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There have been plenty of mismatches so far in this World Cup, but whenever England have taken the field something extraordinary has occurred

The Preview by Andrew McGlashan05-Mar-2011Match FactsMarch 6, Chennai
Start time 9.30am (0400 GMT)James Anderson has struggled throughout the World Cup•Associated PressThe Big PictureThere have been plenty of mismatches so far in this World Cup, but whenever England have taken the field something extraordinary has occurred. Firstly Netherlands pushed them close, then there was the epic tie against India before they were humbled by Kevin O’Brien’s stunning hitting. What happens next is anyone’s guess, but matches against South Africa are rarely dull affairs.It’s not quite do-or-die for England but it’s getting close after they reached the half-way point of their group campaign with three points instead of the expected four. Two wins should take them into the quarter-finals, but that’s not an easy task with Bangladesh and West Indies to follow this game. South Africa have far fewer concerns after two clinical victories set up their campaign nicely.As with every meeting between these two teams there will be the pre-match talk of England’s contingent from South Africa. Kevin Pietersen has often lifted his game against the country of his birth, but South Africa have yet to see the best of Jonathan Trott. Despite the strong performances from England’s top order there are still issues over the batting, both in terms of soft dismissals like Pietersen’s against Ireland and the lack of impact from the middle order which twice cost them dear in Bangalore.They will be up against the most rounded attack of the tournament. The threat of Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel was well known, but the inclusion of Imran Tahir has given South Africa an additional edge. Not that they are short on batting, either, and AB de Villiers has started the World Cup with back-to-back hundreds; the one against West Indies was elegant, the ton against Netherlands brutal.Under Andrew Strauss and Andy Flower, England have shown an ability to bounce back following shocking defeats. Often the sight of formidable opponents focuses their mind in the way that being favourites against the likes of Netherlands and Ireland doesn’t. However, all aspects of their game will have to fire on the same occasion – which it hasn’t at any stage of the tournament – otherwise an early flight home will be an even greater possibility.Form guide(completed matches, most recent first)
England LTWLL
South Africa WWWWLWatch out for…Although Steyn and Morkel form the best new-ball pair in the world, it’s Imran Tahir that England need to watch out for. He was held back by South Africa as a surprise weapon for the World Cup and so far it has worked perfectly. He started with a match-winning 4 for 41 against West Indies and helped himself to some cheap scalps against Netherlands. An attacking spin bowler, and especially a legspinner, is something South Africa have long lacked and Tahir is making a huge difference. England are better than they used to be against leg spin, and most of the batsmen will have seen Tahir in county cricket, but unlike previous occasions when facing South Africa it’s about more than just seeing off the quicks.Kevin Pietersen has looked in fine form during the tournament which makes his three innings of 39, 31 and 59 even more frustrating. His move to the top order was two-fold; to give England a brisk start and to allow Pietersen to build an innings. At the moment he’s only doing half the job. His reverse-sweep against Paul Stirling was just one of many sloppy pieces of cricket England produced at the hands of Ireland and, as much as Pietersen may shrug it off as ‘the way he plays’, it’s a waste of his immense talent to not be building hundreds in such favourable batting conditions. No better place to perform than at the against South Africa.Team newsPietersen, Graeme Swann and Paul Collingwood picked up niggles against Ireland but are expected to be fit. However, Collingwood’s place could come under pressure from Ravi Bopara with England needing power in the their middle order or Michael Yardy could be replaced. James Anderson continues to struggle so Ajmal Shahzad is an option.England (possible) 1 Andrew Strauss (capt), 2 Kevin Pietersen, 3 Jonathan Trott, 4 Ian Bell, 5 Paul Collingwood, 6 Ravi Bopara, 7 Matt Prior (wk), 8 Tim Bresnan, 9 Stuart Broad, 10 Graeme Swann, 11 James AndersonMorne van Wyk was a surprise selection against Netherlands, prompted by the cloudy morning in Mohali, and ended up keeping wicket with de Villiers having strained his back. Johan Botha was left out against the Dutch but his experience could be useful against England and he may be preferred to Robin Petersen.South Africa (possible) 1 Graeme Smith (capt), 2 Hashim Amla, 3 Jacques Kallis, 4 AB de Villiers (wk), 5 JP Duminy, 6 Morne van Wyk, 7 Francois du Plessis, 8 Johan Botha, 9 Dale Steyn, 10 Morne Morkel, 11 Imran TahirStats and trivia The last time these two sides met in one-day cricket England secured their first series win on South African soil with a 2-1 success in 2009-10. South Africa knocked Michael Vaughan’s team out of the 2007 World Cup with a crushing nine-wicket victory in the Super Eight clash in Barbados after England were skittled for 154.Graeme Smith hasn’t scored an ODI century for 23 inningsQuotes”The Ireland game would have hurt them a lot. It was terrific for the spirit of the World Cup but they will be looking to bounce back.”
Graeme Smith”It is very dangerous to think about how much cricket we have played in the last couple of months. I think the breaks in between games were enough for people to be able to recover and to perform.”
Jonathan Trott

