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Leeds United manager Marcelo Bielsa has explained his reasoning for not playing Kalvin Phillips in their 5-1 defeat at the hands of Manchester United on Saturday.

The Lowdown: Leeds thumped at Old Trafford

The Whites were looking to make the perfect start to their Premier League season, but it ended up being a nightmare afternoon at Old Trafford.

Leeds may have equalised through a Luke Ayling stunner early in the second half, but they swiftly found themselves 5-1 down after capitulating against their rivals.

Phillips was a noticeable absentee from the starting line-up, with Robin Koch struggling in midfield, and the England international was clearly missed.

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The Latest: Bielsa explains why Phillips didn’t play

Speaking in a Q&A for The Athletic after the game, journalist Phil Hay claimed that Bielsa “said Phillips’ lack of preparation time was why he didn’t feature” against Manchester United, having returned to pre-season later than some of his teammates due to his involvement in England’s run to the Euro 2020 final.

It remains to be seen whether the 25-year-old will start Leeds’ next game at home to Everton on Saturday.

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The Verdict: Phillips’ influence highlighted by his absence

If ever anyone doubted Phillips’ influence on this Whites team, you only needed to look at the manner in which their midfield fell apart against Manchester United.

Some of the marking of Paul Pogba and Bruno Fernandes left a lot to be desired and Leeds lacked their usual tenacity and discipline which exists when Phillips is playing. The Whites won 23 tackles yesterday – just over two per player – whereas the 25-year-old won 2.6 per game by himself last season.

The hope is that he comes back in for the Everton game, or else Bielsa could be risking back-to-back bad results to start the season.

In other news, Phil Hay has provided a key update on one Leeds player. Find out who it is here.

Former England coach Duncan Fletcher is poised to return to the game in an advisory role with Hampshire

Cricinfo staff06-Oct-2008Former England coach Duncan Fletcher is poised to return to the game in an advisory role with Hampshire after the club confirmed they were in talks after appointing Giles White as team manager.”We are in discussion with Duncan Fletcher regarding a consultancy and advisory role with Hampshire,” chairman Rod Bransgrove said. “The purpose of this role is to review the structure of our cricket department and to conduct an audit of our coaching methods and procedures throughout the entire player development process. “White took temporary charge of the team in the latter stages of season after Paul Terry stepped down and Hampshire found some impressive late-season form to finish third in the Championship.”It feels great. It’s been a long six weeks and things have worked out well. I’m looking forward to doing it next year,” White said. “For me to be able to have an influence on how it goes forward, I’m very excited about that.”Bransgrove added: “Giles did a superb job as caretaker manager during the last couple of months of the season and the team has responded positively to his style and commitment. He has therefore earned the right take the position on a full-time basis and I am sure that all Hampshire supporters will wish him every success.”Fletcher had a previous spell in county cricket at Glamorgan before becoming England coach and was in charge when they won the 1997 County Championship.

Plays of the day for day three of the third Test between Sri Lanka and India, Colombo, August 10, 2008

Jamie Alter in Colombo10-Aug-2008
Dammika Prasad goes on the attack during his 36 © Getty Images
Hot rod
Having had his first ball in Test cricket whipped away for four, Dammika Prasad decided to have a go at the first ball that he faced. Coming in at the fall of Kumar Sangakkara, Prasad – who started out as a No. 3 batsman – flashed his bat at a wide delivery from Anil Kumble and the ball flew through the gaping space at short third man for a boundary. Prasad broke into a big grin, and it stayed there pretty much all throughout his 36, which included four more feisty boundaries.A treMendis shot
Ajantha Mendis has been bamboozling India all series with the ball. Not known for his batting abilities, Mendis joined Prasad when runs were a premium for Sri Lanka. Having just been ruled not out as he fended at a short ball from a pumped-up Zaheer Khan, Mendis took matters into his own hands. Next ball, he hurried out of his crease, made room, and drilled a length ball through cover. If that was fun to watch, Mendis’ second boundary was as unorthodox as his bowling. Charging down to Zaheer again, he moved outside leg stump and swatted a short one straight back and nearly took out his batting partner. Forehands don’t come flatter or harder than that.I’ve got your number
Prasad’s first ball in the second innings was also disdainfully pulled away for a boundary by Virender Sehwag, and he suffered a few more lusty blows in his first two overs. He then changed ends and ran in from over the wicket to Sehwag. A wide was followed by a scorching straight smash back past him and the stumps. Prasad then gave Sehwag room and he steered the ball straight to gully. He stood mid-pitch in goggle-eyed jubilation and held arms aloft for what seemed like an eternity. Prasad had dismissed Sehwag for the second time in the match, and while everyone charged towards the fielder, Thilan Samaraweera, he was hugged by his captain, Mahela Jayawardene.Grace is gone
With 310 runs at 51.66, Gautam Gambhir has been India’s most consistent batsman of the tour. His level-headedness, gracefulness against spin, and patience were vital in all three Tests, but his final shot of the series, shortly after he reached 1,000 Test runs, was lamentable beyond compare. India had just lost Virender Sehwag to a needless shot, with the run rate above six an over. Gambhir, possibly swayed by Sehwag’s cavalier approach, tried to pull a short-of-a-length ball from Prasad but only succeeded in dragging it on to his stumps. That shot would have been just fine in an IPL match, but not in the final session of a day on which India’s paramount objective was batting for time.Marked for greatness
Sachin Tendulkar has looked the most comfortable Indian batsman against the wiles of Mendis. Today, Mendis put that to rest, and dismissed Tendulkar for 14 in the fading moments of another gripping day’s cricket. Tendulkar failed to pick the googly while opting to pad it away. The review upheld the on-field umpire’s verdict, and Mendis had gone past Alec Bedser’s record of 24 wickets in a three-match debut series. The man continues to baffle.

