تبحث جماهير القلعة الحمراء عن موعد مباراة الأهلي القادمة بعد الخسارة أمام باتشوكا المكسيكي، في موقعة ودية انتهت بفوز الأخير بركلات الترجيح بنتيجة 5-3.

وتعادل الأهلي مع باتشوكا، 1-1 ، في الوقت الأصلي للقاء قبل أن يفوز باتشوكا بركلات الترجيح، خلال معسكره المقام بالولايات المتحدة الأمريكية، في أولى مواجهاته تحت قيادة الجهاز الفني الجديد بقيادة البرتغالي خوسيه ريبيرو.

طالع| فيديو | تريزيجيه يسجل هدف تعادل الأهلي أمام باتشوكا وسجل جون ﻛﯿﻨﯿﺪي، هدف فريق باتشوكا الأول أمام الأهلي في الدقيقة 11، بعدما وصلته الكرة داخل منطقة الجزاء عقب عدة تمريرات من لاعبي الفريق المكسيكي ليسدد في مرمى محمد الشناوي.

وتعادل الأهلي في الدقيقة 50 عن طريق محمود حسن تريزيجيه بعدما قام بمراوغة رائعة لمدافع فريق باتشوكا وسدد في المرمى.

وفي ركلات الترجيح نجح فريق باتشوكا في الانتصار على الأهلي بنتيجة 5-3.

ويتواجد الأهلي في المجموعة الأولى ضمن منافسات كأس العالم للأندية، رفقة أندية إنتر ميامي الأمريكي وبورتو البرتغالي وبالميراس البرازيلي.

ويفتتح الأهلي بطولة كأس العالم للأندية، بمواجهة إنتر ميامي الأمريكي، صباح يوم الأحد 15 يونيو 2025، في الثالثة فجرًا. موعد مباراة الأهلي القادمة

سيلعب فريق النادي الأهلي أمام إنتر ميامي الأمريكي في افتتاح مشواره ببطولة كأس العالم للأندية، صباح يوم الأحد الموافق 15 يونيو 2025، في الثالثة فجرًا بتوقيت القاهرة. القناة الناقلة لمباراة الأهلي وإنتر ميامي

ومن المقرر، أن تذاع مباراة الأهلي وإنتر ميامي عبر قناة “إم بي سي مصر”.

The Men’s IPL, meanwhile, is likely to begin on April 1

Nagraj Gollapudi09-Dec-2022

IPL 2023 is likely to begin on April 1, while the inaugural season of the Women’s IPL is likely to be played from March 3 to 26 with both tournaments to be played in India. While the BCCI is yet to formalise the dates, it has earmarked a window for the WIPL with the tournament set to start a week after the 2023 Women’s T20 World Cup final, which is scheduled to be played on February 26 in Cape Town.As for the IPL, ESPNcricinfo has learned that the BCCI is working out the availability of overseas players before it finalises the end date for the 10-team tournament, which will return to the home-and-away format that was shelved due to constraints imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic. It is likely that the BCCI would want to wrap up the IPL by the end of May since England are scheduled to play Ireland in a one-off Test at Lord’s from June 1 to 4. A few days later, The Oval will host the second ICC World Test Championship final – which India have a chance of contesting – while the Ashes begin from June 16.Related

