A spellbinding performance from Josh Hazlewood silenced an MCG crowd of 82,438 that was dominated by India supporters and handed Australia a 1-0 series lead.Everything about the atmosphere felt like an away game for the home side except for the quintessential fast-paced Australian pitch, and Hazlewood thrived, taking 3 for 13 from four overs to bundle India out for 125 despite a stunning lone hand from Abhishek Sharma, who made 68 off 37 balls to give Australia something to chase.Abhishek could not get much strike, facing 37 balls from a possible 111 before falling in the 19th over. Harshit Rana was the only one to stay with him, making a valuable 35 from 33. But Australia’s bowlers were too good, with Nathan Ellis bagging 2 for 21 and Xavier Bartlett 2 for 39 after Hazlewood’s new-ball destruction.Related

• 'The more the merrier' – Hazlewood calls for more allrounders in Ashes XI

• Australia and India teams among those to pay tribute to Ben Austin

Mitchell Marsh and Travis Head saw off the threat of Jasprit Bumrah early and then exploded to set up a routine chase. Marsh thumped four sixes in his 46 off 26 while Head made 28 off 15. Varun Chakravarthy bowled beautifully to bag 2 for 23 but got little support with the exception of two wickets in two balls from Bumrah when just two runs were needed to win. It made the four-wicket margin look closer than it was, given Australia won with 40 balls to spare.

Hazlewood 4-0-13-3

Hazlewood set the tone with his first three balls. The first was a perfect length that pitched fourth stump and nipped back to pin Shubman Gill on the pad. He was given out initially but reprieved via DRS thanks to the MCG’s steep bounce. The second ball pitched in the same spot and nipped away to beat the edge. The third ball was a searing bouncer that thudded into Gill’s helmet before he had completed an attempted pull shot. There was an audible gasp and a hush in the stadium seconds later as all players on the field rushed in with concern, all of which was completely understandable given that the pre-game tribute to Ben Austin had taken place no more than 15 minutes earlier.Shubman Gill was hit on the helmet by a Josh Hazlewood bouncer•AFP/Getty Images

Gill was fortunately fine to continue after the mandatory concussion check. But he was anything but comfortable against Hazlewood, scoring two singles in eight balls and 5 off ten in total before miscuing a lofted drive to mid-off.Sanju Samson was a surprise entrant at No. 3. He was beaten by Hazlewood but not dismissed by him. Ellis trapped him lbw at the other end and he took a review with him.Hazlewood then tormented Suryakumar Yadav. More steep bounce was gloved down the leg side and Josh Inglis dropped the chance, surprised by how much it climbed above his head. Inglis got another chance next ball when Hazlewood nipped one away off the seam to scratch the outside edge and Inglis gleefully pouched it. Tilak Varma was out two balls later trying to flick a length ball against the angle and bounce, Inglis held onto the towering skier.Hazlewood had 3 for 6 from three overs and India were 40 for 4 after the powerplay. Mitchell Marsh went for the jugular, bowling his prized stallion for a fourth straight. It nearly paid dividends with Abhishek edging another superb delivery, only for it to fly just wide of a diving Inglis and away to the rope for the only boundary off Hazlewood’s bowling.Abhishek Sharma brought up a half-century•Getty Images

Abhishek’s solo stand

Abhishek not only looked like he was playing on a different pitch, he looked like he was playing a different spot. As his teammates tumble, Abhishek teed off with some stunning batting. He smashed 14 off the second over of the match from Bartlett, including an outrageous inside-out drive over the cover fence to a ball that pitched outside leg. His best shot came in the fourth over from Ellis. With two men back square on the leg side, he predicted the slower ball bouncer outside leg, skipping down and leg side to upper cut it over short third.The problem was that he kept running out of partners and could not get the strike. Axar Patel was run out for a painful 7 off 12 after a mix-up trying to get him on strike. At one stage, India had faced 66 balls as a team and he had only faced 19 of them but had hit eight of those to the rope. His 50 came off 23 balls. He finally found an ally in Harshit Rana, who made an important 35 but it did come off 33 balls as Australia’s bowlers did a good job of forcing Abhishek to take singles in the middle overs. He finally found the fence again in Bartlett’s last over with inventive footwork again, stepping outside leg to carve him behind point and then outside off to flick him over fine leg. Ellis trapped him lbw with an excellent yorker, which meant Australia was only chasing 126 rather than something north of 140.Mitchell Marsh and Travis Head gave Australia a flying start•Getty Images

