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Ollie Pope in the spotlight as England choose not to bowl final 22 overs of third day

Matt Roller31-Aug-2024Eoin Morgan criticised England and Ollie Pope for a lack of killer instinct with “everything in their favour”, as their refusal to continue bowling spin from both ends brought the third day of their second Test against Sri Lanka to a premature close at Lord’s.Pope brought on Shoaib Bashir and Joe Root to bowl in tandem for three overs with Sri Lanka 24 for 1, after umpires Paul Reiffel and Joel Wilson determined that the light was too poor for seamers to bowl. It briefly improved enough for Matthew Potts and Olly Stone to return – with Stone dismissing Pathum Nissanka – before Bashir and Root returned for five further overs.With 22 overs left in the day, the players then left the field – with Pope seemingly keen to avoid further wear on the new ball – and did not return for the rest of the day. It was a notable contrast to his decision to stay on the field in similar bad light in the first Test at Emirates Old Trafford, where Root and Bashir bowled 12 consecutive overs of spin as Sri Lanka’s No.9 Milan Rathnayake made 72 in his debut innings.”I think it’s a questionable decision,” Morgan, who spent seven years as England’s white-ball captain, said on Sky Sports’ coverage. “The reason behind that is just the whole context of the last hour or so: it is dark. There’s a reason the seamers can’t bowl: it is dangerous for everybody concerned.”If you’re sitting in Sri Lanka’s changing room, you’re thinking, ‘Jeez the last place I want to be is out there with the bat in hand – facing anybody.’ It’s a lose-lose situation. I totally understand the concern for the condition of the ball, but you’re talking about England’s premium fingerspinner in Shoaib Bashir, who needs to bowl. The ball is turning and bouncing.”Sri Lanka had promoted Prabath Jayasuriya, who batted at No. 9 in the first innings, to No. 4 in a bid to reach the close of play unscathed. “They’re bowling at a No. 9 at one end. Everything is in England’s favour,” Morgan said. “I question the decision… you have runs to play with, you have two or three new balls, everything in your favour. And yet you’re sitting in the changing room.”Related

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England’s decision to come off meant a near-capacity crowd at Lord’s headed home early – in the face of the team’s stated desire to entertain. “We pride ourselves on wanting people to come into the ground and feel like they’ve had a really enjoyable day of cricket, and can walk away wanting to come back for more Test cricket,” Joe Root said, after the early close.Pope, who is deputising for Ben Stokes against Sri Lanka, has already come in for heavy criticism as captain, with Michael Vaughan suggesting that he is “not the kind of personality” for the role. After he was caught in the deep for 17 on Saturday when attempting to upper-cut Asitha Fernando over point, he has now scored 30 runs in four innings across the first two Tests.Jayasuriya successfully saw out 23 balls as Sri Lanka’s ‘lightwatchman’, with Dimuth Karunaratne 23 not out overnight. Sri Lanka still require a further 430 runs across the final two days for an improbable series-squaring win, but their batting coach Ian Bell suggested they still have some hope of saving the game.”The more we can spend time in the middle and that ball gets a bit softer…” Bell said. “This wicket has been quite a new-ball wicket, if you can get through that. There’s still plenty of batting, and that’s probably been the strength so far this tour: that middle-lower order have got some good runs. Tomorrow, the first hour is important and we’ll go from there.”Bell said he was pleased with the “character” that Sri Lanka showed on the third day: “What we asked the guys last night was to come in with the attitude that we saw in Manchester… A bit unfortunate to lose a second wicket in that little period of an over or two in between the bad light, but more of the same tomorrow.”It’s more the character we want to see, that we’ve seen so far in this tour. Obviously, you want to win games, but also want to see the guys fight for everything they’ve got in these conditions, which are a bit more tricky than what they play in in Sri Lanka.”

يظل الفرنسي زين الدين زيدان غائبًا عن مقاعد التدريب منذ ترك منصبه كمدير فني لفريق ريال مدريد، وكشفت تقارير عن وجهة غير متوقعه له.

