Category Uncategorized

Well aware that they need a major overhaul this summer, one agent has now reportedly offered Manchester United a fresh chance to sign a Premier League-winning winger at a bargain price.

Amorim hints at more change at Man Utd ahead of Europa League final

Away from potential incomings, Ruben Amorim and Manchester United have their full focus on next week’s Europa League final against Tottenham Hotspur. In a game that is make or break for their season and summer transfer plans, the Red Devils could qualify for the Champions League by securing victory, despite sitting as low as 16th in the Premier League.

Amorim previewed the most important game of his tenure so far earlier this week, telling reporters: “A final is different but you can understand this season has been really tough on everybody.

“The results and also the changing in the staff, and you can feel it in our club. We are addressing that during the season, we are changing the way we play during the season. We had so many bad results in the Premier League.

“So, the environment is tough in the moment but I guarantee you, when we are preparing in the Europa League, the environment is different and you can feel the excitement. But you can understand the environment this year is really tough.”

A piece of silverware would certainly ease the pressure on the former Sporting Club boss, who has endured a nightmare six months at Old Trafford. Sat closer to the relegation zone than the European places in the Premier League, Amorim and Manchester United can ill-afford to lose out next week.

Man Utd ready late hijack to sign "insane" 52-goal Arsenal striker target

They could get one over on the Gunners.

ByTom Cunningham May 16, 2025

It’s not just on the pitch that victory would be celebrated, either. Away from the action, victory and subsequent Champions League victory would allow Manchester United to go in pursuit of certain targets.

Man Utd offered fresh Sane chance

According to transfer reporter Santi Aouna, Manchester United have now been offered the chance to sign Leroy Sane this summer. The German’s agent has reportedly tabled a proposal to a number of European clubs following failed contract talks with Bayern Munich, which could yet see those at Old Trafford land an impressive free transfer.

A Premier League winner at Manchester City, Sane wouldn’t be the first player to cross the divide in Manchester, but he would be the latest to steal such headlines. And as Amorim looks to rebuild, the winger could become one of the most important players that the Red Devils have on offer. Even on a free transfer, however, the deal wouldn’t come cheap thanks to Sane’s steep £243,000-a-week salary.

Casemiro

£350,000

Bruno Fernandes

£300,000

Mason Mount

£250,000

Leroy Sane

£243,000

Matthijs de Ligt

£195,000

Instantly becoming their fourth-highest earner when Sir Jim Ratcliffe is attempting to cut costs, Sane would have to find his title-winning form fairly quickly if he completed a move to Manchester United this summer. After scoring 13 goals and assisting a further six for Bayern this season, however, he could do exactly that in the Premier League.

Arsenal have now held positive talks over a deal for a £61m striker, with discussions set to continue over the next few weeks, according to a report.

Gunners' striker pursuit heating up

The Gunners proved they have what it takes to compete without an out-and-out striker against Real Madrid last week, chalking up an extraordinary 3-0 victory against the reigning European champions, but it is clear Mikel Arteta wants to bring in a new option this summer.

Sporting CP’s Viktor Gyokeres is one of the names on the shortlist, with a £87m offer for the Swedish forward in the works, while a stunning £129m bid for Inter Milan’s Lautaro Martinez is also being prepared, as the Argentine is now considered a top target.

Other strikers who have received widespread links to the Emirates Stadium include Newcastle United’s Alexander Isak and RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko, and the latter was said to be very keen on moving to north London during the January transfer window.

Huge upgrade on Merino: Berta wants Arsenal to sign £55m "goal machine"

Given that Mikel Merino is playing the makeshift centre-forward, Arsenal are in the market for a striker, so do they lead the race for a goal machine?

1 ByBen Gray Apr 13, 2025

There has now been a positive development in Arsenal’s pursuit of Sesko, with a report from TEAMtalk revealing they have now cleared an important obstacle in their pursuit of the striker by holding positive talks with his entourage.

The Gunners have been in direct talks with the Slovenian’s representatives, and the outcome was positive, which indicates he could be keen on a summer move to the Emirates Stadium, but he will not come cheap.

The 21-year-old is protected by a £61m release clause in his RB Leipzig contract, which could increase slightly based on how he performs for the German side.

Regardless, the north Londoners are seriously keen on the young striker, and discussions are set to continue over the next few weeks.

"Monster" Sesko impressing for Leipzig

The Slovenia international has established himself as a very important player for Leipzig this season, making 40 appearances in all competitions, during which he has amassed 19 goals, including four in the Champions League.

