Uzbekistan have qualified for their first ever World Cup following a goalless draw with United Arab Emirates on Thursday.
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Uzbekistan draw 0-0 with UAE
Qualify for 2026 World Cup
Reach first ever World Cup finals
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WHAT HAPPENED?
Heading into their penultimate FIFA World Cup qualification fixture, Uzbekistan only needed to avoid defeat against the UAE to reach the showpiece tournament in the United States next year. And after drawing 0-0 away at Al Nahyan Stadium in this third round stage of qualification, the White Wolves have qualified for the World Cup for the first time in the country's history.
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This is a huge achievement for the Central Asian nation, who are ranked 57th in the world. In a group that included Iran, UAE, Qatar, Kyrgyzstan, and North Korea, Uzbekistan have finished second behind favourites Iran and created a special bit of history for themselves.
DID YOU KNOW?
Following the breakup of the Soviet Union, Uzbekistan did not see its national team take part in a World Cup qualifying campaign until 1997. Fast forward to the present and now they are off to compete with 47 other nations at the 2026 World Cup.
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WHAT NEXT?
Uzbekistan round off their World Cup qualifying campaign at home to Qatar on Tuesday, with head coach Timur Kapadze's side looking to secure another win in front of their home fans.
Since taking the job almost two years ago now, Ange Postecoglou has completely changed Tottenham Hotspur.
On the pitch, the results might not have improved massively, but unlike under the previous few managers, the team is no longer boring the fans senseless.
However, where the Australian has made the most significant changes is the makeup of the squad, as he’s seen several stars leave and plenty of exciting talents come in.
Tottenham Hotspur manager AngePostecogloubefore the match
In fact, the Premier League seems to be full of tremendously promising prospects this season, and Spurs might just have their answer to recent England debutant, Myles Lewis-Skelly.
The Premier League's most promising prospects
So, let’s start close to home with one of Tottenham’s breakout stars from what has been a pretty dismal year: Lucas Bergvall.
Tottenham Hotspur's Lucas Bergvall in action with Vissel Kobe'sRyoHatsuse
The Swede, who was signed from Djurgårdens for around £8.5m last winter, has become more and more important to the first team as the season has gone on.
Indeed, 13 of his 19 starts coming since Christmas, and when you watch him play, it’s easy to understand why Postecoglou wants to give him more responsibility.
The 19-year-old “generational” talent, as dubbed by journalist Mitch Fretton, is seemingly able to do it all from the middle of the park, be that break-up play with a well-timed block or kickstart attacks with a gut-busting run through the middle of the park or a perfectly timed pass.
Another of the Lilywhites’ most exciting youngsters this season has been Mikey Moore, who, at just 17 years old and in 632 minutes of first-team football, has scored once and provided two assists, while also being compared to Neymar Jr by James Maddison.
Moving over to the red side of North London now, and while Spurs’ fans won’t like to hear it, understandably so, Arsenal’s Ethan Nwaneri has also stepped up in a big way this season, scoring eight goals and providing one assist in just 1087 first-team minutes.
Ethan Nwaneri
It’s not just the traditional ‘big six’ who have unearthed some sensational young talents this year either, as 19-year-old Spanish defender Dean Huijsen has been one of the stars of Bournemouth’s brilliant campaign thus far.
The former Juventus gem has managed to bag two goals for himself, and according to FBref, sits in the top 1% of centre-backs in Europe’s top five leagues for interceptions, the top 4% for shot-creating actions and clearances, the top 5% for non-penalty expected goals plus assists and more, all per 90.
However, when it comes to the teenage talent most in the spotlight, it has to be the Gunners’ own Lewis-Skelly, although there is no need for the Spurs faithful to be jealous, as they appear to have their own version of the 18-year-old.
Spurs' own Lewis-Skelly
There has been rife debate among Spurs fans of late that Djed Spence should have been in the England squad at the expense of the Arsenal wonderkid. However, he’s not the closest thing to Myles Lewis-Skelly. Instead, that honour is handed to Archie Gray.
