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Tottenham Hotspur have Brentford striker Ivan Toney in their sights as journalist Dean Jones shares a transfer update out of north London.

Who will Spurs sign?

The departure of star striker Harry Kane has left a gaping hole in quality going forward for new manager Ange Postecoglou, and the England international will be a very, very hard man to replace.

Kane not only guarantees 20-plus-goals-per-season, but his ability to drop back and link up play will also be a sore miss for Spurs, who must now contend without their club legend and serial record-breaker.

One small silver lining for the club is the possible £103 million fee they'll get for his services, if certain add-ons are met, and it will be interesting to see how they'll reinvest that financial windfall.

Postecoglou has admitted that Tottenham need to offload certain players first given they already have a bloated squad, but reporters like Alasdair Gold believe Spurs have a few deals "lined up" for when they do.

“Postecoglou said that himself in his press conference on Friday he pretty much said how there’s areas in defence, midfield and attack that they can upgrade on as well," said Gold on his YouTube channel (via TBR).

“I would keep an eye on what happens.

“I kind of get the feeling that Spurs have got a number of deals lined up ready to go if they can get the players out of the squad first.”

A striker could be seen as one priority given their sale of Kane, and there have been many forwards linked with a move to north London, particularly highly-rated Gent striker Gift Orban.

Another to be mentioned is Toney of Brentford, who despite his ban for gambling breaches, remains of interest to Tottenham and chairman Daniel Levy.

That is according to reporter Jones, who told GiveMeSport that Spurs are actively exploring a deal to sign the English top flight marksman.

“Toney is a deal that they have started to explore," said Jones.

"But that will come down to how realistic Brentford are in terms of what his value is. It seems they might price him out of a move like this.

“So, there’s no particular optimism at this stage for Tottenham making much headway with that. If they were to look for another forward, they’ve been linked with Romelu Lukaku, but I’m very sceptical about that. I don’t think that’s something that is going to happen.”

How good is Ivan Toney?

The Englishman scored a brilliant 20 goals last season and added a further four assists, having marked himself out as one of the division's most consistent goalscorers.

Brentford boss Thomas Frank said clubs will have to pay a £100 million price tag to prise him away from west London, with the Dane also heaping praise on him back in 2021 for his "lion" mentality.

Read the latest Tottenham transfer news HERE…

"He’s coming across so fantastically: he’s humble, calm, but with a mindset of a lion," said Frank.

"I think for every person or player the sky’s the limit, then we will see in the future where they go.

"First I just want to enjoy Ivan here in my team, and see him grow and be as good as possible, and then we’ll see what happens in the future."

The India seamer, who became available when he went unsold in the IPL auction, should be available for five County Championship fixtures and eight Royal London One-Day Cup matches

