All posts by h716a5.icu

The Red Devils remain rooted in the Premier League's bottom half, and there will be no end to their misery over the next five months

"Manchester United has become mediocre," INEOS chairman Sir Jim Ratcliffe told club fanzine in December. "It is supposed to be one of the best football clubs in the world. We have to make some difficult and unpopular decisions. If you shy away from the difficult decisions, then nothing much is going to change."

Ratcliffe also highlighted the club's poor recent record in the transfer market as one of the main reasons for their on-pitch malaise, adding: "We’ve not been good enough at recruitment. And until we’re as good as anyone in the world, then it’s not good enough for Manchester United."

Those strong comments would have been music to the ears of United fans ahead of the January transfer window. Ruben Amorim inherited a disjointed squad full of prima donnas from Erik ten Hag, and desperately needed the green light to start rebuilding it in his own image.

But bafflingly, he never got it. Amorim only completed one senior-level signing before the winter market slammed shut: 20-year-old Patrick Dorgu from Lecce.

INEOS failed their head coach, and the consequences will be severe. United have a mountain to climb to finish in the Premier League's top half, and they can also forget about salvaging the season with cup success, because no amount of work Amorim puts in on the training ground will be enough to improve this rotten team.

Getty ImagesBuilding for the future

Let's start with the positives. Dorgu could actually prove to be a very shrewd acquisition at just £25 million ($31m), with United having won the race for his signature ahead of a host of top clubs, including Chelsea, Liverpool and Barcelona. The Denmark international is an attack-minded full-back capable of playing on either flank, and he's also versatile enough to step into midfield if required. Dorgu wasn't the blockbuster signing supporters wanted, but he could be an important one for Amorim in the long term.

United also stole another promising academy graduate from Arsenal in the form of Ayden Heaven, who followed in the footsteps of Chido Obi Martin by moving to Old Trafford after rejecting a new contract with the Gunners. The 18-year-old defender is another player possessing considerable potential, though he is not expected to start competing for regular first-team minutes right from the off.

On the one hand, it's encouraging that INEOS are building for the future. But on the other, United really should have been putting most of their efforts into bolstering their frontline. A lack of goals is the main problem facing Amorim in the short term, and he will be fighting a losing battle over the next five months because the club neglected to address it.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportGetting desperate

United's lack of cutting edge was patently clear once again on Sunday as they suffered an embarrassing 2-0 loss to Crystal Palace at Old Trafford. That was the Red Devils' seventh home loss of 2024-25, meaning they've already equalled their worst-ever showing across an entire Premier League season, set in the ill-fated 2013-14 campaign that saw David Moyes axed after just nine months in the hot seat as Sir Alex Ferguson's successor.

Amorim raised more than a few eyebrows when he started talismanic midfielder Kobbie Mainoo upfront, and the experiment completely backfired. But at this point, you can't blame the former Sporting CP boss for trying something different.

Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee were both named on the bench, the £108m ($133m) centre-forward pairing that has managed just five league goals between them so far this term, one fewer than Palace match-winner Jean-Philippe Mateta has recorded in his last six appearances. Amorim threw Hojlund and Zirkzee on in the final 20 minutes to try and save the game, but neither man did anything to prove their initial omission was a mistake.

Zirkzee was too slow and careless on the ball while Hojlund's first touch consistently let him down, a sight the United faithful have become all too accustomed to in recent months. Hojlund has now gone 13 games across all competitions without scoring, and Zirkzee has one goal to his name from his last 16 appearances; that's simply not good enough.

It's no wonder that Amorim is getting so desperate. Only four teams have scored fewer Premier League goals than United, and three of them currently sit in the relegation zone.

Getty&GOALFailure to replace loanees

To make matters even worse, United's overall numbers in attack have been reduced. Marcus Rashford, who has frequently played as a No.9 to varying degrees of success since graduating from the academy back in 2015, has been loaned to Aston Villa until the end of the season, while £85m ($105m) flop Antony is beginning a six-month spell at Real Betis in La Liga.

Let the record first show that these are not great losses for United. Rashford has been in physical and mental decline for the best part of two years, and after expressing his desire to seek a "new challenge" away from Old Trafford, Amorim was absolutely right to exile the 27-year-old from his line up.