Raphinha’s talks with Leeds United over a new contract are progressing well, according to an update from reliable journalist David Ornstein.

The Lowdown: Raphinha Leeds’ star man

The 25-year-old has enjoyed another hugely impressive season for the Whites, standing out as their star player, especially with other key figures often out injured.

Raphinha has scored eight goals in 19 Premier League starts in 2021/22, consistently producing the goods in a campaign of struggle overall at Elland Road.

The Brazilian’s current deal doesn’t expire until the summer of 2024 but Leeds are keen on tying him down beyond that amid interest from other clubs.

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The Latest: New contract incoming?

According to The Athletic’s Ornstein, publishing a report on the morning of transfer deadline day, talks are going well regarding the situation, with ‘positive steps’ made in recent times.

The journalist revealed: “Contract talks between Leeds and Raphinha have been on-going since the first half of this season and the club are understood to have made positive steps towards extending the deal he signed when he joined from Rennes in October 2020.”

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The Verdict: Huge positive for Whites

Keeping hold of Raphinha would feel like a huge moment for Leeds, considering the quality he possesses, already scoring twice in his first five caps for Brazil.

Not only would extending his stay be huge in terms of on-pitch matters – Danny Murphy has described the 25-year-old as a ‘wonderful’ player – it would also mean that clubs would likely have to submit an enormous bid to prise him away in the future.

In a scenario where Raphinha suddenly wanted to leave, Leeds would at least be safe in the knowledge that they would be financially strong after he exits, allowing top-quality signings to come in.

In other news, Leeds are reportedly ready to trigger one player’s release clause. Find out who it is here.

According to Charlie Eccleshare of The Athletic, talks between Tottenham and Milan are ‘expected to continue’ over the possible loan move of defender Japhet Tanganga.

The Lowdown: Increased playing time but more criticism

The 22-year-old centre-back has seen increased game-time this season, having made 11 Premier League appearances, 10 of which came in the starting XI. Tanganga’s ability to play in a number of positions across the back line has proven to be an invaluable asset for Spurs – he has been employed as a centre-back, right-back, left-back and even as a right midfielder during the current campaign.

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However, the defender has been on the receiving end of some criticism this year following a string of poor performances. Having averaged a tame 6.65 SofaScore rating, Tanganga has often been blamed for being the reason as to why Spurs have been shipping goals regularly; Premier League legend Rio Ferdinand described his performance in the 3-0 thrashing by Crystal Palace as being costly for Spurs, on a day that he demonstrated ‘a lack of experience’ throughout.

The Latest: Spurs and Milan in talks over Tanganga

As per Eccleshare on Twitter on Monday morning, talks between Tottenham and Milan are ‘expected to continue today’ over the possibility of a loan move for Japhet Tanganga.

Despite the aforementioned criticism, Spurs are wary of letting the defender go, as he has started the club’s last five games. However, if they do end up sanctioning the transfer, they would only permit a loan with an obligation to buy, whereas Milan want a straight loan deal.

The Verdict: A loan move could be the right decision

Tanganga reportedly ‘wants to stay’ at the north London club, but he is aware that the returns of central defenders Eric Dier and Cristian Romero could reduce his game-time over the remainder of the season.

However, joining the Serie A club could prove to be the right decision for Tanganga, who last August was hailed as a ‘really special’ player by Gary Neville.

If he ends up being shunted out of Antonio Conte’s starting XI, he may need to go somewhere he would enjoy regular top-flight football. Up to now, the 22-year-old has been thrown in and out of the starting XI by various Spurs managers, only utilised when he’s needed to fill in at the back due his ability to play anywhere across the defence.

Therefore, this prospective loan move could prove to be a blessing for Tanganga – that’s if the two clubs can come to an agreement over the arrangement of the deal.

