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Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has reunited with numerous former players since his appointment at Old Trafford in 2022. Goalkeeper Andre Onana, defender Lisandro Martinez and forward Antony have all signed for the Red Devils having played under Ten Hag at Ajax, while Sofyan Amrabat, has come in following time with the United boss at FC Utrecht.

This trend could yet continue, with the Premier League side in contention to sign Matthijs de Ligt if he's allowed to leave Bayern Munich this summer. Like Onana, De Ligt was part of the Ajax side that reached the Champions League semi-finals in 2019 and was only denied a shot at glory by a dramatic late goal for Tottenham's Lucas Moura in Amsterdam.

Another member of that team was Frenkie de Jong, but he's been resistant to Ten Hag's efforts to bring him to Old Trafford to this point. United agreed to pay Barcelona £63m to sign him in 2022 and then had to convince the player to make the move. However, De Jong has been stubborn about a move to Manchester, saying that he intends to stay at Barcelona.

De Jong now makes U-turn on Barcelona stance

Now, however, it seems that the midfielder's stance may have changed. According to Spanish outlet Sport, De Jong would no longer "close the door to a possible exit" from Barcelona and will consider offers he receives this summer.

De Jong is currently the highest-paid player at the club after agreeing to defer some of his salary at the height of the pandemic, but Barcelona sporting director Deco has been trying to agree a new deal with a more manageable financial arrangement.

Up to this point, it's been "impossible" to reach an agreement, with Barca making "no progress" towards a renewal. As such, "there are doubts" over whether he'll stay at the club, putting United, Chelsea and PSG on red alert. They have already made it clear to the player's entourage that they're ready to sign him if he becomes available.

Barcelona need to sell a big player this summer to balance the books, but the decision will be left in the hands of the player. United and Chelsea are apparently willing to fork out £85m, while PSG are lurking in the background for the moment.

De Jong would be the perfect first signing for Ratcliffe

A new era is beginning at Manchester United this year, with Sir Jim Ratcliffe taking control of the sporting operation after buying a 25% stake in the club from the Glazers, and this would be the perfect blockbuster signing to kick things off.

Ratcliffe could blow Man Utd rival out the water to sign “sensational” star

Erik ten Hag is looking at a player who can operate in multiple midfield roles.

ByDavid Comerford Feb 10, 2024

De Jong is truly a footballing A-lister, having been named the Champions League midfielder of the season in 2019 and made the FIFPro World XI alongside the likes of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Pos

Player

Club

GK

Alisson

Liverpool

DEF

Virgil van Dijk

Liverpool

DEF

Sergio Ramos

Real Madrid

DEF

Matthijs de Ligt

Ajax/Juventus

DEF

Marcelo

Real Madrid

MID

Frenkie de Jong

Ajax/Barcelona

MID

Luka Modric

Real Madrid

FWD

Eden Hazard

Chelsea/Real Madrid

FWD

Lionel Messi

Barcelona

FWD

Cristiano Ronaldo

Juventus

FWD

Kylian Mbappe

PSG

Ten Hag has refused to give up on signing the 25-year-old, who's been dubbed "extraordinary" by current manager Xavi, and it suddenly looks like his persistence may just pay off in the months ahead.

Allrounder’s five mammoth sixes steal show in seven-over game, as Surrey slump to third defeat in five

