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The word ‘legend’ is thrown around all too readily in the beautiful game, but that is a tag that should be bestowed upon a key figure of Manchester United’s modern era – Wayne Rooney.

Plucked from Everton as a bulldozing teenager, the England and United great went on to achieve remarkable success during a glittering 13-year stay at Old Trafford, claiming a whole gamut of silverware, alongside his record total of 253 goals in all competitions.

Right from the outset, following his debut hat-trick against Fenerbahce, ‘Wazza’ simply looked born to pull on that famous red jersey, having also put the ‘devil’ in Red Devils with his relentless, full-blooded approach.

Yes, there were low moments – including his public desire to leave in both 2010 and 2013 – but the highs were so much more memorable, be it that overhead kick in the Manchester Derby, or his long-range stunner away at West Ham United.

Part of the famed forward line, alongside Carlos Tevez and Cristiano Ronaldo, that claimed Champions League glory in 2008, Rooney was simply a menace in his pomp, with the great Sir Alex Ferguson previously suggesting that he could have played “in any era”.

Not only that, but the ex-Everton man was also seemingly the man for any position, be it as a number ten, a centre-forward, a winger or – as was the case in his latter days – as a central midfielder.

Why Wayne Rooney moved into midfield

It’s fair to say that much of Rooney’s best work for United came at the top end of the pitch, with the versatile speedster memorably scoring 34 goals in all competitions during the 2009/10 campaign, while operating as a centre-forward.

As he himself later admitted, however, he “hated” playing as the lone number nine as he “wanted to get involved” in the game, having notably moved into a number ten berth following Robin van Persie’s arrival in 2012.

That duo notably combined on the day that clinched what remains United’s most recent league title, with Rooney picking out the Dutchman with a delightful lofted pass over the top. Van Persie, of course, did the rest.

Such a moment perhaps hinted at a future for the Englishman in a deeper role later in his career, with Louis van Gaal subsequently opting to deploy his skipper as a central midfielder during his time in charge.

Speaking in April 2016, Rooney then admitted that he was looking to emulate teammate Paul Scholes in that role:

Most memorably, Rooney started in a deep-lying berth in the 2016 FA Cup final, with the Daily Mail’s Sami Mokbel writing at the time that the 30-year-old ‘ran the show’ in that eventual 2-1 victory.

To have moved from operating in the final third to then pulling the strings in the centre of the park seemed like a natural progression for the now-retired star, with that scenario perhaps now repeating itself with regard to Bruno Fernandes.

Man Utd's "legend" could now be emulating Rooney

After the highs of that Wembley triumph at the end of Van Gaal’s tenure, Rooney – who played as a midfielder in England’s unsuccessful Euro 2016 campaign – saw his change in role prove short-lived amid Jose Mourinho’s arrival, with the Portuguese coach stating that his captain “will never be a number six” in his team.

Just a year later, ‘Wazza’ was on his way back to Everton after enduring a bit-part role in claiming Europa League and Carabao Cup success in 2016/17, before ultimately retiring in 2021 after spells with DC United and Derby County.

There is perhaps the view that it was a mistake for Rooney to have tried to change his game in the latter stages of his career, with analyst Michael Cox writing in 2017 that he ‘had not taken to that role because he does not have the mobility to play there’.

Touches

110

Pass accuracy

79%

Key passes

6

Shots on target

2

Shots off target

0

Big chances created

0

Successful dribbles

2/5

Duels won

7/17

Long balls completed

7/12

Possession lost

31x

Dribbled past

3x

Perhaps there may be a fear of Fernandes enduring similar difficulties, with the £300k-per-week talisman also not exactly the most defensively-minded figure to call upon. Indeed, against Nottingham Forest in midweek, he was dribbled past on three occasions and lost the ball 31 times.

Despite those concerns, the decision to move the 30-year-old into a deeper role – amid his previous work as a number ten – does look as if it could prove far more successful than Rooney’s own late career venture.

That was again evident against Forest as the Portuguese playmaker initially struggled when operating behind Joshua Zirkzee, before gaining greater control after a half-time reshuffle saw him slot in alongside Casemiro, as he went on to rack up six key passes in total.

The reported Real Madrid target has been in fine form as part of the midfield duo after netting against the likes of Arsenal, Leicester City and Real Sociedad, with Amorim describing him as the “perfect captain” amid criticism from treble-winning hero, Roy Keane.

Also described as a “legend” in his own right by his manager, Fernandes has previously hinted that he envisages his future as a number six, again mirroring Rooney in having plotted out the latter stages of his career.

