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Glasgow Rangers were dealt a big blow in their 3-0 win over Kilmarnock in the Scottish Premiership on Saturday, as Nedim Bajrami was forced off with what appeared to be a hamstring injury after 21 minutes.

The Albania international had scored one goal and created seven chances in his last two starts in the league, per Sofascore, which shows that he was finally finding his feet in the 2025/26 campaign.

Unfortunately, the former Sassuolo man is now set for a spell on the sidelines after this latest injury blow, which means that Danny Rohl will need to find a new left winger for the game against Ferencvaros on Thursday night.

Why Findlay Curtis should not start against Ferencvaros

Academy graduate Findlay Curtis came off the bench to replace Bajrami in the 21st minute against Kilmarnock on Saturday, but the Scottish youngster failed to take his chance to impress.

Perhaps it was nerves, as it was only his third appearance since the start of November, but the 19-year-old winger produced a shaky display before being substituted in the 76th minute.

Per Sofascore, Curtis completed one of his three attempted crosses, created one chance, and failed to score with either of his shots on goal, whilst one of those failed crosses sailed high and wide in the first half and led to some frustrated reactions in the penalty area.

Chalkboard

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

The teenage forward also struggled with the physical side of the game. Per Sofascore, he lost three of his four ground duels and was dribbled past three times, which shows that the Kilmarnock players found him too easy to get the better of on the night.

With this in mind, Rohl could solve the Bajrami injury blow by leaving Curtis on the bench to be an impact sub and starting Thelo Aasgaard in a new role.

The new role that Thelo Aasgaard could play for Rangers

It is fair to say that the summer signing from Luton Town has not enjoyed an ideal debut season with the Ibrox giants so far, with a return of one goal and one assist in 22 appearances in all competitions, per Sofascore

He was described as a “passenger” by Heart & Hand content creator David Edgar last month, and his lack of goals and assists for the Light Blues backs up that comment.

Per Transfermarkt, all of his starts this season have come in central positions. This is why Rohl should flip the script and attempt to ignite Aasgaard’s Rangers career by playing him in a brand-new role on the left flank.

As you can see in the table above, the Norwegian talent is no stranger to playing on the left flank, as he has played 27 matches there in his career, which suggests that he is capable of playing out wide.

A return of seven goals in those 27 games also suggests that moving him out on the left could ignite his goalscoring potential at Ibrox, after a run of one goal in 22 matches in central positions so far for the Light Blues.

Unlike Curtis, Aasgaard has the physical and defensive attributes to his game that could make him a reliable operator out of possession in a left wing position. Per Sofascore, he has won 58% of his ground duels and only been dribbled past once in 12 appearances in the Premiership.

The Scottish youngster, meanwhile, has lost 53% of his ground duels and been dribbled past three times in 119 minutes of football, which suggests that the summer signing from Luton offers more physicality on the pitch.

Physicality is not everything, though, and Aasgaard will still need to prove that he can deliver goals and assists on a regular basis if Rohl opts to provide him with a chance to shine on the left wing after injuries to Bajrami and Oliver Antman in recent days.

With Mikey Moore, who can play centrally or out wide on either flank, also returning to fitness, it will be interesting to see what the German head coach ultimately decides to go with against Ferencvaros on Thursday night.

Rangers prioritising move to sign "strong" 6ft 4 box-crasher after scouting mission

He could be Rohl’s first signing.

By
Tom Cunningham

Dec 6, 2025

It could be a good move, though, to unleash Aasgaard over Curtis in that left wing spot on Thursday night, both because of the physical element and how it could ignite the ex-Wigan star’s career at the club.

Wayne Rooney joined Manchester United from boyhood club Everton in August 2004 for a fee of £27 million ($36m), a world-record sum for a teenager at the time. The transfer was controversial among Toffees fans, and the former England striker has revealed details of the intimidation campaign directed at his family and his then wife-to-be Coleen and also how he's helping his son take first steps in his football career.

