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Newcastle United are now interested in signing Eintracht Frankfurt midfielder Jesper Lindstrom, but they will have to battle the likes of Liverpool and Arsenal for his signature, according to recent reports from Denmark.

What's the latest Newcastle transfer news?

There have been suggestions that Newcastle have made contact with Galatasaray over a move for Nicolo Zaniolo, as a result of the "excellent impact" he made for the Turkish club after arriving in January, but they have no interest in selling him this summer.

That has not deterred the Magpies, however, as they are expected to make an official offer this week, with Zaniolo emerging as one of their key midfield targets, but they do have a few other options in mind, including Flamengo youngster Victor Hugo.

Eddie Howe's side have "decided" to make a bid of around €24m (£21m) for the 19-year-old, having closely monitored him for some time now, and the Brazilian club will have to be prepared for an "astronomical proposal" this summer.

Read the latest Newcastle transfer news HERE…

There are no other clubs named as potential suitors for Hugo, but Newcastle are set to face a lot of competition in their pursuit of Lindstrom, with Ekstra Bladet, via Sport Witness, recently detailing that a whole host of clubs are vying for the Frankfurt star's signature.

Alongside the Magpies, Tottenham Hotspur, RB Leipzig, Inter Milan and Napoli are all interested in the 23-year-old, who could be on the move this summer, with his current club said to be planning for a sale.

Frankfurt would find it hard to say no to a good offer, and if an auction breaks out, the fee could rise as high as €55m (£47m), although he is valued at around €35m – €40m (£30m – £34m). At the moment, Arsenal, Liverpool and Juventus are the clubs that have taken the most concrete steps, having "already been in contact" with the Bundesliga club to discuss a deal.

How good is Jesper Lindstrom?

Football writer Seb Stafford-Bloor has praised the attacking midfielder on a number of occasions, describing him as "fun to watch", before recently adding:

"Jesper Lindstrom is a fascinating player. Really talented and unusual, but also hard to define."

Having arrived in the Bundesliga from Brondby ahead of the 2021-22 campaign, it was always going to take the Dane some time to adapt, but teammate Kevin Trapp believes he has already come on leaps and bounds since his arrival:

"Jesper is very young and came from a different league. The Bundesliga is a tougher league than the Danish league, you have to get used to it. It’s normal, and everyone in the club and the team knows that. Jesper has already made significant steps forward… you can see that he's an outstanding footballer and has very good technique."

Of course, a move to the Premier League would be another step up for the maestro, but he has proven he may be up to the task, having scored seven league goals last season, the third-highest amount in the squad. If Newcastle are able to sign Lindstrom for a fee close to his valuation of around £30m, he could be a quality addition, but it may be difficult to win the race for his signature, given the level of interest.

With Leeds United about to embark on their first season in the Championship for four years, journalist Phil Hay is worried about where the goals will come from and who can be Daniel Farke's Teemu Pukki in white.

Leeds United transfer news

Before the dust had even settled on the Peacocks' relegation from the Premier League last season, players started looking for a way out of the club, and after Sam Allardyce was shown the door, it didn't take long for some of the first team to follow him.

So far, the club have sent four players out on loan, including recent signings Rasmus Kristensen, Brenden Aaronson, and Marc Roca. That number could soon be five as Maximilian Wober looks likely to join Bundesliga side Borussia Monchengladbach in the coming days.

That said, the club still, at this point anyway, possess a decent lineup of attacking wide players, such as William Gnonto, Luis Sinisterra, Crysencio Summerville, and Jack Harrison.

However, whilst those players are certainly good enough for the Championship, the options at striker of Patrick Bamford and Gerorginio Rutter could be a problem and don't fill Phil Hay with a great deal of confidence going into the new season.

He explained his feelings on the situation on The Square Ball YouTube channel:

"I do still find myself asking, 'Who is going to be his Teemu Pukki in this team? Who is going to score 20-plus goals? I'm not looking at either Rutter through the middle or Patrick Bamford through the middle and thinking you've got a dead cert there for 20-plus in the season to come.

"I would also say, and I think you're right here, that while they're well served out wide with options, and they definitely are. I'm not sure that there is somebody who is perfectly suited to that central creative role."

Who have Leeds United been linked to?

