India captain was all praise for Washington Sundar but he also said he sees Ashwin and Jadeja “playing a huge role in the rest of the series”

Alagappan Muthu05-Dec-20244:56

Rohit: ‘Rahul probably deserves the opening slot at this point in time’

Rohit Sharma, who has usually opened the batting for India in Test cricket since 2019, has confirmed that he will be moving down the order for the day-night Test match against Australia in Adelaide. His reasoning suggested it might be a temporary measure, but it is clear that KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal have done too well as an opening pair, adding 201 in the second innings of the Perth Test to set up India’s victory, to be separated immediately. That means even though Rohit is the captain of the side, he needs to make an adjustment and play out of position.”How I came to that decision of batting down the order is because we want results, we want success,” Rohit said on Thursday. “And those two guys at the top – just looking at this one Test match – they batted brilliantly. I was at home with my newborn in my arms and I was watching how KL batted. It was brilliant to watch, to be honest.”And I felt that there’s no need to change that now. Maybe in the future things will be different, I don’t know. So based on what has happened and what KL has shown outside of India, he probably deserves that place at this point.Related

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“It is something that has given us success in the first Test. To have that big partnership with Jaiswal on the other side probably won us the Test.”Rahul might not have got a century but he was excellent across both innings in Perth. Jaiswal did get a century, bouncing back from a duck in the first innings, and was feeling so good in the middle that he was happy to point out that Mitchell Starc was coming on too slowly and Nathan Lyon might be a legend but was getting old. India made 487 for 6 declared and won by 295 runs.”When you come to a place like Perth and you get 500-odd runs, it’s a massive tick in the box,” Rohit said. “What I saw from the outside looked brilliant and there was no need to change anything.”KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal put up 201 in the second innings in Perth•AFP/Getty Images

Just as he was winding up his answer, Rohit offered a window into how the team wants to operate whether they win, lose or draw. They do not seem to bow to stature as much as they have previously been perceived to. Here, for example, the captain was giving up his spot to Rahul, who played only one of the three matches in their previous Test series.”It was actually pretty simple for me,” Rohit said. “Personally, not easy, but for the team, it made a lot of sense.”Team-first is the philosophy that fuelled India into picking the XI they played with in Perth because it meant leaving two men with a combined 800-plus Test wickets out.”It’s always hard to leave out experienced players like [Ravindra] Jadeja and [R] Ashwin. But I think the decision was made for whatever was best for the team at that particular time.”Rohit on R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja: “I certainly see them playing a huge role in the rest of the series”•AFP/Getty Images

In Canberra, India’s assistant coach Abhishek Nayar spoke highly of the two spinners for taking the decision well. Ashwin made his way onto the field just as his replacement Washington Sundar was about to begin his spell and, having tended to his duties as 12th man, he made sure to go up to the bowler for a quick chat before leaving the field.It was 37°C on the eve of the match and the Adelaide pitch was kept under the covers to protect it from the heat. Chances of thundershowers that were forecast for the first day have also receded and the mercury is set to keep soaring, which could possibly bring spin into the picture even with the pink ball. Ashwin was seen working on his batting with head coach Gautam Gambhir sending him throwdowns.”I certainly see them playing a huge role in the rest of the series,” Rohit said about Ashwin and Jadeja, “because what they bring to the table can never be written off.” And about Washington, he said, “We have seen what he can do with the ball, with the bat. He’s got a solid technique to play anywhere in the world. And when such guys are in the team, you get confidence. And with Washy especially, now I just hope that he stays away from injury and doesn’t get injured. Because a player like him is always valuable to our squad. [He] gives us that balance, that depth that a team always requires. So with Washy, I can see his graph from here going up only.”Rohit talked up the young batters in his side too. He was asked to explain how Jaiswal, Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant have been able to find success overseas very early in their careers.”The youngsters nowadays are fearless. They don’t carry any baggage. Jaiswal, Gill, Pant – these are the cricketers of a different generation,” Rohit said. “When we had come to Australia for the first time, the only thing in our minds used to be how to score runs. We would put extra pressure on ourselves. But every generation is different. Today’s players are bold and fearless, and perhaps this is working in their favour.”Whenever I talk to them, they have only one thing in their mind: how to win the match. They don’t think of how I would score a hundred or a double-hundred. When you start thinking like that, the individual performances take care of themselves. Because if you have to win, you will have to perform – and that happens automatically. If your primary focus is how to win matches, series, tournaments, then the big runs these guys make that is secondary.”If they are not able to contribute with the bat, they think what they can do in fielding, or bowling. So the guys these days think like this, which is a very, very good thing. I don’t know if someone talks to them about it, tells them. But this is their natural mindset when they come for a tour – their mindset is how to win the match.”

