While the results and honours haven’t always followed, West Ham United have always been a team that can boast a genuine superstar or two in their side.

A few years ago, it was Declan Rice who was grabbing the headlines for the Hammers and representing them in a Euros final for England.

Nowadays, it’s Jarrod Bowen and Lucas Paqueta who are the standouts in the team, with the latter making it very clear he wants to remain in East London with his celebration against Nottingham Forest.

However, before either he or Rice had made their names in Claret and Blue, there was an exciting prospect who looked like an even bigger talent than both.

Rice & Paqueta's West Ham careers

Now, there may still be some ill feelings about where Rice moved on to a couple of years ago, but it would be impossible to deny that he gave an awful lot to West Ham over his time with the club.

He made his senior debut for the club against Burnley in 2017 and went on to make 245 appearances for the club, totalling an astonishing 20,580 minutes.

Despite playing in defensive midfield and even at the back at times, the Englishman managed to score 15 goals and provide 13 assists for the Hammers during his time in East London.

Moreover, he captained the club to Conference League glory in his final game – an achievement that has enshrined him in the club’s history books forever.

Paqueta, on the other hand, only joined the Irons from Lyon in the summer of 2022, but has still played a massive role at the club.

He was also part of the team that secured the Hammers’ European glory, and has amassed an impressive tally of 21 goals and 14 assists in 124 games.

However, for as brilliant as Rice and Paqueta are, there was an academy gem who, a decade ago, was being looked at as an even bigger talent, but is not without a club.

The West Ham gem without a club

Cast your minds back to the distant year of 2015 and West Ham’s Premier League opener away to Arsenal.

Where Are They Now

Your star player or biggest flop has left the club but what are they doing in the present day? This article is part of Football FanCast’s Where Are They Now series.

It was a game to forget for the hosts, but a memorable win for the travelling Irons, and one youngster in particular: Reece Oxford.

It was the then 16-year-old’s competitive debut, and instead of making a fool of himself against a pretty stacked Gunners side, he looked incredible and practically pocketed a prime Mesut Özil.

It was a performance that more than turned heads, with then-manager Slaven Bilic proclaiming afterward that the youngster “has everything.”

Later on, the Croatian would tell the press that, at the time, “I couldn’t move around the place without hearing that Reece Oxford was going to be the next big thing.”

Moreover, in an interview with The Athletic, former West Ham trainee Lewis Page revealed that during his early days, Rice was unsure if he’d get a scholarship as Oxford “was the main talent at centre-back, and I’m not sure if the club thought Dec was good enough to play in midfield.”

Unfortunately, the former Hammers gem didn’t go on to become a world-beater, and after several loans, he left the club with just 17 appearances to his name to join Augsburg in the summer of 2019.

Augsburg

80

3

2

West Ham

17

0

0

Mönchengladbach

8

0

0

Reading

5

0

0

Things went reasonably well for the youngster out in Germany for a while, but persistent injuries followed with a severe case of long COVID that prevented him from really kicking on.

In all, the 26-year-old made 80 appearances for the club, but his last senior professional game was all the way back in November 2022, and he’s been without a club since July 1st of this year.

Ultimately, while Oxford was never able to live up to the hype, he did carve out a decent career for himself in the Bundesliga, and we can only hope he finds himself a new team soon.

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ByDominic Lund Sep 3, 2025

Rasmus Hojlund has enjoyed a impressive start to life with Napoli, scoring four goals in six outings, following his arrival on loan from Manchester United on deadline day. Denmark Brian Riemer has since aimed a dig at the Premier League side for their use of the young striker, who struggled for consistency at Old Trafford following his arrival from Atalanta in 2023.

AFPHojlund failed to make an impact in England

Hojlund moved to United from Atalanta in 2023 and while he wasn't a prolific scorer in Italy, the Premier League side were convinced to spend big to secure his services two years ago. The Danish striker, though, was unable to strike up any sort of form in England and scored just four goals in 32 appearances for the English giants last season.

The arrivals of Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha and Benjamin Sesko pushed Hojlund further down the pecking order at United and the club were happy to see him leave for Napoli on loan with a £38m obligation to buy at the end of the 2025/26 season. However, like many who have departed United in recent years, Hojlund has gone on to enjoy an uptick in form.

The 22-year-old has only scored four league goals in 2025, but two of those have come across four Serie A appearances for Antonio Conte's side with Napoli currently top of the table after the opening six games of the season.

