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Despite finishing as low as 15th in the Premier League last season and missing out on every European competition, Manchester United’s exciting summer transfer window could be set to continue amid reports that one target has made a shock U-turn.

Mbeumo set to undergo Man Utd medical

After submitting an offer in excess of £60m, Manchester United have taken a vital step closer to signing Mbeumo, who is now reportedly scheduled to undergo a medical at the club as early as next week. The Brentford forward, like Cunha, is a transformative signing for Ruben Amorim’s frontline which was often found wanting last season.

Ahead of the biggest move of his career yet, Mbeumo has already received the backing of Manchester United legend Gary Neville, who spoke about the impact that both he and Cunha could make at Old Trafford.

He told Sky Sports: “[Man United] need players who are going to come in and hit the ground running. United has become a very difficult place for new signings to operate in the last ten years.

“Cunha and Mbeumo have obviously got Premier League experience. They’ve got plenty of games under their belt. [English football] is not new to them and actually they are the right type.

Related INEOS exploring blockbuster £85m deal to sign Mbappe-level star for Man Utd

He’d be a bigger signing than Mbeumo.

Posts ByTom Cunningham Jun 27, 2025

“When I watch Manchester United wide players, they have to be able to get from box-to-box quickly. They have to be able to run, to travel with and without the ball. Mbeumo and, to be fair Cunha, can do that.”

Whilst the new attacking duo is no doubt impressive, INEOS may not be done there with incomings amid reports that one of their top targets has made a shock transfer U-turn.

Gyokeres now wants Man Utd move instead of Arsenal

In what could prove to be an almighty mistake, Arsenal’s increasing interest for Benjamin Sesko has re-opened the door for INEOS to make their best move yet at Old Trafford.

The Gunners have been chasing both strikers for weeks, laying groundwork and weighing their options, but according to The Mirror, INEOS and Manchester United are in contact to sign Viktor Gyokeres and the Swede now believes that a move to the Red Devils is his best option this summer.

The Swede’s departure from Sporting has become somewhat inevitable after his public spat with the Portuguese club and United should take full advantage of the forward’s desire to reunite with former boss Amorim.

The disagreement came to the fore when Sporting president Frederico Varandas accused Gyokeres’ agent of falsely claiming that there had been a gentleman’s agreement to sell the star striker for around £59m this summer. Instead, the Portuguese club have reportedly priced the Swede at as much as £86m – a price that his camp believe is too high to ensure a move in the coming months.

In today’s market though, Sporting may argue that a player who scored 54 goals in 52 games last season is worth every penny of that £86m fee. Whether Manchester United share that sentiment and sign a player who Sporting boss Rui Borges dubbed “phenomenal” remains to be seen, however.

He says Pakistan “should play the game the way” it is being played by other teams around the world

Sidharth Monga16-Jun-20242:55

Flower: ‘Pakistan underperformed, they were panicking’

Imad Wasim came out of retirement for the T20 World Cup 2024 only to become part of “the lowest point” Pakistan cricket has hit during his career, but hopes that something good comes out of the reflections that follow because “you can’t get any lower than this”. Imad has called for a total reset in the way Pakistan play white-ball cricket, especially the mindset and approach because a side that “used to rule T20 cricket” has fallen behind the rest of the world.”I’m giving my personal opinion so don’t make these the headlines,” he said at a press conference a day before their last league game against Ireland in Lauderhill. “It’s all your mindset. What mindset do you want to play the game with? You either play fire with fire, or you play your way. I personally believe that you should play fire with fire. And even if you lose, you can sit down and say to yourself that on that day we were not good enough.”The problem is our team is so good, our players are so good, that we are good enough to play any kind of cricket. We haven’t tried that but the thing is you have to try that, you have to get rid of the fear of failure. In everything – batting, bowling, fielding, you have to get rid of fear of failure. Personnel change doesn’t change anything, just changing the mindset can change a lot of things. The same ball can be hit for a six, a four, a single, and that same ball can take a wicket and be a dot ball.Related