ECB Reporters Network30-Jul-2019Mohammad Nabi smashed five sixes in a remarkable 43 not out off only 12 balls as Kent Spitfires overwhelmed Surrey by nine wickets in a rain-shortened Vitality Blast contest at The Oval.Nabi’s assault included three sixes off Rikki Clarke in the third over of Kent’s reply to Surrey’s seven-over total of 54 for 4. He then finished things in the next over by slamming legspinner Imran Tahir for six, four, and six from successive balls.It all meant Kent had raced to victory with three overs to spare, and strengthened their position in the South Group with a fourth win from four games.Tahir had given Surrey some hope of defending what always looked a below-par total by having Kent’s acting captain Daniel Bell-Drummond lbw for one in the first over of their reply.But Afghanistan allrounder Nabi soon snuffed out those hopes with his big hitting, while Heino Kuhn looked on admiringly from the other end with nine not out.Bell-Drummond said: “Mohammad strikes the ball so well, doesn’t he? It is a pleasure to have him around. It was a big toss to win tonight, especially with the rain around, and we were able to know exactly what we had to chase.”Things are going very well – there’s a lot of experience and a lot of pace in the team, so it makes my job easy.”Surrey captain Aaron Finch said: “There was no doubt that our total was short of what we needed, but you are never sure how to go about it when you bat first in these circumstances. To walk out of the sheds after rain delays and immediately go hard from the start is always difficult.”Only opener Finch broke the shackles of Kent’s disciplined bowling, finishing 36 not out from 20 balls with two sixes and a four. Play did not start until 8pm, initially because of afternoon and early-evening rain with the match starting as a 13-over affair. But after just one ball – bowled by Adam Milne to Will Jacks who played and missed – more rain drove the players off again and, eventually, the match re-started at 8.50pm as a seven-over contest.Milne, remarkably, completed a maiden in that opening over with three byes the only runs scored, but Jacks cut the first delivery of the second over from Hardus Viljoen to the square third-man boundary to get Surrey’s innings going.Paceman Viljoen soon had his revenge when Jacks mis-hit to extra cover to go for five, leaving Finch to loft the last ball of the powerplay – the first ball of the third over – straight for four before bludgeoning Nabi’s offspin for six and, in the final over, reverse-flicking Milne for another maximum.Ollie Pope managed just one four, a brilliant reverse-flick off left-arm seamer Fred Klassen before hitting to deep mid-wicket off Nabi and Jordan Clark lost his off stump swinging at Viljoen. Surrey’s fourth wicket fell when Tom Curran skied to extra cover in Milne’s second over.Their total looked way short of par, even on a pitch offering plenty to the seamers, and so it would prove.

Darren Stevens can’t stay out of the action, claiming four second-innings wickets to deepen Yorkshire’s woes

ECB Reporters Network18-Sep-2019Yorkshire 269 (Fisher 47*, Milnes 5-87) and 44 for 6 (Stevens 4-12) trail Kent 482 for 8 dec (Stevens 237, Billings 138, Olivier 5-108) and 337 for 7 dec (Billings 122*, Robinson 97) by 506 runsSam Billings became the first player to score two hundreds in the same County Championship match at Emerald Headingley as Kent set Yorkshire a target of 551 shortly after tea on day three and hurtled towards victory with six wickets.Billings, on the fringes of England’s limited-overs teams, is making a late play for a winter Test call-up having scored three hundreds in his last three Specsavers Division One innings.The Kent captain hit 100 in the second innings of last week’s win at Nottinghamshire before adding 138 in the first innings here and then 122 not out off 156 balls.Kent started their second innings two overs before the close on day two with a lead of 213, opting not to enforce the follow-on.Billings underpinned their progress to 337 for 7 declared seven overs after tea, leaving Yorkshire with 22 overs of batting before close. They reached 44 for 6, with Darren Stevens claiming four of the wickets.Kent are set to replace Yorkshire in fourth place in the table ahead of next week’s final round.In August 2017, West Indies batsman Shai Hope hit two centuries in their Test victory over England here, but Billings is the second player – and the first in the Championship – to do so. In the first innings, Billings was also part of a 346-run partnership with Stevens, the highest sixth-wicket stand on this ground.The 26-year-old Billings endured a frustrating start to the summer with only one appearance in the IPL with Chennai, forcing him to miss the start of the county season. In his first appearance for Kent in late April, he suffered a dislocated shoulder which sidelined him for just over three months. It meant he missed out on World Cup selection, prompting him to describe the last six months as “the worst of his cricketing career by a mile”.Now, his name will be mentioned as a middle candidate for England’s Test series in New Zealand in November. He reached his second hundred in the match off 138 balls with 10 fours and one six with the first ball of the evening session, with Kent’s lead passing 500 later in the over.That they batted on that long was a surprise.Much in the way Billings’ first-innings century was overshadowed by Stevens and his sensational 237, Ollie Robinson’s 97 very much played second fiddle.The wicketkeeper-batsman, batting at three in this match for the first time in his short first-class career, missed out on his second ton of the season against Yorkshire after 103 in the May defeat at Canterbury. The pair had shared 124 for the fourth wicket either side of lunch.Billings played confidently all around the ground, reaching his fifty off 80 balls with a six over extra cover off New Zealand Test left-arm spinner Ajaz Patel, who conceded 100 runs in each innings on his White Rose debut.No team has ever chased more than 502 to win a Championship fixture, while the world record first-class chase is 536.Matthew Fisher struck twice in the day’s opening eight overs before Steve Patterson removed South Africa skipper Faf du Plessis.Duanne Olivier and Patel also claimed a wicket apiece, while there were two run outs.Stevens then trapped Matty Revis and Adam Lyth – the latter offering no shot – lbw and had Gary Ballance caught at second slip as Yorkshire fell to 16 for 3.Matt Milnes later had Harry Brook caught at first slip before Stevens had Tom Kohler-Cadmore brilliantly caught at gully by diving Ollie Rayner. Zak Crawley also pulled off a brilliant one-handed catch at third slip to help Milnes remove nightwatchman Patterson, the third wicket to fall on 43 in 12 balls.

