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Manchester United have hit the headlines as Sir Jim Ratcliffe continues to be in the frame to purchase a portion of the club and reports suggest that he has big plans at Old Trafford.

Man Utd’s takeover update

Red Devils fans may feel like the takeover saga at Old Trafford has dragged on for an age as they close in on the one-year anniversary since the Premier League giants were put up for sale. Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad al Thani and Ratcliffe were both rival bidders in the hunt to inject fresh investment into Manchester United; however, as we all know, the Qatari businessman has since withdrawn from proceedings.

The Glazer family deemed his bid for 100% control, which was reported to be over £5 billion, not to be near enough to relinquish their hold on the Red Devils, leaving Ratcliffe, who heads up petrochemicals firm Ineos, in pole position to enter the helm, albeit only taking command of 25% of the club.

According to The Times, Ratcliffe will commit £245 million of his own personal wealth to upgrade infrastructure at Manchester United, including plans to upgrade Old Trafford, with the stadium’s condition becoming a major point of contention during the takeover process. On the pitch, United resemble a club in need of change. Despite winning four of their last six matches across all competitions, the Red Devils have lost five Premier League fixtures alongside being knocked out of the EFL Cup by Newcastle United.

In the Champions League, one win from three against Bayern Munich, Galatasaray and FC Copenhagen have put their hopes of qualifying for the Round of 16 in jeopardy, prompting questions surrounding recruitment procedures around the club and increasing the pressure on boss Erik ten Hag. Nevertheless, one latest report lays bare some of Ratcliffe’s other plans once his bid to claim a stake in Manchester United is ratified.

Manchester United's next five fixtures – all competitions

Competition

Opponent

Venue

Champions League

Copenhagen (A)

Parken Stadium

Premier League

Luton Town (H)

Old Trafford

Premier League

Everton (A)

Goodison Park

Champions League

Galatasaray (A)

RAMS Park

Premier League

Newcastle United (A)

St James' Park

Ratcliffe plans at Man Utd multi-club model

According to Football Insider, Manchester United and Ratcliffe plan to cultivate a multi-club model at Old Trafford similar to that of Manchester City’s City Football Group enterprise. The report states that Man United will ‘lay the foundations’ to buy smaller clubs as a way of compensating for their difficulties in recruiting elite Under-18 talents. Compiling young stars abroad would be seen as an ideal pipeline to supplement the Red Devils’ academy.

Ratcliffe, who also owns Ligue 1 side Nice and Swiss-based outfit Lausanne Sport, could use both clubs as destinations to send youngsters out on loan to gain experience. Feeder clubs and external relationships aren’t a new phenomenon to Manchester United, who have previously held deep links with Belgian side Royal Antwerp and Copa Libertadores holders Fluminense in the past, as cited by 90min.

John O'Shea, Darren Gibson and Rafael and Fabio da Silva are some successful previous examples of the positivity feeder clubs of some description could bring to Manchester United, though it remains to be seen how any new arrangements would operate.

In a repeat of their deal to welcome Claudio Echeverri, Manchester City are now reportedly battling to sign another South American gem ahead of rivals Manchester United this summer.

Man City transfer news

The Citizens have their focus set on the future and have done since the January transfer window, splashing out to welcome the likes of Vitor Reis, Abdukodir Khusanov and Juma Bah to commence their defensive rebuild. With three future stars in their backline, City could look to pick up where they left off when the summer transfer window arrives.

Pep Guardiola’s side could certainly do with a rebuild too. The Spaniard has lost more games in a single season than he has ever done before, with his Manchester City side ravaged by injuries and simply overpowered week in, week out in what still takes some getting used to when watching a side managed by the Spaniard.

Against Real Madrid in midweek, the Premier League champions were simply a class or two below their opponents and as Liverpool prepare to arrive at The Etihad, Manchester City must hope to avoid a repeat of Wednesday’s defeat.

That said, whilst their suffering continues on the pitch, the Citizens are at least reportedly preparing to unveil the light at the end of the tunnel in the form of further reinforcements.

Man City set for transfer battle to sign teenage prodigy who may cost £15m

Man City are among the European clubs chasing the signature of a rising star.