Chair Mike Baird also said he understood India’s decision to stop holding open training sessions for the remainder of the tour

Andrew McGlashan05-Dec-2024Cricket Australia chair Mike Baird has defended the governing body’s stance on not playing bilateral matches against Afghanistan after being accused of hypocrisy by outgoing ICC chair Greg Barclay.Barcley’s tenure came to an end on December 1 when Jay Shah took over at the ICC and as part of a wide-ranging interview with the UK’s he took aim at boards who have suspended playing Afghanistan outside of global tournaments.”If you really want to make a political statement, don’t play them in a World Cup,” Barclay said. “Sure, it might cost you a semi-final place, but principles are principles. It’s not about having half a principle.”Related

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Responding to the comments, Baird said that CA remained comfortable with the line they had drawn around bilateral cricket. He pointed to their ongoing support of the refugee female players who now live in Australia, which will extend to an Afghanistan Women’s XI playing a Cricket Without Border’s XI on January 30 at Junction Oval, ahead of the day-night Ashes Test at the MCG.”I saw those comments this morning, and I hadn’t heard those views before in kind of any forum,” Baird said. “So obviously he’s entitled to his view. He’s going on to new things, and we wish him well on that, but we’re very proud of the position we’ve taken. We’re supporting the Afghan women’s cricket team and those members that are still here, and we’ll be doing that at the end of the summer.”People have different views, of course, but we’re very comfortable with the position we’ve taken. There’s all types of lines you can draw. We’ve drawn a line, we’ve taken a position and we’re proudly standing up where we think we should. I think that event that’s going to come at the end of January is a celebration of women and what we’re seeing in the women’s game in this country. We remain proud of it.”Cricket Australia chair Mike Baird (left) with newly appointed CEO Todd Greenberg (right) at Adelaide Oval•Getty ImagesMeanwhile, Baird took a diplomatic line over India’s demands to not have further public training sessions during their tour after more than 5000 people came to Adelaide Oval to watch practice on Tuesday. There had been plans for India to have open sessions in Brisbane and Sydney but they have now been shelved. Fans can’t be stopped watching the MCG nets as they are viewable from public areas within the precinct.Baird confirmed that CA would continue to make some Australian training sessions open to the public, believing it’s an important way to bring the fans closer to the team.”It’s obviously a difficult time when you’re going into a competitive Test series, and different teams will take different approaches,” he said. “We totally understand that. There’s huge pressure that comes, all types of things that can distract.”From our point of view, we love the fact that our players are open and available and they enjoy it as well. We want our fans to be connected to these players. It’s a once in a generation team with once in a generation players. That sort of experience, that’s how the game is going to grow. India’s taken a position and we totally respect [that]. We’re going to continue. We’ve done it for a long time.”

Alexander Isak has taken a massive step closer to making his Liverpool debut after being filmed joining his new team-mates at the Red's training base.

• Isak filmed at Liverpool training
• Swede joined Reds on deadline day
• Could make debut versus Burnley

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Liverpool's record signing has been spotted heading out for training following his protracted switch from Premier League rivals Newcastle. Isak is seen pulling on a drill top at the Reds' training base in Kirkby as the club posted a simple message: "Time to get to work."

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• WATCH THE CLIP

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Isak was at the centre of the summer's biggest transfer drama after Liverpool lodged a £110 million ($150m) bid for the Sweden international. Newcastle knocked that offer back, public statements were issued by the player and club as the situation turned sour. But the Magpies found a suitable replacement in Nick Woltemade from Stuttgart and Isak was granted his wish and eventually moved to Anfield for a British-record £125m ($169m).

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  WHAT NEXT FOR ISAK?

  After sitting out Newcastle's pre-season and opening league matches, fitness will be top of Isak's priorities. He played just 18 minutes for Sweden against Kosovo in midweek. Looking ahead there's the Premier League clash with Burnley on Sunday, followed by a Champions League test against Atletico Madrid and the huge Merseyside derby with Everton at Anfield. 

Leicester City are building for a tilt at promotion from the EFL Championship and have identified a talented winger to strengthen their cause, according to a report.

Leicester City claim late victory over Sheffield Wednesday

Sunday’s late kick-off produced a clash between two of the more troubled clubs in the English second-tier of late, and the Foxes finally managed to give their fans something to shout about courtesy of a 2-1 victory over Sheffield Wednesday at the King Power Stadium.

After Jan Vestergaard and Wout Faes cancelled out Nathaniel Chalobah’s opening strike, Marti Cifuentes lavished praise on Leicester’s never-say-die attitude that saw them begin the campaign with three points despite a summer dominated by off-field problems.

He stated, citing tactical tweaks that he deployed: “There were some messages, some more tactical in terms of positioning and how we wanted to build up. We adjusted things in terms of how we attacked.

“They took the lead and we predicted them to be deeper. That means we had to create different situations for our attackers. Second, it’s important as a team to have this mentality. Here in this club you know very well about ‘Foxes Never Quit’. We need to chase the result, we need to chase the victory until the last second of the game.”

Nevertheless, Mads Hermansen’s move to West Ham has led Leicester to target Illan Meslier between the sticks. The Denmark international won’t be the only face to depart the East Midlands before the window closes.