With the striking situation looking a little worrying, have the club been linked to anyone that could come in and help move the club forward this season?

Well, the good news is that, according to WalesOnline, Leeds have made contact with fellow Championship side Swansea City over their free-scoring Dutch centre-forward Joel Piroe.

The Welsh publication has revealed that the player has refused to sign a new contract with the Swans and that because of this, his valuation could be lower than the £20m it was last summer.

While the 23-year-old isn't currently the Whites 'primary focus', he would be an excellent purchase due to his proficiency in the second tier over the last two seasons.

In his first year in English football, the 6 foot 1 dynamo scored 22 goals and provided six assists in just 40 starts. He followed that up by scoring 19 goals and providing two assists last season in just 43 starts.

So far, the Dutchman has 49 goal involvements in his 7293 minutes of Championship football for the Welsh club, meaning he has produced a goal involvement every 148 minutes, or once every one and a half games or so.

While it might not quite be as prolific as Pukki was for Norwich City in the 2020/21 and 2018/19 seasons, it's still massively impressive and would give the rest of the team an excellent base upon which to build.

If Leeds can get this deal done, it could go a long way in easing Hay's concerns.

Liverpool are now looking for their next defensive midfielder with Fabinho expected to make a move to Saudi Arabia this summer and now a new potential transfer target has been identified.

What's the latest on Liverpool's interest in Joao Palhinha?

According to Sky Sports reporter Melissa Reddy, Liverpool are interested in signing Fulham midfielder Joao Palhinha.

Reddy revealed on Twitter: "Lavia and Gravenberch have long been considered by LFC (regardless of current situation), with their reps spoken to. Other players they've looked at: Nicolo Barella, Khephren Thuram, Florentino Luis, Joao Palhinha, Teun Koopmeiners…"

"They do love a surprise, stealth signing"

How good is Joao Palhinha?

There is no doubt that Jurgen Klopp will be desperate to quickly replace Fabinho as the Brazilian mainstay has had a huge influence on the club's success over the last five years.

The Liverpool ace played a key role in his deep-lying role to lead his team to a Champions League trophy, FA Cup, League Cup and their first-ever Premier League title, so it will be difficult to find a player who can emulate his impact.

As a result, the signing of Palhinha would be a great move for the Merseyside giants as the Portuguese sensation has been a revelation over the last 12 months and has been a difference-maker at Craven Cottage.

No other Premier League player completed more tackles and interceptions than the 6 foot 3 titan (193), with fellow Liverpool target Moises Caicedo coming in second to the Fulham whiz (156), and this attribute is not the only one that the two hot top-flight talents share.

When comparing Palhinha's output to his Ecuordorian positional peer last season, the pair came close in a number of key attributes desirable in the defensive midfield role including pass completion (82.5% v 88.5%), percentage of dribblers tackled (53% v 58.8%), blocks (48 v 43) and aerial duels won (64.5% v 64.9%). as per FBref.

Not only that, the 28-year-old ranks in the top 1% of his positional peers across the top five European leagues for tackles per 90, as well as ranking in the top 12% for clearances per 90 and aerial duels won per 90, proving that he is one of the best defensive presences in Europe.

Lauded as being as "strong as an ox" by Sky Sports reporter Jamie Weir, the confident ball-winner has been the recipient of high praise during his short time in English football, with pundit Jamie Redknapp showering compliments on Palhinha:

"He has been a brilliant signing. £20 million. He has got a real knowledge and nous of where he should be. He picks the right pass. He has a real presence about him. He is a fantastic signing for them."

Despite making a £20m move from Sporting Lisbon to west London last summer, the Portugal international has already become an invaluable asset to Fulham and it would reportedly take an offer of £90m for them to part ways with their star player, presenting a slightly cheaper alternative to Caicedo who has a £100m price tag.

With that being said, if sporting director Jorg Schmadtke could secure a deal for Palhinha it would be a major coup for the club and if he can continue to dominate in midfield at Anfield, he would be the dream successor for Fabinho next season.

A concise look back at the events that led to the pay-dispute crisis between the Australian players and their cricket board

Daniel Brettig30-Jun-20173:46

What is the CA-ACA pay dispute?

