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Charl Langeveldt, South Africa’s bowling coach, has suggested Vernon Philander could return to take the new ball during the Champions Trophy in England

Firdose Moonda09-Feb-2017Vernon Philander could find himself in contention to play in the Champions Trophy as South Africa continue to search for a new-ball partner for Kagiso Rabada. They have been trialling Wayne Parnell, Dwaine Pretorius and Chris Morris, after Kyle Abbott signed a Kolpak deal and ended his international career, but bowling coach Charl Langeveldt admitted they have not got it quite right at the start of the innings and need a quick fix.”It’s going to be a big concern in England where you need to take wickets up front,” Langeveldt said. “We always say if we get a team three down early, we’ve got a good chance of winning the game so we’re trying a few things but we are still at the stage where we are finding who is going to be the opening partner to ‘KG’. In English conditions, if it’s overcast, Vernon would be the perfect guy to play. He fits our mould if we are looking for a guy with a new ball that can bowl you five overs up front. We are looking at all possibilities.”Philander last played an ODI in August 2015, five months after he was at the centre of an episode that derailed South African cricket for a summer. At the 2015 World Cup, Philander, who had struggled with a hamstring injury for parts of the tournament, was recalled for the semi-final in place of an in-form Abbott after consultations with CSA’s chief executive, Haroon Lorgat. It took months for CSA to admit that the talks took place and Philander’s inclusion came after the selectors were reminded to pick the team with transformation guidelines in mind.Abbott has since revealed he considered quitting South African cricket in the immediate aftermath but gave himself another two years to see if he would find a more regular spot. He had just done that – after injuries to Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel – when it was revealed he had put pen to paper for Hampshire months before. South Africa’s coach Russell Domingo said Abbott’s departure came at a particularly bad time for the team, because Abbott was the leading contender to open the bowling at the Champions Trophy.Now, it seems South Africa may go back to Philander, although not for the upcoming series against New Zealand. Philander is nursing a slight ankle impingement and, having torn ligaments in the same place in November 2015, he has been prescribed some time off in order to be ready for the Test series in New Zealand in March. He will also have a break afterwards before beginning a county stint at Sussex in preparation for the four Tests in England but could be called on for ODI duty as well.South Africa may also consider injured young quick Lungi Ngidi, who will not make the New Zealand series because of a hip problem but should recover in time to play the domestic one-day cup and prove his worth. Langeveldt all but ruled out looking any further as he explained why neither new Test cap Duanne Olivier nor his Knights team-mate Marchant de Lange will be considered at this stage.”Duanne is an excellent bowler,” Langeveldt said. “He swings the ball and gets reward but I looked at his stats and he struggles with the white ball. It’s a concern, especially in the first ten and then at the back end, he is not as good. He bowl quickly but we are looking for a guy that can mix it up, bowl slower balls and stuff like that.”Olivier has played 24 List A matches and taken 29 wickets at 24.86, while de Lange has 97 scalps at 22.91 from 50 appearances but has fallen down the queue.”Marchant has always been a strike bowler but I think he is way down in the pecking order. I don’t think he will be considered for the Champions Trophy,” Langeveldt said.The other option, of course, is to ask the incumbents to step up and there is some evidence that they can. Rabada and Parnell conceded 37 for 2 in the first ten overs of the first ODI against Sri Lanka before Morris and Parnell went for 56 runs and picked up two wickets in the second. Things only became more difficult from the third match when Rabada and Morris opened, with Pretorius at first change, as Sri Lanka put on 54 without loss. Then, in Cape Town, Sri Lanka’s openers raced to 100 without loss as South Africa used six different bowlers in the opening Powerplay. They won all four matches against a struggling opponent but Langeveldt is still looking for improvement.”In the first ten overs, we haven’t been up to standard,” he said. “I am very hard on that. I will give us a five [out of ten]. Coming back, we’ve showed a lot of character, especially Wayne Parnell. He bowled really good areas and he took wickets. I’d give us a seven there. Before you go to a championship, you want to be at eight or nine because the bowlers win you games.”Whether South Africa improve their score or not, they have an excellent chance of reaching the tournament as the top ranked ODI side. They are a win away from overtaking Australia and then take on third-placed New Zealand in a five-match series before three ODIs in England in the lead-up to the Champions Trophy. “We want to go into a big tournament being No. 1 in the world so we are always talking about it. The captain always says if you go in a tournament you want to be No. 1,” Langeveldt said.

