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Tottenham Hotspur went into Tuesday evening’s Champions League meeting with Olympique de Marseille knowing that a point at the Orange Vélodrome would see them qualify for the knockout stages of the competition for the first time since 2019/20.

However, a towering header from former Newcastle United centre-back Chancel Mbemba late in the first half gave the home side a well-deserved lead – with the Ligue 1 club having dominated Spurs for the opening 45 minutes.

Upon the start of the second half, however – as has so often been the case for Conte’s side this season – Tottenham looked like a completely different team, with the Premier League outfit finally beginning to put their foot on the ball in Marseille territory.

Soon after, a Clement Lenglet header from Ivan Perišić’s fantastic delivery pulled the visitors level, and, while ex-Arsenal defender Sead Kolašinac missed a glorious chance to reclaim the lead for Marseille in the dying stages of the match, it would be Spurs who ultimately went on to claim the three points, with Pierre-Emile Højbjerg firing home with the last kick of the game.

However, while Conte will no doubt be delighted with his side’s progression to the knockout stages of Europe’s most prestigious club competition, Tottenham’s first-half display will nevertheless be a huge cause for concern for the Italian, as will the individual performances of a number of his starting XI on the night.

The likes of Lucas Moura and Son Heung-min – prior to his withdrawal due to injury – were both particularly abject over the course of the first 45 minutes, although, it was arguably the display of Ryan Sessegnon that will have most disappointed Conte.

Indeed, despite being deployed on the opposite flank to his usual left wing-back role at the Orange Vélodrome, the 22-year-old struggled to make any real impact on the game whatsoever, enjoying just 18 touches of the ball – 19 less than Hugo Lloris between the Spurs sticks – completing just six of his eight attempted passes and commuting two fouls.

The £21.8m-rated talent also won just one of his four attempted duels – a success rate of a mere 25% – and ceded possession of the ball on four separate occasions – meaning that, with every 4.5 touches he enjoyed – the England U21 international lost the ball for his side.

These returns not only saw the wing-back – who self-confessed Spurs supporter Lee Barratt claimed looked “like a boy” on Tuesday – earn a well below-par SofaScore match rating of just 6.5, but they also saw him hooked by Conte at half-time.

Furthermore, football.london’s Alasdair Gold also awarded the £55k-per-week flanker a four in his own player ratings, as well as stating of the defender’s display:

“Shaky on the right in the first half before being switched to the left before the break. Shepherded out the ball that ended up being given as a corner despite the linesman flagging for a goal kick, and Marseille duly scored from it. Taken off at half-time after a difficult first half.”

Indeed, while Sessegnon is undoubtedly an extremely talented young prospect, the 22-year-old very much let Conte down against Marseille.

Everton host Crystal Palace at Goodison Park in their Premier League clash on Saturday afternoon, and Frank Lampard will be hoping that being back in front of the home support will inspire a result from his team.

The Toffees are experiencing a run of bad form after a promising start to the season, and after shipping a third consecutive defeat on Wednesday night against Newcastle United, they are now just one point clear of the relegation zone ahead of this weekend’s fixtures.

As a result, the clash against Patrick Vieira’s side may be the perfect opportunity to freshen up the starting XI to give Frank Lampard some new perspectives in key positions.

One player who has been rarely seen at Goodison Park but could be a good addition to the side in upcoming games is Ruben Vinagre, a talented left-back who is currently on a season-long loan with the Toffees from Sporting Lisbon.

The former Wolverhampton Wanderers full-back could steal the spot in the starting line-up from Vitaliy Mykolenko after the Ukrainian struggled to make his presence known against Newcastle.

The 23-year-old was one of the worst-rated players on the pitch (6.3) at St James’ Park earlier this week according to SofaScore, and it will come as no surprise when you take a closer look at his performance over the 90 minutes.

The £32k-per-week dud failed to make a single tackle, lost four of his five duels, misplaced all four of his long balls and lost possession every 3.7 touches, so giving Vinagre a chance to prove himself on the left flank could be the correct move for Lampard.

Across 12 appearances last season in his country’s top flight, the Portuguese left-back – who was dubbed “special” by his former Wolves boss Nuno Espirito Santo – delivered one assist, created one big chance and won 51% of his duels, along with making 1.1 tackles and completing 1.3 dribbles per game.

The 23-year-old has only been given two appearances off the bench in the Premier League so far for Everton, averaging just 15 minutes per game, so he hasn’t really had the opportunity to make his mark on the team as of yet.