Georgia star Giorgi Mamardashvili says team-mate Khvicha Kvaratskhelia is "better than all of Spain" ahead of their last-16 Euro 2024 tie.

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Georgia face Spain in EurosKvaratskhelia Georgia's key manTold he is "better than Spain" WHAT HAPPENED?

Ahead of Georgia's knockout stages clash with Spain at the Euros, goalkeeper Mamardashvili has talked up team-mate and Napoli winger Kvaratskhelia. The 23-year-old starred in his side's shock 2-0 win over Portugal and while the Valencia stopper is wary of Spain's pedigree, he believes in his team.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesWHAT GIORGI MAMARDASHVILI SAID

When asked about the threat of Kvaratskhelia, he told Spanish publication : "It think he's better than all of Spain."

The Tbilisi-born 23-year-old, however, was not underestimating their upcoming opponents.

"For me, Spain is the big favourite to win the Euros. Georgia, on the other hand, is a small country, but with a big heart and we have to fight as hard as possible to see what happens," he said. "I'm not going to say that we are going to win. What we have to do is fight until the end and see what happens."

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Georgia created history by qualifying for their first-ever European Championship this year and now they are making more history with each game that passes. From scoring their first goal in the competition to securing their maiden victory and then reaching the knockout stages to go into unchartered territory. Now, they are preparing for the biggest game in their footballing history against the might of Spain.

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(C)Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT?

Mamardashvili and Kvaratskhelia's Georgia take on the Spanish on Sunday night in Koln, with the victor facing off against either tournament hosts Germany or Denmark in the quarter-finals on July 5 in Stuttgart.

In January, Jurgen Klopp revealed that he would be stepping down as Liverpool manager at the end of the season, ending a glittering tenure at Anfield that has restored the club from a shadowed period.

In fairness, few supporters would contest that he reserves the right to dictate his future after such superlative work, and having rebuilt successfully with sweeping changes to the engine room last summer, the Merseyside outfit is in a fine place to start a new chapter with full focus on adding to the trophy cabinet and sustaining their position at the forefront of the Premier League.

Indeed, with the 2023/24 campaign now approaching the business end, Liverpool are at the summit of the top-flight, preparing for this weekend's Carabao Cup final against Chelsea and into the fifth round of the FA Cup and the Europa League's last 16.

It was indeed the centre of the park that was the crux of Liverpool's issues last term, with Klopp's self-branded heavy metal style of play no longer practicable, with Jordan Henderson, Fabinho James Milner and co seemingly past their sell-by date.