زيدان سبق وتولى تدريب ريال مدريد على فترتين، وحقق خلالهما الفوز بثلاثة ألقاب لدوري أبطال أوروبا، وغادر منصبه في عام 2021.

ومنذ ذلك الحين، لم يتول زيدان تدريب أي نادٍ رغم ارتباطه بالكثير منها مثل مانشستر يونايتد ويوفنتوس، بالإضافة لارتباطه بتدريب منتخب فرنسا.

وبحسب ما أفادت صحيفة “بيلد” الألمانية نقلاً عن تقارير تركية، نادي فناربخشة التركي توصل إلى اتفاق مبدئي مع زين الدين زيدان لتدريب الفريق وخلافة المدرب البرتغالي جوزيه مورينيو.

وتركزت المحادثات بين الطرفين على الراتب وتفاصيل العقد، وبمجرد انتهاء هذه المحادثات، قد يتوجه زيدان إلى تركيا استعدادًا لتدريب الفريق.

وكان فناربخشة قد انفصل عن جوزيه مورينيو بنهاية شهر أغسطس عقب فشله في تصفيات دوري أبطال أوروبا ضد بنفيكا وانتقاداته للاعبين ومجلس إدارة النادي.

وارتبط فناربخشة بعدة مدربين بما في ذلك الإيطالي لوتشيانو سباليتي المدرب السابق لمنتخب إيطاليا، والذي رفض العرض لرغبته في البقاء مع عائلته.

كانت هناك أسماء أخرى أيضًا على طاولة فناربخشة، مثل أنجي بوستيكوجلو، مدرب توتنهام السابق، ودومينيكو تيديسكو، والمدرب التركي إسماعيل كارتال.

West Brom are showing an interest in completing the loan signing of a “sublime” Premier League player this summer, according to a new update.

West Brom eye signings ahead of Mason's first season

The Baggies will once again be among the favourites to seal a top six finish in the Championship next season, as is so often the case, with new manager Ryan Mason admitting he is excited about getting started at The Hawthorns.

“I’m absolutely thrilled to have been appointed Head Coach of West Bromwich Albion. This is a huge club with a fantastic infrastructure and an incredible fan base and I am excited about what we can achieve together. Having spoken at length to the board and those at the club I am convinced that Albion is the perfect place for me to be and I can’t wait to get started. I will bring with me a huge amount of enthusiasm, dedication and ambition and look forward to a positive future together at such a fantastic club.”

Mason will know that some new signings will be needed this summer, though, in order to aid West Brom’s promotion push, with Rangers forward Tom Lawrence mentioned as an experienced option who has proven himself in the past in the Championship.

Nottingham Forest left-back Harry Toffolo has also emerged as a rumoured option for West Brom, following his departure from the City Ground, with the Englishman set to be a free agent. Now, another name has been thrown into the hat for the Baggies.

West Brom want to sign "sublime" Premier League ace

According to a new update from The Express & Star, West Brom are considering the loan signing of Bournemouth midfielder David Brooks in the summer window, having joined them for £11.5m seven years ago.

The report states that a lack of regular starts for the Cherries last season means that “a departure from the Vitality Stadium, if only on a short-term basis, is considered a possibility this summer.”

Brooks, who scored for Southampton at The Hawthorns in a 2-0 win last year, could be a brilliant addition for West Brom, even if it’s just on loan, with the 27-year-old a gifted footballer who has been highly-rated for years, being lauded by Eddie Howe back in 2018:

“He has played ever so well for us, he has got a creative flair, non-stop energy and he took his goals really well today. He is a player that can do a little bit of everything, he is very good offensively, is creative, turns well with the ball and is very intelligent. His first goal was sublime and his second was very clever because he was running at an angle and just directed it backwards behind him which was really impressive.”

Appearances

29

Starts

9

Minutes played

952

Goals

2

Assists

0

Shots per game

0.9

Key passes per game

0.7

Pass completion rate

82.2%

The fact that Brooks is struggling to be a key starter for Bournemouth means that a temporary move away could appeal to him, and he has the technical quality to be an influential performer for West Brom, helping inspire them to a return to the Premier League.

