Category Uncategorized

Wolverhampton Wanderers are willing to make an offer to bring Barcelona forward Abde Ezzalzouli to the Premier League, according to reports.

The Lowdown: The story so far

The Morocco international is currently out on a season-long loan at CA Osasuna, where his impressive performances appear to have caught the eye of Julen Lopetegui.

In January, Sport credited the Old Gold with an initial interest in the 21-year-old and it was claimed that they were one of the ‘most interested teams’ when it comes to securing his signature.

Speaking to GiveMeSport, journalist Pete O’Rourke insisted that it would be difficult to sign the winger permanently but thinks that the boss could have a significant role to play. He said:

“I think if any deal was to happen, it would probably only be a loan deal because Barcelona see him as being a long-term part of their plans. So as I said, it’ll be a hard deal to do, but it does show that Lopetegui is using his Spanish connections to look for potential transfer targets.”

The Latest: Wolves eyeing Ezzalzouli

Now, according to La Razon (via Sport Witness), Wolves and Premier League rivals Nottingham Forest are both ‘willing to bid’ for Ezzalzouli later in the summer.

Currently, there is ‘no clarity’ on where he will be playing his football next season with Barcelona having not yet decided whether to include him in the first team or cash in during the upcoming window.

Xavi’s outfit, however, could ‘seek to obtain liquidity’ given the strong admiration from England, with Atletico Madrid and Real Betis also ‘showing interest’.

The Verdict: One for the future

Ezzalzouli has been dubbed a player known for ‘destroying defences’ by talent scout Shay Hicks and he would be an excellent signing for the future of Wolves.

The Blaugrana starlet has chipped in with three goals and two assists in 23 appearances for CA Osasuna, where he currently ranks in the 99th percentile for successful take-ons and the 91st percentile for most progressive carries per game (FBRef).

The Beni-Mellal native would also offer wonderful versatility having operated in four various positions throughout his career, including on both flanks and as a centre-forward.

Lopetegui’s target already has international experience at the highest level having reached the semi-finals of the World Cup with Morocco in 2022 ,so will know what it takes to be successful.

Therefore, Ezzalzouli will be able to bring this winning mentality to the Midlands should he put pen to paper in the months ahead.

Stuart Robertson, the ECB marketing man who devised Twenty20, speaks to Andrew McGlashan

Andrew McGlashan13-Sep-2007

The first ICC World Twenty20 is a satisfying time for Stuart Robertson. Back in 2000, as the head marketing man at the ECB, Robertson was set the daunting task of trying to bring more people through the gates to watch English domestic cricket. Test matches and one-day internationals were routinely sold out, even when England weren’t winning, but county matches really were for one man and his dog.The idea he came up with is what we now know as the Twenty20 game. Seven years and 9000 km later, the Wanderers, Newlands and Kingsmead are guaranteed sell-outs to watch some of the biggest names in cricket at the first world championship in the new format.”The key is, it’s such a simple format,” Robertson, who now works for Hampshire, told Cricinfo. “It’s not rocket science and that’s the beauty of it. I wasn’t surprised how quickly the game took off in England, but the international growth was a bit more unexpected, especially the pace at which other countries introduced it into their fixtures.”Twenty20 made its debut in the 2003 English season, and that winter South Africa introduced Pro20. Two years later Australia, Pakistan and Sri Lanka all made room in their domestic calendars for a competition. Since then, New Zealand have also joined in, while Stanford 20/20 sparked popular interest in the Caribbean and has now been incorporated into the official WICB season. Even India, who have a stubborn love-affair with the 50-over game, yielded to pressure and played a domestic Twenty20 tournament last year, although the reception was lukewarm. Cracking that market remains the game’s major challenge.”The data we had was fairly black and white,” said Robertson. “Across the board, attendances were down 20 per cent over five years when the project began in 2000-01. My job was to put together a report, looking in detail at how to bring people back through the gates, but importantly, doing it from a consumer perspective. There had been plenty of committees set up to look at the issue in the past, but they’d involved former players and county chairmen whose findings were not always in the spectators’ interests.