In other news – “Still in talks”: Fabrizio Romano provides the latest on another player linked with a possible exit from Tottenham

A maiden half-century for Luke Procter carried Lancashire Lightning to an entertaining four-wicket Clydesdale Bank 40 win over Worcestershire Royals at Liverpool

Cricinfo staff04-Sep-2010
Scorecard
A maiden half-century for Luke Procter carried Lancashire Lightning to an entertaining four-wicket Clydesdale Bank 40 win over Worcestershire Royals at Liverpool. Procter, the 22-year-old coming to the end of his first season on the club’s professional staff, shared a crucial sixth-wicket partnership of 62 inside 11 overs with debutant Jordan Clark as they chased down 259.He and Stephen Parry, who hit the winning runs with five balls to spare, finished the job off.Left-hander Procter top scored with 64 not out off 59 balls, including six fours and a six, to go alongside Steven Croft’s 60 off 35 balls.The battle for fourth place in Group A looked to be going Worcestershire’s way after Alexei Kervezee’s county best 111 off 101 balls had helped post a competitive 258 for 6 against a home side including only four first team regulars.Left arm spinner Gary Keedy claimed season’s best 4 for 41 from his eight overs to keep the hosts in the game at the halfway stage. But, having been 172 for 3 after 30 overs with Kervezee at the crease, the Royals could feasibly have posted 20 or so more than they did.Kervezee, the 20-year-old right hander who hit 11 fours, was at his strongest making room to hit through and over the cover region.Nobody else managed to better Daryl Mitchell’s boundary-less 40 off 54 balls although Vikram Solanki and James Cameron made valuable contributions in the twenties. Kervezee and Mitchell shared 96 for the fourth wicket inside 29 overs.Keedy had Solanki stumped, Shakib Al Hasan caught at mid-off, he bowled Mitchell and had Kervezee caught at long-off. Steven Cheetham, recalled from a loan spell at Surrey to play, and Croft were the other wicket takers for Lancashire.Imran Arif removed Paul Horton in the second over of the Lightning chase but Croft and Karl Brown (41) shared 89 in 11 overs for the second wicket. Croft hit 10 fours and a pulled six.But he was one of three quick wickets to fall to take the score from 101 for 1 in the 13th over to 120 for 4 in the 18th.He holed out to Jack Shantry off the left arm spin of Bangladeshi Shakib, who also trapped Mark Chilton lbw. Brown then reverse swept Moeen Ali’s offspin to Shantry at short third man.Gareth Cross (28) and Procter then steadied the Lancashire ship somewhat with a 49-run partnership in eight overs for the fifth wicket before the former was caught in the deep off Moeen trying to hit his third six. Procter and Clark (32) then united before the former was key in clinching two points that were in the balance with 19 needed off two overs.A huge six from Procter over long on off the bowling of Shantry was a telling blow. Moeen and Shakib finished with 2 for 29 and 2 for 40 from eight overs respectively.

Jaykishan Kolsawala made an unbeaten century in the second inning as the Baroda Cricket Association XI drew its opening tour game against Kenya

Cricinfo staff26-Jul-2010
Scorecard Thomas Odoyo made a chanceless hundred against Baroda•Cricket KenyaJaykishan Kolsawala made an unbeaten century in the second innings as the Baroda Cricket Association XI drew their opening tour game against Kenya. The visitors batted first and posted 308, set up by half-centuries from openers Anupam Gupta and Kedar Devdhar. Captain Pinal Shah then contributed 53 while Yusuf Pathan chipped in with a quickfire 35 off 26 deliveries. Quick bowler Nehemiah Odhiambo was the best Kenyan bowler on display, taking four wickets, although he was somewhat expensive, going at almost four an over.Kenya replied with 327, but were in trouble at 103 for 6 before Odoyo and Odhiambo stitched together a 148-run partnership for the seventh wicket. Odoyo eventually fell to Ajitesh Argal, who finished with 3 for 55, as Kenya took a 19-run lead.Baroda lost opener Devdhar before a run had been scored in their second innings but Kolsawala and Shah added 101 for the third wicket to make sure a draw was the only possible result.This was the first match of Baroda’s tour of Kenya. Next up is a one-dayer against the home side on July 27.