By
Brett Worthington

Feb 20, 2025

According to InterLive, as relayed by Sport Witness, Manchester City are now battling to sign Franco Mastantuono ahead of rivals Manchester United this summer. The River Plate youngster reportedly has a release clause worth €40m (£33m) and has also attracted the interest of Inter Milan to create quite the race for his signature.

"Gifted" Mastuantono is one to watch

The influence of South American talents in the Premier League is there for all to see and does not look likely to come to an end any time soon. The next generation of Argentina’s best looks particularly like one to watch and Mastuantono – alongside Echeverri – is one of the rising stars at the forefront of that.

At just 17 years old, the attacking midfielder was described as “gifted” and dubbed “Argentina’s best talent” by analyst Ben Mattinson last month.

Although things are at their bleakest under Guardiola right now, Manchester City’s slumber may not last long. When the summer arrives and they once again have the chance to rebuild, a dominant side could be awoken and seek instant vengeance. Whether the likes of Mastuantono play a part in that remains to be seen, however.

Manchester United will have been grateful for the international break as a chance for Erik ten Hag to regroup and gather his thoughts ahead of a crucial few weeks ahead.

Having won the EFL Cup and secured qualification for the Champions League during his maiden season in charge, it looks as though second-season syndrome is setting in as United have lost six of their 11 matches so far.

It's clear that he needs more depth in his playing squad and while the summer transfer window saw the Red Devils sign the likes of Mason Mount, Andre Onana and Rasmus Hojlund, they haven’t had the desired impact thus far.

Hojlund has scored three times in the Champions League, yet is goalless in the Premier League and the Dutchman will need more from the youngster.

The Old Trafford side missed out on a variety of targets during the transfer window, most notably Victor Osimhen, Harry Kane and even Moises Caicedo as he looked to bolster his squad.

All three would’ve been wonderful signings, yet it is perhaps where United are in the current market that they didn’t make the move to Manchester.

It was another name which the Red Devils were linked with however that Ten Hag should make a more concrete effort to sign in the January transfer window – Joshua Kimmich.

Were Man Utd close to signing Joshua Kimmich?

Towards the end of the transfer window, reports in Spain suggested that Kimmich was emerging as a key target for the Dutchman ahead of the 2023/24 season.

With just two years left on his current contract, it appeared as though the summer represented the perfect opportunity for Bayern Munich to rake in a massive profit on the midfielder.

The move never materialised however and United ended up signing Fiorentina midfielder Sofyan Amrabat on deadline day as a way to strengthen in the middle of the park.

He joined on a season-long loan move with an option to buy for £21.4m but have the club managed to secure a solid deal, or are they better going back in for the German during the January transfer window?

What has Kimmich won in his career?

Since joining the Bavarian side back in 2015, the German has gone on to become one of the finest midfielders on the continent and has amassed 358 appearances for Bayern, while scoring 40 goals and grabbing 99 assists in the process.

His list of honours is just as impressive, with the 28-year-old winning the Champions League in 2020 alongside eight Bundesliga titles and a handful of other domestic trophies and there is no doubt United would have a player with a wonderful winning mentality should they lure him to England.

Bayern Munich

358

40

20

RB Leipzig

55

3

0

All stats via Transfermarkt.

His performances during the 2019/20 campaign led to lavish praise from Jose Mourinho, who said: "I see him as a top right-back, left-back, centre-back, No.6, No.8, No.10… he has the qualities to be anything!

"I think he looks to me, very intelligent related to football, very intelligent, understands the moments of the games and understands the difference between positions and understands what he has to do here and what he has to do there. I think he’s phenomenal, an absolutely phenomenal player."

High praise indeed and with United currently struggling so far this season, conceding 19 goals across just 11 games, they are clearly failing to win the midfield battles, resulting in some poor results and a drop in confidence.

Amrabat has been deployed as an emergency left-back due to injuries to Luke Shaw and Tyrrell Malacia, yet Kimmich would certainly be the better option in the heart of the pitch than the Moroccan.

Is Joshua Kimmich better than Sofyan Amrabat?

