Manchester United are now leading the race to sign a £30m “monster”, who scored at Old Trafford earlier this month, according to a report.

Man Utd eyeing new attacking midfielder

One of Man United’s main aims this summer is to strengthen their attacking options, and it appears as though they are now closing in on a move for Wolverhampton Wanderers star Matheus Cunha, with work ongoing to finalise a contract agreement.

Cunha is expected to be brought in to play in the number 10 role, but the Brazilian is not United’s only target in that area of the pitch, having made an approach for River Plate’s Franco Mastantuono, who has a €45m (£38m) release clause in his contract.

Earlier this month, it was revealed the Red Devils are also in the race for Lyon’s Rayan Cherki, who could be allowed to leave Lyon on the cheap this summer, given the difficult financial situation the French club find themselves in.

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There has now been a new update on Man United’s pursuit of Cherki, with a report revealing they are now leading the race for the Lyon star, alongside Premier League rivals Tottenham Hotspur, who are also frontrunners for his signature.

Bayern Munich and a number of other top European clubs are in the race for the attacking midfielder, and there is a feeling he could be available for a relatively low fee, with Lyon setting an asking price of around €30m -€35m (£25m – £30m).

The 21-year-old is ready to move on this summer, and he has set his sights on a move to the Premier League, with a view to continuing his development, having already made significant strides this season.

"Monster" Cherki enjoying incredible campaign

The Lyon forward appears to have developed considerably in the 2024-25 campaign, having amassed a remarkable 12 goals and 19 assists in 41 matches in all competitions, with one of those goals coming at Old Trafford in his side’s 5-4 Europa League loss earlier this month.

Freelance scout Ben Mattinson has also lavished the Frenchman with praise, describing him as a “creative monster capable of magical moments”, and he has performed incredibly well across a number of key metrics for attacking midfielders over the past year.

Statistic

Average per 90

Assists

0.59 (99th percentile)

Shot-creating actions

6.68 (98th percentile)

Progressive passes

8.97 (99th percentile)

Successful take-ons

2.72 (92nd percentile)

There is every sign that Cherki could be a fantastic signing for Man United this summer, although signing a new striker should be a priority, given that a deal for Cunha, who is set to play in attacking midfield, is now edging closer.

Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee have failed to deliver this season, netting seven Premier League goals between them, and it appears as though Man United are now willing to cash-in on the Dane this summer.

da prosport bet： Heading into Sunday’s clash at St James’ Park, both Chelsea and Newcastle United found themselves locked on 63 points in the Premier League.

da bet vitoria： But, come the full-time whistle, the gulf in class between the two Champions League chasing outfits was obvious, with both Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes sharing out the goal-load to hand Eddie Howe’s Toon a richly deserved 2-0 win.

Of course, the Magpies’ quest for a golden three points was undoubtedly helped by Nicolas Jackson receiving a red card deep into the first half, with the ex-Villarreal striker enduring yet another torrid afternoon leading the line for Enzo Maresca’s men.

Jackson's horror show on the road

The 23-year-old does have somewhat of a healthy goal return next to his name this season at 12 strikes overall, but all the main talking points from the clash on Tyneside would centre on his dismissal, away from his hot-and-cold ability to find the net.

Indeed, after planting an elbow into the face of Newcastle defender Sven Botman, the inconsistent Blues attacker would be sent off, meaning he is now suspended until the end of the Premier League season.

There was still 65 minutes of the match left after Jackson’s moment of madness, but the damage had already been done on Chelsea’s end, meaning Newcastle eventually strolled to a 2-0 victory to gain an upper hand to finish inside the coveted top five.

Jackson didn’t even test Nick Pope with a single effort on goal before clashing with the Magpies centre-back, with Maresca now tasked with deciding who to start up top now in the remaining top-flight contests to come ahead of the suspended striker.

Other Chelsea first-teamers could also feel the wrath of the manager’s team selection moving forward, with this fellow underperformer in attack only lasting ten more minutes than Jackson before being hooked.

Chelsea's other big underperformer

Nobody wearing Chelsea blue would come away from the 2-0 defeat with much praise, with Romeo Lavia another who looked out-of-sorts in the midfield department, especially when his casual nature on the ball centrally led to Tonali’s speedy opener.

