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The greatest athletes are playing on longer in many sports. de Villiers is doing it in cricket (and so is James Anderson)

Jarrod Kimber14-May-2021AB de Villiers looks wrecked. He’s sweating uncontrollably. There seem to be new veins that weren’t previously visible.He is speaking to the TV crew after one of his innings in the IPL in Chennai, and they are trying to understand how a guy who plays so little cricket stays in such good shape. He’s joking that he didn’t feel fit while batting. He looks like a 37-year-old who offered to do a fun run for charity and now regrets having taken part.In truth, he is the only batter to have conquered the oppressive Chennai surface. He wasn’t just good on this pitch, he played a different form of cricket to everyone else. Rahul Tripathi’s impressive cameos provided him with the next best strike rate among players who made 50 runs there.These are some players with over 50 runs on that wicket: Gayle, Maxwell, Bairstow, Warner, Kohli and Pollard. No first names needed because none are required. And de Villiers clowned them all.ESPNcricinfo LtdRemember, this pitch resembled a balloon slowly losing air. By the second half of the innings it was almost impossible to play a shot on. The scoring rate was 7.38 per over, and batters averaged 15.75 runs. It was easier to bat in the first ten overs, and de Villiers never batted then. He only arrived for the soft-ball section, where he scored at 11.36 runs per over and averaged 62.5.The 48 from 27 balls that made him sweat all over the microphone was his first professional innings since November 6 last year.It is not that de Villiers is great, because we know that. It is not that de Villiers is consistently great – that too is quite obvious now. It’s that de Villiers is managing to be this good at T20 cricket – a fickle and random sport – in the world’s toughest league, without really playing anywhere else, at 37.

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In his book, Ricky Ponting admitted that he batted on too long. His last few years were incredibly barren for a player of his talent. But in his last full year of Test cricket, he scored 134 and 221 against India. At his best, Ponting was still someone who could make 200 runs in a Test. But from 2009 until he retired, he averaged 37.76 in Tests. That’s low by anyone’s standards, but more so if over the previous nine years you averaged over 60.Related

• 'Reward for longevity and an excellent career'

• AB de Villiers was 'concerned' about taking away another player's spot, reveals Mark Boucher

• 'Superhuman' de Villiers steps into his box and out of this world

• Kohli and de Villiers in limited-overs chases: who's better?

• AB de Villiers: A different eye, a different mind (2018)

This is what you expect from a top player in their late 30s. The peaks rarely stop but their troughs just get deeper and occur more frequently. They can still do what they do, but not as often.There was a match in this year’s IPL where MS Dhoni came out and hit 17 from eight balls. It was the sort of innings you might have seen him play more than a decade ago. It wasn’t long and two of the fours were edged but it had a significant impact on the innings. It’s also the only knock of the four he played this year where he had a strike rate over 150. In 12 innings in the last campaign, he only scored at a strike rate of over 150 three times.Dhoni is not the player he once was; in the 2018 and 2019 IPL seasons he averaged 79.18 while striking at 143. This last season and a half, it’s been 21.54 and 117. But even last season, there were little cameos of 29 from 17 and 21 from 13. For Dhoni, this could just be a two-season dip – that is, more of a one-year dip. It’s possible this isn’t the end of old Dhoni.But this is generally how players curve with age. They can still do what they once did, just not as often. Or at least, this is how they are supposed to age.There is one thing that de Villiers and Dhoni share other than both being in their late 30s: both play little outside of the IPL. Dhoni hasn’t played anything outside the IPL since the 2019 World Cup semi-final. And de Villiers’ last non-IPL cricket was at the start of 2020. Leading up to that, he played the PSL, Mzansi Super League, T20 Blast and Big Bash. He didn’t play those leagues last year because of Covid, and yet, twice he has rocked up to the toughest league in the world and smoked everyone.Since the 2020 IPL, MS Dhoni hasn’t quite looked like his old batting self, although there are still glimpses of his self-assured style from time to time•Arjun Singh/BCCIFor many of the smaller T20 tournaments around the world, you turn up late if you are a star player, spend a bit of time in the nets and then hit the first ground pretty raw. The IPL is better than this – even star players play in intra-club warm-ups and other matches, and there is a longer lead-in. Players who have gone from IPL to IPL with nothing in between can struggle. At the end of his T20 career, Shane Watson would play club cricket just to keep his eye in for the IPL. Many of the older batters have said what they found toughest was having no cricket in between. That – so far at least – has not seemed to matter to de Villiers. His preparation coming into each of the last two IPLs has been superb. Whatever he is doing between tournaments is working.