When compared to positional peers, Kimmich has showcased his talents across a range of metrics and he currently ranks in the top 8% for assists per 90 (0.24), top 5% for shot-creating actions per 90 (4.32), top 1% for passes attempted per 90 (87.63) and the top 3% for progressive passes per 90 (9.44), clearly indicating that he offers a solid threat going forward with come incisive passing.

In comparison, Amrabat when compared to positional peers, fails to rank in the top 50% for either assists (0.05) or shot-creating actions (1.77) per 90, while also doesn’t rank as highly as Kimmich for passes attempted per 90 (69.29) and progressive passes per 90 (7.12) and these metrics see him ranked in the top 11% and 14% respectively.

This suggests Kimmich has been the better performer throughout the course of the last 12 months and considering he is playing for one of the biggest teams in Europe makes these displays even better.

This season, the German has been in outstanding form, averaging 3.1 key passes per game, creating two big chances and grabbing three assists.

Amrabat on the other hand, has averaged one key pass per game, created zero big chances and also failed to register an assist. He has been playing out of position, however.

The Bayern gem has also outshone Amrabat defensively, making more tackles (2.3 to two), interceptions (one to 0.7) and has won a higher percentage of total duels per game (57% to 43%) proving he can contribute both going forward while also helping his side out defensively during matches.

Missing out on him back in the summer looks like a huge mistake by Ten Hag, and he must surely reignite another move for the 5 foot 9 ace when the winter transfer window opens up in a couple of months. It may, however, cost a pretty penny with Football Transfers valuing him at £48m.

His performances have been outstanding in recent months, and it looks as though he is going from strength to strength and United need some rejuvenation throughout the midfield area.

Casemiro is 31, so is Christian Eriksen and with Scott McTominay playing a bit part role, the next few transfer windows will be vital in establishing some depth in this area.

Kimmich is still in his peak years and given that he has won everything there has to be won in Germany, might a new challenge await itself in Manchester?

Into the third month of serving a one-year ban imposed by Cricket Australia, the former vice-captain will be on Channel Nine’s commentary panel for the second ODI in Cardiff

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Jun-2018David Warner is set to commentate on the team he has been banned from, when Australia take on England in an ODI series starting June 13. The series will be Australia’s first under the new leadership of Tim Paine and Justin Langer after the ball-tampering scandal that led to Warner’s ban, and the former vice-captain will commentate for it as part of Channel Nine’s coverage.Close on the heels of his signing up with the Global T20 Canada, Warner will join the commentary panel for the second game of the five-match ODI series in Cardiff on June 16.”Dave is the best one-day and T20 batsman of the past decade so he’s perfectly placed to join our coverage for the UK series,” Nine’s director of sport Tom Malone said. “People have tried to paint Dave as the villain in all this, but he’s been hurting as much as the others.”We’ve had a professional relationship with Dave for five years now. We’ve always found him to be a pretty normal and humble bloke. He just wants to atone for his mistakes and move on – I hope Australia gives all of them that chance.”Into the third month of serving a one-year ban imposed by Cricket Australia, Warner will return to competitive cricket later this month. After commentating in the UK, he will join his banned team-mate Steven Smith at the inaugural season of the Global T20 Canada tournament, starting June 28.His stint with the Winnipeg Hawks in the Canadian league will be followed by his participation in the Northern Territory Strike League in Darwin in July. Warner has committed to playing in two matches, while Cameron Bancroft, the third suspended batsman, will take part in the entire tournament.Even though the new, billion-dollar CA broadcast-rights deal has ended Nine’s four-decade-long association with Australia’s home summer, the network will broadcast Australia’s 2019 Ashes tours to the UK, along with their limited-overs series on British turf. The arrangement is part of a 2013 deal between Nine and Cricket Australia.Australia won the two warm-ups against Middlesex and Sussex in the lead up to the five-match ODI series which will be followed by a T20I in Birmingham.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsGetty Images

