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The former Rajasthan Royals spin bowling coach replaces Sunil Joshi

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Oct-2025

Sairaj Bahutule during a training session•Getty Images

Former India legspinner Sairaj Bahutule has joined Punjab Kings (PBKS) as their new spin bowling coach ahead of the 2026 IPL season. He replaces Sunil Joshi, who held the role from 2023 to 2025.ESPNcricinfo understands Joshi decided to leave as he is set to take over as spin coach at BCCI’s Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru.”Sairaj’s deep understanding of the game, particularly his extensive experience in grooming domestic bowlers and managing strategy, will be invaluable to our side,” PBKS CEO Satish Menon said. “His expertise aligns perfectly with our vision of building a strong and cohesive bowling unit for the season ahead.”Bahutule joins a backroom team that has Ricky Ponting as head coach, Brad Haddin as assistant coach, James Hopes as the fast bowling coach, and Trevor Gonsalves as assistant bowling coach.”I’m really excited to join Punjab Kings as a spin bowling coach for the upcoming IPL season,” Bahutule said. “This is a team that plays a different brand of cricket, and I can see the potential is massive. They have a bunch of talented players, and I’m looking forward to working with them to refine their skills and help them reach new heights.”Bahutule was the spin bowling coach at Rajasthan Royals for IPL 2025. He had also been RR’s spin bowling coach from 2018 to 2021 before joining the National Cricket Academy and serving as support staff for India A assignments.Bahutule’s exit from RR follows Dravid’s departure from the franchise as head coach. Dravid has been replaced by Kumar Sangakkara.PBKS finished runners-up in IPL 2025 after finishing top of the points table in the league phase. They lost the final to Royal Challengers Bengaluru by six runs.

The most prolific bowler in women’s T20Is talks about how she developed her key weapon, and her advocacy for various social issues

Firdose Moonda18-Jan-2025Megan Schutt doesn’t make it sound like she had a lot to work with.She described her pace as “perfect to be hit” and her action as “pretty horrible”. But two decades after she first took to cricket as a self-confessed “late bloomer”, she is the leading wicket-taker in women’s T20Is and has the most wickets in T20 World Cups. None of that happened by chance, but there was some kismet in how Schutt became an inswing bowler.Her cricketing journey started with her as the only girl in a group of boys, then “went a little backward” when she joined an all-girls’ team that played with a soft ball. She was then recruited into the age-group structures. “I bowled probably just straighties,” she says. “I was not so cluey about cricket or how to make the ball swing.” But a stress fracture she suffered at 16 forced her to think about her game.Related

