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Burnley are reportedly on the brink of completing a deal for England veteran Kyle Walker, who is undergoing medical examinations ahead of sealing a switch from Manchester City. The 35-year-old right-back is expected to join the Premier League newcomers on a permanent basis with a two-year contract on the table.

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Walker set for a fresh challenge in the PLBurnley ready to snap up the right-backDefender eyes 2026 World Cup berthFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

The proposed transfer will reunite Walker with Burnley head coach Scott Parker, with whom he shared a dressing room at Tottenham Hotspur during the early 2010s. The deal is reportedly structured to reward City with up to £5 million ($6.8m) in add-ons and bonuses, depending on performance milestones and appearances, as reported by

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Walker’s contract at City was set to run out in 2026, but with no plans for an extension, both parties have opted to part ways amicably. His loan spell to AC Milan failed to reignite his form and the Italian side subsequently chose not to activate the buy clause to keep him permanently at San Siro.

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Since arriving from Tottenham in 2017, Walker has featured in 319 matches for City, firmly establishing himself as a dependable performer in one of Europe’s most competitive squads. As one of the club’s highest earners and a longstanding presence in the dressing room, the club could reportedly trim their wage expenditure by an estimated £10m ($13.5m) with Walker's departure. During his time at the Etihad Stadium, Walker collected 17 trophies, including six Premier League titles and the prestigious Champions League title in 2022-23.

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For Walker, this move represents a chance to embrace a fresh challenge while continuing to compete at an elite level. He remains an integral part of the national team setup as current England manager Thomas Tuchel has consistently selected him. An upsurge in form at Turf Moor could ensure he gets his ticket to the 2026 World Cup, which will be held across the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Real Madrid have scheduled a direct meeting with Rodrygo next week. The final decision on his future will rest with the player, per a new report.

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Madrid and Rodrygo to have a meeting next weekClub open to Brazilian's departure amid interest from big clubsRodrygo's preference revealedFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Rodrygo's future at Real Madrid could be resolved as early as next week, with Fabrizio Romano reporting that the club has decided to schedule a direct meeting with the player. He adds that Madrid will not prevent the forward from leaving the club, but will allow him to make the final decision ahead of the 2025-26 season.

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While Madrid are open to Rodrygo's departure, Brazilian outlet states that the 24-year-old remains fully focused on earning the trust of new manager Xabi Alonso. After starting the first game of the Club World Cup, which was also Alonso's managerial debut, Rodrygo was left on the bench for the rest of the competition, being brought on as a substitute in just two other games.

He remained an unused substitute in the semi-final defeat against PSG on Wednesday, with Los Blancos trailing by three goals at the break. That cast more doubt on the Brazilian's future. "The fact that he didn't play again is a game-by-game decision," Alonso told reporters when asked why he didn't use Rodrygo off the bench. "The way things were going, we needed another player. There haven't been any decisions about the future throughout this entire championship; we haven't rotated much. We'll start in a different context."

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further add that Rodrygo will only consider a departure if Madrid make the decision to move him on. With a contract until 2028, Rodrygo remains fully determined on performing at the highest level for Los Blancos with an eye on the World Cup next year. However, if he were to leave the club, a move outside Europe is unlikely. Arsenal have been touted to be the frontrunners to sign the winger, while Chelsea and PSG also continue to keep tabs on the player's situation in the Spanish capital.

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Everything rests on the meeting between the player and the club next week. Based on the first six weeks of Alonso's tenure, it appears the head coach doesn't count a lot on the former Santos prodigy. However, things could still change between now and the start of next season.