“We looked at why people weren’t coming to the games and there was a key theme: accessibility. This was a physical reason – the timings of the matches; people at work couldn’t get to the games during the day. But there was a cultural, social aspect as well. A lot of people said: ‘I thought you had to be a member to go a game.'”Robertson and his team identified key groups of people who were barely registering in the county game; women, the 16-35 age group, and young families with children. “We needed a product that would be attractive to them, and asked if there was a game that took less than three hours, would they come to that? The overwhelming response was that they would, so we went back to the counties and in 2001 it went to a vote of the First Class Forum. It was passed 11-7 in favour and that was the start of Twenty20.”It wasn’t a faultless progression from idea to inception. As the voting suggests, the format didn’t gain wholehearted support, although Robertson was confident from the outset that the early misgivings could be overcome. “There was scepticism before and after the start of the tournament, but the great thing was that once it got off the ground, everyone got behind it. Even those who voted against the proposal initially didn’t stand back and say they wouldn’t embrace it.”The advantage was that virtually all the commercial and marketing men
could see the potential that Twenty20 had, but it was the chairmen – brought up in slightly different eras – who offered the early obstacles. Once Twenty20 was voted in, the marketing men could hardly wait to get working on it.”

It wasn’t only off the field that Twenty20 found itself struggling for recognition. During its first season, players didn’t quite know what to make of it, having been brought up on a diet of 50-over and four-day cricket. “From the playing side there was certainly a feeling in the first year that it was a bit of hit-and-giggle, and a few teams didn’t take it seriously,” said Robertson. “I spent a lot of time speaking and giving presentations on it through the PCA [Professional Cricketers’ Association] and slowly the mood changed.”Sometimes the early misgivings actually came from the international players who were used to playing in front of full houses and weren’t sure it could be replicated on the domestic level. But for the young, upcoming players performing in front of six or seven thousand people it was a totally new experience. It’s what being a professional sportsman was all about.”The question now is, how far can Twenty20 go? The ICC has put a limit on the number of international matches in a year and Robertson agrees the current level “is just about right” with a match or two against each touring side, and the World Cup. But he doesn’t support the view that there’s a danger of overload, especially at domestic level. “It’s been such a success. Why shouldn’t there be more of it? In England I certainly think there is scope for a tournament to run throughout the season, maybe on Friday nights, rather than just the two-week period in midsummer.”One enticing prospect is the idea of a Champions League-style Twenty20 league where the top domestic teams from each country play each other. “It certainly would be interesting,” said Robertson. It might sound slightly far-fetched at the moment, but so did the ICC World Twenty20 five years ago.

The hosts pulled off one of the great tournament victories after some early setbacks, but others weren't so lucky

In a tournament overflowing with underdogs stories, it's fitting that Ivory Coast's name has ended up on the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations trophy. On the surface, it may not seem that uplifting that the hosts and 2015 winners came out on top, but that assessment does not take into account just how shambolic their group-stage campaign was, with the Elephants becoming the first team to lose two games and still win a major international tournament – excluding any league formats.

Ivory Coast's unlikely victory only scratches the surfaces of the myriad of captivating storylines the tournament cooked up, too. We had footballing backwaters cutting the giants of the continent down to size, some huge names of African football failing to turn up and even some new stars seemingly emerging on the biggest stage.

GOAL reviews a staggeringly good tournament by breaking down all the winners and losers from the 2023 AFCON…

• Getty
  

  LOSER: Jean-Louis Gasset

  "There are sometimes nightmare matches, matches where everything seems to be against you. A catastrophic scenario," Ivory Coach boss Jean-Louis Gasset mused following his side's awful 4-0 defeat to Equatorial Guinea.

  The tournament was a huge chance for the 70-year-old. Managerial stints at the likes of Montpelier, Bordeaux and Saint-Etienne had previously ended trophyless, and, in the twilight of his career, he was surprisingly gifted the opportunity to lead a football-obsessed nation at a home AFCON.

