Jadon Sancho has had another tough season for Manchester United, and the £73m signing from Borussia Dortmund looks bereft of confidence.
Erik ten Hag’s side secured what could be a vital victory against Wolves as they look to seal a return to the Champions League, but Sancho failed to shine whilst other wingers Antony and Alejandro Garnacho recorded goal and assist contributions.
The 23-year-old has scored just five league goals this season, and is still yet to establish himself as a regular starter for United.
His performance against Wolves saw him lose the ball 12 times, fail to complete any dribbles and fail to create any chances as per SofaScore, and fans are beginning to get frustrated with the England international.
Some United fans have admitted it may be time for Sancho to move on, whilst others have questioned why the winger deserves a place in the side over Garnacho.
Sancho looks a shadow of his former self, and perhaps a change of environment would see him return to his Dortmund form. Fans were quick to notice his lack of impact, particularly compared to Garnacho. The best of the reaction can be seen below.
Fans have seemingly lost patience with the winger…
Some questioned why Sancho is ahead of Garnacho in the pecking order…
Somerset’s last-wicket pair of Jack Leach and Tim Groenewald eked out the 31 runs required to secure a dramatic victory over Surrey
Daniel Brettig in Taunton30-May-2016 ScorecardChris Rogers saw his side pick up their first win of the season•Getty Images
Summers turn on days like this, when events unfold quickly and heroes emerge without much recent evidence they will. So it was for Somerset on a bewitching day in Taunton, as Nos. 10 and 11, Jack Leach and Tim Groenewald, eked out the 31 runs they required for an outright victory that felt close to impossible 24 hours ago.Groenwald cover drove the winning runs after he and Leach had nervelessly played out 11 dot balls with just one required – the composure as memorable as the celebrations that followed the final stroke. A previously turgid season marked by six draws was momentarily forgotten, even if the team’s failings over the previous two days are some way from being remedied.’Definite turning point of the season’
Somerset’s captain Chris Rogers admitted he had given up hope of victory when the hosts lost their eighth wicket and still had 64 runs to get. “Once we were eight down I think I gave up, so I stopped being nervous and just sat down,” Rogers said. “But when we got to seven or eight runs to go I got confident because Jack and Tim looked so good. I started to think ‘we can do this’ and fortunately we did.” Starting up a new project with Somerset after a successful stint with Middlesex, Rogers predicted the result would have a big impact on the club. “It’s definitely a turning point of the season,” he said. “If we’d lost this game I think we’d have been bottom two or three and now we’ve won it we’re up to fourth almost. “So that’s how easily it can turn around and it gives you belief. More than anything it makes you think you can win from any position. I’m so proud of the guys at the end who were under so much pressure. That would have been about as hard as it gets for them in their whole career. To step up and win us the game, that says volumes about their character.”
Nonetheless, the new captain Chris Rogers now has something to hang his hat on, just as the likes of Jamie Overton, Peter Trego, Jim Allenby and not least Leach and Groenewald can look ahead to the rest of the season with new-found confidence in their ability to find a way to win. Rogers had previously helped take Middlesex on a journey from mediocrity to confidence, and this result will help Somerset no end.The fine margin was epitomised by where this leaves bottom-of-the-table Surrey, under pressure and cursing their misfortune. Rory Burns will wonder many a long year about how he came to drop Leach at slip off Batty when the score stood at 276 for 9. The coach Michael Di Venuto left a successful environment as Australia’s batting coach to mentor Surrey. He now finds himself having to find a way to pick 11 jaws up from the dressing room floor.A hectic second day at Taunton had seen the hosts shot out for 102 by Gareth Batty, the beneficiary of a handful of harebrained shots but also a pitch that was well grassed while also spin friendly on a good length – clearly there had been little appetite here for a seventh stalemate