All posts by h716a5.icu

The allrounder Jacob Oram will have knee surgery next week that will rule him out of the Champions League

Cricinfo staff26-Aug-2010The allrounder Jacob Oram will have knee surgery next week that will rule him out of the Champions League Twenty20 in another painful chapter to a career plagued by injury. Scans showed damage to Oram’s patella tendon and he is now hoping to return for Pakistan’s visit in December. He has been replaced by the 18-year old allrounder Ben Wheeler, who played in the Under-19 World Cup this year.It continues a tough year for Oram, who forfeited his IPL fee when he suffered a torn patella during the one-day series with Australia in March. He made it back for the World Twenty20 but continued to feel pain and aggravated the problem again during a squad camp in Australia last month.New Zealand’s team management hoped Oram would be able to get through the one-day tour of Sri Lanka but he was sent home this week. The surgery also hurts Central Districts, who have already lost Ross Taylor to Bangalore for the Twenty20 tournament in South Africa starting on September 10.”While I’m gutted to miss the Champions League with the Stags I’m thankful the medical specialist has found the problem now so we can get the right plans in place to get it right,” Oram, 32, said. “I’ve been told that I should be realistically targeting the Pakistan homes series at the end of the year, but who knows, if surgery and rehab goes well I may be available for selection before the Indian tour in November.”Oram described in April how his injury list had been “hellishly frustrating”, and that every new problem “eroded the energy of my psyche”. Despite the latest setback, he still wants to continue on until next year’s World Cup.”It’s frustrating more than anything but I’ve been through this before,” he said. “I’m confident I can return injury free following a course of rehabilitation.”His replacement, Wheeler, has played only two first-class games, and is yet to make his Twenty20 debut for Central Districts.

Here’s something that might surprise you. Simon Katich is statistically Australia’s most successful Test opener of all time. Not Matthew Hayden, not Bill Ponsford. Simon Katich

Brydon Coverdale at Lord's13-Jul-2010Here’s something that might surprise you. Simon Katich is statistically Australia’s most successful Test opener of all time. Not Matthew Hayden, not Bill Ponsford. Simon Katich. As Katich shuffled off to the Lord’s pavilion having been caught behind for 80, he sat atop the list of averages for Australians who have opened in at least 20 Test innings.Loping out to the crease to replace Katich was Marcus North. The Australians were hoping Katich’s consistency would rub off on North, who stalls on start-up more often than a learner driver. Three balls later, he was heading back from whence he came, bowled for a duck by a high-class inswinger from Mohammad Asif.How North must envy Katich at the moment. The bookends of Australia’s top six share much in common – they are unfashionable left-handers, they learnt their trade on the bouncy WACA pitch and they’ve each scored four hundreds since the beginning of last year – but consistency isn’t one of those traits.While it’s been a feast-or-famine year for North, Katich has been dining out on opposition attacks and scoffing down every last scrap of a score he can find. Australia’s opener has been so dependable that when he slashed a typical Katich boundary, an uppish cut through gully to reach his half-century, it meant he’d passed fifty in nine consecutive Tests, stretching back to The Oval last year.The innings was pure Katich: barely a memorable shot until he’d reached a half-century, then a few boundaries crunched off loose balls, especially against Shahid Afridi. As he crab-walked across his stumps he was opening himself up to a Pakistan attack hooping balls around corners, but aside from a lucky let-off when he should have been trapped on 2, he was Australia’s rock on a difficult day.”There’s no doubt that it was a tough day all the way through, given the conditions,” Katich said after Australia reached 229 for 9. “At no stage did the clouds break and the sun came through. We knew that it was going to be a hard day out there with the ball swinging around consistently. It would have been nice to get more but at the same time we’ve got nearly 230 runs in the bank.”None of those runs came from the No. 6. Undoubtedly, North deserves his place in the team after rescuing his career with a century and a 90 in New Zealand, but in addition to his four Test centuries, he has been dismissed for 10 or less in more than half of his Test innings.His high backlift makes him especially vulnerable to full, swinging deliveries and that’s precisely what Asif served up. North was lucky to avoid a golden duck, when he could have been lbw had Pakistan noticed the ball hit pad before bat, and two deliveries later his stumps were shattered by a peach of an inswinger. It was that sort of day for the Australians – get your eye in rapidly or get out even quicker.”If you get in, it can certainly be a great place to bat because the outfield is quick,” Katich said. “Once you get used to the pace you can really get set. But vice-versa, there’s always enough happening on days like today where it can be hard for the new guy. I don’t think we saw too many poor shots or anything like that.”It’s true that North was done in by superb bowling, and his position is rightly not in danger on this tour. However, he is the man with the most to lose if Steven Smith performs with the bat in his debut series. Should Smith convince the selectors that he is a viable top-six option – and with a first-class average of more than 50, it’s possible – they will be tempted to push him up and enjoy the luxury of an extra specialist bowler.Fortunately for North, there were no such signs on Smith’s first day of Test cricket. Smith was lbw for 1, one of six Australians who failed to reach double figures. They all needed a little of Katich’s consistency to rub off.