• Rooney switch caused anger on Merseyside

  Rooney quickly justified the chunky price tag, making an explosive debut with a hat-trick against Fenerbahce in the Champions League. At Old Trafford, under Sir Alex Ferguson,he matured into a world superstar, becoming known for his incredible work rate, stunning goals – like his famous overhead kick against Manchester City – and leadership. 

  Over 13 successful seasons, Rooney won 16 major trophies, including five Premier League titles and the Champions League. He became the club's all-time leading goalscorer with 253 goals in 559 appearances, cementing his status as a United legend, alongside the likes of Bobby Charlton, George Best, Eric Cantona and Cristiano Ronaldo. 

  But in the immediate period after his move from Goodison Park, 49 miles up the M62 to Old Trafford, his family faced a campaign of hostility. 

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  Rooney: 'I had to stay tough'

  Rooney said on the : "I got death threats. My parents' house was getting spray painted and smashed up. My girlfriend at the time, wife now, her house was getting spray painted. I think that's where you have to be mentally strong. The people around you have to help. Leaving was difficult because I went to Manchester United, and Liverpool and Manchester was a big rivalry so that made it a lot more difficult. But I was always of a mindset of 'I don't care'. I knew what I wanted and I knew how to get there. I had to stay tough in my mind. This was people from my city so it was tough but I thought 'I don't care', you have to be selfish and make these decisions." 

• Rooney reveals life as a football dad

  Rooney has been retired for just shy of six years, and in that time he has seen his eldest son progress through the youth ranks at Manchester United, and is conscious of the changing pressures that face Kai, compared to his playing days. 

  Rooney said: "Now the difference is social media. When I was young, I was in the local newspapers and so everyone in Liverpool really knew me. Now I have it with my boy who's 16 and he's on social media. He plays for my United, he's sponsored by Puma and there's hundreds of thousands or millions of people watching them when they're that young, and I didn't have that really. Being a young player and going into the first team especially, you're getting judged. Rightly or wrongly, you get judged and that's where you need the people around you, people at the club or your family to keep you in a good place. We can all get carried away with social media as well. So it's really important that the people who are close to you have your best interest. It's the main thing." 

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  Media career makes stuttering start

  Rooney's career at the BBC has faced certain challenges primarily due to a difficult transition to live television punditry on Match of the Day. While he has been praised for his knowledgeable and candid approach on his pre-recorded podcast, his on-camera performances have been hindered by significant nerves and hesitation. This has led to criticism, which has described his live analysis as "dreadful" or "painful" and noted his struggle to form coherent sentences under the pressure of the studio environment. The BBC is reportedly providing additional media training to help him adapt, which underscores the initial difficulties in his role despite a lucrative two-year contract.

The New York Yankees are in the middle of a midseason snag, and are buying at the trade deadline as they look to pursue the first-place Toronto Blue Jays in the American League East.

The Yankees have already acquired former Colorado Rockies first baseman Ryan McMahon, as well as former Washington Nationals infielder Amed Rosario. Now New York is still seeking bullpen help, but is adding outfielders to the wish list with Aaron Judge on the IL with an elbow issue.

According to ESPN's Buster Olney, the outfield help could come by way of a reunion with Minnesota Twins centerfielder Harrison Bader, who last played for the Yankees in 2023. The Yankees are also interested in Chicago White Sox outfielder Austin Slater.

Bader is hitting .255 for the Twins this season with 12 home runs and 38 RBI, while Slater is batting .241 with five home runs and 11 RBI.

Despite outfield help now being classified as a need, the Yankees are expected to continue to be in the market for relief pitching before the deadline later this week.

Carey-Starc stand undoes some of damage after South Africa find a way back into see-sawing Test

Andrew McGlashan12-Jun-20252:11

Should Khawaja’s pattern of dismissals worry Australia?