With that in mind, Lampard must finally unleash Vinagre in the starting line-up against Crystal Palace this weekend, as the loanee could give a fresh perspective in the full-back role and hopefully inspire a positive result for the Toffees.

Sunderland’s academy has produced some solid Premier League talent over recent years, with Jordan Henderson their main export that has gone on to take the league by storm.

Having left the club in 2011, the Black Cats earned £20m which, at the time, seemed like a fine piece of business.

However, having gone on to succeed Steven Gerrard as captain of Liverpool, he will now go down in the history books at Anfield.

He has led his new side to victory in nearly every competition possible, with the Premier League, Champions League and both domestic cups under his belt, as well as a FIFA Club World Cup and a UEFA Super Cup.

Just 79 games at the Stadium of Light was modest compared to the phenomenal 455 games for the Reds, and he has overseen their growth from mid-table struggle to mentality monsters.

In his five appearances this season, he has averaged a SofaScore rating of 7.06 and has done well to establish himself as one of the more dependable Premier League midfielders. 

During the year in which Liverpool won England’s top flight, the England international stepped his game up even further, raising his average match rating to 7.23 across his 30 league appearances in 2019/20. He also scored five goals and assisted four, which was impressive given how that is not normally his role.

The 32-year-old was just last year labelled an “immense captain” and “a real leader” by Leanne Prescott, who also cited his MBE as “richly deserved”.

Curtis Woodhouse also claimed that people won’t respect Henderson until he has retired, as he is a “proper all-round midfielder” and a “monster”.

It is impressive how much he has grown from the young Mackem lad playing for his boyhood club.

While £20m seemed like good money at the time, to see his growth as the Black Cats slumped down the divisions must have been a bitter pill to swallow for the club’s supporters.

As he geared up for his first of three Champions League finals – so far – the Wearside outfit had already been resigned to relegation to League One.

He could have captained Sunderland to glory, but instead, he led the revitalisation of Liverpool. They will surely regret the call to sell him now, with hindsight.

Tottenham Hotspur forward Dejan Kulusevski is an injury ‘doubt’ for the Premier League clash vs Arsenal on Saturday, according to journalist Dan Kilpatrick.

The Lowdown: Injury latest

The 22-year-old has been away representing Sweden on international duty for the past fortnight having featured in both of his country’s Nations League fixtures against Serbia and Slovenia.

However, there was cause for concern upon his return to the capital after complaining of tightness in his hamstring, with Antonio Conte remaining very tight-lipped when asked about the situation during his pre-match press conference on Thursday.

The Latest: Kulusevski fitness update

Taking to Twitter, Kilpatrick revealed that Kulusevski will need to be assessed ahead of this weekend’s game after undergoing a medical scan. He wrote:

“Dejan Kulusevski had a scan yesterday after returning from internationals with a suspected muscle problem, and now thought to be a derby doubt.”

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The Verdict: Blow for Conte

Whilst Conte has Richarlison available to play alongside Harry Kane and Son-Heung Min as a replacement, Kulusevski potentially missing out will come as a huge blow to the Spurs boss.

The ‘phenomenon’, as dubbed by football talent scout Jacek Kulig, has made an instant impact since his arrival in January, providing 11 assists and scoring six goals in just 29 appearances (Transfermarkt).

You’d expect that Kulusevski may not be risked for the north London derby given how recently the injury has taken place and Spurs’ busy schedule, though the Italian will be hoping that his star isn’t facing too long on the sidelines so that he’s back at his disposal as soon as possible.

Leeds United are plotting another ‘push’ for PSV Eindhoven’s Cody Gakpo in January, according to Fabrizio Romano. 

The lowdown

The Whites agreed personal terms with the 23-year-old in the final days of the summer transfer window and even outbid Premier League competitors Southampton, but they were unable to pull off the transfer.

Leeds’ sporting director Victor Orta even flew out to the Netherlands for talks and hoped to bring Gakpo back him with on his private jet, but PSV ultimately refused to sell the Dutchman, a stance that the Yorkshire club hope will change in time for January.

Only three top-flight clubs – Nottingham Forest (21), Fulham (11) and Southampton (10) – signed more players than Leeds during the summer transfer window, with the Whites shelling out just under £100m on eight new arrivals.