The Indian bowling unit easily had its best day of the tour. At the heart of it was Pragyan Ojha

Sidharth Monga at the P Sara Oval04-Aug-2010This was perhaps India’s best day on the tour. You could argue that India dominated the fourth day of the SSC Test, but here both their wings worked. The bowling unit easily had its best day of the tour, taking six wickets for 132 runs, in 51.1 overs, bowling only two no-balls, compared to yesterday’s 11. At the heart of it was Pragyan Ojha, getting consistent turn, staying accurate, going for just 37 runs in 20 overs for the wickets of Angelo Mathews and Prasanna Jayawardene, and ending with his career-best figures of 4 for 115.”This is one of the best days for the bowling group [on the tour], because the way we planned we executed,” Ojha said. “We planned it out, and we were very strict on things. [We knew] we shouldn’t try too many things. We were just sticking to our basics.”It has been a steeping learning curve for Ojha. Right from the tour game, he has had problems with no-balls – not as much as Amit Mishra though – and the Sri Lankan batsmen have often tucked in to him. In this match he was part of India’s most inexperienced attack since the Chennai Test of 2000-01, against Australia.”When such a situation comes you can take it in a negative way as well as a positive way,” Ojha said. “I think I took it in a positive way, because it was a great opportunity to show your worth and why you are playing for the country.”After a much-improved bowling performance, a dominating Virender Sehwag then put India in a position from where they can negate the handicap of having to play the last innings. “He’s like playing on a different wicket,” Thilan Samaraweera, who finished his 12th Test century earlier in the day, said. “If he gets out, it looks like a totally different wicket. And lot of things turn around. He’s the key man for us to get out.”India will also know that they need a big lead in the first innings because Sri Lanka, already ahead in the series, won’t be too keen on a sporting declaration. Perhaps this is the first time in the series that Sri Lanka will be feeling any kind of pressure at the end of a day’s play. The next three days promise exciting cricket.

While deals for Philippe Coutinho, Lucas Digne and Robin Olsen during the current January transfer window show that Aston Villa have been keen on strengthening their senior side, the fact that they then signed Kerr Smith suggests that the Midlands club are eager to add some young talent to their ranks that can grow and develop into future first-team players.

Another example of this would be if the club manage to strike a deal for Sunderland midfielder Dan Neil, who has recently been mentioned with a move to Villa Park from the Wearside club.

After working his way through the club’s youth system, Neil made his senior debut for the Black Cats back in March last year in a 1-0 League One win over Swindon Town.

Since then, the 20-year-old, who is currently picking up a weekly wage of £1.4k-per-week according to Salary Sport, has gone on to make 41 appearances for Lee Johnson’s side across all competitions, scoring three goals and providing eight assists along the way.