There are a few key reasons why the incredible talent who joined the club last summer for around £30m could be their version of the Arsenal man, the most important being how he’s been utilised this season.
Like the Hale Ender, the former Leeds United gem is first and foremost a central midfielder, but due to the incredible amount of defensive injuries the team have had to deal with this year, he’s played in the backline more than anywhere else.
Centre-Back
19
Right-Back
7
Left-Back
5
Defensive Midfield
3
Other
3
For example, across all competitions this season, the Durham-born star has made 19 appearances at centre-back, seven at right-back, five at left-back and just three in defensive midfield.
Similarly, the Gunners’ young star has made 23 appearances as a left-back and just two in defensive midfield.
On top of being used in similar ways by their respective managers, both are incredibly highly rated for their age, with the Arsenal star already winning a senior England cap and the Tottenham prospect being described as a “future £100m” star by respected football analyst Ben Mattinson.
Ultimately, Lewis-Skelly certainly looks to be the real deal and someone who will have a sensational career, but the same thing could and should be said about Gray, and given their trajectories, we would not be surprised to see them lining up together for England in the future.
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As the international break slowly comes to an end, managers and supporters will be praying their players return healthy, but that may not be the case for Nottingham Forest after Chris Wood limped off the pitch in the early hours of Monday morning.
How Forest players are getting along on international duty
Given how the season has gone for the Reds so far, it is no surprise to see a lot of their key players away on international duty representing their national teams.
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Forest captain and talisman Morgan Gibbs-White is the only player from the City Ground to be representing England during this break after he was called up to the squad as a replacement for Cole Palmer. Gibbs-White was not named in the 23-man squad for England’s game against Albania on Friday but has been recalled to the squad for their game against Latvia.
Meanwhile, defenders Murillo, Nikola Milenkovic and Ola Aina are away representing Brazil, Serbia and Nigeria respectively. Milenkovic left the Serbian media impressed after his defensive display in a 1-1 draw in Austria, which he followed up with a clean sheet in a 2-0 win in the return leg on Sunday.
“He had his moments of hesitation, especially at the start of the game in the 9th minute when he came forward and left a gap for Strahinja Pavlović, but he did his job very well until the end, showing that he is one of the best stoppers in the Premier League this season for a reason.
Serbia'sDusanVlahovicand Nikola Milenkovic before the match
“He also tried his head, and it seems that he was very happy when he saw Arnautović as a new task. He successfully stopped him as well as Grilič.”
Willy Boly and Ibrahim Sangare are both representing the Ivory Coast as they play their final game on Monday evening against Gambia – the defender was an unused substitute in their 1-0 win in Burundi while Sangare got some minutes off the bench.
Neco Williams, Anthony Elanga, Matz Sels, Elliot Anderson and Wood are all away representing their respective countries, and while Williams produced a fabulous display in a 3-1 Wales win over Kazakhstan, there is serious concern for Wood, who limped out of New Zealand’s 3-0 win against New Caledonia on Monday.
Darren Bazeley shares update on Chris Wood injury
New Zealand manager Darren Bazeley spoke to the press on Monday and confirmed Wood has picked up an injury but was hesitant to provide too many details. He did, however, state the issue is “not ideal”.
New Zealand became the second nation to qualify for the 2026 World Cup after a 3-0 win over New Caledonia, but theirs and Forest’s talisman had to be replaced 54 minutes into the game with what appeared to be a hip injury.
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The 33-year-old, who has 18 goals to his name in the Premier League this season, bagged a hat-trick in New Zealand’s win over Fiji on Friday night, making it back-to-back hat-tricks for his country in the World Cup qualification campaign before blanking against New Caledonia.
Forest and their fans will now be sweating as they await the results of any further tests and scans before they face Brighton in the FA Cup on Saturday, with a huge Premier League game against Manchester United then looming on Tuesday.