But, Lavia would at least see out 75 minutes on the St James’ turf, with Noni Madueke half a tactical substitution due to Chelsea being reduced to ten men, and half an alteration made purely out of his ineffectiveness in attack when he lasted just 45 minutes.

Madueke’s performance in numbers

Stat

Madueke

Minutes played

45

Touches

16

Accurate passes

8/9 (89%)

Shots

0

Successful dribbles

0/1

Dribbled past

2x

Total duels won

0/4

Stats by Sofascore

At times, Madueke was merely a spectator to the constant waves of Newcastle attacks, with the 23-year-old dribbled past more times than he could conjure up successful dribbles himself.

Moreover, the ex-PSV Eindhoven winger could trudge off the pitch at the half-time interval and not return off the back of failing to register a single effort on the home side’s goal, alongside failing to win a single duel from four attempts. In stark contrast, even as Newcastle bossed proceedings, Jacob Murphy would win four duels as a committed warrior for Howe’s hosts.

It could well be time for Maresca to experiment with something fresh down the left channel, therefore, with 19-year-old sensation Tyrique George capable of playing down that flank, alongside an equally hit-and-miss Jadon Sancho.

The Italian will just pray that any changes he does makes to his XI pays off, with the Blues now slipping down the league, whilst Newcastle bask in the glory of third position.

Whenever Chelsea seem to be settling into their groove, another bump seemingly appears in the road, with just two Premier League games now left for the Blues to make any European dreams come true.

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A Madrid journalist has now dropped a significant new update regarding Davide Ancelotti’s chances of becoming Rangers’ next manager this summer.

Rangers manager search rumbles on

A host of candidates have been mentioned as options to take charge at Ibrox at the end of the season, at which point Barry Ferguson’s spell as interim manager is expected to reach its conclusion. Steven Gerrard has long been a front-runner to come in and enjoy a second stint at Rangers, having won the Scottish Premiership title in 2020/21, but Ancelotti has also emerged as an intriguing option recently.

The 36-year-old is currently the assistant manager to his father Carlo Ancelotti at Real Madrid, going through a disappointing season at the Santiago Bernabeu, with the European giants going trophyless.

He has been hailed by the Madrid boss though, who has said of his son: “Davide is a competent, disciplined, professional and very calm assistant coach. He works alongside Francesco Mauri, who is very young too. Luis works with the goalkeepers, Pintus with his experience on the physical side of things. I have a young and very competent coaching team. We combine their enthusiasm with my experience well.”

It was thought that that the Italian is contemplating moving into management on his own, taking on a head coach role and moving away from his father, but now a significant update has dropped regarding Rangers’ pursuit of him.

Ancelotti set to join Brazil instead of Rangers

Taking to X on Friday morning, Madrid journalist Alberto Pereiro revealed Ancelotti won’t become Rangers’ new manager, instead deciding to follow his father to be his assistant with Brazil’s national team ahead of the 2026 World Cup.

This is an update that will stun Rangers given all signs pointed towards the Italian moving out on his own, with the Madrid assistant standing out as one of the more exciting candidates to be their next manager.

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Granted, he hasn’t yet been a head coach in his career, which would make the Gers hiring him a risk, but he will have learned so much from his father and would bring a winning mentality with him, having helped both Bayern Munich and Madrid achieve so much success down the years.

Bundesliga

Bayern Munich

2017

German Cup

Bayern Munich

2017

German Cup

Bayern Munich

2018

Champions League

Real Madrid

2022

La Liga

Real Madrid

2022

Spanish Cup

Real Madrid

2022

Club World Cup

Real Madrid

2023

Spanish Cup

Real Madrid

2023

Spanish Super Cup

Real Madrid

2023

Champions League

Real Madrid

2024

La Liga

Real Madrid

2024

Spanish Super Cup

Real Madrid

2024

Now, the Scottish giants will have to look elsewhere at options, however, and it could be that Gerrard ends up being the man to come in, with the Liverpool legend feeling he has unfinished business at Ibrox.

While the mood around Arsenal’s domestic campaign has turned from disappointment to apathy, it shouldn’t be forgotten just how stop-start this season has been for the North Londoners.

For example, on top of losing their captain for a couple of months and their only two centre-forwards, the Gunners had to make do without their best player for almost four months.

Expecting Mikel Arteta’s squad to be at their best without Bukayo Saka would be like asking Liverpool to be at their best without Mohammed Salah or Manchester City to do the same without Erling Haaland.

