All posts by h716a5.icu

Tinashe Panyangara, Zimbabwe’s pace spearhead, has been ruled out of the two-Test series against New Zealand after failing to recover from a back injury

Firdose Moonda21-Jul-2016Tinashe Panyangara, Zimbabwe’s pace spearhead, has been ruled out of the two-Test series against New Zealand after failing to recover from a back injury. Panyangara, who picked up the injury during a training camp ahead of Zimbabwe’s limited-overs series against India in June, is expected to resume bowling in August.That means Zimbabwe will likely look to the recent A series against South Africa at home for a replacement. Shingi Masakadza and Brian Vitori, who played one game each during the series, are the most high-profile bowlers competing for the slot.Masakadza, who took three wickets in the first innings of the first four-day fixture in Harare, also offers a batting option down the order while Vitori’s left-arm action will provide variation, although he is short of match practice.Vitori, who was out of action for six months after being suspended for an illegal action in February, made a comeback in the second match in Bulawayo, but was both expensive and ineffective. He conceded 106 in 21 wicketless overs, and sent down eight no-balls.A wild card would be Victor Nyauchi who opened the bowling with Masakadza in the Harare game and returned figures of 1 for 94 in the first innings and 2 for 26 in the second.The pace department is not Zimbabwe’s only concern, however. With Graeme Cremer likely to captain the Test side as well, after he was given the job for the ODIs and T20Is against India in June, they could find themselves limited to a legspinner, should they go into the Test with just one specialist slow bowler.John Nyumbu could be an alternative if they choose to field a second spinner. With conditions at Queens Sports Club expected to be slow and low, Zimbabwe will also have to call on the all-round ability of the likes of Sikandar Raza and Sean Williams to perform in both disciplines.Although Hamilton Masakadza was relieved of the captaincy duties after the World T20, he is expected to take up his position at No.3, leaving it up to Vusi Sibanda and Tino Mawoyo, who have Test experience, to battle it out with in-form Brian Chari and Prince Masvaure at the top of the order.Chari scored 98 in the first match against South Africa A while Masvaure made 146 in the second, which should give Zimbabwe some much-needed batting depth in Brendan Taylor’s absence.This will be Zimbabwe’s first Test series since November 2014, when they toured Bangladesh. Zimbabwe have not played Tests at home since a one-off fixture against South Africa in August that year.It will also be Makhaya Ntini’s first Test series in charge, after he took over the head coaching duties ahead of the India series. Ntini has not been confirmed as the permanent coach of the team but remains in charge until a decision is made. He will be joined by fellow South African Lance Klusener, who is the batting consultant.

Alastair Cook has said he wants to move on from the “sideshow” regarding the omission of James Anderson for the opening Test against Pakistan at Lord’s

Andrew McGlashan at Old Trafford21-Jul-2016Alastair Cook has said he wants to move on from the “sideshow” regarding the omission of James Anderson for the opening Test against Pakistan at Lord’s.Medical advice regarding his shoulder injury overruled the desire of Cook and Trevor Bayliss to have Anderson in the side. Anderson then went to play two days of Lancashire’s Championship match against Durham at Southport, where he took 3 for 58 off 22 overs.However, Cook believes the fall-out, which has included a suggestion that Andrew Strauss wants to drastically alter the selection model England use, has been an overreaction because the Test was lost – something far more down to England’s poor batting than a failure of the bowling attack, which removed Pakistan for 339 and 215.”A lot has been blown out of proportion,” Cook said. “Unfortunately, we didn’t play the greatest game of cricket. So then people start jumping on things which were less important, but became more so because we lost.”If we’d played really good cricket, and won the game – and the 11 guys were certainly capable of that – then that story wouldn’t be blown up like it has been.”It’s happened. It was a slightly messy affair, no one intended it to be like that and we’ve got to move on, and play better cricket. It’s been a bit of a sideshow – an unimportant sideshow, really.”An England spokesman said on Wednesday that there were no plans to sack any selectors. However, Strauss has previously said that he would examine the selection process once he had got through various other issues that were in a rather full inbox when he took on the managing director role last year. So if any changes do occur in the future they could well have been on the cards regardless of the Anderson situation.Anderson and Ben Stokes, who also proved his fitness in the match at Southport following knee surgery, will return to England’s XI at Old Trafford as they aim to level the series, with Steven Finn and Jake Ball making way.”It’s great to have Jimmy back. He’s an outstanding bowler, it’s great to have him fully fit,” Cook said. “If he’d bowled 30 overs and really hurt his shoulder, and was out again, we’d all be sitting here and be disappointed with that decision.”In hindsight, he could have played that game – because obviously, he went and played for Lancashire and got through that. We probably erred on the side of caution, and have to hope we now have him for three games.”