Such stars, so important throughout the German manager's silver-laden era, were shipped on, and while this was the right decision for each, they did still play a part at the club.

The same, regrettably, cannot be said for Naby Keita, who also departed last June upon the expiry of his contract in what can only go down as a colossal failure of a signing once brimming with excitement and anticipation.

Liverpool's signing of Naby Keita

Back in August 2017, news broke that Liverpool had agreed a club-record deal with RB Leipzig to sign talented centre-midfielder Keita, with the transfer to be formalised after the 2017/18 campaign.

The Guinea international had a £48m release clause but Liverpool were willing to pay a premium to secure his services, winning the race despite a vested interest expressed by Barcelona.

It was a deal to send a frisson of excitement coursing through Merseyside, with former Reds manager even remarking that he saw comparisons between the dynamic star and iconic Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard.

His ubiquity in the midfield did bespeak an all-encompassing nature that drew such comparisons, having clinched 37 goals and 26 assists from 152 fixtures in Germany with Leipzig.

But, alas, he was branded a massive "disappointment" by former player Dietmar Hamann – words surely echoed by the Liverpool fanbase – after year upon year of injury problems and consequent poor form.

Naby Keita's Liverpool career

In total, Keita chalked up 129 appearances for Liverpool and posted 11 goals and seven assists, and while there were inevitable flashes of quality throughout his time in England, he came unstuck and never produced the full scope of his natural skill set.

Season

Apps

Starts

Goals

Assists

22/23

8

3

0

0

21/22

23

14

3

1

20/21

10

7

0

0

19/20

18

9

2

3

18/19

25

16

2

1

Never featuring from the outset more than 16 times in any one Premier League campaign, the 29-year-old quickly fell by the wayside and never regained his footing, winning much silverware at Anfield but offering contributions of inconsequential value.

Given that he earned a pretty penny at the club – £120k per week – it's hardly as if he didn't deplete FSG in all their frugality of their resources either.

His nightmare journey was indeed ended last summer and he closed the door on his Liverpool career and penned a deal with Bundesliga side Werder Bremen, snapped up for free but suffering a similar fare overseas.

Naby Keita's season in numbers

Returning to Germany, Keita at least left Liverpool with an array of shiny prizes, and while the rigours of Premier League football could hardly have helped his case as he fought and failed for fitness, Werder Bremen presented a clean slate.

First Impressions

What did pundits and fans alike think about their new star signing when they arrived? Football FanCast's 'First Impressions' series has everything you need.

Of course, Keita had proved himself and then some on the German scene in the past and the slower pace theoretically hinted at more a fruitful career.

But the niggling woes that have eaten away at him are not easily rectified, and Keita's return to his erstwhile fluency is not something that will be easily restored, as if alchemised into something robust after taking leave of Klopp's high-octane set-up.

In fact, the diminutive ace has only featured three times for his current club, withdrawn before the hour mark on his lone starting berth, and yet to play since.

Only completing 69% of his passes that day, against Hoffenheim, Keita's ring rust was patently clear, losing all five of his contested duels and also being dribbled past.

While he's still only 29 years old, it will take a sustained run of competitive fixtures to bring him back to a semblance of his former level, and the likelihood of this is troublingly uncertain.

The worst part about the whole ordeal is that this is a player of elite talent, a midfielder of dynamic ability, catching the eye with his many-faceted strengths, stricken by ceaseless anatomical issues.

Keita was once described as a "world-class" footballer by his former Liverpool teammate Virgil van Dijk. His prowess was known to those around him, is known.

But unfortunately, the reality of his Anfield career is one of poignancy and wistfulness. He might have won the whole gamut of Liverpool's major silverware under Klopp's leadership, but he'd give a lot to rewind and start afresh, injury problems expunged.

Whilst continued FFP struggles could see Everton hamstrung in the transfer market this summer, it appears they have already lined up a replacement for one of their stars linked with a move away.