Leeds United left it late on the final day of the Championship season but Manor Solomon’s dramatic strike right at the death would secure Daniel Farke’s men the title.

Amazingly, both the Whites and their nearest competitors in Burnley would end their mightily impressive campaigns on 100 points each, but Leeds’ sturdy goal difference would hand the esteemed honours over to Farke and Co, instead of more party celebrations taking place at Turf Moor.

But, as much as the West Yorkshire titans have been able to blow teams away with ease in the second tier, the Premier League is a different kettle of fish altogether.

Therefore, some potential attacking recruits are now being linked with a switch to Elland Road to help navigate the tricky step-up in quality.

Leeds' list of attacking targets

Already, Leeds have been linked with a whole host of new faces up top, with reports suggesting that the newly crowned champions might look to snap up Omari Hutchinson from recently relegated Ipswich Town.

Moreover, other rumours indicate that Leeds are intrigued by the prospect of bringing AZ Alkmaar goal machine Troy Parrott back to England, meaning the striker department would also be given a potential facelift.

Yet, there’s one name that sticks out as a top buy away from both Hutchinson and Parrott, with TBR Football revealing that Farke and Co are looking at a number of targets from Celtic, including Hoops attacking hotshot Nicolas Kuhn.

The Whites have had success when shopping from the Glasgow giants in the past, with Whites legend Mark Viduka once plying for his trade for the Scottish titans before becoming a fan’s favourite at Leeds. So, there’s clearly a proven recipe for success right here.

How Kuhn could be even better than James

If Kuhn can lift his game to be on the same level as Viduka’s – who would score a colossal 72 strikes for Leeds – he would further go down as a more impressive winger than Dan James over time, even with the Welshman fresh off just winning the Whites’ Player of the Year accolade.

James should be commended for how he’s managed to turn around his up-and-down stay at Elland Road, with the ex-Manchester United attacker undoubtedly a top-drawer talent in the EFL having previously struggled in the top-flight.

Indeed, the blistering number seven has tallied up a sizeable 41 goal contributions in league action over the last two seasons, but there will be a concern in the air lingering that the 56-time Wales international isn’t cut out for the bright lights of the Premier League.

Indeed, his best tally for a campaign up a division currently sits at a mere four goals and five assists.

On the flip side, Kuhn has proven again and again for Brendan Rodgers’ men – albeit in a far less strenuous top division in the Scottish Premiership – that he can dazzle defences under immense pressure. He’s even scored in the Champions League.

Staggeringly, across all competitions this campaign, including on Europe’s grandest stage, the German forward has amassed a bumper 34 goals and assists from 47 clashes, with a chance in the Premier League to come a deserved next step for the former RB Leipzig winger.

Kuhn’s numbers this season by competition (24/25)

Competition

Games

Goals

Assists

SPL

29

12

8

Champions League

10

3

1

SFA Cup

4

0

1

League Cup

4

5

4

Sourced by Transfermarkt

In contrast, James accumulated a lesser 21 from ten fewer clashes, meaning he could take a back-seat now down the right flank for the “breathtaking” winger, as he’s been lauded in the past by pundit Marvin Bartley, to take over.

Obviously, it isn’t set in stone that Kuhn will be able to instantly acclimatise to the pressures of the Premier League, but history might well repeat itself here, especially if the Hoops number 10 can prove he belongs at the daunting level like Viduka before him.

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Posts ByDan Emery May 5, 2025

A matter of days after Kevin Thelwell was relieved of his duties as Rangers’ sporting director, a former Premier League winger has revealed exactly why he rejected a move to Ibrox.

Cavenagh reveals reasoning behind Thelwell's Rangers exit

Thelwell’s exit looked on the cards as soon as he appointed Russell Martin. The sporting director instantly failed to win the fans over after a disastrous summer of decisions and has now paid the price alongside chief executive Patrick Stewart.

Revealing the news, chairman Andrew Cavenagh said: “Paraag and I have analysed the club’s needs, and as we reflect on what the club needs today, and where Kevin and Patrick are, we think we need something different.