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On Friday the BCCI announced the media-rights tender for the first five seasons of the WIPL, 2023 to 2027. While the last date for picking up the tender is December 31, 2022, it is learned that the bids will be opened around January 8. The BCCI has decided to adopt the closed-bid process instead of an e-auction. While further details will emerge once the bidders pick up the tender document it is learned the BCCI has not set any base price for each of the three categories for which rights will be sold: television, digital, and a combination of the two.In October this year the BCCI shared with its members – the state associations – a plan for the WIPL, which was ratified at the board’s Annual General Meeting.According to the plan, the league will be contested by five franchise teams playing a total of 22 matches. Each squad can have up to 18 players, with a maximum of six overseas players, and each playing XI can include five overseas players (four from Full Member countries and one from an Associate nation).In the league phase of the WIPL, each team will play the other twice (a total of 20 matches), and the table topper will progress straight to the final. The teams that finish second and third in the league will play an Eliminator to determine the second finalist.According to the BCCI’s timelines, the next step would be inviting bids for the five franchises. Unlike the men’s IPL, where franchises bid for teams in a particular city, the BCCI had drafted two initial plans for the WIPL. The first one was to sell teams across six zones spanning the country. A set of cities in each zone has been shortlisted and comprises: Dharamsala/Jammu (North zone), Pune/Rajkot (West), Indore/Nagpur/Raipur (Central), Ranchi/Cuttack (East), Kochi/Visakhapatnam (South) and Guwahati (North-East).The second plan involves teams being sold but without a solid home base, with matches to be played at six shortlisted IPL venues: Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Kolkata and Mumbai.The final leg of the process involves the assembling of squads and the BCCI is yet to finalise whether this will be done via an auction or a draft. Player availability will remain a concern considering the WIPL could clash with the inaugural season of the Women’s Pakistan Super League (WPSL). While the PCB is yet to release a final plan for the tournament, March 18 has been earmarked as the date of the WPSL final.

MLS urged to consider a “longer fix” that will help the league to thrive once Inter Miami “kingpin” Lionel Messi has left the United States

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Messi moved to Florida in summer of 2023Argentine GOAT has attracted global interestQuestions being asked of what future holdsFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

For now, U.S. soccer continues to benefit from the presence of eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi. Where he goes, stadiums sell out and A-list guests flock to catch a glimpse of the Argentine GOAT in action.

Get the MLS Season Pass today!Stream games nowAdvertisementGettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Messi inspired Inter Miami to Leagues Cup success within weeks of his arrival in Florida, while the 2024 campaign delivered Supporters’ Shield glory in record-breaking fashion and MVP honours.

DID YOU KNOW?

Inevitable questions are being asked of what happens when the iconic South American packs his bags and heads elsewhere. Who will become the face of MLS and can interest around the world be retained when Messi is no longer the star attraction?

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Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

WHAT SHAUN WRIGHT-PHILLIPS SAID

Responding to that poser, former New York Red Bulls winger Shaun Wright-Phillips – speaking to GOAL via , Football Betting – said: “That is the thing with the way that America are doing it.

“They are getting a lot of big superstars when they are at the back end of their careers. They build a lot of publicity around those players, whoever they may be. At the minute the kingpin is obviously Messi, but [Sergio] Busquets is there as well, [Luis] Suarez, Jordi Alba, they have got a lot of big names over there now.

“But when they do retire, they do the same thing again – they look for the next batch of players at that age. For a time that does raise the standard and publicity around it, but it’s short lived. They need to find a longer fix and have a player of that calibre come to America and play his career there. They may have to create their own.”

Getty Images

A 1-1 draw at home can never be celebrated, but there was rightly reason for optimism among those of a Manchester United persuasion following Sunday’s clash with rivals Arsenal.

The first-half may have been dull and dour at Old Trafford, yet inspired by Bruno Fernandes’ free-kick stunner just before the break, the Red Devils sprung into life in the second period.

Central to that vibrant display after the interval was Alejandro Garnacho, with manager Ruben Amorim labelling it as the winger’s “best game” since he’s been at the helm.

There have no doubt been some low moments for Garnacho in recent months, having memorably been left out for the trip to the Etihad, alongside Marcus Rashford, yet the 20-year-old remains United’s key attacking threat on the flanks, having only recently supplied the assist to Joshua Zirkzee away in San Sebastian.

Talk was rife in January that the mercurial talent was set for a £60m move to Chelsea, yet, thankfully, the Argentina international stayed put, with the youngster still the third-highest scorer this season, despite only netting once under Amorim.

Player

Games

Goals

Assists

Bruno Fernandes

42

12

13

Amad

36

9

7

Alejandro Garnacho

43

8

7

Rasmus Hojlund

37

7

1

Marcus Rashford

24

7

3

Joshua Zirkzee

42

6

2

Christian Eriksen

25

4

4

Casemiro

30

3

0

Harry Maguire

28

3

0

Signed for a reported fee of just £420k back in 2020, it has been some rise for the wing wizard, having soared his way up the attacking pecking order…

Alejandro Garnacho's rise under Ten Hag

It’s not often that academy football takes precedence over first-team fortunes, yet that was certainly the case back in May 2022. With the senior ranks enduring a dour campaign bookended by Ralf Rangnick’s dismal interim spell, all eyes were on United’s FA Youth Cup final clash against Nottingham Forest.

