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Manchester United legend and assistant coach Ruud van Nistelrooy has opened up about the most valuable lesson he ever learnt under Sir Alex Ferguson.

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Van Nistelrooy hired as Man Utd asst. coachSummarises most valuable lesson from FergusonTipped to take over from Erik ten Hag at Man Utd(C)GettyImagesWHAT HAPPENED?

Van Nistelrooy worked under the legendary Manchester United coach, Ferguson, between 2001 and 2006 as the Dutchman claimed the Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year award for the 2001/02 and the 2002/03 seasons. The former striker is now working under Erik ten Hag as Manchester United's assistant coach and he has revealed a few valuable lessons he learned from Ferguson.

AdvertisementWHAT VAN NISTELROOY SAID

Speaking to The Guardian, Van Nistelrooy said: "As a player, the most important thing I took from working with Sir Bobby Robson and Sir Alex Ferguson was their relationships with the individual. It’s not a football player; it’s a person. When you reach that connection, you get the best out of people – and from there on you can help them build their careers. I never let that thought go out of my mind.

"Sometimes you have to be tough on them and sometimes you have to get your arm around them. That mixture is important, but the most important thing is to always be honest and straight. When you have knowledge about the game and what is necessary at the highest level, you must share it.

"As a coach, you just try to help players reach their goals. And it is something that makes you feel really proud when you see young players develop. Gakpo went on to Liverpool and Noni to Chelsea, but there are a couple more from that time who are now in the PSV first team. The feeling I get when I see this is comparable with winning a league, really.

Getty/GOALTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Van Nistelrooy started his coaching career as the assistant manager of the Dutch national team under Guus Hiddink and his latest job as PSV head coach was his first experience as the manager of a senior team. Former Manchester United star Dwight Yorke has also tipped the 48-year-old to take over from ten Hag in case of the Dutchman's untimely sacking

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WHAT NEXT FOR VAN NISTELROOY?

The Dutchman will now travel back to the United Kingdom with the Red Devils following the end of their United States tour as they look to begin preparations for the start of the Premier League.

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta hailed backup goalkeeper Karl Hein for his "good performance" after penalty heroics in a friendly against Bournemouth.

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David Raya & Aaron Ramsdale on a breakHein is Arteta's first choice in the USAEstonian earned plaudits with an all-round showWHAT HAPPENED?

With both David Raya and Aaron Ramsdale on a break after their respective national teams, Spain and England, reached the Euro 2024 final, Hein finds himself as the senior goalkeeper on Arsenal's three-match tour in the United States. And the Estonian shot-stopper put his best foot forward to impress Arteta in the pre-season friendly against the Cherries.

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The match at Dignity Health Sports Park culminated in a penalty shootout after a 1-1 draw with Fabio Vieira scoring for the Gunners in the 18th minute. However, it was Hein, who emerged as the hero, saving penalties from Philip Billing and Ryan Christie, ultimately securing a 5-4 victory for Arsenal in the shootout.

WHAT ARTETA SAID

Arteta was delighted with Hein's performance and stated: "I'm very happy for him. Obviously, he had to be really patient and wait for his opportunity. He came back from his holidays really sharp and prepared; he knew that he had big games ahead of him and he started tonight, and I think he had a really good performance."

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Despite his impressive showing, a decision regarding Hein's future at the club looms large. The 22-year-old Estonia international signed a long-term contract extension in the summer, but the arrival of England youth international Tommy Setford from Ajax suggests Hein might be loaned out to gain regular playing time.

"That's the conversation we are having," said Arteta.

"Obviously, David and Aaron are away at the moment and we are really really short in that position, but we want to develop our players – especially a player like Karl who has big potential and a big future ahead of him. He needs to play games, so we're going to explore that option as well."

