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Everton are crying out for a striker in the here and now who can put away chances for fun, having been previously been blessed with the blistering goalscoring exploits of Romelu Lukaku.

It hasn’t just been this season in isolation where the Premier League titans have been cursing their options up top, though.

Former Toffee Dominic Calvert-Lewin often spurned chances galore when he was still on the books of the Merseyside outfit, before he was let go of this summer for Leeds United to snap up his hit-and-miss services on a free transfer.

David Moyes and Co must have thought getting rid of their former number 9 – who had been situated in Merseyside for a whopping 273 games – was going to be a re-energising experience.

Yet, Beto has now seemingly been handed over the baton from Calvert-Lewin as a wasteful centre-forward Everton fans can’t get on-board with, with the former Udinese man extremely lucky to still be in Moyes’ first-team plans.

Why Beto must be replaced

Everton fans, weirdly, have very little to complain about their team’s attacking department. That is until you hit the centre-forward spot on the pitch.

Indeed, Jack Grealish looks back to his devastating Aston Villa peak for the Toffees, with five goal contributions already collected this season from nine outings. At the same time, Iliman Ndiaye’s trickery and pace proved to be a real handful for Manchester City to contain last time out.

This sharp ability to unnerve defenders with his directness has even seen analyst Ben Mattinson label the Senegal international as a “creator of chaos”.

One of Ndiaye’s trademark bursts forward nearly gifted the Merseyside outfit a shock 1-0 lead at the Etihad, only for Beto to skew an effort wide after all of the 25-year-old’s hard work went to waste.

This has been the unfortunate tale of the Lisbon-born striker’s season, in truth, with Beto now going without goal since bagging at Molineux back at the tail-end of August.

Games since scoring

6

Starts since scoring

4

Minutes since scoring

354 mins

It’s now been a disastrous 354 minutes since the 6-foot-4 marksman last fired home an effort for Moyes’ men, and with Thierno Barry also failing to spark into life up top as a summer recruit, the Scotsman could now be prepared to think outside of the box in uncovering a clinical striker.

How Everton could fix their striker problem

The Glaswegian hasn’t looked uneasy this season when shoving Tyler Dibling into first-team action.

Amazingly, Dibling is still only 19 years of age, but if feels as if he’s been in and around the pinnacle of English football for a long while, with two goals and one assist next to his name from 37 appearances at the very top.

He is yet to get off the mark for Moyes’ men from his minimal first team chances, but if the ex-West Ham United boss is willing to gamble on the £40m starlet here and there, he could also be prepared to unleash U21 goal machine Braiden Graham into the first team picture shortly, as he tries to desperately find any viable solution to the frustrating Beto situation that’s continuing to unfold.

Graham might well even be Moyes’ next Rooney-style story, with the Northern Irish teenager only 17 years of age.

That is just one year older than Rooney was when first being handed a senior chance for the first time. The rest is, of course, history, on Rooney’s end, with Graham already being dubbed as a “deadly finisher” by his ex-Linfield boss in David Healy, despite still being a wide-eyed youngster.

Everton U21s

17

7 + 3

Linfield

14

2 + 0

Everton U18s

14

8 + 2

He has gone on to be potent for the Merseyside giants at both U21 and U18 level, as well, with 15 strikes now collected from 31 appearances on the youth pitches at Everton.

It’s not just Healy in isolation who has been complimentary, either, with his U21s boss in Paul Tait also going out of his way to laud the Ballygowan-born forward as a “cool” finisher under pressure.

While it could be deemed as a step way too soon for Graham to be chucked into the senior mix, it’s surely a decision worth exploring from Everton’s point of view, with Beto not anywhere near the levels expected of him at the moment.

Everton keeping tabs on "unbelievable" rising star who "fits the profile" for Moyes

He has a big future in the game.

ByHenry Jackson Oct 20, 2025

يستعد فريق الاتحاد السعودي لخوض مواجهة قوية أمام الشارقة الإماراتي، اليوم الثلاثاء، في المباراة التي تجمع بينهما ضمن منافسات دوري أبطال آسيا.