The only concern will be whether the former Sporting CP man – like Rooney – has the physical capabilities to make himself a long-term fit in this role moving forward, with The Athletic’s Carl Anka previously noting that the ‘central midfielders in Amorim’s 3-4-3 are chosen for their athleticism and tackling qualities first and foremost’.

The plan is working at the moment, to an extent, considering Fernandes’ individual brilliance, but it does beg the question as to whether he can maintain this momentum in the centre of the park.

With the midfield maestro perhaps approaching legendary status himself, he must ensure that his United career does not peter out in the same way that Rooney’s did before him.

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Head coach believes England are battle-hardened from ‘scrapping and clawing’ through tournament

Matt Roller26-Jun-2024England have spent the last three weeks enjoying the West Indies’ most popular tourist destinations: Barbados, Antigua and St Lucia. Their arrival in Georgetown, Guyana on Tuesday morning brought with it a major change of mood: their hotel overlooks the brown, silty meeting point of the Demerara River and the Atlantic, rather than the bright blue of the Caribbean sea.It is a venture into the unknown. England’s men have not played at the Providence Stadium in Guyana since 2010, when they snuck through to the second phase of the World T20 on net run-rate after defeat to West Indies and a washout against Ireland. Chris Jordan is the only squad member with any experience at Providence, amounting to two CPL games five years ago.Georgetown is a city that is changing rapidly, with extensive redevelopment everywhere you look. Guyana has the fastest-growing economy in the world after the discovery of an estimated 11 billion barrels worth of oil off its coast. Billboards and posters throughout the capital declare that ‘Essequibo is Guyana’, making clear its stance on a major territorial dispute with Venezuela.Related

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The T20 World Cup 2024 semi-final between England and India has the sense of a business trip, a three-day in-and-out: neither team is hanging around, with both due to fly to Barbados straight after Thursday’s game. They will hardly leave their hotels beyond Wednesday’s training sessions due to underlying concerns around security, and their strong focus on preparing for the venue’s unique conditions.England only learned on Monday afternoon that they would be coming to South America, when India confirmed their progress as group winners. They were supported by thousands of travelling fans throughout the two group stages, but there will hardly be any in Georgetown, with last-minute flights and hotel rooms nearly impossible to source.The ICC’s decision to predetermine that India would play in the second semi-final reflects the reality of cricket’s economic model, which is utterly dependent on the value of broadcast rights in one dominant market. It is why every game India have played at this World Cup has started at 10.30am local time, which equates to a primetime 8pm spot for the huge television audience back home.But that has raised questions about sporting integrity: England have been scrambling to learn more about this venue in the last 48 hours, relying heavily on their consultant coach Kieron Pollard; India, by contrast, have known for months that they would play in Guyana if they progressed this far. “I don’t see this as an advantage,” Rohit Sharma, their captain, insisted. “You’ve got to play good cricket to win a cricket game: that’s how I look at it.”Matthew Mott on Kieron Pollard: “He has been a really strong voice in the use of the wind”•Gareth Copley/GettyBy contrast, England’s coach Matthew Mott believes that the predetermined venue could play into India’s hands. “We knew all about it from the start, and that’s a decision way above my pay grade,” Mott told ESPNcricinfo at Providence before England trained on Wednesday. “And to be honest, I think it could be an advantage for them.”The short turnaround to Saturday’s final means there is no reserve day, although a ten-over-a-side game could start as late as 4.14pm local time, which will be 5 hours and 44 minutes after the scheduled start. The forecast has improved significantly in recent days, but there are still heavy showers anticipated; in the event of a no-result, India will qualify after topping their Super Eight group.”It’s something we’ve known about since the start of the tournament, so to cry foul over it now probably doesn’t make a lot of sense,” Mott said. “I’m not going to lie: it would be great to have a reserve day because the weather can change from day to day, but I think there will be enough time to get some cricket in… Maybe that’s something the ICC need to look at, [in the] long term.”England were on the brink of elimination after losing their first completed match against Australia, and Mott believes that has been beneficial: “The advantage for us is we feel like we’ve had to scrap and claw our way through this tournament. Then when you get into the semi-finals, you feel really match-hardened for that cut-and-thrust of knockout stuff.”He is one of the few members of England’s staff who has been to Guyana before, with his Australia side playing here in the 2018 Women’s World T20. “It’s a pitch where you’re going to have to use your graft and your skills,” Mott said. “One of the things that has come out [of England’s research] is that it’s actually not a huge turning ground: it’s more to do with the lack of bounce where spin comes into play.No team other than England has reached the semi-finals of the last four men’s T20 World Cups•ICC/Getty Images”We’ve certainly chatted a lot about it as a spin group, making sure that we keep the stumps in play… Pollard has been exceptional about just making sure that we stick to that sort of stuff. He’s been a really strong voice in the use of the wind, and how we can use that as a batting and bowling group.”Thursday’s match will be played on the central strip, Pitch No. 3, which was used for a low-scorer between Uganda and Papua New Guinea in the group stages. “It’s going to be one of those games where the information-gathering is going to have to happen in those first couple of overs,” Mott said. “Something that we’ve done really well is get that communication back and forth… it is a pretty unique facility.”England did not select their team until after their training session, and were considering a number of different options. They have picked four seamers in their last four games, but will consider replacing one with a batter against India, most likely Will Jacks.”We feel like we’ve got all bases covered, and I don’t think that any change is going to be massive,” Mott said. “It’ll be a little tweak here or there – and that could be the edge.”No other team has reached the semi-finals of the last four men’s T20 World Cups, and England are chasing history: the trophy has never been successfully defended. It is a tantalising prospect for them, but the conditions mean they are underdogs on Thursday, despite the thrashing they inflicted on India at this stage of the 2022 tournament.”We would have bitten your hand off a couple of weeks ago to get to this spot,” Mott said. “There’s a lot of work to do, but a lot of incentive to get through and get to that final as well – and there’d be nothing better than beating a very strong Indian team in a semi-final.”It would surely rank as one of their best T20I wins.