Steve Davies will now spend the next three weeks travelling around Australia knowing he’s not wanted in the subcontinent having previously been the favourite for the role

Andrew McGlashan in Hobart19-Jan-2011England have been very clear on their selection plans in recent times, but the one area that has caused them plenty of headaches is the limited-overs wicketkeeper and at the 11th hour they have gone back to Matt Prior for the World Cup. Steve Davies will now spend the next three weeks travelling around Australia knowing he’s not wanted in the subcontinent having previously been the favourite for the role.It has been one of the mysteries of English cricket in the last few years as to why Prior has never established himself in the one-day team despite having all the skills to be the ideal man. He will open the batting alongside Andrew Strauss, beginning in the second one-day international at Hobart, where his clean striking should make him perfect for the role. Yet from 55 ODIs, in 27 of which he has been used as an opener, he averages 25.38 and during his last stint in the side he batted in the middle order.England’s squad for the one-day series against Australia was named in mid-December and a month has proved a long time in cricket. Prior timed his Ashes form well, finishing the series with 85 in Melbourne and 118 in Sydney, then joined Victoria for the Big Bash which meant he was never far from Flower’s view.”The circumstances have changed,” Andy Flower, the England team director, said. “Matt Prior did very well out here for the Test matches. He is a combative aggressive cricketer and he fits our aggressive fielding unit. So those are the reasons why he’s been picked for the World Cup.”It was a tough decision,” Flower added. “We always knew the timing of the World Cup announcement would be tricky. It’s not ideal one game into a seven-match series. Steve Davies was picked in our last one-day series in England and he did OK against Pakistan.”We picked him for this series in Australia because of the conditions out here. But as we get closer to the World Cup we’ve made that adjustment and we want Prior to get a few games under his belt before we get out there so he’s going to be arriving in Hobart [on Wednesday].”Another aspect in Prior’s favour will have been his near-faultless work with the gloves during the Ashes series and he is now a world-class keeper. Davies is solid, but the subcontinent can be a tough place for wicketkeeper’s and in one-day cricket, where the smallest margins matter, it could prove valuable to have Prior’s class behind the stumps.This isn’t the first time Flower has been involved in significant selection calls around a global tournament. At the World Twenty20 in the Caribbean, James Anderson missed out for the entire campaign when it was decided Ryan Sidebottom’s left-arm angle and control of yorkers was a better option. Flower has a ruthless streak and Davies has just found that out.”Of course he’s disappointed, any player would be disappointed to be left out of the England side,” Flower said. “It means a lot to our players. They’re very difficult decisions to make because they affect people’s careers, but those are the harsh realities of playing professional sport and Steve and others that are left out will have to accept it.”The other marginally contentious positions in the final 15-man squad were the back-up bowlers, but it was widely expected that Ajmal Shahzad, preferred ahead of Chris Tremlett or Chris Woakes, and James Tredwell, the Kent offspinner, would get the nod.With England’s plans revolving heavily around two spinners they need a frontline option in reserve should illness or injury strike, and Graeme Swann will also miss the warm-up period to be at the birth of his first child, while Shahzad has impressed in his brief international appearances so far.”We wanted to make sure we not only had two frontline spinners or a third in case of injury or illness out there,” Flower said. “Spin will play a significant part in the World Cup, there’s no doubt. Shazhad was very impressive in the last game that we played in Melbourne. He’s been in and around our squad for a while now, just getting tastes of international cricket and hasn’t secured a spot yet. We think he shows a lot of potential. He can reverse swing the ball which will be important on the subcontinent and he’s a good competitor.”At the other end of the experience scale is Paul Collingwood, England’s most capped one-day cricketer, who was dropped for the first match against Australia following his poor Ashes and Twenty20 form. Andrew Strauss said Collingwood needed time away from the spotlight and Flower believes the allrounder, who is also on paternity leave in the build-up to the World Cup, still has a crucial role to play.”He missed out the last game but his experience, his credentials as a player, the energy he gives in the field and the quality of his fielding and obviously the all-round capabilities with bat and ball make him a strong contender,” he said. “The reason why he was left out in the first place was he was struggling recently and needs a little time to reassess but he’ll be back in the side.”Now that the final 15 has been named preparations can swing into full gear for the tournament which starts on February 19. England’s first match is against Netherlands, in Nagpur, three days later and Flower said there will be a duel focus to the rest of the one-day series in Australia.”It’s a balance of both,” he said. “This series is important in its own right. It is very important series for our preparation for the World Cup. Some of our training will evolve around subcontinent-type methods and certainly we’ll be working towards that. I think our one-day cricket has improved significantly over the last couple of years and I believe that we can do well.”

