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Timing is everything.

During the third inning of the Worcester Red Sox's 9-1 win over the Rochester Red Wings on Wednesday afternoon, freshly called-up prospect Blaze Jordan smoked his first Triple-A home run into deep left field. Making the moment even more special was the fact that his parents were being interviewed by the NESN broadcast while it happened.

Here's a look at the perfectly timed dinger from Worcester's Polar Park:

So cool.

Jordan was drafted by the Red Sox in the third round of the 2020 MLB draft. He's slashing .323/.416/.538 over 46 games across both AA and AAA this seasonm with seven home runs and 39 RBI. Given the way Boston is playing this season, perhaps he'll get a chance at the big leagues sooner rather than later.

The Australian model goes significantly further than the version implemented by the BCCI since the ICC allowed domestic competitions to trial injury subs

Alex Malcolm29-Sep-2025Cricket Australia will trial an injury replacement rule in the first five rounds of this season’s Sheffield Shield competition, and allow the opposition to make a corresponding substitution, with a view to passing on the findings to the ICC as discussions continue about the introduction of injury substitutes in Test cricket.CA has communicated with the six state teams in recent weeks, outlining the details of the rule which will be implemented across the first half of the season, which starts on Saturday. It will differ significantly from the “serious injury replacement substitute” rule the BCCI has brought into India’s domestic first-class competition recently.The Australian version has been designed with the aim of covering all injuries, preventing fit fast bowlers from being overloaded for the remainder of the match if they lose a fast-bowling mate early in the game, and to maintain competitive balance within matches while trying to avoid any manipulation.Related

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BCCI introduces 'serious injury replacement substitute' rule in multi-day competitions

Currently, teams can make unlimited concussion substitutions across all four days of a Shield game – and that will remain unchanged – but under the trial there will be an additional like-for-like injury replacement available to both teams up until stumps on day two.Teams will be allowed to replace any player with another player of the same skill set (for example, a fast bowler for a fast bowler, a batter for a batter, a spinner for a spinner) as a result of any injury or illness that has occurred from any point after the toss. Teams will need to make a request to the match referee, who will determine the legitimacy of the injury and approve the replacement.This differs from the BCCI rule, which dictates the injury has to have happened during the game and needs to be external (like taking a blow resulting in a deep cut or fracture) rather than internal (like a hamstring strain).The issue was in the spotlight during the recent England-India Test series where both sides had players suffer significant external injuries: Rishabh Pant with a fractured foot at Old Trafford and Chris Woakes with a dislocated shoulder at The Oval.ESPNcricinfo LtdAn interesting element to what CA is introducing is the ability for the opposition to match a substitution. If a team uses the injury replacement rule, the opposition will be allowed to bring in a “tactical substitute” in response by the close of day two. But that substitute must be the same type of player as was injured in the opposition.For example, in the round one clash this week between Western Australia and New South Wales at the WACA ground, if a WA fast bowler was injured and was replaced by another WA fast bowler, NSW could make a tactical substitution but could only swap out a fast bowler for a fast bowler. They could not make a tactical substitution like swapping a batter for a batter because of form in the first innings.The match referee can also put restrictions on the involvement of both replacement players. A batter may be instructed that they cannot bowl if they are replacing a batter who does not regularly bowl. The replacement players also automatically inherit any warnings that have been imposed on the replaced player, such as for running on the pitch.Another key element is that in the case of the player who is ruled out through injury or illness, they will undergo a mandatory 12-day non-playing period that starts from the second day of the match that they were subbed out of.This means that if a player were to be replaced for injury in the first two days of round one, their non-playing period would start from October 5, meaning they would not be eligible to play in the One-Day Cup matches on October 9 or the second Shield round, which begins on October 15.There is a slight wrinkle for the states to manage in that teams will only initially be permitted to travel with 12 players, as has been the norm in Australian domestic cricket for many years, with the exception being Western Australia or teams travelling to Western Australia due to the length of that flight and the difficulty in getting other reserve players there on short notice. WA, when they travel interstate, and teams who travel to WA, are permitted to have a squad of 13.Teams who are playing away from home on the east coast will be able to fly an injury replacement in at short notice if needed on the first two days of a game if the 12th man is not a like for like. The states have been encouraged to carry a spare fast bowler as the 12th player on most occasions as the majority of replacements will be to fast bowlers based off the injury data CA has used to help form this new rule. CA wanted to avoid teams carrying large squads unnecessarily.The ICC has agreed that all matches during the trial period will retain first-class status. During the first five rounds, CA will be sourcing feedback from the states on the success of the trial and it is leaving open the possibility of continuing it further into round six and or round seven. CA will also look at potential alterations to the trial from round seven onwards or cancelling it altogether.