November 11: MoU negotiations between Cricket Australia (CA) and the Australian Cricketers Association (ACA) formally begin in Melbourne, with a meeting between CA’s chairman David Peever and his opposite number Greg Dyer. The meeting was preluded by news that the ACA was chasing a more expansive definition of Australian Cricket Revenue – the agreed pool of money from which their payment has been drawn – to include digital revenue.December 7: Australia’s captain Steven Smith and deputy David Warner dine with CA board directors where the governing body’s desire to break up the revenue sharing model is discussed. It is an evening that begins a trend of CA trying to go around the ACA to deal directly with the players.December 12: CA sends its initial pay submission to the ACA and players, detailing plans to break up the revenue sharing model and offer fixed wages to domestic male and female players, while only offering surplus profits – capped at A$20 million – to international men (subsequently expanded to also include international women). A particular sticking point is the pregnancy policy for female players.December 19: CA suspends pay talks with the ACA after the pregnancy clause revelations, locking the players’ association’s negotiating team out of a scheduled meeting at the board’s Jolimont headquarters – this is the first major breakdown in pay talks between the two bodies in 20 years.December 22: Australia’s men’s and women’s captains Steven Smith and Meg Lanning write to the CA chief executive James Sutherland requesting that the board respects the ACA as the players’ collective bargaining agent and asking that they cease attempts to deal directly with individual players.December 27: Sutherland seeks to take some heat out of discussions by stating during the Boxing Day Test match against Pakistan that Australia’s players’ association and board have “more in common than not”.January 24: The ACA claims that it is not being offered substantial financial details on which to judge CA’s proposal and weigh it up against its own.March 5: Sutherland maintains CA’s desire to break up the revenue percentage model while visiting India for Australia’s Test tour.March 21: Players are presented with CA’s formal pay offer, which adds some detail and some adjustments to the December proposal but remains largely unchanged in its modelling and overall thrust, seeking to breakup the revenue sharing model and return wage control to the board. The offer also outlines what CA intends to do with the money raised by changing the model – expanding its media wing and investing in other new projects in addition to https://www.espncricinfo.com/australia/content/story/1087893.html” target=”_blank”>funding the grassroots.April 19: Tim May, the former ACA chief executive and an architect of the first revenue sharing MoU in 1998, challenges CA to provide a more substantial case for breaking up the model.April 27: CA’s head of cricket operations, Sean Cary, one of few board employees to work closely and consistently with the ACA, quits to take up a tennis job in the United States.May 11: Mitchell Starc insists that no Australian players will entertain contract negotiations until a new MoU is agreed upon, following revelations that CA’s team performance manager Pat Howard has offered multi-year deals to the top five players – Starc, Steven Smith, David Warner, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins.May 12: Sutherland writes to his opposite number at the ACA Alistair Nicholson, criticising the ACA’s approach to negotiations and informs all players coming out of contract that they will be unemployed as of July 1. The ACA requests mediation to move pay talks forward after numerous rounds of fruitless meetings between the players’ association and the board.May 15: David Warner further inflames the dispute by saying CA might find itself without any players for the Ashes if the two parties cannot reach an agreement.May 17: CA’s chairman David Peever rejects the ACA’s request for mediation, stating that negotiations had not yet begun.May 18: The ACA unveils a contingency fund for players left out of pocket in the event of the pay dispute going beyond June 30.May 25: The ACA announces the foundation of The Cricketers Brand, a commercial wing of the association for the use of the players’ intellectual property, which passes out of the hands of CA beyond June 30 when the MoU expires.May 27-28: Peever rejects the ACA’s calls for mediation a second time as CA again attempts to deal directly with the players. Australia’s federal minister for sport, Greg Hunt, reveals the governmentwould be prepared to provide mediation for the two parties if the dispute were to threaten the Ashes.May 30: CA releases a video featuring lead negotiator Kevin Roberts explaining CA’s pay offer to players, with another released the following week. One of the graphics accompanying the video states that the Big Bash League lost A$33 million for CA over its first five years, a claim attacked by the ACA’s Simon Katich.June 8: Warner criticises CA for the release of the videos to players in the middle of their Champions Trophy campaign. Australia would be eliminated in the first round after a pair of washouts are followed by a loss to England.June 20: South Africa launches its new Twenty20 tournament and it is revealed that numerous Australian players, including internationals, have expressed interest in the event which will clash with the home season. At the same time it emerges that players have discussed playing exhibition matches should the dispute be lengthy.June 21: Following the announcement of the AFL’s pay deal with its players, the AFLPA chief executive and former ACA chief Paul Marsh criticises CA for endangering the international game. At the same time CA’s lead negotiator Roberts goes on a national roadshow to explain CA’s position to the players.June 23: CA offers a pair of concessions relative to its previous offer – increasing payments for domestic male players and also linking all players to the capped bonus system originally offered only to international players – at the same time as sending contract offers out to all players. The ACA, angered by the offers being sent out without an MoU, rejects the concessions.June 27: Players meet at an annual golf day in Sydney and implore CA’s chief executive James Sutherland to get directly involved in negotiations. Sutherland, who has kept at arm’s length from talks, arrives back in Melbourne from ICC meetings a day before the MoU expires.June 28: Players are sent a communique from the team performance manager Pat Howard outlining arrangements beyond the expiry of the MoU, including a warning that any players taking part in exhibition matches will be banned from the Ashes. Limited talks between the two parties go nowhere substantial.June 30: MoU deadline day arrives, and CA marks it by hardening its stance against the players, announcing that all money originally intended to be paid to out of contract players will instead be diverted to grassroots funding programmes until an MoU is agreed upon. This move enrages the playersfurther.

