Sam Billings takes Buttler’s spot for the one-off match against Scotland but England have named a full-strength squad to face Australia

Andrew McGlashan30-May-2018Jos Buttler has been rested for England’s ODI against Scotland next month while Liam Plunkett returns to the squad for that match and the series against Australia. A hamstring injury had ruled Plunkett out of the matches against New Zealand.Captain Eoin Morgan is expected to be fit for the start of England’s one-day season despite fracturing a finger playing for Middlesex, and coach Trevor Bayliss made the recommendation to rest Buttler for the Scotland match on June 10.Sam Billings, the Kent captain, takes Buttler’s place although it is yet to be confirmed whether he or Jonny Bairstow will keep wicket. However, when the pair previously played in the same side last year against Ireland in the absence of Buttler it was Billings who was given the gloves.England one-day squads

Scotland ODI Eoin Morgan (capt), Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow, Sam Billings, Alex Hales, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, David Willey, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood
Australia series Eoin Morgan (capt), Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler, Tom Curran, Alex Hales, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, David Willey, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood

The two squads reinforce the stellar performances of the one-day side, which has risen to No. 1 in the world, in stark contrast to the dismal fortunes of the Test team of late. With a year to go until the World Cup, the majority of the 14 players named for the Australia are nailed on for the tournament – the final squad for the event will be 15 names.Plunkett, who has become a key part of England’s bowling plans in the middle overs, missed the one-day series in New Zealand after a recurrence of the hamstring injury he sustained in Australia. His absence was notable as, though England secured an impressive 3-2 series win against New Zealand, the quick bowlers struggled to make an impact in the middle chunk of the innings. They took three wickets at 117.33 and conceded 5.96 per over between overs 11 and 40.Tom Curran was the beneficiary of Plunkett’s injury and has been retained the squad for the Australia although will not be part of the Scotland fixture. Craig Overton, who earned a call-up as Plunkett’s replacement but did not feature in the series, does not make either squad.One of the selection conundrums in deciding the final XI will be the opening combination. Bairstow has cemented his spot at the top of the order having made 761 in 15 innings since taking the role against West Indies last year. That has included four centuries including back-to-back tons against New Zealand in March.For the majority of that time his opening partner has been Jason Roy but since making his England-record 180 against Australia in Melbourne Roy hasn’t passed fifty. Alex Hales returned to the opening role when Roy was injured for the deciding ODI against New Zealand in Christchurch and hit 61 in an opening stand of 155 in 20 overs. In the final outcome, Hales’ weaker fielding may count against him

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsSimi Singh celebrates a wicket•International Cricket Council

Allrounder Simi Singh came close to pulling off a miracle on T20I debut, but his lower-order counterattack – an unbeaten 57 off 29 balls – wasn’t enough for Ireland, who lost to Netherlands by four runs in the opening game of the tri-nation T20I series in Rotterdam.Netherlands had come back from a batting slump to inflict a much more serious collapse on Ireland. Their captain, Pieter Seelaar, top-scored with 36 to lift them up from 52 for 4, before taking the crucial wickets of Paul Stirling and Gary Wilson as the visitors lost half their side with less than 50 on the board in a chase of 145.Before long, Ireland had fallen to 63 for 7. But Simi, who had gained a regular spot in Ireland’s ODI team towards the end of the World Cup Qualifiers in Zimbabwe earlier this year, put together an innocuous but useful 33-run partnership with George Dockrell to keep them alive. At the fall of Dockrell’s wicket, Ireland needed 49 off 20 balls. Fifteen of those were made before the start of the 19th over, in which Simi went big against the left-arm medium pace of debutant Fred Klaasen, hitting him for 15 off 4 as he brought up his fifty. Then Barry McCarthy closed a 22-run over with a six. But medium-pacer Paul van Meekeren conceded only seven off the last over to give the hosts the win; he held his nerve as Simi faced up to the last ball with six needed, sending down a yorker.Earlier, Netherlands had to rethink their plan after starting strongly through their top three, who had made 46 in the first five overs before the collapse. Seelaar and Bas de Leede (33) stabilised the innings with a 64-run stand for the fifth wicket, but neither could push on as wickets fell – six in the last five overs – and Netherlands ended up falling a ball short of completing 20 overs. McCarthy and Simi took three wickets each.

تحدث مصطفى الشامي رئيس نادي بلدية المحلة، عن الهزيمة الثقيلة التي تعرض لها فريقه بخماسية أمام البنك الأهلي، بالمباراة التي جمعت بينهما مساء اليوم ببطولة الدوري المصري.