Latest Everton transfer news

With balancing the books in the midst of a takeover the most important job for the Toffees at the moment, a number of outgoings at the club are expected to take place this summer. Midfielder Amadou Onana has already been linked with a move to both Chelsea and Newcastle, with the Belgian unlikely to be playing his football at Goodison Park next season.

Everton chiefs expect star to demand exit to highest bidder if relegated

The Toffees could suffer a triple blow this summer.

ByTom Cunningham Mar 1, 2024

Another likely transfer is 21-year-old Jarrad Branthwaite, who has caught the attention of top Premier League sides during his first full campaign with the Toffees. Spurs and Man United have both expressed an interest in the defender, who looks certain to be departing Merseyside this summer.

Whilst losing Branthwaite would be disappointing for Everton fans, it appears that the club have already lined up a replacement who could fill the departing player's shoes.

Everton interested in defender with "a lot of potential"

As first reported by The Daily Mirror, Everton are interested in signing Jacob Greaves from Hull City. The outlet states that the Toffees are already drawing up plans for Branthwaite's potential departure with Greaves at the top of their wishlist.

As far as Everton are concerned, trading one young left-footed central defender for another would be smart business, with Greaves already showing that he has the ability to play in the top flight. The 23-year-old has been one of the standout performers in Liam Rosenior's playoff-chasing Tigers, only missing one league game all season.

This most recent campaign has seen the confidence of Hull's vice-captain skyrocket, becoming a lot more natural on the ball and acting as a vital cog in Rosenior's possession-centric system. Greaves' stats for the season see him rank seventh in the division for passes completed whilst still winning the fourth most aerial duels.

From this it is clear that the Englishman is something of a unique talent in this current crop of Championship defenders. Comfortable with the ball at his feet, Greaves is still able to do the defensive dirty work that Sean Dyche can rely upon.

Unfortunately for Everton fans, Premier League attention is nothing new to Greaves, and it is likely that they will face opposition to secure his services this summer. Whilst links to Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa last year amounted to nothing, it is likely that there could be an ensuing bidding war for the defender.

Speaking on last season's rumours, Rosenior praised Greaves' time at Hull City so far telling the press: "Jacob's an outstanding player. Would I rather have him here from a footballing point of view? One hundred percent, because he's got so much potential and so much to learn."

"He's brilliant. He's naturally an outstanding player. He's captain when Lewie's (Coyle) not on the pitch, he's got a lot of potential, he understands the game."

One saving grace for the Toffees is that Greaves' agent is the same as their shot stopper Jordan Pickford. In the event that there is a battle to secure his services, it could be England's number one who convinces Greaves to move to Merseyside.

Canada star Tajon Buchanan left their training session in an ambulance Tuesday after sustaining a lower-leg injury.

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Canada's Buchanan taken to hospitalLes Rouges make statement on wingbackDeemed lower-leg injuryWHAT HAPPENED?

Just three days before their crucial knockout round match against Venezuela, Canada were hit with a brutal blow Tuesday. Wingback Tajon Buchanan left their training session in an ambulance after going down with a lower-leg injury.

TSN's Matthew Scianitti reports that it occurred during a drill and that medical professionals arrived on the scene just after 10am CT.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Buchanan has been a crucial asset to Les Rogues since he arrived in the national team picture. The Inter Milan man earned his big-money move to Serie A in 2023, and after an up-and-down season, he's now been hit with an unlucky injury.

For Canada, one of their most dynamic players is now seemingly out of the picture for their clash Friday evening. The extent of the injury is unknown, but the 25-year-old has been hospitalized.

WHAT CANADA SOCCER SAID

Posting on social media platform X, the men's program's page confirmed the injury.

"Canada Soccer confirms that Tajon Buchanan sustained an injury to his lower leg during today's training session. He has been taken to a local hospital for further evaluation and treatment. We will provide updates as more information becomes available."

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GettyWHAT NEXT FOR CANADA?

Les Rouges take on Venezuela Friday evening in the quarterfinals of Copa America. After taking second in Group A, Canada advanced after scoring once across three Group Stage matches.

