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Manchester United suffered their third straight defeat in midweek against Bayern Munich and the pressure is now firmly on Erik ten Hag, despite a spirited performance in Germany.

A tie against Burnley in the Premier League is next up for the Red Devils and while they currently occupy 13th spot in the table with just two wins from five, Vincent Kompany’s men have themselves secured only one point thus far.

This upcoming clash represents a wonderful opportunity for United to get back on track and a confidence-boosting victory will hopefully allow them to kick-start their season and nudge them further up the table.

Following the defeat to Bayern, Ten Hag will likely make changes, especially as several of his starting XI underperformed, with Christian Eriksen among the protagonists in this regard.

How did Christian Eriksen perform vs Bayern Munich?

The Danish midfielder made his first Champions League start since October 2020 against the Bundesliga side, yet he failed to showcase his vast talents when United needed him most.

His Sofascore match rating of 5.6 was the lowest out of anyone on the pitch during the match, as Eriksen's 69-minute spell saw him complete just 30 successful passes while giving away a penalty and being dribbled past twice as he failed to assert his authority in the heart of the midfield.

Following the tie, he and Casemiro were criticised by journalist Mark Critchley, who said: “Manchester United are under the microscope in just about every part of the pitch at the moment but the midfield might be most concerning.

“Casemiro and Christian Eriksen both look like short-term fixes to a long-term problem.”

Will Christian Eriksen start for Manchester United vs Burnley?

The £150k-per-week “absolute genius” – as so dubbed by Statman Dave in 2022 – hasn’t exactly lit up Old Trafford this season.

He has averaged a Sofascore match rating of just 6.9 across five Premier League ties, registering only two goal contributions – one goal and one assist – while creating zero big chances and averaging just 0.8 key passes per game.

Across the United squad, these statistics rank him only tenth, third and tenth for key passes per game, while he doesn’t even rank for big chances created.

It has been an underwhelming campaign thus far and indeed, across the previous 12 months, Eriksen has failed to showcase his best qualities over a range of metrics.

According to FBref, the Dane ranks in the lowest 93% for tackles (1.17) and the lowest 88% for interceptions (0.55) per 90 when compared to his positional peers in Europe's top five leagues, while some of his attacking statistics have not been great either.

He ranks in the lowest 74% for successful take-ons per 90 (0.43) and the lowest 40% for touches in the opposition box (1.37) when compared to his peers across Europe’s top five leagues and Ten Hag should perhaps give someone else an opportunity against Burnley today.

Something needs to click into gear for the Dutchman, and he needs it fast, otherwise the pressure could soon become unbearable, and he may well be looking for a new role sooner rather than later.

With it looking as if Eriksen is a key part of the 'problem' at present, a new solution must be found this evening.

Stats preview of the second Test between India and Australia in Sydney

S Rajesh01-Jan-2008

Sachin Tendulkar: an average of 249 in three Tests in Sydney © Getty Images
After being demolished in the first Test in Melbourne, the Indians will be relieved that the venue for the second Test is the Sydney Cricket Ground, a stadium that has pleasant memories for most of their players.The team results here have been better than at any other Australian venue – one win and three defeats in eight Tests. The last time India played at this ground, they had the home team in all sorts of bother till a battling Steve Waugh and Simon Katich bailed them out. Rahul Dravid, in the middle of a batting rut at the moment, will do well to watch tapes of his batting in that game: with India looking for quick runs in the second innings, Dravid hammered an unbeaten 91 off 114 balls. In the same number of deliveries in the Melbourne Test last week, Dravid managed a mere 16.Most of the other Indian heavyweights have done well here too. Sachin Tendulkar leads the pack: in five innings at the ground, he has scored two centuries – including that unbeaten 241 on his previous trip – and averages 249. VVS Laxman isn’t far behind, with two centuries in his two Tests here. The only failure has been Sourav Ganguly, who averages just 14 here. The kind of form he is in, though, he won’t be too bothered by his track record in Sydney.