Manchester United's takeover situation is still ongoing, and it will not be resolved before they appear in the FA Cup final, journalist Ben Jacobs has claimed.

What's the latest on Man United's ownership situation?

There is still a lack of clarity over what Man United's current owners, the Glazers, will do moving forward, following multiple bids for ownership from Sir Jim Ratcliffe's consortium and a Qatar-backed group led by Sheikh Jassim Hamad Bin Al Thani.

Ratcliffe's bid will likely see the Glazers keep some of their shares in the club, whilst Jassim's latest bid, which falls short of the asking price, is for a full takeover.

The situation has dragged on for months, and manager Erik ten Hag will have been hoping for a resolution before the end of the season. However, speaking to GiveMeSport, Jacobs revealed that there is to be no answer ahead of United's final match, the FA Cup final against Manchester City.

“It's still fluid. There are still less formal talks taking place behind the scenes," he stated.

"Unfortunately for all parties, nothing has moved, and it may not move until after the FA Cup Final.”

What could happen next for Man United?

Man United's current focus will be on the cup final, which could play a crucial role in stopping their local rivals from completing a treble, a feat only achieved by United in English football.

The lack of progress on a deal may cause frustration, but with no resolution in sight, the Glazers may be waiting until the season ends before any announcement, given the potential for protests at the cup final if an unfavourable decision is reached.

There have been protests from sections of the United fanbase calling for a full sale of the club, rather than a takeover which will see the Glazers remain in any capacity.

The American family have been heavily criticised since taking over United in 2005, having seen a large buildup of debt and a steady decline in on-field performance since. The Red Devils have not won a league title in ten years, and have had to watch their biggest rivals in City and Liverpool consistently compete for major honours since.

A resolution will be necessary soon to allow Ten Hag to operate in the transfer market, following a promising first season of progress under the Dutchman. United secured a third-placed finish and won the Carabao Cup, their first piece of silverware in five years, and will be hoping to challenge for the title next season.

New Zealand coach Mike Hesson has said familiar conditions at home will help his side rebound mentally from the India tour

Andrew Fidel Fernando15-Nov-2016

New Zealand are currently on a four-match losing streak in Tests•BCCI

Australia’s Test-match losing streak may be making headlines, but their neighbours across the Tasman have not fared much better this year. Of nine Tests played in 2016, New Zealand has lost six, winning only the two matches against Zimbabwe. Their four most-recent results have all been losses.Unlike for Australia, however, the losing streak has come overseas, against formidable opposition: the first loss came against South Africa, and the next three in India, where many teams have suffered in the last three years.Now back at home, with a grassy pitch before them and a long summer ahead, coach Mike Hesson has said his team will not dwell on the overseas failures. They will instead aim to fall back on memories of their unbeaten stretch at home between 2013 and 2015.”I think we’ve won seven out of our 11 Tests at home in the last three years, with a couple of draws and a couple of losses,” Hesson said. “You do that because conditions are familiar to you, and you adapt quicker than other sides.”We’ve been stressing the fact that we need to prepare for conditions that we’re more familiar with. We’ve got some experience to draw on over the last three or four years. It’s a matter of going through that rather than reliving India. Conditions over there were significantly different to what we’re going to face over here.”New Zealand’s batsmen had had a particularly torrid tour of India, where no one managed a century across three Tests. Their main destroyers on that tour had been spinners R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, who shared 41 scalps between them. Hesson said his batsmen had rebounded mentally since that series, which ended a month ago.”The conditions are here very different, so the skillset required is different. We acknowledge that we didn’t adapt as well as we needed to in India. Hence, we underachieved, especially with the bat. Here, I’m very confident the guys know the conditions.’We’ve got some experience to draw on over the last three or four years. It’s a matter of going through that rather than reliving India’ – Mike Hesson•Associated Press