Australia’s vice-captain David Warner has stuck firm to his assertion that the players are prepared to be absent from this summer’s Ashes if the current pay dispute drags into the six months beyond the June 30 expiry of the MOU between Cricket Australia and the Australian Cricketers Association.”I stick firm behind it,” Warner said in London. “If we are unemployed we have no contracts, we can’t play. So, from my point of view and speaking to the guys, we would love to see something happen between now and July 1 and I am sure that it is in the capable hands of the ACA to get to the table with CA and come to some form of an agreement.”Warner was subjected to plenty of criticism in the wake of his earlier comments about the possibility that CA “might not have a team for the Ashes” if they continued to take a hardline stance on their efforts to break-up the fixed revenue percentage pay model that has existed for the past two decades.Subsequent reports focused on Warner’s handsome pay packet and its attendant extravagances of property and cars. He noted that a prickly past had prepared him for being able to brush those barbs aside while pushing to ensure that domestic and international players are not divided into separate camps as per CA’s current pay offer.”It comes with my background and my history with that kind of stuff. So you know, it is water off a duck’s back,” Warner said. “I have a verbal stance, to stick up for all our players, and we are always talking about a fair share and equality. And that’s what we are sticking to.”People have their own opinions and they can have those opinions, and for me, what has been written about me in the past or what gets written now, I don’t take any notice of that. My full support is with all the guys, and we’re all together.”We’ve always said from day one that all the support is behind the ACA 100%. They are doing a great job for us. Obviously, from a players’ point of view, we are pretty vocal and upbeat about it. We are pretty sure that they will come to an agreement. But as you know, we are going to be unemployed come July 1. So we have to wait and see and play it out from there.”In refusing to back down from his words about the Ashes, Warner said that the players were committed to letting the ACA act as their collective bargaining agent and were not entertaining the thought of any direct negotiations with CA. Instead, he said, members of the Champions Trophy squad were hearing of CA’s tactics via media reports.”Not really. It is only what we hear in the media and that’s how CA have been driving it the whole way,” Warner said. “They have been using the media as a voice and we get that message from there. As you said, we get a couple of emails.”A rusty display in the rain-curtailed opening match against New Zealand suggested Australia’s players may struggle to keep their minds focused in the midst of the dispute over their futures. However, Warner was adamant that events between the two negotiating teams over the next four weeks would not divert from efforts to win in England.”For us, we galvanise all the time – it doesn’t matter what is going on outside of the game,” he said. “It is a big thing that we could be unemployed but from us, our job is to play cricket and focus on winning the tournament and not letting our country down in that respect. So as I said, our full mental frame is toward the tournament.”

