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Kylian Mbappe congratulated Paris Saint-Germain after seeing his former side win the Champions League for the first time on Saturday.

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PSG demolished Inter in the finalFrench club's first ever European titleMadrid star Mbappe congratulated themFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

PSG annihilated Inter in a 5-0 win to claim the European crown, with record-breaking teenager Desire Doue at the double while Achraf Hakimi, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Senny Mayulu each scored.

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PSG have completed the treble in their first season without Mbappe, who left to join Real Madrid a free transfer following their European triumph last year. But the France captain was delighted to see his side realise their dream.

WHAT MBAPPE POSTED

Shortly after the final, Mbappe took to Instagram to congratulate his boyhood club, writing: "The big day has finally arrived. Victory, and in club style. Congratulations, PSG."

instagram/k.mbappe

Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR PSG & MBAPPE?

While PSG celebrate a clean sweep of trophies, Mbappe failed to win a trophy in his first season in Madrid. The forward did, however, win the Pichichi after finishing top scorer in La Liga.

The two teams will be competing for another prize this summer, with the Club World Cup kicking off in two weeks.

Arsenal talks for Real Sociedad midfielder Martin Zubimendi have hit a stumbling block, with new sporting director Andrea Berta now thought to be handed a cheaper alternative.

Arsenal in negotiations to sign Martin Zubimendi since January

During the January transfer window, news broke from The Mail that Arsenal had entered advanced negotiations for Zubimendi.

Berta "will try" to sign £160k-per-week star amid new Arsenal transfer plan

The Italian is set to orchestrate an ambitious project.

ByEmilio Galantini Mar 13, 2025

The Spain international actually rejected a move to Premier League rivals Liverpool last summer (BBC), but Mikel Arteta and co weren’t turned off by this and began attempting to lure him to the Emirates Stadium this winter.

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Arsenal have been attempting to agree a pre-summer deal for Zubimendi since the last transfer window, according to various reports, and there are now even suggestions that Berta wants to partner the 26-year-old with Newcastle United star Bruno Guimaraes in a complete revamp of Arteta’s midfield (Eduardo Burgos).

Fabrizio Romano previously stated that Arsenal are planning to trigger Zubimendi’s £51 million release clause this summer, but they still need to convince the player. Arteta is thought to have a key role in swaying the midfielder, while The Athletic have reported that Arsenal hope to have this deal fully agreed before the next window.

However, since these plethora of reports heavily linking Zubimendi with an Arsenal switch, it appears talks haven’t yet advanced enough to seal his signature ahead of the 2025/2026 season.

With Jorginho and Thomas Partey out of contract this summer, Arteta will soon need a world-class replacement for either one of the duo, but it appears that man might not be Zubimendi after all.

Arsenal talks for Martin Zubimendi stall as Berta eyes Morten Hjulmand

According to CaughtOffside, Arsenal have hit a roadblock in talks to sign Zubimendi, with the Gunners actually unprepared to fork out his release clause after all. Therefore, it is now a possibility that Berta will move on to alternative targets for the engine room, and one of them could be Sporting CP midfielder Morten Hjulmand.

The Denmark international’s contract actually includes a more expensive release clause, set at £67 million, but it is thought that Berta could seal his signature for much less – a fee of around £34 million.

Hjulmand has been a mainstay for Sporting in the Primeira Liga this term, scoring two goals and assisting two others in 20 league starts, while averaging an impressive 91.1 per cent passing accuracy and ranking as one of their best-performing players by average match rating per 90 (WhoScored).

The 25-year-old currently captains Sporting and played a key role for Ruben Amorim last season, helping the Portuguese heavyweights win their 20th Primeira Liga title, so he could be a very astute option.

Ruben Amorim disclosed his stance on Bruno Fernandes' future at Old Trafford as he revealed Manchester United's transfer plans.

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Amorim opened up on Fernandes' futureRevealed Man Utd's transfer plan Man Utd in Malaysia for post-season tourFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱Getty Images SportWHAT HAPPENED?

