ScorecardAlex Wakely’s unbeaten hundred fashioned an excellent run chase•Getty Images

A well-crafted unbeaten century by Northants Steelbacks’ captain Alex Wakely piloted his side to their first win in this year’s Royal London One-Day Cup and condemned Lancashire Lightning to their third successive defeat, a position from which they will find it immensely difficult to qualify for the quarter-finals.Needing 325 to win this 50-over match at Aigburth, the Steelbacks reached their target with 20 balls to spare and with six wickets in hand. Wakely was 109 not out when the win was confirmed by Adam Rossington’s four and six off Liam Livingstone and never during their pursuit of Lancashire’s target had the visitors appeared seriously discomfited.That this was so was partly due to Richard Levi, who bludgeoned twelve boundaries in his 46-ball 62, and helped Northants reach three figures inside 15 overs. When Levi had holed out to mid on Ryan McLaren off Jordan Clark, Rob Newton continued the assault but was caught by Alex Davies off Tom Bailey for 44 when the score was 125.With Josh Cobb having been Anderson’s first victim in the second over of the innings, Northants’ reply was interestingly poised but Wakely and Rob Keogh then put the game beyond Lancashire’s reach with a 152-run fourth-wicket stand in 23 overs.Wakely survived a stumping chance on 24 when Davies failed to gather the ball and was also dropped by the Lancashire keeper when he inside-edged a very difficult chance off Anderson, the resulting boundary taking him to his 42-ball fifty.From then on it was the plainest of sailing on the calmest of seas for the Northants batsmen as they put Lancashire’s total into perspective on a very hard, very true pitch. Wakely reached his century having hit 12 fours and faced 92 balls. Keogh played on to Anderson when he had made 69 five overs before the close but that was of little more than statistical importance. The game had been all but settled long before.Earlier in the day four batsmen had made fifties in Lancashire’s total and the most crucial was that of Jordan Clark who finished the innings with 76 not out off 51 balls and took 24 runs off Nathan Buck’s final six balls. Clark’s fine knock included eight fours and two sixes and it placed on the finishing touches to a recovery which saw Lightning recover from 94 for 5 in the 19th over when Steven Croft was superbly caught at the wicket by Rossington off Muhammad Azharullah for 19The fightback was begun by Dane Vilas and McLaren who put on 86 for the sixth wicket before Vilas cut Ben Sanderson to Newton on the point boundary and departed plainly angry with himself despite having batted with considerable responsibility for his 47-ball 61.Vilas and McLaren’s partnership was a List A record for Lancashire’s sixth wicket against Northamptonshire and a similar mark was established for the seventh wicket by McLaren and Clark’s 108-run stand, which was only ended when McLaren hoisted Azharullah high to long on where Steven Crook took a fine running catch.Some of the Northants’ bowling figures hardly reflected the merit of their earlier efforts, most notably in the first twenty overs of the innings when Lancashire lost five prime wickets. That early period in the game was marked by Karl Brown’s stylish 58 off 47 balls and including 11 boundaries, but it also saw Davies caught at the wicket for a first-ball nought off Sanderson in the opening over and Haseeb Hameed caught at backward point by Graeme White off Buck for nine.When Livingstone fell into Azharullah’s none too subtle trap and hooked a short ball straight to substitute fielder, Saif Zaib at deep backward square leg Lancashire were 77 for 4 and a total in excess of 300 appeared a distant objective. Azharullah was the most successful Steelbacks bowler with three for 55 but White sent down ten overs of left-arm spin at a cost of 47 runs and Sanderson took two good wickets before coming in for some late punishment.

Online rumours suggesting that Arsenal or West Ham United have walked away from the protracted Declan Rice deal are "not correct", claims transfers expert Fabrizio Romano.

Arsenal transfer news – What's the latest on Declan Rice?