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Tennis players are getting older. It would be hard to watch professional tennis now and not feel that way. Before, 14-year-old girls would sweep to the top of the rankings and burn out by their early 20s. The men started later and fared better, but it was not a sport for people over 30. That is not the case anymore.From 1980 until 2005 there were 15 teenage winners of Grand Slams; there have been two in the 16 years since. Among the men there are two players in the top 20 under 22, and seven over 30. There are two players over 30 in the women’s top 20, and one teenager.But while it might seem tennis is getting older, in 2017 a blogger called Matt wrote about how the top 100 is getting older, but the top 1000 is more or less the same average age as it has been since the mid-’80s. That is, there are relatively more older players among the best players in the game than there are among the rest.The reasons are quite simple. Most players drop out if they are not in the top 100. Those who succeed make a lot of money and hire teams to look after every single part of their life. Meaning that the normal ageing curve for an athlete does not apply to Serena Williams or Roger Federer, who are both 39.Golden girl: Serena Williams has won ten of her 23 majors after turning 30•Clive Brunskill/Getty ImagesAnd this isn’t just a tennis thing. LeBron James won a title last year at 36, an age when basketballers, whose trade depends on athleticism and power, are well beyond their best. Once known as Air Canada for his high leaping, Vince Carter retired from the NBA at 43.Incredible performers in high-paying sports are staying on longer. Thirty used to be the normal age for when results began to decline; that seems to have been pushed to 35 for the super-talented. And some like NFL player Tom Brady want to see just how far they can push that number.Cricket’s new-found love of the free market means that players have financial incentives to keep playing. And cricket has many skills that age better than some sports. Batting and spin bowling are certainly two parts of the game where we almost expect players to go on past where professional athletes in other sports can. Peak batting age is 27-29 according to modern data, and in baseball, hitters start to decline at 29.Yet Graham Gooch played his final Test when he was 41. Spinners often age even better. Clarrie Grimmett started his Test career at 33, while Rangana Herath played almost his entire career in his 30s. Recently Australia’s two Brads, Hogg and Hodge, played into their late forties. But they might not have done so in previous eras. Hogg had already retired when he realised his form of mystery was worth money.(I have left Pakistani cricketers out of this article as their ages don’t abide by the laws of sport or nature. Though I love the fact that they just gave a debut to a 36-year-old seamer.)But really, Jimmy Anderson is the best example. This was him talking to the the other day: “You draw comfort from seeing people across other sports, like Zlatan Ibrahimovic getting another contract at Milan [aged 39], Tom Brady winning his seventh Super Bowl at 43, Roger Federer [39] overcoming injuries or Chris Thompson qualifying for the Olympic marathon at 40. It makes you think, why should I start slowing down?”England have invested a lot of money and other resources in keeping James Anderson in top shape for five-day cricket•Mike Hewitt/Getty ImagesEngland at one point almost ruined Anderson by changing his natural action and then later by overbowling him. But since then has any fast bowler ever had the amount of science and support he has had?As Tim Wigmore noted in the a few years ago, professionally Anderson has bowled not that many more balls than Darren Gough, but the ECB has made sure what he does bowl is for England, not in domestic cricket. They track his performance when he trains, and again on the field with health monitors. They have a collection of analysts allowing Anderson access to information about opposition weaknesses. They are at the forefront in terms of rest and rotation of their bowlers. Their dietary guidelines are detailed. England currently think about their bowlers more like how baseball handles pitchers. It’s no surprise they have managed to get so many deliveries out of Anderson – and Stuart Broad.Dale Steyn recently said Anderson was more skilful than him. Steyn relied on incredible fast-twitch fibres, fierce competitiveness, smarts and athleticism. Anderson has never matched Steyn physically, even if he is a remarkable athlete in his own right. His main trade is what he can do laterally with the ball. As long as England can keep him over 83 miles per hour, with his skills and decision-making ability, why would he not keep taking wickets?Before this era of cricket – and really, sport – athletes played in what we thought their peak years were and then disappeared when their bodies or love of the game gave way. Now, for the likes of Brady, Williams and James, who aren’t just athletes but lifestyle brands, it makes sense to invest as much as they can in their bodies because these are likely to be their peak earning years. When the money in professional sport was just good, in the days when players, writers and broadcasters all made around the same wage, there wasn’t the money – or science – for