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Manchester United are on the hunt for an interim boss and could now turn to a familiar face to lead them out at Old Trafford for the remainder of the season.

Man Utd begin process of searching for new manager

Ruben Amorim has left the building and Darren Fletcher is now the man in charge for the time being as the Red Devils look forward to the rest of the campaign under new management.

Leaving in acrimonious circumstances, the 40-year-old’s relationship with Jason Wilcox broke down, leaving both parties with no choice but to go their separate ways rather than to reconcile.

In scathing fashion, Manchester United’s official statement on Amorim’s departure read: “With Manchester United sitting sixth in the Premier League, the club’s leadership has reluctantly made the decision that it is the right time to make a change.

“This will give the team the best opportunity of the highest possible Premier League finish. The club would like to thank Ruben for his contribution to the club and wishes him well for the future.”

Despite the Red Devils sitting sixth in the Premier League table, the process is now underway to find his replacement and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer would be keen to return to Old Trafford on a six-month contract as they seek interim cover before a full-time appointment is made in the summer.

Ultimately, a swift hire is needed amid a swift run of Premier League fixtures, and the Red Devils hierarchy may now have someone else in mind to replace Amorim.

Man Utd could turn to Michael Carrick

According to journalist Ben Jacobs, United have now opened talks to hire Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Michael Carrick on an interim basis until the end of the season.

iNews further report that Carrick has been earmarked as a temporary solution to lead the club until the end of the season. He is among the ‘top contenders’ to succeed Amorim and is available immediately after leaving Teeside at the end of last term.

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Known to use a 4-2-3-1 formation, he won 63 of his 136 clashes in charge of Boro. The 44-year-old also recorded 24 draws and 49 losses across all competitions and amassed around 1.57 points per game in the Sky Bet Championship.

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Previously, Carrick, labelled a “class act” by Cristiano Ronaldo, enjoyed a three-game stint in caretaker charge of Manchester United after Solskjaer’s departure in 2021, emerging victorious on two occasions and drawing one of his three matches.

Short-term fixes are never something clubs would ideally resort to. Nevertheless, the Wallsend-born man would be regarded as a safe pair of hands with an extensive working knowledge of the club, both in a playing and coaching capacity.

Furthermore, the prospect of being able to put himself in the running for a permanent role may be too enticing to refuse, even if it isn’t yet clear whether he would be keen on a return to Old Trafford.

Aston Villa have joined Man United in the January race to sign a highly-rated centre-back as Unai Emery’s men continue their pursuit of a surprise Premier League title.

Villa have surged into genuine Premier League title contention with a remarkable winning streak that has propelled them within touching distance of leaders Arsenal ahead of tonight’s crucial showdown at the Emirates Stadium.

Emery has masterminded 11 consecutive victories across all competitions, matching the club’s all-time record and positioning Villa just three points behind the Gunners with a victory potentially drawing them level at the summit.

Villa’s latest triumph came at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, where they recovered from a goal down to beat Chelsea 2–1 thanks to inspired second-half substitutions from Emery.

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Ollie Watkins hailed his manager as a “tactical genius” following the comeback, which extended Villa’s extraordinary run.

The Midlands club have demonstrated exceptional mental resilience throughout their winning run, earning 18 points from losing positions this season — more than any other Premier League side.

All seven of their most recent league victories have also been sealed by one-goal margins, including comeback wins against Leeds United, Brighton and Chelsea that have defied expectation.

Villa’s defensive solidity has provided the foundation for their challenge, with Emery’s side conceding just 19 goals in 18 matches this season.

Emery has bested former club Arsenal twice in his last two visits to the Emirates, dealing significant blows to the Gunners’ previous title aspirations.

A third successive victory in north London would cement Villa’s credentials as genuine contenders, and they’ve been further boosted by reports that Delcan Rice will miss tonight’s showdown through injury.

Off the field, reports suggest that Villa want to bolster their squad, and they’ve now entered the fray to sign a stellar centre-half from abroad.

Aston Villa join Man United in race for Tarik Muharemovic

According to Italian news outlet Gazzetta Di Modena, Aston Villa have joined the race to sign Sassuolo defender Tarik Muharemovic, with the Premier League title challengers him ahead of a potential summer move.