Travishek in sync alongside monstrous Marsh

The other half of Sunrisers Hyderabad’s dynamic duo picked up where Abhishek left off to snuff out any hope of India making the small chase uncomfortable. After surviving some unplayable deliveries from Bumrah, Head shovelled him over mid-on to ease the pressure. Two flashed outside edges off Rana found the rope but in between them, he flicked him for six off the hip. Head fell to an excellent catch on the rope by Tilak.But his brisk 28 off 15 allowed Marsh to take his time. Back in February, after being dropped from Australia’s Test side having been tormented by Bumrah in the Border-Gavaskar series, Marsh joked publicly that his nephew impersonating Bumrah’s action in the backyard had continued his “nightmare”. He would have had PTSD watching a fresh Bumrah fly in from the Members’ end. Marsh played him like it was a Test match, leaving on length and defending as best he could. The lack of run-rate pressure forced Bumrah to go searching for wickets rather than continuing to stack dots. It came at a cost with four byes and five wides off consecutive balls to make Marsh’s lowly strike rate a non-issue. Once he saw off the threat, he unleashed four monstrous strikes. He pulled Rana into the second tier and launched Varun and Kuldeep for three sixes and two fours in the two overs post powerplay. He holed out to Kuldeep but the damage was done.Kuldeep and Varun were able to take four wickets between them. Bumrah’s two late strikes may inflict some psychological damage for the remainder of the series, but Australia still cantered home with 6.4 overs to spare.

Ruben Amorim has singled-out one key star for criticism, claiming their performances for their country are better than the shifts they put in for Manchester United. The United boss has also claimed he can "feel the anxiety" every time his player receives the ball in a damaging analysis ahead of the clash with Crystal Palace.

• Youngster's struggles since joining United

  Dorgu has faced some initial problems since becoming Amorim’s first signing at Man Utd, primarily due to being played as an attacking wing-back when he is a more natural full-back. Pundits and fans have described some of his performances as "dreadful," pointing out defensive lapses and poor decision-making in the final third. He has also yet to register a goal or assist for the club. 

  However, Dorgu is still only 21 years old and arrived mid-season from Lecce in Serie A, and was thrown into an unstable team under a new system. His struggles are often viewed as a result of being played out of position and mis-used by the current system rather than a lack of talent. But his boss has pointed out that Dorgu's instincts when playing for United are completely different to when he plays for his native Denmark. 

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  Amorim: 'He has time to improve'

  Ahead of the clash with Palace, Amorim said: "You can feel the anxiety every time Patrick touches the ball. I can feel the anxiety. When I see Patrick playing for the national team, he scored a great goal against Scotland and the decision that he made under pressure was completely different than the decision he's making in our team. I think it's the decision, he needs to be calmer playing the game."

  He added: "I remember the shot against Everton. That was easier than the decision he had to make when a guy from Scotland was there. I saw it when he played in Italy. But again, here is different and sometimes the pressure is hard for them in the beginning. He has time to improve. I just need to understand the context in trying to help them (Dorgu and Dalot). They are far from their best, and they know it. Like a lot of players in our team, like myself. I just look at them, and think they have so much more to give. So let’s see this week if we can improve that." 

• Away day woes for Amorim

  Manchester United have won just three of their last 26 Premier League away games against London sides and just one game away from home this season. And the United boss has acknowledged that his side’s form away from home is a problem he needs fix quickly. Amorim said:  "I felt during this year that when we played at home, the intensity was higher. And I felt in this game at home (against Everton) the intensity was not at the same level. So I think it's something that we need to work on. It's hard to point one thing why we are not winning away. There's a lot of issues. We are improving but we need to know how to finish the games in order to win."