After United's defeat in the Europa League final against Tottenham Hotspur, Fernandes addressed the swirling rumours about his future. The midfielder acknowledged that the club could sell him to raise funds in the summer. The Portugal international has attracted strong interest from Saudi Pro League giants Al-Hilal, who have reportedly set a transfer deadline.

AdvertisementWHAT RUBEN AMORIM SAID

Amid speculation over Fernandes' future at Old Trafford, manager Amorim addressed the issue as he told reporters: "He’s really important for us and really important for what we want to build with this team."

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The 40-year-old also opened up on the club's transfer plans this summer amid financial concerns after losing out on a European slot next season. Amorim said: "Without Champions League, we don’t need a big squad, we can control the squad in a better way, then we have a plan that is to bring some new players, of course… (The squad) is not going to change so much because we have FFP rules. We are not allowed to do much this summer."

Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR MANCHESTER UNITED?

The Red Devils are currently in Malaysia for a post-season tour of Asia where they are scheduled to play two friendly matches against ASEAN All-Stars XI on Wednesday and the Hong Kong national team on Friday.

Returns of Stokes, Boult dominate build-up as World Cup finalists get their ODI heads back on

Andrew Miller07-Sep-20232:46

Miller: Hard to argue with Stokes above Brook

Big picture: Lord’s finalists reunited
Change of week, change of format, change of headspace, same opponents … sort of.Forget the exploratory joustings that played out in a deeply peculiar T20I series, one in which England were a class apart until they were not, and in which New Zealand went from distracted cannon-fodder to destructive bomb-squaddies in the space of 48 hours. This time, things will be deadly serious from the get-go. Got it?Though not, let’s be clear, quite as serious as they’ll be getting in Ahmedabad in little under a month’s time, at the 2023 World Cup curtain-raiser. And certainly not a patch on the timeless drama that brought down the house at Lord’s four years ago, on the last occasion that these two teams crossed swords in the 50-over arena.Instead, we’re braced for … well, who rightly knows, if truth be told. After four years in mothballs, the ODI format is moving centre stage once again, braced for a comeback of Sinatra-esque proportions if the full hype of a World Cup in India is anything to go by. And yet, the journey that these two teams have taken in the interim rather epitomises the neglect that 50-over cricket has endured since that game of games. Can England and New Zealand reach an ODI cruising altitude from a standing start over the course of four games in eight days? That’s what we’re all itching to find out.For England, the most notable talking point is, inevitably, the return of Ben Stokes after his short-lived ODI retirement. And yet, he’s barely more of a stranger to the format than a host of his fellow World Cup heroes. Joe Root, for instance, last batted in a 50-over match on July 22 last year, three days after Stokes had said his farewells at Chester-le-Street, and has featured in just 15 such matches in four years.Jonny Bairstow is also coming back from a 14-month hiatus, albeit much of that relates to his horrific broken leg. But even Jos Buttler, the captain, has played in barely half of England’s contests since the World Cup final (23 out of 39), while Brydon Carse, the reserve seamer, has played more times than their designated spearhead Mark Wood (9 to 8).Joe Root is one of several England players returning to ODI action•PA Photos/Getty ImagesThe ECB’s dereliction of the format post-2019 has been uncompromising – not least with the birth of the Hundred relegating domestic 50-over cricket to a feeder competition. And yet, the lack of ODI game-time is far from a uniquely English issue.Between their twin World Cup final appearances in 2015 and 2019, New Zealand racked up a healthy 76 matches (and 43 wins); that number has plummeted to 36 (and 21) in the four years since. And aside from the near-permanent fixture, the captain Tom Latham (35 caps), no player has featured in more than 70% of those – least of all the most in-demand man in their ranks, Trent Boult, the last of whose ten caps came almost exactly a year ago in Cairns.What does any of this actually prove in this day and age, however? New Zealand’s slow start to the T20I series could in part be attributed to their crazy, atomised build-up, with half the squad flying in from a low-key series in the UAE and the rest floating along via stints of varying lengths in