Kent 445 for 8 (Compton 221, Finch 54*) drew with Leicestershire 471 (Rehan 119, Patel 85) The Rothesay County Championship match between Division Two leaders Leicestershire and Kent at Canterbury ended in a draw, after the hosts reached 445 for eight on day four, trailing by 24 when bad light stopped play.Ben Compton hit a career-best 221 and Harry Finch made 54 not out, while Rehan Ahmed three for 134, but the chances of a positive result were effectively neutered on day three, when a mere 9.5 overs were bowled.Leicestershire remain top of the table, while Kent stay bottom.Conditions were significantly better on Friday morning but as soon as Kent passed the follow-on target of 321 a draw seemed inevitable.The nightwatch, George Garrett, survived 67 balls spread across days two, three and four but he was the first man out when he edged Logan van Beek to Louis Kimber for 10.The first shot of Ben Dawkins’ first-class career was a stylish drive that might have gone for four but for the slope, but he was out for seven, inside-edging Ben Green behind.Compton, 111 not out overnight, reached 150 in the penultimate over of the session when he cut Tom Scriven for four and Kent eased to 307 for four at lunch.Scriven subsequently had Joey Evison caught behind for 38, but an elegant sweep off Rehan saw Compton to 200. He took a single off Patel to pass his previous highest score of 217 and was finally out when he came down the wicket to Rehan and was stumped.Rehan then had Matt Parkinson lbw for two and Kent were 429 for eight at tea, after which Finch cover-drove Rishi Patel to bring up his half-century, but play was suspended at 4.40pm and both sides looked as eager as the umpires to shake hands on the draw.

The San Diego Padres topped the Los Angeles Dodgers, 6–5, in Game 3 of the National League Division Series on Tuesday night, putting the boys in blue on the brink of elimination.

The game featured several big swings, three huge home runs, two lights-out bullpens and an atmosphere as charged as you'll see in the MLB playoffs. This emerging rivalry never fails to live up to the hype.

There were several takeaways worth examining ahead of Game 4.

Padres bullpen picks up Michael King

The Padres likely expected more from Game 3 starter King, but no matter, their bullpen was up to the task of covering for him.

King lasted five innings and allowed five runs on five hits and a walk, and only managed three strikeouts while nearly coughing up a 6–1 lead. It was a far cry from his first postseason start last week against the Atlanta Braves when he fired seven shutout innings and racked up 12 strikeouts. On Tuesday night, San Diego's relievers picked up the slack.

Jeremiah Estrada, Jason Adam, Tanner Scott and Robert Suárez combined to throw four innings of one-hit ball while striking out six and walking none. Suárez earned a four-out save after entering with two outs in the eighth and promptly retiring Teoscar Hernández on a popout. In the ninth, he struck out Max Muncy, got a groundout from Will Smith, then K'd Gavin Lux to end the game.

This is the kind of performance Padres general manager A.J. Preller had in mind when he paid a hefty price to acquire Adam and Scott at the trade deadline.

Dodgers responded well to deep deficit

San Diego jumped all over L.A. starter Walker Buehler in the second inning, plating six runs, racing to a 6–1 lead and sending Petco Park into a frenzy. Given their recent history of playoff flops, the Dodgers could have folded up the tent and saved their best effort for Game 4, but they didn't do that.

Right after San Diego's scoring outburst, L.A. opened the top of the third with consecutive singles from Miguel Rojas, Shohei Ohtani and Mookie Betts to load the bases with no outs. After Freddie Freeman lined out to left field, Hernández blasted King's 1–2 sweeper over the center field wall. That made it 6–5 and completely changed the nature of the game.

The Dodgers didn't mount much offense after that, however. King settled in a bit and the Padres' bullpen stepped up to finish things off. But Los Angeles didn't quit when it could have. Expect the Dodgers to come out fighting in Game 4.

