There have been plenty of positives for Erik ten Hag to take from Manchester United's last two matches.

The Red Devils have netted four goals in both games, with Rasmus Hojlund now firing, but what will concern the boss is their inability to deal with transitions.

For most teams, the midfield often stops counterattacks at the source, but that hasn't been the case for United, and therefore changes could be made for their game against West Ham on Sunday.

Casemiro's last two performances

Last weekend, Casemiro returned from injury to start against Newport County in the FA Cup, when the Red Devils progressed with a 4-2 victory. The Brazilian is known for being a "monster" on the field, as per football writer Muhammad Butt, however, he struggled to keep up with the intensity of the game, was extremely wasteful on the ball, and was weak in his duels.

As you can see, his game against Wolves wasn't much better, other than the fact that he retained the ball much better.

Yet, from an out-of-possession perspective, he was being toyed with by the Wanderers' attackers, with one drop of the shoulder being enough to dribble past him with ease. The 31-year-old also lost eight of his 14 duels, which prevented United from retaining and regaining the ball.

That said, in fairness to Casemiro, the early yellow card didn't help with those particular scenarios, but his booking was received for a silly challenge in the first place.

Scott McTominay could make a difference against West Ham

Scott McTominay's future role as a Man United player seems to be that of either a super sub or a player to be brought into the starting XI with a certain mission, which will most likely be based on the opponent rather than Ten Hag's approach.

The Scotland star has played 19 matches in the league this season, but he has only started 12, with the development of Kobbie Mainoo pushing him further down the pecking order. However, this weekend, the number 39 could partner the 18-year-old in midfield over Casemiro.

The table below shows some of McTominay's key statistics from this Premier League season and how they compare to his positional peers.

McTominay is a player who is happy to do the dirty work for his team, whether that be making selfless runs off the ball to create space for others or scrapping for the ball in the middle of the park, as shown by his tackle statistics.

Previous manager Ole Gunnar Solsjkaer also praised the 27-year-old for being a "physical monster," which will be important against the extremely tough and intense West Ham midfield.

The Norweigan also alluded to McTominay's ability to impact the game in the final third, and he's proved that this season by being United's top scorer in the league with six goals. This would help Ten Hag's team break down the stubborn Hammers, with his threat in the box being among the best in the league, as shown in the table above.

Is McTominay the ideal replacement for Casemiro in the long-term? No, but he is the best option United currently have.

The pair, who were standing below the England dressing room, are alleged to have shouted ‘Jofra, show us your passport,’ according to the Daily Telegraph

George Dobell at Old Trafford05-Sep-2019

Two Australian supporters were ejected from Old Trafford on the first day of the fourth Ashes Test for using “foul and abusive” language towards England fast bowler Jofra Archer. The pair, who were standing below the England dressing room, are alleged to have shouted “Jofra, show us your passport” among other things according to the .Other spectators standing near the pair are understood to have complained to stewards but, as the abuse escalated, protested to the police which resulted in the two men being asked to leave the ground. A Lancashire spokesman confirmed the incident took place and insisted the club have a zero tolerance policy on abusive behaviour. While Archer was born in Barbados, he has long had a UK passport courtesy of his British father. Frank Archer was born in Catford and was a driver on the London underground before retiring to Liverpool.Archer did not respond to the abuse but was described by the Telegraph as looking “angered.””Jofra’s been coming here since he was two-years-old so you’ve got to ignore that stuff in the press about how he’s just popped up from nowhere,” Frank told the .

Manchester United won back-to-back Premier League matches for the first time since November this week.

The latest of those victories was a 3-0 beating of West Ham in what was almost a perfect day at the office for Erik ten Hag.

This was United's first clean sheet in five Premier League games, but let's take a look at who could become the first signing of the Sir Jim Ratcliffe era.

Man United's search for a centre-back

According to a report from Italian outlet Calciomercato, Man United "are above all" other teams in the race for Juventus central defender Gleison Bremer.

The Brazilian is contracted to Juve until 2028, and the club is keen to keep him.

