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The offspinner hasn’t played since April but is hopeful of three matches before facing England

Alex Malcolm07-Oct-2021Nathan Lyon has never gone this long between matches in his professional career.And the wait is set to continue as New South Wales are still yet to confirm the start of their domestic season, with hopes they can play at least two Sheffield Shield matches and two Marsh Cup matches against Victoria in late October and November.Lyon, who sits on 399 Test wickets, is preparing for the first Ashes encounter on December 8, having not played a Test since January or a first-class match since April.He revealed he was frustrated to not be considered for Australia’s winter limited-overs tours, to the Caribbean and Bangladesh, and was therefore not in contention for the T20 World Cup.”Yeah, 100 percent I was disappointed,” Lyon said. “That drives me even more to be honest with you. I was disappointed I didn’t get selected in both those squads if I’m being honest. But that’s something that I can keep working on, keep putting my hand up for selection. It’s been really productive this offseason being able to work on a couple of different balls in white-ball cricket.”I’m looking forward to hopefully playing a couple of one-day games for New South Wales and putting that into practice.”Related

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Sydney’s long lockdown has wreaked havoc with the domestic schedule but Lyon says it hasn’t hindered his training whatsoever.”The only thing we haven’t been able to do is go to the pub,” he said. “This is the first time I’ve been asked to do a full pre-season so it’s something I’ve been really enjoying. Firstly, getting in there with all the boys and doing all the hard work but also hopefully passing on a little bit of knowledge as well with a couple of younger players as well.”New South Wales have had to train in groups of 10 due to Covid rules but he has had three centre-wicket practices as well as endless days in turf nets at Sydney Olympic Park and Blacktown. Lyon was able to get three Sheffield Shield games in prior to his last Test series against India and has previously stated that four matches would be his personal preference as the lead-in to a major series. But he was comfortable he would have enough training and cricket under his belt prior to the first Ashes Test.”I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s a three-day trial game, intrasquad squad game somewhere leading towards the first Test match,” Lyon said. “So in my eyes, there are still going to be three games, three really decent hit outs. I think we’ve got two [practice] games next week, so I’m more than confident with my preparation.Nathan Lyon had a frustrating series against India•Cricket Australia via Getty Images”If the Test started tomorrow, I’ll be itching to go and knowing that my skill set is where it should needs to be. So I’m very happy with my preparation, thus far. I know there’s a couple of things I’ll still want to work on. But saying that if it started next week, I’ll be more than happy to go.”Lyon is braced for the prospect of some sort of quarantine in Brisbane ahead of the Test series. Australia’s 18-man T20 World Cup squad and their coaching staff will also undergo 14-days of quarantine on the way back from the UAE.Lyon and any other New South Wales or Victoria-based Test squad members, such as James Pattinson, Marcus Harris and Will Pucovski might need to quarantine separately depending on the rules provided by the Queensland government.”I’ve got no dramas with quarantine,” Lyon said. “I’m happy to jump in there and get it done. To be honest with you, it’s a pretty small price to pay to go out there and have the opportunity to play cricket for Australia.”Lyon never doubted England would send a strong touring squad despite some concerns about quarantine arrangements for players and their families.”I’m expecting England to come out pretty well full strength,” Lyon said. “Ashes series, they make people’s careers. So if people don’t come out and someone comes out and has absolutely blinder of an Ashes series that really sets their careers up. So I know if I was in their shoes, I’d be putting both hands up for selection and jumping on that tour if I could.”

Rio Ferdinand believes that there's 'no way back' for Marcus Rashford at Manchester United after Ruben Amorim's savage dig at the English forward.

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Rio thinks Rashford's United career is overAmorim slammed the forward in publicWinter transfer deadline fast approachingFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱Getty/GOALWHAT HAPPENED?

Rashford has not featured for United since December 12 after falling out of favour under Ruben Amorim and publicly expressing his desire for a "new challenge" away from Old Trafford. After his latest omission from the club's matchday squad against Fulham last weekend, Amorim took a brutal dig at the England international. He said he would rather play United's 63-year-old goalkeeping coach Jorge Vital than Rashford while raising more question marks over his attitude in training.