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“I had to change my action a little bit and it changed my wrist somehow and turned me into an inswinger [bowler],” she said at the T20 Women’s World Cup in Dubai last year. “I can’t even tell you how – it was not on purpose, it was not shaped by anyone. I changed a little bit of my jump because I used to jump directly up. I then became a swing bowler.”It didn’t take her too long to see the advantages. “No one really bowled inswing when I was growing up, so it was just nice to be different,” she said. “Because I didn’t have the raw pace, if I didn’t have the swing, it would be very boring, I liked the X factor of how the ball moved and decided I would just rather focus on that than trying to bulk up and bowl fast when everyone was just getting injured anyway, so I stuck to what I knew.”Schutt may not be the biggest fan of her own bowling action but there’s no denying it has been effective•Getty ImagesWithin three years of that, Schutt was called up to Australia’s ODI squad and was given the new ball on debut but went wicketless. After picking up two wickets in her next match, she was included in the squad for the 2013 World Cup, against all expectation,. “My first two games were very average in my opinion, and so when I got the call, I was shocked. Obviously I was also absolutely over the moon, but I just didn’t expect it and I thought I was just going there to serve drinks, but it turned out extremely differently.”Schutt ended up playing every game and was the tournament’s leading wicket-taker, which set the tone for a career of big-tournament success. Looking back more than a decade later, she’s only willing to take some of the credit for that breakthrough performance. “It helps when you’re new and no one knows who you are and what you do and you get a little bit of beginner’s luck,” she said. “I was just lucky to start with a bang.”This may sound a bit like she struggled with imposter syndrome but it was actually complete ignorance of the kind of environment she was stepping into: a team that was way ahead of its time, where professional structures were developed as early as 2008 and a winning culture was well established early.”I was so ill-informed,” Schutt said. “I didn’t know much about the whole cricketing world and probably didn’t know there was an Australian women’s cricket team until I was about 16. I didn’t know they were in their own dominant era and I probably didn’t grasp the concept of what I was a part of until I really appreciated my spot in the side.”I guess that came with the patch of learning, hard work and discipline. I didn’t deserve my position in the XI when I first came, so I definitely earned that eventually, but it took some time.”Rainbow warrior: off the field, Schutt has advocated for gay rights and other causes•Getty ImagesAustralia did not make the final of the next ODI World Cup, in 2017, after also losing in the 2016 T20 World Cup final to West Indies. The 2017 defeat to India in the semi-final had a massive impact because it was seen as an indicator that power dynamics in the women’s game were shifting. At least that is how Schutt would label it. “Everyone talks about the gap [between Australia and the rest]. I hate that. Other teams are building and it’s absolutely amazing because we’re only going to get more and more competitive teams,” she said.The last year underlines that point. Sri Lanka won T20 series in England and South Africa, and Bangladesh won an ODI and a T20 for the first time in South Africa. Among the results that affected Schutt directly, West Indies beat Australia in a T20 in Australia in 2023, and so did South Africa the following year. In two of the upsets of the year, West Indies knocked England out of the T20 World Cup in the group stage; South Africa won the semi-final of that tournament, against Australia; and New Zealand took the title after a string of defeats earlier in the year.Schutt, who had no boundaries scored off her in the first three matches of last year’s T20 World Cup, and had the second-lowest economy rate, will have been disappointed not to end up with the trophy, but secretly she might also have been pleased to see the game grow. “We’re not unbeatable. We would never say that we are, and we definitely want other teams to develop,” she said. “Realistically, you want this to be a 16-team tournament.”As the men’s cricketing world looks to concentrate resources and fixtures around the Big Three and there’s talk of a two-tier Test league, Schutt’s expansionist view makes her refreshingly different but that’s only the half of it. Off the field, she is known for being the most vocal member of the Australia team on a range of social issues.In you go: Schutt swings one through Tammy Beaumont’s defences in a 2023 Ashes game•PA Photos/Getty ImagesIt started with a personal quest: her advocacy for gay marriage when it became a subject of a postal-order survey in Australia in 2017. By then, Schutt and her partner, Jess Holyoake, were in a serious relationship and ready to take the next step. They were initially considering going to New Zealand, where same-sex marriage was legalised in 2013, but decided to wait and see if it would be possible to do it at home, all the while advocating for their rights.”One of my favourite quotes is, if you don’t like gay marriage, don’t get gay married, and it’s as simple as that,” Schutt said. “Jess and I are two very different humans and she was a bit scared to have the pride flag out on the window, but I said, this is exactly the time we need to be showing our flag and making sure we’re all together on this. I was pretty vocal about it.”A little under two-thirds of Australians (61.6%) voted in favour of same-sex marriage, a number that disappointed Schutt because “that’s still 38% that don’t agree with it”, which makes her feel uncomfortable. “There was a lot of misinformation out there and the campaign for the ‘no’ vote was pretty brutal,” she said. “Some of the pamphlets we got when we were living in Brisbane were pretty woeful, and I remember burning a couple of them in the sink of our little unit.”Since then, Schutt has gone on to campaign in the Indigenous Voices Referendum, which sought an alteration to the Australian constitution that would recognise indigenous Australians. And she raises awareness about the plight of Palestinians on her social media platforms. She is particularly moved by the deaths of children there, especially after her own child was born in 2021.Schutt, right, with her partner Jess Holyoake and their daughter Rylee, after the 2022 T20 World Cup win•Getty ImagesRylee now three, is what Schutt describes as a “wild child,” who was born three months prematurely and is autistic. That has given Schutt two other causes to raise awareness for. She is open about the challenges of going through neonatal intensive care and of living with neurodiversity. “Having Rylee early was really scary but it banded us together and it just shifted my whole world. It put cricket into perspective – suddenly that wasn’t the be-all and end-all. I didn’t realise that I probably had it on too much of a pedestal,” she said. “It’s also been the most amazing journey of my emotional side of things and seeing how I’d sometimes shut things off. It makes you do a lot of self-reflecting.”She has now done a “180-degree flip as a person, except for my sense of humour” and described motherhood as a process of finding out “who I am more and who I want to be and breaking some cycles that you know were there and you didn’t realise it as a kid”.Does that mean there’s a potential future as a human-rights campaigner? “I’m still trying to figure that out,” she said. “I want to do something that feels really worthwhile, and I’d like to do a little bit of coaching.”I’d love to teach inswingers around the world. It’s a real niche. I understand the art to it and I understand the game pretty well, and I feel like no one currently in bowling coaching around the world completely understands inswing bowling and the niches of it, and so I’d obviously love to do all kinds of bowling coaching. I’d love to teach inswingers around the world.”And this time, with plenty to work with.