Cummins XI 60 for 0 (Wade 36*) v Finch XI 150 (Warner 42, Finch 40, Zampa 2-18, Richardson 2-16, Cummins 2-26)Australia’s opening batsmen made the most of a truncated first warm-up match on their tour of England with Aaron Finch, David Warner and Matthew Wade finding form before the intersquad game at the Ageas Bowl was abandoned due to rain.The contest between a Finch XI and a Cummins XI had already been cut to a 20-over affair because of a poor forecast and the weather closed in after 5.5 overs of the Cummins XI chase when they were racing along at 60 for 0 in reply to the Finch X’s 150 all out.Warner had resumed the T20 form that lit up the Australia season during which he averaged 138.33 with a strike-rate of 142.12. He struck 42 off 35 balls in an opening stand of 75 in 9.2 overs with Finch who made 40 off 29 deliveries.The innings fell away once the stand had been broken when Ashton Agar bowled Finch. Josh Philippe (20), one of three uncapped players on the tour, and Mitchell Marsh (23) made starts but the final eight wickets fell for 38 runs.Kane Richardson struck twice in an over to remove Marnus Labuschagne and Daniel Sams – the latter for a first-ball duck. The lower order was wrapped up by Pat Cummins (2 for 26) and Adam Zampa (2 for 18).The Cummins XI were soon out of the blocks in the chase as Wade cracked three sixes in an unbroken stand with Marcus Stoinis – both players in the positions where they have enjoyed considerable Big Bash success. AJ Tye’s first over back in Australia colours was taken for 22.”It was nice to get out there and play some cricket, unfortunately the weather has closed in on us,” Wade said. “The bowlers got some overs under their belt and managed to have a little hit”Starcy was certainly flying in so it was nice to get a couple out of the middle. Just to stand in the middle with no nets around you is valuable. The bowlers haven’t had a lot of match practice, it’s all good bowling in the nets but then go and stand in the field is always the hardest part so these matches are vital for us.”The Australians hope to fit in at least three more intersquad games before the opening T20I on September 4.

The tour will also include three ODIs and two T20Is

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Jan-2020Bangladesh will host Zimbabwe for a one-off Test as well as three ODIs and two T20Is starting February 22. This will be the first time the two sides play a Test series that doesn’t have at least two Tests.The Test will be played at the Shere Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur, less than two weeks after Bangladesh play the first Test against Pakistan in Rawalpindi from February 7.The ODI series against Zimbabwe will run from March 1 to 6 in Chattogram, while the two T20Is – on March 9 and 11 – will be held in Mirpur. A week later, the same venue will host the World XI v Asia XI matches as part of the 100th birth anniversary celebrations of ‘Bangabandhu’ Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the father of the nation.Zimbabwe will also play a two-day practice match ahead of the Test, but the venue for that hasn’t been announced.The two sides last played a Test series in 2018, also in Bangladesh, which ended in a 1-1 draw.

Everton, like most clubs, have had their fair share of dodgy transfers over the years, with players such as Dele Alli and Moise Kean each springing to mind.

However, in the case of the Toffees, a bad transfer can be what makes or breaks their season. Since the departure of Carlo Ancelotti, the club have been in something of a downward spiral and have failed to finish inside the top ten of the Premier League.

To rub even more salt in their wounds, near the start of the 2023/24 term, Everton were handed the most severe points deduction in top-flight history. However, as of Monday 26th February, the deduction has been scaled down somewhat to six points.

Although these additional four points have allowed Sean Dyche's men some breathing room in regard to the relegation dogfight, they are still not performing to the standards expected of them on the pitch.

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Their top goalscorer is Abdoulaye Doucoure with six goals across all competitions, whilst Dominic Calvert-Lewin has the joint second-most with four.

Although, for Doucoure, these numbers are more than acceptable, the fact that Calvert-Lewin is two behind him should strike worry across fans.

If their form doesn't pick up soon, it is unlikely that they will manage to find their way out of the relegation battle.

One player who hasn't been much help in keeping the Toffees up is that of Andre Gomes. The Portugal international joined the Merseyside club in 2019 for a reported fee of £22m but hasn't yet made much of an impact in recent years.

How much Andre Gomes earns

Any player arriving from Barcelona in the late 2010s is likely to have been on an extortionate amount of money and would be expecting similar with each new club that they join.

In the case of Gomes, as per Capology, the midfielder is remarkably the third-highest paid player at the club with a salary of £112k-per-week, behind only Jordan Pickford and their top scorer, Doucoure.

For any player, that is an awful lot of money, but for a player who has impacted Everton as little as Gomes has, that weekly wage is fairly concerning.

GK – Jordan Pickford

RB – Seamus Coleman

CB – Kurt Zouma

CB – Michael Keane

LB – Lucas Digne

CM – Andre Gomes

CM – Idrissa Gueye

CAM – Gylfi Sigurdsson

RW – Theo Walcott

LW – Bernard

ST – Richarlison

Since arriving at the club, he has played a total of 106 games with just three of those appearances coming this season. During that time, he has amassed a mere 11 goal contributions, which, from a midfielder, is not the sort of return you want to see.