of the season.Despite Batty’s 9.2 overs of havoc, Somerset had fought their way back into it with regular second-innings wickets, and the diligent left-arm spin of Leach was rewarded third ball of the morning with a front edge from Ben Foakes that lobbed gently to Rogers at cover.Batty and Zafar Ansari frustrated for a time, before Rogers called on Overton for the kind of zippy spell he can occasionally conjure. A fast full toss was through Batty before his bat came down, and Mathew Pillans was yorked by something even swifter three balls later. Ansari helped scrape another 21 for the last wicket before Overton found his edge, leaving a target close enough to tantalise if Somerset could forget the events of day two.Initially they did so grandly, as the senior pros Marcus Trescothick and Rogers cruised into the afternoon, the latter offering a half chance through the slips when Stuart Meaker got one to climb. He appeared to be having trouble finding the cut strip in the 24th over of the innings, but a pair of wides were followed by a delivery closer to off stump that Trescothick touched behind. Then James Hildreth’s late-blooming England ambitions were momentarily scotched by a sharp delivery that drew his edge for a second-ball duck, and suddenly the game had swung.Never totally at ease, Rogers was adjudged to have been struck in front of the off stump by Tom Curran, and at 127 for 4 Surrey were in the ascendant. However Batty was not gaining the turn of day two, and a previously out-of-touch Allenby found his feet in the company of the muscle-bound Trego. Together they brought the target down steadily, and were so comfortable that it was a surprise when Batty found a way through Trego’s forward stroke to win an lbw verdict.From there it appeared as though Surrey were just a fraction too far ahead for a nervy lower order, as Craig Overton, Allenby, Ryan Davies and Jamie Overton all fell. Jamie Overton’s exit came through a stunning catch from Foakes, beautifully balanced behind the stumps to dive for an inside edge that would have been four most other days.That left Leach and Groenwald with quite a few still to get in the pristine early evening but, despite a few moments of nerves, they moved forward sensibly against bowlers and fielders showing the strain of the scoreboard if not outright fatigue. Somerset needed three to win when Batty went up raucously for an lbw appeal against Leach, but its denial was Surrey’s last chink of light.
علق أندي روبرتسون لاعب فريق كرة القدم الأول بنادي ليفربول الإنجليزي، على رحيل الألماني يورجن كلوب المدير الفني للريدز بنهاية الموسم.
يورجن كلوب أعلن بشكل رسمي رحيله عن ليفربول بنهاية الموسم، في تصريحات الجمعة الماضية، من أجل أن يضع حدًا لمسيرة استمرت منذ أكتوبر 2015.
طالع أيضًا.. كورتيس جونز: سنحقق كل شيء من أجل كلوب هذا الموسم
روبرتسون شارك اليوم أمام نورويتش سيتي في المباراة التي شهدت فوز الريدز بخماسية مقابل 3 أهداف، ليتأهل ليفربول إلى الدور ثمن النهائي من بطولة كأس الاتحاد الإنجليزي.
روبرتسون الذي عاد للمشاركة في مواجهة نورويتش سيتي اليوم، قال: “كنت أنتظر هذا الاستقبال من الجماهير، لقد تخطيت أيامًا صعبة بفضل دعم هؤلاء”.
وأضاف في تصريحات لوسائل الإعلام المختلفة بعد المباراة: “لقد شعرت بصدمة بعدما علمت بقرار كلوب، لكن علينا احترام قراره، ونواصل العمل كالمعتاد من أجله حتى نهاية الموسم”.
وأكمل: “عقب المباراة لم يكن يريد ان تهتف الجماهير له، لكنه خسر المعركة، وتلقى دعما كبيرا من قبل المباراة وحتى بعد صافرة النهاية”.
واختتم: “لقد فعل كلوب الكثير لهذا النادي، نحن جميعًا نشعر بالإمتنان له، وسنظل هكذا إلى الأبد، إنه رجل أسطوري، لقد فكر طويلًا واتخذ القرار المناسب له ولعائلته”.
Manchester United look like they might increase their efforts to sign Lautaro Martinez this summer, with reports from the Italian media, via Sport Witness, stating that he is now Erik Ten Hag's top target this summer.
Will Man United sign Lautaro Martinez this summer?
The Red Devils have already been looking at bolstering their forward line this summer, with the club's boss making it clear that he plans to snap up both a midfielder and a new striker when the transfer window opens.
It comes as no surprise, with United struggling to burst the net on a regular basis over the course of the current Premier League season. Marcus Rashford is their current top goalscorer with a haul of 16 goals but, after the England international, there is no other Red Devils player who has managed ten goals or more. The next best goalscoring attacker is Anthony Martial, who currently has five to his name.
