ANÁLISE: empate contra a Inter de Limeira mostra que Corinthians precisa de reforços pontuais

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Dentro de uma espinha dorsal que se espera do Corinthians para 2023, o time que iniciou o empate sem gols com a Inter de Limeira, na noite do último sábado (21) é, no máximo, um mistão. E isso acende o sinal amarelo no clube alvinegro, que tem um nível técnico muito abaixo quando está sem a sua equipe ideal.

Contra o Leão, pelo menos três atletas que iniciaram a partida são reservas, pelo menos nas posição em que atuaram: Rafael Ramos, Cantillo e Giuliano. O terceiro pode até ter uma sequência na temporada, mas atuando como meia-direita, ao lado de Renato Augusto. Outros três jogadores são aqueles reservas que terão as suas presenças constantes, seja por conta de fatores físicos, de revezamento na função ou por ser uma espécie de 12° jogador: os dois zagueiros, Bruno Méndez e Gil, o lateral-esquerdo Matheus Bidu, e o atacante Romero.

continua após a publicidadeRelacionadasCorinthiansCorinthians se reapresenta após empate com a Inter de LimeiraCorinthians22/01/2023CorinthiansMatheus Bidu estreia como titular pelo Corinthians sem errar um passe sequerCorinthians22/01/2023CorinthiansCorinthians e Matheus Pereira têm acerto, mas obstáculo atrapalha ‘final feliz’Corinthians22/01/2023

+Corinthians é pouco efetivo e fica apenas no empate com a Inter de Limeira

Ao analisar o desempenho desses atletas, considerando o histórico recente deles, a necessidade do Corinthians atacar o mercado fica cada vez mais clara. Do 1 ao 11, o clube alvinegro tem um time competitivo, mas para aguentar uma temporada que já começa com um jogo a cada três dias, é necessário ter dois times com condições técnicas equivalentes, algo que o Timão não possui.

Atletas como Rafael Ramos e Cantillo, por exemplo, mais uma vez foram muito mal. Giuliano tem uma carreira que fala por si só, no ano passado foi muito importante, mas tem oscilado bastante. Nos três jogos que fez nesta temporada, até aqui, se mostrou disperso e foi o principal responsável pela falta de criatividade do time.

Hoje, o Corinthians tem dois laterais com idade mais avançada, com os reservas imediatos sendo apostas. Rafael Ramos, como já foi citado, não tem sequer uma atuação de destaque desde que chegou ao Timão, no ano passado. Já Matheus Bidu é um jovem que foi contratado para esta temporada no qual tem uma grande expectativa sobre ele.

+ Confira a tabela do Paulistão e simule os próximos jogos da competição

Na zaga, Gil e Balbuena também sofrem por serem mais velhos e não conseguirem ter uma sequência, principalmente juntos. Bruno Méndez, que é o reserva imediato, tem crescido bastante, mas às vezes oscila. Contra a Inter de Limeira, por exemplo, ele foi mal. No primeiro tempo, perdeu quase todos os duelos para o atacante Jonathas.

O meio-campo é a posição que o Time do Povo possui mais nomes com qualidade técnica, mas, ainda assim, é gritante a diferença quando há a presença de Renato Augusto. Não dá para ficar dependente de um jogador que, ainda que esteja em um patamar elevado no futebol brasileiro, tem uma idade avançada e não consegue atuar todos os jogos. Fora isso, há alguns nomes que estão abaixo do que podem jogar, casos como Du Queiroz e Maycon.

+ Confira as movimentações do mercado da bola no vaivém do LANCE!

No ataque, Róger Guedes e Yuri Alberto possivelmente formam a dupla ofensiva com melhor qualidade do Brasil. Além disso, eles são privilegiados fisicamente e novos em idade. De toda forma, não dá para contar que eles jogarão todas as partidas. E uma ausência de um dos dois levará a um substituto que não esteja à altura, como Ángel Romero e Júnior Moraes. O primeiro, se repetir a trajetória da primeira passagem, entre 2014 e 2018, será muito importante no aspecto tático, mas possui uma grande limitação técnica em relação aos demais jogadores da sua posição.