Left-arm quick looks forward to returning to the IPL, “swinging the new ball, reversing the old, and trying to smack those wickets”

Nagraj Gollapudi19-Dec-2023Mitchell Starc was “jittery” on Tuesday evening as he followed the IPL 2024 auction at his home in Sydney. It had already been a busy day for Starc: he had mowed the lawn, walked the dogs, done his shopping rounds and made himself dinner.Starc waited anxiously for his name to come up for bidding in the fourth set comprising capped fast bowlers. His Australia captain and friend Pat Cummins had already gone to Sunrisers Hyderabad for INR 20.5 crore (US$2.569 mn approx.), surpassing the record set by England allrounder Sam Curran at the 2023 auction to become the IPL’s most expensive player ever.Related

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That distinction, several pundits and franchises heads had believed in the lead-up to the auction, would belong to Starc. Nearly two-and-a-half hours into the auction in Dubai, player Number 28’s name came up for bidding: Starc.Starc and everyone else following the auction wouldn’t believe what was about to transpire. Mumbai Indians owner Akash Ambani and his counterpart at Delhi Capitals, Kiran Gandhe, started the bidding. At the INR 9.4 crore mark, Gandhe pulled out. Enter Kolkata Knight Riders at the INR 9.8 crore mark. The Knight Riders had been favorites to bid for Starc on the eve of the auction. After all, they had signed him for INR 9.4 crore at the 2018 auction, but Starc had to pull out due to injury.After Mumbai, too, dropped out, Gujarat Titans locked into a bidding contest with Knight Riders. Several tense minutes followed as both franchises raised their bidding towards Cummins’ price tag. The auction room let out a sigh of excitement when Starc surpassed Cummins. Finally, after nearly 17 minutes of bidding, Knight Riders had Starc at INR 24.75 crore. The most expensive player tag had moved from Cummins to Starc in less than two hours.Starc was as gobsmacked as his wife Alyssa Healy, who was relaying updates from Mumbai where she is part of the Australia women’s tour of India, which starts with a one-off Test this week. In a chat with , Starc said he had been “intrigued” about how he would fare, and wasn’t prepared to end up making history.”I’m not sure any words would do it justice, really,” Starc said with a chuckle, asked to recount his reaction to Knight Riders’ winning bid. “Alyssa was over there with the Australian team at the minute, so her coverage was slightly ahead of mine here in Australia. So she sort of saw the numbers before I did, so I was getting the updates through her. But, yeah, a fair bit of shock, and certainly excitement with how it was all unfolding. But nothing that I could’ve ever imagined. Thoroughly thrilled to be joining KKR.”Starc has played only two seasons of the IPL – in 2014 and 2015, at Royal Challengers Bangalore, who had picked him up at INR 5 crore. He then decided to manage his workload for a few years before deciding to enter the auction ahead of the 2018 season. Even then the Knight Riders had bet big money on Starc who they believe has all the skills to be a serial match-winner. These included his ability to bowl in the 140-150 kph range while generating conventional and reverse swing, flooring batters and breaking stumps with toe-crushing yorkers, mix things up with a wicked slower ball, all this with the added threat of his left-arm angle, as well as provide depth to their batting with his lower-order hitting.Unfortunately, Starc hurt his tibia, ruling him out of the 2018 season. But six seasons later, Starc is happy to play in Knight Riders’ colours. “Firstly, it’s exciting to be back involved,” he said. “Secondly, it’s more of a bit of a shock and a surprise, I guess.”The Knight Riders had come to the auction with a remaining purse of 32.7 crore with the most slots to fill of any team – 12 including four overseas players. As soon as the auction began, they got to work by raising their paddle for West Indies allrounder Rovman Powell, who ended up going to Rajasthan Royals. The Knight Riders would eventually walk out with 10 new signings.0:34