The Premier League outfit then will be determined to add a fresh face to their forward line this summer and it appears as though that could be Lautaro Martinez. Whilst the club have been linked with other options such as Harry Kane and Victor Osimhen, a new report from the Italian media via Sport Witness states that it is the Inter forward who is at the top of Ten Hag's wanted list.
It mentions that United are prepared with a transfer "proposal" that could end up costing them 70 million Euros (or £60m). If they do launch that bid, then Inter could be forced to accept the offer and that might mean that Martinez heads to Old Trafford.
Is Martinez leaving Inter Milan?
If the striker does decide to switch countries and move to England with United, then it would be a blow for Inter Milan. With a 7.19 WhoScored rating in Serie A this season, he has proven to be one of the most solid attacking options in the division. His goalscoring backs that up, with the Argentina international producing 20 goals and five assists so far – as well as a superb seven Man of the Match awards.
Whilst that rating dips slightly in the Champions League (to 6.96) he has also helped his side to reach the final of that competition with three goals and three assists. Further to this, the player has also come in for some high praise from Lionel Messi, who called Martinez "an impressive forward."
Martinez then is at the top of his game right now – and he would no doubt add more goals to the Man United attack if they were to stump up the cash and bring in the player this summer.
Glamorgan have qualified for the quarter-finals of the NatWest T20 Blast with a win over Somerset in Cardiff led by a career-best bowling spell and an innings of 54 from Colin Ingram
ECB Reporters Network22-Jul-2016 ScorecardColin Ingram has had a fine white-ball season•Getty Images
Glamorgan have qualified for the quarter-finals of the NatWest T20 Blast with a win over Somerset in Cardiff A career-best bowling spell and an innings of 54 from Colin Ingram allowed Glamorgan to make the knockout stages with two games still to play.Ingram has played as a white ball specialist this season as a result of an ongoing knee injury and he has made the most of his chances in the side, leading the run-scoring charts for Glamorgan in T20 and 50-over cricket.With victory enough to secure that prized quarter-final spot Glamorgan would have been pleased to win the toss and chase, their preferred method in Cardiff where they are convinced that the ball comes on to the bat better under the lights.An ugly looking pitch but one with decent pace and carry greeted the players but while the runs flowed for Somerset so the wickets fell. Midway, they were 90 for 5, a tendency begun by Mahela Jayawardene, who looked in supreme touch on his way to 16 from 10 balls, but who he fell when he mistimed a cover drive off the bowling of Timm van der Gugten.The most spectacular of those wickets to fall was that of Peter Trego who missed a rocket from Shaun Tait that knocked his stumps out of the ground. It that same over Tait induced an edge from James Hildreth with an outswinger that should have been caught by Mark Wallace but the Glamorgan ‘keeper could not hang on to it.Hildreth made the most of his life, going on to top score for Somerset with 39 from 28 balls. If Glamorgan had taken that chance they could have been chasing around 120; instead they would need 153 to claim victory.The surprise package of the night was Ingram’s bowling as he picked his best T20 figures of 3 for 20 with his occasional leg breaks. He bowled with real guile, with the ball that had Lewis Gregory out stumped particularly impressive. By adding bowling to his stellar batting form he has further cemented his place as Glamorgan’s star man in this competition.While van der Gugten impressed with his bowling, he was out done by his Dutch colleague Paul van Meerkeren who bowled with real pace and was unlucky not to claim more wickets. He did dismiss Mark Wallace who top edged a catch to long leg but there were a number of other chances that fell just short of a fielder. His figures of 1 for 45 did not accurately reflect how well he bowled.Glamorgan lost David Lloyd in the eighth over to bring together Ingram and Aneurin Donald who registered the fastest ever first-class double hundred against Derbyshire this week.Between them they turned what could have been a difficult chase into a stroll as they put together a stand of 76 from 53 balls. Ingram fell before the job was finished but he had done enough for Glamorgan to win by seven wickets with 12 balls to spare.Somerset captain Jim Allenby expressed his frustration at Somerset failing to perform on what he judged to be a very good Cardiff pitch.”It is disappointing and frustrating,” he said. “In all the years I played at Glamorgan and that his the best pitch that I have seen. That was a fantastic cricket pitch, short boundaries, everything that you want as a batsman and we have been bowled at for 150 on it.”So it’s really frustrated as a team and also individually on missing out on getting a big score out there. These things happened but it has happened all too often this season.”
