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Lionel Messi is back in history-making mode at Inter Miami, with the Argentine superstar equalling an impressive MLS record held by Carlos Vela.

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Herons claimed 2024 Supporters' ShieldReadying themselves for MLS Cup bidArgentine superstar rewriting history booksFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner has had to nurse his way back from two injuries during the 2024 campaign, forcing him to sit out several matches. He has still been able to post 20 goals and 16 assists in MLS – with a combination of 36 goal contributions placing him fifth on single season charts.

Get the MLS Season Pass today!Stream games nowAdvertisementGettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Messi’s efforts helped Inter Miami to claim the Supporters’ Shield, as they set a new record for most points in a regular season campaign, and now has his sights set on ultimate MLS Cup glory. He heads into the play-offs having netted an 11-minute hat-trick last time out against the New England Revolution.

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Those exploits earned Messi another Player of the Matchday nod, having previously earned similar recognition on matchdays nine, 11, 12, 32 and 36. He joins LAFC’s ex-Arsenal striker Carlos Vela (2019) and former Inter Miami assistant coach Jason Kreis (1999) as the only men to have earned six Player of the Matchday awards in a single season.

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Messi has also made MLS history alongside fellow former Barcelona star Luis Suarez. The veteran Uruguayan frontman plundered 20 goals in the 2024 campaign, making Inter Miami the first team to have two players on their books that reached that mark in a single regular season.

Newcastle United are close to completing a transfer for a £20m-rated player, according to one journalist.

Newcastle transfer rumours

The Magpies finished in the Champions League places and reached the League Cup final in 2022/23. Their 2023/24 campaign, in comparison, was something of a letdown. They were plagued with injury issues, and this was very much reflected in the form across the season. The North East outfit were eventually able to put together a string of positive results to secure a 7th-place finish in the Premier League, but Manchester United's FA Cup triumph over Manchester City means that there will be no European football at St James' Park next term.

Newcastle can replace Bruce signing with deal for £28m "goal machine"

Newcastle are looking to make more additions after the arrival of Lloyd Kelly.

ByEthan Lamb Jun 15, 2024

As a result, Eddie Howe and co are no doubt eager to strengthen this summer as they battle it out to once again secure Champions League football. Newcastle have already signed out-of-contract Bournemouth defender Lloyd Kelly, who is understood to have penned a five-year deal with the club.

In terms of potential signings still on the table, Ferran Torres has been linked with a move to St James' Park, with Barcelona potentially willing to move him on. Juventus' Samuel Iling-Junior has also been backed to join the Magpies before the 2024/25 season gets underway, while former Arsenal star Matteo Guendouzi is believed to be of interest.

Newcastle close to signing "terrific" £20m player

Now, it appears Newcastle are close to completing their second signing of the summer following the capture of Kelly. The player seemingly on his way up north is Burnley and England shot-stopper, James Trafford.

The 21-year-old joined the Clarets from Manchester City last summer and endured a rough debut season at Turf Moor. Burnley were relegated from the Premier League with a -37 goal difference, while Trafford himself conceded 62 goals and kept just two clean sheets in 28 league outings across the past season.

Despite his struggles on the pitch, however, Trafford still looks to have a bright future ahead of him. He was named in England's provisional Euro 2024 squad before being cut earlier this month, while ex-Burnley boss Vincent Kompany labelled the keeper as "terrific" in December of 2023 after a 2-0 loss to Liverpool.

Newcastle are also apparently still a fan of Trafford despite his struggles in 2023/24 as according to journalist Ben Jacobs, the Englishman is close to making a move to St James' Park, with a fee of £20m being asked for by the Clarets.

“There’s opportunism not just because Burnley have gone down but because they have lost their manager – Vincent Kompany,” Jacobs said via TBR.

“There would be a lot of interest there in moving to Fulham (for Jacob Bruun Larsen). The only downside there is that according to my information, James Trafford to Newcastle is getting quite close to being done. Burnley are pushing for a fee of £20m, and Burnley will be in a stronger position in the market.”