In fact, it wouldn’t be hyperbole to place the Englishman among the very best wingers in the world now, so fans should be excited about recent reports linking the club with another international wideman who’s won comparisons not just with Saka but also fellow wonderkid Lamine Yamal.

Arsenal transfer news

Before we get to the player in question, it’s worth looking at some of the other star wingers linked with a move to Arsenal this summer, such as Nico Williams.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

The Spaniard’s representatives have supposedly already held talks with Andrea Berta and, with a release clause worth around £52m, this feels like a move that could happen, and as he’s amassed an impressive tally of 17 goal involvements in 41 games this term, perhaps one that should.

An even more expensive winger touted for a move to the Emirates earlier this month was Rafael Leo, who looks like he may finally leave AC Milan at the end of the season.

However, while the Portuguese superstar has racked up a brilliant tally of 22 goal involvements in 44 games this season, he could cost up to £86m, which might make a move for him prohibitively expensive, which may not be the case for Kingsley Coman.

Yes, according to a recent report from Sky Sports Germany reporter Florian Plettenberg, Arsenal have maintained their interest in the French winger.

Plettenberg has revealed that the Gunners are “in ongoing communication” with the player’s management and that it now looks all but certain that he’ll be leaving Bayern Munich in the summer.

However, Saudi Arabia “is a very appealing option” for the former Paris Saint Germain ace, and according to reports from last week, he could cost up to £39m, which may be seen as a steep amount considering his game time this season.

With that said, Coman is an undeniably talented player and one who has won comparisons to both Saka and Yamal, so should this transfer happen, he’d undoubtedly improve the quality of Arsenal’s squad.

How Coman compares to Saka & Yamal

So, before getting into some of the other benefits of signing Coman this summer, it’s worth first examining these comparisons to Saka and Yamal and where they come from.

Well, in this instance, they stem from FBref, which looks at players in similar positions in Europe’s top five leagues, the Champions League and Europa League then creates a list of the ten most comparable players for each one and, in this instance, has concluded that the Englishman is the seventh most similar attacking midfielder or winger to the Frenchman and the Spaniard is the ninth.

The best way to see where this comparison has come from is to look at the underlying metrics in which the trio rank closely, including, but not limited to, non-penalty expected goals, shots on target, goals per shot on target, tackles won, expected assists and more, all per 90.

Coman & Saka & Yamal
Statistics per 90	Coman	Saka	Yamal
Non-Penalty Expected Goals	0.32	0.29	0.29
Shots on Target	1.29	1.19	1.16
Goals per Shot on Target	0.27	0.28	0.20
Expected Assists	0.34	0.39	0.34
Tackles Won	0.85	0.86	0.89
All Stats via FBref for the 24/25 League Season

Moreover, like the two Barcelona and Arsenal stars, the Bayern ace also broke onto the scene when incredibly young, making his competitive debut for Paris Saint-Germain at just 16 years old before winning titles in Italy with Juventus and Germany with FC Hollywood.

It’s this experience, which is almost an expectation, to win which could be incredibly beneficial to have in Arteta’s squad from next season, as for all the talent currently there, none are proven winners in the same way as the “world-class” Frenchman, as dubbed by former manager Julian Nagelsmann, is.

Ultimately, while he might not be a guaranteed starter like Saka is, Coman would undoubtedly bring an immense level of experience and quality to Arsenal’s squad were he to join this summer, and therefore, he’s someone Arteta and Co should be looking to bring in.

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David Lloyd anchors run-chase after top-order implosion from visitors