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“We compete with the world’s best teams. Their mindset has changed over time. We used to rule in T20 cricket. I think we have moved back a little now. Maybe our mindset [needs a change] – in all three areas. I won’t say any one area. If you change the mind of the player, you can achieve things beyond your limits. I always believe in this. You can talk a lot, but it is what it is – today, we are out of the tournament and whatever happens in the next World Cup, whoever plays, however they play, I think if we go with the right approach, the results will be better for us.”One reason for the fear of failure could be the personal attacks that follow. Imad was told about reports that he was played despite not being fully fit. He was asked if he felt the team, but in particular he and Mohammad Amir, both of whom came out of retirement, felt they have not repaid the trust put in them. He was also asked if his comeback was limited to this World Cup alone, and if he was going to go back into retirement after the Ireland game on Sunday.Despite there being a sense of “too soon” to these questions, Imad answered them calmly. He rubbished the allegations around lack of fitness, said he had not yet thought of his plans after the World Cup, and also pointed out cricket is a team game and is not won or lost by individuals. He reminded people that they were more disappointed than them, and that they should not be disrespected.Imad Wasim came out of retirement for the T20 World Cup 2024•Getty Images”Me personally and our team, including me, are very disappointed and sad,” he said. “And the whole public is sad that we didn’t perform well and believes we are guilty. We are more disappointed than you are. This is our profession after all. But I would also like to say that we are human beings, we can make mistakes and we also get affected by these things.”Imad himself was a TV analyst when he had retired, and used to criticise his current team-mates. When asked to put that analyst hat on to review this performance, he suggested that that kind of dispassionate analysis was perhaps what was the need of the hour.”I have always talked about cricket [as an analyst],” Imad said. “I have never talked about players individually or body-shamed anyone or anything like that. Cricketers have to do their job and analyse the cricket. They have to tell you what is right and what is wrong without getting personal.”I think we should play the game the way world cricket is going. We should sort out the way we play the game, the way we should bring awareness, the way we should chase, the way we should approach the game…. We will sit and sort out our approach. Other teams also go out in early stages, but I don’t think Pakistan have exited this way. We are extremely disappointed.”But is it all about how you react after the fall? This is bad but who knows this could be big for Pakistan? We could revamp, revisit and start playing white-ball cricket the way it should be played.”

Leeds United are heading towards the opening of the summer transfer window on Sunday, and are preparing to build a squad that can compete in the Premier League next term.

Daniel Farke’s side will be competing in the top-flight in the 2025/26 campaign after they won the Championship title with a staggering 100 points, beating Plymouth Argyle 2-1 away from home on the final day of the season to clinch the trophy.

The Whites are now tasked with preparing a group to battle against relegation from the top-flight at the first time of asking, which is going to be incredibly difficult when you consider recent history.

Southampton, Ipswich, and Leicester were all relegated from the Premier League this season, after Sheffield United, Burnley, and Luton all went down the season before, all six of whom had just been promoted from the Championship.

This illustrates the size of the task at hand for Farke and his players heading into the upcoming campaign, which is why this summer transfer window is particularly important.

Leeds needs to ensure that they have a team that is good enough to compete week-in-week-out in the top-flight, and that is why Brenden Aaronson’s future in the starting XI should be in doubt.

Why Brenden Aaronson must be replaced

The USA international started 43 of his 46 appearances in the Championship as a regular starter under Farke in the number ten position, but he has not done enough to suggest that the step up to the Premier League will suit him.

Aaronson ended the season with a return of nine goals and two assists in those 46 outings in the second tier, which was a decent, but unspectacular, haul for the attacking midfielder.

His finishing left a lot to be desired throughout the season for Leeds, with nine goals from 11.43 xG, and this does not suggest that he is ruthless enough in front of goal to be an effective operator at the top end of the pitch in the top-flight.

Aaronson, of course, played for the Whites in their last season in the Premier League, under Jesse Marsch, Javi Gracia, and Sam Allardyce, and his lack of quality was on full display that year.

As you can see in the table above, the American flop was incredibly wasteful in front of goal, underperforming his xG by almost three goals, and was a liability out of possession, as opposition defenders dominated him in duels.

With this in mind, the former RB Salzburg star should not be guaranteed to keep his place as a starter when the Premier League season gets underway next season.

Instead, Leeds should attempt to replace him during the upcoming summer transfer window, which appears to be what they are aiming for with their latest target.

Leeds eyeing move for Championship star

According to Leeds United News, reporter Graeme Bailey claims that Leeds United are one of the teams interested in a deal to sign Jack Rudoni from Coventry City this summer.

The report claims that the Whites are keen on doing a deal for the English attacking midfielder in the coming weeks, as they eye up a move for the Championship sensation.

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It adds that the second tier champions are yet to make an enquiry about his availability, though, which suggests that any transfer is in the very early stages at this point.

Meanwhile, EFL Analysis claims that Sheffield United, Leicester City, and Southampton are also lining up moves for the Sky Blues attacking midfielder this summer, providing competition for his signature.

Leeds, though, could have an advantage over those three clubs because of their promotion to the Premier League, and they should use that to snap him up ahead of next season.

Why Leeds should sign Jack Rudoni

The Whites should swoop to sign Rudoni from the Championship side this summer because he could be way better than Aaronson for Farke in the top-flight.

Whilst the left-footed star is unproven in the Premier League, having yet to play there in his career, his performances in the Championship during the 2024/25 campaign suggest that he has more to offer to the team than the American lightweight does.

The former Huddersfield Town star, who was dubbed a “standout” by pundit Lee Hendrie, joined Coventry in the summer of 2024 and hit the ground running as an instant star for the club this term.

