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England make perfect start through Potts and Anderson before suffering late batting collapse

Alan Gardner02-Jun-2022If the mantra of this England Test side, coached by Brendon McCullum and captained by Ben Stokes, is about “moving the game forward”, then the first day of the opening Test of the summer could scarcely have gone better. But after a flying start with the ball, England went back to old habits as New Zealand exposed familiar failings with the bat. Seventeen wickets went down on an apparently true Lord’s surface, and come the close it was far from clear which side was on top.The game began in fast-forward, New Zealand sliding to 12 for 4 inside the first hour, but gradually settled on to a more even keel. James Anderson, playing the 170th match of his Test career, and Matthew Potts, in his first, shared eight wickets between them as the tourists were rounded up in two sessions following Kane Williamson’s decision to bat first; they were in dire straits at 45 for 7 only for Colin de Grandhomme to marshal some lower-order resistance.After an encouraging opening stand of 59 between Zak Crawley and Alex Lees, England then shipped seven wickets during the evening session to bring New Zealand roaring back into the contest. Even after Kyle Jamieson produced the initial breakthroughs, they were still well placed on 92 for 2 and with thoughts beginning to turn towards consolidation. But Joe Root, in his first Test since resigning the captaincy, steered de Grandhomme to gully and England promptly lost 5 for 8 to revive memories of the grisly collapses that have disfigured their red-ball cricket over the last year.Related

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Stokes wants 'blank canvas' – but not 'reset'

Crawley was the first to depart, having produced a number of eye-catching shots in his 56-ball 43. But after stroking Jamieson through the covers for four, he attempted another lavish drive off his next ball only to produce a thin edge through to the keeper.Ollie Pope’s maiden outing in first-class cricket at No. 3 did not last long, feathering behind off a rising Jamieson delivery, but it was the dismissal of Root that really shook England’s resolve. Tim Southee struck twice in the space of consecutive overs, trapping Lees lbw shuffling across his stumps after another dogged-but-insubstantial innings, before Stokes edged behind with just a single to his name. The slide gathered momentum as Trent Boult, straight into the side after his late dash from the IPL, claimed two in three balls, Jonny Bairstow dragging on to his stumps and Potts bounced out to conclude an eventful start to his Test career.In true McCullum style, England charged headlong into their new era – literally, in the case of Jack Leach, who suffered a concussion when throwing himself full length over the boundary rope to prevent four and had to be substituted from the game. Matt Parkinson, the Lancashire legspinner, was called in as Leach’s replacement for an unexpected Test debut, although New Zealand’s first innings was over long before he had completed his journey from Manchester to Lord’s.England ran rampant during an exhilarating morning session that saw New Zealand totter in at lunch on 39 for 6, as Potts, the Durham debutant, struck with his fifth ball and added two during an impressive first spell in Test cricket, going on to finish with 4 for 13. If England began the series with, in Stokes’ words, a “blank canvas”, they were soon daubing pretty pictures for an expectant crowd – and such a rousing start might help squeeze a few more in through the gates in the days and weeks to come.Only two of New Zealand’s top six made it into double figures, a grim sequence which included Williamson scoring 2 from 22 balls before edging behind off Potts, Ben Foakes swooping to his right for his maiden dismissal behind the stumps on home soil. Daryl Mitchell struck three retaliatory boundaries only to play on in Potts’ fifth over, and the new boy had a third shortly before lunch when bringing one back up the slope to clatter Tom Blundell’s off stump.Ben Stokes walks back after falling early•PA Images via Getty ImagesNew Zealand’s position worsened when Jamieson was out hooking to fine leg in the first over after lunch, and they were grateful for a counterattacking hand from de Grandhomme, who helped eke out 87 runs for the last three wickets.For all the buzz around England promising a fresh approach to Test cricket, it was the familiar sight of Anderson and Stuart Broad that greeted the New Zealand openers, the new-ball pair back in harness after being dropped for the tour to the Caribbean. Stokes, who wore a one-off shirt in tribute to the hospitalised former England batter Graham Thorpe at the toss, confirmed that he too would have opted to bat, but was able to settle straight into his new role orchestrating proceedings from mid-off.It took Anderson, playing his first Test since helping to secure a draw at the SCG in January, a mere seven balls to find his groove once again. Will Young was lured into pushing outside off but might have got away with a fast, low edge had it not been for a fantastic one-handed catch from Bairstow, throwing himself to his left from third slip. Anderson bagged the wicket of Latham in his next over, with Bairstow again the catcher – this time throwing himself for the rebound after dropping the initial, chest-high chance.Broad did not have to wait long to get amongst it either, luring Devon Conway into a hard-handed prod that again provided catching practice for Bairstow in the slips, leaving New Zealand deep in trouble at 7 for 3 in the eighth over.Their woes were deepened by the impact of Potts, handed his cap before play by Steve Harmison after being backed by Stokes – another Durham and England man – for his debut. Potts had never played a first-class match before at Lord’s, but walked off at lunch with figures of 3 for 8 after living up to his billing as a deck-hitting catalyst of a fast bowler.He was on the money from the outset, and his first victim could scarcely have been more illustrious, as Williamson was drawn into pushing at one in the channel. Mitchell looked more comfortable than most of his colleagues, but was undone by some extra bounce as he looked to defend from the crease, before Blundell also fell cheaply to Potts, whose relentless line left the New Zealand wicketkeeper uncertain of his response, and fatally late on an in-ducker.Jamieson threw the bat at four of his five deliveries after the break, before picking out Potts in the deep, but Southee was more successful in pushing England back, striking four boundaries in 26 off 23 balls. He fell in identical fashion to Anderson, and the removal of Ajaz Patel by Potts with the first ball of his second spell left both seamers contemplating a spot on the honours board. Potts limped off with cramp shortly after, replaced mid-over by Stokes, and the new captain finished the frivolity – at least until England’s madcap final hour.