Returning of conquering heroes from 2019 comes a cropper at hands of inspired India

Vithushan Ehantharajah12-Jul-2022It was supposed to be the grand return of the World Cup five, at a ground famed for its ability to bring old friends together. By the end, no one got the reunion they were promised.This was the first one-day international to feature all of Jason Roy, Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root, Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler since the 2019 World Cup Final. With 50-over cricket playing very much second fiddle since then, it was perhaps no surprise, what with the pandemic fast-tracking separate squads playing concurrently and the need to rest multi-format players. The quintet – England’s top five on Tuesday – have never once featured together in a T20I, though they did manage four Ashes Tests together at the end of that heady 2019 summer.The time between drinks, specifically from that deserved boozy sesh at Lord’s (starting three years ago this Thursday, and spilling over into a three-dayer for some) to just after 2pm with 13.5 overs gone in this first ODI at the Oval, when the hosts were 53 for six and all but one of the five had been dismissed, has felt like a lifetime. So long, in fact, that England are good at Test cricket now.What was supposed to be a response to the T20 series loss to India last week ended up being the an even more brutal defeat in this 50-over opener. Buttler’s call ahead of this match for his players to be braver was answered in the worst way possible. The returning Test heroes of Root, Stokes and Bairstow managed just seven between them (all of them to Bairstow) to go with Roy’s five-ball duck to get things going. And those that forked out as much as three figures for tickets, anticipating 100 overs of competitive cricket, had to make do with a 44-over rout. By 4:55pm, they had to start thinking about other evening plans.Jason Roy was bowled by Jasprit Bumrah•Getty ImagesEngland’s night will no doubt be more subdued than that of those who filed out aimlessly into the streets of south London. What introspection there will be is limited to that of individuals. And perhaps the most prominent individual on the batters’ minds will be Jasprit Bumrah, who adopted a fuller, “Test-match length” to make use of a white Kookaburra seaming and swinging in muggy conditions, and claimed a career-best 6 for 19 in England’s 110 all out. Rohit Sharma was a distant but deserved second-best performer with an unbeaten 76 that quickly (if inhumanely) put England out of their misery.As far as analysing where things went wrong, there won’t be too much by way of autopsy between now and Thursday’s second ODI at Lord’s. Buttler would have also bowled first had he won the toss, and while David Willey, Reece Topley, Brydon Carse and Craig Overton would hardly have matched Bumrah and Mohammed Shami’s opening burst, England would have at least batted in friendlier conditions. And beyond Roy’s skewed-bat drive which brought the ball back onto his stumps and Liam Livingstone’s cowboy flamingo for the fourth nought in the top six, they will feel this was just one of those losses.At least, they’ll try. Part of the schtick in the early stages of Eoin Morgan’s tenure was to smoothen the sharp end of defeat, especially in the bilaterals played between the 2015 and 2019 World Cups. They highlighted areas to improve, blindspots to be addressed, conditions that had not yet been mastered and, if not those, then they were character-building.Naturally, Buttler – England’s top-scorer with 30 – went to a few of these pages of his predecessor’s playbook, with the added justification of a new era with himself and white-ball coach Matthew Mott, not to mention a group of players who need to spend a lot more time together while also being pulled away by other formats.”It’s a long time since we have all played together,” Buttler said after the match. “It’s tough, I think the schedules are increasingly difficult for all format players to play all the games.”The guys you talk about – Ben, Jonny Bairstow, guys who are going to be some of the busiest cricketers in the world – the key is to turn up to those ICC events clear with what your best team is, but also with guys fresh and as good to go in those tournaments as they can be. So there will be times in bilateral series that guys miss out because it is just unattainable for guys to play every match.”The trouble is, however, that the next 50-over World Cup is in October next year. Between now and then, more or less slap-bang in the middle is a T20 World Cup, which realistically means ODI cricket will only be given priority from the start of 2023.Perhaps the bigger issue is, well, England are supposed to have done all the working-out, hence being defending champions and, moreover, setting a standard for ODI batting. And so defeats like this, even to a team like India and a quick like Bumrah, still sting.”If I look back over the past five, six years, our batting has been our super strength and in this form of the game,” Buttler said. “So you look at the names of the guys in there, they are some of the best players we’ve had. So certainly no need to panic at all.”Panic or not, Buttler looked visibly disappointed. Angry, even. Not having Morgan’s poker face is no slight on him, merely a reflection of Morgan’s superhuman inscrutability. The irony is, Morgan’s job of lifting the limited-overs standards has made it that much tougher for his mate.Related

