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Rajasthan Royals, meanwhile, reversed their scoring trend of 2018 by taking off after the Powerplay, whereas Rashid Khan got his bunny again

Nagraj Gollapudi and Srinath Sripath29-Mar-20194:41

I’ve grown in confidence but far from being over-confident – Vijay Shankar

From best to worst – Bhuvneshwar’s fall at deathBhuvneshwar Kumar is counted among the best death bowlers in limited-overs cricket. Is that fact in danger of fast turning into a myth?This IPL, Bhuvneshwar has been the most expensive bowler in the final four overs: 17-20. He has leaked 72 runs in two matches at an economy rate of 18, including 13 boundaries. Three of the five most expensive overs of the tournament have been bowled by him.ESPNcricinfo LtdThe contrast between his numbers with the new ball and death is vast: in Powerplays, batsmen have found it hard to dominate Bhuvneshwar: 20 runs in four overs, conceding just three fours.On Friday, Bhuvneshwar had just given 10 runs in his two-over spell in the Powerplay. With Rashid Khan bowled out, Bhuvneshwar was their key bowler at the death. However, Sanju Samson took advantage of the slow speeds, the faltering in execution of the yorkers, to punch inside-out strokes and pick 24 runs in the 18th over. Then Ben Stokes, who struggled to get going early on, found his range in the final over. Bhuvneshwar’s death overs read 2-0-45-0.Since the 2018 IPL, Bhuvneshwar has given away 210 runs from 103 balls at the death, making him the third-most expensive bowler in the tournament. Compare that with an economy rate of 8.95 in the previous two seasons, and you can get a sense of Bhuvneshwar’s steep fall.Sunrisers max out Powerplay again to set up chaseESPNcricinfo LtdDot balls. Gold dust for bowlers. Gold for batsmen if they can keep the dot-ball count minimal. So far this IPL, Sunrisers have played out the least number of dots in the first 10 overs. It was little surprise then that they are the only team to string together consecutive century opening partnerships.On Friday, in the first half of their innings, barring the fourth over from Jofra Archer which went for three runs, David Warner and Jonny Bairstow hit at least one boundary in every over, backing it up with a single or two, to disrupt Rajasthan Royals’ plans. ESPNcricinfo’s Forecaster had Sunrisers’ win probability up at 74%, only going down to 58% at the fall of Bairstow’s wicket.In their opening match against Kolkata Knight Riders, the Warner- Bairstow combine had compiled 92 runs at the halfway stage. There were 20 dots, 23 singles and 12 boundaries. Against Royals on Friday, they were even better: 115 runs, playing out just 14 dots, 21 singles, and racking up 18 boundaries.In the face of a steep target, Warner exploded against every bowler, as Sunrisers blasted 69 runs in the Powerplay, the highest for the season. They also happen to be the only team to not have lost a wicket in the first six overs. Their run rate of 10.25 in the Powerplay against Royals is vastly higher than the rest of the pack, who have all hovered around the 8.5 mark.Royals reverse 2018 trend, switch on after PowerplayESPNcricinfo LtdRajasthan Royals’ first four overs got them just 22 runs, with the loss of Jos Buttler early on to Rashid Khan. That became 45 by the end of the Powerplay, usually the point when their slowdown began last season. Ajinkya Rahane would struggle to get going with the field spread out, and the rest of their middle order would get choked as a result.Those holes were plugged to a large extent by promoting Buttler to the top of the order, a pivotal point in their season’s turnaround. Buttler made half of Royals’ runs since then, and his five fifties were two more than the rest of their batsmen put together. On Friday night, all that changed. Buttler went cheaply, and it was Rahane who stepped on the gas after six overs. He smashed 50 off 29 after the Powerplay, a strike rate of 172 that was his third-best in IPL history in that period.When Rahane perished going for quick runs, Sanju Samson took it to a whole new level against the lacklustre Bhuvneshwar Kumar, carting him for 24 runs in the 18th over, before Ben Stokes found his range in the final over to raze 21 more against the same bowler.A total of 198, 63 of which came in the final four overs. The complete antithesis of Royals 2018.Rashid Khan comes in early, strikes gold
ESPNcricinfo LtdDuring the warm-up before the match, Rashid Khan was spinning the football on his index finger as if it was a needle. Commentator Harsha Bhogle went to check if the finger and the football were glued together. Sunrisers Hyderabad’s most valuable player is used to doing unthinkable things.A short while later, Rashid walked in to bowl the fourth over of the match. It is rare to see him bowl so early in the Powerplay. In fact, only once in IPL history has Rashid bowled before the fourth over of an innings. Before Friday, he had five Powerplay wickets from 96 balls at an economy rate of 6.90.However, the one main reason Rashid came on early was to eliminate the threat of Jos Buttler. Rashid had dismissed the England batsman thrice before in T20s, twice in IPL, while giving away just four runs off eight balls. Add to that the fact that Buttler has faced a fair bit of Sunrisers’ other bowlers, without ever being dismissed against any of them.Buttler was not surprised seeing Rashid though. The first ball was a googly which he read well. The next one, Buttler moved outside the line, attempting a slog sweep, and was bowled around his legs. The ball had pitched on middle and leg, and it held its line to break the stumps. Two balls was what Rashid took to eliminate the most dangerous opposition batsman. Job done, Kane Williamson didn’t bowl Rashid any further in the Powerplay, saving him for tougher overs ahead.

