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The Red Devils face Lyon Thursday in the second leg of the Europa League quarterfinals

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The aggregate score is 2-2The match will be played at Old TraffordLast international title came in 2016-17Getty Images SportWHAT HAPPENED?

It’s been a difficult season for Manchester United under manager Rúben Amorim. United sit 14th in the Premier League, 38 points behind current leaders and soon-to-be champions Liverpool. But not all is lost for Manchester United, as they are just one step away from reaching the Europa League semifinals.

The decisive moment comes Thursday when they host Lyon at Old Trafford. With the aggregate tied 2-2 and the return leg at home, Amorim’s side could turn a disastrous season into something positive by winning the continental tournament.

One of United’s former players, Javier “Chicharito” Hernández, now playing in Mexico, sent a message of support to his former club, calling it "a very important opportunity to win an international title."

“I’m very happy," he said at a sponsor appearance in Guadalajara, noting that Man Utd are still in Europa League contention, "even though it’s been a tough year, as the last few have been. I think it’s important for a club like Manchester United to be fighting for these titles. I really hope they will win it. Having the chance to win an international competition is always very important."

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With just 23 points out of a possible 63, Amorim's side has struggled. But the Red Devils still have a shot at redemption with the Europa League title up for grabs. Will they reach the semifinals and fight for silverware?

Meanwhile, Chicharito made his comments as part of Enterprise’s ‘Rent-A-Player’ campaign, which launched an opportunity for a fan to travel to this season’s UEFA Europa League final in Bilbao.

Getty Images SportWHAT RUBÉN AMORIM SAID

"I’m trying to be clear, to keep things simple and not overthink. When I visualize the game, I see André Onana. He had a weekend off, so now he’s ready to return to competition, and I’ve chosen André to start. Before making that decision, I spoke with him – it’s important to explain to the player what I’m thinking."

Rúben Amorim confirmed the Cameroonian goalkeeper will start for Manchester United on Thursday.

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Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR MANCHESTER UNITED?

They face Lyon for a spot in the Europa League semifinals, while on Sunday they’ll host Wolverhampton for Matchday 33 of the Premier League.

Nottingham Forest are now in talks over selling a “fantastic” £20m player to a Premier League rival this month, according to Sky Sports reporter Florian Plettenberg.

Forest set for busy January transfer window

The Tricky Trees are searching for a new striker this month, although any new arrival is likely to have to play second fiddle to Chris Wood, given the New Zealand international’s incredible form in front of goal this season. Wood now has 13 league goals to his name this season, playing a pivotal role in his side’s unexpected push for the Champions League places.

Feyenoord forward Santiago Gimenez is one of the players of interest to Forest, with rumours over a potential £35m move gaining traction over the past few weeks.

Spatak Moscow’s Manfred Ugalde is another striker that Nuno Santo’s side are well aware of, having been impressed by his record in front of goal in the Russian Premier League this season.

Nottingham Forest receive Marinakis approval to sign "intelligent" £84m ace

He’s a man in demand…

ByTom Cunningham Jan 15, 2025

With rumours swirling about a new striker making their way to The City Ground, there has been some talk about Taiwo Awoniyi leaving this month, but Sky Sports’ Lyall Thomas and Rob Dorsett have since stated a deal will not happen if a replacement is not found.

However, a more recent update from Florian Plettenberg appears to indicate that Awoniyi could well be on his way out soon, as West Ham United are now making a serious attempt to sign the striker.

Talks are now underway to discuss the intricacies of a deal, with Forest trying to hold out for a fee of £20m, although that figure would need to come down for the Hammers to agree terms.

Given that the Tricky Trees are unwilling to sanction a move unless a replacement is found, their willingness to advance a deal to sell the Nigerian could indicate they are confident they have identified a suitable target.

Tough decision for Forest

It would be a shame to let the 27-year-old leave, as he has played a key part in reestablishing Nottingham Forest as a Premier League club since arriving ahead of the 2022-23 season.