Former Australia quick Damien Fleming, commentating for radio at Lord’s, perhaps put it best: “Things aren’t making sense.”His comment came during the final session on the second day of the WTC final at Lord’s, as Australia collapsed to 73 for 7, with much of the damage done by the perceived weaker links of South Africa’s attack – Lungi Ngidi and Wiaan Mulder.There was almost too much to pick through in one go. Only a couple of hours before being cleaned up by Ngidi, Pat Cummins had been walking off, ball in hand, saluting a six-wicket haul and his 300th in Tests.Related

• Khawaja has Ashes backing, but Labuschagne's spot uncertain

• South Africa 'very confident' of chasing down target

• Lungi Ngidi burst puts selection questions to bed

• Australia ahead after Cummins, Rabada and Ngidi dominate

• Stats – Captain Cummins in a league of legends feat. Benaud, Imran and others

“Am I too optimistic?” Dale Steyn tweeted with a picture of the Newlands scoreboard from when Australia were bowled out for 47 in 2011, South Africa overturning a deficit of 188 to win by eight wickets.It wasn’t quite that dramatic, but as Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Travis Head, Beau Webster and latterly Cummins departed in the space of 42 balls, the game was being upended. In the nick of time, Alex Carey, with help from Mitchell Starc, provided some substance, and given the nature of the game may well have given Australia enough to defend.”The mood in the changing room was pretty positive towards the end there,” Cummins said. “It was a great partnership. With each run it was almost like a run chase. You’re like, that’s good, four runs, getting pretty loud claps, especially from Marnus. He’s always pretty noisy. A pretty good way to end the day.”Low-scoring Tests are absorbing – and the numbers have shown how the game has changed in the World Test Championship era – but it shouldn’t completely absolve the batters. Data gathered by the broadcaster showed the pitch itself was not doing anything especially untoward compared to historical numbers, even if the batters may want to suggest otherwise.1:53

‘Once the ball gets older, Cummins puts his hand up’

For all of Australia’s success in recent years, they still have a good collapse in them. The series against India last year began with one in Perth, earlier in 2024 they had lost 8 for 94 as Shamar Joseph inspired West Indies to victory at the Gabba, and that same summer they lost 6 for 68 against Pakistan at the MCG, although they were able to win that game (in no small part due to Cummins).At Lord’s, both teams have batted as though short on preparation, which is exactly what they are. South Africa tried to have a practice game, only for weather to allow just one day of play against Zimbabwe, while Australia opted purely for centre-wicket training and nets. But whereas the inexperience of South Africa’s line-up was widely acknowledged, Australia were viewed as having more pedigree; experience was one of the deciding factors in Labuschagne being retained ahead of Sam Konstas. How much has Konstas benefited by playing this game?The Australia top order occupied much of the scrutiny heading into this Test. In six innings between them, Labuschagne, Usman Khawaja and Cameron Green have made 49 runs.

“I thought he looked sharp both innings. [There was] some really good bowling. He batted some tough overs. Think he looked busy and looked like he had a really good plan”Pat Cummins on Marnus Labuschagne

Khawaja is becoming a concern against quality pace. It’s not just a Jasprit Bumrah problem. At Lord’s, he twice edged Kagiso Rabada from around the wicket to the slips. The 232 he made in Galle shouldn’t be wiped from the memory, but it perhaps didn’t answer too many questions about the twilight of his career.A lean return to Test cricket for Green does not need to change the belief he is part of Australia’s long-term batting future, but runs for Gloucestershire in Division Two of the County Championship can only count for so much when preparing to face Rabada – and there’s no need to talk about the other South Africa quicks, because Green didn’t get a chance to take them on. In the first innings, he edged his third ball against Rabada, and today it was his second, pressing forward with hard hands on both occasions.Then there’s Labuschagne, who benefited from the stance of offering one game too many rather than too few. Scores of 17 and 22 are about as middling as they come. The 120 balls he used up across the game won’t silence debates about his batting tempo. In both innings, he has looked settled enough until nicking behind against Marco Jansen from around the wicket. He may well find that come Barbados in a couple of weeks, the selectors’ goodwill has run its course.2:38