With a record crowd of 60,000 watching on at Old Trafford, the club’s U18 side romped to a 3-1 victory, spearheaded by a brilliant brace from the breathtaking, Garnacho.

The then-teenager – who had actually made his first-team debut under Rangnick in late April against Chelsea – was then made to wait for a more prominent role in the senior ranks, however, with new boss Erik ten Hag deciding not to hand him any game time during the 2022 summer tour.

It later transpired that issues surrounding Garnacho’s attitude had been a factor in that lack of action, with the Spain-born starlet gradually eased in at the start of 2022/23, having not been handed his first Premier League start until the 3-1 loss away to Aston Villa in early November.

The one-time Atletico Madrid product had properly announced himself just a few days earlier, however, after capitalising on Cristiano Ronaldo’s assist away to Real Sociedad, while he would go on to score at the death off the bench against Fulham.

A “game-changer” – as lauded by Manchester Evening News journalist Samuel Luckhurst – is what Garnacho largely remained that season after making only 14 starts in all competitions, with Ten Hag having initially favoured other attacking talents ahead of him…

Man Utd's "bargain" sale who was ahead of Garnacho

It is remarkable to remember that United lined up for the opening game of the 2022/23 season with a front three consisting of Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Christian Eriksen, with the latter man thrust into an unorthodox false nine berth.

Where Are They Now

Less than three years on, both Rashford and Sancho find themselves out on loan, while Eriksen – whose centre-forward experiment was unsurprisingly cut short – looks set to leave the club upon the expiry of his contract this summer.

It wasn’t until Ten Hag’s third Premier League game in charge that a turning point occurred, with the Red Devils seeing off rivals Liverpool, as Sancho opened the scoring courtesy of an Anthony Elanga assist.

Elanga – who was actually hooked at the break on the night – had been the shining light of a grim 2021/22 campaign, with the Swedish speedster producing a particular highlight after scoring a last-gasp equaliser away to Atletico.

As then-MEN writer Rich Fay noted at the time, ‘Elanga was the bright future hope, and Garnacho was largely unknown outside of the academy system.’

While Garnacho waited in the wings, his fellow academy graduate actually started three of the first five league games in Ten Hag’s debut season, with Fay stating that Elanga had been ‘regularly preferred’ by the Dutchman, particularly due to his ‘movement both on and off the ball’.

Unfortunately for the current Nottingham Forest man, his inability to offer an end product appeared to be his undoing as the campaign progressed. In all, he ended that season with just two assists and no goals to his name. Garnacho, meanwhile, chalked up nine goals and assists.

Having at one stage been Rangnick and Ten Hag’s man on the flanks, Elanga was given the cold shoulder heading into 2023, after failing to feature in any of the final 13 top-flight games of that campaign.

That ‘exile’ saw United and Ten Hag opt to cash in on the Malmo-born winger that summer, with Forest forking out just £15m for his services – a move that now looks like a real “bargain”, according to analyst Ben Mattinson.

Away from the bright lights of Old Trafford, the 22-year-old has been an “electric” presence for the Tricky Trees – as hailed by Statman Dave – after chalking up 26 goals and assists in 70 games for his new side.

That includes 11 goal involvements in the Premier League alone this season, while Garnacho boasts only four. That said, the current United star does have 15 goals and assists to his name in all competitions, ahead of his former teammate’s tally of 12.

Perhaps, it merely represents a case of Elanga finding the perfect home at the City Ground, although his performances may sting as far as United are concerned, particularly with Newcastle United having reportedly even bid £50m for his services last summer.

The 19-cap Sweden international’s lack of impact under Ten Hag was evident, yet with Amorim and co currently starved of attacking depth, would there not be a role for Elanga in the squad these days?

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David Moyes has come into the Everton hot-seat and been just the breath of fresh air needed to pull the Toffees away from relegation danger, with a draw to Wolverhampton Wanderers last time out signalling his side’s eighth straight game in the Premier League without defeat.