“Our focus the first part of this season, the first part of our ownership period, has been on the sporting side and that’s where all of our attention went to for obvious reasons.

“With Danny coming in, he has started to improve the on-pitch performance, and that has created the space to allow Paraag and I to look at other parts of the club with new eyes and assess what we need going forward.”

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It’s a major decision from the 49ers, who have seen Rangers get back on track on the pitch since Danny Rohl’s arrival. The German has won all four of his Scottish Premiership games, but his side still sit nine points behind shock leaders Hearts to highlight the damage done by Martin’s time at the club.

Thelwell’s downfall can be pinpointed to his decision to hire Martin, but also his transfer decisions, including times when he missed out on top targets like Carlos Forbs.

Carlos Forbs reveals "one conversation" before Rangers rejection

Speaking to Belgian newspaper Het Belang van Limburg, Forbs revealed why he rejected Rangers and Thelwell in favour of a move to Club Brugge in the summer.

The former Wolverhampton Wanderers loanee had quite the decision to make in the summer and Thelwell just couldn’t lure him to Rangers in what was a sign of things to come.

Since then, the now-former sporting director failed to get deals over the line to hire the likes of Steven Gerrard, before finally turning to Rohl. From appointing Martin, to missing out on Forbs and then Gerrard, the clock was always ticking on Thelwell’s time in Scotland.

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This has not been a good week for Chelsea Football Club.

Down to ten men against league leaders Arsenal, they did at least salvage some pride from that game. To hold one of the best sides in Europe, if not the best side in Europe this season to a 1-1 draw with fewer players is certainly reason to celebrate.

However, a week on from defeating Barcelona in the Champions League, this midweek was a great deal more frustrating for Enzo Maresca and Co.

A game against Leeds United should have been easy, right? Think again. The Blues lost 3-1 and slipped further behind the Gunners in the race for the title. That dream looks over for another year, but according to Maresca, there is one big reason to remain positive.

Maresca shares good news for Chelsea

Maresca has admitted that Cole Palmer’s return to action at Elland Road was the only positive.

The attacking midfielder has been absent for a large portion of the season but has been back among the matchday squad across the last two games.

Palmer came off the bench in the 61st minute for his first outing since late September after toes and groin problems and understandably, that was the only consolation Chelsea’s Italian gaffer could extract from such a horror night on the road.

Maresca said: “Probably it’s the only good news of the night. I’m happy for him, he’s back, now he needs to build a little bit the physical condition and he will be important for us, for sure.

“He’s getting better, but he needs to play minutes. He had more-or-less half-an-hour, hopefully we can give him more in the next game.”

Palmer has been a breathtaking signing at Stamford Bridge, notably bagging 18 goals and registering 14 assists in all competitions for his club last season.

Well, Maresca will certainly need his talisman to rediscover that form after dropping points in consecutive fixtures.

Speaking about the result, the former Leicester City manager stated: “When you play the last two games against Barcelona and Arsenal, you expect a better performance, no doubt.

“But, for many reasons, it’s not going to be possible for every game again, because we change players, because we have players that we said many times it’s not possible to play every two, three days. When you change players, also the level drops, that is the reality, because they are important players for us. Moises, Reece (James), with these kind of players, we cannot use them every game. It’s impossible, because otherwise they can get injury again and be out for months.”

Chelsea are now fourth in the table after Aston Villa defeated Brighton in midweek. While the Blues looked in something of a title race last week, they are now nine points off top spot.

For the World Champions, you would expect that their hopes now rest on the cup competitions for the rest of the ongoing season.

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Robbie Walls

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Another week, and there are another three initiates of the 100-mph club. Zach “Big Sugar” Maxwell, 24, of the Reds, made his debut at 275 pounds and with an average fastball velocity of 100.7 mph. Joel Peguero, 28, averaged 101.1 mph for the Giants, and Bubba Chandler, 22, twice hit 100 mph in his debut for the Pirates.

You might think such big-arm pitchers were can’t-miss amateurs. But the universe of 100-mph throwers has expanded so far that Maxwell was a sixth-round pick, Peguero is pitching for his fifth organization in 10 years after signing his first pro contract and Chandler was a third-round pick.

