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It’s all change at Manchester United so far this summer, with Matheus Cunha signed, Bryan Mbeumo seemingly on his way and now one struggling striker increasingly likely to depart the club.

Man Utd commence attacking overhaul

Starting by triggering Cunha’s £63m release clause, Manchester United’s attacking overhaul is officially underway. The Brazilian is set to hand Ruben Amorim an instant upgrade in his frontline and could slot straight into one of the two attacking midfield roles in his 3-4-2-1 system. He’s unlikely to be the only fresh face in United’s frontline too.

The Red Devils are also pushing to sign Mbeumo from Brentford with reports going as far as to suggest that they’re willing to offer the talented forward a £13m-a-year salary to join. All of a sudden, from a blunt frontline, Amorim could have two options at his disposal who scored over 15 Premier League goals each last season and two options who should finally push United away from the bottom half next season.

Both have earned plenty of praise in recent weeks as they potentially prepare to combine at Old Trafford and that includes from Manchester United legend Gary Neville, who told Sky Sports: “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.

“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.”

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He won six Premier League titles at Manchester City.

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What those arrivals will mean for one player, however, is a likely departure away from Old Trafford to bring an end to what has been a nightmare spell at the Theatre of Dreams.

Hojlund gives green light to Inter Milan move

According to Saturday’s print edition of Corriere Dello Sport, as relayed by TeamTalk, Rasmus Hojlund has now given the green light to Inter Milan, who are closing in on sealing the Dane’s signature in a €40-45m (£33-£38m) deal.

The struggling forward has looked desperate for a fresh start for at least a year, as have several others in a Manchester United shirt. Unlike some around him, however, Hojlund is seemingly set to get his wish courtesy of Inter Milan.

Rasmus Hojlund at Man Utd

Record (via Transfermarkt)

Appearances

95

Goals

26

Assists

6

After scoring 26 goals and creating another six in 95 appearances across the last two years, to say that Hojlund has far from lived up to his £72m price tag would be a major understatement. Many expected the Dane to lead United’s frontline for years to come. As it happens, though, he may have lasted just two years before moving back to Italy.

Given that the struggling forward earns a reported £85,000-a-week at the club, INEOS should be keen to clear his salary from their wage bill to make room for the likes of Cunha and Mbeumo this summer.

With promotion and League One title glory well within their grasp, Birmingham City have now reportedly turned their focus towards securing a bargain deal to sign a defensive addition this summer.

Birmingham strolling towards promotion

With games in hand on second place Wrexham, Birmingham sit clear at the top of League One and look unlikely to ease their hold on the top of the tree anytime soon. With just a handful of games left to play, the Blues are also on course to secure early promotion above third place Wycombe and could even seal their Championship spot as early as April 18 when they square off against the struggling Crawley Town.

Left delighted with his side’s most recent victory against Barnsley, watching on as they soared to a 6-2 win, manager Chris Davies told reporters: “It was a big three points. To score six goals at home and win 6-2 is a wonderful day for us.

“I thought were good throughout, we had to be patient when they went down to ten men but to score six in front of the home fans is brilliant. Against ten men, it’s a mental game. You can think it’s going to be easy, but it doesn’t work like that.

“To get a sucker punch after we score, with a long throw, that frustration can build so it was really important for me at half-time that I calmed the players down and made them see the game quite clearly and what we needed to do, the positions we needed to get into and how to attack them relentlessly. If we did that, we would score the goals to win the match and we did.”

That victory only strengthened their stride towards promotion and securing an early place should only benefit Birmingham as they go in pursuit of one particular summer bargain.

Birmingham plotting bargain Harry Darling deal

According ton Wales Online, Birmingham are now plotting a move to sign Harry Darling on a free deal once his current contract comes to an end at Swansea City this summer. The defender does reportedly have an offer on the table from the Championship side but is yet to put pen to paper on an extension – opening the door for his exit in the coming months.

That said, the Blues aren’t the only side reportedly interested, with Premier League hopefuls Sheffield United also linked to the Swansea contract rebel as the summer transfer window approaches.

The interest in the 25-year-old centre-back should come as no surprise either. Former Swansea manager Luke Williams is just one of few to praise Darling in recent months, telling reporters following a hard-fought draw against West Bromwich Albion in January: “Harry was outstanding, and it is impossible to question his commitment to the football club because that an heroic performance from him.