Everton are reportedly pushing hard to complete the signing of Sevilla right-back Juanlu Sanchez, but there is more Premier League interest in him, too.

The 22-year-old is an exciting young talent who has already won an Olympic gold medal with Spain, winning a total of four caps for his country and hoping to be a part of their 2026 World Cup squad.

Juanlu emerged as a target for Wolves during the summer transfer window, with talks opening at one point and a move to Molineux potentially looking on the cards.

In the end, he rejected their advances, however, and decided to remain at Sevilla for the time being, continuing to be an influential player for the Spanish giants this season.

Juanlu has made 10 La Liga appearances in 2025/26 to date, assisting once in the competition, but it looks as though his long-term future may lie away from the club, with Everton seemingly in the mix to acquire his signature.

Everton applying "strong pressure" to sign Juanlu

According to Diario de Sevilla [via Sport Witness], Everton are putting “strong pressure” on to sign Juanlu from Sevilla, with Crystal Palace also in the same boat.

Sevilla’s financial issues could see them forced into selling the wide man, with as much as £17.6m possibly needed to prise him away from Spain.

Juanlu looks like such a shrewd target for Everton, with the Spain international possessing the versatility to add so much depth to David Moyes’ squad, being able to thrive on the wing and even in midfield alongside his natural right-back role.

Still only 22, his best years are ahead of him, with former manager Xavier Garcia Pimienta heaping praise on his qualities as a player in the past.

“He has played as an inside midfielder [before], we were short on space in midfield due to Saul’s [Niguez] suspension and [Albert Sambi] Lokonga’s injury. I spoke to him, I knew he could do well in that position. Juanlu has an incredible present and a better future.”

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The lure of Palace may be big, given their status as reigning FA Cup holders, but Everton are enjoying life in their sparkly new stadium, with Jack Grealish a big-name loan signing, and Juanlu will hopefully see them as the more exciting proposition.

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They say form goes out of the window for a derby, but Arsenal proved that to be entirely untrue on Sunday afternoon.

Mikel Arteta’s side played host to Tottenham Hotspur, and instead of wilting under the pressure, they made the most of Liverpool and Manchester City dropping points by demolishing their bitter rivals.

The gulf in class was so vast that it looked like the Gunners were playing a League One side, and summer signing Eberechi Eze, who almost moved to the white side of North London, was unplayable.

The Englishman was untouchable from the first minute to the last, and therefore, fans should be delighted that Arsenal are already brewing a homegrown version of him.

Eze's performance vs Spurs

While it was a joke, Thomas Frank must regret asking “who” when asked a question about Eze in the buildup to the game, as while the entire Arsenal team played well, the former Crystal Palace star was nothing short of spectacular.

It almost felt as if the Englishman was on a mission to make the Spurs boss eat his words, as just three minutes in, he played an exceptional ball over the top that Declan Rice should have finished.

Then, 39 minutes later, with the Gunners already a goal to the good, he added a second thanks to some tidy footwork and a low-driven shot.

Just 30 seconds into the second half, the 27-year-old scored his second goal, once again driving the ball into the bottom corner, only this time with his weaker foot.

Now, for most players, a derby-day brace is more than they could even dream of, but the Greenwich-born maestro is not like most players, and in the 76th minute, he scored a third to make it 4-1.

It’s the first time a player has scored a hat-trick in the North London derby since Alan Sunderland in December 1978.

Overall, it would be fair to say Sunday’s game will always be remembered as the Eze derby, and should act as a springboard for the midfielder to really kick on this season.

And in more good news, the club might already have another homegrown version of the international ace brewing.

Arsenal's homegrown Eze

Arsenal have long been a team that prioritise and promote youth from within, with the greatest example of this in recent years being, of course, Bukayo Saka.

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The club now have another group of incredible youngsters coming through, including one who could develop into a homegrown Eze: Ethan Nwaneri.

Yes, while the 18-year-old might not develop to be just like the former Crystal Palace star, there are some unmistakable similarities.

For example, the Hale End gem is an incredibly skilful player who can and has played out wide, but is ultimately seen as someone who will develop into a sensational number ten.