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Bilal El Khannouss could move from Leicester to Tottenham Hotspur after James Maddison suffered an ACL injury, indicating that Cifuentes will need to act if the Morocco international leaves a void to be filled, something that could now be addressed if reports are to be believed.

Leicester City enter race to sign Sebastian Tounetki

According to Transferfeed, Leicester City are interested in Hammarby winger Sebastian Tounekti, who is tied down to the Swedish outfit on a contract that runs until the summer of 2029.

Born in Norway, he represents Tunisia at international level and has registered two goals and five assists in 20 appearances across all competitions in 2025, in line with the alternative March to November schedule adopted in Scandinavia.

Sebastien Tounekti’s key statistics in 2024/25 – Allsvenskan (Fotmob)

Chances created

20

Successful dribbles

39

Shots on target

9

Touches in opposition box

136

Tackles won

13

Nevertheless, he is said to be happy in Sweden at this moment in time with his full focus on helping Hammarby to claim the league title, albeit it remains to be seen if Leicester will take their interest to the next level by submitting an official approach.

Finding gems in untapped markets may be key for the Foxes to add quality despite the looming threat of a points deduction. Either way, they will hope to sell the vision that success can still be achieved at the King Power Stadium regardless of circumstance.

MatériaMais Notícias

O roteiro parecia pronto: iria incluir Gabigol, recorde e uma vitória mágica no Estádio El Cilindro. Mas, em vez disso, a amargura entrou em cena na forma como o Flamengo cedeu ao Racing o empate em 1 a 1 na quinta-feira (4). As oscilações do Rubro-Negro foram escancaradas no duelo válido pela terceira rodada do Grupo A da Copa Libertadores.

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Após terem tomado as rédeas da partida, os comandados de Jorge Sampaoli viram os donos da casa aproveitarem os espaços e arrancarem um empate que não trouxe nada a comemorar. Estes pontos podem custar caro a um Flamengo que ainda anseia por evolução.

A equipe lidou com um cenário desafiador no início. O jogo era muito picotado, e os rubro-negros pareciam encaixotados na marcação. Cabia a Everton Ribeiro ser a válvula de escape, trabalhando a bola e procurando investidas em especial com Ayrton Lucas.

Quando Hauche abuscou da violência e deixou o Racing com um a menos, o Rubro-Negro foi se impondo mais. Ayrton Lucas e Pulgar se apresentaram de vez e a bola começou a se aproximar de Pedro e Gabigol. O camisa 9 estava longe de seus melhores dias. Gabigol chegou a receber um passe açucarado mas, diante do gol escancarado, finalizou para fora.

Só em momento de oportunismo, seu gol de número 30 na Copa Libertadores aconteceu em um lance curiosíssimo. A cobrança de falta de Erick Pulgar veio mansamente até seus pés. O camisa 10 deixou a marcação de lado, a bola quicou e ele, de canela, mandou para a rede. Foi o fim de sua seca com a bola rolando. O jejum durava desde 15 de fevereiro, contra o Volta Redonda, pelo Estadual.

– Isso aí são coisas de vocês. Para mim, gol é gol. Gol de pênalti, gol de falta, gol de escanteio, gol de bunda, gol com a perna esquerda, gol com a perna direita. Gol é gol. Feliz em ajudar a equipe, uma pena que não foi com a vitória. Isso era mais importante – disse, em entrevista à Conmebol.

Só que o ritmo rubro-negro do fim do primeiro tempo não foi retomado na volta do intervalo. O Flamengo, mesmo com um a mais, perdia o rumo, atuava de maneira burocrática e se arriscava demais. Houve recuos em regiões perigosas que fizeram Santos sair da meta de maneira atabalhoada. O técnico Jorge Sampaoli lançou Arrascaeta e Bruno Henrique (ambos ainda recuperando seu ritmo de jogo) aos 19 minutos, deixando o quarteto de 2019 junto em campo por alguns minutos. Posteriormente, Everton Ribeiro deu lugar a Everton Cebolinha.

O Flamengo, no entanto, vinha desandando naquele momento. A defesa se mostrava vulnerável e dava brechas para o Racing avançar. Até um pisão afobado em uma dividida culminar na expulsão de Wesley e em uma falta frontal. A equipe argentina empatou em um golaço de Oroz.

Ficaram escancarados erros na equipe de Jorge Sampaoli. O Flamengo batia cabeça e surgiam buracos para ataques adversários. Saliadarre era o mais perigoso, exigia o goleiro Santos e chegou a carimbar a trave em uma finalização. Na base do “abafa”, Gabigol tentou engatar jogada com Bruno Henrique, mas seu passe saiu errado. O camisa 10 ainda viu um lançamento de Arrascaeta ficar diante dos seus pés, mas ela passou, em chance na qual Thiago Maia encheu o pé e mandou no travessão.