وتقام المباراة بين الاتحاد والشارقة على ملعب “الإنماء” بمدينة جدة، ضمن منافسات الجولة الرابعة من دور المجموعات لدوري أبطال آسيا للنخبة 2025-2026.

ويخوض الاتحاد مباراة اليوم ولديه في رصيده 3 نقاط محتلاً المركز الثامن في المجموعة، بعد انتصار وهزيمتين في الجولات السابقة.

ترتيب دوري أبطال آسيا بعد فوز الهلال على الغرافة

بينما يطمح الشارقة للفوز وحصد النقاط الثلاثة، من أجل تحسين مركزه حيث يمتلك 4 نقاط بالمركز السابع بعد الفوز بمباراة وحيدة والتعادل في أخرى وتلقى هزيمة واحدة. موعد مباراة الاتحاد والشارقة اليوم في دوري أبطال آسيا للنخبة

وتنطلق مباراة الاتحاد والشارقة، مساء اليوم الثلاثاء 4 نوفمبر 2025، في تمام الساعة 08:15 مساءً بتوقيت القاهرة، والساعة 09:15 مساءً بتوقيت مكة المكرمة، والساعة 10:15 مساءً بتوقيت أبوظبي. القنوات الناقلة لمباراة الاتحاد والشارقة اليوم في دوري أبطال آسيا للنخبة

وتذاع المباراة بين فريقي الاتحاد والشارقة، عبر قناة  beIN SPORTS HD3، وقناة الكأس 5. معلق مباراة الاتحاد والشارقة اليوم في دوري أبطال آسيا للنخبة

ويتولى عامر الخوذيري وأحمد الطيب، مهمة التعليق على أحداث المباراة بين الاتحاد والشارقة.

ويُمكنكم متابعة أحداث مباريات اليوم لحظة بلحظة من مركز المباريات من هنـــــا

Hosts skittled for 123 before Adam Lyth turns screw with bat in Yorkshire’s second innings

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay 10-May-2025

George Hill produced the second-best bowling figures of his burgeoning first-class career as Essex were routed for 123 before Yorkshire extended their lead to 207 runs at Chelmsford.The 24-year-old seamer added four wickets for 37 runs on the second day to finish with 6 for 51 – numbers only eclipsed by his 6 for 26 in the Roses match at Old Trafford in 2022 – and 19 wickets in all this season in the Rothesay County Championship.Hill’s Herculean effort, backed up fellow pace bowler Ben Coad’s parsimonious 3 for 20 from 18 overs, helped Yorkshire establish a first-innings lead of 93, which they increased by 114 for the loss of one wicket in 49 overs. Experienced opener Adam Lyth led the way in taking the game away from Essex with an unbeaten 166-ball 79, his fifth score of 50 or more in 10 innings so far this spring.A capricious pitch offered more lift and carry than it had on the first day. Whereas Yorkshire’s first innings had been undermined by five lbws, Essex’s was littered with catches to either the wicketkeeper or slip cordon. Hill was the main beneficiary.It was also still a wicket that was difficult to score on: Essex managed two an over compared to Yorkshire’s 2.5 in their first innings and 2.3 so far in the second.However, the day belonged to Hill as he continued where he left off the night before. He already had Robin Das in trouble during the first 25 minutes of the day before he induced a thick edge that flew to third slip and initiated an inexorable decline.Matt Critchley followed to a similar dismissal, dangling his bat at Coad and also ending up in Finlay Bean’s hands at third slip. Tom Westley played a captain’s innings for more than two hours before he became another victim in a tight opening spell from Coad, who found the faintest of edges from an angled bat.Coad’s second wicket of the morning marked the end of his opening burst of nine overs with five maidens and 10 runs. At that stage, Hill had 1 for 27 in the session from his nine overs.From 59 for 6, Michael Pepper and Noah Thain pieced together a minor fightback with a stand of 46 in 17 overs. Neither, though, looked comfortable when spinner Dan Moriarty was introduced into the attack and when Pepper lunged forward to try and negate any turn, he could only nick behind.The end was not much longer in coming. Though Thain greeted Hill’s recall to arms with a glorious drive through extra cover for his fourth boundary, an attempt at an ambitious and expansive straighter drive at the fifth delivery proved his downfall.Shane Snater became Jonny Bairstow’s fifth catch behind the stumps when he went to fend off a fuller ball while Kasun Rajitha lasted just three balls before he walked into another Hill delivery and was lbw.Lyth and Bean had given Yorkshire what should have been a solid platform in the first innings with an opening stand of 71 before the subsequent collapse to 216 all out. The pair were intent on replicating that partnership, though without any frills or risks.Lyth passed fifty for the second time in the match – this time from 106 balls – at which point Bean had contributed just 14 to the effort. With another five runs to his tally, equalling his top score in a season of personal struggle, Bean went to pull Thain and got a leading edge. The partnership had been worth 72.James Wharton, unbeaten with a painstaking 63 in the first innings, threw caution to the wind and launched Critchley on to the press box roof and into the river behind.