CSA is concerned about WPCA’s administrative and financial affairs as well as possible disruption caused by a big construction project at the ground

Liam Brickhill27-Sep-2019Newlands might lose hosting rights for the 2020 New Year’s Test between South Africa and England. Cricket South Africa has raised concerns about the Western Province Cricket Association’s administrative and financial affairs, and the potential disruption caused by a massive construction project currently underway at the ground, with CSA chief executive Thabang Moroe saying, “We are worried as CSA that Newlands may not be able to host the New Year’s Test.”An report on Thursday said that the association is in significant financial strife and in danger of missing out on the hosting of the marquee event as it continued its attempts to raise money for building developments at Newlands, and there are signs of a troubled state of affairs in the organisation’s administration.”We are concerned with the finances of Western Province, so as CSA we want to understand some of the decisions they have taken and what their plans are in terms of moving themselves out of the hole they have put themselves in,” Moroe explained. “They may not be able to [host the New Year’s Test] but I’d like to think that with us sitting around the table and working together as the mother body and the affiliate partner that we ensure that the Test match stays there and we are ready to host it.”The WPCA has not held its annual general meeting this year, and last week CSA announced that it had appointed an administrator to take over the administrative, governance and financial affairs of WPCA “until all these respective functions have been placed on a satisfactory footing”.In February, the WPCA announced a R750 million (approx. US$50 million) upgrade to Newlands that would see the construction of four new office blocks on the site, as well as refurbishments to the Western Province offices and President’s Pavilion at Newlands. South African financial services and investments group Sanlam was to have taken on 51% of the costs, with WPCA covering the other 49%.”This is a journey that started around ten years ago and the main purpose of this journey was the sustainability of cricket,” Cape Cobras chief executive Nabeal Dien had said at the time. “I don’t think we would have gone into this, and neither would Sanlam, unless we saw a viable outcome.”However, last week CSA suspended the WPCA board, appointing former chief executive Andre Odendaal as an administrator, with Odendaal due to present monthly progress reports as CSA takes a hands-on approach to the WPCA’s affairs.”CSA will exercise its rights until such time that it is reasonably of the opinion that the WPCA administrative and financial affairs are being conducted according to best practice and that the association can assure equity partners and stakeholders that projects currently underway will unfold as planned,” said CSA President and board chairman Chris Nenzani.CSA is clearly unhappy with WPCA’s progress, and the fate of the marquee New Year’s Test fixture is set to be decided at a meeting between CSA and the WPCA next week.”This includes getting the City of Cape Town involved and there’s a big construction project going on there,” Moroe said. “There’s the concern of safety as fans are concerned. The construction is going to disrupt a little bit in terms of how the Test match is generally hosted‚ but there’s a figurative and literal hole that needs to be filled.”From a security perspective‚ we need to adhere to all the requirements and all involved have to be safe. We also need to uphold the ICC’s hosting standards and make sure that the English also feel safe in coming to the grounds and that we can cater for all the spectators because we are expecting quite a big number of English supporters.”Newlands has hosted the New Year’s Test 21 times since South Africa’s readmission into international cricket in 1991, with the last one played against Pakistan from January 3, 2019.

Tottenham Hotspur made it back-to-back victories in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon, avenging their November home defeat against Aston Villa with a sweeping win at Villa Park.

Spurs were aided by John McGinn's red card in the second half but the visitors had already soaked up the stadium's initially defeating atmosphere early and struck twice after the break

Unai Emery's Villans prodded for a route back into the contest but Tottenham controlled and commanded, with late strikes from Heung-min Son and substitute Timo Werner sealing an emphatic 4-0 victory to put hopes of returning to the top four in their own hands.

There were many impressive displays from Ange Postecoglou's side, with young midfielder Pape Matar Sarr proving his worth after being benched last weekend.

Pape Matar Sarr's performance vs Aston Villa

The game was level and, numerically, so were the teams. It was just five minutes after the interval following a first phase that just hadn't shifted into top, thrilling gear.