Having been likened to a “young Paul Gascoigne” in terms of his “lovely dribbling technique” by Johnson, Neil has proved himself to be an important figure for Sunderland this season with only Ross Stewart and Callum Doyle having played more minutes in League One than the midfield talent.

This and the fact that Neil put pen to paper on a new long-term contract back in October to keep him at the club until 2025 means that it could be difficult for Villa to sign the Englishman, particularly halfway through a season that the Black Cats are attempting to win promotion back to the Championship in.

With that in mind, this could be one situation where Villa rely on their manager’s reputation as one of the Premier League’s greatest midfield players to try and lure Neil to Villa Park to give him the chance to learn under Gerrard’s management and eventually play in the Premier League.

Given the hype around him at Sunderland and the fact that he has been described as an “exciting” player by Kevin Phillips, it’s definitely worth Villa making a move to sign Neil in the summer to see if he can make the step up in his career to an ambitious Premier League side.

In other news: Gerrard can finally axe £46k-p/w dud as AVFC eye bid for “extraordinary” £9m-rated gem – opinion

Hashim Amla’s 19th Test hundred put South Africa in control on the opening day in Port Elizabeth

The Report by Andrew McGlashan11-Jan-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsHashim Amla did what he does so often – score a hundred•Getty ImagesFor significant parts of the opening day in Port Elizabeth, New Zealand pushed South Africa reasonably hard, which is much more than happened last week at Newlands. There were spells of testing bowling, a fair amount of playing and missing and some blows for the batsmen to take. However, the final scoreline, anchored by Hashim Amla’s 19th Test hundred, is a story of South Africa dominance on a surface that certainly was not placid.Whether South Africa’s bowlers would have got more out of the pitch in the first session will remain unknown, but Brendon McCullum certainly looked relieved when he did not have to make a decision at the toss when the coin fell Graeme Smith’s way. Few expect New Zealand to draw level in the series, but they needed to build on the improvement shown after the horrid start in Cape Town when McCullum won the toss, chose to bat and they were bundled out for 45.Without putting South Africa on the back foot at any stage they at least ensured it was not one-way traffic. They bowled better before lunch than one wicket suggested, although struggled to build pressure with a steady supply of loose deliveries, and the first hour of the afternoon brought the significant blows of Smith and Jacques Kallis to leave South Africa 137 for 3.The key moment of the day, though, came a few moments later when Amla, 48, failed to keep a back-cut down against Trent Boult but Kane Williamson could not hold on at gully. During New Zealand’s tour of Sri Lanka late last year, Williamson held some stunning catches. This one was tough, but easier than those – and one New Zealand desperately needed to take. From there, Amla’s century felt inevitable.Three balls later he went to his fifty with a square cut, and it was the same shot that took him to a hundred during the final session from 187 balls. It was not Amla at his most flamboyant, as was the case in Australia on occasion, and for that New Zealand’s bowlers deserve some credit even if the finishing touch was still often missing with a boundary-ball offered to keep the scoreboard moving. Neither is patience a problem for Amla and he was happy to wait, rather than try to manufacture too much on the first day.Amla’s catch was not the only missed opportunity for New Zealand. Facing the second new ball, Faf du Plessis gloved Boult down the leg side but was given not out. After some deliberation McCullum did not review only for HotSpot to clearly show the touch. Du Plessis, much to the amusement of the South Africa changing room, tried his hardest not to let on what had happened. He also had some problems against Jeetan Patel with one edge falling tantalisingly short of McCullum at slip.Smart stats

Hashim Amla’s century is his 19th in Tests. He is fourth on the list of South African batsmen with the most Test hundreds. Jacques Kallis is on top with 44 centuries.

Amla’s average of 88.50 is the third-highest among batsmen with 750-plus runs against New Zealand. Wally Hammond is on top with an average of 112.77.

Amla and Michael Clarke have scored the most centuries (5) since the beginning of 2012. Both batsmen have done so in the same number of matches (12).