Healy: IPL record buy a justification for Starc’s choices

Incredibly, the nine others apart from Starc were all signed at their base price. As Knight Riders CEO Venky Mysore said after acquiring Starc, you can “slice” the purse in different ways.But how do you make sense of a team spending INR 24.75 crore, or 75.69 % of the purse they started the auction with, on a single player? Starc was laughing himself. “They are amazing numbers, aren’t they?” He understands the pressure and expectatins that will come with the price tag as soon as the season begins. But he has qualities not many possess: vast experience, and the experience of winning World Cups in high-pressure situations. “I’m 33 now, so I’ve had to deal with a few ups and downs and pressures of certain games,” he said. “I would like to think that I can keep that in check, but that always comes with the territory when some of those numbers get added to the anticipation of an upcoming season as well.”It’s been a long time since I played in IPL in 2014 and ’15 and have obviously played a fair bit of cricket since then. A lot of it for Australia in different formats. There’s been a lot of white-ball cricket there [in India] across a few World Cup campaigns, and so that experience is there and a little bit of leadership if you like, in terms of the experience side of things in white-ball cricket that hopefully I can bring to bring to KKR as well and play my part there. And being able to bowl at different stages I think is something that’s held firm throughout.”While he sat out of the IPL, Starc never felt uneasy. His had chalked out his priorities, and had been focused on performing for Australia. He played a key role in a historic 2023, in which Australia won the World Test Championship final, retained the Ashes, and then overcame a dominant India in the final of the World Cup in front of a 90,000-plus crowd in Ahmedabad.Starc now believes he is ready for the IPL .”I’ve probably prioritised international cricket firstly for a long time whilst having a bit of a taste of IPL and Big Bash in Australia.” he said. “I’ve always held firm that I’ve wanted to play my best cricket for Australia and make myself available for Australia where I can. At the same time, the temptation to go back to IPL and how exciting it is to be involved in such a great tournament, big names, big players, big stages – it’s too hard to pass up. There’s a place to play all of it. it’s just being mindful and putting the work ethic in to be able to do all of it.”The Eden Gardens also holds good memories for Starc. On November 16, he took a three-for and then batted resolutely with Cummins in a tense chase of 213 against South Africa in the World Cup semi-finals. “I’m very much looking forward to playing as the home team and experiencing that home crowd [at Eden Gardens],” he said. “Some new colors to pull on and a new challenge to look forward to.”What can the passionate Knight Riders fan expect then from Starc? “Hopefully, more of the success that I’ve had over some time – swinging the new ball, reversing the old, and trying to smack those wickets.”As for the present, Starc is looking forward to meeting Cummins ahead of training on Wednesday as they get ready to join the rest of the Australia squad in Melbourne for the Boxing Day Test against Pakistan. “It could be an interesting conversation between the bowling group tomorrow and the gym,” he said, with a laugh.While he and Healy will spend the rest of 2023 indulging in a “Christmas of cricket” in different continents, Starc is happy to share the joy he and Cummins have experienced today with rest of the Australia squad. “The team chat has been going nuts,” he said. “The are all saying it’s our shout, so we’ll just go about our business and get ready for the next Test match. But a few of our Australian team-mates might be waiting for us to treat them.”

The India opener made his highest Test score – 179 not out – on a day where no other batter got past 40

Andrew Miller02-Feb-20241:38

Manjrekar: England are very much in the game

You can only judge a pitch after both sides have Bazballed on it, or so the saying might now go, after England’s preposterous exploits in Hyderabad. On Yashasvi Jaiswal’s watch, India appeared in the mood to make amends for their first-Test failings, thanks to a scintillating century that has met this new agenda for his team with poise and attitude aplenty.However, in claiming six wickets on a tough day in the field, England refused to buckle when previous visiting teams might have been braced for a batting landslide, and with Shoaib Bashir settling into his first day of Test cricket with two wickets and a calm command of his attributes, they are no worse off at the close of this first day than they had been at the same juncture of the opening Test. And both sides know full well how that one turned out.Either way, Jaiswal’s sublime 179 not out from 257 balls was the day’s outstanding hand – both the innings that he had promised amid the fluency of his first-innings 80 from 74 in Hyderabad, and the one that India desperately needed to regain their footing in this series. From his very first stroke, an unfettered slap for four off Joe Root’s first ball, via the towering six over long-on with which he brought up his second Test century and his first on home soil, Jaiswal was a class apart – the one Indian batter who found the fearlessness required to pre-empt the sort of challenge that England are sure to offer when their own turn comes to bat.By the final minutes of the day he was struggling with cramp, but Jaiswal still marched past his previous best of 171, made on debut in the Caribbean last year. His new career-best was secured with the fifth six off his innings off the legspin of Rehan Ahmed – another sweet connection down the ground that maintained a control percentage in excess of 90%, and ensured that he’ll resume with ambitions of significantly more on day two.Related