West Ham United have finally rediscovered some stability in the Premier League after an inconsistent campaign left them all too close to the relegation zone last season. David Moyes' side have used their Europa Conference League win as a springboard for further success, maintaining that form in domestic action, as well as enjoying a successful start in the Europa League, winning both of their group games so far.

From here, the only way has to be up – the London club can't afford to take their foot off the gas when things are going well like they have done in the past. Instead, they have the opportunity to kick on and improve even further, something that one particular star could help with next summer.

West Ham transfer news

The Hammers spent well in the summer transfer window, welcoming the likes of Mohammed Kudus, Edson Alvarez and James Ward-Prowse, who have all hit the ground running at the London Stadium. The credit deserves to go to the recruitment team for improving away from the pitch, allowing for the arrival of upgrades on the pitch.

They won't want to stop there, either, with both January and next summer representing a chance for West Ham to go up another level or two. The latest Manuel Locatelli transfer news suggests that he could be one of those upgrades, too. According to Calciomercato, if Tomas Soucek leaves West Ham next summer, then they could move for the Juventus midfielder, who is valued at €40m (£35m).

Given that Soucek just signed a new deal at the London Stadium, extending his contract until 2028, a move now seems more unlikely for the Czech Republic international. But, if Locatelli becomes available, it wouldn't exactly be a bad move for West Ham to pursue the Italian as an upgrade next summer.

Manuel Locatelli is a "dominator" in midfield

Locatelli has been enjoying his football at Juventus this season, starting in all nine Serie A games, and even netting the winning goal in his side's most recent victory over AC Milan. With Juventus just two points adrift of Inter Milan at the top of the league, too, there's every chance that the Italian could play an important part in a title race this season.

Locatelli's stats, compared to Soucek, are certainly impressive, too, as per FBref, with the Juventus man outperforming the Czech in most areas.

Player

Progressive Carries

Progressive Passes

Pass Completion Rate

Manuel Locatelli

6

54

84.9%

Tomas Soucek

3

15

71.2%

His performances have earned deserved praise, including from Football Talent Scout's Jacek Kulig, who posted on X: "Fantastic performance by Manu Locatelli. A real dominator in midfield."

With that said, Locatelli would be an ideal arrival for West Ham next summer if Soucek leaves. The Italian is still only 25-years-old, and a move to the Premier League would only turn him into an even better player, such is the level that England's top flight currently operates at. It's still early days, however, and the summer transfer window is currently a long way off, so fans may simply be keen to keep an eye on the Italy international from afar for now.

Rohit Sharma struck an unbeaten hundred and Hardik Pandya then finished the chase, to follow 4 for 38 with the ball