Moreover, while he hasn’t been getting the minutes that so many expected or hoped he would this year, he’s still very young with plenty of time to develop and even then, he proved how talented he is last season.

For example, the “phenomenal” prospect, as dubbed by former professional Stephen Warnock, scored nine goals and provided two assists in 37 appearances, totalling 1378 minutes.

That works out to a goal involvement every 3.36 games, or more crucially, one every 125.27 minutes, which would be incredibly impressive if he were a seasoned professional and helps to justify Joe Cole’s claim that “he’s the most exciting footballer in England and maybe Europe.”

Nwaneri in 24/25
Appearances	37
Minutes	1378′
Goals	9
Assists	2
Goal Involvements per Match	0.29
Minutes per Goal Involvement	125.27′
All Stats via Transfermarkt

Finally, on top of his output, the Enfield-born gem put up some sensational underlying numbers last year.

According to FBref, he ranked in the top 2% of attacking midfielders and wingers in the Premier League for successful take-ons, the top 6% for total carrying distance, the top 8% for crosses and more, all per 90.

Ultimately, while he is still so young, Nwaneri’s ability to play out wide and as a ten, combined with his output and technical ability, means he could be Arsenal’s next Eze.

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By
Matt Dawson

Nov 24, 2025

Celtic are currently searching for their permanent successor to Brendan Rodgers, who resigned last month, but there have yet to be any reports that suggest that an appointment is close.

Martin O’Neill has been in interim charge at Parkhead, winning three of his four matches in the dugout, but it remains to be seen whether or not the 4-0 win over Kilmarnock in the Scottish Premiership will be his last outing.

Bodo/Glimt head coach Kjetil Knutsen, Cardiff’s Brian Barry-Murphy, and Columbus Crew’s Wilfried Nancy are among the managers who have been linked with the vacant job in Glasgow.

However, no deal has been agreed with any of those candidates at the time of writing, which is why it is unclear as to whether or not O’Neill will still be in the dugout after the international break.

Whilst there is plenty of speculation over who the next manager is going to be, and understandably so, there has also been speculation over what the club could do in the January transfer window.

One player who has recently been linked with a possible move to Parkhead is Liverpool left-back Andy Robertson, but it is a move that may not make too much sense for the Hoops.

Why Celtic should avoid a deal for Andy Robertson

It was recently reported that the Scotland international is ‘open’ to the idea of putting pen to paper on a pre-contract agreement with Celtic in January, which would see him sign for the club on a free transfer next summer.

The left-footed star’s contract at Anfield expires at the end of the season, opening the door to a potential exit from Liverpool, and it appears as though a move to Parkhead could be on the cards.

At face value, signing a 31-year-old star who has won two Premier League titles and a Champions League trophy, on top of delivering 68 assists in 314 games for the Reds, would be a phenomenal piece of business for the Hoops.

Robertson, who assisted 12 goals in the Premier League in the 2019/20 campaign (Transfermarkt), is an attack-minded left-back who would bring quality, experience, and creativity at left-back.

However, Celtic already signed Kieran Tierney, who spent six years at Arsenal, to provide those three things when they brought him back to the club earlier this year on a free transfer.

25/26 Premiership

Kieran Tierney

Percentile rank vs FBs

xG

0.67

Top 10%

Goals

1

Top 20%

xA

1.48

Top 10%

Successful crosses

13

Top 10%

Chances created

13

Top 10%

Assists

2

Top 1%

Cross accuracy

52%

Top 1%

Stats via FotMob

As you can see in the table above, the Scottish defender has been one of the best attack-minded full-backs in the Premiership so far this season, which shows that he has provided the expected creativity.

Tierney is three years younger than Robertson and signing another left-back who will want to play week-in-week-out and offer the same qualities may not be a logical move for the Hoops.

Meanwhile, though, the Scottish giants have been linked with another Premier League defender who would be a better signing than the Liverpool full-back.

Celtic offered chance to sign Premier League defender

According to 67HailHail, Celtic have been made aware of the potential availability of three Chelsea players ahead of the upcoming January transfer window.

The report claims that Deivid Washington, Raheem Sterling, and Axel Disasi are all set to move on from Stamford Bridge for the second half of the season, as they do not feature in Enzo Maresca’s plans in London.

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67HailHail adds that there is nothing at this stage to suggest that the Hoops will definitely make a move for any of those three players, but the club have been offered the chance to swoop for the Chelsea outcasts.

Disasi is possibly the most intriguing name on the list because of the long-term injury that central defender Cameron Carter-Vickers recently sustained.

