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Manchester United's Jadon Sancho is the centre of much controversy this week and the latest news on his future could be music to the ears of the Glazers.

What's the latest news involving Manchester United?

As per Sky Sports News, Manchester United's share price took its biggest fall in history on Tuesday as more than £600million was wiped off their market value due to reports suggesting the Glazer family are going to take the club off the market.

In other news, an update from Football Insider has revealed that Fulham midfielder Joao Palhinha ranked as the "number one defensive midfield target” for the Red Devils this summer but they were priced out of a move for the Portugal international.

Fulham are believed to have asked for £90million before sanctioning his exit from Craven Cottage, which in turn led Manchester United to complete a deal to bring in Morocco international Sofyan Amrabat to Old Trafford on a loan deal with an option to buy.

Manchester United winger Jadon Sancho has hit the headlines in the last few days after he responded to comments from Erik Ten Hag regarding his performance at training, and aired his frustration at being branded a "scapegoat" figure at the club, as per The Mirror.

The outlet claim that Sancho could be exiled from the club and removed from first-team training after going public with his dissatisfaction with the Dutchman's comments.

Is Jadon Sancho leaving Manchester United?

Italian journalist Rudy Galetti has delivered an interesting update on the future of Sancho on social media platform X, revealing that an unnamed Saudi Arabian club has submitted an 'official offer' to the England international in what is now an 'evolving situation'.

Former Manchester United goalkeeper Ben Foster has had his say on Sancho's state of play at Manchester United via The United Stand YouTube channel, stating: “It is absolutely crazy. If Alex Ferguson is manager and Jadon Sancho did this, he would never see the light of day for Manchester United. He would never play for this club, he wouldn’t be allowed near the training ground, you are done. It is petulant, emotive, reactional and disrespectful."

Chelsea considered a late move for Sancho in the summer transfer window before eventually turning their attention to Cole Palmer, who was brought in from Premier League holders Manchester City, as per The Daily Mail.

If Sancho were to leave Manchester United, the Glazers would save around £12million in wage expenditure due to his £350,000 per week contract having around 34 months to run at Old Trafford.

Nevertheless, it remains to be seen if Sancho would be willing to sacrifice his chances of contributing to the Manchester United cause for the riches of Saudi Arabia.

As per Transfermarkt, Sancho has registered 12 goals and six assists in 82 appearances across all competitions for Manchester United, 44 of which coming under the tutelage of Ten Hag. Seeking a new challenge may equip the 23-year-old with some new-found confidence as he aims to get back to a high level of consistency.

New measures needed to identify and nurture spin-bowling talent, says John Emburey, after failure to compete in Ashes