The Report by Sidharth Monga08-Jul-2018
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsA long tour of England can bring contingencies, and India responded gloriously to the first of those to maintain their clean sheet in T20I bilateral series of three matches. Central to India’s win was a man who might yet have to play a big part in the rest of the summer: allrounder Hardik Pandya stepped up with India missing two of their first-choice quicks to injury and dropping Kuldeep Yadav, who had taken five wickets two matches ago, because of the small straight boundaries.Pandya bowled smartly, not giving England anything to drive and changing his pace often in his personal best analysis of 4 for 38, reducing a marauding England batting to 198 when they had looked good for 225. He was there with centurion Rohit Sharma when India needed to pull themselves out of a brief slowdown when the 15th and 16th over produced seven runs and the wicket of Virat Kohli. Pandya’s 33 off 14 took off any pressure that might have been on his Mumbai Indians’ team-mate as India chased the target down with more than an over to spare.Rohit Sharma lifts one over covers•Getty ImagesSelection debateThere was consternation from certain quarters when Kuldeep was left out for debutant swing bowler Deepak Chahar. The pitch looked green, and the straight boundaries were short. India reasoned they wanted a team for the day and not based on history. A few experts said you pick your best bowlers no matter the conditions. To add to India’s woes, Bhuvneshwar Kumar had a stiff back. Jasprit Bumrah was already ruled out of the limited-overs leg of the tour. This is an Indian side confident of taking a punt and going along with it. Their confidence was about to be tested.England get stuck into inexperienced attackThe pace of the three right-arm quicks posed Jos Buttler and Jason Roy no challenge. The Powerplay of 73 for 0 was the best in T20Is in England, and the home side’s second-best effort anywhere. In a knock that didn’t even last half of England’s innings, Roy equalled the England record for most sixes: seven. Pandya was among those taken apart, for 22 in his first over, his most expensive over in T20Is.Two wickets fell in the next seven overs but the runs kept coming. That Yuzvendra Chahal bowled four overs for just 30 when the going rate was higher than 10 might have raised doubts in the Indian minds. They were looking at seven overs of quick bowling with no swing available and small boundaries to defend with 132 already on the board.Pandya strikes, and keeps strikingPandya, who had come back with a two-run second over, showed he had learned from his mistake early on. He wasn’t bowling as short as he had done earlier but still didn’t give England the length to drive or to slog. He rolled his fingers on the ball to good effect, too. Eoin Morgan top-edged a slog, was dropped, but repeated it next ball for MS Dhoni to take one of his world-record five catches in the innings. Alex Hales looked to late-cut him and got the top edge. Pandya came back in the 18th over to thwart another surge from England, this time taking out Ben Stokes and Jonny Bairstow. That England fell 25 short was down entirely to these wickets.Rohit exits a slumpComing into this match, Rohit had averaged 26.08 at a strike rate of 104.1 in all T20 cricket since February 17 this year. Those were surprising numbers for a batsman of his ability in limited-overs cricket, which is probably why not many questioned his place in a line-up overflowing with batting talent. Rohit showed why by dismantling the England bowling with 11 fours and five sixes. Most of the big hitting was done down the ground because of the boundaries but when England went short, he was equal to it with his pulls. For support he had KL Rahul during a 41-run second-wicket stand and Kohli in an 81-run association for the third wicket.How ineffective the bowling, how short England were of a par score, was all evident in how all the three wickets fell to exceptional catches. the pick of the lot was the third one as Chris Jordan hung on a Kohli shot drilled back at him in his follow-through. That wicket and the consequent quiet, with Pandya promoted ahead of MS Dhoni and Suresh Raina, left India 44 to get in four overs.Pandya, Rohit end itJust then, though, Pandya hit the first two balls of the 17th over for fours, and India were back on track. Rohit duly reached his hundred, and Pandya provided the exclamation mark with a six off the fourth ball of the 19th over.

Erling Haaland is reaping the benefits of having a footballing dad and there is a whole new generation of players with famous parents breaking through

You don't have to have a footballer as a parent to make it in the modern game, but it sure helps. Just ask Erling Haaland, who was drawn to play in the Premier League because his father Alfie had done the same, and he has literally followed in his footsteps by playing for Manchester City.

Frank Lampard also credited his father, Frank Lampard Snr, for telling him exactly which areas he needed to improve in to follow the same path by playing for West Ham. The Chelsea legend recalled: "He put that work ethic in me and always made me very aware of my weaknesses. He let me know it was the extra runs, extra hours practising shooting and finishing that count."

Lampard was an outlier at the time of his career in having a former footballer as a father, but Haaland is now in good company, as players with famous parents has become increasingly common. And when Haaland steps out onto the Anfield turf in Manchester City's top-of-the-table Premier League showdown with Liverpool on Sunday, there will be no shortage of 'nepo babies' on the pitch.

Haaland is the only member of this particular fraternity in the City first-team squad, but he could soon be joined by Jaden Heskey and his brother Reigan, the sons of former Liverpool and England striker Emile. But the Liverpool squad is stacked with sons of players, especially among the latest crop of youngsters who have broken into the team lately and have been christened as 'Klopp's Kids'.

Teenage striker Jayden Danns, who scored twice against Southampton in the FA Cup last month, is the son of Neil Danns, who played for 15 clubs including Crystal Palace; Lewis Koumas, who also scored against Southampton, is the son of former Wales international, Jason; and Bobby Clark is the offspring of ex-Newcastle and Fulham midfielder, Lee. Several of Liverpool's more senior players also benefitted from having footballer fathers, including Alexis Mac Allister, Thiago Alcantara, Dominik Szoboszlai, Stefan Bajcetic and Joel Matip.