Thomas Frank would happily welcome Harry Kane back to Tottenham, but does not expect the forward to leave Bayern Munich any time soon.

Kane is close to a century of goals for Bayern after another hat-trick last Saturday for the Bundesliga champions. However, German publication BILD on Monday reported Kane has a £56.7million release clause which could be activated next summer.

The PA news agency understands Spurs do have a buy-back option on the England captain and Frank would be happy to work with the “top player” in the future.

Frank’s immediate focus is Wednesday’s visit of Doncaster in the Carabao Cup third-round where Spurs youngsters aspiring to be the next Kane could get an opportunity.

Highly-rated attacker Luca Williams-Barnett has impressed this season and struck a hat-trick for the Under-21s in Friday’s victory over Leicester. Asked about the 16-year-old on Tuesday, Frank hinted at a potential place on the bench.

Tottenham expected to open talks to sign "incredible" £27m star in January

Tottenham expected to open talks to sign “incredible” £27m star in January.

ByDominic Lund Sep 21, 2025

“Of course he’s trained with us, Luca, a few times. I get good info from the academy and from our transition coach Stuart (Lewis).

“So yeah, I’m well aware of Luca’s talent and I like what I see. He’s young, obviously, but his composure and technique and vision is very good.

“He’s a player that we like a lot. Let’s see tomorrow, but that could be an opportunity.”

Of Alexander Isak, Arne Slot said, “We have to build him up gradually.” There will be an expectation from some that Liverpool should field their record-breaking recruit from the get-go after such an expensive and charged transfer saga, but this isn’t the case.

And anyway, Liverpool have already integrated Hugo Ekitike into Slot’s squad, with the 23-year-old Frenchman having scored three goals and supplied one assist from his opening four matches in a Red shirt.

There’s no doubt that the Reds have broken the bank this summer; Slot has acknowledged this himself. But with such remarkable and calculated investment, there are the means for healthy rotation that will allow Isak to ease into life on Merseyside after playing so little football over the past three months.

One constant, of course, is the persisting presence of Mohamed Salah on the right flank. Fitness permitting, it’s unlikely the Egyptian King will be hauled from his place on the right wing with any consistency this season.

Salah is 33, though, and Liverpool must begin to plan for their talisman’s departure, with Federico Chiesa and perhaps Jeremie Frimpong the only real alternatives.

Mohamed Salah's Liverpool future

Salah penned a new contract in April, ending fears of a departure on a free transfer at the end of the 2024/25 season. He will stay on the books until 2027, but the chances of another renewal are slim, it must be said.

Last season, he scored 34 goals and served 23 assists across all competitions, practically single-handedly dragging Slot’s Liverpool to the title. That’s not actually true, of course, but there’s no denying Salah’s matchless influence, a strong current at the heart of most of Liverpool’s attacking play.

With a goal and an assist from three Premier League matches so far this season, the veteran will continue to play a big role, although the weight of responsibility has been lifted by the signings of players like Isak and Ekitike.

