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He had complained of stomach pain and burning sensation in his throat and mouth after consuming liquid from a bottle that he believed contained drinking water

Shashank Kishore30-Jan-2024

Mayank Agarwal, the Karnataka captain, was admitted to a private hospital in Agartala on Tuesday after he complained of stomach pain and burning sensation in his throat and mouth after consuming liquid from a bottle that he believed contained drinking water, while onboard an IndiGo flight.The incident occurred on Tuesday evening when Agarwal was travelling from Agartala to Surat via New Delhi for Karnataka’s fifth-round Ranji Trophy fixture against Railways starting on Friday. Agarwal was deplaned and rushed to hospital after a bout of vomiting inside the aircraft, even as the rest of the Karnataka squad continued their onward travel.ILS Hospitals, where Agarwal was admitted to, later confirmed that he is “clinically stable” and being “clinically monitored”. They said that Agarwal was experiencing some “oral irritation” and “swelling on the lips”. He will be under observation for 24 hours.The Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) is in touch with officials from the Tripura Cricket Association (TCA) and the doctors attending to Agarwal.The Karnataka team manager, on Agarwal’s behalf, has also requested the Tripura police to investigate the incident. A written complaint has been signed and issued to K Kiran Kumar, Superintendent of Police (Tripura West) and a case has been registered under the jurisdiction of the New Capital Complex Police Station in Agartala.”While sitting on a flight, he saw a pouch in front of him and thinking of it as water, drank it,” Kiran told PTI. “He had swelling and ulcers in his mouth. His condition is normal, and his vitals are stable. His manager has made a complaint. We are registering the complaint and will investigate the matter.”Agarwal is set to undergo a few tests following which a decision will be made if he can return home to Bengaluru over the next couple of days for further examination. This all but rules him out of Karnataka’s upcoming Ranji fixture.In a press statement, IndiGo confirmed that the flight had to return to Agartala due to a medical emergency: “IndiGo flight 6E 5177 operating from Agartala to Delhi returned to origin due to a medical emergency onboard. The passenger was offloaded and was rushed to the hospital for further medical assistance. The aircraft took off again for its destination at 1620h.”Agarwal has so far struck two hundreds and a half-century in the ongoing season. Karnataka are currently placed second in Group C with two wins, a draw and a defeat in four matches. Nikin Jose, the 23-year-old batter, is the designated vice-captain in the squad and is likely to take over the captaincy.

Shai Hope sealed a dramatic victory for his West Indies side over England with three sixes in four balls off Sam Curran in Antigua on Sunday, then called upon his players to back up their performances next week as they look to clinch a series win.Hope’s unbeaten 109 off 83 balls was his 16th ODI century and the fastest of his career. He brought it up with a flurry of sixes to take West Indies over the line, belting a Curran full toss over wide long-on, pulling a shorter ball over deep midwicket to bring up three figures and repeating the shot to complete a four-wicket win with seven balls to spare.”A very, very famous person, MS Dhoni – we had a chat a while ago, and he was saying, ‘You always have a lot more time than you think,'” Hope said at the post-match presentation. “That’s one thing that has stuck with me throughout the years I’ve been playing ODI cricket.Related