you to push into your 40s.Team athletes like Brady and James now prepare like players from individual sports. They build support networks around themselves: psychologists, decision-making specialists, analysts, eye trainers, and whoever else they need. Cricket isn’t quite there but many top players have their own dieticians, specialist coach, trainers and other support staff.ABD: middle-aged but not middling•Arjun Singh/BCCIOf course if you are lucky, your team can provide a lot of this for you. In another era England would have phased Anderson out and moved on to Chris Woakes. But now they have invested all this time and money in their greatest modern bowler, he helps them win, and success gets them more fans. Think about how long it took England to find one Anderson. If this was your business, you would spend all your money on two things: trying to find another, and trying to keep the first one on the field. This is where modern sports are. Players who are just good will be moved on, greats will be nursed as long as they can be.Recently writer David Epstein described ageing in athletes as essentially a choice. Research suggests that you can delay the inevitable, as many rich athletes are doing, by staying active. Of course there are things we can’t stop from slowing down, as Epstein notes. Reaction speed and power, for example. The fast-twitch muscle fibres responsible for them starts to disappear. That explains why Steyn might have deteriorated quicker than Jimmy Anderson. But you might think that simple reaction times are essential in batting, so that should affect batting into old age, but it doesn’t. And part of the reason is that batting isn’t just about reaction time.In fact, it’s impossible to react to a ball being bowled at 90mph. Batters don’t do that; instead, they read the field, the bowler, the ball as it’s released, and they use all that information to get into the right area to play. Even as their reaction times slow and their eyesight fades, they can face quick bowling. Not as well as in their prime, but Gooch, Hodge and others have done this.Now think about peak de Villiers. Perhaps Steven Smith, Virat Kohli, Joe Root and Kane Williamson went past him as great batters. But at least part of that was because of de Villiers retiring from, or barely playing, international cricket. At his best, as great as the others were, there was probably no other player who was in position to play a ball as early as him. de Villiers slows the game down to his speed. In Centurion, when Mitchell Johnson was destroying South Africa, de Villiers was playing him like he was Boris, not Mitchell.It is not just reaction time and eyesight that slow down – so do the movements of batters. Their bodies degrade. Find any old athlete and ask them how many anti-inflammatories they take. As we said earlier, de Villiers is playing less cricket than other great players do, and has done for a long time. He has over 736 first-class, List A and T20 games; Dhoni is up at 892. de Villiers last had a full international career in 2014. His body shouldn’t have the wear and tear of a 37-year-old player. Between 2014 and 2018, when he started ramping down, he averaged something like 63 days of cricket a year. Since the start of 2019, he has played 71 in total. Some of that is because of Covid.ESPNcricinfo LtdBut why would he want to play any other leagues now? We do not know what his actual salary is at RCB, nor the advertising and promotions income that boosts it. But that amount might well double what he can pick up in all other leagues. That means if he uses a certain percentage of his earnings on dieticians, physicians, trainers, yoga, and someone to take off his cape after innings, he could play on at a high level. It could mean one, or two, extra years of peak IPL form – which would mean more money than playing as much cricket as he can and burning out. There will be an expiration date but he has the ability, skill, finances and work ethic to push this as far forward as possible.The other problem is form, especially in T20, which can be so fickle. A season is so short, you can get run out a few times, or get stuck, and your next contract will be affected. And so maybe he can’t only play the IPL and stay in that kind of form. He could always warm up every year with games in the MSL or Big Bash League, which both occur a few months before the IPL. And for the rest of the year let his body recover while staying at the best level of fitness he can.de Villiers doesn’t let himself go; he stays fit. He turned up to this IPL having worked hard. A lot of things can go wrong for any athlete once they pass 35. Their body doesn’t recover from injuries the same way as before. And there is always the chance that he wakes up one day and has had enough mentally.After that innings in Chennai, de Villiers played two more incredible knocks, of the kind that would be career-defining for normal players. We’ll hardly remember them with his 25 player-of-the match awards in the IPL. In the history of this league there are 39 players with over 2000 runs. Among them, de Villiers has the third-highest average and second-highest strike rate. There is no real debate over him being the best batter in IPL history. He plays the game his way.de Villiers already slows the game down. If there is any batter who can slow ageing down, it would be him.

