The teenager has the talent and commercial appeal to become the face of the Catalan club but can he succeed where past prodigies failed?

In 2006, a young player out of the Barcelona academy signed a deal with adidas. The agreement, reportedly worth around $500,000 per year, felt like a hefty investment for a 19-year-old. After all, the player hadn't yet played a full season of professional football. By the end of the previous season, he had scored six goals and added three assists. He only had 11 top-flight starts to his name.

That deal, for that player, Lionel Messi, proved to be a bargain for Adidas. Now, 18 years later, another La Masia graduate has done the same thing. Lamine Yamal, another right-winger out of the Barcelona academy, penned a long-term agreement to be one of the faces of adidas' global football brand. He will be the only other player in the world to wear Messi's exact boots – adding a visual link to a spiritual connection that has been drawn between the two for some time.

And though it will lead to immense pressure on the teenager, it is an ideal arrangement for the Balugrana. Since Messi left, the Catalan club have lacked a central marketable star – a world class presence who can not only change a game but also sell shirts in spades. Yamal, the newly minted face of adidas, can be that player.

adidas partnership with Lamine Yamaladidas partnership with Lamine YamalThe adidas deal

Yamal's deal was announced in a very modern way. A brief video showed Yamal, sitting on his childhood bed, clad in all-adidas gear, smiling at the camera. The alarm clock next to him beeps, and shows the time "3:04" – a reference to the area code he grew up in. Yamal laces up Messi's boots, and is then shown running onto a football pitch. He throws up his signature celebration, before breaking out a series of tricks and flicks.

It's comparable to the ad Jude Bellingham, another young star, recently featured in for the famous brand. This was a well-thought-out thing, something meant not only to curate an image but also highlight a burgeoning talent.

The company explained their choice, too.

"Adidas is proud to confirm Lamine Yamal joining the adidas family as of today, wearing the X Crazyfast; perfectly suited to his agile and explosive style of play on the wing. Lamine grew up in Rocafonda, 40 minutes from his club’s training ground, and remains proud of his roots in the area," it said in a statement.

"The partnership announcement film that has been posted on adidasFootball channels in collaboration with Lamine celebrates his football journey and connection to the 304, Rocafonda’s area code," it added.

The exact terms of the deal have not been made public. But the video alone shows that this is a serious commitment to an exciting talent. And Yamal deserves it, too.

Advertisement(C)GettyImagesThe search for Messi's successor

There is a prevailing sense that the Blaugrana have been searching for a player like Yamal for some time. The idea of a 'new Messi' has long haunted the halls of La Masia, Barcelona's famed youth academy. At times, it seems like an obsession.

He comes from a long-line of supposed Messi successors – most of which have been unequivocal failures. Bojan, Messi's contemporary at the club, burned out fast – and later admitted that the comparisons to the world's best left a serious mark on his mental health. Giovani Dos Santos and Riqui Puig received much the same treatment – and never delivered on the promise.

The closest thus far has been Ansu Fati. He seemed an ideal replacement. Fifteen years younger than Messi, but a similarly exciting player, he was given the No.10 shirt when the Argentine reluctantly left for PSG in 2021. But that, too, proved to be too much for the teenager, who, four knee surgeries later, is struggling to make the grade at Brighton.

GettyYamal up to the task?

Yamal, it would seem, is the closest thing the Blaugrana have developed to a viable replacement.

The positional similarities are here: Yamal is a left-footed right winger. The skills are, too. Yamal can beat a player with his dribbling prowess and find the bottom corner with an angled shot.

He also has just enough swagger about his game to wow the Barcelona faithful without overplaying in key areas.

The stats – five goals and four assists in all competitions – don't jump off the page. But superstardom stretches beyond numbers. It's about the intangible qualities. Yamal has them.

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GettyA godsend for boring Barcelona

It's something that the current Barca squad is missing all over the pitch. A cursory glance at the starting XI shows a number of very talented and likeable footballers – but no global megastars. The word 'Galactico' is only used in a different major sporting city in Spain.

Still, players of that same stratospheric talent are hard to come by. The Blaugrana have always had at least one. Messi and Neymar were there at the same time. Before them were Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, Diego Maradona and Johan Cruyff.

This iteration of Barca – outside of burgeoning star Yamal – doesn't really have one. Robert Lewandowski will go down as a legend of the game. But his fame doesn't stretch beyond football; and he isn't one for massive ad campaigns, either. Pedri, Gavi and Frenkie de Jong are all midfield artists, but share the same issue.

Ronald Araujo, Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Jules Kounde and Ilkay Gundogan all have social media presences – almost all footballers do these days. Still, none of them are impactful enough to make waves beyond football fan communities. You'd struggle to find a kid on the streets of Catalonia aspiring to be a tidy French full-back.