George Dobell15-Feb-2018

Ishant Sharma is to join Sussex for the first two months of the 2018 county season as an overseas player.The India seamer, who became available when he went unsold in the IPL auction, is expected to join the club on April 4. That means he should be available for five County Championship fixtures and eight Royal London One-Day Cup matches. He will provide a significant boost for a squad that will be without Jofra Archer and Chris Jordan for much of that period due to their IPL commitments.”Securing Ishant’s services has been very important for us,” Sussex’s director of cricket Keith Greenfield said. “Once Jofra and Chris were picked up in the IPL draft, it became crucial to sign an experienced international-quality seam bowler who could provide valuable support and know-how to the rest of the seamers.”Ishant has the attributes to be very successful in early season English conditions and a great role model. He fits the bill perfectly and we look forward to welcoming him to Sussex Cricket.”The signing may not please everyone, however. England coach Trevor Bayliss has previously expressed frustration at the way in which the counties allow overseas players to prepare ahead of Test series in England and, with India playing a five-Test series in England in the second half of the year, Ishant will have an ideal opportunity to adapt to the conditions and the Dukes ball.He is far from inexperienced in such conditions anyway. As well as having toured with India’s Test squad in 2011 and 2014 – when he was named Man of the Match for his Test-best 7 for 74 in the second innings as India won at Lord’s – he played in the 2009 World T20 and 2013 Champions Trophy teams, with his spell in the 2013 final (he dismissed the well-set Eoin Morgan and Ravi Bopara from successive deliveries) proving crucial.The signing continues the recent relaxation of rules as regards India players featuring in foreign domestic competitions. Appreciating that increased experience of such conditions could help India improve their overseas record, the BCCI also allowed R Ashwin to play for Worcestershire towards the end of the 2017 season – where he played a significant part in their County Championship promotion – while Virat Kohli has already expressed a desire to follow suit should a suitable gap in his schedule be found. Cheteshwar Pujara, who has become a regular face on the county scene after spells with Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire, has already confirmed he will return to Yorkshire for the early part of the 2018 campaign.Whether there is scope for further members of the India Test squad to feature in county cricket this year remains uncertain. Their schedule – which includes a one-off Test against Afghanistan in Bengaluru in mid-June – is hectic and, while the Test series in England does not start until August 1, the limited-overs section of the tour beings in early July.While Chadd Sayers, the Australian swing bowler, had claimed last week he was hoping to sign for Sussex for the same period, it appears the club had accepted that gaining a work permit for him (he has not played any international cricket) could have become a significant challenge.”We’re delighted to secure the services of an experienced and very skilful international seamer,” Sussex head coach Jason Gillespie said. “We believe Ishant will fit right into the Sussex dressing room and we are all really looking forward to welcoming him to Hove.””It’s a great honour to represent Sussex CCC, the oldest first-class county, and I am looking forward with excitement to my maiden stint in county cricket,” Ishant was quoted as saying in a club press release.”I would like to extend a special thanks to Sussex for taking note of my ongoing performances and deeming me suitable for this opportunity. I hope to add value during my time as part of the Sussex family this season.”

Everton are 'exploring' a move for Southampton winger Kamaldeen Sulemana after turning their back on Leeds United attacker Wilfried Gnonto, according to journalist Ben Jacobs.

Is Kamaldeen Sulemana leaving Southampton for Everton?

According to Football Insider, Everton are in talks with Southampton over a loan deal for Kamaldeen Sulemana as Sean Dyche looks to add some variety to his options in the final third.

The Daily Mail claim that Everton have turned their attention towards Sulemana after growing frustrated in their attempts to land Leeds United winger Gnonto, who is someone Daniel Farke desperately wants to keep at Elland Road after losing a host of stars this window to relegation release clauses.

Everton had a £15 million bid for the Italy international turned down in July and it now looks like they will need to look elsewhere as the Whites continue to prove to be stubborn in negotiations.

Sulemana, who was hailed as "superb" by Alan Shearer, only joined Southampton in January from Stade Rennais in a deal worth an initial €25 million (£21.54 million) and still has four years left to run on his £40k-a-week contract at St Mary's Stadium, as per The Athletic.

In his short stint on the South Coast so far, Sulemana has made 18 appearances in all competitions for Southampton, registering two goals and one assist, as per Transfermarkt.

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, journalist Jacobs has confirmed that Everton are now 'exploring' the possibility of bringing Sulemana to Goodison Park after their attempts to sign Gnonto verged into difficulty.

Jacobs stated: “I think that Leeds United are absolutely desperate to keep Wilfried Gnonto at all costs, so player desire will obviously be a factor in all of this but Everton have had a bid rejected and seemingly moved on.

“They’re now exploring Kamaldeen Sulemana instead and because of the exodus Leeds have had due to either offers they’ve chosen to accept or relegation release clauses that they’ve had no control over, they won’t want to lose too many.”

Who else could be on their way to Everton this summer?

According to journalist Alan Nixon on Patreon, Everton are keen on making a move for Leicester City striker Patson Daka and he would be available for a 'reasonable cost' this summer.