“He is fantastic at defending the goal, competing for everything with the opposition. But he also had plenty of brilliant actions in helping us to build-up to try and score. He was brilliant, he’s an excellent player.”

Pakistan hardly put on a clinic against Bangladesh, but the universe, it seems, can’t prevent the contest this competition has been destined for

Danyal Rasool26-Sep-20252:24

Aaron: Pakistan found right ‘mixture of calm and emotion’

Shaheen Shah Afridi is apparently a low-value wicket. So low-value, in fact, that Pakistan didn’t even use him with the bat against India last Sunday, which is objectively a high-value match. So low-value that even Bangladesh – impeccable in the field until then – appeared to momentarily forget it was still a wicket worth taking, and put down two fairly straightforward chances Afridi offered up. He had said on Tuesday after Pakistan’s victory over Sri Lanka he was willing to “give his life” for Pakistan, but no one seemed to take him seriously.But there hadn’t been much value from the batters Pakistan do set store by either. Within the first ten balls of the innings, Sahibzada Farhan had sliced Taskin to the backward-point fielder, and Saim Ayub had got his fourth Asia Cup duck after a heady two-game streak of getting off the mark.At this point, Hasan Ali had sprinted up to the middle – not, mercifully, to bat, though with Pakistan sticking and twisting with their order all tournament, you never could be too certain. He gave Fakhar Zaman a drink, and a message, as if Pakistan’s Plan B specifically covered being 5 for 2 inside ten deliveries.Related

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It’s unclear what Hasan said, though it didn’t seem to have helped Fakhar’s game much. He would spent his brief, tortured stay at the crease trying to charge Bangladesh’s quicks, his wild hacks connecting only with the desert air. By the time Rishad Hossain came to bowl after the powerplay, the 35-year-old was like the old family faithful that had fought to the very end, and had earned the right to give up. A weary slog off his 20th ball found long-off; his 100th T20I innings would also be his slowest in games where he had faced at least that many balls. The end of the powerplay had seen 24 dot balls, by that stage the highest for any side all tournament.When the innings’ halfway stage arrived, a bedraggled Pakistan had limped to 46 for 4, half of what they managed against India in their last game at this venue, and for the loss of three further wickets. Four days on from the perfect start to the one game Pakistan want to win most, the worst of Pakistan reared its head in the game they had viewed as a stepping stone to one last crack at beating India.

****

It is said in football that the most dangerous situation is a two-goal lead, even though every side wants to get themselves in that position. That is perhaps because momentum, or the perception of it, feels like it plays an outsized role in a sporting contest, like a tug of war contest where the exact position of each line doesn’t matter so much as the direction of travel.With Pakistan 51 for 5 after 11 overs, Bangladesh are ascendant; that wouldn’t have changed even if Nurul Hasan’s little goose-step to the left had been timed well enough to allow the ball to stick in his hand. But it doesn’t. Three balls later, another primitive smear from Afridi flies up into the Ring of Fire lights. Mahedi Hasan puts it down again. Within a couple of overs, Afridi has connected with two balls that are sent sailing out of Dubai. That two-goal lead doesn’t seem quite as secure anymore.1:49

Wahab: Additional pressure on India in the final

“We’ve won a lot of games in the last few months where we were far from owning the whole 40 overs,” coach Mike Hesson said after the game. “We had to fight back. But what I can say about this team is they are incredibly proud to represent Pakistan. Every single one had belief we could fight our way out of it. That’s what you want in a team representing your country. We’re incredibly proud of the way we fought. We don’t want to be 4 for 33 all the time, I assure you that. But the fact we can win games from that position shows the character in the group.”That belief may also have to do with Pakistan’s addiction to these situations. Hesson would say after the game that Bangladesh had prevented Pakistan from playing the perfect match, but Pakistan’s ultimate yearning has always been for chaotic glory, not structured success. High on their own supply of fateful triumphs past, Pakistan strut their way around the remainder of the innings in a manner that belies the position they are in, or the circuitous route they took to get here. This is merely the latest turn for Pakistan in a tournament that has taken on a sense of inevitable destiny for them.That is a force much too powerful for Bangladesh to resist, who will wistfully look back at the last three quarters of the game, and how they allowed themselves to be background characters in Pakistan’s madcap adventure. Hesson’s tactic of eschewing specialist fast bowling to squeeze every last bit of batting into Pakistan’s side always felt like a tactic in search of a situation, but as Pakistan closed out their innings, you imagined this was the kind of game he kept envisioning: nos. 6-9 score a combined 89 in 60 balls, the final nine overs producing 84, the second-highest in the Super Fours so far.Bangladesh supporters outnumber Pakistan’s by at least three to one, so the noise in the stands is a verdict of Bangladesh’s position in the game. As the scorching heat of Dubai relents, more seats are gobbled up. But the voices seem to go even quieter.3:15

Why do Bangladesh struggle in pressure situations?

