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Just as Wolverhampton Wanderers fans must have thought their relegation-threatened side had turned a corner, a 4-2 defeat at the hands of AFC Bournemouth would grimly greet them.

Gary O’Neil would have been doubly upset at the outcome of the Cherries encounter having previously managed the away side before taking up the Old Gold vacancy.

A number of the Wolves first-team failed to spark into life in this action-packed defeat, as relegation concerns overwhelm the West Midlands outfit once more.

Wolves' underperformers vs Bournemouth

It wasn’t a display that was completely devoid of any positivity, however, with Jorgen Strand Larsen impressing again for the Old Gold in attack with two strikes in the high-octane contest.

But, it was the defenders that really struggled to keep tabs on the confident Bournemouth attackers, away from any plus points involving the Nordic forward.

Toti Gomes would, in particular, stand out as a notable underperformer at the back, with the out-of-sorts centre-back gifting Bournemouth their first penalty of the day after he rashly tangled with Justin Kluivert after only three minutes.

Moreover, Jose Sa between the sticks would be at fault for the other two penalties in the frantic clash, as the Portuguese goalkeeper had to fish the ball out of his net a depressing four times.

Away from the defenders, midfielder Joao Gomes would likely have trudged off the Molineux turf frustrated with his performance, which saw the usually forceful number eight only win five of his 13 duels, on top of surrendering possession a costly 13 times.

With their form in mind this term, O’Neil and Co would surely love to turn back time and have this player at their disposal in the centre of the pitch…

Wolves loan flop is now a European sensation

The player in question here is Vitinha, who joined Wolves in the midst of the Portuguese invasion that engulfed the Premier League side in the summer of 2020, with Fabio Silva and Nelson Semedo also joining the Molineux ranks around this time.

Whilst both players remain on the books of the top-flight strugglers to this day, Vitinha walked away from Wolves after an unmemorable loan stint, having only played 22 times for the club with just one goal and one assist registered next to his name.

His only strike for the West Midlands side would amazingly come away at non-league Chorley in the FA Cup, with the slick 5 foot 8 ace now front and centre of Luis Enrique’s new-look Paris St. Germain, away from playing against obscure teams from England.

The PSG number 17 is 109 games down at the Parc Des Princes after a bumper £35m move from Porto took place in 2022, with the 25-time Portugal international stunning last time out in Ligue 1 action versus Nantes, whilst Wolves stumbled to defeat in the Premier League.

Staggeringly, Vitinha would end up amassing a ridiculous 183 touches of the ball up against Antoine Kombouaré’s visitors, with 158 accurate passes also managed as a constant livewire attempting to make things happen for his French employers.

Wolves would love to have their former flop back if he could dazzle in the top flight in a similar manner, as opposed to the uninspiring displays he conjured up during his brief spell at Molineux, with the Old Gold even deciding against buying him outright at the end of the loan.

That might well be a decision that they now regret, with Vitinha aiming to keep these stylish displays for PSG coming all the whole O’Neil’s men anxiously battle against relegation back in England.

86 touches: Wolves star has just given O'Neil a big selection headache

Wolves ace has given O’Neil a big selection headache in new position

By
Connor Holden

Dec 1, 2024

اختارت جماهير فريق ليفربول، رجل المباراة أمام وست هام، عقب المواجهة التي جمعت الفريقين اليوم الأحد.

والتقى ليفربول ووست هام في إطار مباريات الجولة الثانية والثلاثين لبطولة الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز “البريميرليج”.

وحقق ليفربول الفوز على وست هام، بهدفين مقابل هدف، وسجل له لويس دياز وفيرجيل فان دايك.

وحصل أليسون بيكر، حارس مرمى ليفربول على أعلى نسبة تصويت من الجماهير، كأفضل لاعب في المباراة أمام وست هام.

اقرأ أيضًا | سلوت يفسر تصريح فان دايك الغامض ويصرّح: رأيت محمد صلاح مجددًا

ونال أليسون، جائزة رجل المباراة بتصويت جماهير ليفربول، 3 مرات خلال الموسم الحالي، وهو ثالث أكثر اللاعبين حصولاً عليها، أما محمد صلاح هو أكثر الفائزين بها (13 مرة).