The latest

Romano took to Twitter to share the news about Gakpo, who he cited as Leeds ‘main target’ for the winter transfer window. Their plan is already in motion, but the Italian cautioned that there will be plenty of rival suitors for the PSV star.

Romano tweeted: “Leeds are planning to push again for Cody Gakpo in January, after crazy change on Deadline Day. He’s the main target… but there will be lot of competition.”

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The verdict

Gakpo’s form in the early part of the season shows why the race for his signature will be so intense.

In 10 matches across all competitions, he has been directly involved in 13 goals (scored seven, set up six) and averaged a goal contribution every 60 minutes.

Unsurprisingly, he tops the early tables in the Eredivisie for shots, goals and assists (via FBRef).

It’s hard to disagree with the assessment of The Athletic’s Carl Anka that the Dutch ‘playmaker’ (to quote European football expert Alex Barker) would be a ‘huge’ signing for Leeds, if they can finally land him in January.

Leeds United enjoy a growing reputation for being a team who offer promising young talents a clear route to first-team football, with the likes of Joe Gelhardt, Sam Greenwood, Crysencio Summerville and Illan Meslier having all joined the club in the last few years before quickly establishing themselves as regulars in the Whites’ senior squad.

This has subsequently seen Victor Orta be able to convince even more teenage prospects to make the move to Elland Road ahead of some of their Premier League rivals, with the director of football having added West Ham United’s Sonny Perkins, Manchester City’s Darko Gyabi and FC Zurich’s Wilfried Gnonto to Jesse Marsch’s ranks in the summer transfer window.

And, while it is undeniable that both Perkins and Gyabi are two players who Leeds supporters can be extremely excited about, it is arguably Gnonto who could well prove to have the highest ceiling of the trio – as the 18-year-old very much looks as if he has the potential to become something of a world-beater in LS11.

Indeed, over his 33 Super League appearances – only nine of which came as starts – for Zurich last season, the £9m-rated centre-forward was in remarkable form, scoring eight goals, providing three assists and creating four big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 1.4 shots, making 0.8 key passes and completing 0.9 dribbles per game.

For reference, should the teenager have returned these numbers for Leeds last season, he would have ranked joint-second for goals, joint-second for assists and joint-fourth for big chances created in the Premier League.

Furthermore, the player who Roberto Mancini claimed is “like few others” has also already made an impact in the international game, becoming Italy’s youngest-ever goalscorer via his strike in a Nations League fixture against Germany earlier this summer.

Indeed, the Italy manager quite clearly has extremely high hopes for the 18-year-old, stating of Gnonto earlier this year (via Leeds Live):

“He’s so quick and can do everything. He’s a forward with a quality that we didn’t have before and he will improve a lot… For his age, he knows how to play football like few others and he is very quick. If he develops without too much pressure, he can show us what quality he has.”

As such, while it is undeniable that Leeds currently have a number of young and exciting attackers on their books, should Gnonto continue at his current rate of development, he could well prove to be the most talented of the bunch – a prospect that is sure to be incredibly tantalising for Marsch, Orta and supporters of the club alike.

The visitors were left with plenty to ponder after their batting struggled in spin-friendly conditions

Andrew Fidel Fernando08-Aug-20245:39

India’s batting (except Rohit’s) against spin a sign of concern

Mohammed Siraj is fired up. Halfway through his seventh over, the 39th of the innings, he strides down the pitch and sprays a few angry words at Kusal Mendis, who responds in kind.In his next over, Siraj bowls a ball to Janith Liyanage that the batter drives back at him. Siraj picks the ball up in his follow through, and flings it at the stumps, and misses. The batter would have been back safely in any case.In the background of that shy at the stump is Virat Kohli, applauding the bowler’s aggression. Through the course of these middle overs, Kohli has gone through some big emotions of his own. He’s celebrated wickets with more verve than the bowlers and yelled at exiting batters, appealed so vociferously it felt like his lungs might come flying out of his body. He’s backed up every move of the bowlers like they were boxers at the Olympics and he was their coach in the corner.Related

Wellalage five-for sends India crashing to 2-0 defeat

Stats – SL's spinners end India's 27-year streak

Asalanka: Top-order contributions a sign of us maturing

At one point he fields the ball at short mid on and throws at the stumps but hits the pad of Charith Asalanka. The batter had not only never seriously attempted a run, he’s so far home he’s fallen asleep in front of a Netflix documentary.But none of this is massively out of the ordinary. We have seen Siraj this fired up before. For Kohli, this is like a six out of 10 on the macho-flailing scale.But this is what is truly surprising. Kohli has played many matches against Sri Lanka in which he has found no need to reach into the angrier portions of his heart. Siraj has usually had a very high smile-to-grimace ratio when facing this opposition.And now all this aggression has been accessed for Sri Lanka? Wow. Should they be blushing? Is this for real?

