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Aston Villa maintained their 100% record on Europe’s biggest stage with a convincing 2-0 win over Bologna on Tuesday night, with the Villa Park masses treated to another memorable affair in the Champions League.

Amazingly, the West Midlands outfit are the only team to have picked up three wins from three in the competition, with a further brag coming in the form of the Premier League outfit also managing to keep three clean sheets on the spin.

John McGinn got Unai Emery’s men started with the opening goal in the contest before Jhon Duran stole the limelight again with another strike to add to his glittering resume for the season.

Duran's performance in numbers

Duran was handed a rare start by Emery for the test of Bologna, with Ollie Watkins taken out of the side for the Colombian to strut his stuff.

The ice-cold Villa number nine’s finish on the night was typical of his poacher-like prowess in the box, as the 20-year-old sharp shooter latched onto a Morgan Rogers delivery by sticking his leg out to finish past the opposition goalkeeper.

That was Duran’s stunning sixth goal from 11 games this campaign in all competitions, with the former Chicago Fire hotshot taking in some rapturous applause when he was substituted off the pitch after the hour mark, knowing that he had clinched the three points for his side with that deft finish.

Away from the tenacious centre-forward sticking out again, other players did manage to impress in attack for Emery’s Villa against the visitors from Italy, including the aforementioned Rogers who continues to go from strength to strength in a claret and blue strip.

Rogers' performance in numbers

Rogers’ confidence in the first-team set-up at Villa at the moment must be through the roof, with a goal coming against Fulham last time out in the league, and now this sublime performance in the Champions League.

The ex-Middlesbrough attacking midfielder was a constant menace for the Bologna defence to keep tabs on, with the 22-year-old amassing four key passes among other standout numbers from his scintillating display.

Minutes played

90

Goals scored

0

Assists

1

Shots

4

Touches

60

Accurate passes

28/34 (82%)

Key passes

4

Successful dribbles

7/11

Total duels won

10/18

Of course, one of those key passes would result in Duran’s game-clinching goal, but it was a top-drawer showing away from this crucial contribution, with Rogers unlucky not to have his own moment of glory in front of goal with four shots notched up during the 2-0 win.

Alongside that, the Villa livewire completed a ridiculous seven dribbles across the course of his exceptional 90 minutes, whilst also bravely winning ten duels when rolling his sleeves up, before springing yet another lightning-quick attack for the confident hosts.

With two goals and two assists also next to his name back in the bread and butter of the Premier League, Rogers feels like a crucial part of the jigsaw for Emery’s men moving forward, as more big wins are eyed up in the top-flight and on Europe’s grandest stage.

Villa journalist Jacob Tanswell would wax lyrical about the skilful attacker post-match, labelling him as “astonishing”, while Birmingham Live journalist John Townley awarded him with a high 8/10 rating. As for Sky reporter David Reed, he described the performance of young Rogers as “box office”. Fine praise indeed

Emery will no doubt continue picking Rogers week in week out if he keeps these superb showings up, as Villa strive to make it 11 games unbeaten in all competitions when another of their star-man’s former clubs in AFC Bournemouth arrive in town this coming weekend.

Signed for £17m: Aston Villa's best "in the world" star now worth triple

Signed for just £17m, Villa star now one of “best in the world” and worth triple

1 ByConnor Holden Oct 20, 2024

Bayern Munich are reportedly barred from wearing their red home kit in the Champions League 2024/25 campaign.

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Article continues below

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• Bayern banned from wearing red home kit
• UEFA imposed ban for violation of visibility regulations
• Bayern take on Celtic on Wednesday

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• Getty Images
  

  WHAT HAPPENED?

  Per , UEFA have banned Bayern Munich from donning their red home kit in any of their Champions League fixtures in the 2024/25 campaign. The report adds that the jersey numbers and players' names, written in black font on the back of the shirts, do not offer enough contrast, thereby violating visibility regulations for jersey numbers, as per UEFA. The apex body has reportedly asked the Bavarian side to change the font colours to white.

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  UEFA's ruling has been applied to the club since the start of the 2024/25 season as Vincent Kompany's side have not worn their home kit in any of their eight league stage matches. They either wore the black away kit or the beige retro jerseys with the old club logo.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  After finishing 12th in the league stage, with five wins out of eight appearances, the Bundesliga giants are all set to face Celtic in a two-legged Champions League knockout play-off clash.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR BAYERN MUNICH?