ويتصدر ليفربول ترتيب الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز برصيد 76 نقطة، يليه آرسنال في المركز الثاني بـ 63 نقطة.

Half-centuries from Marizanne Kapp and Fargana Hoque go in vain in their respective matches

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Mar-2022South Africa will head into the World Cup on the back of two losses in their warm-up games. After going down to India, they were handed a comprehensive six-wicket defeat to England in Lincoln on Wednesday.Heather Knight opted to bowl in a clash reduced to 35-overs-a-side, and South Africa let themselves down with the bat, slumping to 138 for 9 as Anya Shrubsole and Sophie Ecclestone picked five for 41 between them. In reply, England lost four wickets, but knocked off the runs in just 26.3 overs.Laura Wolvaardt, fresh off a 95-ball 83 against India, fell for a duck. Tazmin Brits, her opening partner, struggled to get going, making a 44-ball 13 as a follow-up to her duck against India.Shrubsole, Ecclestone, Katherine Brunt and Kate Cross were all among the wickets as the South African failed to get momentum at any stage. It was only a 65-run stand for the sixth wicket, between Marizanne Kapp and Chloe Tryon, that gave South Africa some respectability.The two got together at the fall of Brits’ wicket, and while they didn’t set the game alight, they chipped away. Tryon fell for 27, but Kapp carried on till she became the ninth batter out, for a 60-ball 52, with five fours.Stopping England short was always going to be a tall ask for South Africa, but Ayabonga Khaka gave them a great start with the ball, taking out Lauren Winfield-Hill and Heather Knight cheaply. But a 33-run stand between Tammy Beaumont, who scored 35, and Nat Sciver, who scored 33 before retiring hurt, put England in the box seat.By the time they were done, the target was just a few hits away, and Amy Jones, Danni Wyatt and Sophia Dunkley finished off the job.Fatima Sana gestures to the camera after returning a four-wicket haul•AFP/Getty ImagesIn an even contest, Pakistan edged Bangladesh with a seven-run (DLS) win in Lincoln, Fargana Hoque’s 95-ball 71 ending up being second-best to Fatima Sana’s 4 for 47 on the day.After keeping Pakistan to 199 for 7 in 42 overs, Bangladesh had a revised target of 202, and gave it a good tilt, mainly courtesy Hoque. Sana did the initial damage, reducing Bangladesh to 29 for 2, but Hoque and captain Nigar Sultana fought back with a 42-run stand.That, and the 49 runs Hoque and an enterprisingRumana Ahmed added for the fourth wicket, gave Bangladesh a good shot at overhauling the target, but there wasn’t much support for Hoque as Sana came back to pick up two more wickets, including that of Hoque, and Bangladesh were bowled out seven runs short with four balls remaining in the chase.Earlier, good hands in the middle order from Javeria Khan (44) and captain Bismah Maroof (32), and lower down from Aliya Riaz and Sana meant that Pakistan put up a total that was eventually enough for them.Before any of them came into the picture, though, it was the Fariha Trisna show, as the left-arm medium-pacer sent back the Pakistan top three of Nahida Khan, Sidra Ameen and Muneeba Ali with just 38 on the board by the tenth over.But the senior pros, Javeria and Maroof, took control after that with a 73-run stand in 15-and-a-half overs. Riaz and Sana then provided the innings with some muscle towards the end with a 66-run stand for the seventh wicket, the runs coming in good time, in 12 overs. That, in the end, made the different in a weather-affected game.

Looking to solve their centre-back problem for years to come, Newcastle United and Paul Mitchell have reportedly set their sights on a 20-year-old defender who has been likened to Real Madrid’s Antonio Rudiger.

Newcastle transfer news

Since missing out on Marc Guehi in the summer transfer window, Newcastle have needed another central defender. They failed to turn towards alternative options a few months ago, instead putting all their eggs in one basket before watching every single one of those eggs splatter when Guehi stayed put at Selhurst Park. And now, they must not make the same mistake twice.