Cummins: Reaching 300 wickets a sign of durability and resilience

“I thought he looked sharp both innings,” Cummins said. “[There was] some really good bowling. He batted some tough overs. Think he looked busy and looked like he had a really good plan. No doubt he would have liked to go on, but he got himself in, faced quite a few balls, and looked in command of his skills out there.”This time, Smith couldn’t resurrect the innings, shuffling across and being trapped lbw to give Ngidi as important a first wicket of the match as there could be. Head was cleaned up by Mulder and Webster was lbw in very similar manner to which he could have been out in the first innings had South Africa reviewed.Given what Cummins had done earlier in the day, and his ability to seize moments with the bat when most needed, it felt like the type of situation where he could produce a game-changing cameo. He was keen to play his shots as he cleared the off side against Ngidi but, in his own words, “missed a half-volley on leg stump”.As he walked off the field again, Australia’s were just 147 runs ahead and anything was possible. At that point, Cummins said he would have been happy with a lead around 200. By the close Australia were sitting a little more comfortably but may still need their captain to come to the fore once more if they are to retain the mace.

The Yankees have had quite the weekend on their trip to Miami for a series with the Marlins.

On Friday night, their new-look bullpen gave up nine runs in the final three innings which led to a tough 13-12 defeat after they were walked off on a dribbler from Marlins catcher Agustín Ramírez. On Saturday, they suffered a difficult inning-ending out due to a base running error by second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr.

He walked to lead off the second inning before catcher Ben Rice popped out for the first out of the frame. Then, the next batter Paul Goldschmidt sent a pop-up to second base which Chisholm watched fly in the air. Marlins second baseman Xavier Edwards must have seen Chisholm standing far from the bag out of the corner of his eye because he quickly snapped a throw to first after bringing it in to improbably end the inning as Chisholm couldn't get back in time.

Certainly a heads-up moves by Edwards but the replay does show Chisholm standing while the ball is in the air and even inching further away from the bag which put him in position to get called out:

Yankees manager Aaron Boone appeared to let out some frustrations after the lapse:

In the top of the first inning, the Yankees tried to take an early lead by sending Trent Grisham home but Marlins outfielder Kyle Stowers's throw beat him to the plate by a mile:

Ramírez homered in the first and fourth inning for the Marlins in what ended up a 2–0 victory.

Always remember the fundamentals and stay alert on the base paths.

Tottenham Hotspur swooped to appoint Thomas Frank as their new head coach ahead of the summer transfer window after they opted to remove Ange Postecoglou from his post.

The Australian manager won the Europa League at the end of the 2024/25 campaign, beating Manchester United in the final, but that was not enough for him to save his job.

Daniel Levy, who has since moved on from his role as chairman, parted ways with Postecoglou and snapped Frank up from Brentford, where he had won promotion to the Premier League and established the Bees in the division.

Four wins, two draws, and one defeat in the first seven matches of the top-flight campaign suggest that Spurs made a good decision when they changed managers this summer.

In his unveiling, the club’s official website noted that one of the reasons why Frank landed the job was that he has a proven track record in developing players.

Tottenham will now be hoping that he can work wonders with the plethora of talented young players at his disposal in North London, as he did with the likes of Bryan Mbeumo, Kevin Schade, and Yoane Wissa at Brentford.

Ranking Tottenham's most valuable U21 players

Whilst Frank could develop players of any age, the powers that be at Spurs may hope that he can develop the U21 players at the club to help them grow in value.

Tottenham have a rich history of developing and selling players. Gareth Bale and Luka Modric, both sold to Real Madrid, are notable examples, whilst Harry Kane came through the youth ranks before moving on to Bayern Munich in 2023 as the club’s all-time record goalscorer.