The 22-year-old has attracted widespread attention across Europe following a string of impressive performances in Serie A, with Villa now competing against English rivals and Italian giants for his signature.

Gazzetta di Modena reports that Villa are amongst three Premier League clubs tracking Muharemovic, alongside Bournemouth and Man United.

The Red Devils dispatched scouts to watch the Bosnian defender in action at the Dall’Ara stadium in Bologna last Sunday, where he delivered another accomplished display and scored his second goal of the campaign.

Muharemovic possesses the characteristics of a ‘modern’ defender that appeal to Premier League clubs, as well as an ‘unusual’ charisma for his age and a profile that is ‘perfect’ for the Premier League.

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Bournemouth’s interest stems partly from their successful experience with Dean Huijsen, another defender developed through Juventus’ youth system.

The Cherries signed Huijsen for over £20m before selling him to Real Madrid 12 months later for around treble the price.

However, Inter Milan and Juventus remain frontrunners for Muharemovic’s services.

The Old Lady hold a 50 per cent sell-on clause from his previous departure, which could provide leverage in talks.

Juve are considering using this clause to reduce the asking price for Inter midfielder Davide Frattesi, valued at £25 million, with Muharemovic potentially included as part of an exchange deal.

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Manchester City are now the ‘favourite’ to sign Borussia Dortmund star Erling Haaland, after news emerged claiming that Pep Guardiola’s side sit in ‘pole position’ for the striker.

The Lowdown: Interest in Haaland

City’s interest in the 21-year-old has been widely reported for the past few months after the club failed to secure the signing of Tottenham star Harry Kane. The Sky Blues have reportedly joined Real Madrid as the frontrunners in the race for the youngster’s signature.

Last month, Dortmund advisor Matthias Sammer admitted that he is aware that the Citizens are closely monitoring the Norwegian. He even revealed that he ‘fainted’ after hearing about the proposal that the Premier League champions are plotting.

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The Latest: City’s huge boost

According to a report from Sky Sports Deutschland (via Sport Witness), Guardiola’s side have emerged as the ‘favourite’ in ‘recent weeks’ to sign the Norway international, and they are currently in ‘pole position’ to complete the transfer in the summer.

Sebastian Kehl, who is set to become Dortmund’s new sporting director, has ruled out renewal talks with the striker, although Sky have claimed that Real Madrid are still in the picture for a move for Haaland.

The Verdict: Exceptional signing

Since bursting onto the scene as a teenager after joining from Red Bull Salzburg, Haaland has gone on to attract international attention due to his emphatic goalscoring record. In just 83 matches for Dortmund, the 21-year-old has netted a sensational 80 goals.

As a result, he ranks in the 99th percentile for non-penalty goals, non-penalty expected goals and non-penalty expected goals plus expected assists among positional peers in Europe’s top five leagues (via FBRef), so it is easy to see why the likes of Arsene Wenger have labelled him a “super talent”.

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Therefore, if City can get this deal over the line, it will be an exceptional signing for Guardiola’s side.

In other news: £36m-rated star who Zabaleta absolutely loves could now join Man City

Less than a month after Worcestershire announced a £50,000 deal with Kidderminster CC to stage county matches at their ground in the event of New Road flooding again, the old pavilion at Chester Road has been destroyed by fire.Fireman were called to tackle a blaze in the early hours of Sunday morning but were unable to save the wooden building which had to be demolished as it was unsafe. Police believe the fire was started deliberately.The structure was built around 1870 at the old Lorne Street ground and subsequently moved with the club to the current venue. It was replaced by a newer building in 1927 and has more recently been used for storing equipment.A spokesman for the club said that the worst hit would be the 150 youngsters whose kit was all lost in the fire. “We’ve accumulated a lot over the last few years but it has all gone up in smoke … the boys need bats, helmets, boxes and pads and the price of those all adds up.”