With 20% of the season left to play, already we’ve seen more pitchers hit 100 mph (76) than in any complete season in baseball history (the record was 64 in 2022 and ’23).

This is the first generation of pitchers who have grown up under Velocity Inc., a catchall to describe the growth business of leveraging technology to teach velocity throughout the amateur market (colleges, private coaches, throwing labs, etc).

Compared to the same date of previous seasons, the number of pitchers who have hit 100 mph in the major leagues is up 38% from last year and from 2019, the last full season before the velocity revolution began on the other side of the COVID-19-impacted campaign.

From 2008 to ’19, the 100-mph club held relatively steady, with gradual increases. But you can see the classic “hockey stick” growth pattern since ’21, including the huge spike this year:

With so many high-octane throwers, it might be easy to dismiss Chandler as just another player who pitches at 100 mph. Didn’t we just see Chase Burns light up the radar gun for the Reds? He also posted a 5.24 ERA before landing on the IL with a flexor tendon strain. (Burns is set to resume throwing this week.)

Chandler is different. He has the best starting-pitcher arm to come along since his Pittsburgh teammate Paul Skenes, who made his debut last season. Chandler made his entry out of the bullpen, but make no mistake, he’s a true starter. Pirates GM Ben Cherington said Chandler “could earn” starts in “September or whenever.” He should be in the rotation now. Keep him on his routine (83 of his 89 games in the minors were as a starter) and let him learn the major league prep work when you know you’re facing a lineup in five or six days.

What makes Chandler special is that you don’t see starting pitchers with a fastball like his. It is elite in terms of velocity and induced vertical break, a fancy way of measuring how well a fastball fights gravity with its spin. A high IVB, or vert, means the baseball doesn’t drop as much as the hitter expects.

Chandler is one of only nine pitchers with a four-seam fastball that averages 98-plus mph with 17-plus inches of vert. Burns is the only other starting pitcher in that group.

What makes Chandler even more frightening for hitters is that he has the second-lowest release point of those elite-velocity, elite-vert pitchers. Chandler is 6' 3" but uses his legs so well and has such a low arm slot that his vert is even more troublesome for hitters. His Vertical Attack Angle is nasty—low release to a high point in the zone with elite carry. Burns, who is also 6' 3", throws from a high, over-the-top slot that is 7 1/3 inches higher than Chandler’s slot, which can create more stress on the shoulder. 

Here are the most elite fastballs in MLB as measured by velocity and vert. I added the vertical release point so you can see how Chandler comes at it from a different angle.

Four-Seam fastballs 98-plus MPH with 17-plus inch induced vertical break

	V.Rel.	mph	IVB
1. Jeremiah Estrada, Padres	5.94	98.0	19.8
2. Trevor Megill, Brewers	6.52	99.0	19.0
3. Aroldis Chapman, Red Sox	6.19	98.5	18.6
4. Mason Montgomery, Rays	5.84	98.7	18.5
5. Ryne Stanek, Mets	6.55	98.5	18.4
6. Robert Suárez, Padres	6.24	98.5	18.3
7. Chase Burns, Reds*	6.50	98.4	18.1
8. Ryan Helsley, Mets	6.16	99.4	17.6
9. Bubba Chandler, Pirates*	5.89	98.4	17.1
MLB Average	5.82	94.5	15.8

*Starting pitchers

Like Skenes and Jacob deGrom, one of his pitching models, Chandler was a two-way player and terrific athlete (he switch-hits and is ambidextrous enough to have played first base and pitched one inning in high school left-handed) who only recently took to pitching full-time. He threw 92 mph as a high school junior, after which he chased velocity by packing on pounds as a senior. It paid off. He sat at 95 mph and touched 98 mph.

Chandler lasted until the third round in 2021 because he appeared headed to Clemson to play quarterback. The Pirates gave him $3 million to sign, a massive sum for a third-rounder, in part because they saved slot money on No. 1 pick, catcher Henry Davis. Chandler hit .186 in his first two pro seasons before giving up the idea of being the next Shohei Ohtani.