Arsenal are targeting two midfielders in the summer window, and are preparing an opening bid for Declan Rice, Fabrizio Romano has revealed.

What has Romano said about Arsenal and Rice?

The Gunners made the West Ham captain their top target back in January, and are set to step up their interest when the season ends.

Mikel Arteta wants two new midfielders, with Granit Xhaka expected to join Bayer Leverkusen, and there have been links to Moises Caicedo of Brighton as a big-money arrival alongside Rice.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Romano confirmed that Arsenal desire a midfielder in addition to Rice, and revealed the extent of their current interest in the Englishman.

"Arsenal will go for new midfielders in the summer, it could be two, from what I understand, and Declan Rice remains the top target. He remains top of the list at Arsenal, since January he's a name that's been discussed internally," he stated.

"We can say now that Arsenal are now preparing and thinking of the first bid for Declan Rice, it is not submitted yet. But they are preparing that bid internally, it means that they are waiting to understand how much West Ham want in order to submit the first proposal, they will also respect West Ham as they are busy with European football, so right after the Conference League they will be able to negotiate with West Ham.

"The idea is in June to submit an official proposal for Declan Rice, so they are now discussing about the structure of the bid, it will probably include some add-ons, so Arsenal are discussing about that internally."

What could Arsenal's midfield look like?

With Xhaka potentially departing, Rice could either be the natural replacement, as a number eight alongside Martin Odegaard, or he could replace the defensive midfielder, with Jorginho or Thomas Partey dropping out of the side.

The other midfield target could determine where Rice is played if he joins Arsenal. Caicedo and Rice could interchange between their two midfield positions if deployed together, or Rice could play as the deeper option with a more creative player coming in.

There have been links with Mason Mount, whilst Emile Smith Rowe has been mooted as an option in midfield, with his future still unclear.

Arteta clearly wants quality in depth, with the Gunners returning to the Champions League for the first time in seven years, and two big signings in midfield could potentially help them compete for the title again next season.

Aston Villa have shot up the table since the appointment of Unai Emery in November, with European football still a possibility for the Villans.

The Spaniard has taken the club from relegation dwellers to solid Premier League competition in six months, and with three games to go, things could get even better for the Midlands outfit should results go their way.

With the summer transfer window fast approaching, the 51-year-old will have the chance to build the squad to his liking, strengthening in areas to take Villa to the next level next season.

It’s not only moves in the first team that are drawing attention, but in the academy also as a host of players wait to find out their destiny with reference to their futures at the club.

One of which is 18-year-old Charlie Lutz, who has been stealing the headlines in the U18 Premier League this season.

Who is Charlie Lutz?

The English striker has enjoyed a high-scoring season for the U18s, finding the net eight times in nine appearances, as well as contributing two assists.

Playing predominantly as a wide forward, the youngster can also lead the line and has shown his goal-scoring prowess as being joint top-scorer alongside teammate Rory Wilson.

The teenager is one of a host of academy players who have their futures in question as to whether they will renew and continue their stay at Bodymoor Heath.

Lutz is certainly one for the future, described by his Father as being "razor-sharp focused" on what he wants out of his footballing career, and the youngster is hitting heights in Villa’s academy and could be one to follow in the footsteps of fellow academy graduates.

Jack Grealish is the most famed star to come out of the academy set up at Bodymoor, the 27-year-old is a regular for Manchester City and England and has written the story that many youngsters in the academy wish to follow.

