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Sevilla have issued a statement accusing Real Madrid TV of trying to influence referee Diaz de Mera before the two sides clash on Sunday.

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Real Madrid TV accused of trying to influence refereeSevilla and Real play on SundayStatement condemns actions of TV presentersWHAT HAPPENED?

Real Madrid TV, in the build-up to their clash with Sevilla, aired a segment in which they pointed out previous mistakes from the game's assigned referee, de Mera. They did similar with the assigned VAR, Gonzalez Fuertes, and Sevilla have now made a formal complaint to the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF).

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Sevilla's statement reads: "We wish to underline in the strongest terms our condemnation against these orchestrated campaigns aimed at undermining refereeing integrity. "The club wishes to confirm through a written statement to the Competition Committee of the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), we have reported the campaign of persecution and harassment towards the referee Diaz de Mera and González Fuertes (VAR) for tomorrow evening's game against Real Madrid orchestrated by Real Madrid TV, the official club television channel of Real Madrid.

"We wish to formally report these events to the RFEF to see if these actions can be considered as a violation of competition rules or any other regulations. The club also wishes to reiterate its strongest condemnation of these orchestrated campaigns aimed at undermining the image of the refereeing body, causing serious harm to Spanish football and calling into question the integrity of the competition."

CRISTINA QUICLER/AFP via Getty ImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Real are currently top of La Liga with 62 points, six points clear of second-placed Girona and eight clear of third-placed Barcelona. Sevilla, by comparison, are mired in 15th, but they are unbeaten in their last four games.

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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT?

There will likely be an intense focus on refereeing decisions when Real face Sevilla on Sunday, especially with former Los Blancos enforcer Sergio Ramos making his return to Santiago Bernabeu. It remains to be seen if Real can extend their lead at the top of the table, with Girona due back in action a day later against Rayo Vallecano.

Reliable journalist Fabrizio Romano has shared an important update on the future of Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga amid his current loan spell at Real Madrid.

Who has left Chelsea?

Mauricio Pochettino perhaps oversaw one of the biggest transfer overhauls in the Premier League this summer, with a plethora of players both arriving and departing Stamford Bridge.

Christopher Nkunku, Axel Disasi, Nicolas Jackson, Lesley Ugochukwu, Robert Sanchez, Romeo Lavia, Moises Caicedo and Cole Palmer all put pen to paper on moves to west London before September 1.

Meanwhile, Kalidou Koulibaly, N'Golo Kante, Edouard Mendy, Arrizabalaga, Mateo Kovacic, Mason Mount, Kai Havertz, Christian Pulisic, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Cesar Azpilicueta, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Ethan Ampadu and Callum Hudson-Odoi all sealed moves the other way.

Chelsea are taking a bit of time to get going under Pochettino, though; winning just one top flight match and drawing another whilst suffering defeats at the hands of West Ham and Nottingham Forest.

Defender Ben Chilwell, speaking after his side's latest 1-0 defeat to Forest, said Chelsea have much to improve upon ahead of a long season.

"Very frustrating result and everyone is very disappointed in the changing room right now," explained Chilwell post-match.

"If you look at the stats we dominated the game, had the possession, but the most important stat is the goals. We lost in that department and lost the game, that is the black and white of it and we need to improve."

There is still work to be done to Bridge, but one player who won't be a part of the project is Arrizabalaga.

The Spaniard, currently on a temporary stint at La Liga giants Real Madrid, is apparently eyeing up a permanent move away from Chelsea next year.

Arrizabalaga has seemingly been replaced by summer signing Sanchez from Brighton, with renowned transfer source Romano sharing a fresh update latest on the former's future.

“Kepa mentioned that his dream is to continue at Real Madrid, and this is the reality," said Romano on his YouTube channel.

“From what I am told, Kepa’s priority is to find another opportunity in 2024. Real Madrid, or another club. He feels that, with Chelsea, something is now broken. This is why the expectation between Chelsea and Kepa is to part ways.”

What happened to Kepa Arrizabalaga?

