Former USMNT forward Herculez Gomez hailed Christian Pulisic’s excellent start to the season for AC Milan. Gomez highlighted the USMNT star’s transformation since moving to Serie A, contrasting his consistency with the flashes of brilliance – but ultimate inconsistency – that characterized him at previous clubs in his career.

Getty Images SportMilan move unlocks Pulisic

Gomez contextualized Pulisic's journey through European football, noting that while the Pennsylvania native showed undeniable quality during his previous stints, consistency proved elusive. Pulisic had a breakthrough at Dortmund as a teenager, and then a  promising but injury-interrupted stint at Chelsea before moving to Milan.

“Christian Pulisic here, you’re talking about those moments he had of brilliance against teams like Real Madrid while he was a Dortmund,” Gomez said on the Futbol Americas podcast. "And then he would go to Chelsea and he had isolated moments. Champions League runs. He was a big part against Porto. He was a big part against Real Madrid and of why they advanced to the final and in winning the Champions League. And during that Premier League, Chelsea run, it was lockdown Pulisic.

"He had a good string of games where, like, this is exactly who we thought Christian Pulisic was going to be. And as many, in the pool players for Chelsea found out, it wasn't going to be that way. His future wasn't at that club. Now he comes over to AC Milan, and he's been there just over two seasons. And since the time that Christian Pulisic has been in Milan, has been in Serie A, he has absolutely without a doubt been one of the best players in the league, by far."

AdvertisementStatistical dominance

Gomez emphasized Pulisic's statistical impact in Italy's top flight this season, as the American has established himself as the league's most productive attacking player.

“Easy to say he's productive," Gomez said. "Since he got to Italy, 46 goal contributions, goals and assist – more than any other player in Italian football. Lautaro Martinez, more than him – and he was a Ballon d’Or candidate a few seasons ago. And I'm not talking shortlist of 30, I'm talking about top-five type player. Christian Pulisic is on an epic run that he's never been on.

“And you can say what you want about Serie A… this is a very good league, tactically, very difficult to be productive in. And Christian Pulisic is being productive. And he's being productive with all types of coaches. He's being productive in all types of systems.”

Gomez said that Pulisic is finally reaching his potential.

“He is now, who many thought he could be," he said. "If you're asking yourself, the world, if Christian Pulisic is world-class, here's the evidence. It's not fandom. It's what he's doing right now, what he's been doing in Serie A and what hopefully he stays healthy and will continue to do to do.”

Gold Cup controversy

Gomez also addressed Pulisic's controversial decision to skip this summer's CONCACAF Gold Cup to rest his body in preparation for the season ahead. He suggested the American's form represents clear vindication of that choice.

“He decided that the best thing for himself in the summer was to take a break, because his body needed it,” Gomez said.. “Most people don’t know… he had a hip issue. So he decided to prioritize his health and not go with the USMNT in a secondary tournament… when he decided that, he’s now proving that was best for his health."

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Getty Images SportMilan's recent success

The timing of Pulisic's career renaissance couldn't be better for both his club and country with the American thriving so far this season. He has contributed to eight goals in seven games, a tally that includes six in the Serie A alone. The Rossoneri face Juventus next before the October international break on Oct. 5.

New boys – like Arya – Suryansh Shedge and Musheer Khan also come in for praise from the Punjab Kings head coach

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Mar-2025Punjab Kings (PBKS) head coach Ricky Ponting is impressed with the young batters in his IPL 2025 squad, singling out opener Priyansh Arya, finisher (and medium-pace bowler) Suryansh Shedge, and 19-year-old batting allrounder Musheer Khan as the ones he is expecting good things from.”Priyansh Arya, I think, is a very special potential opening batsman for us going forward in the tournament,” Ponting said at an event in New Chandigarh. “Depending on which way we go with our overseas make-up, he’s very exciting.”Left-hand batter Arya had first attracted attention when he thumped six sixes in an over in the Delhi Premier League. At the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) 2024-25, he scored 325 runs, with a century, at an average of 40.62 and a strike rate of 176.63. Arya is one of three opening batters in PBKS’ squad, the others being Prabhsimran Singh and Josh Inglis.Related

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Like Arya, Shedge also had a successful SMAT last season. He had the highest strike rate (251.92) for any batter to have faced at least 50 balls in the tournament, with his cameos helping Mumbai successfully hunt down 230 (against Andhra) and 222 (against Vidarbha). Musheer, meanwhile, will be back in action after September 2024, when he suffered injuries in a car accident.”Suryansh Shedge is also someone who has been very impressive in our training so far,” Ponting said. “When I talk about energy and fun, another player that I am impressed with is Musheer Khan. He’s brought a lot to the group already. He has got an infectious attitude, and around the training ground and around the team so far, he’s been someone that I’ve really enjoyed working with.”PBKS, who had finished ninth last season and have never won the IPL title, start their campaign this season against Gujarat Titans (GT) in Ahmedabad on March 25. Apart from having a new head coach in Ponting, PBKS also have a new captain in Shreyas Iyer. They had last made the IPL playoffs back in 2014, which is also the only time they got to the final.