Carlos Corberan showed last season that he won't hesitate in giving youth a chance at the Hawthorns, exemplified in the quick rise of Tom Fellows in the West Bromwich Albion first-team.

The homegrown Baggies product ended up amassing five goals and four assists from 39 games in all competitions, after being given his first big break in the senior mix throughout the course of 2023/24, with Fellows wanting to push on even more next season to cement his spot in Corberan's XI.

Another and-coming West Brom youngster could well use Fellows' jump up to the first-team as a source of inspiration, therefore, with the talent in question a deadly finisher of chances playing out on loan in the EFL last campaign.

Modou Faal's numbers last season

Playing in the lower depths of the four divisions with both Doncaster Rovers and Walsall last time out, it could be an almighty leap for Academy prospect Modou Faal to make next season pushed into the deep end of the Championship, but one he could adjust to over time judging by his goalscoring numbers in League Two.

The promising 21-year-old would bag 15 strikes from 53 overall games for his two loan employers, to further live up to his billing as being a prolific attacker when playing youth football for West Brom, as was seen in his previous 14 goals from 33 appearances in the U21 set-up.

Fellows also benefitted from being loaned out to Crawley Town early in his development as a young starlet learning the ropes, whilst Albion also struck gold on Brandon Thomas-Asante, when signing him from League Two Salford City back in 2022, to then become Corberan's main man up top.

Yet, the 25-year-old's lack of potency in front of goal towards the back end of West Brom's promotion push last campaign would have really irked those at the Hawthorns, with the 5 foot 11 striker only registering a meagre two goals from his final 11 appearances, which included two anonymous showings in both play-off matches against Southampton.

This could result in Faal being given more chances to come, as a rival to Thomas-Asante's first-team spot, as Corberan aims to find his next breakout talent akin to Fellows.

How Faal compares to Thomas-Asante

Like Faal will be looking towards the aforementioned Fellows as a figure he will want to replicate, he will also look to Thomas-Asante, who had to rough out in League Two similarly, before being given a shot in the Championship.

Faal's 15 goals in all competitions last season playing for his two loan sides actually betters any goal return the ex-Salford man mustered up whilst still playing in Greater Manchester, which shows that the 21-year-old could be fast-tracked to the first-team shortly, to see if he can handle the step-up in quality already.

Faal

23/24

53

15

2

BTA

22/23

7

5

2

BTA

21/22

43

13

4

BTA

20/21

49

6

3

BTA

19/20

27

6

4

Looking at the table above, Thomas-Asante has never quite been a deadly finisher, even during his Salford education, whilst Faal could go on to explode into life in the senior team at West Brom, based on his encouraging output last season.

Described as a talent who could go on to be "unplayable" by Donny manager Grant McCann, Corberan will hope Faal can be another exciting prospect that can offer West Brom depth ahead of the new second-tier campaign.

With a lack of reserve strikers at the Spaniard's direct disposal, as Andreas Weimann is no longer on the books after a forgettable loan spell, an injection of youth could be even more well-needed.

Corberan could soon sell West Brom star who earns 2x more than Johnston

West Bromwich Albion could look to offload this star in the summer who earns more than Mikey Johnston.

ByKelan Sarson Jun 19, 2024

On paper, Australia remain favourites, but India wouldn’t be too displeased either with how things stand going into the MCG