Kyle McCallan: “They are saying we have qualified on the basis of one performance. Hasn’t everyone?” © Getty Images

Kyle McCallan, the Ireland spinner, is fed up of hearing critics say they have no right to be in the Super Eights. After being the surprise of the group phase with a win over Pakistan and a tie with Zimbabwe, Ireland are now under increasing scrutiny to prove they should be in the second stage.”I am reading so many comments at the moment, saying Ireland shouldn’t be in the Super Eights,” McCallan said. “No matter what you do, people are trying to knock you down. They are saying we have qualified on the basis of one performance.”Hasn’t everyone? England lost to New Zealand. They are only in the Super Eights because they beat Kenya. They’re all motivating factors for us to go out and perform another upset.”Ireland get their chance to prove they belong in the second round when they face England in Guyana on Friday. It will be the second match between the teams in nine months after England won by 38 runs last June.”We were disappointed at how we bowled against England in Belfast,” McCallan said. “They haven’t got Marcus Trescothick, who got a big hundred against us, albeit they now have Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff, but we didn’t disgrace ourselves in that match and we’ll take that experience into Friday’s game.”They’ve lost Harmison from that attack and while we cannot be overly-confident going into the game, we can realistically compete with them. Having heard what we’ve heard about the pitch here, apparently it suits the slower bowlers so I hope that they will play the pace bowlers. It will come on to the bat and make for faster scoring.”The guys have coped with the quicker bowling rather well and if we can hit the ball down the ground in the middle overs, we should get more runs. The batters know what they have to do.”

Chris Dehring: ‘Full steam ahead’ © Cricinfo

Suggestions that some of the grounds scheduled to host matches during next year’s World Cup will not be ready on time have been dismissed by Chris Dehring, the tournament’s managing director and chief executive officer.Concerns have grown after contractors at Sabina Park admitted that there were serious delays in the ground’s rebuild, but Dehring said that it was “full steam ahead”, adding that a contingency plan had been submitted to the ICC in case there were any last-minute problems.”Everyone is moving forward as planned,” he told reporters in Grenada. “Of course we have a back-up plan in place and it is currently being reviewed by the ICC. That plan will only be implemented if absolutely necessary. At present, there is no one country that is being earmarked to ‘take’ matches currently assigned to another host venue.”If a decision were to be taken to relocate matches from one host venue to another, it could only be taken by the organisers. This is not a decision that can be made by anyone outside.”Dehring explained that it was “critical to the overall success of the tournament, at this time every country is expected to meet its obligation to host matches. Each host venue is working not only on the completion of their stadia but on all the other infrastructural elements required to support the hosting of the tournament.”We have just over 300 days to go, including weekends and public holidays, and everyone concerned is working assiduously to ensure that no time is lost.Dehring also said that a revised plan had now been submitted for Sabina Park which would ensure it was ready on time. Warner Park in St Kitts is almost finished, and work on the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua is ahead of schedule. Guyana’s Providence Stadium is also set to be ready ahead of the organisers’ deadline.

Kevin Pietersen: ‘I’m nowhere near Tests yet’© Getty Images

England batting sensation Kevin Pietersen has admitted that he is not ready for Test match cricket.Despite a record-breaking start to his ODI career and praise from Michael Vaughan and Duncan Fletcher, Pietersen says he’s “nowhere near Tests yet”, in an interview in the April issue of The Wisden Cricketer magazine.While playing down his readiness for an Ashes match-up with world champions Australia, Pietersen does admit that time spent playing with Shane Warne at Hampshire could prove to be a useful learning curve. Speaking of Warne, he says: “He’s a genius, and to have a bloke like that wanting me in his cupboard to play alongside him was most definitely flattering. I’m nowhere near Tests yet, I’ve only played a few ODIs, but playing with Warney will definitely smooth out a possible confrontation if I do happen to come up against him in the summer.”Pietersen’s reluctance to put himself in the Test frame is not shared by the nation’s cricket-lovers. 83% of 1,000 respondents to a Wisden Cricketer poll on Cricinfo.com said he should definitely be in the Test side. And four out of ten said they would prefer to watch him bat rather than Andrew Flintoff, a staggering result for the novice compared to the country’s established destroyer of bowling attacks.Reflecting on his baptism of fire against South Africa in Johannesburg, where he shepherded England to victory, Pietersen says: “I think that innings was one of the biggest I’ll probably play in international cricket, that 22 not out. It just helped me settle down, helped me enjoy international cricket. And after that I realised that it will never be as bad as that – 35,000 people are booing you, every single person wants you out, every single person hates you.”He also has an answer for the doubters who have suggested that his leg-side bias could yet be exposed. “In one-day cricket you have to be able to hit a ball into three different areas at once. You’ve got to know that if the ball’s there, you’ve got three different areas where you could score. That’s how I go about it. I open up the off-side, I go down the ground, I open up the leg-side and I try to make sure I get a run a ball.