  Harry Kane and Co. will travel to Glasgow this midweek as they take on Celtic in the first leg of their play-off fixture on Wednesday, before facing reigning German champions Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga on Saturday.

Manchester United are plotting a move for an out of work manager to replace the under fire Erik ten Hag, according to a new report. Ten Hag has come under severe scrutiny in recent weeks as the Red Devils endure a disappointing start to the season. It is just three wins from their first 10 games of the season in all competitions, and that has placed the Dutchman under so much pressure that there is a possibility he loses his job in this international break.

Fewer touches & passes than Onana: 4/10 Man Utd star should be dropped

Manchester United battled against Aston Villa to take home a point.

By
Matt Dawson

Oct 7, 2024

Next Man Utd manager latest

Defeat last week to Tottenham Hotspur saw pressure crank up on ten Hag, and it was stated he had games against Porto and Aston Villa to save his Old Trafford job. But draws in both games haven’t done much to change the general feeling, as throwing away a 2-0 goal lead in Portugal and lacked any threat in front of goal against Villa.

The Red Devils have already been linked with a handful of managers who could replace ten Hag at Old Trafford. Ruud van Nistelrooy, who is already at the club, has been backed by a former chief scout at United to succeed ten Hag. Meanwhile, Inter Milan’s Simeone Inzaghi was another name mentioned as an option, but it appears a move to Old Trafford now looks unlikely midway through the campaign.

Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe was another manager who emerged on the club’s radar last week, but it is unclear how interested United would be in the Englishman. While there was a new name mentioned on Monday morning, as United allegedly see Xabi Alonso as their top target to replace ten Hag, even being prepared to wait until the summer to get the Spaniard.

Man Utd plotting move for UCL winner to replace Erik ten Hag

According to local press however – specficially Manchester Evening News – United are lining up a move for Thomas Tuchel. This comes as it was reported at the end of last week that United were ready to resume talks with the German about taking over at Old Trafford.

Tuchel, who was described as being “transformational” by Statman Dave, has long been admired at United, as he was of interest to the club during the summer. Now, the fact that he is still out of work puts him high up on the list of potential new managers.

The report states that the Red Devils do admire other candidates who are attached to clubs, but the attraction to Tuchel is that he is immediately available. United officials are expected to conduct meetings between Monday and Tuesday, and ten Hag is expected to hold discussions with the hierarchy in the coming days.

Thomas Tuchel’s managerial record
Games	608
Won	356
Drawn	106
Lost	146
Points	1174
Points per game	1.93

Tuchel has experience managing in the Premier League already, as the German was in charge of Chelsea for 18 months, during which time he guided the Blues to Champions League glory.

After enjoying a breakthrough year so far, Dunkley aims high ahead of series with NZ

Valkerie Baynes31-Aug-2021Last time Sophia Dunkley was preparing to face New Zealand, she was searching for a way to break into England’s top six, now she has her sights set on making a top-four place her own.Speaking on the eve of England’s opening T20I against New Zealand at Chelmsford, Dunkley could reflect on a breakout six months in which she has become something of a regular pick at No. 6 for England across all formats and the third-highest run-scorer in the Women’s Hundred behind international stars Dane van Niekerk and Jemimah Rodrigues. She made her Test and ODI debuts against India over the English summer, scoring an unbeaten 74 in the Test and 73 not out in just her second one-day appearance.”It’s definitely got world-class players in our top five so it’s quite a hard line-up to get into but for me it’s just trying to focus on what I’m doing and score as many runs as possible and hopefully put my hat in the ring to be in that top four down the line, which is 100 percent one of my goals,” Dunkley said. “I want to bat in the top four for England in all formats. It’s definitely something I’m aspiring to.Related