Whilst many faces in the Everton camp looked dejected and lost towards the end of Sean Dyche’s troubled tenure, a large portion of the Blues first team personnel now look rejuvenated under the Scotsman’s newer methods, with Beto one star very much benefitting from the inspired managerial switch-up having now scored six top-flight strikes.

But, a renewed belief is coursing throughout the team at this moment in time, with a defensive star really sticking out as another figure who has taken to the return of Moyes.

Jake O'Brien's improvements under Moyes at Everton

Whilst the Toffees weren’t exactly leaking goals for fun under the dogged managerial style of Dyche, some of the defenders at Goodison Park have shown signs of improvement already under the ex-West Ham United boss.

That is definitely the case for Jake O’Brien, with the young Irishman a regular on the bench under the previous regime, only to now be a solid first-team option.

The former Olympique Lyonnais defender even grabbed his first-ever Toffees goal on the road at Brentford to finish a sterling February on the best possible note, with that month also seeing him star against Manchester United with five duels being won, on top of a clean sheet being collected at home to Leicester City.

Therefore, it looks now as if Everton have a fantastic long-term candidate to be their right-back, with both Ashley Young and Seamus Coleman towards the end of their careers, compared to the ever-improving O’Brien who has a valuation of £13m according to Transfermarkt.

Amazingly, the breakout star at the back is now worth more than a former Toffees star who was sold for a big fee to a Premier League rival back in 2022.

The Everton "machine" now worth less than O'Brien

Everton have sold on a number of players over recent years for high fees, with Amadou Onana’s name sticking out from last summer’s bumper transfer window, having won the Merseysiders £50m when he moved onto pasture new with Aston Villa.

This isn’t the only time Villa and the Toffees have had a healthy working relationship, however, with former owner Farhad Moshiri losing French full-back Lucas Digne to the Villans in January of 2022, costing the West Midlands side £25m in the process.

The Frenchman was a beloved figure when he was strutting his stuff at Goodison, with Digne going on to notch up six goals and 20 assists across 127 appearances, before inevitably breaking hearts when a move to Villa came calling.

Whilst the 31-year-old has taken to his new challenge at Villa Park well, Everton definitely hit gold selling the ex-Barcelona “machine” – as he was once lauded by football journalist Ty Bracey – when they did.

Why? Well, his steep £25m valuation has taken a hit the more his Villans career goes on.

Digne’s numbers at Villa

Stat

Digne

Games played

130

Goals scored

4

Assists

14

Valuation when joining

£25m

Valuation now

£10m

Decrease amount

£15m

Sourced by Transfermarkt

Whilst Digne has continued to be an exciting option down the left flank with four goals and 14 assists tallied up, his valuation has slipped all the way down to a lesser £10m as per Transfermarkt, representing a £15m decrease.

He has also looked shaky at points this season for Unai Emery’s men in Premier League action, with only two clean sheets coming his way from 28 encounters a worrying statistic to chew over.

Whilst Digne is still remembered as a stellar defender throughout his time on Merseyside, Everton did cash in at the best possible time with hindsight firmly on their side, as Moyes goes about picking up more and more positive results at Goodison with his revitalised troops.

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Posts ByKelan Sarson Mar 9, 2025

Did Liverpool look nervy against Wolverhampton Wanderers last weekend, or were Arne Slot’s side simply enduring a disjointed performance?

Let’s not forget that Liverpool still got the job done, beat the Old Gold to jump back into a seven-point lead at the top of the Premier League.

It was a match that called for support from the bench, with Wataru Endo being named the Man of the Match and Conor Bradley adding energy in place of Trent Alexander-Arnold at right-back.

However, Darwin Nunez had no such luck at number nine.

Darwin Nunez's performances

Nunez, 25, has been one of Liverpool’s most prominent figures over the past several years but he was linked with a transfer to the Saudi Pro League in January after little sign of growth since arriving from Benfica.

The Uruguay international is tenacious and multi-faceted, but he’s also wasteful and uncommanding as a focal frontman, only scoring six goals across 34 matches for Slot this season.