Nixon also added that Sheffield United forward Daniel Jebbison was a name interesting the Toffees this window; however, negotiations over a prospective move look to have cooled due to the England youth international sustaining an injury.

Everton are also close to signing Sporting Clube de Portugal striker Youssef Chermiti and an official announcement is expected before Friday, according to BBC Sport.

Southampton forward Che Adams and Leicester City striker Patson Daka are two other names that have been mentioned in connection with the Toffees as boss Dyche looks to make sure he isn't light on options across his forward line.

Manchester United defender Harry Maguire is on Everton's wishlist and could head to Goodison Park in a deal that would see Amadou Onana, who has been a consistent performer for the Toffees since his arrival last year, move in the other direction to Old Trafford, as per The Mirror.

From allowing Jason Holder and Shane Dowrich to put on 212 for the eighth wicket to the soft dismissals of Solomon Mire and Craig Ervine, day four in Bulawayo didn’t go to plan for the hosts

Liam Brickhill in Bulawayo01-Nov-2017

Zimbabwe coach Heath Streak admitted it would be tough for his side to bat themselves back into the match after conceding a 122-run first innings lead against West Indies in Bulawayo.”There’s still a long way to go, 92 overs,” he said. “And it’s slow going out there, not an easy wicket to score quickly on. So we’ve got to get through a session and get ourselves into a position where we can maybe consider giving them a target. But it’s very tough, especially with the deficit we’ve had to make up, and the pitch being so slow.”Zimbabwe found themselves 23 for 3 in their second innings before a half-century from Sikandar Raza – his second of the Test – took them to 140 for 4 at stumps.”There’s still a lot of cricket to be played tomorrow,” Streak said. “A hard fighting day and a hard fighting first session. It’s not too far until the new ball, and we’ve got to get through that and see if we get some sort of total to defend.”He added that, after several missed chances in the field, Zimbabwe had only themselves to blame for allowing Jason Holder and Shane Dowrich put on a record 212-run partnership. “They put us under pressure, and we didn’t help ourselves with a few dropped catches,” Streak said. “We’ve got ourselves to blame for giving them that lead, but we’ve just got to deal with where we’re at now.”He lamented the soft dismissals that heaped pressure on Zimbabwe’s middle order once again, suggesting that wickets in hand could have helped Zimbabwe push for more of a lead heading into the fifth day.”Hamilton [Masakadza] got out to a good ball that hooped back quite a bit, but then Solomon [Mire] got out to a soft dismissal even by his own standards,” Streak said, describing Mire’s swipe across the line at a ball from Kemar Roach that trapped him lbw. “He does play aggressively, but on that wicket and with that length, it’s very difficult to play that type of shot, especially on a fourth-day wicket when you’ve had a lot of evidence of balls keeping low. So those are the sorts of dismissals we want to get rid of. Even Craig Ervine, if he’s honest with himself, got out to a pretty soft dismissal. It wasn’t like the ball did a heck of a lot.”If we had taken maybe two wickets off there, Mire and Ervine’s wickets, then it’s 140 for 2 and that’s a pretty good score. We’d have wickets in hand if we want to push on and try and get some sort of lead and put them in.”One bright point for Streak was the batting of Raza and Peter Moor, who reined in his attacking instincts to finish on 39 not out from 152 balls at the close. ” PJ [Moor] is a very determined guy first of all, and he’s a very intelligent guy who has worked out watching the other guys,” Streak said. “It’s not easy to just go out there and play shots, so he’s adjusted his game accordingly to the wicket. His batting in the first innings has also given him some insight into how to do it. Anyone who has gone out there and batted for a period of time, you can see there haven’t been easy or free flowing innings from anyone.”Apart from being slow, the pitch also fell short of Zimbabwe’s expectations in terms of help for the spinners. “Having a bit of cool weather around, has meant that the wicket hasn’t dried and dusted up as much as we would have liked,” Streak said. “So it’s been a little more placid than what we’d hoped. We wanted a wicket that would spin and break up, but the weather conditions on day one and two made the deterioration of the wicket much slower than it ought to be. Normally in October you get hot, dry days and then that deterioration happens a lot quicker.”

