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Current and former players react to the situation that has led to the omission of Kevin Pietersen for England’s third Test against South Africa

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Aug-2012″Frankly, as players, all this has been a distraction we could well do without as we approach a massively important final match at Lord’s, one we must win to retain our hard-earned status as the No 1 ranked side in world cricket … Kevin talked about having issues within the dressing room. What’s frustrating is that this was, literally, the first we knew about it. Kevin has mentioned nothing to us.”
“Over the last week, Kevin has acted like a child who does not know what he wants and, as any teacher will tell you, you only need one unruly kid in the class and the whole structure of the classroom can come crashing down.”

“The message to Pietersen is clear: he has to be a team man, fully committed and nothing less.”
“What I’m hearing is that England players are now sick and tired of hearing about Kevin Pietersen in what is one of the biggest series England play.”
“Kev speaks his mind a bit and you’d like that to be refreshing but it often falls the wrong way for him.”
“Much depends how Pietersen reacts to this. If he takes his punishment and keeps quiet, then there is a chance he will come back. If he reacts badly to this and he has a history of falling out with people then there may be a permanent falling out and breakdown in relationships.”
“Put simply – cricket lovers around the world will miss watching KP’s serious talent and skill on the international stage.. Also… If KP didn’t play second test v SA the score line would read SA 2 ENG 0.. SA ranked number 1 test team in the world, need I say more..”

Channel to adopt a “hybrid” approach with Vaughan’s stints on Fox Sports to be overlaid

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Dec-2021Michael Vaughan, the former England captain, will not be heard by UK audiences during this winter’s Ashes in Australia, after BT Sport followed the BBC’s decision to remove him from their TV coverage of the series.Vaughan, 47, was last week stood down from BBC Test Match Special’s coverage for “editorial” reasons, following allegations from Azeem Rafiq, the former Yorkshire cricketer, that he had said “there are too many of you lot” following the selection of four players of Asian heritage in a county fixture in 2009.Vaughan, who denies the allegations, apologised last week in an interview on BBC Breakfast for the “hurt” caused to Rafiq during his time as a player at Yorkshire, and will still be involved in this winter’s Ashes coverage through his commentary role with Fox Sports, the Australian host broadcaster.However, BT Sport – who are due to take the Fox Sports feed after choosing not to send a bespoke commentary team to Australia – announced on Tuesday that they will be taking a “hybrid” approach to their coverage, with Vaughan’s on-air stints to be overlaid with studio analysis.”As a result of Covid and travel restrictions BT Sport had made the decision to take our commentary feed from the Australian host broadcaster,” the channel said in a statement. “The recent report presented to UK Parliament uncovering institutional racism within cricket and specifically Yorkshire County Cricket Club is extremely disappointing and a concern for all.”Given these recent events and the controversy with the situation we have taken the decision that including Michael Vaughan within our Ashes coverage would not be editorially appropriate or fit with BT Sport’s values. We are still finalising plans but we are assessing the option of taking a hybrid approach, using Fox commentary where possible with the aim of putting our own commentary team in place if necessary.”Vaughan’s troubled build-up to the series continued on Tuesday, when he announced on Twitter that his arrival in Australia had been delayed by a week due to a positive Covid test. “[It] is frustrating,” he wrote. “But at least I’ll avoid the rain in Brisbane for a few days!”However, his hopes of being retained by the BBC after the Ashes have received a boost, after the corporation confirmed that they had been in “regular contact” with Vaughan since his suspension, and had held “positive conversations with him in recent days”.”Our contributors are required to talk about relevant issues, so Michael’s involvement in a story of such significance means it’s not possible for him to be part of our Ashes coverage or wider cricket coverage at the moment,” the statement added. “We’re pleased with how our conversations are going and expect to work with Michael again in the future. He remains on contract to the BBC.”The BBC’s stance was criticised this week by his former England team-mate Monty Panesar, who wrote in a column in the Daily Telegraph: “This feels deeply unethical — a classic case of someone being tried and convicted without any form of due process being undertaken.”

Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner is reportedly doing his best to bring a former player to Selhurst Park this summer – one he has used in various positions.

Crystal Palace transfer news

The Eagles finished last season as one of the most in-form Premier League teams, only dropping two points in their final seven matches, picking up respective 4-0 and 5-0 wins over Manchester United and Aston Villa in the process.

