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Tottenham Hotspur are a "sleeping giant" if a multi-billionaire ownership group stepped up to buy the club according to Mark Goldbridge.

Are Tottenham Hotspur a "sleeping giant"?

It's no secret now that Spurs are regularly the butt of rival fan's jokes about their lack of success and silverware, with it now being 15 years since the club last won a trophy; the Carling Cup back in 2008 courtesy of a 2-1 victory against rivals Chelsea.

Since then, it's been a story of nearly and almost from the north London side, with some fantastic sides under managers like Harry Redknapp and Mauricio Pochettino falling short in the big moments. Moments such as "St Totteringhams Day" in 2016 as well as Moussa Sissoko's handball in the first minute of the club's only-ever Champions League final often leading to the side being branded as bottlers. However, this hasn't always been the case with Spurs.

Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, Tottenham were a powerful force in the English game. The side was one of the country's trailblazers in Europe, being the first English side to win any European trophy in 1963 with the Cup Winners Cup, as well as being the first English side to win the UEFA Cup in 1972. Spurs ultimately finished their strongest era in the club's history by adding two league cups, three FA Cups and the last first-division title the club won in the 1960/61 campaign.

Speaking on talkSPORT, Goldbridge revealed that he believes should someone like Elon Musk or Qatar purchase Spurs, they could break out from their "sleeping giant" state. The presenter also stated that if he was a multi-billionaire owner looking to buy a football club, Tottenham would be his choice.

"If you look at Spurs, and you look at the stadium and you look at the fact they are a London club, he's right, they are a sleeping giant if someone like Abu Dhabi or Elon Musk or Qatar or someone like that. But they are the next club that if I was a multi-billionaire and I was looking at what Newcastle and Man City have done, Spurs would be it.

"They've already got the stadium, they've already got the infrastructure, they've got the fans, they are based in London. You buy the club and all you need to do is spend money on transfers."

Could Tottenham Hotspur be the next Manchester City?

Should a rich ownership group take over the reins at Spurs, the club have all the potential to get back to the heights of the 60s and 70s.

As Goldbridge alluded to, the infrastructure at the club is already complete to almost the highest level in Europe. The Tottenham Hotspur stadium which was opened in 2019 is spoken about as one of the best and most innovative stadiums in the world, whilst the club's Hotspur Way training ground has been lauded for its environmental protection and sustainability qualities. The fanbase that the club has would also only grow in size as well, whilst being situated in north London could give many prospective buyers a simple goal to aim for: usurp Arsenal and become the best team in North London.

Due to the quality of the infrastructure at the club, the main focus from new owners initially would be investing in the playing squad. According to Goldbridge, Spurs have a lot of room within Financial Fair Play to work with due to the club not spending as much as other sides in recent years. All these factors together make Spurs a potentially terrifying prospect for the rest of the league should a takeover happen.

Earlier this year, rumours circulated about both a potential bid to buy the entirety of the club as well as a potential minority investment however neither of those rumours have come to fruition. Yet, as tensions continue to grow between the fanbase and the current ownership group ENIC, a takeover that could wake up the sleeping giant could be on the cards sooner rather than later

Aston Villa are reportedly interested in signing Barcelona attacker Ferran Torres on loan this summer, before potentially snapping him up permanently next year.

Is Torres leaving Barcelona?

The 23-year-old moved to Barca from Manchester City during the 2021/22 season, having struggled to ever look like a genuinely key part of Pep Guardiola's plans.

While Torres will have hoped to kickstart his career against back in his homeland, he has also found it difficult to nail down a regular starting berth under Xavi. He only started 14 La Liga games last season, coming on as a substitute on 19 occasions, and it has become apparent that he is expendable.

It means Barca could even allow him to leave during the summer transfer window, along with fellow young talent Ansu Fati, which is where Villa could come into play.

The Villans could be set to embark upon a hugely exciting summer window, with Pau Torres already expected to come in as an eye-catching defence signing, and funds available to bring in more players.

Are Villa eyeing summer move for Torres?

According to Mundo Deportivo [via Caught Offside], Villa are keen on the idea of signing Torres on loan ahead of the new season, with a view to signing him permanently in 2024, should he impress. There is a €25m (£21.5m) purchase option that would come into play at that point.