With the Europa League final looming, there no doubt remains a number of selection calls to make for manager Ruben Amorim, with there likely to be few nailed-on starters in Bilbao, not least considering the club’s continued woes domestically.

One position that, unfortunately, almost picks itself is the centre-forward berth, with the Portuguese coach forced to select the struggling Rasmus Hojlund by default, considering the lack of alternatives.

Indeed, the Red Devils suffered the blow of losing Joshua Zirkzee for what looks to be the remainder of the campaign, with the Dutchman notably netting against Real Sociedad and Lyon in successive away trips.

Equally, the decision not to include 17-year-old starlet, Chido Obi, in the Europa League squad has now potentially backfired, thus leaving Hojlund as the only senior striker available in the competition.

With Chelsea – and then Aston Villa – to come in the Premier League, however, it would be worth Amorim experimenting with a different approach, with the 40-year-old potentially overlooking a potential solution in the academy ranks.

How Man Utd can replace Hojlund

With a trip to Stamford Bridge in store on Friday – just five days prior to next Wednesday’s crucial clash with Tottenham Hotspur – it may be a wise choice to take Hojlund out of the firing line, not least with the Dane against drawing a blank against West Ham United at the weekend.

Touches

31

Pass accuracy

9/15 (60%

Shots on target

2

Shots off target

4

Key passes

0

Successful dribbles

0/2

Big chances created

0

Big chances missed

2

Possession lost

13

Ground duels won

1/6

Aerial duels won

3/8

That alteration could potentially see young Obi thrown into the mix, albeit with the teenager still far from the finished article, having also failed to find the back of the net himself in seven first-team appearances this season.

Something of “a goal machine” at academy level, according to analyst Ben Mattinson, the former Arsenal ace has found the step up to life in the senior ranks far more difficult, with journalist Samuel Luckhurst noting that he looked like an ‘an underdeveloped 17-year-old boy among men’, following his first start in the 4-3 defeat to Brentford.

Even Amorim subsequently admitted that Obi had been “naive” with regard to the use of his body against the Bees, with that outing seeing him register just nine passes, while winning just two of his nine attempted duels.

As his absence from the Europa League roster explains, Obi is perhaps not yet truly ready to be leading the line for the first team, having arguably been thrown in too soon due to Hojlund’s woes.

Further options could lie in the form of Kobbie Mainoo in a false nine role, with Bruno Fernandes or Amad also potential solutions in that berth, yet Amorim may wish to consider looking elsewhere in the academy ranks for an in-house alternative.

Man Utd could be brewing Amorim's next Gyokeres

Amorim must be tearing his hair out at the lack of a consistent striker in Manchester. Back in Lisbon, meanwhile, Viktor Gyokeres continues to go from strength to strength for Sporting CP, having racked up 95 goals in just 100 games for the club to date.

66 of those strikes came in just 68 games under Amorim’s watch, following the Swede’s arrival from Coventry City in the summer of 2023, with it no surprise that there has been talk of a reunion at Old Trafford ahead of next term.

That said, the new United boss may already have a prolific, exciting attacking talent of his own who he can mould into his next Gyokeres, with 18-year-old, Victor Musa, currently shining in the youth set-up.

In The Pipeline

Football FanCast’s In the Pipeline series aims to uncover the very best youth players in world football.

A towering centre-forward – in a similar mould to the 6 foot 2 Gyokeres – Musa has been a revelation this season at U18 level, having previously been hampered by injury last term.

Indeed, the promising marksman has scored 16 times in just 19 games at U18 Premier League level in 2024/25, with that return including a brutal six-goal haul in the 13-1 win over rivals Leeds United last month.

That outing showcased the full array of his striking potential, with Musa leading the line in superb fashion, having regularly cut in off the right flank with devastating effect, while also possessing a poacher’s instinct in the penalty box.

A player who can also operate on the flanks if required – much like Gyokeres has done in his career previously – the versatile talent is now even at the centre of a tussle between Spain and England regarding his international allegiance, having thus far featured for both nations at youth level.

There had been reports that he is even being deemed to be United’s own version of Barcelona superstar, Lamine Yamal, a further nod to just how highly-rated the left-footer is right now.

With Hojlund needing a rest and Obi still looking too raw, Musa could be worthy of his own chance to impress against the Blues, be it off the bench or with a surprise start in west London.