Chasing 112, KKR went from 62 for 2 to be bowled out for 95

Sidharth Monga15-Apr-20253:37

T20 batting mindset feat. Rayudu

Last year Punjab Kings (PBKS) pulled off the highest successful chase in the IPL when they came across Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). This year, they have nailed the lowest successful defence, bowling KKR out for 95 after posting just 111. And this after they failed to defend 245 in their previous match against Sunrisers Hyderabad.At 62 for 2, KKR were 98% favourites to win, but Yuzvendra Chahal triggered a sensational collapse in conditions that were almost as helpful for the seamers as in Test cricket. Arshdeep Singh and Marco Jansen then applied the finishing touches with incisive short bowling, something KKR had used to end up with a paltry target to chase.The ball seamed 0.5 degrees on average, and both the batting sides approached the game with high intent. Anything full flew because of the pace in the pitch, but once wickets fell, they did so in clutches. Accordingly, things happened quickly, the game swung wildly. PBKS went from 39 for 0 in 19 balls to 15 for 4 in the next 17. They lost their last six wickets for 37. KKR were 7 for 2 in 1.2 overs but scored 55 in the next 38 balls. Chahal then inspired a collapse of six wickets in 5.2 overs. The final twist was Andre Russell taking 16 off one Chahal over to rearrange his figures to 4-0-28-4, but the big left-arm quicks turned to seal the win that took PBKS into the top four.Ramandeep Singh and Harshit Rana combined for three wickets inside the powerplay•Associated PressPrabhsimran and Arya hit the ground runningKKR beefed up their fast bowling with Anrich Nortje ostensibly because they wanted to test the young Indian batters in PBKS, who have been doing the heavy lifting for them. However, the openers targeted Vaibhav Arora’s second over to threaten a repeat of their high-scoring exploits. Harshit Rana, though, turned things around with shorter lengths. The wickets themselves might look innocuous but the short balls did create doubts as they stopped a little and also seamed appreciably. Priyansh Arya found deep square leg, Shreyas Iyer cut a short and wide ball straight to deep point, and Prabhsimran Singh was cramped on the cut. All three catches ended up with Ramandeep Singh.KKR spinners mop upProbably expecting high pace, PBKS reinforced their overseas batting by bringing in Josh Inglis for Marcus Stoinis. However, both their overseas batters failed to read Varun Chakravarthy from the hand. Inglis was bowled off a wrong’un trying to slog-sweep, Glenn Maxwell looking for a single.Glenn Maxwell was bamboozled by Varun Chakravarthy•Associated PressPBKS even went for an SOS substitution, which would leave Maxwell as the fifth bowler. Sunil Narine, though, took out the Impact Player Suryansh Shedge and Jansen in the same over. A run-out between Arshdeep and IPL debutant Xavier Bartlett ended what looked like a sorry innings. The KKR seamers took 4 for 23 in 29 balls pitched shorter than 8m in length, while 24 balls fuller than that went for 49 runs.Jansen and Bartlett strike earlyContinuing with the trend, Jansen, given the first over ahead of Arshdeep, wasted no time in testing the middle of the pitch. The ball seamed in to beat Narine’s pull, and took the top of the stumps. Bartlett, renowned for new-ball wickets in the BBL, got Quinton de Kock with the rare traditional length ball as de Kock got a massive top edge on the flick.A few fielding errors got the partnership between Ajinkya Rahane and Angkrish Raghuvanshi going, and there were calculations about the net-run-rate boost that could help KKR get to the top of the table.Chahal brings PBKS backThe IPL’s highest wicket-taker, Chahal, had had an indifferent start this year with just two wickets in the first five matches. He had to take a fitness test and then reassure Ricky Ponting to play him in this match. The dew had already set in, as seen in how a Bartlett throw from the boundary actually slipped out for four overthrows behind him. Still, Chahal kept giving the ball a rip, slowed his pace down, and took out not just the set batters, Rahane and Raghuvanshi, but also Rinku Singh and Ramandeep.Yuzvendra Chahal was the hero as PBKS stunned KKR•BCCIRahane was beaten on the sweep, had got himself outside the line, but failed to review the lbw call. That was among Chahal’s quicker balls at 84.3kph, but once he got a look-in, he started to loop it. Raghuvanshi and Rinku were both beaten in the flight. Raghuvanshi got a thick edge to backward point, and Rinku was stumped after having been dragged out of the crease by the dip and the drift. Ramandeep premeditated a paddle sweep first ball and top-edged it to leg slip where the anticipating Iyer had already reached from first slip.Russell gives PBKS a scareAlmost halfway into the league stage, Russell’s strike rate read 92, his season tally 23 off 25 and match score 1 off 4. The last player who could support him, Rana, had been softened up and then bowled by Jansen’s short-pitch bowling. KKR still needed 33 with two wickets in hand. This is when Russell showed up and hit Chahal for two sixes and a four to cut the required runs to half.Arshdeep had Arora in his sight for a whole over if he could manage. He pitched two balls up from around the wicket. The second could have been a single if Russell had sprinted off, but he didn’t. Arshdeep now went over the wicket and started to dig the ball in. Arora was hit on the arm as he looked to duck, beaten as he fended, and then lucky to survive as he fended again. For the last ball of the over, Arshdeep went around the wicket and bowled a snorter to take the edge right in front of Arora’s nose.The over ended, and Russell still had another shot at the target. However, he bottom-edged the first ball of the next over to kickstart rapturous celebrations in Mullanpur.