March 26, 2013, Auckland. England lost their seventh wicket, Ian Bell to the last ball of the penultimate session. Caught Tim Southee, bowled Neil Wagner. England hung on for a draw.March 26, 2018, Auckland. England lost their seventh wicket, Ben Stokes, to the last ball of the penultimate session. Caught Southee, bowled Wagner. But New Zealand triumphed this time, overcoming two days of play lost to rain and another dogged England rearguard to complete an innings win under lights at Eden Park.Stokes and Chris Woakes survived close to the entirety of the second session to provide England with an opportunity to salvage an incredible draw, a distant dream when they were dismantled for 58, their sixth-lowest Test score, on the first day. On the stroke of another break though, for the third successive session, England lost a vital wicket as Stokes top-edged an attempted cut to backward point off Wagner.New Zealand chipped away at England’s middle order in the afternoon, but lacked the penetration in the second session. Stokes and Woakes cut England’s deficit from 152 to 69 and, more importantly, faced a combined 185 balls. The Barmy Army found their voice, but then the match turned again before dinner.Early in his innings, Woakes was surprisingly satisfied with chasing wide deliveries in the search for quick runs. If New Zealand created a chance or the ball beat the bat, Woakes subsequently tightened his technique, playing close to his body.With the lower order, Woakes was stolid, taking the majority of the strike and latching onto scoring opportunities to reduce the deficit. There wasn’t much he could do to avoid his dismissal, though, fending a brute of a bouncer from Wagner to short leg.Stokes was more selective, strategically picking lengths to score against. Apart from cross-batted strokes against Wagner’s short-ball strategy, he played largely with the full face, driving straight and through cover – 32 of his 66 runs, close to 50%, came in these regions. After reaching his fifty however, off his 128th delivery, Stokes appeared fatigued, losing his energy about as quickly as Auckland was losing natural light, resulting in an uncharacteristically loose shot.It was a much better batting performance from England, aided by improved underfoot conditions. Fuller-length deliveries were easily negotiated with the old pink ball not swinging, and the shorter ones were more comfortable to handle too, a slow fifth-day pitch allowing batsmen the time to adjust.Jonny Bairstow contributed a 72-ball 26, but was reprieved twice: a thick inside edge down leg not collected by BJ Watling, diving to his left, and then a drop by Trent Boult, at mid-on, off a long-hop from legspinner Todd Astle who was in his first spell of the Test. In a bizarre period of play, Bairstow pulled another long-hop, 11 balls later, to midwicket, where Kane Williamson leapt to his right to take his second terrific catch of the match. Astle eventually finished with 3 for 39, the best returns of the second innings.

England coach backs Paul Farbrace to take T20 reins in bid to manage international workload

Adam Collins19-Feb-2018Something has to give and Trevor Bayliss is happy for it to be him. Building on his argument that T20 internationals should be jettisoned from an unsustainably hectic schedule, the England coach has endorsed his deputy Paul Farbrace to take over from him in the shortest form of the game ahead of the timeline he has set for his departure at the end of the 2019 summer.”I am the same as everyone else,” he said in the aftermath of his side’s exit from the tri-series. “It is the way it is heading. Eventually, you will have specialist coaches.”Bayliss can see the shift to multiple coaches coming at the end of his tenure but appreciates that it might make sense to bring it on now. He wouldn’t lose any sleep if it did. “That will obviously be a discussion with higher levels, with Andrew Strauss and people like that,” he said. “If that was what they thought was the way to go ahead, I’d be all for it. If not, I am more than happy to keep going and work with these guys towards that next T20 World Cup.”Of Farbrace, the man who oversaw England on a temporary basis in 2015 after Peter Moores’ sacking, Bayliss said he would do a “grand job” in charge. “I don’t think it would be too much of a problem at all,” he said. “He’s very well respected among the group of players, he knows the England system very well and he’s a very personable guy. He has a good relationship with the players and a good coach. He has experience around the world.”That Bayliss was only able to spend two nights in his Australian home throughout the duration of England’s four-month tour of the country helped reinforced to him that there is just too much going on. “From the start of May last year I think we have 21 months of cricket out of 23 and we’re halfway through that,” he said. “When you add the practice and travelling on top of it, it’s tough. That’s what we’re paid for and we love doing it but it doesn’t make it any easier.”More to the point, Bayliss believes this squeeze is why top-flight cricket is reaching a stage where players are “forced into” having to drop a format entirely if they plan to excel at the other two. “If boards don’t make a decision like that and we continue to play international T20s,” he said, “then I’ll fully expect guys to pull out of one or the other.”Citing Adil Rashid’s announcement last week that he would be doing just that by exiting four-day cricket with Yorkshire, Bayliss continued: “If you play every form of the game – we have a few guys who do that – there is no way you can play every game. Your career would be three or four years long and that would be it. Something has got to give.”Bayliss stressed that this new world order wouldn’t necessarily create a lesser global game, especially considering that T20 internationals are routinely played by teams well short of full strength. “Is it fair on the fans,” he asked, “if you are not playing your full team?”He also supported players in their efforts to earn as much money as they can while they can by maximising their exposure to the T20 leagues as white-ball aficionados. “There’s no denying you’re in the game because you love it but it’s also a living for the players as well and they’ve got to make a decision based on what’s best for them over a long period of time. Their careers are usually over by the time they are 35.”