The most recent big move for an academy star was Carney Chukwuemeka’s move to Chelsea in the summer. The midfielder has made 11 Premier League appearances for the Blues at just 19 years of age.

Chukwuemeka’s dream became a reality, which could happen for Lutz too who, like the 19-year-old, has been impressing in the U18s Premier League.

The Austrian-born England international had a strong season in the same league before playing in the Premier League 2, then graduating to gain his first-team debut in the 2020/21 season, before signing for Chelsea last summer.

Having made nine appearances in the league this season, Lutz will turn 19 in October, which opens a new door to the Premier League 2, where so many have made a name for themselves in both England and Europe.

A journey such as Chukwuemeka’s are steps that any young player can make if they continue to perform; Lutz has been a consistent performer for the academy, and should Villa keep hold of him, he could be the club's next big prospect.

Ravi Shastri, who had served as team director for almost two years leading up to Anil Kumble’s appointment as coach, has said he was “very disappointed” not to get the job himself

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Jun-2016Ravi Shastri, the former India allrounder who had served as team director for almost two years leading up to Anil Kumble’s appointment as coach, has said he was “very disappointed” not to get the head coach’s job himself. He said Sourav Ganguly, one of the members of the cricket advisory committee which played a key role in choosing the coach, was not present when the rest of the committee interviewed him.”Well, actually he wasn’t there,” he told the , when asked about his interaction with Ganguly during his interview. Shastri was being interviewed via Skype – he was in Thailand while committee member VVS Laxman and chief coordinator Sanjay Jagdale were in Mumbai. Sachin Tendulkar, also a member of the committee, tuned into the interview via Skype from London. Ganguly, though, was away at a Cricket Association of Bengal meeting.His interactions with the rest of the committee went well, though, Shastri said. “Meeting was great. Some great questions from VVS, Sachin and Sanjay. I put my way forward for the team. They wanted to know how do I plan to do well in all formats, how we should look at fast bowlers, and things of that sort.”But former India legspinner Kumble was named coach earlier this week. Shastri said he was disappointed to miss out since the team had done so well under his guidance as team director. “I was very disappointed. Disappointment because the hard work the entire unit had put in in the last 18 months. To see where they were when the support staff and I took over and to where they reached in 18 months makes me feel proud.”They got up, threw punches and ended up where they were. No. 1 in Test cricket, No. 1 in T20, No. 2 in ODI [at various points during Shastri’s tenure]. You can’t ask for more. Even I didn’t’ expect such a transformation in 18 months with this young team. I feel really proud.”I was honest, worked hard along with the support staff, and the players were fantastic. During those months, with the BCCI being hammered in the court and media for various reasons, cricket was the shining light. People really took to watching the way the Indian team was playing.”Under Shastri, who had taken over as team director in August 2014, India made it to semi-finals of successive global events – the 2015 World Cup and the 2016 World T20, and also climbed to No. 1 on the Test rankings for a period of eight weeks until Australia took over in February 2016. In this period, India also won their first limited-overs bilateral series in Australia, whitewashing the hosts 3-0 in a T20 series. Shastri was assisted by Sanjay Bangar (batting coach), B Arun (bowling) and R Sridhar (fielding). All their contracts expired at the end of the 2016 World T20, prompting the search for a new coach. Bangar had coached the team in the interim, in Zimbabwe.Shastri told the that Kumble had already spoken with him, and he hoped the team moved forward under him. “He [Kumble] called up yesterday [Thursday]. He has a great team, he said that. I wish him all the luck.”The team is right up there in all formats. Now is the time to take one step forward, especially after the [upcoming] tour of the West Indies; there is a lot of cricket at home [after the West Indies tour], you have to cash in on the home advantage. It would be great if he can take it forward.”India tour the West Indies in July and August, before returning for a home season consisting of a record 13 Tests against New Zealand, England, Australia and Bangladesh.