The Supreme Court had mandated the Law Commission to undertake such a study after the Lodha Committee recommended in its report that betting on cricket be made legal in India

Arun Venugopal08-Aug-2017Tasked with examining the possibility of legalising betting, the Law Commission of India has sought the suggestions of the BCCI’s member units before submitting its recommendations. The Supreme Court had mandated the Law Commission to undertake such a study after the Lodha Committee had recommended in its exhaustive report that betting on cricket be made legal in India.In a letter to the board’s member associations, Sanjay Singh, member secretary of the Law Commission, said the Commission would examine both betting and gambling given their “intertwining nature.””While the Law Commission has been reaching out to the various stakeholders to seek their observations and suggestions, it considers that the views of your association will be valuable in formulating its recommendations on betting,” Singh wrote in the letter accessed by ESPNcricinfo.”I would, therefore, request you to forward the views of the association on the matter to the Commission at the earliest, as we would like to submit our report in line with the directions of the Supreme Court, at an early date.”The debate over legalising betting has been a topic in Indian cricket ever since the match-fixing scandal rocked the sport in 2000. In fact, the creation of the Lodha Committee, which recommended a structural overhaul of cricket administration in India, was a direct consequence of the 2013 spot-fixing episode in the Indian Premier League.As things stand, horse racing is the only sport on which betting is legal in India, as a result of which betting on cricket operates in an unregulated environment run by illegal bookmakers.The Committee stated in its report that many respondents appearing before it were of the view that legalising betting would benefit both the sport and the country’s economy.”It cannot be overlooked that the worldwide legal sports betting market is worth over 400 billion dollars,” the Lodha Committee’s report stated. “However, with the interest of cricket being foremost in our minds, it would always be necessary to protect and invoke transparency from those involved in the game.”The Committee, however, was clear that betting must be legalised only with the following safeguards in place: “a) Regulatory watchdogs would be necessary to ensure that the betting houses as well as those transacting there are strictly monitored, failing which their registrations would be susceptible to cancellation; b) The Players, Administrators and others closely associated with the sport would be required to furnish the details of their incomes and assets for the sake of transparency; c) Licenses would have to be issued to those placing the bets as well, with age and identification details recorded; d) Strict penal sanctions would have to be imposed on those transgressing the license and other requirements.”BS Chauhan, the chairman of the Law Commission, had reckoned that there was a case for regulating betting through an enactment of a law rather than a blanket ban. “Harm resulting from excess is not limited to gambling alone, as an excess of anything may negate its benefits,” he was quoted as saying at a seminar organised by FICCI (Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry) and the All India Gaming Federation in March in a report.”The response of the state in such a situation should be to regulate the activity, not seek to stop it completely. Legalisation would give the government the opportunity to bring gambling out from the dark corners of society, impose controls and extract some revenue … if betting were legal then a huge chunk of money that, at the moment, circulates only round the black market, would quickly become available,” he said.A BCCI official said, however, that legalising betting and gambling was a complex argument that required adequate spadework. “If you want to do it and make it successful, there is a lot to be done because it can’t be half-baked,” he told ESPNcricinfo. “If you legalise betting, then who runs the betting houses? Will it be done by the government or will there be certain companies? Is there going to be a structure in place for those companies? Have you thought of a system where you need gambling de-addiction centres? There are not enough liquor de-addiction centres in India, forget betting.”