The summer transfer window officially slammed shut for another year on Monday night, without Celtic adding any number nines to their first-team squad.

Adam Idah was allowed to complete a £6m transfer to EFL Championship side Swansea City on deadline day, but that exit was not followed up by a replacement.

This means that Celtic have sold Kyogo Furuhashi, who scored 85 goals in 165 games for the club, and Idah, who scored 29 goals in 76 matches for the club, in 2025.

Meanwhile, Shin Yamada, who has scored four goals in his last 39 matches in all competitions, is the only first-team striker who has been signed by Celtic this year, in January or the summer.

However, Celtic do still have a chance to bolster their squad because they can dip into the free agent market to find a striker to lead the line for them this season, after they failed to sign one before the end of the window.

Sky Sports journalist Anthony Joseph reports that the club will hold talks with former Manchester City star Kelechi Iheanacho after his contract at Sevilla was ripped up on Monday night, before the deadline.

Why Kelechi Iheanacho could be a good signing

Signing a free agent does not always have to be a bad thing, because plenty of players end up in unfortunate situations and may not have been able to show the best of themselves, leading to them being available at this time of the year.

Kelechi only played 11 matches in all competitions during his time with Sevilla in Spain, scoring three goals, which shows that he did not get too many opportunities to showcase his quality in front of goal.

He is a player Brendan Rodgers already knows incredibly well from their time together at Leicester City in England, which means that the Hoops boss knows that the striker has the quality to make an impact in front of goal at Parkhead.

Kelechi scored 43 goals in 143 matches with the Northern Irish boss as his manager at the King Power, per Transfermarkt, and has a lot of experience in the Premier League with Leicester and Manchester City.

22/23 (28)

5

5

21/22 (26)

4

5

20/21 (25)

12

2

19/20 (20)

5

5

18/19 (30)

1

3

17/18 (21)

3

3

16/17 (20)

4

3

15/16 (26)

8

1

As you can see in the table above, the 28-year-old striker has a decent history of goals and assists in the English top-flight, including a 12-goal haul with Rodgers as his manager in the 2020/21 campaign.

These statistics and his relationship with the Celtic boss suggest that signing him could be a worthwhile gamble to bolster their options up front before they have a chance to reassess the situation in the January window.

Even if Kelechi comes through the door in the coming days on a free transfer, though, it does not mean that the Scottish Premiership champions have achieved what they set out to do.

Sky Sports reported that the Hoops wanted to sign two new strikers on deadline day, as Idah left to join Swansea, which means that they may have to make two free agent signings if they still want another number nine in the building.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

A quick look at the free agent market will tell you that there is another centre-forward available who will be well known to Rodgers, even if he has not managed him before.

