Hege Riise's squad is packed with top-tier talents, but they are yet to score Down Under and facing an embarrassing group-stage failure

Ada Hegerberg is a Ballon d'Or winner and six-time European champion. Caroline Graham Hansen has won 23 major trophies in three countries, which includes two Champions League triumphs. Maren Mjelde and Guro Reiten are both in double figures for titles won at Chelsea. Ingrid Engen has won the league in three different countries and recently lifted her first Champions League trophy. Emilie Haavi was just named Serie A's Most Valuable Player as Roma won the competition for the first time. Frida Maanum was nominated for the Women's Super League's Player of the Season award.

All of these names are in Norway's 2023 Women's World Cup squad and yet, the Scandinavian nation is on the brink of crashing out in the group stages – only 12 months after suffering the exact same fate at the European Championship.

Individuals don't make a team, that's for sure. There's a reason why so many nations see 'golden generations' pass by without living up to the success that many anticipate them achieving. But even knowing that, it seems remarkable that Norway could be about to succumb to another dramatically underwhelming tournament so soon after the last – and under a different coach, too.

There have been positive signs for the 1995 World Cup winners in recent years, such as Lise Klaveness' applaudable representation of the federation as its president and Hegerberg’s decision to end her five-year absence from the national team after seeing improvements at home with regards to women’s football.

But as this tournament has shown, the nation is still a way off success on the pitch. In fact, it’s not even achieving what should be the bare minimum.

GettyThe Law of Jante

When the team news came out for Norway’s crucial match with Switzerland on Tuesday, it was shocking. Following a disappointing defeat to New Zealand in the first game, head coach Hege Riise dropped Graham Hansen to the bench.

This is one of the best players in the world, a game-changer and a galvaniser, someone who played a huge role when Barcelona won the Champions League just last month – and this was an incredibly important game. It was a huge decision.

Graham Hansen would spend less than an hour on the sidelines before, at 0-0, being thrown on to try and get Norway the goal they desired. The winger was very lively and came close on a few occasions, but the game would end goalless.

“There's a lot I want to say, but you might have to bite your tongue,” she told after the final whistle. “I feel like I've been trampled on for a year. You talk about standing together as a team and as a nation. I feel that over the past year I've just taken it on the chin. I thought I had earned a certain amount of respect.”

Asked if she believed there were other reasons for her being on the bench, Graham Hansen replied: “I think I'll leave it until after the championship. I think that in Norway we have a tradition of putting everyone in the same box. The Law of Jante is strong”, she added, referring to an attitude of disapproval towards standing out and expressing individuality.

Riise stood by her decision after the game and praised Graham Hansen’s impact from the bench. The following day, the player apologised for her comments in a press conference. “My emotions got the better of me,” she said.

AdvertisementGettyHard to brush under the carpet

You can’t ignore what happened though, right? After all, frustrations have boiled over before. Indeed, Graham Hansen took a break from the national team after the Euros last summer, while Hegerberg didn’t play for Norway for five years.

And the decision not to play Graham Hansen was certainly a big shock. In Riise’s press conference after the match, one journalist raised their hand and put the following to the coach: “Our football expert says that if you have one of the best players in her position, if you cannot find a space for her on the team, then you fail as a coach. What's your opinion?”

“Well, that's his opinion,” Riise responded. “I reached this decision based on what I find to be best for the team. That was my starting point and that's what I do today. I stick by that decision and that assessment. The opinions of others? Well, it's difficult for me to influence other people's opinion, but I stick to what I did.”

GettyUnderperforming

That it is players like Graham Hansen and Hegerberg that have been vocal about their frustrations at the national team, and gone against that Law of Jante, is no surprise. After all, these are two supremely-talented footballers who play for two of the biggest and best-supported clubs in the game, at Barcelona and Lyon, respectively. They want to be successful and their desire to be so with the national team is at the heart of any outspokenness.

And this team should be doing better. After the defeat to New Zealand, Graham Hansen told : "We go from championship to championship and underperform."

When we talk about ‘golden generations’ not living up to the hype, it’s often that the team has fallen in the knockout rounds too many times or just not got over the hurdle in the final. But after failing to get out of the group stage at Euro 2022, losing 8-0 to England in the process, Norway could be about to exit at the same stage at this 2023 Women’s World Cup, despite being the favourites to top a group that features New Zealand, Switzerland and the Philippines. That’s quite a dramatic underperformance.