Antony's general attitude has been better than Rashford's, but that doesn't make up for his awful standard of performance since joining the club from Ajax in 2022. The Brazilian has only scored five goals in 62 Premier League appearances for United, and makes defender's lives far too easy with his predictable dribbling style and alarming lack of pace.

But for all their respective faults, it made no sense for United to get rid of Rashford and Antony without lining up replacements. Arranging loans instead of permanent deals to bolster the bank balance was also counter-productive, too, because there is a good chance they could both return to Old Trafford in the summer with their market value lower than ever before.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

Getty Images SportHalf-hearted dealings

As always, United have been linked with a plethora of attackers across the globe, from Paris Saint-Germain's Randal Kolo Muani to Napoli's Victor Osimhen. But very few of their reported transfer dealings have any substance.

It would appear that the club only properly explored January moves for two strikers: Chelsea's Christopher Nkunku and Bayern Munich's Mathys Tel. According to , United held talks with Nkunku's representatives over a loan deal, but Chelsea were only willing to consider a permanent transfer in the region of £70m ($86m). In the case of Tel, the Red Devils went so far as to launch a formal loan bid, only to be knocked back because Bayern wanted a bigger fee and an obligation to buy included in the deal. United didn't seem fully committed to signing either player, which is just plain bizarre.

Nkunku has been playing a bit-part role at Chelsea, but that's mainly due to the fact he's not an ideal fit for Enzo Maresca's system. At Old Trafford, things might have been different for the Frenchman, who is a match-winner when firing on all cylinders, as he showed consistently during his time at RB Leipzig.

Tel would have been more of a gamble than Nkunku given he's still only 19 and has yet to truly prove he can mix it at the highest level, but what did United have to lose? At worst, he could have been an extra option for Amorim, and at best, he might have developed into the lethal central striker the Red Devils have been craving for so long.

Oliver Glasner finds himself battling to save his job at Crystal Palace and now a “special” manager has reportedly showed an interest in replacing him at Selhurst Park.

Glasner under pressure at Crystal Palace

At the end of last season, it was hard to imagine Glasner finding himself under so much pressure this early in the new campaign, given the form his side were in. The Eagles were flying in the final months of 2023/24, thumping the likes of West Ham, Manchester United and Aston Villa, and many expected them to kick on again this season, despite losing the likes of Michael Olise and Joachim Andersen to Bayern Munich and Fulham respectively.

Instead, Palace have endured a miserable run of form, not yet winning any of their opening seven Premier League games in 2024/25 and finding themselves sitting 18th in the table and in the relegation zone. For that reason, there is plenty of unrest at Selhurst Park, with some feeling a change in manager could be needed.

Glasner has gone from complete security to facing pressure in no time at all, and he knows the importance of a positive result away to Nottingham Forest on Monday night. A defeat at the City Ground could even spell the end for him at Palace, at which point the search for a new manager would intensify.

"Special" manager eyeing Crystal Palace job

According to a new report from TEAMtalk, David Moyes is interested in taking the Crystal Palace job if Glasner is relieved of his duties, with the Scot throwing his name into the mix. It is stated that the current boss is safe for the time being, though, adding that Moyes “is interested in the Palace role but figureheads at the club have doubts he would be able to take the team forward in the way Glasner can”.

The 4-2-3-1-playing Moyes would certainly feel like a dependable appointment by Palace if Glasner was sacked soon, possessing so much experience throughout his managerial career. The 61-year-old only left West Ham at the end of last season, during which time he won the UEFA Europa Conference League, and Jamie Carragher praised the job he did at the London Stadium.

“To win a European trophy i think is pretty special and he deserved that for his managerial career not just what he done at West Ham. He’s been a top Premier League manager. I think he will be back in the Premier League soon enough, soon enough next season or the year after because he knows how to basically navigate a Premier League season.”

Moyes’ detractors will say that he isn’t a modern manager with fresh tactical ideas, however, as the update alludes to, so hiring him could feel more like a short-term plan to get Palace out of danger, rather than a long-term project.

West Ham

230

1.53

West Ham

31

1.19

Sunderland

43

0.72

Real Sociedad

42

1.21

Man Utd

51

1.73

Everton

518

1.54

Preston North End

211

1.72

Needs must, though, and if Glasner can’t get the Eagles out of the mire, the former Everton and Manchester United boss could do an excellent job in south London. The fact that he has beaten Palace 10 times in 18 matches in the past shows what he is capable of.