والتقى بلدية المحلة مع البنك الأهلي على أرضية استاد السلام، في خضم منافسات الجولة 27 من عمر الدوري المصري الممتاز.

وقال مصطفى الشامي في تصريحات عبر قناة “أون تايم سبورتس”: “كنت أتمنى عدم انتهاء التجربة مع أحمد عبد الرؤوف بهذا السيناريو، ولكن توجد نتائج وجماهير للنادي، يجب أن أشكره هو وجهازه الفني”.

طالع أيضاً.. فيديو | البنك الأهلي يضرب بلدية المحلة بخماسية في الدوري

وتابع: “انتهى المشوار في هذه المرحلة وأتمنى له التوفيق، وأن نحقق هدفنا ونستمر في الدوري”.

واختتم: “سير المباراة اليوم وأحداث الفترة الأخيرة جعلتنا نتفق على أنها ستكون آخر مباراة لـ أحمد عبد الرؤوفـ واختيارنا أحمد كشري لأنه لديه تجارب سابقة مشابهة ونجح فيها”.

To their credit, Wolverhampton Wanderers have steadied the ship after a rocky summer saw them lose Ruben Neves, Raul Jimenez, and Julen Lopetegui. The arrival of Gary O'Neil may not have been eye-catching, but the former Bournemouth boss has got off to a solid start, culminating in a shock win over reigning Premier League champions Manchester City in their most recent outing.

The Midlands club may well have a keen eye on January reinforcements, too, but will be well aware of the fact that the transfer window can spark danger when it comes to keeping hold of their best players. And, after losing Ruben Neves in the summer, they could be desperate to keep hold of their best assets come the winter window. That may not be an easy task, however, with reports suggesting that one star player is interested in a exit.

What's the latest Wolves transfer news?

During the summer transfer window, Wolves weren't exactly the most active club when it came to incomings. In total, the Midlands club spent a reported €94m (£82m), welcoming the likes of Santiago Bueno and Jean-Ricner Bellegarde in the hope of securing their survival in the Premier League. It was their outgoings that stole the headlines, though, with Neves, Joao Moutinho, and Matheus Nunes, among others, all sealing their exits away from the club.

Following Nunes' exit, in particular, it was easy to worry about Wolves' survival chances, but wins over Manchester City and Luton Town have since eased those fears, and put them on course for mid-table comfort. One more exit could yet do the damage, and reports suggest that those at Molinuex could suffer heartbreak once more.

According to reporter Pete O'Rourke of Football Insider, Pedro Neto is "interested" in quitting Wolves to join a club pushing for major honours, amid links of a move to Arsenal. However, Neto may well be forced to wait until the summer of 2024, when Wolves could sanction a sale to help avoid any Financial Fair Play problems.

How has Pedro Neto performed this season?

After a difficult time with injuries in the last couple of years, Neto has finally bounced back, and looks back to his best at Wolves, epitomised by his role in their wins over Manchester City and Luton Town. The stats certainly suggest that he has been a step above last season, too. According to FBref, the winger has improved in a number of areas.

Season

Progressive Passes Per 90

Progressive Carries Per 90

Goals

Assists

Pedro Neto 2023/24

3

5.71

1

4

Pedro Neto 2022/23

2.4

3.46

0

0

It has been a superb start to the season for Neto, and he has earned deserved praise from O'Neil as a result. The Wolves manager said, via Birmingham Mail: “I have always liked him. His attitude and approach since I have been here has been top notch. I can’t speak highly enough of him at the minute, I think he has been incredible. He has played off both sides. I thought he would get some joy down this side today, that was the reason for the switch. He did get some joy but the big story is we leave with nothing which is disappointing.”

Southampton were relegated from the Premier League down to the Championship after an 11-year stint at the top level at the end of the 2022/23 campaign.

The Saints enjoyed many years in the top-flight and enjoyed some adventures on the European stage, which included a 2-1 win against Inter at St. Mary's in 2016.

They were able to use their position within the division, and when they were in Europe, to splash the cash on new signings to bolster their squad.

Who are Southampton's most expensive signings?

*Includes the sell-on fee that Chelsea received from his move to Newcastle United this summer.

As you can see in the table above, Southampton have been willing to shell out millions on players over the years but they have not always been able to unearth a success like Sadio Mane or Danny Ings.

One signing the club had a nightmare with was their deal to sign central midfielder Mario Lemima from Italian giants Juventus in the summer of 2017.