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GettyMore than one problem

And these problems don’t just stem from benching Graham Hansen. First of all, this is a team that lacks defensive depth. They have a couple of top-level players in these areas, but are otherwise fragile. Yet it feels like the team is not set-up in a way that best masks that or protects the weakness from being exposed, either in the formation or the players in midfield that can offer support.

That would be fine if they scored lots and lots of goals, which they are capable of given how top-heavy the squad is. Hegerberg, Graham Hansen, Reiten, Haavi, Maanum – these are all attack-minded players, but Norway haven’t found the back of the net yet at the World Cup.

Again, there is team selection that can be questioned here. For example, why is Reiten, who just put up the highest number of assists in the WSL from a left-wing position, playing in midfield? Her ability to isolate a defender one-on-one and whip in a dangerous cross is one of her biggest strengths. In midfield, she has been crowded out and stifled, unable to be at her creative best.

Of course, more is expected from the individuals, too. They can create more, finish better, defend more effectively – and they’ve acknowledged that throughout the tournament. But it does also feel like Riise can get more out of them than she currently is.

Tottenham Hotspur will appreciate a lot of things about Manchester United's Harry Maguire ahead of the summer transfer window.

Is Harry Maguire up for sale?

It was a disappointing campaign at Old Trafford for the England defender who saw his role diminish under Erik ten Hag in his first campaign at the helm.

Prior to the arrival of the Dutchman, Maguire had played a prominent role in United's 2021/22 campaign where he made 28 starts in the Premier League.

However, this season has seen the 30-year-old's game time severely reduced to the point where he has only made eight starts in the top flight.

However, there are conflicting reports as to whether the centre-back will be leaving this summer with talkSPORT now claiming he is keen to remain at United and fight for his place.

This comes just days after the reliable Fabrizio Romano suggested that those around the player were of the belief this is the perfect opportunity for him to leave the club.

But speaking on the Five YouTube channel, David Ornstein has suggested those at Spurs will appreciate a lot of the qualities which Maguire could potentially bring to north London.

Adding to this, the reliable journalist also nodded towards the 30-year-old's relationship with his national captain, Harry Kane:

"I don't think this situation is satisfactory for his career at club or international level. And that's why there will be conversations to be had. There will be interest in him.

"We've seen Tottenham linked, I think Tottenham really will respect what level of player he is, but also the character, the sort of leader he would bring to any camp, the leadership sorry.

"He's good friends with Harry Kane from international level. So I don't think this is a sort of equation of one in one out or a swap of sorts. I think if he was to go somewhere like that it would be to play together ideally."

How much does Harry Maguire earn?

Tottenham's defensive record last season really was dreadful with the north London side shipping in 63 goals which saw them finish with a goal difference of a mere +7.

But a move for Maguire may leave many Spurs fans concerned as to whether the club would actually be bringing in an upgrade considering the huge levels of criticism he has come under in recent months.

Maguire would arrive with a lot of experience from his time with Leicester and United, however, is this really a deal which would prove beneficial for Spurs?

According to FBref, the England international ranks inside the bottom 15th percentile for tackles made over the last year with an average of just 1.03 per 90 minutes.

And at the age of 30, is he a player who Spurs' new boss Ange Postecoglou could look to as a long-term option as he looks to begin the rebuild in north London.

After all, this is a player who is believed to be earning in the region of £190k-per-week at United but is unable to make the starting XI under Ten Hag.

Despite the recent criticism, talkSPORT's Gabriel Agbonlahor has hailed Maguire as "outstanding" and perhaps Spurs feel similarly as they search for upgrades at centre-back.