The four sixes Bangladesh hit in the powerplay belie the leaden timidity they display for much of it. When the fielding restrictions are lifted, they have already outdone Pakistan’s tournament-high dot-ball count; they have played 25. The required rate is soon climbing, and the moment has overtaken them. While Pakistan can grow into these situations, Bangladesh have historically shrunk from them. It is the perfect cocktail to turn them into fodder for Pakistan’s juggernaut.There is no sense, even in that passage of dominance, that Pakistan are putting on any kind of clinic. Even with victory virtually guaranteed, there are moments of comic Pakistan frenzy. Haris Rauf over-exerts himself in the 18th over, falling to his knees in the delivery stride. He will not get up for six minutes as he receives extended treatment. But when he does, he’ll send the bails flying twice in the next three balls.With Bangladesh down to their last pair, Pakistan let them get uncomfortably close, dropping a catch before conceding 21 in ten balls. It leaves the chase a mathematical possibility right down to the last two deliveries. But the universe, it seems, simply cannot hold back the contest this competition was probably created to deliver as frequently as possible.An India vs Pakistan final may have been divinely ordained, but it needed Pakistan at its flawed, human best to take the tournament to that point. There may have been plenty lost in Pakistan cricket over the years, but as the small pocket of supporters who stayed back to dance to “Dil Dil Pakistan” on a muggy Dubai night reminded you, it is still anything but low-value.

The team lived down to expectations and now face the usual cycle of politicking and recriminations

Andrew Fidel Fernando09-Nov-20232:35

Maharoof: Sri Lanka’s batting has been a massive letdown

At no point in their final league match, against New Zealand in Bengaluru, did Sri Lanka seem like they could win it. At no point across this World Cup campaign have they seemed like serious contenders.It used to be true of Sri Lanka that they would frequently be under-rated ahead of major tournaments. In the years in which Lasith Malinga and Nuwan Kulasekara formed the core of one of smartest attacks in white-ball cricket, theirs was the team that carved joyous arcs through the competition – Kumar Sangakkara its run-scoring engine room, TM Dilshan and Mahela Jayawardene the batters who provided the high notes, Angelo Mathews a force in the lower-middle order.Related