Newcastle United have also been linked with a move for the Spaniard in the recent past, however, so there could be competition for his signature, should he and Barca both agree to a move away makes the most sense.

Torres could be another statement signing by Villa this summer if they could get a deal over the line, possessing genuine pedigree, having already won three league titles in his short career to date, not to mention scoring 15 goals in 35 caps for Spain.

The fact that Xavi has called him "world-class" in the past says a huge amount about what the youngster is capable of as a footballer, and while he clearly hasn't set the world alight at City and Barca, he could thrive by being one of the first names on the team sheet at Villa Park.

At 23, he still has so many years to hone his talent and he could fulfil his potential under Unai Emery, with his compatriot outlining why he is one of Europe's leading managers after a great start to life at Villa.

Twenty-year-old Lungi Ngidi, who has taken six wickets in his first two T20 Internationals, has earned a maiden call-up to South Africa’s ODI squad for the first three matches against Sri Lanka

Firdose Moonda23-Jan-20171:11

‘I think a superstar is born’ – Behardien

Twenty-year-old Lungi Ngidi, who has taken six wickets in his first two T20 Internationals, has earned a maiden call-up to South Africa’s ODI squad for the first three matches against Sri Lanka, which start on January 28. AB de Villiers, who has not played an ODI for South Africa since June last year, because of an elbow injury, will return to lead the side while Chris Morris, who missed South Africa’s last ODI assignment against Australia in October with a knee problem, is also back.South Africa squad

AB de Villiers (capt), Hashim Amla, Farhaan Behardien, Quinton de Kock, JP Duminy, Faf du Plessis, Imran Tahir, David Miller, Chris Morris, Wayne Parnell, Lungi Ngidi, Andile Phehlukwayo, Dwaine Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi
In Lungi Ngidi, AB de Villiers, Chris Morris
Out Kyle Abbott, Rilee Rossouw, Aaron Phangiso, Dale Steyn

Kyle Abbott and Rilee Rossouw – who were also part of the 5-0 win over Australia – could not be considered because both have signed Kolpak deals while Dale Steyn remains sidelined as he recovers shoulder surgery.South Africa’s attack is also without Morne Morkel, who has not played for them since June when he sustained a back injury. Morkel has been on the comeback trial since August but his progress has been especially slow and concerns over his future are growing. Left-arm spinner Aaron Phangiso was left out in favour of left-arm wrist spinner bowler Tabraiz Shamsi, as South Africa trial combinations ahead of the Champions Trophy.South Africa have 10 ODIs in the next six weeks in preparation for the tournament, followed by three more matches in England in May and convener of selectors Linda Zondi is confident they will be ready. “We can’t ask for more in terms of preparation. Our one-day squad is coming together really nicely and we are especially happy that we have AB de Villiers back as captain,” Zondi told ESPNcricinfo.De Villiers will take over from Faf du Plessis, who led South Africa against Australia and has succeeded de Villiers as Test skipper, with a view to taking the team to the 2019 World Cup which he has described as a “top priority.” So much so that de Villiers had opted out of Test cricket for most of 2017 in order to manage his workload ahead of the next World Cup. CSA CEO Haroon Lorgat confirmed de Villiers will be obliged to play in every ODI leading up to that event.He will hold together a well-oiled batting line-up which will see Hashim Amla, no longer under threat from Rossouw, and Quinton de Kock open while du Plessis, Duminy and David Miller make up the rest of the top six. Farhaan Behardien, who was made T20 captain for the ongoing three-match series against Sri Lanka that will be decided on Wednesday, is the reserve batsman in the squad.South Africa have four allrounders in their squad in Morris, Wayne Parnell, Dwaine Pretorius and Andile Phehlukwayo and Zondi was particularly excited about the depth they will add. “If you just think back to a few years ago, we were talking about how much we were struggling to move on from Jacques Kallis and how the cupboard was bare, but now we have a lot of choice. The same can be said for the spin department. For the first time in years, we have three or four different players to choose from.”Legspinner Imran Tahir remains South Africa’s No.1 choice but has received assistance from Phangiso in the T20 series and now Shamsi in ODIs. Zondi said Test spinner Keshav Maharaj was also on the radar. “We’re not at all saying Phangiso should only play T20s and Shamsi only ODIs. We just want to see how this combination works out and then we will take it from there,” Zondi said.But the most important experiment will be with the new ball. In Steyn and Morkel’s expected absence, Abbott was being earmarked to open the bowling at the Champions Trophy and Russell Domingo even lamented the lack of time South Africa have to find a suitable replacement when it was revealed Abbott’s international career was over in the first week of January. Now, Ngidi has emerged as a candidate to partner Rabada at the tournament.Ngidi bowls quickly, aggressively and accurately but Zondi does not want to put too much expectation on him just yet. “We need to take it one step at a time with him and see how he develops but we are very pleased with what we have seen so far. To have guys like Ngidi, Dwaine Pretorius and Andile Phehlukwayo coming through proves to us that our pipeline is producing.”