Fernando Tatis Jr. is still a superstar

In case you had written him off at some point over the last couple of years, Tatis is still one of the best baseball players on the planet. He connected on an 0–2 fastball from Buehler (who did not locate his heater high enough in this instance) and blasted it over the left field wall for a two-run homer to polish off San Diego’s six-run second inning.

This is Tatis's first taste of real playoff action as he was suspended for San Diego's 2022 run to the NLCS and he played in front of mostly empty stadiums during the 2020 postseason. It's safe to say he's enjoying the big stage.

This postseason Tatis is 10-for-18 with four home runs, seven RBIs, two doubles and three walks. He's batting .556 with a .636 on-base percentage and a 1.333 slugging percentage for an absurd 1.970 OPS. That's the highest ever in a single postseason (minimum 20 plate appearances).

It gets better. In 11 career postseason games, Tatis has six home runs, 12 RBIs, four doubles and eight walks against seven strikeouts. In those games he's slashing .425/.531/.975. His 1.506 OPS is the fourth highest in MLB history through 11 playoff games.

Over the last few seasons, Tatis has dealt with injuries, a position switch and a PED suspension. That may have pushed him out of some people's minds. He has spent this postseason reminding fans who he is.

This rivalry keeps living up to the billing

The Dodgers and Padres don't like each other very much and that has been proven on many occasions over the years. What’s also been proven since the Padres’ recent rise is the two teams often play outstanding, exciting, eventful games against each other. Tuesday night was no exception.

There have been huge moments over the last few years, with players sniping at each other, managers being petty and sending messages through press conferences—and also some dang good baseball games.

The year-in, year-out duel between these two franchises has become the best theater MLB has to offer over the past few seasons. It has become the game's best rivalry west of the Mississippi—maybe the best rivalry, period. Luckily for fans, it just keeps getting better.

Petco Park is an unreal big game atmosphere

On Tuesday night a record 47,744 fans turned Petco Park into as loud and rowdy of an atmosphere as you'll find anywhere in baseball. It was absolutely electric.

The fans booed the visiting Dodgers mercilessly, broke out a deafening "Beat L.A.” chant, erupted in euphoria during big moments and sang along as Blink-182's Tom DeLonge led them in a chorus of "All the Small Things."

Any questions about San Diego's status as a sports city should be put to rest. Petco is rocking this postseason.

One of the most exciting talents on Leeds United’s books right now is certainly Harry Gray. The 17-year-old centre-forward comes from a long line of Leeds players.

You can trace that back as recently as his brother Archie, who now plays for Tottenham Hotspur, and his grandfather, Eddie, a Leeds legend.

The England under-17 striker is an excellent talent. He’s shone for Leeds’ academy this season, with four goals in four Premier League 2 games, impressive in itself but even more so given he’s playing four years up.

Last season, Gray – who recently put pen to paper on a new deal in Yorkshire – was given his first-team debut by Daniel Farke, although he has not had that opportunity this term.

That might be due to Farke’s reliance on experienced players.

Farke’s reliance on experience over youth

Whilst the Leeds manager gave the youngest Gray brother his first taste of senior football at the end of last season, he isn’t one to turn to youth players a lot.

In fact, when he played former academy star Archie Gray 52 times in 2023/24, that was certainly more of an outlier.

This season, in Leeds’ battle for Premier League survival, Farke has relied on a more experienced group of players. The Whites have the seventh-highest average age in the top flight in 2025/26, at 27.1 years old, according to FBref.

There is only one player under 25 who has made an appearance this season, namely Wilfried Gnonto, who is 21 years of age.

In theory, that experience should certainly help the West Yorkshire outfit in the top flight.

Some players have years of Premier League football under their belt.

Yet, Leeds are just three points above the relegation zone, and things are not really working out for Farke’s experienced squad this season.

Perhaps it is time to take a punt on someone younger, like Gnonto or Gray.

Well, if recent reports are to be believed, Farke could soon be out of a job and replaced with someone who trusts the youngsters.

Why Leeds could benefit from a change of manager

There have been reports this week which have tipped the Whites to replace Farke with Strasbourg manager Liam Rosenior. Whilst former Leeds star Aidy White says that the appointment would be a “huge gamble,” there are plenty of merits to the move.