“There was a period of having to deal with dented confidence, but that was some time ago. At the time we needed to dwell on some of the areas we hadn’t performed well in, and we’ve done that. Then we need to move on – that’s the nature of international cricket. When you perform and you win easily, you don’t dwell on that either. You move on.”The top order will have to contend with the likes of Mohammad Amir, Wahab Riaz and Yasir Shah, as they battle for Test form. Pakistan’s attack had delivered two Test victories in England this year, and Hesson believes they are a particularly dynamic outfit.”We’ll be challenged by this Pakistan attack, there’s no doubt about that,” he said. “They’ve got an attack that suits all conditions around the world. They swing the new ball, they reverse it, and they’ve got a very good spinner. They’ve also got experience in their batting line up. They’re tough in every condition, so they’re bowling attack is going to pose some challenges for us.”The Hagley Oval surface has generally been seam-friendly over the first two days of the Test. Although it had a significant covering of grass two days from the Test, Hesson expected the pitch to settle quickly.”The pitch has good pace and bounce, which stays throughout. And I think it turns into a pretty flat surface. It’s one of those surfaces where you are going to need to have resources to bowl a lot of overs, rather than think you’re going to bowl them out in a session and a half. I don’t think it’s going to be like that.”

ScorecardJesse Ryder guided Essex to their target•Getty Images

Jesse Ryder hit an unbeaten 52 off 45 balls to guide Essex to an effortless eight-wicket victory over Surrey at the Kia Oval, and make it two wins in as many days in the South Group of the NatWest T20 Blast for Essex.Ryder, in company with skipper Ravi Bopara – who chipped in with an undefeated 36 off 38 deliveries – put on 76 in 11 overs for the third wicket either side of a 45-minute break for rain as Essex posted 121 for 2 off 16.5 overs in reply to the hosts’ 117 for 9 in front of a Saturday afternoon crowd of 13,470.Following the early loss of Kishen Velani, who was caught at mid-on off Ravi Rampaul without scoring, Jesse Ryder and Tom Westley combined for 39 in four overs.Ryder, driving powerfully through wide mid-off and adept at manoeuvring the ball into the gaps, clubbed fours off Rampaul and Dwayne Bravo before Westley pulled Tom Curran past mid-on for two boundaries in the space off three balls.With Dwayne Bravo guilty of drifting onto the batsmen’s legs throughout much of the sixth over, Essex were 47 for 2 at the end of the Powerplay – the only relief for the West Indian being the wicket of Westley, who was lbw for 19.Earlier, Surrey were unable to establish a foothold, finding the boundary on just seven occasions after being put into bat by Essex, who employed 11 overs of spin.Dan Lawrence set the tone for the visitors by conceding just 11 runs from his four overs, which also brought the 18-year-old a couple of wickets.Lawrence struck first ball with his offspin when Steven Davies flicked to Bopara at square leg. Kumar Sangakkara, beaten by a direct hit by Ashar Zaidi from square leg, was run out four deliveries later.Rory Burns lofted Graham Napier high to Westley at mid-off, though not before driving Matthew Quinn to the point boundary and Napier through cover and at the end of their powerplay, Surrey were 31 for 3.Zafar Ansari picked out Napier at long-off, off the bowling of Zaidi. 43 for 4 became 46 for 5 when Gary Wilson, who had become increasingly frustrated, drilled the returning Lawrence straight to long-off to go for 17.Forced to rebuild, Bravo and Sam Curran added 50 for the sixth wicket in seven overs.Curran, fresh from completing his A-Level exams, pulled Westley through wide mid-on and swung Napier over midwicket for six.Bravo followed the youngster’s lead by pulling Quinn for a maximum, only to launch himself into an extravagant cover drive and fall to a catch in the deep next ball.Sam Curran was eventually bowled around his legs for 32, attempting to work Quinn down to fine leg.Bopara rounded off the Surrey innings by taking successive catches at deep midwicket, the second just an inch off the ground, to give Napier figures of 3 for 28 and condemn Surrey to their second defeat in 24 hours in the competition.