Advertisement'He is now on a well-functioning team'

Denmark coach Brian Riemer has since aimed a dig at United ahead of Denmark's win at Belarus on Thursday, a game in which Hojlund bagged a first half brace, and is quoted by The Metro as saying: "I think Rasmus has the quality for both leagues, without discussion.

"‘Does he fit in Italian football? Yes. There was no doubt about that, because he had already proven that. But that doesn’t mean he doesn’t fit in English football. On the contrary, I would almost say.

"The fact that he is now on a well-functioning team and has players around him who take pride in doing good for others helps to make the outcome for a striker like Rasmus, who needs to be serviced. It is more important than which league you play in."

Getty Images Sport‘I’ve played a lot and it’s been going really well'

Hojlund, meanwhile, was asked about his return to his best form, to which he replied: "Not much has happened other than me getting into a good football team.

"I’ve played a lot and it’s been going really well. I’ve felt fit and sharp. I’ve made sure I was ready and I did a lot of things off the pitch in my summer break to be ready for the upcoming season.

"It’s of course great to be in such a period. In my position, I’m basically there to score goals. That’s my job. When I go onto the pitch, I have extra faith in things, and I’m of course happy about that."

On the Danish striker, Napoli boss Conte said: "He’s a 22-year-old who was on the sidelines at Manchester United. He has significant room for improvement, he needs to work because he has the potential to become a star, and he’s proving it."

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Hojlund latest in long line of ex-United stars thriving

Hojlund isn't the first player to leave United recently and go on to thrive elsewhere. The Premier League side have endured a significant downturn in fortunes in recent years, becoming the butt of jokes among football fans.

And players seem to enjoy a return to their best form once they leave United, with Hojlund's Napoli teammate Scott McTominay among those to shine away from Old Trafford. McTominay was superb as Napoli won the Scudetto last season, and was named Serie A MVP in the process.

Elsewhere, Marcus Rashford caught the eye during a brief stint with Aston Villa, while Antony played a key role as Real Betis progressed to the UEFA Conference League final last season, eventually falling to a 4-1 defeat to Chelsea in Poland.

Napoli will look to maintain their title defence next weekend when they travel to Turin to face Torino on Saturday, 18th October, and capitalise upon Roma's meeting with Inter in Serie A's first round of games following the October international break.

There is no getting away from the fact that Chelsea have not had the start to the season they would’ve been hoping for.

Enzo Maresca’s side lost their opening game of their Champions League campaign, and with their defeat against Manchester United on Saturday, they have amassed just eight points in the Premier League.

Fortunately, the Blues’ League Cup clash away to Lincoln City tonight provides them with a chance to bounce back with a convincing and entertaining win.

With that said, the manager should also use it as an opportunity to play some of the younger players in the squad, like Estevao and another Cobham product.

The Chelsea youngsters who should start with Estevao

Starting from the back, tonight’s game surely gives Maresca the perfect opportunity to hand Jorrel Hato another competitive start in Blue.

Appearances

111

Starts

102

Minutes

9121′

Goals

4

Assists

9

Goal Involvements per Match

0.11

Minutes per Goal Involvement

701.61′

Points per Game

1.86

The Dutchman may still only be a teenager, but he’s already got an enormous amount of experience, making 111 appearances for Ajax before leaving this summer.

Moving into the middle of the park, the manager should bring Andrey Santos into the team from the start.

The young Brazilian was brought on in the 21st minute for the West Londoners on Saturday, and all things considered, did rather well, completing 100% of his dribbles, completing 51 passes and earning a 7/10 match rating from the Standard’s Simon Collings.

Then, when it comes to the wide players, one of them has to be Estevao, who was taken off early at Old Trafford due to Robert Sanchez’s ridiculous red card.

The dynamic attacker might not have scored his first competitive goal for the club yet, but he provided a brilliant assist in the game against West Ham United and has generally looked a threat whenever he’s been on the pitch.

However, he’s not the only youngster who should be given the chance in attack tonight.

The Cobham ace who should start vs Lincoln

While every game is important for Chelsea, especially in cup competitions, the level of tonight’s opposition provides the club with an opportunity to give some academy talent a proper runout.

In The Pipeline

Therefore, Maresca should bring Shumaira Mheuka back into the squad, and not only that, but hand him what would be just his second start.