It is ironic that this all comes just nine months removed from a season of immense success. Barca coasted their way to a first Spanish top flight title since 2019 last season, claiming La Liga by 10 points. But the manner in which they won didn't catch the eye. This was an excellent defensive team that only let in 20 goals all season. They scored 15 fewer than in the 2020-21 campaign, a season in which the Blaugrana finished third. Put more simply: this version of Barcelona is boring.

That the visitors failed in their quest can be explained by the team-spirit and collective will of a Kent team who are enjoying a lovely season

Paul Edwards at Tunbridge Wells23-Jun-20182:01

Kent squash Warwickshire’s hopes of record chase

ScorecardIf you are attempting to beat a 93-year-old record which was set, in part, by the future Baron Aberdare of Duffryn, your efforts could have no finer setting than Tunbridge Wells. Hosting county cricket at the Nevill Ground appears not to be a priority for its owners, the local council, but this sacred field has long been ennobled by cricket lovers. And when they gathered, on a morning of high clouds and sweet scents, spectators wondered if they might see Warwickshire score 519, thus achieving the highest successful fourth-innings pursuit in the history of the County Championship, a mark set when Middlesex scored 502 to beat Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge in 1925.That the visitors failed in their quest, albeit by only 73 runs, can be explained by the team-spirit and collective will of a Kent team who are enjoying a lovely season. And perhaps that determination should now be matched by the executives responsible for keeping four-day county cricket at Tunbridge Wells. If the will is strong enough, the aim can invariably be achieved.Such longer-term considerations must of necessity be far from the minds of the Kent players as they reflect on their fourth Championship win in six games, a victory which leaves them only eight points shy of Warwickshire at the top of the table. But the will of Joe Denly’s players needed to be very strong indeed on a Saturday when the growing humidity reflected the match’s progress towards its climax. Not until Denly ended the game by taking three wickets in six balls, the first two of them lbws, did wickets fall in clumps; and until Adam Hose was ninth out for 65,  his team retained a sliver of hope.That hope was rather stronger at the start of the day, when Warwickshire resumed needing 290 to win with nine wickets in hand. But a game we had expected might be decided by one of its matinee idols eventually starred a cricketer who has served his time in repertory. While on Middlesex’s books, Harry Podmore went out on loan to both Derbyshire and Glamorgan. They are both fine counties but they were not places where Podmore could hang his hat. Now at Kent, the seamer  is hoping to play in next Saturday’s Royal London Cup Final at Lord’s and has probably helped his chances by returning career-best match figures of 8 for 110 in this gameHarry Podmore made key breakthroughs•Getty Images

Podmore took the two wickets to fall in the morning session and both were significant. Having made his first century of a tough season, Dominic Sibley nicked him straight to Heino Kuhn at slip and departed for 112. Two overs later Jonathan Trott edged the same bowler to Adam Rouse, whose delight when he hurled the ball into the air probably reflected his relief that his dropping of Ian Bell on 148 an over or so earlier might not be too expensive in the broader sweep of things.Ah yes, Ian Bell at Tunbridge Wells. Sometimes this game writes its own poetry. Even in a first half hour marked by nothing more than diligent accumulation and the odd alarm. Bell was as easy on the eye as one remembered from his great seasons. Few players invest a forward defensive shot with quite so much grace and precision. The ECB can negotiate broadcasting deals until their flipcharts fall off the walls but if England’s middle-order comprised Bell, James Vince and James Hildreth, BBC4 would cover Test matches.And thus it was when Bell was leg before to Ivan Thomas in the seventh over of the afternoon that Warwickshire’s chances diminished markedly. Bell had batted for a minute over six hours and stroked 24 fours in his 172 runs. But the ball jagged back and pinned him; and in that moment the game turned. Perhaps Kent’s players knew it, for their joy was illimited.Warwickshire lost three more batsmen in the afternoon session and took tea on 414 for 7. Five overs after Bell’s dismissal Tim Ambrose had his off stump knocked askew by a fine ball from that Stakhanovite labourer, Matt Henry. In the next hour Keith Barker and Jeetan Patel fell to slip catches. At no stage did Warwickshire crumple but their grip on the game was loosening.Less than an hour after tea and just when some spectators were pondering the time and overs left in the game, Denly deployed his legspin. He bowled 19 balls and three of them took wickets. Middlesex’s record was safe. One hopes the future of county cricket at Tunbridge Wells is even safer.

Cristiano Ronaldo's late efforts were not enough to save Al-Nassr, who were eliminated from the AFC Champions League by Al-Ain on penalties.