Aston Villa have Giovani Lo Celso "on the list" ahead of the summer window, according to reliable journalist Fabrizio Romano via GiveMeSport.
Who are Aston Villa signing this summer?
The Villains have made some dramatic strides this season under boss Unai Emery, with the club currently sitting in eighth in the Premier League table. With two games left, the club could also still finish within the top six – which would be a fantastic achievement for the Midlands outfit.
Regardless of where the club finish this campaign, their boss will want to continue to build on what he has already achieved at Villa Park. Having toiled under previous boss Steven Gerrard, who managed only a 32.5% win rate during his time there, they were taken over by the former Arsenal manager back in November 2022. He's thrived so far, with a much better 56% win rate and an average of 1.80 points-per-match. With the side on the brink of a European spot now, improvement will be key for Emery.
The manager seemingly already has an idea of who he likes and might sign too, according to journalist Fabrizio Romano. He told GiveMeSport that one name already "on the list" for Aston Villa this summer is that of Giovani Lo Celso, who currently plays for Villareal on loan from Tottenham.
Villarreal central midfielder Giovani Lo Celso.
The journalist added that Emery – who worked with the midfielder in Spain – is "really appreciated" by the manager. It seems then that a potential reunion could be in the offing during the upcoming transfer window.
Speaking about it, Romano said: "Aston Villa, there will be big investments. They want to do something important in the market and Lo Celso's a player really, really appreciated by Unai Emery, so he's on the list, for sure. But It depends also on Tottenham's new coach."
Would Lo Celso be a good signing for Aston Villa?
The midfielder has once more impressed in Spain on his short-term deal to Villareal, managing a 6.81 rating on WhoScored so far this campaign. That includes two Man of the Match awards, with the player also showcasing his excellent vision with his three assists this year too. It's an even better tally for the La Liga outfit than he managed during his loan stint with them last season.
Even former professionals have heaped the praise on Lo Celso, with Paul Robinson admitting that he is a "brilliant" player for a team to have and adding that he could play a "big role" when he was involved in the Tottenham team.
Indeed, it comes as no surprise that Emery is looking to bring the attacking midfielder to Villa Park as he's already seen him perform regularly in the flesh over in Spain, and by the sound of things he liked what he saw.
It seems as if a return to England could be on the cards then once his loan spell is up – it just might not be to White Hart Lane.
أعلن مسؤولو نادي طنطا الرياضي، الذي ينشط بدوري المحترفين المصري- ممتاز أ، انتقال لاعبه محمد عاطف إلى صفوف الزمالك.
وكان “بطولات” قد كشف قبل قليل النقاب عن اقتراب ناديي الزمالك وطنطا من الاتفاق على انتقال اللاعب إلى القلعة البيضاء مع اقتراب توقيع العقود.
خاص | اجتماع بين مسؤولي الزمالك وطنطا لحسم صفقة جديدة للقلعة البيضاء
وأذاع نادي طنطا انتقال اللاعب في بيان رسمي نشره عبر حسابه الرسمي بموقع التواصل الاجتماعي فيس بوك.
وكتب نادي طنطا: “بعد موافقة لجنة الكرة.. نبارك للاعب الفريق محمد عاطف إنتقاله للقلعة البيضاء نادي الزمالك.. مع خالص امنياتنا بمزيد من التألق”.
وكان محمد عاطف قد أكد في تصريحات تلفزيونية قبل قليل أن القرار النهائي في انتقاله إلى الزمالك يعود لمجلس إدارة نادي طنطا، كما أنه يتشرف بارتداء قميص الزمالك.