Sunrisers Hyderabad captain David Warner has said scoring over 200 was the key in the IPL final against Royal Challengers Bangalore

ESPNcricinfo staff29-May-2016Sunrisers Hyderabad captain David Warner has said scoring over 200 was the key in the IPL final against Royal Challengers Bangalore. Warner had opted to bat in Bangalore and helped his team put up 208 for 7 with his ninth half-century of the tournament, which they won for the first time in their fourth season.”We knew we had to get 200 against these guys, they have a phenomenal batting line-up,” Warner said. “We knew we had to win three games to win this tournament. To come here and beat Bangalore in front of this crowd, we were true underdogs. But we executed our skills, we batted well, bowled well, and fielded well. For us, the key was team effort all the way. [Time to put my feet up] for 24 hours and then I’m off to the Caribbean. But the guys will well and truly celebrate this and it’s time to have a beer.”[It’s a] fantastic team achievement and for me personally it’s overwhelming. To lead this side and the support these players gave me to lead by example and me pulling my weight with the runs…Obviously all the other guys doing their job. But look, it’s been fantastic, it’s been a hard journey for the last two years. From my experience as captain, the credit goes to all the guys.”You need to get a lot of individual players to step up, players need to gel together and get the combinations right. For us the key was to try and emulate with our fielding, that part towards the end here.”Warner did not hesitate to praise the efforts and form of his counterpart, Virat Kohli, who scored 54 off 35 and was part of a rapid opening stand of 114 in 10.3 overs with Chris Gayle, before quick wickets dented Royal Challengers’ chase and they never recovered.”What a leader, Virat Kohli,” Warner said. “I can’t take it away from him. He set the benchmark for all batsmen this tournament and they are a fantastic team.”Kohli, on the other hand, was aggrieved after the eight-run loss and even though he ended as the tournament’s highest run-scorer, a half-century in the final was not enough.”We are really proud of the way we played as a team,” Kohli said. “I mentioned before the finals this was for the people of Bangalore. We wanted to do it for them because of the continuous support we have had. Even when we had the worst of seasons, they have come out to support us. I feel gutted that we were not able to cross the line for them. All the guys have been wanting to cross the line, we reached the finals twice and once in Champions League as well.”We were walking around thanking the crowd and Dan [Daniel Vettori] mentioned to me, ‘we got 200 and we lost.’ So that felt a bit weird that we were short by eight runs. We knew one big partnership would set the tone for us but me and AB [de Villiers] getting out quickly was a big blow. I knew I had things under control and we could achieved the target had I stayed with AB a little longer. They got a bit of luck and then they capitalized, that’s why they are the champion side.”Why Sunrisers won was because they have a strong bowling attack. I knew I was hitting the ball well and I just wanted to keep contributing. If you try to do things for your team, you end up doing special things along the way. That’s a lesson for me as a batsman and everyone around the world. I surprised myself there [with four hundreds in the tournament] little bit, to be honest. I opened the innings as well, we have to consider that someone batting at No. 3 or 4 will not be able to get as many runs so I don’t take these things for granted.”It (orange cap) is a nice incentive with the way we have gone about this season but it doesn’t feel really nice to be at the other side of the result. As a personal achievement this is very special knowing that we have eight teams with world-class batsmen. It feels nice to have scored more than anyone else more importantly so that we reached the finals and it gives me more pleasure than it would have otherwise.”Bhuvneshwar Kumar played a crucial role once again in the end overs and bowled accurate yorkers, which he said are the key in T20s to stem the flow of runs. “I just had to keep myself composed in the end,” he said. “I knew if I would get it right, they wouldn’t be able to score runs. That’s the demand of this game…If you get the yorkers right it’s the best way to stop the runs in the death overs. Warner just said to keep my yorkers right, he asked me to keep myself composed.”Shikhar Dhawan, Warner’s opening partner admitted that even though their batting order didn’t fire at the beginning of the tournament, the side gained more balance once they started posting better totals. “It has been a great season for me and the team,” he said. “Davey led from the front from the first game and hats off to him. It has been a great journey. I feel our team is balanced. Initially we didn’t click as a batting unit then as the tournament went ahead, we started putting more runs on the board. The way [Ben] Cutting has got into the side and he played just two or three matches, but has performed really well.”