Rudoni only delivered five goals and three assists in 35 appearances for the Terriers in the 2023/24 Championship campaign, but the move to the Sky Blues helped to get the best out of him.

As you can see in the table above, the Coventry star delivered 21 goals and assists in 43 appearances for Frank Lampard’s side, ten more than Aaronson managed in three more appearances.

They scored the same number of goals, nine, but the EFL star managed that tally with an xG of just 7.49, which shows that he was far more efficient with the chances that came his way.

Rudoni, whose personality was described as “infectious” by Lampard, also created seven more ‘big chances’ and produced ten more assists, speaking to the kind of creative quality that he could provide Farke’s team with in the Premier League.

These statistics suggest that the Coventry magician could be way better than Aaronson for Leeds by coming in to deliver more quality as a finisher and a creator in an attacking midfield position.

This could give him a greater chance of being a success in the top-flight in comparison to the USA international, as he appears more likely to make an impact in the final third.

Orta wanted him: Leeds eyeing move for "very prolific" Piroe upgrade

Leeds United are eyeing a Joel Piroe upgrade who was previously wanted by Victor Orta.

1

By
Dan Emery

May 29, 2025

It is now down to the club to win the race for his services in a battle with the likes of Southampton, Sheffield United, and Leicester this summer.

The New Zealand quick chats about what inspired her to take up fast bowling, the tools of her trade, and its pitfalls

Sruthi Ravindranath22-Oct-2025Rosemary Mair always wanted to bowl fast. Watching Shane Bond tear through batting line-ups on TV as a kid, she was hooked by his raw pace and built her action in his image – high-arm, strong follow-through, with a fierce desire to attack the stumps.The inswinger became Mair’s signature. It’s been her go-to since the moment she decided fast bowling was her calling, and it’s served her well in clutch situations.In New Zealand’s 2024 T20 World Cup opener against India, Mair swung one in from outside off to trap Harmanpreet Kaur in front, one of four wickets that night. At this ODI World Cup, she opened her tournament tally by knocking off Bangladesh opener Sharmin Akter’s bails with one that nipped back in.Related

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“So when I’m bowling my best, I’m bowling fast and attacking the stumps, and then any movement off the wicket is a bonus,” Mair tells ESPNcricinfo.”The nipbacker off the seam is definitely my stock ball, but I’ve also been working on a bit of an outswinger to try and beat both sides of the bat, so yeah, obviously the inswinger is my danger ball, but it’s just [about] keeping the batters guessing as well. For myself, it’s always just how many times can I hit the top of the stumps and be really boring.”Mair has a clever change of pace too. It came in handy in the 2024 T20 World Cup final, as she removed the dangerous Nadine de Klerk with a slower ball wide outside off en route to figures of 3 for 25 and a title win.”The slower balls are more about when I bowl them rather than the actual skill [itself],” she says. “I think so far in this tournament, we haven’t had a lot of the death phase, so haven’t had to bowl too many slower balls. But it’s definitely in my armoury if needed.”Another set of stumps is rearranged by Mair’s trademark nip-backer•ICC/Getty ImagesLike many New Zealand players, Mair’s sporting life began with football and squash. Cricket came into the mix when she was seven, courtesy of three older brothers. She started out at Taradale Cricket Club, playing in boys’ teams until she was 13.”The boys started growing a bit faster… and the bowlers got a bit too quick,” she says. “When I kind of got to high school, it was when I started to focus on my cricket a lot. Having three older brothers, I just kind of went to the cricket nets and grew up playing boys cricket and then, it was just a natural progression in my family.”I think growing up playing with the boys, it made me competitive. I guess I had to better my game to be able to stay and keep up with the boys.”That competitive edge fast-tracked her rise. After debuting for Central Districts in 2014-15 and impressing over the years with her consistency, she earned her New Zealand call-up in 2019 following an impressive tour-game performance against India. A T20 World Cup debut came in 2020.But her career since has been stop-start, plagued by injuries. A shin injury ruled her out of a key England tour in 2021. She missed the 2023 T20 World Cup but forced her way back with strong Women’s Super Smash performances. Then came a back injury in early 2024 but she made it back just in time for the T20 World Cup that year. A side strain at the start of this World Cup kept her out of crucial matches against Australia and South Africa.But Mair knows that injuries come with the territory for a fast bowler. “I think for me especially, I’m not gifted physically with height or a fast bowler’s build, so it’s just keeping on top of things in the gym and especially when it’s so hot here, things like recovery and hydration.”Our head coach Ben Sawyer is also the fast-bowling coach, so during a tournament like this, it’s not [about] big technical changes [to keep injury away], it’s just maintaining your key points and making sure your technique is repeatable and not prone to injury.”Mair on Lea Tahuhu: ‘I think she really understands the players, she understands the pressure, so I’ve really been leaning on her this World Cup’•ICC/Getty ImagesThe best thing about New Zealand’s pace unit, for Mair, is the variety within it. And she leans heavily on one experienced head.”Lea Tahuhu has been a real idol for me,” Mair says. “She’s obviously played at a lot of World Cups and she’s one of the leading wicket-takers of all time in World Cups, so I think she really understands the players, she understands the pressure, so I’ve really been leaning on her this World Cup. But as a pace unit, we’ve learned a lot from each other during this World Cup.”Beyond India, and this ODI World Cup, Mair has her sights set on the next T20 World Cup in England in 2026, particularly because she believes the conditions will help her kind of bowling.”The last few World Cups have been in the subcontinent, so a bit of a different game plan for the seniors, but I’m really looking forward to England, the T20 World Cup next year. I think it’ll be a really high-scoring, powerful, fast kind of game, so I think as a fast bowler, I’m really excited to have a bit more pace and bounce.”Mair has also picked up new ideas from time spent in the WBBL, and from overseas players she’s shared dressing rooms with. “In New Zealand, you often work with the same coaches for a long time. So getting different perspectives on field settings or game plans has been a real eye-opener.”Back home, she’s seen the domestic game grow rapidly. “When I started at 15, the standard wasn’t great. But over the last ten years, especially the last three or four, the investment from New Zealand Cricket has been amazing. Playing on TV now, for young girls to see that, it’s just huge.”While her current focus in on her growth in the two white-ball formats, she hopes to play Test cricket someday; New Zealand haven’t played that format since 2004.”I’m a bit of a nuffy,” Mair says. “I love Test cricket. It would be amazing to play one day.”