Daniel Brettig10-Jan-20182:11

England’s torrid history with legspin

Counties and the ECB could address a systemic dearth of spin bowlers by pooling money into a “spin bowling fund”, worth around £3 million over six years, to pay for a coaching and talent identification network that would also fund overseas apprenticeships, under a proposal to be considered by England’s cricket director Andrew Strauss.The proposal is the brainchild of the former England captain and spin bowler John Emburey, who has become increasingly weary of what he sees as a lack of focus by the counties and ECB on developing spin bowlers. That neglect, Emburey believes, led to the vast disparity between England’s spin bowlers Moeen Ali and Mason Crane in the Ashes series, in which they took a combined 6 for 768 while Australia’s spinner Nathan Lyon (21 wickets at 29.23, 2.36 runs per over) was a leading contributor to the home side’s 4-0 victory.Emburey, formerly the Middlesex director of cricket, is set to meet with Strauss following the conclusion of England’s tour of Australia and New Zealand, and told ESPNcricinfo that if the current schedule of county matches being pushed to the fringes of the northern summer continued, then much more needed to be done to nurture young spinners capable of playing the sorts of roles Lyon now does for Australia. He also said that the current England spin coach, Peter Such, had his “hands tied” because he could only work with what the counties produced.”The counties don’t have spin bowling coaches, there’s no talent ID done in those counties for spin, there’s no captains that understand spin, set the right fields and know when to bring one on to bowl or take them off at the right times,” Emburey said. “We need to find a proper structure in finding and developing talent. It’s something I’ve spoken to Andrew Strauss about and he wants to have a meeting about it when we get back home, and Peter Such should be part of that because he’s the England spin bowling coach, to discuss where we go forward.”We’ve got to go down to a younger age group, to the minor counties and the counties themselves, and do more talent ID. All those counties should be pooling their young spinners from the ages of 11-16 to do talent ID. If the counties are not going to employ [coaches], I think the Board has got to employ six to eight coaches to be divided up amongst the 38 counties in England, say five counties each to work with.”With all the money they’re pushing forward for all the other projects they’ve got, the biggest part of the contribution is going to come from the counties themselves, with the Board contributing to make it work. Say we’re going to do it for six years, £3 million over six years, to see what can be developed and come through in terms of those younger players. You’ve got money then to pay for those coaches, and a pool of money also for Peter Such to work with to send some of those players away overseas to play or help to develop them.”Moeen Ali reflects on a dispiriting tour•ESPNcricinfo LtdUnder Emburey’s proposed scheme, each county would put in £10,000 every year, with £5,000 to come from each of the minor counties. The ECB would then add a figure in the region of £200,000 to create a war chest of £480,000 to invest in spin bowling around all 38 counties. Options for overseas education include England Lions tours, while the ECB and CA have already discussed the possibility of opening up spots in the Futures League – essentially the Australian second division – for fledgling English players.”If the counties are not going to develop those spinners then we’ve got to do it by other means. It may be that the Board have to do it and then those players get picked up by the counties,” Emburey said. “If we talent ID players the counties don’t have, but we feel they’ve got sufficient skills relative to some already playing, take those away with the Lions to Sri Lanka or wherever and I’d imagine in a few weeks a county would pick them up if they can see them performing.”Such measures are necessary due to a combination of factors, most of which chart back to the fact that precious little of the first-class county competition is scheduled in the prime summer months of July and August. These months are now subject to a surfeit of limited-overs matches. While similar to Australia’s Big Bash League scheduling, the southern summer tends to afford spin bowlers better opportunities over a longer period, while CA works closely with each state on the composition of pitches.”It’s a shocker for them,” Emburey said of the domestic schedule facing English spin bowlers. “Pitches at the beginning of the season aren’t going to suit spinners, so they’re either going to struggle or they’re not going to play at all, and at the back end of the season when it gets cold and damp and wet, it isn’t going to suit them at the end either.”The middle part of the season and towards the back end when you want spinners to make a contribution, there’s no cricket for them because of all the limited-overs cricket. You’ve got to develop one-day skills instead of those you need in first-class cricket and Test matches. Cricket used to finish on September 17-18, now it is the very end of September, and that’s ridiculous.”I think Peter Such has been hamstrung in what he can do and achieve. All he’s doing is working with the players in a first-class system that doesn’t encourage them to come through. So the system has to be changed to go out and find these players and develop them. These coaches would still be available to help and develop the players already around in county first and second XIs, but I think we’re missing out on so much talent – spinners out there we’re not getting anywhere near.”Somerset is one of few counties using spin bowling to its advantage by preparing surfaces with bare patches on a length. These pitches have been subject to plenty of criticism from opponents, such as these words from the Middlesex director of cricket, Angus Fraser, last year: “It’s disgraceful what they did. I’ve never seen such a doctored pitch. The intent was there, so the combination of a below-average pitch and intent, that changes things. There are guidelines for counties to produce the best possible pitch for matches.”However Emburey argued that in providing an environment in which the spin bowlers Jack Leach and Dom Bess could prosper, while still leaving good grass coverage on other parts of the surface to aid the seam bowlers, Somerset should be seen as “crusaders” for a wider array of skills to be seen in the English game.”I think they’ve been very fortunate with the pitches they’ve had not to be docked points, but are they actually the crusaders for change?” Emburey said. “Why should pitches always be flat? Why not have pitches that spin? Batsmen have got to learn and develop skills against spin as well. Taunton is a pitch where you’ve got to adapt your game to get runs.”The issue Leach and Bess would have after bowling on turning wickets is then having to learn how to bowl on a flat wicket, in terms of changes of pace and flight. [But] the Board have got to relax a bit in this respect. They have the ends bare at Taunton, but there is a bit of grass in the middle to give the seamers some encouragement and the ball to go through. To me they’re good cricket pitches.”As for Crane, Emburey had been impressed by elements of his debut in Sydney, but said there was still a long way for him to travel. “He needs to bowl on all types of pitches to develop his game,” Emburey said. “On a green pitch that’ll seam around, he’ll learn to bowl straighter, and to do that he’s got to bowl with more control. If you’re wide or short or bowl a long hop, you’re going to get spanked around. He needs to learn to bowl on flat wickets to bowl better and tighter, then when you get onto a wicket that gives you assistance, you’re going to bowl sides out.”