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Red Devils legend Rio Ferdinand has weighed in on the Rashford situation, claiming the 27-year-old should be "embarrassed" after hearing his manager question his efforts on the pitch. Rashford is expected to leave United before the winter transfer window slams shut with Barcelona being closely linked with a move.

WHAT RIO FERDINAND SAID

Speaking on his podcast, the former defender said: "If I was that player that the manager said that about, my heart, my pride, my ego – embarrassment. For someone to question your application, to question (whether) you’re going out there and giving 100 per cent for your team, (suggesting) that you’re going to slack off and you’re taking shortcuts.

"We all have days off or moments when we’re not performing well, lacking confidence, but effort isn’t really one of the things I would want to be hearing a manager say is lacking in my makeup. That’s a damning comment because I think he knows what the reaction is after that comment."

He added: "He’s not saying that without thinking, ‘Where does this go after?’ There’s really no way back for Marcus after that, I don’t think, with that type of comment."

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Ferdinand went on to suggest that Amorim cannot reinstate Rashford without setting a worrying precedent. He said: "You’re looking at it and going, ‘He (Amorim, who took charge in November) has only been there a short bit of time and he’s actually straight away gone, he’s pulled out the nine-millimetre revolver and just gone bang’. There’s no way back from that. If he comes back, that means other players can now take their foot off the gas and still have a way back into the team."

Cole Palmer was recently named as England’s Player of the Year for 2024, joining an esteemed list of stars to have scooped the award including Wayne Rooney, David Beckham and Frank Lampard.

Voted for by the public, the Chelsea star was picked ahead of Real Madrid midfielder Jude Bellingham and Arsenal winger Bukayo Saka, who finished second and third respectively.

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ByJack Salveson Holmes Sep 6, 2023

Palmer, 22, only made his England debut back in November, coming off the bench as the Three Lions beat Malta 2-0 at Wembley. Since then, he’s made nine more England appearances, five of which came at the summer’s European Championship, where he came off the bench in the semi-final to assist the winner against the Netherlands and again in the final to score against Spain.

While his contributions have been important to England over the past year, they have been, by no fault of his own, sporadic at best.

Palmer has made just three career starts for England, with none of those coming at Euro 2024, as manager Gareth Southgate opted to use the Chelsea star as an impact substitute.

His latest appearance against Greece was also his first under interim boss Lee Carsley, missing England’s Nations League wins over the Republic of Ireland and Finland with injury.

That brings us to our main point: how can a player who, despite his undoubted brilliance, has played just 408 minutes of international football to date and been named as England’s Player of the Year? Here are some players who we think deserved the award more.

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ByBarney Lane Oct 9, 2024 1 Jude Bellingham

Since making his England debut back in 2020, Bellingham has been a stalwart for the Three Lions, making 37 appearances and scoring 6 goals.

More importantly, across the 2023/24 campaign, he started 12 matches for England, including all seven games at Euro 2024. In fact, he only missed four minutes of the entire tournament.

As well as being an omnipresent force for Southgate’s side on their way to the final, his contributions were also mightily important.

He scored the only goal in England’s 1-0 win over Serbia in their opening group game before hitting another important goal in the last 16 against Slovakia, steering home a sensational, last-minute overhead kick to level the scores and send the game to extra-time, saving England from an early exit. The goal placed second in UEFA’s Goal of the Tournament.

It wasn’t just his goals that were key for England in the summer, either. Bellingham was also instrumental in breaking down the opposition’s attacks and helping England launch their own.

At the tournament, he won 55 duels in the middle of the park, which was more than any of England’s other midfielders, while he also completed the most take-ons (17) of any England midfielder. This would surely only have added to his Player of the Year credentials.

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ByLuke Randall Feb 29, 2024 2 Bukayo Saka

Bukayo Saka has been named as England’s Player of the Year for each of the last two years, and arguably, he could have made it three on the trot.