Indian batsmen in Sydney

Batsman Tests Runs Average 100s/ 50s

Sachin Tendulkar 3 498 249.00 2/ 1 VVS Laxman 2 352 117.33 2/ 0 Virender Sehwag 1 119 59.50 0/ 1 Rahul Dravid 2 158 52.67 0/ 1 Sourav Ganguly 2 42 14.00 0/ 0 The performance of the Indian batsmen is only one side of the story, however. The other side is the fact that the Australians have relished the conditions here as well. Their overall record here is an impressive 51 wins and 27 defeats, but their recent form is scary: in their last 13 Tests they have won 11, with their only loss – to England in 2002-03 – coming after they had already sealed the five-Test series by winning the first four games. The only other team to escape a defeat during this period is India, which drew in 2003-04.The Australian batsmen have enjoyed the pitch here as much as the Indians. Ricky Ponting has scored 1226 runs in 12 Tests at an average of more than 81, while Adam Gilchrist and Matthew Hayden have been among the runs as well. Michael Clarke hasn’t flourished on his home ground, though, with just 90 runs in four innings.

Australian batsmen in Sydney

Batsman Tests Runs Average 100s/ 50s

Ricky Ponting 12 1226 81.73 5/ 4 Adam Gilchrist 10 722 60.16 2/ 4 Matthew Hayden 9 756 54.00 3/ 3 Michael Hussey 2 82 41.00 0/ 0 Andrew Symonds 2 60 30.00 0/ 0 Michael Clarke 3 90 22.50 0/ 0 Sydney has traditionally been a spin-friendly venue, but the table below indicates that spinners haven’t had a lot more success than the fast bowlers in recent years. Since 2000, slow bowlers average 38.55 per wicket, which is only marginally better than what the fast bowlers have achieved during this period.

Pace v spin at the SCG since 2000

Wickets Average Strike rate 5WI/ 10WM

Pace 171 39.15 66.6 3/ 2 Spin 118 38.55 68.0 7/ 1 The last time he played here, Anil Kumble had plenty of success, with match figures of 12 for 279, but his overall average here is only 33.75, thanks to his wicketless performance in 1999-2000. It isn’t the favourite venue for Australia’s leading bowler either: Brett Lee has only managed 31 wickets from eight games at an average of more than 35.In the last 17 Tests here, the captain winning the toss has chosen to bat. The last team to insert the opposition was India, way back in 1992. The Indians didn’t do badly then, taking a first-innings lead of 170 and forcing Australia to hang on to a draw.Teams have generally jumped at the opportunity to bat first, but as the table below shows, batting in the fourth innings hasn’t been such a tough task recently.

Average runs per wicket in each innings in Sydney Tests since 2000

1st innings 2nd innings 3rd innings 4th innings

38.97 41.13 33.24 44.79

Pacer snuffs out Indian chase, after Elyse Villani and Beth Mooney’s Australian record third-wicket stand in T20Is fires visiting team to a hefty 186