Andrew McGlashan18-Dec-2024At 2.33pm on Wednesday the players left the field at the Gabba for the final time. A short while later, the approaching rain hit the ground and the umpires didn’t wait too long to bring down the curtain on a rare five-day Test that felt much longer than that. The evening before, KL Rahul had joked he’d got more tired walking up and down to the dressing room than he did in the middle.And yet, the final day included its fair share of intrigue. There was a curious Australia second innings in which Steven Smith appeared at No. 6; Jasprit Bumrah taking his series tally to 21 wickets at 10.90; a (seemingly brief) injury scare around Travis Head; and finally the most surprising development, the international retirement of R Ashwin.It means Ashwin won’t be at the MCG, where he had such a big impact on India’s victory in the 2020-21 series, when the teams reconvene on Boxing Day tantalisingly poised at 1-1.But how do you assess the tied scoreline? Offer that to India before arriving and there’s a good chance they’d have bitten your hand off for it given the historic success of Australia in Perth and Adelaide especially and the fact they were coming off a whitewash against New Zealand. After the first Test, though? Perhaps they would have hoped for more.Related

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'We're not going to take any risk' – Rohit on Shami's fitness for Australia

From Australia’s point of view, it feels under where they would have expected to be for the same reasons of their records at the venues but it’s been a strong response to the thrashing at Optus Stadium. Last week’s pink ball gave them a leg up when it was desperately needed. Despite the odd-looking second innings in Brisbane, they were never on the back foot in this match once Head and Smith had lifted them from 75 for 3.India were not shy of celebrating when they saved the follow-on through the fighting efforts of Bumrah and Akash Deep. Rohit Sharma had a wry smile on his face when he was asked if India’s joy at that moment was a reflection of deeper cracks in the side.”I have been here enough to understand what are mind games and what are chit-chatters and all of that,” he said. “From our personal point of view, we were behind the game. Obviously, it is a little victory for us to avoid that follow-on, looking at how the weather was going to play, looking at where the game was heading. Eventually, we ended up in a draw.”With Australia being ahead in the game, they didn’t manage to get the result. For us to celebrate that, it was a little victory for us. There is no harm. We enjoy each and every moment. We saw two guys who were fighting for the team and we were really happy with that. So, we were celebrating how these two guys batted at the end.”Cummins, playing his role in the mid-series fun, later laughed off suggestions that India took more than Australia from how the game panned out.”Can’t say I’ve ever been scared of momentum,” he said. “Don’t really care about that. Think we can take a lot from this week. A couple of great partnerships. To be sent in on a wicket and score 450 and then be a bowler down and manage to bowl India out for 250 when the wicket was probably a bit better, think we can take a lot from that.”Heading to Melbourne, both sides have similar issues to confront around the top order. For India, the form of Rohit and Virat Kohli remains a concern, Yashasvi Jaiswal has not been able to back up his 161 in Perth and Rishabh Pant has been kept quiet, particularly by Cummins.For Australia the spotlight is on openers Usman Khawaja and Nathan McSweeney. Marnus Labuschagne’s half-century in Adelaide has eased some pressure on him, but he was again out loosely to Nitish Kumar Reddy in this Test. Bumrah is proving a mighty handful for the top order although Cummins added little should be read into Australia’s second innings at the Gabba given the attempt to set a target.Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc took on most of Australia’s bowling load•AFP/Getty ImagesMitchell Marsh’s series has also yet to take off: he walked when he didn’t nick one in Adelaide and has bowled six overs in two Tests, despite Australia being a bowler down for most of the game in Brisbane. Two excellent catches aided his team in this match, but he has yet to suggest he can hit the heights of last season when he was named the Allan Border Medalist.However, one area where Australia have better depth than India is the pace bowling. While Josh Hazlewood’s injury is a significant blow, it is quite the luxury to know that Scott Boland is waiting in the wings to return on his home ground where he is such a force. Meanwhile, Rohit did not sound confident about Mohammed Shami being available at all during the series although Akash, who is often compared to Shami, was much better than his 1 for 95 would suggest.On balance, Australia remain favourites for the series although that is largely based on the stunning form of Head, a revived Smith and the durability of Cummins and Mitchell Starc.And so the roadshow heads to the MCG, a surface that has been a fast bowler’s dream in recent seasons, with the prospect of a record opening-day crowd. The weather forecast, whisper it, looks good for Boxing Day (it’s also good for Brisbane the moment the Test leaves town) and there is a series where everything remains up for grabs. Merry cricket Christmas.