Shahid Afridi has joined Karachi Kings as “president”, according to the franchise

Umar Farooq07-Apr-2017Shahid Afridi has joined Karachi Kings as “president”, according to the franchise. He is likely to feature for the team as a player, too, in the third edition of Pakistan Super League in 2018, though this is yet to be confirmed; the PSL’s trading window ahead of the next edition is yet to open. Last month Afridi had announced on Twitter that he had left Peshawar Zalmi after two years with the franchise.ESPNcricinfo understands that Afridi is likely to be traded between Peshawar and Karachi as part of the formalities later this year. For now, Karachi Kings owner Salman Iqbal confirmed to ESPNcricinfo that Afridi had joined his franchise as president.Afridi had tweeted on March 25 that he was “announcing my end of service as president & player of Peshawar Zalmi Team due to my personal reasons”. He said it was “time for another” team. Following his tweets, Peshawar’s owner, Javed Afridi, told ESPNcricinfo that he was “clueless” in the matter. Later, it was learnt that Afridi had parted ways from the franchise over disagreements with the owner.”There are things that I don’t want to bring in media but Javed’s vision has changed with the time,” Afridi said on a TV show on Geo News. “I don’t want to become a hindrance to Javed’s goal and vision, because I have my own foundation and a lot of other things. So I can not fullfil his commitments and want to focus on my things as well. I wanted to announce it after the PSL final, but I had couple of commitments with Zalmi, so I waited for the right time.”Afridi, who is based in Karachi but was born in Khyber Agency, had talked about the importance of Peshawar Zalmi to his local region, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, a day before his Twitter announcment. “We have not created the Peshawar Zalmi team to play just a month’s cricket in the PSL and then sit at home,” Afridi had said. “Our work goes beyond the cricket field and we want to change the lives of the underprivileged in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.”Peshawar Zalmi won the PSL title in 2017, defeating Quetta Gladiators in the final held at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. Afridi had missed the final with a finger injury that he picked up during the playoffs in the UAE. In all, in ten matches in PSL 2017, he had scored 177 runs at 25.28 with a strike rate of 173.52, and taken two wickets with an economy rate of 6.75. He had captained the franchise in the inaugural edition of the tournament, before handing over to Darren Sammy this year.

Scorecard Chris Tremain unleashes a slog sweep•Getty Images

A century for the fast bowler Chris Tremain delivered a major first-innings lead for Victoria over Western Australia on day two of the Sheffield Shield match in Alice Springs.In reply to the Warriors’ measly 146 in the first innings, the Bushrangers slipped to 7 for 184 when Seb Gotch was out to David Moody, one of his five wickets. However Tremain, who had never previously made a first-class fifty let alone a hundred, formed a key stand of 108 with James Pattinson to grow the Bushrangers’ lead.Four sixes punctuated the innings, which ended when Tremain was last out for 111. Jason Behrendorff claimed three wickets for the Warriors, who reached 0 for 29 at the close.

Chelsea, despite all the riches expended since Todd Boehly's arrival, boast a squad far from the finished article.

Mauricio Pochettino is the man who has been tasked with solving the puzzle presented in west London, as a willing challenger to unearth the numerous high-potential stars at Stamford Bridge.

However, to do so he must first foster the correct environment, likely having assurances that he will be given time to work his magic. The success he earned in transforming Tottenham Hotspur did not come overnight, and the same is certainly the case for his latest managerial venture.

He will need to add some key additions of his own in the coming summer window to build upon a year where 17 new players were welcomed and two managers have been sacked.

Whilst investing in this high-risk high-reward strategy has allowed them to stockpile some of Europe's finest young talent, a few key positions remain bare.

Naturally, a centre-forward will be high on the list of priorities, but a true defensive midfielder will be just as imperative to unlock Enzo Fernandez. Therefore, it will please fans that earlier in the week it was reported that Chelsea had opened talks with Sporting CP over the signing of Manuel Ugarte.

The touted €60m (£52m) price tag would mark a small sum if it meant unleashing their British transfer record signing.

Would Manuel Ugarte be a N'Golo Kante upgrade?

In acquiring a player who operates with a defence-first mindset, the Uruguay international could act as a screen for the back four to allow their Argentine maestro to truly thrive.

Although his 7.17 average rating has been upheld by 1.1 key passes and 2.5 tackles per game, in pushing him from the six role into the eight, he could add to his two assists in 18 starts, via Sofascore.