Former Manchester United star Gary Neville lambasted Ruben Amorim's tactics after his side conceded an early goal against Tottenham.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

Neville slammed Amorim for poor tacticsMaddison handed Spurs an early leadCasemiro & Fernandes were often found out of positionFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱Getty Images SportWHAT HAPPENED?

United's misery in the Premier League continued at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday as the hosts took an early lead courtesy of Andre Onana's mistake. In the 13th minute of the match, the Cameroonian goalkeeper parried away a shot from Lucas Bergvall directly to the feet of James Maddison, who comfortably found the back of the net from close range.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportTHE BIGGER PICTURE

As the Red Devils headed into the break trailing by a goal, former club captain and pundit Gary Neville slammed manager Amorim's tactics which left central midfielders Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes often out of position in the first half. He also called the Portuguese coach's planning worse than that of strategies used in youth football.

WHAT GARY NEVILLE SAID

Speaking on Sky Sports, Neville said: "We just said about the distance between the two central midfield players. Look at where Casemiro is and where Bruno Fernandes is. That cannot be right. It breaks all rules in football. Look at them – absolute madness, that. They may score goals but the structure of the team is awful. The gaps in that midfield, that's a tactical thing – they've been told to do that. Bruno Fernandes is playing right wing. It's embarrassing.

"You wouldn't see this in under-9s or under-10s football. There's a reason for it. It's because of what [Joshua] Zirkzee did against Newcastle when he kept having to come out to one side. What Amorim said is, 'You stay in there'. But that means then it's impossible for them two behind… that space in midfield there. It's shocking."

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR MANCHESTER UNITED?

United will be back in action next Saturday as they face David Moyes' Everton at Goodison Park in the Premier League, and only a win will do as they seek to climb up from 15th in the table.

Pakistan will be wary of Bangladesh’s dominance at home, even though they lost the last five games in the T20 World Cup

Mohammad Isam18-Nov-2021Big PictureBangladesh and Pakistan are two sides very much on the opposite ends of the confidence scale, with a team on a roll taking on a line-up that is in transformation after a disappointing T20 World Cup campaign. The two teams meet in a three-match T20I series starting Friday in Dhaka.The visitors will be wary of Bangladesh’s dominance at home, even though they failed to secure a win in five games in the Super 12s in the UAE.Pakistan, who were semi-finalists in the global tournament, will be looking to carry forward their form. Their batting line-up has adjusted to most conditions and has imposed themselves on several occasions. Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan have led the team well as openers, while the likes of Fakhar Zaman and Shoaib Malik have contributed at crucial moments. Shadab Khan and Mohammad Nawaz are the spinning allrounders in the lower middle order, although their bowling would be more important on the slow Dhaka pitches.Related