Kumar Sangakkara struck 88 to set up Surrey’s second-innings 390 before Tom Curran struck before the close
David Hopps at Edgbaston15-Aug-2016 ScorecardKumar Sangakkara anchored Surrey’s second innings with typical conviction•Getty Images
Kumar Sangakkara has just returned from helping Jamaica Tallawahs win the Caribbean Premier League. It is a tournament that makes no impact in England, and nor should it with the county season in full swing, although apparently there are people in high office at the ECB who are terrified that if it takes off further it could have a devastating effect on the health of the English game.Whatever, Sangakkara is back from the badlands and playing his first Championship match for Surrey for two months. He could be forgiven if he was disorientated, struggling to adapt to the demands of life near the foot of Division One, and at 38 he could certainly be forgiven for being a little weary, but he does not do half measures. Wherever he plays, he plays with utter conviction, the transition made without complaint or a hint of unease.There is a Surrey relegation struggle to address and, for three-and-a-quarter hours, he did just that, his composed 88 pronouncing that all would be well. With a lead of 38 at the start of the day, and nine second-innings wicket remaining, the game was keenly balanced, but Surrey looked secure when they were dismissed shortly before the close, setting 396 to win. Warwickshire, their Championship challenge fading fast, lost Ian Westwood to Tom Curran in the first over and look consigned to batting out the final day. If they fail, they could also be dragged into a widening relegation mire.Ian Bell, who has come to captaincy late in his career, has not made the weight of runs expected this season as the role has consumed him. “It’s been a frustrating three days and couple of weeks actually,” he said. “Win this game we are in the mix, lose this game then we have got to fight for the rest of the season to make sure we are still in Division One.”It’s not panic stations but I want the guys to be fighting for Warwickshire. Tomorrow is a day when we go out and bat the day. I hope we have that mind set. It’s not about waiting for the next game. It is the most important day we have had this season.”Sangakkara does not just bat, he coaches. At the end of every over, often in the middle of an over, batting methods are underlined, bowlers discussed. The Caribbean one week, the West Midlands the next, and in both his senses are working overtime. When Jason Roy came out to bat, he walked most of the way to meet him, imploring and advising, aware that the game was in the balance.Thanks to a strikingly short boundary on the Hollies Stand side of the ground, it was possible to study Sangakkara in close up on one of the hottest days of the season as he efficiently dominated the offspin of Jeetan Patel in a match-up that turned the game in Surrey’s favour, athough Patel might have had him caught at the wicket, dabbing, on 76. One elderly Warwickshire supporter was armed for the task, seat chosen, sunglasses and cap donned, with his wife trailing unhappily behind in a flowery dress. “This isn’t out of the sun,” she chided.As Sangakkara pushed a gentle single, and the sun poured forth its bounty upon him, he tried to ignore the message in the forlorn hope that it not be repeated, but about a minute later (to him it probably seemed longer), predictably it was and together they trudged to the shade at the back of the stand, a lifetime of concessions re-enacted.The ball had swung on the first two days and the contest had been eagerly contested, but now the batting side held sway. An attritional morning slowly shifted Surrey’s way. Rory Burns fell lbw for 49 to a full ball from Oliver Hannon-Dalby, but Stuart Meaker, the nightwatchman lasted beyond lunch in making 41, his highest score in two years, before he was caught behind pushing forward to Patel.An England tour place in Bangladesh and India awaits any spin bowler able to lay claim to it. Zafar Ansar is one allrounder in the reckoning, although his career has stalled somewhat since a hand injury scuppered his debut tour to the UAE last year. Chris Wright had him caught at the wicket during a decent heat-of-the-day spell, and Ansari will hope to stand out more with the ball on the final day.Roy played delightfully for 36 before Keith Barker removed both him and Sangakkara to catches at the wicket in consecutive overs immediately after tea. At 263 for 6, Warwickshire had a glimmer of a chance if Surrey’s tail fell quickly. Instead, the left-handed pair of Steve Davies and Sam Curran clobbered 102 in 17 overs in an aggressive seventh wicket partnership.Davies passed 1,000 first-class runs for the season on his way to a chirpy 42 and Curran struck 62 off 56 balls in an innings of delightful improvisation, the most audacious of his three sixes being a one-handed leg-side pick up against Hannon-Dalby. There is no perkier, more talented young cricketer in the country. England should waste no time getting him into the Lions set-up.
يرى أسطورة دفاع منتخب جنوب إفريقيا، لوكاس راديبي، أن لاعبي صن داونز هم سر تألق الأولاد في كأس أمم إفريقيا 2023.
ويلتقي منتخب جنوب إفريقيا بنظيره نيجيريا في تمام الساعة السابعة مساء اليوم الأربعاء بتوقيت “القاهرة” على ملعب “بواكي” بقيادة الحكم المصري، أمين عمر.
ووصل منتخب جنوب إفريقيا إلى تلك المرحلة بعد الفوز على المغرب في دور الـ16 وتخطي عقبة الرأس الأخضر في دور الثمانية.