Might this have a positive effect on Salah, who surely fancies his chances of adding 22 goals to his haul before his time comes at Liverpool, and he eclipses Wayne Rooney and maybe Harry Kane to stand as the Premier League’s second-highest scorer in history?

Alan Shearer

441

260

Harry Kane

320

213

Wayne Rooney

491

208

Mohamed Salah

304

187

Andy Cole

414

187

In any case, Liverpool will need to sign a successor before long, and it’s sure to be a costly bid at that. With that in mind, perhaps FSG might come to regret having sold a young star who has the potential to replace Salah down the line.

Liverpool sold their dream Salah heir

Ben Gannon Doak has been regarded as one of the finest young prospects in British football right from the start of his career in Scotland with Celtic, where he featured four times for the seniors before joining Liverpool in 2022 for €700k (about £600k).

The 19-year-old was billed as Liverpool material, all right, but he only ended up playing ten times for the Reds, injured when breaking through in 2023/24 before spending last season on loan in the Championship with Middlesbrough, where he notched ten goal involvements from just 24 matches.

The power and precision that are natural parts of Gannon Doak’s arsenal have led to comparisons with the above-mentioned Rooney, who likewise played with unusual physicality and gusto when emerging at Everton and when finding his feet with Manchester United.

Actually remarked to play “like a Scottish Wayne Rooney” in 2024 by his agent Jackie McNamara, the teenager’s style and performances so far lend credence to the comparisons, for sure.

Thanks to data platform FBref, we can note that Doak ranked among the top 5% of positional peers in the Championship last year for assists, the top 5% for key passes, the top 8% for shot-creating actions, the top 1% for progressive carries per 90.

Rooney, as we have seen earlier, retired as one of the most prolific and decorated players in Premier League history. As yet, Gannon Doak has but three appearances to his name in England’s top flight, and searches for his duck-breaking goal.

But the talent is there, it really is, and Liverpool might come to regret having sold the youngster to Bournemouth, even for a £25m fee, even with a buyback clause wedged into that contract on the south coast.

Former Scotland manager Craig Levein certainly recognised Gannon Doak’s potential from the off, saying, “This kid could be a world-class player.”

The evidence hardly suggests the contrary. Sure, the winger has one long road to travel before entering conversations even on the fringes of the park in which Salah sits, but his athletic style, powerful running and direct approach against defenders all suggest such a future is within the realm of possibility.

Furthermore, he demonstrated when on loan at Middlesbrough a capacity for show-stopping goals to complement his physical qualities and success as a playmaker.

Bournemouth have got themselves a gem. Because Gannon Doak has opted to follow the track taken by Dominic Solanke before him and many more sharing similarities of pathway, leaving an elite outfit to develop their skills in a setting more promotive of rising prospects looking to reach the top.

As with Rooney at Everton early on, Gannon Doak might now find himself in line to rise to the fore and stand out in the Premier League, playing under Andoni Iraola’s wing and blooming into a top talent.

Maybe the plan is for the player to enjoy several seasons with the Cherries before returning to Anfield with a more refined touch, but the details of the buyback clause are unknown, and there’s every chance that Gannon Doak has played his last for Liverpool and will instead go from strength to strength elsewhere.

He wanted to join City: Liverpool have already sold an Isak-esque talent

Liverpool have made wholesale changes in the transfer market this summer.

ByAngus Sinclair Sep 12, 2025

Nottingham Forest have now agreed a late deal to sign an “incredible” defender, with his medical currently ongoing, it has been revealed.

Tricky Trees keen on new defender after West Ham disaster

Last time out, Nuno suffered his worst home defeat since taking over as Forest manager, with West Ham United emerging as shock 3-0 winners at The City Ground, and the manager was left extremely disappointed with his side’s performance.

Nuno said: “It’s not the best day to speak. We have to address what is happening. The job now is more about the team, I’m worried about the team because it was shocking.”

The 51-year-old has made it clear he wants to deepen his squad throughout the summer transfer window, and he was left disgruntled by the fact deals have been left to the latter stages of the transfer window.