ECB Reporters Network07-Jul-2024Derbyshire 131 for 3 (Lloyd 50) beat Yorkshire 130 for 9 (Ferreira 44, Thomson 3-26) by seven wicketsAlex Thomson took three wickets in an over to put Derbyshire Falcons on course for a crushing seven-wicket Vitality Blast victory over Yorkshire Vikings in front of a 5,200 sell-out crowd at Chesterfield.Vikings collapsed to 21 for 5 on a ground where they have now lost their last seven T20 games and although Donovan Ferreira made 44 off 32 balls, they could only manage 130 for nine.On a two-paced pitch, Thomson’s off-spin claimed 3 for 26 and Pakistan pace ace Mohammad Amir took 2 for 23 while skipper Samit Patel conceded only 15 from his four overs.Falcons made short work of chasing down the target with skipper David Lloyd scoring 50 off 32 balls and Wayne Madsen a composed unbeaten 30 to take the home side to 131 for 3 in 15 overs.After heavy rain in the morning delayed the start by 30 minutes, Vikings started disastrously losing three wickets to Thomson in the second over.Dawid Malan sliced the first ball he faced to gully, Adam Lyth drove straight to cover and Shan Masood was stumped after he came down the pitch to play through the offside.It got even worse for Yorkshire in the next over when Amir pinned James Wharton in front with a yorker to reduce the visitors to 10 for 4Vikings hopes of setting any sort of competitive score rested with Ferreira who survived a difficult swirling catch to Lloyd running back from short third man off Zak Chappell when he was on four.Chappell took a stunning catch in the next over when he plucked the ball one-handed at point to remove George Hill which left the Vikings in danger of falling short of their lowest T20 total of 68 made on the same ground last year.Ferreira drove and pulled Pat Brown for two fours to take the visitors to 52 for 5 after 10 overs and put a dent in Thomson’s figures by pulling him for the first six of the innings.That drop was starting to look costly when he mistimed a cut at Luis Reece low to point and although Matt Revis and Jordan Thompson both cleared the ropes in a Madsen over that cost 14, Revis pulled Amir to deep square leg and Dom Bess skied Chappell to mid-wicket.Thompson pulled Amir for six but Brown conceded only three from the final over to leave Falcons chasing a modest target.Vikings needed early wickets to have any chance but Masood dropped Aneurin Donald at mid off in the first over from Bess.Donald put a dent in the target before he drove Revis to mid on and Reece struck two sixes to take Falcons to 50 in the fourth over.Reece miscued a drive off Ben Cliff to long on but at the end of the powerplay, Falcons were 68 for 2 and well on their way.Lloyd was intent on finishing it quickly, hitting five fours and a six from the first 13 balls he faced as he cruised to 50 from only 31 deliveries.Thompson yorked him in the 14th over but by then it was too late and Falcons wrapped up victory with five overs to spare to boost their hopes of making the quarter-finals.

كسر فينسنت كومباني، مدرب نادي بايرن ميونخ صمته وعلق على إمكانية عودة هاري كين إلى صفوف توتنهام هوتسبير خلال فترة الميركاتو الصيفي العام المقبل.

كين سوف ينتهي عقده مع نادي بايرن ميونخ بنهاية الموسم المقبل، ولم يتم توقيع عقد جديد بين اللاعب والفريق البافاري حتى هذه اللحظة.

وورد أن نادي توتنهام يمتلك خيار إعادة شراء كين من جديد، وذلك في العقد الموقع مع بايرن ميونخ.

وكان مدرب توتنهام ، توماس فرانك، رحب بفكرة عودة كين إلى السبيرز من جديد وأنه سوف يكون سعيدًا إذا عمل مع ابن الـ32 عامًا.

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وأشار كومباني في تصريحات نقلتها صحيفة “مترو” إلى أن كين يجب أن يكون واضحًا مع إدارة بايرن ميونخ إذا أراد العودة إلى توتنهام.

وقال كومباني: “إنه يمر بمرحلة ممتازة، وآخر ما أريد فعله هو فتح الباب أمام نقاش مختلف حول فكرة رحيله عن بايرن ميونخ”.

وأضاف كومباني في حديثه عن كين: ”الشيء الوحيد الذي أراه دائمًا مع هاري هو رغبته في الفوز بالألقاب وهو قادر على ذلك في بايرن ميونخ، هذا هو التركيز الوحيد”.

ثم أوضح المدير الرياضي لبايرن ميونخ، ماكس إيبرل عن مصير كين: “أعتقد أنه في سنه لا يزال يحرز تقدمًا كبيرًا كشخصية على أرض الملعب”.

وأردف: ”في توتنهام بالطبع كنا نعرفه جميعًا من خلال تسجيله للأهداف، لكنني أعتقد أن أسلوب لعبه الحالي في هذا الفريق، ليس فقط من حيث تسجيل الأهداف بل كلاعب وقائد في الملعب والتضحية بنفسه من أجل الفريق وهذا يظهر ما كنت أقوله”.

وتابع: ”إنه في سن يسمح له باتخاذ قراراته بنفسه سواء كان لديه بند في عقده أم لا، إذا قال أريد اتخاذ قرار كما فعل في توتنهام، فسيتخذه، لكننا نتمنى بالطبع أن نحقق معه موسمًا ناجحًا للغاية وفي المستقبل”.