A 27-year wait is over for Sri Lanka #SLvIND pic.twitter.com/Jg8vZaY2zO

— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) August 7, 2024

Before this series, Sri Lanka had played 19 ODIs against India since the start of 2015, and lost 16 of those games. The most recent memories were of being bowled out for 55 at the Wankhede in the World Cup and being blasted out for 50 in the Asia Cup final last year, when Siraj took 6 for 21 at this very venue and was inflicting so much trauma it seemed more appropriate for India’s players to cuddle Sri Lanka’s batters rather than cuss at them.But through the course of this ODI series, this Sri Lanka team, ranked seventh in ODIs, who finished ninth in last year’s World Cup and as such have not qualified for the Champions Trophy, who struggle to get their seam bowlers on the field, and who haven’t made a global-tournament semi-final in 10 years, has asked some serious questions of an India side whose ambitions are world domination.A quick rundown of those questions: Are India a little shaky on big-turning tracks, given the results in their last four ODIs in Asia? This series was three matches long. This was their fourth match back. Are they over-reliant on Jasprit Bumrah at the death? He was rested for this series, but Sri Lanka’s lower-middle order and lower order produced strong showings and reached totals that proved to be beyond India’s batters. Should they keep persisting with floating batters in the middle overs, prioritising left-right combinations over more strongly-defined roles for each batter? Are they better off with predictable KL Rahul or mad genius Rishabh Pant?This is not an exhaustive list of questions. But for Sri Lanka the list is so much shorter, because for a team not playing next year’s Champions Trophy so little beyond the present matters, in ODIs.Their only worry is whether they can be competitive in anything other than extremely spin-friendly conditions. Almost everyone in Sri Lankan cricket – players, administrators, coaches, support staff, fans – has this question in mind right now. But they will happily take Siraj being this angry at their batters. They will take Kohli being this expressive.Sri Lanka gave India a rare dusting up•Associated PressAnd they should take captain Asalanka being realistic. When asked whether he took pride in achieving a bilateral series victory over India that had eluded even greats of the Sri Lankan team such as Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, Lasith Malinga, Tillakaratne Dilshan and others, he said:”I don’t think we’re at the level of those players. I think we have the potential, but at ICC tournaments those players took us very far. That’s how we were able to have global recognition. I don’t think we can be equals to those players at the moment. But as a captain I’m happy we were able to defeat a team as good as this. This is a process. We have some talented players. If we manage them and look after them, we can go far.”Sri Lanka have more modest ODI goals now than they have had in roughly 25 years. India are aiming higher than ever. Right now, it’s enough to just have shaken India up a little.

And which Australian captain was named after the town he was born in?

Steven Lynch29-Aug-2022South Africa won the Lord’s Test by an innings despite scoring just 326. Is this the lowest total to result in an innings victory, at Lord’s or anywhere? asked Vinod Nair from India

There have been two lower totals than South Africa’s 326 in 2022 that have been enough to win a Test at Lord’s. In 1933, England’s 296 proved sufficient to beat West Indies, who were bowled out for 97 and 172. And the lowest of all was in 1958, when New Zealand managed only 47 and 74 in response to England’s 269.In all Tests, there have been 33 lower totals that were enough for innings victories, including three of under 200: Australia’s 153 was too much for South Africa (36 and 45) on a treacherous, rain-affected pitch in Melbourne in 1931-32; England (172) beat Australia (81 and 70) at Old Trafford in 1888; and Australia (199 for 8 declared) thumped New Zealand (42 and 54) in the first Test between the sides, in Wellington in 1945-46.I noticed that Mike Atherton, the captain, and wicketkeeper Alec Stewart opened the batting for England in the Ashes at Nottingham 1997. How often have the captain and keeper opened the innings in a Test? asked Phillip Reid from England

