Manchester United have been on the hunt for a midfielder and they reportedly have their eyes set on a Euro 2024 winner.
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A stubborn seventh-wicket stand between Ervine and Masakadza only delayed the inevitable
Himanshu Agrawal01-Jul-2025The first ball of the day set the tone. Corbin Bosch wished Zimbabwe good morning by cramping Nick Welch with a sharp short delivery, which he ended up fending to short leg. That left Bosch on a hat-trick after he had had Takudzwanashe Kaitano caught at third slip off what had turned out to be the last ball of the third day. Sean Williams avoided the hat-trick, but soon after, a collapse of 4 for 18 left little scope for Zimbabwe to take the game deep after South Africa had set them 537 to win. The visitors won by 328 runs soon after lunch.From 82 for 6, Zimbabwe captain Craig Ervine and Wellington Masakadza doubled the total in a fighting seventh-wicket partnership of 83. South Africa’s frustration lasted for just over an hour, as a superb diving catch by Tony de Zorzi – again at short leg – helped Bosch break the stand. Ervine departed on 49 to give Bosch his fourth wicket, and with that, ended South Africa’s irritation.Bosch bagged his maiden Test five-for, when, four overs later, he had Vincent Masekesa chopping on. That added to the milestone of scoring his first Test hundred with the bat on the first day, and made Bosch the fifth South African to achieve that double in a Test. Eventually, his and Wiaan Mulder’s all-round heroics, coupled with debutant Lhuan-dre Pretorius’ 153 on day one, confined Zimbabwe to their heaviest Test defeat in terms of runs.But apart from that union between Ervine and Masakadza, Zimbabwe provided brief spells of entertainment on the fourth day. Although Williams arrived to bat in a tricky situation, he didn’t hesitate in attacking the bowlers. He had four boundaries off his first eight balls, and fell for 26 off 18 balls when, in the 25th over, he ended up top-edging a short ball from Bosch to Kyle Verreynne.Codi Yusuf replaced Bosch in the 28th over, and had Prince Masvaure caught at second slip for 12. Yusuf’s fun continued when Wessly Madhevere nicked to Verreynne in the 30th over, and Tafadzwa Tsiga found fourth slip in the 32nd. But Ervine and Masakadza blunted all that with a flurry of boundaries.Ervine had already swept, reverse swept and chipped Keshav Maharaj for boundaries, and Masakadza didn’t shy away from playing his shots either. When on 10, Mulder had Masakadza dropped by Verreynne, and the life Masakadza got helped the stand grow. The partnership passed fifty in the 33rd over when Ervine reverse swept Maharaj past slip, as the left-arm spinner looked short of ideas both as bowler and captain.After lunch, when Masakadza punched Bosch for four past gully to raise his maiden Test fifty – his previous highest Test score was 17 – there seemed to be no end to South Africa’s misery. But when Bosch had Ervine caught by de Zorzi, that started another collapse. Masekesa and Masakadza followed, but there was more annoyance in store for South Africa.Blessing Muzarabani, Zimbabwe’s No. 10, went 4, 4, 6 off part-time legspinner Dewald Brevis in the 64th over, and then smashed a six and four each off Maharaj in the 66th. Finally, two overs later, Brevis had his first Test wicket when Tanaka Chivanga chipped down the pitch and missed a ball outside leg, and was stumped. South Africa now have a 1-0 lead in the two-match series.
Everton are reportedly battling Liverpool, among a number of other clubs in the Premier League, to sign Eddie Nketiah on a free transfer in the summer.
Interestingly, the 22-year-old is set to line up against the Toffees for Arsenal on the final day of the season next week.
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Frank Lampard’s team may still need points in order to guarantee safety, but would ideally not want to come up against a man who has four goals in his last five games in the top flight (Transfermarkt).
Taking to Twitter, transfer expert Toby Cudworth – who contributes for the Talking Transfers podcast – has revealed that Everton are now battling fierce rivals Liverpool to sign Nketiah, among a host of other clubs in the Premier League.
The 90min reporter outlined: “It’s increasingly unlikely Eddie Nketiah will stay at Arsenal – #WHUFC, #NUFC, #EFC and #CPFC all chasing. Liverpool and Chelsea also monitoring situation – 22 y/o could provide attractive squad depth option.”