And there are plenty more whey they came from. GOAL runs through just some of the sons and daughters of famous footballers who are set to make their own mark on the game within the next few years…

Benjamin Aguero

This kid could hardly have hoped for better footballer's genes, with Sergio Aguero as his father and the late Diego Maradona for a granddad. Benjamin is currently following his father's footsteps after joining the academy of Argentine giants Independiente, having spent last season with Tigre.

AdvertisementKai Rooney

To date, no father and son have ever played for Manchester United. But that could soon change, as Kai Rooney is making waves in the Red Devils' youth teams. He scored an astonishing 56 goals in one season for the Under-12s and last year was on target in a cup final victory over local rivals Manchester City, whom he used to represent.

He has also signed a sponsorship deal with Puma, but it will take some career to match his dad, Wayne, who is United's all-time top scorer.

Getty Tomas Angel

Angel, 21, was born in Birmingham while his father [Juan Pablo Angel] was playing for Aston Villa, but he began his career in his native Colombia, breaking into the first team of Medellin giants Atletico Nacional. A striker like his dad, Angel is now plying his trade in MLS with Los Angeles FC.

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Damian van der Vaart

Few clubs can compete with Ajax when it comes to producing youngsters, and Damian van der Vaart is following the very same footsteps as his father, Rafael, in getting his footballing education with the Amsterdam giants.

Also a midfielder, Damian signed for Ajax's U18s last year from Danish side Esbjerg, where his father had been working as an assistant coach. He will be hoping to complete the family tradition by breaking into the first team and also represent the Netherlands at senior level, having already represented their U18s side.

After a rough start to the season, Leeds United finally look like they have found some form in the Championship, in part thanks to their summer signings like Joel Piroe and Ethan Ampadu.

That said, the Peacocks haven't had the most success when it comes to signings over the last few years, and for as brilliant a manager Marcelo Bielsa was, some of his signings at the club were pretty shocking.

With that in mind, Football FanCast has taken a look at the ten worst signings Leeds United made during the Argentine's reign.

10 Liam McCarron (£250k)

Signed for just €290k (£250k) from Carlisle United, it might be a bit harsh to label the youngster a flop, but given how McCarron's time in West Yorkshire went, it would be hard to call it anything else.

His arrival was met with hope from the Leeds hierarchy that after a few years bedding into the side, he would become a regular starter in the Premier League for the team.

Unfortunately, after just a single nine-minute appearance for the senior team in three years, it became painfully apparent that he wasn't of the level required. He is now a Stoke City player and on loan at Port Vale.

9 Helder Costa (£16m)

Now, this one might raise a few eyebrows; after all, Helder Costa was one of the most important players in the team that helped get Leeds promoted back to the Premier League in 2020.

However, that was when he was on loan at the club, but after the Whites splashed out £16m to make his deal permanent, he became incredibly unproductive – to put it diplomatically.

In the three years following his permanent move, Costa played just 25 Premier League games for Leeds, scoring just three goals and providing three assists. In fact, he became so unproductive in West Yorkshire that he spent last season on loan with Al-Ittihad and spent the season before that with Valencia.

His contract was terminated by mutual consent earlier this month, and he is still without a club. Oh, what could have been.

8 Diego Llorente (£18m)

Signed from Real Sociedad in the summer of 2020 for £18m, Diego Llorente wasn't dreadful in his first season; he was just injured for a lot of it.

That said, when he was playing regularly in his second season at the club, he just looked totally out of his depth. Leeds were a defensive mess in the 2021/22 season, and Llorente was a big part of that.

The Spaniard was loaned out to Jose Mourinho's Roma in January of this year, where he remains this season. He may not have been responsible for all of Leeds' defensive woes under Bielsa, but he certainly didn't help.

7 Eddie Nketiah (loan)

Now, hold your horses there, Arsenal fans; we aren't calling Eddie Nketiah a bad player here, not by any stretch of the imagination; in fact, we have picked him for this list as the decision to take him on loan and then barely play him ranks as one of Bielsa's most baffling.

The Arsenal forward was sent out on loan in the summer of 2019 and then recalled just a few months later in January over concerns that he wasn't getting enough game time – valid concerns, at that.

It turned out that Bielsa favoured Patrick Bamford over the young Gooner, and while that ultimately worked out for the club in terms of promotion, it also directly led to the club signing off on the worst transfer made under Bielsa's watch, meaning his usage of Nketiah has to go down as a huge error of judgement…

6 Lewis Baker (Loan)

Our second loan player on this list is Lewis Baker, who, at the time, was seen as the next big thing to come out of Chelsea's Cobham academy.

However, he failed to impress Bielsa and, just like Nketiah, was recalled to his parent club midway through the season over concerns about playing time.