Patrick Bamford was released by Leeds United last month after they were promoted to the Premier League, as they went with Joel Piroe, Lukas Nmecha, and Dominic Calvert-Lewin as their frontline forward, and he could be an even better signing than Kelechi.

Why Celtic should sign Patrick Bamford

Rodgers will have managed against Bamford in the Premier League and will know what he is about, which could make him another sensible short-term addition on a free transfer to ensure that the club get two strikers in the building before the clash with Kilmarnock.

Like Kelechi, the 31-year-old marksman has excelled in the English top-flight in the past. In the 2020/21 campaign, when Kelechi scored 12 goals, the former Leeds man plundered an eye-catching haul of 17 goals and was hailed as “exceptional” by Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp for his performances that term.

This shows that the former England international’s peak may be higher than the Nigeria international’s, because he scored five more goals at Premier League level that season than Kelechi did in any season in his career.

In recent history, both players failed to showcase their qualities with limited game time in the 2024/25 campaign, but they both featured for their sides in the 2023/24 Championship season, for Leeds and Leicester respectively, and Bamford came out on top.

Appearances

33

23

xG

9.52

6.30

Goals

8

5

Shots on target per game

0.7

0.5

Assists

1

1

Ground duel success rate

40%

38%

Aerial duel success rate

39%

17%

As you can see in the table above, Bamford scored more goals, offering a greater threat in front of goal, and was more impressive in his physical duels, particularly in the air.

These statistics suggest that Celtic may not get much in the way of hold-up or physical play from Kelechi, given his horrendous aerial duel success rate, and that could cause problems in European matches when the Hoops need their number nine to relieve pressure in big matches.

This means that Bamford, who won two Championship titles during his time at Elland Road, could be more effective as an outlet for Celtic in big games, domestically and in Europe, whilst also having the potential to offer a greater goal threat.

Therefore, bringing the English striker in as well as Kelechi could make a lot of sense for the Scottish giants, as it would give Rodgers the two number nine signings he wanted and offer the team different options in the centre-forward position.

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Bamford’s statistics also suggest that he would simply be a better signing striker for the team than Kelechi as the main man up front, which is another reason why the club should swoop for him.

Big picture – Can RR get their floundering season back on track?

They lost their first two games, then won two and have now lost two more matches to have just four points after six games. And if they thought it could get any easier, Rajasthan Royals (RR) now travel to the Arun Jaitley Stadium to face second-placed Delhi Capitals (DC), who seem to have most bases covered.RR’s top order has been found wanting and without the depth in their batting, their middle overs have lacked teeth. RR have the second-best powerplay run rate of 9.72 in IPL 2025, behind Punjab Kings, but that drops to 7.86 in the middle overs: the second-worst behind Chennai Super Kings (CSK).That’s where RR will have to buckle up against DC. In Kuldeep Yadav, the hosts have one of the most potent middle-overs bowlers. Kuldeep has bowled 18 overs in this phase and has gone at an economy of just 5.94, picking up nine wickets, the second most only behind Noor Ahmad.On a flat surface, RR desperately need their inconsistent batting to come good. Sanju Samson has scored just fifty so far, Riyan Parag form has been indifferent, Nitish Rana has just had one innings of note, while Shimron Hetmyer’s entry point has stirred some debate. Only Yashasvi Jaiswal with two fifties in his last three games seems to have found some consistency. RR will need the rest of the power-packed batting unit to fire.Jake Fraser-McGurk is yet to click in IPL 2025•Delhi Capitals

For DC, there are fewer issues, but Jake Fraser-McGurk’s form might have them sweating. He’s scored 46 runs in five matches at 9.2 and a strike rate of 100, a far cry from the sensational season he had last year. While the DC management has backed him, time might be running out for the youngster.DC have four wins in five games, but their loss against Mumbai Indians will sting them and they will want to get back to winning ways ASAP. A clash against a beleaguered RR might just be what they are looking for.

Form guide: Can DC make it five out of six?

Delhi Capitals LWWWW
Rajasthan Royals LLWWLRelated

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Team news and likely XIIs: Is du Plessis fit?

