Leeds United currently feel like a different team compared to the one that was relegated from the Premier League last term. The Yorkshire club are sitting third in the Championship and have been piling pressure on Ipswich Town and Leicester City above them.

Goals are flying in and the team are keeping plenty of clean sheets as of late, yet perhaps head coach Daniel Farke isn't receiving the plaudits that he truly deserves. When he took over, Leeds seemed like a toxic wasteland, with a bloated squad on extortionate wages. Now, after one transfer window, there seems to be a togetherness once more in the team.

Farke acted quickly to clean house, removing players from the squad who either wanted to leave or overstayed their welcome. One player in particular, who was part of Farke's vigorous clearout, has had a disastrous time at his new club.

Tyler Roberts' time at Leeds

In 2018, one of Thomas Christiansen's last acts as manager of Leeds United was to sign Tyler Roberts from West Bromwich Albion for an initial £2.5m, with the fee expected to rise to £4m in add-ons.

The attacker arrived at Elland Road with a slight knock, ruling him out for the first few weeks. However, things went downhill rapidly for Roberts as he cracked his shin bone while recovering from his initial injury, which kept him sidelined for the remainder of the season.

Nevertheless, Roberts eventually made his competitive debut for the Whites under the legendary coach Marcelo Bielsa and went on to make 108 appearances for the club, including 50 in the Premier League.

However, in his 108 games with Leeds, the Welshman bagged merely nine goals and recorded ten assists.

In contrast, Crysencio Summerville has managed 15 goal contributions this term in 18 matches and is just four from Roberts' tally.

Tyler Roberts at Leeds United

Season

Appearances

Minutes

Goals

Assists

2018/19

31

2,081

3

6

2019/20

23

1,084

4

1

2020/21

34

1,742

5

4

2021/22

27

1,187

2

1

2022/23

20

1,228

4

0

Stats by Transfermarkt

After a loan move to Queens Park Rangers in the previous campaign, Roberts was eventually sold during the most recent summer transfer window to Birmingham City for a fee rumoured to be worth just £750k, having become nothing but a bit-part player at Leeds.

Tyler Roberts' stats this season

Roberts was handed a four-year contract with the Blues when former manager John Eustace was in charge, a decision which seems questionable in hindsight. The 24-year-old made his debut on the opening day of the Championship campaign away at Swansea City, lasting 61 minutes on the pitch before being subbed off. Unfortunately, this was Roberts' only appearance for the Blues.

The ex-Leeds star suffered a calf injury in training a few days before he would play his former club back in August and has been absent from the Birmingham squad ever since, a time period which has seen a new manager take charge in the St. Andrew's dugout in the form of Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney.

Roberts has now missed 21 matches through injury this season which is more than at any other stage over the past five seasons, the second-longest being an 81-day absence with a torn thigh muscle during his spell with Leeds two years ago.

The 20-cap Wales international endured a lot of criticism from the Leeds fanbase, particularly during the side's spell in the Premier League under Bielsa. The Athletic journalist Phil Hay admitted that the coach persevered with the young forward because he "obviously rates him" but Roberts has been proving the critics right since leaving Elland Road, seeing little over an hour's worth of action at Birmingham City.

Senior paceman was forced to shoulder additional responsibility following the injury to Lahiru Kumara