Russell Domingo is not ready to reveal whether he will reapply for his job as South Africa’s head coach after CSA’s board decided it would begin a recruitment process for a national coach to take over after the tour to England in August

Firdose Moonda11-Feb-2017Russell Domingo is not ready to reveal whether he will reapply for his job as South Africa’s head coach after CSA’s board decided it would begin a recruitment process for a national coach to take over after the tour to England in August, when Domingo’s contract expires. Although several insiders believe the opening of an application process is nothing more than a formality to meet corporate governance requirements and Domingo will get the post if chooses to apply, the man himself has indicated he will need to assess whether he wants to continue.”I need to think about it. There’s a lot of water to still go under the bridge. Our focus is on this New Zealand series. I need to weigh up where I am with my life, with my family, with my career and make a call closer to the time. At this stage, I am not able to commit or not commit. I have to see,” Domingo said, after South Africa beat Sri Lanka 5-0 at Centurion.Domingo, whose contract has already been extended three times, still has a trio of trips before the end of his deal – the imminent visit to New Zealand which includes a T20, five ODIs and three Tests, the Champions Trophy, and a four-Test tour of England. It is expected that if he succeeds, especially at the ICC event, he could even be asked to reapply and continue but Domingo said he is not looking at the fixtures as a litmus test. “I don’t think I need that as any form of motivation. Its not about me, its about the team. It’s not about me being motivated, it’s about the players being motivated,” he said.Asked whether the CSA board announcement, which came two weeks’ ago during the first ODI against Sri Lanka, could have waited, Domingo explained he understood the administrative reasons behind CSA revealing they would be widening the net. “There’s never a good time but the board has got processes they need to follow. They need to do what they feel is in the best interests of the national team. Whatever they feel that is, they need to make those decisions. I don’t always have to agree with it or love it or disagree with it. It just is what it is.””That’s part of life and part of sport. If my contract can be up and Jose Mourinho’s contract can be up – I am only Russell Domingo… there have been big coaches whose contract has expired and they’ve got to move on. That’s the way it is.”Domingo has been in charge of South Africa since mid-2013 and has overseen a period from which they have dropped from No. 1 on the Test rankings to No. 7 and then got themselves back up to No. 3. He is the only coach under whom South Africa have won a knockout match at a World Cup – the quarter-final in 2015 against Sri Lanka. His ODI success often goes under the radar – South Africa became the first team to have whitewashed Australia 5-0 under his watch and also hold the record for the most consecutive ODI wins at home – 14 – and he hopes their limited-overs’ performances are regarded with the same prestige as some of their longer-form achievements. “We’ve won some unbelievable one-day series that sometimes the players don’t get enough credit for,” Domingo said.Should Domingo choose not to put his name in the hat to take the team to the 2019 World Cup, Lions’ coach Geoffrey Toyana is considered the favourite to take over. Toyana has been in charge of the Lions since the 2012-13 season and they have won three trophies (a T20, a shared one-day cup and a first-class title) under him. He has also presided over the progression of several players to the national side including Quinton de Kock, Kagiso Rabada, Stephen Cook, Chris Morris, Aaron Phangiso and Dwaine Pretorius.

Matt Renshaw said that he felt bad leaving the field as he knew he could be letting the team down and that Steven Smith was understanding once he knew the predicament