  However, even with a vociferous crowd backing them, Gasset's charges were well off it from the outset. Prior to that 4-0 humiliation, they squeezed past Guinea-Bissau in their opener and were beaten by Nigeria, leaving them on the brink of elimination.

  But the Ivorian Football Federation were in no mood to wait around to see if they would be gifted a spot in the knockout stages as one of the best losers. Instead, Gasset was sacked on the spot – which proved to be an inspired decision.

Advertisement

• Getty/GOAL/GTVGhana
  

  WINNER: Ivory Coast

  With their uninspiring leader out of the picture, the Elephants staged a quite remarkable recovery under interim boss Emerse Fae. After sneaking through to the knockout stages as one of the best third-place teams, not many expected them to get past Senegal in the last 16 – but some penalty heroics assured them of a quarter-final tie with Mali.

  That game was even more dramatic. After Odilon Kossounou was sent off on the stroke of half-time, it seemed like the hosts would be heading out; with Mali eventually breaking the deadlock as expected 19 minutes from the end. But, not for the last time in the tournament, Fae's troops refused to accept their fate, with Simon Adingra scoring a last-gasp equaliser to send the game to extra-time.

  Even with 10 men, the Elephants refused to be beaten, and after anxiously holding on in the final throes of the additional period, Seko Fofana's shot from the edge of the box was diverted in by Oumar Diakite, booking Ivory Coast's place in the last four just 10 days after Gasset's departure.

• Getty
  

  WINNER: Sebastien Haller

  In said semi-final, the hosts were pitted against DR Congo. It was a drab affair for the first hour or so, particularly when compared with Ivory Coast's exploits in previous rounds, and they were in need of a hero to turn the tide in their favour. And, after a quiet tournament leading up to the semi-final, Sebastien Haller eventually emerged as that inspirational figure.

  Just after the hour mark, 100-plus-caps veteran Max Gradel stretched to swing in a cross from the byline. It wasn't very good, looping high, wide and not very handsome into what looked like a harmless area. Haller had other ideas, though. Spotting the flight of the cross early, he quickly shimmied a few paces back and just about made contact. His volley sent the ball travelling on a quite bizarre trajectory, as it smashed into the ground before rising high – too high for DR Congo goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi in fact, who could only watch as it slowly drifted past his outstretched hand.

  After booking his side's place in the final, Haller made sure to rise to the occasion once again, and his winner at the the Olympic Stadium of Ebimpe was just as inventive. With the scores level at 1-1 and 10 minutes left on the clock, the electric Adingra burst into some space on the left touchline and fizzed a wicked, low cross to the front post.

  A few seconds later, the ball was in the back of the net. In real time, it was hard to see how Haller had managed it, with Nigeria captain William Troost-Ekong stuck to him like glue. Fortunately the replay provided some clarity. That showed Haller displaying his lethal striker's instinct, with the Borussia Dortmund man sending Adingra's cross into the far corner by simply sticking his toe out.

  It was a fittingly unorthodox goal for unorthodox winners and was exactly what Haller deserved after battling back from his testicular cancer diagnosis in 2022.

  Reflecting on the triumphs, and likely with his star striker's inspiring comeback on his mind, Fae said at full-time: "It is more than a fairy tale. I am struggling to take it all in. When I think about all we have been through, we are miracle survivors. We never gave up and we managed to come back from so many tough blows."

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

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

• Getty Images
  

  LOSER: Nigeria

  While Nigeria will be pleased to have made a significant improvement on their last-16 exit in 2021, they will also head home from the Ivory Coast feeling pretty deflated. Despite going ahead, they were far from at their best in the final, and manager Jose Peseiro might reflect that his side became too passive as they looked to cling onto their early lead.

  There is a wider debate to be had around whether the defensively-minded coach is the best man to lead the Super Eagles forward in the long term. No African team possesses as much strength in depth in the forward positions than Nigeria, but they only scored more than once in one of their seven games at the tournament.

  While that does suggest that the team were holding something back going forward, you could argue that some structure and conservatism is exactly what the Super Eagles need to be successful at tournaments. Regardless of what side the federation falls on this particular argument, it's hard to shake the feeling that the final represented a big opportunity missed for this stacked Nigeria squad.