The 102-run stand between Amla and Faf du Plessis is the third-highest fifth-wicket stand for South Africa against New Zealand and their highest against New Zealand in home Tests.

For the 12th time overall and the second time since the start of 2012, South Africa had three fifty-plus stands in among wickets 1-5. The only time they had four fifty-plus stands for wickets 1-5 was in Auckland in 1999.

However, like Amla, du Plessis was hungry to make New Zealand pay for their mistake. He went to his fifty with a crunching pull that cleared deep midwicket and benefited from the second new ball as the extra hardness helped it run away. The fifth-wicket stand was worth 102 by the close. In reality, this was still men against boys.There was early movement on offer in Port Elizabeth’s first Test since 2007. The crowd was not massive although, hopefully, over the weekend that will improve. For their sake it was good that New Zealand could not be blown away in a session again. Alviro Petersen did not survive the opening hour, top edging Doug Bracewell to fine leg when he was not fully committed to the shot.Bracewell was the pick of New Zealand’s seamers and troubled Smith, who was not at his best, including clonking him on the back of the helmet as Smith turned his head away from a bouncer. Smith needed a few minutes to compose himself and was close to being lbw a few moments later. That was a curious piece of cricket: the umpire said not out, McCullum decided not to review and replays showed it was hitting middle but Bracewell had overstepped.Smith’s outside edge was located by all three seamers, but he was good enough to keep the ball short of the slips and benefited from a couple of boundaries to third man. Neil Wagner, the left-armer who was recalled in place of Chris Martin, caused some tricky moments but had a tendency to bowl a touch short.As Smith so often does, he stuck in and reached fifty from 80 balls but then glanced a delivery from Wagner down the leg side. For Wagner it was an emotional wicket against a side that includes former team-mates. His later contest with AB de Villiers, who went past 6000 runs, certainly had an extra level of intrigue.Kallis began with an imperious pull but got an inside edge driving at Bracewell, leaving Amla and de Villiers to ensure there was no significant wobbles in the middle of the day as they consolidated against the workmanlike attack. The pair added 86 for the fourth wicket until de Villiers lazily gave his innings away when he chipped Patel to midwicket. It was a waste from de Villiers, a mistake that Amla was not going to make.

Sky Sports have weighed in on the latest rumours surrounding Celtic’s move for Yokohama F. Marinos striker Daizen Maeda.

*Celtic have now announced the triple signing of Maeda, Hatate and Ideguchi*

The Lowdown: Reports in Japan…

Celtic were first credited with an interest in Maeda back in October, with the Hoops confident of bringing the 24-year-old to Parkhead.

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Since then, Ange Postecoglou has been linked with moves for Reo Hatate and Yosuke Ideguchi and has reached agreements for both players.

Recent rumours from Japan have suggested that is now the same for Maeda, who netted 23 J League 1 goals in 2021 and is valued at £990,000 by Transfermarkt.

The Latest: Sky Sports post

Sky Sports took to Twitter to provide an update on the swoop for Maeda.

They backed the news from the player’s homeland, claiming that ‘Celtic have reached an agreement in principle’ to sign the versatile forward on what will be an ‘initial loan deal’.

Sky Sports’ story adds that the Hoops will have the option to make a move permanent in the summer, however, they don’t say for how much.

The club’s Japanese social media accounts have since added even more fuel to the fire with a promotion video implying a deal is close.

The Verdict: January business coming along nicely…

With agreements now seemingly reached for all three Japanese targets, Celtic may well have finalised all the groundwork on their winter window business and may now turn their attentions to making Jota and Cameron Carter-Vickers’ loan moves permanent.

Postecoglou will be bolstering his midfield ranks with Hatate and Ideguchi, whereas Maeda will be able to provide an option in attack or out wide.

Hopefully, the trio will hit the ground running just like Kyogo Furuhashi did following his summer switch, and if they do, Celtic may have a real chance of pipping rivals Rangers to the Scottish Premiership title.

In other news: Parkhead source says Celtic will definitely look to sell ‘stupid’ ace who Ange ‘doesn’t like’ in January.