After all, his potential new teammate has mustered 3.9 tackles and 1.8 interceptions per game too (via Sofascore) and therefore ranks in the top 1% for tackles and the top 3% for interceptions per 90 when compared to other midfielders across Europe.

Whilst writer Raj Chohan might have been lambasting the midfielder when branding his choices on the ball as "aggressive", it is this mindset that arguably makes him such a combative and frightening presence defensively in the engine room. Regardless, his 92% pass accuracy suggests otherwise.

Such defensive excellence could easily earn comparisons to the enigmatic N'Golo Kante, who is rarely seen around these parts nowadays due to his persistent injury problems.

The ageing ace has been ravaged with ailments since his move from Leicester City, yet when fit represents one of the division's most relentless midfielders.

Last season showcased this, as he started 21 games and managed to maintain a 7.12 average rating.

This was a figure supported by 2.3 tackles and 1.3 interceptions per game, which was impressive but highlighted a decline from times gone by, via Sofascore. He is admittedly nowhere near the level of his potential 22-year-old successor, who Pochettino will surely prefer.

Given the youthful revolution Boehly has seemingly planned, the 32-year-old is a prime example of those who need replacing in west London and the sooner the club can find his successor, the better because he cannot be trusted like the Kante of old, as evident above.

Few fit the bill more appropriately than Ugarte, to graciously take the mantle from this legendary midfield enforcer, who is a shadow of the player who managed 4.7 tackles per game back in the 2015/16 term.

A scoreline of 557 for 5 may indicate one team has lorded it over the other, but that wasn’t entirely the case

Sidharth Monga in Indore09-Oct-20161:50

Agarkar: Kohli showed lot of mental discipline

There is a great anecdote Dion Nash tells. It opens in Ahmedabad – could be any town in India, but the dry state of Gujarat adds to the story. India are about 400 for 2, Daniel Vettori runs in to bowl, and Rahul Dravid pulls out. He had seen a butterfly land in the middle of the pitch. The tired New Zealand fielders wonder what’s happening.Adam Parore has had enough of the Indian batsmen piling on the runs, the Indian spinners taking the wickets, his own team-mates not having any fun. He rushes across and takes a swipe at the butterfly prompting Dravid to say, and Nash mimics the Indian accent, “Oh Parore, he has kicked the butterfly. That’s very bad luck for you guys.”India have been winning home Tests regularly but this kind of helplessness, of being ground down in the heat and the dust, has not been experienced by touring sides for a while.The first two days of the Indore Test were a return to the old norm. A Sunday crowd of more than 22,000 enjoyed the Indian batsmen turn their circumspect efforts on day one into gradual domination.A score of 557 for 5 declared does point to the wearing down of visiting sides theme, but there was no swiping at butterflies. On a slow pitch that didn’t suit them, New Zealand made India work hard for their runs. In response, India showed the patience required to rack them up. Ajinkya Rahane was tested thoroughly by bouncers. They rarely came at him at the pace he expected. Virat Kohli was made to cut out a lot of his flash. Both men’s application, determination and then the strokeplay put together India’s highest fourth-wicket partnership.There is a special joy to a long partnership. To see each other through tough periods, to feed off the other batsman’s fluency when you are struggling, to be there to take the heat off when his concentration breaks, to congratulate each other on the milestones, to gradually increase the pace, to then start thinking of the declaration.The scoreboard after Kohli and Rahane added 365 looks one-sided, but it has been hard-fought Test cricket. There was a bit of mutual admiration from both sides. Rahane said scoring a hundred despite his struggle, especially against the short ball, was what real Test cricket was. New Zealand coach Mike Hesson said India’s response blunted all their plans.”High-quality batting,” Hesson said. “Took a good delivery to create half-chances, went through long periods of play where we reeled out a lot of plans, stuck to our game well but we were worn down. ‘Kohli killed us softly’ is the nicest way of describing it, after scoring about 120 singles.”Kohli took 115 singles and hit only 20 fours in his 211. Yet he managed a strike-rate of 57.65. Rahane was flashier at times, but he was tied down for long periods too. It was tough for New Zealand to bowl in hot and humid conditions; it wasn’t easy to play such a physical game for the batsmen either.1:49