The Report by Annesha Ghosh in Mumbai26-Mar-2018
ScorecardMegan Schutt can’t believe her luck after dismissing Mithali Raj•BCCIAn Australian record T20I partnership for the third wicket between Elyse Villani and Beth Mooney, followed by a hat-trick from Megan Schutt, who became the first Australian woman to accomplish the feat, consigned India to a 36-run defeat and knocked them out of the triangular series in Mumbai.Schutt dented the Indian chase early by sending back the two openers in her first over. Having begun the over by conceding 10 runs off the first four balls, she bowled Smriti Mandhana, India’s most prolific batsman this series, who backed away to a full ball that deflected off the back boot onto leg stump, and then shattered the base of Mithali Raj’s off stump, when the batsman wafted at an inswinger that ricocheted off the inside edge. Then, returning after a change in ends two overs later, Schutt had Deepti Sharma hole out to mid-off on the first delivery, as India were reduced to 26 for 3.Jemimah Rodrigues, however, pulled India back and kept them fighting. Promoted to open the batting for the first time in the series, the 17-year old crunched eight fours on her way to becoming the youngest Indian to smash a T20I half-century. After being reprieved on 22, Rodrigues whipped Amanda-Jade Wellington past deep midwicket off her 39th delivery to bring up the landmark. It was her maiden international fifty.However, soon after, Rodrigues picked out Schutt at long-off in the 13th over. It ended a 54-run fourth-wicket stand with captain Harmanpreet Kaur, who struck two fours and a six before perishing for 33 in the next over, trying to force the pace.With India languishing a 97 for 5 in the steep chase, allrounder Anuja Patil (38 off 26 balls) and Pooja Vastrakar (19 off 14 balls) got together for an unbroken half-century stand that hauled India to 150. But it was well short of the target as India suffered their third straight loss of the series and sixth straight defeat this home season.Like India, Australia lost two early wickets, but Villani and Mooney strung together 114 for the third wicket. The duo rebuilt after medium-pacer Vastrakar had dismissed Alyssa Healy and Ashleigh Gardner inside the fourth over.Mooney’s ingenious scoops, deft strokes square of the wicket and tempered heaves through deep midwicket earned her eight fours en route to a 46-ball 71, while Villani smashed through the cover region at will to wear down India’s six-prong attack.The duo punished an errant India. When Jhulan Goswami returned for her second spell in the 15th over, she was penalised with a no-ball on account of five fielders outside the ring, and was then taken apart for a hat-trick of fours by Villani. The first of those gave Villani her 10th T20I fifty, off 35 deliveries. She followed it up with a slash to third man, and a drive past mid-off. To end the over, Mooney whisked a low full-toss to long-on to bring up her second half-century in the format.Australia amassed 45 runs off the last five overs at the cost of three wickets. Both Villani and Mooney fell to catches by Rodrigues. Their partnership, which lasted 70 balls, was built at 9.77 runs per over.Left-arm spinner Radha Yadav, coming in for the injured Rajeshwari Gayakwad, picked her maiden international wicket when Ellyse Perry holed out to long-on, where Mandhana completed a catch at the edge of the boundary on the second attempt. Cameos from Meg Lanning and Rachael Haynes gave Australia a strong finish to the innings.

Real Madrid have been warned they must be cautious about signing a big name like Kylian Mbappe as the forward's arrival will not guarantee success.

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Madrid expected to sign MbappeWould be monumental transferClub warned to learn from 'mistakes'WHAT HAPPENED?

The Spanish giants are said to be closing in on a deal to land the French forward after he informed Paris Saint-Germain that he will leave when his contract expires at the end of the season. His signing could mark a new Galactico era for Madrid, recreating the time they signed Luis Figo, Zinedine Zidane, Ronaldo and David Beckham together. However, ex-Madrid star Ivan Helguera has warned they could end up failing to live up to their potential.

AdvertisementGettyWHAT HELGUERA SAID

Helguera said at a La Liga and DAZN event: "It could be, what happens is that you have to see the mistakes that were made , there were many figures and very good players… but nothing was won. In Madrid it is important to win every year. It is wonderful to have all those players, but you have to know how to balance with a good squad. For Mbappe to come to Real Madrid would be an impressive signing and upwards it would be difficult to beat."

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Mbappe would be joining a a squad that already boasts the likes of Jude Bellingham, Vinicius Junior, Federico Valverde, Eduardo Camavinga and Aurelien Tchouameni, as well as veteran stars Luka Modric and Toni Kroos. Despite the quality at Carlo Ancelotti's disposal, the Santiago Bernabeu side failed to win La Liga or the Champions League last season.

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GettyWHAT NEXT FOR MADRID?

The capital club are expected to seal the Spanish league title this season, and may also go on to claim their 15th European crown, while they work out a deal to bring Mbappe to the Santiago Bernabeu in the summer transfer window.

Glasgow Rangers have received a response from a primary managerial target that they have identified to replace Michael Beale in the Scottish Premiership, as a fresh report has shared.

Is Michael Beale getting sacked?

At Ibrox, Beale’s side have had a mixed start to the new campaign where they find themselves fourth in the table after securing three wins and suffering two defeats from their opening five games, via Sky Sports, but after being knocked out of the Champions League in humiliating fashion, some supporters have been calling for the manager to be sacked.