For that reason, there is understandable positivity heading into the 2024/25 campaign, even if key players are being linked with moves away as Glasner continues to work his magic. New signings are needed to take Palace in a positive direction, and fresh rumours continue to emerge.

Jobe Bellingham may be overshadowed by his older brother, but he is an extremely exciting player in his own right and has been backed to join Palace from Sunderland, for whom he scored seven goals in the Championship last season.

Arsenal ace Emile Smith Rowe has also emerged as an exciting transfer target for the Eagles, with the Englishman potentially in need of a new challenge after falling down the pecking order at the Emirates. If he stays put in north London, he may have to accept playing second fiddle to the likes of Martin Odegaard, Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli and Kai Havertz.

Glasner wants former player at Crystal Palace

According to TuttoMercatoWeb (via Sport Witness), Glasner wants to bring Juventus' Filip Kostic to Crystal Palace this summer, with the Eagles boss personally pushing to get his man.

The 31-year-old played under him at Eintracht Frankfurt between 2021 and 2023, where he was used as a left wing-back and left-sided attacking player.

The £52,000-a-week Kostic has the potential to be an excellent signing for Palace this summer, possessing so much experience at a high level down the years.

The versatile ace has racked up 64 caps for Serbia and won the Europa League alongside Glasner in 2022, highlighting his pedigree, while he featured for 43 minutes of his country's 1-0 defeat to England at Euro 2024 earlier this month. Compatriot Aleksandar Mitrovic has heaped praise on his quality as a player, claiming he is even better than Angel Di Maria:

"Di Maria is a great champion, but Kostic is my favourite winger at Juventus. Filip is one of the best wingers I’ve played with. If you put him in a position that exploits his potential, he repays you with crosses and assists. I’m not just saying it out of friendship, but from experience. I scored several goals thanks to Kostic."

At 31, Kostic isn't getting any younger, and there can be a risk element in bringing ageing players to the fast and frenetic Premier League, but the fact that Glasner knows him so well as a footballer can only bode well.

The Serb would add depth and experience to a squad that has some young talent in it, helping Palace become even more of a force next season in the process.

Manchester United are unlikely to spend heavily in the upcoming transfer windows as INEOS look to cut down on transfer fees.

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• Amorim to receive a modest budget
• INEOS looking to cut costs
• Man Utd unlikely to make big-money signings

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Since Ruben Amorim arrived at Old Trafford last week, United have been linked with moves for several players, including some of his past employees like Viktor Gyokeres and Geovany Quenda from Sporting CP. However, reports that the club's co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his INEOS group are set to hand the Portuguese coach a modest budgets in the next few transfer windows.

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  The INEOS group reportedly does not want to repeat the club's past mistakes in the transfer market and is instead banking on the current lot of players to improve in a new environment and new system under Amorim. The owners are hoping that strikers like Joshua Zirkzee and Rasmus Hojlund, who have failed to live up to the expectations, will greatly benefit from the new coach's ideas and improve their performances.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  The report further adds that the Red Devils have incurred a cumulative loss of £313 million ($395m) before taxes in the last three seasons and, as a result, are under immense pressure to comply with the Premier League's Profit and Sustainability Rules. They will make further losses if the club fail to secure a Champions League slot for the second season in a row.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR MANCHESTER UNITED?

  The 39-year-old former Sporting boss will manage the Manchester outfit for the first time this Sunday as they take on Ipswich Town in a Premier League clash.

Cristiano Ronaldo has been hit with a brutal EA FC downgrade after his missing of a last-minute penalty for Saudi side Al-Nassr.

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• Ronaldo misses penalty in King Cup exit
• His first penalty miss for Saudi side
• Failure from spot sees EA FC rating hit

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Al-Nassr were dumped out of the King Cup of Champions by Al-Taawoun after a horror display by Cristiano Ronaldo and Co. The Portuguese superstar did have a golden chance to equalise in stoppage-time but blazed his penalty over the crossbar. Ronaldo is known for his set-piece ability but his failure from the spot does appear to have had ramifications. The 39-year-old's EA FC penalty rating has since dropped by three points to 87 in the wake of his latest miss.