the Hundred. But, equally, their flying finish showed how quickly professional outfits can find sufficient cohesion amid the madcap treadmill lifestyle.Besides, as England’s Test team have spent the past year and a bit proving with their Bazball revolution, who the hell cares about preparation these days anyway? Stokes, Root, Bairstow, Moeen Ali, Wood and Chris Woakes are among the senior players to have peaced out on Brendon McCullum’s good vibes in recent months – be it sacking off warm-up matches for an extra round of golf, or breaking the pre-Test tension with a six-hitting competition on the practice strip.And yet, none of that carefree attitude could ever have been allowed to take root had it not been trialled and approved in the course of the white-ball renaissance that preceded it. And so for England in particular, this series is about coming full circle – about forgetting all circumstance and just doubling down on the instinctual cricket that turned them into world-beaters in the first place.As for New Zealand, they are the team from whom England took those initial cues back in 2015, and for all the over-riding sense that their own golden generation is now deep into transition, there’s still a sufficient well of experience within that dressing-room for them to go deep once again.And that depth of knowhow, incidentally, includes the as-yet unready Kane Williamson, who is inching his way back from long-term knee injury but is clearly a World Cup shoo-in given half a bill of health. His progress on the sidelines will be a subplot of the coming days, and a reminder too that so much about this World Cup build-up is about being all right on the night.Tom Latham speaks to the media ahead of the first ODI•Getty ImagesForm guide
England LWWWL
New Zealand WLLLLIn the spotlight: Ben Stokes and Trent Boult
“Lol” was Ben Stokes’ succinct response on Twitter / X when news of his England ODI recall was confirmed by the ECB – an echo of Moeen’s famous response to Stokes’ own “Ashes?” WhatsApp message, asking if he would consider a Test comeback as Jack Leach’s replacement. It is unclear whether Jos Buttler phrased his petitions quite so succinctly, but the logic in both cases was unimpeachable. When there’s a job to be done, this particular England set-up values experience and camaraderie over almost all other traits. And when it comes to 50-over cricket, nobody does it better than Stokes. Will it matter that he officially retired from the format 14 months ago? Almost certainly not. He made way last July because he felt he could not give “100% to the shirt”, and wanted someone else to make an unarguable case in his absence. And yet, England have played just 11 ODIs in that time, nine of them overseas, at least six of which were grossly overshadowed by the T20 zeitgeist – England’s World Cup-winning hangover in Australia last November, and the competing attractions of the franchise circuit in Bangladesh the following March. As a consequence, Stokes has missed nothing of note. Assuming his body holds up, his mind – as we know from proven experience across all formats – will be keenly attuned to his task.He was hardly the first in-demand cricketer to go freelance, but Trent Boult’s decision to turn down a New Zealand central contract last year was a notable moment nonetheless. At the age of 34, he remains one of the pre-eminent left-arm seamers in the world, but this will be his first international outing in any format since the T20 World Cup in Australia last November. Since then, the selectors have been resolute in their desire to give chances to those who are willing to commit to the national side – leading to the slightly absurd scenario earlier this year, when a Test match against England took place in his home town of Mount Maunganui, with Boult kicking his heels a few miles down the road. But with the big show approaching, there’s no thought of protocol holding sway any longer. His record across 99 career ODIs is outstanding, 187 wickets at 23.97, but in reaching the final in each of his two previous World Cup campaigns, Boult has racked up 39 wickets in 19 matches at 21.79. And in his infrequent 50-over appearances in the past four years, that average plummets to 16.21. He remains an essential weapon and a key reason to believe another deep World Cup run is within the team’s grasp.Team news: England bring out the big guns