India’s besieged leader is discovering how much scrutiny there is of every move made by every captain who goes up against Bazball

Alagappan Muthu01-Feb-20241:27

Manjrekar on the lack of runs from Gill and Iyer

It cannot be a pleasant experience, going up against Bazball.Pat Cummins was essentially eviscerated when he deployed a deep point in the first over of the Ashes in 2023.”I must admit I’m not a huge fan,” Ricky Ponting said.”It feels a bit un-Australian,” Alastair Cook said.”They have been the first to blink,” Eoin Morgan said.At times, it feels like there is more judgment lashed out in the course of a Bazball Test than in a whole season of Real Housewives.India are the ones being picked apart right now, in a way that they really haven’t been for more than a decade of playing on their own turf. The weight of all that history is falling on Rohit Sharma’s shoulders. He has now lost as many Tests at home as his predecessor, except his ledger says seven matches in charge. Virat Kohli’s says 31.

****

Jasprit Bumrah is getting serious reverse-swing.When he takes out Ben Duckett, India are asked to huddle up by their captain. A few moments previously they’d seen the big screen show that they’d made a mistake not going for DRS. Now it has been rectified. The batter who had been reprieved is gone. But Rohit wants to make sure his team seizes the opportunity. He refocuses them. The front of his trousers is stained red. He’s been the one taking care of the ball, keeping one side rough and the other shiny.Rohit Sharma got a lot right in Hyderabad, but the result amplified everything he got wrong•Associated PressAfter looking rather docile for 18 overs, India pick up two wickets in 2.1. It is their most electrifying passage of play and Rohit is a big part of it.He puts a lot of thought into his decisions. He keeps the field up to start the Test match and only after a few boundaries start flying does he ask for more cover. He tries to curb the threat of the sweep and reverse-sweep with in-out fields, having a man catching for the top edge and a man sweeping to stop the boundaries. He tries to enhance the threat of his two left-arm spinners and their natural variation by deploying them at the press box end, because the ball is keeping low from there. But he misses some stuff too.

****

R Ashwin is in the middle of a lovely spell. He bowls a maiden to Ben Stokes, working him around the crease by varying his flight. The over – the 31st – ends with a generously tossed-up ball that is defended confidently. The next one begins in similar fashion, except this ball dips on the left-hander, rags past his outside edge and nearly has him out stumped. England are still trailing by 36 runs. Stokes falls in the course of this unrelenting examination.In this six-over spell, Ashwin bowls 27 dots, concedes 10 runs off the bat, and produces a false shot once every 3.14 deliveries. Rohit takes him out of the attack.Perhaps he reasons that with two right-handers now at the crease – Ollie Pope and Ben Foakes – his left-arm spinners might have a better chance of pressing the advantage. Except that isn’t how it turns out.The tea break comes and goes and Rohit still doesn’t turn to the bowlers who have, thus far, looked the most likely to take a wicket – Ashwin and Bumrah. It brings back memories of the Boxing Day Test in Centurion, where on the second day he had opted for Shardul Thakur and Prasidh Krishna to start proceedings after lunch and they gave away 42 runs in eight overs.