A generation ago, coaches harangued young pitchers to. With his athleticism, elite velocity and low arm slot, Chandler is a proxy for state of the art pitching—though he didn’t get there by being a pitcher-only since 10 years old, a mistake made by many in the velocity generation.

Pitchers are throwing harder and from a lower release point. As we saw with 100-mph throwers, the numbers below held relatively steady until 2021, when the effects of Velocity Inc. really kicked in:

MLB four-seam fastballs

Year	V.Rel.	mph
2016	6.08	93.2
2017	5.96	93.2
2018	5.90	93.1
2019	5.94	93.4
2020	5.89	93.4
2021	5.92	93.7
2022	5.87	93.9
2023	5.83	94.2
2024	5.82	94.3
2025	5.82	94.5

Pitching evolves. It always has and always will. Some pitchers accelerate the evolution because they do something so well and so unique that others want to copy them. In the wild-card era, five pitchers stand out as the biggest influencers. In order of how they changed the game:

Pitcher	Innovation
Greg Maddux	Comeback two-seamer; stretching strike zone horizontally.
Pedro Martínez	Three put-away pitches (fastball, curve, change).
Roy Halladay	Carving an X with movement on both sides of the plate (cutter/sinker combo).
Jacob deGrom	93-mph sliders and 99-mph fastballs.
Paul Skenes	Seven pitches between 83-98 mph that cut, run, sink and ride.

Skenes is the primo influencer now because, layered atop velocity and a low arm slot, he shapes a menu of pitches to exploit hitters’ weaknesses, whether they are right-handed or left-handed. In his most recent start, for example, Skenes threw seven pitches (two fastballs, two off-speed, three breaking) at 15 different mph increments from 80 to 100 mph. He has Martínez’s multi-pitch intellect, Halladay’s command and deGrom’s velocity and arm slot.

It’s too much to ask Chandler to be the next great pitching influencer. But in one, narrow way, he and Burns are signaling what’s next: athletic starting pitchers with high-velocity, high-spin fastballs that once belonged almost exclusively to closers. More will follow.

The Guardians did it. Somehow, they actually did it.

With a 5–2 win over the Tigers on Tuesday night, Cleveland completed an improbable comeback and tied Detroit atop the American League Central. A team that was eight games under .500 and 15.5 games out of the division race in early July now has a 56.3% chance of winning it.

Conversely, the Tigers, who held baseball's best record on July 8, have fumbled it. An epic collapse has seen them fall into a deep slump that’s snowballed into a complete September collapse.

How did this happen? Let's go inside the numbers to get a better look.

40 — Wins for Cleveland on July 6, 88 games into the season. They fell eight games below .500 on that date after being swept at home by the Tigers.

45 — Wins for Cleveland since July 7, a 45–24 record (.652), second best in baseball behind the Milwaukee Brewers.

15.5 — Games the Guardians trailed the Tigers by on July 8.

10.5 — Games the Guardians trailed the Tigers by on Sept. 1.

9.5 — Games behind the Tigers on Sept. 10.

3.96 — Team ERA for the Guardians on July 6, 18th in baseball.

3.30 — Team ERA for the Guardians since July 6, best in baseball.

2.9 — fWAR for Jose Ramirez since July 6, tied with Cal Raleigh for fifth in the American League. Ramirez is slashing .264/.358/.528 over that span with 16 home runs, 43 RBIs, 57 runs scored and 18 stolen bases, with a wRC+ of 136.

1.3 — fWAR for rookie starting pitcher Parker Messick since his debut on Aug. 20. That ranks fifth in baseball during that time. He's 3–0 with a 2.08 ERA and 31 strikeouts against five walks in 34 2/3 innings.

2.39 — ERA for starter Gavin Williams since July 6. He's 7–1 since then.

1.25 — ERA for starter Tanner Bibee in three September starts. He's 2–0, with a 0.65 WHIP and 21 strikeouts against three walks in 21 2/3 innings. That includes a complete game shutout two-hitter against the White Sox on Sept. 12.