South Africa might want to tinker with their batting personnel, while Pakistan would look for more from their bowlers

Firdose Moonda13-Apr-2021Big pictureMatch one went down to the penultimate ball. Match two was as one-sided as they come. What are these two teams really about?South Africa have been rebuilding for much of the last six years and still don’t seem to have much beyond the outlines of a foundation. They know they have a host of decent players – so much so that even with seven first-choice ones missing, they have packed a decent punch against Pakistan in the two T20Is. The next question is how best to make use of the wealth of talent at their disposal.While their combinations are dictated largely by player availability, batting is one area they may want to address. Though they have gone into both matches with a surplus of bowlers, their batting line-up appears short of at least one batsman. Calls for Kyle Verreynne – the second-highest run-scorer in the 2018-19 one-day cup – to be included have abounded among public and pundits alike, and it is difficult to see the rest of this series playing out without him making an appearance – whether at the expense of another batsman or as an addition to the line-up.Related

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Rizwan isn't done, and SA can't stay away from his hitting zone

Pakistan are at full strength but their strongest suit – their bowling – did not look at their best in the first match while they did not have enough to defend in the second. Mohammad Nawaz has been their most threatening presence, but they would be hoping for more incision from legspinner Usman Qadir and left-arm quick Shaheen Shah Afridi.The second T20I aside, Pakistan’s line-up has shown they can post big totals albeit with only one or two players coming good. Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan lead their run-charge and they will want to see more from the middle-order to develop a complete performance.Both teams appear to still have plenty of work to do before they are ready for the T20 World Cup, a task for later in the year. With this being a four-match series, whoever wins the next match will have one hand on the trophy.Form guide
South Africa WLLWL
Pakistan LWWLWIn the spotlightAndile Phehlukwayo had the lightest workload in the second T20I, where he neither bowled a ball nor was he required to bat. While the latter suggests the top order did the job it is supposed to, South Africa’s many bowling options means Phehlukwayo is finding himself surplus to requirement at the death despite that being his specialty. Sisanda Magala and Lizaad Williams did a sterling job in giving away just 30 runs besides taking four wickets in the last four overs, and South Africa may have to find a different way to use Phehlukwayo in the middle period.He earned his 100th cap in the first T20I but Mohammad Hafeez has not made the kind of impression he may have wanted to in this series. With scores of 13 and 32 – and dismissals against the spinners in both innings – Hafeez has some unfinished business against what must be his last tour to southern Africa. He has two previous fifties in South Africa – including his joint second-highest score of 86 – so perhaps a return to a happy hunting ground could bring out the best in him. Pakistan need that, especially as they seek to avoid an over-reliance on their top three.If Fakhar Zaman has not recovered, Pakistan will have to field Sharjeel Khan again•AFP/Getty ImagesTeam newsSouth Africa won’t want to tinker too much with the combination that won on Monday. But the continued absence of Verreynne and the difficulties Wihan Lubbe has had in building an innings may mean a change in the top five. There is also the possibility of Rassie van der Dussen, if fit, getting the nod ahead of Verreynne or displacing Pite van Biljon.South Africa (possible): 1 Aiden Markram, 2 Janneman Malan, 3 Rassie van der Dussen/Kyle Verreynne, 4 Pite van Biljon, 5 Heinrich Klaasen (capt, wk), 6 George Linde, 7 Andile Phehlukwayo 8 Sisanda Magala, 9 Beuran Hendricks, 10 Lizaad Williams, 11 Tabraiz ShamsiIf Fakhar Zaman has not recovered from the rash that kept him out of the second match, Pakistan would have to give Sharjeel Khan another opportunity and would want their line-up to give the attack more to work with.Pakistan (possible): 1 Mohammad Rizwan (wk), 2 Fakhar Zaman/Sharjeel Khan, 3 Babar Azam (capt), 4 Mohammad Hafeez, 5 Haidar Ali, 6 Faheem Ashraf, 7 Hasan Ali, 8 Mohammad Nawaz, 9 Shaheen Shah Afridi, 10 Usman Qadir, 11 Mohammad HasnainPitch and conditionsThe series moves back to Centurion for the final two matches, which may suit Pakistan just fine. They won both ODIs here on this tour, chasing in the first match and defending in the second. With the match starting in the afternoon, there shouldn’t be any early moisture. Conditions are expected to be more even irrespective of the teams batting first or second even if the pitch is slightly slower than at the Wanderers. Temperatures have gone up this week, so expect a scorcher at close to 30 degrees.Stats and trivia There have been 19 T20Is played between South Africa and Pakistan in the past, with South Africa slightly in the advantage with ten wins. If Pakistan win this match, they will even that number. South Africa haven’t won a T20I series since beating Sri Lanka at home in March 2019. Similarly, Pakistan haven’t won a T20I series played outside Pakistan or the UAE since 2018. Shaheen Afridi has had an economy rate of ten or more runs only four times in 23 T20I matches, but twice in two games this series.Quotes “We’ve got a game plan going towards the World Cup, so we’re trying to buy into that. If we can play that type of cricket now leading into the World Cup, then we know how exactly to go about things when it does come.”