Firstly, the former Hull City manager has an impressive record in Ligue 1. He’s coached 42 top-flight games in France, winning 21, drawing ten and losing the other 11.

His average of 1.74 points per game is a real standout and a testament to his ability to churn out results.

Games

42

Wins

21

Draws

10

Losses

11

Goals for/against

73/54

Points won

73

Average points per game

1.74

The London-born manager is certainly a highly rated coach. Sky Sports’ Dougie Critchley said he is “one of the best emerging British coaches,” which he proved during his time in the Championship with Hull.

He guided the Tigers to seventh in 2023/24, including fantastic performances like this. His side narrowly missed out on a playoff spot.

It wouldn’t be a surprise to see Rosenior try and bed the younger players into the first-team fold at Leeds. He is known for trusting those with less experience, as showcased in the average ages of his squad at Strasbourg this season.

The French side have comfortably got the youngest squad in Ligue 1, fielding a side with an average age of just 21.6 years old. However, this is not an anomaly.

The situation at Hull was the same. In his only full year on Humberside, his squad was the joint sixth youngest, with an average age of 25.4.

It is easy to see why Rosenior could be the perfect head coach for someone like Gray. The homegrown star is a talented youngster who is putting up some excellent performances in the academy.

A coach like Rosenior, who values the academy players and the breakthrough stars, could well give him a chance to shine at senior level.

Manager Focus

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If Farke is removed from his post, the Strasbourg boss could be the dream man to take charge and really shake things up at Elland Road.

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This Leeds star has fallen out of favour this season under Daniel Farke.

ByJoe Nuttall Oct 23, 2025

Bayern Munich head coach Vincent Kompany heaped praise on Lennart Karl on Tuesday, explaining his diminutive stature makes it difficult for defenders to get close to him. Kompany also acknowledged Karl's "relaxed attitude" as one of the keys to his dramatic rise. The 17-year-old has made 10 appearances for the Bavarian giants this season and has scored in back-to-back games, setting up a few records.

• Karl's stocks rising after Bayern breakthrough

  Karl has made rapid strides at Bayern Munich ever since he joined the club's youth academy as a promising 14-year-old in 2022. Last season, he made 26 appearances in all for Bayern's Under-17 and U19 outfits, scoring 32 goals and delivering 10 assists. His exquisite displays earned him a place in Bayern's squad for the Club World Cup over the summer, where he made his debut against Auckland City. 

  Ahead of the 2025-26 season, he was promoted to the first team and has made 10 appearances in total already, making three starts and aggregating 291 minutes of action – evidence that Kompany counts on the youngster to become an important piece of the rotational puzzle amid a demanding schedule. He became the youngest Bayern goal scorer in Champions League history last week, backing it up with his second-ever goal in the 3-0 win over Borussia Monchengladbach to become the third-youngest goal scorer in club history in the Bundesliga. 

  Although his contract was renewed until 2028 earlier this summer, Bayern are set to reward the talented teenager with an automatic extension until 2029 on his 18th birthday on February 22, 2026. Per reports, he will also start earning a higher salary.

Advertisement

• AFP
  

  Kompany explains why Karl is so unique

  "Lennart Karl, as a young player, brought that magic with him: his relaxed attitude and his goals. That's all good for us," Kompany said at the pre-match press conference on Tuesday ahead of Bayern's second round clash against Koln in the DFB-Pokal on Wednesday.

  Asked what makes the teenager, who stands at 1.69m tall, so strong, Kompany said: "Shorter players often have a lot of power in their turns. It's tough for a defender to get close. They don't need a lot of space to cause danger. The key thing is how quickly they can get a shot away. I don't know if it's about size, but Lenni is able to get shots away quickly. Every good player in the Champions League is able to shoot half a second quicker than the others. I believe that makes the difference, not body size."

• Karl receiving praise from former Bayern legends

  Former Bayern Munich winger and club legend Arjen Robben has been tracking Karl's exploits, claiming that the young German is worthy of all the praise he is being lavished with. "Lennart Karl deserves the praise he received, he was superb," Robben told Bayern Munich's official website. "The lad should also enjoy it. The most important thing at that age is to keep focusing on the next game. You have to work on yourself every day and you can't think: 'I've played a great game now, everything's great'. You have to keep pushing yourself in training and not be satisfied with yourself. That's the difference in the really good players staying at the top for a long time. Getting to that point is one thing, but staying at the top is something else."