Melinda Farrell in Pune23-Feb-2017As far as days go, it was something of a doozy for Matt Renshaw, with lots of firsts.Playing your first Test in India? Check.Facing the world’s two highest-ranked bowlers for the first time? Check.First occasion dealing with a spinner in the opening overs? Check.Making your first Test half-century outside Australia? Check.Suddenly feeling your tummy lurching like a lopsided rickshaw, realising you’re not going to make it to lunch without suffering an embarrassing accident on live television, having your bowel movements (figuratively) dissected by viewers all over the world after you’ve left the field and copping a barrage of criticism – most notably by a former Australia captain – suggesting you were a bit soft?Check. Mate. Maaaaaaate.Matt Renshaw has taken most tasks in his stride since he was elevated to the Australia Test team in November, but facing R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja on a raging Pune turner with a dodgy gut was a significant challenge.Renshaw’s inexperience wasn’t evident in the way he patiently saw off the new ball in the first session, but his callowness did mean he was unsure of his options within the Laws of the game when he realised he was unlikely to last until lunch.”It came pretty suddenly, probably about five or ten minutes before Davey [David Warner] got out,” Renshaw said. “I asked Richard [Kettleborough] how long there was till lunch and he gave me the answer of half an hour. I was struggling a bit then. It wasn’t an ideal situation to be in.”It was tough. I wasn’t sure of the ruling. I didn’t know you could retire ill, so thought I’ll just get out there and make sure I batted till lunch. It wasn’t an ideal situation, so I just had to make do. And then coming back, it was probably a bit strange for me, waiting to bat, because as an opener you just go straight out there to bat, so probably that was the most challenging bit, waiting to bat.”Steven Smith, who had just come to the crease at the fall of Warner’s wicket “wasn’t too thrilled” when Renshaw ran off, but, according to the opener, once Smith realised the predicament, he understood. “He didn’t really understand what was going on at the start, I sort of just ran past him, he didn’t really comprehend what was going on. I told him I needed the toilet. Obviously, we’d just lost a wicket, so there would be two new batsmen out there, but as I said, it’s a hard scenario to be in and he understood. We’ve had a chat now and we’re all good.”I felt quite bad knowing that I could be letting the team down, so that’s why I went back out there. I wanted to do my bit for the team and wanted to make sure we had a pretty good day.”If Smith was sympathetic, Allan Border was not. The former Australia captain was scathing in his assessment of Renshaw’s decision to leave the field. “I hope he’s lying on the table in there half dead,” Border said on . “Otherwise, as captain, I would not be happy.”Renshaw brushed off the criticism, turning it aside as deftly as he had India’s bowlers throughout the morning. “I guess that’s just something he grew up with and that was his sort of mentality,” Renshaw said of Border. “Steve was good and he understands that ‘when you need to go to the toilet, you’ve got to go to the toilet’.”After squirting an edge through the slips to the boundary in the first over of the match, Renshaw did the bulk of his scoring through the on-side, remaining watchful when facing Ashwin and going on the offensive to Jadeja when he came into the attack and turned the ball into the left-hander. On a pitch that unsettled older and more experienced team-mates, it was a solid tactic, admirably executed.”I’ve never seen a pitch like that,” Renshaw said. “So I went with a pretty open mind and I tried to do just what I normally do in Australia, which is bat as long as possible and weigh the bowlers down. It’s probably a bit harder to weigh them down if they’re spinners, but I think I just tried to keep my plan simple against each different bowler.”Despite losing nine wickets on the opening day, Renshaw was upbeat about Australia’s batting performance. “Yeah, I think we had a really good day. The fact that we had the 50-run partnership at the end of the innings. We’ve talked about how the top-order needs to score runs, but especially the tail needs to hang on and get some bonus runs (so to speak). I think we’ve had a great day and it’s a good confidence builder.”

England’s bowlers restricted India to 147 on a good pitch in Kanpur and then knocked off the target with seven wickets and 11 balls to spare

The Report by Alagappan Muthu26-Jan-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details2:30

Agarkar: Smart performance from the English bowlers

They waited, and waited, and waited, and finally England’s bowlers had the chance to spearhead a victory on this tour. True, none of them picked up more than two wickets, but that only established how good they were as a unit. India were kept to a measly 147 on a pitch that wasn’t in any way untoward and as icing on the cake Eoin Morgan shellacked a half-century to make sure his team took a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.Moeen’s best, Morgan’s 1500

2/21 Moeen Ali’s figures, his best in T20Is. He was the only bowler with an economy rate lower than six in the match. He also got his third Man of the Match award in 20 T20Is.

73.50Joe Root’s average when chasing in T20Is, the third-best among players with five or more innings. He averages only 29.33 when batting first.

12 Innings without a fifty for Eoin Morgan in T20Is, before scoring one in this match. His last was 74 against Australia in Cardiff in 2015. He also completed 1500 T20I runs, the first England player and 12th overall to do so.

2-9 India’s win-loss record when defending targets of 150 or less over 12 attempts. Their win-loss ratio of 0.22 is the worst among all Full Members.

22 Runs that came in boundaries for India in their last 10 overs, their second-lowest when batting first and playing out all 20 overs.