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• AFP
  

  Palace test awaits United

  Palace are unbeaten in their last four meetings with the United, winning three, and have only lost one home game all season. United, winless in their last three Premier League matches and struggling away from home and are also hampered by injuries to key attackers Benjamin Sesko and Matheus Cunha, along with defender Harry Maguire.

  Ahead of the match Amorim has conceded his team needs to defend better. The Portuguese said: “We are being really soft near the box. So we need to improve that in the last games, especially against Nottingham (Forest, the 2-2 draw). We allowed a lot of crosses, we didn’t press well [in] moments. Against Everton, they were with 10 men and we suffered the goal (Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall’s winner) with the only shot on target."

Taylor Walls absolutely lost it on Sunday.

The Tampa Bay Rays shortstop was ejected in the ninth inning of his team's 1-0 loss to the Houston Astros after a back-and-forth with home plate umpire Nic Lentz.

Walls stepped to the plate to face Astros closer Josh Hader with one out in the top of the ninth and the first pitch he saw was an 84 mph slider that wound up low and away.

Lentz called it a strike. Walls couldn't believe it, and stepped out of the batters box and said something to the 35-year-old umpire. He wasn't satisfied with the response, so he then tapped his helmet, giving a mock request to challenge the call in the ABS system MLB has yet to implement. Lentz ejected him for it.

Walls went nuts after learning he was ejected and had to be held back by several coaches, before escaping and running back to get into Lentz's face.

Video is below.

That was a terrible call by Lentz, but Walls couldn't have been surprised by the ejection. Tapping his helmet was a clear joking request for a challenge, which could easily be seen as showing up the umpire.

Christopher Morel replaced Walls to finish the at bat and struck out. Hader then struck out Junior Caminero to end the game.

Liverpool head coach Arne Slot has conceded in his pre-Leeds press conference that the Reds need to get Alexander Isak more involved in games.

Isak, 26, joined the Anfield side this summer for a British record £125m fee. Last season, Jamie Carragher declared him “the best striker in the Premier League”. He scored 27 goals in all competitions for Newcastle United, including the winner in the Carabao Cup final at Wembley, against Liverpool.

25/26 – LFC

17.1

5.6 (65%)

24/25 – NUFC

33.3

14.9 (77%)

23/24 – NUFC

26.8

12.6 (80%)

22/23 – NUFC

29.5

12.5 (78%)

But he’s toiling away at his new club, and to little avail at that. This speaks of the wider tactical imbalances at the club right now, with the forwards all struggling and the midfielders and defenders too.

Change is needed, but with new and elite centre-forward options strapped in, FSG are turning their attention to Liverpool’s attacking flanks.

Liverpool lining up a wide forward

Last month, Slot was quizzed on Liverpool’s transfer plans ahead of the January transfer window, as the dismal form raged on. That stain has only spread since, but the coach hinted that the Premier League champions’ priority lies not with the rearguard but on the wing.

Liverpool didn’t replace Luis Diaz when selling the versatile Colombian to Bayern Munich in August, and that was clearly a mistake. Cody Gakpo knows where the back of the net is, but he’s somewhat one-dimensional, with fans annoyed by the regularity of his cutting inside when the ball finds him down the left lane.

Perhaps that is why rumours have resurfaced of Liverpool interest in Real Madrid star Rodrygo, with TEAMtalk suggesting this week that Anfield is one of the few places the Brazilian would consider joining; Arsenal have also been mooted.

Rodrygo may be undergoing a divorce with superstardom at Los Blancos, but that doesn’t mean Florentino Perez will let the 25-year-old leave on the cheap, tentatively transfer-listing him for around €90m (£79m).

Why Liverpool should sign Rodrygo

It’s no secret that Liverpool are interested in signing Bournemouth winger Antoine Semenyo in January, but Rodrygo is cut from finer cloth, the Brazil international having conquered Europe and Spain too during his time with Real Madrid.