The Lilywhites may not have their next Kane in the making at the club at the moment, but they do have several impressive young stars who could have bright futures under an outstanding coach like Frank.

Spurs have four players aged 21 or under in their squad who are currently valued at £17m or more by Transfermarkt, which shows that several impressive young talents are waiting to explode in North London.

As you can see in the table above, Lucas Bergvall is the joint-most valuable U21 player in the squad, and he has emerged as an early favourite under Frank.

The Sweden international has started four of his six appearances in the Premier League this season, scoring one goal and providing one assist, which shows that the manager has taken a liking to him.

Spurs will be hoping that Bergvall benefits from this exposure to regular starts in the top-flight to emerge as a star for Frank in the middle of the park.

Archie Gray is currently valued at £33m, the same as the Swedish starlet, but he has only made two appearances and started once in the Premier League so far this season.

Chalkboard

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

Whilst Bergvall is seemingly Frank’s favourite U21 player at the club at the moment, the England U21 international has the potential to develop into a Bukayo Saka-esque talent for Tottenham if he gets more game time in his favoured position.

How Archie Gray can become Tottenham's Bukayo Saka

At the start of Saka’s Arsenal career, Mikel Arteta played the English star at left-back 21 times, in central midfield five times, and at left midfield 29 times, per Transfermarkt.

This shows that the left-footed youngster had to play in several roles before nailing down a regular spot in his favoured position on the right flank, where he has scored 47 goals and provided 40 assists in 137 starts.

Gray has suffered through his versatility throughout his senior career to date. 30 of his 49 starts for Leeds came at right-back. 34 of his appearances for Spurs have come at right-back, centre-back, or left-back. Meanwhile, he has started just 13 matches as a central midfielder, his favoured role, in that time, per Transfermarkt.

13 starts as a central midfielder, the position he grew up playing at academy level, in more than two years as a first-team player for Leeds and Spurs shows that he has not had many opportunities to develop in his long-term position.

Gray finally had the chance to play in central midfield for England’s U21s against Moldova last week and caught the eye with an impressive and well-rounded display in the middle of the park.

As you can see in the table above, the 19-year-old star put in a sublime performance in and out of possession, as he was effective as a passer and a dribbler, whilst also being almost perfect defensively.

This shows that he has the potential to deliver quality displays as a midfielder, despite playing so many other positions ahead of his best one at senior level to date.

Gray, who U23 scout Antonio Mango claimed was “born to play football”, could realise his potential at Tottenham if Frank plays him in his best role for an extended run of matches.

Analyst Ben Mattinson once claimed that the England U21 international is a “future £100m CM”, and it is not a crazy prediction when you consider that he is currently valued at £33m, having barely played in his natural position.

Gray has 30 matches of Premier League experience under his belt and has won the Europa League with Spurs, but the next step is for him to nail down a regular spot in the XI in the middle of the park.

Frank could, then, unearth his own Saka-type player as the former Leeds starlet could follow in the Arsenal superstar’s footsteps by transitioning from playing out of position at full-back to being a star in his natural position.

18-year-old Spurs gem is a "superstar" with more talent than Vuskovic

Tottenham Hotspur have a whole host of exciting youngsters to watch out for.

By
Kelan Sarson

Oct 13, 2025

The Braves beat the White Sox 1-0 on Wednesday in front of an announced crowd of more than 30,000 at Truist Park. Since it was a home game, FanDuel Sports Network's Wiley Ballard was in the crowd to talk to some fans.

During the top of the 5th, he found a fan named Rick sitting in front of the Chop House in right field. Rick was holding an upper body cutout of Ballard himself with a red and white striped shirt that said, "Where's Wiley?" Ballard did a quick interview with the fan asking if someone had put him up to it.

He revealed that his wife had and explained why she was missing the interview. Oh, and he swore.

