Category Uncategorized

After a deal to sign Jose Cordoba collapsed, Rangers have turned their attention towards another South American defender, who already reportedly has an offer on the table from Ibrox.

Rangers transfer news

The Gers looked destined to sign Cordoba, before a deal ultimately collapsed with Norwich City now the leading candidates to land the young defender's signature. He would have followed Jefte through the door to complete Rangers' second signing in a matter of weeks to start their summer transfer window with a bang, but Philippe Clement has now been forced to find another option.

That's not to say that Rangers have given up on the South American market following their Cordoba failure, however. In fact, it's quite the opposite. According to Chilean outlet Despliegue Fútbol, Rangers have presented an offer to Thomas Galdames, who has reportedly played his final game for Godoy Cruz in Argentina, winning 4-0 against El Porvenir this week.

Clement already personally eyeing new Rangers moves after Cordoba collapse

The Gers aren’t wasting any time…

By
Tom Cunningham

May 29, 2024

The 25-year-old left-back, who can also play as a centre-back, also reportedly has offers from Belgium and must now make his decision. With Rangers looking to fill the role that many believed Cordoba would, Galdames could emerge as the perfect option at Ibrox this summer.

Having already filled their left-back role with the arrival of Jefte, it will be interesting to see whether Clement would opt to turn Galdames into a central defender on a permanent basis if he completes a move to Scotland this summer. On paper, it's a risk, but it could be one worth taking if the Chilean finds his feet quickly and becomes the defender that the Gers are clearly after.

"Confident" Galdames can make up for Cordoba collapse

The Gers certainly aren't wasting any time feeling sorry for themselves after missing out on Cordoba, turning their attention straight to Galdames. And if Nathan Joyes' praise is anything to go by, dubbing the defender as "confident in the final third" among other positives, then those at Ibrox should be hoping to see Rangers get this one over the line.

If the aim isn't for Galdames to arrive and step into the centre-back role, then he will be left competing with Jefte and question marks will naturally begin to rise regarding the future of Ridvan Yilmaz, who has been linked with an Ibrox exit in the past.

It's certainly solid planning from Rangers, either way. On the one hand, they'll have a left-back ready to compete if Yilmaz leaves, and on the other, Clement could mould a top centre-back.

The Red Devils dominated the first decade of the new millennium, only to lose their way – but who have been their best performers?

Manchester United began the 21st century on the beaches of Brazil. They were there to compete in the inaugural FIFA Club World Cup and arrived as the official best team in the world after beating Palmeiras in the Inter-Continental Cup. In order to participate, they took the seismic decision to withdraw from the FA Cup, the competition they were the holders of.

A quarter of a century on, and United have restored their reputation in the FA Cup, which they won in May. The Club World Cup, however, is no longer their domain, and they were not even close to qualifying for FIFA's rebranded competition, which takes place next year.

That says a lot about how United have fallen as the century has progressed. The Red Devils won eight out of the first 14 league titles of the new millennium, but ever since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013, they have been on a downward curve. They have finished outside of the top four more times than they have made it in and won just five major trophies. In the first half of the new century, they lifted 13.

It should be no real surprise, then, that a list of the best United players from the first 25 years of the 21st century draws heavily on the Ferguson era. Only performances since January 2000 count, so the likes of Denis Irwin, Jaap Stam and Teddy Sheringham fall short, even though they straddled both centuries.

But who has made it in, and who has failed to make the cut?

Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱Getty Images25Antonio Valencia

When United sold Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid for a then world-record fee of £80 million ($104m), not many fans expected that the club would look to Wigan Athletic for his replacement. Antonio Valencia sure was no Ronaldo, but he proved to be a solid and versatile club stalwart.

The Ecuadorian spent 10 years at Old Trafford, beginning as a right winger before switching to right-back. For years he spoke almost no English, but by the end of his career with United he was one of the most experienced players in the squad, captaining the team in the Europa League final and in his final season.

AdvertisementGetty 24Darren Fletcher

When Ferguson learned that Darren Fletcher, aged 15 at the time, was considering leaving United for Newcastle, he launched a furious tirade at him down the phone, angering the player's mother, and then drove straight to Edinburgh to convince him to stay. Fletcher knew never to risk Ferguson's wrath again and stayed at United for the next 13 years.