Mike Atherton and Alec Stewart opened the innings together in five Tests when captain and wicketkeeper, including the one you mention at Trent Bridge in 1997. The fifth time – and the most recent from anywhere – came in the truncated match in Kingston early in 1998. Stewart also opened and kept wicket in two Tests in which Graham Gooch captained, against Pakistan at The Oval in 1992, and against India in Kolkata a few months later.There have been only four other Tests in which the batting was opened by a team’s captain and wicketkeeper (leaving out occasions when one person did both). The first was by Australia against England in Sydney in 1886-87 (Percy McDonnell and Jack Blackham). Frederick Fane and Dick Young went in first for England vs Australia in Sydney in 1907-08, Herbie Taylor and Tommy Ward for South Africa vs England in Durban in 1913-14, and Bandula Warnapura and Mahes Goonatilleke for Sri Lanka vs India in Madras in 1982-83.Kamran Akmal effected four stumpings – a T20I record – against Netherlands at Lord’s during the 2009 T20 World Cup•Getty ImagesWhat’s the most stumpings in an innings in an international? asked David Fleming from England

The most stumpings in a men’s international innings is five, by India’s Kiran More against West Indies in Madras in 1987-88, in the match in which the debutant legspinner Narendra Hirwani took 16 wickets.There are two cases of four stumpings in a Test innings, by Bert Oldfield for Australia against England in Melbourne in 1924-25, and “Khokan” Sen for India vs England in Madras in 1951-52 (all off Vinoo Mankad).There have also been two instances in men’s T20Is, by Kamran Akmal for Pakistan against Netherlands at Lord’s in June 2009, and Denesh Ramdin for West Indies vs Pakistan in Mirpur in April 2014. The record for ODIs is three, which has happened 18 times.There are two cases of five stumpings in an innings in women’s one-day internationals, by V Kalpana for India against Denmark in Slough during the 1993 World Cup, and Karuna Jain for India vs New Zealand in Lincoln (NZ) in 2005-06. There have been four instances of four in women’s Tests, and eight in T20Is , the most recent two by Scotland’s Sarah Bryce.Which Australian captain’s first name is the same as the town in which he was born? asked Derek Francis from Australia

The obvious one is Sydney Gregory, who was born in 1870 in Sydney – indeed he was born on the site of what is now the Sydney Cricket Ground, as his father was a groundsman there. Syd made a record eight Ashes tours of England, and was captain in 1912, when he played the last of his 58 Tests.However, your question says “town” rather than “city”, so I suspect you’re actually after another answer. It’s another New South Welshman: Warren Bardsley, who played his early Tests alongside Gregory and had a similarly long career that stretched to 1926, when he was 43. He captained in two Tests in England that year, standing in for the injured Herbie Collins. Bardsley was born in Warren, a small town in central NSW about 75 miles from Dubbo (Glenn McGrath’s birthplace).There was a near-miss with Australia’s Bodyline captain Bill Woodfull: his middle name was Maldon, the town in Victoria in which he was born, where the sports ground is now named after him.Following up last week’s question about the most wickets on a single Test ground, who holds this record in Australia? asked Keith Drysdale from Australia

Top of the table is the great fast bowler Dennis Lillee, who took 82 wickets in 14 Tests at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Shane Warne comes next at the MCG with 56, but he leads the way at the Gabba in Brisbane with 68, and at the Sydney Cricket Ground with 64. Warne and Nathan Lyon have both taken 56 at Adelaide Oval. Glenn McGrath leads the way at the WACA in Perth with 52; he also took 65 in Brisbane and 50 in Sydney. Stuart MacGill is the only other man to pass the half-century, with 53 Test wickets in Sydney.England’s Sydney Barnes took 35 wickets in Melbourne, and George Lohmann 35 in Sydney, to share the record for visiting bowlers.Use our feedback form, or the Ask Steven Facebook page to ask your stats and trivia questions

The latest round-up of how the Australia players are going in the UAE as the IPL starts to take shape

Andrew McGlashan12-Oct-20203:57

What’s behind the success of Anrich Nortje and James Pattinson?

While the Australian domestic season comes to life in Adelaide a group of players continue to ply their trade at the IPL in the UAE. It’s been a mixed week as the points table starts to take a bit of a divide between those pushing for the playoffs and those struggling for momentum. Here’s a round-up of some of the highlightsMaxwell’s frustrationsSo far it has been an IPL to forget for Glenn Maxwell – he has 58 runs from seven innings (and just 61 balls faced) for bottom-of-the-table Kings XI Punjab. Against the Sunrisers Hyderabad he again walked in with his team in bother at 58 for 3 chasing 202 and could only manage 7 off 12 balls before being run out. Against Kolkata Knight Riders he came in during the penultimate over with the Kings XI having made a mess of another chase and faced his first ball at the start of the last over needing 14 to win. When he was on strike for the final ball a six would have forced a Super Over and he came within inches of doing it, but he couldn’t quite get the distance against Sunil Narine. “Shattered,” was his succinct response on Twitter.