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“It’s just [a case of] keep going and giving myself the best chance and if I bat a little bit lower down the order just enjoy that as well because it’s a different challenge for me but one I want to do well for the team.”With Tammy Beaumont, Danni Wyatt, Nat Sciver, Heather Knight and Amy Jones currently batting ahead of her, Dunkley may have to settle for a role as a middle-to-lower-order finisher – and that suits her just fine at the moment.”Whatever role I get given, if it’s going in in the middle and the back end, it’s just knowing what I do well and sticking to my strengths and giving us the best chance of getting some big scores,” Dunkley said.After playing 10 T20Is for England in 2018-19, Dunkley then spent 18 months out of the side. Since she was recalled for the last two of England’s five T20Is against West Indies a year ago, she has made 34 runs across six T20I innings with limited opportunities given the strength of the line-up ahead of her.Promoted to No. 4 in place of injured captain Heather Knight, Dunkley scored 26 as England swept their winter T20I series in New Zealand 3-0 and, over time, she says her approach to batting has changed.”It’s probably my mindset and how I’ve been thinking about things,” Dunkley said. “It’s easy to get fixated selections or games which are coming up and not thinking about what I’m doing at the time.”The more that I’ve tried to think of each game as it comes and be in the moment and try and win the game for the team, that’s where I felt I’ve been able to impact the game more. Just thinking about winning the game for the team that I’m playing for, trying to make it a bit more positive has really helped me.”At No. 3, Dunkley was pivotal to Southern Brave’s run to the inaugural Hundred final, which they lost to Oval Invincibles, and she hopes the interest in women’s cricket generated by that competition carries into the New Zealand series.”Hopefully it’s given people a good insight into women’s cricket and how good it is and the success of the Hundred hopefully will rub off on the international series,” Dunkley said. “It was an exciting competition and hopefully that’s drawn a lot more people in and we do see more crowds an the international series, which I think will be an exciting one.”Sophia Dunkley flays one over the off side•PA Images via Getty ImagesNew Zealand’s Amy Satterthwaite, who watched the Hundred from afar but was keen to be involved, agreed.”The energy and the excitement around it and the size of the crowds, it certainly looked like it was a huge success,” Satterthwaite said. “Even just the standard of cricket that was played, and probably like what you’ve seen a little bit with the WBBL in the past, you see the level of domestic cricketers coming into competitions like that and the way that they’ve performed, we’ve seen some new names that you probably hadn’t seen before, so I certainly think from a distance that it looked like it was a real success.”It’s just awesome to see the support behind women’s cricket and the number of people that are coming in to watch. We saw it in the Hundred over here so I’m really excited about the size of the crowds that we hopefully will get across this series.”Wednesday’s tour opener at Chelmsford was close to being sold out on Tuesday and is set to be Knight’s 200th match for England. Fixtures at Hove and Taunton follow before the sides hone their preparations for next year’s 50-over World Cup in New Zealand with five ODIs, starting in Bristol on September 16.

Rain allowed only three overs to be bowled in the fourth and final T20I in Guyana, which meant Pakistan, courtesy of their win in the second game, won the four-match rain-marred series 1-0.After winning the toss on Tuesday, Babar Azam put West Indies in on a damp pitch on an overcast morning. With both sides unchanged from the last washout, Andre Fletcher and Chris Gayle once again opened the innings. Fletcher kicked off the innings by hitting two sixes off Mohammad Hafeez in the opening over and Gayle followed it up with two fours off Mohammad Wasim Jr in the next.

Watch cricket on ESPN+

The West Indies vs Pakistan series is available in the US on ESPN+. Subscribe to ESPN+ and tune in to the match.

West Indies were 30 for no loss after three overs when rain halted play. That was around 11.15am local time. When the rain eventually relented, the umpires had an inspection at 1.25pm and decided to resume at 2.00pm. The match was reduced to nine overs per side but just when play was about to restart, the rain returned to have the final say.At the toss, West Indies captain Kieron Pollard had said that this would be the last international game for Dwayne Bravo in the Caribbean and that his side wanted to give him a win. The weather though had other plans.

Attempting to make up for lost time following a disastrous summer transfer window, Newcastle United have reportedly already made contact to sign one 2025 target.

Newcastle transfer news

In Newcastle's ideal world, Eddie Howe would currently have Marc Guehi and an upgrade on Miguel Almiron at his disposal. Not only did the Magpies fail in their summer-long pursuit of the Crystal Palace defender, however, but they also saw their late bid to sign Anthony Elanga rejected by Nottingham Forest – summing their window up in two swift rejections.

New sporting director Paul Mitchell recently spoke about the club's failure on the transfer front and particularly their pursuit of Guehi, telling the Telegraph's Luke Edwards, as relayed by The Athletic: “Eddie was very clear and it’s not up to me after seven weeks to say, ‘We’ll do this and that’, because I’m in a supporting role. Were there options? Of course there were, as that’s the responsibility of the department and Newcastle.

“That’s why we ended up where we did. It was that player or he felt he was comfortable with the quality we have. You can be on multiple deals at any one time, the focus doesn’t have to be that narrow. We probably were too narrow but, coming in mid-July, it’s not my strategy to control, it’s my strategy to support. But there was no player that he (Howe) wasn’t part of deciding and saying, ‘That’s the guy I want’.”