Across 286 senior appearances, he has scored 68 goals and supplied 53 assists, and last year, Jude Bellingham said “he’s probably the most gifted player in the squad”, with frightening speed and deadly finishing and a versatile take on the attacking game.

Though he has served Real Madrid’s wishes out on the right flank for most of his career, Rodrygo actually prefers playing off the left. The right-footer believes he is at his most clinical in that role, and last season, though he struggled on the whole, he scored six goals and supplied six assists across just 12 outings.

Right winger

148

34

31

Left winger

89

23

18

Centre-forward

85

22

8

Attacking midfield

4

–

1

Rodrygo would surely displace Gakpo and cement a regular starting berth under Slot’s wing at Liverpool. Gakpo, scapegoated at times this season, is still not the multi-faceted wideman that Diaz was, and Rodrygo would restore that presence that FSG are so intent on replacing.

Hailed as a “world-class superstar” by former teammate Luka Modric, he is the real deal, alright, with pedigree on the biggest stage and so much more still to give. Rodrygo has lost his way in Spain, but at Liverpool, he could become a leading man, especially with Mohamed Salah ostensibly winding down.

He is a man of many dimensions, and indeed has more in his locker than Gakpo, even with the Dutchman averaging 2.2 created chances per game in the Premier League this season, the most frequent of any Liverpool player and the fifth-highest average in the division.

But Rodrygo, even at his lowest ebb, ranks among the top 2% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe’s top five leagues for pass completion, the top 15% for shot-creating actions, the top 5% for progressive carries and the top 18% for tackles won per 90, as per FBref.

There is little question that Rodrygo would raise Liverpool’s level, adding width and pace and dynamism down the left flank and maybe serving out on the right when called upon.

Gakpo enjoyed plenty of success last season, scoring 18 goals and supplying seven assists across all competitions. He is a potent threat. But he also needs a counterpoint to jockey with out on the left, and Rodrygo would provide that presence and then some.

Wirtz will love him: Liverpool could hire "one of the best managers in the world"

Liverpool’s title-winning head coach is skating on thin ice this season.

ByAngus Sinclair Dec 5, 2025

Things are quickly going from bad to worse for Chelsea at the moment.

It was just a couple of weeks ago that Enzo Maresca’s side demolished Barcelona and drew with Premier League leaders Arsenal.

Yet, their defeat at the hands of Atalanta in the Champions League on Tuesday night was their second loss in three games and the third match in a row they were expected to win.

It really was a night to forget for Chelsea, and one that should see the manager make more than a few changes ahead of the weekend.

Chelsea's poor performers

Unfortunately for Maresca, there were plenty of Chelsea players who looked way off the pace in Bergamo on Tuesday night, with Enzo Fernández being particularly poor.

The Argentine international was tasked with playing in the ten again, and while he has had more than a few games in which he’s looked a threat there this season, this was not one of them.

On the ball, the former Benfica star was consistently making the wrong decisions, and off of it, he looked so lethargic that one analyst asked if “someone put weights in Enzo’s boots?”

Fernández’s game

Minutes

67′

Expected Goals

0.01

Goals

0

Expected Assists

0.42

Assists

0

Key Passes

1

Crosses (Accurate)

1 (0)

Passes (Accurate)

24/33 (73%)

Lost Possession

15

Dribbles

0

Duels (Won)

10 (3)

All Stats via Sofascore

By the time he was taken off in the 67th minute, he had completed just 24 of his 33 attempted passes, which is nowhere near good enough for someone in his position.

Moving a little deeper, it was also an uncharacteristically poor performance from the club’s record signing, Moises Caicedo.

Due to his three-match ban only applying to the Premier League, the manager decided to bring the Ecuadorian international back into the team, but he looked way off the pace.

The former Brighton & Hove Albion gem didn’t make a game-costing mistake, but he also felt like more of a passenger, failing to play a single key pass, losing the ball eight times, not taking a shot, committing two fouls and losing four ground duels.