The former Union Berlin man bagged 10 goals in his debut Premier League campaign, and although his second season was hampered by injury issues, he still managed to pick up nine goal contributions in 20 outings.

Given the level of Wood’s performances this season, it was always going to be a very tough ask for the Nigeria international to force his way into contention, so he may feel a move is needed for the good of his career.

If Forest have identified a suitable replacement, and they are able to sell the forward for around £20m, it could be a good deal for all parties, including West Ham, who find themselves limited on forward options with Niclas Füllkrug and Michail Antonio currently sidelined.

Awoniyi has been “fantastic” at times for Forest, so it will be sad if he moves on this winter, but it could well be the correct decision.

Newcastle's preparations for Sunday's clash with Manchester United have been disrupted by illness to manager Eddie Howe.

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'Bed ridden' Howe misses press conferenceNewcastle manager 'really poorly' at homeClub offer update ahead of Man Utd fixtureFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Howe pulled out of Friday's pre-match press conference ahead of Sunday's Premier League visit from Manchester United, with assistant Jason Tindall confirming the manager has been confined to bed this week due to illness and has been feeling "really poorly."

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Tindall took over press conference duty and told reporters: "He’s (Howe) been really poorly in the last couple of days. He’s been bed-ridden. We’ve been in daily contact. We’ve been speaking three or four times a day, so it’s not affected any of the preparations up until now. We’ve still got a couple of days, and I’m sure he’ll be okay for the weekend.

“I’ve been leading training while he’s been absent, with the other members of staff, but as I say, I think the manager should be back available for the weekend. It’s not very often that he’s not able to come to work. When the manager’s not there, it’s a bit different, but it’s only been a couple of days and we’ve got such a great bunch of lads with a fantastic attitude. There are some great characters in there, and they know the expectations. They know the demands and what they need to deliver to make sure they’re fully prepared for the weekend.”

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Newcastle have been forced to cope without Howe on the training ground as they hope to maintain their fine form and complete a league double over the Red Devils on Sunday. The Magpies are also aiming to finish the season strongly in order to qualify for next season's Champions League and head into the weekend in fifth place in the table, level on points with Chelsea in fourth but with a game in hand over the Blues.

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DID YOU KNOW?

Tindall also confirmed that top scorer Alexander Isak is expected to be available for Sunday's match but Anthony Gordon remains a doubt. He added: "He’s trained the last couple of days. He’s trained, and he feels fine. It’s something that we’ll assess day by day, but we’re expecting him to hopefully be available for the weekend. Beyond that, we’re not really looking ahead of Man United.

“He’s (Gordon) had a decent week with the physios. He was back on the grass for a pitch session yesterday. We'll assess him again today to see how he's responded to that session, then we'll have to make a late call over the weekend to see how he is for Sunday."