England’s ODI ambitions feel as though they’ve been frozen in time since July 14, 2019, and so their first-choice XI has a fittingly retro feel, with up to nine World Cup medallists set to take the field together for this opening fixture. That number should include five of the 2019 top six, with only the retired Eoin Morgan guaranteed to make way … for Liam Livingstone in the first instance, although as we all know, Harry Brook is making a phenomenal case for his inclusion (although he has yet to link up with the squad after being added at the last minute). Perhaps the most crucial micro-reunion is due to come at the top of the order where Jason Roy and Bairstow will, niggles permitting, once again be charged with setting the tone in the trailblazing manner that set England apart in the previous World Cup cycle.Roy, perhaps surprisingly, has been England’s ODI mainstay since that epic final at Lord’s, featuring in 32 of their 39 subsequent fixtures, but his form has at times fallen through the floor. Dawid Malan, potentially absent on paternity leave at some stage this week, and feeling the Brook pinch like few others, is itching to make his case as the reserve opener – and given Bairstow felt a shoulder twinge in the final T20I, that chance could yet come sooner rather than later. On the bowling front, Sam Curran is the only guaranteed starter from the post-2019 generation, although Mark Wood may be rested in the short to medium term, meaning Gus Atkinson – in that provisional World Cup squad but yet to be tested across 50 overs – might be in line to begin his fast-tracking as England’s new 90mph option. Moeen might conceivably give way to an extra seamer, given Cardiff’s unfriendly dimensions for offspin.England: (possible) 1 Jason Roy, 2 Jonny Bairstow / Dawid Malan, 3 Joe Root, 4 Ben Stokes, 5 Jos Buttler (capt & wk), 6 Liam Livingstone, 7 Moeen Ali / Brydon Carse, 8 Sam Curran, 9 Chris Woakes, 10 Mark Wood / Gus Atkinson, 11 Adil RashidTrent Boult is back in the New Zealand set-up for first time this year•Getty ImagesAfter a T20 partnership that extended from Southern Brave’s Hundred campaign into the T20I series, Devon Conway and Finn Allen have been separated for the 50-over format, with Allen’s place in the World Cup squad seemingly out of the picture too. Instead Conway will front up alongside Will Young, who has averaged an imposing 49.33 with a strike-rate in excess of 90 in his 15 ODIs since 2019. Williamson is still recovering from a cruciate ligament tear in April, and may not be fit to play in any of the four games. Daryl Mitchell and Glenn Phillips will provide the power in the middle order. On the bowling front, it’s a familiar cast of proven performers, with Boult’s return the stand-out selection. “It’s along the same lines as Stokes [for England],” Latham said. “Having someone of world-class calibre come back into your side is always confidence-boosting.”New Zealand: 1 Will Young, 2 Devon Conway, 3 Daryl Mitchell, 4 Glenn Phillips, 5 Tom Latham (capt & wk), 6 Henry Nicholls, 7 Mitchell Santner, 8 Matt Henry, 9 Tim Southee, 10 Lockie Ferguson, 11 Trent BoultPitch and conditions
Cardiff, with its short straight boundaries and deep pockets square of the wicket, offers the usual challenges for bowlers, with back-of-a-length bombs and wide lines for the spinners likely to be the order of the day. The pitch itself is pretty close to the centre of the square and has a bit of live grass on it. The surfaces served up much higher scores in the Blast than in previous years, although those used for the Hundred proved to be fairly turgid. The weather is set to be sweltering.Stats and trivia
Cardiff has hosted 29 ODIs in total, and 15 involving England – most recently in July 2021, when Stokes’ Covid-affected scratch side pulled off a remarkable nine-wicket win over Pakistan. Overall, England have won nine and lost three of their completed matches at Sophia Gardens. Their most recent loss was in the Champions Trophy semi-final, also against Pakistan in 2017. New Zealand have had a mixed time of it at the venue, winning four and losing three of their seven games, all of them in ICC events. Their most recent visit was for a ten-wicket hammering of Sri Lanka at the 2019 World Cup. Stokes’ ODI record seemed to be a done deal until last month. Now, he’s back, and needs 76 more runs to reach 3000 in the format, to go along with his 74 wickets at 42.39. Boult is set to play his 100th ODI, and his first in almost exactly 12 months.Quotes
“That’s the reality of being in a very strong team. We are a very strong team, and we know that. Competition for places is the best possible thing for us… I’m sure that a lot of the final decisions will, potentially, be made around some of the form that the lads show in this series.”
Ben Stokes acknowledges that England’s “provisional” World Cup 15 is far from finalised“There are a lot of passionate All Blacks supporters in our dressing room so I’m sure that, if the time works, we’ll have it on the TVs at some point.”
Tom Latham, New Zealand’s captain, expects the other World Cup in France to be a focal point for his team