Amorim, either through the transfer market or with an in-house option, needs to find his next Gyokeres-esque attacking figurehead. Why not give Musa the chance to showcase why he could be a homegrown alternative to the Swedish monster?

A worse signing than Ugarte: Amorim must axe "horrendous" Man Utd flop

Man Utd are in need of reinforcements all across the park this summer

1 ByRobbie Walls May 12, 2025

أشارت تقارير إعلامية اليوم الأربعاء، أن مدرب نادي بنفيكا السابق، برونو لاج، قد اقترب خلال الساعات الأخيرة من تدريب أحد الأندية العربية بالفعل.

لاج يعتبر غير مرتبط بأي ناد في الوقت الحالي، وذلك منذ رحيله عن تدريب بنفيكا خلال شهر سبتمبر الماضي، وذلك في ظل سوء نتائج الفريق.

ويعتبر الأهلي هو أبرز الفرق التي ارتبطت بالتعاقد مع لاج، حيث دخل النادي المصري في مفاوضات جادة مع محيط المدرب البرتغالي للتعاقد معه.

لكن يبدو أن مفاوضات الأهلي مع لاج قد وصلت إلى طريق مسدود، بعد حدوث خلاف على مدة العقد والراتب والشرط الجزائي.

أقرأ أيضًا.. رسميًا | الخطيب يتراجع ويُعلن استمراره في رئاسة الأهلي قبل الانتخابات

وأشارت صحيفة “أبولا”، إلى أن نادي السد قد دخل في محادثات مكثفة للتعاقد مع لاج خلال الفترة الأخيرة، حيث تم التواصل بين الطرفين بدايًة من أمس الثلاثاء.

وأضافت أن لاج بخلاف السد قد تلقى عرضين من قبل الأهلي وآخر من روسيا، لكن كلا العرضين لم يرضيا طلبات المدرب البرتغالي.

السد يعاني من سوء نتائج ولم يحقق أي انتصار خلال شهر سبتمبر الماضي، بينما أوضحت الصحيفة، أن الفريق القطري يفكر بشكل جدي في إقالة المدرب فيليكس سانشيز وتعيين بديل له.

ويحتل السد المركز السابع في ترتيب الدوري القطري، مما دفع الفريق للتفاوض مع لاج ومحاولة التعاقد معه.

Ben Duckett had set things off with a 59-ball 71 as West Indies rue missed chances

Valkerie Baynes18-Jul-2024Ollie Pope’s century combined with fifties from Ben Duckett and Ben Stokes led England to a strong position on the opening day of the second Test as West Indies were left to regret squandered opportunities at Trent Bridge.Pope built on a blistering start by Duckett, who peppered the boundary on his way to 71 off just 59 balls. The duo shared a 105-run stand for the second wicket after Zak Crawley fell to the third ball of the match, lined up by Alzarri Joseph with a back-of-a-length delivery which drew a chunky edge and flew to Alick Athanaze at third slip.Pope went on to reach 121 off 167 balls, his sixth Test century and second this year after his 196 against India in January. Stokes made 69 before he sent Kavem Hodge’s 14th ball straight to deep midwicket with England 342 for 6. Left-arm spinner Hodge had entered the attack in the 68th over and ended up with 2 for 44 off 10 overs with a hand in two more dismissals, catching both Pope and Gus Atkinson in the slips.Stokes, Jamie Smith and Atkinson fell for 28 runs in the space of 7.2 overs but by the close, the hosts were all out for 416, soft dismissals taking some of the shine off their innings.West Indies skipper Kraigg Brathwaite said upon winning the toss and sending England in on a welcoming batting surface under clear skies that he wanted more discipline from his bowlers following a heavy innings defeat in the first Test at Lord’s. At times, they put England’s batters under pressure but West Indies gave away too many chances with the ball and in the field.Pope rode his luck after being dropped on 46 in the final over before lunch when he struck a Jayden Seales delivery hard towards wide gully where Athanaze failed to hold on. The tourists gave him another life on 54 when he slashed Shamar Joseph to second slip, Jason Holder the culprit this time.West Indies’ day was marred by a succession of missed chances in the field•Getty Images