That said, while the Arsenal man has since gone on to prove the Argentine wrong by regularly starting for a title-chasing Gunners side, Baker has since faded into relative obscurity and now plies his trade for Stoke City.

5 Ian Poveda

Ian Poveda joined Leeds United in January 2020 from Manchester City's academy for an undisclosed fee.

His move was met with quite a lot of excitement as there was a general expectation that he would be the next big thing out of the club's academy.

Well, it's been three and a half years, and we think it's safe to say he hasn't met those expectations, and if we're being honest, he hasn't even come close.

In all, the 23-year-old has made just 25 appearances for the club and has spent the last two seasons on loan at Blackburn Rovers and Blackpool respectively.

4 Junior Firpo (£12.7m)

The story of Junior Firpo is similar to Diego Llorente's. The defender was signed from Barcelona in the summer of 2021 for around £13m, and there was quite a bit of excitement surrounding his arrival.

Unfortunately, that excitement proved to be misplaced as the rapid full-back became part of a backline that conceded an astronomical number of goals across the 2021/22 season – 79 to be exact.

There have been moments since his arrival in which it looked like he would be moving on, but just over two years later, he is still at the club; aside from longevity, we aren't sure we can say much else positive about his time at Leeds.

3 Robin Koch (£11.5m)

Signed from Bundesliga side SC Freiburg for a fee of around £11.5m in summer 2020, the German centre-back came to Leeds with so much promise but ultimately left as a disappointment.

When he joined the team, he was getting fairly regular call-ups to the German national team, but in the three and a half years since he signed for the club, he has played in just four games for Germany.

Along with failing to live up to people's expectations, he also spent a significant period on the sidelines injured. The move really was just a failure in all departments.

After playing a crucial role in some of the worst defensive teams the Premier League had seen in recent years and being a part of the squad that was ultimately relegated, Koch finally left to join Eintracht Frankfurt on loan.

2 Daniel James (£25m)

Daniel James is our pick for the second-worst signing made by Leeds United during the Marcelo Bielsa era, and it's not really close.

The Welsh international was actually set to sign for the Whites back in January 2019 and was even at Elland Road taking pictures and partaking in a documentary, but reported disagreements inside of Swansea City caused the deal to collapse at the 11th hour, leaving all parties embarrassed and Leeds without their man.

Honestly, the Peacocks should've taken that as a sign. Instead, the rapid winger signed for Manchester United in the summer and spent the following two years trying to make it at Old Trafford.

In August 2021, it was clear that he had no place at United, so when Leeds came knocking again, he jumped at the chance to rebuild his career in West Yorkshire.

The Whites agreed to pay £25m for James – £10m more than United paid and £15m more than they were going to pay in 2019 – and he joined the club on a five-year contract.

He would make 36 Premier League appearances in 2021/22, scoring just four goals and providing five assists. However, after just one year at Leeds, he moved to Fulham on loan, claiming that it was about game time.

He has since returned to the Peacocks and has played nine games in the Championship, scoring one goal and providing four assists.

In the end, there is some talent there, but a considerable fee, below-par attacking output, and jumping ship after his first season means we couldn't place him any higher on this list. Maybe he'll redeem himself in the Championship this season.

1 Jean-Kevin Augustin (£40m in total)

Here we are then, the worst singing Leeds United made during Bielsa's tenure as manager, and to call it the worst transfer in the club's history might still be doing it a disservice.

The reason this deal was even signed off in the first place was that the club needed a backup striker once Nketiah was recalled.

So the club reached out to RB Leipzig in Germany and offered to take the promising Augustin on a season-long loan.

The Frenchman ultimately ended up playing just 48 minutes of football for the club, but the loan deal stipulated that were Leeds to achieve promotion in May of that year, they would have to pay £18m to sign the player on a permanent deal.

Now, as we all know, Leeds did make it back to the Premier League that year, but the pandemic put a halt to all football in March, and so when they did finally gain promotion, it was June, not May.

The Peacocks assumed that because of the unique circumstances, they wouldn't have to pay the £18m for the striker, but as you would expect, Leipzig protested to FIFA, who then forced Leeds to pay £15.5m to settle the dispute.

However, it gets worse. The Athletic revealed earlier this year that they would also have to pay out the player's entire five-year contract he was set to sign, which amounted to another £24.5m.

So, in all, Leeds have had to pay £40m for a player who made just three substitute appearances for them, totalling 48 minutes, which has to make this one of the worst transfers in English football history. If only they had given Nketiah more minutes.

Wolverhampton Wanderers became a driving force in England behind signing and developing Portuguese talent under Nuno Espirito Santo, with an influx of players from his home nation welcomed to Molineux during his reign and beyond.

The influence of renowned agent Jorge Mendes made the Old Gold the ideal spot for both upcoming and certified talents from Liga Portugal, in the bid to make themselves known in the Premier League.