Newcastle failed with £21m bid for "great" Guehi alternative from UCL club

The Magpies ended the window without signing a central defender…

By
Tom Cunningham

Sep 5, 2024

Mitchell, of course, will now want to put this summer behind him alongside the rest of those at St James' Park and could instantly get the fans back onside with a strong start in 2025.

According to reports in Argentina via Sport Witness, Newcastle have already made contact about a deal to sign Kevin Zenon from Boca Juniors, who reportedly value their winger at $20m (£15m) in 2025.

The Magpies are yet to push on following that approach, but now know the conditions of the deal should they want to land Zenon's signature in either the January transfer window or next summer.

"Magical" Zenon would unleash Isak's best form

Although he can be forgiven for a slow start after such an impressive campaign last time out, Alexander Isak will be well aware of just how much Newcastle will need him to rediscover his form after the international break, having scored once in the opening three Premier League games due largely to a lack of service.

In need of a creator, Zenon would offer the Swede exactly that, albeit only as soon as the January window, with the likes of Ben Mattinson full of praise for the 23-year-old, who can play anywhere down the left flank. The analyst went as far as describing his left-foot as "magical" back in July.

An exciting winger, Zenon may well be one to watch when the winter window swings open as Newcastle look to make up for their previous failure.

Bubble life has “definitely taken a toll” on West Indies allrounder Andre Russell because of the restrictions, quarantine rules imposed on players as more and more international series and T20 tournaments are being played around the world during the pandemic. Russell last represented the Kolkata Knight Riders in the truncated IPL and will now show up for the Quetta Gladiators in the 2021 PSL, which is likely to resume on June 9.”I think it’s taking a toll on myself,” Russell told from Abu Dhabi, where the rest of the PSL is scheduled to be played. “I can’t talk for any other player, or coaches or anyone that goes through this whole quarantine stuff. But it’s definitely taken a toll on me mentally because from bubble to bubble, in a room locked in, you can’t go out for a walk, you can’t go certain places, you can’t socialise, it’s different.”But at the end of the day, I’m not being ungrateful, I’m grateful that we’re still playing, we’re still doing our job. So it’s tough for us. But even though we prepared for it, it still takes a toll.”Related

• Explained: Life inside the PSL bubble in Abu Dhabi

• How the PSL plans to beat the Abu Dhabi heat

• Start of Pakistan's tour to England delayed to make room for PSL

• Andre Russell retained by Jamaica Tallawahs

• Russell returns to WI squad for SA, Australia, Pakistan series

Russell said he tries to utilise the time and space in hotel rooms during quarantine by doing a variety of exercises.”So for me, I like to have a bike or something in my room so that I can get my heart rate up,” he said. “I would utilise the space that I have, go on the floor, do some of some push-ups. For some exercise, I use stuff in the room to just get something done.”The PSL is currently slated to go on from June 7 to 24 for the remaining 20 games in Abu Dhabi where players and personnel are undergoing varying days of quarantine. Players, especially, will be bracing themselves for the UAE heat which is expected to shoot temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius during the day. Russell has the experience of playing in hot conditions before, but he said this time it’s going to be “a bit different” because players will have to acclimatise quickly as soon as they come out of quarantine.”I have played in hot conditions before. But I was in competition, playing games, having proper net sessions and back and forth, getting used to the condition and fully acclimatised,” Russell said. “However, in this case, it’s going to be a bit different where we are in quarantine and then we just gonna get out and have a few practice sessions and then go straight into the games.”The night won’t be as bad as the day games but if it’s a day game, we just have to be up for the challenge. We are professionals, so we have to condition our minds to deal with the heat and the weather.”Known for his brutal power-hitting, Russell also said a batter with a proper technique can also provide great value in T20s with a different set of skills.”The more power you have as a batter, the more fear you bring into the bowler,” he said. “But for a guy with a proper batting technique, he can pick the gaps, he can score boundaries whenever he wants, then it still adds up.”Russell also spoke about the one-year ban he was handed in early 2017 for a doping code violation and said the incident had opened his eyes.”It was tough for me. It was definitely an era that I wish I could just be careful and just get it done at that time. But, the past is the past, it’s already happened, it definitely opened my eyes to reality and life,” he said.Soon after the PSL, Russell will play in the T20I series against South Africa, Australia and Pakistan at home in June and July before representing the Jamaica Tallawahs in the CPL which starts on August 28 and then head to the UAE again for the remainder of IPL 2021.