Beth Mooney hits 97 not out on Hundred debut but London Spirit slip to defeat

Cameron Ponsonby12-Aug-2022Danni Wyatt’s brutal 65 off 34 balls led Southern Brave to a six-wicket victory against London Spirit and spoiled Beth Mooney’s party after the Australian opener had earlier scored a women’s competition-best of 97 not out off 55 balls.In the absence of the injured Heather Knight, 21-year-old Charlie Dean took the reins of Spirit and after winning her first toss elected to bat. Her decision looked to be a good one as Mooney played with the confidence of a player fresh off a match-winning innings in the Commonwealth Games final and led Spirit to 155, the second-highest score in the history of the Hundred, men’s or women’s.However, Spirit’s total still carried a touch of frustration with it. With 22 balls to go, Spirit were 123 for 1 and looking at at least 160, only for Amanda Jade-Wellington to strike three times in the closing stage of the innings.In reply, Wyatt and Smriti Mandhana wrestled the momentum back for the home side with Wyatt in particular taking a liking to Freya Davies, striking five boundaries off her two sets of five in the powerplay.Brave had a small wobble as they lost two wickets in three balls with 60 still required, but Sophia Dunkley would ice the chase with a composed 34 not out off 25 balls to see Brave complete the highest successful chase in the women’s competition with six balls still to spare.Mooney masterclass
Mooney loves the big occasion. In 2020, she struck 78 off 54 balls in the T20 World Cup final. In 2021, she was named as Wisden’s leading female cricketer in the world. And in 2022, she scored 61 off 41 in the Commonwealth Games gold-medal match.Five days on from her match-winning antics in one final, she was setting more records in her first appearance in the Hundred, striking the highest score in the history of the women’s competition as she made 97 not out off of just 55 balls. An altogether record-breaking achievement – or, as Mooney calls it, Friday.Brave tried their best to bowl neither too wide nor too straight at Mooney, with all of Lauren Bell, Anya Shrubsole and Molly Strano starting by bowling over the wicket to the left-hander, with each of their natural actions pushing the ball across her.The plans, however, didn’t work. When Brave got too straight, Mooney bludgeoned them through the leg side. And when they weren’t erring one way, Mooney was forcing them to err to the other, giving herself space to drive through cover or walking across and pulling or sweeping over to the leg side.Mooney was forcing Brave to bowl on a tightrope. A thin line of safety, which if missed, led to a fast and ugly demise.ESPNcricinfo LtdWyatt wins out
Such was the quality of Mooney’s innings that Wyatt was never likely to steal her thunder, but she did at least ruin her party. The two innings were off contrasting styles but equal in their effectiveness. Where Mooney looked to target the extra-cover boundary, Wyatt hammered and swept the ball over long-on and cow corner.Wyatt’s 34-ball innings contained 14 boundaries, finding the fence in consecutive deliveries on four occasions. Had she not been run out by her batting partner Dunkley with 45 balls of the innings still remaining, Wyatt may well now be boasting the record of having scored the first-ever century in the women’s Hundred.Spirit’s fielding needing a prayer
For all the quality of Brave’s batting line-up, Spirit had much of themselves to blame for the flow of runs with a poor showing in the field.Related

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Previews: Invincibles face tough task to retain title

Naomi Dattani dropped a simple chance to get rid of Mandhana off the bowling of Dean, before the following ball went through the legs of cover for four. A series of unfortunate events that at least gave the new skipper the chance to debut her poker face, however unconvincing.Another simple misfield on the boundary gifted Brave four more not long after, before it looked as if Spirit had managed to save the day for themselves when Amelia Kerr executed a fantastic, diving direct-hit run-out to remove Wyatt and tip the game in their favour.However, it didn’t prove to be the catalyst that Spirit had hoped, as the otherwise-perfect Mooney wavered. She missed a simple run-out chance that would’ve seen the back of Georgia Adams and seen Brave four down with 49 still required off 35 balls.Runs galore
Last season’s women’s Hundred featured just six scores north of 140. Just two games into this year and we have already had four, with the hot summer contributing to fast outfields and general misery for those standing in the field. Expect more of the same.

Steven Smith says he and Usman Khawaja have moved on following their mix-up in the first Test in Sri Lanka, with the pair chilled over Smith’s on-field reaction.