Por mais que o Rubro-Negro tenha “protagonizado” a partida, como diz Jorge Sampaoli, fica claro que a equipe tem ainda a ajustar. Cabe ao Flamengo encontrar a melhor forma de evitar que o meio fique engessado e que a ansiedade frustre os planos rubro-negros na Copa Libertadores. Noites promissoras como a da última quinta-feira (4) não podem deixar como última lembrança a sensação de desperdício.

Fair to say, this transfer window has not exactly gone to plan for Newcastle United.

Anthony Elanga has arrived from Nottingham Forest for a reported fee of £55m, which is certainly an exciting addition.

However, now that James Trafford is poised to re-join Manchester City, the Magpies have now missed out on seven key targets, with Hugo Ekitiké, Liam Delap, João Pedro, Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha and Dean Huijsen all choosing to go elsewhere.

There’s also the small matter of their best player, seemingly, going on strike to force through a move, more on that in just a second, hence why Eddie Howe is in the market searching for a striker.

Newcastle's search for a new striker

As you may have pieced together by now, according to a report by Chris Waugh of the Athletic, Alexander Isak has not travelled with the rest of the squad to Asia for pre-season friendlies in Singapore and Korea Republic.

The club statement claims he is nursing a groin injury, but George Caulkin of the Athletic outlines the Sweden international’s desire to leave and join an ‘elite team’, with a move to Liverpool his preference.

Thus, as they commence their striker search, Craig Hope of the Daily Mail reports that Newcastle have added Chelsea’s Nicolas Jackson to their list of targets.

The Blues have already signed both Liam Delap and João Pedro for £30m and £55m respectively this summer, so Matt Law of the Telegraph claims Jackson is available for sale, with Chris Burns of Football.London adding that the Senegalese international is valued at around £80m.

So, could Jackson soon swap West London for the North East?

How Nicolas Jackson would improve Newcastle

Despite often being much maligned, Jackson’s scoring record since joining Chelsea two summers ago is pretty impressive, bagging 30 goals in 81 appearances for the club, including netting both times Newcastle have visited Stamford Bridge in the Premier League.

Former Liverpool and England striker Peter Crouch praised his “unbelievable” performances, while Liam Twomey and Mark Carey of the Athletic document his ‘excellent’ pressing, making him ‘a big part’ of how the team play.

Similarly, Ed Dove of ESPN outlines how the Blues’ form waned while Jackson was injured, praising the striker’s ‘broader contribution… without the ball’ as well as his ‘self-sacrifice and relentless running’, becoming the first Chelsea player to reach double figures for Premier League goals in successive seasons since Didier Drogba.

Should he move to Newcastle, Jackson would be following in the footsteps of a pair of fellow Senegalese strikers who are certainly remembered fondly on Tyneside.

During the 2011/12 season, spearheaded by Papiss Cissé and Demba Ba, the Magpies finished fifth under Alan Pardew, just two years after being promoted from the Championship, and both strikers were on fire.

As the table outlines, 2011/12 remains the only season in which two Newcastle players have scored 13 or more Premier League goals since the heady days of 1996/97, a year the Magpies finished second.

Demba Ba, the more prolific of the duo, was ultimately sold to Chelsea for £7.5m in January 2013, so could Jackson become the reverse Ba?

Well, let’s compare the pair to find out.

As the table outlines, Ba at Newcastle was marginally more prolific than Jackson has been during his time at Chelsea, scoring five more goals in around 600 fewer minutes, albeit the latter has registered more assists; the former certainly did not continue this scoring spree at Stamford Bridge all those years ago!

Nevertheless, in contrast, Jackson, at 24 years old, would surely be primed to have make immediate impact should he arrive at Newcastle, just as Ba did, hence why he should be amongst their top targets, if Isak does indeed get his wish and depart.

More prolific than Sesko: Newcastle targeting move for £87m "monster"

Newcastle are looking to bring in another striker or two this summer

By
Ross Kilvington

Jul 27, 2025

Manchester United have been one of the absolute biggest clubs in the world now for over 30 years, largely thanks to their Premier League dominance under Sir Alex Ferguson. They are massive and boast arguably the largest overall fanbase in football.

That, of course, means there are quite a few famous names amongst the fans. We thought we’d pick out some of them – but this is far from an exhaustive list. Also worth mentioning that we’ve gone for actual fans here, not just famous people who wore a shirt once.

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ByCharlie Smith May 8, 2025 Justin Timberlake

We’ll start with an unusual one here – but we’re going back some way for the proof. Justin Timberlake publicly outed himself as a United fan back in 2007, largely thanks to former striker/midfielder Alan Smith.