YouTuber Conor McGilligan has slammed Leeds United midfielder Brenden Aaronson and questioned whether he can even kick the ball hard enough to deliver key goalscoring contributions.

What's the latest on Brenden Aaronson and Leeds?

With the international break now upon us, it's a great time for Premier League clubs to reflect on the current season as we head into the final run-in.

Leeds currently sit 14th in the division, just two points above the bottom three with just 11 games left to ensure they don't end up getting relegated.

Alongside fellow USMNT star Weston McKennie, Aaronson has left England to go and represent his country as they look to progress to the CONCACAF Nations League Final Four.

While he's done enough to maintain his status in the US side, it seems as though things haven't been going too well for the 22-year-old at Leeds as he has failed to deliver a goalscoring contribution since the return of Premier League football after the break for the winter World Cup.

And while speaking on the One Leeds Fan Channel, McGilligan dropped some pretty damning claims on Aaronson, expressing doubt over his ability to deliver the goods when needed.

He said: "Listen, I'm willing to be proven wrong here, by the way, always. But those fine moments where you're playing as a central attacking midfielder and under pressure, you need to play that pass, you need to have a strike on goal. You know, all those technicalities, I just don't know if he's got the ball-striking ability.

"I've never seen him hit a ball hard. You know, a free kick, you normally get a lot of central attacking midfielders as being able to take set pieces. I don't really see that with him.

"And I just think some of the central attacking midfielders in world football you'd expect Leeds to maybe look at in the next couple of years would come in and naturally be picked over Aaronson straight away."

Where has it all gone from for Aaronson with Leeds?

The midfielder left Red Bull Salzburg in the summer to join the Whites on a five-year contract after a £25m transfer, while he earns a reported £43,000 a week.

Things got off to a pretty bright start for Aaronson in England too as he scored on his third Premier League outing for the Whites in a 3-0 win over Chelsea, before getting his first assist two games later.

Since then, however, he has just one more assist in the top flight which came back in November, playing in 12 more league games and four FA Cup matches without scoring or setting anyone up.

With that in mind, it's not hard to see why McGilligan has expressed such major doubts over the player's ability to deliver in the final third of the pitch.

Still only 22, however, perhaps Aaronson can turn things around in the future to fulfil his potential.

Journalist Derek Clark has praised the turnaround Fashion Sakala has had at Rangers since Michael Beale returned to the club.

How has Sakala performed for Rangers?

The Zambia international arrived in 2021, but took a while to nail down a starting place under Steven Gerrard and Giovanni van Bronckhorst.

The 26-year-old has since exploded into life under Beale and has now scored in each of his last three Scottish Premiership games.

He is starting to become a reliable attacker for Rangers and he has now been praised for the remarkable uptick in his performances at Ibrox.

Speaking on The Rangers Review, Clark lavished Sakala with praise for his improvement in end-product, particularly in away games.

"He was brought in when Beale was a coach under Steven Gerrard back in the summer of 2021, and it never quite happened for him under Giovanni van Bronckhorst, but since Beale returned to the club, his numbers have skyrocketed.

"He's had 12 goal involvements, six goals and six assists in 16 starts and two substitute appearances under the new manager. And away from home, he's had nine goal involvements in eight league away trips. He's really come into his own, hasn't he, under Michael Beale.

"Particularly away from home, for me, he's possibly Rangers' most threatening outlet up top at the moment. There's been a remarkable turnaround for him; he wasn't really getting a look-in under Giovanni van Bronckhorst but he's just had a new lease of life under Michael Beale."

Can Sakala be Rangers' main attacker?

The £8.3k-per-week star typically plays on the wing, but has lined up through the middle on occasion. With the future of Alfredo Morelos up in the air, as the Colombian's contract is set to expire amid transfer links, Beale will likely need a new striker in the summer.