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So much has passed in Sri Lanka cricket since then that those days feel like they were several lifetimes ago. In any case, this team arrived in India with expectations already low; the shellacking they had received at India’s hands in the Asia Cup final having sent what hopes there had been into a nosedive. And yet, they have still found ways to underwhelm, losing to teams they have never lost to in World Cups before, crashing to seven defeats in nine games.Unlike say for England, the reasons for whose unraveling takes a little investigation, Sri Lanka’s woes are more obvious. In no particular order: The top order has been fragile, with only two batters averaging more than 35. They have struggled to get middle-overs wickets, averaging 51.65 between the 11th and 40th overs, while conceding 6.19 runs per over; Maheesh Theekshana’s lack of penetration playing a serious part. They have been thin on death-overs firepower (a long-standing problem made more acute by the absence of Wanindu Hasaranga). They have dropped more catches than almost any other team this tournament, their completed catch percentage down at 70.21% – the worst for any team. They have had a rough time of injuries (but then when does a Sri Lanka team not?)As the men’s team slid to another deflating defeat, the news cycle at home was aflame with every kind of opinion, voiced chiefly by politicians. There were suggestions of pro-India conspiracies, opinions about how this team was being led, players that should be scoring more runs or taking wickets, selectors accused of favouritism.While a parliamentary session abounded with loud and emphatic evidence that Sri Lankan politicians know very little about cricket, there was also a reminder that this does not stop them from intruding on the sport. On Monday the sports minister sacked the entire cricket board and installed an interim committee led by Arjuna Ranatunga, yes, but which also contained two sons of politicians, with no known cricket or administrative experience. One day later, this committee was struck down by the courts, and the old board reinstated.For these kinds of people, Sri Lanka’s on-field losses serve only as opportunities to gain political capital. The same crowd has been jockeying for position for decades, board members forever in the laps of politicians, politicians making hugely publicised “interventions” when they feel the national mood will tolerate it.New ideas? A taking stock of global standards and a sober restructuring of domestic cricket to bridge skills gaps? A long-term strategy to spread the game more meaningfully in a country in which you basically have to live in Colombo to play senior cricket? These are topics frequently ignored in favour of self-serving speeches and comments.A tenth-wicket stand of 43 was Sri Lanka’s best of the innings against New Zealand•Associated PressSome have long said that we are witnessing the slow death of a once-great cricketing nation. The men’s team has not, after all, made a single ICC tournament semi-final since 2014, up to which point they had been a dynamic and steadfast presence in the knockouts.But to begin printing eulogies is also glib, because Sri Lankan cricket is not without signs of periodic regeneration. In this tournament, Dilshan Madushanka has broken out, as has Sadeera Samarawickrama and, to some extent, Pathum Nissanka. Between these three, plus the likes of Kusal Mendis, Hasaranga, Theekshana and Dunith Wellalage, Sri Lanka have the core of a team that could play one more ODI World Cup cycle, maybe two.More broadly, the women’s team has had its best year ever in 2023. An aging Chamari Athapaththu still carries them, but team-mates have begun to support her more readily.But we are in an era in which Sri Lanka fans have begun to subsist on the meagrest positives. A magic ball there, a spectacular innings here, a furious chase two months later. A couple of young players coming through, even though the team is failing. It’s not just the men’s team that is failing to match the excellence it once embodied; everyone’s standards have fallen.What it is that Sri Lankan cricket needs has been detailed on these pages on many occasions, the first and most important of which is a complete restructuring of domestic cricket, and far greater investment into the domestic game.What Sri Lanka is getting instead is a parliament that has lost the faith of its public (as polls have said outright and last year’s mass protests strongly suggested) quarreling over the running of SLC, which is an institution that inspires even less faith. Who will emerge in charge of SLC over the next few weeks remains to be seen. Right now, it is all a whirl.But the country’s cricket has been through enough cycles of this now, and it is difficult to be hopeful about meaningful change. The men’s team has just wrapped up its worst World Cup campaign of Sri Lanka’s professional era. But then they were never expected to make the semis anyway.

Struggles in seaming conditions in 2021 pay dividends as England let the moment slip