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The Magpies want a Fox.

Posts 1 ByBarney Lane Nov 19, 2024

They have at least bounced back on the pitch recently, however, easing past high-flying Nottingham Forest 3-1 to send a statement throughout the Premier League just when Alexander Isak begins to rediscover his goalscoring boots at the perfect time. The form of the Swede has only continued in the international break too, in what is a positive sign of things to come for Newcastle.

Whilst their star striker has continued his form away from St James’ Park, meanwhile, the Magpies have seemingly been turning their attention towards potential reinforcements.

According to Graeme Bailey for The Boot Room, Mitchell is now battling to sign Joel Ordonez for Newcastle ahead of the likes of Aston Villa, Nottingham Forest, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Brighton & Hove Albion in 2025. The 20-year-old centre-back is certainly a man in demand and a player who could solve Newcastle’s centre-back problem.

Standing at 6ft 2in, Ordonez has earned comparisons with Real Madrid star Rudiger, who once starred in the Premier League with Chelsea, where he won the Champions League. If Ordonez takes a similar path, he’ll be desperate to enjoy the same success as the German.

"Complete" Ordonez can partner Botman

Given that Fabian Schar is now 32 years old and gradually edging past his prime, it won’t be long before Newcastle will need to think about finding a new partner for Sven Botman at the heart of their backline. When the Dutchman returns from his ACL injury, there’s no doubt that he will hand the Magpies a much-needed boost to make all the difference, but he will need a reliable partner by the time next season arrives at the very least.

Still just 20 years old, Ordonez could arrive at St James’ Park behind Schar in the pecking order before being moulded into the ideal option to replace the Swiss defender next to Botman. Dubbed “complete” by Football Talent Scout’s Jacek Kulig, the Club Brugge man certainly has the ability to do exactly that.

A player to watch, Newcastle may need to act quickly if they are to sign the in-demand Ordonez in 2025.

CAB president Avishek Dalmiya, former captain Laxmi Ratan Shukla have also tested positive

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Jan-2022A day after news that there were seven Covid-19 cases in the Bengal Ranji Trophy camp, five of the six players who had tested positive as well as the team’s assistant coach were named in the party for their tournament-opener against Tripura in Bengaluru on January 13.The players in question are seniors Sudip Chatterjee and Anustup Majumdar, as well as Kazi Saifi, Geet Puri and Pradipta Pramanik. Sujit Yadav, however, wasn’t considered. Assistant coach Saurasish Lahiri has also been named in the seven-man support staff line-up.Related

Ajinkya Rahane, Cheteshwar Pujara picked in Ranji Trophy squads; Hardik Pandya opts out

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Bengal’s practice sessions were called off on Monday, with their first two-day warm-up against Mumbai in Kolkata cancelled in the wake of the positive results that emerged following a routine round of testing conducted by the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB). And though there was the possibility of Bengal changing their travel plans and not leaving for Bengaluru, where they will play all their group games, on January 8, they are now expected to stick to the schedule.One notable inclusion in the squad is former India batter Manoj Tiwary. He last played red-ball cricket for Bengal in the 2019-20 Ranji Trophy final that the team lost to Saurashtra. After that, he turned to politics, and has since been West Bengal’s minister of state for youth affairs and sports.”I never thought about quitting cricket and I discussed it with our chief minister. She told me, ‘No problem, (keep playing)’. This is my profession and passion, which is the reason I didn’t announce my retirement. Whatever I am today is because of my cricket,” Tiwary told the . “I will be available on phone and will monitor everything, and I’m very confident that I will be able to shoulder the dual responsibility.”CAB president tests positive tooCAB president Avishek Dalmiya, meanwhile, was admitted to a Kolkata hospital after testing positive for Covid-19. He said in a Facebook post that he had developed fever on Monday and his RT-PCR test showed “positive with high viral load”.Dalmiya will be administered the same course of treatment as BCCI president Sourav Ganguly, after he had tested positive for the virus and admitted to hospital last week.”As a precautionary measure, he was shifted to the Woodlands Hospital where he will receive Monoclonal Antibody Cocktail therapy and is currently in a stable condition,” a CAB official told PTI.Former Bengal captain Laxmi Ratan Shukla, the coach of the state’s Under-23 team, has also tested positive for Covid-19. A CAB official said that Shukla had “high fever”. He has been advised home isolation.Bengal squad for Ranji opener: Abhimanyu Easwaran (capt), Manoj Tiwary, Sudip Chatterjee, Anustup Majumdar, Abhishek Raman, Sudip Gharami, Abhishek Das, Writtick Chatterjee, Ritwick Roy Chowdhury, Abhishek Porel (wk), Ishan Porel, Shahbaz Ahmed, Sayan Mondal, Akash Deep, Mukesh Kumar, Kazi Saifi, Sakir Gandhi, Geet Puri, Pradipta Pramanik, Karan Lal, Nilkantha Das