In comparison, Doucoure, who has represented the blue of Merseyside for two years fewer, has had 15 additional goal contributions which puts into perspective how poorly he has played.

Indeed, Gomes has had his fair share of injuries as he has missed a total of 53 games whilst employed by the Toffees, but, his returns still should have been better.

How much the top players at Everton earn

As Gomes earns £112k-per-week, this salary puts him on a much higher amount than that of Everton star-boy, Jarrad Branthwaite.

The defender has had something of a breakout in 2023/24 and has cemented himself in the Toffees' starting XI, with some valuing him around a mega £100m ahead of a potential summer move. That said, despite being one of their key players, he only earns a slender £35k-per-week.

#1 Abdoulaye Doucoure

£130k

#2 Jordan Pickford

£125k

#3 Andre Gomes

£112k

#4 Dele Alli

£100k

#5 James Tarkowski

£100k

#6 Amadou Onana

£100k

This is nothing short of incredible and shows that he earns just over a third of what Gomes does despite playing each week-in and week-out.

In addition, in just this season alone, the 21-year-old has played in more games than the Portugal international has over his last two seasons in Merseyside.

Hence, why, in the summer, Dyche needs to find a way to bring Gomes' time at Goodison to an end. It would free up some crucial room in their wage budget in order to strengthen their team in the areas it needs to do so, especially if they manage to retain their Premier League status.

Arsenal are well and truly back in the Premier League title race.

Mikel Arteta's side have won their last five games in a row and have dramatically improved their goal difference after blowing away West Ham United and Burnley.

While the entire team deserved credit, Martin Odegaard has perhaps stood out the most, with his three assists and one goal suggesting that he could well be back to the form he showed last season.

With how impressive the captain has been of late, Arteta would surely have to have two of him in the team, and as outlandish as that sounds, the Gunners once released a youngster from Hale End at 13 years old who is now similar to the mercurial Norwegian.

Eberechi Eze's journey to Crystal Palace

Yes, you read that right; the Gunners once had a young Eberechi Eze on their books, only he wasn't with the club for very long as he was released at just 13 years old.

The next few years were tough for the Greenwich-born gem as he was released by Fulham, Reading and Millwall before finally finding his footing in West London at Queens Park Rangers.

The dynamic midfielder would make his debut for the Hoops in an FA Cup Third Round tie against Blackburn Rovers in January 2017.

Still, it was not until the 2018/19 campaign that he truly established himself in the first team after spending the first half of the 2017/18 season on loan in League Two with Wycombe Wanderers before coming back to finish the year at Loftus Road.

In the following campaign, Eze would score four goals and provide four assists in 42 appearances for QPR before exploding in 2019/20 and scoring 14 goals and providing eight assists in 46 appearances.

Such a remarkable return from a young player understandably brought with it eyes from the Premier League, and after some negotiations, Crystal Palace signed Eze for £20m.

How Eberechi Eze compares to Martin Odegaard

Now, it's undoubtedly a big shout to compare a very talented midfielder with one who is captaining a team fighting for the league title, but it's one made primarily by the football database FBref.

The comparison is made by grouping positionally similar players in Europe's top five leagues and then ranking them based on how close they are to one another for several key metrics, and in this case, Odegaard is considered to be the seventh most similar player to Eze.

For example, the "silky" Palace gem, as described by former teammate Geoff Cameron, produces 0.55 expected goals and assists per 90 to the Norwegian's 0.48 while also producing 2.95 progressive passes per 90 to his 2.90.

Eze

Odegaard

0.47

0.51

2.95

2.90

0.55

0.48

0.78

0.69

4.50

4.38

This obviously doesn't make them identical players, but there is an undeniable similarity in their underlying statistics, which suggests that they could play similar roles within a team.

So, it would certainly have been beneficial for the Gunners to keep a hold of the talented Englishman as not only has he produced 34 goal involvements in 113 appearances for the Eagles, but he could also act as the perfect backup to their captain.

Oh, and there is also the small fact that the CIES Football Observatory now values him at around €40m, which is about £34m, and that is likely a conservative estimate in today's game.

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Ultimately, football clubs can't predict the future, and maybe Eze, who scored ten Premier League goals last season, did not show enough potential when he was 13, but they may now regret letting him go as it appears as though they fumbled their own homegrown version of their current captain.