Tymal Mills, Chris Jordan, Liam Plunkett and Ben Stokes were given a brief to bowl length and just short of it, while ensuring the batsmen do not have room to use their pace to relieve the pressure. Moeen Ali was at his restrictive best, picking up 2 for 21 in four overs, targeting the stumps with flat darts and in the end the services of their specialist spinner Adil Rashid was not even needed.India, who had lost the toss and were put in, seemed rather obsessed with power-hitting. They had gone through the entire World T20 playing proper cricket, only to be brutally swept aside by West Indies in the semi-final. From the moment Virat Kohli carved the third ball of the match for four through point, it seemed like they were trying go for the boundary every single ball. It did not pay off though, as England dashed a little bit of the Republic Day celebrations at a jam-packed Green Park stadium in Kanpur.Admittedly, it doesn’t seem the worst strategy to leave your brain behind as a batsman when playing T20. There’s 10 wickets to negotiate 20 overs, and while batting first, it even seems logical to do so. But India don’t normally play in this fashion and will need time to catch up with the rest of the world. This evening, for example, they couldn’t deal with how they were bleeding wickets, at the worst possible times.Kohli and KL Rahul, who opened the batting, fell within three overs of each other on either side of the Powerplay. Suresh Raina, Yuvraj Singh and Manish Pandey – Nos 3, 4 and 6 – dismissed within three overs as well, between the 11th and the 14th. India couldn’t lay a good enough foundation at the start and were running out of batsmen by the end. No one made it past a score of 36.The key for England was in how well they read the pitch. It was both grassy and cracked and lent itself to fast bowlers who were willing to hit the deck and also experiment with cross-seamers and slower balls. Jordan and Mills – who were playing their first matches on this tour – did exactly that. Then Moeen, who began his spell having Kohli caught at short midwicket for 29 off 26, excelled in the middle overs, bowling stump-to-stump. His length was lovely as well, not full enough to drive freely and not short enough that the batsman could use the pace. The end result, he conceded only one boundary.India had somehow mis-hit their way to 47 in the Powerplay, but once England had the comfort of having five men on the boundary, the edges no longer found gaps. They offered a mere 37 runs between the 13th and 19th overs. Moeen had created the pressure, the quicks came back, knowing they will be targeted, but by varying their pace and banging the ball into the pitch without the width to cut or pull, they gave India, who were by now only trying to hit the ball as hard as they could, very few options.Hardik Pandya found that out when he was cramped by a short ball rising up to his shoulder and found deep point; Mills meanwhile had his first T20I wicket. Rahul was caught unawares by a sharp bouncer from Jordan in the fourth over, which he could only fend to short fine leg.Yuvraj top-edged a pull to long leg off Plunkett and Raina was bowled by a searing yorker from Stokes. Morgan’s captaincy should be credited here, forcing the two left-handers to deal with the kind of bowling they generally dislike facing, and less so with an innings in jeopardy: fast and at their bodies. Moeen played his part too, spinning the ball away or making it skid on, rarely letting himself be lined up. MS Dhoni managed to stick it out till the end, hitting a couple of fours in the last over, but 147 was nowhere near par.It showed when Jason Roy and Sam Billings blitzed 36 in three overs at the start of the chase. India did put a stop to the mayhem in the next over with legspinner Yuzvendra Chahal, picked ahead of Amit Mishra, bowling both batsmen. But it didn’t matter in the larger scheme of things since England managed to gun down a third of their target within the first six overs. With that in the back of their minds, Joe Root, returning from a niggle, and Morgan put on 83 runs for the third wicket and that partnership was more than enough to seal a straightforward chase. A further sign of how disappointing India’s batting had been on the day was debutant Parvez Rasool picking up the England captain for 51 and barely celebrating. He knew it just didn’t matter.

Newcastle United are preparing an offer to sign Wolfsburg star Felix Nmecha this summer, according to reports.

Who is Felix Nmecha?

Nmecha is a midfielder who currently plays his football for Niko Kovac’s side, having moved to the Bundesliga on a free transfer from the Premier League, namely Manchester City’s academy, back in 2021. During his two-year spell, he’s so far made 50 appearances for Die Wolfe.

The Germany international still has another two years to run on his contract, but having established himself as his club’s overall fourth best-performing player with a WhoScored match rating of 6.86, has caught the eye of the northeast outfit.

Eddie Howe has reportedly made it his priority to enter the market for new central reinforcements during the transfer window, with Matty Longstaff out of contract at the end of this month and leaving the club, and the 22-year-old appears to have been highlighted as a potential ideal replacement.

Are Newcastle signing Nmecha?