They were without their most irreplaceable player in a top-of-the-table clash against a New Zealand side that’s had the wood over them in recent global-tournament meetings, and this New Zealand side put them under severe pressure on multiple occasions. But in the end, India continued to typify the 2023 World Cup equivalent of Gary Lineker’s famous quote on a superteam from a different sport: “Football is a simple game. Twenty-two men chase a ball for 90 minutes and in the end, the Germans always win.”We’re still only halfway through the league stage, and knockouts are knockouts, but India have looked so hard to beat that even this game, their most intense tussle yet in this tournament, ended with Virat Kohli trying to repeat what he did against Bangladesh on Thursday, and refuse singles with India in sight of victory in order to try and reach his hundred.It didn’t quite happen this time, with the attempted winning six on 95 ending up as a catch on the midwicket boundary, but India sauntered home nonetheless, with Ravindra Jadeja pulling Matt Henry for four to complete the job with two overs to spare. Jadeja made an unbeaten 39, a vital innings given that he came in at No. 7 with India still 83 away from victory.With Hardik Pandya out injured, India replaced him with two players, a specialist batter in Suryakumar Yadav and a specialist fast bowler in Mohammed Shami, which meant India’s batting effectively ended with Jadeja at No. 7.The lack of batting depth was counterbalanced, however, by the increased menace of India’s pace attack, who played a starring role in bowling New Zealand out for 273 after they had been 178 for 2 at one stage. Shami, playing his first game of the tournament, led the way with his second five-wicket haul in World Cups, his bullying of New Zealand’s lower order the centerpiece of a superlative effort by India in the last 10 overs, where they took six wickets while conceding just 54.Particularly impressive was India’s shackling of Daryl Mitchell, New Zealand’s top scorer. Mitchell had put on 159 for the third wicket with Rachin Ravindra, and reached an exactly run-a-ball hundred in the 41st over, but India kept him to just 30 off his last 27 balls. He was ninth out in the final over, caught on the wide long-on boundary to give Shami his fifth wicket.Daryl Mitchell brought up ODI century No. 5•ICC/Getty Images
Each of Shami’s wickets seemed to come with a question attached to it: “You’re keeping on the bench?” He struck first ball after coming on as first change, getting Will Young to play on with a typically upright-seamed inducker. Then he broke the Mitchell-Ravindra stand with an offcutter into the pitch. And he ended New Zealand’s hopes of getting near or past 300, effectively, by splattering the stumps of Mitchell Santner and Henry with consecutive balls in the 48th over.Chasing a significantly smaller target than they may have envisaged at one stage, India began in typically ominous fashion, with Rohit Sharma hitting four sixes in a 40-ball 46 that dominated an opening stand of 71 with Shubman Gill. During this partnership, India extracted a strange sort of revenge for the Old Trafford semi-final of 2019, where their fast bowlers had caused as much trouble with the new ball as New Zealand’s quicks but ended up with significantly fewer early wickets. This time Henry beat both openers’ bats repeatedly – including Gill three times in a row – and Trent Boult saw an edge from Rohit fall short of slip, but there were no wickets in the first powerplay.Thereafter it was all about Kohli, even though he typically did most of his work in the shadows – literally for a while when a spectral fog enveloped the ground, eventually stopping play for around 15 minutes. Kohli was the less-dominant partner in half-century stands for the third and fourth wickets, but where Shreyas Iyer fell to another short ball and KL Rahul played down the wrong line against Santner to be dismissed for the first time in the tournament, he endured, as he always does in run-chases.Ever so often, Kohli imposed himself on the game with an incandescent shot: an on-the-up square drive off Lockie Ferguson to get off the mark; a charging, flourishing extra-cover drive off Henry to get to 40; and in between an inside-out loft for six off Ravindra to release whatever pressure New Zealand had put on him by keeping him to 28 off his first 47 balls.From that point, Kohli scored 67 off 57 balls. A significant hiccup arrived when he got into a mix-up that sent back Suryakumar Yadav, but once Jadeja eased India’s fears over their lack of batting depth, the result became a formality.Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja operated at full intensity•Associated Press