The Light Blues have therefore been linked with the likes of Graham Potter, who has already rejected the opportunity, and Kevin Muscat, although reporter Andy Newport was quick to confirm that rumours surrounding the latter were wide of the mark.

Another candidate to have entered the frame is Birmingham City’s John Eustace, who The Daily Mail claim has emerged as a serious contender having caught the eye not only with his CV, but the fact that he’s an up-and-coming coach which meets the profile wanted.

According to journalist Alex Dicken, it would take an irresistible offer for the 43-year-old to leave St. Andrews and make the move north of the border, but regardless of how much the hierarchy try and tempt him, it doesn’t sound like anything they do will work.

Are Rangers appointing John Eustace?

Speaking to BBC West Midlands, Eustace was asked to comment on the rumours linking him with the job at Rangers.

As quoted by the Football League Paper (via Ibrox News), he said: “It’s all speculation. I’m not interested in any other job than Birmingham City. I’m very, very happy here. I came here 14 months ago and I signed a three-year deal to try to help grow the club, to build this fantastic football club to back where it should be. We’re coming up to halfway in doing that.

"I think there’s been great progress and I want to continue with that progress and see this club fly. There have been some ups and downs but I think everyone can see that we’re going in the right direction, and I want to be here for as long as the club want me.”

What is John Eustace's record at Birmingham?

In the Championship this season, Eustace has helped his side to secure three wins, two draws and just one defeat, where having taken 11 points from a possible 18, Birmingham find themselves sixth in the play-off places in the table, as per the BBC.

The Solihull-born coach, who has a preferred formation of a 3-5-2 flat midfield, was also nominated for August's Manager of the Month award as a result of his impressive efforts from the dugout, so it’s fantastic that he’s receiving individual recognition for his work from the sidelines.

According to journalist Josh Bunting, Eustace has got the Blues playing “easy on the eye” football, and having previously beaten Beale on the one occasion that he’s faced him throughout his career, he’d clearly be an upgrade on the current boss in Glasgow.

After a devastating end to last season that saw them lose out on the Premier League title despite holding down top spot for so long, Arsenal are again right in the middle of a title race.

The Gunners find themselves three points clear of Manchester City in fourth place but one point behind the current leaders, Liverpool.

One of the major differences between Mikel Arteta's team last season and this season is the absence of Swiss international Granit Xhaka.

Kai Havertz has taken the left-eight role vacated by the rehabilitated midfielder but hasn't entirely managed to make it his own despite a recent run of good form.

However, the latest player to be linked with a move to the Emirates could be the perfect fit to carry the mantle Xhaka put down in the summer, Florian Wirtz.

Arsenal transfer news – Florian Wirtz

According to TeamTalk, Arsenal are one of several clubs interested in Bayer Leverkusen's incredibly talented youngster, Wirtz.

The German international has scored four goals and provided five assists in just 13 starts for Xabi Alonso's title chasers this season. He has done even better in the Europa League, scoring two goals and providing four assists, per WhoScored.

This isn't new, however, as the 20-year-old has been influencing games for a few years now, registering ten Bundesliga goal involvements for the first time back in the 2020/21 season.

Unsurprisingly, with consistent performances such as this, the German maestro has a hefty price tag attached to him, with Sky Sports Germany reporting that it would take an offer of €120m – about £103m – to tempt Leverkusen into selling their star performer.

However, for a player described as "pure quality" by football talent scout Jacek Kulig, it might just be worth it for Arsenal, especially if he can take up the left-eight role.

How Florian Wirtz compares to Granit Xhaka

Now, as things stand, the 20-year-old "generational talent", as dubbed by Apple Sports executive Cristian Nyari, plays most of his football either as an attacking midfielder, a second striker, or even as a left-winger. Still, some elements of his game suggest he could drop back a bit and help in a defensive manner as well.

This becomes more evident when you compare his current underlying numbers to those of Xhaka's from last season, as that is the man he could replace.

Surprisingly, the young German actually beats his current teammate in several key defensive attributes, such as blocking passes, ball recoveries and tackles in the defensive third.

