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In search of their replacement for Raphael Varane, Manchester United are now reportedly in pole position to sign a European star for Erik ten Hag in this summer's transfer window, having been given the green light by the player this week.

Man Utd transfer news

Whilst they're yet to officially get their summer business underway, Manchester United have been linked with plenty of names, including Joshua Zirkzee and Manuel Ugarte. Both players would instantly help Ten Hag solve two major problems in his current side, with Casemiro struggling in defensive midfield and United's attacking options far from thriving last season.

Replacing Casemiro is particularly important this summer, given that he sits at the heart of Ten Hag's side. The Brazilian, now 32 years old, began to show signs that he's past his best last season and has since been linked with a move to Saudi Arabia. Even without that move, however, United should prioritise welcoming a replacement in the form of Ugarte in the coming months.

Imagine him & De Ligt: Man Utd scouting "electric" Shaw replacement

The impressive full-back could be a game-changer for United.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Jul 3, 2024

Casemiro isn't the only player who will need replacing, either, following the departure of Varane at the end of last season. The Frenchman left as a free agent to create a gaping hole in United's defence that one European star could now fill.

According to Fabrizio Romano, Manchester United are now in pole position to sign Matthijs de Ligt this summer and have opened negotiations with Bayern Munich over a potential deal. The Dutchman, meanwhile, has reportedly given the green light regarding a move to Old Trafford in the coming months.

With De Ligt seemingly keen on the move, Manchester United have the chance to sign a defender who is more than capable of replacing Varane and more next season.

"Wonderful" De Ligt can lead Man Utd's backline

Earning a reported £261k-a-week, De Ligt already has plenty of experience at levels that some Manchester United players are yet to even see for themselves, having played in Champions League semi-finals and won league titles at both Ajax and Bayern Munich.

The Dutchman, currently at the Euros with his country, now has the chance to become the defensive leader that the Red Devils are so desperately crying out for next to Harry Maguire, or when fit Lisandro Martinez.

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It's a surprise that Bayern Munich have so willingly entered talks with Manchester United, given the praise that former sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic had for De Ligt when the central defender arrived in 2022, saying via the Bundesliga website: “We wanted to bring Matthijs to Munich three years ago. We were convinced of his qualities as a defender then, and we are even more so today.

"With his professionalism, his desire and his wonderful character, Matthijs fits our team as well as our ambitions. He will play an important role at Bayern on and off the pitch. He was already a leading player at Ajax as a youngster, and he is still capable of development at the high level he is at, at the age of 22.”

Durham’s T20 Blast game against Lancashire on Thursday evening will go ahead despite “a number” of their squad entering self-isolation after a member of the club’s support staff tested positive for Covid-19.”Durham Cricket can confirm that a member of our support staff has tested positive for Covid-19,” a club statement said on Thursday afternoon.”As a precaution and following government guidelines, a number of our playing squad and support staff are undertaking a period of self-isolation. The club will continue to strictly follow all government and ECB guidance to ensure the safety of our staff and spectators.”Related

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The club later tweeted to confirm that Thursday’s game – which is being televised on Sky Sports – would go ahead as planned from 7pm.Durham did not name the players and staff affected but made a single change to their side ahead of the Lancashire fixture, with Sean Dickson replacing Jack Burnham.Durham are not the first club to be affected by playing withdrawing due to self-isolation. Yorkshire’s Blast campaign was derailed last year after David Willey, their captain, tested positive and forced three other first-choice players to self-isolate, while Northamptonshire and Hampshire were both in similar positions last summer.This week, Surrey announced that Ollie Pope would miss four fixtures after coming into contact with someone who had tested positive for Covid, while Tom Helm, the Middlesex seamer, is currently self-isolating after testing positive himself. Ben Duckett, the Nottinghamshire batter, missed the win at Northamptonshire on Sunday as a Covid precaution.

Leicester City star Mads Hermansen has claimed his tooth fell out following a collision with Manchester United's Rasmus Hojlund in Denmark training.

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Claims Hojlund knocked keeper's tooth outHermansen doesn't blame fellow DaneFoster says that is "poor" from Man Utd manFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Hermansen said the incident between him and fellow Danish international Hojlund took place during a set-piece drill before Euro 2024. The 24-year-old added that the striker clattered into him but did not hold any ill will towards the former Atalanta ace. However, ex-Wrexham and Red Devils keeper Foster said that it was "poor" from Hojlund.

AdvertisementAFPWHAT BEN FOSTER AND MADS HERMANSEN SAID

On Foster's , Hermansen said: "You know as a goalkeeper sometimes when you have set-piece practice. It's like 'Are we going 100 per cent? Are we just a bit easy?' So we were with the national team just before the Euros, it was optional training, you could come in and train if you want. So let's do some corners. I go: 'Keepers!' And he just comes in with everything, elbow straight to my tooth. I took a corner off when I was younger as well so it was just the same bit of plastic."