Mushfiqur Rahim says he was dropped, not rested for Pakistan T20Is

'A superstar Pakistan deserves': The rise and rise of Haris Rauf

B'desh name young squad following poor World Cup

'Fact-finding' committee to review B'desh's T20 WC performance

Shaheen Shah Afridi leads the bowling attack and his first over spectacle will be closely followed in Dhaka. Barring his last over against Australia, he had a great tournament in the UAE, picking up seven wickets in six matches. Pakistan also have extra pace from Haris Rauf, while Hasan Ali, smarting from his dropped catch in the semi-final, will be out to prove a point.Meanwhile, Bangladesh are going in with an inexperienced side. Mushfiqur Rahim, one of the most experienced cricketers in the team, has been dropped with the chief selector Minhajul Abedin insisting that he was rested for the T20I series keeping in mind Bangladesh’s scheduling for the next two months. Soumya Sarkar and Liton Das too have lost their top-order spots.They have brought in Najmul Hossain Shanto, Saif Hassan and Yasir Ali at the top. Shanto and Saif are Test regulars with decent domestic T20 records, while Yasir has been in the Test squad throughout this year. Yasir had a decent DPL season, scoring 266 runs in 12 innings. The selectors have also included legspinner Aminul Islam, pace bowler Shahidul Islam and wicketkeeper Akbar Ali, but they are considered as backup options.The real responsibility is with captain Mahmudullah, one of their experienced cricketers left in the 16-man squad. Due to the lack of experience in the squad, his role might be changed from being a finisher to middle-order anchor. Mohammad Naim will be looking to improve his approach in the powerplay, while Afif Hossain and Nurul Hasan must prove their worth after disappointing returns in the World Cup.The only thing that seems to work for the hosts is the bowling. Taskin Ahmed had a good outing in the UAE – picking up six wickets at an economy of 6.50 in six matches – challenging Mustafizur Rahman as the leader of the pack. Mahedi Hasan and Nasum Ahmed will also be crucial in Shakib Al Hasan’s absence due to a hamstring injury, particularly at home. The spin pair may hold the key for the home side. Form guide Bangladesh LLLLL
Pakistan LWWWW
Shadab Khan might be a major threat for Bangladesh, who have found legspin difficult to handle•AFP/Getty Images In the spotlight One of Bangladesh’s biggest problems this year has been catching. They dropped 11 catches during the T20 World Cup, having already been the team to have dropped the second most number of catches this year. It got the fielding coach fired, and training sessions now include more focus on catching. The dropped catches could, however, be linked to general unease within the team throughout this year.Shadab Khan almost got Pakistan to the T20 World Cup final with his four-wicket haul in the semi-final against Australia. He only gave away more than 30 runs in one of the six games in the tournament, an effort that has brought him out of a bad patch from the last two years. He will be a major threat for Bangladesh, who have found legspin difficult to handle. Team news Bangladesh may hand debuts to Saif Hassan and Yasir Ali and bring in Najmul Hossain Shanto to rejig the top order. The main concern will be finding four overs from the fifth bowler, given that they are more likely to play seven batters.Bangladesh (probable): 1 Mohammad Naim, 2 Saif Hassan, 3 Najmul Hossain Shanto, 4 Yasir Ali, 5 Mahmudullah (capt), 6 Afif Hossain, 7 Nurul Hasan (wk), 8 Mahedi Hasan, 9 Nasum Ahmed, 10 Mustafizur Rahman, 11 Taskin Ahmed.Pakistan have rested Asif Ali and Imad Wasim to give Haider Ali, Khushdil Shah and Mohammad Nawaz a chance. There will be a toss-up between Mohammad Wasim Jr. and Hasan Ali for the third fast bowler’s slot.Pakistan (probable): 1 Babar Azam (capt), 2 Mohammad Rizwan (wk), 3 Fakhar Zaman, 4 Haider Ali, 5 Shoaib Malik, 6 Khushdil Shah, 7 Mohammad Nawaz, 8 Shadab Khan, 9 Hasan Ali, 10 Haris Rauf, 11 Shaheen Shah Afridi Pitch and conditions The Mirpur pitch is the most talked about aspect ahead of the first T20I. The average score batting first has been 119 this year, although it used to be 152 in the previous ten years. There’s hope it will be better for batting after a bit of groundwork was done during the last two months. Weather holds steady, with winter setting in. Stats and trivia Bangladesh have won the last two T20Is against Pakistan at home, beating them in the one-off game in 2015 and the 2016 Asia Cup, respectively. Mahmudullah is 60 runs short of becoming the first Bangladeshi batter to reach 2000 runs in T20Is. Mohammad Rizwan’s 391 runs are the most by any batter in powerplays this year.

Wolverhampton Wanderers fans must surely be braced for a big change in the next few weeks. Although nothing is certain, their manager Gary O’Neil’s job could well be on the line after an appalling start to the 2024/25 Premier League season.

Despite two draws in a row, the Midlands club currently languish at the bottom of the English top flight, with just three points to their name. It has been a winless start to the new campaign, and they have not actually won since the 27 April when they beat now-relegated Luton Town 2-1.

With that in mind, it is unsurprising that O’Neil could be the next Premier League manager to be sacked. They are thought to be lining up one experienced boss as a replacement.

Who could replace O’Neil at Wolves

The manager in question here is former West Ham United boss David Moyes. The Scotsman has coached a whole host of clubs, including but not limited to Manchester United and Everton, with the Old Gold now thought to be next in line to appoint him.