Yes, the young Englishman did get a few runouts in the first team last season, including a start against FC Copenhagen, but given his age, it would have been unfair to expect too much of him.

So with that said, why should he come back into the team tonight?

Well, simply put, because he is on fire this season.

For example, in just six appearances, totalling 523 minutes, the Birmingham-born goal machine has put the ball in the back of the net seven times for the youth sides.

In other words, the 17-year-old gem is averaging 1.16 goals every game this season, or one every 74.71, which makes it easy to see where talent scout Jacek Kulig is coming from when he describes him as “the next big thing from Cobham!”

Finally, it’s not just at club level where the youngster is flying, as in 16 appearances for England’s U19s, totalling 970 minutes, he has scored eight goals and provided three assists.

Ultimately, given the level of the opposition tonight and his recent form, Maresca should look to start Mheuka for Chelsea against Lincoln City.

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Mohamed Salah is getting old, but he’s still here and he’s still thriving for Liverpool.

The long-time talisman turned 33 this summer, and there’s a sense that the overload of attacking signings this summer were completed with an eye on the Egyptian stepping into the final stretch of his Premier League career.

Last season, Salah took it on himself to win the Premier League, making merry under Arne Slot’s wing in the first year since Jurgen Klopp stepped down and putting in an individual campaign for the ages, breaking any number of records and posting 34 goals and 23 assists across all competitions.

Now, things are a bit different, with the likes of Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz signed for British-record fees in what could shape the Reds’ frontline for many years to come.

Times are changing down Anfield Road, and though Salah continues to play a focal role in the project, having scored three goals and supplied three assists already this term, the weight of responsibility is no longer so heavy.

And this is without even acknowledging the emphatic early form of Hugo Ekitike, who is giving Salah and Isak a run for their money as the club’s main man up top.

Ekitike's start to life at Liverpool

Six games, four goals, one assist. Not a bad way to announce yourself to the England game. Ekitike left Eintracht Frankfurt and signed for Liverpool in a deal rising to £79m in July, and he’s been hailed for his “really clever” play by Wayne Rooney, who knows a thing or two about scoring in the Premier League.

Isak came off the bench for his league debut in a Liverpool shirt last time out, in the Merseyside derby, but Slot has quite the conundrum on his hands as the ostensibly second-fiddle star continues to go from strength to strength.

There are, for sure, worse problems to have as a manager.

Against the Toffees, Liverpool arguably played their finest football of the season in that eventful first half, with the 23-year-old demonstrating his natural ease in jinking through the lines to latch onto the ball and guide it into the net, past Jordan Pickford.

Threading through the assist for Ekitike’s latest goal was Ryan Gravenberch, and while the French forward has started the season in fine fettle, it is the man in the middle who has been the star of the show across the past five weeks.

Gravenberch is becoming Liverpool's best player

Martin Zubimendi is almost three months into his Arsenal career. The Spain international joined the Gunners for £60m in the summer and is regarded as a coup for Mikel Arteta’s side. He is one of the silkiest midfielders out there.

Gravenberch walked all over him at Anfield earlier this month, to use some sporting jargon, and it all might’ve been so different, had Zubimendi accepted Liverpool’s proposal to sign him in 2024.

He didn’t, opting to remain with Real Sociedad. It stang, let’s get that straight. However, Gravenberch rose from mediocrity to form the nucleus of newbie Slot’s engine room, having been utilised sporadically by Klopp beforehand.

Still only 23, the Dutchman was instrumental in winning the Premier League last season, and he’s only gotten better since the summer, it seems, with journalist Daniel Storey even remarking on the Totally Football Show that he’s been “the best player in the country” across these opening weeks, having scored, assisted and dominated against Everton on Saturday.

Gravenberch wasn’t at his crispest in possession, but that’s only because he took it upon himself to make things happen in the final third, winning seven duels and making five tackles too.

The campaign is young, but Gravenberch has started with staggering style, looking even more robust and complete than last year, when he stepped into the place meant for Zubimendi and made it his own, crowned the 2024/25 Hublot Young Player of the Season for his performances.