While KL Rahul will miss Karnataka’s quarter-final due to a niggle, the fast bowlers selected for the South Africa tour have all been rested

Arun Venugopal06-Dec-2017KL Rahul and Umesh Yadav will not turn out for Karnataka and Vidarbha respectively in the quarter-finals of the Ranji Trophy beginning on Thursday. While Rahul misses out with a niggle, none of the fast bowlers selected for the South Africa tour next month will be released for the Ranji Trophy knockouts. That means Ishant Sharma, Umesh and Mohammed Shami, whose teams have made the last eight, will not be available for Delhi, Vidarbha and Bengal respectively in the quarter-finals and the semis, if their teams advance. Jasprit Bumrah, the other seamer in India’s 17-member squad, will also miss Gujarat’s knockout games as he is in the squads for the limited-overs series against Sri Lanka.A BCCI official said it was unwise to risk the fast bowlers ahead of a major overseas tour. “We all know these guys have played so much cricket. Everyone is looking jaded and since the [Ranji Trophy] teams have already done well without them, it makes more sense for these guys to be rested,” he told ESPNcricinfo. “The fast bowlers are going to be the most important guys for the South Africa series and you can’t take a risk at this stage.”The official, however, indicated the India think-tank was inclined towards the batsmen getting some red-ball cricket under their belt. Rahul and Ajinkya Rahane, who has been going through a bad patch, could use a hit but their participation looks unlikely. Rahane aggregated 17 runs in five innings during the Sri Lanka series, and scored a 49 and 45, bookended by two ducks, for Mumbai in the group stage of the Ranji Trophy.”KL has a niggle and Rahane is part of the ODI series, so where is the chance for them to play? Had Rahul been well, it would have been nice for him to play” the official said. “At the moment, all these guys have to go to the NCA (National Cricket Academy) [for conditioning and rehab].Rahul has played two games for Karnataka this season and has managed scores of 4, 23, 9 and 92. He has since played the first two Tests against Sri Lanka where he has produced 86 runs from three innings. Umesh, on the other hand, has picked up nine wickets from the two games he turned out for Vidarbha. He played the Kolkata and Nagpur Tests and claimed a total of five wickets. Karnataka will take on Mumbai in Nagpur, while Vidarbha will take on Kerala in Surat in the quarter-finals.

Centuries from Amandeep Khare and Ashutosh Singh helped Chhattisgarh recover from Umesh Yadav’s twin-strikes upfront to end the day at a comfortable 246 for 3 against Vidarbha in Nagpur. The pair added 227 for the third wicket before Umesh dismissed Ashutosh for 113 in the day’s final over. Karn Sharma, the legspinner, who impressed for India A and has 31 wickets in four first-class games so far this season, finished with none for 65 off 24 overs in his first game for Vidarbha.Punjab, searching for points after conceding a lead and losing outright in their first two games, racked up 396 for 3 against Goa in Poorvorim. Jiwanjot Singh, the opener, struck 215 of those and was still going strong when stumps were drawn.Jiwanjot struck an unbroken 236-run fourth-wicket stand with Anmolpreet Singh, 103 not out, when play ended. Anmolpreet, promoted No. 4 in the absence of Yuvraj Singh, struck 11 fours and two sixes. Uday Kaul missed out converting a start into three figures, falling for 66, while Manan Vohra was out for a three-ball duck in the first over.Half-centuries from Nikhil Gangta (89*) and Ankush Bains (68) spared Himachal the blushes against Services in New Delhi. They recovered from a precarious 92 for 4 to finish on 273 for 5 at stumps. Prashant Chopra, the opener who struck a triple century in the tournament opener, failed to convert, falling for 55. Bains and Gangta, chasing his second century of the season, batted for a better part of the day to add 159 and help the side stage a remarkable recovery.