 

Rohit Paudel, in great form in the ongoing T20 series against the visiting West Indies A side at home, will lead a familiar-looking Nepal squad at the T20 World Cup, to be played in the West Indies and the USA next month.From the expanded Nepal squad that is playing the T20s against West Indies – and are 2-1 down after three games – Aarif Sheikh, Bibek Yadav and Aakash Chand have been left out of the 15-man squad for the World Cup. Sandeep Lamichhane, Nepal’s best-known T20 cricketer, is currently serving a jail sentence for rape.In the series against West Indies A, Nepal’s preparatory series in the lead up to the World Cup, Nepal won the first game by four wickets courtesy Paudel’s 54-ball 112, but they have since lost by ten runs and 76 runs. The last two games of that series will be played on Thursday and Saturday.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

The experienced squad includes the likes of Aasif Sheikh, Anil Kumar Sah, Kushal Bhurtel, Kushal Malla, Lalit Rajbanshi, Karan KC, Sompal Kami and others, as well as Dipendra Singh Airee, who made history last month when he became just the third batter to hit six sixes in an over in a men’s T20I. He achieved the feat against Qatar in their ACC Men’s Premier Cup match.At the World Cup, Nepal are in Group D, which also has Bangladesh, Netherlands, South Africa and Sri Lanka. Nepal start their campaign on June 4 against Netherlands in Dallas.

Nepal squad for T20 World Cup 2024

Rohit Paudel (capt), Aasif Sheikh, Anil Kumar Sah, Kushal Bhurtel, Kushal Malla, Dipendra Singh Airee, Lalit Rajbanshi, Karan KC, Gulshan Jha, Sompal Kami, Pratis GC, Sundeep Jora, Abinash Bohara, Sagar Dhakal, Kamal Singh Airee

Manchester City could be a force to be reckoned with in the transfer market and have made their first step to landing a priority target this summer, according to reports.

Man City look to enjoy successful summer window

The Premier League title may have headed to Anfield this season in a transitional year for the Citizens, but you get the impression they will be quick out of the blocks once the window opens for business.

Pep Guardiola acted decisively to bring in Omar Marmoush, Nico Gonzalez, Abdukodir Khusanov, Vitor Reis and Juma Bah in January, and no stone will be left unturned as Manchester City aim to position themselves among the elite.

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With some statement arrivals on the agenda, the Blues are said to be keen on a move for Paris Saint-Germain star Desire Doue, even if they will have to stump up £85 million or over to have a chance of landing his services.

Barcelona winger Raphinha is another high calibre target at the Etihad Stadium and he is believed to be among their priority options to strengthen out wide due to his excellent form for club and country.

Even if the Citizens were to miss out on Champions League football, they still hold an appeal that very few would be able to match with Guardiola’s long-term project likely to yield further silverware.

Nevertheless, Manchester City remain at a vantage point from which they will be confident they can finish the job before a summer when changes could be made to fuel the fire for success. Now, they have taken a step forward in their pursuit of another key target as their ruthless approach to recruitment begins to take its course.

Man City submit £34m+ offer for Porto goalkeeper Diogo Costa

According to reports, Manchester City have submitted an initial £34.1 million offer for Porto stopper Diogo Costa and look set to improve on their opening bid, which was rejected, sooner rather than later.

The Portugal international’s contract includes a £64 million release clause, but he may be allowed to leave for a fee in the region of £51.1 million if appropriate interest arises for his services.

Labelled “incredible” by countryman Diogo Dalot, Costa has kept 18 clean sheets in 44 appearances across all competitions this season as Porto look to seal continental qualification.

Diogo Costa’s key statistics in 2024/25 – Liga Portugal

Saves

51

Save percentage rate

66.2%

Goals conceded

26

Acted as sweeper

18

High claim

17

Errors led to goal

0

Ederson is expected to leave Manchester City for Saudi Arabia, so it is intriguing to see that they have now upped the ante in pursuing a long-term replacement for the Brazil international.

Looking ahead, it seems plausible that progress could be made in their move for Costa and it will be intriguing to see if he does end up becoming the man between the sticks at the Etihad Stadium.