“She loves you," said the fan. "Every time you come up, you know, and talk about either food or whatever she loves you so she’s like we gotta f—— put a sign up for him. So I was like ok cool. So… but she just went to the bathroom."

Ballard didn't even blink and continued the interview as the game continued. The Braves social media team posted a gif of the couple holding up a sign and a teddy bear, but stopped short of sharing the video.

A sight no Tigers fan wanted to see occurred on Wednesday during the club's 6–2 victory over the Mets. Lights-out relief pitcher Kyle Finnegan, one of the Tigers' savvy trade deadline pickups and one of the best relievers in all of baseball since the July 31 deadline, appeared to suffer an apparent injury while warming up in the bullpen. The Tigers broadcast showed Finnegan firing a warmup pitch in the bullpen, then squatting down in discomfort. Finnegan then walked through the Tigers dugout and headed down the steps towards the clubhouse.

Will Vest began wamring up in the bullpen in Finnegan's stead, with the former eventually entering the game in the top of the seventh inning, tossing 1 1/3 scoreless in relief. The Tigers announced that Finnegan experienced right groin tightness while warming up, according to Cody Stavenhagen of .

In 14 1/3 innings pitched since his acquisition by Detroit, Finnegan has yet to allow an earned run and has struck out 19 batters.

Bo Bichette picked one heck of a moment to hit his first home run of the postseason.

Facing Shohei Ohtani with two men on and one out in the bottom of the third inning of Game 7 of the World Series on Saturday night, Bichette smacked a 442-foot home run over the fence at Roger Center to open up a 3–0 lead for the Blue Jays.

Bichette knew it was gone the moment the ball came off his bat, and took an extended moment to admire his handiwork before trotting around the bases.

Bichette didn’t appear in the postseason until the World Series, having been dealing with an injury suffered in the stretch run of the season. Toronto was eager to get him back in the lineup. It’s not hard to see why.

He has been taking KKR to wins from impossible positions as a matter of routine

ESPNcricinfo stats team16-Apr-2020Russell is a behemoth in T20 cricket and could end up as one of the greatest to have played the format. He flew under the radar in his early years but since 2015 has been the most sought after player across all leagues, thanks to his ability to win matches singlehandedly with bat and sometimes with handy performances with the ball. He was the most valuable player in last year’s IPL.Death-overs king
Before looking at smart numbers, here is a quick look at Russell’s destructiveness using conventional stats. In 2019, he scored 1080 runs at a strike rate of 182.12 across all T20s. No other batsman with 500 runs in the year scored at such a quick rate. Devdutt Padikkal from Karnataka was next, with a strike rate of 175.75, but he is an opener and has the advantage of batting with field restrictions in place. Of those 1080 runs, 510 came in the IPL, at a strike rate of 204.81. Russell’s final-overs impact in the IPL took hitting to an all-new level that ensured KKR could win from situations from where T20 teams had never won before.In the last five overs of games in the tournament, Russell scored 351 runs from 141 balls at a strike rate of 248.9. Only AB de Villiers had a higher strike rate, but he played only 55 deliveries in those overs. On two occasions, Russell singlehandedly scored more than 50 runs in the last three overs to help KKR get over the line.Which Russell knock was the best? Which was the most impactful? Smart Stats tries to answer these questions.ESPNcricinfo LtdRussell’s impact in the last two IPLs

Though he missed the 2017 IPL due to a doping ban, Russell has more high-impact performances in the last three IPL seasons than any other player, according to Smart Stats. This impact score is calculated using a complex algorithm, which takes into account multiple factors. For a batsman, this includes the innings run rate and required run rate at every ball when he scored his runs, the quality of opposition bowlers, the number of wickets in hand, and the quality of batsmen to follow.Russell has six performances in the Smart Stats list of the top 35 most impactful performances from the last three editions of the IPL. The next best is Sunil Narine with three such performances.