The fast bowler has now moved above R Ashwin and Rangana Herath among Test bowlers, while Dimuth Karunaratne has entered the top 20 in the Test batting rankings for the first time

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Oct-2017

Kagiso Rabada has climbed two spots in the ICC Test rankings for bowlers to reach a career-best third place. The South Africa fast bowler now has 876 ranking points, and sits behind James Anderson (896) and Ravindra Jadeja (884). R Ashwin (852) and Rangana Herath (833) have now dropped to fourth and fifth.Rabada took five wickets in each innings in the second Test against Bangladesh in Bloemfontein, picking up his third ten-wicket match haul in only his 22nd Test. In the process, he picked up his 100th Test wicket and became the fifth-youngest bowler to do so, behind Kapil Dev, Daniel Vettori, Waqar Younis and Harbhajan Singh.Meanwhile, Sri Lanka’s 2-0 series win in the UAE has moved them to sixth in the Test team rankings, above Pakistan. Dimuth Karunaratne, who scored 196 in the first innings in Sri Lanka’s 68-run in Dubai, has moved up to 17th place in the batting rankings, entering the top 20 for the first time in his 44-Test career.Click here for the full rankings.

2:58

Maharoof: Once Virat hit top gear, he never let it go

Three-nil in the Tests, five-nil in the ODIs, a crushing seven-wicket win in the one-off T20I. Virat Kohli followed up successive hundreds in the last two ODIs with another display of ruthless efficiency in a chase, and ensured India left Sri Lanka no crumbs of comfort at the end of a long and chastening month and a half of one-sided contests.Set 171 to win, India romped home with four balls remaining and Manish Pandey making his third important contribution in a row, following up 50* and 36 in the last two ODIs with his maiden T20I fifty.Kohli, the only batsman with 1000 T20I runs and a 50-plus average, ended his tour with 82 off 54 balls, an innings that oozed arrogance. It was present in the shots he played – an umpire-endangering blast down the ground and a bottom-handed whip through midwicket, both off Lasith Malinga, standing out among his seven fours and a six – but especially in the way he admonished himself, bat slapping pad in annoyance, for little moments of imprecision: for putting too much weight on a clip down the ground and ending up with a single rather than two, for placing a front-foot slap a few inches closer to the extra-cover fielder than he would have liked and ending up with a single rather than four. It was as if the opposition did not matter.Virat Kohli went to No. 3 on the list of top scorers in T20Is•NurPhoto/Getty Images

Until he miscued a leg-side whip and holed out with India just 10 away from their target, it was easy to miss the assured hand played by Pandey in a 119-run partnership for the third wicket. He came in with India not entirely secure; they had lost both openers by the end of the sixth over, and Kohli not yet fully settled, having just been beaten twice in a row by Malinga’s seam and Isuru Udana’s left-arm angle. But Pandey promptly calmed any nerves in the dressing room, turning the strike over with dabs and pushes either side of point, and switching gears with a straight six and a fierce, airborne cut in the 12th over, off Angelo Mathews.With Kohli also blazing five fours and a six in that period, India sped from 47 for 2 after seven overs to 118 for 2 after 13. Four of those six overs were either Mathews’ medium-pace in conditions with no swing or seam or Seekkuge Prasanna’s quickish and not particularly ripping legspin, showing the lack of genuine wicket threat from Sri Lanka in the middle overs.The story was rather different when Sri Lanka batted. Sent in after a 40-minute rain delay, their batsmen, Dilshan Munaweera in particular, seemed liberated by the switch to the shortest format as they sped to 60 for 2 in their first six overs. They finished well too, scoring 52 for 1 in the last five, with Ashan Priyanjan turning around a slow start and Udana clubbing the quicks powerfully down the ground.They faltered in between, though, losing four wickets in those nine overs while scoring at under six-and-a-half per over.For India, the middle overs illuminated the value of playing two wristspinners. Kuldeep Yadav only conceded 11 in his three overs in that period, and bowled Munaweera with a quick skidder, the batsman sending his bat flying in the direction of square leg in a sweaty-gloved attempt at a pull.Yuzvendra Chahal gave away 13 in his one Powerplay over, Munaweera greeting him with successive sixes, over extra-cover and down the ground. He continued to go for runs in the middle overs, with Munaweera launching him for two more sixes in his third over and Thisara Perera pummeling him over long-on in his fourth. But he picked up three key middle-overs wickets: Mathews stumped while reaching out to a big legbreak and overbalancing; Perera bowled trying to cut one that cramped him for room; Dasun Shanaka lbw playing outside the line of a wrong’un.And so, despite conceding 43, Chahal probably bowled the crucial spell for India to keep Sri Lanka in check. Kohli and Pandey did the rest.