It appears as though Nuno’s wish has now been granted, with the Tricky Trees advancing in talks to sign S.C. Braga’s Roger Fernandes, while they are also closing in on a deal for RC Strasbourg’s Dilane Bakwa.

Given the manner of the defeat against West Ham, however, Nottingham Forest now want to get another defender through the door, and they have agreed a deal to sign Atletico Madrid full-back Javi Galan.

That is according to a report from The Athletic, which states Galan is currently undergoing a medical in Madrid ahead of completing a move to The City Ground, which will be for an undisclosed fee.

Nottingham Forest now agree deal to sign gem with same agent as Chris Wood

Forest are set to complete a deadline day move for a defender.

ByDominic Lund Sep 1, 2025

The left-back is set to sign a three-year contract with the Tricky Trees, which includes the option of an extra 12 months, with the £54k-a-week defender set to arrive alongside fellow full-back Nicolo Savona, who recently arrived from Juventus.

"Incredible" Galan should be solid signing for Forest

One of the main reasons Nuno has been keen to get more players through the door is because his side are set to embark on a European campaign, which will mean an increase in the number of fixtures.

The Forest boss said: “So we have ahead of us the Premier League, Europa League, Carabao Cup and FA Cup. You know how many games this means for us. This is the respect that we have to show to our squad. Help them.”

As such, it would make sense to get more players with European experience through the door, and the Atletico defender made six appearances in the Champions League last season.

Not only that, but the 30-year-old has also impressed domestically, being lauded as “incredible” by journalist Pascual Ruiz Arnal after impressing against Real Madrid in the 2024-25 campaign.

Galan’s experience means he should be a solid signing for Nottingham Forest, and it will be music to Nuno’s ears that the deal is now edging towards completion.

Pakistan captain Shan Masood believes a ball-tracking failure was at fault for his being given out lbw on the fourth and final day of the Cape Town Test match against South Africa. Masood, who scored 145 in Pakistan’s second innings, was ruled not-out by umpire Nitin Menon off the left-arm quick Kwena Maphaka’s bowling, and had the decision overturned on review when Hawkeye deemed the ball to be hitting off stump.Masood felt the pictures Hawkeye threw up did not align with the reality of what had happened off that delivery. “It’s simple,” Masood said after the end of the game. “It was an outswinger. If you see the ball that I was beaten by, it jagged away a long way. I was beaten on the outside edge, and it was shown as an inswinger. I was baffled by that to be very honest.”Related

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Masood, who had batted more or less chancelessly for over six hours over two days for his innings, had looked largely untroubled on the fourth morning until that delivery. Maphaka, bowling from left-arm over to the left-handed Masood, landed it on a length and got the ball to keep a touch low while straightening past the outside edge as Masood attempted to defend it, squaring him up and striking him on the back pad.Upon review, Hawkeye deemed the ball to have struck Masood in line with off stump, and did not show any significant deviation away from the stumps that would have saved him. “With the naked eye, you could see it felt like it was outside the line as well. I just felt it was a different picture. I didn’t get hit where Hawkeye was showing it to be hit. I was hit more on the outside of the leg than the inside; it shows it on the inside. That’s not an inswinger. I was beaten by an outswinger and that’s what the umpire thought as well, and that’s all I can say to that.”Masood made no attempt to conceal his displeasure when the pictures went up on screen. He stood rooted to the spot for an extended period, gesticulating in disagreement. When he did turn around to trudge off, he still wore an expression of anger and frustration. As he walked up to the pavilion, he once again gestured in an outward arc with his hands to mimic the movement of the ball.”It’s up to the administrators to see if that’s a fair decision or not, but I certainly felt that technology didn’t show the trajectory of how that ball was,” Masood said.Pakistan had ended on the right side of an lbw decision before lunch, also off the bowling of Maphaka. Saud Shakeel was rapped on the pad as the ball angled towards leg stump, and on that occasion, too, Menon had ruled it to be not out. South Africa did not review, with Hawkeye indicating it would have gone on to hit leg stump.