ESPNcricinfo previews the second Test between England and Sri Lanka at Chester-le-Street

The Preview by Andrew Miller26-May-2016Match factsMay 27-31, 2016
Start time 11am local (1000 GMT)Big PictureIt’s grim up north. Especially if you are more used to hanging out in the tropics. Aside from some early success with the new ball at Headingley, Sri Lanka’s two-and-a-half days in Yorkshire were miserable in the extreme – they were bundled out for 91 and 119 in the space of 433 deliveries all told, the second shortest batting effort in their Test history.But sometimes you just have to doff your cap at the skills on display in such debacles, and with match figures of 10 for 45, James Anderson put to bed once and for all his curious distrust of Headingley’s home comforts with a performance that few teams in the world could have lived with.The worry for Sri Lanka, however, is that life is about to get even tougher, as they head to Chester-le-Street, the most northerly Test venue in the world, where the weather at present appears to be blowing in directly from the Arctic.They head there with a depleted bowling attack, following the untimely injury that has curtailed the tour of their promising young quick, Dushmantha Chameera, and a demoralised set of batsmen – notwithstanding a battling rearguard from the 21-year-old Kusal Mendis, whose maiden Test half-century delayed the inevitable in the second innings.Nothing is pre-ordained of course, and England travel with concerns of their own – not least the absence of the talismanic Ben Stokes, whose first Test appearance at his home ground in Durham should have been one of the major drawcards for a venue that has struggled to sell tickets for this fixture, and is thought to be preparing to host its sixth and final Test.Instead, Stokes is laid up in rehab following an operation for a cartilage tear in his left knee, a devastating blow for a player who tried to play through the pain after sustaining the problem while bowling in the first Test. Chris Woakes, fresh from a career-best haul of 9 for 36 for Warwickshire, is primed to step in as England’s designated allrounder – a first Test cap for the Nottinghamshire seamer Jake Ball must wait for another day.There are battles within battles to be played out in the coming days as well, not least the one taking place in Nick Compton’s mind. After a lean run of scores – 15, 26, 0, 19, 6 and 0 in his six most recent innings – Compton has admitted he is playing for his Test career. However, he’d do well to recall the circumstances of his most recent matchwinning effort – 85 and 49 on a dank seamer at Durban in December. Sri Lanka have rattled England’s top-order once already on this trip, so it needn’t be the last of the summer wine for Compo if he can channel once again that immoveable mindset.Although both teams start back at 0 for 0, with expectations duly recalibrated, it is still hard to envisage anything but another thumping England Test victory – they’ve never yet failed to win in five previous appearances at Chester-le-Street, including an Ashes-sealing 74-run triumph on their last appearance in 2013, a match that Stuart Broad was recalling with glee on Twitter during the build-up.And with good reason. Broad’s match figures on that occasion were a not-insubstantial 11 for 121, including 6 for 50 in a thrilling victory surge on the fourth and final afternoon. And therein lies the rub for Sri Lanka. When a team as inexperienced as their post-Sanga-and-Mahela line-up is pitched against a new-ball pairing with 781 Test wickets between them, you sense it will take something truly extraordinary to upset the status quo.Angelo Mathews strapped on plenty of layers for Sri Lanka’s net session at Chester-le-Street•PA PhotosForm guideEngland: WLWDW (last five completed matches, most recent first)