Harry Brook punished some wayward line and length from Alzarri Joseph with three consecutive fours before being dropped on 24 at gully.Brook had arrived at 142 for 3 when Joe Root fell shortly after lunch to a fluffed pull which flew straight to mid-on. Seales’ heart was in his mouth as Alzarri Joseph juggled the ball twice before grabbing it for good.Brook moved to 30 with an effortless six over deep point off Alzarri Joseph and up to then, he and Pope had added 10 further fours within the first hour of the afternoon session.But Brook fell attempting to paddle Kevin Sinclair – a late inclusion after Gudakesh Motie woke up feeling unwell – and succeeded only in sending a toe-end high towards midwicket, where Kirk McKenzie swallowed the catch.Pope brought up his century with four off Seales over square leg then, adding to West Indies woes, Shamar Joseph hobbled off the field midway through his 12th over – the last before tea – clutching a cramping left leg. The tourists could take some comfort from Pope’s dismissal, however, driving at Alzarri Joseph and the ball ballooning to Hodge.Smith had put on 61 runs with Stokes, smashing Hodge for six beyond deep midwicket in the process before thumping another down the ground, but Hodge responded next ball when Smith attempted a similar shot and picked out Holder in the deep, continuing the trend of soft dismissals for England.After surviving a missed stumping, Mark Wood was dropped by Mikyle Louis diving forwards at point off Sinclair, continuing that other unwanted theme for West Indies.The visitors took the second new ball after 86 overs and Jayden Seales and Alzarri Joseph used it to prise out the last two wickets, Chris Woakes for 37 and Shoaib Bashir for 5.Despite the imminent arrival of his first child, Duckett had been supremely focused in the middle. He found the boundary four times in a row off Seales in the second over, two glorious extra cover drives bookending a cut in front of point and a clip through midwicket. He helped himself to two more in Seales’ next over and another, off Alzarri Joseph, brought up England’s fifty in just 26 balls, the fastest for any team in Tests.Holder conceded just one run when he was brought on in the sixth over but was soon dispatched over extra cover by Duckett, who brought up his fifty off just 32 balls guiding Holder for four through deep third.It was Sinclair and Shamar Joseph who found some control for West Indies after the first drinks break, but Duckett threatened to break free when he lunged forward to sweep a full delivery from Sinclair for four to bring up England’s hundred and punished a wide one from Shamar Joseph through the covers. Shamar Joseph finally broke through when he drew an outside edge from Duckett and Holder held on at second slip.

Glamorgan 370 for 3 (Northeast 186*, Carlson 77, Root 67) vs MiddlesexIn a dank start to the year, few would be able to state with any confidence that they’ve yet heard their first cuckoo of spring. But cock an ear to the shires on this cold grey day in April, and you’d hear loud and clear the mocking laugh of the Kookaburra – an invasive species in these parts, and one that’s been flown in direct from the Antipodes to disrupt the habitat of county cricket’s native seamers.By the close, Glamorgan’s own man from the south east, Sam Northeast, was laughing longest and loudest. Ashford in Kent is not quite so far flung as the Eucalypt forests of Queensland, but for Middlesex’s toiling bowlers, Northeast might as well have been Ricky Ponting at the Gabba in 2002-03, for all the effortless dominance he exerted after being handed first use of a characteristically flat Lord’s deck.For it was a case of four washouts and one wipeout on the opening day of the 2024 County Championship. The legendary status of the Lord’s drainage meant that London’s morning downpours were never likely to cause the issues encountered at Derby or Old Trafford, but when Toby Roland-Jones won the toss for Middlesex and chose to bowl first, he could not have envisaged a first-day scoreline of 370 for 3 grinning back at him, or that his incorrectly calling counterpart would be sitting pretty on 186 not out from 266 balls.Perhaps, like Nasser Hussain in that fateful Brisbane Test 20 years ago, TRJ’s was an instinctively defensive decision, borne of his team’s memories – almost exactly a year ago to the day – of being reduced to 4 for 4 by Essex’s Jamie Porter and Sam Cook. More likely, though, it was an unthinking assumption that the ball, any ball, would do enough talking to fast-track Middlesex’s bid for an instant return to the top flight.Not so fast. Although the impact was more apparent at Lord’s than elsewhere, if you squinted through the clouds that enveloped this first day of county action, a common theme emerged, with many of the contests reflecting precisely the type of clear-skied Ashes scoreline that this ball-switching experiment has been designed to do away with – a smattering of breakthroughs within the first 15 or so overs, including Ethan Bamber’s snicking-off of Zain-ul-Hassan for this year’s maiden Championship wicket, then scant reward and a lot of hard yakka thereafter.Billy Root notched a fifty after moving up to open the batting•PA Photos/Getty Images