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsDilani Manodara struck a career-best 84 off 111 balls•Getty/ICC

Pakistan flirted with their first victory in 14 World Cup matches several times over the course of the action in Leicester. They had Sri Lanka at 98 for 5 in the 27th over but somehow let them scramble to 221. Then, in the chase, they were 134 for 4 with a well-set Nain Abidi finding the boundaries at will. But she would be run out – the result of a mix up with her captain Sana Mir – as self-inflicted wounds eventually led to a defeat most agonising. They needed 16 runs in 21 balls when their last wicket fell.

Will come back stronger – Mir

After finishing a second successive World Cup campaign without a victory, Pakistan captain Sana Mir highlighted weaknesses in their batting line-up as a major area that needed improvement.
“Our batters have been under pressure throughout the tournament but they put up a fight today,” she said. “Mostly we are not able to finish matches when we get on top as we give away wickets at crucial times and that happened again today.
“We are very disappointed. But in life, these things happen but you have to bounce back. We will learn from the tournament and the younger players will come back stronger.”

Watching the chaos unfold from behind the wicket was Dilani Manodara. Thirty-four years old, and perhaps playing her last World Cup game, she couldn’t have hoped for more as she first resurrected Sri Lanka’s innings with a career-best 84 off 111 balls and then savoured a hard-fought victory – the only one her team will take home. Could she have imagined that when she had been at the crease, trying determinedly to glue Sri Lanka together? She might have despaired as her top four couldn’t move past a score of 27, but in Eshani Lokusuriyage, she found someone willing to stick around. The two batsmen put on a pivotal 76 runs in 16.2 overs and the momentum shifted.The other major contributor was left-arm spinner Chandima Gunaratne, who, also, at 35, might wonder if she can stay on the radar until 2021. Perhaps that had only spurred her on to grab her chance. She was given the new ball and it worked for her so well that her first spell lasted eight overs and fetched two wickets – Nahida Khan, bowled by the quicker ball, and Ayesha Zafar, caught off the slower one. Sri Lanka saved the last of her overs for the death, and that too proved a master stroke – she was brought back in the 34th and with her first ball she pinned Mir lbw and eventually finished with 4 for 41.Abidi, by this time, was left to stew in the dressing room. Having come in at 43 for 2 in the 14th over, she did her best to upset the strangle Sri Lanka were so desperate to pull off. She was adept at finding gaps through point, third man and fine leg and her her free-flowing innings – 57 off only 68 balls with nine fours – seemed to suggest Pakistan might not have to walk away from another World Cup winless; they had lost all of their four matches in 2013.But it was not to be. She was run out with the target 88 runs away. Asmavia Iqbal took up her place and fought bravely, guiding a brittle tail so very close to the finish line. But she ended up at the non-strikers end, with 38 off 45 balls, when Sri Lanka captain Inoka Ranaweera bowled No. 11 Sadia Yousuf to cap a special spell. Forty-six of her 58 deliveries were dots and then she took the match-sealing wicket.It was Sri Lanka’s first win in seven World-Cup matches, secured under the watchful eyes of Kathy Cross and Sue Redfern, the first set of female on-field umpires to officiate an international game since at least 2000.

Manchester United defender Aaron Wan-Bissaka has been approached by DR Congo and could decide to switch his international allegiance from England.

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Wan-Bissaka receives Congo approachWanted for AFCON 2024 tournamentCould opt to switch international allegianceWHAT HAPPENED?

DR Congo want Wan-Bissaka to be part of their squad for the 2024 AFCON tournament, according to The Athletic. Wan-Bissaka is said to be "considering" the opportunity of playing for the Leopards and switching his international allegiance from England. The Manchester United defender has played for England at Under-20 and Under-21 level but has never made a senior appearance for the Three Lions. The closest he came was back in 2019 when he was called up by Gareth Southgate. However, he subsequently pulled out of the squad for the two Euro 2020 qualifiers due to injury, meaning he is still uncapped and eligible to play for DR Congo.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE

It remains to be seen whether Wan-Bissaka will accept the offer from Congo, but if he does the decision may not go down well with Manchester United. The AFCON 2024 tournament kicks off in January in Ivory Coast and runs until February 11th. If Wan-Bissaka were to be involved then United could potentially lose the defender for over a month due to his international commitments. The Red Devils are also expected to be without first choice goalkeeper Andre Onana during that time as the stopper is expected to play for Cameroon at the tournament.