At least, that is according to a report from Football Insider. They explain that Wolves have Moyes ‘on their managerial shortlist’ if they decide to part company with O’Neil following his poor start to the season.

The Old Gold could well turn to Moyes because he is ‘regarded as a specialist in relegation battles’ which they find themselves embroiled in after a tough start to the season. Another factor in bringing the 61-year-old to the club is the fact he has plenty of ‘Premier League experience’ already.

Why Moyes would be a good appointment

Moyes has been out of work since the end of last season after he left the London Stadium following a successful second spell with West Ham. His second spell at the club was excellent, with football presenter Dougie Critchley describing him as “manager of the year” in 2021. He also brought silverware to East London, winning the Europa Conference League with the Hammers in 2022/23.

One of the first tasks that would face the experienced boss is to improve the Old Gold’s defensive record. They have been simply awful from a defensive standpoint this term, and have comfortably conceded the most goals in the Premier League with 27 in the ten games so far. Ipswich Town are second on that list, with just 21.

Historically, Moyes, who favours a 4-2-3-1 system, has a superb proven track record when it comes to making his team more defensively solid. The Scotsman has conceded 914 goals across all the games he has coached in the Premier League.

In the 697 games he has managed, that breaks down to just 1.3 goals per game, far better than Wolves’ record this term. In fact, having a strong defensive record in the top flight is something that he has consistently achieved with almost every club he has managed at that level.

Club

Games

Goals conceded

Goals conceded per game

Everton

427

503

1.17

West Ham

198

302

1.52

Sunderland

38

69

1.81

Man United

34

40

1.17

He could certainly be the second coming of former Wolves boss Nuno Espirito Santo in that sense. The Portuguese manager, now in the hot seat at Nottingham Forest, was renowned for his defensive solidity at Molineux.

In 199 games in all competitions, he conceded just 281 goals, which works out at 1.09 goals per game. His defence, largely spearheaded by Conor Coady, was tough to breach, and it is serving him well again at the City Ground this season. His Forest side have conceded just seven goals in the Premier League.

Appointing Moyes could well be a perfect deal for the Old Gold. Not only would they be bringing in an experienced manager who has steered teams to safety in the past, but they would finally be able to tighten things up at the back, and perhaps be as secure as they were in the glory days under Nuno.

Managers with 14 wins vs Wolves combined top targets to replace O'Neil

They are seen as the top targets.

ByHenry Jackson Nov 4, 2024

India Test captain lauds the quick after his eight-wicket match haul

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Dec-20211:23

Cullinan all praise for ‘disciplined’ Bumrah, Siraj and Shami

Virat Kohli was full of praise for Mohammed Shami, calling him one of “the best three seamers in the world” after India beat South Africa by 113 runs in the first Test in Centurion.Shami’s five-for was instrumental in India bowling out South Africa for 197 in the first innings, especially when they didn’t have the services of Jasprit Bumrah. Bumrah was off the field for close to two hours after twisting his ankle. Then he had to spend the same amount of time on the field before he was allowed to bowl again.In the second dig too Shami chipped in with 3 for 63, which included Aiden Markram’s wicket in the second over of the innings.”Very, very happy for him to get 200 wickets and have an impactful performance,” Kohli said of Shami at the post-match presentation. “He is absolutely world-class talent. For me, he’s in the best three seamers in the world at the moment. His strong wrist, his seam position and his ability to hit a length consistently…”Talking about the overall pace attack, Kohli said: “Just the way these guys bowl together, it’s just a hallmark of our team getting a result from that position, not just in this game but also in the last two-three years.”India get together after Mohammed Shami snags Wiaan Mulder•AFP/Getty ImagesIn a rain-affected Test, India’s performance with the bat on the first day proved to be decisive in the end. Kohli credit his openers for that.”The discipline that the batters showed… Winning the toss, batting first overseas is a tough challenge,” he said. “Credit to Mayank and KL for the way they set it up.”We knew we were in pole position with anything over 300-320. We have a lot of belief in our bowling unit and knew the bowlers will get the job done.”This is India’s first Test win in Centurion. Now, they will be eyeing their first Test series win in South Africa. The next match will be played in Johannesburg, where India had won on their last tour.”It’s a top start for us, Kohli said. “We have to understand one day was washed out. That shows how well we played. It’s always a difficult place to play against South Africa. We got so much confidence out of Johannesburg last time. It’s a ground we love playing at.”