Nketiah is currently rated at £9m by Transfermarkt, so to get him on a free transfer would represent a great piece of business for Everton.
Described as a player with an ‘incredible work-rate’, ‘pace’ and a ‘smell for goals’ by his manager Mikel Arteta (Sportskeeda), the Arsenal marksman possesses all of the necessary attributes needed for a striker to succeed in the top flight.
He is only 22 years of age and will surely only get even better if he is nurtured by a Premier League and England legend in Lampard.
In other news, find out who could return for Everton against Brentford today
Christian Pulisic has vowed to break out a ‘Three Amigos’ goal celebration if he finds the target during AC Milan’s tour of the United States.
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du Preez, though, is hoping that it will spur the younger players to “step up, show their skills”
Annesha Ghosh16-Jan-2021Mignon du Preez, the senior South Africa Women batter, believes the absence of premier allrounders Dane van Niekerk and Chloe Tryon, due to injuries, for the upcoming home series against Pakistan will pose a “challenge” for the hosts. However, she is hoping that the unavailability of the two mainstays will spur the younger players in the side to “step up, show their skills”.van Niekerk, the regular captain, and Tryon, the vice-captain, are among the three players – the other an unnamed player who tested positive for Covid-19 – to be ruled out of the three ODIs and as many T20Is that South Africa are due to play against Pakistan, who are without their designated captain Bismah Maroof, starting January 20 at Kingsmead. van Niekerk and Tryon are recovering lower-back injuries sustained in September.”She [van Niekerk] is extremely passionate about her team, so we’ll definitely miss that this time around,” du Preez told ESPNcricinfo. “I know it’s not going to be easy for her sitting on the sidelines. I’ve seen her sending some messages that it’s really tough not being here.Related
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“The same goes for Chloe. She’s been our vice-captain for a long time and also becoming a strong allrounder with her left-arm spin, which adds a different element to our game. So, it’s definitely going to be a challenge not having them here, and we’ll miss having them with us, on and off the field.”van Niekerk, 27, was appointed South Africa’s captain in all formats in June 2016, replacing du Preez who had stepped down from the role and has since led the side in seven of the ten bilateral ODI series and five of the eight T20I series South Africa have played. The three series she missed – one through her pre-approved participation in the inaugural Kia Super League and the two other through injury – included South Africa’s previous assignment against Pakistan, also at home, where the three-match ODI series ended at 1-1, while the hosts won the T20Is 3-2.”It’s extremely difficult not having her with us for the series,” du Preez said. “I mean, we obviously know how amazing Dane is. She has really been at the forefront during this professional era, with the team doing so well and excelling under her captaincy. She’s one of those captains who lead by example on the field when it comes to the bowling and the batting, and she always leaves everything out there.”The 2019 series against Pakistan saw legspinning allrounder Sune Luus lead South Africa in van Niekerk’s stead. Having stepped up to the role in ten ODIs and nine T20Is between 2017 and 2019, Luus has been named the stand-in captain for the upcoming series, too.”It [the absence of the two seniors] is an opportunity for the younger girls to step up, show their skills, and it’s exciting. Somebody like a Sune has been in the system for a long time and has had to, at times, step in as captain, and she’s done amazing with the job.”As a team, we would like to do well and make them [van Niekerk and Tryon] proud, so for us, it’s going to be a bit more motivation to make them proud when they can’t be with is.”Earlier this week, South Africa head coach Hilton Moreeng described the absence of van Niekerk and Tryon as a “very big setback”, especially because of the scarcity of fixtures on the calendar, with the Pakistan series the only confirmed matches for South Africa in 2021 so far.
Mexico boss Jaime Lozano dismissed from his post following an abysmal Copa America showing.
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Leeds United fans must now be growing impatient with Daniel Farke at the helm, as another disastrous away performance was put in against Nottingham Forest on Sunday.
Heading into this huge tie towards the lower reaches of the Premier League, Forest had managed to collect just one home victory all season long.