MatériaMais Notícias

O Corinthians tem cinco espaços para inserir na lista principal de inscritos para o Campeonato Paulista. No documento publicado no site oficial da Federação Paulista de Futebol, o Timão registrou somente dois goleiros e 19 atletas de linha, sendo que o limite é de três atletas para o gol e 23 nas outras posições.

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Ainda também a lista B, onde jogadores nascidos até 2001, comprovadamente formados pela base corintiano e com pelo menos um ano de clube, que possui até aqui três jogadores: o goleiro Matheus Donelli, o meia Gabriel Pereira e o atacante Gustavo Mantuan, todos eles que figuram há algum tempo no time principal do Corinthians, mas no qual a diretoria alvinegra aproveitou a ‘brecha’ para dar espaço na primeira lista.

> TABELA: Confira a tabela do Paulistão e simule os próximos jogos
​
Diferentemente da relação inicial, a segunda não possui limitação de atletas nem limite de tempo para registro. Jogadores que disputaram a Copa São Paulo de Futebol Júnior e estão sendo observados pelo técnico Sylvinho ainda pode pintar na lista B deste Paulistão.

Entre os jogadores que figuram no elenco principal corintiano mas que ainda não foram registrados pelo clube no Estadual estão o goleiro Guilherme Castelani; o zagueiro recém-contratado Robson Bambu; os meias Cantillo, Roni e Ruan Oliveira; e o atacante Jô. Além desses, o goleiro Ivan está por detalhes de ser contratados. Com isso, são sete atletas disputando cinco vagas.

A tendência é que Castelani e Ruan Oliveira, que está machucado e não joga desde setembro de 2020, fiquem de fora.

Os demais ainda não foram registrados por motivos distintos: Bambu foi contratado recentemente e ainda aprimora a forma física, assim como Jô, que perdeu os primeiros dias de pré-temporada por ter sido contaminado pelo novo coronavírus. Cantillo está entregue a seleção colombiana e Roni se recupera de dores na coxa.

A data limite para inscrever atletas na lista A do Paulistão é o dia 25 de fevereiro.

Confira as listas A e B do Timão para o Campeonato Paulista:

Lista A

Goleiros: Carlos Miguel e Cássio
Laterais: Bruno Melo, Fábio Santos, Fagner, João Pedro e Lucas Piton
Zagueiros: Gil, João Victor e Raul Gustavo
Meias: Adson, Du Queiroz, Gabriel, Giuliano, Luan, Paulinho, Renato Augusto, Willian e Xavier
Atacantes: Gustavo Mosquito e Róger Guedes

Lista B

Goleiros: Matheus Donelli
Meias: Gabriel Pereira
Atacantes: Gustavo Mantuan

Leeds United head into the second international break of the 2024/25 campaign with only one defeat in nine matches in the Championship so far.

Despite their impressive record, there may be some disappointment in the fact that they have only won two of their last five outings in the division.

After their 1-0 loss to Burnley at Elland Road, Daniel Farke’s side secured successive victories over Cardiff and Coventry, scoring five goals without reply in those games.