The Gunners have been perhaps the biggest shock of the transfer window so far this year, with the Premier League runners-up coming out swinging in the market and displaying a willingness to spend not often associated with the north Londoners.

A £65m deal to secure the services of German international Kai Havertz was completed last month, with a £40m deal for Ajax's Jurrien Timber incredibly close to being finalised as well.

However, the big one, and the first proper transfer saga of the summer so far, has been the deal to sign West Ham's captain Rice for a reported fee of £105m, a new transfer record for a British player.

While the deal is said to be almost complete, the lack of movement over the last few days may have left Arsenal fans a little nervous, especially given the club's recent record with securing the signature of their first-choice targets.

However, fans of the north London club shouldn't be too worried as online rumours suggesting that talks have broken down and the clubs have walked away are false, per Fabrizio Romano.

He explained the situation on his YouTube channel, saying:

“What I can say guys is this is really close. Trust me, really, really close for Declan Rice to Arsenal."

"Arsenal and West Ham are speaking about the payment terms, so the rumours circulating today on social media about Arsenal or West Ham walking away from the deal at the moment I am told this is not correct while I am speaking.

"But the negotiation is very advanced it's really at the final bits they are discussing the final points of this story, the medical has not been booked yet, but it will happen in the days if everything goes to plan."

How do players cope with such significant price tags?

With the immense amount of money in the modern game and transfer records broken seemingly on a yearly basis, it can be easy to forget that these players being bought and sold for astronomical sums are still human and are sometimes deeply affected by their own perceived value.

It can be an awful lot of pressure to be worth tens of millions and even more so if you're responsible for breaking a club's longstanding transfer record, so much so that players in the past have described the negative impact such expectation had on their careers, with Arsenal new-boy Havertz telling the Guardian how it impacted him at Chelsea:

"For me, the price was a big thing. I was Chelsea's most expensive player. That brings pressure because people think you are Messi.

"I was still 20, 21. People don't see that; they see the price, so you have to be great from day one. You can feel it, the tension. You read it, hear it."

That said, where some players seem unable to cope with the added expectations and pressure that come with the tag of 'most expensive x', others relish that added pressure.

Jack Grealish became the most expensive British footballer of all time when he made his move to Manchester City in 2021 after the club paid his £100m release clause to get him out of Aston Villa, but that didn't seem to bother the then 25-year-old as he told the Guardian:

"I take it as a compliment. I actually like it [being Britain's most expensive signing], I think it is a good tag to have.

"I think when you see a club paying that much for a player it means they trust and value you highly and see so much potential there to work with. I see it as a good thing."

With Rice set to cost £5m more than his England teammate, it remains to be seen which camp he finds himself in, loving or hating the new record he'll hold.

Luke Wright rediscovered his panache with the bat after abandoning the Sussex captaincy but Worcestershire produced an excellent response after conceding their second-highest total in matches between the pair

ECB Reporters Network03-Jun-2017
ScorecardWorcestershire produced an excellent response after conceding their second-highest total in matches against Sussex.Luke Wells followed his 258 in his last appearance at Hove with 155, Luke Wright made 87, his highest Championship score at Hove for nearly two years and David Wiese a rapid 66 before Sussex declared on 579 for 8.But Worcestershire openers Daryl Mitchell and Brett D’Oliveira prospered after negotiating the new ball to post an unbeaten century stand as they reached 139 for 0 from 44 overs at the close.Chris Nash, leading Sussex after Wright resigned as captain on Wednesday, was able to employ attacking fields but his five-strong pace attack found a slow pitch as unyielding as Worcestershire’s bowlers had.Mitchell survived one scare on 14 when he was put down at slip by Chris Jordan off the third ball after tea to make an unbeaten – his sixth half-century against Sussex.He has hit 15 fours and a six in his 85 not out and although D’Oliveira was more circumspect he gave his partner good support as Nash rotated his seam attack and regularly employed eight men in catching positions without being able to break through on a wicket which has so far shown little evidence of deteriorating.Just five wickets fell on the second day, three of them after lunch as Sussex pushed towards a declaration.Wells and Wright had employed a cautious approach at the start of the day and Sussex failed to claim maximum batting points. Wells, 139 overnight, added 16 runs in just over an hour before he came down the pitch in Nathan Lyons’ first over of the day and lost his leg stump to the Australian off-spinner. Wells batted for six hours, faced 288 balls and 22 fours.Luke Wright’s captaincy resignation paid dividends with the bat•Getty Images