He was the ultimate squad player but grew into an undisputable starter in the 2008-09 season, cruelly missing the Champions League final through suspension after diving into a tackle against Arsenal late in the semi-final despite the victory long-being secured. That moment epitomised Fletcher's selfless attitude.

A worse struggle came when he battled a debilitating stomach illness for around two years. The Scotland international kept fighting, as was his way, and was able to eventually continue his career. He has remained loyal to United since retiring, working as a technical director and assistant coach, while his twin sons currently play for the club's Under-18s.

Getty 23Louis Saha

How good could Louis Saha have been were it not for the injuries? The Frenchman had a stunning debut for United against Southampton following a £12m ($15m) move from Fulham in January 2004, and scored seven goals in his first 10 starts.

Injuries interrupted his next season and he only scored twice, but once he returned to full fitness he showed his true value, notching 28 goals and 13 assists in the 2005-06 and 2006-07 campaigns combined.

Saha fired United to League Cup glory in 2006 with six goals in five games and played a big part in the Premier League success the following season. But more injuries meant he could not finish the campaign and severely disrupted his progress the following season, when he also had to compete with Carlos Tevez. Despite the constant setbacks, he averaged a goal every three games.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

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

Getty22Dimitar Berbatov

Ferguson was so determined to make sure Manchester City did not sign Berbatov that he picked him up from the airport on transfer deadline day in 2008 and drove him straight to Old Trafford to complete the transfer from Tottenham. And the Bulgarian was an utter joy to watch.

He often seemed to play at walking pace and at times looked on a whole different level of class to his peers. As an example, early into his United career, Berbatov had the whole of Old Trafford eating out of his hand after an insane piece of skill against West Ham's hapless James Collins.

Berbatov had impressed without tearing up any trees in his first two seasons with United, but he really found his feet in his third, finishing as top scorer in the Premier League while leading the Red Devils to the 2010-11 title with 20 goals. However, he inexplicably did not even make the substitutes' bench for the Champions League final against Barcelona.

Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) vice-president K Mathivanan has quit his position with the board, as he and the remainder of the SLC executive committee made accusations of impropriety against each other. Jayantha Dharmadasa, a longtime administrator who failed in his bid to be elected SLC president in February 2019, has been appointed to Mathivanan’s vacated post.An SLC release stated that Mathivanan’s resignation had come “in the wake of the recent unanimous decision of the executive committee to hold an inquiry against Mr. Mathivanan for indulging in unethical practices in his capacity as an office bearer”.Mathivanan, the only office bearer elected from outside the Thilanga Sumathipala-backed faction at the most-recent SLC polls, was understood to have had a deteriorating relationship with several others at the board, over the past year. The ethics inquiry is believed to have been about leaks to media – allegations Mathivanan denies.Following his resignation, Mathivanan himself issued a release alleging that “the current administration carries out their duties without transparency and integrity in such a manner which makes it impossible for me to remain in such a set up”. Mathivanan said that the board had made “unsavoury decisions” despite his objections, and had also failed to provide him with “notice of meetings, with the agenda and board papers”.SLC is set to hold another election next year, at which Mathivanan is again expected to contest. As vice-president, he had been in charge of domestic cricket, which presently stands suspended due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Declan Rice's controversial red card against Brighton has been explained by a VAR expert.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

Rice sent off for two yellow cardsNo intervention from VARRule has now been explainedWHAT HAPPENED?

Rice was dismissed for two yellow cards against Brighton on Saturday. The England international was first booked for a clumsy late challenge, but his second was far more controversial; he appeared to kick the ball away before Joel Veltman took a free-kick, but the defender then swung his leg and kicked Rice. The Brighton star was not punished, but Rice was shown a second yellow and sent off.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportTHE EXPLANATION

Now, Dale Johnson of has explained why Rice was carded and the VAR process involved. While there was a VAR review for a red card for Veltman, he was not adjudged to have committed serious foul play, as his attempted kicking of the ball did not possess the required force or brutality for a sending off. He likely should have been booked, nevertheless.

Rice was shown a second yellow for "kicking or carrying the ball away, or provoking a confrontation by deliberately touching the ball after the referee has stopped play," and for delaying the restart. Rice has admitted he can have no complaints over the issue, despite the controversy.