Lionel Messi has been savaged by his wife Antonela Roccuzzo in an Instagram post celebrating his 38th birthday, with the GOAT receiving a Smurfs cake.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

• Messi savaged by wife
• Instagram post celebrates his birthday
• Smurfs cake for special day

Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Messi celebrated his birthday on Tuesday, with his wife poking fun at him and celebrating his best qualities on social media.

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• WHAT ROCCUZZO SAID

  Roccuzzo wrote: "Happy birthday grumpy old man! Best dad, best partner, best everything!!! How lucky we are to have you! We love you." Among the pictures in the post was one of the GOAT enjoying a special Smurfs birthday cake.

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Messi is currently playing for Inter Miami in the Club World Cup, where his magical free-kick in the win against Porto inspired his side's qualification into the last 16.

• Getty Images Sport
  

  WHAT NEXT FOR MESSI?

  By finishing second in Group B, Inter Miami have set up a mouthwatering reunion between Messi and his former club PSG. They must overcome the champions of Europe to progress into the quarter-finals.

Former England captain says “ticking clock” of 2025-26 campaign down under was against James Anderson continuing

Vithushan Ehantharajah09-Jul-2024

Andrew Strauss captained James Anderson in 42 Tests•AFP/Getty Images

Andrew Strauss has called for James Anderson to receive a knighthood as the England legend prepares for his 188th and final Test cap at Lord’s this week.As Test cricket’s most productive pace bowler with 700 career dismissals at 26.52, and England’s most capped cricketer, “Sir Jimmy” seems a foregone conclusion.Strauss is one of a number within English cricket to be recently awarded knighthoods, having received the honour in 2019 from Queen Elizabeth II for his services to charity, sport and cricket (his longtime opening partner Alastair Cook is also a Sir). Having captained Anderson for 42 Tests, and also worked above the 41-year-old as the ECB’s director of men’s cricket, Strauss has had a box seat to Anderson’s brilliance. He can also speak to his longevity, having retired from Test cricket 12 years ago, despite making his debut a year after Anderson in 2004.Related

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When asked if Anderson was worthy of being knighted too, Strauss was unequivocal: “Very much so! I think any fast bowler that plays 188 Test matches deserves a knighthood, I’ll put it that way.”Strauss had previously tried and failed to park Anderson and Stuart Broad, who retired at the end of last summer. Off the back of a disastrous 2021-22 Ashes campaign, Strauss, in his guise as interim director of cricket following the departure of Ashley Giles, dropped the pair for a tour of the West Indies.Their absence was short-lived as Ben Stokes restored Anderson and Broad for the home summer with his first act as Test captain. Two years on, Stokes, along with head coach Brendon McCullum and men’s managing director Rob Key, have finally pulled the plug on Anderson.”Jimmy’s still bowling well, as we saw from his performances at Lancashire [for whom he took 7 for 35 last week] but there’s a ticking clock there for the next Ashes, isn’t there?” Strauss said. “I think 18 games until the next Ashes. And at some stage you’ve got to juggle the needs for the future with the needs for the present. So I can understand why they’ve chosen this as the right time to do that.”One thing we know for sure is that to win in Australia, or to win any test match or any Test series, it all comes down to the quality and variety of your bowling attack. And so, to me, the next Ashes is too far away for Jimmy.”People have written him off many times, including probably myself, but that does feel too far down the road. And so at some stage you have got to start planning for that.”I think it’s a tremendous thing that he has the opportunity here this week to feel the love, I suppose, and to get the appreciation he deserves from the cricketing public for those 21 years. It’s going to be a very emotional and poignant Test match and, of course, the boots that need to be filled are immense. But I can understand why this is the right time.”Strauss will be present for Anderson’s farewell with Lord’s set to turn red on day two to support the Ruth Strauss Foundation’s #RedForRuth campaign.It will be the sixth year of the initiative, aiming to raise funds and awareness for the charity set-up in memory of Strauss’ late wife, which supports families facing the death of a parent from cancer, and funds more collaboration and research into non-smoking lung cancers.”Most of what I’ve done in my career, achievement-wise, has been about me but this isn’t,” Strauss said. “This is about a need that we can help fill and I feel very proud we are carrying out Ruth’s wishes to a certain degree. But our work is only just beginning, really.”We would struggle to do what we do without this ‘Red for Ruth’ Test match and we are incredibly grateful to the ECB, to Lord’s and to the cricket community for continuing to support us.”