Shattered… #gameofinches

— Glenn Maxwell (@Gmaxi_32) October 10, 2020

Stoinis’ new role?Marcus Stoinis began the IPL by plundering 53 off 21 balls and he has had another productive week for the Delhi Capitals. His second fifty – coming off 24 balls – helped provide a critical late surge against the Royal Challengers Bangalore to propel an innings that had been losing its way although he was given three lives. Against the Rajasthan Royals he produced a telling all-round display hitting 39 off 30 balls before taking 2 for 17. Most of Stoinis’ T20 success has come at the top order – Australia coach Justin Langer said that was his best spot – but if he returns from the IPL with another string to his bow it will be very interesting to see where he finds a space in the T20I side to face India having moved around the order against England last month. Before the IPL, his strike-rate at Nos. 5 and 6 was 131.22 but in the this tournament it’s up at 175.00.Marcus Stoinis sent Hardik Pandya back for a duck•BCCIFinch’s Ashwin warningAaron Finch almost became the latest run-out backing up victim for R Ashwin when the Royal Challengers faced the Capitals. Australia’s limited-overs captain strayed a long way out of his crease as Ashwin prepared to bowl the fourth delivery of his opening over, but was spared when Ashwin offered a smile – and later a stern ‘warning’ to any other batsmen. There was much made before the IPL began of Ricky Ponting’s comments that he did not agree with the mode of dismissal and he, too, wore a smile from the dug out when Ashwin resisted. For Finch himself, he has yet to find his best form with just one significant score – his 52 against Mumbai Indians – in six innings.

Let’s make it clear !! First and final warning for 2020. I am making it official and don’t blame me later on. @RickyPonting #runout #nonstriker @AaronFinch5 and I are good buddies btw. #IPL2020

— Ashwin (@ashwinravi99) October 5, 2020

Smith fadesSteven Smith started the tournament in strong form after his return from the concussion that curtailed his series in England, but in the last couple of weeks the runs have been hard to come by. In his last five innings he has a top score of 24 amid a misfiring Royals top order and there have been some ugly hoicks among his dismissals. On Sunday he was run out for 5 against David Warner’s Sunrisers Hyderabad following a mix-up with Jos Buttler. As captain, though, he is now able to call on Ben Stokes who made his first appearance of the competition after returning from compassionate leave.Archer gets Warner, againIt is turning into another very consistent campaign for Warner – only one score below 28 in seven innings – although he has not hit the destructive heights he has shown in the past. His innings against the Royals was particularly hard work to begin with as he ended the Powerplay with 8 off 13 balls as part of a very sluggish 26 for 1. He started to move through the gears after that, but just as he was threatening something substantial his 2020 nemesis struck again: bowled by Jofra Archer for 48.

Looks like @JofraArcher will be getting a new console @xboxuk #SRHvRR | #IPL2020 pic.twitter.com/tcVvDbnlk6

— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) October 11, 2020

Ins and outsAlex Carey made his first appearance for the Capitals after Rishabh Pant picked up a hamstring injury and will likely get a few more games with Pant expected to be out for a week. AJ Tye was brought by the Royals but went 1 for 50 against the Capitals (and batted No. 7) before being left out again due to Stokes’ return. After two matches in the RCB XI, Adam Zampa is back on the bench. Nathan Coulter-Nile, Daniel Sams, Chris Lynn, Chris Green and Billy Stanlake are still yet to play.

Manchester United made it three successive wins in the Premier League at the weekend when they beat Brighton & Hove Albion 4-2 at Old Trafford on Saturday.

Bryan Mbeumo was, arguably, the star of the show with his two impressive goals for the Red Devils, taking his tally for the season to five goals since his move from Brentford.

The Cameroon international was not the only United star who caught the eye with an excellent display for Ruben Amorim in the win over the Seagulls, though.

Experienced central midfielder Casemiro impressed with his performance in the middle of the park, although his goal was rather fortunate with the deflection off Ayari.

The Brazil international provided a goal and an assist, whilst winning four of his six ground duels (Sofascore), in the 4-2 win for United, which shows that he was effective in and out of possession.