The Arsenal star was one of England’s most consistent attacking providers throughout Euro 2024. He also scored a crucial late equaliser against Switzerland in the quarter-finals and provided the assist for Bellingham’s winner in the opening game. Had it not been for a misfiring Harry Kane, he could have had more assists, too.

Defensively, Saka also played his part for the Three Lions at Euro 2024. He won an impressive 35 duels and made 10 clearances, which was by far and away the most of any other England attacker – and even more than some of England’s defenders, including Kieran Trippier.

It is difficult to imagine England having the success they had without Saka’s brilliance, as he showed how crucial he is to the side over the last year once again.

3 Marc Guehi

Crystal Palace star Marc Guehi didn’t score any last-minute goals at Euro 2024 like Bellingham and Saka did. However, he was arguably England’s best player at the tournament.

Starting six of England’s seven games, including the final, the 24-year-old was an imperious and consistent presence on the left side of England’s central defence. He won the most duels (24), including the most aerial duels (12), and also made the most blocks (11) out of any of England’s defenders. He also recorded an assist, providing the vital flick-on for Bellingham’s overhead kick against Slovakia.

So impressive was Guehi at Euro 2024, he was the only England player to be named in Opta’s Team of the Tournament. Winning England’s Player of the Year would have been the icing on the cake after a stellar period in the Three Lions backline.

4 Ollie Watkins

If Cole Palmer can win the award through his on-pitch contributions for England over the past few months, then Ollie Watkins would surely have had a greater case to take the Player of the Year trophy himself.

While international starts were few and far between for the Aston Villa striker, that will have been expected having been selected as deputy to Harry Kane.

Despite limited opportunities to impress, Watkins performed admirably, particularly at the European Championship. His season in England colours started with a late winner in a 1-0 friendly win over Australia last October, but failed to stamp much authority in the tournament warm-ups in the spring – drawing blanks against Brazil, Belgium and Bosnia & Herzegovina.

Yet within half an hour of football at the Euros, Watkins’ worth to the England side was very much made clear. He provided some much-needed zest to a futile attack as the Three Lions went stale in a dismal group clash against Denmark, albeit without reward, before making the ultimate impact in just 10 second-half minutes in the semi-final as he turned home Palmer’s pass to send England to a second successive European final.

You could easily argue that his winner alone was the moment of the year for many England supporters, and although that might not truly be enough to claim his place as England’s best player, that would make just as much sense as handing the award to Palmer (if not more).

Palmer may have been aided by his dazzling start to the Premier League campaign (only Erling Haaland has scored more than him at the time of writing) as well as the flaws of online voting. He will surely play a more prominent role in the years to come for this England side, but reaching this particular milestone was probably premature.

The Premier League champions were put to the sword as Kai Havertz, Martin Odegaard and Thomas Partey also netted

Arsenal put rivals Manchester City to the sword with a seismic 5-1 win at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday. The Gunners tore apart the Premier League champions with a dominant performance which included three second-half strikes, allowing Mikel Arteta's side to close the gap on leaders Liverpool back to six points.

The hosts went ahead inside two minutes after catching City cold at the back. Manuel Akanji had his pocket picked by Leandro Trossard, and the loose ball was shifted on by Declan Rice into Kai Havertz. He cut it back selflessly for Martin Odegaard to convert and send an already fired up home crowd crazy. Arsenal had the ball in the net again soon after when Gabriel Martinelli dinked Stefan Ortega, but he was denied by the raising of the offside flag and the goal was chalked off immediately.

The first chance of note for City came midway through the first half when Josko Gvardiol nodded a corner towards goal, only for David Raya to thrust up an arm and tip it onto the crossbar, a save which brought a smattering of appreciative 'oohs' when later shown on the big screens. And with their next attack, Arsenal ought to have gone two up. Ortega sold Mateo Kovacic short with a pass from the back, allowing Rice to challenge and the ball to roll to Havertz, but with all the time in the world, the German dragged his shot from close-range wide.