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The rest of India’s batting, however, was more of a mixed bag, and as a consequence, England’s rejigged attack was able to take comfort in the struggle on what has so far been a belter of a wicket. With six men dismissed between the scores of 14 and 34, including KS Bharat in the closing moments of the day, India were in danger of similar failings to those that undermined their performance in Hyderabad, when eight of the top nine reached double figures in the first innings but no-one managed to produce the knock-out blow. At least, on that count, Jaiswal cannot be accused of pulling any punches.Nevertheless, it was a gutsy display from England’s remarkably lop-sided attack. Having opted for three specialist spinners and just the lone quick, their line was led, perhaps inevitably, by the one man who’s seen it all before. The veteran James Anderson, back in action at the age of 41, put his Ashes struggles behind him with an ageless display of cut and guile. He picked off Shubman Gill for his 691st wicket, and thereby ensured that he has now struck in every single year since his debut in 2003, but his influence was felt in each and every one of his 17 overs across three distinct spells.James Anderson drew the outside edge off Shubman Gill’s bat to pick up Test wicket no. 691•BCCIAnderson’s presence – in place of the pure head-hunter Mark Wood, whose energetic efforts had gone wicketless in Hyderabad – offered a degree of control that Ben Stokes had been obliged to do without in the first Test. His infinitesimal command of each-way movement produced an economy-rate of 1.76 that was less than half that of any of his team-mates, and helped to ensure that – unlike in Hyderabad, where all the first-day focus had fallen on Tom Hartley’s struggle for control – this week’s new boy was nothing less than a good-news story.Bashir hadn’t even been born when Anderson made his own Test debut against Zimbabwe in May 2003, but with apologies to Jimmy’s own first scalp, Mark Vermeulen, the identity of Bashir’s maiden Test wicket will perhaps live on rather longer in the collective memory.Irrespective of Jaiswal’s fluency alongside him, Rohit Sharma had dug himself in for the long haul in making 14 boundary-less runs from 41 balls after winning the toss, the consequence of which was that Bashir had not only settled into his rhythm after entering the attack in the 12th over, but had been rewarded with a leg-slip to crank up the pressure. Cue a closed-face clip at a regulation offbreak, and a sharp take from Ollie Pope to pick off India’s captain against the apparent run of play.The same pattern would repeat itself as the day progressed. Gill, under extreme pressure for his place, started his innings watchfully with 17 from his first 36 balls, only for a sudden flurry of boundaries to prove his downfall. Two of these were classy cover-drives as Bashir over-pitched, but the other two were streaky edges off Anderson, who simply adjusted his line on the same probing full length, and induced a nicked drive to Ben Foakes for 34. It was the fifth time in seven innings that Anderson had got his man, at a cost of 7.8 runs per go, and as India went to lunch on 103 for 2, the session’s honours were broadly even.Only one man fell between lunch and tea – Shreyas Iyer, superbly caught by Foakes for 27, as he stayed low with a scuttling delivery from Hartley and clung onto an under-edged cut that could easily have nutmegged him. But Jaiswal by this stage had soared past his century – arms afloat in celebration after a mic-dropping of his bat – and when Rajat Patidar unfurled England’s signature stroke from Hyderabad, the reverse-sweep for four, it seemed India’s debutant had brought with him precisely the sort of youthful verve to complement that of his team-mate.But England would not be denied in their optimistic hunt for wickets. Rehan, held back until the 60th over, took up a central role in the attack for the final session, serving up 16 overs before stumps and picking off two priceless wickets in the process. On 32, Patidar failed to smother a top-spinning legbreak that rolled down the face of his bat and back into his stumps, and with the shadows lengthening, KS Bharat rocked back on a limp cut and gave his own innings away for 17.By then, Bashir had already claimed his second, and in similar circumstances too, as Axar Patel – India’s key allrounder in Ravindra Jadeja’s absence – failed to get on top of his own cut to pick out Rehan at backward point.But thankfully for India, nothing could slow down Jaiswal, whose wagon-wheel revealed shots all round the ground, but whose command in front of square was exceptional. One six off Rehan, a gallop to the pitch from round the wicket and an inside-out drill over extra cover, defied geometry.He had a couple of near-misses on the cut – Root twice got fingertips to tough chances – and a handful of wild hacks against Bashir that nearly cost him, but the bravery to take the game on was precisely what India had lacked at the key moments in the first Test. Whether he’s yet done enough to cover for his off-colour team-mates, however, remains to be seen.