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Speaking to CWI’s in-house channels, he added: “The dimensions of the field and then the wind factor there, I thought the best thing to do was to target that particular over. We knew it was a challenge to score from the other end, especially going against the breeze… regardless of what happened, I was going to try and take down that second-to-last over to give us the best chance of winning the game.”After the second [six of the 49th over], I knew we pretty much had the game in the balance. If we had that over to finish the game, I always try to finish the game with one over to spare if I can. I don’t want to leave it to anyone else, so the aim was to finish off at the back end.”Hope took over as West Indies’ full-time ODI captain earlier this year and while he oversaw an unsuccessful attempt at World Cup qualification in Zimbabwe, he has thrived with the bat since taking on the role. He has moved down to No. 4 after spending much of his career opening, and there has been a notable improvement in both his average and strike rate compared to his overall record.He also became the 11th West Indies batter to reach 5000 runs in men’s ODIs, during what was his 114th innings in the format. Hope was the joint-third-fastest batter of any nationality to reach the landmark, behind Babar Azam (97) and Hashim Amla (101) and level with Viv Richards and Virat Kohli.”It was in a winning cause, and that’s all I play for,” he said. “The stats will come as a bypass [sic] but my aim and my thing is to win games… It feels good, man. It contributed to a win, so I’m just happy that the guys got over the line.”Hope also hailed the contribution of Romario Shepherd, who made 48 off 28 balls during an 89-run stand for the sixth wicket. “He was amazing,” Hope said. “He’s one of those guys you can depend on and he’s continued to show his worth at this level… we’re starting the series on a high and the aim is to repeat this in the second game [on Wednesday].”West Indies’ run chase – their second-highest in men’s ODIs – was set up by Alick Athanaze and Brandon King’s 104-run opening stand. “They’re both quality players,” Hope said. “Again, it’s about how you can continue from this position. You want some consistency, not just a one-off to show the world you can do something.”Whatever is on the board, we have to chase it. If you want to win games, we can’t only win games when we’re bowling teams out for 160 or 150: we’ve got to win from any position. That’s the belief that we need to have in the dressing room. I’m going to be pushing that regardless of what’s going on.”