SHOULD JOAO PEDRO HAVE BEEN BOOKED?

Many Arsenal supporters complained after the game that Joao Pedro had committed a similar offence – he kicked the ball away after it had run out of play – but received no booking. explains that this is because he did not effectively delay the restart, as there was an Arsenal player within close proximity who was able to receive a ball from the sidelines and take a quick throw-in, if they had wanted to.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

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

Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT?

Arsenal are next in action against Tottenham in the north London derby, after the international break. Rice will be suspended and will play no part.

Tottenham could now look to sell a new name who hasn't been linked with the exit door until very recently, with lots of Spurs players facing uncertain futures.

Spurs open to offloading over a dozen players this summer

According to reliable Spurs source Paul O'Keefe, the club have identified over a dozen players they'd be willing to entertain bids for when the transfer window reopens – with manager Ange Postecoglou already beginning to swing his axe ahead of 2024/2025.

Tottenham now ready to sell £110,000-per-week star for just £13 million

The Lilywhites could take a slight loss.

ByEmilio Galantini May 8, 2024

The most obvious names who stand out are Bryan Gil, Giovani Lo Celso, Troy Parrott, Joe Rodon, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Richarlison, Tanguy Ndombele, Sergio Reguilon, Japhet Tanganga, Manor Solomon and Djed Spence – who have all been linked with Spurs exits at some point within the last six months.

A good portion of the aforementioned crop are currently out on loan elsewhere, and decisions will have to be made. Leeds are apparently keen to keep Rodon beyond his loan spell, while the likes of Spence and Reguilon are not in Postecoglou's plans moving forward.

Djed Spence

Genoa

Tanguy Ndombele

Galatasaray

Japhet Tanganga

Millwall

Alejo Veliz

Sevilla

Alfie Devine

Plymouth

Ashley Phillips

Plymouth

Sergio Reguilon

Brentford

Troy Parrott

Excelsior

Joe Rodon

Leeds

It is pretty frank that chairman Daniel Levy will listen to offers for Ndombele and Tanganga as well, with the former set to go down as one of the biggest transfer flops in Spurs history and latter's contract expiring next year.

In terms of current squad members, it is now believed Tottenham are willing to sell Emerson Royal for around £20 million, with Spurs also ready to entertain £15 million bids for Gil.

Given that over a dozen are up for the Spurs chopping block, you cannot rule out more squad members being mentioned, and a new head-turning nominee for the transfer list has emerged this week.

Tottenham now willing to sell Yves Bissouma this summer

Indeed, mainstay midfielder Yves Bissouma is now thought to be unsafe. The Mali international has made 27 Premier League appearances under Postecoglou, with 25 of them being full starts. It would arguably be more if it wasn't for the mid-season Africa Cup of Nations as well.

His form has somewhat tailed off compared to early on in the campaign, though, with The Times claiming Tottenham are willing to sell Bissouma if a suitable offer arrives for the midfielder. This would be disappointing for teammate Pape Sarr, who spoke of the £100,000-per-week ace's importance.

“It really was a big help,” said Sarr on Bissouma's infuence at N17. “I was settling in to a new life, not just a new club. I benefited from the advice of a lot of team-mates, not just Yves, although he was a big help: Hugo Lloris, Pierre Hojbjerg, Ivan Perisic. It was a tough time because I wasn’t playing regularly.

“Yves is a guy I appreciate a lot. We’ve both come over from Africa and he gives me lots of advice. He behaves a lot like my big brother. He has such an important role within the team and the club. I always listen to what he’s got to say."

West Ham have set their sights on a Diego Simeone transfer target amid technical director Tim Steidten's search for a new forward.

West Ham's need for more goal threat as they make early summer plans

Regardless of whether manager David Moyes will still be at the London Stadium post-June 30, with his contract set to expire on that date as things stand, there is little arguing that the east Londoners could do with more goal threat in their squad.

£60 million price drop as West Ham move for clinical striker

The Hammers arguably need a new front man.

ByEmilio Galantini Apr 11, 2024

Michail Antonio (34) and Danny Ings (31) aren't getting any younger, and both have only scored a combined five Premier League goals this season.

Moyes' side are heavily reliant on star winger Jarrod Bowen for the majority of their goal threat, but as highlighted by the England international's recent injury, which caused him to miss their Europa League first-leg defeat to Bayer Leverkusen, they need other attacking outlets.