ولكن هناك تطور واضح في أداء منتخب جنوب إفريقيا مع المدرب البلجيكي، هوجو بروس، على مدار البطولة رغم الانتقادات قبل بداية المسابقة في كوت ديفوار.
اقرأ أيضًا.. تقارير: الأهلي يراقب لاعب صن داونز في كأس أمم إفريقيا
وقال راديبي بطل كأس أمم إفريقيا 1996 في تصريحات خاصة لـ”btolat.com”: “أعتقد أن هناك أداءً جيدًا للغاية من جميع اللاعبين منذ بداية كأس أمم إفريقيا”.
وتابع: “هؤلاء اللاعبون مع بعضهم البعض منذ فترة طويلة مع نفس المدرب، هذا ما يجعل الأداء أفضل مع مرور الوقت”.
واستمر: “الجهاز الفني بقيادة بروس نجح في تجهيز هؤلاء اللاعبين بأفضل شكل ممكن، خاصة وأنه كان يدرب الكاميرون من قبل وحصل على اللقب في عام 2017”.
وأضاف: “بروس جاء وبث الاستقرار في نفوس الجميع، خاصة وأن جنوب إفريقيا تعد من ضمن قوى القارة السمراء وكنا نحتاج إلى تلك الثقة والدفعة لمواجهة منتخبات لديها لاعبين دوليين لا نمتلكهم”.
واستمر: “أعتقد أن تواجد عدد كبير أيضًا من لاعبي فريق صن داونز في المنتخب له أثر إيجابي كبير، هناك تأقلم بالفعل بين هؤلاء اللاعبين فنيًا، نحن نتحدث عن أفضل نادٍ في جنوب إفريقيا وضمن الأفضل في القارة”.
واستفاض: “أرى أن الأسلوب الجماعي هو الأفضل، هناك تجانس بين كل اللاعبين، ليس هناك لاعب أفضل من آخر وهو ما يجعلنا نتفوق في المباريات الماضية، وقد يمنحنا الأفضلية أمام نيجيريا في مباراة اليوم، لدينا فرصة كبيرة في التأهل للنهائي”.
وأتم: “أرى أيضًا أن المدافعين يمثلون قوة كبيرة بالنسبة لنا في منتخب جنوب إفريقيا، من الصعب أن تهتز شباكنا ولا ننسى حارسنا المتألق، رونوين ويليامز”.
Manchester City could potentially make a future move for Evan Ferguson, with Sky Sports reporting that the striker has been mentioned as a potential Erling Haaland replacement.
Who is Evan Ferguson signing for this summer?
The Brighton striker has been in scintillating form so far this season for his club, becoming a pivotal member of the first-team squad despite being just 18 years old. Having fired in six goals and two assists, his efforts have helped the Seagulls climb into the top six in the Premier League and begin to dream of European football in the next campaign.
With his performances impressing, it has understandably led to interest from other top-flight clubs. City's rivals Man United, for example, have previously been linked with a potential move for the forward. However, a new contract with Brighton has led to some of that interest waning for the time being. He has now committed his future to the Seagulls until 2028 as part of this new deal.
However, a new report from Sky Sports has revealed that Man City could potentially launch a future bid to sign the player. It states that Pep Guardiola's side have already "discussed" who could potentially replace Erling Haaland should the player decide to leave the Etihad Stadium.
Ferguson was one of the names that was thrown out as a potential successor for the former Borussia Dortmund man – implying that should Haaland move on, a swoop for the Brighton striker could be launched.
Will Evan Ferguson join Man City?
The striker could certainly slot into the City lineup based on his showings in the Premier League so far.
Considering that he is just 18 years old, what he has already achieved is superb. It means he surely has the potential to get even better in the future. As a forward with six goals in the league this campaign – and managing 1.9 shots per game, too (the fourth-highest tally at the club this term) – he is a striker that plays without fear and is not afraid to get into advanced positions and test the opposition goalkeeper. That's the kind of play you want from a poacher; someone who can get into the goalscoring areas and isn't afraid to have a shot at goal.
In addition, he's been called "incredible" by football talent scout Jacek Kulig following his displays in the Premier League this year. Ferguson is catching the eyes of plenty – and if City did make a move for him, it could be a shrewd addition to their frontline.