Some stars took the route with Nuno from the Championship to the top flight, with the likes of Ruben Neves making his name in the second tier before exerting his quality in the Premier League to eventually become captain and leave for £47m.

Neves’ success story was shared by a host of Portuguese talents at Molineux over the years, although not every talent from the nation had a similar outcome, with one name now playing back in the second tier in England.

Ruben Vinagre was one of the highly promising talents unearthed by Nuno from Portugal, and despite all the signs being there for the defender to thrive at Molineux, things didn’t quite go to plan for the full-back.

When did Wolves sign Ruben Vinagre?

Rewind to 2017 and Wolves had just announced the loan signing of 18-year-old Vinagre from Monaco’s academy, a versatile left-back who had joined the French outfit’s academy from Sporting CP in 2014.

It quickly became apparent how highly regarded the teenager’s talents were in Nuno’s side, as he recorded five consecutive appearances at the start of the Championship campaign playing at both left-back and left-midfield.

After the quick spell, the youngster’s game time became more sporadic as he continued to develop in both the youth and first team, however, he made his mark with his electric performances when called upon in the senior side.

On only his sixth appearance in the Championship, Vinagre registered his first goal for Wolves in fine fashion, highlighting just how dangerous of an element he could be to Nuno’s promotion-pushing squad.

By that summer, the Old Gold had secured promotion back to the big time and sealed the permanent signing of Vinagre from Monaco for a fee of just £2m, a worthy acquisition for a reliable young fringe player.

How did Ruben Vinagre perform at Wolves?

Despite the former Sporting CP starlet only making nine appearances in the second tier during his debut campaign, the manager’s faith in him was rewarded with 17 Premier League appearances in the 2018/19 season.

The versatile defender’s progression was highlighted the following year, as he became a more prominent member of the squad, as suggested by his 33 appearances in all competitions.

That term, the youngster was faced with a host of challenges to maintain his position in the pecking order at both left midfield and left back, finding himself in a duel with the likes of Jonny Otto throughout the campaign.

Speaking to the media during the season, Nuno was full of praise for the starlet, calling him a “massively important” member of the squad for his versatility, branding him as “special”.

As Wolves’ success began to grow, by reaching the quarter-finals of the Europa League in the 2019/20 campaign, the need for added quality in the squad became a paramount target for Nuno in the transfer window.

The summer of 2020 proved to be pivotal for Vinagre’s future at Wolves, as the club welcomed two players deployable at left-back in Rayan Ait-Nouri and Marcal, automatically pushing the youngster further down the pecking order.

What happened to Ruben Vinagre?

In October 2020, Wolves sent the promising defender on loan to Olympiacos in a bid to continue his development away from Molineux, where the squad had been bolstered without his involvement in mind.

At the time, journalist Josh Bunting admitted he was sad to see the Portuguese leave England, explaining that he had shown “so much potential” during the time he spent discovering the boundaries of his game under Nuno.

Unfortunately for Vinagre, life in Greece did not go to plan, as he struggled for game time at Olympiacos, resulting in him returning to Wolves in December after just four appearances in all competitions.

The Old Gold sought the sanctuary of home comforts as the next destination for the defender to thrive, as he spent the remainder of the 2020/21 campaign on loan at Portuguese side Famalicao.

The Wolves loanee was handed 20 Liga Portugal appearances during his time at the club, where he recorded three assists, which inspired his next journey in the summer of 2021 as he returned to his boyhood club of Sporting CP.

How much did Wolves sell Ruben Vinagre for?

In July 2022, the end of Vinagre’s critical time at Molineux came to a permanent end, as Sporting paid a fee of €10m (£8.5m) to welcome him back to Lisbon, where he remains as a player today.

Despite being a representative of the Lions, the full-back has played all of his football in England since his permanent transfer, however, the extent of his playing time is rather small.

Last summer, Vinagre returned to the Premier League to join Everton on a season-long loan, however after playing just 24 minutes of league football in the campaign, the Portuguese left Goodison wishing his time could’ve “been different”.

An achilles problem kept the 1999-born ace away from the action in what was a failed loan spell, resulting in him having to take a step backwards in order to push on again in the future.

Where is Ruben Vinagre now?

After returning to Portugal from Merseyside, the 24-year-old was shipped away once more to rediscover his form and fitness, returning to where it all began at senior level in England with the Championship.

Currently, the left-back is playing for Hull City on a season-long loan from Sporting, having made six appearances in the league so far for the Tigers in an encouraging start to the season.

With an average Sofascore rating of 6.53 in the Championship this term, it’s suggested that there is a long way to go for Vinagre to rediscover his level of performance on show at Wolves, but he is finally on the right path.