Arsenal are set to complete the signing of 17-year-old Salford City starlet Will Wright after Liverpool dropped out of the race for the young forward.

Arsenal set to sign Salford teenager WrightAcademy manager Per Mertesacker at the centre of itLiverpool beaten in raceFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Arsenal have reportedly offered £250,000 plus add-ons for striker Wright report , blowing Liverpool's bid of £100,000 plus add-ons out of the water. Wright only made his first-team debut against Manchester City in January, making two League Two appearances at the back end of last season. His form in pre-season, where he has found the net for Salford four times, has seen the teenager hit the headlines.

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report that the signing of Wright is an example of Arsenal's new youth strategy under academy manager Per Mertesacker, who has been given a 'dedicated budget' to purchase the best youth talent. Wright comes right under that bracket and will be expected to play for Arsenal's Under-18 and Under-21 sides if he arrives in north London, with previously rumoured suitors Liverpool believed to be out of the race.

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Wright scored over 50 goals across age groups for Salford last season and is in the second year of a scholarship at the club, having been spotted playing for non-league sides Euxton Villa and Fylde. A move to the Emirates would therefore represent a massive step up for the young man.

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Wright is likely to feature for Arsenal's youth sides next season and it may be a couple of years before his name is mentioned around Mikel Arteta's first-team squad. But the Gunners have offered opportunities to other youth players in recent seasons and so the teenager will hope to get his chance if he impresses at his new club.

Aston Villa have been told they will have to pay a hefty transfer fee if they are to land Spanish attacker Samu from Porto this summer.

Villa interested in SamuPorto point to his release clauseEnglish side hope to talk them downFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Villa have made a formal enquiry to sign Porto striker Samu, as reported by and confirmed by . However, the Portuguese giants are determined to fight off interest after his impressive 19-goal season, having spent €17m to secure his full rights recently. They are in no rush to sell and have pointed to the player’s €100m (£86m/$114m) release clause as their benchmark in any negotiation. Reports from England claim that they can be talked down to around £55m ($73m).

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The move underscores Villa’s ambitious intent under Unai Emery as they prepare for a Champions League return. With growing uncertainty over Ollie Watkins’ long-term future and the need for greater squad depth, Villa are scanning the European market for top-end attacking talent. Samu, at 21, fits the profile, young, proven in Europe and tactically versatile. However, Porto’s firm stance, shaped by their own financial strategy and desire to compete at home and in Europe, presents a significant hurdle.

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According to reports in Portugal and the UK, Emery has long admired the Spanish forward. Porto’s early investment in Samu was partly motivated by interest from the Premier League, particularly from Aston Villa. The club’s new president, Andre Villas-Boas, is believed to have referenced Arsenal’s recent €60m (£51m/$68m) move for Viktor Gyokeres as a precedent. Despite Villa’s Champions League pull, they may need to negotiate creatively to avoid triggering the full clause. Meanwhile, Samu continues pre-season preparations, having scored in a 3-0 friendly win over Famalicao.

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Villa must now decide whether to match Porto’s valuation, negotiate a structured deal, or pivot to alternative targets. With the clock ticking on the transfer window and European fixtures ahead, Emery may push for swift resolution. If Villa meet the price or get creative with bonuses, Samu could be the statement signing to elevate their continental campaign.

The Victoria batter has been included in the squad to face New South Wales at the SCG

AAP and ESPNcricinfo staff15-Feb-2024Luckless batter Will Pucovski is over his most recent concussion and has been recalled to Victoria’s Sheffied Shield squad for a crucial clash with NSW.The 25-year-old missed Victoria’s last-start Shield win against South Australia after being struck on the helmet while batting in a 2nd XI game on January 22. But Pucovski has been declared fit to take his place against NSW at the SCG, starting on Friday.”Unfortunately our white-ball campaign came to an end on Wednesday but we now turn our attention to putting together a strong Shield performance at the SCG and put ourselves in the running to make the Shield final,” David Hussey, Cricket Victoria’s head of male cricket, said.Related