Wright batted with the freedom which had been absent during much of his time as captain and looked on course for a hundred. He hit two sixes and two fours off four successive deliveries from Ed Barnard before upper-cutting the next ball to backward point for 87, his highest score at Hove for nearly two years, having added 86 in 16 overs with Michael Burgess.Burgess lost his off stump to Barnard after lunch for an enterprising 46 but Wiese and Jordan had licence to go for their shots. Jordan used the slog-sweep effectively to take three boundaries off Lyon in one over while Wiese employed the long handle to hit three sixes and eight fours in his 66 off 53 balls.Worcestershire skipper Joe Leach, the pick of their eight bowlers, had Jordan (37) caught at wide mid-off to end a stand of 91 in 14 overs for the seventh wicket before the declaration came when Wiese failed to clear long on.

طمأن مهاجم فريق مانشستر يونايتد، ماركوس راشفورد، جماهير النادي الإنجليزي بشأن حالته بعد إصابته في مباراة الأحد ضد ليفربول.

وتلاقى الفريقان في إطار منافسات الجولة الثانية والثلاثين من الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز، على ملعب “الأولد ترافورد” حيث تعادلا بهدفين لمثليهما.

اقرأ أيضًا.. نيفيل يهاجم مانشستر يونايتد بعد التعادل مع ليفربول: رأيت أشياءً لا يفعلها تلاميذ المدارس

وشارك راشفورد كأساسي في المباراة، ولكنه لم يتمكن من إكمالها حيث اضطر إلى الخروج في الدقيقة 66 بسبب إصابة محتملة.

ونشر راشفورد عبر حسابه الشخصي بموقع إنستجرام: “للأسف لم نتمكن من السيطرة على المباراة حتى النهاية، قلب إلى ابنة أخي ناتاليا، تميمة اليوم”.

ورد أحد المشجعين على منشوره برسالة: “أتمنى أن تكون بخير يا راشي”، ليرد عليه الإنجليزي: “سأكون بخير!”، مع رمز تعبيري للصلاة.

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‏‎تمت مشاركة منشور بواسطة ‏‎Marcus Rashford MBE‎‏ (@‏‎marcusrashford‎‏)‎‏

ويعاني راشفورد من موسم سيء حيث لم يسجل سوى 8 أهداف فقط في مختلف المسابقات.

The transfer window can bring up all sorts of emotions, from both fans and players. Supporters will go through their very own breakup, starting with tears, and ending with the loudest boos you’ll hear at every game a former player features in from then on. If you think we’re joking, see Raheem Sterling and Liverpool fans.For players, however, the heartbreak can sometimes be worse. A key part of their dressing room could be departing – a close friend moving on. Even worse, that player could be the dressing room DJ.Yet, even with the heartache, players move on, and goodbye posts are sent on various social media platforms, with several memories looked back on. And, usually, these messages come straight from the heart, and not a social media team, right?Well, this wasn’t the case with Marcus Rashford’s goodbye post to David de Gea…

What’s the latest on David de Gea?

Following the expiration of his Manchester United contract, De Gea leaves the club a modern-day legend, despite a few moments to forget in recent years.

The Spaniard was the last member of the current squad to have won a Premier League trophy, using that experience to guide the Red Devils out of moments they don’t exactly look back on with fondness.