Andrew McGlashan in Brisbane25-Jan-2019

Suranga Lakmal picked up his first five-for in Australia•Getty Images

Suranga Lakmal rated his 5 for 75 at the Gabba above his recent career-best figures in Christchurch as it allowed him to achieve the dream of a five-wicket haul in Australia on a day when he had to shoulder additional burden with Sri Lanka losing the services of Lahiru Kumara to a hamstring injury.Kumara, Sri Lanka’s fastest bowler, struck in the opening over of the day to remove Marcus Harris but spent the entire last session off the field. He will be sent for scans to reveal the extent of the injury, but bowling coach Rumesh Ratnayake feared it could be a tear, which would rule him out of the remainder of the Brisbane Test as well as the second Test in Canberra.Sri Lanka have already lost Nuwan Pradeep to a hamstring injury on this tour, and have called up Vishwa Fernando as a replacement.When Dushmantha Chameera also briefly left the field, it meant Lakmal was the lone seamer available. He removed Travis Head and Tim Paine in consecutive balls to lift Sri Lanka, who had seen the match go away from them by the 166-run stand between Head and Marnus Labuschagne. Six overs later, he trapped Kurtis Patterson lbw to make it five-wicket hauls in consecutive Tests after his 5 for 54 against New Zealand.”I treasure the Australian five-wicket haul much more than anything else,” Lakmal said. “I always wanted to take a five-wicket haul in Australia and it’s a dream come true. On wickets that help, I try to do my best and I am pretty pleased with my effort.”For a while, it seemed like Lakmal would surpass Ratnayake’s 6 for 66 as Sri Lanka’s best Test figures in Australia, and the bowling coach gave him a little pep talk when he briefly left the field feeling the effects of the workload.”When he came in after his fourth wicket to the dressing room for a break, I told him that he shouldn’t be in the dressing room but out in the middle,” Ratnayake said. “I told him that I saw seven wickets for him in the innings. I told him not to miss the opportunity. Records are there to be broken and I really wanted him to break my record tonight.”Had he done that, we would have kept them down by 40 runs or so, but all in all I am pretty pleased for him. He really felt that the loss of Lahiru is a huge one for us. So he took the onus on him to finish it off.”In the end, Chameera removed Pat Cummins and Dilruwan Perera claimed last man Jhye Richardson, so Lakmal’s figures slotted in at No. 3 for a Sri Lankan in Australia behind Ratnayake’s six-for and Chaminda Vaas’ 5 for 31 in Darwin in 2004.

Pep Guardiola has warned Manchester City players to remain focused to avoid Liverpool-esque collapse amid fight for Premier League title.

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• Liverpool lose steam in title race with two defeats
• Guardiola warns City players against complacency
• Feels there's not much left in the tank for City players

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Following a commanding 4-0 victory over Brighton, City closed the gap on league leaders Arsenal to just one point and overtook Liverpool to claim the second spot in the standings. The impressive win was fueled by Phil Foden's brace and goals from Kevin De Bruyne and Julian Alvarez.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  The triumph came on the heels of Liverpool's disappointing 2-0 defeat to Everton and a shocking 1-0 loss to Crystal Palace, which saw them relinquish their lead at the top of the table. Guardiola has learnt his lessons from Liverpool's sudden downfall and stressed the importance of staying vigilant, especially with challenging fixtures ahead.

• WHAT GUARDIOLA SAID

  “I said to the players what happened to Liverpool can happen to us and can happen to Arsenal,” said the Spaniard.

  “People didn’t expect them to lose against Crystal Palace and yesterday but it can happen to us – it’s football. Everton is playing to avoid the relegation zone and we have a similar game at Nottingham Forest (on Sunday) and they are playing for their lives.

  “Maybe because they were a real contender of ours for many years, my appreciation for Liverpool is higher than ever. Still, it (the title) is there (for Liverpool) because I know the character of their team. They are going to fight until the end and we have to do it too.”

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  WHAT NEXT?

  Despite their past successes, Guardiola remains cautious about relying solely on history to propel City to another title. He emphasised the need for continuous effort and focus in the remaining five games to lift their sixth league title in the Guardiola era.

  “I would love to say yes but I don’t know,” he said.

  “What we have done in the past doesn’t mean it’s going to happen in the future. To do it again, you have to make it happen. We know what we’re playing for.

  “We know that if we don’t win or we draw, we will not have a chance to fight until the end, so, of course, the pressure is there, otherwise we cannot perform that well. Five games left and on to the next.”

  City will face Nottingham Forest on Sunday in their next Premier League fixture.

Australia are set to leave it late before naming their Ashes squad with the A-team tour of England shaping as a trial for those vying for places. The latter half of the Sheffield Shield season, which will be played using Dukes balls, also shapes a vital part of Australia’s planning as they aim for a first away Ashes victory since 2001.Though the series is still six months away, Australia have just one more Test – next week in Canberra – before facing England from the start of August. Following the Sri Lanka series, attention will be firmly on the white-ball with the World Cup on the horizon, but such has been Australia’s problems in England over the last 18 years that they want to give players as much chance as possible to be ready.The squads for 2013 and 2015 Ashes series were named well in advance – four years ago there were joint squads announced at the end of March for the West Indies and England tours – but, despite the comprehensive victory in Brisbane against Sri Lanka, there remains uncertainty around the Test side while there is also the challenge of reintegrating Steven Smith and David Warner.If all goes to plan, the banned pair will have made their comebacks for the World Cup despite their recent injuries but the Ashes will be the first Test series they would be involved in since the ball-tampering scandal in South Africa. Smith and Warner would move into red-ball mode when Australia’s World Cup campaign ends, but for a significant collection of fringe players the A-tour, which will run concurrently with the tournament, will be a chance to earn selection.”We probably won’t pick the final Ashes squad until quite late,” coach Justin Langer said. “I hope I’m not talking out of school with the other selectors, but I can’t see us picking it before the Australian A tour for example. Maybe halfway through or three quarters of the way through. It will be a really good opportunity for the guys who are picked for Australia A while the World Cup is on, to put their hand up.”Kurtis Patterson was called up just three days before the Test•Getty Images