However, they have failed to win their last two matches in the Championship. They battled from 1-0 down to draw 1-1 with Norwich City at Carrow Road before they conceded in the 97th minute to draw 2-2 with Sunderland at the Stadium of Light in their most recent game.

Leeds head into the break off the back of that late blow on Wearside, which cost them two points, and will have to stew over that for the next two weeks.

Illan Meslier, who allowed the ball to bounce and watched it spin back into his net, will have to move on from that error quickly and train hard to ensure that there are no more major mistakes in the games to come.

Illan Meslier's Championship form for Leeds

The Frenchman has not found the Championship an easy place to perform since the Whites were relegated from the Premier League at the end of the 2023/24 campaign.

Farke arrived at Elland Road in the summer of 2023 and has ensured that his Leeds team have been dominant and defensively sound at this level over the past 14 months, for the most part.

They have the second-best xGA per 90 (0.95) in the second tier so far this season, and had the best xGA per 90 (1.01) in the league during the 2023/24 term.

This means that Meslier has been the most well protected goalkeeper in the Championship since the start of last term, as his defence has not allowed many high-quality chances for opposition players to fire at his goal.

Despite that, the 24-year-old dud has still managed to underperform as a shot-stopper and has been a liability at times for Farke with his weak goalkeeping.

Last term, the left-footed giant let in 4.49 more goals than expected, based on the xG of the shots against him, and made two errors that directly led to shots or goals for the opposition in his 44 matches during the regular season.

Meslier’s shot-stopping does not appear to have improved during the off-season as the French flop has already let in 1.47 more than expected in nine matches in the current campaign.

He has also already matched his tally for errors that directly led to a goal (one) from last season, with his huge mistake for the late equaliser at the Stadium of Light.

Leeds are vying to earn promotion back to the Premier League at the second time of asking and will not want their goalkeeper’s errors and underperformance as a shot-stopper to prevent them from doing so, which is why they could dip into the market in January to revisit one of their former targets.

Leeds once wanted Championship colossus

In the summer of 2023, after the club moved to appoint Farke as the new head coach, the West Yorkshire outfit were reportedly interested in signing Norwich City star Angus Gunn to compete for a place between the sticks.

The Athletic’s Phil Hay revealed, on The Square Ball podcast, during that summer transfer window that the Whites had drawn up a shortlist of goalkeeping options to challenge Meslier for his starting place, and named the Scotland international as one of their targets.

Karl Darlow was also mentioned as a player the club appreciated and the Newcastle United outcast ended up being the one to come in on a permanent deal, but he has failed to dislodge the Frenchman so far.

That was not the first time that Leeds had been interested in Gunn. It was reported that Marcelo Bielsa wanted to bring him to Elland Road from Southampton in the summer of 2021, but Farke – managing Norwich at the time – beat the Argentine boss to his services for a fee of £5m.

The German head coach must now revisit his interest from 2023 and sign the Scottish colossus for the third time in his career, having snapped him up on loan from Manchester City in 2017 and on a permanent deal from the Saints in 2021, in order to finally ditch Meslier.

Why Leeds should sign Angus Gunn

Firstly, the 28-year-old star is out of contract at the end of the season and this means that he could be available in January if the Canaries are unable to pin him down to an extension, as he would be free to leave for nothing at the end of the season if they do not cash in then.

Gunn, who was hailed as “exceptional” for Scotland by Joe Hart earlier this year, is a proven Championship performer who has been in terrific form for the Canaries at that level over the past two-and-a-bit seasons between the sticks.

This season, the Scottish ace has saved 71% of the shots against his goal and made 0.9 successful run-outs per match, to earn a Sofascore rating of 6.94.

As you can see in the table above, Gunn significantly outperformed Meslier in the 2023/24 Championship campaign with his superb performances for Norwich.

Their respective statistics suggest that Leeds would have conceded around nine fewer goals than they did with the Scottish ace in goal, as he prevented 4.55 goals for the Canaries with his shot-stopping, whilst Meslier let in 4.49 more than expected.

Gunn is also more proactive in coming off his line to sweep up behind his defence, as shown by his 0.3 more successful run-outs last term, and that could help to alleviate some pressure off the likes of Pascal Struijk and Joe Rodon when balls go down the channels and in behind.