Such is the starlet’s ability, he has been lauded as a “monster” by freelance scout Ben Mattinson, while reporter Sam Dean believes he could be a good fit for the Gunners, given that he possesses qualities very few of Arteta’s players have.

Sesko’s eye for goal could make him a fantastic addition to Arteta’s squad, having vastly outperformed his non-penalty xG over the past year, so it is exciting news that the move is now advancing.

In a tournament where fast-scoring has been difficult, West Indies’ opening duo put England to the sword

Valkerie Baynes16-Oct-20243:35

Takeaways: West Indies’ powerplay stuns England to land semi-final spot

Hayley Matthews looked at Qiana Joseph in the changeroom at the innings break and thought something was wrong.West Indies needed to chase down 142 to qualify for the T20 World Cup semi-finals for the first time since 2018 – a target Matthew later said she’d have “bitten your hand off” for at the start of the game.It turns out Joseph was simply in the mood.Related

'Overwhelming, unbelievable, joy' – Supermom Afy Fletcher's inspiring comeback tale

Inspired by Narine, Ramharack goes from being sidekick to hero

Mithali Raj: Time for 'saturated' India to move on from Harmanpreet as captain

West Indies knock England out, join South Africa in semi-finals

“When we went into the changing room at halftime, I looked at her and I said: ‘What’s wrong? You look like you’re upset.’ She said: ‘I’m just ready.'”She’s always up for it, man. And it’s great to have characters like that within the dressing room, especially as a West Indies team who are probably always underdogs. We need fighters within the team and she’s a great example of that.”Joseph didn’t just fight. She pummelled England into submission.England, who had beaten West Indies in their 13 previous games dating back to 2018, had come into the tournament tipped as finalists with their vast resources and unbeaten record in the group stages.In her 15th T20I, Joseph had a big role to fill at the top of the order with Stafanie Taylor – West Indies’ leading run-scorer before the start of the game – succumbing to a knee injury she has been carrying through the tournament.Already the 23-year-old Joseph had shown her versatility, opening the batting in the first game – a 10-wicket loss to South Africa – before dropping below Taylor to No. 3 as West Indies sailed past Scotland. She dropped into a floating role next, listed at No. 6 against Bangladesh but not required as West Indies won by eight wickets.

When we look at individuals within this team, so many times we would hear only ‘Deandra or Hayley or Staf will put in performances’, but one thing we can say we’ve started to see this year is others really stepping upHayley Matthews