Foster responded: "Cheers Rasmus, appreciate that. That's rubbish that. I'm not having that, it's poor. When you're doing it in a bit of practice set-piece thing, you've got to take it easy. You can't go full-blooded like that."

To which the Foxes ace replied: "He is that kind of guy and I love that about him. He's giving everything, always. He's just got an exceptional way of being a professional."

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Other than his tooth coming out, no harm was done and it appears there is no beef between Hermansen and Hojlund. The Danes went onto lose in the last 16 of the Euros this summer and now their goal is to help their country qualify for the 2026 World Cup. For the keeper, he will also focus on keeping Leicester in the Premier League, while Hojlund wants to fire United to trophy success.

(C)Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT?

Hojlund could feature for United in their home clash against Brentford on Saturday afternoon, whereas Hermansen travels to lowly Southampton at the same time as the Premier League returns following the international break.

Newcastle United’s December fixture list is looking extremely busy already.

By the time the action-packed month closes, Eddie Howe’s Toon will have played eight games in all competitions, with Bayer Leverkusen up next for the frantic Magpies in the Champions League.

So far for Howe and Co, it’s been one draw and one win in the hectic month, with the 2-1 win over Burnley secured last time out in the Premier League far more nervy than it needed to be, after the hosts had gifted the ten-man Clarets a penalty right at the death.

Thankfully, no late fightback was on the cards, but with fixture congestion obviously going to become a big issue the more the month goes on, some changes could be on the agenda for the trip to Germany on Wednesday night, whether it’s because of tired legs or an actual drop in performance.

Where Eddie Howe needs to rotate against Leverkusen

With 17 shots tallied up on the Burnley goal throughout, Newcastle, arguably, should have notched up a far more comprehensive win against Scott Parker’s valiant visitors.

Nick Woltemade didn’t cover himself in much glory up top, in this regard, with just 18 touches of the ball passing him by, leading to zero on-target shots being powered at Martin Dubravka’s busy goal.

With Yoane Wissa back and available for selection after a lengthy injury, too, it could well be the perfect time to test out the ex-Brentford striker from the start against Leverkusen, with the German dismissed as having a “sloppy” performance, as per the Daily Mail’s Craig Hope.

He wasn’t the only performer on the pitch that stood out for all the wrong reasons, though, with Jacob Ramsey struggling throughout, next to Bruno Guimaraes, who grabbed another memorable Toon strike.

Sandro Tonali and Joelinton will likely walk back into the midfield spots ahead of Ramsey, who would give up the handball that gifted Zian Flemming a 94th-minute lifeline.

Anthony Elanga also continues to look lost in Newcastle black and white, with just one of his seven dribbles coming off against Burnley, but other Newcastle faces managed to cement their first-team position even more on Saturday afternoon, as this often hit-and-miss attacker continues to turn around his initially underwhelming season.

Newcastle's "best player" is now undroppable again

Newcastle have been very hit and miss so far this season, but with three Premier League victories now from their last four clashes in the tough division, Howe will hope his wobbly team have turned a corner.

Anthony Gordon certainly has, with the ex-Everton winger’s days of drawing blanks in league action this season firmly over, as he has now converted two crucial penalties back-to-back at St. James’ Park.

Without the England international’s ice-cold precision from the spot, the Magpies might well have been staring at two completely different results.

It’s been a very sharp turnaround in fortunes for the 24-year-old, with one analyst claiming that Gordon had entered “Gabriel Obertan territory” earlier in the campaign when he was consistently drawing blanks in the Premier League.

Obertan would only go on to score three goals for the Toon across a difficult 77-game spell, having never lived up to his early hype in England, when on the books of Manchester United.

Thankfully, Gordon now looks to have recaptured his gung-ho best, away from looking passive down the channels, with Howe – come the full-time whistle of the Burnley win – even labelling the Liverpool-born forward as the “best player” on the pitch as his “direct running” ultimately helped Newcastle overcome a stern Clarets battle.

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Looking at the table above, too, Gordon has the chance to firm up why he deserves to be one of Howe’s first names on the teamsheets by putting in another memorable showing in the Champions League at the BayArena, having mustered up a sublime four goals and one assist this season in Europe’s first-class competition.

With a whirlwind 37 goals and assists amassed over his previous two seasons on Tyneside, too, Gordon will hope he can enter into another purple patch of form after suffering from some shaky moments here and there this campaign, off the back of his manager’s glowing words.

There’s certainly plenty of action ahead for Gordon to sink his teeth into, as he prays more words of praise come his way soon from his manager and beyond, alongside Newcastle continuing to pick up more wins.

Fewer touches than Ramsdale & 1 duel won: Newcastle star could be dropped

This Newcastle star struggled in the 2-1 win vs. Burnley

ByJoe Nuttall 5 days ago

Tottenham Hotspur have added Mathys Tel to their Champions League squad as they were forced to remove the injured Dominic Solanke from their European roster. The star striker has been restricted to just three competitive club appearances this term owing to an ankle problem sustained in pre-season. Tel was initially not included in the squad for the league phase of the Champions League.