علن نادي ريال مدريد تشكيل الفريق لمباراته أمام فالنسيا في منافسات الدوري الإسباني “الليجا” لموسم 2023-2024.

ويحل ريال مدريد ضيفًا على فالنسيا بملعب “الميستايا” ضمن مباريات الجولة السابعة والعشرين للدوري الإسباني. تشكيل ريال مدريد أمام فالنسيا اليوم في الدوري الإسباني

حراسة المرمى: لونين.

خط الدفاع: ميندي، روديجر، تشواميني، داني كارفاخال.

خط الوسط: فيدي فالفيردي، كامافينجا، كروس.

خط الوسط الهجومي: بيلينجهام.

خط الهجوم: رودريجو، فينيسيوس جونيور.

البدلاء: كيبا، فيران، ناتشو، مودريتش، خوسيلو، لوكاس فاسكيز، داني سيبايوس، فيران جارسيا، إبراهيم دياز، أردا جولر.

ويتصدر ريال مدريد جدول الدوري الإسباني، في الوقت الحالي، برصيد 65 نقطة، وفالنسيا في المركز العاشر بـ 36 نقطة.

USA allrounder Timroy Allen has said the experience gained while playing for the 2016 Caribbean Premier League champions Jamaica Tallawahs was a key factor in his match-winning half-century that helped USA to a one-wicket win over Italy at the WCL Division Four in Los Angeles. Allen credited the Tallawahs coaching staff, led by Paul Nixon, for fine-tuning parts of his game and building confidence levels after having spent nearly three years away from the USA national team leading into Division Four.”The batting stance I’m using right now is from the CPL coaches,” Allen told ESPNcricinfo after making 53 off 27 balls in Sunday’s victory. “A lot of that stuff comes from there. Hitting the ball, striking the ball, being able to stay confident in yourself and back your ability to clear the boundary at any given time. I tell myself that at any given time I could get 10 runs out of one over and consistently and repeatedly I keep telling myself that. So I don’t put any pressure, just get the ones and the twos.”Allen had previously made 51 not out off 26 balls against Italy three years ago in a 74-run win at 2013 WCL Division Three in Bermuda. On Sunday, he arrived at the end of the 26th over with USA at 107 for 5 in the chase of 186 in 41 overs. Allen struck two fours and two sixes early in his innings to reduce their target to 17 off seven overs.”The wickets are great to bat on,” Allen said. “The guys at this level, they’re not going to be that consistent where they’re gonna bowl six good balls so you just have to be patient and wait for the bad ball and that’s all I did today.”We were in a crucial position but at some point one of the senior guys are going to have to step up. A win is a win, I’m just a little disappointed I wasn’t able to finish the game so I’ll just have to go back and make sure the next time I’m in the situation again, I put my head down and finish it for us.”Allen said he feels the USA batting lineup is capable of posting huge totals with the small boundaries being used at Woodley Park, with Wright Cricket Field the smallest featuring 55-yard boundaries straight down the ground.”We’re capable of making 400 runs in this tournament so if we’re chasing 180-200 runs, we shouldn’t have any problem with it,” Allen said. “The situation we were put in today, the wicket was really good. It’s just the top order needs to come and help us out a little bit. Yesterday, [against Bermuda] they came big for us so we’re not going to put them under too much pressure. The guys have a lot of talent. They know exactly what we need to do. We need to come here and win but for us to win we need to come here and make runs. That’s it.”Despite their victories, USA’s fielding has been poor. The tournament hosts had six missed chances against Italy a day after dropping two chances against Bermuda. USA has also conceded a tournament high 45 wides, including another 16 against Italy. No other team has bowled more than 18 wides in their first two games.”I think we’re going to have to go back to the drawing table with our fielding in our whole approach,” Allen said. “We’re not playing cricket all year round so we’re going to make mistakes. It’s just for us to admit our mistakes and go back to the drawing table and capitalize, just make sure we don’t make the same mistake twice.”