"I'm a Red! I'm mates with Smithy so he' ..Read more at:http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/2148088.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst "I'm a Red! I'm mates with Smithy so he' ..Read more at:http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/2148088.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst "I'm a Red! I'm mates with Smithy so he' ..Read more at:http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/2148088.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst "I'm a Red! I'm mates with Smithy so he' ..Read more at:http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/2148088.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst"I'm a Red! I'm mates with Smithy so he' ..Read more at:http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/2148088.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst"I'm a Red! I'm mates with Smithy so he' ..Read more at:http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/2148088.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst"I'm a Red! I'm mates with Smithy so he' ..Read more at:http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/2148088.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst

“I’m a Red!,” he said back then. “I’m mates with Smithy so he’s my favourite player but [Cristiano] Ronaldo isn’t bad either. I really like [Wayne] Rooney too.

“Smithy hooked me up with some tickets, so I went to watch the home game against West Ham.”

We won’t go as far as to say he’s a die-hard fan but there’s certainly a link there!

Eamonn Holmes

Sticking with celebrity glamour, TV presenter Eamonn Holmes is a long-time fan of United. In fact, he even started the eulogies at the funeral of United legend and fellow Northern Irishman George Best.

Holmes has been very openly a massive fan for decades now, from wanting to name his son after Sir Alex Ferguson, to just this month criticising the new third kit.

The presenter actually featured alongside Ferguson on “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?” back in 2004. He’s the only person on this list to have done that.

Rory McIlroy

Rory McIlroy is another who has worn his United support proudly on his sleeve for some time now. The golfer even found the nerve to out himself as a fan in front of a Liverpool crowd back in 2014. It wasn’t received well.

But after winning the Open that year, McIlroy was invited to parade the Grey Jug around Old Trafford. It was an invitation he quickly accepted.

Just this week, too, McIlroy moved to offer support to under-fire defender Harry Maguire.

“Absolutely [I feel sorry for him],” he told Sky Sports.

“I am sure Harry wakes up every morning, goes to work and tries his best just like we all do and when your life and career are laid bare like that and everyone sees everything… you could make 20 great passes in a game and the one pass that doesn’t go quite right is the one that everyone is going to concentrate on.”

Luke Littler

Darts sensation Luke Littler has helped transform the sport in recent years, but away from the oche, Littler is a die-hard Man Utd supporter.

After bursting onto the scene, Littler was left starstruck after receiving a message from Red Devils icon David Beckham. He won the World Championship in 2025 and even took the trophy to Old Trafford.

Olly Murs

Olly Murs is a loud United fan – he has a box at Old Trafford and recently gave a tour of the stadium for the club’s official website.

He can frequently be seen talking about the club over the years, too, and explained exactly why going to see the club means so much to him in an interview with the Guardian last year.

“Taking my dad to Manchester United matches. He’s a massive fan, but couldn’t take us when we were kids. It’s far from Essex; we couldn’t afford it. When I got into this industry, one of my first purchases was a box at Old Trafford. Being able to take him means a lot.”

A passionate fan of United, then – it’s what you love to see.

Conor McGregor

Conor McGregor’s support for Man Utd really came into the public consciousness last year when there was talk he would front a bid to buy the club. Now, it quickly became evident that he lacked the funds to make that happen.

Still, McGregor certainly wasn’t just after the publicity. He’s talked about his support for the club before, including a lengthy interview with the official club site back in 2021.

“I was attracted to the success and winning mentality of the club and people surrounded by United. Irish legends like Denis Irwin and Roy Keane were dedicated to their craft and had that winning mentality.

“Roy Keane was one of the best midfielders European football has ever seen. Opponents would be mentally beaten before they’d even stepped on to the pitch to face him.”

It’s a good read and rare that you see this much talk about the club from a ‘celebrity’ fan. McGregor does also have allegiances with Celtic, we should say, but there’s no doubt that he has plenty of support for United.

Dave

Multi-award-winning rapper Dave is a big United fan – you only need listen to his music to find that out. His 2021 release “We’re All Alone in This Together” featured several shout-outs to the club.

Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Anthony Martial both got name-dropped. Even youngster Amad Diallo was mentioned in a track. Then if you go a touch further back, you’ll find Dave Tweeting like a typical fan back in 2019, primarily with Paul Pogba propaganda.

Angry Ginge

One of the most famous British YouTubers and Twitch streamers around today, Man Utd is part of Angry Ginge’s personality.

Known for his ‘Yanited’ outbursts, Angry Ginge, real name Morgan Burtwistle, is also a season ticket holder at Old Trafford. He even played at the stadium for Soccer Aid 2025, coming up against Carlos Tevez.

Richard Ashcroft

Sticking with the musician theme, Richard Ashcroft has been a United fan since childhood. He’s another to give an interview with the official club site where he explained how he got on board with United.

“I come from such a hybrid area. Skelmersdale, built near to where I was brought up, was a new town for Liverpool. So there was a real mixture of football supporters at school. There were United fans, and Liverpool and Everton fans whose families had moved from Liverpool to Skelmersdale.

“But essentially it was an old friend of mine. There was a family who lived across the road who used to go to watch United. They took me to my first match when I was about 10 or 11.”