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• Teams play out insane seven-goal thriller
• Ronaldo takes match to shootout with 118th minute penalty
• But Al-Ain progress with victory on spot-kicks

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  At 1-0 down on aggregate and with home advantage on their side, the onus was on Al-Nassr to make a strong start in front of an expectant crowd. But the hosts were haunted by a familiar face in the first-half, with Soufiane Rahimi adding to his decisive goal in the first leg by scoring a scintillating first-half brace. Three goals down on aggregate mere minutes from the break, the writing appeared to be on the wall – until Abdulrahman Ghareeb's effort in first-half stoppage time gave Al-Nassr life. The 26-year-old winger turned home from close range after Sadio Mane had capitalised on some bizarre decision-making from Al-Ain 'keeper Khalid Eisa.

  Hope turned into optimism in the second half when Otavio helped make it 2-2. Eisa was again at fault as he somehow managed to turn the ball into his own net from a tight angle from the Portugese's shot. Al-Nassr pushed late in regulation time and should have gone ahead earlier than they did. Another mistake from Eisa saw him spill the ball directly into Cristiano Ronaldo's path mere yards from goal, but the Portuguese somehow fired wide. His blushes were spared moments later when Alex Telles' cross-cum-shot from a free-kick bamboozled Eisa, who again didn't cover himself in glory as Al-Nassr made it 3-2 to take it to extra time.

  The home side's efforts to push for a winner turned on its head when substitute Ayman Ahmed was sent off for a rash challenge following a VAR review. Mere minutes later Al-Ain scored again through Al Shamsi, but this time it was Al-Nassr 'keeper Raghed Najjar who was at fault. He clawed at a tame cross and fumbled it onto his own bar, leaving an easy tap-in for the substitute. The topsy-turvy tie wasn't done there, though. Ronaldo finally had his say, scoring a penalty in the 118th minute to make it 4-3 on the night and send the game to a shoot-out. However, those efforts weren't enough as Otavio missed the vital spot-kick, as Al-Ain progressed 3-1 on penalties.

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• DID YOU KNOW?

  Monday's defeat means Al-Nassr are knocked out of the AFC Champions League at the quarter-final stage for the first time since 2018-19.

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  THE MVP

  While Otavio missed the crucial kick, this was Rahimi's match – and tie. The Moroccan forward scored the vital goal in the first leg and his brace in the second should have put Al-Ain in cruise control headed to the semi-finals. But Eisa's errors proved costly and the away side had to do it the hard way, as Rahimi's fine individual efforts were cancelled out as Al-Nassr nearly completed a memorable comeback. With eight goals to his name in the competition – one behind Ronaldo after his late effort on Monday night – Rahimi has emerged as one of the AFC Champions League's standout performers this term.

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• THE BIG LOSER

  What a horrible night for the goalkeepers. Ronaldo's miss was a dreadful one but it was handed to him on a plate by Eisa, who had a game to forget for Al-Ain. He rushed out of his goal for no apparent reason for Al-Nassr's first, leaving himself horribly out of position, before turning home a completely misdirected shot by Otavio for a dreadful own-goal. Eisa also should have reacted quicker for Telles' strike for Al-Nassr's third, even if it was well hit through a crowd of players.

  That said, Eisa was ultimately let off the hook – unlike Najjar. The Al-Nassr goalkeeper made some good saves in the match but choked at the crucial moment. He snatched at a seemingly harmless cross in extra time and was unfortunate for it to bounce kindly off the bar into Al Shamsi's path. Not one he'll want to see back, and he couldn't make amends in the penalty shoot-out.

A group of Roma fans have been arrested after causing unrest on a flight to London ahead of their Europa League tie against Brighton on Thursday.

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Roma fans arrested after flightSuspects accused of disruptionSet to face Brighton in Europa LeagueWHAT HAPPENED?

Five or six Giallorossi supporters were met by police when they landed in England after causing disruptions on the flight from the Italian capital, reports. Police cars were ready on the landing strip at Stansted airport to detain the suspects.

AdvertisementGettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE

The arrest of the Roma fans is just the latest controversy surrounding the tie. Two Brighton fans were stabbed in Rome ahead of the first leg of the Europa League last-16 tie, while the Italian fans threw bottles, lighters and coins at the away support during the game.

DID YOU KNOW?

Roma ran out 4-0 winners in the first leg of the European tie last week, with Paulo Dybala, Romelu Lukaku, Gianluca Mancini and Bryan Cristante all getting on the scoresheet to give Daniele De Rossi's team a significant advantage.

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Getty WHAT NEXT?