Against England, Joseph blasted her way to a career-best 52 off just 38 balls with six fours and two sixes as she and Matthews took West Indies to the highest powerplay of the tournament so far at 67 without loss.It wasn’t until midway through the innings that the duo learned they needed to reach the target in 19 overs to finish ahead of South Africa at the top of Group B on net run rate. West Indies got the job done on the last ball of the 18th, Aaliyah Alleyne piercing the covers to find the boundary off Sophie Ecclestone and close an innings built by Joseph and Matthews.The duo shared a 102-run stand off just 74 balls with Matthews, who played her best innings so far with 50 off 38 – her first half-century against England – after scores of 10, 8 and 34.It was only the second time both openers had scored 50 or more in a women’s T20I for West Indies, the first time being when they beat Australia in the 2016 T20 World Cup final.It was Matthews who took control to begin with, smashing 14 runs off Lauren Bell, the most runs conceded in the first over of a match at this World Cup.Like her captain, Joseph was off the mark with a boundary, two in three balls from Nat Sciver-Brunt, no less. She then ripped into England’s spinners, powering Charlie Dean over midwicket for six then striking back-to-back fours off Ecclestone behind and over square leg.Joseph rode her luck as well, barely clearing fielders a couple of times then put down by Sophia Dunkley on 6, Alice Capsey on 31 the three times by Maia Bouchier. She reached her maiden fifty off just 34 balls, the fastest against England at the T20 World Cup.Hayley Matthews produced best innings of the tournament at a vital time•ICC/Getty ImagesJoseph was part of West Indies’ T20 World Cup squad in 2018 as a 17-year-old, largely as a left-arm spinner, but her ball-striking has improved markedly in recent times, prompting her move up the order.Earlier this year, she played largely as an opener in an away series against Pakistan, which West Indies won 4-1, and was used as a pinch-hitter in a 2-1 series win in Sri Lanka.Despite those results, West Indies hadn’t been expected to do so well here, possibly because of a well-documented lack of resources compared to the likes of India and England, both of whom are now out of the reckoning.”I think a lot of people wrote us off coming into this tournament,” Matthews said. “The way we’ve been able to go about our cricket, especially after the start we had against South Africa, we’ve just bounced back against Scotland, against Bangladesh.”We haven’t beat England in about six years. As far as I can remember, the last time we beat them was back in 2018, but everyone still came here with a belief and a fight and it just shows what we can do as a West Indian team. A lot of people coming up against us know that if it’s one thing we’ve got, it’s a lot of heart and a lot of fight and we showed that today.”Particularly pleasing for West Indies was the fact Joseph was able to step up in Taylor’s absence so that by the time Deandra Dottin came in to score 27 off 19 striking at 142.10, the bulk of the work was done.That said, Dottin was instrumental in setting the tone for the match with some brilliant fielding at the start of England’s innings and she also bowled for the first time in the campaign, taking 1 for 16 in three overs.’To be given this opportunity to come out, represent your nation and making a living out of it, every single person, it changes their lives’•ICC/Getty Images”When we look at individuals within this team, so many times we would hear only ‘Deandra or Hayley or Staf will put in performances’, but one thing we can say we’ve started to see this year is others really stepping up,” Matthew said. “Karishma [Ramharack] with 4 for 17 against Bangladesh] last game, Qiana Joseph this game, and it’s just going to make us more and more dangerous.”By topping their group, West Indies avoid favourites Australia in the semi-finals and will face New Zealand on Friday in Sharjah. Australia play South Africa in Dubai on Thursday. And Matthews was confident the entire Caribbean would be behind her team.”Honestly speaking, we probably just don’t have it like the rest a lot of the time,” she said. “Back home in the Caribbean, sometimes we don’t have facilities and a lot of our girls come from very humble beginnings. To be given this opportunity to come out, represent your nation and making a living out of it, every single person, it changes their lives.”Within the West Indies, I think a lot of the islands can always be against each other, but the one thing that does bring the entire West Indies together is cricket and the passion that the people have for the game is massive. It just brings our whole region together as one for the only time probably.”

England wicketkeeper follows his captain’s lead to play significant innings

Vithushan Ehantharajah26-Aug-2022A first hundred as captain for Ben Stokes on the day his documentary comes out? Who writes his press releases?Dean Elgar said he wouldn’t be watching Ben Stokes: Phoenix From the Ashes on Friday evening, though did suggest if Stokes sent him a screener link ahead of time he might dip in. But after watching his opposite number position himself as the focal point for three hours and 38 minutes in front of a sold-out Emirates Old Trafford, why would he subject himself to an hour and 44 more? For those that are keen, this 12th career century was a welcome spoiler. It all works out in the end.It will do for England, too, at least in this Test. Stokes arrived to the crease after the dismissal of Jonny Bairstow, wings clipped on 49 when he was close to take-off. England trailed by just 17 with six wickets in hand. Off the back of just how badly they crumbled in the Lord’s Test – they lost all 20 wickets inside 83 overs – there were no guarantees. By the time Stokes departed, 103 from 163, the hosts were 169 ahead.Related

• South Africa's survival guide goes out the window as Ben Stokes shows what it takes to seize the day

• Ben Stokes' madcap methods enter acid test amidst mixed results with the bat

• Stuart Broad steals back the limelight, just when it seems he's being shunted out of it