شوبير يثير التساؤلات بشأن مستقبل عماد النحاس وجهازه الفني في الأهلي

علق أحمد شوبير على مستقبل الجهاز الفني الجديد والمؤقت للنادي الأهلي بقيادة عماد النحاس، والذي جاء بعد رحيل خوسيه ريبيرو عقب هزيمته أمام بيراميدز ضمن لقاءات الدوري المصري.

كان الأهلي قد أعلن رحيل خوسيه ريبيرو عن منصب المدير الفني وجهازه المعاون بعد الخسارة أمام بيراميدز في الدوري المصري.

وكشف محمد يوسف، المدير الرياضي عن تعيين عادل مصطفى في منصب المدرب العام للفريق، ومحمد نجيب مدربًا مساعدًا.

وقال أحمد شوبير في تصريحات إذاعية عبر “أون سبورت إف إم”: “أنا أطرح تساؤلات مشروعة عن الجهاز الفني للنادي الأهلي، وبالأخص هل هذا الجهاز سيستمر أم لا؟، والسؤال الأول هل الجهاز الحالي قادر على تحقيق نتائج جيدة والبقاء لفترة طويلة؟، وأنا لا أملك إجابات مؤكدة، لكنني أفكر بصوت عالٍ وأطرح الأسئلة للنقاش”.

وتابع: “السؤال الثاني عادل مصطفى، الذي كان مدربًا ناجحًا مع نادي زد، هل سيستمر مع الأهلي؟ هو جاء في الأساس لفترة مؤقتة، فهل يمكنه قيادة الفريق الأول؟ أم أن دوره سيقتصر على تدريب الناشئين؟ وماذا عن الكابتن عماد النحاس؟ الرجل قدم أداءً مميزًا الموسم الماضي وساهم بشكل كبير في فوز الأهلي بالدوري، لكنه الآن يعمل كمدرب مساعد أو مدرب عام”.

طالع | عماد النحاس يعلن تغيير “عادة” ريبيرو.. ويزف بشرى سارة لـ أحمد عبد القادر

وواصل: “فهل سيستمر مع الجهاز الفني إذا جاء مدرب أجنبي؟ وهل الأهلي يفكر جديًا في استقدام مدرب أجنبي؟ أنا لا أملك إجابات نهائية، وكل تساؤلاتي قد تكون صحيحة أو خاطئة، ولكن دعوني أوضح نقطة في مصر، نحن مهتمون جدًا بالمسميات والألقاب، وبدلًا من قول مدرب أو مدرب مساعد، نستخدم مدير فني أو مدرب عام، وهكذا”.

وأضاف: “هل الجهاز الفني الحالي مؤقت أم دائم؟ الأهلي سيلعب 13 مباراة من أصل 26 في الدوري حتى 25 نوفمبر المقبل، أي نصف الموسم تقريبًا، وهل النادي يسابق الزمن لتعيين مدرب أجنبي جيد؟ أم أنه راضٍ عن الجهاز الحالي بقيادة عماد النحاس وعادل مصطفى؟”.

وأتم: “أنا لا أملك معلومات مؤكدة، لكنني أطرح هذه الأسئلة للنقاش، وأكرر، أنا فقط أفكر بصوت عالٍ، ولا أدعي أنني أملك الحقيقة”.

Rasmus Hojlund to link up with Harry Kane?! Striker offered to Bayern Munich as Man Utd look to get rid of £72m flop

Manchester United have reportedly offered their out-of-favour striker Rasmus Hojlund on loan to German champions Bayern Munich as they look to offload the £72m flop this summer. Hojlund has been linked with a move away from Old Trafford to end his nightmare spell with the Red Devils. It was earlier reported that Serie A giants AC Milan are also keen on signing the Danish forward.

Hojlund offered to Bayern MunichYet to respond to Man UtdAC Milan eyeing loan moveFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

According to Sky Sports' Florian Plettenberg, the Red Devils have approached Bayern to initiate talks over Danish forward Hojlund. United would ideally want the striker to leave on an initial loan deal, but with an option to buy next summer. The Bavarian club are yet to respond to United's approach.