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There is a line between being bold and being rash and Stokes somehow keeps moving it for England. He keeps faith in Tom Hartley, sinking overs into him, even when he’s being hit around the park, because he is going to have to bowl again and he isn’t going to get better hidden away in the outfield.Zak Crawley got the same unflinching support and he repaid it with a phenomenal 189 in the Ashes. There’s pride in Stokes’ voice when he discusses his openers now. A smile tugs at his lips almost as if he’s picturing it all in his head. “Balls that Zak plays on the front foot, Duckett plays on the back foot. So it’s very tough, I think, for bowlers to settle into a rhythm and settle into a line or length against those two.”Nearly every punt Ben Stokes took in Hyderabad came off•Associated PressIts blue-sky thinking. And it keeps coming off. Ahead of this tour, Stokes looked at one of England’s most prolific run-getters and went, nah, you’re my allrounder. “When Rooty [Joe Root] walked off with four-for [in Hyderabad] I did say to him, “see, I told ya I’d make a bowler out of ya.”When success plays out in those terms, a captain doing the little things right, like helping take care of the cricket ball, starts to fade into the background.

****

A lot of Rohit’s tenure, including in the white-ball formats, has been hampered by key players missing out due to injury. It was a point of such consternation that he brought it up when asked about a lack of ICC silverware when India were in the West Indies last year. He was annoyed that he didn’t have always have access to a full squad.Here, in this series, he’s been better at rolling with the punches. He’s everywhere at India’s first training session in Visakhapatnam. First, he’s batting. Then he peels his pads off and goes to study how the rest of his men are doing. He has a lot of time for Sarfaraz Khan and some last-minute advice for Yashasvi Jaiswal. He claps the bowlers on when they create opportunities. He doesn’t look like a guy who’s even the slightest bit unhappy with his situation.”After the [first] game, the atmosphere is absolutely relaxed,” KS Bharat says. “They just told us not to panic, which we are not. The instruction is very clear. It’s a long Test series, and we have played a lot of series like this in the past and we as individuals have to focus on good things and which we want to do in the coming games and everything is chill and relaxed. We are definitely looking to play good cricket as a team, that’s the message from the captain and the coach and we are very confident about it.”Stokes proved last week that a captain’s belief can sometimes be enough to compensate for his players’ inexperience. It could be Rohit’s turn this week.

He beat them with wrong’uns, length, dip, pace, and more to finish with 4-0-15-0

Karthik Krishnaswamy25-May-20221:46

Hardik: I relax and let Rashid do his magic

He took no wickets, and conceded no fours or sixes, so the chances are that highlights packages of Tuesday night’s Qualifier at Eden Gardens will include no footage of Rashid Khan bowling.But if you were there, and you watched him bowl, you’ll remember it for a long, long time.You’ll remember this ball to Jos Buttler in the ninth over of Rajasthan Royals’ innings. A legbreak that pitched on middle stump – or thereabouts – and beat the outside edge as Buttler prodded hurriedly from deep in his crease.Related

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Watching from the media box, it briefly seemed as if Buttler was bowled, but what initially looked like the bails lighting up turned out to be the metallic finish of Wriddhiman Saha’s keeping gloves glittering under the floodlights.Illusions upon illusions.It’s possible that Buttler had failed to pick the legbreak out of the hand and played for the wrong’un – a common enough occurrence against Rashid. But before that, he had been done for length, his feet immobilised by Rashid’s vicious overspin. The ball had dipped and landed significantly shorter than expected, and Buttler’s front foot, having shaped to stride forward, had ended up going nowhere.Against other wristspinners, batters can occasionally adjust when they are beaten in the air, and shift onto the back foot. At Rashid’s pace, it’s next to impossible.This was the second time in a row that Rashid had beaten Buttler’s outside edge. Then, in his next over, he turned a quick, fizzing wrong’un past the outside edge of the left-hand batter Devdutt Padikkal, for symmetry’s sake. Again, the batter’s feet were hypnotised into immobility.Ten other bowlers bowled on Tuesday night and finished with a combined economy rate of 10.23. Rashid bowled four overs and conceded just 15 runs. That’s 3.75 per over. While doing this, he was also beating the bat for fun.At his post-match press conference, Hardik Pandya, Gujarat Titans’ captain, put it simply when asked about Rashid’s impact. “When I give him the ball, I just relax and let him do his magic.”Rashid Khan conceded just 15 runs in his four overs•BCCIMagic, yes, but there’s more to it.When Rashid finishes a match with an absurdly low economy rate, it can sometimes feel as if batters give him too much respect. That they play into his hands in the effort to deny him wickets. But respect, in cricket as everywhere else, must be earned.Through the first half of Tuesday night’s match, this Eden Gardens pitch was grippy and two-paced, and with Rashid turning the ball both ways at pace, it was always going to be difficult to go after him unless he erred in length. Rashid simply refused to do that. When he wasn’t beating the bat, he was landing the ball on that typical Rashid length – slightly short of a traditional spinners’ good length, which makes both the lofted hit down the ground and the sweep risky propositions – while targeting the stumps or following the batters’ premeditated movements to deny them room.He was willing to let them take singles to his deep fielders via punches down the ground or clips and jabs to the square sweepers. If they wanted any more than that, they were going to have to take risks.Royals’ batters refused to do this, and you could see why. They had only six genuine batters, notwithstanding the contributions R Ashwin has made this season. Buttler was struggling for fluency, and was perhaps setting himself up for a tame dismissal if he decided to go after Rashid on this surface. And on this day, the outcome of seeing out Rashid’s overs was having both Buttler and Shimron Hetmyer at the crease when the last four overs began.Hetmyer didn’t last too long, but Buttler shrugged off his scratchy start, capitalised on a couple of lucky breaks, and tore into the fast bowlers at the finish. Having been on 39 off 38 at the end of the 16th over, he ransacked 50 off his last 18 balls.Royals finished with 188, and their captain Sanju Samson maintained at the post-match presentation that it was an excellent effort given how the pitch behaved in the first half of the match. That dew made conditions easier to bat in during the chase was beyond Royals’ control.It still came down to Titans needing 16 off the last over. How many more might they have needed had Rashid Khan not done his thing?