There was a stage in which he could have been considered the best goalkeeper in the world, and if it wasn’t for a dodgy fax machine, he would have found himself at football’s pinnacle in the Bernabeu, playing for Real Madrid.

As for what’s next for the 32-year-old, he must choose his next club wisely. Not getting any younger, De Gea struggled at times last season, particularly when asked to play out from the back. If his next club asks him to play that role, his reputation may take another downward dive.

Marcus Rashford has social media blunder

Saying goodbye to the goalkeeper that has been behind him every step of the way, as he rose to stardom on a random Europa League night that no one could have predicted, Rashford’s post was meant to come across as heartfelt.

Instead, however, the England international was caught out with quite the blunder, as his social media team accidentally left in the instructions for the Instagram post, suggesting what should be said in the caption.

It perhaps draws back the curtain of what social media life is actually like for players. The majority perhaps stay away, with a social media team in place, which can lead to positives and negatives, of course. Who could forget Victor Anichebe’s “Tweet something like”.

Rashford has had a similarly embarrassing moment, with his post, now deleted and reposted with the correct format, saying: “Caption ideas:”

Before then adding the pre-planned message: “You were here from my breakthrough, good luck with your next step, brother.”

To make things even worse, however, De Gea himself, also had an awkward social media encounter in the aftermath of his recent departure.

Indeed, when replying to a Liverpool fan mocking him for losing 7-0 at Anfield last season, the goalkeeper replied with: “I already leave and I’m still waiting for you to win the league.”

It seems as though he’s trying to mock the fan for his club’s inability to win the league. But something tells us that De Gea has a short memory, given Liverpool’s Premier League title win in the 19/20 season, putting an end to their 30-year title drought.

After all this, maybe United players should keep away from social media for a little while.

Following the nightmare De Gea had, fans took the chance to mock the goalkeeper one last time. Here are a few reactions…

ScorecardNathan Lyon claimed his first Championship wicket•Associated Press

Nathan Lyon made his first mark in the County Championship on another frustrating day for Derbyshire and Worcestershire in the Division Two match at Derby.The Australian Test offspinner claimed his maiden first-class wicket for Worcestershire by removing Alex Hughes for 53 before a storm forced play to be abandoned at 5 o’clock.Luis Reece had top scored with 59 before he and Billy Godleman were dismissed in the space of 10 balls early on the second morning but Hughes and Daryn Smit added 78 in 21 overs to take Derbyshire to 200 for 6.Worcestershire bowlers could have taken more than three wickets on the first day and they soon had two more with Jack Shantry tempting Reece into pushing at a ball he could have left and Tom Kohler-Cadmore took a good low catch at first slip.Joe Leach claimed a second victim when Billy Godleman edged behind which left Derbyshire to regroup and Hughes and Smit showed good judgement to bat through 10 overs before rain held up play until early afternoon.The break appeared to have disrupted the Worcestershire bowlers who struggled for consistency and Hughes took advantage, cutting a short ball from Ed Barnard for his seventh four to move to 50 from 56 balls.Lyon had looked like a bowler whose last first-class appearance was in the fourth Test against India in the Himalayan city of Dharamsala in late March but he was celebrating before the rain returned.Hughes moved across to try and work him to leg but was pinned lbw and that was the last action of the day as a downpour left large pools of water on the outfield.”It’s tough to just try and block him because he’s so good he will get you sooner or later so you have to try and put a bit of pressure on him,” Hughes said.”I enjoy playing against spin and it’s a good test against someone you’re used to watching on the TV, especially in India, and do well against even though he’s now got me out twice in two games.”The action he gets on the ball is very different to the average spinner, he gets a lot of revs on it and a lot more bounce. He doesn’t bowl many bad deliveries and if this pitch gets dry and I think he could be a tough prospect if we have to bat in the third innings.”Leach said: “I don’t think we got our just desserts with the ball, I feel we bowled quite a bit better than 200 for 6 so hopefully that will change and we can knock them over really cheaply in the morning.”It was good for Nathan to get his first wicket, he bowled very well again today so it was a good reward for him to get off the mark and hopefully he will have a bigger part to play in the rest of this game.”