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Fabrizio Romano reported last week that Italian giants AC Milan have made contact with United over a potential loan deal for Hojlund, with discussions via intermediaries ongoing over a €6 million (£5m/$7m) loan fee, with a €45m buy option and full salary coverage.

DID YOU KNOW?

It has been made very clear that Red Devils boss Ruben Amorim is not planning to rely on Hojlund for the 2025-26 campaign. The Denmark international was not afforded a single minute of play in Saturday's pre-season friendly with Fiorentina.

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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR HOJLUND?

A move away from Old Trafford would be ideal for Hojlund, who has had a nightmare time in England since joining United from Atalanta in the summer of 2023. However, several reports claim that the 22-year-old striker is planning to stay put and fight for his place in Amorim's squad, despite the Portuguese manager signing a host of attacking options this window, including a new No.9 in Benjamin Sesko.

Chelsea's stance on replacing Nicolas Jackson revealed as out-of-favour striker pushes for transfer

Chelsea have revealed their stance on Nicolas Jackson's transfer this summer, as the Senegalese continues to be linked with moves away from Stamford Bridge. The Blues have signed Liam Delap and Joao Pedro to strengthen their attack in this transfer window and both forwards have shown early promise by performing fairly well in the Club World Cup, where Enzo Maresca's side emerged victorious.

  • Chelsea's stance on Jackson revealed
  • Won't sign Jackson's replacement
  • Open to Jackson leaving Stamford Bridge
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  • WHAT HAPPENED?

    Jackson wants to leave Chelsea this summer in a bid to get more game time, following the arrivals of Pedro and Delap at Stamford Bridge earlier in the transfer window. The Senegal international is reportedly keen on a move to Newcastle United if they sell their star forward, Alexander Isak to Liverpool.

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    THE BIGGER PICTURE

    According to The Daily Mail, the Blues are in no hurry to offload their out-of-favour striker Jackson in this window. Chelsea have a set squad ahead of the 2025-26 campaign and are not planning to buy another forward, even if Jackson decides to move out. The 24-year-old forward was kept away from the club's matchday squads during the pre-season friendlies against AC Milan and Bayer Leverkusen last week, as he trained alone at Cobham. Although Jackson was not part of the team's 'bomb squad' featuring stars like Raheem Sterling, Renato Veiga, Carney Chukwuemeka, Alfie Gilchrist, David Datro Fofana and others.

  • DID YOU KNOW?

    The Daily Mail got in touch with the CIES Football Observatory based in Switzerland to get a scientific transfer algorithm, which revealed that Jackson is valued at €85 million (£73.3m/$99m).

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    WHAT NEXT FOR CHELSEA?

    The Blues kick off the new Premier League season on Sunday as they host Crystal Palace at Stamford Bridge.

'What a legacy' – Wrexham's Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney part of plan to bring World Cup 2035 to Wales

Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney's ambitious plans for Wrexham's SToK Cae Ras home could see World Cup 2035 games played at the stadium.

United Kingdom to host Women's World Cup 2035Wales hoping to have two venuesCardiff and Wrexham tipped to host gamesFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

The United Kingdom is set to host the Women's World Cup for the first time in 2035 after being confirmed as the only valid bid. There will be 16 stadiums chosen to host the tournament, and the Football Association of Wales is hoping to have two venues. The Cardiff City Stadium is being lined up as one, with Wrexham's SToK Cae Ras home the other.

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Reynolds and McElhenney have been working to expand capacity at Wrexham's home. They plan to redesign the famous Kop stand in time to host UEFA European Under-19 Championship in Wales in 2026. The ultimate ambition is to build a 55,000 seater stadium and the duo have been told their work at Wrexham has given the club the chance to potentially host World Cup 2035 matches.

WHAT THE FAW SAID

FAW chief executive Noel Mooney told the PA news agency: "The Kop development is a significant first step and the vision for the stadium is incredible. What Ryan and Rob are doing is amazing. They are looking to look to invest in the stadium and build up the Cae Ras, which is the oldest international ground in the world, and there is a potential North Star for them. The city and the club have a chance to bring a World Cup to North Wales. What a story that would be. What a legacy for Ryan and Rob to leave Wrexham.”