Andrew Miller14-Jan-2022Rumour has it that in the 2021 County Championship season, Marnus Labuschagne and Travis Head were among the Australia overseas pros in a WhatsApp group named “Stevo’s gonna get ya”. The group was named in honour of Darren Stevens, the Grand Old Man of Kent, and sure enough, he frequently did, his ageless wobblers giving both men grief en route to a haul of 39 wickets at 18.58 at the age of 45.Twice in the space of a month, Labuschagne fell to Stevens in identical fashion: lbw for 11 on a Cardiff greentop in April on the eve of his birthday to boot, and lbw for 11 in a rain-wrecked rematch in Canterbury in May. In between whiles, Head was bowled for 20 in their solitary match-up in Hove.Ollie Robinson played in that latter game too, reeling off the impressive figures of 18-4-29-3 as Kent were rolled over for 145 in the first innings; so too Zak Crawley, whose criticism of county pitches made headlines on the eve of this Test. Whatever the vagaries on display in Sussex that week, he transcended most of them in making 85 from 144 in Kent’s second innings.And so too, in an extraordinary second-hour onslaught in Hobart did Labuschagne and Head, as they ripped the initiative back from a rampant England team in Ashes conditions that might have been spirited directly from the sort of Division Two tussle that is getting such a bad rap at present.For the first hour of this contest, delayed by a band of cold, polar-originating rain that might as well have been hovering over Old Trafford in 1997 or Trent Bridge in 2015, it was as if the 2023 Ashes had arrived a Test too soon. It could not have been further removed from the sort of sun-baked moonscape that England have invariably been routed on in Perth, the original venue for this contest. This surface was actually under water two weeks ago – New Road, eat your heart out.Shane Warne has barely let up about Robinson’s lack of pace throughout this series, but when the ball is offering up 1.2 degrees of seam movement – almost twice as much as on any other surface all summer – good areas are really all that matters, as Stevo’s latest contract extension will amply attest.And so it proved, as Robinson chugged to the crease with that cloud-snagging delivery point, dropping the ball on a perfectly full length – closing his eyes and whanging it down, as Matthew Hoggard used to say of his most productive spells, when the ball is on a string and the methods that you have honed over so many seasons are just surging to the surface.Travis Head helped Australia claim a share of the morning honours•Getty ImagesAt the other end, battle was rejoined between Stuart Broad and David Warner – the version of the battle that Broad had won so unequivocally with seven dismissals in the 2019 series, and which England had chosen not to rejoin at the outset of the series at the Gabba.The what-ifs abounded as Warner was pinned down for the longest duck of his career – tormented as ever by Broad’s around-the-wicket line but finally snagging Robinson’s angle across his bows to depart for his fifth Ashes zero, his first on home soil. Steven Smith then managed just two balls before snapping his trapdoor down late on an off-stump lifter, as inexorable as Mike Atherton succumbing once again to Glenn McGrath’s half-a-bat’s-width of movement.And in between whiles, Robinson should have made it three ducks for Australia’s three kingpins, only for Crawley’s spill at slip to add to Labuschagne’s burgeoning tally of reprieves in this series.And just like that, it was as if Labuschagne and Head had chosen to own all those indignities in English conditions, and throw them straight back at their suddenly emboldened opponents. Labuschagne in particular played an extraordinary innings – and though it ended in extraordinary fashion, bowled around the legs and floored in the same movement by a Broad straight ball – the punches he threw in his 53-ball stay were critical and initiative-seizing.In particular, he climbed into the man who has caused him more bother than anyone else in his Test career. “I’m ready for you, Woody,” Labuschagne was heard to say through the stump mic, as Mark Wood entered the attack for the final over before drinks.In terms of match-ups, Wood was the right man for the moment, having claimed Labuschagne’s wicket three times in as many innings of late; but in terms of the conditions, his skiddy pace slipped all too greasily off the deck and into the middle of an eagerly flung bat. Labuschagne greeted Wood with a sublime fifth-ball flick off the pads, then he and Head combined with a brace of boundaries to take 11 runs from his second over, and suddenly the mood had changed.A penny for James Anderson’s thoughts as he sat in the dressing room, filling out the crossword. He has spent 15 years traipsing around Australia, burgling his wickets through discipline, hard toil and an ability to seize on even the most fractional assistance on a litany of soul-sapping decks.Now he was sitting out of a contest that could not have been more tailor-made for his methods. You might have assumed Chris Woakes would be a handy understudy – his haul of 94 wickets in 25 home Tests has come at a better average of 22.63 than even Broad and Anderson. But Woakes’ first ball was a nervy half-volley, duly slammed away, as if his toothless displays at the sharp end of the series had drained him of any residual belief.And so Australia recovered from 12 for 3 after ten overs to 85 for 4 after 24 – hardly a position of authority by the standards of the series already gone, but more than just a toe-hold in the sort of circumstances that England, with their experience of such bowler-friendly combat, really should have had the weapons to boss from first ball to last.And the fact that Labuschagne and Head were able to claim a share of the morning honours suggests that that WhatsApp group may have had more value than mere banter exchange.

MatériaMais Notícias

Com cinco gols nos últimos seis jogos do Corinthians, Yuri Alberto superou cobranças da torcida e um atrito com Mano Menezes e, através da terapia, retomou a boa fase no clube. Um dos primeiros atos de Augusto Melo na presidência do Timão foi contratar Anahy Couto, psicóloga que estava no São Paulo.

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➡️ Siga o Lance! no WhatsApp e acompanhe em tempo real as principais notícias do esporte

Yuri Alberto explicou que o acompanhamento psicológico começou na semana anterior ao duelo contra o São Bernardo, no qual Mano Menezes chamou o centroavante de “burro” durante a partida. O camisa 9 trata o episódio como página virada e não guarda mágoas contra o ex-treinador.