At times there was hope that Vinagre could be one of the best left-backs in England at Molineux, however, squad competition and failed loan spells have caused the 24-year-old to take a very different path back to the top.

Everyone at Wolves can only look back at the youngster’s time in the Midlands with fond memories, with the hope that he can fulfil the potential he showcased under Nuno’s guidance.

Shashikala Siriwardene will step in to lead four years after relinquishing national captaincy

ESPNcricinfo staff30-May-2018Sri Lanka women’s captain Chamari Atapattu and teammate Ama Kanchana have been ruled of the Asia Cup T20 starting June 3 in Kuala Lumpur because of dengue.Shashikala Siriwardane, who relinquished captaincy in 2014, will step in to lead after Sri Lanka Cricket opted against promoting designated vice-captain Hasini Perera to the role.Harshitha Madavi, the 19-year old allrounder, and veteran spinner Inoka Ranaweera have been drafted in following the late withdrawals – among five changes to the squad that faced Pakistan in March.In other changes, experienced opener Yasoda Mendis return to the side and is likely to open with Nipuni Hansika, who missed the Pakistan T20Is but impressed in the preceding ODI series.Spinner Inoshi Fernando, 31, also returns to the T20 fold, while uncapped 22 year-old allrounder Malsha Shehani is the only new face. Making way are Dilani Manodara, Sripali Weerakkody, and Imalka Mendis.Sri Lanka begin their Asia Cup T20 campaign on Sunday when they face Bangladesh. Each team will play each other once in a round-robin format over the course of a week, with the final set to take place on June 10.Squad: Shashikala Siriwardena (Captain), Hasini Perera (Vice Captain), Yasoda Mendis, Anushka Sanjeewani, Rebeca Vandort, Nilakshi de Silva, Udeshika Prabodhani, Sugandika Kumari, Oshadi Ranasinghe, Nipuni Hansika, Malsha Shehani, Achini Kulasooriya, Harshitha Madavi, Inoshi Fernando, Inoka Ranaweera

Al-Nassr suffered defeat in the Asian Champions League as they were beaten 1-0 by Al-Ain in the first leg of the quarter-final.

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Al-Nassr lose 1-0 to Al-AinLaporte sent off for off-the-ball elbowRonaldo and Mane fail to turn upTELL ME MORE

Cristiano Ronaldo's side travelled to the United Arab Emirates with hopes of keeping alive their undefeated run in the competition, however, a toothless performance by the Saudi Pro League side and some brilliance from Soufiane Rahimi condemned them to a 1-0 loss on the night. The Moroccan kept calm as he ran through on David Ospina's goal before rounding the Colombian and slotting the ball into the empty net despite being off balance. Throughout the second half, the hosts remained in control of the game barring one chance that fell Ronaldo's way that drew a spectacular save from Al-Ain's keeper. Former Manchester City defender Aymeric Laporte was then shown a straight red card in injury time after he elbowed Hazem Mohammad in the back.

AdvertisementGettyTHE MVP

Rahimi remained the outlier in the game for the UAE Pro League side as he played the main part in both attacks that finished up in Ospina's net. The Moroccan played a delightful ball for Kaku in the 22nd minute of the game but the goal was chalked off after an offside was spotted in the build-up. However, it wasn't long before he managed to give Al-Ain the lead with a spectacular run and finish past Aymeric Laporte and Al-Nassr's Colombian keeper. Rahimi almost got onto the scoresheet again in the second half after he managed to slot a perfect finish past Ospina but was adjudged offside.

GettyTHE BIG LOSER

Al-Nassr's superstars remained the main disappointment of the night as they failed to show their top-notch qualities. The game barely showcased any sort of talent from Ronaldo and Sadio Mane as the duo were kept quiet throughout the entire game by Hernan Crespo's side. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner had two main opportunities in the game to score past Khalid Eisa but fluffed his lines with the first one while Eisa made an easy close-range save on the second chance. It was in the dying embers that the Portuguese forward had the best chance of the match but was denied by Eisa again with a spectacular save. Laporte's red card late into injury time pretty much ended the visitors' chances to get anything from the game as Al-Ain started to feel the fatigue in their legs.

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WHAT COMES NEXT?

The second leg of the quarter-final between Al-Ain and Al-Nassr will be played in a week's time when the UAE side travel to Al-Awwal Stadium for their clash on Monday, March 11. The Saudi Pro League side will have to cope without Laporte for the return due to suspension.