McCullum told Crawley to “chase moments” before the start of the series and he duly delivered

Matt Roller01-Aug-2023Brendon McCullum believes that Zak Crawley’s success against Australia validated England’s approach to Test cricket since he took over as head coach, saying of his Ashes record this summer: “People don’t do that, you know?”Crawley is one of three players – along with Joe Root and Ben Stokes – to have featured in every one of England’s 18 Tests since McCullum’s appointment, and has consistently been backed publicly despite averaging 23 last summer, with a single half-century.McCullum told Crawley to “chase moments” before the start of the series and he duly delivered, thumping the first ball of the series for four through the covers off Pat Cummins on his way to an agenda-setting 61 off 73 at Edgbaston.After 48 and 3 at Lord’s, he made 44 and 33 in a low-scorer at Headingley, then thrashed 189 off 182 balls in Manchester as England dominated a rain-ruined fourth Test. He finished with 22 and 73 at The Oval, helping to set up England’s 49-run win and securing his status as their leading run-scorer for the series.Related

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Australia leave UK with the mace and the urn, but no gold star

Ben Stokes: 'Hope we've inspired a new generation of Test fans'

“Coming into the series, he was under quite a lot of pressure,” McCullum said. “The great thing was he was able to block that out as much as possible… you hope that’s down to the environment the skipper’s trying to create, and the sincere messaging.”480 runs at a strike rate of 90 [88.72], against the best bowling attack in the world, against the Dukes ball, in an Ashes series: people don’t do that, you know? As the skipper said: you look at what people’s upsides are, what their best days are, what they’re capable of achieving rather than focusing on things that might not be there. He’s a case in point.”I think we’ve seen someone really grow and mature and really develop over the last six weeks or so. I’m sure he’ll be proud of the series he’s had and won’t get carried away, because that’s the type of personality he is. It’s great – not just for Zak, but also for other guys around the side and around county cricket. They know that when they get the opportunity, they’ll get support.”For the first time in a decade, there are no doubts about the identity of England’s best opening pair, with Ben Duckett averaging 35.66 for the series and 53.21 since he was recalled to the Test set-up for the tour to Pakistan last year.”Their contrasting skills – which we’ve talked a lot about leading into the series – is pretty evident and it helps one another,” McCullum said. “Ben Duckett’s turned into a really serious player at the top of the order for us. Away from home as well, his game in sub-continent conditions you’d expect to really flourish, too.”McCullum said that squaring the series from two-nil down – while doubling down on their attacking style with the bat – proved the point that the approach he and Stokes have implemented gets the most out of England’s players. “We have a certain style we try to exhibit every time we play,” he said.”I think for us, that is our best chance of winning. The skipper and I firmly believe that, and some of the performances we’ve seen… are testament to that. Look, you’re always trying to win, right? You just don’t want to be bogged down in key moments by the result.”What we are trying to do is allow ourselves to get in a space in our own minds where it allows your talent to come out. If you’re weighed down by fear of failure or by external noise, all you’re doing is suffocating that talent. It’s as simple as that. For us, entertainment is a big part of it and how we play is a big part of it. But for sure, we want to win.”From one win in 17 when Stokes and McCullum took over, England have won 13 of their 18 Tests under new leadership. “You look back to when the skipper took over and to come in as well,” McCullum reflected, “would we be able to take on a great Australian team – and they are a great Australian team – and go toe-to-toe with them?”I think the answer is yes – and that’s a tremendous confidence-booster for the group, but also testament to the investment to all the guys who have really gone quids-in with their belief in this side and the direction the skipper wants it to head. When you go two-nil down in a series and you’ve played some really good cricket, you know there’s going to be some challenges.”To come back from that and square the series two-two, both teams will be disappointed they don’t end up walking away with the scoreline, albeit Australia walk away with the urn. We stayed true to that under the fiercest of pressure.”

This season continues to be just one disappointment after another for Arsenal.

While there was an element of hope at the start of the weekend that Mikel Arteta’s side could claw back some more ground in the Premier League title race, their defeat to West Ham United and Liverpool’s win over Manchester City has all but extinguished it.

The Gunners’ biggest problem this season has been their lacklustre attacking threat, which has been made all the more problematic by a slew of injuries to key players since Christmas.