Against Wolves, Nunez failed to take a shot, make a key pass or even attempt a dribble across his 26 minutes of action plus stoppage time, as per Sofascore. Moreover, he lost both of his ground duels and completed only half of his eight attempted passes.

See the table below. The South American is running out of corners to turn.

Matches (starts)

29 (19)

36 (22)

20 (7)

Goals

9

11

4

Assists

3

8

2

Shots (on target)*

2.9 (1.3)

3.0 (1.3)

1.3 (0.5)

Big chances missed

20

27

3

Big chances created

11

11

3

Key passes*

1.0

0.9

0.4

Dribble (success)*

0.6 (44%)

0.4 (43%)

0.4 (44%)

Total duels (won)

2.8 (38%)

2.4 (38%)

2.6 (39%)

The issue is that he hasn’t improved, with the ossification of his skill set leading many rivals to look at the reported £85m price tag with derision.

Four goals simply isn’t good enough for Liverpool’s club-record forward, not least because he’s being outscored in the Premier League by a former Reds prospect…

The former Liverpool star now outperforming Nunez

Fulham signed Harry Wilson for a £12m fee in July 2021, a product of Liverpool’s academy but found his opportunities limited under Jurgen Klopp, only making two senior appearances.

Where Are They Now

Now 27, he’s been a mainstay in the Cottagers’ first team over the past several seasons, playing important roles both in the Premier League and the second tier and even being described as “the footballer’s footballer” by Wales boss Craig Bellamy, who was praising his work-rate and mindset, allowing peers to feed into his approach.

A technically talented player, the left-footer arcs in from the right flank and utilises his shifty movements and natural-born instinct in front of goal to impress.

He’s scored five times in the top flight this term having only started eight times, so he’s clearly doing something right.

In fact, he ranks among the top 4% of attacking midfielders and wingers in the Premier League this term for non-penalty goals scored per 90, as per FBref, suggesting that he could indeed make an impression in the current Liverpool squad, applying relief for Mohamed Salah.

With Nunez only bagging four Premier League strikes this term after such profligacy over the previous two years, it only serves to highlight the fumble that led Klopp to pursue the striker.

One thing’s for sure, he’s more clinical in front of goal than Nunez right now, despite his lowly market value of £14m, as per Transfermarkt.

Sadly, the Wales international fractured his foot at the end of January and could be out of action until mid-April, but whether Nunez, who has scored in only one of his past 12 top-flight matches, will be able to catch him is another question.

Forget Diaz: Slot may have found Liverpool's next Origi in unlikely source

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The spin-bowling allrounder is not carrying an injury, and is expected to return for the ODI series

Alex Malcolm22-Feb-2023

Ashton Agar has gone home from the tour of India to play domestic cricket for Western Australia. No additions are being made to Australia’s Test squad ahead of the third Border-Gavaskar Test in Indore, starting March 1.”He [Agar] has been very open with us and he has absolutely worked his backside off in order to get it right, to put himself up and be an option,” Tony Dodemaide, Australia’s selector on tour, told reporters in Delhi on Wednesday. “We absolutely acknowledge that there’s been no lack of effort from Ashton.”Agar arrived in India with the Test squad as an incumbent in Australia’s XI, having played as the second spinner alongside Nathan Lyon in their last home Test of the summer against South Africa in Sydney.Related

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But he was not selected for the first Test in Nagpur, with offspinner Todd Murphy chosen ahead of him to make his Test debut and partner Lyon alongside two fast bowlers. Then in the second Test in Delhi, Australia opted for three spinners but Agar was once again left out, with fellow left-arm orthodox Matthew Kuhnemann making his Test debut despite having not been part of the original squad and having only flown to India five days prior to the start of the Test match.Dodemaide took the unusual step of speaking to the Australian media prior to the toss on the first morning in Delhi to explain the selections. He explained that Agar was not selected because “his red-ball bowling is not quite where he wants it to be”. Dodemaide and Agar met at the team hotel on Tuesday, and it was decided that Agar would head home.Dodemaide explained that it was a “close call” to pick Murphy over Agar for the first Test.”Todd’s come on tremendously, as we know, and he’s been a real find for us for this,” Dodemaide said. “Those two [Murphy and Lyon] are now clearly established, I think, as the best two spinners, and they have 18 out of the 24 [wickets] to fall so far for us.6:46