Sarr collected Kulusevski's pass and considered it a personal duty to make something happen, gliding up the right channel and whipping in a delightful cross, threaded right into the path of the surging James Maddison in the box.

The 21-year-old was withdrawn after 70 minutes with Tottenham 2-0 up, but after entering after the break against Crystal Palace, it's pretty clear that the Senegal international needs to start all of the biggest occasions henceforth.

Minutes played

70'

Assists

1

Touches

42

Accurate passes

30/36 (83%)

Key passes

1/1

Crosses

1/1

Interceptions

1

Ground duels won

1/3

Writing in his post-match player ratings, football.london's Alasdair Gold handed Sarr a healthy 8/10 score, saying: 'Picked up an unfortunate yellow card in the first half after slipping into Tielemans and took a big whack that saw him limp off at the break. He was excellent though after the interval and it was his drive and pinpoint cross that served up Maddison's opener.'

While many impressed, Sarr's energy and confidence emanates throughout the Spurs squad and he simply has to start if Tottenham are to achieve their goals over the next few months.

Not the only player to have caught the eye though, another fine display from Brennan Johnson surely now confirms that the Welshman must keep his starting berth going forward.

Why Brennan Johnson is now undroppable

Tottenham signed Johnson from Premier League rivals Nottingham Forest for £47.5m last summer and he has impressed so far, racking up two assists off the bench against Crystal Palace and now firing his team into a 2-0 lead at Villa Park, moments after Maddison's opener.

As per Sofascore, the 22-year-old, who has been hailed for his "frightening pace" by content creator HLTCO, complemented his goal with success in four of his seven attempted dribbles, also chipping in with two tackles and winning seven of his 14 contested ground duels.

Moreover, Johnson has taken his Premier League tally for the Lilywhites up to four goals and six assists from just 21 appearances, including 14 starts, and while Werner scored for the second game running in the dying embers, off the bench, it's pretty clear that Johnson's starting to bloom and must be handed opportunities from the outset.

Gold also deemed Johnson deserving of an 8/10 match rating, writing: 'Bright from the start of the match, gave Villa plenty of problems with his pressing, dribbling and runs and he showed he's not just a super sub with a curling finish on the slide to double Tottenham's lead.'

Tottenham have so many options and it really is quite remarkable how Postecoglou is placing the framework of success at the club after such a torrid 2022/23 campaign, and with the likes of Sarr and Johnson rising to the fore, lofty ambitions might just be realised.

The 16-team tournament will last 24 days, with the final scheduled for February 9

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Oct-2019Hosts South Africa will kickstart the 2020 U-19 World Cup on January 17, when they take on Afghanistan in Kimberley. The schedule for the 16-team tournament, to be played over 24 days across eight venues, was announced by the ICC on Thursday. Apart from Kimberley, the games will be played in Benoni, Bloemfontein and Potchefstroom with the final scheduled for February 9. There is free entry to all matches.Along with Afghanistan, South Africa have UAE and Canada in Group D. Defending champions India are in Group A, slotted with New Zealand, Sri Lanka and first-time qualifiers Japan. Australia, the runners-up of the 2018 edition, are paired up with England, West Indies and another first-time team Nigeria in Group B while Group C sees Pakistan being joined by Bangladesh, Zimbabwe and Scotland. From each group, the bottom two teams will fight in the Plate tournament while the top two teams will proceed for the Super League stage.ESPNcricinfo LtdPotchefstroom’s JP Marks Oval will play host to both semi-finals and the final. There are also warm-up games scheduled between January 12-15 in Johannesburg and Pretoria.Japan and Nigeria qualified for the tournament after emerging as champions of the East Asia Pacific and Africa regions. The other three regional qualifiers are Canada (Americas), UAE (Asia) and Scotland (Europe). With four titles, India have won the most U-19 World Cups. Australia have won three times, Pakistan twice while England, West Indies and South Africa have won once each.