India’s Test captain has been advised more rest to avoid recurrence of neck spasms

Karthik Krishnaswamy20-Nov-20256:22

‘Gambhir took the blame because he felt curators should not be blamed’

Shubman Gill is set to miss India’s second Test against South Africa starting on Saturday after failing to recover sufficiently from the neck injury he suffered last week. Vice captain Rishabh Pant will stand in as captain in Guwahati.It is understood that, according to medical advice, Gill is at risk of further neck spasms if he plays so soon. He has been advised more rest. The development could also impact his selection in the ODI squad for the three matches against South Africa starting on November 30. The squad for that series is expected to be picked on November 23.With Gill set to miss out, India may have to choose one of B Sai Sudharsan, Devdutt Padikkal and Nitish Kumar Reddy as his replacement.Related

Gill discharged from hospital but remains doubtful for Guwahati Test

Left-hand or left-field – who fills in for Gill in Guwahati Test?

Gambhir's India – close fights, costly calls, and a growing Test crisis

Gill was admitted to hospital after the second day of the Kolkata Test, following the decision to retire hurt after facing only three balls in India’s first innings. On the morning of the third day, the BCCI said he would take no further part in the Test. India went on to lose the match by 30 runs, after getting dismissed for 93 in a chase of 124 on a pitch with uneven bounce. Gill had missed a Test against New Zealand in October 2024 due to a neck spasm too.On Thursday, before ESPNcricinfo learned that Gill is set to miss the match, India batting coach Sitanshu Kotak had said in a press conference that the team would not risk playing him if there was any chance of the spasm recurring.”He is definitely recovering really well,” Kotak said. “Now, the decision [whether to play him or not] will be taken tomorrow evening. The physios, doctors, they will have to take a call that, [even] if he is fully recovered, [during the] game, he should not get that spasm again.”[…] If we have a, guarantee that, very likely, he won’t have this issue again, then he will play. If there is a doubt, then I am sure, he will take rest [for] one more game, because it won’t be helpful to the team [if he plays].”Nitish Kumar Reddy put in the hard yards at the nets in Guwahati•AFP/Getty Images

One of the concerns for India as they figure out Gill’s replacement is the surfeit of left-hand batters in their squad. They had six in their XI in Kolkata – five in their top eight – and Sai Sudharsan and Padikkal, the two specialist batters vying to come into the line-up, also bat left-handed. The left-hander-heavy nature of India’s line-up had advantaged offspinner Simon Harmer, the Player of the Match in Kolkata, significantly.Kotak suggested there had been undue focus on the offspinner-vs-left-hander match-up, and pointed out that South Africa also played Keshav Maharaj, a left-arm spinner, at Eden Gardens, which should have advantaged India’s line-up.”You tell me one thing, they had a left-arm spinner also. If we had seven right-handed batsmen, then? They had a left-arm spinner also, and an offspinner also. I believe that you have to play well. Offspinner bowling to left-hander does not mean left-hander has to get out. We had two left-arm spinners [in the first Test], they had nine right-handers; did they get out? So maybe that thing is a little overrated.”Overrated or not, India will still likely mull over the match-ups even as they prepare for a Guwahati track that is set to be more forgiving to the batters than Kolkata was.India’s mandatory practice session two days out from the match gave some indication of who might come in for Gill. The first four batters who came out to bat in the nets were Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Washington Sundar and Dhruv Jurel. The first three had been India’s top three in Kolkata, and Jurel had batted at No. 4 in the second innings, in Gill’s absence. Sai Sudharsan was next into the nets.Padikkal, meanwhile, did not bat in the early part of the practice session, but was seen bowling part-time offspin in the spinners’ net.Seam-bowling allrounder Reddy, who was released from the squad in Kolkata so he could play in India A’s limited-overs series against South Africa A, was back in training, and bowled alongside Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj and Akash Deep in the fast bowlers’ net.Axar did not bowl initially, and only joined his team-mates some 45 minutes or so into the session.None of this necessarily points to India’s possible selection. Players have their own individual preferences for what kind of training they do, and how much, leading into games.But with a more balanced pitch than Kolkata expected on Saturday, India may not feel the need for a fourth spin bowler and a second left-arm orthodox spinner. If Sai Sudharsan replaces Gill, Reddy coming in for Axar would help India maintain the same balance of left- and right-hand batters they had in Kolkata. With a decent amount of grass on the pitch two days out from the Test, there is a chance Reddy could be a useful option with the ball too.