Daniel Worrall, Joe Mennie and Chris Tremain have been chosen for Australia’s limited-overs tour of South Africa after the selectors were compelled to dig deep into the nation’s pace reserves to cover for the resting Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood.For a series that will be played in conditions more suited to pacemen than the just completed bout with Sri Lanka, Worrall, Mennie and Tremain have been rewarded for breakout domestic seasons for South Australia and Victoria, the two sides that contested last season’s Sheffield Shield final.National selector Rod Marsh said the seam and swing bowling trio will be needed to support John Hastings and Scott Boland against South Africa and also the opening match against Ireland. Nathan Coulter-Nile, James Pattinson, Pat Cummins and Peter Siddle were among the bowlers not able to be considered due to injury. Usman Khawaja, who played two ODIs against Sri Lanka with scores of 6 and 0, was left out of the squad. Adam Zampa is the frontline spinner in the squad with Nathan Lyon also omitted.

Ins and Outs

Ins: Joe Mennie, Chris Tremain, Daniel Worrall
Outs: Mitchell Starc, Usman Khawaja, Josh Hazlewood, Moises Henriques, Nathan Lyon, Nathan Coulter-Nile

“Chris, Joe and Daniel all had terrific summers last year and have also impressed us during the recent Australia A series with consistent performances,” Marsh said. “They are young players with a bright future who thoroughly deserve their selection and we look forward to seeing them work with John Hastings and Scott Boland, who have both performed well for Australia since returning from injury.”Mennie and Worrall formed a potent seam and swing combination alongside Chadd Sayers for the Redbacks last season, while Tremain moved from New South Wales to Victoria and soon found himself spearheading the bowling attack for the team that eventually lifted the Shield.”I think consistently playing has been a big help,” Tremain said in Melbourne. “People keep saying I got starved for opportunity in NSW but I don’t think that was the case. It was a matter of not doing the right things at the right time to give yourself an opportunity to play there. Coming down to Victoria I got a few good opportunities early, did ok and rolled with the punches early.”Then, rather than worrying about whether I was going to play the next game I worried about the next ball or how I was going to stay in the moment rather than worry about what had gone or what was going to happen. If there was any big change in my game it would be more upstairs in my head than anything else. Playing consistently and not worrying too much about whether I was going to play the next game, was a big step.”Tremain’s first Australian tour will coincide with that of the new assistant coach David Saker, who took up the role as Darren Lehmann’s deputy after helping guide the Bushrangers to the Shield. A plain speaker, Saker has ensured Tremain stays level in mindset, neither seduced by success nor downtrodden by failure.”He just called and said what are the odds that my first tour is your first tour?” Tremain said. “He’s good and he’s no punches pulled, so I’m sure regardless or playing for the Renegades or Victoria or Australia coming up, if I’ve done something wrong you get scolded for it and rightly so.”If you do something right it’s not a big pump up, it’s a pat on the back and congratulations for doing your job. He’s really good at keeping people level, keeping people concentrated on what they need to do and not getting too far ahead or behind what they’re doing.”While South African pitches should provide more assistance than Sri Lanka, Tremain said that the high benchmark being set by the likes of Hastings gave him a level of consistency to aim for. “I’ve been watching the ODIs in Sri Lanka at the moment and they look like they’re very difficult to bowl on,” he said. “Watching John Hastings and Scotty Boland work over there, [James] Faulkner, the way they go about their business on flat wickets is a really good viewing point for wickets that might offer a little bit more.”Doing the hard work on these flat wickets just makes it that little bit easier on a wicket that might offer a bit more. Rather than looking at what we might get in South Africa I’ve been looking at what it’s like when it is really hard and flat and you can’t get the ball up around their ears or get it to swing. Viewing that sort of stuff has put me into a mainframe that things are going to be difficult, they might not be as difficult as Sri Lanka, but if I prepare for something really difficult and get a pleasant surprise, then grab it with both hands.”Travis Head retained his place in the ODI squad following a series of cameo performances in Sri Lanka, but there was no room for Glenn Maxwell. Mitchell Marsh returned to the squad after being rested from the Sri Lanka ODIs, while the captain Steven Smith also returned to the ranks.Australia will play Ireland in Benoni on September 27 followed by the five ODIs against South Africa starting September 30 in Centurion.ODI squad: Steven Smith (capt), David Warner, George Bailey, Scott Boland, James Faulkner, Aaron Finch, John Hastings, Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh, Shaun Marsh, Joe Mennie, Chris Tremain, Matthew Wade (wk), Daniel Worrall, Adam Zampa.