Sachin Tendulkar, the Mumbai Indians captain, remains uncertain for the IPL final on April 25, after he injured his finger on his right hand while attempting a low catch at slip

Cricinfo staff21-Apr-2010Sachin Tendulkar, the Mumbai Indians captain, has injured a finger on his right hand during the semi-final against Royal Challengers Bangalore, making him uncertain for the final on Sunday. Tendulkar, who was bleeding after attempting a low slip catch, rushed back to the dressing room and had five stitches.Despite the injury, Tendulkar hoped to feature in the final. “My right hand is not too great. Split my webbing and got five stitches. But hopefully I will recover for the final,” he said.Tendulkar sustained the injury in the fourth over of Royal Challengers Bangalore’s chase, when Rahul Dravid edged Zaheer Khan. Replays indicated a part of the ball had touched the ground as Tendulkar clasped it, and the batsman was ruled not out. Tendulkar was injured in the process, bleeding from his right hand, and immediately made his way to the pavilion for some medical attention.Zaheer, who led Mumbai in Tendulkar’s absence on the field, said his team will take a call on his participation in the final in two days. “We are little bit worried but we will take a couple of days to decide (on his availability for the final),” Zaheer said. “Every team he has played for has relied on him. It was unfortunate he got out early today and got injured. But we have reached the final and all the credit goes to him. I hope he plays in the finals. We all expect him to play. We just have to remain patient.”Tendulkar’s was not the only injury worry for Mumbai Indians. Man of the Match Kieron Pollard injured his knee while batting, but came back to bowl an exceptional spell to pick three wickets. He was confident of being ready in time for the big game.”After running the first two runs, I twinged my knee. But it feels good now, and hopefully I should be fit for the final,” Pollard said.

Plays of the Day from the IPL game between Kings XI Punjab and Rajasthan Royals in Mohali

Jamie Alter at the PCA Stadium in Mohali24-Mar-2010Hit me baby just one time
Free hits were made for Twenty20, but none of the offerings from Sreesanth were accepted by Rajasthan’s batsmen. Wayward in his bowling, Sreesanth sent down a no-ball on his very first delivery of the match but Naman Ojha was beaten on the free hit, which was a clever bouncer. Sreesanth’s second free-hit delivery was another short ball that cramped Faiz Fazal and yielded just a single. Two free hits for just one run. Talk about getting out of jail.Nothing like a decent start
It wasn’t massive, but Rajasthan’s top order at least got a start. Their opening stands in four previous matches were 0, 14, 27, and a 0. But Michael Lumb – after a first-ball duck in the previous match – was quickly into his stride and helped add 35 with Naman Ojha in 3.4 overs. Lumb went on to score the best contribution by a Rajasthan opener this season, a 30-ball 41, after which the No. 3 Fazal collected 45 cool runs. Not outstanding, but some of the cobwebs had been brushed away.Oh, brother
A few Indian newspapers had hyped up the rivalry between the Pathan brothers ahead of the clash of the basement teams. Round one went to Yusuf Pathan, and he had his sibling to thank. Off the fifth ball of the ninth over, Yusuf heaved at a slower ball from Shalabh Srivastava and top-edged it high into the sky. Irfan ran around from long-off, settled under the steepler, but dropped the catch.En Voges
For the second match running Adam Voges provided vital ballast to Rajasthan’s middle order. After 14 balls he had 29, a superb strike rate in Twenty20, and then allowed Fazal to take strike. Fazal reciprocated with a few lovely boundaries off the back foot, and after he departed for 45 Voges gave further evidence of how crucial a player he is. He steered the third-last ball expertly behind point for four, stole two off the next ball, scampered back to strike even as the non-striker was run out, and smashed the final ball over midwicket for four. The last over cost 13, Voges’ 45 came off 24 balls, and his efforts gave Rajasthan a good total to defend.Eyeball to eyeball
The IPL isn’t all fun and music and big hits. Two instances during the game showed that Twenty20 is serious business. Sreesanth started out erratically, but when he dismissed Ojha for 13 he gave the batsmen a proper send-off, walking down the track and glaring at the batsmen ever after he’d left the middle. Then, during Punjab’s chase, Munaf Patel began a glaring contest with Ravi Bopara, who is never one to back away. Bopara had collected a pair of triples during Munaf’s second over, which cost 15, and the bowler didn’t like it one bit. What began as a customary mumble in frustration, with Munaf continuing the eyeball confrontation to Bopara, ended with Munaf being told to go play in traffic – well, you know what I mean – as he loped off into the outfield.Munaf dismantled
Munaf’s third over confirmed the direction his career has taken. After trying to dismiss Bopara with his chatter after an expensive second over, Munaf was taken to the cleaners in his third by Manvinder Bisla. His definition of a sighter was a slogged four which sent the ball flying over midwicket for four, the next ball was clubbed for six, and that was followed by two more fours as Munaf’s figures took a beating.Actions speak louder than words
When Munaf came back to bowl his final over, the 13th of Punjab’s innings, his captain had put a lot of faith in him. This time he silenced himself and delivered. A clever slower ball got Bopara chipping to mid-on and the second produced a loose shot from Mahela Jayawardene. It was lobbed back over Munaf toward Abhishek Jhunjhunwala, who charged in and hit the stumps with a direct hit to run out Irfan. Thankfully for Rajasthan, Munaf had let the ball do the talking.Value for money
Can you ever keep Yusuf Pathan out of the game? It was another disappointing outing with the bat, but when Shane Warne tossed Yusuf the ball for the 15th over he struck and added another in his second over. Yusuf has been able to spin the ball and restrict the batsmen with disciplined control, ultimately curbing the scoring by picking wickets. What he may be failing to deliver with the bat, he’s making up for with the ball.