Thankfully for Sean Dyche’s men, Leeds felt in a charitable mood defensively as another horror show performance on the road saw the Whites crash to a 3-1 loss, which now leaves the away side just one point above the dreaded bottom three spaces.
While the Tricky Trees have shot up to nine points after the win, and have some much-needed hope now that they can get out of their relegation mire, Leeds seem to be getting sucked more and more into a dog-fight as the season progresses, with several Whites first-teamers letting their under-fire manager down in the dreadful defeat.
Minus Lukas Nmecha, who hammered home Leeds’ opening strike of the day before the wheels fell off, not many Leeds shirts can come away from that 3-1 loss with their heads held high.
In particular, the Leeds midfield ranks badly let the German down, as Sean Longstaff looked nowhere near his assured best when squandering possession 13 times.
Moreover, Leeds captain Ethan Ampadu also looked a shadow of his Championship best up against Dyche’s rejuvenated hosts, with the Whites captain failing to provide the away side’s defence with a stern cover, when winning just four of his nine duel attempts.
He was also at fault when Morgan Gibbs-White headed home the game-clinching second goal for the Tricky Trees, as the Welshman – alongside an equally ropey Jaka Bijol – left the England international in acres of room to become Forest’s hero on the day.
Farke will know he needs to make some alterations for Leeds’ next Premier League clash against Aston Villa in a bid to save his job.
A certain Illan Meslier is now nowhere to be seen in the Leeds starting lineups, despite once being a regular week in, week out, stretching all the way back to the glory days of Marcelo Bielsa.
He was a consistent starter last season up to a point, too, before far too many error-prone moments started seeping into his game, leaving Farke with no choice but to bring in reserve stopper Karl Darlow to see out the rest of Leeds’ promotion bid.
Former Arsenal winger Perry Groves would put it down to a “lack of concentration” on the ex-Lorient goalkeeper’s end when consistently making errors, which made Leeds move for a new number one stopper in Lucas Perri in the summer.
The Frenchman hasn’t always been dismissed as an accident waiting to happen in between the sticks, though, with 21 clean sheets tallied up last season when at the peak of his powers.
Another scapegoat in the shape of Brenden Aaronson could well be becoming a new Meslier-type figure in the here and now for Leeds.
An unbelievable performance against West Ham United, which saw him bag Leeds’ opener, was then followed up by two forgettable showings against Brighton and Hove Albion and Forest to start November off on a damp note and push him back into the spotlight as an inconsistent individual who lets his side down too often, just like Meslier.
|
Aaronson’s performances in November |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Stat |
vs Brighton |
vs Forest |
|
Minutes played |
90 |
74 |
|
Goals scored |
0 |
0 |
|
Assists |
0 |
1 |
|
Touches |
41 |
38 |
|
Accurate passes |
24/26 (92%) |
14/15 (93%) |
|
Shots |
0 |
2 |
|
Successful dribbles |
0/2 |
1/7 |
|
Possession lost |
11x |
10x |
|
Ball recoveries |
1 |
10 |
|
Total duels won |
3/10 |
8/16 |
|
Stats by Sofascore |
||
Across Leeds’ last two pitiful defeats on the road, Aaronson has only managed to muster up one successful dribble from nine attempts, which is a far cry from him completing all 100% of his dribbles against West Ham as a reliable livewire.
On top of that, while the American found himself in the thick of the action all night long against Nuno Espirito Santo’s men, he could only amass a lacklustre 38 touches of the ball versus Forest, with the aforementioned Perri even managing more in between the sticks at 44.
These constant hot and cold performances could kill Farke in the long run as he searches for consistent form from all his players to save his skin, with Yorkshire Evening Post journalist Graham Smyth handing Aaronson a 4/10 post-match rating even after he had a minimal part to play in Nmecha’s early strike.
Daniel James and Wilfried Gnonto are available in reserve down the right flank if Farke wants to ditch the attacking midfielder who has been so staunchly loyal to.
BBC commentator drops immediate verdict on Farke amid Leeds sack rumours
Leeds have lost four of their last five Premier League games.