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola was spotted talking to Liverpool star Mohamed Salah in the tunnel after the Reds' 2-0 win over the Citizens.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

Salah and Guardiola spotted in conversationSalah set to leave Liverpool this summerCould Guardiola try to tempt Salah to City?Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Salah was on the mark against City yet again as the Egyptian opened the scoring for Arne Slot's side during the 2-0 win over the defending Premier League champions. After the match, Salah was spotted hanging out with Guardiola as the pair shared a conversation together.

AdvertisementWATCH THE CLIPTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Salah could leave Liverpool at the end of the season with his contract due to expire soon, so could Guardiola have been attempting to lure the Egyptian to the Etihad Stadium in a shock transfer? Well, probably not. The winger has the most goals (9) and most assists (6) of any player against sides managed by Guardiola as per the BBC's Match of the Day, so you can understand why the Catalan tactician might want him on his side.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

AFPWHAT NEXT FOR SALAH?

Liverpool are now safely in the driving seat in the Premier League title race and Salah will be hoping that what could well be his last season will bear another Premier League title and potentially a Champions League crown.

It’s been a strange few years for Manchester United fans.

They’ve seen their club lift two domestic trophies but then perform so poorly in the league that Erik ten Hag was given the chop just a couple of months into this season.

However, following the announcement that Ruben Amorim is set to take the reigns at the end of this month, there is reason to be hopeful again for the United faithful.

With that said, while Ten Hag undoubtedly failed in his mission to take the club back to the top of the English game, he did get a few things right during his tenure, such as bringing through a contingent of promising youngsters who could become core members of Amorim’s next great United side, including one whose value has exploded in recent years.

Ten Hag's exciting youngsters

So, before we get to the youngster in question, let’s look at another of the other young talents Ten Hag helped to bed into the side during his time in Manchester, Kobbie Mainoo.

The English midfielder was given his senior debut by the Dutchman back in a January 2023 League Cup game against Charlton Athletic.

Still, it wasn’t until last season that he was finally given a run of games in the first team, and to say he took his opportunity would be a massive understatement.

The Stockport-born gem has now made 44 appearances for the Red Devils, in which he’s scored five goals and provided one assist.

He has even won ten senior caps for England and started every knockout round at the Euros this summer, including the final – talk about maturity beyond his years.

Appearances

44

10

Goals

5

0

Assists

1

0

Goal Involvements per Match

0.13

0.00

Overall, so long as he remains fit, there can be no doubt that a successful United side in the future includes Mainoo at the very heart of it. With that said, another young United star looks destined for a bright future at the Theatre of Dreams and is already worth a fortune.

The youngster worth a king's ransom

Now, if the youngster in question isn’t the incredible Mainoo, it can only be one other: Alejandro Garnacho.

The Argentine international may have been signed for a small fee of £420k under the management of Ole Gunnar Solskjær and given his debut under the watch of Ralf Rangnick in April 2022, but his development into the player he is today all happened under Ten Hag’s watch.

For example, while he made just two appearances, totalling 12 minutes during the 21/22 campaign, the Madrid-born dynamo ended up making 34 appearances, totalling 1205 minutes, the following season, in which he racked up five goals and five assists.

His importance to the team only grew last year, as he ended the season with 50 first-team appearances, ten goals and five assists to his name, despite being just 19 years old at the start.

As with the entire team, things have been a little more difficult for the former Atlético Madrid prospect this season, but even so, he has still racked up an impressive haul of seven goals and four assists in 18 appearances.

Appearances

2

34

50

18

Minutes

12′

1205′

3574′

1124′

Goals

0

5

10

7

Assists

0

5

5

4

Goal Involvements per Match

0.00

0.29

0.30

0.61

Minutes per Goal Involvement

N/A

120.5′

238.2′

102.1′

Unsurprisingly, such a rapid rise from unknown youth prospect to goalscoring “superstar”, as dubbed by BBC podcaster Gaz Drinkwater, has seen the seven-capped international’s valuations soar.

For example, the CIES Football Observatory now values him at up to €120m, which is about £99m, or a whopping 23471% increase on the fee he cost United four years ago.