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“We just decided that Matthew’s style might be suited to the conditions there [in Delhi, for the second Test]. Matthew’s done nothing wrong, he took Virat Kohli’s wicket and did a really solid job, we thought.”Agar remained likely to return to India with the ODI squad in March – he has been an important cog in Australia’s plans ahead of the World Cup in India later in the year.Cameron Green likely to be fit for third TestAustralia are 2-0 down in the series, and Josh Hazlewood and David Warner have already gone back home with injuries. Unlike them, Agar will leave fully fit and available to play in WA’s next Sheffield Shield game on March 2 and the 50-over Marsh Cup final that WA will host on March 8.Mitchell Swepson will fly back to India, having gone home prior to the Delhi Test for the birth of his first child. Pat Cummins is also booked to return to India ahead of the third Test, having flown home for family reasons following the Delhi Test, but his situation remains fluid.Australia have not added another batter to the squad to replace Warner, as Cameron Green is expected to be fit for the third Test.

Yorkshire and England fast bowler on recovering from stress fracture with gym and technical work

Andrew Miller22-Jan-2023It’s coming up to a year since Matt Fisher’s Test debut against West Indies in Barbados, and in so many ways that one-off appearance epitomises the promise and frustration that has accompanied his career ever since his Yorkshire debut, as a 17-year old, eight years ago.Fisher showcased his wicket-taking menace by dismissing John Campbell with his second ball in Tests, but on a flat Bridgetown deck it would be his only breakthrough in 27 overs of hard yakka. And before he’d had a chance to extend his opportunity into the English summer, he had succumbed – like so many of his fast-bowling peers – to a stress fracture.Add it to the list, you might say, Fisher’s career to date has been a litany of setbacks, from hamstring and side strains to broken thumbs and shoulder dislocations. And yet, as he gears up for this week’s England Lions tour to Sri Lanka, he’s determined not to get downcast at his misfortune, and instead is itching to showcase the work that has gone into the past year’s rehab.”There were a couple of days of being down and really upset, but I was very quick to being back to ‘what can we do?’, ‘how can we sort it out?’ How can I be better next time so that it doesn’t happen?” he says. “If you improve every single part of your game then hopefully you are giving yourself the best chance to not get injured. I have just tried to do that.”At the age of 25, time is still on Fisher’s side if he wants to establish his Test credentials, but it’s going to be a differently-shaped cricketer who re-emerges in an England shirt in the coming weeks. Specifically, he has bulked out, adding 5kg of muscle to a previously willowy frame, with a view to offering a more robust product for the selectors to contemplate in the 2023 season.”Literally, looking in a mirror I just thought, I don’t look as robust as some players I’ve seen this winter and maybe that’s something to look at,” Fisher says. “I basically said to our S&C [strength and conditioning coach], ‘I want you to make me look like an Australian fast bowler’, because they all seem to look solid. Cummins, Hazlewood, Starc, they all look pretty strong.””I ate loads that first three months,” he adds. “It wasn’t Maccies [McDonald’s] and stuff like that, but it was just to get so much in where you can’t eat any more, so you can build the muscle, and then once you start playing and bowling again then it drops off, which it did.”Sometimes in our sport we think too much about skin folds, a lot of lads get anxiety about being slim enough. But I wasn’t bothered about what my skinnies were at that point, my goal was to put muscle on, and that is the best way to put some weight and muscle on. I was doing loads of training at the time as well so I wasn’t getting really fat.”All throughout the summer, the coaches at Yorkshire and some of the players were like ‘bloody hell, you look massive’. Around my chest I am a bit bigger and then my legs are bigger.”The sturdier frame is just one element of Fisher’s bid for fulfilment. He’s also had a technical tinker during his downtime, in a bid to reduce the inevitable strains on his body that the act of fast bowling entails.”I’ve tried to be a bit straighter with my back-foot contact,” he says. “My back foot was getting into a side-on position, which is fine, but my feet were crossing over a little bit. Now they come down in a straight line and my back foot is pointing more towards fine leg rather than deep midwicket.Matt Fisher bowls in the nets•Getty Images”So when that lands it is a lot straighter, so I flex from my hip and forwards, over both hips rather than a side bend over to one side of my hip, and you start falling over in your action and it takes a lot of strain on to the left side of your back, which is where I got my stress fracture. It is basically trying to be a lot straighter with my feet and then hopefully that makes you straighter and more over the top of the ball when you release it.”That is just me looking at my own action and thinking obviously my side flexion is not very good and how can I get it more straight. That was just me looking at my action and working on it with Kabir [Ali] and Gibbo [Otis Gibson] at Yorkshire.”In terms of role models, Fisher has a fair few – including Darren Gough, Kagiso Rabada and Dale Steyn – but the current quick who gives him the most to emulate, he says, is South Africa’s quickest bowler, Anrich Nortje.”In the first two weeks after my injury, I looked at so many different actions of some of the best bowlers to have ever bowled,” he says. “I don’t want mine to look like this person because he’s the quickest or he’s rapid, but I want mine to look more like Nortje. It’s technically very good, but it’s his back-foot contact that I’ve tried to model myself on, because I thought that’s what I want it to look like.”As for James Anderson – the man whose place Fisher took for that tour of the Caribbean, but who bounced back in the summer to return to the top of his game even after his 40th birthday – Fisher acknowledges that the methods that have proven so durable in Anderson’s matchless career are perhaps not the ones for him to emulate.”I love Jimmy and love watching him bowl, but I was so obsessed about getting side-on to be able to swing it out a bit more, that’s where my feet cross-over came from. It was actually me trying to model myself too much on Jimmy that got me in a worse position.”Looking back, I used to swing it without getting side-on, it was more from my wrist than anything else. That’s stuff that I’ve learnt so hopefully, if anything, it’s made me a lot more aware of my action technically, which I think is a positive. It’s better to learn that when you are still quite young.”Related