Finally, Wesley Fofana and Robert Sanchez were also disappointing on the night.

The former seemed to completely lose Gianluca Scamacca for the hosts’ equalising goal, and then the former should have done better for Charles De Ketelaere’s winning strike.

Now, all these players were poor, but there is an argument for them keeping their places in the team for the game on the weekend, which cannot be said for the next player.

The Chelsea dud who should be dropped

Jamie Gittens was supposed to be a technically impressive, dynamic attacker who’d come in and make a real impact out wide for Chelsea, but so far, he’s been anything but.

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Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

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Now, there is still time for him to come good in West London, but Tuesday night was another disappointing display from the former Borussia Dortmund star.

Maresca gave the Englishman plenty of game time, but he just couldn’t make an impact on the game, with or without the ball.

In fact, his one notable moment in the match was a shot in the second half that was comfortably saved. Other than that, he was utterly anonymous.

That might sound harsh, but it’s an opinion shared by football.london’s Bobby Vincent, who gave the 21-year-old a 5/10 match rating at full-time and wrote that he ‘drifted out of the game.’

Gittens’ game

Minutes

94′

Expected Goals

0.03

Goals

0

Expected Assists

0.23

Assists

0

Key Passes

1

Crosses (Accurate)

1 (0)

Passes (Accurate)

16/18 (89%)

Lost Possession

9

Dribbles (Successful)

4 (2)

Duels (Won)

10 (3)

All Stats via Sofascore

Unsurprisingly, the winger’s statistics more than back up such an appraisal.

For example, in his 94 minutes of action, the Reading-born ace registered a combined expected goal and assists figure of just 0.26, played a single key pass, took 33 touches – 21 fewer than Sanchez -, lost the ball nine times, lost seven of his ten duels and failed in 50% of his dribbles.

If this were a one-off, just a bad day at the office for the Englishman, then there would be an argument to keep him in the team to get back on his feet at the weekend.

However, the summer signing has had more poor performances than good so far this season, and therefore, Maresca should drop him from the lineup ahead of the Everton game.

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Posts ByJack Salveson Holmes 6 days ago

Leeds United picked up a crucial win on Wednesday night, as they beat Chelsea 3-1 to go outside of the relegation zone. With 14 points to their name in as many games, it has certainly been a struggle for Daniel Farke’s side this season.

However, they are in good form. Of course, they beat the Blues this week at Elland Road, and last Saturday were unlucky to drop points away to Manchester City.

Only a goal in the 92nd minute from Phil Foden could sink Farke’s team, who were close to the ideal week in their relegation fight.

Indeed, there have been some standout players over the past few days for the West Yorkshire side.

Leeds’ best players in their last two games

It is hard to pinpoint just a couple of players who have excelled for Farke’s side against two of the Premier League’s title challengers, with the whole squad impressing. However, one player who shone was defender Jayden Bogle.

Against City, he played as a right-back, and won 100% of his tackles and three ground duels coming up against Jeremy Doku. On Wednesday, he had more of an advanced role and made great use of it.

Operating as a wing-back on the right flank, Bogle assisted Ao Tanaka, who made it 2-0 to Leeds on the stroke of half-time.

Another standout from the impressive performances this week was summer signing Lukas Nmecha. The German striker has been in good form this term and added to his goal tally at the Etihad Stadium last weekend. He’s now bagged four times in the top flight this season.

Whilst he didn’t find the back of the net against the Blues, Nmecha still made a real nuisance of himself for the Chelsea backline.

The German was not the only Leeds attacker who stood out in the last week.

From "Bang average" to undroppable

The Whites are not short of attacking options after a busy summer. They already had the likes of Brenden Aaronson, Joel Piroe and Wilfried Gnoto, three of the players at Farke’s disposal, who all played a big role in their promotion.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

Nmecha was brought in to add to that depth, as was Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

The former Everton star made the move to West Yorkshire upon the expiry of his contract on Merseyside. It was a tough start to life at Leeds, though.