أكد مدرب نادي مانشستر سيتي، بيب جوارديولا، أنه يطمح إلى الفوز على توتنهام هوتسبير في المباراة المقبلة، بهدف الاقتراب من التتويج بلقب الدوري الإنجليزي للمرة الرابعة على التوالي.

وواجه مانشستر سيتي نظيره فولهام، وانتهت المباراة بفوز الفريق السماوي بنتيجة 4/0، في إطار منافسات الجولة الـ37 من الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز.

وبهذا الفوز، ارتفع رصيد مانشستر سيتي إلى النقطة 85 في المركز الأول بترتيب الدوري الإنجليزي، بينما تجمد رصيد فولهام عند النقطة 44 بالمركز الثالث عشر.

اقرأ أيضاً.. ترتيب الدوري الإنجليزي بعد فوز مانشستر سيتي على فولهام

وقال بيب جوارديولا في تصريحات لشبكة “BBC Sports”: “اللاعبون العظماء يستمتعون باللعب تحت ضغط كبير، لقد تمكن هؤلاء اللاعبون في السنوات القليلة الماضية من القيام بذلك ونحن مرة أخرى في المراحل الأخيرة”.

وأضاف: “عندما خسر آرسنال أمام أستون فيلا، كان علينا أن نصل إلى المباريات الأخيرة ونحن في أيدينا الأفضلية، وأن نلعب مع وست هام على أرضنا ومصير اللقب يكون بين أيدينا”.

وواصل: “لقد قمنا بعمل جيد حقًا اليوم، عانينا في الدقائق العشر الأولى لأنهم دافعوا بشكل جيد كما هو الحال دائمًا، عندما قام سيلفا وكوفاتشيتش ورودري بعمل التمريرات وهدأت المباراة ثم نجح جفارديول في تسجيل الهدف”.

وأشار: “لقد لعبنا بشكل جيد والآن نتعافى، ونعود إلى مانشستر، ثم نعود إلى لندن للعب النهائي أمام توتنهام، وهو النهائي الكبير الذي يتعين علينا خوضه، وسنحاول الاحتفاظ بلقبنا”.

عن حصيلة أهداف جفارديول: “غير متوقع على الإطلاق، إنه لا يصدق بكلتا قدميه، عادة من الصعب العثور على الجهة اليسرى، فهو أكثر راحة مع يمينه، هدف كبير في سانتياجو برنابيو، هدف اليوم بالقدم اليمنى، الشوط الثاني هو لم يكن في أفضل حالاته، وكان لديه الكثير من الكرات”.

وأردف عن الكرواتي: “كمدافع عليك أن تكون متماسكًا حتى يتمكن من تسجيل الأهداف، فهو أمر مرحب به للغاية، لكن يجب أن يكون أكثر تشددًا لكنه يبلغ من العمر 21 عامًا سوف يتحسن”.