How much did Southampton pay for Lemina?

The Saints reportedly splashed out an initial £15.4m to sign the Gabon international from the Serie A side, in a move that could have cost up to £18.1m including add-ons.

Vice-chairman, at the time, Les Reed hailed the midfield maestro as an "outstanding" player and stated that the signing was a "statement" of intent from the club as he had featured in the Champions League final for his former team earlier that year.

The fee that the club paid was just shy of the then-club-record £16m they spent to sign Sofiane Boufal from Lille the previous year, which illustrates how expensive Lemina was at the time.

He arrived at St. Mary's off the back of a season as a rotation option for Juventus.

The 6-foot technician averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.92 across 19 Serie A appearances and only started eight matches.

Lemina produced 1.9 tackles and interceptions per game and came out on top in 50% of his individual duels to go along with one goal and one assist, as per Sofascore.

His best form for Juventus, however, came during the 2015/16 campaign.

The Gabon international averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.26 across ten league outings and contributed with an eye-catching 3.9 tackles and interceptions per match, which only Claudio Marchisio (4.9) was able to better within the squad.

He also showcased his impressive ability in possession with 2.2 dribbles per game and a sublime success rate of 96%. This shows that opposition players found it almost impossible to dispossess the central midfielder when he had the ball at his feet and was moving up the pitch.

These performances were seemingly convincing enough to make Southampton spend a significant amount of money on his services ahead of the 2017/18 Premier League campaign, with Reed and then-manager Mauricio Pellegrino bringing him to England.

How many appearances did Lemina make for Southampton?

The 30-year-old flop made 52 appearances for the Saints in all competitions over the course of his four-year stay on the south coast.

Lemina did, however, enjoy a fantastic debut season with the club as he became an instant success with his consistently impressive displays in the middle of the park.

The Gabon international averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.98 across 25 top-flight outings and caught the eye with his defensive and ball-carrying attributes.

He made 3.6 tackles and interceptions per game and showcased his strength with a duel success rate of 61%, as per Sofascore, which showed that opposition players rarely got the better of him in physical contests.

Out of every player with at least five Premier League appearances, only Oriol Romeu (2.7) made more tackles per match than Lemina (2.2) as the ex-Old Lady ace displayed his ability to win possession back for his side on a regular basis.

The former Marseille star once again showed off his dribbling skills with 2.2 successful dribbles and an excellent success rate of 89% across the top-flight campaign.

However, Lemina's form dipped throughout the following season as the central midfielder averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.89 over 21 appearances and only won 53% of his battles, to go along with 1.1 dribbles at a success rate of 64%.

His performance regressing over the course of the 2018/19 campaign led to loan moves to Galatasaray and Fulham over the 2019/20 and 2020/21 seasons respectively.

How much did Southampton sell Lemina for?

Southampton eventually sold the former Juventus maestro to Ligue 1 side Nice for a reported fee of €5.5m (£4.8m) in the summer of 2021.

This means that his value dropped by a staggering £10.6m throughout his four-year spell at St. Mary's, from the initial £15.4m that the club paid to sign him from Italy.

He was never able to follow up on his impressive first season on the south coast and ultimately turned out to be a poor signing as they did not get much value back on or off the pitch.

Therefore, Reed had a mare with the signing of the ex-Marseille gem in the summer of 2017 and he may look back on that as one of his worst pieces of business during his time at the club.

Where is Lemina now?

The central midfielder, who was once hailed as "combative" by journalist Josh Bunting, is currently playing for Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Premier League after his move to the Molineux from Nice in January of this year.

He has averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.85 across six top-flight matches so far this season and has completed 0.8 dribbles with a success rate of 50%. The former Juventus dynamo has also lost 51% of his individual duels for Gary O'Neil's side so far this term.

These statistics suggest that Lemina has not been able to get back to the levels that he showed during the 2017/18 campaign for Southampton and that the club's decision to sell him in 2021 has not come back to bite them.

However, they may well still regret their move to sign him from Turin in 2017 as his market value dropped considerably by the time they were able to cash in on his services.

Crystal Palace are back in action this afternoon in a repeat of Tuesday’s Carabao Cup battle, as the Eagles travel to Old Trafford to face Manchester United in the Premier League.

Earlier this week, Roy Hodgson’s side were defeated 3-0 in the league cup at this afternoon’s venue, as the two heavily rotated sides clashed for a place in the next round of the competition.