There is still uncertainty over Faf du Plessis’ fitness with the word from the DC camp being that he is recovering. “He’s recovering well although I’m not sure (if he’ll play or not). As far as I know, it’s not a big concern,” Mohit Sharma said about du Plessis’ availability for the RR game. If he is fit, it is likely he will replace Fraser-McGurk at the top of the order, with Karun Nair slotting in at No. 3. If du Plessis is yet to recover, then DC might go with the same XII as the game against MI, with Nair swapping with Mukesh Kumar as the Impact Sub and vice-versa. Du Plessis, however, was not available for practice on the eve of the game.Delhi Capitals (probable): 1 Faf du Plessis/Jake Fraser-McGurk, 2 Abishek Porel, 3 Karun Nair, 4 KL Rahul (wk), 5 Tristan Stubbs, 6 Ashutosh Sharma, 7 Axar Patel (capt), 8 Vipraj Nigam, 9 Mitchell Starc, 10 Kuldeep Yadav, 11 Mohit Sharma, 12 Mukesh KumarRR do not have any injury concerns but need to take care of other issues. They could possibly look at having Akash Madhwal come in place of Tushar Deshpande, while Kumar Kartikeya is again expected to come in as the impact player replacing Rana.Rajasthan Royals (probable): 1 Sanju Samson (capt & wk), 2 Yashasvi Jaiswal, 3 Nitish Rana, 4 Riyan Parag, 5 Dhruv Jurel, 6 Shimron Hetmyer, 7 Wanindu Hasaranga, 8 Jofra Archer, 9 Maheesh Theekshana, 10 Tushar Deshpande/Akash Madhwal, 11 Sandeep Sharma, 12 Kumar Kartikeya1:24

Bishop: Hasaranga and Theekshana need to get their lengths right

In the spotlight – Karun Nair and Riyan Parag

After what has been a barely believable domestic season for Karun Nair, he’s made a statement knock in IPL 2025. In his maiden appearance of this season, Nair smashed a 40-ball 89 to nearly take DC home against MI. His takedown of Jasprit Bumrah – 26 runs in nine balls – will remain the highlight of the season. He came in as an Impact Sub against MI, but that is likely to change going forward, especially if Fraser-McGurk’s lukewarm season continues. Incidentally, Nair has had a couple of stints with RR, the most recent one coming in 2022, the last time he played in the IPL and also had one of his best IPL seasons with them back in 2014.There were a lot of expectations from Riyan Parag after the bumper season he had in 2024, but it’s been a season of what-ifs for the batter so far. He’s scored at least 25 or more in five of the six innings so far, yet his highest score remains 43. Parag has looked compact most of the time he’s walked out but has thrown it away more often than not. Considering the placid surface in Delhi, RR will rely a lot on Parag to provide the top-order muscle he is capable of. Another important battle will be between Parag and the DC spinners. He does not have a great record against spinners in the IPL; a strike rate of 118.61, and that will be crucial considering he will come up against Kuldeep and Vipraj Nigam, two of the better spinners in the tournament this year.

The big question

Pitch and conditions

Delhi has recently become a haven for batters with run-scoring at an all-time high. In the last seven games, teams batting first have posted scores in excess of 200 each time and have also won. The surface for the DC-MI game was once again a belter where the home side almost chased down 206. But, there was also some turn on offer and that could bring the likes of Wanindu Hasaranga, Nigam, Kuldeep and Maheesh Theekshana into the game.The temperature is likely to hover around the mid to late 30s on the Celsius scale, but the evenings are expected to be cooler.

Stats and Trivia

• Kuldeep’s economy in IPL 2025 of 5.60 is the best for any bowler with at least ten overs under his belt
• RR have taken the third-fewest wickets so far in the IPL: 29 in six innings
• RR are marginally ahead in the head-to-head count, having won 15 out of 29 matches between the two sides, with DC winning 14
• Mukesh has had the wood over Jaiswal in the IPL. Jaiswal has managed just seven runs in two matches against the pacer and fallen twice
• KL Rahul has a great record against Jofra Archer in the IPL: 89 runs in five innings at a strike rate of 151 without being dismissed even once

Quotes

“I am not someone who… if the game demands that I should tell Sanju [Samson] or anyone that I can do something here or bowl, then I will. But there is no need to overthink. I always try to take whatever comes my way and help the team, be it bowling, batting or fielding. I also want to bowl regularly, because I have bowled before and am a decent bowler. If situation arises, why not, I will talk to Sanju and let’s see what happens.”
.”KD (Kuldeep) is bowling very well not just for DC but in the entire tournament. Despite bowling on small grounds, dew being around, he is not being read that well right now and hopefully he won’t be later also through the tournament. The way Axar has been using him to pick wickets, break partnerships is great.”

أشاد راؤول جونزاليز، أسطورة نادي ريال مدريد، بقدرات لاعب برشلونة، موضحًا أنه يفعل أشياء لا تصدق ولا يقدر عليها إلا لاعبون قليلون.