AAP06-Jul-2022Steven Smith insists there is no lingering fallout from his mid-wicket mix-up with Usman Khawaja after his fiery first Test dismissal against Sri Lanka.Smith created headlines last week when he gestured back at Khawaja and stormed off the field after being run out for six in Galle. The incident drew criticism back home in Australia, including from former captains Mark Taylor and Ian Chappell.Chappell in particular was harsh on the right-hander, claiming he should have been in better check of his emotions as a vice-captain on the field. But Smith insisted he and Khawaja had immediately moved on, and he was more frustrated at his own dismissal.”I hate getting run out. I think anyone does,” Smith said on Wednesday when asked if he had reflected on the situation. “Particularly given the [tough] conditions and gifting them a wicket. As one of the most experienced players I was pretty upset.”That happens in the game. I got over it pretty quickly. I had to keep moving forward and that is part of the game.”I spoke to Uz straight after and he was pretty chilled. Mix-ups happen, we keep moving on.”What Smith is desperate for is more time in the middle. He missed the final three one-day internationals in Sri Lanka with a quad injury and only faced 11 balls in his one innings in Galle before his run out.The former captain batted through another lengthy net session on Wednesday, working hard on facing left-arm spin with throwdowns from former New Zealand spinner Daniel Vettori.Smith employs a different approach to most Australians against the spinners, only using the sweep when the ball spins back into him. He was Australia’s leading run-scorer on the last tour of Sri Lanka, relying on a fast-feet method to try and unsettle the bowlers.”I’m not a huge sweeper so I prefer to run down the wicket and get them off their lengths that way or come back into my crease,” Smith said. “Really it’s about not getting stuck on the crease with the ball spinning into me.”If I’m doing that well and fast on my feet, I usually feel pretty good.”Australia expect the wicket to spin just as much in the second Test in Galle starting Friday, with Sri Lanka adding more spinners to their squad.Smith had attempted to lead a more positive team with the bat when he captained Australia’s 3-0 loss in 2016, only for the side to be tentative in defeat. But that approach has been put into far better effect on this tour, as Australia scored at a rapid rate in the first Test.”It’s about having courage in the way guys are playing,” Smith said. “It’s good we all play a little bit differently.”There’s not the same continuity, so bowlers have to change their lengths a bit and when they’re doing that in a partnership you can cruise along quite freely.”

Fair to say, it’s been an eventful week at Everton.

On Thursday, mere hours before their FA Cup tie at home to Peterborough United, it was announced that Sean Dyche had been sacked, leaving Leighton Baines and club captain Séamus Coleman in caretaker charge, overseeing an unspectacular 2-0 victory.

Remarkably, this is the first time any Premier League club have sacked their manager on the day of a game, prior to kick off, for 30 years.

Then, on Saturday morning, it was confirmed that David Moyes had returned, 13 years after leaving Merseyside for Manchester United, having overseen a whopping 518 matches during his first spell in charge.

With the Toffees currently 16th in the Premier League table, a mere one point clear of the relegation zone, reinforcements are needed, but could the first arrival of the second Moyes-era be imminent?

Everton want to bolster their forward line

According to a report by TEAMtalk, Everton are ‘in talks’ with Olympique Lyonnais over the signing of Ernest Nuamah.

Meanwhile, reports from France on social media claim the deal is only ‘one step away’ with an ‘agreement almost reached between the different parties.’

Numah joined Lyon from Danish Superligaen side Nordsjælland for a reported €30m in 2023, suggesting the Blues are unlikely to get him on the cheap.

However, as noted by Colin Millar, Matt Slater and Matt Woosnam of the Athletic, les Gones have been provisionally relegated from Ligue 1 “following an audit of their finances”, informed they must “satisfactorily improve their financial situation before the end of this season”.

As a result, Nuamah appears set to be sacrificed, although no Everton supporter should consider this a done deal until he has officially put pen to paper.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

That’s because, in the summer, Nuamah was reportedly on the verge of joining Fulham, only to “vanish” part-way through his medical, after breaking down in tears, declaring his love for OL and refusing to move to West London, with American owner John Texter subsequently forced to send an apology letter to the Cottagers.

Fair to say, the Toffees will be hoping to avoid similar complications.

How Ernest Nuamah compares to Dwight McNeil

Ghanian commentator George Addo Jnr on Twitter describes his compatriot as “some talent”, with journalist Owuraku Ampofo adding that he is “a fantastic dribbler”.

Wesley Mak of Opta’s The Analyst labels him as “a multi-functional forward” capable of playing anywhere across the front three, comparing him to West Ham’s Mohammed Kudus, another Ghanian attacker who began his career at the world-renowned Right to Dream Academy.