Despite plenty of speculation over their futures at Ibrox, Nicolas Raskina and Mohamed Diomande both lined up for Glasgow Rangers in their first game of the season on Tuesday.

The duo both started and both registered assists in a 2-0 win over Panathinaikos at Ibrox in the first leg of the club’s second round Champions League qualifier.

It remains to be seen if Diomande, who assisted Djeidi Gassama’s goal, will still be in Glasgow at the end of the summer transfer window, though, amid interest from Besiktas.

The Turkish giants have already had one offer turned down for the central midfielder, and are reportedly expected to go back in with a second bid for the Ivorian star.

Why Mohamed Diomande is important to Rangers

Russell Martin may not want to lose the left-footed star, though, because he is an important player who provides quality in and out of possession in the middle of the park.

In the 2024/25 campaign, Diomande scored four goals, created 11 ‘big chances’, and registered seven assists in the Scottish Premiership for the Light Blues, which shows that he offered a strong threat at the top end of the pitch.

The 23-year-old talent also showcased his defensive talent in the Europa League, making 3.0 tackles and interceptions per game and winning 54% of his duels overall.

These statistics show that Diomande is important to Rangers as a midfielder who can impact games at both ends of the pitch, but the Gers could forget all about him with a move for Salvatore Esposito.

Why Rangers should sign Salvatore Esposito

It was reported earlier this month that the Light Blues are one of the clubs in the race to sign the Spezia central midfielder, who is valued at around £5m by his club.

The 24-year-old midfield star is the kind of signing that could make supporters forget all about Diomande, if the Ivorian whiz moves on to Besiktas, or elsewhere, this summer.

That is not a disservice to Diomande, of course, who has been a fantastic player for Rangers, but it speaks to the kind of quality that the Italian ace could offer in the middle of the park.

As you can see in the table above, Esposito significantly outperformed the Rangers star at league level last season, offering more to his team in possession and defensively.

Whilst he is unproven in the Scottish Premiership, the Spezia star appears to have the potential to provide more quality, as both a scorer and a creator of goals, in the final third, whilst also being stronger and more efficient in his duels off the ball.

The Italy international was described as a “tenacious” midfield “controller” by talent scout Jacek Kulig, and his statistics from the 2024/25 Serie B campaign back those comments up, as he excelled in duels and offered quality on the ball.

Esposito is the kind of box-to-box midfielder that Rangers will desperately need if they lose Diomande this summer, which is why this is a signing that could make a lot of sense for Martin in the coming weeks if it becomes clear that the Ivorian gem is going to be on his way out of Ibrox.

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Ben Gray

Jul 24, 2025

Whilst the Gers would like to keep their current number ten, the Spezia star is a player who has the quality and pedigree, as an Italian international, to make the Light Blues forget all about Diomande.

McCullum defends Smith after key drop, praises Carse for wholehearted bowling

Andrew Miller18-Oct-2024Ben Stokes, England’s captain, said he had apologised to his players for his show of frustration on the third evening in Multan, at the point that the second Test against Pakistan began to slip out of his team’s control in a spate of dropped catches and fielding lapses.Stokes, back in the side for the first time in nine weeks after a hamstring tear had ruled him out of their home series against Sri Lanka as well as last week’s first Test, told Sky Sports that he had behaved like a “tired and grumpy old man” when bawling out his players at a critical juncture of Pakistan’s second innings.The flashpoint came in the midst of a wholehearted spell of reverse-swing bowling from Brydon Carse, who had just dismissed Mohammad Rizwan for the third time in the series to raise England’s hopes of restricting Pakistan to a sub-150 second-innings total.Two overs later, however, with Salman Agha in his sights, Carse suffered two drops in the space of three balls – first as Jamie Smith spilled a regulation nick behind the stumps with Salman on 4, and then again on 6 when Joe Root, standing unusually close at first slip, couldn’t close his hands around a fenced edge off the back foot. Salman would go on to make an innings-defining 63 from 89 balls.Then, when Jack Leach fumbled at point to give away an unnecessary single in Carse’s subsequent over, Stokes let out a roar of exasperation – which, while understandable in the circumstances, was out of character for a captain who has extolled a blame-free environment in the course of his two-and-a-half year reign.Related