New Zealand would have been disappointed at this because they had put themselves in a commanding position at one stage after India had sent them in. Ravindra and Mitchell had fought extremely hard to get them into that position, coming together after Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj and Shami had combined to reduce them to 19 for 2 in the ninth over.Along the way, the two of them demonstrated to all other sides a method to combat India’s attack. Mitchell exemplified this with his calculated risk-taking, particularly at the start of overs. He mixed up his pre-ball movements against the fast bowlers, sometimes shuffling across his stumps and out of his crease, at other times stepping back towards his off stump, and manipulating line and length in this manner. Most telling, though, was his calculated assault on Kuldeep Yadav, to whom he used his feet multiple times to launch him down the ground. In all, he scored 43 runs off Kuldeep – the most any batter has scored against the left-arm wristspinner in an ODI innings – off just 28 balls.Kuldeep conceded 48 in his first five overs, which would have worried India considerably, given that they didn’t have a sixth bowler. But the measure of Kuldeep’s skill and self-confidence came over his next five overs, in which he had Mitchell dropped at long-off, took two vital wickets – Tom Latham deceived by a flatter skidder and trapped plumb in front, Glenn Phillips caught off a miscue against the wrong’un – and conceded just 25.Kuldeep’s display was an encapsulation of India’s day. They were put under intense pressure by a formidable opponent, but they trusted their methods and came out unscathed. This India side can be rattled, but for any side to beat them over the next four weeks will likely take a special effort of sustained excellence.
Rockets skipper strikes four sixes in a row to overcome 125 target with 14 balls to spare
ECB Reporters Network12-Aug-2023Trent Rockets skipper Nat Sciver-Brunt smashed an unbeaten 81 from 41 balls to lead her side to their first victory of the Women’s Hundred as they overcame London Spirit by five wickets at Lord’s.Sciver-Brunt’s brutal hitting was too much for the home bowlers as she racked up nine fours and four sixes, including two successive maximums off Danielle Gibson, to clinch the win with 13 balls to spare.The visitors’ spinners had bowled well to restrict Spirit – who remain without a win in the tournament – to 124 for four, with Kirstie Gordon taking two for 19. But Rockets were in some difficulty themselves at 29 for three before the captain took control of the game, sharing a partnership of 51 from 34 with Fran Wilson to get her side back on track.Having won the toss, Rockets put the hosts in and opened with left-arm seam pair Alexa Stonehouse and Naomi Dattani, who concentrated on bowling a line that protected the short boundary on the grandstand side. However, it was spin that broke the opening stand of 27, with Gordon’s second delivery tempting Grace Harris to cut straight into the hands of the point fielder.Gibson continued to thrive, crunching a series of boundaries that included a sweet straight drive off Alana King to reach 36 from 27 before she was also undone by Gordon, miscuing one to the off side. Spirit struggled to get the slow bowlers away, with Heather Knight skying King to deep square leg as both the Australian all-rounder and Bryony Smith went for less than a run a ball.Richa Ghosh batted shrewdly for her 20 from 18 and, following a quiet start, Amelia Kerr picked up some momentum during the penultimate set of five as she scooped Stonehouse for three boundaries to finish unbeaten on 36.Rockets suffered an early blow in reply as the big-hitting Lizelle Lee – having dispatched Gibson to the leg-side fence – tried to repeat the shot three balls later and speared it to mid-on instead. Sciver-Brunt was soon up and running, though, punching Charlie Dean off the back foot for four as the visitors progressed to 21 for one from 20 balls before a sudden downpour held up play.The game resumed after a 25-minute delay and Spirit’s spinners seized their opportunity, with Dean pinning Smith in front before Glenn produced another ball that skidded on to remove Harmanpreet Kaur in the same fashion.That left Rockets in trouble, but the captain counter-attacked as she drove Glenn twice to the fence and took 13 off five balls from Kerr before hitting Lauren Filer for back-to-back boundaries to bring up her half-century from 32.Despite losing two quick wickets, Jo Gardner kept Sciver-Brunt company with an unbeaten 17 from 11 and the pair plundered 23 from Grace Scrivens’ set of five – including three sixes – to propel their side across the line.