The 28-year-old signed for Chelsea from Athletic Bilbao in 2018, a transfer which broke the world record for most money spent on a goalkeeper.

Arrizabalaga arrived for £71.6 million, but fast-forward half a decade later, supporters will be looking back on his Chelsea career as a real mixed bag.

The shot-stopper has performed well in parts, though; even earning praise from Blues legend Petr Cech.

“I must touch on Kepa, too," wrote Cech in a column for Chelsea's official website last term (via The Standard).

"He had to fill those big boots while Edou has been away, and he has been brilliant in all those games under even more scrutiny than usual.

“You need a strong team and every person ready to help. The goalkeeping group work so hard together to make sure they are all ready for when the moment comes, so Kepa deserves credit too.”

Liverpool's Ibrahima Konate laughed off suggestions that he may be joined by France team-mate Kylian Mbappe at Anfield.

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• Konate laughs off Mbappe Liverpool link
• Says: 'We all know where he's going'
• Reds go five clear at top of table

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  WHAT HAPPENED?

  The defender returned from suspension to help his side to a comfortable win at Brentford on Saturday afternoon. He was in a playful mood after the game when asked by a French broadcaster on the prospects of Mbappe, who this week told Paris Saint-Germain he will depart the club his summer, joining him on Merseyside next season.

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• WHAT IBRAHIMA KONATE SAID

  "Do you really think he's going to come here?" laughed Konate when asked by about the chances of Mbappe joining Liverpool. "I think we all know where he's going to go."

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Konate's response underlines the theory that Mbappe is destined for Real Madrid. Representatives of the 25-year-old are reportedly in negotiations to finalise a deal that has been a long time in the making, with the Madrid board keen to conclude the transfer with as little fuss as possible and also keen not to upset a club they may yet meet in the Champions League this season.

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• WHAT NEXT FOR LIVERPOOL AND KONATE?

  It was a good result for Liverpool, winning at a ground that has proved problematic for them in the last two seasons. But it wasn't all plain sailing as the Reds picked up a number of concerning injuries as they head into a week where they face Luton Town in the league on Wednesday and contest the first silverware of the season against Chelsea in the Carabao Cup final next Sunday.

Eoin Morgan, England’s limited-overs captain, believes the time has passed to do something significant to secure the future of Test cricket particularly in those nations where the format is already a tougher sell.Debates around the relevance of the longest format have become a regular occurrence, mirroring the rise of T20 leagues around the world, with the latest example of changing priorities being the decisions of Adil Rashid and Alex Hales to effectively end their Test careers by signing white-ball only contracts for their counties. Although both were outside the current England Test set-up it was not beyond them, especially in Rashid’s case, to earn a recall but he admitted his heart was no longer in the first-class game.While the decisions of two players who see their future in the white-ball game don’t have to mean doom for Test cricket, it feels as though the game has come to a tipping point with the global calendar reaching meltdown and a club v country battle starting to emerge. Morgan played the last of his 16 Test six years ago and has long-since put the format out of his mind as he has focused on forging his white-ball career, firstly in T20 and latterly pioneering England’s one-day resurgence, but as an international captain his views will carry weight.”Test match cricket has had a lot to worry about for quite a while now,” he said. “If something was going to be done about it, it probably should have been done already. There are still, I suppose, different ideas being thrown around but actually giving priority to Test matches is sort of a luxury now for the bigger countries around the world. For other countries T20 franchise cricket takes priority.”Morgan’s comments follow on from Moeen Ali voicing his concerns about the future of Tests, although the evidence he cited of poor crowds in the recent Ashes didn’t stack up against the reality of the numbers which attended the matches.There have been attempts to breathe new life into Tests with the advent of floodlit matches, in an effort to entice crowds back at more viewing-friendly hours outside of the working day, and the Test Championship – part of the new Future Tours Programme – which has finally come to fruition in a bid to provide context and will begin in 2019, although there is still plenty of time for cracks to emerge in that plan. Morgan, however, said that ultimately the survival of Test cricket will come down to one thing: money.”The best ideas probably being bandied around are putting most revenue behind the match appearances or actual prize money towards Test match cricket so there’s no [influence] in what format people choose simply because of the money they might make. It’s all down to how good they are at that particular format.”On the decision taken by Hales and Rashid, Morgan was unsurprisingly supportive. “I think it’s a really good decision for those individuals. Every individual is different, they see their future and their pathway changing all the time, and it’s okay to be able to change it.”A lot of people actually are forced into a position to play one or two formats, which I think is wrong because it’s their own career, it’s their own future, they need to take hold of it and make the most of it while they can. And at the moment that’s taking a backward step from red-ball cricket and putting white-ball cricket at the forefront of their career path for now, I think is the right one because they believe it’s the right one.”