The Cricket Australia chief executive has given Australia’s short-ball barrage the green light and says it is up to the umpires to intervene if they think play is becoming too dangerous

Daniel Brettig23-Dec-20171:32

‘Targeting tail-end a genuine tactical ploy’ – Bird

James Sutherland, the Cricket Australia chief executive, has given the Test team’s fast bowlers the green light to carry on their concerted short-pitched attack on England’s tail, leaving it up to the game’s neutral umpires to intervene if they think play is becoming too dangerous relative to the skill of the batsman on strike.As one of the game’s most senior administrators, Sutherland signs off on any changes to Test-match playing conditions through his role on the ICC chief executives committee, while Australia’s coach Darren Lehmann also sits on the cricket committee where the laws and conditions under which the game is played are frequently discussed.Though the former England captain Mike Atherton has suggested that the umpires should be more proactive in ensuring that less capable batsmen were not unduly exposed to excessive short-pitched bowling, Sutherland said he saw no problem with pace bowlers searching for weaknesses in the techniques of all batsmen, via short balls or other means, as part of the balance between bat and ball.”I don’t think there’s anything new about fast bowlers attacking tail enders where they show an area of vulnerability. I think that’s all part of the game,” Sutherland said at a CA family day outside the MCG. “What’s also part of the game and the playing regulation and the laws and what have you, that’s up to the umpires to do. I certainly don’t have any problem with fast bowlers attacking batsmen and trying to get them out.”Following the death of Phillip Hughes, after he was struck freakishly on the side of the neck by a bouncer in 2014, Sutherland helped set the terms of reference for CA’s own review, and also attended the New South Wales Coronial Inquest at which it was determined there had been “no malicious intent” in the use of short balls to Hughes on the day he was struck. Before that inquest handed down its findings, Sutherland had spoken of the need to balance the fabric of the game, including the use of bouncers, with safety concerns.”You’ll see in the brief terms of reference we gave David Curtain that we needed to draw a line about the laws of the game and to have some perspective around that,” Sutherland said in May 2016. “You can make the game of cricket a lot safer by playing with a tennis ball, but that’s not how Test cricket has been played and it would obviously be a very different game.”We’re not wanting to go there, but we do need to find the right balance in the circumstances to not compromise the way the game’s played and not compromise the way in which the players are best equipped to show their skills.”Pat Cummins, who has bowled much of the short stuff delivered by Australia’s fast men at the England bowlers, pointed out that it was well known in international cricket that bowlers on all sides are going to “cop it” from their opposite numbers and it was a case of learning to deal with the angle of attack being chosen.”I think they’re all pretty competent batters,” Cummins said. “Stuart Broad’s got a Test match hundred and Anderson’s got an 80-odd so Starcy [Mitchell Starc], Hazlewood, Birdy [Jackson Bird] and I, we know we’re going to cop it as well so we spend lots of time in the nets working on it, working with the coaches and talking to other players about how to best defend it. I think I’ve copped about 50 so far this series so we get back as much as we dish out.”You’re always concerned when someone gets hit in the head, but once you find out they’re ok I think it’s part of cricket, hopefully it will always stay part of cricket. It’s one of the thrills of bowling fast, trying to unsettle the batsman when the pitch might not have sideways movement or swing, so hopefully it stays around our game.”For us, Plan A is always how can we get the batsmen out and at the moment for a few of their guys we think that’s our best chance of getting them out for the least amount of runs. Until that changes our plans will play pretty solid.”James Anderson has spoken of the experience of being struck on the helmet by Cummins in the closing stages of the Perth Test, and also countered that he did not think the difference in pace between the two teams had been as large a factor in the series as many have observed. Instead, he felt the Australians had benefited from some poor England shot selection.”I don’t know if you’ve ever been messing around with mates and someone slaps you on your ear, it’s kind of a real shock,” Anderson told the BBC. “You’re obviously not expecting to get hit on the head but you’ve got that split second where you know it’s going to hit you. It’s not ideal. It’s happened to me a few times in my career. We’re very fortunate in this day and age that the helmets are such high quality. I turned my head and just braced for impact … I had a bit of a sore jaw for a couple of days.””It’s not necessarily the pace but where the ball is and the plans they’ve had have worked well. Even me as a No.11, you get used to that pace. I honestly don’t think the pace has actually caused us any issues. If you look at our dismissals, we sometimes haven’t necessarily got out to the good balls.”