However, it is reported that a fee of over £60m could tempt the Old Lady into selling their star defender.

Lisandro Martinez's dream partner

Lisandro Martinez is by far Man United's best centre-back, with even the official United website writing an article titled "Why everybody loves Lisandro Martinez." When he's fit, there aren't many, if any, defenders in the world that the Red Devils faithful would replace him with.

However, the 26-year-old has only started seven Premier League games all season after picking up a campaign-ending injury in April. His return to the side has seen United pick up consecutive victories, but in the most recent game against West Ham, he picked up a knock that is set to keep him out for eight weeks.

The former Ajax ace will be looking towards next season as a fresh start, and he could have a new partner by then, in the form of Bremer. The Brazilian has been immense this season for Juventus, and his most recent performance against Inter highlights what he's all about.

Minutes

95

Clearances

9

Tackles

3

Aerial duels won

6/8

Key passes

1

Pass accuracy %

91%

Possession lost

5

As you can see, Bremer is a player who simply loves to defend, as highlighted by his nine clearances, three tackles, and the fact he plays in a side that has 11 clean sheets in 23 Serie A games.

This makes him similar to Martinez, who ranked in the top 10% for tackles in the Premier League last season, as per FBref. Bremer also won six of his eight aerial duels, which proves he is dominant in the air, which is a vital attribute to have next to the number 6 who ranks in the bottom 93% for aerials won.

The South American duo are also extremely comfortable in possession, as displayed by Bremer's touches and pass accuracy, and Martinez's passes completed being in the top 17% for the Europa League last season.

However, what will elevate United is their ability to progress the play and instigate attacking scenarios, with Bremer completing one key pass against Inter and the Red Devils rock making 7.15 passes into the final third per game.

However, their physical profiles do differ, with the World Cup winner standing at 5 foot 9 and Bremer being 6 foot 2. The Brazilian is also known for his "speed and strength," as per journalist Siavoush Fallahi, which will complement Martinez perfectly.

Overall, the signing of Bremer would provide United with much more control in possession and out of it, just like Martinez does. The 26-year-old would be the dream partner for the Argentine.

Luis Suarez lavished praise on Darwin Nunez as he hailed him as "one of the best centre-forwards in the world" despite a chaotic season at Anfield.

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• Nunez struggled to get going at Liverpool
• Copa America could prove to be a turning point
• Suarez backed him to shine with Uruguay

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The Uruguayan hitman struggled for consistency with Liverpool in the 2023-24 campaign as he found the net just 18 times in 54 appearances across all competitions. Now, Nunez has joined his Uruguayan teammates ahead of their first match in Copa America in a bid to rediscover his form and guide his nation to continental glory.

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• WHAT SUAREZ SAID

  Despite the criticism aimed at Nunez for his goal-scoring record, Suarez staunchly defended the young striker. "Today he is one of the best centre-forwards in the world," Suarez told reporters emphatically. "I love how he plays and I love watching him. Since Darwin was in Penarol I had been talking to him, through someone else. There was a game in which he scored three goals that caught my attention.

  “At that time it was said that he missed a lot of goals, but he also generated a lot. They criticised me for the same reason, but the important thing is that he always tried to overcome it, he never gave up. I always saw special conditions in him. The forward has to be like that, the ambition, the desire to improve, the desire to get ahead of him."

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  The bond between Suarez and Nunez is characterized by mutual respect and a shared commitment to excellence.

  "Darwin always came, approached me, trying to chat and ask me things to improve. He is a divine kid. For him to tell me that I am his idol is something spectacular," Suarez remarked.

  “Since he arrived at the National Team he told me that as long as I was there, the ‘nine’ was going to be mine. That is something that one values a lot because it is a very nice gesture.”

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• DID YOU KNOW?

  Upon Suarez's return, Nunez demonstrated a profound respect for his idol by relinquishing the coveted number nine shirt to him. This gesture shows the respect and camaraderie between the two players which should mark a seamless blend of experience and youthful exuberance on the pitch.