Arteta must unleash "superb" 18 y/o who could be Arsenal's next Timber

The versatile defender has left Oleksandr Zinchenko stunned in training.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Dec 12, 2023

Moreover, his tendency to play more through balls and progressive passes could be utilised to turn over the ball and kickstart a counter-attack from deeper in his own half.

Wirtz

Xhaka

8.10

5.89

66.8 (83.5%)

49.0 (84.7%)

0.91

0.18

0.74

0.54

6.86

4.56

0.41

0.33

0.58

0.81

0.33

0.45

That said, there are, of course, still defensive areas in which the former Arsenal man outclasses Wirtz, but that is to be expected when his natural role thus far in his career has been orientated towards attacking.

Ultimately, the Gunners are going to need to find a new number eight at some point, and with Wirtz's age profile and promising numbers, there is every chance that Arteta could mould him into that player.

After the Qalandars suffered their sixth defeat in six matches this season, McCullum suggested that a leadership change might be the best way forward

Umar Farooq09-Mar-2018Brendon McCullum, the Lahore Qalandars captain, has question the execution of his bowlers, and has offered to “offload” his captaincy in a bid to change the fortunes of the side, which has lost all six of its games this season. Effectively, Thursday night’s six-wicket defeat to Islamabad United was Lahore’s eighth straight loss going back to the end of last season. One of the most popular sides in the PSL is set to finish last for the third consecutive season.Lahore have played six different starting XIs this season, with their changes having no effect on their results. The biggest chance they have had was against Islamabad, when they had 163 – their biggest total so far – to defend but ended up losing with 14 balls to spare. With four games remaining Lahore aren’t mathematically out of contention for a spot in the playoffs but their chances are bleak.”Ultimately as captain you’re responsible for the performances. I feel like I’ve done the same things that I do in any team that I’ve led, but unfortunately that hasn’t resonated,” McCullum said. “So that’s the question we’ve got to ask tonight as well – whether it’s better offloading it to someone else and seeing if we can get better results. Doesn’t matter if you’re saying the right things, but if they’re not hitting home or the instructions aren’t being followed, then you’re always going to be pushing it uphill.”Lahore’s batting pattern has been similar throughout, with the openers making solid starts, the middle order collapsing, and the bowlers looking flat. They dropped Umar Akmal, one of their platinum picks, after five successive failures, allowing Anton Devcich to make his PSL debut. He smacked 62 off 42 balls to set up a fighting total. But Islamabad chased it down easily with the help of a 41-ball 77 from Luke Ronchi and Shadab Khan’s 32 off 24. When asked if Lahore’s total was 20 runs short, McCullum shot down the idea, ruing his bowlers’ performance instead.”No, not really. We bowled very poorly,” he said. “I thought it was a very, very good batting performance, set up by Anton Devcich in his first game, and [he] showed how hungry, competitive people are able to prosper. What we did after that, I was really disappointed with, to be honest. It’s not what we’re about and I don’t mind losing, but you expect to be hard to beat. We’ve got some questions to ask tonight and that’s all the way through.”He was particularly unimpressed with the lines they bowled to Ronchi, which he said had deviated from the tactics they had discussed before the match.”You can sit in bowling meetings all you want. You spend an hour today talking about bowling away from Luke Ronchi and then you proceed to run in and bowl at him every single ball, so there’s a disconnect there,” he said. “I don’t know what that is. It’s very hard on the support staff to prepare a team if guys aren’t prepared to listen, but if that’s the case, then we’re going to have to keep making changes, because there are young, enthusiastic guys in our team, which may be an opportunity, especially now since we’re out of the competition.”