– Não, na verdade começou naquela semana e, em seguida veio o jogo. Não julgo ele ali, me explicou ali no momento pelo lance e tal. E tive uma atitude burra, mas ele foi infeliz na fala dele. Nossa relação era muito boa aqui durante os treinos e os jogos. Até no ano passado, quando meu momento não estava tão bom, ele tinha um carinho por mim de querer me ajudar muito. Mas infelizmente as coisas não ocorreram bem nos últimos jogos desse ano – disse o centroavante ao ge.

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➡️Brasileiro Feminino: coloque R$50 no Lance! Betting e leve mais de R$350 se o Fla vencer as Brabas!

Além da terapia, António Oliveira também tem papel fundamental na volta por cima de Yuri Alberto. Ambos trabalharam juntos no Santos, em 2020, e o camisa 9 destacou como o treinador português o ajuda a chegar menos pressionado dentro de campo.

– Estou muito leve, cara, sabe? Querendo não só agradar todo mundo, mas me agradar também. Foco em estar no meu melhor momento, respeitando as decisões que quero tomar dentro de campo e com leveza, sabe? Mas também com a responsabilidade que a camisa 9 do Corinthians tem. O António tem passado muita confiança também, e isso me ajuda bastante. Hoje eu brinco: “António, eu mato e morro por você” – disse.

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➡️ Veja tabela com datas e horários da Sul-Americana

Yuri Alberto deve ser titular na partida contra o Racing (URU), pela primeira rodada da fase de grupos da Copa Sul-Americana, no dia 2 de abril.

Tudo sobre

CorinthiansMano MenezesYuri Alberto

RB Leipzig chief Oliver Mintzlaff has admitted that Timo Werner is "not an easy person" to manage, revealing that all of his previous coaches have struggled with the striker. However, he defended the forward's character amid his current exile under new manager Ole Werner, while the former Chelsea man reportedly eyes a move to MLS to join Inter Miami.

• Mintzlaff offers blunt assessment

  Werner finds himself completely frozen out of the first-team picture this season. The striker, who remains the club's all-time leading goalscorer, has failed to secure any significant minutes in the current campaign, leading to intense speculation regarding his future. Amidst this backdrop, Oliver Mintzlaff, the CEO of Corporate Projects and Investments at Red Bull, has offered a candid insight into the player's personality and his standing within the club.

  Speaking to the , Mintzlaff addressed the awkward situation surrounding the 29-year-old. While expressing sympathy for Werner's lack of game time, the club chief conceded that the forward requires a specific type of management that can be taxing for the coaching staff. He admitted that even the managers who extracted the best football from Werner found him difficult to handle at times.

  "I have a special, close, and good relationship with Timo Werner. Therefore, I'm probably not entirely objective," Mintzlaff stated. "I would have thought there might have been a way to give him a few minutes, especially since he had a decent preseason. But that's the coach's decision, that's what performance decides.

  "Timo Werner is certainly not an easy person, undoubtedly not an easy character, but an extremely fine guy to whom we owe a great deal. Every coach has had his problems with Timo Werner, whether Ralf Rangnick or Julian Nagelsmann, but they've all played him."

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• AFP
  

  Struggles under Ole Werner

  While Rangnick and Nagelsmann navigated the complexities of Timo Werner's character to unlock his prolific goal-scoring ability, current head coach Ole Werner has seemingly decided that the output no longer justifies the effort. Since taking charge in the summer, the new manager has been ruthless in his team selection, leaving the club legend watching from the sidelines.

  The 2025-26 campaign has been particularly brutal for the former Chelsea forward. Despite being fit and available, he has played just one minute of competitive football this term, watching on as Leipzig compete in the Bundesliga and the Champions League. The "decent preseason" alluded to by Mintzlaff has not translated into competitive opportunities, signalling a complete breakdown in trust between the player and the current technical staff. It is a far cry from his first spell at the club, where his electric pace and finishing made him one of the most feared attackers in European football.

• Failed MLS move and the Messi dream

  Werner's isolation has inevitably led to him seeking an exit route, a process that began in earnest during the summer transfer window. It has been reported that the striker is keen to leave European football behind for a fresh start in the United States. However, a potential move to Major League Soccer (MLS) collapsed in the summer, leaving him in limbo in Saxony.

  According to recent reports, Werner turned down a concrete approach from the New York Red Bulls. The rejection was reportedly due to the salary on offer, with the German on a healthy package in Leipzig. Instead, the striker has set his sights on a glamorous switch to Inter Miami.