Newcastle United will host Liverpool and Mohamed Salah on 27th August in the third week of the Premier League season. It's a massive game for both sides.

The Magpies will hope to build on their fourth-placed finish last season, while Liverpool will hope to push them out of the Champions League spots and rebound after a terrible campaign last time out. Of course, the Reds will turn to Salah to lead them.

But how likely is it that he gets one over on Newcastle United? Football FanCast delves into the stats to see just how well Salah plays against Newcastle.

What is Mohamed Salah's goal record against Newcastle?

Salah has played 13 times against Newcastle, with all fixtures coming in the Premier League, though not all of them were for Liverpool.

He actually played once for Chelsea – the Egyptian played 12 minutes in 2014 at Stamford Bridge. That, of course, was a very different Salah as the forward was transformed into a goalscoring machine on his move to Anfield.

And that shows in his record. Salah has six goals in 12 games against Newcastle for Liverpool. It's a great haul, but far from his most dominant – that's actually quite middle of the road in the Premier League for the Reds' star man.

What is Mohamed Salah's assist record against Newcastle?

Of course, Salah isn't just a goalscorer, but a creator too. And he has a fair few assists against Newcastle, with three in his last two games against the club.

In total, he boasts four across his 13 games to go along with his six goals, having been credited with a hand in three of the four scored by Liverpool against the Magpies last term.

What is Mohamed Salah's head-to-head record against Newcastle?

Newcastle have never actually beaten Salah's sides, whether he was on the pitch for Chelsea or Liverpool. His record stands at 13 played, 10 won, 3 drawn and zero defeats.

That record is actually Salah's best against any opponent across all competitions. He's never won more against a team without losing once – in fact, the only team he's ever defeated more than 10 times is Tottenham Hotspur (11).

And given all of his games came in the Premier League, there's a points tally. Salah has picked up 33 points in total against the Mapgies – just six shy of perfection.

What is Mohamed Salah's record at St James's Park?

It won't be a shock to learn that it's very good. Salah has played a total of six games at Newcastle, all coming for Liverpool.

He hasn't lost any of those meetings, of course, and has won four of them, drawing the other two. Though, it is notable that Salah has only ever scored once at St James' – that came back in 2019 and was a game where he also picked up an injury.

His team might do well there, but on an individual level, Newcastle isn't a particularly happy hunting ground for Salah:

Games – 6 Wins – 4 Draws – 2 Losses – 0 Goals – 1 Assists – 1 Who has Mohamed Salah scored against the most?

In total, Salah has scored against 11 teams more than he has against Newcastle. As previously mentioned, that figure of six isn't necessarily a standout for the Egyptian.

Sitting right at the top of that pile is Manchester United. Salah's record against them is incredible, scoring 12 times in 12 games and managing another four assists. Manchester City come next – 11 goals and five assists in 19 meetings.

Tottenham's 18 meetings with Salah have seen them ship 11 goals, too, along with a single assist. Meanwhile, Arsenal, West Ham United, Watford and Leeds United have all conceded nine times to the Liverpool star.

Bournemouth have been the unlucky opponent on eight occasions, while Crystal Palace, Chelsea, and Southampton have all shipped seven.

How many goals does Mohamed Salah have in August?

Sticking to the Premier League, Salah has scored 12 goals in the month of August. It's a fantastic haul that, on the face of it, averages out to two August goals each season for the Egyptian.

It's actually slightly better than that, however. There were no August games in the 2020/21 Premier League season, which kicked off in September. If you count that as the equivalent of August in a regular season, you can add three more to Salah's total, with the winger bagging a hat-trick on the opening day against Leeds United).

What is Mohamed Salah's overall Liverpool goal record?