• Spin strategy allows game to drift as South Africa lose their grip

• Ben Stokes, Ben Foakes hundreds allow England to declare on 264-run lead

There were glorious straight drives on the charge alongside back- and front-foot defences. Hot steps down the pitch off both spinners – two of his three sixes among nine boundaries – sprinkled around the cold of 107 dot balls. He collapsed to the floor when his knee gave way just after midday, with just 16 to his name, and then went on to scamper ones and twos. The half-century took 101 deliveries, the second-half just 57.It was, in every dissectible way, an innings of necessary contradictions. The day before this second Test got underway, when queried about whether England’s best hopes of squaring the series 1-1 was for Stokes to chill his beans, he spoke of perhaps mellowing some time down the line, when he felt an ethos of expression and selflessness had been coopted by his fellow batters in their own unique ways. Perhaps the biggest example of practising what he preached, of putting the team at the forefront of everything he does, came when he turned to look for two from his 158th ball after Kagiso Rabada had shinned a straight drive into square leg. The single completed had already taken him to three figures.There is an underlying flaw to this “follow the leader” shtick Stokes and Brendon McCullum have installed, especially when it comes to the batting. Batters are creatures of habit, and generally set in their ways once they reach their mid-to-late 20s, which is most of this team beyond the established trio of Stokes, Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow. And while the rest are finding their own ways of being more demonstrative, one man has been quietly struggling to work out who he is meant to be in this England side and, by extension, what exactly about this new persona he needs to express.But the influence of the “leader” was abundantly clear for the man playing a version of himself. Ben Foakes, Essex-honed, Surrey refined, veritable No. 5, came in at No. 7 and shared a match-turning partnership of 173 with Stokes. Then when the skipper was sent on his way, Foakes took it upon himself to be the leading man among the tailenders and pocketed 113 unbeaten runs. Finally, 29 innings from a century on debut back in November 2018 against Sri Lanka, he had another. No question this one was far more nourishing for the soul.With all due respect to Foakes, it is unlikely he’ll ever command the big screen in the way his partner for 324 deliveries in the guts of this day has. But beyond the movie star looks, there’s a far more relatable, everyday uncertainty about what Foakes has been contending with this summer.Ben Foakes celebrates his first Test hundred on home soil•Getty ImagesIn an environment where no one is under pressure, Foakes has perhaps been under the most. Alex Lees and Zak Crawley have been fairly well-insulated, with plenty of dressing room encouragement to drown out the outside noise. Much of Foakes’ uncertainty has been internal.The summer started clear enough: backed as the No. 1 keeper for the first time in his career and given scope to fashion the No. 7 spot as his own. He was there at the end of the Lord’s victory against New Zealand with an unbeaten 32, then again at Trent Bridge with 12 not out to go with 56 in the first innings.Just as things were looking rosier, a bout of Covid-19 resulted in him being pulled out midway through the third Test against New Zealand at Headingley, though not before registering a maiden Test duck. His symptoms were bad enough to mean he was unable to take his spot in the XI against India at Edgbaston. He didn’t stick around, immediately down south on the train the night before the Test started. If the Covid hadn’t made him feel terrible enough, he’d have every right to feel a bit sick at the prospect of Sam Billings taking his spot given Billings is a more natural fit at No. 7 and far more familiar to McCullum thanks to the franchise circuit.That sense will have been exacerbated after a poor showing at Lord’s, undone twice by Anrich Nortje for 6 and then duck number two. Especially as he found himself privately wondering if he would ever crack being a good fit in this group. Not so much through personality, but purpose. Despite his high-calibre keeping, he was a little anxious at the fact England would not have a wicketkeeping coach for this series. McCullum put him at ease, praising his work so far and politely reminding him he did a bit of keeping in his day.When he goes to bed on Friday night, Foakes will feel more settled. Far more at ease that not only does he have a score of note, but the manner in which it was achieved dovetailed perfectly with Stokes and, more pertinently, the situation (which included seeing off 25 deliveries from Nortje). And maybe he’ll even be comforted by the fact he played as himself.In a line-up where he is the breaker between the heavyweight bashers and the chancers, he needs to be the sensible one. The bass player maintaining a consistent chord. The volunteer passing around the collection tray while Stokes is at the front preaching the word of Bazball. Tim Canterbury frowning into the fourth wall when things are a little off, knowing he’ll have to tell Gareth not to take Bertie.While Stokes charged spin, Foakes got on top of the bounce and smothered into the leg side. For every three full-blooded carves from the skipper, there was one caress by the self-diagnosed pretender. Foakes’ statistical breakdown here – the fifty off 116 deliveries, the century some ninety later – was at odds with Stokes’. However, he did press the accelerator a little harder when the latter had departed. His 45 from the 95 accrued with Stuart Broad, Ollie Robinson and Jack Leach came off 53 deliveries, leading to a declaration on 415 for 9 to give England nine overs of South Africa’s openers at the end of day two.That final portion of that knock will have been the most heartening for the management group. Foakes admitted in an interview with ESPNcricinfo earlier this summer that his limited experience working with the tail meant a need to learn by doing. Well, he has learned pretty quickly.After South Africa’s openers survived the mini-session, Stokes forcibly pushed a bashful Foakes out ahead to lead the team off. And with that, all other metaphors were deemed obsolete.

Also, is Rashid Khan losing his spark with teams opting to attack him late?