Pietersen celebrates his maiden one-day hundred at Bloemfontein© Getty Images

“I play differently in first-class cricket in England. My style doesn’t change, I’m a positive player who likes to hit boundaries and score quickly, but in first-class cricket your technique changes, you can become a lot more patient. So in Test match or first-class cricket I won’t have to hit the ball through the leg-side all the time. There’ll be more scoring options all over.”His admiration for one-day team-mate and mentor Darren Gough is unstinting: “I respect every single thing he says and I love his approach to a game. It helped me a lot to have a senior bloke like that right by my side all the time. In terms of lifestyle, in terms of cricket, everything. He was instrumental in getting me to relax.”And his passion for living in England is equally enthusiastic: “I love the country, I love the people, I love all the players, I love the management,” he says.Tony Greig, the former England captain who was also born and learnt his cricket in South Africa, offers Pietersen some worldly advice: “The only advice I’d give him is that the one thing you can’t change is you’re South African. The fact that you’re lucky enough to be eligible to play for England is like a business decision.”People who have played for England have always been born all over the place. I guess the only issue now is the timing. The England team is just getting good and people probably want the team to be Anglo-Saxon to its boots,” says Greig, interviewed in the same issue of the magazine.The April issue of The Wisden Cricketer, the world’s largest-selling cricket magazine, is on sale from Friday 18 March priced at £3.40 for 100 pages of news, features, interviews, match reports and competitions.

Steve Tikolo, Kenya’s captain, has appealed to sponsors and the ICC to help develop cricket in his country. After Kenya’s loss to the Windward Islands in the Carib Beer series this weekend, Tikolo lamented the fact that it is extremely difficult for the game to grow.At present, all that exists is a one-day tournament which started in 1987, but lacks any sponsorship “We do not have a first-class season and all we play is one-day cricket,” Tikolo said. “This is no preparation for the longer version of the game.”Tikolo did reveal that the Kenyan authorities are considering the introduction of a three-day tournament in the next few months, but he said that is likely to be an uphill struggle without sponsorship. “Cricket is just catching on as a popular sport in Kenya and has to rival football and athletics,” he said, “so to attract sponsors is not going to be easy.”Kenya surprisingly made the semi-finals of the 2003 World Cup, but Tikolo insisted that achievement has done nothing in terms of support and sponsorship. “The ICC have more or less turned their backs on us since our showing in the tournament, and save for a limited-overs tournament in Sharjah, we have not had any serious cricket.”Tikolo’s comments come in the wake of Andy Moles, the coach, who insisted the ICC should grant Kenya Test status.

A stand of 46 for the last wicket between Bilal Shafayat and Nick Thornicroft edged England Under-19s to a thrilling one-wicket win over the ECB Academy at Adelaide.Shafayat made 31 and Thornicroft nine to pluck the Under-19s from the threshold of oblivion. They eventually reached their target of 240 with just four balls to spare. They also ensured that an innings of 73 made earlier by Samit Patel did not go to waste.Earlier, Notts wicket-keeper Chris Read hit an excellent 95 off 123 balls, while Durham’s Gordon Muchall chimed in with 46.The Under-19 team included Andy Flintoff and Ashley Giles, who were continuing their warm-ups for the World Cup. Neither man shone, with Giles returning one for 35 from 10 overs and making a duck, while Flintoff bowled just three overs and made 14.

Sri Lanka’s selectors recalled all-rounder Chandika Hathurusinghe andincluded three more players to their squad of 22 to face India and NewZealand in a one-day triangular cricket series from mid-July and Indiain a three-Test series in August.Left-handed batsman Avishka Gunawardena and fast bowlers RuchiraPerera and Dinusha Fernando were the other three named in the listthat has now swollen to 26 players. They are undergoing training undercoach Dav Whatmore in Colombo.Hathurusinghe’s inclusion is seen more as an attempt to bolster themiddle-order, which already includes Hashan Tillekeratne and Aravindade Silva, than for his gentle medium pace.The 32-year-old Hathurusinghe has played 26 Tests in his internationalcareer that began in 1993 and has been in and out of the nationalsquad, and earns his fourth recall after a successful domestictournament.