Arne Slot explained "three elements" that are central to Liverpool's strong defensive structure amid an excellent start to the Premier League season.

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Reds have best defensive record in Premier LeagueHave conceded just three times in eight matchesSlot revealed the secret to successFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

With an exceptional record of seven clean sheets in 12 games across all competitions, Slot’s Liverpool have only allowed five goals in total. In the Premier League, they have shipped in three goals, while Nottingham Forest, the next closest, had conceded six before facing Leicester City on Friday.

AdvertisementGOAL/GettyWHAT SLOT SAID

Slot attributes Liverpool’s defensive resilience to three key elements: dominance in possession, the high-calibre players in defence, and remarkable teamwork during challenging game phases. Speaking to the press, the Dutch manager explained: "One of them is that we – most games, almost all of them, maybe except for one – we dominated and controlled for large parts of the game. So it helps if you dominate, if you have the ball. But I also like that if there were difficult parts in the game, or for large parts in the game like we had against Chelsea, that the work rate is incredible. That is something that’s very important.

“If you combine that with having the likes of Virgil and Ibou and the two goalkeepers we’ve used until now, that is probably one of the reasons why we haven’t conceded that much. Then to be aware of the fact that we also have Jarell Quansah and Joe Gomez, we’re in a good place when it comes to centre-backs – and the goalkeeper speaks for itself I think.”

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Although Liverpool have maintained a tight defence, recent games have seen the Reds securing victories by narrow margins. Each of their last three league matches has been won by just one goal, a trend that also appeared in their recent Champions League fixture against RB Leipzig. Nonetheless, Slot is not concerned with the margin of victories and added: "I think every game has its own story. The Leipzig game, I said about the difference in the period of rest we had in between the games, so that could be a factor where Leipzig were, in the end of the game, a bit better than we were.

“I don’t know if it had anything to do with it, but it could. I think when I look at the Crystal Palace game it was one or two transition moments where we were still, in my opinion, dominating the game but we were a bit unlucky or we didn’t have a good enough rest defence – combined with some set-pieces. I liked the last six minutes of injury time we had in Leipzig where we constantly had the ball and controlled it. Those moments were not difficult.

“Also the Leipzig game, the first chance they had in the last 10 to 15 minutes was from a second phase set-piece. But yeah, you also concede the set-pieces, the other team is a bit stronger than you at that moment. I’m not worried, but I would prefer to see that we dominate until the end of the game. But it’s also good to see that, if we have to defend, that we have a team that defends with 11, with two outstanding centre-backs and a goalkeeper that makes saves as well.”

Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR LIVERPOOL?