The 28-year-old did not exactly set the world alight with his start in a Leeds shirt. He’d only managed one goal in his first ten Premier League games, and that was away to bottom-of-the-table Wolverhampton Wanderers.

It meant the England international had to face some criticism for the lack of form in front of goal.

Earlier in the campaign, defender-turned-pundit Michael Dawson said on Sky Sports’ Soccer Saturday he was looking “bang average”, following the defeat to Fulham.

However, that form has recently taken a huge upturn. In what have arguably been his side’s two toughest games so far this season, Calvert-Lewin got himself on the scoresheet against both City and Chelsea.

It wasn’t just his goals that made these performances impressive, but the manner in which he played. He was a handful off the ball, winning 15 duels on Wednesday night, and six at the weekend.

He won three fouls in each game, too, making an impact despite having minimal touches.

Calvert-Lewin – last two games
Stat	vs. Man City	vs. Chelsea
Touches	15	35
Shots	1	3
Duels won	6	15
Fouls won	3 (1 penalty)	3
Goals	1	1
Stats from Sofascore

His performances were enough to earn him a pair of 9/10 ratings from journalist Graham Smyth. Against the Citizens, he praised Calvert-Lewin for the fact that he ‘gave Leeds much more presence’ and said he ‘brought others into play’ superbly against the West Londoners.

With two goals in as many games and some good centre-forward performances outside of that, it is easy to see why Calvert-Lewin could be considered undroppable for Leeds. After a tough start, it seems like he has finally begun to show his best form.

It does seem unlikely that Farke will omit the striker from his starting XI ahead of the game against Liverpool on Saturday. Instead, he will be hoping he provide further troubles for Virgil van Dijk and the rest of the Reds’ defenders.

If Calvert-Lewin can replicate such a performance again, it will go a long way to helping Leeds achieve their goal of Premier League survival.

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By
Joe Nuttall

Dec 4, 2025

Martin O’Neill signed off his second spell with Celtic in style with a 1-0 win over Dundee at Parkhead in the Scottish Premiership on Wednesday night.

The experienced interim won seven of his eight matches in charge of the club after Brendan Rodgers resigned at the end of October, and Wilfried Nancy will take on the role from Thursday.

Daizen Maeda scored the only goal of the game for O’Neill’s side as he bravely competed to head into the back of the net after Hyun-jun Yang’s effort was saved, which led to him wearing a bandage for the remainder of the night.

Ranking Celtic's best performers against Dundee

The Japan international was, of course, one of the top performers on the night for the Hoops because it was his goal that ultimately sealed all three points to send Celtic level on points with Hearts at the top of the table.

He was not the top performer on the night for the Scottish giants, though, as a couple of other players were ahead of him in that respect, because the striker also missed a ‘big chance’ and lost five of his six duels, per Sofascore.

Reo Hatate was one of those two players. The Japanese whiz created two ‘big chances’, including Yang’s initial shot before the goal, and won four of his seven duels, per Sofascore, in what was a masterful showing in the middle of the park.

1

Colby Donovan

2

Reo Hatate

3

Daizen Maeda

4

Hyun-jun Yang

5

Kasper Schmeichel

As you can see in the table above, Yang and goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel, who pulled off three saves and three run-outs to keep his clean sheet intact, were also among the top performers on the pitch.

However, we have ranked Colby Donovan as the best performer on the night for the Scottish giants, as he provided a reminder of his quality after a shaky game against Hibernian.

Why Colby Donovan is undroppable for Wilfried Nancy

On Sunday, the Scottish full-back lost two of his three ground duels, per Sofascore, and was subbed off at half-time after being booked for a late challenge on Jordan Obita.

After that disappointing showing at the weekend, Donovan may have known that he needed to respond with a big performance against Dundee to ensure that the new manager does not drop him for the game against Hearts on Sunday.

Now, the Scotland U21 international is surely the first completely undroppable player for Nancy at Parkhead, because he was the best performer in the last game before his first match in charge.