Leeds United midfielder Tyler Adams has "crept onto" Chelsea's radar this summer as they look to bring in some midfield reinforcements, according to Ben Jacobs.

The Blues are looking light in terms of midfield options as it stands.

What is the latest Chelsea transfer news?

The Blues have been engaged in a summer long transfer saga regarding their midfield.

Brighton and Hove Albion's Moises Caicedo has been the subject of multiple rejected offers from Chelsea throughout this summer, with David Ornstein revealing that the most recent £80m offer, which was structured as £75m guaranteed and £5m in add-ons was the Blues fourth unsuccessful bid by the London club, with the previous three unsuccessful bids being £60m, £65m and £70m. The report also states that the player's desire is to move to the London club and that personal terms will not be an issue as positive discussions have already taken place regarding the matter, however Brighton do not want to sell the midfielder unless their £100m asking price is met, despite pushes from Caicedo's entourage to lower the price.

As such, Chelsea could move onto alternative targets, with Football Insider reporting that the Blues could attempt to hijack Liverpool's deal to sign Southampton midfielder Romeo Lavia, with the Blues willing to offer more money than the Reds. However, the player is reportedly set on a move to Merseyside, so a switch to Stamford Bridge may not materialise despite Chelsea's longstanding interest in the Belgian.

Another player the Blues are considering is Leeds midfielder Adams. The USA international reportedly has a £20m release clause that became active the moment the Yorkshire side suffered relegation, and despite Leeds planning to keep the midfielder at Elland Road for this upcoming Championship campaign, Adams has reportedly stated his desire to leave the club this summer in order to continue to play at the highest level.

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, journalist Jacobs revealed that despite Chelsea still focusing on completing the deal for Caicedo, Adams has "crept onto their radar" as manager Mauricio Pochettino hopes to bring in some experience.

He said: "The interesting one, because it's a later thing and Adams has crept onto their radar, is Chelsea. They know that they need some Premier League proven quality, and they've been chasing Moises Caicedo all window. They continue to do that, so this isn't a case yet of giving up on Caicedo. Talks are active. The feeling still remains with Caicedo that maybe that one eventually gets done. It's a bit of a game whilst there's time in the window, but are Chelsea eventually going to pay up or are Brighton & Hove Albion eventually going to drop their price? Nobody has walked away yet, but who is to say that Chelsea won't bring in two midfielders because Pochettino has still spoken about needing experience."

Would Tyler Adams be a good signing?

The American, whose qualities make him "captaincy material", could be a really solid pickup for Chelsea.

Despite Leeds suffering relegation last season, the 24-year-old impressed many across his 24 appearances for the Yorkshire club, averaging a rating of 6.73 according to WhoScored. The defensive midfielder compares incredibly well to midfielders across Europe's top five leagues, sitting in the top 1% for tackles per 90, the top 3% for blocks per 90 and the top 16% for interceptions based on his 2066 minutes played according to FBref.

The player has received high praise across the last season, with journalist James Marshment likening the midfielder to a lion on the pitch, stating "Tyler Adams – a lion on the pitch; a dignified, intelligent, humble and politically savvy person off it. He'll go a long way that lad."

Should Chelsea add the midfielder, he could be a fantastic rotation option across multiple roles across both midfield and defence, having played in seven different positions in his career according to Transfermarkt.