Despite having dominated much of the Tests, South Africa will have to contend with a confident ODI team, without their best player in the format

The Preview by Firdose Moonda31-Jan-2018Big pictureInevitably, everyone wants another Test between South Africa and India after the three-match series ended 2-1, with South Africa dominating the early stages and India getting progressively better. A fourth, maybe even a fifth Test would have been a fitting finale. Instead, six ODIs will take place in the space of 16 days, two of them at the venue South Africa criticised for having a subcontinental style pitch, SuperSport Park.At least the pitches are unlikely to be the source of much discussion in the limited-overs matches with a strong likelihood of flat pitches and big totals. And there’s still a strong contest to be expected – this remains a battle between No.1 and No.2, except now the roles are switched. South Africa are the top-ranked ODI side in the world, though Ottis Gibson continues to stress that it means very little in this format, while India are second with only a point separating the two sides.Rather than focus on widening the gap, South Africa are using this series to mark the start of “Vision 2019,” a catchy name for their campaign to win the World Cup. They’ve set aside the next few months to trial different combinations, so expect to see new faces and funky tactics, with the view to using the time between September and June next year to fine-tune their game plans ahead of a tournament they are desperate to triumph in.India have not even mentioned the World Cup yet. For them, this is more about being able to win a series on this trip. An ODI trophy, especially after South Africa took the series in India in late 2015, will be a prized possession.Form guide(last five completed matches, most recent first)
South Africa: WWWLL
India: WWLWWESPNcricinfo Ltd

In the spotlightNeither Faf du Plessis nor Gibson are concerned about Quinton de Kock’s form but the rest of South Africa is. With 71 runs in the Test series off the back of a lean domestic twenty-over campaign, de Kock looks out of touch. There are suggestions from the inner circle that he requires a change of lifestyle to bring focus back to his game. Du Plessis and Gibson hope a change of format will do the same thing. They might be right – the last time de Kock made a score of significance was in a fifty-over game when he smashed 168* against Bangladesh last October. He will need a few like that to provide reassurance of his ability.Rohit Sharma had his place questioned during the first two Tests and scored just 78 runs in four innings before being dropped for the third. But in the ODI format, Rohit is the only batsmen in the world to have three double-hundreds to his name, the most recent of which came in India’s series against Sri Lanka, just before they left for South Africa. Rohit remains a white-ball darling, and India will hope his best on this tour is yet to come.Team newsAB de Villiers’ injury opens a spot in the middle-order that du Plessis confirmed will be filled by Aiden Markram, meaning Khaya Zondo will have to wait to make his debut. The rest of the batting is familiar, with JP Duminy coming off a run of good scores in the domestic one-day cup. Lungi Ngidi may have to wait for his first fifty-over appearance if South Africa opt for Morne Morkel, with Imran Tahir likely to start as the sole specialist spinner.South Africa (probable): 1 Hashim Amla, 2 Quinton de Kock (wk), 3 Faf du Plessis (capt), 4 Aiden Markram, 5 JP Duminy, 6 David Miller, 7 Chris Morris, 8 Andile Phehlukwayo, 9 Kagiso Rabada, 10 Morne Morkel, 11 Imran TahirIndia seem set to become more flexible with Ajinkya Rahane’s role after having pegionholed him into the opening slot earlier last year. He could be playing at No. 4 given there will be pace on offer throughout the innings in conditions in South Africa and England, where the World Cup will be played. They seem to be set with whom they want at Nos 5, 6 and 7: Kedar Jadhav, Hardik Pandya and MS Dhoni. Another decision they will have to make is whether they play two specialist spinners.India (probable): 1 Rohit Sharma, 2 Shikhar Dhawan, 3 Virat Kohli (capt.), 4 Ajinkya Rahane/ Manish Pandey, 5 MS Dhoni (wk), 6 Kedar Jadhav, 7 Hardik Pandya, 8 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 9 Jasprit Bumrah, 10 Kuldeep Yadav/Yuzvendra Chahal, 11 Mohammed Shami/ Shardul ThakurPitch and conditionsDurban’s surface can sometimes be a little slower than others around the country. It will definitely not have the pace of the Highveld venues the teams have just come from. Rain is forecast for the early afternoon but should stop later on, though the cloud cover will remain with temperatures in the early 20s.Stats and triviaThe last time South Africa and India played in a bilateral ODI series against each other was in October 2015. The series see-sawed, but South Africa emerged triumphant in the end, winning 3-2. India have only won five out of 28 ODIs in South Africa, none in Durban. MS Dhoni needs 102 runs to become the fourth Indian batsmen to 10,000 ODI runs.Quotes”AB is not playing this game so Aiden Markram is coming into his place and we’re giving him an opportunity to bat in different places in our batting order. That’s also a great way to evolve your own game, learn different situations at different times and it will be a nice learning curve for him.”