  Another Bayern legend monitoring Karl's progress at Sabener Street is Lothar Matthaus. In a recent column for , he wrote: "Can Karl follow the path Jamal Musiala took before him? The possibilities are always there; it's up to the player himself, and he needs a coach who trusts him. I think Kompany trusts him based on his recent performances and isn't worried about benching or substituting a seasoned player for him. And I believe Karl will get regular playing time because he's delivered when he's been on the pitch.

  "Karl will be deployed regularly. Vincent Kompany has slowly introduced Karl to the team, with brief appearances in the Bundesliga, the DFB Cup, and last week, his first full 90 minutes in the Champions League. Karl caused a sensation with his goals against Brugge and Gladbach, but he still needs to show up in training every day. He's ambitious and wants to develop – those are the basic requirements.

  "This presents a great opportunity for FC Bayern to integrate another player from the campus into the first team, after [Aleksandar] Pavlovic and [Josip] Stanisic, as Uli Hoeness has always wanted. I believe Karl can become an important player for Kompany, who just extended his contract until 2029."

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  Chelsea, Man City, and Arsenal keeping an eye on Karl

  Karl’s steady rise into the first team has not gone unnoticed, with several Premier League giants reportedly taking interest. According to , scouts from Chelsea, Arsenal, and Manchester City have been tracking the teenage prodigy’s progress. Adding another layer of intrigue is his agent Michael Ballack’s connection to Chelsea, where he starred between 2006 and 2010.

  For the remainder of the season, the priority will be ensuring Karl’s continued development through consistent minutes off the bench and occasional starts. His versatility gives Kompany valuable rotation options, given his ability to play on both wings in the attack and also as an attacking midfielder in the No.10 role. Should his progress persist, a call-up to Julian Nagelsmann’s Germany squad for next year’s World Cup in the Americas may not be out of reach.

  “He’s a fantastic player. He’s not afraid to dribble. He just has to keep working hard, and he’ll have a great future ahead of him,” Kane told this past weekend. “Who knows? If he plays a bit more from now on and plays like he did [against Club Brugge], then he has a chance [of making it to Germany's squad for the 2026 World Cup]."

The 16 teams with ODI status include five Associate members: Thailand, Netherlands, Papua New Guinea, Scotland and UAE

ESPNcricinfo staff03-May-2025UAE have replaced USA in the list of 16 women’s teams with ICC ODI status for the 2025-29 cycle, which will come into effect on May 12. The 16 teams include five Associate members: Thailand, Netherlands, Papua New Guinea and Scotland, who have all retained their status, apart from UAE.Thailand and Scotland made sure of their ODI status after getting to the women’s ODI World Cup qualifier, held recently, while PNG and Netherlands retained their status based on their T20I rankings. PNG are at 13th and Netherlands 15th on the T20I rankings. Thailand and Scotland are at 11th and 12th place on the same rankings respectively.At the World Cup qualifiers held in Pakistan earlier this month, Scotland beat West Indies and Thailand to finish fourth out of six teams, with Thailand placed bottom after losing all their five games. Pakistan and Bangladesh made the cut for the World Cup, to be hosted later this year by India, from the tournament, though Pakistan are expected to not travel to India and will play their matches elsewhere.UAE confirmed their ODI status as the next-highest-ranked Associate team – at No. 16 on the T20I table – at the time of the annual rankings update. Teams with ODI status are required to play at least eight ODIs over a three-to-four-year period to achieve or maintain a ranking.Australia maintained their stronghold on the No.1 ranking with 299 rating points and even extended their lead over second-placed England (279) from 18 points to 20 after the update.USA are currently playing a bilateral series against Zimbabwe, where they lost the T20I series 2-1 and won the first ODI by seven wickets on Thursday. The second and final ODI will be played on Saturday. UAE, meanwhile, are currently in Bangkok, taking part in a quadrangular T20I series also involving hosts Thailand, Hong Kong and Kuwait.

Leeds United have always gained great pride from allowing their homegrown starlets eventual minutes in the first team.

Kalvin Phillips would become a household name in the Premier League after making his Elland Road breakthrough, with Archie Gray also going on to be a £30m purchase by Tottenham Hotspur after he exploded into life in the senior picture at the Whites.