With the more favoured team expected to be restored against the Red Devils today, it’s hoped that the south Londoners can return to the capital more uplifted than they did last time out.

What is the latest Crystal Palace team news?

Besides the poor result and dreary performance in Manchester on Tuesday night, the narrative of the game was the injury to Dean Henderson.

On his return to his former club, the £20m shot-stopper was forced to withdraw after just 19 minutes on his debut, with Hodgson confirming that the goalkeeper will undergo scans to determine his fitness for this afternoon and going forward.

"He’s had a scan. The initial scan wasn’t very positive, I’m sorry to say, but he has another scan in a week’s time and maybe we’ll be lucky and that will show somewhat less damage than we saw in the first one, but it didn’t look like good news," the veteran revealed to reporters (via the club's official website) ahead of kick-off.

The Englishman joins a host of Palace stars on the sidelines, with Michael Olise suffering a setback on his road to recovery, and Naouirou Ahamada picking up an injury during training.

The Eagles’ striker Odsonne Edouard remains a doubt due to a hamstring niggle, with Jefferson Lerma nursing a similar problem to pile the pressure on the squad depth.

While injuries are concerning, so is form of late, with Hodgson’s side without a win in their previous three games in all competitions.

Against United last time out, the visitors had just 31% of possession, and failed to win a single corner in comparison to United’s seven during the 90-minute brawl.

Only Jean-Philippe Mateta and Jairo Riedewald from the starting 11 managed to secure Sofascore match ratings exceeding 7.0, with one first team regular having a shocker against Erik ten Hag’s side.

Should Jeffrey Schlupp be dropped against Manchester United?

Jeffrey Schlupp was particularly poor against the Red Devils, recording a Sofascore match rating of 6.3 for his lacklustre performance in Manchester.

The Ghanaian has maintained an average match rating in the Premier League this season of only 6.83, suggesting that time for rotation in the side could beckon, particularly as other players are pushing for places in the squad.

As per Sofascore, against United, the Premier League winner recorded no shots, and made just 26 touches, which included only 14 completed passes in the 60 minutes that he was on the pitch.

Former Racing Post editor Bruce Millington dubbed the midfielder as “poor”, adding that the 30-year-old is “getting worse” as his performances tick on for the Eagles.

With intel on how his side performed against Ten Hag’s inconsistent side earlier this week, Hodgson could test the waters by fielding a rotational talent such as Mateta or academy graduate Jesurun Rak-Sakyi ahead of Schlupp this afternoon.

Having failed to win any of his attempted aerial duels, and winning just 50% of his ground duels, via Sofascore, the former Leicester City man was ineffective against United’s midfield, with one fan accusing him of simply “watching” Casemiro.

The Brazilian went on to score against Palace, suggesting the lack of presence and threat Schlupp provided when fielded against this afternoon’s opposition on Tuesday.

Hodgson could make a point by dropping the £50k-per-week 30-year-old to allow other talents to make their mark, however, only time will tell if the manager will revise his favoured 11.

MatériaMais Notícias

O Vasco voltou a vencer após nove jogos de jejum na temporada. Apesar da dificuldade, a equipe derrotou o Caracas por 1 a 0 em São Januário e tem a vantagem do empate para o jogo de volta na Venezuela. A data foi marcante para o jovem Cayo Tenório, que fez sua estreia com a camisa do clube em uma competição internacional.

– Estou muito feliz de estrear em uma competição internacional. Desde a base que a gente vem trabalhando bastante para isso. E estou muito feliz com o empenho da equipe. Pelo resultado que a gente trabalhou durante a semana, veio buscando e Graças a Deus deu certo. Mas não tem nada definido, ainda tem jogo lá. Tem o jogo contra o Goiás no Brasileiro e agora é só seguir, que a gente sabe o caminho, e conquistar mais vitórias para o Vasco – revelou o atleta ao canal do Vasco no Youtube.

RelacionadasVascoApesar da vitória, Ricardo Sá Pinto alerta que ainda não está nada decidido: ‘Para mim está 50 a 50’Vasco29/10/2020VascoCastan exalta vitória do Vasco na Sul-Americana contra o Caracas: ‘Mesmo pequena, é uma vantagem’Vasco29/10/2020VascoATUAÇÕES: Tiago Reis e Guilherme Parede salvam o Vasco e recebem as melhores notas na vitória sobre o CaracasVasco28/10/2020

Além disso, o lateral direito revelou que a partida serviu para mostrar a força do elenco, já que a jogada do gol foi construída por dois jogadores que saíram do banco para dar a vitória ao Vasco: Guilherme Parede e Tiago Reis.