Well, considering Everton are the Premier League’s second-lowest scorers this season, ranked rock-bottom for xG, the Blues need all the attacking reinforcement they can get, but how does Nuamah compare to their joint-top scorer Dwight McNeil?

Appearances

56

56

Minutes

3,205

4,732

Goal

8

7

Expected goals

6

4.3

Assists

4

10

Expected assists

5.1

12.2

Shots on target %

39.7%

27.4%

Shot-creating actions

109

190

Crosses

122

365

Attempted take-ons

160

103

Progressive carries

146

111

The table outlines that these two wingers are stylistically very different.

McNeil is much more a creator, hence why he’s accumulated significantly more assists and expected assists while, last season, only eight players across Europe’s “top five” leagues put in more crosses than his 229; Dyche-ball at its finest.

Meanwhile, Nuamah is much more of a dribbler, registering more take-ons and progressive carries, with the Ghanian significantly more of a goal threat, bagging 15 goals during his final campaign at Nordsjælland, on target against such illustrious opponents as Paris Saint-Germain and Eintracht Frankfurt since making to move to Lyon.

Well, considering Everton have scored nil during eight of their last ten Premier League outings, failing to find the net in a whopping 39% of the league games Dyche took charge of, Nuamah will certainly be a welcome addition for all Evertonians.

Could be an awful Lookman repeat: £100k-p/w Everton star in talks to leave

Everton could be set to sell one of their highest earners this month

ByRoss Kilvington Jan 13, 2025

Arne Slot hit back at Michael Owen’s remarks that lifting the Premier League trophy alone wouldn’t be enough to call Liverpool's season a success.

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Liverpool on course to win their 20th PL crownCrashed out of cup competitions in quick successionOwen expected more from the Reds after a fiery start to the seasonFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Owen made headlines after suggesting that although winning the league would be “special,” the sting of exiting the Champions League and falling short in the Carabao Cup final could overshadow the triumph. This opinion did not sit well with Slot – or with team captain Virgil van Dijk, who previously clashed with Owen after the Merseyside derby.

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Slot made it clear that securing domestic league glory remains the highest priority, particularly for a club that has struggled to consistently win the English title in recent decades. Moreover, it would be Liverpool's 20th Premier League crown, an incredible feat that would see them match Manchester United's tally.

WHAT SLOT SAID

“Let me understand it right, Virgil was a bit frustrated because it came across as it’s not enough to only win the Premier League?” asked the Liverpool head coach.

“Michael did play for us, didn’t he? So he is aware of the fact that in 35 years we won the league once? There is your answer. If you can win the league with this club then, phew, nothing else matters I would say. If you do it 10 times in a row then I could understand that people say: ‘Oh but you only win the Premier League.’

"If [Manchester] City only won the Premier League then I could understand people saying: ‘It’s not a good season for City.’ But if, at this club, you can compete for it and let alone win it, then it is a strange question to ask in my opinion. If Virgil has this opinion as well then I agree with him.”

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The Liverpool boss also addressed a growing narrative suggesting this season’s league might be less competitive due to Manchester City’s inconsistency and Arsenal’s inability to stay in contention. Slot argued the opposite, stating the Premier League has become more balanced than ever.

“I think the league is better than it ever was,” Slot said. “That’s what I hear a lot because the strength overall is getting better. I think even Pep [Guardiola] said there will not be a team again as long as he lives that gets more than 100 points and wins the league four times in a row because so many more teams are having so many more good players.

“I think he even said what I have said the whole year, that all clubs, even some who are fighting against relegation, have some players who can play for City, for Arsenal, for us, for Chelsea and for these type of teams. The reason why teams you might expect to have more points don’t have them is because the league has become stronger. That is probably why it is such a compliment for us that we do have those points at the moment.”