Kurtis Patterson, who made his debut in Brisbane, and Will Pucovski, who narrowly missed out, could well feature on the A tour to gain experience in English conditions as could the likes of Marcus Harris and Marnus Labuschagne, who won’t be part of the World Cup squad. There will also be players featuring in county cricket; Cameron Bancroft (Durham), Glenn Maxwell and Joe Burns (both Lancashire) already have deals with the potential for more to look for pre-Ashes stints.However, away from the batting, which remains Australia’s obvious weakness, there are also questions to be answered over the make-up of the bowling attack with previous Ashes tours showing that it isn’t always the tallest, fastest bowlers which are best suited in England. Outside of the main three who are certain to tour, Jhye Richardson has booked his ticket while Peter Siddle has been around the Test squad all season.Other names in the frame are Chris Tremain, Dan Worrall and James Pattinson with that trio – fitness permitting – having the end-of-season Sheffield Shield season matches to impress with the Dukes ball that will be used in England, which also shapes as a chance for batsmen to shine against the brand of ball that has caused Australians so many problems.”We’ve got a really good opportunity through Australia A and the last four Shield games with the Dukes ball and a Shield final,” Langer said. “So we’ll get a pretty good indication of who is up and running. And then they’ve all got to stay fit and healthy as well. That’s another big part of our fast-bowling stocks, keeping them fit and healthy. I tend to think that if we keep looking after these Test matches [against Sri Lanka] and we keep an eye on what we do in Shield cricket in Australia, the Ashes will look after itself.”ALSO READ: Present tense but future can be perfect for Paine’s young AustraliaAnother part of the squad that will challenge the selectors will be whether to include an allrounder. Marcus Stoinis’ call-up for the second Test against Sri Lanka suggests he is now in pole position, although his role in the one-day side means he is unlikely to play any more red-ball cricket between now and the end of the World Cup.”In a perfect world you’ve got someone who can bowl medium pace,” Langer said. “Marnus can bowl some legspin. There’s people who can do it. But to be honest there aren’t too many teams around the world that have that luxury. You’ve got to be able to be picked on one of the disciplines alone and that’s a great challenge for all of the allrounders in the country.”

MatériaMais Notícias

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+ Pedro Raul vendido, Donnarumma mais longe do Milan, futuro de Salah no Liverpool… Veja o Dia do Mercado

Se o G-4, zona que dá direito a uma vaga na fase de grupos parece difícil devido o ritmo dos adversários, Renato Gaúcho e cia tentam ao menos um lugar na fase preliminar.

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Com sete pontos de vantagem em relação ao Corinthians, primeiro time fora da zona de classificação, o Tricolor precisa vencer o São Paulo para garantir o seu lugar.

Caso não confirme contra o rival paulista, Portaluppi pode colocar o Grêmio em mais uma Liberta diante do Athletico e Coritiba.

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Liverpool are currently in second place in the Premier League having topped their Europa League group and advanced to the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup, of which they are ostensible favourites in both cup competitions.

Table-toppers Arsenal are imminently making the trip to Merseyside to face Jurgen Klopp's side in a pivotal league clash, which will determine whether the Reds spend Christmas Day in pole position.

Klopp could land Luis Diaz upgrade in Liverpool swoop for £51m "architect"

The Reds are reportedly interested in the talented whiz ahead of January.

ByDan Emery Dec 22, 2023

All this paints a brilliant picture of promise, but further work is needed to ensure that Liverpool succeed in their ambitious endeavours.

