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Stuart Broad faces a vital week for the short-term prospects of his England place after being dropped for the deciding one-day international at Old Trafford on Saturday

Andrew McGlashan10-Jul-2011Stuart Broad faces a vital week for the short-term prospects of his England place after being dropped for the deciding one-day international at Old Trafford on Saturday. His county, Nottinghamshire, have a Championship match against Somerset starting on Monday and Broad will need wickets to avoid being overtaken by Tim Bresnan.It had been considered that Broad was so highly rated as part of the player-management structure within the England set-up that he would survive the axe, especially after finally opening his wicket tally with two scalps on his home ground at Trent Bridge. However, when England wanted to alter the balance of their team and include Samit Patel as a second spin option, it was Broad who made way with Jade Dernbach retaining his place.Broad had been carrying a heel problem since the end of the Sri Lanka Test series and also hurt his ankle in training before the Twenty20 in Bristol, where he made his captaincy debut, but Alastair Cook didn’t hide why the decision had been made.”We wanted to play two spinners,” he said. “We picked Jade ahead of Broady, and that’s why we changed it. It doesn’t mean that Broady won’t come back in. It’s obviously a tough pill for him to swallow, but his record in one-day cricket is outstanding. Just because he hasn’t taken the wickets he would have liked doesn’t mean he won’t be back.”It was a view echoed by Andy Flower, the England team director, who added that the extra rest will benefit Broad and suggested that he was still very much in the planning to face India. “A nice by-product of him missing this game is that he will have a four-day break from bowling between the fourth one-day international that he played and the four-day game that he will play for Nottinghamshire,” Flower said.”After that he can have another four-day break to rest those niggles and then get into training for the Test match at Lord’s. Broad’s been a superb performer for us, a great competitor – and I foresee him doing great things for us in the future, both in this upcoming Test series and the one-day series.”The decision showed that Cook, in consultation with Flower, wasn’t afraid to make tough selection decisions even if it involved dumping a fellow international captain. However, it is England’s three-captain policy which continues to throw up intriguing situations, as it is now Andrew Strauss who will have a major say on Broad’s place in the Test team.While Broad is bowling at Trent Bridge – a good venue for a seamer to try to regain form and confidence – other contenders for his place will be looking to stake their claims. At the head of the list are Bresnan and Steven Finn, the former who made a successful return from injury during the one-day series with eight wickets at 29 including 3 for 49 at Old Trafford while Finn was in the one-day squad without playing. Chris Woakes, the Warwickshire allrounder, also couldn’t get a game but he’s some way off Test selection at present.”We wanted to try out a couple of new fast bowlers,” Flower said. “Jade Dernbach has got his chance in this series, but we also had Steven and Chris in the squad. I think they’ve both got a future. There is a lot of competition for fast-bowling places. We’ll see how they develop over the next couple of months. Whether they get a go in the Tests or not, I’m not sure, but I think they’ve both got futures in the limited-overs game.”Yorkshire have a Championship match against Worcestershire which will allow Bresnan some extended spells of bowling after his one-day return, but Finn doesn’t have a four-day game available with Middlesex not in Championship action. It was the situation that forced Strauss to ask Somerset if he could appear for them against India later in the week.Finn was the next in line when a replacement was needed against Sri Lanka, at Lord’s, but at that time Bresnan, who was outstanding at Melbourne and Sydney during the Ashes, was still on the sidelines. Finn was inconsistent at his home ground but still finished the match with four wickets.Away from Bresnan and Finn, the other option could be Graham Onions if England wants a wicket-to-wicket bowler. Again, though, the scheduling isn’t helpful for Onions – who missed the whole of last season with a severe back injury – as Durham aren’t in four-day action before the first Test.