Ryan Gravenberch in the Prem under Arne Slot

Stats (* per game)

24/25

25/26

Matches (starts)

37 (37)

4 (4)

Goals

0

2

Assists

4

1

Touches*

66.5

76.0

Pass completion

89%

88%

Key passes*

0.7

1.5

Dribbles*

1.0

1.5

Ball recoveries*

5.2

5.3

Tackles + interceptions*

3.5

2.8

Total duels (won)*

5.0 (57%)

5.3 (55%)

Stats via Sofascore

Much has remained the same for Gravenberch, but he’s now starting to be a bit more progressive on the ball, moving forward more frequently and being rewarded for his ambition with a sharp uptick in direct goal contributions.

Gravenberch is the life-force of this Liverpool team, the beating heart. Whether he manages to maintain this new level across the span of the season remains to be seen, but we wouldn’t bet against it.

Last year, this young, powerful and technically proficient midfielder proved he could raise his game, right? Now he’s merely doing it again, marking the latest development in a journey which has yet to reach the surface; it’s not even close.

Though Liverpool have left something to be desired across the opening weeks of the season, they have still won five games out of five in the Premier League and claimed three points in their Champions League opener too. There is a pervading sense across the country that the Reds are a shoo-in for a successful top-flight title defence, though it is far too early to declare such a thing with any real conviction.

If Liverpool do achieve their goals, Gravenberch will be at the heart of everything, with his continuing role in the middle of the park becoming something truly special. So many times in recent years have the club turned to Salah and the skipper, Virgil van Dijk, for inspiration. This is still true.

However, Gravenberch indeed stakes a compelling claim for the best player on Merseyside so far this term, becoming a talisman in a different fashion to Salah, who remains a focal point but with greater quality in the final third to ease him toward the autumn of his Liverpool career.

In any case, this is quite the team, and Liverpool are looking to make it a special year.

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Daniel Levy made a few high-profile mistakes during his time as Tottenham chairman, but one is now seriously coming back to haunt him.

Daniel Levy leaves behind mixed Tottenham legacy

Levy’s resignation after 24 years as head of the Lilywhites boardroom sent shockwaves throughout the world of football.

He was regularly the target of criticism and even protests towards the end of his tenure, following a perceived lack of on-field ambition when compared to Spurs’ big-spending Premier League rivals.

Levy oversaw just two major trophy wins — the Carling Cup in 2008 and Europa League this year — but helped to transform Tottenham into a financial powerhouse off the pitch.

The 63-year-old helped to instigate Spurs’ transformative move to their brand-new state-of-the-art stadium and training facilities, which have made them one of the highest-potential clubs in Europe for success.

Real Madrid

£1.2 billion

Man City

£727 million

PSG

£700 million

Man United

£668 million

Bayern Munich

£664 million

FC Barcelona

£659.5 million

Arsenal

£621.5 million

Liverpool

£620 million

Tottenham Hotspur

£533 million

Chelsea

£474 million

via Deloitte Money League

Nearly three weeks ago, the news of his departure is still attracting plenty of debate, following reports that Levy was pushed to resign from Tottenham by the Lewis family and found out just hours before it was made official (The Times).

The chief made some pretty questionable calls as chair, not least the appointments of highly unsuitable managers which turned out to be disasters.

In terms of the transfer market, while there are plenty of success stories, one decision that’s now coming back to bite him is the refusal to strike a deal for PSG superstar Ousmane Dembele.

The Frenchman has resurrected his once-faltering career under Luis Enrique at the Parc des Princes, and fresh off the back of a stellar 24/25, he was crowned this year’s Ballon d’Or winner on Monday evening.

Dembele’s staggering 35 goals and 16 assists in all competitions last season, including an heroic Champions League final display against Inter Milan, gifted PSG a long-awaited treble whilst etching his name into the club’s history.

His winner away to Arsenal in the Champions League semi-finals also turned out to be crucial, with the £317,000-per-week attacker starring in multiple positions as both a centre-foward and wide player across 24/25.

Tottenham refused chance to sign Ousmane Dembélé in 2022

Looking back to three years ago, it is now very interesting to note that Tottenham were actually offered the chance to sign Dembele

That is according to reliable journalist Alasdair Gold, who reported at the time that it was a ‘polite no’ to the opportunity of negotiating a deal for this year’s European player of the year.

This blunt response to Barcelona’s offering of Dembélé is made all the more humbling for Levy, considering how the 28-year-old has set France alight since his move to PSG just one year after Tottenham were approached.

The ex-Barca flop’s rise back to the pinnacle of footballing stardom has been a wonder to behold after injuries largely dampened his time at the Camp Nou, with Enrique explaining that Dembele’s “impeccable” attitude was perhaps a key factor.