Given Sakala's excellent form in front of goal, there is a case to be made that he could step up as the main goalscorer of the team once Morelos departs, and he could either start down the middle or on the wings supporting another striker such as Antonio Colak.

It may be too early to get carried away by Sakala's form, but Beale's remarkable impact on the forward in a short period of time suggests that there could be plenty more to come from him, and if he can develop into a consistent goalscorer and iron out the frustrating elements of his game, Rangers may not need to panic over losing Morelos.

A statistical look-back at Sachin Tendulkar’s career in ODIs

Mathew Varghese10-Oct-2007Sachin Tendulkar will become the first to play 400 ODIs for his national team, when he takes the field in Vadodara on October 10. Tendulkar, though, is a close second to Sanath Jayasuriya in reaching the mark in ODIs. Jayasuriya played his 400th against England in Dambulla, but four of his 402 appearances have not been for Sri Lanka. (For Tendulkar’s career summary, click here.)Since his debut in 1989, Tendulkar has risen to become the face of the one-day game. His 15,000 runs – and counting – will take some overtaking, considering that the only player younger than him in the 10,000-plus club is Ricky Ponting.

Leading run-getters in ODIs

Player	Matches	Runs	Average	Strike-rate	100s	50s
Sachin Tendulkar	399	15563	44.21	85.35	41	84
Sanath Jayasuriya	402	12181	32.65	90.33	25	64
Inzamam-ul-Haq	378	11739	39.52	74.24	10	83
Sourav Ganguly	304	11188	41.43	73.67	22	71
Rahul Dravid	331	10578	39.76	71.24	12	81
Ricky Ponting	282	10449	43.17	80.21	23	62

Besides the 15,000 runs, even his mark of 41 centuries looks a tough ask for any batsman.In the last 15 matches, Tendulkar has scored 716 runs at an average of 47.73. Fitness problems have plagued him in the current decade, and the 25 ODIs he’s played this year are the most he’s played in a calendar year since 2000, when he played 34 matches.Tendulkar’s average of 46.63 and strike-rate of 83.41 this year are marginally better than corresponding figures in the last three years, a clear indication that his powers are not on the wane.

Tendulkar in recent years

Player	Matches	Runs	Average	Strike-rate	100s	50s
2005	16	412	27.46	77.29	1	2
2006	16	628	44.85	77.05	2	3
2007	25	1026	46.63	83.41	1	10

The only conundrum Tendulkar has faced of late is reaching the three-figure mark. However, he will be playing in Vadodara, where he scored his last, against West Indies earlier this year. Since then, in 21 matches, he has come agonisingly close on four occasions, getting out in the nineties. Two of those came in successive matches, while he was out on 99 twice, the only other batsman to do so besides Jayasuriya.Had Tendulkar been Bradmanesque in converting his scores in the nineties to hundreds, he would be one short of a remarkable 100 hundreds in international cricket.Tendulkar was edgy in the previous match in Chandigarh, scratching around for a rather dull 119-ball 79. More importantly, though, he and Sourav Ganguly gave India a solid start with their stand of 91. The duo have been prolific opening the batting this season, commencing with the ODIs in Ireland.

Ganguly-Tendulkar as openers in recent months

Innings	Runs	Average	Runs per over	100s	50s
12	741	61.75	5.21	4	1

Ganguly and Tendulkar have opened in seven of the eight matches India have won since June this year, and have averaged 89.14 in those games.Tendulkar is the highest run-getter against Australia in ODIs, and his tally of 2321 in 51 matches is second to his best of 2436 from 65 matches against Sri Lanka.Although the centuries aren’t coming as easily, his appetite for runs hasn’t reduced and he’s been able to consolidate on the starts he’s got, scoring marginally higher this year once he’s got a look-in.

Tendulkar thriving on starts during an innings

Minimum runs scored	Career runs	Average	Runs in 2007	Average
10	15199	61.78	998	71.28
20	14451	73.35	965	80.41

Tendulkar’s batting largely overshadow his bowling abilities. He’s more than a handy bowler, with 152 wickets in ODIs so far. He also has two five-fors to his credit – both coming at Kochi – and his mix of spin and seam-up make him both an enigmatic and erratic bowler.With 118 catches as well, it’s no wonder he’s usually in the thick of the action.