Took very good deliveries to create half chances – Hesson

“Today, it was slightly difficult. [It was] hot and humid out there,” Rahane said. “So we just wanted to have fun between the overs. We didn’t discuss too much about cricket, but yes, yesterday we were talking about how we can approach our innings, and that partnership was really crucial for us. Today, we both decided that after our hundreds, we wanted to dominate the spinners. Because it was really hot and humid, so we wanted their fast bowlers to bowl at us so that we could get more runs.”New Zealand’s quicks were asked to bowl 67 overs between them, plus the 18 from James Neesham. They managed only two wickets, but they never looked like not wanting to be there. Even when Rohit Sharma was batting for the declaration, Trent Boult nearly added to his highlight reel of sensational catches. Matt Henry was wicketless, rarely did he bowl a bad ball.”A tough day but, sounds funny, also a satisfying day in terms of the standards we set,” Hesson said. “Our seam bowlers delivering 30 overs, 135-140 kph at times, in the heat and humidity. At no stage did we roll over and give soft runs. I thought it was a high quality day’s Test cricket. We contributed to that with our bowling. When you go over a 100 overs without a wicket, it can be demoralising. If you’re not strong-willed and keep fighting, it can be tough. But we did that pretty well.”A totally worn-out side that was ready to swipe at butterflies might have bowled poorly and been asked to start its survival quest much earlier than New Zealand did, with nine overs to go on day two. If India had not learnt and implemented their lessons in patience, there might have been another middling total.Instead, the weekend crowd enjoyed the home side piling on the runs, and we still have a potentially memorable Test in store. If India win it, we will see some excellent bowling; if New Zealand save it, there will be some monumental resistance.

Amid the multitude of issues surrounding relegation strugglers Leeds United at present, one of the major causes for concern has been at right-back, with neither Jesse Marsch nor Javi Gracia having been able to settle on a consistent option in that.

Despite splashing out £10m on Rasmus Kristensen last summer, the former Red Bull Salzburg man has "failed to make the step up from the Austrian Bundesliga to the Premier League", according to writer Zach Lowy, having endured a difficult campaign at Elland Road.

The Denmark international has battled it out with experienced Englishman, Luke Ayling for a starting role of late, although the latter man has also been rather uninspiring, having been described as "absolutely woeful" by broadcaster Conor McGilligan.

As Leeds Live's Beren Cross only recently noted following the 2-1 defeat to Fulham, 'right-back has been the biggest of many positional problems in the team this season', with the Whites likely needing to find a longer-term solution next season.

There may well have been those keen to see Cody Drameh earn a promotion to the first team next term after spending the second half of the current campaign on loan at Luton Town, with the former Fulham ace having been "really good" during his time in the Championship, according to Hatters boss, Rob Edwards.

That being said, however, the 21-year-old is facing an uncertain future at his parent club amid reports that he could be set to leave at the end of the season, with Burnley – who only recently secured a return to the top flight – said to be keen on his signature.

As such, Leeds may have to look elsewhere for a potential long-term fit on the right side of the defence, with a standout candidate having perhaps presented himself in the form of "versatile" teenager, Morten Spencer, as hailed by BBC reporter, Adam Pope.

Who is Leeds's Morten Spencer?

While a midfielder by trade, young Spencer – who only recently extended his deal until 2024 – has popped up in a variety of positions in the youth ranks in season, including taking on the right-back role in each of the last three Premier League 2 games.

The Darlington-born sensation seemingly 'looked at ease' in that new role in the recent clash with West Bromwich Albion at U21 level, according to Leeds Live's William Jackson, having 'moved the ball forward well and delivered a number of dangerous set-pieces.'

A player who "loves a big slide tackle", according to journalist Joe Donnohue, the former Norway youth international has made a strong impression in the academy set-up of late, having initially been snapped up back in 2019, amid rival interest from Manchester City.

That swoop from Sunderland appeared a real "coup" at the time – as per respected insider The 4th Official – with the £140-p/w youngster perhaps deserving of a chance to finally impress at senior level.

Even though a full-back role may not be Spencer's natural position, with both Ayling and Kristensen currently struggling for form – and with Drameh seemingly set for an exit – an opportunity in the first-team could well come sooner rather than later.