ويستعد عشاق الساحرة المستديرة لمواجهة مرتقبة بين ريال مدريد وبرشلونة، لحساب قمة الجولة العاشرة من بطولة الدوري الإسباني للدرجة الأولى على ملعب “سانتياجو برنابيو”.

ويسعى ريال مدريد إلى تحقيق الفوز على برشلونة من أجل تعزيز الفارق بينه وبين الفريق الكتالوني إلى 5 نقاط كاملة.

وفي تصريحات نقلتها صحيفة “موندو ديبورتيفو”، أشار راؤول إلى أن لامين يامال، نجم برشلونة، من أهم اللاعبين في صفوف الفريق الكتالوني ويفعل أشياءً مذهلة.

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وقال راؤول: “لامين يامال لاعب رائع ويكسر الكثير من الحواجز، وعلى أرض الملعب يقوم بأشياء لا يفعلها إلا قليلون، إنه شاب صغير وعليه الآن تعزيز كل ما يقدمه، أعتقد أنه لاعب مهمٌ للغاية لناديه حاليًا وللمنتخب الإسباني أيضًا”.

وعن الكلاسيكو بين ريال مدريد وبرشلونة: “أعتقد أن نهاية المباراة لا تهم حقًا فالمباراة الكلاسيكية دائمًا ما تكون مميزة، أعتقد أن ريال مدريد الذي يلعب على أرضه وأمام جماهيره، هو المرشح الأوفر حظًا لكنه سيواجه فريقًا رائعًا”.

المقارنة بين حارس مرمى ريال مدريد الحالي، تيبو كورتوا، والأسطورة إيكر كاسياس: “كاسياس هو كاسياس، إنه أسطورة ريال مدريد وكورتوا يبلي بلاءً حسنًا ويقدم أداءً رائعًا، والوقت كفيل بوضع كل منهما في مكانه الصحيح”.

Premier League champions Liverpool have been dealt a blow after centre-back Ibrahima Konate was sent home from the France camp during the international break. Konate was called up by Les Bleus despite being forced off in the 56th minute of the Reds' 2-1 loss at Chelsea last weekend. The Liverpool star made the bench against Azerbaijan but won't travel to Iceland next week.

• Getty Images Sport
  

  Konate forced off against Chelsea

  Liverpool were already worrying about Konate after he walked straight down the tunnel early in the second half of the 2-1 loss at Chelsea last weekend. With Geovanni Leoni a long-term absentee, Arne Slot opted to replace the Frenchman with Curtis Jones rather than Joe Gomez, which saw midfielder Ryan Gravenberch drop in alongside compatriot Virgil van Dijk at the heart of the defence.

  Even so, Konate linked with the France squad at the start of the week to be assessed by the national team doctors. However, having missed the 3-0 win over Azerbaijan on Friday night, the centre-back has been released back to his club earlier than expected.

  "Ibrahima Konate will not take part in France’s match against Iceland on Monday," a statement read on Liverpool's official website on Saturday.

  "The Liverpool centre-back missed ’ win over Azerbaijan on Friday and it has now been announced that he is not available for their next match in Reykjavik."

  Meanwhile, the official France website released the following on Konate's return to Merseyside: "Injured in the right quadriceps during his last match with Liverpool, Ibrahima Konate has followed a treatment and protocol since his arrival this Monday but will not be able to take his place against Iceland."

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• 'I don't know if it is a big injury'

  After appearing to limp while clutching at his thigh, Liverpool head coach Arne Slot made the decision to withdraw Konate as a precaution early in the second half at Chelsea last weekend. The Dutchman is hopeful that they caught the problem early and that it's nothing serious.

  "I don't know if it is a big injury, but what I do know is he limped a little bit and when I asked him he said he felt his quad a little bit. Then, for me, all alarm bells go off because in another sprint you never know if that is going to go good," Slot said of the decision to sub the centre-back off at Stamford Bridge.

  "It was also already a substitution I had in mind, maybe for a few minutes or a little bit later, because the right centre-back had a lot of ball possession and we needed to create from that position. We all know Ryan [Gravenberch] is quite good in that.

  "It might be OK that he went off early enough but it was clear I had to take him off because he was limping."