Everton will be "absolutely delighted" with some exciting off-field news that has emerged, according to football finance expert and Sky Sports pundit Kieran Maguire.

Everton stadium updates

It's fair to say that it has been a taxing period at Goodison Park in recent years, with not much success to enjoy on or off the pitch and a number of Premier League relegation battles coming their way.

The Blues have got through various managers who have tried and failed to turn the tide, while off-field issues surrounding owner Farhad Moshiri and chairman Bill Kenwright have also led to plenty of unrest, and even protests outside the ground.

The hope is that things at Everton are gradually changing for the better, however, with Sean Dyche starting to pick up more positive results and a huge change arriving at the end of the season.

A move to Bramley Moore Dock is planned at that point, as the Blues move into a shiny new home on the River Mersey, heralding the start of an exciting new era at the club. It should generate more funds for signings and potentially attract better players, assuming Dyche's men remain in the top flight beyond the current campaign.

Bramley Moore Dock hosts Euro 2028 matches

Speaking to Football Insider, Maguire claimed that the Blues could be boosted hugely when Everton's new stadium is used as one of the ten grounds at Euro 2028, as was confirmed last week:

"I think Everton are looking to make a big statement with their new stadium. Being part of the Euro 2028 stadium shortlist will help to deliver that statement – and what a statement. We’ve seen the same in Manchester in the sense that the Etihad is going to be used instead of Old Trafford despite it having a smaller capacity.

"So I think Everton will be absolutely delighted and it will give them an opportunity to showcase the new stadium. On the back of that, they will earn other contracts for concerts and alternative uses for the Bramley Moore Dock stadium."

This is such a big coup for Everton, and perfectly outlines the importance of their stadium move, in terms of the club's growth moving forward, rather than simply staying at Goodison and being left behind.

Wembley

England

Tottenham Hotspur Stadium

Tottenham

Etihad Stadium

Man City

Villa Park

Aston Villa

St James' Park

Newcastle

Bramley Moore Dock

Everton

Hampden Park

Scotland

Principality Stadium

Wales

Aviva Stadium

Republic of Ireland

Casement Park

Northern Ireland

The fact that the new ground has even been picked ahead of Anfield speaks volumes, and is no doubt something that will aid local bragging rights with Liverpool supporters. As Maguire alludes to, the Blues could also become a venue for various other forms of entertainment, as the likes of Wembley Stadium and the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium currently are, hosting music concernts, NFL matches and boxing events

This is all in the future for now, though, and it is essential that Everton's Premier League status is preserved this season, with relegation to the Championship having the potential to hold them back horribly.

The current signs are arguably promising, even though there have clearly been poor results so far in 2023/24, and fans should feel buoyed by one of football's biggest tournaments being featured in their new home in five years' time.

Lucas Ocampos was poked in the bum by a fan during a game at Rayo Vallencano, with the Sevilla star urging La Liga to take the incident “seriously”.

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• Incident occurred during first-half
• Reported to the match referee
• Authorities now set to investigate

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The bizarre incident occurred in the 33rd minute of a Spanish top-flight fixture at Estadio de Vallecas. Ocampos was poked by the supporter in question as he prepared to take a throw-in. He turned to remonstrate with the individual involved before notifying the match referee of what had happened.

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• WHAT SEVILLA SAID

  Sevilla have said in a statement on the club’s : “We would like to place on record our disgust at the incident. Lucas Ocampos was subjected to an obscene and completely inappropriate act by a home fan. We hope that the appropriate measures outlined in the regulations will be taken to prevent such behaviour from happening again on a football field, and we have expressed this to La Liga directly.”

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• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Ray Vallecano added in a statement of their own: “This isolated action is solely the individual responsibility of the fan who carried it out. Rayo Vallecano is currently working to identify the fan so that, if he is a season ticket holder of the club, the appropriate disciplinary measures can be taken in accordance with the internal regulations.”