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  Ronaldo did react to his miss, and Al-Nassr's defeat, with a post on social media that read: "Every challenge is an opportunity to grow." Yet Ronaldo struggled to impress again in the big Saudi Pro League clash with champions Al-Hilal, which ended in a 1-1 draw, before finally returning to the scoresheet last time out in a 5-1 win over Al-Ain. The victory means Al-Nassr currently sit fourth in the table but are eight points off leaders Al-Ittihad, albeit with a game in hand.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Ronaldo's penalty miss was his first in Al-Nassr colours. He had scored on his previous 18 attempts for the Saudi side.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR RONALDO

  Al-Nassr are back in Saudi Pro League action on Friday against Al-Riyadh. Ronaldo is then set to link up with the Portugal squad for Nations League fixtures against Poland and Croatia.

“Things were different before IPL started and now KL Rahul is playing the way he is, so it’s very hard to look past him at top of the order.”

Nagraj Gollapudi18-Oct-2021Virat Kohli has indicated that he will bat at No. 3 during the T20 World Cup, reversing his desire to open with Rohit Sharma, which he expressed during the home T20 series against England in March. Speaking on Monday at the toss ahead of India’s first warm-up match against England, Kohli said KL Rahul’s commanding form in the IPL was so compelling that he was the best choice to be Rohit’s opening partner.”Things were different before IPL started and now KL Rahul is playing the way he is, so it’s very hard to look past him at top of the order,” Kohli said. “Rohit is a no-brainer. He has been a world-class player right at the top of the order for us. I will be batting at three.”In the 16 matches he has played at the previous three T20 World Cups, Kohli has always batted at No. 3. Kohli was the highest run-getter in the 2014 edition of the tournament, and the second-highest in 2016.But in March, after India’s emphatic win in the fifth T20I against England, Kohli said he would “like to partner” with Rohit because of the potential “damage” each batter was capable of causing once set.The 94-run opening partnership between Rohit and Kohli was the scaffolding on which India built the win, with the captain batting through the innings and scoring an unbeaten 52-ball 80. Rahul was dropped for the final T20I after scoring just 15 runs in the first four games, including two ducks.KL Rahul is set to reclaim his opening slot after finishing the IPL as its third-highest run-getter•Cricket Australia via Getty Images

That was only the seventh occasion on which Kohli opened for India in T20Is, but he said he would open for the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL to prepare for the World Cup. Kohli finished this IPL with 405 runs at a strike rate of 119.46 and an average of 28.92.In 16 T20 games this year, including 15 in the IPL, Kohli has opened the batting and managed strike rates of 129.00 in the powerplay and 112.57 in the middle overs. The middle-overs strike rate is the lowest among Indian batters who have batted five or more times this year.In contrast Rahul, leading Punjab Kings, once again finished among the IPL’s most prolific batters, finishing as the third-highest runmaker with 626 runs. Although the Kings failed to make the play-offs, Rahul ended the tournament with a spectacular, unbeaten 42-ball 98 against eventual champions Chennai Super Kings, one of the innings of the tournament.Since 2018, Rahul has been the highest run-getter in the IPL with 2548 runs, winning the Orange Cap (most runs) in the 2020 edition. While announcing the India 15 for the World Cup, Chetan Sharma, India’s chief selector, had nominated Rohit and Rahul as the first-choice openers with Ishan Kishan as the back-up, without naming Kohli. Against England in the warm-up game, both Rahul and Kishan were part of the playing XI with Rohit resting.This World Cup is Kohli’s final assignment as India’s T20I captain after he announced recently that he would step down from the leadership position in the shortest format. Kohl said India were “pretty sorted” about their planning ahead of the first match in the tournament, on October 24 in Dubai against Pakistan.