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“I actually apologised to the group up there last night,” Stokes said afterwards. “It’s the first time in my captaincy that I’ve let my emotions show in my body language, with how I was feeling as the game was unfolding. I owned up to that, and I’m very annoyed at myself for letting that out.”It’s something that I don’t want to do, or be seen to be doing,” he added. “No one means to drop catches, but it just proves how important catches are out in these subcontinent conditions, because they don’t come along that often. So I apologised to the group and said that was poor of me. I was a tired and grumpy old man last night. You won’t see that happen again.”Brendon McCullum, England’s head coach, admitted he had been surprised that Stokes had felt it necessary to speak out on the matter, but put his annoyance down to the passion that epitomises his character. Without it, he said, Stokes could not have driven himself back to full fitness so soon after suffering a serious hamstring tear.”I was a bit surprised, but we all know how passionate Ben is, and how much it means to him to play for England,” McCullum told Sky Sports. “We’ve seen that through his bloody-mindedness to get back from the injury, which was significant, and to do so in a nine-week timeframe, and in extreme conditions of 40 degrees.”I think maybe that’s where some of that frustration led to, certainly it wasn’t directed at any of the players,” he added. “It was more about trying to assess the rhythm of the game and to impact on it. But look, he’ll be better for the run. And I thought in the second innings [where he made 37 from 36 balls] he looked like he had that method where he could put pressure on the opposition. He’s at his best when he’s doing that.”Stokes himself acknowledged that the challenge of getting back to match fitness had been a tough one, having played no competitive cricket since tearing his hamstring while batting in the Hundred in August.”I’ve worked so, so hard to get fit for this Test match, but nothing can prepare you for standing out on the field in hot weather,” he said. “Training doesn’t do that, so it was great to be able to get through this Test match, it fills me up nicely going into next week, and it was nice to get some overs under the belt as well. That was the one thing which I felt like I was lacking. But obviously, when you get into the game, and you feel like it’s on the line, nothing can stop me from doing that.”In a match dominated by spinners, with Pakistan’s Sajid Khan and Noman Ali becoming the first bowling pair to share all 20 wickets since 1972, both Stokes and McCullum agreed that Carse’s luckless display had been one of the outstanding aspects of the contest. He finished with match figures of 5 for 79 across 29 overs, bowling with heart, pace and skill throughout, while also contributing a spirited innings of 27 from 32 balls on the final morning.”He’s been fantastic,” Stokes said. “He’s shown in these two games why we picked him in all formats, not just Test cricket, going forward. He just keeps charging in, ball after ball, spell after spell. Obviously, when the ball starts reverse-swinging, he comes into the game even more. Having his batting ability down the order again is massive for us. He’s been really good, and he’s going to raise his stock even higher than what it was already.”Ben Stokes disappointed after being stumped for 37•Getty ImagesMcCullum agreed Carse had been the “standout” of England’s attack. “I wouldn’t say he surprised me, because he came with the reputation of someone that could bowl good pace with a big heart, to keep charging in with some steepling bounce,” he said. “To be able to do it in England is one thing, to do it on a surface which didn’t offer a whole lot for fast bowlers is simply outstanding. We’re trying to build a battery of fast bowlers, and Carse has certainly put his name into that.”As a former Test wicketkeeper, McCullum also defended Smith’s display in the wake of his costly lapse on the third evening. After three sharp takes in the first innings, it was a rare blemish in what has been a fine start to Smith’s England career, while his twin scores of 21 and 6 amounted to his smallest contribution with the bat in course of eight Tests.”You will not get a tougher set of conditions to keep wicket on,” McCullum said. “Jamie’s very disappointed about dropping that catch. But you take that out, I thought his keeping was as good as I’ve seen in these conditions, particularly from a foreign wicketkeeper.”He’s just continuing to impress, and obviously in both innings, he’s trying to put pressure on the opposition on that surface, which is very difficult, but that’s his natural game. He’s turning into a really big player for us.”But that’s where you got to have the ability to turn the page pretty quickly as well, because if you ever let your mistakes dictate your attitude and your confidence, then you’re in for a hell of a time. Mistakes in this game are going to be part of it, but 99% of what Jamie has done in this Test match has been absolutely outstanding. And that’ll be the message to him.”