• AFP
  

  Konate absence another blow for France

  William Saliba started alongside Dayot Upamecano against Azerbaijan on Friday night and while the duo contained their attacking threat with ease, Konate's absence left Les Bleus at risk of being short of defensive quality for Monday's game against Iceland. As such, Marseille defender Benjamin Pavard has been called up as his replacement.

  However, France's comfortable home win against Azerbaijan came at a cost as captain Kylian Mbappe was forced off late on owing to an ankle injury. Mbappe was already carrying an ankle knock from Real Madrid's victory over Villarreal prior to the international break and walked off the Parc des Princes pitch gingerly, prompting concerns he'd miss the game against Iceland.

  "It's the same ankle he injured. The pain goes away when he rests," Deschamps initially said of the injury. "In a match, contact is inevitable. We will evaluate it. He has concerns that are not ideal for him."

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• Man Utd welcome up next for Liverpool

  Konate may have returned to Liverpool from international duty early but it remains to be seen when he'll next be available for Slot. Liverpool welcome rivals Manchester United in their first game back after the international break.

  The Reds take on Ruben Amorim's side as they look to bounce back following three successive defeats having lost at Crystal Palace and Galatasaray prior to last weekend's loss at Chelsea.

  The 26-year-old, who is out of contract next summer, has started all seven league games to date for the defending champions. Liverpool resume domestic duties one point behind league leaders Arsenal, while Gunners get their title push back underway with a trip to Fulham next weekend.

Virgil van Dijk is one of the best defenders of his generation. The Dutchman has won it all in English football and he has often done so without even breaking a sweat. But that doesn’t mean that he’s breezed through his time at Liverpool without squaring off against some incredibly difficult opponents.

The Premier League took a breath of anticipation when Erling Haaland and Van Dijk found themselves one-on-one at Anfield not so long ago in a battle that ended with the Norwegian’s wayward shot. Meanwhile, Cristiano Ronaldo has never even scored against the towering Liverpool captain and many others have ended afternoons to forget in his ruthless grasp.

Ronaldo vs Van Dijk	Stats
Games	5
Goals	0
Assists	0

Endless players have endured their toughest games against Van Dijk and that includes Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford, who is now on loan at Barcelona. The England international name-dropped his former Premier League rival when asked about the most difficult defender he’s faced.

Whilst so many have struggled to leave their mark against Van Dijk, however, the same can’t be said for Lionel Messi. When an immovable object met an unstoppable force, Van Dijk may have come away with a shock victory courtesy of Liverpool’s dramatic Champions League comeback, but Messi still had his moment at the Nou Camp – scoring twice.

The fact that one of this generation’s greatest defenders could not keep Messi quiet sums up just how other-wordly the Argentine icon is, more than it sums up Van Dijk’s own shortcomings on a difficult evening. But the Dutchman, to his credit, was not fooled twice by Messi’s magic and sent him crashing out of the Champions League in historic fashion in the second leg.

That Nou Camp thrashing courtesy of Messi will be one that Van Dijk remembers even to this day, but it wasn’t enough to make the Barcelona legend his toughest opponent. Instead, the central defender dropped an unexpected name.

Van Dijk names "annoying" Giroud as toughest opponent

Speaking to Gary Neville on The Overlap, Van Dijk named Olivier Giroud as his toughest opponent despite having squared off against the likes of Messi, Ronaldo and Haaland.

The Liverpool captain looked back on the Frenchman’s knack for a goal against the Reds before labeling him an “annoying” striker to play against.

Although Messi seems the obvious choice, the fact that Giroud has scored three goals in five games against Van Dijk throughout his career makes him a worthy candidate for his toughest opponent.

Nayar is the first major casualty of the review carried out by the BCCI in January to assess India’s poor run in Test cricket late last year

Nagraj Gollapudi17-Apr-2025

Abhishek Nayar was appointed to Gautam Gambhir’s team after they had worked together at KKR•Getty Images