He was also asked repeatedly about that T20 World Cup loss in 2016, and if he had exorcised his ghosts against India

Mohammad Isam03-Nov-20192:48

This win a great moment for Bangladesh cricket – Mushfiqur

Even as off-field issues troubled Bangladesh cricket in the days leading up to their tour of India, one thought would likely have always come up in conversations among the players: beating India. Whether it was seeing them line up to announce the players’ strike against the BCB on October 21 or when Shakib Al Hasan was banned by the ICC a week later, they knew they would have to regroup quickly for a difficult tour, where every team struggles these days.The tour comprises T20Is and Tests, formats Bangladesh often struggle in, especially against India. This is their biggest bilateral tour in one of the Big Three countries in many years. And yet, so much was going wrong for the team. Apart from the strike and the ban, senior batsman Tamim Iqbal had pulled out of the tour, to stay back home with his pregnant wife.Even after the strike ended, the three-day preparatory camp was chaotic. Shakib’s absence even before the ban was announced was a mystery, and then, to add to the mess, the BCB pulled out nine players from ongoing first-class matches to join the camp. Then came the Shakib bombshell that really sunk the morale of the team as they had very little time to react before boarding the flight to Delhi last Wednesday.However, on Sunday evening, Bangladesh overcame the odds to topple India, sealing their first win against them in T20Is. Mushfiqur Rahim, who was at the forefront of the players’ strike, was the architect of the win, taking on left-arm seamer Khaleel Ahmed to tilt the scales Bangladesh’s way.”The last two-three weeks has been the toughest situation that I have faced in my 15-year cricketing career,” Mushfiqur said at the post-match press conference. “I said to the journalists before leaving Bangladesh that the only way to return to the right track would be with a couple of wins in India. It will bring back smiles and calmness to the team and the nation.”Mushfiqur also praised new coach Russell Domingo for keeping his cool, despite off-field troubles, and also explained the value the youngsters added to the side.”We came here as underdogs. I thank our head coach because of the situation we have faced in the last three weeks. To come back from that, especially giving the youngsters the freedom and giving them confidence; whether you give 20 runs in an over or get out first ball, you are still a member of this team,” he said. “We have been giving this message to the rest of the team. I want them to take eight or ten years to reach what I have reached in 15 years.”Mushfiqur Rahim celebrates Bangladesh’s maiden T20I win over India•BCCI

Mushfiqur then turned philosophical when asked repeatedly about the heart-breaking loss against India in the 2016 T20 World Cup in Bengaluru. Both Mahmudullah and Mushfiqur were dismissed in the final over of that match with their team two runs away from victory, but three years later, the same batsmen successfully finished the game and put them 1-0 up.”The biggest thing is people don’t remember winning from these situations for too long,” he said. “But if we lost this game, they would remember it for a long time. We were in a better position two overs before the end in that [Bengaluru] game. This was a tougher proposition on this wicket where scoring so much in the last two overs was going to be tough. I didn’t find it easy to find boundaries on this wicket.”Mushfiqur said Bangladesh had learnt their lessons from the Bengaluru loss and that they were better equipped to deal with pressure now.”We have had a lot of close games against India, so we promised ourselves that the next time we go into such a phase of the game, we don’t want to lose,” he said. “We have learned a lot from those last two games against India that went into the last over, so we discussed on how we can overcome those moments. I was telling Riyad that let’s win in singles and doubles rather than going for big hits.”Two years after that loss in the T20 World Cup came the Nidahas Trophy final, in which Bangladesh were denied the title thanks to Dinesh Karthik’s late-match heroics. And finally, last year, there was the Asia Cup final, where India beat Bangladesh off the final ball.The big question was whether Mushfiqur had finally exorcised his ghosts against India.”Not really,” he told at the post-match presentation before elaborating that it was simply the game situation that had spurred him on. “When you are playing in front of a huge crowd, and when the team needs it the most, then nothing more feels special (than helping the team cross the line). I feel really good. It’s a great honour to play India in India.”As for what Mushfiqur’s plans are with T20 cricket, given he is one of the few Bangladesh players to play all three formats, the wicketkeeper-batsman said: “I am trying my level best to improve as a cricketer. T20 cricket belongs inside me. I am trying to learn each and every day, and want to do more for Bangladesh.”