The Verve frontman then talked about that first trip to Old Trafford – something that’s clearly stuck with him through it all.

“It is that cliche moment of seeing the stadium and the green of the pitch for the first time. When I first started going to Old Trafford it was when Ron Atkinson was the manager, and we would always be ‘nearly there’ in the league, but with amazing crowds.

“Everyone packed into the Stretford End – those were the days!”

Brian O’Driscoll

Rugby icon Brian O’Driscoll is another huge Red Devils supporter, with the Irishman admitting he went against the majority of Liverpool fans in Dublin growing up to follow Man Utd.

His first idol at Old Trafford was Mark Hughes, and he revealed his favourite ever goal was Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s winner against Bayern Munich in the Champions League final in 1999.

Usain Bolt

Usain Bolt has never hidden his allegiance to Man United, going all the way back to his heyday of 2012. The fastest man in history was a guest of honour at Old Trafford in Alex Ferguson’s final season, in fact.

Then, of course, there was that spell where Bolt attempted to break into top-level football, publicly admitting that while he had trials with Borussia Dortmund, his real dream was to play for United.

"One of my biggest dreams is to sign for Manchester United. If Dortmund say I'm good enough, I'll crack on and train hard."I've spoken to Alex Ferguson and I told him he needs to put in a good word. He told me if I get fit and ready, he will see what he can do."

Tyson Fury

It’s pretty unusual to get this far through a list like this without finding a proper local fan but here’s one. Tyson Fury is from Greater Manchester and has been vocal about his support, particularly over the last few years.

But he’s clearly a fan who does know his stuff. Fury even went against the grain and predicted that United would potentially be a better side without Cristiano Ronaldo last year – months before Erik ten Hag moved the player on.

“When you have a superstar like Ronaldo, everybody relies on him to score goals and if he wasn’t there they’d be scoring the goals themselves, like they did the season before last.

“I’m not saying he’s a bad asset, he’s a great asset, but sometimes with a star player, he carries the team and the young people are overshadowed by it all, they don’t get their chance to shine because ‘the great Ronaldo’ is on the pitch.”

You’ll frequently find Fury’s support on social media, too, be it celebrating the EFL Cup or welcoming Mason Mount to the club.

Stormzy

Stormzy went viral last season after appearing on Sky Sports’ coverage during a United game where he admitted to being starstruck by the occasion. After all, here was a lifetime fan of the club, at Old Trafford, getting to talk about the team on Monday Night Football.

But how did Stormzy actually become a fan? He explained in an interview with Soccer AM a few years ago that it was simply a case of a stars aligning.

“I always get stick.

“There’s probably even people watching now saying ‘hear his accent what’s he doing supporting United?’ But that’s just how the stars aligned for me.

“When I was younger I didn’t have a big brother or like a dad who supported United so it all kinda came from me.

“Cockney Red what can you do?”

Stormzy also took part in Paul Pogba’s announcement video for the club back in 2016 but infamously spoiled the signing by posting the video too early. We can hardly blame him for being excited, mind.

كشفت تقارير صحفية إسبانية، يوم الجمعة، تطور جديد يخص نجم فريق برشلونة لامين يامال قبل مباراة يوم الأحد المرتقبة ضد نظيره فريق إشبيلية، في بطولة الدوري الإسباني لكرة القدم.

ويستعد برشلونة لخوض مباراته في الجولة الثامنة من بطولة الدوري الإسباني، موسم 2025/26، ضد خصمه فريق إشبيلية.

ويتصدر برشلونة جدول الدوري الإسباني برصيد 19 نقطة، بعدما انتصر على ريال سوسيداد بهدفين لهدف، في الجولة الماضية، مستغلًا تعثر ريال مدريد في الديربي أمام أتلتيكو مدريد بخمسة أهداف لهدفين.

وشهدت مباراة برشلونة وريال سوسيداد عودة لامين يامال من جديد بعد تعافيه من إصابة منطقة العانة والتي أبعدته عن الملاعب نحو 3 أسابيع، حيث دخل كبديل وصنع هدف الفوز الذي سجله روبرت ليفاندوفسكي.

كما خاض لامين يامال مباراة برشلونة وباريس سان جيرمان، يوم الأربعاء الماضي في دوري أبطال أوروبا حيث خسر الفريق الإسباني بهدفين لهدف.

وأعلن المدير الفني لمنتخب إسبانيا، لويس دي لا فوينتي، يوم الجمعة، قائمة معسكر منتخب إسبانيا لخوض مباراتين في تصفيات أوروبا المؤهلة إلى كأس العالم حيث تواجد لامين يامال.

اقرأ أيضًا.. دي لا فوينتي يبرر استدعاء لامين يامال لقائمة إسبانيا: لم أكذب

ولكن صحيفة “موندو ديبورتيفو” الإسبانية ذكرت أن مشاركة لامين يامال في مباراة برشلونةوإشبيلية، بعد غد، لم تُحسم بعد، حيث إنه يعاني مجددًا من ألم شديد في منطقة العانة، مثل الإصابة السابقة، ومن ثم فإن مشاركته ضد الفريق الأندلسي محل شك.