A breathtaking display of big-hitting and a mesmerising spell of spin bowling in a disappointingly one-sided game

Aashish Calla24-Apr-2012Choice of game
Can any reason be bigger than the prospect of witnessing a Gayle blitz? The anticipation of a few hits coming my way was reason enough for me to watch this game live. Moreover, I’d like to believe, I’ve been lucky for Gayle in Jaipur – the previous two times I saw him bat at the SMS Stadium, he scored 70 (unbeaten, in last year’s IPL) and 130-something (again, unbeaten, against South Africa in the 2006 Champions Trophy).Team supported
Rajasthan Royals. Royal Challengers Bangalore had the likes of Gayle, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Virat Kohli and Daniel Vettori in their line-up, but my loyalty and die-hard support will always remain with Rahul Dravid. And he didn’t disappoint with the bat today.Key performer
AB de Villiers. Watching him bat in the manner he does, smashing bowlers all around the park, I always think it’s time he inserts a “C” into his name to make it ABC de Villiers. That way, he can tell people, “I’m the ABCDE of batting!” Some of his strokes at the Royals game were so breathtakingly brilliant that most of the local fans gave up all hope of another home win even before their team had come out to bat.One thing I’d have changed
Royals’ decision at the toss. I’d have made them bat first, undoubtedly. Why give the opposition a chance to set a target when you had set them an unbeatable target just a few days ago? Royals scored in the vicinity of 190 then, and won with ease. Here, Royal Challengers scored in the vicinity of 190 and won with ease.Face-off I most relished
Rahul Dravid v Vinay Kumar. Karnataka boys and India internationals, both. Daniel Vettori also gave Vinay an extended spell today, three overs out of the first six. In his first two overs, Vinay kept things tight – the only blemish was five overthrows gifted away to Dravid – but in the third over, the batting legend came into his own. The first two balls of the over were duly dispatched, one over midwicket and another a crisp-sounding cover drive. Two varied, glorious shots that reminded me of the Rahul Dravid of 1999.Wow moment

KP Appanna. Most of the Jaipur crowd did not know who he was. He was introduced as a left-arm spinner, and as he came on to bowl, people thought he would be easy pickings for Dravid, Ajinkya Rahane and Co. But the young Karnataka player started with a dot ball and had Rahane caught at long-on off just his second delivery. The crowd couldn’t believe what they had just seen. The orange-cap wearer was walking back and the unknown spinner was celebrating. It was just the beginning of what would turn out to be a dream spell of left-arm spin bowling.Player watch
Today’s game clearly told me who is the man to watch from now on when at an India game. It’s Virat Kohli. Although he isn’t really setting the IPL alight with the bat, Kohli’s the red-hot favourite as far as the crowds go. Today, the chants for him, and the cheers he received every time he approached the boundary line, be it deep midwicket, long-off or long-on, were unbelievable. It was hard to imagine a non-Rajasthan Royals player getting such massive crowd support. A future (or should I say, present) superstar for sure.Shot of the match
What better than the Dilscoop? Watching such a shot live in a stadium is something a fan will take back as a fond memory. This evening, I told my brother, “Wait for the Dilscoop now, as the fine leg fielder is within the circle.” Dilshan obliged just two balls later, with a fabulous scoop over the head of the wicketkeeper. Two bounces and it was a four.Post-match buzz
De Villiers, when presented the Man of the Match award, asked Appanna to come forward and share it with him. It was such a lovely gesture. I think it is these little things that lift the morale of young cricketers and boost the reputation of the stars even more. I can certainly say that tonight, de Villiers added at least one more name to his already long list of fans.Crowd meter
The stadium was packed, but this time the spectators weren’t as well behaved as usual. A man threw a piece of trash on a spectator in the front row who was standing on his seat and obstructing the view of the people behind him. This, sadly, became a game. For a brief but intolerable spell, the attention of fans in my vicinity moved from the match to throwing things like paper cups and plates, banners and caps on to the spectators in the front row. When the situation looked like getting out of hand, the security intervened.Entertainment
The DJ at the stadium did his best to entertain the crowd with the latest numbers and, of course, the signature IPL trumpet tune. However, the local rules state music can’t be played after 10pm, so by the time the Royals’ innings started, the DJ’s job was done.Refreshments
For the first time at the SMS Stadium, I could choose to eat a Dominos pizza. I’ve been to about eight games here, but Dominos pizzas at the match were a genuine first for me, and something I could never have imagined.Overall
It was a one-sided game from the time Royal Challengers prised out Rahane. Any margin of victory of over 25 runs in a Twenty20 game would suggest that. Here it was 46. Multiply that by 2.5, to get the corresponding number for a one-dayer, and that’s a victory margin of 115 – an ample demonstration of the one-sidedness of the game. There were some great moments, though, as always. Rahul Dravid’s half-century, de Villiers’ five sixes, Appanna’s four wickets, the cheers for Kohli… but all in all, it would have been better if it were a closely contested game.Marks out of 10
Seven. Three marks deducted because the match, as some would say, didn’t go “down to the wire”. Also, it loses some points as the team I was supporting was not in the game for too long.