Just after the break, City found a leveller. Savinho had plenty of time to swivel on the ball inside the 18-yard box, and his chipped cross found Erling Haaland, who ghosted ahead of William Saliba to head beyond Raya. However, Arsenal very quickly found themselves ahead again – within 38 seconds of kick-off, in fact – with Thomas Partey's strike from 20 yards taking a wicked deflection off of John Stones and dropping into the far corner.

The Gunners were purring and added their third through Myles Lewis-Skelly, who cut inside onto his weaker right foot and curled home with a strike too hot for Ortega to handle. The teenager then celebrated by mimicking Haaland's former zen celebration. Arsenal weren't done there, either, as City were unlocked at the end of a quick breakaway, with Martinelli teeing up Havertz to finish and atone for his earlier misgiving.

And in stoppage time, the Gunners found their fifth. Substitute Ethan Nwaneri cut inside from the right and let fly with an audacious strike from just outside the box, leaving Ortega helpless with a phenomenal hit.

GOAL rates Arsenal's players from the Emirates Stadium…

Getty Images SportGoalkeeper & Defence

David Raya (7/10):

Thrown back into the starting line up despite being an injury doubt earlier this week, and boy did Arsenal need him. Came up with some extraordinary saves in the first half to keep his side ahead.

Jurrien Timber (6/10):

Booked for a late challenge on Savinho, though otherwise was solid enough to force the Brazilian away from the left flank.

William Saliba (6/10):

Stood his ground brilliantly until he somehow let Haaland evade him for City's equaliser. Regained that composure once Arsenal swiftly retook the lead.

Gabriel (7/10):

Enjoyed his duels with Haaland plenty, even screaming in his face early doors such was his confidence of coming out on top.

Myles Lewis-Skelly (9/10):

Absolutely incredible at both ends of the pitch. Never hid in a one-sided battle with a disappointing Foden before selling the sturdy Stones for his well-taken goal.

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Thomas Partey (8/10):

Swept up with a series of interceptions, ultimately taking the ball off Foden leading to his deflected goal.

Declan Rice (7/10):

Motored his way about the pitch without much resistance from City's flimsy midfielders. He set the tone with the aggressive pressing leading to Odegaard's opener.

Martin Odegaard (7/10):

Got the ball rolling with the early goal, though still doesn't look 100 percent in his actions or movement. Squandered a few chances to open City up in transition, though that seldom mattered in the end.

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Gabriel Martinelli (6/10):

Had the requisite pace and endeavour to drive at City, as best demonstrated by his run leading to Arsenal's fourth, but question marks will remain over his consistency.

Kai Havertz (7/10):

For the first hour of the game, Havertz looked certain to go down as the villain of the day given how shocking his miss in the first half was. Nevertheless, he worked hard for the cause and was eventually rewarded with a goal.

Leandro Trossard (7/10):

Linked play well and, perhaps crucially, knew when to divert attention to the gifted Lewis-Skelly coming infield.

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Ethan Nwaneri (8/10):

Replaced Trossard for the closing stages, capping off a great day with a wonderful goal.

Mikel Merino (N/A):

Came on for Odegaard late on.

Riccardo Calafiori (N/A):

Given a late run out in place of hero of the day Lewis-Skelly.

Raheem Sterling (N/A):

On for Havertz for a few minutes.

Mikel Arteta (8/10):

Haaland's goal aside, this was probably as emphatic performance as he could have hoped for against former teacher Guardiola.

Captain says Mushfiqur Rahim dismissal was “turning point” as small chase got out of hand

Mohammad Isam17-Oct-20215:10

Nafees: Bangladesh never looked like they were in the game while chasing

Bangladesh captain Mahmudullah, frustrated with their shock six-run defeat at the hands of Scotland, said that they failed to bat aggressively throughout the 141-run chase. However, he still believed that Bangladesh could turn around from this messy start, particularly if they reviewed where they went wrong.”I am very much frustrated,” Mahmudullah said. “Our batting is a concern. We have to bat better. We have to play aggressive cricket, regardless of the situation. We have a deep batting line-up, with Mohammad Saifuddin at No. 9. We may need to think over some changes tomorrow.”We didn’t deliberately bat slowly. We couldn’t hit those boundaries. We have to bat better next time. A lot of things will come up since we lost the game. I think we didn’t play well today, but we are a good T20 team. We have the capability. When we play our best cricket, we can win games.”Related