Jarrod Bowen

19

Mohammed Kudus

13

Tomas Soucek

9

Lucas Paqueta

8

James Ward-Prowse

6

West Ham failed to replace Gianluca Scamacca last summer, following the Italian's return to his homeland with Atalanta, and that is something which Steidten apparently intends to do when the window reopens.

Indeed, Brentford striker Ivan Toney is attracting interest from West Ham ahead of the summer, with his Bees deal expiring next year.

Toney will be a man in demand given his proven top-flight ability, having scored 20 league goals last season, so West Ham have alternatives to the former Peterborough United ace.

Steidten is thought to be keeping tabs on Toulouse's star Thijs Dallinga as another option from abroad, while it's also believed that they could add another threatening winger to their ranks to chip in going forward.

West Ham are casting their net far and wide in that regard, and South America could be a fruitful pool of talent for them.

West Ham set sights on Jhon Arias who's wanted by Simeone

This is where West Ham's interest in signing Fluminese forward Jhon Arias comes in.

The Colombia international, highlighted as "one of the players to watch" ahead of the summer's Copa America, is also a personal target of Atletico Madrid boss Simeone, according to journalist Christian Martin.

“[Atletico Madrid manager Diego] Simeone has him in the pipeline as an interested party. Jhon Arias could end up on Los Colchoneros’ team with a value between €15million and €17million," said Martin to Colombia's version of AS this week.

“West Ham, Burnley, Wolverhampton and Crystal Palace, would also be on the list of suitors.”

According to WhoScored, the 26-year-old is "very strong" at key passes in the final third and adept at both crossing and dribbling, which will come as enticing for supporters.

Batsman increasingly confident in middle-order role after returning to Test side in New Zealand

George Dobell in Port Elizabeth14-Jan-2020It remains just about possible – if Jofra Archer makes a late bid for selection on Wednesday – that England could go into the third Test in Port Elizabeth with six players under the age of 25. They have only done that once before*.It is a statistic that underlines the period of transition in which this England side find itself. Whether by design or not – in a perfect world, the side might well contain James Anderson, Rory Burns and Moeen Ali or Jack Leach – England are in a rebuilding phase. An investment has been made into young players. They are likely to be given time to develop.At the heart of this young side is Ollie Pope. While some of the other young players – Zak Crawley and Dom Bess, for example – are taking advantage of the misfortunate of first-choice players, Pope is a first-choice pick. In the eyes of most of the England management, he is the most promising specialist batsman to come into the Test team since Joe Root in 2012. There are whispered hopes he will develop into a 100-Test player.ALSO READ: Botham, Flintoff, Stokes – who is England’s greatest?</aSuch was Pope's promise that he was first selected for the Test side when just 20. By then he had played 15 first-class games and scored four first-class centuries. That is, in context, only two fewer than Jos Buttler in his 104 match first-class career.But England, bursting with men who could bat in the middle-order, asked Pope to fulfil a role that was unfamiliar to him. Despite batting at No. 6 for Surrey, despite never having come in before the 20th over of a first-class innings, he was required to bat at No. 4 on Test debut. In his first three innings he came into bat in the ninth, 13th and 12th overs. Unsurprisingly, he struggled. Perhaps more surprisingly in these days of continuity of selection, he was dropped after those three innings despite the fact one of his dismissals was down the leg side.But if the use of Pope was wrong, the identification of his talent was surely correct. He has, at the time of writing, an average of 71.31 in first-class cricket for Surrey and 58.06 in all first-class cricket. After 30 games, he had a higher first-class average than any English player in history.But for a dislocated shoulder, sustained while fielding for Surrey last April, his recall would have come earlier than November. But as it is, he has been assured of a run at No. 6 – the position Root started out in Test cricket – and, over his last few innings, started to provide returns on that investment. Two of his three most recent innings have been half-centuries, with the first, in Hamilton, showcasing an improved tightness in his game and the second, in Cape Town, providing something of a masterclass in batting with the tail. He scored 29 of the 35 posted for England's tenth-wicket and later took the catch that sealed the win.After the Cape Town victory, a small group of the younger players – Pope, Bess, Dom Sibley and Matt Parkinson – hired an apartment in Camps Bay and enjoyed a few days' beach holiday. But now, back in training with the rest of the squad, it is clear Pope is relishing being part of a young team who are enjoying the new experiences and each other's successes.