Aston Villa announced on Friday afternoon that Louie Barry has joined Ipswich Town on a season-long loan, and a number of Villa fans were quick to react to the news on social media.

Barry helped Villa to win the FA Youth Cup for the first time since 2002 last season and has scored 22 goals for the club’s youth sides after joining from Barcelona last year.

The 18-year-old actually scored on his first-team debut at Villa Park against Liverpool in the FA Cup and will now be given the chance to gain regular senior football at Portman Road.

Barry was included on Ipswich’s bench just 24 hours after a deal went through, but the forward didn’t get on for The Tractor Boys in their 2-2 draw with Morecambe on the opening weekend of League One.

Villa fans react

Villa shared the news regarding Barry on their official Twitter page on Friday. Here is what these Villa supporters had to say in reply, with one labelling a temporary move as ‘brilliant’.

“Wow. Get excited! And send him back safe after you have won the league :)”Credit: @rodvik”A season playing senior football is exactly the right thing for the lad. Hopefully he will fill out a bit similar to when Jack went to Notts County. Good luck Louie”Credit: @SiORegan”Brilliant for you, Good luck mate!”Credit: @lewastbury”Gonna light it up, I think. Very good loan move for him.”Credit: @MarkJirobe”Love this – step one of mission ‘new starboy’”Credit: @nallyboy90″It’s official! Good luck Louie, a really exciting move – this is now the top one to watch for me. Let’s add him to the list”Credit: @AVFCLOAN

In other news: Many Villa fans fume as details on Ings move emerge. 

Joubert Strydom, who recently resigned as South Africa’s chairman of selectors, has said dropping Jacques Kallis from the squad for the World Twenty20 last year was the worst moment in his four-year tenure as a selecto

Ken Borland23-Jul-2008
Jacques Kallis was a surprise omission from South Africa’s squad at the World Twenty20 © Getty Images
Joubert Strydom, who recently resigned as South Africa’s chairman of selectors, has said dropping Jacques Kallis from the squad for the World Twenty20 last year was the worst moment in his four-year tenure as a selector.The many highlights South African cricket have achieved over the last few years have overwhelmed the furious selection struggles he was embroiled in with Norman Arendse, the Cricket South Africa (CSA) president. The squad for the World Twenty20 was Strydom’s first at the helm of the panel after Haroon Lorgat, the current ICC chief executive, stepped down and he said it was at Arendse’s insistence that Kallis was left out.”The whole Kallis thing was the worst, much worse than even [Charl] Langeveldt and [Andre] Nel,” Strydom said. Nel was controversially dropped in favour of Langeveldt for South Africa’s tour to India earlier this year; the latter then opted out of the tour and went on to sign a two-year Kolpak contract with Derbyshire.CSA announced on Wednesday that Strydom was stepping down as the convenor of selectors “for personal and business reasons”. And while Strydom is not blind to the many controversies that blighted his fraught tenure, he said his departure was on “own his own terms”.”I’ve been thinking about it for a while and there’s no controversy or pressure involved,” he said. “It’s time I began focusing on my business in these uncertain economic times and my son is just about to go to boarding school, so that means we will be travelling more.”And there’s the issue of continuity – whether to step down now or wait until after the Australian tour. I decided now was the appropriate time because I think one or two other selectors are going to step down after the Aussie tour.”The regular battles to have teams approved by Arendse must be partially to blame for Strydom’s departure, however, simply because they no longer made the job fun. “I wouldn’t say it was the easiest job, it was more energy-sapping that time-consuming,” he said. “But I don’t want to go out on a bad note, I have too much respect for the game.There is no doubt South African cricket has been well-served by Strydom, who was willing to stand up to Arendse, and he said his memories of the job would not be tainted by the unhappy times. “There was never enough fighting to take away the wonderful memories. I think I had a good stint, the team achieved some wonderful things. We will be second on the Test table if we win the series in England and we’ve been one or two in one-day internationals during my time. There was the ‘438’ game and our win against Pakistan in Mohali in the Champions Trophy when we came from behind.”A new selection panel will be elected at the CSA annual meeting on August 8.