The 15-member squad also includes Vaibhav Suryavanshi, with Vihaan Malhotra as Mhatre’s deputy

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Nov-2025

Mumbai batter Ayush Mhatre will be leading India Under-19 at the ACC Men’s Under-19 Asia Cup in Dubai from December 12. The BCCI announced a 15-member squad for the tournament, with the side also including aggressive opener Vaibhav Suryavanshi. Vihaan Malhotra will be Mhatre’s deputy at the competition.Mhatre, meanwhile, hasn’t been in good form recently. He had impressed for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in IPL 2025, where he was called up to replace Ruturaj Gaikwad, with 240 runs in seven matches at a strike rate of nearly 189. But since then, he has been inconsistent with his returns.Mhatre got just 27 runs in four one-day matches on the England tour, but hit back to be the top-scorer with 340 runs in the two Youth Tests. In Australia, after that, he got just ten runs in three one-day games and 38 runs in the Youth Tests against Australia Under-19. In four first-class matches during India’s domestic season, which included a game for India A against South Africa A, Mhatre managed only 156 runs at an average of 26. In the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy fixture that followed, he scored 18 against Railways, though he did record an unbeaten 53-ball 110 against Vidarbha on Friday, leading Mumbai to a seven-wicket win.At the ACC Men’s Under-19 Asia Cup, which will be played in the one-day format, India are in Group A with Pakistanand two qualifying teams while Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and another qualifier are in Group B. India open their campaign December 12 against one of the two qualifiers.India squad for Men’s Under-19 Asia CupAyush Mhatre (capt), Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Vihaan Malhotra (vice-capt), Vedant Trivedi, Abhigyan Kundu (wk), Harvansh Singh (wk), Yuvraj Gohil, Kanishk Chouhan, Khilan A. Patel, Naman Pushpak, D. Deepesh, Henil Patel, Kishan Kumar Singh*, Udhav Mohan, Aaron George*Subject to fitness clearanceStandby players: Rahul Kumar, Hemchudeshan J, B.K. Kishore, Aditya Rawat

Eight matches into his Rangers tenure, is Danny Röhl any closer to figuring out which players he can trust and who he cannot?

On Thursday night, the Gers were held to a 1-1 draw by ten-man Braga at Ibrox, despite taking the lead through James Tavernier’s spot-kick in first half stoppage time; the fact that only 38,014 spectators were in attendance encapsulates the mood.

So, with just one point on the board after five games, a frankly pitiful effort, unless they somehow manage to beat Ferencváros, Ludogorets Razgrad and then Porto, which seems unlikely if we’re being honest, the Gers’ Europa League adventure will be coming to a premature end in January, having got all the way to last season’s quarter-finals.

This will allow them to concentrate on domestic matters, which may be a good thing, given that they’ve slipped down to fifth in the Premiership table, despite having won all four league matches since Röhl’s arrival in Glasgow.

So, ahead of a visit from Falkirk, who would actually leapfrog their hosts with a shock victory at Ibrox on Sunday, what changes should the German head coach make?

Youssef Chermiti's uninspiring form

Back on Monday, it was announced that both chief executive Patrick Stewart and sporting director Kevin Thelwell had been sacked, after overseeing a chaotic summer of recruitment, with the £8m, potentially rising to £10m, paid to sign Youssef Chermiti among the more egregious and baffling of their decisions.

So far, he has scored just one goal for the club, on target against Kilmarnock last month, already surpassing his tally of zero goals during two seasons at Everton, also brought to Merseyside by Thelwell for £14m when he was working at Goodison.

Aside from his lack of goals, the striker simply isn’t offering enough, often allowing matches to pass him by and putting in anonymous performances.