At the moment I feel like I’m in a good place with my game. I know I’ve got the technique and mindset to do it [at Test level]Ollie Pope

“Winning this series would be an amazing achievement for us, especially where we’re at as a side at the moment,” Pope said. “We’re quite young side with a lot of players just coming through.”The Cape Town result says a lot about what we have within the camp, but we also realise that it’s not something that happens overnight. Putting this side together will take time, but if we can win this series will be a great achievement.”The first time I was picked I felt like it was almost a bit of a lottery. I was thinking ‘hopefully I’ll get a score but if I miss out then so be it.'”At the moment I feel like I’m in a good place with my game. I know I’ve got the technique and mindset to do it. To have those scores under my belt is a real positive for me.”Perhaps it says something for Pope’s ambitions that he was inspired by Steven Smith and Virat Kohli when batting with the tail in Cape Town.”The way I went about my innings was just remembering how some of the best players in the world have done it,” he said. “I remember watching Smith and Kohli from when they played against England and how, even when they were nine down, they were trying to face almost every ball. It was pretty new for me.”The way Stokesy did it at Headingley was slightly different because he can just whack every ball out of the park and clear the men on the rope. Us smaller lads have to go about it in a bit more of a smart way and try and find a way of facing as many balls as you can. If you get a boundary option, then great, if not then try and face five balls and get a quick single at the end and get a boundary next over.”If you ask any young batsman coming into the game, Smith, Kohli and Joe Root are the guys you want to be like. They have been the main run-scorers in international cricket over the last however many years and hopefully I’ve got a game where I can follow in their footsteps.”I wouldn’t say I tried to copy their techniques, but the one thing they have in common is having solid foundations. They can build their game around that and that’s what I’m trying to do.”Ollie Pope looks on•Getty ImagesWhile Pope acknowledged the comparisons with Ian Bell – it was Andrew Strauss who first mentioned it to him – he insisted they are accidental. But since his first spell in the side, when his expansive off-side play could leave him looking loose at times, he looks even more like Bell now: more compact; more disciplined outside off stump; more prepared to be patient and make the bowlers come to him. In short, a player who has learned to harness his talent.”I think Bell is an amazing player and I used to love watching him bat but it’s not been anything that I’ve tried to emulate,” Pope said. “But it’s a big compliment because he is a pretty class player to watch. I’ve seen that a lot on social media. He was an amazing player and I loved watching him play.”His favourite players were, instead, keeper-batsmen such as MS Dhoni and Adam Gilchrist and he has not given up hopes of fulfilling a role as keeper in the years ahead.”I still want to keep that going in my game,” he said. “I definitely will be practising my keeping. I’m still the second keeper at Surrey. It’s only going to be a positive if I can keep nailing that side of my game, but I’m also more than happy playing as a batter as well.”With a youthful look to the side, it is probably even more important that the more experienced players provide leadership. And Pope said Ben Stokes had taken him under his wing and demonstrated the fitness levels required to excel at this level.”In New Zealand I realised what was needed,” he said. “I’d go under Stokes’ wing a little bit and, after the warm-up games, we’d run back to the hotel and do a running session the day before the games.”If you can get into those good habits, if you control everything in your power to make sure you are as fit as you can be and you’re training as well as you can, then hopefully good things will happen. It’s good to see the way these guys go about it. Hopefully I can learn from that and keep following in their footsteps.”England’s players were given a day off on Tuesday. While some, including Pope, went on safari, others played golf. Only Root, accompanied by batting coach Graham Thorpe, took to the nets where he had a long session.

Arsenal taking influence from Manchester United? Ha, now there's a pretty awful thought to behold.

Under their latest managers, Mikel Arteta and Erik ten Hag, the clubs have headed in two separate directions.

While Arsenal are fighting on two fronts, sitting at the top of the Premier League and in the Champions League quarter-finals, United have been dumped out of Europe and are sixth in the table, half a dozen points off Tottenham in fifth.

Why, therefore, would Arteta take influence from anything going on at Old Trafford? Well, a certain Kobbie Mainoo stands as a testament to why you should always hand opportunities to your young players.