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TELL ME MORE…

Mooney also had more praise for the superstar duo and the impact they have had on Wrexham already, adding: "It’s our 150th anniversary next year, we were founded in Wrexham, and the story is very powerful for us. The impact of Ryan and Rob has been manna from heaven for us, the timing of it. We’ve been very fortunate over the last few years to get to a men’s World Cup, first women’s Euro, and have our young teams starting to qualify for major championships. That has coincided with Ryan and Rob coming in. Wrexham has already started collecting a lot of our national team players, and will produce lots of players for us in the future with their investment in youth development and Academy. There is a symbiotic relationship there where we can create a lot of value for each other. People all over the world are talking about Wrexham and that inspires partners like FIFA, commercial bodies and Governments to get involved.”

'You don't want to be associated with that' – USMNT icon Alexi Lalas questions Johnny Cardoso's Atletico Madrid debut performance against Espanyol

The former MLS star expressed concern about the American’s debut with Atletico Madrid, highlighting the pressure of being substituted at halftime

  • Cardoso was replaced at halftime during Atletico’s 2-1 loss 
  • Pochettino was in attendance for Cardoso's debut
  • Emphasized that Cardoso earned his transfer through club performances
  • WHAT HAPPENED

    U.S. international Johnny Cardoso endured a rough Atletico Madrid debut, pulled at halftime of a 2-1 season-opening loss to Espanyol despite his team leading 1-0. After struggling in the USMNT's June friendlies and having a limited role at the Gold Cup, former U.S. star Alexi Lalas said he’s concerned about the 23-year-old’s confidence and World Cup hopes.

    “This is not good,” Lalas said on his State of the Union podcast. “This is not good for Johnny. I know it's just one game and but you know, you're associated ultimately with, you know, I guess it would be a surprise result and you want to get your best foot forward."

    Lalas wondered if Cardoso added extra pressure as a result of Mauricio Pochettino attending the match in Spain. 

    “But when they [the U.S. coaching staff] get on the plane and they go and they start sitting in the stands, yeah, I guess there's a an added pressure and an added pressure for him because this is his big move," he said. "But here's a situation where unlike most of the time when we're talking about Johnny, where we're lamenting the fact that it [his club form] doesn't translate to the national team."

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    WHAT ALEXI LALAS SAID

    Lalas stressed his concern is if Cardoso is now also struggling with Atleti, this could be an example of a move that didn't pan in the way intended. 

     “I think we have all been in agreement that the reason why he has even gotten this move is because he's been so consistent and so good from a club perspective," he explained. "And yet in his first game out, while it's great that he got the start, they get pulled off and they end up losing.

    “You don't want to be associated with that. Again, early, early days. I don't think it's 'cause for panic here, but if Johnny isn't doing it at club and we know he hasn't been able to translate it to the international game, then what are we left with here?”

  • THE BIGGER PICTURE

    Cardoso's $28 million summer move from Real Betis to Atletico Madrid represented one of the largest transfers for an American midfielder, creating significant expectations.

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    WHAT’S NEXT?

    Following their 2-1 loss, Atletico Madrid sit 16th on the La Liga table and will host Elche in their second La Liga game and their first home game of the season.

Pressão da torcida e aproveitamento: São Paulo e Santos se enfrentam em clássico com pesos para os dois lados

MatériaMais Notícias

Neste domingo (12), o São Paulo e o Santos se encontram pelo Campeonato Paulista, às 19h (de Brasília), no estádio do Morumbi. Embora o aproveitamento das duas equipes esteja em patamares diferentes na competição, o clássico apresenta um peso muito grande para o momento atual das equipes de Rogério Ceni e Odair Hellmann.

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A última semana do Tricolor paulista foi agitada. Na última rodada disputada pelo Paulistão, encarou o Red Bull Bragantino no Nabi Abi Chedid. Em uma partida bem abaixo, Giuliano Galoppo conseguiu abrir o placar no segundo tempo, e ao que tudo indicava, o confronto começava a ficar superior para o lado tricolor.