The BCCI has terminated Abhishek Nayar’s contract, less than a year after appointing him as assistant coach of the India men’s national team.Nayar, who was appointed last July, is the first major casualty of the review carried out by the BCCI to assess India’s miserable run in Test cricket late last year, beginning with the 3-0 whitewash at home against New Zealand followed by the 3-1 series defeat in Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.Soon after India returned from Australia, the BCCI conducted an extensive review meeting in coordination with India head coach Gautam Gambhir. Also present at that initial review meeting, which was held in Mumbai, were India Test and ODI captain Rohit Sharma, the chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar, and BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia.Nayar, a successful allrounder with Mumbai who played three ODIs for India, was handpicked by Gambhir for the job after he was appointed as head coach. While Gambhir was given a three-year contract – until the 2027 ODI World Cup – Nayar’s tenure could not be ascertained.Gambhir and Nayar worked together at Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in IPL 2024 and were key to the franchise winning its third IPL title, the first after a decade. While Nayar has never coached in the domestic circuit, he has worked one-on-one with several international and uncapped Indian players, including Rohit, Dinesh Karthik, Shreyas Iyer, Venkatesh Iyer and Angkrish Raghuvanshi.Recently, KL Rahul also credited Nayar for his white-ball success, saying, “Big shoutout to Abhishek Nayar. I’ve worked a lot with him ever since he’s come into the Indian team.”Doubts over Nayar’s future emerged in late January when the BCCI appointed former Saurashtra batter Sitanshu Kotak as the batting coach ahead of the white-ball home series against England. Both Kotak and Nayar, along with assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate and fielding coach T Dilip had also travelled to the Champions Trophy as part of Gambhir’s support staff.ESPNcricinfo has reached out to Nayar as well as Saikia for comments.Adrian Le Roux set to join as trainerAdrian Le Roux, who worked with the India men’s team as a trainer for a year in the early 2000s, is set to join in the same position. It is understood that Le Roux, who is currently with Punjab Kings in the IPL, has accepted the offer the BCCI made recently. Le Roux is set to replace Soham Desai, who has been the strength and conditioning coach for India since 2019.After working as a consultant during India’s tour of South Africa in 2001-02, Le Roux signed a one-year contract as trainer with India, which lasted until the 2003 World Cup. He then declined the one-year extension given by the BCCI, saying it was “a personal decision” to stay back home before he joined the South Africa men’s team as a trainer. Le Roux paired successfully with Andrew Leipus, who was India’s physiotherapist then, and the two made a significant difference to the fitness level of players.

A Manchester United star is now ready to leave in the January transfer window, despite recently holding talks with manager Ruben Amorim.

Amorim under pressure amid discontent among players

There have been widespread reports suggesting that a number of Man United players aren’t totally convinced by Amorim’s three-at-the-back system, with insider Graeme Bailey recently revealing that INEOS are furious with the leaks.

Bailey said: “The club thought they had really stamped this out, they see it as totally destructive to what they are trying to do. United firmly believe they are building something, but they won’t and can’t allow internal discontent to impact on the club as a whole.”

Things have improved slightly as of late, with United picking up two home wins on the bounce in clashes with Burnley and Chelsea, but Amorim remains under pressure, and INEOS have already started identifying potential replacements.

Target

Club

Points per match (current job)

Oliver Glasner

Crystal Palace

1.76

Marco Silva

Fulham

1.60

Mauricio Pochettino

USMNT

1.83

Andoni Iraola

AFC Bournemouth

1.45

One player who is well-known to be unhappy at Old Trafford is Kobbie Mainoo, with it recently being revealed the midfielder has been pressuring INEOS to let him join Real Madrid in January, and there has now been a new update on his future.

According to a report from The Mirror, Mainoo recently held private talks with Amorim, during which the manager revealed the central midfielder is still a part of his plans, but he has clearly been left unconvinced by the discussions.

Indeed, following the talks, the United academy graduate is now ready to leave during the January transfer window, with a place in England’s 2026 World Cup squad on the line, as Thomas Tuchel is unwilling to select the youngster unless he receives regular game time.

The 20-year-old requested a loan move in the summer, having fallen down the pecking order at Old Trafford, and he has since been unable to force his way back into Amorim’s plans.

Amorim must start giving Mainoo more game time

In all honesty, it is no surprise the England international wants to leave, given that playing at a World Cup is many players’ ultimate dream, and he is currently at serious risk of not being selected for the Three Lions next summer.

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He’s yet to show his best form this season…

Posts ByTom Cunningham Sep 24, 2025

The Stockport-born midfielder has made just three substitute appearances in the Premier League this season, most recently being snubbed at half-time against Chelsea, with Amorim opting to bring Manuel Ugarte on instead after Casemiro’s red card.

The £70m-rated maestro clearly has bags of ability, perhaps most memorably putting in a top performance against Manchester City in the 2024 FA Cup final, scoring the second goal in United’s 2-1 triumph.

As such, it is very strange that Amorim is so unwilling to give Mainoo consistent game time, and if the manager doesn’t start the 10-time England international regularly before the January transfer window, he is clearly willing to push for a move.