In the match at Adelaide, Brian Lara took over as the leading runscorer in Test cricket, and faced Shane Warne, the leading wicket-taker. Has this ever happened before

Steven Lynch28-Nov-2005The regular Monday column in which Steven Lynch answers your questions about (almost) any aspect of cricket. We apologise for the lack of a column last week, which was caused by a family bereavement:

Leading run-scorer v leading wicket-taker, not happened since 1886-87. © Getty Images
In the match at Adelaide, Brian Lara took over as the leading runscorer in Test cricket, and faced Shane Warne, the leading wicket-taker. Has this ever happened before? asked Mathew Stephenson from Australia
It has happened … but not for a very long time. The last time the leading Test runscorer of the time faced the leading wicket-taker was back in 1886-87, in the first Test at Sydney, when Arthur Shrewsbury of England faced up to the Aussie “Demon”, Fred Spofforth. Going into that match Shrewsbury had 903 runs and Spofforth had 94 wickets. The last time the two record-holders were even in the same game was as long ago as 1903-04, at Melbourne, when Clem Hill and Hugh Trumble (in his last Test) both played for Australia against England.How many Test runs had Brian Lara scored when Sachin Tendulkar made his debut? asked Alvin Parish
That’s a nice easy one, because the answer is none – Tendulkar made his debut first, aged just 16, against Pakistan at Karachi in November 1989. Lara didn’t make his debut until 13 months later, also in Pakistan, in the third Test at Lahore in 1990-91. By then Tendulkar had scored 588 runs, in 11 Tests.What is the longest run of ODIs without losing? Did South Africa break the record recently? asked Johan van der Knaap from Kimberley
South Africa came very close: when they won the first match of the ongoing series against India at Hyderabad they had gone 20 ODIs without defeat. But they lost their next match, at Bangalore, to fall just short of the record of 21 – set by Australia in 2003, a run that included that year’s World Cup. For a longer list, click here.Which cricketer called his autobiography A Hell of a Way to Make a Living? asked Ben Forrest from Colchester
The man with the whimsical title was Ken Rutherford, the former New Zealand captain. His book was published by Hodder Moa Beckett in New Zealand in 1995. Actually New Zealand cricketers seem keen on zany titles for their books: Danny Morrison’s was called Mad As I Wanna Be, John Wright penned Christmas in Rarotonga, Ian Smith was Just a Drummer in the Band, while Gavin Larsen went for, er, Grand Larseny.I’ve often wondered, what are the top batting averages over a Test career, worldwide? I know that Don Bradman was 99-point-something. Is there anyone higher? asked Alf Lacis from Australia
You’ve proved a friend of mine wrong – he claimed that everyone in Australia knew Don Bradman`s exact batting average, which was 99.94! If he’d managed four runs in his final innings, rather than a duck, The Don would have averaged exactly 100. And, given a qualification of 20 innings, no-one comes close to him: next on the list is the South African Graeme Pollock, who averaged 60.97. The only others over 60 are the great West Indian George Headley (60.83) and the old England opener Herbert Sutcliffe (60.73). The highest current player is India’s Rahul Dravid, with 57.62, a whisker ahead of Sachin Tendulkar (57.25) and Jacques Kallis (57.07). For a full list of the highest Test averages, click here.I’ve been trying to find out about this but can’t: didn’t Shaun Pollock have some kind of dream debut with an English county side in the mid-1990s? I’m wondering, did I dream this up or is it true? asked Dilip D’Souza from India
No, you didn’t imagine it – Shaun Pollock made a sensational debut for Warwickshire in 1996. In his first match for them, against Leicestershire at Edgbaston, he took four wickets in four balls as Leicestershire crumpled to 9 for 5. He finished with 6 for 21 (and, not surprisingly, the Man of the Match award) as Warwickshire won by seven wickets.

What the stats have to say about the Australia-West Indies Champions Trophy final