The Red Devils have agreed a deal sign the Royal Antwerp shot-stopper amid continued concerns over Andre Onana and Altay Bayindir's competency

"There is a glaring issue for Manchester United that cannot be ignored and that is they need to find a new goalkeeper. They have to, I am absolutely unequivocal on that," Red Devils legend Gary Neville told after seeing an awful error from Altay Bayindir gift Arsenal a 1-0 victory at Old Trafford on the opening weekend of the new Premier League season.

"It is really unsettling when you don’t have a dominant No.1 who owns his six-yard box, who comes and punches everything and makes saves to save you points when your defenders make mistakes. They need to sort the goalkeeper out as they will continue to concede goals and points and it undermines what they are doing."

Despite that mistake, Bayindir also got the nod in goal for United's subsequent league games against Fulham and Burnley, with Andre Onana left on the bench. Head coach Ruben Amorim stuck with Onana as the club's first-choice goalkeeper initially after arriving at Old Trafford last November, but the calamitous Cameroonian is no longer a guaranteed starter, having been just as unreliable as he was under Erik ten Hag throughout 2023-24.

Through the opening weeks of the campaign, Amorim decided that Bayindir was the lesser of two evils, with 39-year-old Tom Heaton still seen as nothing more than a back-up option, but Neville is absolutely right: United cannot progress until they sign a new No.1. Fortunately, help is on the way.

The Old Trafford recruitment team has honed in on 23-year-old Royal Antwerp 'keeper Senne Lammens, who is set to complete an £18 million ($23m) move to Manchester before the summer window slams shut on Monday, and that will be a very small price to pay if he solves the club's long-standing crisis between the sticks.

Below, GOAL assesses whether the undeniably talented Lammens is truly up to that daunting task…

• Where it all began

  Lammens was born on July 7, 2002 in the Belgian city of Zottegem. He took his first steps into football at the age of five, joining local side KRC Bambrugge, and spent three years on their books before catching the eye of professional outfit Dender.

  From there, the youngster developed at a rapid rate, and in 2014, he was snapped up by Club Brugge, historically the second-biggest club in Belgium behind Anderlecht. Just four years later, a 16-year-old Lammens was named in Brugge's first team squad for a Champions League group-stage clash with Atletico Madrid, though that did not turn out to be his breakthrough moment.

  Brugge resisted the temptation to throw Lammens in at the deep end before he was ready. They had no desire to rush his development, particularly after signing ex-Liverpool goalkeeper Simon Mignolet in the summer of 2019. However, in December that year, Lammens made headlines across Europe.

  The teenage shot-stopper scored a fantastic 95th-minute header for Brugge's U19s in a UEFA Youth League encounter against Real Madrid after going up for a corner, earning his team a 2-2 draw to take them into the knockout phase. It was a dream moment for Lammens, who had also established himself as a regular in the Belgium U17s team by that stage.

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• AFP
  

  The big break

  Lammens stepped up to Brugge's U23s squad – known as Club NXT – in 2020-21, which was their first season competing in Belgium's second tier. He largely impressed across his 13 appearances, but failed to keep a single clean sheet as Brugge finished rock bottom of the table.

  However, good fortune did smile upon Lammens in July 2021 as he was handed his first senior start when Brugge faced Genk in the Belgian Super Cup final, after Mignolet was ruled out of the contest through injury, and played his part in a thrilling 3-2 victory.

  Lammens made his Belgian Pro League bow eight days later as Brugge played out a 2-2 draw with Eupen in their 2021-22 campaign opener, but Mignolet then returned to full fitness. The youngster would only feature in two more games for the club that season, a 3-0 victory over KMSK Deinze in the early rounds of the Belgian Cup and as a substitute in the final match of the champions' play-offs against Anderlecht.

  Brugge earned a 1-1 draw in that contest to clinch the title, giving Lammens his second piece of senior silverware, but he continued to see his path to a regular role blocked by Mignolet. Lammens made only 11 appearances across all competitions in the following season, with none of those coming in Brugge's run to the Champions League knockouts, and he was allowed to leave the club as a free agent at the end of the 2022-23 campaign.

  That could have been a devastating blow, but Lammens landed on his feet when newly-crowned Belgian champions Royal Antwerp drafted the promising 'keeper in on a four-year contract, which gave him the chance to work under the guidance of former Bayern Munich and Netherlands star Mark van Bommel. 

• Getty
  

  How it's going

  In an interview with , Van Bommel described Lammens as a goalkeeper with "enormous potential" and suggested he could be a future starter for Belgium. However, Lammens was the second choice initially at Antwerp, behind Jean Butez, with the majority of his 18 appearances in the 2023-24 season coming in the Belgian Cup. 