The £80k-per-week France international could come in as an even better signing than Robertson in January, if the Hoops decide to dip into the Premier League to make an addition to their defence.

Why Celtic should sign Axel Disasi

Carter-Vickers suffered an Achilles injury against Sturm Graz in the Europa League and is expected to be out of action for up to five months, which means that he may not return until March.

That has come as a big blow for the Hoops because he is the first-choice right-sided centre-back and it is has left Auston Trusty and Liam Scales, two left-footed players, as the first-choice pairing.

Whilst the Hoops have kept back-to-back clean sheets in the Premiership, Scales and Trusty struggled in the 3-1 loss to FC Midtjylland in the Europa League, as the hosts created four ‘big chances’ and 2.73 xG.

Therefore, bringing in a right-footed centre-back with European experience in January could make a lot of sense for Celtic with Carter-Vickers’ injury situation, which is why Disasi could be an excellent signing.

Whilst the Hoops, for the aforementioned reasons, have little need to push the boat out for Robertson, who is reportedly on £160k-per-week, the Chelsea centre-back could be worth the wages to sign him on loan to fill a glaring hole.

24/25 Champions League

Axel Disasi

Appearances

3

Tackles + interceptions per game

2.7

Ball recoveries per game

3.7

Dribbled past per game

0.3x

Ground duel success rate

55%

Aerial duel success rate

80%

Error led to shot, goal, or penalty

0

Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, Disasi put in a few dominant performances in the Champions League for Aston Villa on loan in the second half of last season, showing that he can compete at the top level in Europe.

The 27-year-old star also made 13 appearances in the Premier League, per Sofascore, and won 62% of his aerial duels, whilst completing 90% of his attempted passes, featuring at both right-back and centre-back.

Disasi, who was described as a “complete” and “dominant” defender by talent scout Jacek Kulig, also put in a performance against Manchester City last year that was heralded as the best Jamie Carragher had seen that campaign, which is further evidence of his potential to deliver high-quality performances at the top level.

The right-footed star, therefore, could be an excellent signing to fill the hole created by the injury to Carter-Vickers because the Chelsea outcast is a Premier League and Champions League-proven defender, who should be in the prime years of his career at the age of 27.

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For whatever reason, possibly due to the volume of players signed by the Blues, Disasi has become available to the Hoops in January and they should take advantage of that, because he would be an even better signing than Robertson, based on the team’s current needs.

The defending champions have lost three in a row, leaving their hopes of a three-peat greatly diminished