Liverpool’s commanding start to the season sees them narrowly leading Manchester City by a single point at the top of the Premier League standings. However, Slot's defence will be tested by a free-flowing Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday, who have scored 15 times in eight matches.

Also: what’s the record for most consecutive wins from the start of a captaincy career?

Steven Lynch17-Sep-2024Shimron Hetmyer hit 91 without a four in one innings in this year’s Caribbean Premier League. Is that the highest in T20s without a four? asked Chris Dowden from Grenada
You’re right that Shimron Hetmyer’s 91 for Guyana Amazon Warriors in their CPL match against St Kitts and Nevis Patriots in Basseterre a couple of weeks ago contained no fours. We should perhaps mention that he did manage no fewer than 11 sixes, though!It is the highest score in any T20 match without a four, beating Shashrika Pussegolla’s 78 for Sebastianites against Police in Colombo in June 2022.The highest individual score in any T20 match with no fours or sixes appears to be 38 not out, by Navdeep Poonia for Scotland against Bermuda in Belfast during the World T20 Qualifier in August 2008.What’s the highest opening partnership in an international in which neither player scored a hundred? asked Nandra de Silva from Sri Lanka
A performance in a T20I leads the way here. Playing for Gibraltar against Bulgaria in Valletta (Malta) in 2022, Avinash Pai (86 not out) and Louis Bruce (99 not out) batted through the innings for an unbroken opening partnership of 213.In ODIs, Chris Gayle (99) and Wavell Hinds (82) put on 192 for West Indies’ first wicket against Bangladesh in Southampton during the 2004 Champions Trophy in England. Shikhar Dhawan (81 not out) and Shubman Gill (82 not out) also shared an opening stand of 192 – without being parted – for India against Zimbabwe in Harare in 2022.The men’s Test record is also 192, by Sunil Gavaskar (97) and Chetan Chauhan (93) for India against Pakistan in Lahore in 1978. However, Caroline Atkins (90) and Arran Brindle (85) put on exactly 200 for England’s first wicket in a women’s Test against India in Lucknow in 2002.I was going through scorecards of the good old days of Pakistan cricket, and spotted that in a Test against India in 2005-06, seven batters made 50-plus in the second innings. Was this a record? asked M Usman Sharif from Pakistan
You’re right that Pakistan’s second innings against India in Karachi in 2006 contained seven scores of 50 or more. Actually, it was the top seven in the order: Salman Butt 53, Imran Farhat 57, Younis Khan 77, Mohammad Yousuf 97, Faisal Iqbal 139, Shahid Afridi 60 and Abdul Razzaq 90. The total was enough for Pakistan to win by 341 runs – quite a comeback considering they had been 0 for 3 in the first over of the match, after a hat-trick from Irfan Pathan.That was actually the second Test innings to contain seven individual scores of 50 or more, after England against Australia at Old Trafford in 1934. It happened again at Lord’s in 2006, when seven Sri Lankans reached 50 after they followed on against England. Here’s the full list of seven or more batters making 50 or more.Percy Chapman holds the record for winning the most consecutive Tests at the start of a captaincy career•SR Gaiger/Getty ImagesHad England won at The Oval, Ollie Pope would have started with three wins in his first three matches as captain. Which captain won the most Tests from the start of their career? asked Mark Annear via Facebook
England’s stand-in captain Ollie Pope won his first two Tests in charge, before coming a cropper in the third, at The Oval last week. Over the years, 23 captains won their first three matches in charge: six of them are from England, the most recent being Brian Close in the mid-1960s. The most recent from any country is Pope’s opposite number, Dhananjaya de Silva, earlier this year.The best start is by England’s Percy Chapman, who won his first nine Tests as captain in the late 1920s. Earlier that decade, Warwick Armstrong won his first eight Tests in charge of Australia. There’s a big gap then to seven others who won their first four Tests as captain.Regarding last week’s question about the tallest men to play for England, what about Boyd Rankin? asked Michael O’Hara from Ireland
Thanks for pointing that out: it’s not the first time I’d forgotten that fast bowler Boyd Rankin, who played county cricket for Derbyshire and Warwickshire, played a Test for England (against Australia in Sydney in 2014), as well as two for his native Ireland.Rankin is also in the region of 6ft 8in (203cm), and thus shares the distinction of being England’s tallest Test cricketer with Steven Finn. Current squad member Reece Topley is also 6ft 8in, but although he has played more than 50 white-ball internationals, he hasn’t appeared in a Test match.The tallest Test player from any country remains Mohammad Irfan of Pakistan – another left-arm quick – who extends the tape to 7ft 1in (216cm). Irfan is believed to be the tallest first-class cricketer too.Shiva Jayaraman of ESPNcricinfo’s stats team helped with some of the above answers.Use our feedback form, or the Ask Steven Facebook page to ask your stats and trivia questions