  Antwerp made it all the way to the final of the competition, only to lose 1-0 against Union Saint-Gilloise, and they also slipped to a disappointing sixth-placed finish in the league, which cost Van Bommel his job. Jonas De Roeck was appointed as the Dutchman's replacement, and one of his first orders of business was to promote Lammens into the No.1 role.

  Consistency continued to prove elusive for Antwerp, and De Roeck only lasted nine months at the helm, but Lammens drew widespread acclaim for his performances last term, while developing a reputation as an expert at keeping out penalties. He saved four spot-kicks in total, and kept 10 clean sheets as Antwerp finished fifth in the Pro League, with the senior Belgium national team calling him up for the first time in March.

  Lammens did not play in the Nations League play-offs doubleheader against Ukraine, but the experience of training alongside Real Madrid star Thibaut Courtois and Nottingham Forest's Matz Sels was invaluable. Rumours of a big summer transfer to United began to swirl after that, and Stef Wils, who was named De Roeck's permanent successor at Antwerp earlier this summer, has admitted that Lammens is "ready for the next step".

  Wils added after seeing Lammens put in a typically assured display in Antwerp's 2025-26 curtain raiser against Union Saint-Gilloise on July 25: "He has everything it takes to make it, in any league." 

• Getty
  

  Biggest strengths

  Wils has only had two months to work with Lammens, but has been blown away by his abilities. "Senne is a modern goalkeeper. He's still young, he has the potential to grow," the Belgian coach has said. "He instills confidence in a defence. When high balls come, it's a plus that Senne is always there. That gives the central defenders a certain sense of calm." 

  In addition to having full command over his penalty area, Lammens is a superb shot-stopper. He made more saves than any other goalkeeper in the Belgian Pro League last season (127), and ranked in the top one per cent of goalkeepers across Europe's top 20 leagues for goals prevented, according to . 

  That incredible record is in part a by-product of Lammens' quality in one-vs-one situations, as he so often outfoxes attackers through a mix of superb positioning, razor-sharp reflexes and composure. United fans will also be pleased to know that the Antwerp star also excels when it comes to distribution with both feet, which is one of the areas Onana has fallen woefully short in since his 2023 move from Inter.