Talks are progressing between Liverpool and one of their star men over a new contract, with a deal now said to be ‘close’, according to a recent report.
Liverpool's summer transfer plans
Arne Slot and co. still have so much of their attention on the pitch as they look to wrap up the Premier League title, with the Reds also into the last 16 of the Champions League and among the favourites to win that competition as well, with a League Cup final to play next month too.
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This Champions League winner has been in fine fettle this season.
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But as the season progresses it means the summer transfer window is getting ever closer and those high up at Anfield must already have their eyes there, as they have some big decisions to make over key players.
One player whose future is up in the air is of course Mohamed Salah, and Liverpool are being linked with a move for Lamine Yamal, which would be quite a shock but possible due to Barcelona’s financial difficulties, which will force them to sell at least one or two key men this summer.
Barcelona talent Lamine Yamal
It’s been reported that Liverpool are “above all” the other Premier League teams in the race to sign Yamal, but face competition from Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid, who are also watching on.
The Reds are among the teams who are dreaming of signing the 17-year-old at the end of the season, but Barcelona have no plans to sell their superstar if they don’t absolutely have to.
In defence, with questions over the future of Virgil van Dijk, Fabrizio Romano has reported that Liverpool are prioritising signing a centre-back in the summer transfer window in order to add more depth whether the Dutchman stays or gos.
Talks progressing over new contract for Liverpool superstar
While the Premier League leaders begin the search for a new centre-back, according to a report from Spain, Liverpool are now close to agreeing a new contract with Van Dijk after talks progressed in recent weeks.
Liverpool's Virgil van Dijk celebrates scoring their fourth goal with Mohamed Salah
The report states that the Reds’ intentions are clear – they want the Netherlands international to remain at the club. Talks between the player and the club have now ‘progressed’ to a point that it is being reported that a deal is ‘close’ to being agreed, with the captain ‘considering’ the latest offer.
It is reported that Liverpool believes their captain still has a lot to offer at the age of 33, and his leadership and experience mean he can remain a key figure in the team. They consider the renewal of Van Dijk’s contract a priority as they try to maintain stability in the defence during a summer where there could be a lot of change. For Van Dijk, while he has offers from elsewhere, he feels comfortable at Liverpool and hasn’t ruled out staying for another season.
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The Dutchman currently earns £11,440,000 a year at Anfield, making him the second-highest earner at the club behind Salah. Despite being at the latter end of his career, Van Dijk still remains a key player for Liverpool and Slot, and with new arrivals expected in defence over the summer, keeping Van Dijk makes more sense for the new signings, as he can help them settle in with his experience and defensive qualities.
Bayer Leverkusen boss Xabi Alonso is set to leave the Werkself this summer as he nears a free-agency move to Real Madrid, thanks to a special clause.
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Real Madrid to part ways with Ancelotti
Alonso set to leave Bayer Leverkusen
Alonso has a special clause for Madrid departure
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WHAT HAPPENED?
Real Madrid were supposed to be the best team in Europe after their signing of Kylian Mbappe, however, they have been dragged back down to Earth as they look set to go trophyless, unless there is a turnaround in the La Liga title race against Barcelona. As such, they are set to part ways with head coach Carlo Ancelotti, who has received a lot of criticism this season, and replace the Italian with Bayer Leverkusen boss Alonso.
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It is very clear that Alonso will be Real Madrid's coach next season, but the Spaniard has a contract with Bayer Leverkusen until the summer of 2026. Sky France has now reported that Alonso has a special clause included in his contract with Die Werkself that would allow him to leave the club if Los Blancos came calling.
DID YOU KNOW?
The negotiations between Alonso and Real Madrid are still ongoing, and while it is highly likely that the 2010 World Cup winner will be on the touchline for Los Blancos, there are still a lot of details to be ironed out between the two parties. Sky France's report has also suggested that Alonso will sign a two-year deal with Madrid.
WHAT NEXT FOR ALONSO?
The Spanish coach will have a lot of planning to do when he joins Real Madrid this summer, as the squad is currently extremely unbalanced and cohesion among the players has been an issue.