Australia raced to their third-highest total in ODIs, and defended it with ease

Firdose Moonda09-Sep-2023Australia 392 for 8 (Labuschagne 124, Warner 106, Head 64, Inglis 50, Shamsi 4-61) beat South Africa 269 (Klaasen 49, Miller 49, Zampa 4-48) by 123 runs Australia scored their third highest total in ODIs, and second-highest against South Africa, and though their biggest – 434 – was successfully chased 16 years ago, there was no repeat as South Africa slipped to a fifth successive defeat. After being blanked in the T20I series, South Africa now face three consecutive must-win games if they are to win the series.David Warner and Marnus Labuschagne put on 151 for the second wicket and scored their 20th and second ODI centuries respectively; both were significant for different reasons. Warner equalled Sachin Tendulkar’s ODI century record against South Africa – 5 – and went past Tendulkar to sit on top of the pile for most centuries as an opener across the three international formats: 46.Labuschagne’s only three-figure scores in the format have come against his former home country, South Africa. His first, in March 2020, came in Potchefstroom, the international ground closest to his hometown of Klerksdorp. Now, his second, has come in Bloemfontein, the second-closest ground, where he took a picture with Shaun Pollock as a four-year-old. Labuschagne’s runs have also given Australia’s selectors a headache they did not expect to have. They left him out of Australia’s World Cup squad but with the form he is in, may have to rethink their decision ahead of the September 28 deadline.South Africa have more serious concerns. Their first-choice seamers looked both hapless and careless and Anrich Nortje left the field with lower-back spasms after bowling only five overs, though he returned to bat. The spinners had a decent outing – Aiden Markram and Tabraiz Shamsi conceded less than seven an over between them while completing their respective quotas – but the batters were unable to keep pace with a demanding chase.Nathan Ellis was outstanding in maintaining his line on or just outside off stump and finished with 2 for 32 at an economy rate of exactly four an over, while Adam Zampa did the bulk of the damage, bagging 4 for 48. No South African scored a half-century but there were four scores in the 40s and no partnership was bigger than the opening stand of 81.David Warner scored a record 46th international hundred as an opener•AFP/Getty ImagesAustralia’s intent was obvious from the get-go. They took advantage of the width offered by Marco Jansen and Kagiso Rabada upfront and brought up 50 inside seven overs. Nortje threatened to pull things back with an opening over that cost three but then completely lost his lengths and conceded 36 runs off his next two overs. Australia racked up their third-highest powerplay in the format, of 102 without loss, with Travis Head the aggressor of the early exchanges. He brought up fifty off 26 balls when he sent Nortje over midwicket for his second six.Tabraiz Shamsi had Head caught by David Miller, running back from mid-on, and then removed Mitchell Marsh first ball on review. The Australian captain missed a reverse-sweep first ball and ball-tracking showed the ball crashing into middle stump.Warner reached 50 off 52 balls and then took only 33 more to get to hundred. It was his second-fastest century in the format and included all his usual back-foot power hits as well as a down-on-one-knee loft over long-on off a Phehlukwayo slower ball, and a massive launch over long-on when Jansen took pace off. The century came with a pull off a Shamsi long-hop and was followed by a signature leaping celebration.At the other end, Labuschagne had one nervy moment when he bottom-edged Andile Phehlukwayo, but de Kock, who was standing up to the stumps, could not hold on to a difficult chance. Labuschagne was severe against spin and showed off exquisite footwork. He took 66 runs off the 45 balls bowled he faced from Markram and Shamsi. He got to 50 off 54 balls and then, like Warner, accelerated. His next 50 runs took just 26 balls. Together, Warner and Labuschagne put on the second highest third-wicket partnership for South Africa against Australia, and it seemed that would not be separated.It took a delivery from Phehlukwayo – who has not played an ODI since October last year and was only drafted into the squads on the morning of the game – that stayed low to beat Warner’s pull and bowl him. Warner left the field with a smile and to a standing ovation.Adam Zampa’s dismissal of Temba Bavuma set South Africa back after a strong start•Gallo Images/Getty ImagesWith 17.2 overs still to be bowled, Josh Inglis, in his 5th ODI, had a licence to play freely and raced to a 36-ball fifty. He holed out off the very next ball, which allowed South Africa to mount a small fightback. Starting with the Inglis dismissal, they took five wickets in 27 balls, including Labuschagne’s, and gave away only 26 runs, which ensured that Australia were kept to under 400. Shamsi finished with the second four-fer of his ODI career.South Africa’s chase started brightly as Quinton de Kock and Temba Bavuma put on 81 in the first nine overs, but their time together was not without chances. De Kock was on 24 when a back-of-a-length Ellis delivery hit the stumps but the bail did not fall off, and had yet to add to his score when he miscued Sean Abbott into vacant space. His luck ran out when he drove Ellis down the pitch and the bowler pulled off a stunning reaction catch to dent South Africa in the last over of the powerplay.Bavuma showed good intent but when Zampa was brought on and runs dried up, tried to lap him, missed and was out lbw. In the next over, Aiden Markram hit Zampa down the ground to Abbott and three overs after that Rassie van der Dussen dragged Aaron Hardie onto his stumps. At 119 for 4 in the 18th over, South Africa had already lost too many wickets to mount a serious challenge.Heinrich Klaasen and David Miller looked threatening and shared 58 runs for the fifth wicket but when Klaasen went back to hit a Zampa legbreak and was bowled, the writing was on the wall. Miller was left to marshal what looked a longer-than-usual tail. He was beaten for pace by Ellis and hit on the pad and Australia reviewed successfully. South Africa lost 5 for 28 to crash to their second-biggest defeat to Australia.

Chelsea may have a lot of work to do in the upcoming summer transfer window to build a squad that is ready to compete for the biggest trophies on offer.

The Blues only have the Conference League left to play for in the current campaign, after being knocked out of the League Cup and the EFL Cup, but they are on course to seal a place in the Champions League with a top four or top five finish.

Enzo Maresca may look to streamline the squad and move on from some of the players who either have not contributed enough on the pitch, or who have been out on loan and not done enough to earn a place in the side for the 2025/26 campaign.

Moving some of the highest earners and biggest underperformers on from Stamford Bridge in the summer could create space at the club for new signings to come in and improve the Italian coach’s team.

Chelsea's highest wage earners

The top three earners in the squad, Reece James, Wesley Fofana, and Christopher Nkunku have only started 30 of a possible 87 matches in the Premier League this season.

James is reportedly the highest earner at the club on £250k-per-week, per Capology, followed by Fofana on £215k-per-week, and Nkunku on £195k-per-week, and there may have to be decisions to be made on how much value for money the club are getting out of them.