Manchester United have had an abundance of players come through the doors at Old Trafford over the last decade, with it fair to say that while some have worked out for the better, others have seemingly flopped.

A recent example of this is that of Jadon Sancho, the winger signed from Borussia Dortmund for a fee in the region of £73m back in 2021.

Although for his first couple of seasons, the Englishman put in solid numbers by being involved in eight goals during the 2021/22 campaign and then a further ten in the following term, he was hardly a pivotal player within the Red Devils' squad.

Those woes culminated in his decline during the early stages of 2023/24, as the wideman was isolated from Erik ten Hag's squad and shipped back to Dortmund in January on a loan move until the end of the season, where, in just seven games, he has managed to assist his teammates twice.

Another of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's signings who can be included in the same sort of category as Sancho is that of Daniel James. The one-time Swansea City attacker joined the club in 2019 for a fee worth up to £18m after add-ons, before leaving just two years later.

Despite the Welshman's mixed fortunes at Old Trafford, he certainly had his moments at the club, with his strengths making him the type of player who could have thrived in tomorrow's eagerly-awaited Manchester derby.

Dan James' stats whilst at Man Utd

Whilst he only spent a couple of years in Manchester before joining Leeds for £25m, James certainly wasn't a complete disaster as he played in a total of 74 games and managed to contribute to 18 goals and assists.

That record holds up well in contrast to current flop, Antony, for instance, with the Brazilian having contributed just 13 goals and assists in 71 games in all competitions for the club to date, following his arrival on a mammoth £86m deal.

With the trip to the Etihad on the horizon, Ten Hag may wish he had a figure like James to call upon instead of the struggling Antony, with the Leeds man having that willing work ethic to be a useful asset in a one-off game like the derby.

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That can also be seen in his potential likeness to a certain, Park Ji-Sung, with South American journalist Leo Escudeiro making that comparison between the pair due to James being "technically limited, mega-fast and very dedicated".

Park, of course, may not have been the most high-profile of players, but he cemented cult hero status at United due to his hard-working nature and ability to deliver the goods on the big occasion, with former teammate Wayne Rooney stating that the South Korean was "almost as important to our success" as the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and 'Wazza' himself.

In moments, James could offer something similar, with Solskjaer previously saying of his talents: "Dan with the energy he has, the X-factor and the pace, he gives us something that must be hard to play against if you are a defender."

This level of praise from the treble-winner outlines how well the Wales international played whilst at the club and shows that he could've given the Red Devils something extra to offer against the reigning Premier League champions on Sunday.

Dan James' record against Man City

As aforementioned, United are set to face Manchester City tomorrow afternoon and will be looking to try and get one over their imperious arch-rivals.

The club currently find themselves residing outside the top four after winning four of their last five top-flight games, albeit while slipping to a meek defeat at home to Fulham a week ago.

Blast from the Past

Football FanCast's Blast from the Past series takes a trip down memory lane. Do any of your classic icons of days gone by fit into a modern-day starting XI?

With Rasmus Hojlund currently sidelined, Ten Hag may have to select a forward line of Alejandro Garnacho, Marcus Rashford and the aforementioned Antony, although there may be a sense that a talent like James would've been far more useful.

The 26-year-old's ability to hurt the Cityzens was notably laid bare following United's 2-1 triumph away from home back in December 2019, with James playing so well that United legend, Peter Schmeichel described his performance as "unbelievable".

As Gary Neville stated in commentary at the time, the hosts were simply "battered" on the counter-attack with the speedy winger central to that game plan, with journalist Samuel Luckhurst writing for Manchester Evening News that 'City could not keep up with his blistering pace' while awarding him an 8/10 match rating.

While James has played against City a total of ten times in his career and only managed one goal involvement – that assist coming in that 2-1 triumph in 2019 – he certainly provided Solskjaer's side with a real outlet that Ten Hag is currently lacking.