Surrey skipper Rory Hamilton-Brown hit 92 to lead his side to a thrillingtwo-wicket victory over Lancashire with one ball to spare in their ClydesdaleBank 40 opener

25-Apr-2010
ScorecardRory Hamilton-Brown starred with 92 to deliver his first victory as Surrey captain•PA PhotosSurrey skipper Rory Hamilton-Brown hit 92 to lead his side to a thrillingtwo-wicket victory over Lancashire with one ball to spare in their ClydesdaleBank 40 opener. Lancashire had set Surrey a formidable target when Stephen Moore, playing in his first one-day game since joining them from Worcestershire, led them to atotal of 290 for 6 with 118 off 96 balls.Hamilton-Brown, who had never reached fifty in his 37 previous one-day games,responded by sharing a rousing opening partnership of 133 in only 15 overs withSteven Davies. Davies had made 59 off 43 balls with three sixes and seven fours when he played on heaving at Tom Smith but Hamilton-Brown, in his first one-day game as captain, kept Surrey on course in a second-wicket stand of 49 with Usman Afzaal.Then Hamilton-Brown was caught at wide long off trying to hit the ball out of the ground for a fourth time and Surrey began to lose their way. Afzaal was bowled trying to run Sajid Mahmood to third man and Mark Ramprakash was caught low down in the gully.A brief stoppage for rain, which meant that the target was revised to 283 off39 overs added to the tension and Surrey reached the final over still needingfive to win. Stewart Walters and Andre Nel scrambled three singles, Nel was run out tryingto steal a single to the wicketkeeper and in fading light Iftikhar Anjum edgedthe penultimate ball from Mahmood for four to bring Hamilton-Brown leaping downthe pavilion steps punching the air.Surrey put Lancashire in and were rewarded when Nel had Paul Horton brilliantlycaught in the gully in his first over but Moore and Tom Smith were soon takingadvantage of the short boundaries at the school ground.Smith helped Moore put on 63 for the second wicket and Ashwell Prince andSteven Croft joined him in successive stands of 89 in 15 overs and 87 in 11overs before he tried to hit Iftikhar for his fourth sixth and was caught infront of the sightscreen. He also struck 14 fours.Prince scored 48 off 46 balls, Croft 44 off 43 and Mark Chilton provided asting in the tail by hitting three sixes and a four off the penultimate overfrom Stuart Meaker to lift Lancashire to their highest score against Surrey inlimited-overs cricket.