Matt Roller13-Oct-2020Why did Sam Curran open the batting?No team had scored as slowly as the Super Kings in the powerplay this season ahead of this game, and they decided it was time to change things: after 68 runs off 31 balls in the middle order, Curran was promoted to open the batting for only the second time in his T20 career.The move looked to have backfired after three overs, with Curran struggling to time the ball and batting uncharacteristically defensively on 10 off 15, as Faf du Plessis nicked off for a first-ball duck. But Curran heaved two fours and then two sixes in the fourth over off Khaleel Ahmed, and had done his job by the time he was bowled by Sandeep Sharma in the fifth over for 31 off 21.Why did Super Kings pick Chawla for Jagadeesan?The Chennai Super Kings picked only five frontline bowling options in their side for the tournament opener against the Mumbai Indians. But they started the second half of the season with seven, as Piyush Chawla came in for N Jagadeesan for Tuesday night’s game against the Sunrisers Hyderabad.That allowed MS Dhoni to use specialists in certain phases and target individual batsmen with specific bowlers: new-ball specialists Deepak Chahar and Sam Curran split the first seven overs between them, while Dwayne Bravo was held back until the 14th over. Chawla bowled only six balls, being used in the 16th over to take the pace off against a set Kane Williamson and conceded just eight runs.Why did Karn Sharma bowl the 18th over?Given their plethora of bowling options and with two death-over specialists in Bravo and Shardul Thakur, it was a surprise to see Dhoni turn to legspin in the 18th over. Dhoni is not a captain who relies on analytics, and may not have known that Williamson’s strike rate against legspin in the IPL since 2018 was 112.09 coming into this match. He seemed to have clearly decided from his reading of the game that Williamson was desperate for pace on the ball.Dhoni’s ploy worked initially: Williamson lofted a one-bounce four over square leg before holing out to long-on, seemingly ending the Sunrisers’ chances. When Rashid Khan and Shahbaz Nadeem took 15 from the next four balls between them, it looked as though it might have backfired, but Thakur’s excellent 19th over made the game safe for the Super Kings.Did umpire Paul Reiffel change his mind in the 19th over?2:21

Did Paul Reiffel change his mind after seeing Dhoni?

With 25 required from 11 balls, Thakur sprayed a ball just outside the tramlines that Khan couldn’t reach, and umpire Reiffel rightly gave a wide. The next ball was almost a carbon copy, but Reiffel stopped halfway through calling another wide as Dhoni and Thakur protested.Replays showed that the ball had clearly jagged past the wide line again, and David Warner was visibly frustrated with the call in the Sunrisers’ dugout. It might not have made a difference given the collapse that followed, but it left the required rate at 14.40 runs per over rather than 12.50.Why did Shane Watson score so slowly?Curran’s promotion meant that Watson batted at No. 3 – the first time in 40 innings that he had not opened while playing for the Super Kings. Notoriously a slow-starter, Watson eked out only four runs from his first 11 balls before flicking a trademark pick-up over square leg to hit T Natarajan for six.There were moments in the middle overs against Nadeem – whom he has struggled against in the past – and Khan when he looked as though he was about to put his foot down, like he had against the Sunrisers in the 2018 final. But when Watson eventually holed out to long-off, he had managed only 42 runs while chewing up nearly a third of the Super Kings’ overs by himself.It is surely too soon to write Watson off – he has proved in the past that he can recover from slow starts in a tournament, as well as in an innings – but with his strike rate this season down at 122.33, he will know that he has to start firing soon.Shane Watson flogs away a short ball•BCCIIs Khan losing his spark?After eight wickets with an economy rate of 4.83 in his first six games of the season, Khan has returned combined figures of 2 for 55 in eight overs across his last two appearances. Those numbers are still good by normal standards, but there have been signs that teams are increasingly willing to take him on.In particular, it has been instructive to see how teams have approached the fourth over of his spell. In the first six games, teams looked to play him out, taking a combined 28 runs for three wickets across his six final overs. But needing 36 off 18 balls when he returned for his last over in the Sunrisers’ previous game against the Rajasthan Royals, they had no choice but to attack; and Rahul Tewatia did just that by hitting him for three fours. On Tuesday, Watson and Ambati Rayudu hit him for a six each in his fourth over.It will become apparent over the next two weeks whether those two assaults were the result of circumstances or a sign that teams are now willing to attack him.Has Dhoni decided to follow the trend of batting first?After winning 22 tosses out of 27 in a remarkable streak dating back to the 2018 season, the Super Kings had lost their last four tosses in a row coming into this game. They had chased in every game in the first half of the group stage, losing five and winning two.On Tuesday, Dhoni won the toss, batted first and continued the trend in this tournament of teams successfully defending scores. Discounting games that went to Super Overs, the team batting first has won 20 out of 27 matches this season. With pitches slowing down and thus becoming increasingly similar to their Chepauk home ground, there are reasons for the Super Kings to believe they can extend their record of making the playoffs every season.