Former Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea shared a touching birthday message to his wife Edurne Garcia amid speculation about his own future.

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De Gea shares touching birthday message to wifeGoalkeeper still a free agent after United exitInjury-hit Newcastle linked with SpaniardGettyWHAT HAPPENED?

The Spaniard posted his message to his long-term partner, the singer and actress Edurne. The pair married this summer on the Balearic island of Menorca, just days after his United contract expired, which ended a 12-year spell at Old Trafford.

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"Happy birthday Mommy! We love you so much!" posted De Gea on Instagram alongside a picture of the couple in fancy dress.

WHAT EDURNE SAID

Edurne had a humorous take to the day, posting a video of herself blowing the candles on a cake which magically revealed he true age, much to her mock dismay.

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Getty ImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE

De Gea remains by far the biggest name free agent there is out there at the moment. At the age of 33 and having played 76 consecutive Premier League games before his departure from United there is no doubt that the former Spain number one is capable of playing several more seasons at the highest level.

But with financial fair play (FFP) limitations forcing several top teams into awkward situations it may take a smart piece of accountancy or a significant drop in De Gea's United wages to see him back on a field soon. With their strong financial backing and the long-term injury to Nick Pope, Newcastle United appear to be the most likely landing spot for the Spaniard.

Andy Hurry has been rushed back to Taunton as Somerset’s director of cricket after the removal of Matthew Maynard

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Oct-2017

Somerset have confirmed that Andy Hurry will return to the club as director of cricket following the departure of Matthew Maynard.The news, which was first signalled in ESPNcricinfo, also sees Jason Kerr promoted from assistant and bowling coach to become Somerset’s new head coach.Hurry’s return offers Somerset a sense of stability and unity after a difficult season in which they only avoided relegation on the final day of the season and released a clutch of players including the limited-overs captain Jim Allenby.Indeed, even now they cannot entirely rest easy: Middlesex, who were relegated instead, have lodged an official protest with the ECB about an overrate sanction during a match at The Oval which ended prematurely for safety reasons when a crossbow bolt was fired onto the outfield.ECB clear ‘below average’ pitch

Somerset have avoided any further action over the pitch produced for the final Championship match of the season against Middlesex which was rated “below average”.
The judgement, by Cricket Liaison Officer Wayne Noon, prompted further investigation by the ECB but the surface was cleared on Monday.
Somerset saved their Division One status with victory in the match which was dominated by spin.
However, the club will remain under notice and further action could be taken if another surface is rated “below average” next season. And they are not 100% secure of their position until the outcome of Middlesex’s appeal against their slow over-rate is decided for the match ended by the crossbow incident at The Oval.