According to The Telegraph (via The Daily Mail), Newcastle are “set to make a bid” for Nmecha this summer. The Magpies are “readying an offer” for the midfielder having “tracked” him for months through the club’s scouts, and it’s stated that Howe is a “fan” of several of his qualities, including his “energetic” and “box-to-box” style of play. Wolfsburg are likely to demand £15m for their prized asset which the board deem to be “relatively cheap” and a price tag that they could easily afford.

Nmecha is naturally an attacking midfielder so is renowned for driving forward with his “quick” pace, as lauded by journalist Josh Bunting, and getting involved in the final third, and we feel PIF should definitely see if they could bring him to St. James’ Park.

Wolfsburg’s number 22, who was born in Hamburg, posted nine goal contributions (six assists and three goals) in 30 Bundesliga outings last season and recorded 37 shots over the course of the campaign, which was the third-highest total throughout his squad, via FBRef.

Standing at 6 foot 2, Nmecha, who has the versatility to operate in seven various positions across the pitch, would also add a different dimension to the centre with his height having averaged 1.5 aerial wins per league game, so him being available for £15m is an absolute bargain of a deal for a young player with the ability to add physicality and end product to the Magpies midfield ranks.

Al-Ittihad are reportedly ready to test Liverpool’s resolve with a €150 million (£129m/$162m) bid for Mohamed Salah before the summer window closes.

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Egyptian forward wanted in Middle EastHas a contract through to 2025Big-money offer about to be tabledWHAT HAPPENED?

The Egypt international forward is tied to a contract at Anfield through to 2025 and has expressed no desire in public to walk away from that deal. There have, however, been reports of his head being turned by interest from Saudi Arabia.

AdvertisementGettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE

According to , Al-Ittihad – who already have Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema on their books – are preparing a big-money bid for Salah. They will also put a contract proposal to the 31-year-old that would bring him in line with the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar in the salary stakes.

AND WHAT'S MORE

Such a deal would smash the Saudi transfer record, with the bid worth £86m ($108m) in guaranteed payments and £43m ($54m) in performance-related bonuses. Liverpool have no intention of sanctioning a sale, but their hand may be forced if Salah decides that he does want to enter into talks.

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GettyWHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

Al-Ittihad are looking to bring more marquee additions onto their books ahead of the 2023 FIFA World Club Cup – which will be staged in Saudi Arabia this December – with there also reports of them mulling over a move for former Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain defender Sergio Ramos, who remains a free agent at 37 years of age.

Giles Clarke, president of the England and Wales Cricket Board and chairman of the ICC’s Pakistan Task Force, has cautioned that bringing international cricket back to Pakistan will be an arduous process requiring “a lot of time and hard work”.Clarke arrived in Lahore on Saturday – his first visit to the country as head of the Pakistan Task Force – on a fact-finding mission to inspect security arrangements that can be put in place for visiting teams. During his visit, Clarke met with senior officials of the Punjab government, including the chief minister and the Home Secretary.Addressing a press conference at the National Cricket Academy at the Gaddafi Stadium, Clarke praised Punjab’s government for “significant investment” in safety and security arrangements for potential touring aides. He was quick to point out, however, that these observations were not to serve as a replacement for expert advice.”I have to receive a proper report from my experts,” Clarke said. “But speaking as a non-expert, I was deeply impressed by the size of the investment, and the passion of everyone I’ve met from the chief minister downwards, the desire and determination to see international cricket return to Lahore was absolutely there. It is a goal of the ICC that every Full Member plays international bilateral cricket in their own country. But for us to do that, we need everyone to be safe and secure.”Clarke referred to a bomb blast in a crowded park in Lahore last March that killed over 70 people. The PCB was in talks with the MCC at the time for the latter to send a cricket team to Lahore, but the terror attack put an end to that.”We don’t want to get it wrong,” Clarke said. “We all know one terrible incident can push things backwards again. What happened here in one of Lahore’s parks did make it impossible for us to send a team here last year. So we’re hoping to move forward, but this isn’t an easy road.”There’s a considerable amount of perception that needs to be changed [around Pakistan being an unsafe country] and information that needs to be shared. But I am most impressed by the efforts of the authorities to make Lahore a safe city.”Clarke, who has been on the Pakistan Task Force since it was set up in the aftermath of the Lahore terror attacks on the Sri Lanka team in March 2009, praised Zimbabwe for coming to Pakistan in 2015 to play two T20s and three ODIs, and said it was a “very well organised” tour. “We want to build on that and move forward in a sensible and measured fashion.” Even that tour, however, was the target of an attempted attack.Clarke didn’t comment on a recent statement by the Federation of International Cricketers’ Associations (FICA) that “an acceptable level of participant safety and security cannot be expected or guaranteed” in Pakistan, saying he hadn’t discussed that statement with FICA, or read it in full. “I was far more interested in coming here for myself before I opened that conversation,” he said.That statement had come on the back of the PCB announcing that the final of the second edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) would take place in Lahore, whether or not international players travelled to Pakistan. Clarke expressed strong support for the PCB’s endeavours to hold the final of “their own domestic competition” in Pakistan. “I completely understand that desire, and will support their efforts to do that.”