The match ended in a draw after both teams decided the home side will not bat in their second innings with more than two hours of play left on the final day

Mohammad Isam23-Sep-2017
ScorecardSabbir Rahman struck two fifties in the warm-up match•Getty ImagesSabbir Rahman notched up his second fifty of Bangladesh’s warm-up match against CSA Invitational XI on the third day. The match ended in a draw after both teams decided the home side will not bat in their second innings with more than two hours of play left on the final day.Sabbir struck eight fours in his 98-ball 67 that came after Bangladesh had slipped to 96 for 4 in the first session. He added 52 runs for the fifth wicket with Mahmudullah and smaller partnerships with the tail as Bangladesh declared their second innings on 235 for 9.Imrul Kayes made a quickfire 51 off 54 balls with seven fours and a six. He added 71 runs for the second wicket with Mominul Haque, who chipped in with 33.Legspinner Shaun von Berg took four wickets while left-arm spinner Leus du Plooy picked up two wickets.Bangladesh also had good news after physio Thihan Chandramohan confirmed the injuries of both Tamim Iqbal and Soumya Sarkar are minor. Both batsmen will train for the first Test during the week.

The stubborn resistance of the BCCI’s old guard towards the implementation of the Lodha Committee’s recommendations may have swayed the board’s member units into buying more time at the special general meeting on Monday. A number of state association officials told ESPNcricinfo that the board was forced to form a committee to revisit some of the recommendations, as the majority of the members did not want to be rushed into implementing the reforms. Many officials, led by veteran administrators like N Srinivasan and Niranjan Shah, reportedly felt that some of the concerns identified during the October 1 SGM haven’t been addressed.In the lead-up to the SGM on Monday, the Supreme Court-appointed Committee of Administrators (CoA) had repeatedly urged the state associations to narrow down their objections to the Lodha recommendations to a point or two. The CoA had hinted that there was a good chance that recommendations like ‘one-state, one-vote’ and the restriction on the number of selectors might be overturned. The committee, however, had indicated that the court was unlikely to change governance-related clauses, such as the age-cap of 70 years or the tenure-cap of nine years.According to a state association head from the west zone, a majority of the member units were in agreement with the CoA’s suggestion on the eve of the SGM, and wanted to adopt the recommendations. After the CoA’s meeting with the state associations, the BCCI authorised Abhay Apte, the Maharashtra Cricket Association president and a member of the board’s legal committee, and Vinay Mrutyunjaya, the spokesperson of the Karnataka State Cricket Association, to prepare a working paper on the recommendations for discussion at the SGM.However, by Monday morning, the mood had changed dramatically. “Everybody that had remained united started fizzling out by the morning,” he said. “Many member units wanted to go ahead and ensure we could move forward, but by the time the meeting started it became clear that there was no way implementation was going to happen.”It is understood that Srinivasan insisted that the objections raised in October should stand. In that meeting, the BCCI had “unanimously” adopted some resolutions while leaving out key ones like the age cap of 70 years, the tenure cap of nine years with cooling-off periods in between, and the one-state-one-vote policy, among others. “The argument was that we should not agree to anymore more than what we had already conceded,” the official said.With Srinivasan and Shah coming together – they had fallen out during Shashank Manohar’s time in charge – there was reportedly a stronger voice against implementation. Srinivasan and Shah, incidentally, are disqualified under the Lodha recommendations on a few counts, including being over 70 years of age. There were also whispers that a couple of former BCCI office-bearers were strongly exhorting state units to resist the implementation of the reforms.Attending the board’s SGM on Monday N Srinivasan was one of the stronger voices against the implementation of the Lodha Committee reforms•PTI

“Srinivasan was very clear in his opinion. Why should only we shortlist a few points of objection? By removing one point we are hurting some member or the other,” another official said. “He felt we shouldn’t budge from any of our objections on October 1. And, 19 members have filed an affidavit, so no member can go back on it. It is unethical to take it back.”A south zone official claimed that Srinivasan had asked the members to not do anything that would hurt the contributions of former board president and secretary Anurag Thakur and Ajay Shirke, who were removed by the Supreme Court. “Also, there is nothing in writing from the CoA that if we agree to adopt the recommendations, the court will agree to the one or two changes [to the court order],” the official said.All the three officials agreed that the formation of the Rajiv Shukla-led committee gave the state units enough breathing space before the next course of action could be firmed up. The south zone official said he wasn’t hopeful of the report being tabled by July 10. “The committee will have to speak with all the member units,” he said. “It might not be easy to arrive at a solution by then. We will wait for the dispensation of the honourable Supreme Court on July 14.”The west zone official, however, conceded that he was uncertain of how the court hearing would pan out. “I don’t know what the court is going to do,” he said. “That is what I mentioned in the SGM – look at the public perception. They see us as a cosy club. Look at the court – they will look at us and feel we are antagonising everyone. Remember, our actions should not send the message that we are very arrogant and adamant. “