Sri Lanka: LLLWW
In the spotlightIf you stuck their names in a limerick, it would be hard to tell them apart, but – on recent Test form at least – Ben Stokes and Chris Woakes make a better rhyming couplet than a like-for-like pair of England allrounders. Where the former has gone from strength to strength – literally, in the case of his muscular double-hundred at Newlands in January – Woakes has struggled to live up to expectations at the highest level, notwithstanding the extra yard of pace that most observers agree he has added to his bowling since making his debut in the 2013 Ashes. A Test best of 26 not out in six Tests, allied to eight wickets at 63.75, are not auspicious numbers, but this could be the opportunity he has been waiting for. Chester-le-Street is the sort of venue that favours his style of accurate, skilful seam and swing – think of Richard Johnson’s 6 for 33 way back in 2003.There’s no two ways about it. If Sri Lanka are to have any realistic hope of competing in some of the most inclement conditions that they’ll ever face in their Test careers, they will need their skipper to front up with the bat. Angelo Mathews was a qualified success in the Headingley Test – insofar as his first-innings 34 was the highest score of that innings by a distance, and it could have been even more had he chosen to refer his lbw decision that replays showed had struck him outside the line. But he was powerless to prevent their meltdown second-time around, and from the moment of his dismissal – at 93 for 3 after 23.2 overs, Sri Lanka lost their last seven wickets for 26 runs in the space of 12.1 overs. He has previous in England – his matchwinning 160 in the second Test two years ago belongs in national folklore – but turning this tour around will be an even greater challengeTeams newsIn keeping with England’s new, positive outlook towards everything from declarations to follow-ons, Alastair Cook once again confirmed his team a full 24 hours in advance of the toss. In comes Woakes for Stokes, with Ball missing out, and up a notch on the batting card go Jonny Bairstow, the Man of the Match at Headingley, and Moeen Ali – whose form as a designated No. 8 has been ropey in recent times. Both have been given extra responsibility at 6 and 7 respectively, with Woakes slotting in as a very handy No.8.England 1 Alastair Cook (capt), 2 Alex Hales, 3 Nick Compton, 4 Joe Root, 5 James Vince, 6 Jonny Bairstow (wk), 7 Moeen Ali, 8 Chris Woakes, 9 Stuart Broad, 10 Steven Finn, 11 James AndersonChameera’s back injury opens the way for Suranga Lakmal’s recall, but aside from that, Sri Lanka are unlikely to make wholesale changes, not least because those who played at Headingley are now that little bit more acquainted with the conditions. Nevertheless, Milinda Siriwardana could challenge Lahiru Thirimanne for a middle-order berth. Despite Thirimanne’s experience on two previous tours, he has a grand total of 90 runs in eight previous Test innings in England, dating back to his debut at Southampton in June 2011.Sri Lanka (probable) 1 Dimuth Karunaratne, 2 Kaushal Silva, 3 Kusal Mendis, 4 Dinesh Chandimal (wk), 5 Angelo Mathews (capt), 6 Lahiru Thirimanne / Milinda Siriwardana, 7 Dasun Shanaka, 8 Rangana Herath, 9 Shaminda Eranga, 10 Nuwan Pradeep 11 Suranga LakmalPitch and conditionsChester-le-Street, the fiefdom of Graham Onions and Chris Rushworth, is no place to be a visiting batsman – even those that are used to English conditions. Remarkably, when Durham won the County Championship in 2013, they conceded a solitary batting point (ie, one first-innings score in excess of 200) in eight home games. And that’s just the conditions on the ground – throw in the misery overhead, and life gets even tougher. One local observer described the weather on the eve of the game as “minging”. Although it is expected to clear up just enough for the first three days of the game, another rain-band is expected to sweep in on Monday. If Headingley is anything to go by, that salvation may be scheduled too late.Stats and trivia Alastair Cook started the series needing 36 runs to become the 12th player – and first Englishman – to 10,000 in Tests. He still needs 20 more to get there, but he has a five-month cushion on Sachin Tendulkar, the previous youngest (at 31 years and ten months). Rangana Herath, who claimed two wickets in the first Test, needs one more to become the third Sri Lankan to 300 in Tests. Sri Lanka will be the fifth different team to play a Test at Chester-le-Street, after Zimbabwe, Bangladesh, West Indies (twice) and Australia. England have won three of their previous five matches by an innings.Quotes”He’s scored two hundreds already. So he can play at this level. Like all of us, he’s only a score away, and he needs a score, but he’s in a really good place to do that.”
Alastair Cook gives Nick Compton a boost ahead of what may be a make-or-break Test“That game was quite embarrassing. We have to flush it out of our system.”

Aston Villa return to action in the Premier League this afternoon as they travel away to the Molineux Stadium to face off against Wolverhampton Wanderers.

The Villans head into the match off the back of a 1-0 defeat to Manchester United, thanks to Bruno Fernandes' goal, last weekend, whilst their opponents were thrashed 6-0 by Brighton.

This means that both teams will be going into the game in search of a reaction to their previous outing but not every player who started the defeat at Old Trafford may line up today.