Worse yet, a striker sold for very little by Arteta and Co in the summer is in red-hot form and has even won comparisons to another goalscorer worth an astounding £172m.

Arsenal's 2024 sales

From an incomings perspective, it would be fair to say that the summer transfer window was nothing short of a disaster for Arsenal, especially in light of this season’s non-stop injury problems.

However, Arteta and former Sporting Director Edu Gaspar did oversee a number of quite significant outgoings, including a couple of academy graduates, like Emile Smith Rowe and Eddie Nketiah.

The former moved to Fulham for a fee that could reach £34m, and while he’s undoubtedly someone the club could do with today thanks to his seven goal involvements this season, his sale represented good value considering he played just 196 minutes of first-team football in the 22/23 campaign and 475 minutes last season.

Likewise, while Nketiah would be able to step into the space vacated by the injured Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus at the moment, the fact the club were able to get £30m for a player who scored just six goals and provided three assists in 37 games last season is really quite impressive.

However, while the Gunners secured decent fees for both academy players last summer, the same cannot be said for another tremendously exciting youngster now outscoring everyone in the team this season and has been compared to arguably the best striker on the planet.

The ex-Arsenal youngster worth a king's ransom today

As things stand, Arsenal’s top scorer this season is Havertz, who has found the back of the net 15 times and behind him in second is Bukayo Saka with just nine, so the fact that both are being outscored by a former youth player sold for peanuts last summer is far from ideal.

Mika Biereth joined the Gunners from Fulham’s academy in July 2021, and over the next three years, he would go on several loan moves to RKC Waalwijk, Motherwell and finally, Sturm Graz for the latter half of last season, where he scored nine goals and provided four assists in 22 appearances, totalling just 1624 minutes.

That means he averaged a goal involvement every 1.69 games, or every 101.84 minutes in Austria, which was enough to convince the club to make an offer of around £4m plus a small sell-on clause, which the North Londoners accepted.

For the first half of this season, the Danish marksman was on fire, scoring 14 goals and providing five assists in just 25 games, which was enough to convince AS Monaco to splash around £10.8m plus another £1.75m in add-ons for him in January.

Despite being a top-five league, and therefore a massive step up, the “terrific” 22-year-old, as dubbed by former Motherwell manager Stuart Kettlewell, has remained as prolific in the principality and has already racked up a tally of seven goals and two assists in just nine appearances, seven of which have been starts.

That means the former Gooner has scored 21 goals and provided seven assists in 34 appearances, totalling 2580 minutes, this season, which comes to an average of a goal involvement every 1.21 games, or every 92.14 minutes.

Unsurprisingly, such an incredible rate of return has seen the young forward win comparisons to some of the best strikers in the world, including Manchester City’s Erling Haaland.

The comparison primarily stems from FBref, which compares players in similar positions in Europe’s top five leagues, the Champions League and Europa League then creates a list of the ten most comparable players for each one, and in this instance, has concluded that the Norwegian is the second most similar centre-forward to the Dane.

The best way to see where this comparison has come from is to look at the underlying metrics in which the pair rank closely, including, but not limited to, non-penalty expected goals, penalty kicks, progressive carries, passing accuracy, goals per shot and more, all per 90.

Non-Penalty Expected Goals

0.73

0.68

Penalty Kicks

0.05

0.04

Progressive Carries

0.57

0.69

Passing Accuracy

66.7%

64.8%

Goals per Shot

0.32

0.20

On top of the prestige that comes with being compared to such an incredible number nine, such similarities are also incredibly encouraging for the Monaco ace’s future valuation, as according to Football Transfers, the City star is worth up to €207m, which is about £172m, and considering his form and statistical similarities, who’s to say Biereth won’t be worth something similar in the future.

Ultimately, hindsight is a wonderful thing, but given his sensational form and their struggles in attack, we can’t help thinking that Arsenal made a mistake in selling the 22-year-old goal machine, especially if he could one day be worth a king’s ransom.

Better than Odegaard: Arsenal must regret selling £27m "difference maker"

Martin Odegaard has not been at the races in Arsenal colours this season.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Feb 24, 2025

Former Manchester United and Juventus star Paul Pogba and his wife Zulay have launched their own jewellery collection.