Manchester United have held talks with Monaco defender Axel Disasi over a potential move to Old Trafford this summer and the 25-year-old would be 'really excited' by the prospect of pitching up at Old Trafford, according to transfer guru Fabrizio Romano.

Is Axel Disasi joining Manchester United?

According to RMC Sport, Manchester United are frontrunners to sign Disasi this summer in a deal that could cost in the region of £35 million to complete.

Taking to Twitter, renowned journalist Romano took to Twitter to detail that Manchester United alongside Newcastle United are keen to bring in Disasi, stating: "Newcastle and Manchester United are both exploring Disasi deal, no bids yet. Newcastle approached player side this week, expected to make contact with Monaco. Ten Hag approved Disasi — talks for weeks on player side but still waiting for approach with Monaco."

In 2022/23, the France international enjoyed a solid campaign for Ligue 1 outfit Monaco and showed an unusually potent goal threat from central defence, registering six goals and four assists in 49 appearances across all competitions, as per Transfermarkt.

Disasi showed plenty of calmness at the back last term and helped to stamp out dangerous attacking situations with regularity, completing 2.9 clearances per match in the French top-flight, according to WhoScored.

Last month, The Mirror claimed that both Disasi and Atalanta striker Rasmus Hojlund have indicated that their preference would be to move to Old Trafford this off-season, giving Red Devils boss Erik Ten Hag a major boost in his hunt for reinforcements.

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, transfer guru Romano has given some further insight into Manchester United's quest to land Disasi from Monaco.

Romano stated: "I will keep the name of Axel Disasi in the list. They spoke to the player's side and the player would be really excited to join Manchester United. Disasi is a player they like."

Who is coming to Man United 2023?

Aside from their pursuit of Disasi, who has been called a "hidden gem" after his brilliant performances, Manchester United have been active in the market as Ten Hag eyes quality additions ahead of the new Premier League season commencing.

Mason Mount has already been officially signed off on as the Red Devils' first summer arrival from Chelsea and could make his debut on Wednesday when Manchester United take on Leeds United in Oslo.

Sky Sports News report that Inter Milan goalkeeper Andre Onana is a name that may follow Mount to Old Trafford, though the Serie A giants are demanding a fee of £51 million to let him depart the San Siro.

Urawa Red Diamonds goalkeeper Zion Suzuki could also come in to strengthen the goalkeeping department in the aftermath of David De Gea's 12-year spell at the club coming to an end.

Telegraph Sport have signalled that a £50 million bid is set to be launched for Atalanta rising star Hojlund, who is viewed as a youngster with considerable potential by Old Trafford chiefs.

Rumours will continue to swirl around as the transfer window begins to reach fever pitch; however, it is clear that Manchester United are on the trail of numerous players and we will likely see movement in the next few weeks with regards to incomings and outgoings.

Old Trafford was silenced on Sunday when Marc Skinner's side were beaten by Man City, a result which highlighted several of the Red Devils' issues

Sunday was a huge day for Manchester United’s women’s team. The Red Devils welcomed bitter rivals Manchester City to Old Trafford and a club-record crowd of 43,615 fans streamed in to watch. Most of them were hoping to see a home win, one that would move United to within a point of Arsenal in second place in the Women's Super League, and four behind leaders Chelsea, while also leaving City nine points off the pace with only seven games played. But although it was an historic day at the 'Theatre of Dreams', the match was a nightmare for the hosts.

Despite home advantage, despite going 1-0 up after 21 minutes and despite playing against 10 players for almost half an hour, United came away empty-handed. They were sloppy, wasteful and uncomfortable in what turned into a 3-1 win for City.