  Werner is reportedly enamoured with the idea of partnering Lionel Messi in Florida. The prospect of linking up with the Argentine legend and fellow former Barcelona star Luis Suarez appeals to Werner as the ideal environment to rediscover his love for the game. However, facilitating such a move is complex given the MLS salary cap regulations and Inter Miami's star-studded roster.

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• AFP
  

  What next for the Leipzig legend?

  For now, Werner remains an RB Leipzig player, albeit in name only on matchdays. His contract runs until the summer of 2026, presenting a financial headache for the Bundesliga club who are paying significant wages to a player who is not contributing on the pitch. Mintzlaff's comments highlight the respect the hierarchy still holds for Werner's past achievements, but they also underscore the reality that his time at the top level with Leipzig appears to be over.

  With the January transfer window approaching, all parties will be eager to find a resolution. Whether Inter Miami can make the finances work, or if Werner will have to lower his sights to another MLS franchise or a different European club, remains to be seen. Until then, the "not easy character" must continue to train, waiting for an opportunity that Ole Werner seems unwilling to grant.

10 overs Melbourne Stars suffered a costly WBBL loss just before finals as Sydney Thunder captain Phoebe Litchfield dominated a rain-affected encounter. Unable to reach the finals, Thunder destroyed the title-contending Stars by nine wickets in their last game of the tournament at the Junction Oval in Melbourne.Due to persistent rain, the match was shortened to ten overs a side as the Stars managed just 66 for 6 after being sent in to bat. Litchfield and fellow Australia young gun Georgia Voll made light work of the DLS-revised target of 76, securing the winning runs with 17 balls to spare.With just 11 runs needed and rain starting to fall again, Litchfield attempted one big shot too many and was out to Annabel Sutherland for a destructive 37 from 23 balls. Voll was untroubled by losing her opening partner, making an unbeaten 33 from 18 balls.Fellow big-hitter Laura Harris smashed the winning runs with a reverse ramp for four. Voll also chimed in with 2 for 13 to be named player of the match.The defeat is bound to have serious ramifications for the Stars, who entered the match placed second on the ladder. Hobart Hurricanes are locked in to host the final on December 13 as minor premiers, but the other three spots in the four remain up for grabs.Stars will wait nervously on other results, with Perth Scorchers hosting the winless Brisbane Heat on Saturday night. If the Scorchers, as expected, win, they will jump ahead of Stars into second.In the last game before finals, Sydney Sixers can also overtake Stars if they beat Adelaide Strikers at North Sydney Oval on Sunday.Thunder will finish the tournament in seventh, winning four of their 10 games.

Four-wicket hauls from Murphy and Sangha in vain for Australia A

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Oct-2025Prabhsimran Singh’s 68-ball 102 was backed up by half-centuries from captain Shreyas Iyer and Riyan Parag as India A chased down 317 to clinch the three-match unofficial ODI series against Australia A 2-1 in Kanpur.India A were placed comfortably on 262 for 3 in the 35th over during their chase, but they lost five for 39 to lose grip. Vipraj Nigam and Arshdeep Singh then took them over the line, adding an unbroken 21 for the ninth wicket and helping India A win the decider by two wickets.Prabhsimran had set the tone for the victory by adding 83 for the first wicket with Abhishek Sharma in just 11.2 overs. Abhishek and Tilak Varma fell in quick succession but Prabhsimran continued to bat aggressively. He struck eight fours and seven sixes before falling to legspinner Tanveer Sangha in the 20th over.Iyer and Parag launched from the platform Prabhsimran had set, adding 117 off 92 balls for the fourth wicket. While Iyer hit 62 off 58 balls, his second fifty-plus score in three one-dayers ahead of the Australia tour, Parag smashed 62 off 55.However, Sangha dismissed both batters in successive overs, bringing Australia A back into the game. Sangha proceeded to remove allrounder Nishant Sindhu before Todd Murphy struck twice in two balls, sending back Ayush Badoni and Harshit Rana in the 42nd over. Nigam (24*) and Arshdeep (7*), though, ensured that India A closed out the chase with 24 balls to spare.Earlier, Arshdeep and Rana had Australia A in trouble, reducing them to 44 for 4. While Arshdeep removed openers Mackenzie Harvey and Jake Fraser-McGurk, Rana dismissed Harry Dixon and Lachlan Hearne. Cooper Connolly’s 49-ball 64 then resurrected Australia A’s innings, but the hosts found themselves in trouble again at 135 for 6 in 21 overs.Captain Jack Edwards and Liam Scott then added a 152-run stand off 123 balls for the seventh wicket to take Australia A forward. Some useful runs down the order helped Australia cross 300 before they were bowled out for 316 in 49.1 overs. Arshdeep and Harshit picked up three wickets apiece for India A.