Cam Cannarella made his professional debut this week with the Miami Marlins Advanced A club the Beloit Sky Carp. Cannarella doubled twice in his first game with Beloit, but it was what he did in the field during his second game that made him go viral.

Beloit was playing the South Bend Cubs on Thursday when Rafael Morel, the brother of Tampa Bay Rays' utility player Christopher Morel, hit a fly ball to deep centerfield. Cannarella turned and ran towards the wall, making a Willie Mays-style over-the-head catch look way too easy for the second out of the inning.

If you're wondering why Cannarella didn't make a big deal about this catch, well, it's because he's done it before.

During the 2024 Super Regional round of the NCAA Tournament he made a game-saving over-the-head catch in extra innings that also drew Willie Mays comparisons.

It's been quite a summer for Cannarella, who played his final college game on June 1st against the University of Kentucky. Miami took him with the No. 43 pick in the draft a month ago and he just signed his contract on July 28th.

Now he's hitting doubles and making spectacular catches in the minor leagues.

As long as Major League Baseball has had Rookie of the Year awards, veteran players from outside traditional minor-league structures have been winning them.

The first was Brooklyn Dodgers first baseman Jackie Robinson, who took home top honors in 1947 in his age-28 season—with racism and World War II to blame for him not debuting earlier. Boston Braves center fielder Sam Jethroe was 33 in 1950; he'd been a longtime Negro League outfielder for the Cleveland Buckeyes. In 2000, Seattle Mariners pitcher Kazuhiro Sasaki was a 33-year-old NPB lifer.

At 26, Hyeseong Kim, the biggest riser of the past two weeks, is old in virtually no conventional sense. But he has managed to insert his name into the conversation with his younger, Western Hemisphere-trained counterparts. Welcome to this week's edition of MLB Rookie Watch.

American League1. Jacob Wilson, shortstop, Athletics

A ho-hum recent stretch (.237/.310/.316) in the past two weeks has diminished his numbers a bit, but put practically no dent in his formidable lead in this race. Consider, for instance, that he's still hitting .349—second in the AL to New York Yankees right fielder and designated hitter Aaron Judge—with a .390 on-base percentage and .493 slugging percentage. In no world should a rookie who plays in a minor-league ballpark lead the All-Star voting at baseball’s signature fielding position. That's how good Wilson is.

2. Carlos Narváez, catcher, Boston Red Sox

Narváez helped carry an up-and-down Red Sox team through the season's early months, and now Boston is returning the favor. Since June 9, Narvaez is slashing .226/.333/.355—but the Red Sox are 6–3 in games he's played. Offense notwithstanding, his defense is so strong that Carlton Fisk, Tony Peña and Jason Varitek could soon have company as Boston catchers to win Gold Gloves. He's quietly in a dead bWAR heat with Wilson at 2.3.

3. Noah Cameron, pitcher, Kansas City Royals

On June 10, he briefly threatened to become mortal, giving up six earned runs in a 10–2 loss to the Yankees. No matter: Cameron gamely rebounded with five shutout innings against the Athletics and a solid-if-not-spectacular outing against the San Diego Padres. Pitching is the order of the day for a Royals team looming just out of the AL playoff picture. Look for the 25-year-old changeup artist to continue starring for a plus rotation.