Both Billy Root and Kiran Carlson might have had designs on centuries of their own when each fell to a glaring misjudgement – with Root’s waft across the line to a decent deck-hitting delivery from Henry Brookes giving Middlesex’s new signing his first and only scalp in 12 energetic but under-threatening overs.Northeast did had a moment of luck on 11, when Max Holden spilled him at backward point off Bamber, but he could hardly have made it count with more aplomb. With a short boundary down the hill to the Mound Stand, he peppered his drives as the shine went off the ball and the Kookaburra’s more slender seam resolutely refused to grip.Notwithstanding a schoolboy hundred for Harrow versus Eton in 2007 (when Gary Ballance, no less, had been a team-mate), in three previous Championship matches at Lord’s, dating back to his first-ball duck for Kent as a 21-year-old in 2011, Northeast had mustered a total of 50 runs at 10.00. Now, en route to what he later described as a “bucket-list” century, he rushed past that total from just 51 balls in a joyous spring offensive. At the other end, Root was scarcely any more sluggish in getting to his fifty from 63 balls, in a second-wicket stand of 129.And, in a direct rebuttal of one of the most pervasive pre-season narratives, by mid-afternoon, the home attack was being carried by the unlikely spin twins of Josh De Caires and Leus du Plooy, a man who might already be feeling a touch of buyer’s remorse after his high-profile move from Derbyshire. Du Plooy even found some purchase in his six exploratory overs, including a snorter that bit past the outside edge to clip the back pad, but it wasn’t enough to dislodge a free-flowing Glamorgan captain.By the time he’d flicked the under-used Ryan Higgins off his toes for the 26th and final four, Northeast had romped along to 179 from 241 balls, and with almost an hour of the day still remaining, he seemed odds-on to rack up a remarkable first-day double-hundred.Instead, with the second Kookaburra offering perhaps just a fraction more assistance than the first, he took his foot off the throttle as the close approached – as is the wont of a man who, two seasons ago, racked up the Championship’s most recent quadruple-century. At the rate this innings has progressed, and with the new ball already primed for its mid-life crisis at the age of 16 overs, there’ll be plenty more where those have already come from.”I plan to be very greedy on day two,” Northeast said at the close. “It’s been a fantastic day and I’m not sure we could have dreamt of it this morning. I want to lead from the front, so it is a nice way to start that, but I’d like to be walking away from here with a victory, that’s the most important thing.”It’s been a good toss to lose at the minute. I would have had a bowl as well, but that’s the way things go. We’ll see what it’s like when our bowlers get on it. We were expecting the wicket to do a little bit more, maybe that is the Kookaburra ball. We may have to get a bit imaginative with how we go about things.”Brookes added: “The Kookaburra is different. You don’t get as much movement and the ball doesn’t stay as hard for as long, but it’s here to stay for a few games this year so we have to work hard with it, see what movement we can get and do things a little bit differently.”

Somerset are set to pick Shoaib Bashir for their second match of the County Championship season after he was left out in the opening round last week. The club announced the signing of Migael Pretorius, the South African seamer, on Tuesday but have hinted that they will include Bashir when they face Surrey on Friday.”He would have been handy today,” Lewis Gregory, Somerset’s captain, said of Bashir after the final day of their rain-affected draw against Kent. “We made a decision to go with an extra seamer… I’m not sure it would have made a huge amount of difference but yeah, he definitely would have been nice to have.”With Jack Leach unlikely to play this month following knee surgery, Bashir looks set for a recall at The Oval. “We’ll look to see what the wicket is [like],” Gregory said. “He’s obviously a highly skilful bowler and if we’re playing more of a full game – which, with the weather, it looks pretty good – I imagine we’ll see him in the side.”Related

• Denly, Bell-Drummond tons shut door on Somerset

• Lancashire hope CA show 'common sense' on Lyon decision

• Bashir vows to stay humble after breakthrough winter

• 'One hell of a way to start' – Lyon praises England's spinners

• McCullum calls for county chances for Bashir, Hartley

Brendon McCullum, England’s Test coach, said it would be “slightly mad” if Bashir and his international team-mate Tom Hartley were not given first-team opportunities by their counties this season after their success in India earlier this year, and Somerset have said they are open to exploring a loan move for Bashir once Leach is available for selection again.Somerset were also without Craig Overton at Canterbury, who Gregory said is “not too far away” from full fitness after back surgery in November, but hope to have their new overseas signing Pretorius available for Friday’s fixture at The Oval. He has signed for at least six Championship games, replacing the injured Will Sutherland.”In his time with Durham last season, Migael proved that he can perform and take wickets in English conditions,” Andy Hurry, Somerset’s director of cricket, said. “He is a quality player and very driven, so he will certainly add value and depth to our attack. There is a lot of cricket ahead of us, so it’s vital that we maximise the options that we have available to us.”Somerset are one of several counties waiting for teams to name their T20 World Cup squads before recruiting overseas players for the Vitality Blast. “We’re going to be patient and focus on Championship cricket,” Jason Kerr, their coach, said late last month, “and then in the next few weeks we can try to identify what our needs are and add some quality.”

da casino： 2025 is set to be a year of mass overhaul in terms of Manchester City’s squad.

da stake casino： Numerous sky blue stalwarts are set to be moved on, while the Citizens have already spent big in the January transfer window to recruit younger players, with this forecast to be just the start.

So, with arguably the club’s greatest-ever player amongst those heading out the exit door, could Man City’s “best academy player” be poised to make an impact at first team level?