Following this week’s draw with Braga, Mark Atkinson of the Scotsman asserted that he is driving supporters ‘demented’, adding that he ‘spurned a couple of presentable’ opportunities and is so far proving to be a mere baffling expensive purchase.

So, ahead of a sequence of three Premiership matches in seven days, facing Falkirk, Dundee United and then Kilmarnock, Chermiti should be stood down and Röhl must instead deploy the “best player in the league” up front.

Rangers' superior Chermiti alternative

Of the 13 players Rangers signed in the summer, many are young and inexperienced, hoping to grow and improve in the coming years, but Bojan Miovski was supposed to be a ready-made starter, brought in to produce right away.

The 26-year-old, returning to Scottish football after a season at Girona, is a proven goalscorer at both club and international level, bagging his ninth goal for North Macedonia against Wales at the Cardiff City Stadium earlier this month.

Meantime, at club level, prior to his season in Catalonia, he had been outstanding during two years at Aberdeen, as the table below documents.

Appearances

98

Goals

44

European goals

4

Goals vs Rangers

4

Goals vs Celtic

3

Shots on target per 90

1.1

Big chances missed

31

Average rating

6.9

As the table makes clear, Miovski was an elite-level finisher during his time at Pittodrie, scoring 32 Premiership goals, while his strike rate in Europe as well as against the two Glasgow giants underlines his quality.

Then-teammate Nicky Devlin asserted that Miovski was “the best player in the league in his position”, firing the Dons to a third place finish in 2022/23, before being sold for £6.8m, the Dons’ record outgoing transfer.

However, we are yet to see very much of that from Miovski in a Rangers jersey, scoring his first goal for the club against Hibs in the League Cup, while his only Premiership goal came at Falkirk Stadium in October, the day Russell Martin was sacked.

Since the appointment of Röhl, the North Macedonian has featured in all eight matches but has started just once, this coming at Dens Park before the international break, substituted at half time with the Light Blues leading Dundee 2-0.

So, for whatever reason, the German head coach appears to favour Chermiti and Danilo, despite the fact that Miovski is a proven goalscorer at both Premiership and European level, something this team desperately needs given that, 26 matches into this campaign, Tavernier and Djeidi Gassama are the only squad members who have four or more goals to their name.

Thus, when Falkirk visit Ibrox this weekend, surely Röhl has to bring Miovski back into his XI, ditching the ineffective Chermiti, with the former looking to net as he did against the Bairns once again, just as he did in Stirlingshire just last month.

Not just Djiga: Thelwell flop who lost ball 17x looks finished at Rangers

Rangers’ wait for a first Europa League victory goes on, held to a 1-1 draw by Braga at Ibrox, and a summer signing was just as bad as Nasser Djiga.

Nov 28, 2025

Wolverhampton Wanderers and new manager Rob Edwards have their eyes on signing a Premier League flop in January, it has been claimed.

Edwards “ready” for Wolves challenge

The Old Gold sealed their move for Edwards in the week, paying Middlesbrough £3m in compensation to bring the 42-year-old back to Molineux.

Speaking to Wolves’ official club website, Edwards said he is “ready” for the challenge as he looks to keep the club up.

Wolves begin their new era under Edwards at home to Crystal Palace, and he’ll have to navigate at least eight games before he can think about new signings in January.

Wolves vs Crystal Palace

November 22nd

Aston Villa vs Wolves

November 30th

Wolves vs Nottingham Forest

December 3rd

Wolves vs Man Utd

December 8th

Arsenal vs Wolves

December 13th

Wolves vs Brentford

December 20th

Liverpool vs Wolves

December 27th

Man Utd vs Wolves

December 30th

However, it looks as if the club are already working behind the scenes to identify potential targets, with one surprise name emerging in the media.

Wolves eyeing up move for West Ham’s Niclas Fullkrug

According to Football Insider, Wolves are interested in a potential move for West Ham striker Niclas Fullkrug.

Linked with a return back to Germany, Fullkrug appears to have admirers from both Wolves and Fulham, who could look to keep the forward in the Premier League.

Former Everton CEO Keith Wyness, said: “I heard a whisper the other day that either Wolves or Fulham might be interested in taking Fullkrug.

“I’m hearing Wolves might be one club who are interested in taking him on and giving him a chance to do something and stay in the Premier League.