Firdose Moonda14-Jan-2025As far as title defences go, it’s fair to say Sunrisers Eastern Cape have gotten off to the worst possible start. They’ve slumped to their three biggest defeats in their history – their largest by runs in the tournament opener against MI Cape Town – and their two biggest by balls remaining in their losses to Paarl Royals and Pretoria Capitals, and thoughts of a trophy three-peat have become ever-more distant.It’s still early in SA20 2025 but the initial indications are that a significant part of the problem is in the top order, where Sunrisers have not fired. Across the three matches, their highest score by a top-three batter is Zak Crawley’s 27 against Royals, and collectively, their top three has scored 85 runs at an average of 9.44. In season 1, the top two averaged over 30 and in season 2, 22.67. There is time to build back up to that but they will need to turn things around quickly and that may start with settling on their opening pair.With Dawid Malan not part of the squad this season, Sunrisers started with Jordan Hermann and Crawley but then played against Capitals with Crawley and David Bedingham. Batting coach Russell Domingo explained that Hermann’s omission was to open up a spot for allrounder Patrick Kruger.”It was just to bring in another option. Patrick Kruger was available for the first time because he had been struggling with a cough and he is a starting player for us,” Domingo said. “David Bedingham’s obviously a quality player so we decided to give him an opportunity up the order where he’s probably best suited.”ESPNcricinfo LtdBut Bedingham has been struggling recently. Since his 59 in the Chattogram Test, he has had 12 innings across formats and been out in single figures six times. On five occasions, Bedingham has been caught by the wicketkeeper or in the slips and there may be concerns around how tight he is outside off stump.The reading is not much better for Sunrisers’s key batter Tristan Stubbs. He was their top-scorer last season but is also in a rut. Since his second-innings century in the Durban Test against Sri Lanka, Stubbs has been out in single figures five times in nine innings. His most common mode of dismissal is with deliveries in line with the stumps, when he has been late on shots and either bowled or lbw, which suggests there’s an issue with the timing of his strokes.Through Bedingham, Stubbs and captain Aiden Markram, Sunrisers will expect to score most of their runs, especially as they carry a fairly long tail. Marco Jansen’s form at No.7 is a welcome bonus though his main job is to operate as their strike bowler, another area they seem to be lacking in.Ottneil Baartman, who enjoyed a breakthrough tournament last year, missed out on the first match, returned with figures of 0 for 33 in 2.4 overs in Paarl and then took 1 for 9 at SuperSport Park. In Craig Overton and Richard Gleeson, Sunrisers have the personnel but the attack needs their batters to give them something to work with, which Markram knows. In the post-match presentation, he acknowledged lack of runs as the main concern but cited the quick turnaround between games as being one of the hurdles that can be difficult to overcome. “When you’re trying to look for form, it can be quite tough,” he said.Zak Crawley hasn’t yet fired as Sunrisers Eastern Cape’s opener•SA 20This is already a slightly different line to the one he had voiced two days ago, when Sunrisers lost to Royals. That defeat came two days after they lost to MICT in the tournament opener and Markram was asked how a team can properly address form concerns in a schedule where matches come thick and fast. His answer suggested they just have to roll with the punches.”You almost get used to dealing with things really quickly and then moving on. I don’t think you have much of a choice nowadays with the amount of cricket that we play,” he said then. “Of course, pay attention to areas that need attention but it’s really important to bank that, make notes of it and then to wake up the next day and either do something about it or play another game of cricket. From an emotional side, I think each person is quite different. I generally don’t try to get too high when things are going well and low when things aren’t going well. I try to stay consistent. Obviously, easier said than done.”That day, Markram also said his is an outfit that “are all not really good at losing” and would be able to pick themselves up quickly. Two more days have gone past and they find themselves at an even lower point.”We know we haven’t played well in these last three games and we need to make our own luck,” Domingo said. “We need to do the basics a little bit better which we’re not doing at the moment. Fortunately there’s still seven games to go. We know it’s a long competition. We haven’t started well in this competition in previous editions and managed to find our way and hopefully we can get into that sort of form, and that sort of confidence in the next couple of weeks because we’re running out of time and we need to make a play.”Sunrisers did not win either of their opening matches in season one or two but this is their third successive defeat in SA20 2025. So they’re already further behind than they have been before. That means the need to turn things around is more pressing and their attempt to do that will take place in three days’ time. They travel to Kingsmead for their next match against Durban’s Super Giants on Friday.

Manchester United have now joined the race to sign a “phenomenal” midfielder, who recently put in an impressive performance at Old Trafford.

Man Utd stepping up pursuit of new midfielder

Man United have set out to sign a new central midfielder in the January transfer window, and Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Joao Gomes is the object of their desires, with it recently being revealed the 24-year-old has said ‘yes’ to a move to Old Trafford.

INEOS are now working on a deal for the Wolves star, with David Ornstein revealing the Old Gold may choose to cash-in during the January transfer window, as his value may decrease if they are a Championship club by the time summer comes around.

The need to bring in a new central midfielder may also be exacerbated if Kobbie Mainoo moves on, with it now emerging that talks over the 20-year-old signing a contract extension have been put on hold, amid interest from reigning Serie A champions Napoli.

However, it would be understandable if Wolves were unwilling to sell Gomes, given that he has been one of their key players this season and remains contracted until 2030, and the Red Devils have now joined the race for a potential alternative.

That is according to a report from talkSPORT, which names Man United as potential suitors for Everton midfielder James Garner, who is also being targeted by Premier League rivals Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa.

The Toffees have little interest in sanctioning a departure, however, and have recently stepped up talks over a new contract, with Garner’s current deal set to expire at the end of the season.

David Moyes is personally keen to keep hold of the central midfielder, and it is no surprise, given that he recently played an instrumental role in his side’s 1-0 win at Old Trafford.

Garner impresses in shock Everton win at Old Trafford

After Idrissa Gueye was shown a red card for an altercation with teammate Michael Keane on Monday night, United would’ve been expecting to take all three points, but they were unable to take advantage of their numerical superiority.

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall scored the only goal of the game just before the half-an-hour mark, with Garner grabbing the assist, while also making three interceptions and one clearance to keep Ruben Amorim’s side at bay.

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Hailed as “phenomenal” by pundit Trevor Sinclair, a deal for the Englishman wouldn’t break the bank at £20m+, and he has outperformed Gomes across some key defensive statistics over the past year.