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“I think it is a tough job on days like today,” Buttler said, referring to captaincy as a whole after a challenging start to his tenure enters its second week.”I will try and remain as balanced as I can. In ODIs, when you have had a lot of success over such a long period of time, it’s always going to be tough trying to continue that and evolve that, and that pressure and expectation is always going to be there to do that.”That is the standard we have set ourselves over a long period of time and we deserve that expectation. We have worked hard for that over a long period of time.”Buttler is right, of course. The expectation, especially for those who poured through the gates at The Oval, was to witness an England side who had made this format their own. The job now becomes showing everyone, perhaps even themselves, that they are still good for it.

Tall fast bowlers tend to struggle with pitching the ball up, but that doesn’t seem to be a problem for NZ’s debutant

Karthik Krishnaswamy in Wellington21-Feb-20202:17

Last couple of weeks have been surreal – Jamieson 

It helps to be six feet and eight inches tall. It can be the first step to a promising basketball career, and Kyle Jamieson could have gotten pretty far playing that sport – though he says his “jump height is not the greatest”. Having to choose between two sports in high school, when juggling them “just became quite full-on”, he chose cricket.Jamieson was more of a batsman growing up – his father Michael says batting outweighed bowling 60-40 in those days – and he’s already shown glimpses of his potential as a lower-order contributor, clattering 101 against an English attack that included James Anderson, Stuart Broad and Mark Wood in a tour game, and putting on an unbroken 76 with Ross Taylor for the ninth wicket, on his ODI debut.But he’s now a bowler first, a six-feet-eight-inches fast bowler. There are things a six-eight fast bowler can do that others cannot, and on Friday at the Basin Reserve, he did those things often. There were two balls, for instance, that climbed almost vertically at Ajinkya Rahane, lifting him off his feet. Rahane was batting on 10 when he got the first of them, and he rode the bounce as best as he could, played the ball as close to his body as he could, with the softest hands he could summon up, and kept the ball down despite only managing to meet it with his handle.The second came when Rahane was on 24. He’d already faced 71 balls by then, and had negotiated difficult conditions – it was green underfoot, grey overhead, and the wind blowing across the ground was frequently causing the trees lining the grass banks to judder violently – with utmost serenity. But this ball from Jamieson, springing up towards his neck, shook him out of his sure-footed ways, causing him to twist awkwardly in midair, with eyes off the ball and hands rising instinctively to protect his face.

“I think as a tall guy, naturally your length is further back, but over time you get used to trying to bring it a little bit fuller.”Kyle Jamieson