Marc Skinner admitted after the match that his United team probably now need to go unbeaten for the rest of the season to stand any chance of winning the title. But based on what we saw on Sunday, that looks highly unlikely.

The 2022-23 campaign was an incredible one for Skinner's side. They were the only team to battle Chelsea for the WSL title until the final day, they secured a spot in the Women’s Champions League for the first time and they reached a maiden Women’s FA Cup final, too.

But the outlook is quite different with almost a third of this 2023-24 season gone. United couldn’t reach the UWCL group stages after landing a very tough tie in qualifying with Paris Saint-Germain, they’re seven points behind league leaders Chelsea and a defeat at Old Trafford to City has only intensified dissatisfaction among the fans. So, what is going wrong?

Getty ImagesKey exits

As well as losing highly-rated assistant manager Martin Ho, who has since guided Norwegian side Brann into the Women’s Champions League group stages, there were 13 first-team departures during the summer, two of which were hugely significant: Ona Batlle and Alessia Russo.

Batlle is the best right-back in the women’s game and her return to Barcelona, the club she came through as a youngster, felt inevitable for some time. She was always going to be extremely difficult to replace as there is no one quite like the Spaniard, who excelled as an inverted full-back during her time in Manchester.

Russo didn’t light the league up in her final season with United, scoring just 10 goals, but her move to Arsenal was an issue because of the way Skinner opted to tackle the task of replacing her. A flurry of new attackers have arrived, none of whom are providing the same kind of focal point as Russo.

AdvertisementGettyLife after Russo

Geyse – a tricky, direct and energetic forward who joined from reigning European champions Barcelona this past summer – is now playing the No.9 role on a regular basis. She is a wonderful talent and has shown flashes of her brilliance already. She is also a very different player to Russo.

On her Man Utd debut in October, in a dramatically late win at Aston Villa, Geyse was a constant nuisance for the opposition but she drifted out wide so often that it left no one in the box to put chances away. That has been the case for most of her time in United red, too.

"If the forward goes into the wide channel, then the other one has to come in and we have to flood the box because of the way that we play. That will come, I've no doubt about that," Skinner said after that win on the WSL’s opening weekend.

“Geyse is different to Alessia. Alessia is a pin player and spins and switches. Geyse can hold it and turn you and go. That's a different type of forward. I think when we watch it back, we can be more positionally ruthless and I think that will come.”

It was Rachel Williams who saved the day at Villa Park, the experienced forward coming off the bench to win the game in stoppage time. As a classic No.9, it was she who brought that penalty-box presence United had been lacking – and it wasn’t the only instance of that happening this season. The 35-year-old, the team’s top goal-scorer in the WSL this season, also came to the rescue away at Brighton earlier this month.

It's fantastic when you have players on the bench who can make a difference but Williams’ goals have often shown that United simply lack a starter who can be in the right place at the right time to get on the end of the chances being created – and finish them ruthlessly.

GettyThe right combination

Why is that the case? Well, Geyse has a lot of talent but her final product and decision-making aren't always convincing. She’s also not that orthodox centre-forward that will lurk in the box, waiting to sniff out a goal. Melvine Malard, however, appears to be a little more like that.

The France international joined Man Utd on loan from Lyon this past summer but has largely operated in a wide role despite it feeling like a switch of positions between her and Geyse would be beneficial. When she gets in the box, she is deadly, as her four goals for the club already have shown. Yet, she is often stuck on the wing struggling to make an impact. Even Nikita Parris, who excelled in a central role against Everton, appears to be a better option as a starting No.9 than Geyse, whose talents could be maximised out wide.

Skinner has tinkered a little with that front three this season but has yet to really nail down those killer combinations that can make United a more clinical side. He’s also stressed that the players are still adapting to life in England and learning the language to communicate with their new team-mates.

“There are still barriers,” he said on Sunday, speaking about the glimpses of that relationship between Geyse and Malard. “It’s just the little details. For example, if we're going to play more direct, then we can play underneath, so maybe Geyse is the highest player but then Melvine drops underneath so if Man City see get the first contact, we're in the second space and once we're in that second space, I don't think Man City would live with us. But we end up being in a flat line because they can't quite communicate quickly as the ball is travelling. There are all those little details that they don't yet have the language skill to do.”