ScorecardImran Tahir enjoyed a fine debut [file picture]•BCCI

Imran Tahir enjoyed a dream T20 debut for Nottinghamshire to inflict a first home defeat on Northamptonshire in this season’s NatWest T20 Blast.Tahir’s 3 for 13 in four overs, and 3 for 12 in 14 balls from Steven Mullaney saw Northants bowled out for just 122 in 18.2 overs, a target Notts took 17 overs overs to knock off to win by six wickets with a fine captain’s innings from Dan Christian who made a 28-ball fifty.Richard Gleeson caused the Notts chase a few early nerves trapping Riki Wessels lbw in his first over and running out Greg Smith in his second to leave the visitors 22 for 2 in the fourth over but there was little to stop Notts picking up a fourth win of the season.With little pressure in the second innings, Christian broke the back of the chase with some fine hitting in his 56 from 32 balls – his second fifty of the season. The pick of his strokes a thunderous drive through cover point. He shared 79 in 9.3 overs with Michael Lumb as Notts extended their unbeaten run in all competitions against Northants to 15 matches.The win kept up Notts’ pursuit of a home quarter-final with Northants made to wait before confirming their place in the knockout stages.Victory was lead by Tahir in the first innings after Notts won the toss. He appeared to have a mesmeric hold on the Northants batsmen as first Steven Crook, lbw trying to sweep, Alex Wakely, lbw playing back, and then Richard Gleeson, tamely chipping to midwicket, all fell in a superb spell.In partnership with Samit Patel – whose own 2 for 27 in four overs was excellent – the spinners helped collapse the Northants innings from a strong Powerplay of 59 for 1.The innings had lurched to 107 for 5 before Mullaney was introduced in the 15th over – his second ball brought a return catch from Ben Duckett – the left-hander falling for 29 in 23 balls ended any chance of Northants posting a competitive total. The lower order then fell away as Northants left 10 balls unused having lost 9 for 62 in 12 overs.It was a remarkable turnaround after Richard Levi and Adam Rossington had given the home side a bright start having lost the toss. Levi lifted two sixes over square leg to ruin Harry Gurney’s second over, another followed in the sixth over but the reintroduction of spin brought his undoing with Patel winning an lbw decision with Levi well placed 35 from 20 balls.Rossington began with a carved drive over point for four and added a second boundary with a sweetly timed straight drive. But he fell in the final over of the Powerplay, swinging at Jake Ball and losing his middle stump for 22 from 15 balls. It was a sign of things to come from the hosts’ batting.

Arsenal have been handed a boost in their pursuit of Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, as Juventus are unwilling to meet Lazio's price tag of €40m (£35.5m), according to recent reports from Italy.

Which midfielders could Arsenal sign this summer?

The Gunners have now seemingly set their sights on Valencia's Yunus Musah, as they are said to be preparing an offer of €70m (£62m) for the central midfielder, which the Spanish club would find it very difficult to turn down.

Another potential option for the north London club is Chelsea's Mason Mount, and journalist Paul Brown believes the England international would be intrigued by the prospect of playing under Mikel Arteta.

Milinkovic-Savic has been a long-term target for Arsenal, with reports from last December indicating they were leading the race for the Lazio midfielder, and they have recently been handed a boost in the race for his signature.

According to reports from Italy (via Sport Witness), Lazio are holding out for €40m (£35.5m) to sell the maestro this summer, however fellow Serie A side Juventus are not prepared to pay any more than €25m (£22m).

As such, Lazio are now waiting for offers from the Premier League, which have been promised by the player's agent, Mateja Kezman, with Arsenal potentially set to come forward to sign the 28-year-old midfielder.

The Gunners are yet to make the first move, as they are currently more preoccupied with competing for the Premier League title, but they should have no problem meeting the Italian club's demands in the summer.