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For all of the positives that Fisher has taken from his rehabilitation, the frustrations of 2022 remain – not least that he was powerless to prevent Yorkshire’s relegation from the top flight of the Championship, following Warwickshire’s thrilling final-day escape. He also had to look on from afar as England’s Test standards soared under Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes, but that experience served as a reminder of how much he wants the chance to build on the promise of his England debut.”‘You just want to be a part of it because it looks like so much fun,” Fisher says, having interacted with the Test squad while part of the England Lions training camp in Abu Dhabi before Christmas.”The UAE tour was really good for us, they want us to play how the England team are playing, but they want us to work with our strengths, Above everything, it’s just giving players freedom and the confidence to go and just enjoy it, and try and put pressure back on to the team that you are playing.”There’s no telling just yet how prominent Fisher is in the selectors’ thoughts, although he admits there had been some talk about him standing in for Mark Wood in Pakistan last winter, until it was decided his rehab wasn’t quite far enough advanced. Since then, of course, Jamie Overton – another debutant in 2022 – has suffered his own stress fracture, but the returns of Olly Stone, Jofra Archer and Saqib Mahmood hint at a promising pool of quick options going into the Ashes summer.”I can’t really control where I am in the pecking order, so for me it’s just about bowling well and I know how fast it can happen,” Fisher says, “It happened last winter, so I am just hoping for that again at some point.”There’s been indoor sessions where I am visualising bowling at David Warner, so it’s definitely in my mind. But in terms of it being a goal of mine this summer, it’s not like on my wall or anything. If that happens, it happens. For me, it’s just bowling well for Yorkshire and then hopefully I’ll get another chance at some point.”

After dropping down into the Championship a couple of years ago, it was always likely that Leeds United would part ways with numerous players who were above the level of the second tier.

Countless players departed Elland Road ahead of the 2023/24 season, with various others moving on to pastures new even before the club suffered relegation from the Premier League.

Midfielder Kalvin Phillips was arguably one of the most high-profile departures, leaving in a £45m deal to join Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City in the summer of 2022.

It came after the 29-year-old registered just shy of 250 appearances for his boyhood side, rising through the ranks before cementing his place as a regular starter and becoming an England international.

Phillips wasn’t the only big-money departure from Yorkshire during the summer of 2022, with another first-team member also moving on in a huge deal for the club.