The transfer window is in full swing, and Arsenal look set for a big summer in which they could finally bridge the ever-closing gap between themselves and Manchester City in the Premier League.

Mikel Arteta's side did incredibly well pushing the Sky Blues to the final day of the campaign last season, but they came up just short on the goalscoring front.

So, it's unsurprising to see them linked with a number of top-tier strikers at the moment, including Napoli's marksman extraordinaire, Victor Osimhen.

However, the latest forward touted for a move to the Emirates may well be a better option, and he certainly had a better season than the Nigerian.

Arsenal's striker search

According to recent reports from Italy, Arsenal have made an enquiry about Girona star Artem Dovbyk.

The report does not mention how much the Ukrainian striker may cost the Gunners, but a claim from Spain (via Sport Witness) earlier this week claimed that his contract has a release clause worth between €40m and €50m, or £34m to £42m in it.

It might not be a cheap signing, but considering Osimhen could cost up to £113m and Dovbyk's campaign last season, it could still be a bargain.

How Dovbyk compares to Osimhen

So, if the two options available to the Gunners at the moment are the Napoli and Girona stars, how do the pair stack up to one another? Well, from a pure output perspective, it's the latter who surprisingly comes out on top over the last year.

In his 41 games for Girona the "dominant" number nine, as dubbed by data analyst Ben Mattinson, scored 25 goals and provided ten assists, meaning he's averaged a goal involvement every 1.17 games in La Liga – which also saw him win the Golden Boot.

In contrast, the former LOSC Lillie gem scored 17 goals and provided four assists in 32 games last season, which equates to a goal involvement on average every 1.52 games.

Okay, so with it clear that the former SC Dnipro-1 ace is the more clinical forward of the pair at the moment, how do their striker-relevant underlying numbers compare?

Well, it's another clear win for the 26-year-old, as he comes out ahead in almost all metrics, such as non-penalty expected goals and assists, actual assists and non-penalty goals, passing accuracy, goal-creating actions and the number of goals scored per shot and shot on target, all per 90.

Moreover, besides having more impressive underlying numbers and goal involvements last season, the Cherkasy-born striker has a far better injury record.

Since the start of the 2020/21 season, he has missed just 11 games, whereas his potential competition has missed a massive 62 matches in the same period, and as they say, availability is the best ability.

Ultimately, while Osimhen is undoubtedly an incredibly talented number nine and would likely do an excellent job for Arsenal, his price and injury record are serious concerns, especially when Dobvyk enjoyed a better campaign last season and has no such injury concerns.

More league goals than Haaland: Arsenal could sign "insane" Havertz upgrade

The “outrageous” striker could fire the Gunners to the title next season.

By
Jack Salveson Holmes

Jun 18, 2024

Therefore, Edu Gaspar and Co should do all they can to bring the Girona star to North London this summer.

“I’ve definitely put on some weight and started throwing a bit more tin around.”

Deivarayan Muthu11-Oct-2021After nailing down a permanent spot in New Zealand’s T20I team in 2020, Glenn Phillips launched his power-hitting to an all-new level in 2021. Nobody has hit more sixes than Phillips’ 89 in T20 cricket (including the Hundred) this year. Phillips has put his six-hitting down to extensive workouts at the gym, which often include 800 press-ups a day, and understanding his strengths.”Being in the gym has had a lot to do with it [six-hitting],” Phillips said during a virtual media interaction. “I’ve definitely put on some weight and started throwing a bit more tin around. So when it came to batting in the middle, if I did need to take it deeper, I could, but I always knew that I could catch-up and clear the rope if I had to. I think understanding what my strong shots are to be able to hit those sixes allows me to keep a cool head and play the right balls and hit them for six, as opposed to just trying to hit everything for six.Related

• Guptill hopes to draw confidence from 2016 T20 World Cup performance to turn UAE form around

• Glenn Phillips: 'If I don't know what's going on, how does the bowler?'