Will Bertrand Traore start against Wolves?

Unai Emery must finally unleash talented winger Bertrand Traore from the start against Julen Lopetegui's side as the forward has the quality to be a match-winner for Villa.

The £78k-per-week gem returned to the club in January after a loan spell with Basaksehir in Turkey and is yet to start his first Premier League match of the campaign.

Despite being restricted to seven appearances off the bench, Traore has contributed with two goals in the top-flight – scoring against Leicester and Nottingham Forest in successive matches last month.

The 27-year-old has proven his quality in the Premier League in the past. In the 2020/21 campaign, the wizard racked up seven goals and six assists in 29 starts in the division, which shows that the ability is there for him to deliver goals and assists on a semi-regular basis at this level.

Journalist Matt Maher lauded his winning goal against Leicester as "ridiculously brilliant" and dubbed the magician as "nonchalance personified", which provides an insight into the type of player Traore is.

He can go missing at times in matches but then has the technique to effortlessly produce a moment of magic to win a game, which is exactly what the ace did against the Foxes.

Jacob Ramsey could be the man to make way for the Burkina Faso international after putting in a disappointing performance against United last time out.

As per Sofascore, the forward lost ten of his 13 individual duels and failed to create a single chance or manage a shot without being blocked – recording the lowest rating on the pitch at 5.9.

The England under-21 international's disappointing display could see him dropped to the bench in favour of Traore coming into the side and moving out to the right flank.

This would allow him to utilise his ability to cut inside onto his favoured left foot to either trouble Jose Sa or deliver a cross for Ollie Watkins to attack.

Tottenham Hotspur are leading the race for RCD Mallorca attacking midfielder Kang-in Lee, who is also being targeted by Atletico Madrid, according to recent reports from Spain.

Which midfielders could Tottenham sign?

Tottenham are searching for a new attacking midfielder, and they are said to be leading the race for Leicester City's James Maddison, despite the fact they do not have a permanent manager, as ENIC are dead-set on signing the 26-year-old.

Manchester United loanee Marcel Sabitzer is also being monitored by Spurs for a potential summer move, having impressed since he arrived in the Premier League, and Bayern Munich would be willing to sanction his departure for £30m this summer.

The Lilywhites are assessing some other options who would be able to play in a more defensive role, with Manuel Ugarte said to be of interest amid his uncertain future at Sporting CP, while they are also ready to swoop for Fulham's Joao Palhinha.

According to a report from Mundo Deportivo (via Sport Witness), Tottenham are in pole position for Lee, having recently joined the chase for the attacking midfielder, although they will face competition from elsewhere.

Atletico Madrid are interested in signing the South Korean; however, Spurs hold a key advantage in the race for his signature, as unlike Atletico, they would not have to sell players in order to fund a move for the 22-year-old.

The Mallorca star has a release clause of €30m (£26.5m) included in his contract, but his current club could let him leave for a lower amount, and they would be willing to accept the inclusion of players as part of the deal.

Should Tottenham sign Kang-in Lee?

Hailed as "exquisite" by members of the media, the maestro is remarkable with the ball at his feet, ranking in the 99th percentile for successful take-ons per 90 in the past year, when compared to his positional peers, and in the 94th for progressive carries (as per FBref).

The South Korea international has recorded a solid five goals and five assists in La Liga this year, which is a respectable total given that Mallorca are a mid-table side, while he is extremely versatile having featured across the frontline.

Considering his current club would be willing to let him leave for less than £26.5m, Lee could be a very shrewd acquisition for Tottenham this summer, and they should continue to monitor his performances for the remainder of the season.

Newcastle United were linked with a move for Hugo Ekitike last summer and now a new update has emerged from a reliable source on the club's continued pursuit of the player.

What's the latest on Newcastle's interest in Huge Ekitike?

The Northern Echo's Chief Sports Writer Scott Wilson has claimed that Newcastle could look to rekindle their interest in the Paris Saint-Germain loanee this summer.

As per the report, the Magpies have been long-term admirers of the young centre-forward but, after a struggle to secure a deal, turned their attention to Alexander Isak last summer.