وأوضحت أنه بعدما لعب مباراة باريس سان جيرمان بالكامل، شعر لامين يامال من إرهاق شديد وتجددت لديه آلام العانة.

وأشارت إلى أن إمكانية غياب لامين يامال عن مباراة إشبيلية سيثير الشكوك حول لحاقه بمعسكر منتخب إسبانيا، مع العلم أن برشلونة يلتزم الصمت حيال ذلك الأمر، ولكن يتعين الانتظار لمعرفة ما إذا كان سيسافر رفقة الفريق قبل لقاء الأحد.

وأفادت أنه حتى لو سافر لامين يامال رفقة برشلونة إلى إشبيلية، فإن مشاركته في المباراة ليست مضمونة، ومن ثم إذا لم يلعب في تلك المباراة، فإن مشاركته رفقة منتخب إسبانيا غير مؤكدة كذلك.

وشددت على تواجد اتصالات مستمرة بين برشلونة والاتحاد الإسباني لكرة القدم، حيث إنه في حال غياب لامين يامال عن مباراة إشبيلية، من المرجح كذلك ألا يلعب ضد جورجيا وبلغاريا.

MatériaMais Notícias

Em jogo de pouca qualidade, Santos e Palmeiras empataram em 0 a 0, neste sábado, na Vila Belmiro, pela sétima rodada do Brasileirão. Enquanto o Alvinegro se esforçou mais por neutralizar o adversário do que propriamente jogar, o Verdão não esteve em seus melhores dias juntamente com seus craques e praticamente não ofereceu perigo ao rival. Com isso, o time de Abel Ferreira se distância da liderança e Peixe não sobe na tabela.

+ Veja tabela e classificação do Brasileirão-2023 clicando aqui

Peixe começa pressionando, e Verdão sente a dificuldade imposta

O Santos começou o jogo com uma estratégia bem clara de limitar qualquer chance de o Palmeiras utilizar de suas virtudes para levar vantagem na Vila. A pressão na primeira marcação e a verticalidade nas jogadas foram as grandes sacadas do time da casa, que conseguia impedia a saída do rival e ainda buscar colocar perigo nas investidas. Apesar disso, a grande chance dos primeiros minutos foi do Alviverde, que chegou com Gabriel Menino mandando um chute de três dedos na trave de João Paulo.

+ Todos os jogos do Brasileirão você encontra no Prime Video. Assine já e acompanhe o seu time do coração!

Santos mantém a pegada, e Palmeiras segue “irreconhecível”

Quem pensou que o Peixe fosse diminuir a intensidade depois da imposição na primeira parte do jogo se enganou. A equipe de Odair Hellmann manteve sua pegada e dificultou ao máximo a vida palmeirense. Raphael Veiga, por exemplo, quase não apareceu no jogo e Dudu, que buscou a posse por muitas vezes, conseguia driblar apenas no meio-campo. Gabriel Menino novamente assustou em chute de longe, mas foi o Alvinegro que encerrou a primeira etapa colocando pressão e fazendo Weverton trabalhar algumas vezes. O placar, porém, ficou no 0 a 0.

Peixe recua, Palmeiras melhora, mas placar segue 0 a 0

Na volta do intervalo, o Verdão conseguiu mudar sua postura e teve mais a posse de bola em seu campo de ataque. Ao mesmo tempo, o Santos deixou de impor a intensidade que teve na primeira etapa. Agora, eram os donos da casa que estavam sem saída, enquanto os visitantes tinham quase o campo inteiro para trocarem passes. O problema é que as tomadas de decisão alviverdes eram quase sempre erradas. Dudu errou muitas tentativas de drible, Rony estava mal e foi substituído por Endrick, enquanto Veiga quase não apareceu no jogo. 0 a 0 era justíssimo.

Times mexem na formação, mas não mexem no placar

Sem muitas alterações no panorama do jogo e com as duas equipes com muitas dificuldades para conseguir uma jogada de ataque, os técnicos tentaram mudar as peças para buscar alguma mexida na distribuição delas, mas o que se viu foi mais do mesmo, ou seja, um segundo tempo de qualidade técnica baixíssima. Dessa forma, não tinha outro jeito senão o jogo terminar empatado em 0 a 0.

E agora?

Com o resultado, Santos e Palmeiras levam um ponto para a conta. Enquanto o Verdão vai a 15 pontos e permanece na vice-liderança do Brasileirão, o Peixe vai 11 e está na 11ª colocação. Na próxima rodada do campeonato, o Alviverde vai até Belo Horizonte para enfrentar o Atlético-MG, já o Alvinegro enfrenta o Bragantino, fora de casa. Antes disso, ambos têm compromisso continental: o Palmeiras enfrenta o Cerro Porteño-PAR pela Libertadores, e o Santos pega o Audax Italiano-CHI. Os dois jogarão fora do país.