Donovan won three of his four ground duels and three of his three aerial duels, winning 87% of his total battles, per Sofascore, whilst Maeda, for example, lost five of his six duels and struggled on that side of the game after scoring his goal.

Sofascore rating

8.3

1st

Duels won

6

1st

Aerial duels won

3

1st

Aerial duel success rate

100%

1st

Tackles won

2

1st

Touches

91

4th

Successful crosses

3

1st

Key passes

2

2nd

As you can see in the table above, the academy graduate also added creativity in possession to go along with his outstanding defensive work, as only Reo Hatate (five) made more key passes on the night, whilst no one completed more crosses.

Donovan showed Nancy, who was unveiled before the game kicked off, that he is capable of delivering a quality performance at both ends of the pitch from the right-back position, which is why he should already be undroppable.

With Alistair Johnston still sidelined with a hamstring injury, the Scottish youngster should be the first name on the teamsheet ahead of the clash with Hearts on Sunday.

That is also influenced by Anthony Ralston’s disappointing form. Pundit Chris Sutton described his play as “really shaky” when he came off the bench against Hibernian, whilst he was also caught out twice by Mikel Gogorza in the Europa League clash with Midtjylland.

Given Ralston’s lack of form and Donovan’s impressive showing on Wednesday night, the 19-year-old defender will surely already be undroppable for Nancy in the short term.

Manchester United have now submitted a £24m opening bid for a “powerful” midfielder, who has been compared to Crystal Palace’s Adam Wharton.

Man Utd stepping up new midfielder pursuit

Man United could smash their transfer record to get a new midfielder through the door, having set out to bolster their options in the engine room in 2026, and Wharton has been identified as one of their top targets, even though the Eagles are set to hold out for over £100m.

The Red Devils are confident they’ll be able to sign the Englishman, and it is little wonder they are so keen, given the level of some of his performances so far this season.

However, given that the move would be on the expensive side, it remains to be seen whether a deal will be possible, and some cheaper alternative targets have now been identified.

According to a report from Sport Time (via Sport Witness), Man United have now submitted an opening offer of €28m (£24m) for Olympiacos’ Christos Mouzakitis, who has started to attract interest from some of Europe’s biggest clubs.

Real Madrid have also made a slightly higher bid, but the Greek club aren’t in a rush to sanction a departure, and they are hoping to receive €40m (£35m) for the midfielder’s services in the January transfer window.

Olympiacos aren’t even willing to listen to proposals of less than €30m (£26m), so if a January deal is going to transpire, Ruben Amorim’s side will have to increase their offer.

"Powerful" Mouzakitis could be low-cost Wharton alternative

The advantage of signing Wharton is that he is already proven in the Premier League, but over £100m is a huge amount to pay for any player, and the Olympiacos star could be an interesting alternative option.

In fact, the 18-year-old has been directly compared to the Crystal Palace star by scout Ben Mattinson, who said: “Mouzakitis is a highly technical #8. As a profile if I was to compare him to someone, I’d say Adam Wharton and Granit Xhaka.”

“He’s that type of left footed #8 who’s tenacious off the ball, incredibly crisp passing through the lines, powerful ball striker, good weight of pass…”

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The starlet, who has made five Champions League appearances this season, also has a keen eye for creating chances, averaging 0.47 assists per 90 over the past year, which places him in the 99th percentile compared to other midfielders.

As such, the seven-time Greek international could be an exciting long-term addition to Amorim’s squad, but Man United should also bring in a midfielder who has more experience at the top level, with Mouzakitis yet to prove himself in one of Europe’s major leagues.