– Sim. É muito importante. O Mister (Ricardo Sá Pinto) vem trabalhando com toda a equipe e a gente viu a força do elenco hoje. O Parede pôde entrar e tocar para o Tiago e a gente vê a força do nosso grupo, que está bem focado para se recuperar no Brasileiro e dar sequência na Sul-Americana – frisou

Na próxima rodada do Campeonato Brasileiro, o Vasco volta a campo contra o Goiás, na Serrinha domingo, às 20h30. O time tenta se recuperar também na competição para deixar a zona de rebaixamento no duelo com o lanterna, fora de casa.

Arsenal’s unbeaten start to the 2023/24 campaign came to a premature end, as Mikel Arteta’s side were defeated 2-1 by RC Lens in the second fixture of the Champions League group stage.

History repeated itself when it came to the Gunners’ luck against the French outfit, adding salt to the wounds of the 1998/99 season in which the north Londoners suffered a loss and a draw against Lens in the tournament that term.

It was a night to forget for the Premier League side, who dominated 67% of possession to no avail, as the hosts had an answer to Gabriel Jesus’ first-half opener and more.

How did Arsenal play against Lens?

Despite having the majority of the ball and registering six shots on target to Lens’ three, it was Franck Haise’s squad that took three points from the affair, thanks to goals from Adrien Thomasson and Elye Wahi.

Thomasson’s spectacular curling strike cancelled out Jesus’ 14th-minute opener, in what was a moment that played a significant part in goalkeeper David Raya’s terrible Sofascore match rating of just 6.3.

The Spaniard gave the ball away needlessly to allow the hosts to equalise, with the mistake not taking anything away from the Frenchman’s expertly crafted finish.

Since arriving on loan from Brentford, the Barcelona-born shot-stopper has been promoted to Arteta’s number one, with tonight marking perhaps the first questionable performance that the 28-year-old has played while representing the Gunners.

Ending the game with a mediocre pass completion rate of 80%, Raya completed just three out of his 12 attempted long balls and recorded -0.79 goals prevented, making just one save in the tie.

Football.London journalist Kaya Kaynak gave the Brentford loanee a match rating of just 5/10, however, he wasn’t the only player to receive such a poor rating from Kaynak.

How did Oleksandr Zinchenko play against Lens?

Also scoring a 5/10 match rating from football.London was Oleksandr Zinchenko, who had his performance dubbed as “horrible” by writer Lewis Ambrose.

Ambrose criticised the Ukrainian for giving the ball away “so often”, which was a fair analysis as the former Manchester City defender lost possession eight times and failed to complete a single dribble attempt, via Sofascore.

It’s not an unusual area of critique that the 26-year-old is summoned to, as supported by his average of losing possession 7.8 times per game so far this term in the Premier League, seeing his defensive work branded as a “liability” by This Week in Arsenal podcaster @ltarsenal.

One element of Zinchenko’s game that was celebratory was his passing ability, as showcased by his pass completion rate of 91% during the game, although the Ukraine international was too often caught far from his unoccupied space at left-back.

In his post-match ratings for football.london, Kaynak described the four-time Premier League winner as being ‘sucked out of position far too easily’, a habit that inevitably allowed Lens to play into space for their winner. What also didn't help was his lack of physicality, losing 100% of his duels.

The most daunting part for the Gunners isn’t the performance or defeat, but the injury blow to Bukayo Saka who could be set for a spell on the sidelines ahead of Arteta’s side’s huge matchup against Manchester City on Sunday.

It’ll be interesting to see if Zinchenko is selected to line up against his former club, after displaying a woeful performance in France that contributed to Arsenal’s first defeat of the season.

Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino has identified one of Europe's best strikers as his top target, transfer insider Dean Jones has now revealed.

Which striker are Chelsea signing?

Despite their heavy spending under the ownership of Todd Boehly, Chelsea remain keen on making new additions to the squad in the January transfer window, particularly in attack, having already taken the first steps towards signing Brentford's Ivan Toney.

As reported by London World, the Blues are leading the race for the 27-year-old, who is Pochettino's ideal choice, as he is English, at the right age and proven in the Premier League, with the manager holding talks with Boehly to lay the groundwork for the signing.

In a recent article for GiveMeSport, Jones has written about Nicolas Jackson's struggles at the start of the campaign, with the striker's return of one goal from an xG of 3.0, even prior to the game against AFC Bournemouth, ranking as the worst disparity in the league.