The Arsenal boss knows that first hand having been the man to nurture the likes of Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe, two Hale End graduates, but since then opportunities for academy players haven't been too forthcoming in N5.

Kobbie Mainoo's rise at Man United

Heading into the 2023/24 campaign the 18-year-old United star had been seen on just three occasions at senior level.

That's hardly a surprise really. They had spent £70m on Casemiro in 2022 and were hellbent on utilising the likes of Fred and Scott McTominay.

While Fred has departed Old Trafford, the other two names remain. Yet, it's Mainoo who is shining brightest.

He first started a league outing in their 3-0 win over Everton at Goodison Park late last year and since that moment hasn't looked back. Now a fixture in the England set-up, too good for Gareth Southgate to ignore, Ten Hag is also finding it tricky to drop the teenager. Indeed, Mainoo has missed just two league games since that Everton win.

What does he offer? Well, his coach at U18 level Travis Binnion paints a rather nice picture: “His strengths are close control, good awareness, body contact. He’s really good in both boxes, he’s combative. He’s got a nice blend of many skills," he told The Athletic in 2022.

So, do Arsenal have any players like Mainoo in their academy?

Arsenal's answer to Kobbie Mainoo

Given the meteoric rise of the football club under Arteta's watch in the last few years, the Spaniard hasn't found the opportunity to hand many first-team chances to those in the academy.

One lucky soul has been Ethan Nwaneri. He became the youngest player in Premier League history at 15 years, five months and 28 days in the 2022/23 campaign when he came off the bench against Brentford. Since then Nwaneri has only been seen once more after he was substituted onto the field in the 6-0 victory over West Ham.

Arsenal's youngest debutants

Player

Age at debut

Year & opponent faced

#1 Ethan Nwaneri

15 years, 5 months, 28 days

2022: Brentford

#2 Cesc Fabregas

16 years, 5 months, 24 days

2003: Rotherham

#3 Jack Wilshere

16 years, 8 months, 12 days

2008: Blackburn

#4 Jermaine Pennant

16 years, 10 months, 15 days

1999: Middlesbrough

#5 Paul Vaessen

16 years, 11 months, 11 days

1978: Lokomotive Leipzig

#6 Ryan Smith

16 years, 11 months, 18 days

2003: Rotherham

#7 Gedion Zelalem

16 years, 11 months, 29 days

2014: Coventry

#8 Armand Traore

17 years, 16 days

2006: West Brom

Data via Transfermarkt.

He has a partner in crime, however, who we're yet to see earn senior minutes; Myles Lewis-Skelly.

Aged 17, the talented teen has trained with the first team on multiple occasions and has been fielded in various squads without making the pitch.

Lewis-Skelly was on the bench against Lens in the Champions League last year and sat among the subs for the clash with Brighton in the league back in December.

It feels a matter of time before the youngster makes his debut. Rated incredibly highly by those at the Emirates, he offers similar qualities to the aforementioned Mainoo.

Primarily a central midfielder, analyst Ben Mattinson has described the Hale End star as a "crazy athlete, insane ball-carrier with physicality and tackling ability."

A player capable of a lung-busting run forward to break the lines, Lewis-Skelly isn't all just power. Like Mainoo he has the technical elegance to dazzle opponents with Mattinson outlining his "turn radius" as one notable strength.

That's one area where Man United's wonderkid thrives too. We saw that in the dramatic FA Cup quarter-final between Ten Hag's side and Liverpool. It's also something national team boss Southgate has identified. "To get Kobbie on the pitch was a brilliant moment for him and his family," he said. "You saw a couple of turns and composed moments. There's a bit of an indication about what he might become."

We're not suggesting we'll see Lewis-Skelly anywhere near England recognition in a years time but he clearly possesses the same intricate qualities that makes Mainoo such a special talent.

What might set him apart is his versatility. The Standard suggested last week that he's someone the senior coaching staff at Arsenal thinks could become a left-back in the mould of Oleksandr Zinchenko.

For now, however, they suggest the plan is to keep him in a no.8 setting, learning from none other than Declan Rice. That's not a bad player to be tutored by, is it?

In The Pipeline

Football FanCast's In the Pipeline series aims to uncover the very best youth players in world football.