Salah was never really known as a goalscorer in his younger professional days – even his record with Basel was so-so. But once he left Chelsea for AS Roma, the Egyptian started to find his feet as a true goal threat.

29 goals in two Serie A seasons suggested something was there, but no one could have foreseen his explosion at Liverpool. Salah immediately broke the Premier League's goalscoring record for a 38-game season, scoring 32 times in his debut campaign.

Overall, the forward heads into the upcoming campaign with 137 Premier League goals for Liverpool, all coming in 218 games. That stretches to 186 in 305 across all competitions.

In all, he's one of the most dangerous forward players on the planet and has been for some time. Even if, for whatever reason, Newcastle usually find a way to handle him at home.

What is Mohamed Salah's Premier League record?

Salah's 137 Premier League goals for Liverpool, combined with the two he got for Chelsea in his brief spell there lead to a grand total of 139. It's an incredible haul – only 13 players have managed more since the start of the league in 1992.

And so, even if Salah matched his lowest goals total for Liverpool in a single year (19) this coming term, he'd move onto 158 goals. That would be enough to leapfrog Michael Owen in 10th on the all-time list. He likely won't have reached this point by the time he faces Newcastle – but he'll hope to draw closer against the Magpies.

What is Mohamed Salah's assist record?

Salah's 139 Premier League goals are a fantastic amount – but they're not all he can boast about. He's also claimed 59 assists in England's top flight, with two of those coming in Chelsea blue.

That has him sitting in 22nd place all-time and Salah will almost certainly enter the top 20 in the coming season. As Newcastle know very well, he doesn't just hurt you by scoring goals.

What is Liverpool's record against Newcastle?

Liverpool and Newcastle have met a lot over the decades – their history as opponents dates all the way back to 1893. And as with just about everyone else in English football, the Reds boast a good record.

They've competed 185 times in their history, with Liverpool winning 91 of those. Newcastle have then won 50 themselves, leaving 44 games without a winner.

But what about in the Premier League? There have unsurprisingly been a fair few meetings since England's top flight rebranded – 56 in total – with Liverpool taking the vast majority of those points.

The Reds have won 33 of the 56, with Newcastle settling for a mere 11. In fact, the Toon have drawn more than they've won, with the points splitting 12 times.

What are Liverpool's recent results against Newcastle?

Liverpool have been dominant in recent times against Newcastle. Even last season – a campaign where the Reds struggled and the Magpies shone – Jurgen Klopp's side won both games.

The most recent was a 2-0 win at St James' Park that followed a dramatic 2-1 win at Anfield – Fabio Carvalho squeezed in a winner with seconds to play. In fact, Liverpool have won the last four clashes, having taken the points on both occasions in the previous season, too.

There were a couple of draws before that – 0-0 in Newcastle in 2020 and 1-1 in Liverpool in 2021. But you're probably noticing that there isn't a single win for the Magpies to mention here.

That's because you need to head all the way back to 2015 for the last time Newcastle beat Liverpool. That game finished 2-0 at St James' and was the second consecutive year that the victors wore black and white.

When is Newcastle vs Liverpool?

Newcastle will host Liverpool on Sunday, 27th August at 4.30pm UK time. It promises to be one of the biggest games of the season's early stages, with both sides looking to make a big statement.

Newcastle need early momentum if they're to prove that last season wasn't a fluke. It won't be easy, however – this isn't even their first big test. It comes one week after a trip to Manchester City as the Magpies face as tough an early test as you can get.

Liverpool, of course, need to make a statement of their own. They were truly awful at times last season, falling out of the title race almost immediately and then struggling to even compete for European spots. A late charge saw them briefly battle for fourth, but they'll be a Europa League side this season.

The winner will take a huge confidence boost from this one, then, and the Reds will turn to Mohamed Salah as their leader up top. His record in Newcastle isn't exactly sparkling, but he almost always returns home a winner.