Reece James

£250k

Wesley Fofana

£215k

Christopher Nkunku

£195k

Enzo Fernandez

£180k

Marc Cucurella

£175k

Pedro Neto

£160k

Moises Caicedo

£150k

Cole Palmer

£130k

Tosin Adarabioyo

£100k

Nicolas Jackson

£100k

What you cannot see in that list of the top ten earners at the club, however, is that Chelsea are still reportedly paying £75k-per-week to Spanish goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga, who is on loan at Bournemouth.

Why Chelsea must finally sell Kepa Arrizabalaga

Maresca must, now, finally cash in on the Spain international in the summer transfer window because the club have sent millions down the drain on the shot-stopper to date.

Chelsea reportedly smashed their club-record transfer fee to make him the most expensive goalkeeper in history with a £71m deal with Athletic Bilbao in the summer of 2018, and he penned a contract worth roughly £150k-per-week.

Kepa reportedly earned £39.1m in wages across his first four seasons at Cobham, conceding 175 goals in 163 appearances for the club in that time, which takes the total spent on him to £110.1m prior to this season.

The Spaniard, whose wages were covered by Real Madrid on loan last term, will have earned £3.9m in wages from the Blues – thanks to a 50% split with Bournemouth – this season and that takes the overall spend on him to £114m.

Kepa’s performances on the pitch for Chelsea when he was a regular in the first team did not provide good value for that amount of money.

Not only was there that ridiculous incident where he refused to be substituted but he conceded 8.9 more goals than the average goalkeeper would have been expected to based on the post-shot xG of the efforts against him in the Premier League in 109 matches.

Gary Neville heaped criticism on the £71m goalkeeper back in 2020 over his constant concession of long-range goals – 19 at the time – as he described his shot-stopping performances as a “sorry story” for a player of that value.

This shows that the 30-year-old flop, who did not win a Premier League title with the Blues, underperformed on the biggest job a goalkeeper has – saving shots.

Kepa’s contract at Stamford Bridges expires in the summer of 2026 and Maresca must push the board to cash in on him this year, to avoid losing him for nothing and to, hopefully, recoup a small amount of the £114m that has been wasted on the dud so far.

Chelsea have signed a "one-man army" who could be their next Makelele

Chelsea have signed a young star who could be their next Claude Makelele.

ByDan Emery Mar 20, 2025

While Trent Alexander-Arnold’s name is dominating the news at the moment, it’s important to remember that he’s not the only Liverpool player expected to leave this summer.

Though Arne Slot’s side are heading toward the Premier League title, there’s little question that the Reds need to make a series of changes to challenge across the biggest fronts in the years to come.

There aren’t many Redmen who need to leave this summer, but you’d have to say that Darwin Nunez is one of them.

Darwin Nunez has reached the end

When Nunez arrived at Liverpool in the balmy summer of 2022, anticipation was rife. Nearly three years on, there’s an overwhelming sense of resignation as Nunez reaches the end of his time at Anfield.

Across 136 appearances, the 25-year-old has scored 40 goals and provided 24 assists, which isn’t a bad tally unto itself, but when considering £85m was forked out for Nunez’s signature, it makes for grim reading.

Moreover, he’s missed 53 big chances in the Premier League since his debut, a staggering number, made worse by the fact he’s only bagged 25 goals in the division, as per Sofascore.

Having come close to leaving for Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League in January, the £140k-per-week striker’s day may be done sooner rather than later, especially with Liverpool getting ready to sign a new number nine.

Nunez’s day is done, sadly. However, he’s not the only member of Slot’s frontline who’s in the firing line this summer.

Slot must cash in on struggling Liverpool star

As Liverpool settle into the Slot era, it’s time for changes to be made. Federico Chiesa is the only player to be welcomed through Anfield’s gates so far, and he was a cut-price, low-risk addition at that.

Nunez has been reduced to a bit-part role this year and patently needs a change of scenery to scramble back into the limelight, but he’s not the only one toiling.

Indeed, Mohamed Salah can only carry so much, and Diogo Jota’s long-standing injury issues appear to have finally caught up with him, for he has endured a torrid run of form over the past several months.