Limite vai aumentar? Saiba quantos estrangeiros tem cada elenco dos clubes do Brasileirão

Veja tabela do Campeonato Paulista e simule os próximos jogos

Porém, não foi bem assim. A equipe levou uma virada do Massa Bruta, tomando dois gols em um intervalo de apenas três minutos. O resultado causou um certo alvoroço entre os torcedores. Neste contexto, até a maior organizada do São Paulo, a torcida Independente, se manifestou e demonstrou apoio ao treinador Rogério Ceni.A agremiação disse que ‘não faz sentido reformular 80% do elenco e mandar o técnico embora’, destacando que Ceni ‘faz bem ao São Paulo’.

Mas não somente a derrota que chamou atenção. Nesta primeira fase do Campeonato Paulista, de todos os encontros do Tricolor com equipes que estão na série A do Brasileiro, o clube do Morumbi só conquistou um ponto de nove disputados.

Até agora, encontrou o Palmeiras, o Corinthians e o Bragantino. Empatou o primeiro e foi derrotado nos dois últimos. O clássico com o Santos é a última chance da equipe conseguir os três pontos contra times da ‘elite’ do futebol nacional nesta etapa do Estadual.

Coube ao presidente Julio Casares vir a público para garantir que nem passa pela cabeça da gestão tricolor substituir seu comandante.

– O São Paulo hoje, ao lado do Palmeiras (Abel Ferreira) e do Fortaleza (Vojvoda), são clubes que têm longevidade para o técnico. Achamos que tem que ser esse o caminho. Não podemos ficar trocando de técnico como quem troca de camisa – disse Casares, em entrevista ao portal ‘UOL’.

Mesmo que a permanência de Rogério Ceni esteja mais que assegurada, vencer o Santos seria ótimo – tanto pelos pontos apresentados quanto para ‘acalmar os ânimos’ dos torcedores, que mesmo com a liderança do Tricolor no grupo B, frequentemente demonstram certa insatisfação com o desempenho do time, sendo comum a presença de vaias no Morumbi em jogos disputados em casa.

Mas o Santos também não chega para o clássico tranquilo. Pelo contrário. A vitória recente contra o São Bento, com o único gol marcado por Lucas Barbosa, quase ao apagar das luzes, trouxe um grande alívio para o treinador Odair Hellmann e sua equipe.

Até o triunfo diante ao São Bento, o Alvinegro Praiano estava sem vencer há cinco jogos. Até então, a última vitória tinha sido contra o Guarani, por 2 a 0, no segundo jogo do ano. Falando em clássicos, diferente do São Paulo, o Santos só enfrentou o Palmeiras até o momento. Foi derrotado por 3 a 1.

Agora com novos reforços, algo que era debate em vários protestos movido pela torcida, Odair Hellmann pode ter algumas novidades que podem ajudar. Nos últimos dias, o Santos anunciouLucas Lima, Daniel Ruiz e Joaquim. Embora os dois primeiros ainda não joguem, por conta de um processo derecondicionamento físico, o zagueiro pode ser opção.

Uma eventual vitória contra o rival também seria de bom grado pensando na tabela do Paulista. Diferente do São Paulo, o Santos está na vice-lanterna do grupo A, com 9 pontos – apenas um a mais do último colocado, o Botafogo-SP.

Ou seja, além do peso de ganhar um San-São fora de casa, livraria ainda mais a possibilidade de, mais uma vez, correr o risco de ser rebaixado no Estadual de forma inédita em toda a história do clube – evitando o ‘sufoco’ no último ano.

NXGN Weekly: Max Dowman and Rio Ngumoha put the Premier League on notice as 'Mexican Pedri' Gilberto Mora continues to impress

Every Tuesday, GOAL picks out the stand out performances and news surrounding the top teenage talents on the planet

Here at GOAL, we're experts when it comes to unearthing teenage talents. Over the past 10 years, we have collated the annual NXGN lists, which lay out the top 50 men's and top 25 women's wonderkids in the world. The likes of Jude Bellingham, Gianluigi Donnarumma, Lena Oberdorf and Linda Caicedo have gone on to become the very best players in the game having previously topped those NXGN lists, while Erling Haaland, Ousmane Dembele, Lauren James and Alyssa Thompson all appeared long before they became household names around the globe.