Virender Sehwag, as economical with words as with his technique, is not looking for any excuses after his side lost 15 wickets in 124.3 overs

Sidharth Monga in Galle21-Jul-2010Virender Sehwag, as economical with words as with his technique, is not looking for any excuses after his side lost 15 wickets in 124.3 overs and is still 63 runs behind Sri Lanka’s first-innings total, with a full day’s play to go. He said they were aware that their shot selection wasn’t good, that they were now hoping for rain to go with the best efforts of VVS Laxman and MS Dhoni.”Fantastic that we are getting a result even after losing one day’s play,” Sehwag said. “But it is bad for the Indian side. We are on the losing side unless VVS Laxman can play [well] tomorrow, and we are hopeful that after lunch or before tea, rain will come and the match gets washed out as a draw.”Asked about his shot to get out in the first innings, an attempted cut to a delivery that would have otherwise been called wide, with three fielders deep in the off side, Sehwag said: “That’s my scoring shot. If you look at the 7000 runs that I have scored, more than 3000 runs have come through the cut shot. In coming matches too, I will play the same shot. Sometimes you get out, sometimes you score runs. Almost every time, I score runs with the cut shot.”But aren’t India in the position because several batsmen played ill-advised shots? “Everybody is aware of that, but you can’t control certain things,” Sehwag said. “Sometimes you play that shot and you get away with that, sometimes you get out. That’s Test cricket where everybody has played enough matches. They are experienced. It happens in cricket.”Sehwag conceded the pitch hadn’t deteriorated enough to justify the scores and that it was “still a good track to bat on” which made him confident that India could still save the Test. “If you look at the last Test match that we played against South Africa, MS and VVS scored hundred-plus and remained not out and batted really well,” he said. “So they can do that. Laxman and Dravid did that against Australia in 2001, so we have the hope. Still we have one more pair of batsmen, they will go tomorrow and try and their best.”

United Arab Emirates extended their domination over Bermuda with a thumping 134-run win at the National Stadium

Cricinfo staff12-Jul-2010
ScorecardUnited Arab Emirates extended their domination over Bermuda with a thumping 134-run win at the National Stadium. Captain Khurram Khan led from the front with a half-century, followed by three wickets to keep Bermuda down to a paltry 168 in response to a massive 302.It was a combined effort from the UAE batsmen which set up the win. Saqib Shah added 47 with opener Amjad Ali and then 67 with Khurram. Both Saqib and Amjad fell in their thirties. Khurram managed to score a half-century before he was dismissed by Tamauri Tucker. The innings got a real surge when Abdul Rehman and Amjad Javed got together to add an unbeaten 134 for the sixth wicket in just over 15 overs. Rehman hit 57 off 61 balls while Javed faced the same number of balls but blitzed 89. His knock included seven fours and five sixes.The Bermuda batsmen struggled to put up those kind of partnerships and hence were no match for UAE. They were pegged back by Shoaib Sarwar’s early strikes and couldn’t keep with the required rate. David Hemp resisted with 37 but after he was dismissed, in the 28th over, UAE strengthened their grip. Khurram took three lower-order wickets to round off a good day.

Round-up of the third day’s action in the Faysal Bank T-20 Cup 2010-11

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Oct-2010Azeem Ghumman’s quickfire 59 set the Hyderabad Hawks on their way to a seven-wicket victory over Lahore Eagles at the Gaddafi Stadium. Chasing a stiff 178, Ghumman, who captained Pakistan Under-19s at the World Cup earlier this year, blasted nine fours and two sixes and added 91 in seven overs for the first wicket with Sharjeel Khan.Hyderabad briefly lost their way after the opening stand, losing three wickets cheaply and had Faisal Athar retired hurt. Thirties from Rizwan Ahmed and Aqeel Anjum, however, safely carried them to their first win of the tournament, with two balls to spare.Lahore seemed to have the upper hand after their captain Taufeeq Umar, who last played for Pakistan in 2006, played through the innings for a 78. No one else from the top seven provided him much support, but No. 8 Junaid Zia smashed four sixes and two fours to raise 47 from the final 14 deliveries.In the day’s second match, Rawalpindi Rams beat Karachi Zebras by 28 runs. The defeat knocked Karachi out of the tournament and left Rawalpindi facing a knock-out clash with Sialkot Stallions to determine who will progress from Group B.Rawalpindi were struggling at 30 for 3 when 36-year-old Naved Ashraf, in his 19th season of first-class cricket, provided them the momentum with a quick 45 which included four sixes and two fours. There were no other big contributions but a string of twenties pushed Rawalpindi to a challenging 172.Four boundaries from Khurram Manzoor in the first two overs gave Zebras’ chase a brisk start, but he fell to left-arm fast bowler Sohail Tanvir for 19. No. 3 Babar Rehman perished in the third over, and following a burst of hitting from Hasan Raza -now 28 years old but famous for being the youngest Test debutant – there was another slew of wickets which left them at a hopeless 73 for 5, a position from which there was no comeback.Lahore Lions eased to a 36-run win over Peshawar Panthers at the Gaddafi Stadium after their openers, Nasir Jamshed and Ahmed Shehzad, had propelled them to a challenging total. Asked to bat, the Lahore openers gave their team a solid foundation in a 113-run stand in just 11.2 overs. Jamshed smashed eight fours and two sixes in his 79 while Shehzad’s innings was laced with six fours and one six. That wasn’t all. Umar Akmal came in and played a typically aggressive knock, carting eight fours in his 52. Thanks to his onslaught, Lahore reached 206 and it proved adequate.Peshawar, in their reply, failed to emulate the start provided by the Lahore openers, with the first wicket falling on 16. The Lahore bowlers struck at regular intervals and while there were contributions that promised much, the highest, unfortunately for Peshawar, was 35 from Zohaib Khan at No.8. Wahab Riaz shone with the ball for Lahore, taking 3 for 15 as Peshawar folded for 170. Points Table