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1

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Therefore, Farke must swoop to sign the Norwich star, who also saved 72% of shots against him in the 2022/23 season, in January to finally ditch Meslier from the starting XI.

Chelsea get their UEFA Conference League campaign kicked off on Thursday, as they take on KAA Gent at Stamford Bridge.

The Belgian side have won three of their last five games, drawing once, and losing once. Gent have managed to score 11 goals in these past five games, conceding five times.

Enzo Maresca’s men come into this game having won their last four games in all competitions, scoring 13 and only conceding twice in those past four games.

But Chelsea could be set for a whole host of changes, one of them which could see a poor performer from the weekend dropped to the bench.

Why Robert Sanchez needs to be dropped

Cole Palmer stole the show on Saturday afternoon but his teammate Robert Sanchez certainly tried his hardest to make sure the Blues didn’t walk away with all three points.

Given a 2/10 match rating by The Standard, it was an incredibly poor display against his former club, Brighton, despite Chelsea winning 4-2.

Indeed, Sanchez made two big errors, both of which led to goals that very nearly cost the hosts the victory.

One of those mistakes saw the stopper hand the ball straight to Carlos Baleba who was only too happy to oblige and find the back of the net.

On the whole, Sanchez has revived his career at Stamford Bridge, however, managing to keep two clean sheets already this season, with 1-0 and 3-0 victories over Bournemouth and West Ham.

In Chelsea’s 1-0 win against Bournemouth, the gloveman was particularly impressive, saving a penalty, and making seven total saves in the game, putting in one of his best performances since signing.

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Despite that, he is in need of a kick up the backside and potentially some pressure from his goalkeeping colleagues could do the job.

The goalkeeper to replace Sanchez

Chelsea signed 22-year-old Filip Jorgensen from Villarreal over the summer for a fee of around £20.7m. Last campaign, Jorgensen made 37 appearances for the Spanish side, conceding 64 goals, and keeping six clean sheets.

But it isn’t his shot-stopping that stands out. The Danish star is well-known for being good on the ball, comfortable recycling play and passing it around the back during build-up patterns of play.

Jorgensen has already made three appearances for the Blues, starting both of their UECL Qualifiers, and their EFL Cup game against Barrow. In those three fixtures, Jorgensen has conceded twice, and kept two clean sheets.

The 22-year-old has been starting cup competitions, whilst Sanchez starts the Premier League matches, but if Jorgensen continues to impress, and the Spaniard makes more mistakes, the roles could eventually be reversed.

Sanchez vs Jorgensen comparison (23/24 season)

Stats (per 90 mins)

Sanchez

Jorgensen

Goals Against

1.44

1.73

Shots on Target Against

4.16

5.59

Saves

2.73

3.89

Save %

69.0%

72.0%

Clean Sheet %

23.8%

16.2%

Passes Attempted

38.3

35.9

Pass Completion %

82.1%

81.1%

Stats taken from FBref

The stats tell us Jorgensen faced more shots last season, therefore managing to make more saves, and have a higher save percentage. However, Sanchez did keep more clean sheets, and concede fewer goals per 90, but this can also be attributed to the level of defence in front of him, compared to their summer signing.

The Spain international managed more passes attempted, and a higher pass completion, but again, these metrics must take into account the team he is playing for, Chelsea being a more possession-based side, who had more touches and short passes in their own half than Villarreal last term.

Maresca could turn to Jorgensen in the Premier League soon, if he thinks the 22-year-old is ready, especially if Sanchez has more games like the Brighton one, where two goals came from his mistakes.

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

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Sunderland manager Regis Le Bris has confirmed that an “impressive” player has picked up an injury, having missed the defeat to Plymouth Argyle.

Sunderland suffer shock defeat

The Black Cats turned up for their Championship clash with Plymouth on Saturday full of confidence, having won all four of their opening games in the competition this season. For that reason, they were resounding favourites to pick up another victory, but things didn’t pan out that way.