We're always on the lookout for the next prodigies, too, and our weekly profile series takes an in-depth look into what the future might hold for the stars of tomorrow. In 2025-26, however, we're going to be furthering our commitment to covering the best teenage footballers on the planet with our new NXGN Weekly column. Every Tuesday, we will breakdown the biggest stories involving teenage players from around the world, keeping you up to date with those who are going to define the game over the coming decade or two.

So, without further ado, here's the NXGN stories you  to know about this week:

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    Dowman's debut finally arrives

    Has a 15-year-old English footballer ever been as hyped up as Max Dowman? The answer is almost certainly not, meaning the pressure on the Arsenal midfielder to emerge as a generational talent is extreme to say the least. From the evidence of his competitive first-team debut, however, Dowman is capable of taking it all in his stride.

    That Dowman had to wait until Saturday to make his Gunners bow was merely down to an admin issue. Mikel Arteta was ready to throw the schoolboy into the fray last season, but due to Dowman being initially registered as part of Arsenal's Under-15s squad at the start of the campaign, Premier League rules deemed him too young to play the senior level. Those regulations likely robbed Dowman of the chance to break team-mate Ethan Nwaneri as the youngest debutant in the division's history, but he showed against Leeds that he is keen to make up for lost time now that he is free to play his part at the Emirates.

    Dowman's 26-minute cameo against Leeds was full of the kinds of actions that have marked him out as one of the brightest prospects England has ever produced, as he fearlessly looked to take on his more established opponents by utilising his pace and quick feet. No more was that in evidence than when he burst into the penalty area and forced Anton Stach into a foul that resulted in a stoppage-time penalty that Viktor Gyokeres tucked away to round out the 5-0 win.

    With Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard potentially facing spells on the sidelines, Dowman may be entrusted with more game time than he might have expected even after his electric pre-season performances. Based on what we saw on Saturday, however, he looks more than ready.

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  • Rio to the rescue

    Dowman and Arsenal travel to Anfield this Sunday, where they will come face to face with the other teenager to dramatically introduce themselves to the Premier League over the past few days: Rio Ngumoha. The Liverpool winger was given around six minutes of stoppage time to make an impact against Newcastle on Monday, and boy did he!

    Ngumoha's dramatic, 100th-minute winner at St James Park highlighted the composure with which the 16-year-old has taken to first-team football. Like Dowman, he produced some remarkable performances in pre-season, constantly weaving through opposition defences before providing either a finish or a killer pass. On Tyneside, the ball was put on a plate for him to score, but Ngumoha still showed remarkable composure on his first league appearance to whip his effort into the far corner.

    In doing so, he became the youngest goalscorer in Liverpool history, while he was just the second 16-year-old, alongside Wayne Rooney, to score a winning goal in the Premier League, and the fourth-youngest scorer in the competition's history. How Chelsea must be ruing him leaving them behind just over a year ago…

  • Watford's Aussie wonderkid

    Down in the Championship, Watford have a wonderkid of their own who has started the season in impressive form as he aims to put the disappointment of failing to make the grade at one of Europe's elite clubs behind him. 

    Nestory Irankunda spent just one season on Bayern Munich's books after arriving from Adelaide United last summer, but has quickly become a fan favourite at Vicarage Road and further endeared himself to the Hornets faithful on Saturday when he opened the scoring with a stunning free-kick against Swansea City.

    Irankunda became well-known for spectacular strikes when he first broke out in the A-League, and he left Adelaide having scored 16 goals and provided eight assists in 61 games for the first team – most of which came as a substitute. And though he never really came close to making his Bayern debut before spending the second half of last season on loan at Grasshoppers in Switzerland, the experience certainly hasn't shaken the 19-year-old's confidence.

    Speaking on how he convinced club captain Moussa Sissoko to let him strike the dead ball at the Swansea.com Stadium, Irankunda said: "Moussa is the captain, so I asked him for permission and I feel confident in taking a free-kick. He asked me a couple of times, 'Are you sure you can take free-kicks?' I said, 'Yeah, go look at my highlight reels.' After that, I just put it into the corner."

    If Irankunda can keep producing moments of magic such as this one, then few will question his ability going forward.