With Daniel Farke also recently stating that the development of youth is one of the “cornerstones” of the club’s ongoing philosophy, it wouldn’t be a great shock to see a new Phillips or Gray emerge in the very near future.

Amazingly, another member of the Gray family in Harry Gray, is already making considerable strides to break into the men’s set-up.

Harry Gray's rise at Leeds

With the young pair also having Leeds royalty deeply ingrained into their family tree in the form of great uncle Eddie Gray, it appears as if Elland Road is just woven into their DNA.

Before anyone gets too carried away, the 16-year-old striker has only made one fleeting cameo in Farke’s first-team to date, but his future does look very rosy in West Yorkshire, with his early goalscoring form in the Premier League 2 this season only adding to his immense hype.

From just four games this campaign in all competitions, Gray has helped himself to a blistering four strikes, with his weighty goal tally for both the U18s and U21s now standing at a very impressive 15 goals from 22 outings.

Branded the “real deal” by analyst Ben Mattinson, it does only feel like a matter of time now before the teenage sensation is leading the line for Farke’s men, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin potentially pushed all the way for a starting spot very soon by the England U17 international.

However, he isn’t the only hotly-tipped youngster at this moment in time in the U21 picture.

Leeds could even be brewing their next Phillips when looking at this very promising midfield talent who just signed his first-ever professional contract at his boyhood employers.

Leeds' next Phillips

While his career path has hit many a bump since exiting Leeds in 2022, with just 31 Manchester City appearances coming his way in three years, it goes without saying that he is the standard that many of the new rising crop at Thorp Arch still try to hit.

Indeed, under Marcelo Bielsa’s transformative guidance, Phillips would turn into an extremely hot midfield commodity, with a senior Three Lions call-up even falling into the 29-year-old’s lap, before moving on to the Etihad for a substantial £40m.

While Ollie Pickles is way off hitting those heights at the moment, he will hope – sometime down the line – that he can experience these same amazing highs, having just penned his first-ever professional contract at Elland Road that runs until 2028.

The 17-year-old hotshot warranted that deal coming into play, too, with Pickles even donning the captain’s armband for the U21s last time out to show off similar leadership skills to those of Phillips in the main team.

Pickles – Leeds youth stats

Position

Games

Goals + Assists

DM

22

2 + 1

CM

10

3 + 2

AM

5

1 + 0

RW

1

0

LW

1

0

Sourced by Transfermarkt

The similarities don’t just end there, however, with Pickles also showing off a similar eye for a goal and an assist to that of the former Bielsa favourite, with a standout five-goal contributions tallied up from the central midfield position from just ten outings.

Arguably, his added adaptability to slot into a right-wing or left-wing spot if needed also stands him in good stead to replicate Gray’s sharp rise, with the Spurs number 14’s malleable nature turning him into a constant regular under Farke.

Still, with previous interest in his services coming from the likes of Gray’s new employers, it could be that Pickles goes on to be another major sale for Leeds in the midfield department, like Phillips.

Before anything more concrete pops up over Pickles leaving, however, the teenager will have to prove himself in the senior side, with chances potentially handed to him in the near future.

Related Danny Murphy says Leeds "will" go down and names Farke's "biggest problem"

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Posts 2 ByDominic Lund Sep 23, 2025

An “unbelievable” manager has now emerged as Manchester United’s top target to replace Ruben Amorim, who has made a poor start to the new campaign.

Doubts over Amorim's Man Utd future after slow start

With Man United winning their final game before the international break, defeating Burnley 3-2 at Old Trafford, Amorim appears to be safe in the short-term, but there are doubts about how long the 40-year-old will be able to last in the job.

Former Arsenal defender William Gallas has even suggested the Portuguese coach could be gone by the end of the year, saying: “He looks lost. I don’t think his body language and emotional response are giving a good impression to his players or the Manchester United fans,

“Looking at him, I’m not sure he’ll make it to Christmas, to be honest, because it feels like United are one poor performance or defeat away from a crisis.”

The former Sporting CP boss has struggled ever since his arrival at Old Trafford, with his points per match ratio particularly concerning, and the shock defeat at the hands of Grimsby Town in the EFL Cup certainly won’t have done the manager any favours.