The fast bowler, however, will be available for selection in T20 internationals

Madushka Balasuriya23-Jul-2019Lasith Malinga is set to retire from ODIs after the first game of the upcoming three-match series against Bangladesh. This will give Sri Lanka a chance to identify their next line of wicket-taking bowlers, which will be their “biggest problem” going forward, according to captain Dimuth Karunaratne.”Our biggest problem is identifying wicket-taking bowlers in the months ahead, we need to find bowlers that can take wickets in the early overs, as well as the middle overs,” Karunaratne said, when asked what the team’s immediate plans were post World Cup.”In the series ahead we will be giving chances whenever we can to identify that talent, because we know Lasith Malinga is not available after this series. Lasith is only going to play the first match and then he’s retiring. That’s what he’s told me at least.”SLC confirmed in a statement that the first match against Bangladesh on Friday will be Malinga’s last ODI. However, he hasn’t retired from T20Is and will be available for selection in the shortest format.”Lasith Malinga is an exceptional player, who has contributed immensely to the game of cricket in Sri Lanka,” SLC president Shammi Silva said. “His departure from ODI cricket opens up a door for young bowlers to come and emulate what Malinga has done, while playing for the country.”Karunaratne, who is a known stat buff, will have been likely well aware of his team’s impotency in terms of wicket-taking when making his observations. At the World Cup, Malinga’s 13 wickets at 28.69 in seven matches were more than twice that of the next best Sri Lankan bowler, Isuru Udana, who picked up six in the same number of games. Nuwan Pradeep, who picked up five in three games, is a possible contender to take over the mantle, but injuries have been a frequent hindrance for him.As such, Karunaratne knows the only lasting solution is to plan well in advance, with his thoughts already turning towards building for the 2023 World Cup.ALSO READ: Niroshan Dickwella, Akila Dananjaya, Lakshan Sandakan recalled for Bangladesh ODIs“We also need to groom some youngsters for the next World Cup as well,” Karunaratne said. “Yes, there’s plenty of time, but we need to groom them one at a time and that takes time. Of course, we can’t fix everything at once, but we have four years before the next World Cup so we need to see how we can groom our youngsters and pass on the experience of our senior players to them.”We’ve been looking to give Shehan Jayasuriya a chance after his performances against India A, and Lahiru Madushanka who performed well against South Africa [for the Emerging Team]. Those are some of the players we have in mind, but of course we can’t give everyone a chance just yet.”Following a World Cup campaign in which Bangladesh both impressed and disappointed, they will also be looking to test their fringe players. For them it’s a temporary glimpse; Shakib Al Hasan – the unofficial player of the World Cup – is away on Haj pilgrimage, Liton Das is getting married, and captain Mashrafe Mortaza and Mohammad Saifuddin are injured. That’s four World Cup starters out, and a chance for some fringe players to shine.ALSO READ: Mashrafe Mortaza out of Sri Lanka tour with hamstring injury, Tamim Iqbal to lead“The guys who have been picked in the squad are all very capable. I really don’t like to talk about players who aren’t here at the moment,” stand-in captain Tamim Iqbal said, when questioned about Bangaldesh’s plans for replacing Shakib. “I know he’s a special player and has done fantastically well for Bangladesh, but he’s not part of this tour so let’s not talk about him. There are other 15 players and they all are very, very capable, and whoever plays in the first ODI, I’m sure they’re ready to cash in on their opportunity.”Tamim, however, doesn’t have as many concerns as Karunaratne. Bangladesh travelled with a well-settled squad for the World Cup, and at another time would have likely travelled to Sri Lanka at full strength and probably as favourites. But as things stand, Tamim was keen to focus on the players at his disposal, and helping his side take the step up from simply playing well to winning games consistently.”I think we had a pretty decent World Cup, there were a few games we should have won. If you see the points table you’d think we had a very bad World Cup because we finished only eighth in the table, and we as cricketers know we could have done more. On the whole though we played some good cricket, but we know that in the end it’s winning games that is important.”GMT 12.40pm The story was updated with the news of Malinga making himself available for selection in T20Is.

Liverpool transfer target Robert Lewandowski has submitted a transfer request at current club Bayern Munich ahead of the upcoming summer window.

What’s the story?

As confirmed by Bayern’s director of football Hasan Salihamidzic, via the Liverpool Echo, the Polish striker has lodged a transfer request and intends to depart Bavaria this summer despite still having another year on his contract with the Bundesliga giants.

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Liverpool have recently been claimed to be interested in signing the 33-year-old after previous target Erling Haaland’s move to Manchester City was confirmed this week.

With Divock Origi looking likely to depart Anfield whilst Roberto Firmino’s future hangs in the balance, Jurgen Klopp will certainly need depth amongst his strikers and reuniting with Lewandowski after the two worked together at Borussia Dortmund would provide the German would an even more deadly front line.

Liverpool must sign Lewandowski

Although Bayern are holding their cards close to their chest, with president Herbert Hainer stating: “Lewandowski has a contract until June 2023 and will play for us until then,” it seems likely that the Poland international will move on this summer.

It will be incredibly hard for the German juggernaut to keep hold of the striker following the submission of a transfer request, and Liverpool must pounce.

Striker Diogo Jota has had an excellent campaign for the Reds, scoring 21 goals for Liverpool. However, it seems as though the arrival of Luis Diaz, whilst being predominantly a winger, has seen the Portuguese fall down the pecking order slightly.

The 25-year-old started Saturday’s FA Cup final from the bench but was brought on to replace the injured Mohamed Salah and played a total of just 63 minutes across the two legs of Liverpool’s Champions League semi-final tie against Villarreal.

Therefore, extra firepower up front is needed and Lewandowski has a mouthwatering pedigree in front of goal.

Labelled as a “freak of nature” by journalist Sam Tighe and “breathtaking” by Owen Hargreaves, the 33-year-old has scored a whopping 509 goals and registered 135 assists in 675 appearances throughout his club career, with 50 of them coming this season alone.

Moreover, in 374 appearances for Bayern Munich, the Polish forward has found the back of the net on 344 occasions whilst providing 72 assists, averaging 1.11 goal contributions every appearance.

Lewandowski is a serious goal machine and would provide Liverpool with an answer to City’s acquisition of Haaland, something that could propel them towards their second Premier League title.

AND in other news: Liverpool must now brutally sell £85k-p/w dud who’s lost possession every 4.5 minutes