Key defensive statistics per 90 (past year)

James Garner

Joao Gomes

Interceptions

1.41 (85th percentile)

0.81 (34th percentile)

Blocks

1.41 (77th percentile)

1.31 (68th percentile)

Clearances

2.19 (80th percentile)

1.37 (40th percentile)

That said, both Garner and Gomes aren’t experienced at the highest level, and Real Madrid’s Aurelien Tchouameni would perhaps be a more exciting addition to the squad, with the Spanish side’s asking price recently being revealed.

Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim has been urged to steer clear of signing Crystal Palace midfielder Adam Wharton as there is too much hype around him. United are in the market for a new central midfielder either in January or more likely in the summer of 2026 after prioritising strengthening in other areas in the squad last window such as attack and goalkeeper.

Baleba and Anderson heavily linked with Man Utd

The club held initial discussions with Brighton & Hove Albion over signing Carlos Baleba but turned away from the move after disagreeing with the Seagulls' £100m ($131m) valuation. The Red Devils have more recently been linked with a move for Elliot Anderson, who has established himself as an England regular in the last three months and whose statistics put him up there with Declan Rice and Moises Caicedo as the most impressive midfielders in the Premier League. 

Palace midfielder Wharton, who made his first England start last week against Albania, is another player who United are believed to be interested in. But former United striker Dwight Yorke does not think the 21-year-old is the player they should be targeting.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportYorke: Wharton not the answer

Yorke said, via "I’m not sure Adam Wharton is the answer. He's still not quite there for me yet and that's an area of concern we have to look to improve. It is a gap in this Man United team. You look at the history behind the football club in its most successful years and they always had a fantastic number six in that position.

"Casemiro has been hit and miss at times and it’s a key part of your team. You listen to all the great managers, that central area of your midfield is always so important. It’s a tough gig that one to find the right players and I think that's why they're struggling. They haven’t got that player who can set the floor of the game, as I always call it, and dictate the pace, who defends but passes the ball forwards, and can see the pass. 

"These types of players are rare which surprises me as on the face of it it’s not the most difficult job in the world but it’s the most crucial. Who I would like to see in that position more? I can’t think, honestly, because there’s too much hype around some of these players. Bring back Michael Carrick, maybe? There we go. He’d have done a job in this team!"

Casemiro future in doubt despite upturn in form

Amorim has settled on a midfield pairing of captain Bruno Fernandes and Casemiro, with the Brazilian staging a stunning revival after his worrying campaign in 2023-24, when he was told by Jamie Carragher to quit elite football and wind down his career in Saudi Arabia or the United States. However, neither players are long-term options. Fernandes' contract expires in 2027 while Casemiro's is up next June. The club have the option to extend both deals by an additional year but big investment is ultimately needed to refresh their midfield and make them future Premier League title contenders.

Amorim has said he wants the club to extend Casemiro's deal and Harry Maguire's by at least one year although the Brazilian's massive wages, believed to be £350,000 per week, are an obstacle. It has been reported that United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe was critical of Casemiro's contract when he bought his stake in the club in 2023 given his age. The former Real Madrid lynchpin turns 34 next February and was signed in 2022 for an initial fee of £60m rising to £70m.

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GettyUnited without Sesko for Everton test

United have drawn their last two games against Nottingham Forest and Tottenham Hotspur, interrupting their previous run of three consecutive wins. They will be hoping to return to winning ways at home to Everton on Monday although they will be without striker Benjamin Sesko, who is expected to be out for a month after hurting his knee in the 2-2 draw with Spurs.

Lisandro Martinez is hoping to make his first appearance of the season against Tottenham. He recently joined Argentina for training in Europe although he did not play any matches for his country. Maguire could also be back to face the Toffees. The Everton game will mark one year since Amorim's first game in charge of United against Ipswich Town.