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Pogba trying to get back into footballLaunches new jewellery collection with wife'Unbreakable' to be unveiled at Cannes Film FestivalFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

The Pogbas have come together with Elke Berr, the founder and designer of the Swiss high jewelry and bespoke jewelry house bearing her name, to unveil 'Unbreakable'. The collection is said to feature a masculine-unisex line and a feminine line, reflecting the couple's 'unbreakable' bond.

AdvertisementWHAT POGBA SAID

The Frenchman said: "UNBREAKABLE is more than a word. It’s a truth. For both of us. We held on, we resisted, and today, we turn that into beauty."

A joint statement from the Pogbas and Berr reads: “What we want is to capture hearts and imaginations. This collection will transcend the boundaries of sport and fashion, becoming a symbol of empowerment and inspiration. And in the hearts of those who wear these pieces, its spirit will endure — a constant reminder of the power within each of us to defy the odds and write our own stories."

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Pogba has been without a club since November after Juventus terminated his contract by mutual consent, with the 32-year-old now trying to reignite his career that was nearly ruined by a four-year doping ban – that was reduced on appeal. The France international has been linked with moves across the planet and while he waits for his next club, he appears to be getting into the world of jewellery.

GettyWHAT NEXT?

While the footballing world waits for what is next for Pogba, the 'Unbreakable' collection will be unveiled in a private preview event during the Cannes Film Festival at Villa Forbes on May 21.

Premier League icon Alan Shearer has warned Viktor Gyokeres against joining Manchester United in the summer.

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Gyokeres has been a top target for Man UtdAmorim wants his pupil at Old TraffordShearer has warned him against joiningFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Gyokeres has become one of the most talked-about names ahead of the upcoming summer transfer window, following a phenomenal campaign in Lisbon. The Swedish striker has taken Portuguese football by storm since his switch from Coventry City, notching an extraordinary 95 goals in just 100 appearances for Sporting CP.

AdvertisementAFPTHE BIGGER PICTURE

With widespread reports linking Gyokeres with a Premier League move under his former manager, Ruben Amorim, speculation is mounting that the striker could be on the verge of a blockbuster move. However, one of English football’s most respected voices is urging him to tread carefully.

WHAT SHEARER SAID

Premier League legend Shearer has voiced concerns over a potential transfer to United for Gyokeres, warning that the club’s current state of instability could be a serious red flag for any incoming player. Speaking to Shearer said: "They have to win the Europa League and I know that Ruben Amorim will have one or two contacts for the transfer market this summer. He coached Gyokeres, who will be chased in the summer by several clubs. It would be a brave move for him, or any other player, to go to Old Trafford if they're not in the Champions League."

Shearer stressed that United, in their present condition, fall well short of the standard expected of title challengers.

"They're a million miles off challenging for the Premier League, so that isn't going to happen next season. That's why it's so important – they're a very different proposition if they do get into the Champions League, because that will be able to attract players," he added.

"As a fan, you would worry about next season if they're not in the Champions League. It's just been a mess from top to bottom. This cup competition has turned into something huge for Man Utd, because they have to win it, as do Spurs. One of the two teams will be incredibly embarrassed by their season and God knows what will happen to the team that doesn't win. You can imagine the criticism that's going to come their way."

DID YOU KNOW?

Shearer didn’t stop at player advice as he also tore into the broader mismanagement that has plagued the Red Devils in recent years.

"It's a really tough job and everything has been a mess," he said. "The communication, sackings of managers beforehand and ticket prices as well. Results in the Premier League have also been embarrassing. You can't say enough about the importance of this final for both Tottenham Hotspur and Man United."