Kevin De Bruyne's Manchester City farewell

Following Tuesday night’s 2-1 victory over Aston Villa, Kevin De Bruyne now has just two matches left at the Etihad, hoping to depart by hoisting silverware aloft, ahead of Sunday’s FA Cup semi-final against Nottingham Forest at Wembley.

The Belgian revealed last week that his departure was the club’s decision, stating that he was “a bit surprised” not to be offered a new contract, refusing to rule out the possibility of staying in Europe, perhaps even joining a rival Premier League club.

Jamie Jackson of the Guardian describes De Bruyne as Man City’s greatest-ever and most-decorated player, so he will certainly be a difficult man to replace, but do the Sky Blues have a youngster or two ready to fill his rather large void?

The Manchester City youngster who could replace De Bruyne

In recent weeks, James McAtee has seen his role increase in importance, starting Man City’s last two home games, scoring his first-ever Premier League goal for the club during the comeback 5-2 victory over Crystal Palace.

However, back in January, it was reported that the 22-year-old was unhappy with his lack of first team opportunities, pushing for a move to Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen, who were very interested, but this move was blocked by Pep Guardiola.

Once again, James Ducker of the Telegraph is reporting that Nottingham Forest are now targeting a move for McAtee who, despite those recent starts, could be forced to move in search of more regular first-team action.

So, could it be a different Manchester City youngster who gets properly integrated into the first team picture?

Given that he’s only 17 years old and yet to make his senior debut, Divine Mukasa may not be a name you’re familiar with just yet, but you surely will be soon, and these statistics emphasise exactly why.

Divine Mukasa Man City youth career statistics

Team

Appearances

Minutes

Goals

Assist

Man City U18s

45

3,479

19

26

Man City U19s

9

495

Zero

4

Man City U21s

4

77

Zero

1

All statistics courtesy of Transfermarkt

As the table outlines, Mukasa has been starring at under-18 level this season, with only Nicholas Oyekunle (Southampton), Lucá Williams-Barnett (Tottenham) and teammate Reigan Heskey having scored more goals in the U18 Premier League this season.

This has led to journalist Nassali Sandrah labelling Mukasa “the best academy player in Europe”, while Jacek Kulig of Football Talent Scout is impressed by his ‘passing, vision, ball control, creativity, dribbling and first touch’, all useful attributes!

So, while Mukasa may not be ready just yet to become a regular fixture in the Manchester City first team, he certainly appears to be a star in the making.

Related Even better than Costa: Pep has already sold "world-class" Man City GK

As Manchester City’s interest in Diogo Costa continues, did Pep Guardiola sell an even better goalkeeper?

Posts ByBen Gray Apr 23, 2025

da dobrowin： Last week, ahead of the Manchester derby, Kevin De Bruyne announced he will be leaving Manchester City at the end of the season, upon the expiration of his contract.

da pinnacle： Pep Guardiola declared this a “sad day” for everyone connected to the club, hailing the Belgian as “one of the greatest” players to ever grace the Premier League with his presence.

Considering De Bruyne scored 106 goals and registered 176 assists in 414 appearances for the Citizens, so far, winning 16 trophies, it’s easy to understand why.

This news, of course, immediately sparked plenty of transfer rumours, speculating who the Sky Blues may target to fill this gigantic void, but do Man City already boast a “future superstar” capable of becoming the next De Bruyne? Could they save themselves millions this summer?

Manchester City's interest in Wirtz and Gibbs-White

As reported by David Ornstein of the Athletic, Manchester City have both Florian Wirtz and Morgan Gibbs-White ‘among the options [they] will consider to replace’ the outgoing Kevin De Bruyne.

Adrian Kajumba and Lyall Thomas of Sky Sports outline how incoming sporting director Hugo Viana is driving much of the Citizens’ recruitment strategy, stating that he is ‘monitoring many players’.

TalkSPORT host Max Scott believes Gibbs-White has been “one of the best players in the Premier League” this season, with the Englishman having scored five goals and accumulated nine assists for Nottingham Forest.

Meantime, Ruairidh Barlow of Football España labels Wirtz a ‘generational talent’, citing Stephan von Nocks’ report in Kicker that claims the 21-year-old is likely to leave Bayer Leverkusen at the end of this season.

Of course, both are unquestionably high-quality talents, but do Man City already boast a bigger future star on their books?

Man City teenager could be the perfect De Bruyne replacement

Manchester City signed Claudio Echeverri from River Plate for a reported fee of £12.5m back in January 2024, before the teenager spent the remainder of the calendar year back on loan with la Banda.

His arrival in Manchester was then delayed further, as he was allowed to compete at the South American U20 Championship in Venezuela, a key figure in the Argentina team that finished second at the tournament, scoring six goals in nine matches.

Analyst Ben Mattinson labels Echeverri a “future superstar”, while journalist Guillem Balague believes he will be among the “next sensations” of Argentine football.