DID YOU KNOW?

Wan-Bissaka and Onana are not the only Manchester United players who could be jetting off to AFCON 2024. Amad Diallo (Ivory Coast), Hannibal Mejbri (Tunisia), and on-loan midfielder Sofyan Amrabat (Morocco) may also feature if called up by their national teams.

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GettyWHAT NEXT FOR WAN-BISSAKA?

Wan-Bissaka's season has been disrupted by injury but he is now fit and available and will be hoping to cement his place in Erik ten Hag's starting XI. The defender is into the final season of his contract at Old Trafford and is facing an uncertain future. The club do have the option to activate a 12-month extension clause in his existing deal and may opt to do that rather than handing him a new long-term deal at the club.

Lionel Messi and his Inter Miami team-mates attended an end of season party for 2023 that featured a giant club-themed cake.

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• Historic Leagues Cup win enjoyed in 2023
• Intend to compete for everything next season
• Argentine skipper has another Ballon d'Or

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The Florida-based outfit missed out on a place in the MLS playoffs, meaning that their campaign was cut short. They did, however, enjoy a historic Leagues Cup triumph within weeks of welcoming all-time great Messi to the United States.

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• Getty
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Inter Miami, with Luis Suarez seemingly on his way to join a number of former Barcelona colleagues in America, intend to compete for every major honour up for grabs in 2024. Head coach Tata Martino has revealed that pre-season training will begin on January 10.

• Casadonna Miami/Instagram
  

  DID YOU KNOW?

  Prior to that, a star-studded squad have been letting their hair down. Messi, Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba and Benjamin Cremaschi were among those in attendance at Miami-based restaurant Casadonna, with a giant cake featuring the club’s crest, mini footballs and a goal taking centre stage.

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• WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

  Inter Miami had been due to take in a two-game tour of China after seeing their domestic season come to a close, but that trip to Asia has been cancelled. Instead, Messi and Co will line up against New York City FC on Friday – with their Argentine captain set to parade the eighth Ballon d’Or of his remarkable career – while a friendly with Newell’s Old Boys is expected to be put in place for early 2024.

Manchester United have been no strangers to poaching players from their bitter rivals over the years, with the Red Devils having notably snapped up the likes of Eric Cantona, Rio Ferdinand and Alan Smith from long-time foes, Leeds United in the Premier League era.

According to recent reports, it looks as if Erik ten Hag and co could be set to make another summer raid on the Yorkshire side, with TEAMtalk suggesting that the Old Trafford outfit are in the race for American midfielder, Tyler Adams.

The piece adds (citing a report from The Athletic) that the former RB Leipzig man – who only made the move to England last summer on a £20m deal – could be allowed to depart for a fee of around £40m ahead of next season, following the Whites' recent relegation.

The report also suggests that the 24-year-old has outlined his desire to play in the Premier League once again next season, with another of United's rivals – Liverpool – also said to be plotting a move.

The presence of Jurgen Klopp's side may prove an obstacle to Ten Hag's hopes of landing the New York native this summer, although the Carabao Cup winners should certainly do all they can to ensure that they are at the front of the queue.

Who could Adams replace at Man United?

There may be those who would turn their nose up at the prospect of signing a newly-relegated player, although Adams hardly disgraced himself having enjoyed a promising debut season in English football – prior to suffering what proved to be a season-ending hamstring injury in March.

With the midfield maestro ultimately missing the final 12 games of the season – only two of which ended in victory for Leeds – that absence was likely a key factor in the club's downfall, as he had been "instrumental" prior to that, according to pundit Kevin Campbell.