There was no place for Jaker Ali who was in the squad for the Ireland series in March

Mohammad Isam18-Jun-2023Bangladesh have brought back Afif Hossain and Ebadot Hossain into their T20I squad for the two-match series against Afghanistan. There was no place for wicketkeeper-batter Jaker Ali who was in the squad for the Ireland series in March.Afif, who was also named in the ODI squad for the series against Afghanistan, last played T20Is against England in March. In 62 T20Is, he has scored 1020 runs at a strike rate of 120.28.Related

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Ebadot, meanwhile, wasn’t in the T20I side against England or Ireland, and he last played in the T20 World Cup in November last year. Having made his debut in the format during the Asia Cup in 2022, he has seven wickets in four T20Is. He took 4-47 in the one-off Test against Afghanistan earlier this week.Bangladesh’s next scheduled T20Is are against New Zealand in December this year following this series. The T20Is against Afghanistan will be played in Sylhet on July 14 and 16 following the three ODIs. The only other time Bangladesh played T20Is at home in July was against South Africa in 2015.Bangladesh T20I squad: Shakib Al Hasan (capt), Litton Das, Rony Talukdar, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Towhid Hridoy, Shamim Hossain, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Nasum Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Hasan Mahmud, Taskin Ahmed, Ebadot Hossain, Shoriful Islam, Rishad Hossain, Afif Hossain

Australia played Scott Boland ahead of him at Edgbaston, but there’s a chance he could feature at Lord’s

Andrew McGlashan26-Jun-2023It’s a sign that a tour is running smoothly when there are very few unknowns about selection for the next match. As with last week, the only question for Australia to answer is around the final make-up of their pace attack with Mitchell Starc waiting in the wings should a change be made at Lord’s.The likeliest route would appear to be that Starc replaces Scott Boland whose treatment by England at Edgbaston was termed a “surprise” by coach Andrew McDonald. However, two days out from the second Test the pitch was reasonably green and, should it remain that way, such a surface could keep Boland in the frame. There is promise of more pace and bounce at Lord’s than what was seen in Birmingham, which wouldn’t disappoint either side.The other scenario that may play out is based on whether the selectors are confident in playing Josh Hazlewood in back-to-back Tests early into his latest comeback. His workload was reasonably light at Edgbaston where he sent down 25 overs and there has been a good gap (of eight days) between matches.Related

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Will Australia bring in Starc for Boland at Lord's?

There is a reasonable chance that Starc could know his fate by the end of Monday, but either way, it is not a new situation for him when it comes to Ashes tours of England having played just once in 2019.”I’m used to it now coming to England. It’s a squad mentality, much the same as last time,” Starc said. “Been around long enough, been dropped enough. Probably dropped the most in this squad. Not something new to me, won’t be the last time, either. It’s never fun, everyone wants to play.”Starc was part of the Australia side for the World Test Championship final against India earlier this month before missing the cut at Edgbaston, although McDonald acknowledged that with hindsight he could have had a role to play on what was a docile surface.Starc claimed four wickets in the WTC final, including a brute of a lifter to have Virat Kohli caught at slip, but later conceded he had not been able at his best.”I came into that game feeling pretty good, but then my rhythm wasn’t quite there,” Starc said. “It’s been a good couple of weeks of work to get back into that rhythm. We were all better for the run after that Test final at The Oval and I certainly feel less clunky than I did throughout the game.”Hopefully, that results in some good stuff if and when I play. It’s all in good order, it’s just about getting some time in the middle when the time comes.”A look at the green Lord’s pitch a couple of days before the Test•Getty ImagesStarc’s Test experience at Lord’s amounts to one game in 2015, when he claimed two wickets in a big Australia win, but he was outstanding at the ground during the 2019 World Cup where he bagged nine scalps in two matches against England and New Zealand.Unlike some visiting bowlers, he has not found the slope that runs across the playing area to be a problem. “It’s probably more visual than anything, I didn’t find it too much of an adjustment because it’s got a slope,” he said.One other element that could come into play, should Starc make the cut for Lord’s, is whether he will take the new ball. In the second innings of the WTC final he was used behind Boland and Pat Cummins. It was only the 13th time in his career that he had not been among the first pair, the previous of which came in his lone appearance in the 2019 Ashes at Old Trafford.”There’s been a few discussions from a few of the guys playing county cricket and the way the Dukes ball is reacting this season, potentially the fact that you get eight to 15 overs into an innings and the ball actually starts to swing then, not when it’s brand new,” Starc said. “There was very little swing at Edgbaston for anyone because of the dryness of the wicket.”