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“It is fantastic to welcome back our captain in Will Sutherland for the Shield after his international debut, while it is also great to have Will Pucovski back in the squad.”Pucovski was cleared of concussion at the time when he was hit on the helmet last month, but experienced delayed symptoms in the following days.After taking leave for mental health reasons in 2022, Pucovski has returned to cricket this summer after suffering 11 concussions.Before his return, the right-hander, widely regarded as among Australia’s best young batters, had a year out of the game.Pucovski has played three Sheffield Shield matches this season, with a top score of 65 and also featured in a tour game for Victoria against Pakistan.His one and only Test came against India at the SCG in January 2021, impressing with a first-innings 62, but suffered a serious shoulder injury in the same match.Victoria sit second on the Shield table and remain a chance to secure a home final with three matches remaining. They will head to Sydney at full-strength, taking seven players with international experience.NSW have remarkably turned their campaign around, winning three of their last four matches, including defeating reigning champions Western Australia twice.Meanwhile, Cameron Green will play for WA ahead of the New Zealand Test series when he lines up against Tasmania. WA are also able to include Aaron Hardie after Australia limited-overs duty. Wicketkeeper Alex Carey is available for South Australia before heading across the Tasman.

Visitors five down and still 85 from victory after Pennington, Paterson rock top order

ECB Reporters Network19-May-2024Hampshire’s opportunity to notch a first win of the season is in the balance after a fast-moving third day of their Vitality County Championship match at Trent Bridge left them with still much work to do.Chasing a modest 169 to win, Hampshire ended the day still 85 runs away from their target at 84 for 5 and probably a man short unless Tom Prest can bat with the injured shoulder that has kept him off the field since tea on day one.Nottinghamshire had been bowled out for 209 in their second innings by tea, with veteran quick Kyle Abbott and offspinner Felix Organ taking three wickets each after Joe Clarke and Jack Haynes had made half-centuries.But Hampshire then slumped to 44 for 5 as Dillon Pennington and Dane Paterson led a determined effort with the ball by the home side before Fletcha Middleton and James Fuller saw out the final overs to calm their nerves.Still eight runs behind at 33 for 1 overnight, Nottinghamshire stumbled into early trouble as the pattern of the first two innings repeated itself.Against a ball that was only 15 overs old, they lost wickets in each of Abbott’s opening three overs. Will Young edged to wicketkeeper Ben Brown from a ball that lifted and left him, Ben Slater was pushed back in his crease to be leg before and Tom Moores saw his off stump uprooted by one angled in from wide by the veteran South African seamer.At 44 for 4 – effectively 3 for 4 – Nottinghamshire were in a difficult spot that could have turned worse still had Clarke not been dropped on 17 at 65 for 4. It was Michael Neser at first slip – substitute for the injured Prest – whose hands let him down, a second such error of the match by the Australian and a fifth for Hampshire overall.Clarke punished the mistake by passing fifty for the fourth time this season as he and Haynes added 96 for the fifth wicket before the former was out for 57, gloving a catch to Brown after being tempted by a short delivery from Mohammad Abbas.Haynes completed his half-century from 111 balls, but against the spin combination of Liam Dawson and Organ on a three-day old pitch Nottinghamshire’s hopes of building a substantial lead unravelled.Organ struck the first blow as Haynes was caught at short leg via an inside edge on to pad, picking up a second when Lyndon James, trying to help one round the corner, gave an easy catch to short fine leg.Dawson then claimed two in consecutive overs as Olly Stone’s paddle sweep looped up gently for James Vince to catch running across from slip before Dillon Pennington was trapped leg before. Organ wrapped things up by having Calvin Harrison stumped, leaving Hampshire needing 169 to win.With Nick Gubbins missing the match on paternity leave and Prest unlikely to bat, it was never likely to be a straightforward task against the Nottinghamshire attack, even with 127 overs at their disposal.Knowing the potency of the new ball so far in this contest, Hampshire made no attempt to hurry yet still found themselves two down for 15 inside the first 10 overs, thanks to two superlative catches.Nottinghamshire captain Haseeb Hameed took the first, plucking the ball out of the air one-handed at mid-on as Ali Orr mistimed his shot horribly against Pennington, who picked up his second wicket soon afterwards.This time Harrison produced the athleticism, using every inch of his 6ft 4ins plus a fully extended right arm to grab the ball a good eight feet off the ground. Organ, the man out, had aimed a rather wild slash at a ball wide of off stump but was nonplussed nonetheless that it had not cleared the cordon.It was enough for Nottinghamshire to sense an opportunity and they took full advantage of Hampshire’s frailty.Skipper Vince, on whom much seemed to rest, fell for 6, leg before to a full delivery from Paterson that he was trying to work to leg, Dawson hit James straight into the hands of short cover and Brown lost his off stump to a swinging delivery from Paterson, leaving Hampshire 44 for 5 and facing a fight for survival.