Roberto De Zerbi's team will aim to get back into the Europa League tie as best they can when they host the Serie A side on Thursday. The Seagulls will then have two weeks off ahead of the international break.

Liverpool have reportedly been boosted in their efforts to sign a hugely exciting Premier League player, with a new update now emerging in the saga.

Latest Liverpool transfer news…

The Reds saw their squad significantly change during the summer transfer window, with the midfield the sole era that Jurgen Klopp focused on revamping completely. Out went Fabinho, Jordan Henderson, James Milner, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, while Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai, Wataru Endo and Ryan Gravenberch all arrived at Anfield, adding youth and dynamism in the middle of the park that has already stood out this season.

The time will eventually come when other areas of the pitch need addressing, however, with Virgil van Dijk now 32 years of age and Mohamed Salah only a year younger, for example. The latter has already been strongly linked with a move to Saudi Arabia, with Al-Ittihad seeing a £150m approach turned down for Salah, and a 2024 exit isn't out of the question. Should that happen, Liverpool may look to sign a replacement, and one player who has emerged as a potential target is Wolves ace Pedro Neto.

The 23-year-old is being backed to join various Premier League clubs, and while he is contracted with Wanderers until the summer of 2027, that doesn't appear to be putting off potential suitors.

Do Liverpool want to sign Pedro Neto?

According to TEAMtalk, Liverpool could be handed a boost in their quest to snap up Wolves star Neto, with the Midlands club now "ready to cash in on him while his stock is high". The report goes on to add that the Reds are "firmly in the mix" to sign the 23-year-old, but "they are not alone as interest also stems from Tottenham, Newcastle United and Aston Villa", as well as Arsenal.

Superb dribbler

Injury-prone

Expert crosser

Lacking in aerial duels

Can play on either flank

Finishing can be erratic

This is a clear boost for Liverpool, who may well be having one eye on life without Salah at some point in the near future, even if his time at Anfield doesn't come to an end next summer. The 31-year-old is almost an irreplaceable figure, considering he has been one of the best players in the world over the past five years or so, but in Neto, the Reds could have a fantastic option.

The Wolves man, who shares the same agency as Darwin Nunez and Diogo Jota, has made a fantastic start to this season, chipping in with four assists in just seven Premier League appearances, one of which came in his side's 3-1 defeat at home to Liverpool, when he gave Joe Gomez a torrid time. At 23, he is still a young player who should only get better, and while injuries have dogged him in the past, the hope is that he has overcome the worst of them.

Newcastle United legend Alan Shearer has lauded Neto as a "huge talent" in the past, and he is one of the most impressive wide players in the league at the moment. His directness, pace and end product are all attributes that are similar to Salah's, and that could well appeal to Klopp, making this one to watch.

Sam Curran will be England’s third seamer, with Dawid Malan to bat in the middle order while India will confirm their XI on Wednesday