Many Wolves fans have been left buzzing as the Midlands club confirmed the signing of Rayan Ait-Nouri in an announcement on their official Twitter page.

As per the club’s official website, the left-back has signed on a five-year deal with an option of a further year after impressing while on loan from Angers in the 2020/21 season.

Technical director Scott Sellars was full of praise for the youngster, claiming that he is a ‘very talented’ player with ‘lots of potential’.

Ait-Nouri clearly made a great impression for Wolves to make his move a permanent one, ranking highly among his teammates in terms of average tackles (1.4), key passes (0.7), dribbles (1.2), pass success (86.1%) and crosses (0.6) per match in the Premier League last term (WhoScored).

The 20-year-old will hope to hit the ground running once more in his second season at Molineux, this time under new manager Bruno Lage.

Wolves fans on Ait-Nouri transfer

These Wolves supporters were thrilled as the transfer was confirmed on Twitter, with one describing it as ‘tremendous news’:

“INJECT THIS CONTENT INTO MY VEINS”

Credit: @NickAllen224

“We are winning it all”

Credit: @Finsabu

“Tremendous news”

Credit: @_AlanLeese

“Excellent news! Bargain at that price. 9.5m times better than Ryan Giles”

Credit: @wolvesbradders

“Love to see it”

Credit: @Sidaway_

“Fantastic negotiation by Wolves, he definitely grew into the league and looked at home towards the end.”

Credit: @mabr82

In other news, find out who Fabrizio Romano has claimed ‘will join Wolves’

SYDNEY, Oct 30 AAP – Life after international cricket for Mark Waugh is set to follow a well-worn path into Channel Nine’s cricket commentary team.Nine director of Sport Gary Burns said discussions with Waugh’s management begin tomorrow about him joining old team-mates Mark Taylor and Ian Healy behind the microphone.”But I’m not sure he’s a certainty this summer for the CCP (Central Commentary Position),” Burns said today.”He’s going to play first-class cricket for New South Wales this season and that goes on at the same time as the international season.”He commentated in the mid-winter season here – the one dayers against Pakistan – and went pretty well I thought.”But Burns baulked at the idea Nine was keen to secure Waugh.”Not that keen, we are full – fuller than a fat lady’s sock really,” Burns said.”Nobody’s going to join the commentary team while they are still playing, so he’s going to have at least another season.”But we’re hoping we can work out a way we can see him guest commentating on appropriate matches.”And don’t forget the World Cup (in South Africa next year) for instance, we will have a major hosting and down stream operation back here in Sydney while that’s all going on and I hope to see him involved in that.”

Celtic are closing in on a deal for Bologna left-back Aaron Hickey after they submitted a formal approach for his services, as reported by The Scottish Sun.

The Lowdown: Celtic prepare for 2021/22 in earnest

Moving into 2021/22, Hoops supporters will be eager to see how newly-appointed manager Ange Postecoglou goes about re-shaping a team in need of surgery in order to win the Premiership next season.

Making inroads in the transfer market, the Glaswegians have tied up deals for former Sheffield Wednesday pair Osaze Urhoghide and Liam Shaw.

Parkhead chiefs could now be braced for a third signing in quick succession following recent reports.

The Latest: Celtic set to open talks with Hickey this week

Celtic are set to open talks with Hickey in the next week following the initiation of a £3.5m bid for the 19-year-old [The Scottish Sun].

His current employers are rumoured to be interested in a swoop for now free agent Aleksandar Kolarov, paving the way for the Serie A outfit to cash in on either Hickey or Dutch full-back Mitchell Dijks [The Scottish Sun].