Peter Siddle, who will replace the injured Ryan Harris in Austalia’s line-up in Colombo, will look to bowl fuller lengths against Sri Lanka, as opposed to his usual short-pitched fare

Daniel Brettig in Colombo15-Sep-2011Australia’s captain Michael Clarke believes Peter Siddle can overturn his habit of bowling short, built up during his four years in international cricket, and revert to the fuller length he needs to be a dangerous fast bowler against Sri Lanka in the third Test in Colombo.Admired as a hard-working, hostile paceman, Siddle has not always been an example of subtlety, and was often used by former captain Ricky Ponting as an enforcer in the vein of Merv Hughes. In Sri Lanka such methods could lead to long, draining stints in the field against the likes of Kumar Sangakkara, in his 100th Test, Mahela Jayawardene and Tillakaratne Dilshan.To that end, Australia’s pacemen have employed a disciplined line and a fuller length against the hosts, looking for edges, lbws and to have them bowled, with conspicuous success. However the absence of Ryan Harris means it will be Siddle who now has to look for swing and seam, rather than the bounce and intimidation with which he has generally preferred to take wickets.”All of our bowlers have been working on their length since they’ve been here,” Clarke said. “That’s something that Craig McDermott [Australia’s bowling coach] has certainly made very clear – with the new ball we needed to be bowling fuller, we needed to be giving ourselves a chance, and Sidds [Siddle] has done that.”I’ve watched him bowl at every net session he’s had and he’s definitely improved his length. I think there were a few reasons why he didn’t perform how he would have liked in the practice game [Siddle went wicketless]. He’s had two weeks since then to train with Stuart Karppinen [the fitness coach], who has made it very clear he wanted him fitter and stronger, and to bowl a lot more in the nets to work on his length.”Rhino [Harris] has got the ball to come back in and he’s bowled blokes through the gate, got lbws. Sidds can swing the new ball away, but one of his greatest strengths and what he does naturally is bring the ball back in off the pitch to the right-handers or take it away from the left-handers.”Clarke, however, did not rule out a shorter-pitched attack from Siddle and Mitchell Johnson, given the right circumstances.”The other thing Sidds has is, he can bowl 150kph and can crank it up. If there’s not much in the wicket he’s got a very good bouncer so he can push the batters back,” Clarke said. “It brings in other ways to take wickets as well. Not only can Mitch bowl at good pace, but Sidds can as well, and if there’s not much in the wicket there might be a few more bouncers than we’ve seen [so far].”Johnson, too, has something to prove, having struggled for wickets and rhythm in the series. Unable to produce the inswing of his pomp, Johnson has concentrated on angling the ball across the right-handers. But he is yet to bowl the sort of hair-raising spell that has kept him in the Australia team, as an occasional matchwinner, since his debut against Sri Lanka in 2007.”I think Mitch’s role has been similar throughout the on- dayers and the Tests,” Clarke said. “There hasn’t been much swing around, but he’s got extra pace and being left-handed brings in variation [to the attack]. If there’s swing around he can swing the ball in, but he’s also got a beautiful angle to take it across the right-handers whether it is reversing or not.”It also gives us the option for somebody to reverse the ball into the left-handers. Mitch has just got to keep doing what he is doing. I thought he bowled really well in the last Test without much luck – a few balls bounced short of me at second slip, there were a few play and misses. I think everybody needs to continue to do what they’re doing. We spoke about discipline and execution, and it is going to take every single one of us doing that at the highest level to have success in this Test match.”

Ball-by-ball commentary of Ashton Agar’s hat-trick and five-wicket haul in Johannesburg