The Portugal international, 28, is typically an elite-standard marksman, breathtaking in the consistency of his finishing. But his skill has deserted him. In fact, Jota has gone 11 matches in all competitions without scoring a single goal.

Below, take a look at Liverpool’s highest earners in a table which excludes the ‘big three’ who are all out of contract this summer.

1.

Andy Robertson

31

£160k-per-week

2.

Alisson Becker

32

£150k-per-week

2=

Alexis Mac Allister

26

£150k-per-week

2=

Ryan Gravenberch

22

£150k-per-week

2=

Federico Chiesa

27

£150k-per-week

6.

Darwin Nunez

25

£140k-per-week

6=

Diogo Jota

28

£140k-per-week

Nestled at the bottom, Jota and Nunez. The former has been a staple of Liverpool’s journey over the past several years, signing from Wolverhampton Wanderers for £45m in 2020, right after Premier League and Champions League titles had been conquered.

Earning £140k per week, Jota has actually raked in over £30m – and cost £75m in total – since joining Liverpool and while he’s deserved his pay packet, it’s not exactly small. If he can no longer produce the goods to his former level, it becomes unjustifiable.

Indeed, Sky Germany reported at the start of the month that Jota has been made expendable by FSG, joining Nunez on that list. BBC Sport analyst Raj Chohan has acknowledged Jota has a “deadly” strike, but that it has sadly abandoned him right now.

Though it seems improbable that Liverpool will make sweeping changes across the frontline, selling Nunez and Jota would free up ample room for investment, perhaps freshening the ranks with two additions who could fire Slot’s project even further into the ascendancy.

Better than Kerkez: Liverpool join the race for "world-class" £50m LB

Liverpool are ready to spend big in the transfer market this summer.

1 ByAngus Sinclair Mar 28, 2025

Manchester City striker Erling Haaland is making the most of his holidays and showed off a prize catch on Instagram: Two lobsters.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

• Haaland on holiday
• Man City endured trophyless campaign
• Norway star relaxes

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Haaland endured a trophyless season with City despite scoring 31 goals in 44 games in all competitions. Now on his holidays, the Norway international showed off his latest prize: Two succulent looking lobsters.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  The City star snubbed a penalty in the FA Cup final as his side lost to Crystal Palace at Wembley, but he was on the spot on Instagram as he prepared to fire up the grill. His pictures also show off a putting green behind him, apparently in his garden.

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• WHAT HAALAND SAID

  Haaland simply wrote on Instagram: "Lobzter".

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  WHAT NEXT?

  Haaland's holiday will not last all that long as City will play in the Club World Cup this summer. They face Wydad AC on June 18.

كشف الإعلامي أحمد شوبير عن مفاجأة مرتقبة في مباراة افتتاح بطولة كأس العالم للأندية، بين الأهلي وإنتر ميامي الأمريكي، مشيرًا إلى وجود دور خاص له سيتم الإعلان عنه لاحقًا، وذلك ضمن كواليس تحركات مسؤولي الأهلي في الولايات المتحدة استعدادًا للبطولة.

وقال الإعلامي أحمد شوبير، خلال برنامجه الإذاعي صباح اليوم الأربعاء: “مسؤولو الأهلي حضروا أمس مؤتمرًا صحفيًا نظمه الاتحاد الدولي لكرة القدم في ولاية ميامي، وتحدثوا عن الأمور الخاصة ببطولة كأس العالم للأندية”.

وتابع: “حضر من الأهلي خالد مرتجي القائم بأعمال رئيس النادي وأمين الصندوق، والمدير الفني خوسيه ريبيرو، ومدرب فريق إنتر ميامي”.

طالع أيضًا | فيفا: مباراة افتتاح كأس العالم للأندية بين الأهلي وإنتر ميامي ستدخل تاريخ كرة القدم

وأضاف: “خالد مرتجي صرّح وقال إنه تمت مناقشة رؤية الاتحاد الدولي، لأنهم يريدون تنظيم حدث افتتاحي يليق بطرفي المواجهة”.