Hurry spent 13 years at Somerset before he left in 2014 to become head coach of the ECB’s Player Development Programme.He originally joined Somerset in 2001 and went on to become head coach before taking the position of director of high performance for a brief period at the end of the 2013 season.In his time as head coach he oversaw Somerset’s most successful period since the Glory Years in the late 1970s and early 80s, as he led them to within a whisker of the County Championship and to several white-ball finals.Somerset CEO Lee Cooper, who has undertaken a comprehensive review of the club’s structure since his appointment during the summer, said: “Andy Hurry enjoyed considerable success during his time with Somerset and since then he has gone on to gain extensive and valuable experience working with the ECB and the Young Lions Programme. He is held in extremely high regard by both the ECB and our playing staff.”Jason Kerr has fulfilled a number of roles since a shoulder injury brought his seam-bowling career to a premature end in 2002 and has been actively involved with the First XI for over a decade.Andy Hurry•Getty Images

Cooper said: “Jason’s knowledge of the club and the unique culture that surrounds it is second to none. He has also played a major role in the development of our exciting young players who are now breaking in to the first XI.”Hurry has been unable to resist the lure of a return to the south-west. He said: “Somerset will always hold a very special place in my heart,” he said. “We came so close to winning silverware when I was here before and there is therefore some unfinished business. It is one of the most respected clubs in the world and it feels very much like I’m coming home.”I have relished my three years with the ECB and Young Lions and through the opportunities the programme has provided me, I have grown my experience and knowledge significantly”

Alex Hales’ barnstorming white-ball form continued•Getty Images

A brutal display of ball-striking from Alex Hales powered the Notts Outlaws to a convincing victory over Durham Jets in the NatWest T20 Blast competition.The England international, who scored an unbeaten 187 to help his county win the Royal London One-Day Cup final a month ago, clubbed nine fours and nine sixes in a stunning innings of 95, made from just 30 deliveries.West Indies’ star Chris Gayle holds the record for the fastest individual T20 century of all-time, getting to the landmark from only 30 balls and Hales could have equalled it but his mighty assault off James Weighell sliced high into the Nottingham sky and then down into the waiting gloves of wicketkeeper Stuart Poynter.”I knew there was a chance to go for the quickest T20 century of all-time and you don’t get those opportunities very often,” Hales said. “I love batting at Trent Bridge, for me it is utter paradise, the wickets are great and there are some short boundaries, so I knew there was a chance of doing it.It’s a special feeling to play here and to get so many in the Powerplay overs with Riki. As a team we’ve got real momentum at the moment and hopefully we can keep it going.”Riki Wessels made an undefeated 41 to ensure that Hales’ work didn’t go unrewarded, although there was a clatter of wickets before the home side got over the line to chase down a target of 184 and complete a five-wicket win with 37 balls remaining.

A record-breaking chase

106 Runs scored by Nottinghamshire Outlaws in the Powerplay against Durham Jets – Most runs ever scored in the Powerplay in T20s where ball-by-ball data is available. They broke the record set by Kolkata Knight Riders who scored 105 against Royal Challengers Bangalore earlier this year in the Indian Premier League.
19 Balls taken by Alex Hales to reach his fifty. This is the second time this season he has scored a fifty in 19 balls or fewer. He reached his 50 in 18 balls against Yorkshire.
13.30 Run rate at which the Notts Outlaws chased down the target of 183 set by Durham – second-highest in all T20s where the target was above 150. Netherlands chased 189 in 13.5 overs at 13.95 runs per over which remains the best.
9.63 Average run rate at Trent Bridge since the start of 2016 – highest for any ground that has hosted more than 10 T20s. The ground has a strike rate of 153.09 in the same period which is also the highest.