The ball hit his glove, or arm guard, or both, and ballooned over a desperately backtracking wicketkeeper and ran away for four.There was plenty of bounce to be extracted from this surface, and Jamieson was extracting every little drop. It was effortless bounce, reminiscent of Morne Morkel at his scariest, even if Jamieson isn’t nearly as quick.”I guess it just comes from a steeper angle,” Jamieson said at the end of the day’s play. “I guess not as quick as what some of the other guys are around the world, but I think still my short ball is a weapon, from the height that I can bowl it.”The ability to extract this sort of bounce had been Jamieson’s ticket to play this game. Neil Wagner, New Zealand’s one-of-a-kind short-ball specialist, was unavailable, and the team management could have picked either Jamieson or the more experienced Matt Henry in his stead. Henry, though, is a swing bowler much like Tim Southee and Trent Boult, and New Zealand wanted a third seamer with a point of difference.So here Jamieson was, providing that point of difference. Except that wasn’t all he did.Kyle Jamieson is pumped up after getting rid of Virat Kohli•Getty ImagesAt Test level, tall quicks who turn the pitch into a trampoline can often struggle for wickets despite routinely making batsmen look uncomfortable. They’re often told to try and pitch the ball fuller, so that they can threaten the stumps, or kiss the edges that they so often zip past, but to go away from your natural length, and to do it without losing your pace and venom, is difficult. Just ask Ishant Sharma. Or the aforementioned Morkel.On Test debut, Jamieson shifted his length forward and back effortlessly, without floating the ball up or losing his line, and he made it sound just as simple as he made it look.”Yeah, look, I guess with my height, I can afford to go a fraction fuller, especially out here as well, with the extra bounce,” he said. “I was trying to, I guess, make guys commit to play off the front foot. I think in my second spell, the first half of it, there was a lot of balls left on length, so it was just how do you commit them on the front foot, especially if it does swing or seam, then you’re a chance of bringing the edge in.”I think as a tall guy, naturally your length is further back, but over time you get used to trying to bring it a little bit fuller.”It was just one day’s work, of course, in near-perfect fast-bowling conditions, and that day was curtailed by rain. We can only really judge Jamieson the Test bowler when he’s built up a proper body of work, but as far as first impressions go, this was most encouraging.The best length a fast bowler – any bowler, really – can bowl is the shortest one that still draws the batsman forward. Jamieson hit that length time and again at the Basin, bowling from fairly wide on the crease, angling the ball into the right-hander, and every now and then getting it to straighten off the pitch.One such delivery in his first over beat both Cheteshwar Pujara’s outside edge and the top of off stump by what seemed like millimeters. Pujara did everything right while defending it, playing the angle, protecting his stumps, playing close to his body and not letting his hands get drawn towards the movement. He had to do everything right to survive it.Kyle Jamieson bowls on Test debut•AFPIn his third over, he bowled a similar delivery, only slightly fuller, and Pujara nicked it despite once again doing most things right.Not a bad first Test wicket, and the second was of a reasonably good player too. It was one of those Virat Kohli dismissals that leave you scratching your head, the thick edge while driving away from his body at a ball that’s nowhere near full enough, but it’s also the kind of dismissal that makes you wonder about all the times he middles drives just as far from his body and off just those lengths.It wasn’t the shot for the circumstances – 40 for 2, first day of a Test series in difficult conditions – but the ball also straightened off the seam, and had Jamieson’s extra bounce. Also consider what happened off the previous ball, a short one that made Kohli spring onto his toes to defend it.Push him back, then bring him forward, knowing there’s a chance he may not come as far forward as he should.There was a similar sequence of deliveries later on to Hanuma Vihari, and an edged drive fell just short of gully. Then, in his next over, Jamieson bowled one a fraction too full, and Vihari drove it back past him, holding his pose. Jamieson corrected his length beautifully next ball, pitching it on a fullish but not easily driveable length, and shifting his line outside off stump.Vihari’s set-up at the crease is built for driving down the ground and through midwicket, but not so much for the front-foot cover drive, because his head doesn’t really get over the ball when he plays the shot. He went for it anyway, perhaps still feeling the rush of the shot he’d played off the previous ball, and missed.Vihari survived through to drinks, but not the first ball after the mini-break. It was much like the ball that had dismissed Pujara, angling into the batsman, drawing him forward, straightening just enough. If Jamieson keeps bowling that length and that line, over after over and match after match, and gets a little bit of help every now and then from the conditions, he could have quite a career.

The Blue Jays were so close to winning their first World Series title since 1993 on Saturday night but then the Dodgers tied Game 7 in the bottom of the ninth with a solo home run by Miguel Rojas and won it in the 11th inning after a home run by Will Smith and some more clutch pitching by Yoshinobu Yamamoto.

It was a devastating loss for the everyone involved with the franchise and all of the fans at Rogers Centre who were so close to having one heck of a celebration, only to see it all fall away in stunning fashion.

It must have been especially rough for Don Mattingly, who finally made it to the World Series for the first time in his legendary career. The former Yankees great has served as the Blue Jays bench coach since 2022 and he was just three outs away from earning a championship ring, only to have it ripped away from a franchise he once managed.

Moments after the final out Mattingly was seen having a heartbreaking moment as he sat in the Toronto dugout and watched the Dodgers celebrate their second straight title. Blue Jays star Bo Bichette, who had a huge three-run homer in Game 7, was seen giving Mattingly a hug before the two headed to the clubhouse.