Honorable Mention

Shane Smith, pitcher, Chicago White Sox; Nick Kurtz, first baseman, Athletics; Jasson Domínguez, left fielder, New York Yankees

National League1. Drake Baldwin, catcher, Atlanta Braves

Copy and paste—Baldwin remains the king in the Senior Circuit despite modest numbers over the past two weeks. He did perform well in a high-profile rivalry sweep against the New York Mets, going 2-for-7 with two walks and driving in a pair of runs. That's the kind of series that can help Baldwin win the intangible political component of the voting, but the fickle Braves are doing him no favors. He continues to share dominion over the catching position with ex-All-Star Sean Murphy.

2. Hyeseong Kim, second baseman and center fielder, Los Angeles Dodgers

The May 3 debutant barely cleared the 75-plate-appearance threshold for this week's rankings (he has 83). In an admittedly small sample size, the 26-year-old has raked to the tune of a .372/.410/.538 slash line, two home runs and 12 RBIs. Those are wild numbers for a player whose primary calling card in the KBO League was defense, with four Golden Glove awards to his name in South Korea. He replaces Miami Marlins catcher Liam Hicks, whose numbers over the past two weeks have been a mixed bag.

3. Caleb Durbin, third basman, Milwaukee Brewers

Durbin takes the spot of Chicago Cubs third baseman Matt Shaw, who plays the same position on a better team with similar numbers. He's a fascinating player with an odd set of skills: defense (first among NL rookies in dWAR), the foggy art of clutch play (first among NL rookies in win probability added, mostly thanks to a walk-off home run earlier this month), and getting hit by pitches (first among all NL players). The former 14th-round pick out of St. Louis's brainy Washington University enjoyed a 5-for-13 series against the Minnesota Twins this weekend. Can he keep it up against the lowly Pittsburgh Pirates and Colorado Rockies?

Honorable Mention

Agustín Ramírez, catcher, Miami Marlins; Ben Casparius, pitcher, Los Angeles Dodgers

Real Madrid's crisis escalated on Sunday as Endrick was sent off from the bench during the defeat to Celta Vigo, sparking a furious reaction from his father. With the Brazilian forward starving for minutes under manager Xabi Alonso, his parent turned to the bible to find encouraging words for the teenager, intensifying rumours of a January loan exit just months before the World Cup.

Bernabéu boiling point: Red card from the sidelines

The atmosphere at the Santiago Bernabeu was already toxic as Celta Vigo raced into a 2-0 lead, but the frustration on the Real Madrid bench spilled over in spectacular fashion. Endrick, who had been left out of the starting XI yet again by Xabi Alonso, did not even need to step onto the pitch to make headlines. In the dying moments of the match, the Brazilian teenager was shown a straight red card by the referee for dissent, reportedly launching a verbal tirade at the fourth official as tempers flared.

It was the third dismissal of the night for Los Blancos, following red cards for Fran Garcia and Alvaro Carreras, but the striker's expulsion is symbolic of a deeper malaise. Having played fewer than 20 minutes of La Liga football under Alonso, the 19-year-old’s discipline snapped. The suspension will likely rule him out of the upcoming clashes, further alienating a player who was supposed to be the future of the club but currently finds himself as a spectator to their implosion.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportEndrick's father vents his fury

The fallout from the match was immediate, with the player's father, Douglas Ramos, taking to social media to defend his son and fire a not-so-subtle dig at the Madrid hierarchy. He posted a picture of his son sitting on the Madrid bench and cited a bible verse as encouragement for the 19-year-old. He wrote: "Matthew Chapter 23:12. And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be humbled; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted."

This "poisoned dart" appears squarely aimed at the management. It is not the first time the Brazilian's camp has hinted at dissatisfaction. Previously, he had accused Madrid of trying to "dim" the striker's spark. He wrote on social media: "I know, my son, how hard you work and how much you dedicate every minute of your day. I know everything you're capable of. You're a winner and you're showing everyone that you're a true warrior. Your star will continue to shine, even though some try to dim your light. I believe your future lies right there."

Frozen out by the manager

The relationship between the forward and his manager appears to be non-existent. Since taking over the reins, Alonso has largely ignored the Palmeiras academy graduate, preferring to utilise Kylian Mbappe centrally or even turning to academy product Gonzalo García as a backup option. The data is damning: the teenager has not started a single league game under the coach and has often been left warming the bench even when the team is chasing a game.

Tactically, the manager seems unconvinced by the youngster's discipline and positional play, favouring more versatile forwards who can drop deep. However, with the attack looking blunt against Celta, the decision to leave a prolific goalscorer unused – and then watch him get sent off for frustration – has raised serious questions about Alonso’s man-management. The "dimming of the light" quote suggests that the player believes this exclusion is personal rather than tactical, a dangerous narrative for a coach already under pressure.

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Getty Images SportWhat comes next?

With the situation becoming untenable, a January departure now looks inevitable. The red card may have been the final straw for both parties. Reports in France and Italy indicate that Lyon, Juventus, and even Manchester United are monitoring the situation closely, ready to offer a six-month loan deal.