However, Newcastle could be set to reignite their interest in the player after it was revealed the player is unhappy with the Ligue One Champions due to a lack of game-time, although PSG do have an option to buy Ekitike for £25.5m from his parent club Stade de Reims this summer.

Will Newcastle sign Hugo Ekitike?

There is no doubt that after a taste of the success that could be achieved at the North East club this season, their Saudi billionaire owners will be willing to invest further to strengthen the squad to ensure they can continue their pursuit of trophies and dominance.

Eddie Howe and sporting director Dan Ashworth are likely to be backed heavily in the summer transfer window if the Magpies can secure Champions League football over their remaining eight games, allowing the manager to add depth in the most influential positions on the pitch.

Indeed, Alexander Isak and Callum Wilson have been thriving equally in front of goal over this season, however, the departure of Chris Wood in January has prompted an opportunity to further bolster the attacking threat, especially with Wilson a year into his 30s at this point too, so he won't be able to keep up this form forever.

As a result, the signing of Ekitike could be the perfect move for Howe to continue his development and rebuild of an already highly-competitive squad, to give them the very best chance of continuously competing within the top six and Europe too.

Despite only earning eight starts under the management of Christophe Galtier with PSG this season, the 20-year-old has scored three goals, registered three assists and created two big chances, as well as averaging 1.1 shots on goal per game, proving that he is taking full advantage of the few opportunities he gets in the team.

When Newcastle were in contention to sign Ekitike last summer, Ligue One journalist Lee Davey gave an insight on the striker's development over his breakthrough season in 2021/22:

"I really do feel that it could be one of the signings of the summer. I just hope that it works out for him because he’s a good lad, he’s a good kid, he’s got bags of talent, and I really think he’s going to bring a lot to the Newcastle team."

Over his first season in the Reims senior side, the goal-hungry forward found the net 11 times and delivered five assists in 27 appearances – with a goal contribution tallied up every 91 minutes played on average, proving that the potential is there for him to become a prolific goal-scorer and valuable asset if developed well.

With that being said, a move for Ekitike this summer could be a great opportunity for Howe to bring in another raw talent that can polish up his skills and develop into a player who can become Wilson's successor in years to come.

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag could green light the sale of Harry Maguire this summer, and he would be open to a move to the Serie A, according to a recent report from Manchester Evening News.

What's the latest Man United transfer news?

Ten Hag could be set for a rebuilding job this summer, with The Guardian reporting Jadon Sancho, Anthony Martial, Victor Lindelof and a plethora of other players could be allowed to leave Man United.

Reporter Ben Jacobs has recently told GiveMeSport that Sancho could be given some more time, as the manager still sees "potential" in the winger, while Maguire may also get one last chance to prove himself.

Owing to the Red Devils' lack of available centre-backs, journalist Dean Jones believes the defender could be handed a "lifeline" by proving himself over the coming weeks

However, if the 30-year-old is unable to kick on during the remainder of the campaign, Manchester Evening News report that Ten Hag could put him up for sale in the summer.

The player himself is said to be open to a move to the Serie A, having become the subject of interest for a number of Italian clubs, although they are all said to prefer a loan deal, given his £200k-per-week wages.

The same report also details that both Alex Telles and Brandon Williams are also set to be placed on the transfer list this summer, meaning there could be wholesale changes ahead of the 2023-24 season.

Should Man United let Harry Maguire leave?

The Englishman has impressed at times this season, with David De Gea hailing him as "fantastic" back in February, while he was also solid at the World Cup, averaging a 7.34 Sofascore match rating in Qatar, the third-highest of any England player.

That said, the 55-time England international has never managed to deliver consistently enough for Man United, having become more of a peripheral figure in the squad this season, making just 13 appearances in the Premier League.

Although he is not entirely culpable for United crashing out of the Europa League against Sevilla, the former Leicester City man made a sloppy error leading to the La Liga side's opening goal, which did his side no favours.

Maguire has had more than enough time to prove himself as a player worthy of captaining Manchester United, and he has been unable to deliver, so Ten Hag should undoubtedly sanction his departure this summer.