Raphinha’s stats for Leeds United

Brazilian attacker Raphinha moved to Leeds in the summer of 2020, costing £17m from French outfit Stade Rennais, with the majority of the supporters unaware of his talents.

The now 28-year-old quickly captured the hearts of the fanbase at Elland Road with his magnificent showings, which saw him notch a combined 15 goals and assists in his debut campaign.

Raphinha would register one fewer the following campaign, a year that would prove to be his final one in Yorkshire, moving on after securing survival on the final day with his goal against Brentford keeping the side in the top flight.

He would join Spanish giants Barcelona in a £55m deal, a club-record fee received, but the club would lose one of their star players – undoubtedly contributing to their eventual relegation just 12 months later.

Replacing the Brazilian was always going to be a mammoth task, but the responsibility fell to one player who could’ve followed in his footsteps in being a success for the Whites.

The player who could’ve been the next Raphinha for Leeds

South American talents have been prevalent at Leeds over the last couple of years, with Raphinha and Luis Sinisterra just two examples of the calibre of players who have plied their trade in Yorkshire.

However, another player could’ve followed suit in thriving in attacking areas in the form of winger Ian Poveda, but it’s safe to say he never lived up to expectations.

The Colombian forward joined the Whites back in January 2020 from Manchester City for an undisclosed fee, subsequently making four league appearances in the promotion-winning campaign.

He would feature in 16 outings during their return to the Premier League under Marcelo Bielsa, but would subsequently spend the two following years on loan at Blackburn Rovers and Blackpool, respectively – highlighting his lack of impact during his time in Yorkshire.

However, after relegation, boss Daniel Farke gave him the opportunity to fight for a first-team place, but he would only make 10 appearances in the first half of last season, before another loan move, this time to Sheffield Wednesday.

After 30 appearances and no goals in the Whites’ first-team, Poveda departed on a free transfer last summer, in what was a massively disappointing move given the early praise around his move by Guardiola.

It’s safe to say he’s not lived up to expectations elsewhere either, only making six appearances since joining Sunderland in the summer, totalling 81 minutes – proving that Leeds made the right call in allowing him to depart.

2019/20

Leeds United

4

0

1

2020/21

Leeds United

16

0

0

2021/22

Blackburn Rovers (loan)

10

1

2

2022/23

Blackpool (loan)

26

3

2

2023/24

Leeds United

10

0

0

2023/24

Sheffield Wednesday (loan)

10

0

1

It’s a shame that Poveda was unable to follow in Raphinha’s footsteps in being a success at Elland Road, but ultimately, the 25-year-old wasn’t good enough to fill the void left by the Brazilian.

His time with the Whites was one of disappointment, having the opportunity to secure promotion with one of their rivals this season, but is unlikely to play any impactful role given his lack of minutes to date.

Leeds dud who's been "abysmal" out on loan must never wear the shirt again

Leeds United need to cash in on one player who’s failed to impress away from Elland Road in 2024/25.

1 ByEthan Lamb Mar 7, 2025

Adrien Rabiot has suggested he could leave Marseille this summer after just one year with the Ligue 1 side.

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• Rabiot key since joining Marseille last year
• Has a year left on his contract with French side
• Says his future is unclear heading into summer

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Rabiot joined the French club in a free transfer, signing a two-year contract with Roberto De Zerbi's team. He impressed as they sealed a second-place finish in the top-flight, with the midfielder scoring nine goals and registering five assists in 29 matches.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Despite their strong performances, there has been talk of unrest within the Marseille squad at times this season, though Rabiot himself has dismissed such claims. Nevertheless, the 30-year-old has suggested he could still leave in the summer, even though he is excited to play in the Champions League next term.

• WHAT RABIOT SAID

  Speaking on , he said: "The Champions League at the Vélodrome? It's going to be spectacular. Personally, I don't want to get ahead of myself on what's going to happen next season. We'll have a moment to sit down with the president [Pablo Longoria], with Medhi [Benatia, sporting director], to discuss all of that. Experiencing those emotions in the biggest European competition must be top-notch."

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  WHAT NEXT FOR MARSEILLE?

  Marseille will hope to convince the France international to remain at the club for another season as they look to build on a positive season that saw Mason Greenwood score 21 times in the league.