“I think more about the team’s win than about my scores,” he says after scoring second first-class century

Daya Sagar20-Sep-2025Dhruv Jurel, the wicketkeeper-batter, is now a regular in India’s Test squad. But before India A’s ongoing four-day series against Australia A, he had only one first-class century to his name, that too from December 2022, when he scored 249 against Nagaland. And – guess what? – the lack of really big scores doesn’t even bother him.”Honestly, earlier it did matter to me whether my score was 100 or 150. But now I understand that the team’s victory is more important,” Jurel said after scoring 140 in 197 balls in India A’s only innings in the drawn first game in Lucknow. “In first-class cricket, I have seven-eight (he has four) scores in the 90s, which could have been centuries.”One of them was in the Ranchi Test [against England in February 2024], where I became Player of the Match and the team won the match. Cricket is a team game, and we play cricket so that the team wins. Now I think more about the team’s win than about my scores.”Related

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Pant heads to BCCI's Centre of Excellence to restart training

In Ranchi, playing only his second Test, Jurel batted at No. 7 in India’s first innings and scored 90, before scoring 39 not out in the second as India won by five wickets.Jurel, 24, first got into the India A set-up in December 2023 on the tour of South Africa. There, in the second four-day game in Benoni, he scored 69 in India A’s only innings, and was in the Test squad for India’s next home series against England. Just one-and-a-half months later, he had a Test cap to his name in Rajkot. So far, he has played five Tests – usually when Rishabh Pant hasn’t been around – including in Australia and in England, and has 255 runs and 11 dismissals to show for it.”Staying with or around the [India] team definitely gives you confidence,” he said. “I consider myself very lucky and privileged that I got the chance to play Tests for India and to be with the team. Even if you are not playing, when seniors are around. you learn so many things from them. In a country of billions, how many people get this opportunity?”

“I take it one match at a time, and don’t think too far ahead. The more you think, the more pressure you put on yourself”Dhruv Jurel

Curiously, Jurel’s overall numbers with the bat have improved since he started playing Test cricket (he has also played four T20Is). Before his Test debut, Jurel averaged 46 in first-class cricket, and had one century and five half-centuries from 19 innings. Since then, his average has gone up to 54-plus, and he has one century and seven half-centuries in 18 innings. These include valuable innings for India A, and the 93 he scored for Rest of India against Mumbai in last season’s Irani Cup.”Everyone dreams of playing for India. When I got the Test cap, I realised, ‘yes, this can happen’,” Jurel said. “I come from a small city, Agra. It feels really good that I could make my parents and the people there proud. Where I come from, there wasn’t even a proper wicket. I practiced on a cement wicket. So people there should feel that no matter where you come from, you can still make it, as long as you work hard with a true heart.”India will start their home Test season next month, and play two Tests each against West Indies and South Africa. Jurel will most likely be in the squad, whether or not he gets a chance to play, which will be dependent on Pant’s fitness.”I take it one match at a time, and don’t think too far ahead,” he said. “The more you think, the more pressure you put on yourself. Right now, I played a match today, and three days later, the next match [against Australia A] is there. So, I am only thinking about the next match, and only after that will I look further.”

India won their first toss in 21 ODIs, their first since the 2023 World Cup semi-final

Shubh Agarwal06-Dec-2025KL Rahul chuckled before tossing the coin up in the air in the third ODI against South Africa in Visakhapatnam. When the coin landed in his favor, he gave a little fist bump before stating that India will bowl first.The chuckle and the fist bump captured India’s wretched luck with the toss. They had lost 20 tosses in a row in ODIs before this game – a statistical oddity with a mathematical probability of 1 in 1,048,576 instances.The last time India won the toss in ODIs was in the 2023 World Cup semi-final against New Zealand. It was 753 days ago (more than two years). Hardik Pandya was still with Gujarat Titans in the IPL at the time, Gautam Gambhir wasn’t anywhere near India’s coaching staff and India still hadn’t lost a Test series at home for over a decade. Now, eight Indian players have made their ODI debut since India last won a toss in this format.Netherlands held this unfortunate record previously. They lost 11 consecutive tosses in ODIs between March 2011 and August 2013. India were close to doubling it.Netherlands won only three ODIs during this phase, including an abandoned game and a tie. India, on the other hand, won 12 of the 20 ODIs during their dreaded streak (win percentage of 60%) alongside a tie. It includes winning the 2025 Champions Trophy undefeated despite the toss going against them every single time.India’s success rate with the toss was abysmal across formats. Since the 2023 World Cup final which started this streak, India had won the toss only 33 times in 96 completed matches.They lost 11 tosses in a row between November 2023 and January 2024. It included seven matches (two T20Is, three ODIs and two Tests) across their full tour of South Africa. Between January 31, 2025 and July 31, 2025, India went a few steps ahead, losing 15 tosses in a row, which included the England tour where they lost the toss in all five Tests.The previous record belonged to West Indies, when they lost 12 consecutive tosses across formats in 1999.In the two years prior to that (from Nov 15, 2021 until Nov 15, 2023, the semi-final against New Zealand), India won more than 50% of the tosses.