“Look, I know there’ll be interest for him back in Germany. He did very well there, and players often don’t settle in the Premier League for whatever reason. He hasn’t and there’s been injuries as well. I think he will be gone in January, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he stays in the Premier League.

“Now whether he goes on loan or not I think that might be one way forward. I think West Ham do need to fill that gap and probably want to get his wages off the books, so I’d be waiting for a move around that sort of area.”

Fullkrug, on £90,000-a-week at the London Stadium, has had a torrid time with the Hammers, scoring just three goals in 27 games following a £27m move from Borussia Dortmund last year.

Costing the Irons £1m for every appearance so far, Fullkrug was called “aggressive” by Ally McCoist but has struggled to adapt to life in England.

Therefore, it would be a surprise if Wolves were to take a gamble on the German striker in the New Year, but it looks as if it is one to watch.

£55m spent & Hackney signs: Dream Wolves XI Edwards can build in January

Ruben Amorim has been subjected to plenty of criticism across his reign as Manchester United manager, and the Portuguese coach is not afraid to dish some out himself. It has been revealed that he gave Manuel Ugarte – a player that he previously worked with at Sporting – a serious dressing down following defeat to Tottenham in the 2025 Europa League final.

Amorim pulls no punches in Man Utd team meetings

United suffered a 1-0 defeat to domestic rivals that day, denying them major silverware and qualification for continental competition in 2025-26. Uruguay international Ugarte was an unused substitute against Spurs, but still attracted unwelcome attention from his manager ahead of a Premier League season closer at home to Aston Villa.

Amorim called a meeting, attended by the entire Red Devils squad, a day prior to facing the Villans at Old Trafford. It was during that discussion that he informed Argentina international winger Alejandro Garnacho that he would need a “good agent” during the summer transfer window, with the 21-year-old winger eventually being offloaded to Chelsea.

AdvertisementGettyWhat Amorim said to Man Utd midfielder Ugarte

According to , Amorim also took aim at Ugarte. They know each other well from their time in Lisbon, but familiarity does not spare anybody from incurring the wrath of Amorim. He is said to have called Ugarte’s work rate into question.

It is claimed that Amorim told Ugarte that he has “gotten comfortable”, with the Portuguese tactician saying that he does “not recognise him as the same player from their first stint together”. Said comments “caused a ripple of reaction among those in the squad” as it was made abundantly clear that 100 per cent commitment to the collective cause is required at all times. Amorim’s approach is considered to be “hard, but broadly fair”.

United’s boss prefers to address any issues in his camp within group settings, rather than one-on-one, with that system reported to be “the cause of conversations among players”. Several United stars are said to have discussed the methods of their manager during a post-season trip to Kuala Lumpur, with some preferring “more tailored instructions”.

Why Amorim does his business face-to-face

Amorim will not be bowing to those demands and wants those on the fringes of his first-team squad to prove their worth in training, not through “face-to-face meetings”. He has made a point of staying away from any player-based social activities in a bid to “maintain a sense of authority”.

Another all-staff meeting was called ahead of the 2025-26 season, at which Amorim reiterated the need for standards to be improved when it comes to professionalism and commitment. He is said to have “cited players going out and being late for training as examples of bad discipline”.

While some of those on the playing staff may not always appreciate his approach to coaching, those behind the scenes have embraced his “candour and passion” – with Amorim a regular presence at United’s company summits.

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GettyNew signings & leadership group: Red Devils a work in progress

The Red Devils remain a work in progress, having made more efforts during the last transfer window to remove those that are considered problematic – such as Garnacho, Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Antony – while bringing in players that have a “love for football”. Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha are considered to tick that box, while also boasting useful Premier League experience from their spells at Brentford and Wolves respectively.

They are said to have “lifted the mood and the quality of sessions significantly”. Amorim has also appointed a six-man leadership group in his dressing room – with club captain Bruno Fernandes being supported by Harry Maguire, Tom Heaton, Lisandro Martinez, Noussair Mazraoui and Diogo Dalot. They are trusted with building discipline and keeping everybody in line.

United have enjoyed an improvement of late, going unbeaten through their last five games, and have entered the latest international break sat seventh in the Premier League table. They will return to action on November 24 in a home date with Everton and former manager David Moyes.