While Tottenham Hotspur have been rather active in the transfer window so far – with Manor Solomon becoming the fifth signing of the summer – it looks as if Ange Postecoglou is set to press on with further additions, as part of his summer squad overhaul.

Amid reports that the likes of Joe Rodon, Japhet Tanganga and Davinson Sanchez could be on their way – with Clement Lenglet having returned to Barcelona – new recruits at the heart of the defence are seemingly a necessity, with the new Spurs boss no doubt hoping to improve a backline that conceded 63 league goals last term.

That search for quality replacements at centre-back has seen the Lilywhites focus on both Edmond Tapsoba and Micky van de Ven of late, with Fabrizio Romano having stated that the club are "advancing" in their negotiations for the latter man.

That being said, however, there also said to be possible concerns over the Wolfsburg man's potential price tag, with journalist Ben Jacobs stating that the north Londoners could even "abandon" their pursuit of the 22-year-old as a result.

Alternative targets could need to be considered, hence why turning to Borussia Monchengladbach's Ko Itakura could be a wise move, with reports in Germany stating that the 26-year-old is of interest to those at N17.

The versatile defender – who can also feature in midfield – was believed to be the subject of interest from Postecoglou during his time at Celtic, having been linked with a move to the Hoops in both 2021 and 2022, prior to joining his current side.

If the Greek-Aussie can finally get his hands on the Japanese international this time around, he could represent a dream alternative to Van de Ven…

Who is Ko Itakura?

There has been much talk around the "crazy" speed of Van de Ven – as hailed by Ruben Jongkind – although Itakura also seemingly possesses remarkable recovery speed, having been described as "incredibly fast" in the past by pundit, Hans Kraay.

Once lauded the "one of the very best central defenders in the Eredivisie" by Kraay during his time in the Netherlands with FC Groningen, the 6 foot 2 machine was also previously on the books at Manchester City, albeit without ever making an appearance for the Etihad outfit.

As for the most recent campaign, the Yokohama-born rock appeared to enjoy a better season in the Bundesliga than that of Van de Ven, having shown his defensive strength after averaging 2.3 tackles and interceptions per game from his 24 league outings, while also winning 62% of his total duels.

The young Dutchman, by contrast, averaged only 2.2 tackles and interceptions per game from his 33 appearances in the German top-flight and won just 60% of his total duels, while the 6 foot 4 brute's average match rating of 6.85, as per Sofascore, was far below that of his Gladbach counterpart (7.01).

While Van de Ven's ability to play out from the back ensures that has performed better over the last 365 days with regard to progressive carries per 90 (1.30 v 0.86) and successful take-ons per 90 (0.58 v 0.36), Itakura is certainly no liability on the ball, ranking in the top 7% for pass completion among his European peers – with the Wolfsburg man ranking in just the top 27% in that regard.

The fact that Itakura has also performed so impressively of late should make him a wise defensive alternative for Postecoglou, with it clear to see why the Spurs boss has been keeping close tabs on the £31k-per-week ace since his days in charge at Parkhead.

Liverpool could replace the presence of Fabinho this window with a swoop for Borussia Monchengladbach ace Manu Kone, a player that the Reds have been linked to throughout the summer.

Jurgen Klopp could see two midfield enforcers depart ahead of the 2023/24 campaign, with both the Brazilian and Jordan Henderson linked with lucrative moves to Saudi Arabia.

Could Liverpool sign Manu Kone?

Named as a potential summer target for Liverpool back in January by Fabrizio Romano, Kone could still be on course to head towards Merseyside.

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT this week, BILD journalist Chrisitan Falk declared that the midfielder is “on the list” of those wanted by sporting director Jorg Scmadtke.

Valued by his club around the €40m (£34m) mark, the Frenchman could be a valuable asset to Klopp’s squad should the speculated sales be made this summer.

How good is Manu Kone?