Leeds United have now reportedly sent scouts to watch a standout European winger, who’s also attracted the interest of Manchester United.

Farke prepared for "top class" Liverpool

When the fixtures were released, this would been a week that many Leeds fans dreaded. By the end of this weekend, the Whites will have faced Manchester City, Chelsea and Liverpool in consecutive games in the most difficult run of games they’ve had so far this season. But what began as a nightmare may yet leave Leeds in dreamland.

Daniel Farke’s side were minutes away from securing a point from behind at the Etihad against Man City and then eased past Chelsea in shocking fashion on Wednesday. Now, they have the chance to compile the misery on a frail Liverpool side at Elland Road – making it six points from a possible nine.

It’s the greatest opportunity that Leeds will get to beat the Premier League champions, but Farke was quick to point out that Liverpool are still a “top class” side in his pre-match press conference.

Those in Yorkshire may have to get used to competing against the top six on and off the pitch, having also reportedly joined the race to sign Manchester United target Nilson Angulo.

Leeds join race to sign Nilson Angulo

According to TeamTalk, Leeds have now joined the race to sign Angulo after their scouts were spotted watching the Anderlecht winger in action. The Whites are joined by United, Tottenham Hotspur, Brighton & Hove Albion and Brentford in what is set to be a frantic Premier League battle.

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Dubbed one of Europe’s standout wingers by TeamTalk, the interest in Angulo should come as no surprise. The 22-year-old has taken his game to new levels in Belgium this season and looks destined for English football.

As scout Jacek Kulig pointed out, it was a “fantastic” start from Angulo this season and a start which has since seen him take his total to four goals and eight assists in all competitions.

It would be a major coup if Leeds managed to fend off competition from their rivals and sign the talented winger.

Leeds now prioritising £35m move to sign South American defender ahead of Juventus

Management pleased with outgoing captain’s bond with his successor, Kraigg Brathwaite, and hope it yields dividends