S Rajesh04-Nov-2006

Brian Lara: an average of 26.20 in his last ten ODIs against Australia © Getty Images
Australia have unquestionably been the dominant team over the last few years, but West Indies will fancy their chances in the final of the Champions Trophy. For one, the final will be played at the Brabourne Stadium, the venue of West Indies’ ten-run win in the group stage of the tournament. Also, they have put it across Australia twice in their last three ODIs. In the last three-and-a-half years, though, Australia hold an 8-5 edge. Winning the toss is usually an advantage, but that clearly hasn’t been the case in this tournament – in 20 matches so far, on 14 occasions the team losing the toss has gone on to win. In the four Champions Trophy matches at the Brabourne Stadium, the team winning the toss has won just once. (That, incidentally, was the game in which West Indies beat Australia by ten runs.) West Indies’ batting fortunes will probably depend considerably on how Brian Lara and Chris Gayle perform. Gayle has been sparkling form in this tournament, but his stats against Australia aren’t so impressive – an average of 32.37 from 16 matches. Lara made a crucial 71 in their win against Australia in this tournament, but his recent form against Australia has been disappointing – he averages just 26.20 in his last ten games against them. Ramnaresh Sarwan, too, has struggled against the Australians. Shivnarine Chanderpaul bucks that trend, though – his average of 37.94 against Australia is marginally higher than his career average. If Lara has disappointed against Australia recently, then the same can be said for Ricky Ponting’s last few performances against West Indies – in his last seven completed innings against them, on five occasions Ponting has failed to get into double digits. Adam Gilchrist hasn’t enjoyed much success against West Indies either, but Damien Martyn clearly relishes the Caribbean attack – in 14 matches he averages 53.62. Glenn McGrath has had plenty of success against the West Indians in Tests, but in 28 ODIs against them he has only managed 31 wickets at more than 28 runs per wicket. The bowler who has had their number in ODIs has been Brett Lee, with 32 wickets from 14 games at less than 17 apiece.

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola is personally keen to close a deal to sign a midfielder he has previously shown heavy admiration for, according to recent reports.

What's the latest news involving Manchester City?

The Blues have favored quality over quantity this window in the transfer market, strengthening their squad with the additions of Jeremy Doku, Josko Gvardiol and Mateo Kovacic, as per Transfermarkt.

Transfer insider Fabrizio Romano has revealed that Manchester City have also added another exciting young talent to their conglomerate The City Football Group, stating on X: "Excl: RB Salzburg talent Leon Lalić joins Man City/City Group, here we go. It’s first deal ever from RB Salzburg to City Group — historical for 2006 born midfielder. Lalić will initially join Lommel. David Fernandez’s team followed Lalić for more than 2 years."

City are also believed to be keen on Crystal Palace playmaker Eberechi Eze in the final stages of the transfer window; however, the Eagles are looking to hold out for a fee of £70 million for the 25-year-old, according to Football Insider.

Eze has become a target for Manchester City following their decision to withdraw from their pursuit of West Ham United playmaker Lucas Paqueta. His former club, Queens Park Rangers, would be entitled to 20% of any fee Crystal Palace recoup for the midfielder due to a sell-on clause present in his contract at Selhurst Park.

BILD via The Manchester Evening News share quotes from RB Leipzig chief Oliver Mintzlaff who had dispelled rumours linking Spain international Dani Olmo with a move to the Etihad Stadium, stating: "Dani Olmo will be part of the Leipzig squad, no matter who is interested."

Olmo also recently commented on links to Manchester City directly, stating: “There is nothing [in the rumours]. I’m fully focused on the task in Leipzig, the Bundesliga, the Champions League and the cup. Man City are a big club – one of the biggest in the world. Josko [Gvardiol] went there. But I’m happy here.”

Who else could Manchester City sign?

Transfer guru Romano has delivered a fresh update on Manchester City's pursuit of Wolverhampton Wanderers midfielder Matheus Nunes on X, revealing: "Manchester City will insist to close Matheus Nunes deal with Wolves in 24/48h after initial €50m proposal plus add-ons discussed yesterday. Pep, big fan of Nunes; player has already accepted City as destination. It's now up to Wolverhampton."

Cited by The Mirror, Manchester City boss Guardiola is no stranger to £85k-a-week earner Nunes and has previously offered up some really high praise when discussing the Portugal international, saying back in 2022: "I would say that Matheus Nunes is one of the best players in the world today."

In his time at Molineux, Nunes has become a fan favourite due to his tenacious displays in the middle of the park and has featured 41 times for Wolves in all competitions, registering one goal and a solitary assist, as per Transfermarkt.

Football Insider claim that Manchester City are confident of sealing a deal to land Nunes and are readying a bid close to £60 million to try and get a deal over the line, which would also help to provide cover for the injured Kevin De Bruyne.