It’s fair to say Ruben Amorim’s reign at Manchester United to date has been a bumpy ride full of many ups and downs.

Amorim has collected 17 victories from the Old Trafford hot-seat, but that has been followed up by a worrying 17 losses being tallied up, which included a soul-crushing Europa League final defeat at the hands of Tottenham Hotspur.

Even with the pain of this loss out in Bilbao still hurting – with no European football on the menu this coming season – the Red Devils have been able to flex their muscles in the transfer market, as seen in the notable £62.5m capture of Matheus Cunha.

But, what’s around the corner for the Red Devils?

Man Utd in surprise talks to sign £70m star

Well, Bryan Mbeumo is reportedly also edging closer to a switch to the red half of Manchester despite their aforementioned problems, with a hat-trick of standout purchases from within the Premier League perhaps on the cards if another deal is also secured.

As per a report by Football Insider, United have been in surprise talks recently over snapping up Everton star Jarrad Branthwaite.

It’s stated that a move was being explored after United had held talks with the 6 foot 5 man mountain’s agent, but it is looking more likely that Branthwaite will pen a contract extension at the Toffees, over moving to nearby Manchester.

Yet, as has been seen in the manic transfer window so far, many twists and turns can occur, with United known to be keen admirers of the £70m-rated centre-back for some time now, having been linked with the one-time England international last summer.

A move might well finally happen for Branthwaite and the Red Devils, with Amorim’s strugglers hopeful that the strong Everton number 32 can go on to be their modern-day iteration of Rio Ferdinand if a deal is finalised.

How Branthwaite can be Man Urd's next Ferdinand

It’s been nearly 23 years now since Ferdinand crossed enemy lines to leave Leeds United behind for the Theatre of Dreams for £30m.

But, even nearly two decades on, Ferdinand is still seen as the cream of the defensive crop from United’s recent and more success-laden years, with a mammoth 189 clean sheets coming his way from a stacked 504 Premier League outings, away from his ridiculous trophy collection boasting six top-flight title successes.

As it did at Elland Road over 20 years ago, Branthwaite’s exit would certainly upset the Everton masses if he were to shortly walk away from Merseyside, having showcased himself, just like Ferdinand, to be one of England’s finest young centre-halves.

Ferdinand did already have 54 Premier League clashes under his belt in West Yorkshire before sealing a major switch to link up with Sir Alex Ferguson’s side, and now Branthwaite will surely fancy a similar big move to elevate his game to the next level.

After all, the now-retired United number 5 was only a year older than Branthwaite is now when he first made the leap to Old Trafford, with the 22-year-old also definitely capable of adjusting to the pressures of the Theatre of Dreams when glancing at his standout numbers from the table above.

Branthwaite would be able to chip in with goals and assists aplenty too, just like Ferdinand in his pomp, with his output during his breakout 2023/24 season seeing him fire home three strikes, away from further proving his imposing nature in the air by winning 3.9 duels per game throughout 2024/25.

Once lauded as a “colossal” presence by Statman Dave, on top of also being labelled as a “beast” by football analyst Ben Mattinson, this could be yet another signing that helps United push out of their current mire.

A positive new horizon could soon come Amorim and Co’s way as Branthwaite potentially goes down as a modern icon at the back, whilst Cunha and Mbeumo also aim to be heroes in their own right.

He'd be perfect for Mbeumo: Man Utd prepare bid for "exceptional" £28m ace

Manchester United appear to be making serious moves in the transfer market.

By
Ethan Lamb

Jun 28, 2025