Glasgow Rangers have been busy in the market throughout the summer transfer window and could take their incoming business into double digits before the deadline

Who have Rangers signed this summer?

The Light Blues have been able to bolster their squad in a number of areas as Michael Beale has snapped up nine new signings to date.

Leon Balogun, Cyriel Dessers, Danilo, Kieran Dowell, Jack Butland, Dujon Sterling, Jose Cifuentes, and Sam Lammers have all come through the door on permanent deals. They have also loaned in winger Abdallah Sima from Premier League side Brighton & Hove Albion.

Read the latest Rangers transfer news HERE…

A tenth addition could be on the way over the coming weeks as they were recently touted with interest in Millwall centre-back Jake Cooper, who is now into the final 12 months of his contract with the English side.

How good is Jake Cooper?

The 6 foot 6 titan is a dominant defender who could arrive at Ibrox to form a monstrous partnership with Connor Goldson at the heart of Beale's backline.

John Souttar has started the current campaign on the left of the central defensive pairing but the Scotland international's fitness record in recent years suggests that the Gers need an excellent option to compete with or provide cover for him.

The former Hearts stopper has missed a whopping 87 competitive matches through injury since the start of the 2020/21 season and was absent for 43 Rangers games last term.

Cooper, on the other hand, has featured in at least 42 league matches for Millwall in each of the last five campaigns, which shows that he is a durable and reliable option on the left side of the defence.

The left-footed brute could form an intimidating partnership with Goldson as they are both able to dominate opposition attackers in the air. Cooper won 67% of his aerial duels last season and 73% of them during the previous term, as per Sofascore.

In fact, the English ace ranked within the top 5% of his positional peers at Championship level with 5.05 headers won per 90 during the 2022/23 campaign.

Meanwhile, the current Rangers colossus has won at least 63% of his aerial contests over the last three full Scottish Premiership years, which shows that both players come out on top in the majority of their headed duels and would be able to deal with teams who hurl balls into the box or try to play long to a target man.

Cooper, who was once hailed as "invaluable" by boss Gary Rowett, averaged Sofascore ratings of 6.94 and 7.13 across the 2022/23 and 2021/22 seasons respectively, whilst only Goldson (7.29) recorded a score higher than 6.96 last term.

These statistics suggest that the 28-year-old Gers target has the quality to be an excellent performer due to his consistently impressive performances, whilst also being more reliable than Souttar in terms of his potential availability throughout the year.

Therefore, Beale could land a monster partner for Goldson to start alongside the English battler when Souttar is unavailable by securing a deal to sign the dominant Millwall giant before the window slams shut.