A Patrick Roberts penalty in the first half gave Sunderland the lead, suggesting that three more points were coming their way, but Le Bris’ men found themselves 2-1 down relatively late on.

Just when it looked as though Romaine Mundle had snatched a point for the visitors, they conceded in stoppage time, sending the travelling fans home miserable. It was a disappointing afternoon for anyone of a Sunderland persuasion, with the defeat acting as a reality check in the Championship promotion battle, but they still look like one of the leading contenders to be in the mix come the end of the season, and are still top of the table.

Le Bris confirms Sunderland injury

Speaking after the loss to Plymouth, Le Bris confirmed that Ian Poveda missed the game through injury, with a thigh problem keeping him sidelined, acting as a concern alongside star centre-back Dan Ballard, who limped off and was on crutches and in a brace after the Home Park loss: “He felt a small discomfort on his thigh so he was not available, but we think that it is not serious”, said Le Bris on Poveda.

Poveda’s absence on Saturday wasn’t ideal for Sunderland, given the attacking quality he possesses, potentially being a difference-maker with his unpredictability in the final third. The 24-year-old has only featured for 17 minutes of action for the Black Cats after joining from Leeds United on a permanent basis in the summer transfer window, but he is a talented footballer who Leeds United manager Daniel Farke once said of:

“Ian came back with a smile on his face, lots of confidence because he had good performances on this level. He was also quite impressive during this training week. I like what he’s showing so far.”

As Le Bris alludes to, it doesn’t look as though Poveda’s injury is serious, so the hope is that he is back in the fold as soon as possible, and he is going to be an exciting player to watch in the coming months.

Granted, the two-cap Colombia international has had a nomadic career to date, spending time at Blackburn Rovers, Blackpool and Sheffield Wednesday, all on loan, but the hope is that he can now settle at Sunderland and be an important squad player for Le Bris.

Liverpool now register interest in "wonderful" Real Madrid target for Slot

He’s a future star.

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He is still only 24 years of age, so he has plenty of time on his side, and it is now a case of finding the right club and kicking on, hopefully making up for the departure of Jack Clarke in the process.

Mike Hendrick, the former Derbyshire and England seamer who was also Ireland’s first professional coach, has died at the age of 72.Hendrick, a tall seamer known for his classical side-on action and capable of expertly harnessing English conditions, played 30 Tests and 22 ODIs for England, as well as enjoying a long career in county cricket with Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire. Although he never claimed a Test five-for, his average of 25.83 was lower than many of his contemporaries, including Ian Botham, John Snow and Geoff Arnold.His career began at Derbyshire in 1969 and he was first capped against India at Old Trafford in 1974. His finest hour came at Headingley in 1977 when his match figures of 8 for 95 helped England to regain the Ashes (although his efforts were overshadowed by Geoff Boycott scoring his 100th first-class hundred). He also enjoyed success on the 1978-79 tour of Australia.Related

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• The hero who almost didn't play

• The hold-up at Headingley

Hendrick played the first Test of the 1981 Ashes and was famously selected ahead of Bob Willis for the third*, at Headingley – only for the invitation to be intercepted when Willis convinced the chairman of selectors, Alec Bedser, of his fitness.In one-day cricket, Hendrick was a key member of the side that reached the 1979 World Cup final, orchestrating a famous defence of 165 against Pakistan at Headingley – where he produced figures of 12-6-15-4 – and finishing as England’s leading wicket-taker in the tournament.In all, he took more than 700 wickets for Derbyshire during a 12-year playing career, as well as helping the club to lift the 1981 NatWest Trophy. He played three more seasons with Nottinghamshire, and was later appointed the club’s manager. He became Ireland coach in 1995, where he was widely praised for his role in raising standards during a five-year tenure, and later returned to Derbyshire as bowling coach.Hendrick, known for his dry wit, had been diagnosed with cancer of the bowel and liver and recently told the in an interview to mark the 40th anniversary of the 1981 Ashes: “I’m in the departure lounge, but the flight has not quite left yet.”*July 30, 2021, 12:00 GMT: An earlier version of this story wrongly identified it as the second Test.