One thing is for sure, most United supporters would rather see James lining up on the right flank, ahead of the hapless Antony…

Teenager Pooja Vastrakar also returns to the T20I squad led by Harmanpreet Kaur, while D Hemalatha is back for the ODIs

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Sep-2019India women have named uncapped 15-year-old batsman Shafali Verma in their T20I squad for the first three – of five – games of the series against South Africa, which starts on September 24 in Surat. Another teenager, 19-year-old allrounder Pooja Vastrakar, who debuted in 2018, has been recalled to the team that will be led by Harmanpreet Kaur.Alongside that of Harleen Deol, the selection of Verma and Vastrakar seems to signal a decided move towards youth as they come in to replace the likes of Ekta Bisht, Komal Zanzad and Mithali Raj, who retired from T20Is on Tuesday.Raj will continue to lead the ODI squad, where D Hemalatha returns after having missed the ODIs against England earlier this year.Verma, who has never played at the senior level, was among the brightest players in the Women’s T20 Challenge in May, impressing the likes of Dani Wyatt, her team-mate at Velocity, with her hitting ability at the top of the innings. She had previously rocked the domestic T20 scene with Haryana during the 2018-19 senior women’s inter-state T20 tournament, making 186 runs in six innings at a strike rate of 187.87, including a tournament-high 128 off 56 balls against Nagaland.For Vastrakar, it’s a first stint with the team since June 2018, with an injury keeping her away from Women’s World T20 last year. The seam-bowling allrounder scores at a rate of 137.09 and has taken 12 wickets at 18.50 in a career of 11 T20Is, and could partner one of Shikha Pandey and Arundathi Reddy in India’s seam attack. Mansi Joshi is also in the mix with a return to the squad, while the spin options remain largely the same as the one that lost the series to England, with the addition of Harmanpreet, who had missed that series.For the three-match ODI series, which starts on October 9 in Vadodara, Mona Meshram has been left out of the squad following a dip in performances in recent times. Meshram made ducks in both her innings against England, and was among the batsmen who copped criticism during India’s below-par Asia Cup in 2018. Tamil Nadu’s Hemalatha takes her place in the squad, while Deol has been left out, having previously been named for the England series. Kaur returns to the ODI set-up as vice-captain.Veda Krishnamurthy continues to miss out from the ODIs, but has retained her spot for the T20Is despite her three single-digit scores in her last four innings. Taniya Bhatia is the wicketkeeper in both squads.India squad for first three T20Is: Harmanpreet Kaur (captain), Smriti Mandhana (vice-captain), Jemimah Rodrigues, Deepti Sharma, Taniya Bhatia (wicketkeeper), Poonam Yadav, Shikha Pandey, Arundhati Reddy, Pooja Vastrakar, Radha Yadav, Veda Krishnamurthy, Harleen Deol, Anuja Patil, Shafali Verma, Mansi JoshiIndia squad for ODIs: Mithali Raj (captain), Jemimah Rodrigues, Harmanpreet Kaur (vice-captain), Punam Raut, Smriti Mandhana, Deepti Sharma, Taniya Bhatia (wicketkeeper), Jhulan Goswami, Shikha Pandey, Mansi Joshi, Ekta Bisht, Poonam Yadav, D Hemalatha, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Priya Punia

Bayern Munich insiders reportedly fear that Harry Kane’s struggle for form at Euro 2024 is a result of the trophy heartbreak he endured at club level.

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Striker scored 44 goals in 2023-24 campaignEnded it without elusive major honourNursing injury & lacking spark with Three LionsWHAT HAPPENED?

The prolific England international completed a big-money transfer to Germany during the summer of 2023 with the intention of bringing his long wait for major honours to a close. Bayern were, as a dominant force in the Bundesliga, considered to be as close to a guarantee of silverware as it is possible to get in Europe.

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Kane was, however, to endure Super Cup heartache on his competitive bow for Bayern. They went on to suffer a shock German Cup defeat to third division minnows Saarbruecken, before losing to Real Madrid in the Champions League semi-finals and surrendering their domestic crown to Bayer Leverkusen.