Intriguingly, the former Hearts defender is a boyhood Celtic fan who also spent his footballing upbringing in the Bhoys’ academy. Might this prove pivotal in negotiations?

The Verdict: Hickey would be an excellent asset for Celtic

Upon reflection, Hickey would be an excellent asset for Celtic should he complete a move back to his homeland.

He endured a frustrating 2020/21 campaign in Italy, making just 12 appearances in all competitions due to injury issues and suffering from a viral infection [Transfermarkt].

Nevertheless, his eagerness to progress the ball and awareness of surroundings is commendable. Across the pitch, he recorded an impressive 88.4% passing accuracy which, would suit Postecoglou’s high-intensity possession-based style of football [WhoScored].

He also drew high praise from his former coach Austin MacPhee, who in January 2020 gushed: “He’s so young he could play a lot of positions. He could end up being like Busquets.” [The Scottish Sun]

Needing to play regular football at a critical point in his development, Hickey and Celtic may be perfectly suited should negotiations reach a successful conclusion.

In other news, this Celtic midfielder has been linked with a Premier League move.

A number of Liverpool supporters have been left excited by an official club post showing Mohamed Salah returning to pre-season training.

Euro 2020 has taken centre stage over the past month, but it’s time for the focus to return to the Reds. Jurgen Klopp’s men are back in pre-season training on Monday as they prepare to try and wrestle back the Premier League title from Manchester City.

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The 2020/21 campaign was a draining one at Anfield, with injuries and the absence of fans for most of the season taking its toll, but the hope is that Liverpool return to their best this time around.

Someone who will clearly be key to the Reds’ chances is Salah, who was comfortably their Player of the Year last season, scoring 31 goals.

On Sunday, the club’s official Twitter account posted a photo of the 29-year-old back in the fold as he looks to wreak yet more havoc as he enters his fifth season as a Liverpool player.

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Liverpool fans react as Salah returns

These Liverpool fans took to Twitter to express their delight at seeing Salah back for pre-season.

“Things I love to see”

Credit: @pearlserery

“Another Golden Boot charge, let’s gooooo”

Credit: @ChrisHPE

“This is content. Back to normal”

Credit: @Airsculpture

“Exciting times”

Credit: @Masibanda01

“Yes Mo! Roll on the Prem”

Credit: @craigdono_lfc

“Our one season wonder ready to boss a 5th.”

Credit: @OldSwanBob

In other news, some Liverpool fans are happy with a Reds exit rumour that has emerged. Read more here.

Interest is hotting up over Nottingham Forest defender Jordan Gabriel this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a claim made by Alan Nixon, who revealed in a post on Twitter that Blackpool and Huddersfield Town are in a fight to sign the Forest right-back in the summer transfer window, with the journalist stating that a deal for the £225k-rated man “won’t be cheap.”

An earlier report by Nottinghamshire Live claimed that Portsmouth are also keen on a move for the 22-year-old this summer, although went on to state that Chris Hughton plans to assess Gabriel in pre-season before making a decision on the youngster’s future.

Forest fans should be fuming

While it would appear far from certain that Gabriel will be leaving The City Ground ahead of next season, if Hughton does eventually decide to cash on the defender Forest fans should be fuming with their manager.

Indeed, the right-back impressed over his 29 League One appearances while on loan at Blackpool last term, helping his side keep 10 clean sheets, as well as making an average of 0.8 interceptions, 0.9 tackles, 1.5 clearances and winning 4.6 duels per game.

The £1.2k-per-week man also chipped in for his team in a creative capacity, registering one assist and creating one big chance for his teammates, in addition to making an average of 0.7 key passes per league fixture.

These returns saw the man the journalist Matt Scrafton dubbed an “important” player earn an average SofaScore match rating of 6.75, playing a huge part in Neil Critchley’s side going on to secure promotion to the Championship.

Aside from his obvious potential, the fact that Cyrus Christie has now returned to Fulham, in addition to Hughton informing Carl Jenkinson that he is free to leave the club this summer, means that Gabriel could well be the 62-year-old’s only option at right-back at Forest next season.

As such, not only would the sale of Gabriel be sanctioning the departure of a player who could well go on to become a star for the Garibaldi, it would also leave the club incredibly short of options in the position, leading us to believe Hughton should not even consider the prospect of letting the 22-year-old leave this summer.

In other news: Forest now open transfer talks over “remarkable” £12k-p/w gem, fans should be buzzing