Durham had earlier scored 183 for 7, after being asked to bat first, with Michael Richardson top-scoring with 53 and Paul Coughlin was left undefeated on 42 from 25 deliveries. Pace off the ball proved beneficial for the home attack, with Samit Patel taking 2 for 23 and both Steven Mullaney and Ish Sodhi also picked up two wickets.The Outlaws’ run chase began in highly dramatic circumstances, with Durham suddenly finding themselves two bowlers short.Thirteen runs, including a six from Hales, came from Weighell’s opening over of the innings but it was the next over that produced a flurry of incidents, with three different bowlers needed to complete the set of six.Usman Arshad was ordered out of the attack after sending down two waist-high full tosses. Coughlin took over and went for two fours and a six before he had to leave the field after being struck on the hand by a blow from Hales. Jack Burnham completed the over with a dot ball.Hales and Wessels brought up the team 50 in only 3.2 overs but only five more balls were bowled before a short shower sent the players off the field.The break seemed to re-invigorate the opener as Hales powered his next three balls to the ropes, to leave the total on 78 without loss after five overs.Ryan Pringle came in for extreme punishment as Hales then took 28 off the next over, passing his 50 from just 19 balls, with seven fours and three sixes. The board read 106-0 at the end of the sixth over, a world record for the Powerplay overs.No bowler was spared, although Cameron Steel put down a bullet of a caught and bowled chance when the international was on 82. Typically, the next two balls disappeared out of the ground.Once Hales had departed mayhem set in. Both Tom Moores and Mullaney departed to the first ball they faced and Christian only made 10, with Steel getting his first two wickets in the format – but at a personal cost of 60 runs.Patel made 26 but fell to Brydon Carse when only four runs were needed, leaving Wessels and Brendan Taylor to take the Outlaws over the finishing line.Earlier in the day, Durham were put under pressure from the very start of their innings when Graham Clark was bowled in the first over by Patel.Richardson and Steel began to re-build the innings with a stand of 54 but Mullaney separated them as soon as he came into the attack. The first delivery sent down by the medium-pacer was helped out by Steel, straight into the safe hands of Hales at deep midwicket.Burnham was bowled by Sodhi for 1 and Gareth Harte, in for the resting Paul Collngwood, lofted Mullaney out to Taylor at deep cover.The visitors had slid from 57 for 1 to 68 for 4 but then had around 15 minutes to regroup after a sudden shower sent the players scurrying back to the dressing rooms.Upon the resumption Richardson went on to reach his 50 from 37 balls but hit all around a Patel delivery and was bowled.Sodhi removed Stuart Poynter but an eighth wicket stand of 52 between Coughlin and Ryan Pringle, who made 25, helped the Jets towards a competitive total.Overthrows helped the Jets take 21 from the final over, with Ball’s last delivery being scooped over his own head for six by Coughlin.Durham’s defeat was their eighth in 10 matches, whilst the Outlaws now top the North Group table, despite having lost their first two matches in the competition.

Following the recent capture of Mason Mount, Manchester United's focus appears to have shifted toward the signing of a new striker and a new goalkeeper, with Erik ten Hag seemingly intent on strengthening the spine of his time this summer.

With a £50m bid for Atalanta marksman, Rasmus Hojlund believed to be in the works, United are also currently in negotiations with Inter Milan to try and strike a deal for Cameroonian stopper, Andre Onana, having seemingly made an offer of around €50m (£43m) for the 27-year-old.

With doubts remaining over the future of long-serving number one, David De Gea, it would appear that Onana is being lined up to replace the experienced Spaniard in the sticks, having previously worked under Ten Hag at Ajax.

Having been part of the Inter side that reached the Champions League final last season, the 6 foot 3 ace has particularly impressed due to his quality on the ball, having been branded "exceptional" in that regard by Manchester City boss, Pep Guardiola ahead of that European showpiece.

That ball-playing brilliance is evidenced by the fact that the towering gem ranks in the top 11% among his European peers for touches made as a sign of just how comfortable he is in possession, with De Gea, by contrast, ranking in just the bottom 30% in that regard.