وكشف شوبير: “لا أريد أن أقول سرًا، لكن سيكون لي دور في مباراة الافتتاح، دعوه يكون مفاجأة لكم”.

ومن المقرر أن تُفتتح منافسات بطولة كأس العالم للأندية يوم الأحد المقبل، الموافق 14 يونيو، في لقاء يجمع بين إنتر ميامي ممثل البلد المضيف، والأهلي بطل إفريقيا وممثل مصر.

As Aston Villa look to make it five games without defeat in all competitions, they may be forced to do so without both Tyrone Mings and another one of Unai Emery’s key men against Crystal Palace.

Aston Villa injury news

The Villans’ injury concerns have gone under the radar ever so slightly in recent weeks. At various points they’ve been without Ollie Watkins and Ezri Konsa and remain without Ross Barkley, Pau Torres and Amadou Onana. Emery has coped nonetheless, however, and watched on as his side came from behind to defeat Chelsea late on last time out.

With January arrivals Marcus Rashford and Marco Asensio combining for both goals, Aston Villa’s recruitment has seemingly come good at the perfect time once again as they look to push on towards Champions League qualification.

As things stand, those in the Midlands sit just two points adrift of fourth-place Manchester City, albeit having played a game extra than the Blues. It’s certainly a tight battle, and one which could take another twist when they travel to face an in-form Crystal Palace this evening potentially without two key men.

As revealed by Emery, Aston Villa could now be without Morgan Rogers against Crystal Palace as well as Mings in what would be two frustrating injury blows for the Villans.

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Emery told reporters when quizzed on Rodgers’ availability after he limped off against Chelsea: “His wish is always to play even when he was telling me on Saturday he was good. He was telling me he could continue.

“He is important. The idea is to have substitutes performing well. One of them is Rogers. In case he is not available, we can use other players.”

Also asked about his defensive options, the Spaniard provided an update on Axel Disasi, Torres and Mings – telling reporters: “Axel Disasi can play tomorrow. Mings, we will see how he feels. Konsa feels good and Pau is close to adding to us, maybe this week or next week.”

"Fantastic" Rogers is growing in importance

The jury was still out on Rogers when he first arrived from Middlesbrough in January of 2024, but the midfielder has proved any doubters wrong ever since to become one of Emery’s most important players. A driving force behind everything good that this Aston Villa side do, it’s no surprise that the former Manchester City academy man has earned such high praise.

After watching the 22-year-old score a hat-trick in the Champions League against Celtic, former Aston Villa star Stiliyan Petrov told TNT Sports: “He looked like he is going to be a star. He could have scored another two.

“In the second half, Brendan Rodgers changed the tactics a little bit, he put two players to man mark Rogers, and he has just managed to adapt, to move to a different position and find space so he can score goals. He was absolutely fantastic.”

With 11 goals to his name in all competitions so far this season, Rogers’ absence would certainly deal Aston Villa a major blow if he fails to win the race to be fit ahead of his side’s trip to Selhurst Park.

What a rise to the top it has been for Manchester United starlet Kobbie Mainoo. Although he is out injured at the moment, the Stockport-born midfield sensation has become a key player for his boyhood club so far, under both Erik ten Hag and Ruben Amorim.

He has already made an impressive number of first-team appearances in that famous Red shirt. Mainoo has featured 60 times for United so far, scoring six goals and grabbing two assists from midfield in that time.

The 19-year-old rose to superstardom last season when he made his first Premier League start against Everton and completely ran the show in midfield.

Mainoo’s debut vs Everton

There have been few midfielders players, particularly ones aged just 18, who have made a bigger impression than Mainoo on their first Premier League start. He was thrust into the United midfield after months out injured, and just two appearances for the academy to regain full fitness.

United fan, analyst, and host of The Overlap: The Breakdown, H, summed up the Englishman’s performance that day. He described the youngster as “elegant” and “relaxed”, calling it a “seriously good performance” on his full debut.