The midfield welcomed four new additions in the summer to combat the mass exodus after a dismal year, and now, reports from the continent suggest that Klopp is eager to add another to the engine room…

Liverpool transfer news – Nicolo Barella

According to Spanish sources, Liverpool are among the English clubs to be in contention to sign Inter Milan maestro Nicolo Barella, with Arsenal and Newcastle United also registering an interest.

In June, reliable reports surfaced that Newcastle were closing in on a sensational £50m deal for the Italian, though ultimately his Serie A outfit refused to advance negotiations to the conclusive stage.

Barella – who could command a fee of around £70m-£80m – is contracted to the San Siro until 2026 and has proved his worth as one of Europe's elite midfielders over the past several seasons, but is he the signing that the Reds need?

Nicolo Barella's style of play

Barella is a midfielder of supreme technicality, first-class ball-playing ability and an all-action approach that has led sports editor Mike Piellucci to describe him as a "genius" for his work.

As per FBref, the £153k-per-week machine ranks among the top 8% of midfielders across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for shot-creating actions, the top 7% for progressive passes and the top 12% for progressive carries per 90.

#

Player

Club

1

Martin Odegaard

Arsenal

2

Ilkay Gundogan

Barcelona

3

Granit Xhaka

Bayer Leverkusen

4

Florian Wirtz

Bayer Leverkusen

5

Thomas Muller

Bayern Munich

*Sourced via Football Transfers

Likened to many of Europe's most guileful and inventive midfielders, Barella was "appreciated" by Liverpool in the summer, according to Fabrizio Romano, but no deal materialised as Klopp moved for other options.

It's clear to see why; having chalked up 210 appearances for the Nerazzurri, posting 21 goals and 47 assists and proving instrumental in the winning of the Serie A and two Coppa Italia and Supercoppa Italiana apiece, Barella has been nothing short of an "unbelievable" member of the squad over the past several years, as was noted by one podcast host.

But, crucially, he's not a defensive midfielder, instead finding success as a midfield operator in and around half-spaces, pushing forward with creative intent and contributing effectively in recycling possession.

Understandably, Klopp appreciates his talents, but Barella is not the answer to Liverpool's midfield questions, and signing him would only have a negative effect on Harvey Elliott.

How Nicolo Barella compares to Harvey Elliott

Having played 46 times across all competitions last year, Elliott has established himself as one of the brightest starlets in the Premier League, and despite multiple midfield signings in the summer, remains a coveted asset of Klopp's team.

This season, the "incredible" prospect – as stated by Paul Dalglish – has started all nine of Liverpool's cup fixtures, though only has one Premier League start to his name and has recently admitted that he is disgruntled by a lack of match action in the English top-flight.

Elliott, aged 20, offers many of the tools that Barella brings to the table and is contributing effectively for Klopp's side; frankly, he is a frightening talent and signing the Inter player would not bode well for him.

Metric

Per 90

Rank

Shot-creating actions

3.54

7th

Prog. passes

7.71

2nd

Prog. carries

3.54

2nd

Shots taken

3.28

3rd

*Sourced via FBref

It's worth noting that several players have been excluded from several columns due to scant match action, thus bloating their metrics; Elliott's rankings are collated with those having played more than 180 minutes of football across all competitions.

To emphasise how effective this young star is, he ranks among the top 11% of midfielders for shot-creating actions, the top 9% for progressive passes, the top 4% for progressive carries, the top 6% for touches in the attacking penalty area and the top 17% for blocks per 90.

Given the overload of creative and multi-functional midfielders in Liverpool's squad, it's hard to conclude that signing a player such as Barella – who, granted, is fantastic and would be a credit to the Merseyside outfit – would be the best move to continue the resurgence.

It's a bit like saying Thibaut Courtois is one of the best goalkeepers in the world and thus Liverpool must target his signature: with Alisson Becker between the sticks, such an acquisition would be met with incredulity.

Thiago Alcantara is plagued by injury problems and is out of contract at the end of the campaign, while Mac Allister has proved his worth in the deep-lying role and Wataru Endo, aged 30, improves with each passing fixture. All this being said, a specialist No. 6 is a prerequisite for lasting success at the peak of the European pyramid.

When partnering Liverpool's need for a natural Fabinho replacement – the Brazilian was sold to Al-Ittihad in the summer after declining – with the ongoing requirement for defensive reinforcements, exacerbated by Joel Matip's season-ending ACL injury, Barella is just not the answer.