Ben Stokes has promised a “full explanation” of what went on in Bristol on the night of his arrest for alleged Actual Bodily Harm last month, after acknowledging – via his agent – that his actions have had a negative impact on his team-mates ahead of this winter’s Ashes, as well as the ECB and the wider sport of cricket.Stokes, who was last week withdrawn from England’s Ashes squad pending further investigation into the events outside Mbargo nightclub on the morning of September 25, yesterday parted company with his bat sponsor, New Balance, a contract that is believed to be worth £200,000 a year.He also issued an apology to the British celebrity Katie Price, after being filmed appearing to mock her disabled son Harvey, an incident that generated further negative headlines on the back of the Bristol incident, in which he was shown allegedly throwing punches at two men in a street brawl.However, Stokes’s agent, the former England batsman Neil Fairbrother, has insisted that the player retains the full support of his management company, ISM, and added that the full details of what went on that night would be made public at an appropriate time, after the investigation by Avon and Somerset Police has been concluded.”Ben explained to me the full circumstances of what happened in Bristol and I told him that he has my total support and backing,” said Fairbrother in a statement. “I am aware that he has fully cooperated with the police inquiry and voluntarily provided a detailed statement on the same day as the incident. He will continue to assist the police in any way he can.”Ben will also make public his full explanation and evidence when the time is right. On legal advice, that is not possible whilst the investigation continues and no charges have been brought forward. Ben does not wish to prejudice the process.”He is also concerned about the impact the widespread publicity has on everyone involved including the ECB, his team mates and the game of cricket itself which he loves.”We will not be making any further comment relating to this at this time.”

قدم لويس إنريكي، المدير الفني لفريق باريس سان جيرمان، آخر التحديثات الخاصة بشأن فريقه قبل مواجهة بوروسيا دورتموند في دوري أبطال أوروبا.

ويلاقي باريس سان جيرمان نظيره بوروسيا دورتموند، في ذهاب منافسات الدور نصف النهائي من مسابقة دوري أبطال أوروبا، على ملعب “سيجنال إيدونا بارك”، غداً الأربعاء، في تمام العاشرة مساءً بتوقيت القاهرة.

والتقى الفريقان هذا الموسم في دور المجموعات بدوري أبطال أوروبا عن منافسات المجموعة السادسة، حيث فاز باريس سان جيرمان في اللقاء الأول على ملعب بارك دي برانس، وحسم التعادل الإيجابي مواجهة الإياب بينهما.

اقرأ ايضاً.. ترزيتش قبل مواجهة باريس سان جيرمان: دورتموند الأكثر جوعاً في نصف نهائي دوري أبطال أوروبا

وقال لويس إنريكي في المؤتمر الصحفي قبل المباراة: “إنها مباراة خاصة جدًا في ملعب فريد من نوعه في أوروبا. نريد أن نهدي لأنصارنا مباراة نهائية في دوري أبطال أوروبا. غداً وقت المنافسة بشدة. هدفنا هو الفوز، نمتلك فريق شجاع”.

وأضاف إنريكي: “سنحاول الفوز بهذه المباراة بأسلوب لعبنا. منذ وصولي، حظيت بدعم اللاعبين والنادي. المنافسة بامتياز في أوروبا قادمة، علينا إدارة الضغط وطموحاتنا بشكل جيد. نصل في وقت مثالي من الموسم”.

وأشار إنريكي: “أعتقد أي نتيجة غير التأهل للنهائي هي خيبة أمل للأربعة الفرق الموجودة. الصحف تقول إن باريس هو المفضل للفوز حقا. لهذا أنا أقول إن عادة الصحف لا تعرف شيئا في كرة القدم أنا آسف”.

عن وضع فريق باريس أكد إنريكي: “لقد تطورنا على كل المستويات الدليل أن كل اللاعبين متاحين عدا كيمبيبي وريكو”.

وأردف: “عشنا كل الأوضاع في الموسم عدنا من تأخر، فزنا في آخر اللحظات وفزنا بنقص عددي، فعلنا كل شيء،، كما تعرفون في كرة القدم هناك خط خفيف بين النجاح والخروج”.

وبسؤاله حول نقطة ضعف الفريق تحديداً في الألعاب الهوائية أجاب إنريكي: “صحيح انها نقطة ضعف ولكن الحل في الكرة والاحتفاظ بها والفوز من خلالها”.

عن فيتينها: “إنه لاعب بمستوى الأفضل في العالم هو قادر على اللعب في عدة مراكز بالنسبة لي هو أحد أفضل لاعبي فريقي”.