Now, it is highly unlikely Spurs will get such a chance to sign him again, and it further highlights just how quickly things can change in football.

MatériaMais Notícias

Por mais que esteja em ascensão no  Botafogo, o atacante Matías Segovia não esconde o carinho que mantém pelo Guaraní, do Paraguai. Na vitória por 2 a 1 do Alvinegro no jogo de ida da Copa Sul-Americana foi o reencontro dele com seu ex-clube.

Ao ser perguntado na zona mista se comemorará caso marque um gol contra os “Aborígenes” no jogo de volta, dia 9, no Estádio Defensores del Chaco, Segovinha foi veemente.

– Não, não vou comemorar não. Por respeito ao meu ex-time, que joguei toda a minha vida lá. Tenho muito respeito. Vou sempre fazer o melhor para ajudar meus companheiros, mas se fizer o gol, não vou comemorar não – disse.

Delhi Capitals (DC) captain Axar Patel has been fined INR 12 lakh for his team’s slow over rate during the IPL 2025 game against Mumbai Indians (MI) on Sunday night in Delhi.As per Article 2.22 of the IPL’s code of conduct, a captain is fined INR 12 lakh for the first slow over rate offence in a season. The IPL has done away with match suspensions and there are only fines and in-game field restrictions.Chasing 206, DC were the favourites at one stage, thanks to Karun Nair’s comeback knock of 89. They needed 66 from eight overs and had seven wickets in hand. But they kept losing wickets at regular intervals and suffered a hat-trick of run-outs in the penultimate over to fall short by 12 runs. This was their first defeat in five games.”We had the game. I think we had soft dismissals from the middle order, some bad shots,” Axar said after the game. “We lost by 12 runs with an over to go so we could have still won it. It can’t happen that your lower-order batters will always save you in chases. There are some odd days where you play wrong shots, so I don’t think there is any point in thinking too much about it.”Earlier in the tournament, MI’s Hardik Pandya, Rajasthan Royals’ Riyan Parag and Sanju Samson, and Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s Rajat Patidar were also handed fines for slow over rate.

The USMNT boss largely stacked his lineup against Ecuador, and got a glimpse into what a successful World Cup run could look like

In 2013, then-Manchester United manager David Moyes was asked in a news conference where his Red Devils needed to improve. It was simple, he admitted.

"We'd like to pass it better. We'd like to create more chances, we'd like to defend better when those moments arise. I don't think it's any one area, we're just trying to improve all around," Moyes said.

That clip went viral. The easy summary: Man United were rubbish, and their out-of-depth manager needed his team to improve in every possible footballing capacity. They were underperforming. Everything, yes, needed to be better.

And over much of the past year, it's been hard not to feel that way about Mauricio Pochettino's USMNT, too. There were countless individual ideas at play – especially in the Gold Cup and September's friendly with South Korea – but nothing really cohensive to be found. He had a sort of system, with a sort of full strength squad, playing sort of soccer. 

It was all seemingly verging on a vanity project. Here was Pochettino, "changing the culture" doing things his way, and, well, losing nearly as often as winning. And no, Pochettino didn't win against Ecuador on Friday. But he certainly came a lot closer.

It was about as close to a complete performance as the U.S. have turned in during his tenure. Some of it, to be sure, is tactical. There is a formation now, a clear set of ideas to work with. Some of it is man-management. But perhaps most importantly, Pochettino has loosened his grip – albeit slightly.

"We are here talking about actions, concepts, formations, things like this now," Pochettino said. "After one year, I am so happy that we don't talk about other things like commitment, attitude or things that, in the past, we've had to talk about. I think that is a massive step up."

The U.S. has a lot of good players to work with, and Pochettino, finally, has elected to use them. And even if the result wasn't quite there, the soccer was. And that might mean more than any individual win. 

• Getty Images
  

  The starting XI

  What about that starting XI? In soccer is, everyone seems to have an opinion. One person's 3-4-2-1 is another's 4-2-3-1. Give us attacking midfielders, double pivots, inverting fullbacks, Mauricio. We crave it. It is the manager's prerogative to set up the USMNT as he sees fit – regardless of the general furor around the team.

  And Friday night, the soccer world all got to feel like Pochettino listened. 

  The roster had been promising from early on. The Christian Pulisic drama of the summer was gone. Folarin Balogun is here. Weston McKennie and his last-chance-saloon vibes was selected. Tim Weah, in excellent form at Marseille, was brought into the fold.