The 2025 MLB All-Star Game is just over a week away with the full rosters for the Midsummer Classic revealed over the holiday weekend.

This means the various hype videos all 30 teams released to advocate for fans to vote for their players will now rest in the social media archives forevermore. However, there are still votes left to be cast—and the Philadelphia Phillies dropped one more hype video to rally their fans.

Over the weekend, MLB announced the finalists for the 2025 All-Star Ball Crew. Two ball boys or girls will be selected to participate in the All-Star festivities at Truist Park next week, with fans casting the deciding votes between the four candidates. One of the candidates is Philly bat boy Adam Crognale, a favorite of the Phillies community.

In his honor, the team released an awesome hype video for Crognale to advocate for his spot in the All-Star Game. It rules.

Crognale was nominated for the first play of the above montage, but as you can see, he has a few more highlights too. In addition, he does great work in the community; Crognale is a lymphoma survivor and was nominated for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Visionary of the Year award in 2024.

The next few days will reveal if the Phillies inspired the fans of Philadelphia enough to get Crognale his flowers.

Tottenham Hotspur have identified a “fantastic” forward as their top target ahead of the January transfer window, with Thomas Frank personally an admirer.

Spurs keen on strengthening attack in January

Tottenham brought their five-game winless run to an end on Saturday afternoon, with Frank getting one over his former club by securing a 2-0 win against Brentford, and the manager was happy with his side’s performance on the front foot.

The Dane said: “I think it was a very good performance overall. A quite complete performance. Offensively we looked a big threat going forward. We were much more dynamic and producing good chances and good moments. I really like that.”

That said, it is still too early to suggest Spurs have turned a corner, considering just how poor they have looked going forward at times this season, recording an xG of just 0.1 in the home defeat against Chelsea at the beginning of last month.

Some of Frank’s summer additions have also struggled, including Randal Kolo Muani, who received a SofaScore match rating of just 6.1 against Brentford, the lowest of any Tottenham player, and the Frenchman is still searching for his first Premier League goal.

As such, the north Londoners may look to bring in some more attacking firepower in the upcoming transfer window, and a report from TEAMtalk has now revealed that AFC Bournemouth star Antoine Semenyo has been identified as their top target.

Semenyo, who has a £65m release clause in his contract, is being targeted by a whole host of Premier League clubs, with Manchester United and Manchester City also keen, so Spurs may have to fend off interest from elsewhere to get a deal over the line.

At this point, it is unclear who the Ghanaian would prefer to sign for, but national team manager Otto Addo has suggested he needs to take the ‘next step’ in his career soon.

Related Tottenham readying January move for "amazing" £44m striker praised by Frank

Spurs are lining up a move for a new centre-forward.

Posts 1 ByDominic Lund Dec 7, 2025 "Fantastic" Semenyo lauded by Frank

The Bournemouth star has been catching the eye in the Premier League for quite some time now, with Frank saying last season: “Semenyo can play wherever he wants to play – he’s a fantastic player. I think he’s been the best individual player for Bournemouth this season.”

The 25-year-old then went on to make a flying start to the current campaign, although he hasn’t been at his best of late, having failed to register a goal or an assist in his last six outings in the Premier League.

That said, the former Bristol City man is still on course to record a better combined goal and assist tally than last season, having displayed year-on-year improvement since first becoming a key player in the 2023-24 campaign.

Season

Premier League appearances

Goal contributions

2023-24

33

11

2024-25

37

17

2025-26

14

9

Semenyo has proven that he is now ready to make the move to a bigger club, and Tottenham should trigger the £65m release clause when the January transfer window opens, in light of their attacking woes.

Shohei Ohtani once again wowed the sports world Wednesday night when he came to the plate in the ninth and crushed the first pitch he saw over the wall in left center to give the Los Angeles Dodgers a dramatic 6-5 come-from-behind victory at home over the Atlanta Braves.

With the game tied and one out in the bottom of the last inning, the scene at Dodger Stadium was goosebump-inducing as Ohtani walked to the plate. It was if the crowd knew something big was going to happen and the just a few seconds later, it did.

After his majestic home run, Ohtani was asked by MLB Network's Jon Morosi about what makes him so good in moments when the pressure is so great.

"It’s actually an honor to feel the pressure because that means there’s a lot of expectations and I just change that to more of a positive," Ohtani said.