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Mahmudullah said that the chase never took off, and when wickets fell at crucial points, it kept raising the asking run rate even though they were chasing a moderate total on a flat pitch.”We couldn’t make runs in the Powerplay. You need to start well chasing 140. I think Mushfiqur [Rahim] and Shakib [Al Hasan] made some recovery but in the middle [overs], we didn’t bat well even though it was on a good wicket. We made more mistakes.”I think some big overs off the spinners would have raised our run rate, but probably losing wickets in the middle overs prevented us from getting those big overs. The asking run-rate, as a result, went up.”Mahmudullah said that he, Afif Hossain and Nurul Hasan, tasked with providing quick runs in the second half of the innings, couldn’t quite get going, but also pointed out how Mushfiqur’s dismissal after making 38 off 36 balls turned the game in Scotland’s favour.”I think Mushy’s wicket was the turning point,” he said. “He was batting well today. A set batter has to stay. Maybe I didn’t bat according to the situation. We should think better as a batting unit.”If Afif and I, or Sohan [Nurul] and I could have carried a little longer, it would have brought us closer. But credit goes to their bowlers. They executed well. We made silly mistakes, and paid for it.”But Mahmudullah didn’t blame his bowlers who leaked 85 runs in the last eight overs, rather praising them for getting the six early wickets.”I think the bowlers were on the right track. We had them at 53 for 6, but then they had a good partnership. They played better cricket than us. We were just not good enough tonight. Mahedi [Hasan] and Shakib bowled very well. Maybe we could have bowled better in the death overs, but our batting was really bad. If we don’t take stock of it, it won’t get us anything good.”

Glasgow Rangers will be looking to carry on where they left off in the Premiership as they face a trip to Rugby Park this afternoon to play Kilmarnock.

A 2-0 win over St Johnstone during their last outing before the international break meant they had won their previous three league games; can the Light Blues make it four in a row today?

Philippe Clement won’t just be aiming for all three points, but also ensure his team deliver a solid performance in the bargain, scoring a few goals in the process.

Against the Saints, several players stood out, yet one failed to truly showcase their abilities – Mohamed Diomande.

Why Mohamed Diomande could be dropped by Clement

The promising midfielder played just the opening 45 minutes against the Saints a couple of weeks ago, coming off at halftime to be replaced with Connor Barron.

During the first half, he lost possession seven times while making zero tackles or interceptions in what was another poor display.

Indeed, the 22-year-old even received a match rating of just 4/10 by Glasgow World for his performance, and it could be time for Clement to drop the Ivorian to the bench against Killie.

Assists

1

Touches

43

Possession lost

7

Interceptions

0

Tackles

0

Key passes

2

With Nico Raskin shining in the same match, it looks like Barron will come back into the starting XI to partner the Belgian, thus seeing Diomande dropped to the bench.

The Rangers star who could replace Diomande

Since joining from Aberdeen, the young midfielder has played a part in every single match so far this term.

The clash against the Saints was just the second match he had not started for the Light Blues, but after Diomande’s lacklustre display, the Scot should be brought back into the team.

Hailed as “very impressive” by Scotland U21 manager Scott Gemmill, Barron has emerged as a key component in Clement’s midfield, showing maturity way beyond his tender years.

In the Premiership this campaign, Barron has succeeded with 91% of his passes, averaged 69.6 touches per game, made tackles and recovered 3.7 balls per game, showcasing his abilities at the heart of the midfield.

These attributes have made him an instant hit with the Ibrox faithful, especially considering they snapped him up for free during the summer.

There is no doubt that he will continue to get better and better as time goes on, especially with exposure to European football on a regular basis.

While he has formed a decent partnership with Diomande, it will be interesting to see him and Raskin slotting into the engine room against Killie.