Worcestershire, beaten in their first three matches, faced a big Surrey total, but Daryl Mitchell proved they are still full of fight

ECB Reporters Network05-May-2018
ScorecardWorcestershire, bottom of Division One with three defeats from three matches, were left facing another uphill struggle after Rory Burns’ superlative 193 had taken Surrey to a challenging first innings total of 434 at the Kia Oval.On a sunlit late afternoon, however, Daryl Mitchell’s gritty 77 not out from 132 balls showed they still have some stomach for the fight as Worcestershire reached 135 for 1 from 45 overs in reply by the halfway point of this Specsavers County Championship match.Mitchell’s innings was the first championship score of fifty or more made by a Worcestershire top order batsman this season. In their three previous games, only wicketkeeper Ben Cox and all-rounder Ed Barnard had made half-centuries, while opener Brett D’Oliveira had endured successive scores of 1, 1, 3, 5, 3 and 0.When D’Oliveira square drove Sam Curran for four to go to 14 he had more than doubled his run tally from those wretched first six innings of the campaign and he must even have started to feel comfortable when a beautifully-timed stroke off his pads against Rikki Clarke brought another boundary.On 23, however, and shortly after tea, D’Oliveira was leg-before at the start of the 18th over to a ball from Clarke which Surrey’s veteran seamer ran on into his pads.That left Tom Fell (27 not out) to keep Mitchell company until stumps, with the pair negotiating both a testing and pacy six-over spell from Conor McKerr, a tall and well-built 20-year-old fast bowler, and some teasing off spin from the 19-year-old Amar Virdi.Surrey captain Burns batted for just eight minutes short of nine hours, hitting 18 fours from 408 balls of determined accumulation and, eventually, was eighth out as Mitchell hung on brilliantly at slip to a fast-travelling thick-edged cut off fast bowler Charlie Morris.Mitchell displayed wonderful reflexes to pull off a chest-high catch to his right – indeed, the ball seemed almost to have flown past him – but Burns swished his bat in annoyance at missing out on the second double-hundred of his career. He walked off, though, to a standing ovation from a good-sized Bank Holiday weekend crowd.Burns had resumed on 137, with Surrey 278 for 4 overnight, and the left-hander soon saw both Ollie Pope and Sam Curran fall to Joe Leach’s canny seamers, snicking to second slip and bowled through the gate respectively. Then, however, Burns was joined in a seventh wicket stand of 89 by Clarke, who made a good 38 before being leg-before to a Morris nip-backer.Stuart Meaker became 20-year-old slow left armer Ben Twohig’s maiden first-class wicket when he shouldered arms to a well-flighted ball and was bowled, and a brief last-wicket flurry from McKerr and Virdi ended when the latter steered a short ball from Josh Tongue to second slip, where Mitchell again made a sharp catch look easy.

West Bromwich Albion are set to be without one of their senior players for the next couple of months through injury, and an expert has detailed exactly when he believes he’ll be able to stage his comeback.

What's the latest injury news at West Brom?

With Daryl Dike having been out of action since last season with an achilles injury and not expected to return until at least December, Carlos Corberan’s latest blow came in the form of Josh Maja, who has torn some of his ankle ligaments, with the club anticipating that he will be back following the international break in November.

The Baggies boss, however, has been handed a boost over Erik Pieters, who is likely to be available for selection for Saturday’s game vs Preston after being forced off the pitch with muscle tightness during the latest 0-0 Championship draw against Millwall.

Another player currently on the sidelines is Adam Reach, who limped off the field during the 2-2 draw with Burton Albion in pre-season, and having sustained a quad injury, has recently undergone surgery to try and help rectify the problem as quickly as possible.

Despite this, the midfielder still won’t be able to get involved with the action again for a while, with a medical expert having shared the realistic timeframe that the 30-year-old could aim for as a return date.

How long is Adam Reach out for?

Speaking to West Brom News, injury expert Dr Rajpal Brar confirmed that Reach may noy be ready to join in with the first-team until December, whilst noting November as the month that he could start to build up his fitness at the training ground.

“His injury is a recurrence of a quadriceps injury that first occurred in April. It sounds like his return timeline is targeted for somewhere in December so mid to late November for light training could be a reasonable goal. Considering he had surgery recently, he’s likely taking it quite easy for the next coming days.“

How good is Adam Reach?

Whilst Reach was previously dubbed a “top-class pro” by West Brom’s former manager Steve Bruce for the professional manner that he carries himself in, he is yet to make a single appearance this season, albeit that’s not his fault, and it’s unlikely he would be able to stake his claim in the starting squad under Corberan upon his return.

England’s former youth international, who is naturally left-footed, only ranked as the club’s 24th overall best-performing player out of 31 squad members last season, via WhoScored, showing how little of an impact he was able to make when handed the opportunity to play, failing to prove to the boss what he's capable of.

Furthermore, Reach currently pockets £40k-per-week which makes him the highest earner at the Hawthorns, as per Capology, therefore, Midlands chiefs should get him off their books next year, especially with his contract set to expire at the end of the season, and use the spare cash to generate funds for new signings in the future.