That answer is at the end of this video:

Powerful stuff from the reigning NL MVP.

Ohtani now has three home runs on the season and the defending-champion Dodgers are off to an 8-0 start.

It was a cameo that perhaps summed up Benjamin Sesko’s Manchester United career so far.

Introduced on the hour mark against Tottenham Hotspur, the Slovenian striker looked lively up against the likes of Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero, having twice got in behind the home backline late on.

Twice, the £74m signing was threaded through by fellow substitute Mason Mount, although – having scored just two goals for the club to date – he perhaps unsurprisingly failed to convert those promising openings.

These certainly weren’t gilt-edged, must score chances – with Van de Ven producing a stunning recovery challenge to deny the ex-RB Leipzig’s man second attempt – yet a striker in confident mood would likely have fared better.

To then add insult to injury, quite literally, Sesko sustained an injury issue in the midst of that sight of goal, subsequently forcing the visitors to see out proceedings with just ten men, as he hobbled down the touchline.

Fears mounted over the potential severity of that setback, and while the prognosis isn’t as worrying as first feared, it’s no doubt far from ideal.

How long Sesko will be sidelined for

The sight of Sesko being withdrawn late on in north London will have undoubtedly been an unwelcome one for Ruben Amorim, with the Portuguese coach already facing a notable upheaval in the forward line in the near future.

Indeed, both Amad and Bryan Mbeumo – alongside Noussair Mazraoui – are set to head to AFCON when the competition kicks off on 21 December, potentially ruling out the dynamic duo out of a string of games heading across the festive period and into the New Year.

Having allowed the likes of Marcus Rashford, Alejandro Garnacho, Jadon Sancho and Antony to depart over the summer, Amorim isn’t exactly blessed with attacking depth as it is, ensuring a further blow is far from ideal.

As reported by The Athletic, Sesko, thankfully, won’t be sidelined for a lengthy period, with it looking likely that the 22-year-old will only be absent for three to five weeks, thus perhaps limiting the need to acquire a suitable replacement or back-up in injury.

That said, United – who return to action against Everton on Monday – are heading into a typically hectic period in the Premier League calendar, with a string of games in the pipeline between now and the end of the year.

24/11/2025

Everton (H)

30/11/2025

Palace (A)

04/12/2025

West Ham (H)

08/12/2025

Wolves (A)

15/12/2025

Bournemouth (H)

21/12/2025

Villa (A)

26/12/2025

Newcastle (H)

30/12/2025

Wolves (H)

Whether Sesko will be back fit and firing in time to feature again in 2025 remains to be seen, with attention now turning to just how Amorim can replace him – starting against the Toffees next week.

Man Utd's answer to Zlatan could replace Sesko

The most likely solution, of course, would be for the aforementioned Mount to return as part of the attacking trio, with Matheus Cunha – who led the line against Spurs – again nudged into a number nine berth.

Chalkboard

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

That being said, the Brazilian wasn’t exactly at his scintillating best against Thomas Frank’s side, losing possession 13 times from just 35 touches, as per Sofascore, amid a rare poor performance, having looked far more effective as one of the number tens against Brighton – the game in which he scored his first goal for the club.

With that in mind – and with 17-year-old Chido Obi still yet to be seen at first-team level this season – the chance may finally come for Joshua Zirkzee to re-establish a starting role for himself, having been a bystander to proceedings in 2025/26 to date.

As explored over the weekend, United’s “modern-day Berbatov” is running out of time at Old Trafford on current evidence, featuring for just 90 minutes in total across league and cup, while yet to start a Premier League game in the new season.

That limited role has come following an injury-hit summer for the Dutchman, although it has been telling that Amorim has typically turned to Cunha to lead the line when opting to take Sesko out of the firing line, with Zirkzee swiftly sliding down the pecking order.

Something of a cult figure at United now, after fighting his way back from being jeered off against Newcastle United last year, the 24-year-old does at least deserve an opportunity to impress once again, with there certainly still a player in there somewhere.

Seven goals in 54 games for the club to date doesn’t exactly make for great reading, although his quality was no doubt evident during his stint at Bologna, having ended 2023/24 as Serie A’s Young Player of the Year.

It was that form in Italian football which even led to “comparisons to Zlatan Ibrahimovic” – as noted by analyst Ben Mattinson – with the one-time Bayern Munich man described as “just like” the enigmatic Swede as he is an “insane athlete”.