Roy Keane heaped praise on Marcus Rashford after the Manchester United loanee scored a goal for Aston Villa against Manchester City.
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Keane praised Rashford
Man Utd loanee tormented City defender
Man City beat Aston Villa 2-1
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WHAT HAPPENED?
Rashford started as Aston Villa's No.9 ahead of Ollie Watkins against Manchester City in the Premier League on Tuesday and displayed one of his finest performances since moving to Villa Park on loan from Manchester United. After Emiliano Martinez's blunder helped Bernardo Silva to break the deadlock, the English forward scored the equaliser to bring his team back in the game. Unai Emery's side were on the verge of snatching a point away from the champions, but Matheus Cunha's last-gasp goal confirmed a crucial 2-1 win for City.
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WHAT ROY KEANE SAID
Speaking on after the match, Red Devils legend Keane spoke highly of Rashford's abilities as he said: "He was a threat tonight, he had a really big chance in the second half but when there is grass in front of him he is as good as any player. Ask the defenders, he is a nightmare. It is almost impossible to stop."
The former United midfielder added: "The problem for Villa is they are running out of games and the goal difference is a problem. They are well organised, but they give up late goals and that will be costly. There will be one or two twists but where you are in a position to draw, don’t lose, keep the momentum and city near you. You have seen the reaction of city, they know what a big moment it was last kick of the game."
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The 27-year-old forward has thrived since joining the Villans in January, and his four goals and six assists have sparked reports he could sign a permanent deal with the Birmingham club, although Aston Villa would have to meet the player's £40m ($49.5m/€48.8m) buy option which was included in the loan deal.
AFP
WHAT NEXT FOR ASTON VILLA?
Emery's men will be back in action on Saturday as they face Crystal Palace in the FA Cup semi-final.
While finishing second in the Premier League and reaching the semi-finals of the Champions League would constitute an unreal campaign for most clubs, it wasn’t for Arsenal.
Mikel Arteta’s side came into this season hopeful of finally getting over the line in a major competition, only to fall short yet again.
With that said, this year wasn’t a total write-off, as there have been some massive positives, notably the emergence of Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly.
The latter, in particular, now looks destined for stardom since cementing a starting spot in North London and earning three caps for the senior national side.
Yet, in an exciting development, recent reports are now linking Arsenal with another youngster who could be an even bigger talent.
Arsenal looking to sign new defender
While Arsenal have been linked to a host of established superstars who could come in and make an immediate impact on the first team this summer, several tremendously exciting prospects have also been touted for moves to the club in recent weeks, like Kenan Yildiz and Konstantinos Karetsas.
Transfer Focus
Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.
The former could reportedly be available for an astounding £86m, and while that is a mind-blowing sum of money for a 20-year-old, he was able to score seven goals and provide five assists in just 35 Serie A appearances this year.
Karetsas, on the other hand, could cost a slightly more palatable £38m, although with him still being just 17 years old and only managing seven goal involvements in 39 games this year, that could still be too much.
Moreover, it would be hard to compare either youngster to Lewis-Skelly, unlike Jorrel Hato.
According to a recent report from transfers expert Fabrizio Romano, Arsenal and Chelsea are incredibly interested in the Ajax gem.
In fact, the Italian claims that within the last week, the Gunners have been ‘calling’ the Dutch giants to learn more about the young defender.
Romano does not mention how much a potential deal might cost, but according to other reports from earlier this week, the Amsterdam outfit could ask for up to £42m.
It could be a complicated and costly transfer to get over the line, but given Hato’s immense ability and potential, it’s one Arsenal should fight for, especially as he might be a bigger talent than Lewis-Skelly.
How Hato compares to Lewis-Skelly
Okay, so the first thing to say is that nobody is disputing the fact that Lewis-Skelly is a simply phenomenal talent, who at this point looks destined to be a part of Arsenal’s first team for years to come and likely a regular starter for Arsenal as well.
However, at this point in time, it’s also not controversial, at least it shouldn’t be, to suggest that Hato is a bigger talent, and there are a few reasons why.