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Football FanCast's Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

The duo have the potential to shine and a solid showing from the pair could mean Diomande has to work even harder to get back into the starting XI.

Three points is all that matters at Rugby Park this afternoon, although a good performance could certainly boost morale among the supporters, no doubt about that.

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Rangers hit the jackpot when they swooped to sign the defender for nothing.

ByDan Emery Oct 18, 2024

Cristiano Ronaldo dreams of posting “untouchable” records, says Raphael Varane, with a positive form of “madness” driving the Portuguese GOAT.

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Evergreen frontman still going strong at 40Has no plans to retire any time soonIntends to continue rewriting the history booksFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Despite winning countless honours with club and country over the years, with the history books being written on a regular basis, Ronaldo is showing no sign of slowing down at the age of 40. He remains a prolific presence for Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr and is up to 217 international caps for Portugal.

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Ronaldo has stated a desire to reach 1,000 career goals before giving any thought to retirement, and is being backed to hit that landmark. Varane believes that CR7 will not stop until his body gives out, with there still plenty left for him to achieve.

WHAT RAPHAEL VARANE SAID

French defender Varane, who worked with Ronaldo at Real Madrid and Manchester United, has told : “He wants to be untouchable in terms of records and leave an indelible mark on football for thousands of years if possible. His major motivation at 40 is hard to analyse since he's already won everything long ago, but it's not financial.

“It's more about wanting to be extraordinary. He never mentioned age limit [in terms of retiring]. But for him, anything is possible. So when he reaches a limit, he wants to go further. I think he'll only stop when he can't anymore.”

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Ronaldo has been at the top of his game for over 20 years, with remarkable individual standards being maintained. Varane added on how the five-time Ballon d’Or winner has been able to achieve that: “They say genius borders on madness, and what he does is sometimes a bit mad. It's so intense that it's impressive. He inspired me enormously throughout my career.

“Yes, hot bath, cold bath. But that's not a myth; I did it too. He does it for the physical aspect but also for the mind, to unwind before sleeping. He didn't do it every match nor did [he do] sit-ups all day long every day, but he always maintained this level of demand.”

A key update has emerged regarding Liverpool’s chances of signing Eintracht Frankfurt star Omar Marmoush during the January transfer window.

Liverpool in talks to sign Marmoush

It is no secret that the Reds were quiet on the transfer front during the summer, with Federico Chiesa the only player coming in straight away, sealing a move from Juventus. Giorgi Mamardashvili also joined from Valencia, but is spending the 2024/25 season on loan at the La Liga side.

Supporters are desperate to see Arne Slot backed with reinforcements moving forward, and Marmoush has emerged as a key transfer target for Liverpool in recent weeks.

One report has even claimed that contact has been made with the 25-year-old Frankfurt ace, as Michael Edwards looks to work his magic and bring one of the Bundesliga’s most devastating attacking players to Anfield.

Marmoush is in the midst of a remarkable start to the season for his current club, scoring nine goals and registering four assists in just eight appearances in the league, also finding the net once in the Europa League.

Fresh update on Liverpool signing Marmoush

According to a new update from Sky Germany [via Sport Witness], Liverpool are “unlikely” to complete the signing of Marmoush during the January window, despite confirmation of “talks” taking place over a move.

Frankfurt will demand as much as £50m if the Reds want to seal the signing of their best player, but it looks as though they may have to wait until the end of the season. Frankfurt want their attacker to sign a new deal, but he is hesitant to, opening the door for a move next summer.

While Liverpool fans would no doubt love to see Marmoush move to Anfield midway through the current campaign, they have more than enough attacking depth to get by until next summer. The Egyptian jumps out as a superb option for Slot, however, and his performances this season suggest that he is a player coming right into his peak years.

Primarily a central attacking option, there is still an argument to say that Marmoush could be partly viewed as a replacement for fellow Egypt star Mohamed Salah, should the 32-year-old not sign a new deal, but ideally, having them both in the squad would be perfect.