Such a transfer could force Ryan Gravenberch into a deeper role, which is clearly not his best position, while precluding Elliott's chances of cementing a starting berth with regularity.

Intangibles such as confidence and guile form the base of Elliott's creative repertoire, and at a time when he is on the cusp of a level-up, it would be ludicrous to sign a player that would inhibit his prospects of success.

The Australian has orchestrated a sensational turnaround in north London following a dismal 2022-23 campaign

It seems like a lifetime ago now, but back in the autumn, Tottenham were being hyped up as genuine title contenders. After 10 games, Spurs sat top of the Premier League table, having picked up a spirited point against rivals Arsenal as well as wins over Manchester United and Liverpool.

Though the latter victory did include a monumental assist by VAR, it was still difficult not to be seduced by the transfixing restoration job Ange Postecoglou had done over the course of just a single summer.

This early-season mania has ebbed away gradually as the campaign has dragged on, however, with Tottenham's recent 4-0 hammering at the hands of Newcastle providing the Australian's detractors with the most compelling evidence yet that the project may be veering off track.

The North London derby on Sunday provided Postecoglou with the perfect opportunity to respond and deal the club's bitterest foes a likely fatal blow to their Premier League title charge. But, by the time the whistle was blown for half-time, Spurs found themselves three goals down.

• Getty/GOAL
  

  Familiar problems

  That two of those goals came from set-pieces would have been particularly galling. First, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg's botched clearance ended up flying past Guglielmo Vicario. Kai Havertz then rose high at the front post to make it 3-0, 11 minutes after Bukayo Saka had doubled the visitors' advantage by finishing off a counter-attack.

  Set-pieces have become a spiralling issue for Tottenham, with only the bottom-four clubs and Aston Villa conceding more from dead-ball situations over the course of the Premier League campaign. It has been suggested to Postecoglou that hiring a specialist coach might improve things, but he firmly dismissed this notion back in March.

  He doubled down on his position after the Arsenal game too, telling reporters: "If I thought fixing defensive set-pieces was the answer to us bridging the gap then I would put all of my time and effort into that. But that is not where we’re at."

  This was not the only familiar problem that resurfaced during the Arsenal defeat either. Perhaps the most infamous aspect of Postecoglou's tactical approach is the ludicrously high line he encourages his defenders to adopt. It's key to how Spurs press and build up, but it is also their glass chin. If their opponent can get the ball forward quick enough in transition, Tottenham can be in big trouble, as Saka's goal showed.

  That strike stemmed from Declan Rice, Saka and Havertz playing through Spurs' counter-press in their own box. This afforded the German with enough space to send Saka on his way, with the England international making light work of Ben Davies before placing the ball into the bottom corner. It's not the first time Spurs have conceded a goal of this ilk this season, and it almost certainly won't be the last either.

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  Doesn't tell the whole story

  Yet, while the first 45 minutes of the derby did seem to further highlight the pitfalls of Postecoglou's high-risk philosophy, his side's three-goal deficit did not tell the entire story. With the Gunners 1-0 up, Cristian Romero simply had to equalise, but could only hammer a free header into the post. Shortly after, Micky van de Ven was denied an equaliser by the narrowest of offside decisions. Had Gabriel Magalhaes stuck his posterior out a few more centimetres, the goal would have been given.

  The third sliding-doors moment came in the build-up to Saka's goal. A matter of seconds before the forward made the net bulge, Dejan Kulusevski went crashing to the floor in the Arsenal box. Replays were inconclusive, but it wouldn't have been a huge surprise to see Leandro Trossard penalised for seemingly clipping the Swede's heels.

  Considering all of that, it's astounding that Spurs somehow conspired to find themselves trailing so heavily at the break.

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  Promising second half

  Tottenham did at least restore some pride with their second-half display. Few scenes sum up the effectiveness of their madness more than centre-back Romero galloping up to press Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya, forcing a mistake and making it 3-1 and they continued to patiently probe at the best defence in the Premier League in the half-hour of action that followed.

  Few could argue they didn't deserve their second, with Son Heung-min showing nerves of steel to convert from the spot after Declan Rice recklessly kicked Davies in the penalty area, and the 80 percent possession they enjoyed after the goal speaks to their ability to pen teams in with their high defensive line. In the end, though, the equaliser would not come.