Preview by Andrew Miller31-Jul-2018Big PictureSeven years ago, at the start of another Indian Test tour of England, another notable Test landmark was reached. It will be England’s 1000th Test at Edgbaston on Wednesday; at Lord’s in the first Test of the 2011 series, it was the 2000th Test all told.Such landmarks can be trite, but every now and then they can have a galvanising effect too. That 2011 Test proved to be an epic, life-affirming affair, lit up by queues all down the Wellington Road on the final morning, as fans piled in for the chance to witness a grandstand finish, and maybe even (or not, as it transpired) a 100th hundred for the inimitable Sachin Tendulkar.The ECB, and Edgbaston, can but pray that this week’s Test will be amplified by its additional layer of history. Ticket sales for the much of the series have been sluggish, undermined no doubt by an England team that may include three players – Alastair Cook, James Anderson and Stuart Broad – who have contributed to more than a tenth of that English Test history, but which is currently performing at a similar fraction of its potential.In theory, everything this summer ought to have been building towards this climax. The logic of the India itinerary certainly implied that the Tests would be the biggest deal – with the T20Is and ODIs loaded into the top half of the tour before clearing the calendar for a full five-Test showdown. And yet, India chose to reduce their solitary warm-up at Chelmsford from four days to three, while England’s non-white-ball players have been hampered by a lack of Championship cricket in which to fine-tune their own preparations.In particular, the new-ball veterans, Anderson and Broad, are about to be asked to go from 0 to 100 in double-quick time. Having both played a solitary county fixture in the whole of July, they are now embarking on an itinerary of five Tests in six weeks, an ask that even an arch-combatant such as Broad has admitted he may struggle to complete without factoring in rest and rotation.It’s a state of affairs that will surely alarm the ECB, who have been banking on the windfalls from this bumper summer to replenish their coffers, and who must be wondering, if not India, then who can keep the crowds coming through the turnstiles for Test cricket?That’s not to say, however, that the status of the series has been diminished before it has begun. The era of the Big Three was consigned to the ICC’s official history books some time ago, but the sentiments that drove that agenda continue to hold sway in on-field engagements. England v India has taken its time to catch up with India v Australia as one of Test cricket’s blue riband battles, and it hasn’t yet produced the sort of see-sawing contest that would lift it alongside the Ashes in the public’s affections. But in terms of spice and animosity, there’s history aplenty between these teams, and scope in the coming weeks for so many additional plotlines.Virat Kohli himself gave short shrift to the notion that his team are favourites, but either way this is looking like India’s best-drilled squad for a tour of England since 2007, when Rahul Dravid’s team emerged as 1-0 victors in a three-Test series, having shed their previous reticence in a gripping tussle under Sourav Ganguly five years earlier.The more recent trips in 2011 and 2014 showed promise in the early exchanges, not least at Lord’s four years ago when Ishant Sharma pushed Cook to the brink of resignation by sealing a remarkable win. But by the end of both series, the captain MS Dhoni had the air of a man who no longer needed the hassle as India’s shortcomings against the moving ball pushed him into reverse.One thing you can be pretty sure of in 2018 – there will be no retreat under Kohli, a man on a mission to cement his own place as one of the sport’s all-time great cricketers. He has no material need to push himself any more than he already does, but like Tendulkar and Dravid before him, he recognises that Test cricket, even in its habitual state of flux, remains the format by which you book your place in the pantheon. If he can inspire a few of England’s own flatlining stars to match his resolve, we could yet be in for the classic that the format so desperately needs.Graphic: Adil Rashid will play his first Test for England since December 2016•ESPNcricinfo LtdForm guideEngland WLDLL
India WWLLDIn the spotlightJames Anderson v Virat Kohli is England v India in microcosm. Two giants of the game, drawn together once more to add another chapter to a storied rivalry. It would be grossly simplistic to say that the winner of this duel will decide the fate of this Test, and ultimately the series, but no two men are more fundamental to the fortunes of their teams.Kohli’s performance in England in 2014 – 134 runs in five Tests – remains a stain on his otherwise spotless world-class record, but his desire for retribution could not be more plain. Had it not been for an injury sustained at the IPL, he would have warmed up for this tour with a county stint with Surrey, but he’s had ample sighters in the course of India’s month-long build-up, including the limited-overs series, and no Indian captain since Ganguly has been more expressive in his desire for victory. His massive haul of 655 runs 109.16 on home soil paved the way for India’s 4-0 win in their last encounter with England in 2016-17.Anderson turned 36 on Monday, and while age is but a number, it’s still a pretty large one for a fast bowler who has been around the block for his 540 wickets over the course of a 15-year career. The economy of his run-up, allied to the magic in his wrist, means that there are no questions about his enduring quality – in many respects he is better now than ever before – but the challenge of five Tests in six weeks will require careful management, especially given his recent history of shoulder trouble. Anderson defied injury to rush himself back for the latter stages of that 2016-17 tour – to no great avail, he claimed four wickets at 53.5 in the last three Tests. But that willingness to put himself back in the frame showed how fiercely his fires still burn, as did his rather churlish end-of-series comments about Kohli’s record in England. The subtext was clear, but whether he’ll find his usual prodigious swing in the midst of England’s heatwave is another matter.Team newsAdil Rashid’s recall to the Test squad spawned a chapter of Yorkshire in-fighting not seen since Geoff Boycott was in his pomp – and Boycott himself hasn’t been shy on the subject either – but he will now be making his first Test appearance since December 2016. A grassy deck and a slight easing in the Saharan heat of this most atypical of English summers dissuaded England from fielding two spinners at Edgbaston for the first time since 1993, although Moeen Ali might have been considered ahead of Dawid Malan as a batsman. After playing his part in the series leveller against Pakistan, Sam Curran’s left-arm line complements the veteran pairing of James Anderson and Stuart Broad.England 1 Alastair Cook, 2 Keaton Jennings, 3 Joe Root (capt), 4 Dawid Malan, 5 Jonny Bairstow (wk), 6 Ben Stokes, 7 Jos Buttler, 8 Adil Rashid, 9 Sam Curran, 10 Stuart Broad, 11 James Anderson.Kuldeep Yadav’s potential inclusion persuaded England to recruit a trio of club left-armers to replicate his unusual angles in the nets this week. But with R Ashwin a shoo-in, Ravi Jadeja’s established qualities are the likelier second-spin option if India decide to stick to their strengths rather than lean on the extra seamer in Mohammad Shami. Shikhar Dhawan’s place at the top of the order is under pressure following his pair at Essex last week. KL Rahul is itching for an opening, and might well open alongside Murali Vijay.India 1 Shikhar Dhawan/KL Rahul, 2 Murali Vijay, 3 Cheteshwar Pujara, 4 Virat Kohli (capt), 5 Ajinkya Rahane, 6 Dinesh Karthik (wk), 7 R Ashwin, 8 Hardik Pandya, 9 Ravindra Jadeja/Mohammed Shami, 10 Ishant Sharma, 11 Umesh YadavPitch and conditionsIt has taken some diligent input from the Edgbaston groundstaff – and several million litres of water – to keep their wicket from turning to a dustbowl in the midst of an improbable English heatwave. And they have succeeded against the odds, but presumably in keeping with their brief from the ECB, in producing a wicket that looks markedly similar to those from the 2015 Ashes and 2016 Pakistan series. And seamers dominated in both of those games.Stats and Trivia After playing each of his first ten Tests overseas, Rashid is set to make his home Test debut, and play for the first time as a solitary spinner. Jos Buttler has been promoted to England’s vice-captain after just two matches of his Test comeback. He takes over from James Anderson, who in turn stepped up after Ben Stokes missed the Ashes. India’s last visit to Edgbaston was one that they’d rather forget. Alastair Cook’s highest Test score of 294 was more than the visitors made in either innings, as they slumped to defeat by an innings and 242 runs.Quotes”Looking at the surface, we’ve decided we only want to go with one spinner, and that’s going to be Adil. With the amount of right-handers in what we think is going to be India’s team, he gives us a very attacking option.” Joe Root explains the thinking as Rashid’s Test recall is confirmed.“You need professionalism more than feeling like an underdog or starting as a favourite. That is something we want to do as a team: we want to be consistent and professional.” Virat Kohli is focussed only on on-field matters