Knight Riders captain also shows faith in Narine, saying the allrounder can perform “in big moments of the game”

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Apr-20213:35

Eoin Morgan: ‘We’ve made some good recruiting decisions’

The Kolkata Knight Riders captain Eoin Morgan believes the addition of Bangladesh allrounder Shakib Al Hasan has given them a “different dynamic” in the squad, especially considering all the teams will be playing on neutral venues this IPL.”Shakib Al Hasan gives us a different dynamic in the team,” Morgan told kkr.in. “Given that we play at different venues where the conditions change quite a lot, you have a spin-bowling allrounder who had success in international cricket and IPL at different stages. If called upon, he can definitely deliver.”The Knight Riders start their campaign on Sunday against the Sunrisers Hyderabad and will play across Chennai, Mumbai, Ahmedabad and Bengaluru this time. Morgan also said the other fresh additions will add further depth to their squad. Other than Shakib, the Knight Riders bought experienced spinner Harbhajan Singh, middle-order batsman Karun Nair, and allrounders Pawan Negi and Ben Cutting in the recent auction.Related

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“I think considering the possible holes we had in our squad last year, we had a very good auction this year, made some good recruitment decisions and managed to get people on board with a small budget, giving us a lot more depth around the squad,” he said.Shakib could be a like-for-like replacement in the XI for Sunil Narine, who had an underwhelming season with both bat and ball last year, scoring only 121 runs from nine innings while taking five wickets in 10 games. Narine was also reported for a suspect bowling action last IPL, which had placed him on a warning list that could have had him suspended from bowling if he was reported again. But Morgan showed faith in Narine by saying the allrounder could be trusted to perform in crucial situations.”In big moments of the game, particularly last year, you would throw Sunil the ball or you would get him in with the bat because he has been in that situation over and over again; he believes in himself and in the team to go and get through and win that situation,” Morgan said.Having taken up captaincy midway last season, Morgan said his predecessor Dinesh Karthik still offered a lot to the Knight Riders’ set-up and that he continued to provide Morgan with the required support. Karthik cracked 183 runs in six innings in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, India’s domestic T20 tournament, at a strike rate of 157.75, to lead Tamil Nadu to their second domestic T20 title.”He has been in fine form, and he is always one of those players who if you watch him train and particularly bat, he times the ball beautifully and hits the ball further than most of the guys,” Morgan said. “He offers a huge amount of support to me on the pitch and off the field as well. [I am] very grateful that he is in good form and in our team.”Apart from the cushion of the experienced names, Morgan said younger players like Prasidh Krishna and Shubman Gill brought a lot of “confidence” with them, especially by achieving considerable success while representing India in recent months.”If you look at Prasidh and Gill so far, they want to build on that confidence,” he said. “Particularly Gill, coming on the back of winning an away Test-match series in Australia is a huge achievement early in your career. And to have him in your squad on the back of that win is fantastic.”

Everton have made contact with a European side over a potential move for a versatile midfielder, according to a new report.

The Toffees have been very busy in this summer's transfer window, but it hasn’t helped the club get off to a good start in the Premier League, as they were brushed aside by Brighton & Hove Albion on the opening weekend. Sean Dyche’s side are back in action this Saturday as they travel to London to face Tottenham Hotspur.

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The Toffees could yet still make more additions before the transfer deadline.

ByEthan Lamb Aug 20, 2024 Everton transfer news

It was always going to be a busy summer for the Toffees, as the board and Dyche would have been keen to avoid a repeat of the last two seasons and get away from being involved in a relegation fight. The club secured safety towards the end of last season, but the club and supporters will be wanting more from their side this season, and therefore, Dyche has made changes he thinks will improve his side.

The club has so far brought in five new players in this transfer window. Jack Harrison returns from Leeds United, and he has been joined by Tim Iroegbunam from Aston Villa, Iliman Ndiaye from Marseille, Jake O’Brien from Lyon, and Jesper Lindstrom from Napoli.

Jack Harrison

Leeds United

Tim Iroegbunam

Aston Villa

Iliman Ndiaye

Marseille

Jesper Lindstrom

Napoli

Jake O'Brien

Lyon

It appears as though their business isn’t stopping there, as it was reported on Tuesday that the Merseyside club is in talks over bringing goalkeeper Asmir Begovic back to the club. Sky Sports reporter Mark McAdam stated that Everton are in talks with the Bosnia and Herzegovina international over a return to the club, and Fabrizio Romano has since said that a deal has been agreed.