Celtic are “highly likely” to complete the signing of a “special” player during the January transfer window, according to a claim from former England goalkeeper Paul Robinson.

Latest Celtic news

The Hoops continue to be linked with potential new signings in January, as Brendan Rodgers looks to give his side the best possible chance of glory across all competitions in the second half of the season.

Manchester City youngster James McAtee has been mentioned as an option for Celtic, with the 22-year-old not managing to force his way into Pep Guardiola’s plans in recent months, despite their huge struggles in the Premier League. The attacking midfielder could be a great signing for the Scottish Premiership champions, adding real quality in the final third and making them an even more fearsome attacking proposition.

There are two other Premier League players who the Hoops are eyeing up, too, with Chelsea pair Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Carney Chukwuemeka seen as options next month. Both midfielders have found it hard to enjoy regular playing time for the Blues this season, with the likes of Moises Caicedo, Enzo Fernandez and Romeo Lavia all preferred in the middle of the park.

Meanwhile, Brondby forward Mathias Kvistgaarden has also been backed to seal a move to Celtic, potentially coming in and providing more competition in the attacking third.

Celtic "highly likely" to sign "special" ace

Speaking to Football Insider, Sky Sports pundit Robinson claimed that Celtic are “highly likely” to seal a reunion with Kieran Tierney in January:

“It’s achievable. That’s probably what both parties would want, even Arsenal wouldn’t stand in his way. Like you say, injuries, not playing, he’s not been part of Mikel Arteta’s squad going forward. [Him leaving] frees that space up in Arsenal’s squad, [and] for Tierney, it’s a great fit. For Celtic, it seems a great fit. That one looks like it’s got highly likely potential of happening in January.”

Bringing Tierney back to Celtic should be seen as a no-brainer, considering the quality he possesses, and what a popular player he was at Parkhead during his first stint there.

Things haven’t quite panned out the way the left-back would have hoped for, in terms of being first-choice, but Mikel Arteta has still heaped praise on him during his time at the Emirates, saying:

“I am really looking forward to working with him and giving him the opportunity to play. His attitude, his commitment, his willingness it’s incredible. I think he’s going to bring something special to us.”

Still only 27, Tierney could remain a key man for Celtic for another five or six years, and he could cement further legendary status if he returns and helps inspire the Hoops to many more trophy wins, after claims he would accept a pay cut to move back to Parkhead.

Celtic make enquiry over signing "outstanding" £20m Premier League player

Brendan Rodgers is eyeing a midfielder this January.

ByDominic Lund Dec 28, 2024

The idea of getting more regular football will surely appeal to the Scotland international, too, as he looks to reignite his career and enjoy his peak years, rather than growing stagant at Arsenal.

He struck at only 103.38, but coach believes his struggles were down to just one bowler – Bhuvneshwar

Firdose Moonda21-Jun-20225:24

Dale Steyn: ‘Four games don’t make Temba Bavuma a bad player’

South Africa are not concerned about Temba Bavuma’s T20I strike rate, which over the last year has dropped to being the lowest among opening batters in the top-six ranked teams, and believe his difficulties in India were largely due to one bowler.”Temba struggled during the tour. There’s no doubt,” Mark Boucher, South Africa’s coach said. But he only really struggled against one bowler and that was [Bhuvneshwar] Kumar. Most of the guys struggled against him. Let’s give him credit where it’s due. Kumar is a fantastic bowler in those conditions.”Bhuvneshwar, who opened the bowling and moved the ball both ways, was the second-highest wicket-taker in the series with six strikes from five matches at 14.16. He also had the lowest economy rate among bowlers who had played all five games in this series – 6.07 runs per over – keeping South Africa to three of their five-lowest powerplay scores against India.”There were times when the ball was swinging a lot which makes him very, very dangerous. Also the ball was up and down a lot, especially with the new ball,” Boucher said. We look at it as coaches and say how do we have a look at that particular bowler and how do we give him [Bavuma] more options? It’s quite difficult for him to change up during a series where you basically travel-play, travel-play. To come into a series, T20, as an opening batter, you’ve got to go from the get-go, that was always going to be quite tough for him, especially against Kumar. With other bowlers his strike rates are fine. There’s no issue there.”Related