Matt Roller13-Mar-2021West Indies’ lead selector Roger Harper has insisted that Jason Holder remains an “integral part” of the Test side despite losing the captaincy after five-and-a-half years in the role.Kraigg Brathwaite, who led the side to a 2-0 series win in Bangladesh last month after Holder opted out of the tour due to fatigue and concerns about the Covid-19 protocols in place, was unveiled as full-time captain on Thursday ahead of the series against Sri Lanka, which starts on March 21.While Holder won widespread praise for his leadership off the field and navigated West Indies’ Test side through some choppy waters, he had lost four Tests in a row as captain – two in England, two in New Zealand – and Harper said that the series win in Bangladesh had offered a clear blueprint as to how the team could move forward.”We must appreciate what Jason has done as captain,” Harper said. “He came in at a very young age, took the captaincy at a time when the team was a little unsettled, and he grew with the job and performed creditably. He’s had his moments of success and he has grown as a player as well to become the leading allrounder in the world.”I really think that Jason is a very integral part of the Test team and West Indies cricket going forwards. He plays all three formats and I think it’s an opportunity for him to really focus on taking his game to higher levels. I think that with him at his best and with Kraigg given the captaincy, it’s an opportunity for the team to move forwards.”I look forward to him performing exceptionally well in his role as a player and still as a leader as one of the senior players in this team. It was great to hear him say that he’s committed to giving Kraigg all the support needed and hearing the new captain saying that they have a very close relationship. I think that augurs very well for West Indies cricket going forward.”Brathwaite had been replaced as vice-captain by Roston Chase in November ahead of the series in New Zealand, with Harper asking him to focus on his batting, but he explained that Brathwaite’s form in Bangladesh had given the selectors belief that he was back to his best.”Sometimes a few months can be a very long time,” Harper said. “Bangladesh really opened our eyes to a number of things. What we saw was a team playing with passion, playing with determination, rallying around each other, great teamwork, and showing a great desire to succeed. Kraigg played a major part in that.”We also saw Kraigg’s batting returning to the sort of form that we expect and look forward to. He handled the responsibility very well and I expect big scores to come from Kraigg in the very near future. [In] areas where we thought there was a need for improvement, we saw exactly the sort of effort and spirit and the birth of a culture that we would really like to see go forward and develop and be instilled. “Brathwaite himself said that he saw the captaincy as an opportunity to continue leading from the front, and that having first led Barbados in first-class cricket at the age of 21, he was ready to embrace the challenge of the Test role.”Captaining Barbados for the first time at a young age was a challenge and I look forward to challenges,” he said. “As an opener, I always see myself as a leader. When I go out to bat I’m a batsman not a captain, but I will continue to lead. It will help me to dig deeper.”It’s just a continuing of what we did in Bangladesh. I thought the attitude we showed in practice sessions and on the field was key so for me as a leader, I want to lead from the front and for us to keep the same attitude.”Harper also explained that the omission of Chase and Shimron Hetmyer from the squad owed much to the success of Nkrumah Bonner and Kyle Mayers in the middle order during the series in Bangladesh.”All players are considered and we had a lot of discussion around Roston Chase,” he said. “When we looked at the performances of the team and the players in Bangladesh, some of those players performed exceptionally well and more or less grabbed the spots that they had and grabbed a place in the squad for this series. Players had to miss out, and Roston Chase was one of them.”I really think that Shimron has the ability to be one of the best batsmen in the world in all formats of the game. As far as Test cricket is concerned, he’s been absent for a while and hasn’t played regional four-day cricket for a while, so he needs to get some matches under his belt and show what he can do. He’s still in the forefront of our minds but we’re waiting for him to display the sort of passion and the sort of consistent performance that we’re looking for.”

Real Madrid airbrushed Kylian Mbappe out of photos promoting their latest clothing range as controversy around the forward grows.

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Real Madrid promoting new clothing lineMbappe part of original castLater removed in final cut of promoFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

The French star was conspicuously removed from a promotional image released by Real Madrid as part of the club's "Artist Pack" collection, which is intended to showcase the club's charitable foundation that supports sporting and social projects for underprivileged communities.

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However, the omission would have likely gone unnoticed if it weren’t for a post by teammate Jude Bellingham. The 21-year-old shared an unedited version of the image on his Instagram, which featured Mbappe. The post was swiftly taken down by the English midfielder, but not before eagle-eyed fans noticed the alteration.

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Reports from suggest the decision to exclude Mbappe stemmed from a clash between competing sponsorship deals. As a Nike ambassador, Mbappe was removed due to the campaign’s association with adidas, Real Madrid's official kit sponsor. Despite Mbappe's omission, Eduardo Camavinga, another Nike-sponsored player, was featured in the campaign, raising further questions about the rationale behind the decision.

Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR MBAPPE?

Mbappe is expected to feature in Real Madrid’s upcoming fixture against Celta Vigo this Saturday after brushing off an injury scare that forced him to withdraw from France’s national team squad for the latest international break. However, if the forward fails to win the race against time, he might be reintegrated into the squad for the midweek Champions League match against Borussia Dortmund three days later.