Monaco are planning to delay Paul Pogba's debut until October as the ex-Manchester United star continues to work on his fitness. The 32-year-old, who signed with the Ligue 1 side on a free transfer earlier this summer, has not featured in a professional match since September 2023.

Monaco have handed Pogba a two-year dealFrench midfielder is not being rushed into actionClub have chalked out a three-month rehab planFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

After his doping suspension officially ended in March, Pogba attracted attention from several clubs across the globe, but Monaco’s project stood out as a serious and strategic opportunity for the World Cup winner. Since then, the ex-Juventus midfielder has been undergoing a carefully structured fitness programme and has shown promising signs of progress during Monaco’s pre-season camp in England.

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Yet, Monaco do not want to fast-track Pogba’s return. Their midfield options are among the strongest in Ligue 1, arguably only second to Paris Saint-Germain, which gives them the luxury to ease the Frenchman back into action at the right pace.

WHAT MONACO CEO SAID

Pogba had expressed hopes of facing Le Havre, the club where he began his youth career, in Monaco’s opening Ligue 1 match for the 2025-26 season. However, those ambitions have been dashed as the club emphasises the need to prioritise long-term fitness over short-term emotional narratives.

Monaco chief executive, Thiago Scuro, shared an update with the : "I can guarantee he won't be on the pitch against Le Havre. We are here to be realistic. We expect a three-month process." That projection places Pogba’s potential debut for Monaco in early October, aligning with the club’s cautious yet optimistic timeline for bringing him up to full speed.

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Pogba has reportedly already made an impression on his new team-mates. Known for his charisma and confidence, he has seamlessly connected with both senior figures and younger prospects in the squad. Monaco's staff and players have observed how the France international has naturally assumed a mentoring role, especially helpful as the club looks to blend youthful exuberance with experienced heads for a balanced team dynamic.

Chelsea have confirmed Levi Colwill has undergone surgery after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury.

Colwill suffers ACL injuryChelsea man has surgerySet for lengthy spell outFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Colwill sustained the injury in training earlier this week, and now the club have announced that the 22-year-old has had an operation to treat the issue. The centre-back is facing a lengthy spell on the sidelines.

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A club statement reads: "Defender Levi Colwill has today undergone successful surgery to an anterior cruciate ligament injury. The 22-year-old had reported back to Cobham for pre-season at the start of this week, before unfortunately sustaining the injury in training. Medical assessments confirmed surgery would be the required course of action. Levi will now begin his recovery and be supported by the club's medical department at Cobham during his rehabilitation phase."

THE BIGGER PICTURE

The England international is, arguably, Chelsea's best defender and without him, head coach Enzo Maresca has a defensive dilemma ahead of the new season. This may lead the Blues to try and sign a new centre-back, especially as that was their weakest part of the team last season.

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Maresca hinted at the severity of Colwill's injury this week.

He told reporters: "We had a problem the last two days with Levi Colwil. We don’t know how long he’s going to be out. It was the first session on Monday and just in the last minutes of the session he felt something and we need to wait. We know each other from last year and we know how important he has been. I spoke with Levi yesterday and I told him if we achieve what we achieved last year, it’s also because of him."

He now faces a long spell on the sidelines and is expected to miss a significant chunk of the 2024-25 season.