Friday is the deadline for interested parties to apply to coach the South African national team. Despite incumbent Russell Domingo’s claim that there is “no clarity” in the situation, CSA have advertised the post on their website. A five-person panel including Gary Kirsten and Eric Simons will recommend a suitable candidate to take over until the 2019 World Cup.That means if Domingo is interested in continuing in the job, he has two days to make that known. On Sunday, after South Africa crashed out of the Champions Trophy, Domingo said he had “not yet” put his name in the hat and could not say if he would like to take the team to another major tournament.Domingo’s contract expires at the end of the current tour to England which could make the four-Test series his last in charge of South Africa. After a strong 2016-17 summer, in which the team won eight trophies, they lost the ODI series in England and had a poor Champions Trophy campaign. A T20 rubber and Tests follow.Domingo has been in charge since mid-2013 and has had his contract extended three times. While there is no indication of who might take over, Lions coach Geoffrey Toyana is thought to be the front runner.

Manchester United strengthened their midfield options ahead of the 2023/24 campaign recently as they completed the signing of Mason Mount from Chelsea.

The Red Devils snapped the England international up from their Premier League rivals for a fee in the region of £55m and he arrives as a proven performer who knows what it takes to be a star at the top level.

Mount has already racked up over 100 top-flight appearances and won the Champions League by the age of 24, which means that the attacking midfielder comes in with the quality to make an instant impact on the team.

This was also the case with the signing of Casemiro from Real Madrid last summer. The Brazil international joined the club after winning 18 trophies, including five Champions League titles, and was able to use his experience to hit the ground running at Old Trafford.

Erik ten Hag could repeat the blinder he played with the signing of Casemiro by signing another vastly-experienced proven winner in the form of Bayern Munich midfielder Leon Goretzka, who has been linked with a move to the club this summer.

How many trophies has Leon Goretzka won?

The German international has won 12 trophies, including one Champions League, during his time in Bavaria so far and is a seasoned performer at the top level.

He has been capped 53 times by his country to go along with 240 Bundesliga appearances throughout his career, whilst the 28-year-old colossus has played 179 times for Bayern in all competitions.

United supporters have already seen the impact that bringing in a proven winner can have on the team as Casemiro enjoyed a terrific debut campaign.

The Brazilian enforcer averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.21 across 28 Premier League matches, which placed him second in the squad – only behind Bruno Fernandes (7.53).

This shows that the 31-year-old tank was able to come in and instantly become one of the club's best players without an adaptation period, as he has been around the block and knows exactly what is required to win high-pressure games.

Goretzka has averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.12 or higher in three of the last four Bundesliga seasons for Bayern, which is a score that would place him joint-third in the United squad last term – level with Lisandro Martinez.

The German maestro, who teammate Manuel Neuer described as "cold as ice", has showcased his ability to be a consistently excellent performer over the course of a number of years, whilst winning plenty of trophies in the process.

Alongside his vast experience and winner's mentality, the £231k-per-week ace would bring an exceptional attacking threat from midfield.

Goretzka ranks in the top 1% of players in his position across the Men's Big Five Leagues and European competitions for non-penalty xG per 90 over the last 365 days, whilst he is also among the top 4% for assists per 90.

This means that he is one of the best midfielders at the top level when it comes to getting into high-quality goalscoring positions and assisting his teammates, which is another reason why the towering dynamo could be a fantastic signing for United.