By
James O'Reilly
Nov 9, 2025
Gregg Berhalter is unlikely to survive as coach after the team's embarrassing Copa America exit, and rightfully so
Let's start here: Gregg Berhalter is a good coach. He's a nice guy, too. His interactions with others always come off as kind and genuine, so it's easy to see why his players love him. Berhalter has succeeded in numerous ways while in charge of this U.S. men's national team program, helping build – or rebuild – a culture following the 2018 World Cup qualifying cycle disaster.
Credit, credit, credit. He deserves that. But it's time.
Many believed it a year and a half ago. Even more believe it now. After this summer's Copa America failure, it's extremely hard to rationalize a path back for Berhalter in this USMNT job.
The fact of the matter is this: the USMNT has not gotten better, particularly since the World Cup. This group has, at best, stagnated in the months since Qatar and there's a very real argument that performances have deteriorated. There are always warnings about two-cycle coaches, and those warnings are seeming prophetic.
Crashing out of Copa America on home soil? Losing two of three matches in the tournament, including a must-win against Uruguay Monday night in Kansas City? Derailing the momentum the U.S. was endeavoring to build in advance of the World Cup coming to North America in 2026? Reality is reality: Berhalter has taken this team as far as he can.
He was the man for the rebuild, but not the man to build ON those successes and advance the program. There's no shame in that.
If this team wants to move on an upward trajectory, if this team wants to reach a level that its predecessors never did, change needs to happen. And it's been made abundantly clear that it has to happen at the very top, starting with Berhalter.
Planning for a career after football is always wise, but that usually comes in the form of punditry or coaching. Gary Neville famously did one far more successfully than the other, whilst Mikel Arteta is now one of the best managers in the world.
Alfie Whiteman has done neither after leaving Tottenham Hotspur, however.
The 26-year-old has retired from football to pursue an entirely different dream. The goalkeeper was part of Ange Postecoglou’s Europa League-winning squad just last season, providing backup for Guglielmo Vicario and Antonin Kinsky, but failed to get a single minute on the pitch.
In fact, the goalkeeper’s last senior appearance came on loan at Swedish side Degerfors IF in the 2021/22 campaign. Playing 21 games in the Allsvenskan, Whiteman kept just two clean sheets and conceded 40 goals in a difficult spell.
Life as a goalkeeper and as a professional footballer, Whiteman admitted, was not the dream that he had imagined. The goalkeeper, who left Spurs as a free agent in the summer, recently told The Athletic: “I signed for Spurs at 10 years old. Then I left school at 16 and went straight into this full-time life of football.
“When I was around 17 or 18, living in digs, I just had this feeling inside of, ‘Is this it?’ Getting on the mini bus, going to training, doing the Sports Science BTEC (he also did an A Level in Economics) and going home to play video games. I realised, ‘Oh, I’m not happy here’ from quite a young age.
“The stereotype of a footballer is generally quite true. It’s the golf, washbag culture. I was that young footballer. I wanted the Gucci washbag and I drove the Mercedes. You all just become a reflection of each other. You’re a product of your environment. It’s the way football is in this country; it’s so shut off from anything else. You go to training and then you go home, that’s it.”
Unfulfilled and released from his boyhood club, Whiteman has since gone in pursuit of happiness in the film industry.
After earning £1.5m in wages at Spurs, Whiteman has retired from football at 26 years old to become a film director and photographer. The former goalkeeper now works for Somesuch – an award-winning production company – where he plans to take a much more fulfilling career path.
It’s been a long time coming too. During his time sitting on the Spurs bench, Whiteman was working as a runner for directors, photographers and producers in preparation for his dream role. Although the expectancy is for footballers to retire in their 30s, he didn’t wait until then to make the jump.
Although many goalkeepers can boast careers at the highest level, you’ll struggle to find a shot-stopper who’s got his hands on a European trophy and an Oscar, but that’s the dream for Whiteman.