  It's a result that clearly hurt Postecoglou, with the Spurs boss being particularly damning about his side's defending in his post-match press conference.

  "It's about now over the course of time getting from where we are to where we want to get to," he reflected. "To do that, we're still not absolutely laser focused on the details, the small things that get you from where we are to become a team that contends. Credit to Arsenal, they're there now. They're a team that does deal with the details well and we don't."

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  Season still a success

  And while Postecoglou was in no mood to praise himself or the team on Sunday evening, if we pull the lens back and look at Spurs' season as a whole, it's hard to be too critical of their efforts.

  The ex-Celtic boss took over a club in crisis last summer, fresh off their lowest Premier League finish in 14 years. To compound matters, they then lost the best striker on the planet a few days before the campaign kicked off.

  The fact that Postecoglou and Co remain in with a shot of securing Champions League football – they have two games in hand on fourth-placed Aston Villa, who they trail by seven points – while the manager has had to contend with a painful rebuild job is pretty incredible. Mikel Arteta certainly didn't manage to keep Arsenal this competitive during his first few years in the hot seat, with the Gunners missing out on Europe entirely in 2020 and 2021.

  That Tottenham lost a string of first-teamers to injury over the festive and New Year's period only makes their points tally – already equal to what they managed last term with five games still to play – even more impressive.

Everton have received a big injury boost ahead of their trip to Nottingham Forest this weekend, courtesy of an update from Sky Sports reporter Alan Myers.

Everton injury updates

The Blues have had a season to remember so far, largely for the wrong reasons, with so many things going on at the club, both on and off the pitch. Everton's 10-point deduction in the Premier League has been met with anger by supporters, leaving them in the relegation zone, and the potential takeover at Goodison Park is moving slowly, too.

Sean Dyche's side showed some improvements in form before the international break, but last Sunday's 3-0 defeat at home to Manchester United saw their momentum halted in abrupt fashion. The hope is that Saturday's clash with Forest allows them the chance to get back into their groove, but injuries haven't been helping of late.

The Merseysiders have had to make do without a host of important figures, with Andre Gomes and Beto two of those who have been unavailable for large periods. Amadou Onana has also missed some time, and Dyche could do with as many of them being back in the fold as soon as possible.

Dyche gifted good news on Beto and Gomes

Taking to X on Thursday, Myers confirmed that both Andre Gomes and Beto are back in training for Everton, acting as a major boost before the weekend action.

"DCL training inside away from main group, Andre Gomes back training with the squad, Beto back training and Onana training inside away from main group."

This is brilliant news for anyone of an Everton persuasion, with both Gomes and Beto two players who can have such a positive impact this season, helping the Blues get out of the relegation zone and avoid heading to the Championship for the first time in their history.

Gomes has suffered such terrible luck with injuries down the years, not least a broken leg at home to Tottenham back in 2019, and he has really struggled to kick on in his career since then, continually being dogged by fitness issues. Still only 30, however, the Portuguese has the quality to make a big difference if he can stay fit for a sustained period of time.

Everton's top goalscorers this season	Total
Dominic Calvert-Lewin	4
Abdoulaye Doucoure	4
James Garner	2
James Tarkowski	2
Arnaut Danjuma	2
Vitalii Mykolenko	2

Meanwhile, Beto has made a relatively slowly start to life at Everton, with the Blues striker's statistics showing that he is yet to score in eight Premier League appearances, but he arrived for big money in the summer transfer window and can bring added firepower the more he adjusts to English football.

With Dominic Calvert-Lewin an injury-prone figure, Beto could become increasingly important as the campaign goes on, and 21 Serie A goals for Udinese over the past two seasons sums up the potential he has. A winning goal at Forest on Saturday would be the perfect place to start, in what represents such an important game for the Blues.

Jadon Sancho is unlikely to continue at Manchester United next summer as Borussia Dortmund have their eye on a second loan deal.

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Sancho won't continue at Old TraffordDortmund eyeing another loan move Helped the club to beat PSG in Champions LeagueWHAT HAPPENED?

The loanee reportedly does not want to continue at Old Trafford regardless of Erik ten Hag's future with the club, according to reporter Patrick Berger. The England international is willing to continue in Germany after a successful loan spell with Dortmund in the second half of the 2023-24 season.