Expand Collapse

Let it happen when it has to, the India coach says of the wicketkeeper-batsman’s retirement

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Oct-2019India coach Ravi Shastri feels that speculating about MS Dhoni’s future is “downright disrespectful” and wants to see the debate end “once and for all”.Questions about his future have been thrown at everyone connected with the Indian team in the past couple of months. Chief selector MSK Prasad was asked the question earlier in the week and he said “we are moving on”, adding fuel to the speculation fire.”Half the guys commenting on MS Dhoni can’t even tie their shoelaces,” Shastri told the . “Look at what he’s achieved for the country. Why are people in a hurry to see him off? Maybe, they don’t find enough talking points. He and everybody who knows him know he’ll be going away soon. So, let it happen when it has to.”Making statements at his expense is downright disrespectful. After 15 years of playing for India, wouldn’t he know what’s the right thing to do? When he retired from Test cricket, what did he say? That Wriddhiman Saha was good enough to be handed over the wicket-keeping gloves. He was correct. He’s been a shadow when it comes to the team, always sharing his mind, lending his views.”

MS Dhoni has earned the right to retire when he wants to. And let this debate end once and for allRavi Shastri

While Dhoni has been silent on the subject, he dropped in to the Indian dressing room in Ranchi, his hometown, following their 3-0 sweep of South Africa in the recent Test series.”The other day, he came over to the dressing room in Ranchi to meet Shahbaz Nadeem [a Jharkhand statemate, who had made his debut in the Test] and had a chat – how motivating is that for a guy making his debut at home,” Shastri said. “Let me say this: MS Dhoni has earned the right to retire when he wants to. And let this debate end once and for all.”Earlier in the week, Sourav Ganguly, the new BCCI president, also threw his weight behind Dhoni when asked if he was rooting for a “Gangulyesque comeback”.”It depends on him,” the former India captain said. “I’ve always said – even when I was left out and when the entire world said that, ‘he’ll never make it’ – I believed in myself and came back and played for four years. You know champions don’t finish very quickly. I don’t know what’s in his mind, what he thinks about his career, so we’ll deal with that.”He’s one of the greats of the game. India is very proud to have MS Dhoni. His achievements, when you sit down and take note of what he’s done, you say, ‘Wow, MS Dhoni!’ So, till I’m around, everybody will be respected. That doesn’t change.”

Spain midfielder Pedri has not had the best luck with injuries in his career, and the Barcelona star has confirmed that his Euro 2024 is over.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

• Pedri ruled out of Euro 2024 after Kroos tackle
• Responds to Kroos' apology for reckless challenge
• Will stay with the Spanish camp to support them

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Pedri has been at the top of his game for quite a while now having burst onto the scene in 2020 as a 17-year-old, however, life hasn't gone swimmingly as he has struggled with injuries over the last two seasons. He had been in top form for Luis de la Fuente's La Roja but he has once again picked up an injury following a reckless foul by Germany's Toni Kroos, who has since apologised to the 21-year-old as his Euro 2024 has come to a screeching halt.

Advertisement

• Getty
  

  WHAT PEDRI SAID

  The Barca starlet posted a touching message on Instagram, in which he wrote: "I came to Germany for Euro 2024 and I will continue here, until the end. Because the dream, do not doubt it, continues.

  "This week it's time to encourage and contribute in another way to this great family that is @sefutbol. Their support and that of all of you has been incredible. The hardest moment has passed and the road back is now beginning, to soon be at full strength with Barcelona.

  He also responded to Kroos' apology, adding: "Thank you, Toni Kroos for your message. This is football and these things happen. Your career and your record remain forever.

  "I just want to say one more thing. LET'S GO SPAIN!"

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Pedri's absence will be a big issue for De la Fuente and he will now have to work out a system without him for La Roja's crucial semi-final clash against France on July 10 at the Allianz Arena in Munich. It is likely that Dani Olmo, who replaced Pedri in the first half, will be placed in the starting line-up against Les Bleus.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

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

• (C)GettyImages
  

  WHAT NEXT FOR PEDRI?

  Pedri is definitely set to miss Barcelona's crucial pre-season as they prepare for life under Hansi Flick. Pedri is not expected to return for the start of Barcelona's La Liga campaign on August 18, along with fellow Spanish midfielder Gavi who also suffered a knee injury with La Roja in November of last year.