As such, Pochettino may have to enter the market for a new forward in the January transfer window, and an approach for Toney is being contemplated, although he will not come cheap, with reports detailing Brentford may hold out for as much as £80m.

Ollie Watkins, Lautaro Martinez and Dusan Vlahovic have all been considered, but Jones has revealed that Victor Osimhen is at the top of Chelsea's list, despite his huge price tag, with Napoli quoting Paris Saint-Germain a fee of £172m in the summer.

However, the Blues may have to wait until next June if they are to make a move for the Nigerian, with Jones detailing that a move would "not seem possible" in January.

Instead, Toney would be a more "gettable" option, while Watkins' availability is likely to depend on whether he commits to a new contract by the time the winter transfer window opens.

How good is Victor Osimhen?

The 24-year-old has made year-on-year progress with Napoli since arriving ahead of the 2020-21 season, reaching double figures for Serie A goals in the 2020-21 campaign before going on to score 26 in 32 appearances last term.

Over the past year, the Nigerian has been a constant threat in and around the opposition penalty box, ranking in the 99th percentile for touches in the attacking penalty area and shots taken per 90, when compared to his positional peers.

The only concern over signing Osimhen is the transfer fee he is likely to command, especially considering Chelsea have already spent over £1bn under Boehly's stewardship, and they need to make sure they abide by Financial Fair Play regulations.

Pochettino could raise some funds ahead of the January transfer window by selling Trevoh Chalobah and Conor Gallagher, both of whom have recently been linked with a move away, but in reality it seems likely they will have to wait until next summer.

Lauded as "world class" by CBS commentator Matteo Bonetti, Osimhen could be the missing piece of the jigsaw for Chelsea, but they will need to improve their current league position if they are to attract him to Stamford Bridge.

Manchester United have reportedly made a first move for a teenage talent, however, the Red Devils aren’t the only Premier League side keen.

What’s the latest Man United transfer news?

Although a takeover from the Glazers has yet to materialise in 2023, the club were still busy during the summer transfer window. Erik ten Hag received the backing from the Old Trafford board, with seven new players arriving at the club ahead of his second season in charge.

Rasmus Hojlund, Mason Mount and Andre Onana were the three big-money additions, whereas Altay Bayindir also completed a permanent move. Jonny Evans returned on a free transfer and Sofyan Amrabat and Sergio Reguilon sealed late loan moves to Manchester from Fiorentina and Tottenham.

On the pitch, Ten Hag’s side have recently recorded back-to-back wins in a matter of days against Burnley and Crystal Palace following a tricky start. Another Old Trafford meeting against Crystal Palace in the Premier League is next on the agenda for United, but it looks as if transfer plans are being made behind the scenes ahead of the New Year.

According to reliable transfer expert Fabrizio Romano on X, both Man United and Chelsea have scouted Flamengo teenager Lorran, who has a €50m release clause in his current deal and already shares an agency with some Brazilian stars.

“Understand Manchester United and Chelsea scouts recently tracked Lorran, Brazilian top talent born in 2006. Release clause included in his Flamengo deal: €50m.

“He signed with Roc Nation Sports Brazil, the agency of JayZ — with Vinicius Jr, Paqueta, Martinelli, Endrick.”

Who is Lorran?

Lorran is just 17 years of age and is progressing through the Flamengo academy. The Brazilian has already featured on four occasions for the first team and is labelled by Transfermarkt as an attacking midfielder who can also turn out as a second striker.

Football talent scout Jacek Kulig has labelled his pace, power, athleticism, dribbling, technique, ball control and shot power as ‘very strong’ attributes, so he appears to be a real star in the making with the scout adding that he ‘has the potential to become a key player in a top European league’. Kulig has also claimed that the youngster’s best position is actually as a right-winger in a 4-3-3 system, so he could be seen as a potential long-term replacement for Jadon Sancho at Old Trafford.

Sancho and Ten Hag have been involved in an off-field stand-off after the latter left the winger out of the squad against Arsenal due to his performances in training. The attacker stated he has been made a scapegoat on social media and neither Sancho nor Ten Hag are currently backing down, which may end up in an Old Trafford exit in January with the club expecting to receive offers for his services.

A possible move for Bayern Munich’s Serge Gnabry is being eyed as a result, but when it comes to the long-term future on the right-hand side, perhaps United feel Lorran could be their man, making this one to keep an eye on over the coming months.