• Daniel Vettori: Barbados Royals 'lucky' to have 'total cricketer' Glenn Phillips

“I think it’s a combination of working hard in the gym as well as understanding my game and what my strengths are and understanding the line and length that I’m looking for in order to be able to hit the maximum. Liam [Livingstone] is an incredible ball-striker, so he’s always going to be a tough one to keep off my heels and with the World Cup coming up and a couple of matches left in the year still it’s going to be a tough chase to see who finishes on top there.”Phillips has been on the road since May, participating in the Vitality Blast, Hundred, the CPL and most recently the IPL in the UAE. So, what keeps himself busy during quarantine? Working out, of course.”Especially when I’m quarantined and alone and there’s not much to do, I try to do as much exercise as possible, but at the moment [in the New Zealand bubble] I’ve got my partner here, so we enjoy as much time together as possible before she ends up leaving. I think as soon as she’s gone again, it’ll be exercising 24/7…ESPNcricinfo Ltd

“At one stage I was sort of doing 800 [press-ups] a day over three sets. I’d do a set of 300, then 300, and 200. And on an average day, I’d normally end up with about 500. So, the 300 and 200 set – they all depend upon what the day was and depending on other workouts I was doing – sometimes cardio, sometimes it’d be strength-based, but those are definitely the ones that made the biggest difference to when I got back home where my numbers on things like the bench press and bench pull went skyrocketing went from doing just body-weight stuff.”Phillips has also done his bit with the ball in franchise tournaments, with Daniel Vettori, the Barbados Royals coach, talking up his quickish offspin during CPL 2021. New Zealand could play both their frontline spinners Mitchell Santner and Ish Sodhi in their XI, with Phillips providing some cushion.Phillips is still learning on the job as a bowler and hopes to be matched up with India and Afghanistan, who could potentially have few left-handers in their top and middle orders, in conditions that might aid spin.”I’m really feeling good about my bowling at the moment,” Phillips said. “It was awesome from Sanju [Samson] to give me a couple of opportunities in the IPL as well in these conditions and I definitely understood that I probably bowled a little bit fuller in the second game and such is the case with some games. As a bowler, some bowlers are going to get a tap regardless of whether they bowl all the time or they are working on my skill like myself.”But for me personally, I’m bowling a lot in the nets and working on my length, pace and change-ups and I’ve also got a few more tricks in the bag now, which means if I have the opportunity to use them, I can be a little bit more unpredictable, which ideally gives Kane [Williamson] something else to play with other than just Ish [Sodhi] and [Mitchell] Santner. So, whether I get used or not, it’s definitely up to the situation of the team. But we have some left-handers come into play, especially with India and Afghanistan there. There’s a potential that I’m going to bowl and I’m definitely going to relish a challenge as always.”Phillips has a chance to fine-tune his big-hitting and offspin further in three warm-up fixtures (against Australia, England and Netherlands) before New Zealand open their World Cup campaign on October 26 against Pakistan in Sharjah.

Mason Greenwood has been told how to become the “total player”, with the former Manchester United forward capable of being “even more complete”.

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• Left Old Trafford in big-money transfer
• Made a stunning start to life France
• Potential to be unlocked as team player

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The 23-year-old winger already has already unlocked plenty of potential in his game, with the ability to dribble and strike the ball with both feet considered to be one of his biggest assets. Finishing skills have also helped him to 10 goals on loan at Getafe last season and six for Marseille in the current campaign.

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  Greenwood was the subject of a £27 million ($35m) transfer during the summer window as he bid farewell to Old Trafford. An impressive start was made to life in France, before then going four games without finding the target. Achieving greater consistency is now the main target for Greenwood.

• WHAT DE ZERBI SAID

  Marseille boss Roberto De Zerbi believes Greenwood will become an even bigger threat to opponents if he continues to work on individual and collective qualities. He has said when delivering his assessment of the one-cap England international: “I expect even more from him. He's a different player from the others, he's really very good, but he can be even more complete, even more of a team man. He has to work on the phase without the ball, but he is young, he is humble, very available. He can become a total player.”

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  WHAT NEXT?

  There has been talk of Greenwood switching international allegiance to Jamaica, although no formal request has tabled to FIFA as yet. For now, he is fully focused on domestic matters – with reigning Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain next in his sights.