Liverpool suffered their first loss of the campaign against high-flying Tottenham Hotspur in a controversial Premier League display last week, but could now respond with a statement victory over Brighton & Hove Albion this afternoon.

Jurgen Klopp rued the shambolic officiating that prevented Liverpool from leapfrogging Manchester City into first place, but will now be firmly focussed on capitalising on the Seagulls' own woes, having fallen to a heavy 6-1 defeat at Aston Villa last weekend.

Liverpool are juggling several absences but will be confident that their newfound vigour will prove enough to secure three points on the south coast.

What's the latest Liverpool team news?

Following their red cards at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Liverpool will be without both Curtis Jones and Diogo Jota, with the latter scoring in midweek against Union Saint-Gilloise in the Europa League.

Talking of absent goalscorers, Cody Gakpo is expected to be sidelined until after the international break having injured his knee against Spurs, scoring before half-time to restore parity.

The Dutchman joins Thiago Alcantara and his young Spanish compatriot Stefan Bajcetic on the sidelines, thinning Klopp's midfield options for the tie at the AMEX Stadium.

That being said, Trent Alexander-Arnold is in contention for his first Premier League start in over a month having recovered from a hamstring injury, which could inject the creativity required to clinch victory.

Why should Liverpool start Wataru Endo?

Another man whose prospective involvement from the start might be prudent in stifling Brighton's threat is Wataru Endo, with the industrious midfielder playing a peripheral role for Liverpool since signing from German side Stuttgart for around £16m in August.

Jones has been making major strides to his game in 2023 and have cemented a regular starting role for himself, but after seeing red in London, the Scouser will need replacing for the next three Premier League matches.

A cool and composed central presence, Endo, aged 30, is not the most technically proficient but can certainly do a job in the middle, and might be the glue needed to allow the likes of Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister to flourish.

Ryan Gravenberch has been immense since joining in the summer himself and will be hoping for his first start in the English top-flight, and while he could slot in for, possibly, Mac Allister, Endo might be the man for the job in the holding role later today.

There will be tougher tests to come, but the recent victory over Leicester City in the Carabao Cup really did showcase Endo's skills and effectiveness against a fluid foe, and with Brighton's ball-playing game among the division's very best, his inclusion as the midfield anchor could be paramount.

Indeed, Albion have completed the fourth-highest number of passes in the league this season (4169), which is higher than Liverpool (3793) and inhibiting the Reds' flow will be something Roberto De Zerbi will indeed be seeking to exploit.

But with Endo's robustness in the centre, this will not come easy for the home side, with the Japan star ranking among the top 8% of midfielders across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for aerial wins and the top 15% for clearances per 90, as per FBref.