For the player, a move is essential. With the 2026 World Cup on the horizon, he cannot afford to spend a season in the shadows. Real Madrid may be reluctant to weaken their squad depth given their injury crisis, but keeping an unhappy, suspended, and vocal teenager in a fracturing dressing room might be a luxury they can no longer afford.

Paris Saint-Germain loanee Randal Kolo Muani shone against his parent club with two goals and an assist, but his heroics ultimately counted for nothing as Tottenham slumped to a comprehensive 5-3 defeat at the reigning European champions. Spurs went ahead twice in the game. but were undone by some dismal defending as PSG scored five times and took home all three Champions League points.

Tottenham took a shock lead on 35 minutes with a well-worked goal. Archie Gray did well to get down the left flank and dig out a cross for Kolo Muani, who rose well to power a head back across goal and give Richarlison the simple task of nodding into an empty net.

The goal looked to have stunned the visitors, but they were back on level terms before the break. A corner in from the left was only cleared as far as Vitinha on the edge of the box, and the Portugal midfielder was not closed down quickly enough and smashed home a ferocious strike that flew past Guglielmo Vicario and in off the underside of the bar.

The two sides traded goals again at the start of the second half. Kolo Muani volleyed home from inside the penalty area after PSG failed to clear a corner, before Vitinha grabbed his second of the match three minutes later with a curling effort that beat Vicario. 

PSG then took control of the game, although they were given a helping hand by Spurs. Cristian Romero's ball to Pape Matar Sarr saw the midfielder gift possession away in a dangerous area, allowing Fabian Ruiz to sweep home and put the visitors in front for the first time. More disastrous defending allowed Willian Pacho to make it 4-2 from a corner, before Kolo Muani grabbed his second of the night after a rare poor moment from Vitinha.

However, the Portuguese had the last laugh by walking off with the match ball. Romero conceded a penalty for handball as he tried to block a shot, allowing Vitinha the simple task of completing his hat-trick from the penalty spot. PSG were reduced to 10 men in added time when Lucas Hernandez elbowed Xavi Simons in the face, but it was too late for Spurs to capitalise on this advantage.

GOAL rates Tottenham's players from Parc des Princes…

AFPGoalkeeper & Defence

Guglielmo Vicario (6/10):

Conceded five goals but couldn't do anything about Vitinha's first two strikes and was let down by his team-mates for the other three

Pedro Porro(6/10):

Put some great deliveries into the box going forwards and kept Barcola fairly quiet but, like the rest of the Spurs defence, was guilty of some poor moments after the break.

Cristian Romero (4/10):

Sloppy second half from the captain. Put Sarr in trouble for the third goal that saw PSG finally take the lead and gave away the penalty for the fifth.

Micky van de Ven(6/10):

The pick of the bunch when it comes to Tottenham's defence, but that's not saying much.

Djed Spence (5/10):

Came up against Kvaratskhelia and did a good job in the first half, though did have a few lazy moments after the break.

AdvertisementAFPMidfield

Rodrigo Bentancur (6/10):

Should have blocked Vitinha's shot for PSG's second goal but seemed to move out of the away and could only watch in dismay as it flew past Vicario. Made amends somewhat by robbing Vitinha and finding Kolo Muani for Spurs' third.

Archie Gray (7/10):

Put in a strong display and covered so much ground. Played a key role in two of Tottenham's goals and showed why he should be playing more.

Lucas Bergvall (7/10):

Back in the team and made a real difference. His flair and quality on the ball has been badly missed and he was excellent, particularly in the first half.

Pape Matar Sarr (4/10):

Disastrous second half from the midfielder. Caught in possession just outside the box for PSG's third goal and failed to clear the ball as the hosts made it 4-2.

AFPAttack

Richarlison (7/10):

Nodded home an easy finish from two yards for his third goal in three games. Also played a big part in the second goal, heading the corner back across goal and causing panic in the PSG defence.

Randal Kolo Muani (8/10):

Showed up against his parent club with two goals and assist. Teed up Richarlison with a great jump and header and then reacted quickly to fire home the second. Made Vitinha pay for a poor moment with Tottenham's third of the night.

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AFPSubs & Manager

Joao Palhinha  (6/10):

Brought on to freshen the team up but the game was already gone.

Mohammed Kudus (6/10):

Also arrived too late to make an impact.

Destiny Udogie (N/A):

A late sub who contributed little.

Xavi Simons (N/A):

A few lively moments after arriving late in the day. Also took a painful-looking elbow to the face that saw Hernandez sent off in stoppage time.

Wilson Odobert (N/A):

Didn't see much of the game as a late sub.

Thomas Frank (6/10):

Made five changes to his team from the dismal derby defeat to Arsenal and saw his team give it a good go. Twice Spurs went in front, but they were left down by some really poor defending which will be a major source of frustration for the boss.