Therefore, Ten Hag could repeat his Casemiro masterclass by bringing in another central midfielder who is ready to make an instant impact at Old Trafford.

An update has emerged on Manchester United and their plans to add a central defender to their squad in the summer transfer window…

What’s the latest on Benjamin Pavard to Manchester United?

According to FootballTransfers, the Red Devils have turned their attention to Bayern Munich stopper Benjamin Pavard ahead of the 2023/24 campaign.

The report claims that the Premier League side are looking at alternative options to Napoli’s Kim Min-jae, who is said to be on his way to Bavaria, with Erik ten Hag now eyeing the Bundesliga monster.

It states that the German outfit are set to demand a fee of at least €30m (£26m) for the French international, although it remains to be seen whether the English outfit are willing to match that figure or not.

Where would Benjamin Pavard fit in at Manchester United?

The very versatile former Stuttgart enforcer played the majority of his matches at centre-back for Bayern last term and his arrival could spell trouble for Raphael Varane next season.

Pavard is a right-sided player, who can also be deployed as a full-back and could partner the left-footed Lisandro Martinez at Old Trafford as part of a rather balanced-looking back four.

Varane averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.85 across 24 Premier League outings in the 2022/23 campaign as he contributed with one tackle and 0.5 interceptions per game.

The ex-Real Madrid star, who also won 64% of his duels, did not rank among the top ten performers for United for tackles or interceptions per match, whilst he also placed 13th overall in the team when it came to his Sofascore rating.

The Bayern titan, meanwhile, made 2.3 tackles and 1.5 interceptions per Bundesliga outing, along with a duel success rate of 67%, and no player in ten Hag’s squad made as many, which suggests that the 27-year-old machine could be an outstanding addition to the defence.

Pavard's average Sofascore rating of 7.36 across 30 league matches was only bettered at Old Trafford by Bruno Fernandes' rating of 7.56. This illustrates how impressive the French tank's displays were for the German champions and why United must swoop for him this summer.

Once described as "underrated" by current Bayern head coach Thomas Tuchel, the Frenchman is also an exceptional ball-playing defender who could provide Ten Hag with an upgrade on Varane in possession.

The £83k-per-week talent has averaged 7.59 progressive passes per 90 across the last 365 days, which ranks among the top 1% of players in his position across Europe's top five divisions.

Meanwhile, the current United centre-back has averaged 3.23 per 90 over the last 365 days and is in the 52nd percentile, which suggests that he is a fairly average player at progressing the play with the ball at his feet.

Therefore, the signing of Pavard would be bad news for Varane as his international colleague could provide more quality on and off the ball as a central defender, which could leave the 30-year-old colossus out of the starting XI on the right side of the backline.

Peter Kippax, who played for the county as a legspinner in the early 1960s, has died after a long battle with Alzheimer’s, aged 76

David Hopps18-Jan-2017Peter Kippax, who played for Yorkshire as a legspinner in the early 1960s and became an instantly recognisable figure in cricket circles in the north of England, has died after a long battle with Alzheimer’s, aged 76.Kippax only played five first-class games but he was notable for the fact that the last two were 25 years apart: after making his final appearance for Yorkshire against the Pakistan tourists in 1962, he reappeared for MCC against his former county at the Scarborough Festival in 1987 – an opportunity he cherished.Legspin was an unfashionable occupation in Yorkshire, and the presence of England spinners such as Raymond Illingworth and Don Wilson further limited his opportunities, but he went on to enjoy a long career in Minor Counties cricket with Durham and Northumberland, as well as in league cricket in Yorkshire and the north-west. He also coached for many years in Yorkshire cricket circles and was respected as an innovative thinker.He founded Kippax Bats in 1976 and was a popular, effervescent figure around the county. The business, now based in Methley, is run by his son Chris and is one of a dwindling band of companies to grow its own English willow.