Here's that sad exchange:

Brutal.

Mattingly never made it to the World Series as a player and fell just short a few times during his stint as the manager of the Dodgers. It would have been pretty cool to see him celebrate finally earning a ring but that sadly didn't happen as the Blue Jays lost both Game 6 and 7 at home to the Dodgers.

Fans had some emotional reactions to that moment between Mattingly and Bichette.

Newcastle United won two games of football last week, thumping Benfica in the Champions League before rallying late on at home against Fulham at the weekend to claim three points in the Premier League.

Three much-needed points. Newcastle had only won two of their opening eight top-flight fixtures beforehand, and Eddie Howe’s side were clearly suffering as a by-product of the drawn-out summer Alexander Isak saga.

Nick Woltemade and Yoane Wissa have arrived at St. James’ Park to replace the Sweden star, and the former is firing on all cylinders, with five goals from his first ten Magpies outings in all competitions. His general play has impressed everyone at the club, and the entire fanbase besides.

But the 29-year-old Wissa has yet to make his debut as he recovers from a knee injury. The former Brentford star is slated to return in the coming weeks.

Despite this, there are a curious number of reports suggesting the Toon are considering adding to their forward ranks next year.

Newcastle eyeing another striker

Newcastle are showing signs of progress after a stodgy start to the season from an attacking standpoint. Woltemade hit the ground running after his £69m club-record move from Stuttgart, but the overall fluency had fallen from its former level.

With Bruno Guimaraes leading the creative resurgence and the likes of Anthony Gordon starting to find their form, there’s a sense that Newcastle’s strikers could hit lofty levels in the coming years.

While it may seem like Newcastle are well stocked at number nine, William Osula is expected to depart if he cannot establish regular minutes, and how Wissa will fare is as yet uncertain.

Because of this, Caught Offside believe technical director Ross Wilson is preparing a bumper bid for Brentford centre-forward Igor Thiago, who has been in fine fettle so far this season.

The Magpies are getting ready to lodge a €40m (£35m) offer for the Brazilian, though it’s felt more would be needed to convince the Bees to pay up. Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur are also interested.

Brentford are under no financial pressure to cash in, and thus Thiago may only leave if the Bees lose their sting and sink into the second tier at the end of the season.

What Igor Thiago would bring to Newcastle

Admittedly, Newcastle don’t need three top-class strikers in the long run. Not with Osula still making his presence known and with the likes of youngster Sean Neave just waiting to announce himself.

But if Wissa fails to make the grade after an injury-hit start to life on Tyneside, Thiago would be a compelling replacement, having rebounded from an injury-hit debut year at Brentford to make a prolific start to the new campaign under Keith Andrews’ management.

Six goals from nine Premier League matches is what he has, and despite his prolific returns, his manager has praised him as a “selfless” forward who “always puts the team first”.

The 24-year-old has also completed 60% of his dribbles this season while winning 5.4 duels per game, as per Sofascore, demonstrating his robustness and the desire to get stuck in and contribute.

Key virtues for a striker in a Howe set-up, right?

Hailed by Sky Sports’ Dougie Critchley for being “relentless in his work rate”, there’s little question that Thiago boasts the energy and tenacity to make waves under Howe’s wing.

FBref highlight this perfectly, showcasing the striker’s defensive qualities across the early Premier League campaign. What’s most curious is his likeness to Woltemade, with both physical and rangy forward blessed with more technical skill than might be apparent at a glance.

Goals scored

0.73

0.75

Assists

0.00

0.00

Touches (att pen)

3.64

4.53

Shots taken

2.43

2.26

Shot-creating actions

1.82

1.51

Pass completion (%)

71.0

76.9

Progressive passes

0.85

1.70

Progressive carries

0.49

0.57

Successful take-ons

0.73

0.57

Ball recoveries

1.58

2.64

Tackles + interceptions

1.58

1.51

Aerial duels won

3.27

1.51

With both stars eager to progress the ball and get stuck in defensively, you can see why Howe has been sold after the early weeks of the campaign.

Woltemade’s link-up play is one of his defining assets on the field. In this, he is similar to the ‘selfless’ Thiago, and it’s curious to note that both stars have enjoyed clinical starts to the season regardless.

Level on six goals with Bournemouth’s Antoine Semenyo, Thiago has only been outscored in the top flight this term by the unstoppable Erling Haaland, who is on 11 strikes.

They are not carbon copies, though, these two strikers. This could work to the advantage of Howe’s project, to be sure, providing equally dynamic forwards to bounce off the likes of Gordon and Anthony Elanga, who has still not got going this season, willing to serve as physical focal points and use crisp passing to play the fleet-footed wingers through.