Manchester United have been in hot pursuit of Mason Mount over the last few weeks and now a new update has emerged on their pursuit of the player this summer.

What's the latest on Man United's move for Mason Mount?

According to The Times, the Chelsea midfielder has agreed personal terms to become a Man United player this summer.

As per the report, it is claimed that the Red Devils are closing in on making Mount their first signing of the summer with Erik ten Hag keen to add more creativity into his midfield set up this summer and Chelsea are keen to cash in to ensure they don't lose a huge asset on a free next summer.

Would Mason Mount be a good fit for Man United?

Whilst the most pressing concern for Erik ten Hag will be the centre-forward role this summer, an opportunity to strengthen the quality and attacking perspectives in the centre of the pitch is a chance they cannot afford to pass up on.

Although Man United boast a number of highly-respected talent in midfield it is definitely an area of the squad that is starting to age with Christian Eriksen, Casemiro and Fred all in their 30s at this point and other than Bruno Fernandes, are three of the most experienced first teamers.

As a result, the signing of Mount presents an opportunity for the Dutch coach to continue his rebuild at Old Trafford by injecting not only some youth into the midfield personnel but also maintaining a high level of quality and a winning mentality to match those decorated players who surround him.

The 24-year-old Champions League winner – who has been "unbelievable" in the words of Joe Cole – offers flexibility in his positioning with experience operating in a number of roles over his illustrious career so far, but could be the dream creative outlet that Ten Hag is searching for who can combine with one of his England teammates to make United an unstoppable force.

Marcus Rashford has been one of the standout performers on the red side of Manchester this season – tallying up 30 goals and 11 assists in all competitions with a goal contribution every 104 minutes, an impressive output unmatched by any player in the team as Fernandes came in second scoring less than half (14).

Now, Mount could provide the pacey winger with even more opportunities to convert chances by injecting some consistent creativity into the midfield and breaking the lines of attack to form a dangerous attacking threat.

The Chelsea academy graduate ranks in the top 15% of his positional peers in midfield across the top five European leagues for shot-creating actions, shots on goal, progressive carries, touches and progressive passes received, proving that he could be a key asset in playing that final ball into the box or even taking the goal-scoring opportunities for himself with confidence.

With that being said, it will be interesting to see how Ten Hag will deploy Mount if he joins the Red Devils this summer and whether he can reach the high expectations that will come with his reported £70m price tag next season.

United States coach Gregg Berhalter has spoken with Giovanni Reyna for the first time since the dispute that resulted in the former's temporary exit.

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• Reyna out of USMNT since World Cup
• Involved in dispute with Berhalter
• Player and coach have finally spoken

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Reyna has not been called up to the national team since the World Cup as it was revealed that his family provided damaging information about Berhalter to U.S. Soccer in alleged retaliation after the Borussia Dortmund star struggled for playing time during the tournament in Qatar.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Berhalter left the national team after his contract expired, but has since been put back in charge after an investigation into his conduct cleared him to return. The coach said last month that he had not yet spoken to Reyna when he announced his first squad since his return, but U.S. Soccer's sporting director Mark Crocker clarified that they have since had talks.

• WHAT THEY SAID

  Reyna, who has not played for Borussia Dortmund this season as he recently returned from injury, will likely return to the USMNT squad soon, according to Crocker.

  "I think both Gregg and Gio are in a good place to move forward," he is quoted as saying by reporter Steven Goff.

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  WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

  Berhalter's USMNT are in action again in October when they take on Germany and Ghana in international friendlies.