Firstly, while this season was the young Englishman’s breakthrough campaign, and he only became a regular fixture in the first team in the latter half of it, the Ajax star, who has “superstar potential,” according to U23 scout Antonio Mango, has been playing senior football for some time now.
He made his first team debut for the Amsterdam outfit back in February 2023, when he was still just 16 years old, and since then, he’s played 111 matches for the first team, in which he’s scored four goals and provided nine assists – he also made his senior national team debut at 17 years old, in November the same year.
Moreover, in another example of just how absurdly developed and highly-rated the Rotterdam-born talent is, he has started 102 of those 111 club games and even worn the captain’s armband multiple times.
Finally, on top of the experience and responsibility that the “exceptional” talent, as dubbed by analyst Ben Mattinson, has over the Gunners’ gem, he also comes out on top when we compare the two teenagers’ underlying numbers.
Hato vs Lewis-Skelly
Statistics per 90
Hato
Lewis-Skelly
Non-Penalty Expected G+As
0.16
0.04
Non-Penalty G+As
0.28
0.07
Progressive Passes
4.17
4.67
Progressive Carries
1.42
2.43
Key Passes
0.63
0.53
Passes into the Penalty Area
0.80
0.66
Live Passes
52.4
43.4
Shot-Creating Actions
1.43
1.91
Goal-Creating Actions
0.45
0.00
Tackles
2.01
1.45
Blocks
1.22
0.26
Interceptions
0.76
0.46
Clearances
2.29
1.78
Ball Recoveries
4.51
3.49
Aerial Duels Won
1.77
0.72
All Stats via FBref for the 24/25 Domestic Season
For example, the 19-year-old does far better in metrics like actual and expected non-penalty goals, key passes and passes into the penalty area, goal-creating actions, tackles, blocks, interceptions, clearances, aerial duels won and more, all per 90.
Ultimately, Lewis-Skelly is a superstar in the making, and of that, there is no doubt, but as things stand, Hato looks to be even better.
Jorrel Hato in action for Netherlands
Therefore, Arsenal should do all they can to sign the Dutch gem this summer, as he could be a world-class player a few years down the line.
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Manchester United defender Luke Shaw has reportedly been left disgruntled after failing to make manager Ruben Amorim’s newly formed six-man leadership group. The squad hierarchy, headed by club captain Bruno Fernandes, also includes Harry Maguire, Noussair Mazraoui, Lisandro Martinez, Diogo Dalot, and veteran goalkeeper Tom Heaton.
Shaw upset over leadership snubAmorim believes disappointment may motivate himYoro & Heaton preferred over the veteran left-backFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
According to Shaw's reaction to the snub has been one of deep frustration, with Amorim aware of the player’s unhappiness. The Portuguese coach is hopeful that the defender will channel his disappointment into improved displays ahead of the new campaign. However, early signs during pre-season training have reportedly raised concerns, as Shaw has not been performing at maximum intensity. A visible drop in his commitment levels has been noted, raising questions about his readiness for the challenges ahead.
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Adding to the tension, 19-year-old French centre-back Leny Yoro was believed to be on the verge of joining the leadership group. However, he narrowly missed out on a spot in the final selection as Amorim ultimately decided to leave him out for now, but insiders claim the manager views him as a central figure for the club’s future. The teenager is already being spoken of as a potential pillar of the United backline for years to come, with comparisons being drawn to past defensive greats.
DID YOU KNOW?
Shaw’s omission is all the more surprising given his long-standing association with the club. Arriving at Old Trafford in 2014, he has been a mainstay throughout the turbulent years following Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement. As the longest-serving member of the current squad, his experience and understanding of the club’s culture are widely recognised. Despite this, his place in the team has come under scrutiny due to recent defensive lapses and positional errors that have undermined his reliability on the pitch.
Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR SHAW?
Shaw has two years left on his lucrative £180,000-a-week deal. But questions about his defensive discipline have led to suggestions that younger, more dynamic options like Patrick Dorgu might soon challenge him for a starting berth.