The youngster was so composed that day, showing his impressive ability to carry through the opposition’s press and how hard he worked off the ball. It was an eye-catching and dominant showing from someone who was, in reality, quite inexperienced.

The stats on Sofascore from Mainoo’s full debut show just how well he played. The United number 37 had 61 touches of the ball, completing 83% of his passes. Off the ball, he won an impressive five from eight duels.

Sadly, given his injury, Amorim will not have the option of calling upon Mainoo for United’s trip to Goodison Park this weekend. However, he could make the bold decision of starting another exciting young midfielder who could have a similar rise to the top in a United shirt.

The academy midfielder who could start vs. Everton

Amorim had to call upon several young academy stars last weekend against Tottenham Hotspur, due to United’s injury crisis. Only one of those, Chido Obi, got the chance to feature, but there were several exciting talents on the bench.

One of those youngsters was Sekou Kone. The 19-year-old Malian midfielder joined the club over the summer, in a deal that was reportedly worth £1m. United beat Premier League rivals Liverpool and Wolverhampton Wanderers to the signing.

So far, Kone has not had much of a chance to showcase his ability. Injuries have affected him this term, meaning he has played just six times for the Red Devils academy. However, he is clearly rated highly enough for Amorim to include him on the bench last weekend.

Kone really made waves at the under-17 World Cup for Mali at the end of 2023. He helped his side to a third-place finish, beating Argentina in the third-place playoff match. His stats from the game were extraordinary. As per Sofascore, he won 15 out of 20 duels, created three chances, and registered an assist.

Stat

Number

Touches

62

Pass accuracy

83%

Passes completed

34/41

Duels won

15/20

Tackles won

6/7

Long balls completed

6/6

Dribbles completed

5/6

Chances created

3

Assists

1

With that in mind, it is perhaps unsurprising that football scout Antonio Mango thinks Kone could “be a beast”. He ran the midfield in the under-17 World Cup, and perhaps he deserves the chance against Everton, to show what he can do in senior football.

One man who Kone could replace in the middle of the park is Casemiro. The experienced Brazilian made his first start of 2025 against Spurs but struggled to impose himself on the game, with the opposition coasting around him at times.

He received a 4/10 post-match rating from The Manchester Evening News’ Samuel Luckhurst. The United writer said the former Real Madrid star looked “constantly off the pace” against the Lilywhites.

Perhaps taking a punt on Kone is a risk worth taking for Amorim. Casemiro struggled and seems destined to leave the club, with reports at the end of January hinting at a move away from Old Trafford.

The Malian would be an investment to the future, and Goodison Park seems to be the place talented young midfielders break into the United first-team. Perhaps Kone could become the second coming of Mainoo in that sense.

MatériaMais Notícias

Na noite desta terça-feira (24), o Palmeiras venceu o Atlético-MG por 3 a 1 e avançou à semifinal da Copa do Brasil Sub-17. Após golear o adversário mineiro por 5 a 0 no jogo de ida, Endrick, Thalys e Estevão deram a classificação ao Verdão, em novo duelo na Arena Barueri.

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As Crias da Academia dominaram a partida do início ao fim e carimbaram o passaporte alviverde para a próxima fase do torneio, onde irão enfrentar o Sport.

Endrick, mais uma vez, foi um dos nomes da equipe palmeirense. Vale lembrar que a joia fechou o seu primeiro acordo com o time profissional do Verdão, o qual só poderá ser assinado de fato em junho, quando o atleta completa 16 anos.

Todos os duelos da Copa do Brasil Sub-17 são mata-mata com partidas de ida e volta, exceto na primeira fase, quando o Alviverde goleou o Sant German, de Rondônia, por 10 a 1.

Nas oitavas de final, diante do Remo, o time comandado por Rafael Paiva derrotou o clube de Belém por 7 a 0 e 4 a 1, respectivamente, para avançar até as quartas.

O Palmeiras volta a campo pelo Paulistão da categoria de base já no próximo sábado (28), na Academia de Futebol 2, em Guarulhos-SP, contra o União Mogi. O duelo acontece às 11h, pela oitava rodada da primeira fase.

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