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The report further claimed that the Bundesliga club want to retain Sancho's services beyond the current campaign but they are unlikely to sign him permanently as they are exploring options for a second loan spell with an obligation to buy ahead of the 2025/26 season. They are set to meet the Premier League giants to discuss the future of the English star.

DID YOU KNOW?

Since joining the Germans in January, the 24-year-old has shown improvement in his form and currently has three goals and two assists to his name. He played a pivotal role in his club's 1-0 win over Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final clash earlier this week where he became the first English player to execute more than 11 take-ons in a single Champions League match.

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GettyWHAT NEXT FOR DORTMUND?

BVB will now aim to progress to the Champions League final for the first time in over a decade as they face the Ligue 1 champions in the semi-final second leg on Tuesday in Paris.

Australia’s fast bowlers executed a short-of-good-length plan to perfection on a two-paced pitch, but nerves nearly undid their chase of 127

The Report by Karthik Krishnaswamy24-Feb-20192:51

Tait: Bumrah is the best death bowler in the world

Two-paced pitches can do strange things. Long tails can do strange things. Those two ingredients combined in Visakhapatnam to produce an intriguing low-scoring thriller, and in the end it was Australia who shaded a tight contest between two imperfect teams.It came down to the last ball, with two runs needed, and Pat Cummins, who had just slapped the previous delivery, a wide full-toss, to the cover boundary, kept his head to complete the job. Umesh Yadav sent down a good ball, in the blockhole, and Cummins nudged it down the ground towards long-on, knowing the fielder was too deep to sprint in off the boundary and cut off the second run.It probably shouldn’t have come to that. At one stage, Australia needed 38 from 40 balls with eight wickets in hand and two batsmen at the crease on 56 and 31. But Glenn Maxwell, who had until then chosen his shots wisely, went after a wide legbreak from Yuzvendra Chahal. This ball had been Chahal’s recipe for repeated success against Maxwell when Australia last toured India for a limited-overs series, and once again Maxwell miscued his big hit, picking out long-off.From there, a combination of tight bowling, inexperience (Peter Handscomb was on T20I debut, Ashton Turner was playing only his fourth game) nerves (a terrible mix-up cost D’Arcy Short his wicket on 37) and Australia’s lack of batting depth (they picked four frontline quicks and a specialist legspinner, which meant Nathan Coulter-Nile was their No. 7) brought India right back into the game.Playing his first international game, Mayank Markande conceded only five off the 18th over. Then, with Australia needing 16 from 12, Jasprit Bumrah bowled a staggeringly good 19th, giving away just two runs while also bouncing out Handscomb and cleaning up Coulter-Nile with a leg-stump yorker.That left Cummins and Jhye Richardson, two fast bowlers who were yet to face a ball, needing 14 off the last over, and both showed a clear head under pressure while Umesh was marginally below his best.If Australia’s quicks played an important role with the bat, they were utterly key with the ball in keeping India to 126. India began well, with KL Rahul staying leg-side of the ball and freeing his arms to pepper the off-side boundary during the Powerplay. Virat Kohli, playing his first competitive match in nearly a month, also looked in bright touch, and the two added 55 for the second wicket at close to nine an over.Kohli’s dismissal off Adam Zampa in the ninth over, however, began a drastic slide. Rishabh Pant was run-out by a brilliant bit of athleticism from Jason Behrendorff at backward point, and Coulter-Nile kept hitting an awkward length – not full enough to drive, not short enough to pull – and getting the ball to do unexpected things off the pitch. One held up and Rahul spooned a catch to mid-off, another cut in off the seam to bowl Dinesh Karthik, and then a miscued pull cost Krunal Pandya his wicket.At 100 for 6, India suddenly had five overs left to play with no one of remotely recognised batting ability to partner MS Dhoni. The boundaries had dried up quite a while ago, and now Dhoni began refusing singles to the deep fielders. It was a sensible idea, given that he needed to be on strike as much as possible to try and capitalise on the rare loose ball or manufacture a boundary from somewhere. Coulter-Nile, Richardson and Cummins, however, kept hitting the pitch on that in-between length, kept getting the ball to stop or skid, and gave him almost nothing to hit save a wide full-toss that he launched beyond the cover boundary in the final over.That was the only boundary India managed in the last 81 balls of their innings. That was where Australia won this game, even if they only just scraped through in the end.