Meantime, writing in the Guardian’s Next Generation of 2023 series, Juan Carlos Pasman praises his ‘excellent close control and dribbling skills’ as well as his ‘exceptional first touch’ and ‘first-rate’ passing ability, labeling him a ‘classic number ten’.

As noted by Pro Future Stars, Echeverri ranks as the third-best ‘infiltrating midfielder’ aged 21 or under, as per CIES powered by Wyscout, so let’s assess his career statistics so far.

Claudio Echeverri career statistics

Team

Appearances

Goals

Assists

River Plate

48

4

8

Argentina U20s

12

6

3

Argentina Olympics

4

1

0

All statistics courtesy of Transfermarkt

The table outlines both that Echeverri has end-product, especially showing this for Argentina’s U20s, but that he is also very inexperienced, having played a little over 2,500 minutes at senior level for River Plate.

Thus, he is still yet to feature in a matchday squad for Manchester City, hoping that Guardiola will hand him his debut before the end of the season, or perhaps during this summer’s Club World Cup.

So, while it is probably a big ask to expect Echeverri to replace De Bruyne straight away, he is certainly showing the potential to do so one day. As such, the Citizens could potentially save themselves from forking our for the likes of Wirtz and Gibbs-White this summer.

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MatériaMais Notícias

da aviator aposta： Muricy Ramalho, ídolo e atual coordenador de futebol do São Paulo, confirmou a vinda de Caio Paulista e destacou que as características do jogador interessam Rogério Ceni, principalmente na lateral-esquerda.

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da dobrowin： O ex-treinador do Tricolor paulista deu a declaração em entrevista à ‘Rádio Bandeirantes’. O LANCE! já havia confirmado a vinda do jogador, que atualmente está no Fluminense, no começo desta semana. Os clubes encaminharam a negociação e o atleta chegará como um empréstimo até o final da temporada.

Quem foi o craque da Copinha 2023? LANCE! escuta especialistas

Veja tabela do Campeonato Paulista e simule os próximos jogos

Caio Paulista já atuou tanto como um lateral-esquerdo quanto como um atacante. Muricy Ramalho confirmou que o primeiro pensamento é que o jogador comece no São Paulo como um lateral, para repor a saída de Reinaldo e ser uma opção a mais no setor, que atualmente só conta com Welington.

De acordo com o coordenador de futebol, é um atleta forte fisicamente, agressivo e que Rogério Ceni aprovou em todos os âmbitos.

-Primeiro pensamento é como lateral. Ano passado fez um grande campeonato na lateral. Jogador agressivo, que o Rogério gosta. Muito forte fisicamente, apoia muito. Precisamos dessa posição. Claro que pode atuar em outras posições. Quando o Rogério precisar no lado do campo, faz isso também. É fisicamente muito forte. O Rogério gosta desse jogador. Nós praticamente temos só um lateral, o Wellington. Atacante nós já temos. É uma contratação dentro do perfil que estamos procurando – destacou Muricy.

Veja as movimentações do São Paulo no mercado da bola

O LANCE! também havia adiantado que, embora o Tricolor esteja focando na vinda de um lateral-esquerdo, o jogador chega ao Morumbi para exercer as duas funções possíveis.Quando Welington cansar ou for desfalque, joga na lateral. Quando for Wellington Rato e David, será ponta.

Revelado pelo Avaí, Caio Paulista está no time de Laranjeiras desde 2020, com 126 partidas disputadas, nove gols marcados e seis assistências pelo Tricolor carioca. O jogador tem contrato com o Fluminense até o fim de 2026. No comando de Fernando Diniz, atuou boa parte do tempo como um lateral-esquerdo.

The Championship has seen some iconic forwards down the years and some players who instantly remind you of the second tier. From Teemu Pukki to Sylvan Ebanks-Blake, there have been plenty of natural goalscorers over the last 20 seasons, with many going on to win the Golden Boot.

But who have been the previous winners of the end-of-season award? Here is a list of every Championship Golden Boot winner since 2004/05, with a detailed look at the last 10 recipients of the prize.

Season

Player

Club(s)

Goals

2004/05

Nathan Ellington

Wigan Athletic

24

2005/06

Marlon King

Watford

22

2006/07

Jamie Cureton

Colchester United

23

2007/08

Sylvan Ebanks-Blake

Wolves

23

2008/09

Sylvan Ebanks-Blake

Wolves

25

2009/10

Peter Whittingham

Cardiff City

20

2010/11

Danny Graham

Watford

24

2011/12

Rickie Lambert

Southampton

27

2012/13

Glenn Murray

Crystal Palace

30

2013/14

Ross McCormack

Leeds United

28

2014/15

Daryl Murphy

Ipswich Town

27

2015/16

Andre Gray

Brentford/Burnley

25

2016/17

Chris Wood

Leeds United

27

2017/18

Matej Vydra

Derby County

21

2018/19

Teemu Pukki

Norwich City

29

2019/20

Aleksandar Mitrovic

Fulham

26

2020/21

Ivan Toney

Brentford

31

2021/22

Aleksandar Mitrovic

Fulham

43

2022/23

Chuba Akpom

Middlesbrough

28

2023/24

Sammie Szmodics

Blackburn Rovers

27

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1 ByCharlie Smith Feb 14, 2025 10 Daryl Murphy (Ipswich Town) 2014/15 (27 goals)

During the 2014/15 season, Bournemouth and Watford secured automatic promotion, scoring more than 90 goals en route to the Premier League.