59 — Tigers wins on July 8, most in MLB. They were 59–34, good for the best record in baseball and a 14-game lead over the Minnesota Twins and Kansas City Royals in the AL Central. The Guardians were 15.5 games back.

26 — Tigers wins since July 8. They're 26–38 (.406) in that time, the sixth-worst record in baseball.

5 — Tigers wins in September. They are 5–14, the second-worst record in baseball behind only the 4–16 Colorado Rockies.

3.46 — Tigers team ERA on July 8, third-best in baseball.

4.80 — Tigers team ERA since July 8, sixth-worst in baseball.

106 — Detroit's team wRC+ on July 8, seventh in baseball.

95 — Detroit's wRC+ since July 8, 20th in baseball.

Manchester United have now gone four games undefeated in the Premier League, which is perhaps a sign of things changing for Ruben Amorim’s side. His first year in charge at the club has been underwhelming to say the least, and it has taken time to adapt to his infamous 3-4-2-1 system.

Well, one of the most important positions in Amorim’s system are the two number 10s. It took him some time to find the right solution in those roles. Bruno Fernandes has been operating in the pivot, with Matheus Cunha and Mason Mount two key options.

Bryan Mbeumo has also made a fast start to life at United.

Mbeumo’s exceptional October

October felt like the month where Mbeumo truly arrived at United. He had played well in the weeks before that, scoring against Grimsby in the Carabao Cup and Burnley in the Premier League, but it was last month that he began to shine truly.

Mbeumo played three games in October for United, chipping in with at least one goal or assist in each of them. In total, he contributed four goal involvements in three games last month for the Red Devils.

It is perhaps easy for United fans to pinpoint which was the most important. Mbeumo’s strike at Anfield against Liverpool just seconds into the match summed him up.

Their number 19 managed to run in behind the Reds’ defence and fire home first time on his weaker right foot.

After grabbing an assist for Mount against Sunderland at the start of the month and scoring twice against Brighton and Hove Albion, Mbeumo was nominated for Premier League player of the month.

Club legend Wayne Rooney said the Cameroonian star is “by far United’s best player of the season.”

It is certainly exciting that United are brewing the new version of Mbeumo in the academy.

United’s homegrown Mbeumo

For decades, United have produced some exceptional players in their academy. In the current crop of youngsters, there are some exciting talents. JJ Gabriel is a player who has a lot of hype surrounding him.

Another young talent United fans can get excited about is 18-year-old Shea Lacey. After overcoming injury issues in recent seasons, the Liverpool-born attacker has shown exactly how good he is this season.

In nine games across all competitions, Lacey has found the back of the net on three occasions and assisted two other goals for teammates.

They have come in just 507 minutes, leaving him with an average of a goal involvement every 101 minutes.

In The Pipeline

Football FanCast’s In the Pipeline series aims to uncover the very best youth players in world football.

One of the best examples of Lacey’s talent came in the under-21s’ recent 2-0 EFL Trophy victory away to Notts County. Operating on the right-hand side, the 18-year-old scored one and created one chance.

The “wing wizard” – as hailed by the Daily Mail’s Chris Wheeler – was a handful for defenders all night, completing three from five dribbles and winning two fouls

Touches

72

Pass accuracy

80%

Passes completed in opposition half

24/32

Ground duels won

8/14

Ball recoveries

7

Dribbles completed

3/5

Chances created

1

Goals

1

One of the striking things about Lacey is his technical ability. He thieves in tight spaces in the right half-space, which could certainly make him suitable for Amorim’s system, playing in the right 10 role just like Mbeumo does now.

The England under-20 star was described as a “creative talisman” by Academy Scoop on X, a page dedicated to the Red Devils academy sides. That is easy to understand, with the 18-year-old having passes like this in his locker.

It is certainly easy to see how Lacey can be United’s own Mbeumo. The talented youngster is comfortable on the right wing or as a number 10, just like the Red Devils’ number 19.

Both are left-footed attackers, too.

It remains to be seen when Lacey will get his first-team debut at United, but it is bound to happen sooner or later. He is a superb talent who has even trained with England’s first team this season. United have another gem on their hands.

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