The great ‘Ibra’ enjoyed a short but sweet stint at the Theatre of Dreams, netting 28 goals in all competitions in his solitary full season under Jose Mourinho, having swiftly cemented talismanic status as the club’s marquee number nine.

Zirkzee, evidently, is of different character and experience, but like Ibrahimovic, at 6 foot 4 he is still a real focal point when leading the line, ensuring he might be the best fit to try and replace Sesko at the top end of the pitch.

While a self-described ‘nine and a half’, Zirkzee’s route to game time does appear to be as a number nine in this side, with there still an intrigue to see what he can conjure up with the likes of Cunha and Mbeumo working off him.

As a man who netted twice in a 4-0 thrashing of Everton at Old Trafford last season, the £105k-per-week marksman could be the difference maker again this time around.

Man Utd's "future £100m" star is already their own version of Adam Wharton

Manchester United must ensure this young midfielder has a pathway to superstardom.

3 ByAngus Sinclair Nov 18, 2025

Wrexham CEO Michael Williamson has explained why Ryan Reynolds, Rob Mac and the rest of the club’s board are already planning for life in the Premier League. The Red Dragons have enjoyed a meteoric rise under Hollywood co-owners and continue to make no secret of the fact that their ultimate objective is to deliver top-flight football to the Racecourse Ground.

History makers: Record run of promotions for Wrexham

A historic run of three successive promotions, lifting them out of the National League and into the Championship, has the Welsh outfit needed to take just one more step up the ladder in order to reach the big time. Big money has been invested while chasing that dream.

The odd stumble has been endured this season – with the second tier presenting more problems than the third, fourth and fifth did – but Phil Parkinson’s side are aiming high and cannot be written out of the top-six picture just yet.

Play-off heartache has been endured in the past, but Wrexham are prepared to tread that path again if necessary. They have cleared every hurdle placed in front of them so far and remain confident that they can be competitive among the elite once a standing at that level is secured.

AdvertisementGetty/GOALUltimate target: Premier League now within reach

Ambitious projects on and off the pitch are being lined up, with Williamson telling of how Wrexham are preparing for a Premier League future: “I think during pre-season, before we had announced a lot of players, I made the comment that I want us to be competitive. I want us to be in and around a play-off spot, which if you're sitting 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, you can see how tight this league is and how many points make the difference between that.

“I felt if we were in that kind of position in the table, that if we gave ourselves a chance to make a run for a play-off spot and then ultimately if we were in the play-offs, with the momentum we have and the mentality that this group has and the mentality that our supporters have, I know we haven't done historically well in play-offs but I felt that this was one of those situations where I wouldn't put anything by us.

“The objective was to be competitive and to show that we could go toe-to-toe with any club in the Championship and so far this season, that's what you've seen. In fact, I'd argue that you could see us with several more points if you look at some of the matches where we've had leads that we've given it up for a draw or even starting from the very first one at Southampton where we gave up a goal in the 89th and the 95th minute to lose three points or even one point there.

“I think we could definitely be higher in the table than we are today but the important part is that we've shown that it doesn't matter which club we're playing against in this league, we can go to toe-to-toe with anyone and come out ahead of it.

“From my perspective now, how do we build on and off the pitch to prepare ourselves for when that time comes that we do arrive to the Premier League? It's ultimately our objective, I think everyone is clear of that by now.”

Ambitious plans: Wrexham ready for the top-flight

Williamson added on the Red Dragons facing every challenge head on: “It will be interesting to see where this ends up at the end of the season but for us, we need to be ready whether it's the end of this season, the season after that, or the season after that.

“We need to be prepared on and off the pitch for what it means to arrive to the Premier League because as much of a step up, with challenges both on and off the pitch, that it was going from League One to the Championship – and it is a massive step – it's an even larger, more significant step from the Championship to the Premier League in all those areas.

“It's just making sure that we are in the best position possible so that when we do arrive, just like we did when we were in League One when we arrived at the Championship, that we were in a place where we could build off the foundations and be prepared for it. It's the same thing we're trying to do for when we arrive in the Premier League.”

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

GettyWrexham 2025-26: League standing, points total & next fixture

Wrexham have reached the third international break of the 2025-26 campaign sat 13th in the Championship table. They have picked up 21 points from 15 games, leaving them only four adrift of the play-offs in what is a congested division.

The odd question has been asked of Parkinson’s methods this term, despite all that has been achieved during his tenure, and he will be looking to silence more doubters when the Red Dragons return to action on November 22 with a trip to Ipswich.