Ruben Amorim’s Man Utd record

Games

46

Wins

17

Draws

12

Losses

17

Points per match

1.37

Consequently, according to a report from Football Insider, Man United have now started to identify potential replacements for Amorim, and they have selected Aston Villa manager Unai Emery as their top target.

INEOS are not actively looking to bring in a replacement for their manager straight away, but they have now started to assess the market, and Emery has emerged as an appealing option, given the job he has done at Villa.

The 53-year-old replaced Steven Gerrard at Villa Park in November 2022, taking over when the Villans were just above the relegation zone, and he has since led them to the Champions League and Europa League in back-to-back seasons.

Related Man Utd join race to sign £40k-a-week England int'l who's impressed Tuchel

The Red Devils “have been looking at” an England player, who has impressed during the current international break.

Posts ByDominic Lund Sep 9, 2025 Emery could be "unbelievable" Amorim replacement

While the Spaniard has undoubtedly done a fantastic job at Aston Villa, there are doubts over how much further he can take them, given his current employers’ PSR issues, which limited their spending in the summer transfer window.

As such, a move to Old Trafford could potentially appeal to the Villa boss, who has enjoyed an incredibly successful career up to this point, winning 11 trophies across spells with Sevilla, Villarreal and Paris Saint-Germain.

Villa striker Louie Barry, who is currently on loan at Sheffield United, has also praised the former PSG manager’s training sessions, saying: “Unai Emery is an unbelievable coach for improving players. It was crazy to me how similar the training was to my time in Barcelona.”

Should they sack Amorim, Man United could do with bringing in a proven Premier League manager, who has a history of winning trophies, and Emery ticks both boxes.

After Wolverhampton Wanderers rejected their opening bid to sign Jorgen Strand Larsen, Newcastle United have now reportedly been offered the chance to sign a different Scandinavian star.

Newcastle's striker search rumbles on as Larsen move stalls

From the very start of the transfer window, Newcastle have been on the hunt for a striker. It’s a search that started with Joao Pedro and Bryan Mbeumo, who both chose Chelsea and Manchester United instead. The Magpies then turned to Hugo Ekitike and Benjamin Sekso, who rejected them in favour of Liverpool and Old Trafford once again.

Eddie Howe found Newcastle's new Isak vs Liverpool and it's not Osula

Newcastle lost to Liverpool, yet put in an incredible performance at St. James’ Park.

ByAngus Sinclair Aug 26, 2025

Meanwhile, Yoane Wissa is now back in training with Brentford in another blow for the Magpies. The 29-year-old has done everything to force a move out of the West London club, but has not seen an offer arrive that matches his valuation in return. Now, it looks as though those at St James’ Park are turning their focus towards an alternative in Strand Larsen.

On that front, however, it’s so far been a familiar story for Newcastle amid reports that Wolves have rejected their opening offer worth £50m. And whilst they’re expected to submit an improved offer, there’s no denying that time is running out to satisfy Wolves’ demands.

As an alternative to Wissa, Strand Larsen would certainly make sense. The powerful striker enjoyed an excellent debut campaign in the Premier League last time out – scoring 14 goals – and is still a player full of potential.

Once again, however, there remain question marks over Newcastle’s willingness to match the price tag that has been set and there are still other options that they could turn to this week.

Newcastle offered chance to sign Harder

According to The Boot Room’s Graeme Bailey, Newcastle have now been offered the chance to sign Conrad Harder from Sporting CP this month.

The forward has been the subject of interest from AC Milan, who are reportedly working on a deal to secure his signature following the collapse of Victor Boniface’s move. But the door is still seemingly ajar for Newcastle to swoop in after receiving contact from intermediaries about a potential deal.

Bailey told TBR: “Intermediaries have made contact with Newcastle to inform them of the availability of Harder. We understand that Harder is a player that Newcastle have previously scouted. Newcastle are in the market for two new strikers before the window closes.”

Minutes

1,368

2,587

Goals

7

14

Assists

8

4

Expected Goals

10.3

3

Dubbed a “complete” forward by scout Jacek Kulig, Harder is full of potential at just 20 years old and coming off the back of a promising season at Sporting. With a deal seemingly there to be done for around £20m and not his £69m release clause too, Newcastle could land an absolute bargain.