The introduction of the Serie A star to Ten Hag's side would then allow the Red Devils to begin to properly play out from the back next term, with club legend Paul Scholes previously stating that De Gea "makes the whole team nervous" when attempting to use his feet.

Onana will, however, need players ahead of him who are also comfortable in possession, hence why the signing of Monaco's Axel Disasi – who is a reported target for the Premier League outfit this summer – could prove to be a perfect fit at the heart of the defence.

How good is Axel Disasi?

The 6 foot 3 centre-back could represent a big upgrade on club captain, Harry Maguire in Ten Hag's defensive ranks, with the latter man having been branded "a walking disaster" by journalist Samuel Luckhurst in recent times, having also been restricted to just eight league starts last term.

The 30-year-old Englishman – who has been linked with a move away from the Theatre of Dreams – has looked rather uncomfortable when attempting to play out of late, notably turning into trouble in the grim Europa League defeat to Sevilla earlier this year.

Disasi, however, should have no such trouble in that regard, with the impressive "hidden gem" – as lauded by talent scout Jacek Kulig – ranking in the top 4% among those in his position in Europe's top five leagues for both progressive passes and progressive carries, showcasing his willingness to initiate attacks from deep.

That is in stark contrast to Maguire's record across the last 365 days, as per FBref, with the former Leicester City man ranking in just the bottom 47% for progressive passes and only in the top 19% for progressive carries, having looked ill-suited at times to a more progressive style of play.

Disasi would also offer a benefit to both Onana and United as a whole due to his ability to sniff out danger, showcased by the fact that the Frenchman ranks in the top 14% for interceptions made, while Maguire ranks in just the top 38% for that same metric.

That would suggest that the signing of the 25-year-old – who has been valued at around €50m (£43m) – could be a perfect solution for Ten Hag ahead of next season, helping to hasten the transition towards a more free-flowing style of play.

USMNT stars Yunus Musah and Christian Pulisic were greeted with a surprise Thanksgiving feast from Italian club Milan Thursday.

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• Milan surprise USMNT duo Pulisic and Musah
• Duo gifted a traditional Thanksgiving feast
• 'Taste of home' in Italy

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  After leaving Thursday's training session ahead of their return to action at the weekend, the American duo were surprised by the Italian club with a traditional holiday feast. Pulisic and Musah were not able to spend the holiday with their family, so the Serie A side went out of their way to bring a taste of home for their players.

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• Getty
  

  WHAT PULISIC SAID

  “AC Milan truly knows how to make us feel like family. I am used to spending Thanksgiving away from home and from my friends and family, but yesterday was such a special surprise to walk off the training pitch and be greeted with a Thanksgiving feast. To have a taste of home here in Milan means the world, and it's a testament to the incredible bond we share as a team. Grazie mille to the AC Milan family for making this year’s Thanksgiving day extra special. For moments like these, I'm grateful to call Milan my home away from home.”

• WHAT MUSAH SAID

  “Feeling the warmth of a Thanksgiving celebration here in Milan is something I'll always remember. AC Milan surprised us with a fantastic meal, making us feel like family. It's moments like these that create a strong bond, and I'm grateful to be part of the AC Milan family. Thanks for bringing a bit of home to us in Italy.”

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  Pulisic was ruled out of action during the November international FIFA break after picking up an injury against PSG in the Champions League in early November, with just minutes to spare in the contest. Thankfully, it turned out to be nothing serious, and he's now in contention to make his return to the pitch this weekend. Meanwhile, Musah, has been playing some of his best soccer of late for both club and country, recently being compared to ex-Rossoneri and Barcelona midfielder, Franck Kessie.

  The USMNT duo are finding life in Milan incredibly successful, with both getting regular minutes and contributing to the success of the club. In return, seeing the Italian side share the American holiday with them is a brilliant touch; the real question though, is what the spread was actually like! Turkey or ham? Mashed or sweet potatoes? Regardless, it's safe to say they were both pleasantly surprised with the meal from the Italian club.