But until Geyse and Malard are able to work in tandem in their current roles, can Skinner change things so that their abilities can be fully exploited while the relationship is still growing? After all, those partnerships take time to grow and there just isn’t a lot to spare in the WSL.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

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

GettyIssues aplenty

There are only 12 teams in the WSL. Each side only plays 22 games in the division. So, when you’re seven points off the top of the table after as many matches, it’s quite a lot of ground to make up if you want to be a factor in the title race.

Skinner has spoken about time, about how these players will gel and they will work together beautifully on the pitch, but nearly a third of the league season is now gone and he is still speaking about it. How long will it take?

Let’s also not forget that Malard is a loan player. You don’t want to be waiting four months for someone on a temporary deal to make an impact. You need to make the most of their presence as soon as possible, especially if Skinner wants Man Utd to compete for the title and to have another go in Europe next season.

The problems don’t just surround the forward areas and how this attack looks without Russo, either. Batlle’s departure has made United weaker at the back both in and out of possession. Errors when playing out from the defence are creeping in more and more frequently, with captain Katie Zelem caught on the ball in her own half in the build-up to City’s second goal on Sunday and Maya Le Tissier playing a short backpass to Mary Earps that proved costly for the third.

There are also questions around the midfield, namely why so much of United’s play seems to completely bypass it, and why the balance does not seem right a lot of the time in the combinations of three that Skinner picks. Rectifying the latter could go a long way to putting a stop to Ella Toone’s poor form in 2023, too.

Tottenham Hotspur could sign Harry Maguire from Manchester United this summer and club talisman Harry Kane wouldn't 'be too concerned' over the 30-year-old joining him in N17, according to journalist Dean Jones.

What's the latest transfer news involving Harry Maguire?

As per The Evening Standard, Tottenham are keen on signing Maguire from Manchester United this summer as Ange Postecoglou gets to work regarding potential additions in north London.

The report states that Spurs may be reticent to move due to Maguire's £190,000 per week salary at the Red Devils; however, a loan move may emerge as a potential option for the 30-year-old in the transfer window.

ESPN understand that both Tottenham and West Ham United have been offered the chance to acquire Maguire, with Erik Ten Hag said to be open to letting go of his club captain.

Ten Hag has also spoken about the future of Maguire in a recent interview, stating: "I'm happy he's here… it's also a decision he has to make [because] nobody would be happy with this situation."

CBS Sports reporter Ben Jacobs told The United Stand YouTube channel that Wolverhampton Wanderers could also become a contender to tempt Maguire with a fresh challenge elsewhere.

Speaking to Football FanCast, journalist Jones has suggested that Spurs marksman Kane would be content if his international teammate Maguire was to move to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this summer.

Jones told FFC: "He's a total professional, he's come through some really tough times if you think of the mental challenges that he's faced on the back of some of his performances. I think if Tottenham were to ask Harry Kane for his views on it, I don't think he would be too concerned about Maguire coming."

Would Harry Maguire be a good signing for Tottenham Hotspur?

Maguire has his critics, it is fair to say; nevertheless, he has shown impressive mental resilience over the last year or so and would offer an experienced head in the Spurs backline if he was to move to the Lilywhites.

In 2022/23, the Red Devils' captain made 31 appearances in all competitions for his current employers in total, as per Transfermarkt.

The 30-year-old has shown his awareness to dangerous attacking situations efficiently in the season just gone, making an average of 2.6 clearances per match in the Premier League, according to WhoScored.

FBRef also note that Maguire has excelled compared to his positional peers across Europe's top five divisions in the art of aerial duels, winning around 3.01 per 90 minutes across the last 365 days, putting him in the top 12% for this metric.

Of course, some Tottenham fans would have doubts over the signing of Maguire due to his underwhelming time at Old Trafford, though he can still be a competent defender and has proved his worth at times for Manchester United over the last year.