Lauded as a "tackling machine" by Campbell, the £55k-per-week ace notably finished joint-fourth in the division alongside Casemiro for tackles made despite that extended spell on the sidelines, further highlighting his destructive brilliance in the centre of the park.

The addition of such a 'machine' could then prove to be the final nail in the coffin for Scott McTominay's time at the club, with the 26-year-old – who also typically lines up in a deeper midfield role – having been linked with a summer exit amid interest from Newcastle United.

The Scotland international may be left running scared by Adams' arrival at the Theatre of Dreams, with the latter man seemingly offering more in a defensive sense to Ten Hag after averaging 5.2 tackles and interceptions combined per game from his 24 league appearances in 2022/23, while McTominay averaged just 1.9 in that regard from the same number of games.

The Leeds man may also offer more in possession having averaged one key pass per game as a sign of his creative intent, while the Red Devils academy graduate averaged just 0.3 key passes.

With McTominay seemingly having had his chance to impress over recent years, it could be time for United to find a new midfield solution with the signing of Adams.

Erik ten Hag has a long list of potential skippers after stripping Harry Maguire of the armband

No one should have been surprised by the news that Harry Maguire is no longer the captain of Manchester United. The defender was only skipper in name after slipping all the way down the pecking order to fifth-choice centre-back last season, and it had long been reported that Erik ten Hag was going to officially strip him of the armband this summer.

Maguire had been an able if unremarkable captain during the Ole Gunnar Solskjaer years and was particularly important in United's run to second place and the Europa League final in the 2020-21 season. But after his form dramatically declined over the next two campaigns there were always going to be doubts about his position in the long term.

And it made no sense for a player who started only eight Premier League matches last season to have such a prestigious role. Indeed, Maguire was only brought on in the Carabao Cup final against Newcastle so that he could lift the trophy. That was a nice touch from Ten Hag but it also served to highlight the fact Maguire was no longer a suitable captain due to his declining presence in the team.

Maguire didn't even get on the pitch in the FA Cup final against Manchester City and towards the end of the season, Ten Hag started to refer to Bruno Fernandes as captain even though the England defender was still officially skipper.

Fernandes is the No. 1 candidate to succeed Maguire permanently, but there are a number of other contenders for the role. GOAL runs through the choices…

Getty Images8Mason Mount

Mount probably saw himself spending most of his career at Chelsea. But the relationship soured as the club focused on making as many new signings as possible without looking after one of their own.

Mount was determined to move to United and seems utterly delighted to be there. It would be a bold choice to give the club's brand new signing the armband but it would also be a huge vote of confidence in the midfielder and give him responsibility early in his Old Trafford career.

AdvertisementGetty Images7Christian Eriksen

Eriksen's career was practically written off after he suffered a cardiac arrest on the pitch at Euro 2020, with Inter ending his contract soon after.

But Brentford took a chance on him and a few months later the Dane earned the biggest move of his life by joining United. The midfielder took no time to settle into the team and formed a formidable axis in the middle of the park with Fernandes and Casemiro.

Few players in the squad can match his wealth of experience and it takes a hell of a lot of character to rebuild your career in the way he has. He is certainly captain material.

Getty Images6Luke Shaw

Shaw is United's longest-serving player now that David de Gea has departed. And that would be enough to make him captain at many of Europe's top sides.

The left-back is a leading voice for club and country, as well as being one of the team's most consistent performers. He is also fully committed to United after recently signing a new contract until 2027.

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Getty5Raphael Varane

You can't argue with the Frenchman's CV: four Champions Leagues, three La Liga titles and a World Cup winner's medal. Varane has seen it all, working with some of the best managers in football including Jose Mourinho, Carlo Ancelotti, Zinedine Zidane and Rafa Benitez.

He is not a tub-thumping leader but he has always done his talking on the pitch and led by example. He is also fluent in three languages, making him a suitable captain of a modern, international dressing room such as United's.