in at some stage during the summer.”

“I just want to find my rhythm as quick as I can in the game. And sometimes it happens in half a spell. Sometimes it takes a bit longer”Scott Boland

Boland is primed if he is called upon for the first Test. Like a prized race horse ahead of the Melbourne Cup, he seems to have timed his preparation down to the minute. He is pain free and without strapping on his knees for the first time in several years after a block of strength work in the gym following the Caribbean tour. His former Victoria team-mate and now Australia coach Andrew McDonald had challenged him to rethink the way he trained to become even more resilient as he ages.He bowled impressively in the opening Shield game of the summer against South Australia at Adelaide Oval last week and then backed it up with eight wickets at the Junction Oval. But he was frustrated with his performance this week having been far more expensive than usual. He conceded a tick over 4.1 runs per over across 30.4 overs in the match as the New South Wales batters looked to attack him, with Sam Konstas reverse ramping him for six in the second innings.With 0 for 54 to his name from 9.5 overs in the second innings, Atherton’s words felt prescient. But Boland found another gear, snaking a stunning delivery back through the gate to bowl the dangerous Oliver Davies for 64. He took 5 for 13 from his final 35 deliveries, including clattering the stumps twice more, to win the game for his state.”I knew the game was on the line,” Boland said. “I didn’t feel like I’d… not that I’d let the team down, but I hadn’t bowled as well as I wanted to for the whole week.”I just think it’s just a minor thing in my run up. I’m probably just stressing a little bit too much from what I usually do. But I know sometimes that just happens. I just want to find my rhythm as quick as I can in the game. And sometimes it happens in half a spell. Sometimes it takes a bit longer. This game just took a little bit longer, but I still felt like I was able to hang in there enough to bowl some spells when I’m getting wickets for the team.”Scott Boland took eight wickets for Victoria in their last Sheffield Shield game•Getty ImagesHe also showed a rare sign of raw emotion. After knocking over Davies, he charged past him and glared at him with a guttural roar. It was out of character for a man who barely celebrated a Test hat-trick and it caught the eye of veteran New South Wales coach Greg Shipperd.”Yeah, interesting, wasn’t it,” Shipperd said. “I don’t know what might have led up to that, but it’s not the Scotty Boland I know.”Victoria coach Chris Rogers said Boland and Davies had some history and that Davies “likes to give as much as he gets” but Boland played a straight bat.”I was just excited to get a wicket,” Boland said. “I hadn’t got one for a while. But I know we’ve had some good contests. I played an Aussie A game with him last year. Really enjoyed his company. So nice fellow. We had some nice words for each other after the game.”Boland is set to rest from Victoria’s next Shield game against Tasmania but will return for round four against New South Wales at the SCG in a game that is likely to feature Steven Smith, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Lyon.”I’ve got two really good games of work into my body now,” Boland said. “My body’s feeling really good. No issues with any my knees or anything like that that have been little niggles in the past. So I’m really happy with how it’s tracking. It’d be nice to have a few days off now and get some strength back in, because I know that when I’m doing that, my body’s feeling great, and I feel like I can get through as many games as needed for the summer.”

Former Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara will return to Rajasthan Royals (RR) in a lead role to helm the coaching staff after the exit of Rahul Dravid as head coach recently. ESPNcricinfo has learned that Sangakkara, who has been RR’s Director of Cricket since 2021, is firming up the position with the franchise, even as he has already informally started planning for the 2026 season.Since he joined RR in 2021, Sangakkara doubled up as the head coach, and, under his watch, the Sanju Samson-led franchise made the playoffs twice in four seasons. In 2022, RR reached the final for the first time since they won the IPL in the inaugural season in 2008, but lost to Gujarat Titans. After finishing fifth in 2023, RR reached the playoffs the following season, when they lost in Qualifier 2. Dravid, who was RR’s captain in 2012 and 2013, and then mentor in 2014 and 2015, was hired as head coach by the franchise immediately after he won the 2024 T20 World Cup as India’s head coach.Although Dravid had signed a multi-year contract, his stint was short-lived, as he parted ways with RR recently. In a media statement issued in August, RR said that based on a structural review of the franchise post the 2025 season, where they secured just four wins in 14 matches, Dravid was “offered a broader position” but he had “chosen not to take”.Related

• Samson asks to be released by RR ahead of IPL 2026 auction

• Head coach Dravid parts ways with RR after just one season

The biggest priority for Sangakkara will be sorting RR’s captaincy after Samson asked the franchise to release him after the 2025 season. It is understood Samson, 30, told the franchise that he wanted a change and hence be released. Suffering a side strain early during the 2025 season, Samson played only nine matches, and had to endure the disappointment of watching RR end ninth on the points table despite being in the winning position several times.Samson, who is the most experienced player in RR’s ranks, was among the six players retained ahead of the 2025 mega auction at a price tag of INR 18 crore (USD 2.14 million approx.).While RR did cast the net with several franchises offering Samson as a trade in player swap, they have not been successful. Officially, RR have not made any comment on releasing Samson. The IPL retention deadline normally is end of November, but franchises are still waiting for a firm date.It is also learned RR will retain former India batter Vikram Rathour as the assistant coach, and that former New Zealand fast bowler Shane Bond is likely to continue as the bowling coach. While Bond moved to RR from Mumbai Indians in 2024, Rathour, who had been assistant coach with India under Ravi Shastri and Dravid, joined ahead of 2025. It is understood that the pair of Trevor Penney and Siddhartha Lahiri, who were part of Sangakkara’s support staff at RR previously, is also set to return.

Unlike in the National League, where Shohei Ohtani was unanimously voted as the league MVP, the result of the American League MVP award was always going to be more heavily disputed. There were two very worthy finalists in Aaron Judge and Cal Raleigh, both of whom enjoyed fantastic seasons.

In the end, Judge won. It’s hard to argue that he wasn’t deserving, even if there’s a laundry list of reasons Raleigh was deserving. The decision from the Baseball Writers Association of America to select Judge was a narrow one. The Yankees outfielder took home 17 of the 30 first-place votes, with Raleigh claiming the other 13. Neither player received a single vote below second place. Judge had 13 second-place votes, and Raleigh had 17. Judge won by 20 points, 355–335, in what was an incredibly close race.

Judge’s second straight AL MVP win led to plenty of discussion on social media among MLB fans. There were mixed feelings about the result, with some supportive of the decision to name Judge MVP, due to his prolific hitting numbers, while others were upset, feeling that Raleigh was robbed after a historic season.

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