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    Rooney Jr. making waves at Man Utd

    While there are plenty of success stories when it comes to the children of superstar footballers going on to write their own triumphant tales into the game's history books, there are just as many who try but fail to live up to the lofty expectations placed on them due to the familial connections. Quite which of those buckets Kai Rooney will fall into remains up in the air for now, but certainly the son of England and Manchester United legend Wayne is doing all he can to follow in his father's footsteps.

    The 15-year-old has been part of the United academy for the last five years, and this season has been promoted to the Under-18s squad as he gradually closes in on being considered for the senior squad. Of course, Rooney must take each step as it comes rather than look too far into the distance, but after making his U18s debut last week in their season-opener, he followed that up with his first goal against Middlesbrough.

    A forward who can play centrally or off the wing, Rooney's goal – a deflected strike of a bouncing ball after he turned inside the penalty area – was nothing special in terms of its quality, but the confidence it will give the teenager as he continues to push for more minutes at this new level will undoubtedly be valuable.

    That said, while Rooney has come off the bench in the U18s' opening two games of the campaign, perhaps the most exciting prospect in the current academy ranks is now an established starter despite being a year younger than his team-mate. JJ Gabriel netted twice in the win over Boro to take his tally for the U18s to five goals in as many appearances, and the 14-year-old – who has been dubbed 'Kid Messi' by coaches in Manchester – looks set to be given the chance to train with Ruben Amorim's first team in the coming weeks and months as a result.

    So while Kai Rooney will continue to grab headlines whenever he plays for United's youth sides, it is perhaps Gabriel who has the best chance to replicate Wayne Rooney's exploits over the next couple of decades.

CRB x Operário-MS: data, horário e onde assistir ao vivo pela Copa do Brasil

MatériaMais Notícias

O CRB enfrenta o Operário-MS pela segunda fase da Copa do Brasil, nesta quarta-feira, às 19h30, no Estádio Rei Pelé. Em caso de empate no tempo normal, a decisão pela vaga na próxima etapa do torneio será definida nos pênaltis.

CRB X OPERÁRIO-MS

Data: quarta-feira, 15/03
Horário: 19h30
Local: Estádio Rei Pelé, Maceió
Onde assistir: SporTV e Premiere
Arbitragem: Vinicius Goncalves Dias Araujo (SP) apita a partida. Auxiliares: Daniel Luis Marques (SP) e Leandra Aires Cossette (SP)

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Piero Hincapie considers one project 'very attractive' as Arsenal & Tottenham begin transfer battle

Either Arsenal or Tottenham Hotspur will miss out after identifying Bayer Leverkusen defender Piero Hincapie as a target in the summer transfer window's final week.

Hincapie interested in Arsenal transferSpurs have made an offer to LeverkusenDeveloping saga reminiscent of Eze situationFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

After Arsenal stepped up interest in Hincapie, revealed that the Ecuador international is taken by the project on offer should he move to the Emirates Stadium from Germany. The 23-year-old centre-back is described as "keen" on the proposed switch and an agreement on personal terms is not expected to be an issue after initial talks began.

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Tottenham have also shown interest in Hincapie, reportedly putting forward a proposal to Leverkusen comprised of a loan and $60 million (£52m/$70m) obligation to buy. That fee, while delayed until 2026, matches the relase clause in the player's contract. Arsenal, meanwhile, are trying to negotiate a lower figure to secure a permanent deal of their own.

It follows the Gunners snatching Eberechi Eze from under their rivals' nose, although Hincapie is no way near as close to joining Spurs as the England international was last week.

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Arsenal are potentially offering less money than Tottenham, although Leverkusen stand to receive cash sooner. But with Hincapie's apparent preference for a move to the Emirates, his desire could influence or shape how the Bundesliga side respond to offers. It is a different situation to Eze because the rival proposals are not currently the same, whereas Arsenal had matched Tottenham's bid to Crystal Palace.

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Romano adds that no Arsenal bid for Hincapie has yet been made, with the Gunners first needing to find new clubs for Oleksandr Zinchenko and Jakub Kiwior. The latter is the subject of interest from Porto, who are reported to have made an approach over a loan with obligation to buy. Arsenal are looking for around £25m ($32m) for the Poland international, potentially half of what it might take to sign Hincapie.

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