Should Arsenal sign Sergej Milinkovic-Savic?

Although £35.5m may seem a large fee for a player who will have just one year left on his contract this summer, it is no wonder Lazio are demanding so much, given just how important the Serbian has been to them for a number of seasons.

Hailed as "world class" by members of the media, the Spain-born midfielder weighed in with six goals and eight assists in the Serie A this season, before Lazio's clash with Milan yesterday – once again reaching double figures for goal contributions.

Last season was probably the £75k-per-week earner's most impressive campaign, amassing 11 goals and 11 assists in the league, with the latter figure being the highest in the Lazio squad.

Teammate Ciro Immobile has lauded Milinkovic-Savic as "magic", also adding he's "on the same level" as Kevin De Bruyne, and he could be a real boost for Arsenal in what is likely to be another bid for the Premier League title next season.

While much of the focus at Manchester United this summer will be on those who could arrive through the door, a priority for the Red Devils will also be to shift players on, as manager Erik ten Hag seeks to continue his impressive rebuild at the club.

After the lack of authority that was shown during the Ole Gunnar Solskjaer era – with the Norwegian dubbed a 'soft touch' according to players in the squad – it would appear that the new man at the helm is keen to be ruthless this summer by sparking something of a mass exodus at Old Trafford.

As per the Daily Mail, there could be as many as 13 players who are moved on by the top-four hopefuls ahead of next season, with Ten Hag keen to rid the dressing room of the remnants of the previous regime.

As per the report, there are a handful of Solskjaer's signings who could well be set for pastures new this summer, with that an apparent acceptance that United are keen to move away from life under the treble winner.

The belief is that among the current first-team squad – excluding Alex Telles who is currently out on loan at Sevilla and Facundo Pellistri who is only likely to leave on a temporary deal – three players who were signed by the club's previous permanent manager could be set to leave, with Donny van de Beek, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and club captain Harry Maguire all facing uncertain futures at the club.

Although that trio are not the only notable figures who could be shown the door, it is telling of their woes that they are already set for the scrap heap, despite having been signed either in 2020 or 2019, respectively, during Solskjaer's reign.

For many supporters, it may well be a blessing to see those three men line up elsewhere next season, particularly when considering the notable burden of their wages – as well as their exorbitant initial transfer fees.

Will Van de Beek leave Man United this summer?

In the case of Van de Beek, first and foremost, it will come as little surprise to most that the 25-year-old could be among those to depart, with the Netherlands international having endured a wretched time of it at the Theatre of Dreams to date.

Having been signed on a rather hefty £40m deal back in the summer of 2020, the former Ajax ace has never been able to establish himself as a regular fixture in the side, with just 23 of his 60 appearances for the club having come from the start.

While in recent months the Dutchman's impact has been limited after sustaining a season-ending injury back in January, prior to that the playmaker had hardly set the world alight despite reuniting with his former boss, after failing to provide a single goal involvement in ten outings in all competitions.

A run of three successive starts in all competitions in early November had been a potential last-chance saloon for the struggling dud, although the 19-cap midfielder was hooked around the hour mark in each of those outings, having done little to warrant a further look-in.

As journalist Samuel Luckhurst stated amid that rare streak of starts, deploying Van de Beek in the side simply "doesn't work", with it perhaps time that a departure is secured – with a return to Ajax having been mooted.

That possible exit would allow United to get the £120k-per-week man's salary off their books, with the peripheral figure set to have cost the club around £6.2m in wages just this season alone by the end of the campaign, as per FBref.

The England duo of Maguire and Wan-Bissaka have also been something of a financial strain of late, with the former having cost around £9.8m by the end of the campaign in wages, while the latter man has come at a cost of £4.6m – totalling £20.6m between the three men for the 2022/23 season.

Will Man United sell Maguire?

In truth, in the case of Maguire, the £190k-per-week man has hardly warranted that salary amid his limp displays this season, with the 30-year-old having been branded "woeful" by pundit Lianne Sanderson earlier in the campaign.

As ex-Liverpool man Jamie Carragher noted back in September, it looks as if it is 'too late' for the former Leicester City ace to save his United career, despite having the chance to enjoy an extended run in the side due to the injury woes of Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane.