One of the staples of Howe’s Newcastle project is the collective ability to weather adversity and bounce back stronger. Thiago looks tailor-made in this regard, having featured so little last year under Thomas Frank as he recovered from that knee injury, and yet having played with such confidence and quality across the opening months of the season.

While it doesn’t seem likely that Newcastle would spend a pretty penny on a striker like Thiago without first cutting some costs, he’s been earmarked and has the talent and playing style to become a major player under Howe’s wing down the line.

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Newcastle may well part ways with this Howe mainstay at the end of the campaign.

ByAngus Sinclair Oct 29, 2025

The Boston Red Sox stayed hot Tuesday night, beating the Colorado Rockies, 10–2, at Fenway Park for their fifth straight win.

The good vibes weren't only on the field for the Red Sox, but also in the stands above the legendary Green Monster where one fan made one of the coolest, and most casual, catches of the 2025 season.

Trevor Story's 15th home run of the year was a three-run shot that gave the Red Sox a commanding 9–0 lead. It also gave a fan wearing one of the team's jerseys a moment he'll never forget.

Check this out:

Here's the full home run:

He made that look way too easy. What a night at Fenway for that fella.

The Red Sox are now 48–45 on the year.

كشف الإعلامي أحمد شوبير تطورات جديدة بشأن مستقبل لاعب الأهلي، مؤكدًا أن النادي تلقّى بالفعل خطابًا رسميًا من أحد الأندية الألمانية لضم اللاعب، مع اقتراب خوضه فترة معايشة خارجية قد تمهّد لاحترافه.

وقال شوبير في تصريحات عبر برنامجه الإذاعي صباح اليوم الأربعاء: “نادي هانوفر الألماني طلب ضم بلال عطية، وقد وصل إلى الأهلي خطاب رسمي بشأن ذلك”.

طالع أيضًا | هل يفكر الأهلي في الاستغناء عن محمد مجدي أفشة؟

وتابع: “من قبل، كان نادي شتوتجارت مهتمًا باللاعب، وخاض فترة معايشة هناك، لكن ضيق الوقت وإجراءات التأشيرة وبعض التفاصيل اللوجستية حالت دون إتمام الأمر في شهر ديسمبر كما كان مقررًا”.

وأشار: “ولذلك وافق الأهلي على سفره لفترة المعايشة، وما زال النادي يراجع بعض التفاصيل المتعلقة بالاتفاق”.

واختتم: “الخطوة التالية هي أن يخوض اللاعب فترة المعايشة بنجاح، ينبغي أن يحرص الأهلي على هؤلاء اللاعبين الشباب، مثل بلال وحمزة عبد الكريم، وأنا شخصيًا أول من يتمنى لهم الاحتراف، ولكن الأهلي يحرص على ترتيب الأمور بشكل دقيق فيما يخص هذا اللاعب، حتى تكتمل العملية على خير”.

Arsenal are well-stocked all over the pitch and boast one of the finest squad depths in England, yet they continue to be linked with high-profile transfers ahead of January.

Arsenal overcome Brentford to go five points clear

On the pitch, Mikel Arteta’s side maintained their commanding lead at the Premier League summit with a professional 2-0 victory over Brentford at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday.

The victory extended their unbeaten streak to an incredible 18 matches across all competitions, with Arteta seriously rotating his squad following a recent demanding triple-header against Tottenham, Bayern Munich and Chelsea.

Arsenal’s unbeaten run in all competitions since defeat to Liverpool

Arsenal 3-0 Nottingham Forest

Athletic Bilbao 0-2 Arsenal

Arsenal 1-1 Man City

Port Vale 0-2 Arsenal

Newcastle 1-2 Arsenal

Arsenal 2-0 Olympiacos

Arsenal 2-0 West Ham

Fulham 0-1 Arsenal

Arsenal 4-0 Atlético Madrid

Arsenal 1-0 Crystal Palace

Arsenal 2-0 Brighton

Burnley 0-2 Arsenal

Slavia Prague 0-3 Arsenal

Sunderland 2-2 Arsenal

Arsenal 4-1 Tottenham

Arsenal 3-1 Bayern Munich

Chelsea 1-1 Arsenal

Arsenal 2-0 Brentford

Bukayo Saka, Jurrien Timber and Eberechi Eze were all rested from the starting lineup, but the Gunners’ strength in depth showed with Ben White and Noni Madueke combining brilliantly down the right throughout.

The opener arrived early on when White delivered an inviting cross that found Mikel Merino, who powered a header past Caoimhin Kelleher for his fifth goal of the campaign.