The £50k-per-week ace has been described as a "proper warrior and leader" by Bundesliga commentator Kevin Thatchard, and bringing his mettle to sink the Seagulls could be the difference-maker for Klopp's side as they push for a return to winning ways.

Manchester United's squad depth has already been tested this season, with a number of injuries far from helping their attempts to get back to their best form under Erik ten Hag. The Dutchman will be incredibly frustrated by his side's start to the Premier League season, as well as the fact that he still doesn't have a full squad to choose from with the pressure mounting.

What the current campaign has proven so far is United's need for January reinforcements, whether that's just for adding depth to their squad, or ensuring that Ten Hag's starting side is strong enough to finish inside the top four. That said, reports suggest that the Red Devils are looking to sign one particular La Liga forward.

Latest Man Utd transfer news

United welcomed the likes of Mason Mount, Andre Onana, and Rasmus Hojlund during the summer transfer window, in an attempt to build a squad ready to close the gap on treble winners Manchester City. Seven games into the season, however, and that gap looks even bigger than last year, with Ten Hag's side enduring a run to forget, which has already featured four defeats.

When the January transfer swings open, those at Old Trafford look set to seek further additions in the hope of turning things around. According to reports in Spain, which provided a Man Utd transfer update on Umar Sadiq, the Red Devils, and by extension owners the Glazers, are looking to sign the Real Sociedad forward in the winter transfer window. The Nigerian shares an agent with United centre-back Raphael Varane, potentially making any deal easier to complete.

Given that the Red Devils only just welcomed Hojlund to bolster their forward options, Sadiq could come in as a backup option, especially if Anthony Martial sees out the end of his contract, before possibly leaving on a free next summer.

Who is Umar Sadiq?

Manchester United's reported interest in Sadiq is an interesting one, to say the least. The Sociedad man, hailed as a "revelation" in Spain by journalist Josh Bunting, missed the majority of last season through injury, and hasn't exactly got off to a flying start in the current campaign, failing to score once in eight games in all competitions.

Sadiq did show glimpses of his talent in the small part that he did play last season, though, scoring three times in six appearances in all competitions, perhaps proving why United are reportedly interested in making their move. Currently 26 years old, too, the forward could be entering his prime, and therefore, in theory, could be on the verge of his best form.

Former Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has certainly been impressed by Sadiq in the past, seemingly praising the Nigerian when he played for Partizan Belgrade, saying, via the official Manchester United Twitter: "I've watched many of their games. They're a team with some pace, a big strong striker and some talent in there, with two or three very exciting players."

With that said, when the January transfer window swings open, it will be interesting to see whether United decide to pursue Sadiq's signature, or if the forward remains a Sociedad and La Liga player for the near future.

ScorecardOnly one score lower than Kent’s 133 had ever been successfully defended in a T20 tie at Canterbury, but the overwrought faces on the Lancashire bench were a reminder that nothing would be automatic now the knockout stages in the Vitality Blast were spreading anxiety into every corner of this grand old ground. Although Lancashire took this quarter-final by six wickets with eight balls to spare, it felt closer.Lancashire had stiffened their ranks with two top-order England batsmen, Jos Buttler and Keaton Jennings, but Buttler was stumped first ball for a duck, Jennings (46 from 50) got out with the chase not quite broken. Sam Billings was a highly-resourceful captain and Kent fielded tigerishly.Memories of a horrendous collapse in the group stages against Durham at Old Trafford, culminating in three wickets lost in the final over, lurked below the surface. “Never again,” they had vowed in a dressing room inquest which burned the paint from the walls. There will be another occasion one day, there always is, but at least for Lancashire it was not to be this night.Lancashire hit one six all night and it as good as settled matters. When Jordan Clark swung Mitch Claydon over midwicket, the requirement was reduced to 11 from two overs. Only four more balls were needed as Clark and Dane Vilas stretched their unbroken fifth-wicket diving and scampering to 50 from 33 balls.Buttler will not be the first high-profile England player to be propelled into a county cup tie as if slightly disorientated. His emotions this week have been consumed by a maiden Test hundred at Trent Bridge and a heavy England defeat: vice-captain these days as well, remember. Too often, England players fail in high-profile county games and psychologically in such a crowded fixture list it is easy to understand why.It was a night when Lancashire could not believe their luck. They had bowled 52% of their overs in the group stages with spin bowling, with legspinners Matt Parkinson and Zahir Khan two of the most influential players in the tournament. By failing to win a home quarter-final the danger was that their spinners might be negated, but instead they found themselves on a Canterbury slow turner. They could not have planned it better themselves.”The worst we have batted all summer,” said Billings. “We certainly didn’t want to prepare a turning wicket like that against Lancashire with all their spin.” That he could smile through his frustration was a measure of the man, although he could not resist adding to BBC Radio Kent: “Whenever we play on good, flat, pacy pitches we play better than anyone. The only time we come unstuck is on slow snotheaps like that.”It has been a hot summer, county squares are heavily used and tired, and TV gantries can limit the choice even more. Quarter-finals can be hard to plan for. All that said, Kent could not have been more accommodating. Parkinson, with 3 for 27, took his competition tally to 23 wickets, second only to Worcestershire seamer Patrick Brown. “It spun more than we thought,” he said.Sam Billings stumps Jos Buttler first ball•Getty Images