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Bavuma scored 61 runs in four innings at a strike rate of 103.38. Of South Africa’s specialist batters, only Quinton de Kock scored fewer runs and Bavuma’s strike rate was the lowest. He scored just 13 runs off 25 balls he faced from Kumar in the series, with one dismissal, at a strike rate of 52.00 and 48 runs off 34 balls he faced from the rest of India’s attack, at a strike rate of 141.18, proving Boucher’s point. The challenge facing Bavuma now is how he can ensure he is still able to score off bowlers like Bhuvneshwar and Boucher has a plan, which is not just for Bavuma.Temba Bavuma injured his elbow in the fourth T20I against India•BCCI”We’ve had conversations about the first 10 balls that you face. What’s your goal? Is it [to score] 10 off 10 or 14 off 10?” Boucher said. “It’s one boundary extra that you’re looking at and 14 off 10 is going at 140. The margins are not as big as what people actually think. It’s maybe just another scoring option. We did it last year with regards to scoring all around the wickets. You would have seen reverse-sweeps come in, guys who have never lapped before, they’ve got the lap option. If you give batters one or two more options to try and take the strike rate a little bit higher than what they’ve got at the moment, it’s challenging players and it’s pushing them to become the best in the world. If you look at it in its entirety you might think it’s near impossible for a guy to get to a strike rate 140 if he is at 120 but it could just be merely just adding another shot to his whole repertoire that could change that.”But to do that, Boucher would like to see a slight shift in mindset among his batters. “You need to have the technical know-how on how to play a shot,” he said. “Once you get the confidence of adding that extra shot to your batting, or ball to your bowling, it’s having the mindset to go out there and really trust it.”And once the players have the belief that they can bat big and bat quickly, Boucher believes the South African line-up can become as explosive as teams like India or England. “Ultimately, you’re not going to win World Cups with a mindset where you are tentative,” he said. “You’ve got to go out there and play. There’s been other teams in the world – India have showed us the way they play, England and the way they play- that’s really the way forward, especially in the shorter version of the game.”The next question is whether Bavuma is going to be on track for the World Cup after suffering an elbow injury during the India series, when he fell while completing a single in the fourth match on Friday. He will undergo scans on Tuesday after sitting out Sunday’s decider. “We were really worried after the actual injury because he couldn’t bend his arm at all,” Boucher said. “But the next morning, he was able to bend it, so that was some good news.”South Africa’s next assignment is an all-format tour in England, with the white-ball sides due to depart on July 8. They are expected to name the squad next week.

Nico O'Reilly has revealed exactly what Pep Guardiola told him before his incredible impact against Bournemouth in the FA Cup.

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O'Reilly registered two assistsOnly came on at half-timePep gave youngster clear instructionsFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

O'Reilly came off the bench at half-time in City's win over Bournemouth on Sunday. The Cherries were 1-0 up at the time, but O'Reilly laid on two assists as City turned the game around. First, he found Erling Haaland at the back post with a low cross, before a clever flick found Omar Marmoush before his fine winner.

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The 20-year-old has been shining in the FA Cup this season, scoring a brace against Plymouth Argyle in the fifth round and netting once versus Salford City in the third. In total, he has made 10 first-team appearances for the Blues, registering five goal involvements.

WHAT O'REILLY SAID

He told : "My instructions were to get involved as much as I can. It was good to get the contributions with the two assists – I was buzzing. I'm grateful for the opportunities I get from the manager and playing with the best players that are out there."

AFPWHAT NEXT?

City will play Nottingham Forest at Wembley in the FA Cup semi-final. Pep Guardiola has already confirmed that O'Reilly will "for sure" play in the game.