Despite producing an eye-catching display for the Premier League giants alongside Bruno Fernandes in midfield, Manchester United may be starting to think about what life will look like after Casemiro.

Why Man Utd need a replacement for Casemiro

The Brazilian midfielder will be 34 when his contract at Old Trafford expires at the end of the season, and it remains to be seen whether or not the club will exercise their option to extend it by a further year.

This means that they may be looking at who will take his place in midfield alongside Bruno in the mid-to-long-term. Kobbie Mainoo, though, may not be that player, for reasons outlined by Amorim.

As shown in the comments above, the Portuguese head coach views the England international as an alternative to Bruno, rather than as a defensive option to take Casemiro’s spot.

That leaves Manuel Ugarte as the only natural replacement within the current first-team squad. That is a concern because his performances for the club last season left far too much to be desired.

Non-penalty goals

0.05

Bottom 41%

xAG

0.06

Bottom 30%

Shot-creating actions

1.56

Bottom 16%

Progressive passes

3.08

Bottom 18%

Progressive carries

0.81

Bottom 23%

Passes into the final third

2.96

Bottom 36%

Passes into the penalty area

0.45

Bottom 20%

Ugarte, as shown in the statistics above, was among the worst midfielders in the division in a host of key possession-based metrics, which shows that he does not offer enough on the ball.

Casemiro has had a turbulent time at Old Trafford, as shown in the graphic below, but his recent performance against Brighton shows that he can still offer quality in and out of possession.

With Amorim’s view of Mainoo and Ugarte’s lack of quality, Manchester United may have to look elsewhere to find a replacement for the former Real Madrid star.

Man Utd preparing offer for Premier League midfielder

The Red Devils appear to have identified that as an issue in the squad, as they are reportedly looking to sign a new midfielder in the next window.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

According to TuttoJuve, Manchester United are one of the clubs interested in a deal to sign Chelsea’s versatile midfielder Andrey Santos in the January transfer window.

The report claims that the Premier League giants and Juventus are both keen on a move for the Brazil international, as they look to bolster their midfields ahead of the second half of the campaign.

TuttoJuve adds that both clubs are preparing to make offers to sign the 21-year-old starlet, which suggests that they are both serious about a deal for his services.

Al-Qadsiah had an offer of around £60m (£59.5m) turned down for the midfielder last month. This suggests that United and Juventus will need to be in or above that ballpark if they want to snap him up in January.

Why Man Utd should sign Andrey Santos

The Red Devils should be pushing to beat Juventus to Santos’ signature in the January transfer window, even if it costs north of £60m, because he could be the perfect long-term replacement for Casemiro.

He has only started two of his seven appearances in the Premier League for Chelsea this season, with Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez, two midfielders who cost over £100m each, ahead of him. This means that he has not had too much of an opportunity to shine for the Blues.

His performances whilst on loan at Strasbourg in Ligue 1 last season, though, suggest that he has the quality in and out of possession to be a dream signing for United to replace Casemiro in the defensive midfield role in Amorim’s 3-4-2-1 system.

Santos, including the stunning strike in the clip above, scored 11 goals and provided four assists in all competitions for Strasbourg in the 2024/25 campaign, per Sofascore, which shows that he can make a big impact in possession from a central midfield position.

Analyst Ben Mattinson described the Brazilian star as a “duel monster” who “has everything you want in a CM”, and his statistics in Ligue 1 last season back up that claim, as he was influential all over the pitch.

Goals

10

Top 1%

Assists

3

Top 20%

Passes completed

1,400

Top 7%

Successful dribbles

18

Top 18%

Fouls won

63

Top 1%

Tackles won

110

Top 1%

Duels won

228

Top 2%

Duel success rate

66.7%

Top 5%

Blocked shots

14

Top 14%

As you can see in the table above, Santos excelled in virtually every aspect of the game, as a scorer, a passer, an assister, a dribbler, a duel winner, a tackler, a blocker. He did it all for Strasbourg.

These statistics suggest that the 21-year-old star has all the qualities that Amorim would want from his defensive and combative midfield player next to Bruno, because he has the defensive and duel-winning skills to screen the defence, whilst still being good enough to make an impact in possession.

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Therefore, he could take the best qualities of Ugarte and Mainoo and combine them to be a complete star for United in the middle of the park as Casmeiro’s long-term replacement, as he is 12 years younger than his international teammate.