Billings rose to the challenge with a run-a-ball 37, but even this was an innings constrained by circumstance. Parkinson dominated with 3 for 27 and, although Zahir was clearly frustrated by his own inaccuracy, the final ball of his spell was a resounding one – a big chinaman from around the wicket, delivered from wide out, which turned back to strike Billings’ off stump.Kent lost three wickets in the Powerplay before the spinners showed their hand. Daniel Bell-Drummond sacrificed himself to Joe Denly’s optimistic call for a single to square leg, second ball. Bell-Drummond might have made it without hesitation, he certainly had time to send Denly back; instead he courteously spared his partner and was run out by yards.Worse followed when Heino Kuhn was caught at the wicket, trying to guide Toby Lester to third man and Denly gave Buttler a second keeper’s catch when he tried to cut Jordan Clark.Billings has supervised a fine Kent season since returning from IPL and sporadic England limited-over duties: a more professional set-up, with not as much universal supremacy for the captain, has helped. Kent were runners-up at Lord’s in the Royal London Cup final, they lie third in Division Two of the Championship, and were in a quarter-final of the Blast. But plugging holes in an innings feels much the same whatever the details.The next three Kent wickets belonged to Parkinson, fair hair tightly cropped. Sean Dickson came in at No 5 as a stabilising influence, helped add 40 in six overs and then advanced down the track but holed out at long off. Australian Marcus Stoinis made a third-ball duck. Alex Blake’s potential for devastation ended quickly at deep midwicket.Stoinis had recovered from a hamstring strain and Kent chose not to risk him in their last two group matches for fear of a recurrence. The danger remained, though, that he would be rusty. Parkinson beat him second ball with dip and turn and then replicated the delivery to have him caught at slip. Billings’ departure made it 102 for 7 with four overs remaining and a packed Canterbury crowd took refuge in ironic cheers for some late-over scrambling.Lancashire took a long time to recover from the loss of Buttler, stumped by Billings off Joe Denly’s leg spin. Aaron Lilley’s pinch hitting at No 3 was silenced by the pace of Adam Milne and Alex Davies’ fraught innings was not that of a batsman boasting an average of 63.75 in the competition: he tried to tick along, but survived a return catch to Imran Qayyum, might have been thrown out by Billings at the non-striker’s end when he dawdled a single on the last ball of the Powerplay, and finally chipped Qayyum down the ground.Jennings, coming in at No 4, assessed the target calmly before he, too, was stumped off Qayyum, another spinner to have a good night. But Lancashire saw it through. On the bench, their injured captain, Liam Livingstone, looked as if it would be an act of mercy to pass him fit for Finals Day even if his broken thumb is in three pieces.

Chelsea co-owner Todd Boehly was spotted picking his nose and then eating it as he watched LA Dodgers take on the San Diego Padres.

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• Boehly spotted at MLB opener
• Cameras spot him picking his nose
• Proceeds to potentially eat it

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  In Major League Baseball's season opener, Boehly's Dodgers started their Shohei Ohtani era with a 5-2 win against the Padres in a historical event for the sport. The match was played at the Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul, creating history as the first MLB main-season game played in South Korea. Boehly was also present for the event and his actions disgusted fans as they watched the 50-year-old in the background.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  In 2022, Boehly and Clearlake Capital took over at Chelsea Football Club after the former owner, Roman Abramovich, had his assets in the United Kingdom seized due to his involvement with the Russian government during the Soviet nation's attempted takeover of Ukraine. Since then, Boehly and co. have pumped in a lot of money into the Stamford Bridge side, however, the results have not followed the trail of money for the Blues as they have struggled to compete.

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• WHAT NEXT FOR BOEHLY?

  The American is not only the owner of Chelsea and the Dodgers but he also owns a majority stake in Ligue 1 side, RC Strasbourg. He will likely remain with the Dodgers for some time with Chelsea not in action until March 30 when they take on Burnley at Stamford Bridge.