  With Tyler Adams out, Pochettino avoided the MLS temptation and instead brought in Tanner Tessmann, who has enjoyed a solid spell at Lyon. Even Antonee Robinson, clearly not fully fit, was brought into the group. There is every chance that he's there to keep the culture together.

  It is, at this point, time to think more about getting your best players in a training facility and hoping that they start to get on. Whether they do or not isn't available to the public. Their relationships exist in 15-minute previews of training, curated social media clips, and body language experts during games.

  But one thing is for sure: there is some chemistry building here. Pochettino's starting XI was pretty low fuss. Pulisic wasn't available from the start, after picking a slight ankle injury. Elsewhere, though, things looked good: McKennie, Malik Tillman and Weah all started. Miles Robinson, arguably the U.S.'s weakest performer, lasted an hour before being hooked. 

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• Imagn
  

  The players that didn't make it

  Perhaps more importantly – and more indicative of Pochettino's head space – were the players that failed to make the starting lineup. Pochettino had made it clear from early on that he valued MLS talent. Alex Freeman and Diego Luna were some of his early favorites. He also handed chances to Patrick Agyemang early in his tenure.

  All three were benched to begin with against Ecuador. And while Luna and Freeman both came off the bench with 30 minutes to play, it seemed more like an half an hour to try-out for the big boy team than a statement of intent from the manager.

  When the U.S. needed a late goal, Pochettino, crucially, relied to EFL Championship talent rather than former MLS stalwarts. Sure, there was a domestic presence on the bench, but just three of the six subs to appear made it . 

  Some of this is down to rotation. Pochettino knows what Agyemang is. James Sands is there to round out the numbers. But in the 87th minute, in a 1-1 game, when you're chasing a winner, you call on the player that you trust the most. Pochettino went with the big name, not the MLS guy who had made an impact for him before. 

  This, of course, raises some questions about fairness. Every manager likes to push the play-on-merit agenda. And that's a valid point. Could Luna have not earned more minutes here, for example? Perhaps.

  But Tillman is a bona fide European talent, signed to replace Florian Wirtz at Bayer Leverkusen. That he has never quite made it happen for the U.S. is largely irrelevant. Pochettino didn't necessarily bring in guys. He looked for talent. 

• Getty Images
  

  What it all meant

  The result of all of this was a far more compelling performance than Pochettino's U.S. have provided in quite some time. Balogun was excellent, stretching the defense with clever runs and a wonderful turn of pace.

  "His work ethic is amazing in the way that he always is available in every single aspect of the game, with and without the ball," Pochettino said of Balogun after the match. "I'm so pleased with his performance." 

  McKennie picked a few lovely passes. Tillman was another standout, all tight turns and cute flicks – a style of play that runs in such contrast with his 6-3 frame. He created six chances, by far the most on the pitch. In the middle of the park, Tessmann went about his duty efficiently. The stats were fine: a few tackles won, 91% of his passes completed.

  But he also just looked like a big guy doing big guy things: tackling, cutting passing lanes. There will be a real competition for this side to see who gets into the lineup to play alongside  Adams. Tessmann made a fairly compelling case. At the back, the void in class was clear. Richards is probably now a bit too good for Crystal Palace, and showed why with another impervious performance. Tim Ream was as reliable as ever.

  The three weakest links? Miles Robinson at left center back, who picked up a yellow card early and never recovered; Aidan Morris in central midfield, who looked a step slow; and Max Arfsten at left wing back, who lacked the attacking guile for the role. 

  By the end of it all, the U.S. outpassed, outshot and pretty much outplayed their visitors. A couple of immense saves from Ecuador's 28-year-old keeper Hernan Galindez prevented what might of been a 4-1 win.

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  Pulisic and his potential impact

  There is also the wider reality here: the U.S. did all of this (mostly) without Pulisic. The full extent of his injury situation isn't clear. Pochettino mentioned that he had picked up a knock. He missed a day of training. You could have guessed that he wouldn't start. It was really a question of would he be seen, and, if so, when?

  It's tough to speculate here. If the U.S. had been up, Pochettino likely would not have risked him. But with a goal needed, he threw his man on. And as soon as he entered the fray, the energy of everything changed. Pulisic is playing his best soccer in some time, and has a real presence about him that he lacked in previous years.