The £80m man – who has started just seven Premier League games this season – can seemingly do little right at present having scored an unfortunate own goal in the draw with Sevilla last week, while also enduring a shaky start in the weekend win over Nottingham Forest, after picking up an early booking and somewhat escaping giving away a penalty for handball.

It does appear that it would be best for all parties if the ailing skipper is handed a fresh start elsewhere, even if there are reported fears that the centre-back's wage demands could prove a stumbling block in getting him off the books.

Where will Wan-Bissaka be next season?

If the future of both Van de Beek and Maguire does appear rather clear cut, in the case of Wan-Bissaka there may be those who would be keen to see the former Crystal Palace man stay put, having enjoyed a real resurgence of late.

After playing just four minutes in all competitions prior to the World Cup break, the 25-year-old has since been a far more regular fixture under Ten Hag, with 25 appearances to his name across all fronts.

The Croydon-born ace notably produced a "monstrous" display in the Carabao Cup final win over Newcastle United, as per the Daily Express' Alex Turk, with that fine, second-half cameo a real showcase of his remarkable revival.

That being said, however, it was not too long ago that the full-back looked destined for an exit heading into the January window, with The Athletic only recently reporting that the Red Devils could be open to a sale, if a more attacking option can be secured this summer.

As Wan-Bissaka's recent, horrific miss against Everton showcased, the one-time Selhurst Park starlet is still something of a liability in attack, having scored just twice and registered only 11 assists in 151 games across all fronts.

That is a rather measly record, indeed, hence the suggestion that the right-back could be part of this summer's mass departure, calling time on his almost four-year stay in Manchester.

For United to potentially cash in on the £50m man – as well as both Maguire and Van de Beek – would be a poor reflection on Solskjaer's transfer judgement, with those three men having cost around £170m with regard to their transfer fees.

That eye-watering sum is a perfect encapsulation of the scattergun and erratic recruitment drive that has hampered United in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era.

Perhaps, under Ten Hag, the future landscape can look rather different…

When Ruben Neves received his tenth yellow card in a feisty derby with Nottingham Forest which gave him a two-game suspension and left Wolverhampton Wanderers three points above the drop zone, it left many wondering who could replace their imperious pillar of command and leadership in this staggering battle to avoid relegation.

But, in their skipper’s absence, Julen Lopetegui’s side has defeated both Chelsea and Brentford without conceding and now sit six points from potential Championship doom.

The acting captain for those victories was defender Max Kilman, who seamlessly slotted into Neves’ leading role and didn’t let the pressure of the armband topple his performance or confidence.

With Neves’ impending departure motoring on to be an almost definite possibility, Wolves will need to identify a new captain, but the 25-year-old centre-back has quickly proven himself to be a worthy and logical candidate.

What does Max Kilman bring to Wolves?

Despite it being a largely tumultuous campaign for the Midlands outfit, which has overseen three different managers and the club sat in the bottom position heading into the World Cup, Kilman has remained a reliable and popular option, making the most league appearances (31) of anyone in the squad and playing every possible minute.

This is an astonishing achievement and a testament to his quality and undeniable importance to the side.

In the outing against Chelsea on April 8th, the £15k-per-week man produced a resounding defensive display and recorded ten clearances, two blocks, and five accurate long balls, as per Sofascore.

Similarly, when Wolves faced Brentford, the former futsal star repeated another showing of defensive solidarity as he won all his aerial duels, registered two tackles, two blocks, and three clearances, according to Sofascore, whilst also silencing the prolific 18-goal Ivan Toney.

Former Wolves captain Conor Coady has previously lauded Kilman’s talent and said:

“He’s a fantastic lad. He’s brilliant to have around and is a brilliant professional. I thought he was outstanding.”

When he made his Premier League debut against Fulham in May 2019, Kilman became the first player to go directly from non-league to the top-flight, with no loans, since Chris Smalling moved from Maidstone United to Fulham in 2008.

Since then, he has established himself as one of Wolves’ prize assets and possesses a perfectly curated mixture of aggression and technical ability. According to FBref, he ranks in the top 5% in Europe’s top five leagues among his positional peers for blocks, as well as the top 13% for successful take-ons.

Nuno Espirito Santo also heaped praise on the defender, saying: "I just see him as a very good football player, a centre-half with quality.”

With this formidable reputation and the dominant performances to support it, the Englishman should be the next Wolves captain, if the club is resigned to losing Neves.