FICHA TÉCNICA
SANTOS 0 x 0 PALMEIRAS
Local: Vila Belmiro, em Santos (SP)
Data-Hora: 20/5/2023 – 21h (de Brasília)
Árbitro: Raphael Claus (Fifa/SP)
Auxiliares: Bruno Raphael Pires (Fifa/GO) e Alex Ang Ribeiro (Fifa/SP)
VAR: Wagner Reway (VAR-Fifa/PB)
Público: 12.641 torcedores/R$ 658.392,50
Cartões amarelos: Daniel Ruíz e Ângelo (SAN) Mayke e Raphael Veiga (PAL)
Cartões vermelhos: –
Gols: –

SANTOS: João Paulo; Gabriel Inocêncio, Joaquim, Messias (Maicon, no intervalo) e Lucas Pires (João Lucas, aos 39’/2ºT); Rodrigo Fernández, Dodi e Lucas Lima (Ivonei, aos 42’/2ºT); Ângelo (Daniel Ruíz, aos 13’/2ºT), Lucas Braga (Lucas Barbosa, no intervalo) e Deivid Washington. Técnico: Odair Hellmann.

PALMEIRAS: Weverton; Mayke, Gustavo Gómez (Naves, no intervalo), Luan e Piquerez; Zé Rafael, Gabriel Menino e Raphael Veiga (Richard Ríos, aos 24’/2ºT); Artur (Luis Guilherme, aos 24’/2ºT), Dudu (Breno Lopes, aos 37’/2ºT) e Rony (Endrick, aos 16’/2ºT). Técnico: João Martins.

Rishabh Pant has vowed to “give 200%” to Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) after being officially unveiled as the franchise’s captain for IPL 2025. As ESPNcricinfo had reported earlier, Pant was set to be named captain after being bought at the pre-season auction for a record INR 27 crore (USD 3.21 million approx.).”Thank you to LSG family for showing the faith in me,” Pant said, alongside team owner Sanjiv Goenka and mentor Zaheer Khan, in Kolkata on Monday. “I will give my 200% and that’s my commitment to you. I will try whatever is in my power to repay the faith you have shown. Looking forward to have a new beginning with new energy and just have a blast out there, and have lots of fun.”Pant takes over from KL Rahul, who led the franchise for its first three seasons before going back into the auction this time around. Pant moves to LSG after a long stint with Delhi Capitals – he was with the franchise since 2016, took over its captaincy in 2021 and led all through barring the 2023 season, when he was recuperating from a serious car accident.Related

• Fast-bowler injuries threaten Pant-powered LSG's season

• Rajat Patidar appointed new RCB captain for IPL 2025

• IPL 2025 begins March 21 weekend

• Shreyas Iyer to lead Punjab Kings

With LSG, he has a chance to build on the team’s previous three seasons of moderate success; they made two playoffs in a row before missing out in IPL 2024.”Yes this is a new team and a new set-up but my ideology of captaining a side doesn’t change,” Pant said. “But as a cricketer you are [always] trying to add to your captaincy. If you give confidence and trust in a player, he will do things you can’t even imagine. That’s the ideology we will try to have. We will give them trust, clear communication and lay out what role we have for them.”One thing we will stress on is a never-say-die attitude. ‘You fight till the last ball.’ That’s what I emphasise on. Performances will come and go, but are you fighting enough? Are you giving your 100% on the field? And that is something you can control as an individual.”See, everyone gets tired but eventually how far are you willing to take it? Are you willing to give that extra 20-30% for the team, even though your body is not allowing? That’s the kind of character we want in the team and that’s the culture we are building.”

Too many left-hand batters? Zaheer sees it as a ‘tactical edge’

Zaheer, who as captain of Delhi Daredevils in 2016, had worked with a young Pant fresh off his India Under-19 stint, said Pant is someone who has inspired a new style of play. He said that acquiring Pant and naming him captain was the first of many pillars that LSG were putting in place to create a winning franchise.But will their crew of middle-order left-hand batters affect team balance? LSG will potentially line up with Pant, David Miller and Nicholas Pooran back-to-back. Zaheer said good batters will always find a way.”It can be a tactical edge also,” Zaheer said. “That’s how we are looking at it. I haven’t looked at how many left-handers I want in the team. It’s fine as long as you have the balance, you have options in the squad and your bases are covered. When I’m looking at our team, it’s looking like a solid unit.”Now about creating that environment entering the season and creating the pillars of success for any team. We want to get that in place and that starts with Rishabh being captain. He’s going to drive the whole unit in that way so that so that there’s a ‘Brand LSG’ – the kind of cricket that LSG wants to play, and we will be able to deliver.”IPL 2025 is set to start on March 21 at Eden Gardens, and run till May 25. LSG is the second franchise to unveil a new captain for 2025, after Punjab Kings put Shreyas Iyer in charge.