  Here, he wanted to ball. He drove when he had it. He pointed and shouted and let the pieces form around him when he had the ball. Spanish football often references the concept of "pausa" – effectively slowing the game down when you have the ball, Matrix style. It's an ineffible thing that can't really be taught. Pulisic has it. 

  A full 90 of the American in this match, and the scoreline might have been radically different.

Karachi also confirmed Kane Williamson would be partially unavailable during this campaign

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Apr-2025

File photo: Litton Das picked up an injury during training•Dhaka Capitals

Litton Das has been ruled out of the PSL after he sustained a blow to the thumb during training. Karachi Kings announced the Bangladesh wicketkeeper, who was drafted in the Silver Category this year, will be replaced by Australian wicketkeeper Ben McDermott.”Unfortunately, I couldn’t be part of this tournament, even though I was really looking forward to it,” Litton said in a statement on Karachi Kings’ website. “Life can be unpredictable – just my bad luck.”McDermott has never played in the PSL before but does have recent T20 form coming into the league. He was a member of the Hobart Hurricanes side that won its first BBL title earlier this year, getting his runs at a strike rate just under 145 in the tournament, including a cameo in the final.Related

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Meanwhile, Karachi also confirmed Kane Williamson would be partially unavailable during this campaign. Williamson is expected to join the Kings after the Karachi leg of the tournament ends on April 21, meaning he will miss the first five of his side’s games this tournament. He will be replaced for that period by Saad Baig, currently captain of Pakistan’s U19 side.Peshawar Zalmi also bolstered their ranks in the lead-up to their first game. Fast bowler Ihsanullah, who was ruled out for an extended period of time with a career-threating elbow injury which the PCB acknowledged was mishandled, makes his return to the league for the first time since 2023. He has been signed by Peshawar Zalmi, who play their first game against Quetta Gladiators on Saturday.

Manchester United are looking to kick on under Ruben Amorim after the win against Sunderland and could now look to beat Manchester City to a statement signing in the January window.

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Undoubtedly, the Red Devils have taken time to get going this season, and their start hasn’t been plain sailing as they integrate new signings and try to find their best starting line-up.

Nevertheless, a victory over Sunderland has restored morale at Old Trafford and has relieved some pressure on Amorim’s situation at the club, which will give supporters some cause for optimism as Manchester United head for the international break.

Oliver Glasner has been linked to the Red Devils’ hotseat, and there will be other names mentioned if results begin to take another dip, but Amorim appears safe for now and will hope his side can kick on over the coming weeks.

With international breaks splitting the season into mini-blocks, the January transfer window isn’t actually too far down the line and rumours are already beginning to circulate regarding who could come in to improve Manchester United’s squad.

Reports suggest that the Red Devils are fighting Manchester City to sign Atletico Madrid full-back Nahuel Molina in a deal that could be worth in the region of £26 million.

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Truthfully, it remains to be seen if spending power is there after a summer window that saw £250 million shelled out at Old Trafford. PSR rules will need to be respected, and January is a notoriously hard month to conclude business.

Still, Manchester United may not be done in their quest to pip Manchester City to signings if recent developments are to evolve.

Man Utd look to pip Man City to sign Aleksandar Pavlovic

According to SportBild’s Tobias Altschäffl, Manchester United have made an approach via intermediaries for Bayern Munich star Aleksandar Pavlovic and he is now firmly on their radar alongside rivals Manchester City, who have been strongly linked with the player for weeks.

He said when asked by Christian Falk about his situation: “Juventus Turin and Paris are not yet so moving. With the English, this is absolutely true. It is known that the Pavlović side was approached via intermediaries. They would like to get Pavlović. At City, he’s even higher on the list.”

Five similar players to Aleksandar Pavlovic (FBRef)

Jordan Ferri

Sampdoria

Benjamin Bouchouari

Trabzonspor

Manu Morlanes

Mallorca

Remo Freuler

Bologna

Valentin Rongier

Rennes

Making his presence felt at the Bundesliga holders, Pavlovic has made seven appearances across all competitions this term, scoring once against Hamburg.

Primarily a holding midfielder, the Germany international could well be a long-term replacement for Casemiro. Still, the Red Devils will need to convince him that their project is worth investing in, amid a run of inconsistent results this term.

Showing ambition hasn’t been a problem so far for INEOS, though this could be their most important capture yet amid strong interest from their rivals.