However, the top scorer that season was Daryl Murphy of Ipswich Town, who scored six more than Troy Deeney and Blackburn’s Jordan Rhodes. The Tractor Boys finished in the play-off places but lost out to rivals Norwich City.

9 Andre Gray (Brentford, Burnley) 2015/16 (25 goals)

In his prime, Andre Gray had electric pace and was clinical in front of goal, and scored two of his 25 goals in 2015/16 for Brentford.

He left the Bees for Burnley towards the end of the transfer window for a club-record fee and instantly repaid the faith shown in him by those at Turf Moor.

The Clarets won the title and finished on 93 points, with Gray scoring 25 times in total, four more than Abel Hernandez and Ross McCormack.

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ByRoss Kilvington Feb 3, 2025 8 Chris Wood (Leeds United) 2016/17 (27 goals)

New Zealand international Chris Wood found a home at Leeds United and starred during the 2016/17 campaign, but the Whites finished just outside the play-off places.

He scored 27 of Leeds’ 61 goals under Garry Monk that season, four more than Dwight Gayle of Newcastle and Glenn Murray of Brighton, with those two sides winning automatic promotion.

7 Matej Vydra (Derby County) 2017/18 (21 goals)

Matej Vydra scored the lowest number of goals to pick up the Golden Boot award over the last 10 years, with 21 goals in 40 Championship appearances for Derby County in 2017/18.

The Czech forward mainly played as a second striker under Gary Rowett, with the Rams losing out in the play-offs to Fulham.

6 Teemu Pukki (Norwich City) 2018/19 (29 goals)

Daniel Farke built one of the best Championship teams ever seen in 2018/19, with Teemu Pukki firing Norwich City to the Premier League.

The Finnish forward was clinical in front of goal and scored 29 goals in the 2018/19 season. Pukki also netted 10 times for his country in 2019 in a real purple patch of his career.

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ByCharlie Smith May 23, 2024 5 Aleksandar Mitrovic (Fulham) 2019/20 (26 goals)

In truth, Aleksandar Mitrovic was always going to be too good for the Championship, and after netting 11 times in the Premier League the year before, it wasn’t a surprise that he was the Golden Boot winner in 2019/20.

Fulham didn’t win automatic promotion, but they did go straight back up via the play-offs, with Mitrovic setting up Joe Bryan in the Wembley final against Brentford.

4 Ivan Toney (Brentford) 2020/21 (31 goals)

It is rare to see a player break the 30-goal mark in the Championship, but that is what Ivan Toney managed to do for Brentford in 2020/21.

The Bees, under Thomas Frank, won promotion via the play-offs, and Toney’s 31 goals and 10 assists ensured a third-place finish. Toney wasn’t done there, though, and found the back of the net against Bournemouth in the play-off semi-final and against Swansea City at Wembley.

3 Aleksandar Mitrovic (Fulham) 2021/22 (43 goals)

A record-breaking campaign in 2021/22 saw Mitrovic make the list once again, with the Serbian netting an incredible 43 times in 44 appearances, while also registering seven assists that year.

The powerful striker netted two hat-tricks and nine braces as Fulham won the title, scoring 106 goals in the process. Mitrovic finished a whopping 14 goals clear of Dominic Solanke at Bournemouth.

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ByCharlie Smith May 17, 2025 2 Chuba Akpom (Middlesbrough) 2022/23 (28 goals)

Middlesbrough were the second-highest scorers in the Championship in 2022/23 but failed to go up, with top goalscorer Chuba Akpom leaving the Riverside for Ajax.

Akpom scored seven more than Viktor Gyokeres of Coventry City and won the Player of the Year award as well as the Golden Boot, in what has proven to be the prime of his career.

1 Sammie Szmodics (Blackburn Rovers) 2023/24 (27 goals)

An attacking midfielder who played for a Blackburn Rovers side battling relegation in 2023/24, Sammie Szmodics somehow managed to score 27 goals for Rovers.

Without him, those at Ewood Park would have surely been relegated to League One. Szmodics sealed Blackburn’s survival with a brace at champions Leicester City on the final day, seeing his second-tier tally hit 27. He left months later for Ipswich Town.

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