Ultimately, while Ten Hag made plenty of blunders during his time in charge of United, playing and developing youngsters like Mainoo and Garnacho was not one of them, and while Amorim will have to correct some of the Dutchman’s mistakes, he should be thankful to have two outstanding young talents ready to go in his squad.

INEOS make enquiry to sign £195k-p/w "monster" star for Amorim at Man Utd

INEOS have made their first move to land an unhappy player in the January transfer window.

ByBrett Worthington Nov 11, 2024

Batter passed fit to play just 10 days after fracturing her jaw

Alex Malcolm26-Jan-2022Australia batter Beth Mooney will make a miraculous return from a fractured jaw in the Ashes Test starting on Thursday in Canberra after she was passed fit to play just 10 days after suffering the injury in the nets.Mooney fractured her jaw on the Monday prior to the first T20I in Adelaide and required surgery. But she was back in the nets last weekend in Adelaide and was running laps.On Wednesday in Canberra, captain Meg Lanning confirmed Mooney would play in the Test at Manuka Oval.”She’s been passed fit to play, ” Lanning said. “So from a medical perspective, that’s all good. It was sort of around her comfort levels and confidence levels getting back into it after being hit, she’s had no issues at all. So once she was cleared and she’s confident and ready to go, there were no issues about bringing her back.”It’s pretty incredible. Right from the moment she got hit she was pretty positive about the whole situation. To be coming back to play international cricket around a week after having jaw surgery is pretty inspirational for the group and she’s been really positive around everyone. She looks really good in the nets and in the field as well so she’s confident she will have no issues moving forward.”The only concern for Mooney is that she still can’t eat solids. Mooney and the medical staff are trying to find ways to get her enough food to get through the Test match.”She’s only a liquid diet at the moment, which doesn’t sound like a lot of fun, not a lot of variety,” Lanning said. “I think our physio and Pip the doc and the dietitian have been coming up with some meal plans for her to make sure she’s getting enough energy and obviously with the Test match, the longer format you need to have that over a long period of time, but they’ve done a great job and so far, so good.”She said she can eat unlimited amounts of ice cream. So she’s pretty happy with that.”Related

'I want to be involved as much as I can' – Healy still keen to keep and open in Tests

Recovering from fractured jaw, Mooney hopes to be fit for the Ashes Test

Beth Mooney suffers fractured jaw ahead of Ashes

Mooney’s fitness means Australia have a decision to make over their top order. Mooney and Alyssa Healy opened in the last test against India but Rachael Haynes did not play in that game due to a hamstring injury. Haynes has opened in five of her nine Test innings and said on Sunday that she is preparing to open in this Test match.Healy is also keen to continue managing the difficult dual role of opening and keeping wicket. Lanning did not reveal who would do the job on Thursday, nor would she give away Australia’s XI.”Between [Haynes], Moons and Midge [Healy], we’ll work through what exactly that looks like,” Lanning said. “But they all can play a role on top of the order. So, again, we’ll just have a look at the wicket and see what we think will work best but those three will certainly play, it just depends on the order with which we go.”

Brendan Rodgers returned for a second spell at Celtic last year and enjoyed a solid first season back in Glasgow, winning the Scottish Premiership and the SFA Cup.

Despite that success, there was a fair bit of turnover in the squad during the summer transfer window earlier this year as a number of players moved on from Parkhead.

This meant that the Northern Irish head coach needed to dip into the market to bolster his options across the park with new signings. Auston Trusty, Arne Engels, Adam Idah, Paulo Bernardo, and Kasper Schmeichel, among others, all came in.

Celtic were also able to cash in on a few of the fringe players around the squad. Hyeon-gyu Oh, Tomoki Iwata, Mikey Johnston, Saed Haksabanovic, and Yuki Kobayashi were all sold to make way for fresh additions.

Rodgers did, however, lose one of his top players. Premier League side Brighton & Hove Albion swooped in to sign Denmark international Matt O’Riley from the Scottish giants.

The Seagulls reportedly splashed out a fee of more than £25m, making it a Scottish record sale, to tempt the Hoops into cashing in on the star, who excelled last season.

How much Matt O'Riley earned at Celtic

As per Salary Sport, the former MK Dons magician was on a weekly wage of £14k for Celtic during the 2023/24 campaign, and the club more than got their money’s worth.