DID YOU KNOW?

Kane did his bit for the collective cause, registering 44 goals and collecting the European Golden Shoe, but finished another season empty-handed and nursing a back injury. He did net for England in their Euros draw with Denmark, but has looked short of his best and is struggling to make an impact in games.

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GettyWHAT KANE HAS SAID

reports on how those in the Bayern camp believe Kane’s problems on an international stage are a direct result of his failure to land an elusive medal at club level. The 30-year-old has said of that battle: “I am extremely proud of what I have achieved in my career so far, but I also know that, of course, I want to have trophies to show for it. I feel like I’m in a real peak in my career and, hopefully, for the next four or five years especially that will be the case. So there’s going to be opportunities, starting this summer and then again next year with Bayern Munich. So I think the most important thing for me is that I don’t lose motivation and I keep trying to push myself and push the people around me.”

أبدى ليونيل ميسي، قائد المنتخب الأرجنتيني الأول لكرة القدم، غضبه من أرضية ملعب مباراة الأرجنتين وفنزويلا، والتي انتهت بالتعادل الإيجابي 1-1.

منتخب الأرجنتين تعثر في تصفيات أمريكا الجنوبية المؤهلة لبطولة كأس العالم 2026، في مواجهة فنزويلا، بعدما تقدم أوتاميندي وتعادل سالومون روندون.

بعد المباراة اشتكى ليونيل ميسي من أن فريقه اضطر للتخلي عن طريقة لعبه بسبب حالة الملعب السيئة، بعد هطول الأمطار وإغراق الملعب وإعاقة حركة الكرة بالنسبة لمنتخب الأرجنتين.

وقال ميسي في تصريحات لوسائل الإعلام عقب المباراة: “لقد كانت مباراة صعبة للغاية، لم نتمكن من إتمام تمريرتين متتاليتين، قمنا بذلك على الجانب الأيمن أكثر قليلًا بسبب سوء أرضية الملعب”.

وأضاف: “تعادلنا لأن أرضية الملعب لم تساعدنا على فعل ما أردناه وتطبيق أسلوبنا، كان علينا أن نلعب مباراة في أجواء أفضل من هذه”.

وشدد: “كانت أرضية الملعب قبيحة، ومررنا العديد من التمريرات للخلف بسبب منع الماء انتقال الكرة بطريقة طبيعية”.

وكانت المباراة قد تأخرت في الانطلاق لمدة نصف ساعة، بسبب حال الملعب بعد هطول الأمطار، قبل أن يقرر الحكم اقامتها.