He is performing an entirely different role having been pushed down with Markram, de Kock and Bavuma forming the top three, but he’s coped well

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Dec-2025

Matthew Breetzke is South Africa’s highest run-scorer of the series so far•Getty Images

Matthew Breetzke’s ODI career started solidly as he consistently scored runs from the top of the order. In this ODI series, though – his first both in India and against India – he is performing an entirely different role.Breetzke has been pushed down to No. 4 with senior players Aiden Markram and Quinton de Kock and the captain Temba Bavuma forming the top three, and he’s coped well, scoring a match-winning half-century during South Africa’s chase of 359 on Wednesday.”Obviously, I’m just getting more experience now batting at four, which I’m starting to feel a little bit more comfortable in the role,” Breetzke said on the eve of the series decider in Visakhapatnam. “So that helps, and I think the more I play at number four and in this role, hopefully the better I’ll get.”Related

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The two games against India provided him with two different situations to deal with as well. In Ranchi, he went in with South Africa having lost a lot of wickets and in need of recovery. In Raipur, they were chasing a bigger total but had a solid foundation.”Obviously, the first game there was a little bit of trouble that we were in, so I had to sort of build the innings and then in the second game it was about just managing the guys that were coming in.”We lost obviously Aiden [after his century] and then I had to sort of manage [Dewald] Brevis there and then just managing those guys and letting them bat around me, they’ve got the explosive power – it was just about really looking to build a partnership with them.”Breetzke also highlighted the depth and power in South Africa’s batting line-up. “I think we’ve got a nice balance in our side with a couple of guys that are just proper batters, and then you’ve got powerhouses like Brevis and [Marco] Jansen that can sort of change the game on its head.”We’ve seen [Corbin] Bosh in the last two matches play some really special innings, I think as the top four, it gives you a lot of confidence; you can take a little bit more time because, you know, they’ve got that explosive power at the back end. So for us, it’s just about setting that platform up for them to come in at the end and do their thing.”There’s a lot of confidence in the batting group at the moment, but we will have to do it again tomorrow.”

شهدت مباراة ريال مدريد وسيلتا فيجو في الدوري الإسباني، مساء الأحد، حالة من الفوضى في الدقائق الأخيرة، أسفرت عن إشهار حكم المباراة بطاقة حمراء ثالثة لأصحاب الأرض.

واستقبل ريال مدريد خصمه سيلتا فيجو على ملعب “سانتياجو برنابيو”، وقد تعرض للهزيمة بهدفين دون مقابل.

وخلال اللقاء، أشهر الحكم بطاقة صفراء لفران جارسيا في الدقيقة 64، ثم أشهر بطاقة حمراء لألفارو كاريراس في الدقيقة الثانية من الوقت المحتسب بدلاً من الضائع، وكلاهما نال البطاقة الحمراء بعد الحصول على بطاقة صفراء ثانية.

وبحسب ما ورد في صحيفة “ماركا” الإسبانية، انفعل لاعبو ريال مدريد بسبب البطاقات الحمراء، وسخر فينيسيوس بالقول: “سيشهر بطاقات حمراء أكثر”، وهو ما حدث بالفعل.

اقرأ أيضًا | موعد مباراة ريال مدريد القادمة بعد الهزيمة أمام سيلتا فيجو في الدوري الإسباني

وعلى مقاعد البدلاء، بدا الغضب واضحًا على أسينسيو، ماستانتونو، إندريك، إبراهيم دياز، والمدرب تشابي ألونسو، ويوضح التقرير أن الجميع حاصر الحكم الرابع.

وأما كاريراس، الذي كان قد طُرد بالفعل، فاضطر زملاؤه للإمساك به لتهدئته، إلى أن عاد الحكم كوينتيرو جونزاليس مجددًا، ليُشهر بطاقة حمراء جديدة، هذه المرة في وجه إندريك، الذي بدا الأكثر انفعالاً، رغم أنه لم يكن أول من واجهه.

ومع صافرة النهاية، كان نصف لاعبي ريال مدريد في طريقهم إلى غرف الملابس، حاول بيلينجهام فهم قرارات الحكم، فيما كان فينيسيوس على غير العادة الأكثر هدوءًا، فأمسك بزميله من خصره وأبعده من أمام الحكم تفاديًا لمزيد من حالات الطرد.