Begovic spent last season with Championship side Queens Park Rangers, where he played 46 times for the Rs in all competitions, keeping 13 clean sheets in 45 league games. The 37-year-old has previous experience at Goodison Park, as he joined the club on a free transfer in 2021 after leaving AFC Bournemouth, and he spent two seasons at the club. During that time, Begovic played 10 times for the club, conceding 17 goals and keeping four clean sheets.

Everton make contact to sign versatile midfielder

Now, according to journalist Fabrice Hawkins, Everton have enquired about the possible conditions of a deal to sign midfielder Junior Dina Ebimbe. The 23-year-old joined Eintracht Frankfurt on a permanent deal last summer from French side PSG, but spent the campaign before that on loan at the Bundesliga side.

Hawkins states in this update that the Toffees are in talks with the German side, as Frankfurt are said to be willing to let Dina Ebimbe leave the club. However, while discussions are taking place between the two clubs, Hawkins adds that Everton have not held talks with the player or his representatives yet.

Dina Ebimbe has played 73 times for the Bundesliga side, scoring 13 goals and recording six assists. He played 31 times in the Bundesliga last season and a further eight games in the European Conference League. The midfielder, who can play in central midfield as well as out wide, has a contract that runs until the summer of 2027 at Eintracht Frankfurt.

Manchester United have been busy this summer ahead of the 2024/25 Premier League campaign, with Erik ten Hag already being given two big signings in the shape of Leny Yoro from Lille, and Joshua Zirkzee from Bologna.

Further recruitment will be needed though if United are to deliver a return to the Champions League qualification spots this season, having finished 8th last season, and eight points off of the top four.

One of the positions being linked recently was right back, with rumors of interest in Bayern Munich defender Noussair Mazraoui to replace/compete with current United right back, Diogo Dalot.

Manchester United transfer news

According to a report from MailOnline, Manchester United are interested in Inter Milan right-back Denzel Dumfries, and have re-visited the proposed swap deal, which involves Aaron Wan-Bissaka. However, the report does state that these talks are not currently advanced.

It also claims that the defender's contract is set to expire in 2025, and this could be seen as a good opportunity for United to pounce on a target they have 'been admirers of for several years'.

Dumfries made 36 appearances for Inter Milan in all competitions last season, scoring four goals, providing six assists, and contributing to 17 clean sheets.

Dumfries vs Mazraoui comparison

Mazraoui made 29 appearances in all competitions, scoring zero goals, providing four assists, and contributing to 10 clean sheets in his 1,982 minutes played for Bayern Munich last season.

Dumfries, who was described as "breathless" by Micah Richards, for his impact down the right-hand side for the Netherlands in Euro 2024, offering width in attack, and brilliantly timed runs going forwards.

It is seen from the stats this season of both players, the Inter star offers more threat going forwards, having that goalscoring ability, as well as the quality to provide crosses into the box and create chances for others.

Stats (per 90 mins)

Dumfries

Mazraoui

Non-Penalty Goals

0.18

0.00

Shots Total

1.42

0.83

Assists

0.23

0.20

Shot Creating Actions

2.48

2.64

Progressive Carries

2.76

2.49

Touches (Att Pen)

3.95

2.25

Tackles

1.15

2.39

Aerials Won

1.84

1.46

Stats taken from FBref

Dumfries has the attacking edge from fullback over Mazraoui, bettering him in goals, assists, shots, progressive carries and touches in the penalty area, as well as having a better aerials won metric, which can be used offensively and defensively.

Mazraoui's attacking numbers are still good, creating 2.64 shots per 90 (shot-creating actions), and still providing 0.20 assists per 90, which ranks in the top 15% of fullbacks in the top five leagues. He also doubles Dumfries tackles per 90, but often playing in a back five at Inter Milan, his defensive responsbilities aren't as big, compared to Mazraoui in a back four.

Dumfries ranks in the top 5% for most attacking metrics for a fullback, whilst still having the physicality, speed, and frame of a top-class defender. His ability to contribute to both sides of the ball at such a high level, makes him an excellent prospect at right-back for United.

This could then keep Dalot on his toes as he would have a player with the potential to replace him in the XI to compete with throughout the season.

Sky Sports: Man Utd want £21m Ugarte rival who's the "monster" Mainoo needs

He seems set to leave his club this summer

ByJoe Nuttall Jul 28, 2024