Leeds United had a standout away record to thank for Championship promotion last season, with only three losses picked up all campaign long on the road.

Worryingly, this season, the Whites have already lost four games on their travels in the unnerving environment of the Premier League, despite only being away from Elland Road a slim total of five times.

The well-oiled machine Daniel Farke had at his disposal in the second tier is now nowhere to be found, with Leeds fortunate to only lose 3-0 at the hands of Brighton and Hove Albion last time out.

Some of Leeds’ summer pick-ups have still impressed, though, as Farke hopes the blistering exploits of Noah Okafor down the wings can be one overwhelming positive that steers the West Yorkshire outfit to safety.

Okafor's impressive Leeds start

There would have been a lot of pressure on Okafor’s shoulders to instantly impress, too, having come in as Leeds’ most expensive capture this summer at the £18m mark.

Thankfully, even if the collective hasn’t always clicked, the Swiss has managed to stand out as a bright, forward-thinking spark on the left wing.

Two goals have already come the forward’s way, with his front-foot approach – which saw him complete a tricky five dribbles versus Brighton – also earning him various plaudits, while other Leeds attackers have receded into their shells, trying to valiantly compete in the daunting division.

Indeed, ex-Leeds defender Aidy White has singled out Okafor for praise for being “so direct” in his style, which – in tow – has gifted the Elland Road side a “massive threat” going forward, according to the Irishman.

Of course, the £18m winger can’t do everything on his own, with his risky style of play sometimes backfiring.

But, he could be crucial in the long run, especially if Leeds need a moment of split-second magic to unlock a tiring defence in a basement battle clash.

Chalkboard

The U21 ranks in West Yorkshire could even be brewing another Okafor-like ace in an exciting 18-year-old sensation.

Leeds' next Noah Okafor

Leeds has a rich recent history when it comes to unearthing some exceptionally talented young gems, with Farke directly responsible for Archie Gray’s crazy ascent to first-team greatness.

While Archie’s brother, Harry, looks like the most exciting prospect in the Thorp Arch academy right now, another teenager by the name of Harvey Vincent will hope he’s the next off the homegrown conveyor belt to make an instant impression in the senior ranks when he’s handed an eventual chance.

He has already been described as an “unpredictable” attacker to keep tabs on – much like Okafor – by Pure Football writer Trent Gaffney and looks like a genuinely exciting young talent.

Lining up in the same set-up as the highly-rated Gray regularly this season, Vincent has still managed to stick out as a talent noted for being able to “tear you apart in seconds” as Gaffney further elaborates, with his late effort (video above) last time out against Brighton U21s securing a 2-2 draw.

In total, now, lining up for both the U18s and U21s, Vincent has 14 goals and eight assists next to his name, with his tricks and flicks thankfully backed up by some impressive output, much like Okafor has managed in the senior Leeds ranks, since moving to England.

LW

15

5 + 1

RW

12

2 + 1

RM

12

5 + 1

CF

2

0

LM

2

0

DM

1

0

Vincent could also be useful to Farke in the near future when studying his adaptability for the cause, with the two-time England U16 international even lining up as a defensive midfielder and a striker on occasion.

Okafor can also be equally as malleable, having lined up across all of the forward positions for former employers AC Milan, from slotting in as a second striker or coming into the side down the alternate right wing.

The electric Leeds number 19 even stated, while still at the San Siro, that he is at “the coach’s disposal” as to where he can line up.

Having recently penned a professional deal to keep him at Leeds until 2027, too, the future certainly looks bright for Vincent in West Yorkshire.

It will now rest on Vincent being able to live up to his potential, with Leeds potentially gaining another Okafor-like menace in the process.

Leeds star was "indispensable" to Farke, now he's as droppable as Aaronson

This Leeds United star who was once dubbed as a necessary cog is now struggling in the Premier League.

ByKelan Sarson Nov 5, 2025