The Portuguese is struggling to weave his magic despite the team's resurgence and urgently needs to start firing again

When Manchester United were at their lowest ebb earlier in the season, they had to thank their lucky stars they could at least rely on the brilliance of Bruno Fernandes. It was the captain who pulled them out of a hole against Nottingham Forest, when they conceded two goals in the opening four minutes. The Portuguese set up Casemiro's equaliser, earned the foul from which Forest captain Joe Worrall was sent off, and then bagged the winner from the penalty spot.

Fernandes was also pivotal to their narrow 1-0 win at Burnley, scoring a stupendous volley which halted a run of three successive defeats. And after facing fierce criticism from Roy Keane after the dire defeat by Manchester City and calls to be stripped of the captaincy, it was Fernandes who stepped up in stoppage-time at Craven Cottage, firing United to a much-needed victory at Fulham.

The midfielder was often made the scapegoat by pundits for United's troubles due to his body language and his penchant for complaining to referees, but he was never the problem. However, a curious thing has happened in the last two months: United have made huge strides in 2024, winning six out of their last seven matches, but their revival has not been down to Fernandes. If anything, it has been in spite of him.

Getty ImagesNo league goals in 13 games

That decisive strike against Fulham on November 4 was Fernandes' last league goal for United. He has failed to strike in 13 matches since, while contributing just three assists.

He has scored in the FA Cup matches against Wigan and Newport County – one of which was a penalty – and in the Champions League at Galatasaray, but he has largely been on the margins of United's best attacking moves of late.

Instead, Alejandro Garnacho has taken a step forward, notching five goals and three assists in the league since Fernandes' last goal. Scott McTominay has also come to the fore, scoring four goals and adding an assist despite starting just four league games since December and having to make the most of substitute appearances.

Rasmus Hojlund has also been in the mood after his quiet start to life with United, becoming the youngest-ever player to score in six consecutive Premier League games.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesIn his favourite position

And the worrying thing about Fernandes' dip in goalscoring statistics is that he is now playing in his favoured position as a No.10, where he should be at the heart of United's best moves. He has also played more minutes than any outfield player, only missing the match with Liverpool at Anfield as he was suspended.

The injury to Casemiro had left him with more defensive duties, but the Brazilian returned to action in late January, forming a solid double pivot with Kobbie Mainoo which has given United more stability in midfield and a solid platform for Fernandes to weave his magic. He has been unable to do so.

GettyWasting chance after chance

It is not for want of trying, as the midfielder has fired off 14 shots in his last five Premier League outings, but he has only hit the target three times. He is also carving out plenty of opportunities for his team-mates.

Fernandes ranks third in the Premier League for chances created per match, only trailing James Maddison and Martin Odegaard. But he ranks fourth when it comes to wasting chances, sitting behind Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Nicolas Jackson and Darwin Nunez.

Fernandes has an expected goals total of six per this season, but has only managed to score three times, one of which was the penalty against Forest.

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GettyAlarming drop off

Fernandes' struggles are even more alarming when you contrast his low numbers with the way he began his career with United. The midfielder posted a stunning eight league goals and seven assists in his first 14 matches after his move from Sporting CP in January 2020, dragging United to finish third as they gained more points than anyone else in the league following his signing.

Fernandes followed his debut season with even better numbers in his second, scoring 18 times and providing 11 assists. His contributions started to fall when Cristiano Ronaldo returned to the club, but he still scored 10 times in the 2021-22 season and eight times last season, his lowest tally for United.

He is now on track for his lowest scoring season yet, and urgently needs to build on his measly three goals so far.