The Spaniard, who Arteta never expected to be the proficient going forward, has now netted 21 times in 2025 for club and country, showcasing his remarkable goalscoring form.

Arsenal suffered a blow before the interval when Cristhian Mosquera limped off with an ankle injury, compounding their defensive concerns with both Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba already sidelined. Timber then replaced the injured defender as Arteta juggled his limited centre-back options.

Brentford manager Keith Andrews introduced Igor Thiago, Mikkel Damsgaard and Jordan Henderson from the bench after an hour, while Arteta countered by bringing on Saka and Eze.

Arsenal controlled proceedings but missed several opportunities to seal the contest earlier.

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To add further injury worry after Mosquera, Arsenal’s arguable player of the season, Declan Rice, departed late with a calf problem, with Arteta now sweating over his fitness ahead of a hectic Christmas schedule and the clash with Aston Villa.

Saka finally made the points safe in stoppage time, latching onto Merino’s perfectly weighted pass before finishing past Kelleher despite the goalkeeper getting a hand to the effort.

Given Arsenal’s injury curse which has plagued them since last season, sporting director Andrea Berta will be attentive to any unmissable transfer market opportunities.

Enter Real Madrid forward Rodrygo, who is reportedly up for sale this winter after playing a bit-part role under Xabi Alonso.

Rodrygo expresses wish to join Arsenal as agents open talks

Arsenal have already been linked with a move for the Brazil international heading into January, following exploratory talks over a deal last summer.

The 24-year-old has managed just three La Liga starts this term, making the vast majority of his appearances off the bench, with Rodrygo believed to be in the process of finding a new club.

That is according to TEAMtalk and reporter Graeme Bailey, who also state that Rodrygo has ‘expressed a wish’ to join Arsenal among four other Premier League sides he’s also interested in.

Crucially, though, the ex-Santos star’s agents have apparently reopened talks with Arteta’s side, who also ‘pushed hardest’ to sign him in the summer window.

However, Arsenal will need a minimum £70 million to strike a deal, with a loan appearing unlikely as things stand.

Berta and co, meanwhile, are believed to be monitoring his situation closely, which isn’t hard to see why given their bad luck with injuries, not to mention the uncertainty surrounding Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard.

The latter wingers are both out of contract in under two years, and with no sign of an extension for either, Arsenal need to think about long-term succession planning.

Rodrygo’s £282,000-per-week salary would put him in line with Arsenal’s highest earners, so it is an expensive transfer to pull off beyond just his club fee.

That being said, Rodrygo is also a player of proven quality, having racked up 68 goals and 53 assists in under 300 appearances for Los Blancos.

Manchester United are reportedly battling Arsenal and Real Madrid to complete the signing of a quick Bundesliga defender.

The left-back situation at Old Trafford is one that Ruben Amorim will be keeping an eye on, with his preferred 3-4-2-1 formation requiring a player who can excel in a left wing-back role.

Luke Shaw has been used more as one of the three centre-backs for United this season, with age and injuries arguably making it harder for him to be the marauding force that he used to be down the left flank.

Meanwhile, Patrick Dorgu is a good player with plenty of promise at wing-back, providing power and quality, and Diogo Dalot’s versatility allows him to do a job on both the left and the right.

United could need to look at more depth moving forward, however, especially with Shaw never too far away from an injury absence, and it looks as though Nathaniel Brown has emerged as a strong option in that area of the pitch.

Man Utd keen on signing £56m-rated Brown

According to a fresh update from Bild [via Sport Witness], Manchester United are in the mix to sign Brown from Frankfurt, but Arsenal and Madrid are providing stiff competition.

He is said to be “on their radar” as they eye up fresh faces in 2026, with the German left-back a new target for the Red Devils who is valued at £56m.

Brown stands out as an exciting target for United, with Frankfurt sporting director Markus Krosche heaping praise on his many qualities as a player.

“Yes! Because he has three exceptional abilities that you can’t learn. He’s smart and tactically astute, has fantastic technique, and is very fast. And all of that is necessary to have a great career ahead of him. Now is the wrong time to think about who might leave us and when. They’re both young and should stay with us a while longer.

“Can (Uzun) has developed tremendously compared to last year. It’s a shame he’s injured now. And Nene (Brown) is simply exceptional. He’s made outstanding progress, especially when it comes to defending at a high level. Just look at how he plays against top opponents in the Champions League.”

At 22, Brown would be a long-term addition for United, challenging Dorgu for minutes, and he will surely add to his one solitary cap for Germany at senior international level as the years pass.

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He has averaged five tackles per game in the Champions League this season, highlighting his tenacity off the ball, while three assists in all competitions shows he can also create in the attacking third.

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