13 players reportedly earned more than O’Riley within the Hoops squad last term and, yet, he ended the season with the club’s Young Player of the Year, Men’s Players’ Player of the Year, and Men’s Player of the Year awards to show for his efforts.

The left-footed sensation earned that recognition by performing at an incredibly high level week-in-week-out for the Premiership champions under Rodgers.

O’Riley produced 18 goals and 13 assists in 37 appearances in the top-flight, whilst creating 14 ‘big chances’ for his teammates and making 2.5 key passes per game.

Appearances

38

37

Goals

3

18

Assists

12

13

Big chances created

16

14

Key passes per game

2.2

2.5

As you can see in the table above, the Danish wizard significantly improved his goalscoring output under Rodgers, after Ange Postecoglou’s departure last year, whilst retaining his creativity in the middle of the park.

These statistics illustrate how important O’Riley was to Celtic, from an attacking perspective, in his two full seasons at Parkhead, and show how much value they got for just £14k-per-week in wages.

His performances and output on the pitch in respect to his weekly wage were even more impressive when you consider that David Turnbull, who was sold earlier this year, earned even more than him in Glasgow.

How much David Turnbull earned at Celtic

As per Salary Sport, the Scotland international earned £16k-per-week during his time with the club, which was more than O’Riley, Joe Hart, Greg Taylor, Paulo Bernardo, and Liam Scales, among others, earned.

Turnbull spent just shy of four years with the Scottish giants after his move to Parkhead from Premiership rivals Motherwell in the summer of 2020.

In those three-and-a-bit seasons, the playmaker racked up a respectable return of 31 goals and 23 assists in 134 appearances in all competitions, with the bulk of his outings coming as either a number ten or a central midfielder.

However, Turnbull failed to earn a regular starting spot in the second half of his career in Glasgow. In the 2022/23 and 2023/24 campaigns combined, the midfielder only started 15 matches in the Premiership under Rodgers and Postecoglou combined.

Appearances

16

Starts

9

Goals

7

Penalty goals

3

Assists

0

Duel success rate

36%

As you can see in the table above, the Scottish dud managed four goals and zero assists from 16 matches in the league from open play, whilst losing the majority of his duels out of possession.

This shows that the Bhoys were not getting value for money out of his £16k-per-week wages, as he offered significantly less than O’Riley, on £14k-per-week, did.

Market Movers

Football FanCast's Market Movers series explores the changing landscape of the modern transfer market. How much is your club's star player or biggest flop worth today?

Rodgers and Celtic then opted to cash in on the midfielder, whose contract was due to expire in the summer, at the end of the January transfer window and sold him to Cardiff City, which has turned out to be a great decision for the club.

David Turnbull's declining value in 2024

At the time of his exit from Parkhead, Transfermarkt valued the former Motherwell man at €4m (£3.3m), and that has dropped since his move to Wales.

Turnbull has struggled down south in the Championship and, at the time of writing (25/11/2024), Transfermarkt currently has his market value at €3.8m (£3.1m), which shows that his value has dropped over the past nine months or so.

The 25-year-old dud did not hit the ground running in Wales in the second half of last season. He made 17 appearances and started 11 times in second tier of English football but failed to provide much in the way of quality, with zero goals and one assist for the Blue Birds.

In those 17 games, the Scottish lightweight also lost 56% of his duels and committed a penalty, which means that he directly contributed to as many goals for the opposition as he did for his own team.

Appearances

10

Starts

7

Goals

1

Assists

0

Big chances created

0

Duel success rate

34%

As you can see in the table above, Turnbull has also struggled badly in the Championship in the current campaign, with a lack of impact in the final third.

This means that the former Celtic dud has produced one goal and one assist in 27 league outings for Cardiff since his permanent move to the club at the start of February, which is a particularly poor return, especially in comparison to his output during his time in Glasgow.

The right-footed midfielder’s disappointing form in England and his declining market value suggest that Rodgers and the Hoops hit the jackpot when they decided to cash in on him earlier this year, as it has turned out to be a fantastic decision.

86% duels lost: Rodgers must drop Celtic player who was worse than Hatate

The Celtic player who must now be in danger of losing his place in the starting XI.

4 ByDan Emery Nov 24, 2024