• Tel included in Spurs squad ahead of Slavia Prague clash

  Head coach Thomas Frank had initially kept Tel out of their squad for the league stages of the Champions League after his move from Bayern Munich was made permanent in the summer. However, with Solanke out of action on a long-term basis, the Spurs boss has now named the 20-year-old French forward in their European roster ahead of their home fixture against Slavia Prague on Tuesday night.

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• AFP
  

  Frank hinted at Tel recall

  Frank had suggested Tel would be added to the European squad during his pre-match press conference on Monday, as the manager told reporters: "Of course, if I knew back then what I know now, it maybe would have changed the decision, no doubt about that. Of course, it’s something we can have in consideration. We need players that are fit and available, so we have enough players to shoot with from the bench."

• Solanke frustrated with injury problems

  Solanke, who has undergone surgery, recently spoke to and discussed his injury struggles as he said: "It’s been very difficult. At first, I didn’t think I would be out for too long but we didn’t really understand the extent of the injury. I was trying to get back as quickly as I could but it didn’t happen, so I had to have surgery. Since then, I have been working to get back. 

  "I’m not putting a timeline on it because I’ve been telling everyone ‘I’m going to be back soon’ for the last few months. I’m taking it day by day but hopefully I won’t be much longer."

  The 28-year-old isn't the only Spurs attacker sidelined at present, with James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski also long-term absentees owing to respective knee injuries.

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  Club legend's homecoming on European night

  Tuesday night's Champions League fixture against Slavia Prague will be extra special for the home fans as Spurs legend Son Heung-min is back in north London for the first time since leaving for LAFC in the summer.

  The club's official statement read: "Sonny will take to the pitch before the team walk-outs ahead of the 20:00 kick-off against the Czech champions. He will then have the opportunity to personally address the supporters that took him into their hearts following his arrival from Bayer Leverkusen in 2015 and treasured him for the next 10 years – it is sure to be an emotional occasion in N17."

Welcome to 'Ask Jimmy,' where SI Media writer Jimmy Traina will answer one question about a burning topic from the sports media world.

A balls and strikes challenge system is finally coming to Major League Baseball. After being used for several years in the minor leagues, the Automated Ball-Strike (ABS) Challenge System will be featured in the big leagues beginning next season. Each team will get two challenges per game when it comes to balls and strikes, which will be retained if successful.

This is nothing but a positive for the sport. You can’t have games decided on missed calls by the home plate umpire and this is a way to fix that.

The only downside is that I wish teams were allotted more than two challenges per game from the start. I’d give teams four or five challenges per game. Even if you think home plate umpires do a great job, they’re still going to miss a handful of calls in each game. Why not implement a system in order to rectify that?

If your argument against the ABS challenge system is that it will slow down the game, think again. 

Baseball has done a great job of speeding up the game by instituting the pitch clock. The challenge system won’t have a significant effect on the length of games.

Via MLB: In 288 games with the ABS Challenge System during Spring Training 2025, there were an average of 4.1 challenges per game. Those challenges took an average of 13.8 seconds. 

Adding on a minute to each game to get important calls correct is a no-brainer. 

Baseball already has instant replay, so adding another layer to have balls and strikes challenged seems like a natural progression. 

Think about how history would have changed if ABS was around in 1998 when the Yankees got this gift from the home plate umpire.

You just can’t miss a call like that in a World Series game.

The only downside in my view is that this will limit the number of player explosions when a home plate umpire gets a call wrong. Now, instead of throwing their helmet or slamming their bats, a batter will simply tap his head to call for replay. 

Owner Ali Tareen says he would “rather lose the team standing on my feet than run it from my knees”

Danyal Rasool25-Nov-2025

“The Sultans have always meant more to me than just numbers” – owner Ali Tareen•PCB

Multan Sultans owner Ali Tareen has announced he will not renew his ownership of the PSL franchise. In a statement on social media, Tareen said he was bidding farewell to the franchise he has owned for seven years.In doing so he appeared to take a parting shot at PSL management, saying he would “rather lose the team standing on my feet than run it from my knees”. That was in keeping with an ongoing dispute with the league, as well as hinting at differences that seem to have built up with the other owners”Being part of this team has been one of the greatest honours of my life,” Tareen’s statement said. “Despite the financial losses year on year, I never once thought about walking away. The Sultans have always meant more to me than just numbers. And I have always been willing to go as far as needed to protect it.”The statement, posted soon after the five other franchises formally confirmed that they had decided to renew ownership of their respective teams, throws a spanner into the works of the 11th edition of the PSL. The tournament is already set to expand to eight teams, which means two new owners. If the PSL and Tareen fail to strike a deal, as now seems increasingly inevitable, the PCB will have to hunt for a third.Tareen’s statement represents the low point of a relationship that has been deteriorating for the best part of a year. During this time, Tareen has stepped up his criticism of the PSL management, which he accused of a lack of transparency and vision.