James Anderson, Ollie Robinson, Jack Leach impress with the ball
George Dobell08-Jan-2021A conclusion on whether England enjoyed a good or bad first day of action on their trip to Sri Lanka depends, perhaps, on whether you are a glass half full or a glass half empty person.Certainly several of England’s bowlers enjoyed an encouraging day. At one stage his opening spell, James Anderson was on a hat-trick, while Ollie Robinson and Jack Leach also impressed.But as Team Buttler slipped to 48 for 6, albeit on a surprisingly green surface, it became clear England had work to do on their batting before the first Test starts next week. To be fair to those batsmen, Jonny Bairstow, who made five, received a terrific ball from Anderson that demanded a stroke and left him, Jos Buttler was dismissed first ball by an even better one which darted back to bowl him through the gate and Dom Sibley was out for one, drawn into playing at one which bounced to take his edge from Robinson.Later Ben Foakes, who had looked assured in making 21, was beaten by a beauty from Leach which lured him forward, pitched on middle and turned to hit the top of off. It was fine quality bowling, by any standard.But with less than a week to go until the first Test, it underlined the far from perfect preparation with which both sides must contend in these unusual circumstances.Related
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Underlining those unusual circumstances was the sight of England rotating members of their backroom staff to umpire throughout the day. Even Ashley Giles, the managing director of England men’s cricket, took a turn. It was also decided that the teams – Team Root v Team Buttler – would bat for 50 overs each on the first day of this two-day match, with the prospect of rain on day two.The challenge now is for the players to shake off the appearances of a low-key, inter-squad game and ensure they are ready for the intensity of Test cricket next week. Without crowds, or genuine opposition, it’s not easy. And, on this evidence, the batsmen have some work to do and only one more day of warm-up match cricket to come.The final day of this game is likely to be played in ‘middle practice’ conditions. That means that none of the seamers are expected to bowl and the spinners will be given a prolonged workout. Equally, the batsmen will be given plenty of opportunity to face spin. Sunday is currently scheduled to be a rest day – thought that may change if Saturday is ruined by rain – while Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday will see training in Galle. The Test starts on Thursday.There was, at least, unmitigated good news off the pitch. The latest round of Covid-19 tests returned no new positive results, meaning this match was able to progress and boosting hopes that the virus has been contained. Moeen Ali, the one man to test positive in the tour party to date, remains in isolation and is said to be improving having experienced mild symptoms. If all goes well, he will rejoin the rest of the squad on the 13th. Chris Woakes, who travelled in the same car as Moeen from Birmingham to Heathrow and is therefore considered a close contact is in quarantine, too. Woakes, at least, can expect to be released from captivity over the weekend. He will train at the ground on Saturday and is expected to travel to Galle, probably in a separate car, tomorrow night. The squad is tested again on January 12.ALSO READ: ‘I think my game’s in the best place its been’ – BairstowThe day also provided a first sight of England’s new batting consultant. Jacques Kallis arrived in Sri Lanka a few days ago but, having come on a commercial flight, was obliged to spend some time in quarantine. He has now been released and joined up with the rest of the tour party on Friday.It wasn’t all bad news for England’s batsmen on the pitch, either. At the start of the day, Joe Root made a typically busy 74 not out (from 117 balls) and put on 95 for the third-wicket with a fluent Dan Lawrence (46 not out from 66 balls).Zak Crawley (46 from 79) also impressed for a while. He picked up five boundaries – the pick of them perhaps an authoritative pull off Saqib Mahmood – but fell just short of a half-century when he attempted to run one from leg-spinner Mason Crane behind point but could only feather an edge through to Buttler.Earlier James Bracey (16 from 38), who opened with Crawley, fell as he attempted to hit Dom Bess over the top but could only scoop a catch to mid-on. After 50 overs, when Team Root decided to allow Team Buttler a bat, the score was 184-2.Later there was an encouraging return from Ollie Pope, too. Pope isn’t an official member of the squad on this tour but, with an eye towards assuring his preparedness for the India series, has been brought along to continue his rehabilitation from shoulder surgery. So far, he has appeared only as a batsman and has not been asked to field.He soon provided a reminder of his class. By the close he was unbeaten on 58 (from 91) and, in partnership with Sibley (who had been allowed a second innings and was unbeaten on 18), had added 72 and helped Team Buttler rebuild to 120-6 from 38 overs. Anderson (8-3-21-2), Robinson (4-1-15-2) and Leach (8-0-27-2) shared the wickets, with Mark Wood (8-2-25-0) also enjoying a decent spell.