Granted, some may argue that Liverpool could ding themselves with too many attacking options, making it hard for Slot to keep everyone happy, but Marmoush is too good a player to ignore, with Frankfurt manager Dino Toppmoller summing up his qualities.

Appearances

8

Starts

8

Minutes played

675

Goals

9

Assists

4

Shots per game

4.4

Key passes per game

2.3

Dribbles per game

2.0

Forgetting Salah, it could be that Marmoush is seen as an upgrade on others in different positions, from Darwin Nunez centrally to Luis Diaz and Gakpo on the left, and Liverpool should be viewing him as a primary target moving forward.

Hyderabad, unbeaten before this game, were bowled out for 90 before TN got to the target with 34 balls to spare

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Nov-2021Full scorecardTamil Nadu rode on an excellent bowling performance led by medium pacer P Saravana Kumar, who returned 5 for 21, to rout Hyderabad by eight wickets in Delhi on Saturday and storm into the final of the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy. Asked to bat first, Hyderabad only put up 90, just one of their batters getting into double-digits, and Tamil Nadu underscored their dominance with a sharp chase, finishing it with 34 balls in hand.Hyderabad, so dominant as they swept the Elite Group E and then trumped Gujarat in the quarter-final, were in trouble straightaway after being asked to bat, Saravana striking in each of his three overs in the powerplay – twice in the second – to leave the scoreboard reading 30 for 4 after six overs. His victims at that stage were the top four of the Hyderabad order: captain Tanmay Agarwal, Pragnay Reddy, Tilak Varma and Himalay Agarwal.Saravana later completed his five-for in his final over, the 19th of the innings, when he sent back the only bright spark for Hyderabad, Tanay Thyagarajan, who hit 25 in 24 balls, but between his strikes, the trio of M Ashwin, M Mohammed and R Sai Kishore did a great job too.Legspinner Ashwin got rid of B Sandeep and Chama Milind, while medium pacer Mohammed sent back Ravi Teja and Mehdi Hassan, and left-arm spinner Sai Kishore dismissed Rahul Buddhi.For 32-year-old Saravana, it was a maiden five-for in what was his third game – all T20s, all in this tournament – for Tamil Nadu.Though chasing a modest target, Tamil Nadu were in trouble early as they lost N Jagadeesan and H Nishaanth to quick bowler Rakshann Readdi by the third over, but that was as good as it got for Hyderabad on the day.Sai Sudharsan and captain Vijay Shankar didn’t allow their opponents to make any further inroads, adding 76 runs together for the unbroken third-wicket stand, with Sudharsan making 34 in 31, with four fours, and Vijay hitting 43 in 40, his fourth four and only six, off Readdi, in the 15th over of the innings completing the win for Tamil Nadu.Tamil Nadu will face the winners of the other semi-final, being played between Karnataka and Vidarbha, in the title round.

Manchester United star Amad Diallo is reportedly set to miss the rest of the season through injury in a massive blow to Ruben Amorim's side.

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Amad been key player for Man UtdSet to miss rest of season through injuryHuge blow for Amorim's teamFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

were first to report that the 22-year-old could miss the rest of the season after suffering an ankle injury in United training ahead of this weekend's trip to Tottenham. The club later confirmed he had sustained an issue at their Carrington base.

AdvertisementWHAT AMAD SAID

While the 22-year-old did not confirm his season is over, he said he faces "some time" on the sidelines, writing on Instagram: "Extremely disappointed to be writing this message in such a crucial time of the season.

"Unfortunately, I will be out for some time with an injury.

"I will come back stronger than ever!!

"Time to support the boys from the outside. Still loads to play for."

GettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE

In a season of turmoil, Amad has been one of the few positives for United. With the Red Devils having nothing to play for in the Premier League, their attention will have turned to winning the FA Cup and Europa League. But that task became a whole lot harder without the Ivorian.

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DID YOU KNOW?

The former Sunderland loanee, who signed a new United contract until 2030 last month, has scored nine goals and bagged seven assists for the Red Devils in all competitions this season.