The water is up to Nottinghamshire’s neck and very soon it will be little use their cricketers opposing the knock of the tide. So much was clear at tea on the second day of this game after Yorkshire’s openers had successfully extended their side’s 48-run first innings lead to 109 with a partnership that scarcely raised a ripple on the surface of the game.By close of play the advantage was 225 and Yorkshire should have wickets to spend in the search for quick runs sometime on the third afternoon. Having dismissed their hesitant visitors for 184 in the first half of the day, Steve Patterson’s team have now done the groundwork for the victory that will sustain their hopes of the title.And something like an hour after the cricketers had left the ground sleek, dark-suited figures were stalking across the outfield at North Marine Road as they made their way to the great marquee where a dinner celebrating this 133rd festival is being held. Scarborough has always been generous to Yorkshire cricket even in the relatively rare years when the White Rose did not prosper here. The talk this mellow evening will be of Fred and Brian, of Ray and Geoff, but perhaps there will also be a word for the current team who remain in the hunt for another pennant, even in a year when their performances have not forked lightning in the manner of their predecessors.So perhaps the diners will recall this day’s cricket, too. They might recall that while Duanne Olivier had bowled capably for his four wickets, Adam Lyth and Gary Ballance’s 108-run partnership had given them even more satisfaction in the perfect evening sunlight. Lyth’s cover-driving remains one of the joys of the English game and the only sorrow for neutrals was his dismissal for 81, caught at short fine leg off Liam Patterson-White, two overs before the close. Ballance, though, is unbeaten on 52 and one cannot be sanguine about the visitors’ prospects tomorrow afternoon.For already it seems clear that Nottinghamshire will have to score the biggest total of the match in order to win it. One’s mind went back to this second morning when Chris Nash’s batsmen had hopes of securing their own winning position. Those notions were all but destroyed in the first session when the visitors scored 90 runs but lost six wickets, some of them frittered on the sea air. It has been a theme of what is set to be a relegation season.And thoughts even returned to Cambridge in late March when Ben Duckett and Ben Slater put on 325 for their team’s first wicket. Yes, it was only the students, but the runs were far from given away. There was the heady scent of blossom in the city but hardly a tree was in the slightest leaf. Some folk were talking of Steven Mullaney’s team as title contenders. When did it become clear that four-day honours were not to be theirs? “Who turned the page?” asked the poet, Ian Hamilton. Perhaps things are never that clear in an English summer.Yet so much is right at Trent Bridge these days, apart from the cricket. The county boasts one of the finest yet most intimate grounds in the country and they are not short of money. Supporters pitch in, too. When officials decided not to continue with a yearbook the Nottingham Cricket Lovers’ Society stepped in and published the 2019 annual. It is a fine and modestly priced piece of work and one hopes it is continued but God knows what it will say about this year. One thinks of the lines Roy Campbell addressed to “Some South African Novelists”: “They use the snaffle and the curb all right, / But where’s the bloody horse?”There are Nottingham supporters at Scarborough, just as there were at Newclose and Tunbridge Wells this season. If they haven’t greatly enjoyed the cricket, they have at least visited some wonderful grounds. But such excursions are all the more pleasurable when your team is playing well and supporters from Caythorpe or Cuckney were right to be disappointed by the dismissals which smirched the morning. Slater can be excused; he was caught behind off Ben Coad’s first ball of the morning, a delivery which compelled the defensive push only to punish it with an edge to Jonny Tattersall.Others were culpable. Jake Libby’s ugly drive at a wideish ball from Olivier merely deflected the ball onto his off stump. Nash appeared in dominant form when hitting his seven fours but then played too soon at Olivier and was caught and bowled; he left after patting the pitch reproachfully. Joe Clarke prodded at a ball too far from his body and edged Coad to Tattersall; Duckett tried to cut a ball from Keshav Maharaj and was bowled off his pad. None of the errors glared at orthodoxy but they were enough. It is often the way when you are in the toils.There was respite for visiting supporters, though. It arrived in the combative form of Tom Moores, who hit Maharaj for a straight six before lunch and then twice more to the Popular Bank early in the afternoon session. Moores also took three fours off one Maharaj over and while he was batting there seemed a possibility that Nottinghamshire might achieve parity. But after making 48 off 49 balls he pushed jerkily at a ball from Olivier and nicked a catch to Tattersall. It had been an enjoyable innings but not one to change the shape of the game.For that we had to wait for Lyth and Ballance and their easeful strokes across a crystal evening.

MatériaMais Notícias

Após a eliminação precoce na Libertadores, o presidente Romildo Bolzan prometeu mudanças e deu início a elas com a saída de Renato Gaúcho. Agora, a novidade veio na diretoria, com Marcos Hermann, que será o novo vice-presidente.

+ Veja 30 astros que podem ficar fora da Eurocopa caso aconteça veto pela Superliga

Esta não é a primeira vez que o dirigente vai exercer o cargo. Entre 1997 e 1998, ele foi o vice do Tricolor.

Inicialmente, Hermann não quis aceitar o convite de Romildo Bolzan. Porém, a insistência do mandatário foi fundamental e o acordo foi selado.

Com o vice-presidente definido, cresce a expectativa do Grêmio para anunciar a chegada do novo comandante.

O favorito é o técnico Tiago Nunes, que está desempregado desde a sua saída do Corinthians e conta com a simpatia dos diretores gremistas.

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