Described as a “one-man army” by talent scout Jacek Kulig for his performance against Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich earlier this year, the 22-year-old could signify a rejuvenated revamp in midfield at Anfield.

While Fabinho’s presence has been integral to Liverpool’s progression over the past year, the Premier League and Champions League winner is expected to call it quits on Merseyside after five memorable years.

Kone could be the one to fill the gap left by the 29-year-old’s pending departure to Al Ittihad, with the two demonstrating similar strengths in their approach to play.

When comparing the two via FBref comparisons based on their respective 2022/23 campaigns, it’s evident just how efficient the switch in player could be, with Fabinho indicating a slight dip in form to years prior.

A combative midfielder, Kone surpassed the rate of tackles per 90 recorded by the Brazilian, averaging 2.55 to the 29-year-old’s 2.19, highlighting his militant presence in the engine room.

An area of the Frenchman’s game that could be pivotal to adding a rejuvenated outlet in the middle of the park is his approach to progressive play in comparison to Fabinho.

The 22-year-old averaged an impressive 2.04 progressive carries and 1.97 successful take-ons to the Liverpool machine’s 0.51 progressive carries and 0.24 successful take-ons per 90, displaying his dominance in transitional possession.

Hailed as having “sublime distribution” by journalist Maxi Angelo, Fabinho will be a missed presence in the middle of the park for his eye for an intricate pass, however, the departure of the Campinas-born gem could be eased by Kone’s arrival.

As per FBref, the Borussia talent averaged 5.73 progressive passes to Fabinho’s 5.49 last season, including 4.80 passes into the final third to his 4.41 per 90 to show just how much of a talent Klopp could install into his squad.

With a fee of £40m reported to be in question for Fabinho, the Reds could reinstate the funds spent on signing the midfielder from Monaco back in 2018 for £43.7m, getting the best out of the player during his time at Anfield.

The funds raised could open the door for Liverpool to make a potential snipe for Kone, in a deal that may prove to be a stellar piece of business by the six-time European champions.

The decision to rest Rohit Sharma from India’s upcoming limited-overs tour of the West Indies was a “smart” one, according to the captain Virat Kohli

Nagraj Gollapudi at Edgbaston15-Jun-2017The decision to rest Rohit Sharma from India’s upcoming limited-overs tour of the West Indies was a “smart” one, according to the captain Virat Kohli, who stressed the need to monitor the opener’s fitness after a “massive hip surgery”.India are going to the Caribbean for five ODIs and a T20 international immediately after the Champions Trophy, and Kohli said Rohit had been left out of the squad with the view of ensuring his fitness for bigger assignments – tours to Sri Lanka and South Africa – later in the year.”Rohit has come back and really had a full IPL season, which has been hectic,” Kohli said after India won the semi-final against Bangladesh on Thursday; the squad had been announced by the BCCI during the course of the game. “They [Mumbai Indians] reached the final, so he got lesser rest than anyone else. Plus he had a massive hip surgery, so muscles around that area are always vulnerable, and today also he felt a bit of stiffness in his right knee.”There is no doubt about Rohit’s ability and what he brings to the team. We need to protect him going further, because latter half of the year we have massive tours coming up, and his batting contribution will be a huge factor for us. So we want him to be careful because after a massive surgery you do need to be careful. If you push yourself a little too hard then it snaps again, you’re out for seven, eight months.”It is a conscious decision by everyone to give him a break. He is making the most of the form he is in right now. And I’m sure he also knows and understands the whole situation.”Rohit suffered his injury during the home ODIs against New Zealand in October last year, and missed home series against England, Bangladesh and Australia. He returned to action during the IPL and led Mumbai Indians to the title, and made his India comeback in the ongoing Champions Trophy.His unbeaten 123 off 129 balls in the semi-final against Bangladesh vaulted Rohit to second place in the list of highest run-scorers in the tournament – 304 runs in four innings at a strike rate of 87.60.