Group A

Teams Mat Won Lost Tied N/R Pts Net RR

Lahore Lions 22 0 0 0 4 +0.975Tigers 2 2 00 0 4 +0.963 Falcons 2 0 2 0 00 -0.335 P Panthers 20 2 0 0 0 -1.718

Group B

Teams Mat Won Lost Tied N/R Pts Net RR

S Stallions 11 0 0 0 2 +2.945R Rams 1 1 00 0 2 +1.400 Zebras 2 0 2 0 00 -2.252

Group C

Teams Mat Won Lost Tied N/R Pts Net RR

Wolves 1 1 0 0 02 +2.550 Quetta Bears 10 1 0 0 0 -2.550

Group D

Teams Mat Won Lost Tied N/R Pts Net RR

K Dolphins 11 0 0 0 2 +1.000Hawks 2 1 10 0 2 -0.350 L Eagles 1 0 1 0 00 -0.303 <!–

* Top three IPL teams will qualify for Champions League

–>

Manchester United have submitted an offer for Barcelona’s 24-year-old French winger Ousmane Dembele.

What’s the word?

That is according to reports in Spain, via The Mirror, who claim that the Red Devils have offered the Blaugrana’s No.7 a contract worth €8.4m-€12.6m (£7m-£10.6m).

United have been able to approach the player directly, with his contract expiring this summer.

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With Xavi reported to reject the chance to sign Adama Traore permanently, it has been reported by Marca that the Barcelona coach will prioritise the re-signing of Dembele, who was signed for £135.5m.

A big risk

Since his move from Borussia Dortmund to Barcelona, Dembele has not lived up to hype that arrived with his inflated transfer fee.

In what is now his fifth season for Barca, Dembele has managed to turn a corner under Xavi and has registered 11 assists in 18 appearances. The arrival of Traore, signed on loan, seemed to provide an element of competition that has seen the 24-year-old raise his game at Camp Nou.

Though, having been with the Catalan side since 2017, he may well fancy a change of scenery.

His form this season is enough to understand why Manchester United would be willing to take on his huge wages, with Ten Hag’s possession-based system suiting him nicely.

The £287k-per week player who has been dubbed a “phenomenon” by former teammate Lionel Messi, poses a constant threat up top and it is no wonder why he has achieved 11 assists in just 18 appearances in La Liga this season.

Barca president Joan Laporta has described the forward as “better than Mbappe”, and with a match average of 5.23 shot-creating actions, he is indeed better in this metric than the PSG star who registers an average of 4.64 shot-creating actions per 90.

Whilst Man United have not exactly struggled to create chances this season, there is still a lot of room for improvement compared to the likes of Liverpool and Manchester City. United have created 64 big chances this season, whilst Liverpool have created 93.

Dembele’s threat in the opponent’s final third and penalty area would help to bridge the gap between the two sides, with his match average of 48.71 touches in the attacking third and average of 6.65 touches in the attacking penalty area much higher than the likes of Jadon Sancho who has started to find his feet at Old Trafford.

The wages of Dembele would present a risk, though a player of his potential who still has so much to give would appeal to Ten Hag and Rangnick.

In other news: Sources: Man Utd in pole position to sign £150m “revelation”, he’s the next Paul Ince