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Feb-20207.4 – Agar to du Plessis, OUT, goes inside out, slugged over the off side… straight to the boundary rider! Du Plessis won’t be making any more of a statement today! Agar with a loopy, wide delivery and he couldn’t get the timing, plinked off the toe and it almost didn’t carry to Richardson on the rope
F du Plessis c Richardson b Agar 24 (34m 22b 3×4 0x6) SR: 109.09Andile Phehlukwayo out, with SA looking to save some face7.5 – Agar to Phehlukwayo, OUT, given lbw first ball! May have been a touch leg side and Phehlukwayo reviews, but the replays quickly show that the ball pitched in line and was straightening bang on leg stump! This innings is quickly going belly up for South Africa!
AL Phehlukwayo lbw b Agar 0 (3m 1b 0x4 0x6) SR: 0.00Agar is on a hat-trick, Dale Steyn the man to face up7.6 – Agar to Steyn, OUT, GOTTIM!! Edged to slip! Tossed one up and Steyn, in no mood for backing down, had a big old yahoo, squirting a thick edge to Finch, who held it well! Agar goes bombing off, what a moment for him, and South Africa are on their knees in the Bullring!
DW Steyn c Finch b Agar 0 (1m 1b 0x4 0x6) SR: 0.00Becomes just the second Australian on this list11.6 – Agar to van Biljon, OUT, pegs back leg stump! That’s a bingo for Agar, who has career-best figures! Dirty ole slog across the line from van Biljon, the ball gripping just enough as it skidded on underneath the bat. South Africa eight down and hurting
PJ van Biljon b Agar 16 (26m 15b 2×4 0x6) SR: 106.66Still another 20-odd needed for SA to avoid their lowest T20I score… Lungi Ngidi is out at No.1013.1 – Agar to Ngidi, OUT, that’s five! Plopped into the hands of long-on! Agar can barely believe it, he’s king of the ‘ring tonight. Misbegotten shot from Ngidi, straight to the man set back
L Ngidi c Warner b Agar 1 (5m 5b 0x4 0x6) SR: 20.00…and he’s on a hat-trick again! Tabraiz Shamsi to face13.2 – Agar to Shamsi, no run, so close to hitting off stump! Spinning through as Shamsi tried to cut and missed, nearly Agar’s second ‘trick of the game!

Imran Tahir and Colin Ingram have both been added to the list of contracted South Africa players, while Albie Morkel was also given a one-year contract till May 2012

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Feb-2011A day after he produced the best bowling performance by a South Africa player on debut in a World Cup, Imran Tahir has been awarded a national contract by Cricket South Africa. Also joining the list of contracted players was Colin Ingram, the left-hand batsman who is part of South Africa’s World Cup squad but did not feature in Thursday’s game against West IndiesThe two players are part of a list of 20 who have been given one-year contracts starting from May 1. Only two players in South Africa’s current World Cup fifteen have not been given contracts: allrounder Faf du Plessis and wicketkeeper-batsman Morne van Wyk. Loots Bosman, Albie Morkel, Rusty Theron and Ryan McLaren were given contracts despite not having made the cut for the fifteen.The CSA can contract up to 22 players so there is the possibility of another couple of players being offered contracts at any point during the twelve-month period.du Plessis has played just one ODI for South Africa, while van Wyk has only played two in the last three years. The Pakistani-born legspinner Tahir was only granted South African citizenship in January, and giving him a contract underlines South Africa’s aim to make him an important part of their squad in all formats.Ingram is a highly-rated hard-hitting 25-year-old batsman, and though his one-day career so far has been up and down – some of which may be due to the fact that he has not batted in a settled position – a contract should give him some assurance of his place in South Africa’s setup. Overlooked for a contract was David Miller, another left-hand batsman who was given an ODI cap before Ingram, and made an impressive start to his international career only to fade away in the last few months, leading to his exclusion from the World Cup squad.In another announcement, the CSA chief Gerald Majola said the board was in well-advanced negotiations with the BCCI to grant icon status to future Test series between South Africa and India with the likelihood of either four or five Tests being played when the sides next meet.The India tour of South Africa in 2010-11, which included three Tests, a one-off Twenty20 international and five one-dayers, brought in record gate takings for the country. There are also plans, according to CSA, to stage an annual Twenty20 match between the two countries with a mix of cricket and entertainment. The venue for this match will alternate between South Africa and India.CSA’s contracted players from May 2011 to May 2012: Graeme Smith, Hashim Amla, Loots Bosman, Johan Botha, Mark Boucher, AB de Villiers, JP Duminy, Colin Ingram, Jacques Kallis, Ryan McLaren, Albie Morkel, Morne Morkel, Wayne Parnell, Alviro Petersen, Robbie Peterson, Ashwell Prince, Dale Steyn, Imran Tahir, Rusty Theron, Lonwabo Tsotsobe

Confusion at Port Elizabeth as wicket is overturned following Joe Root’s declaration

Andrew Miller17-Jan-2020South Africa’s frustrations on the second afternoon at Port Elizabeth were exacerbated by a bizarre incident towards the end of England’s first innings, when Joe Root was permitted to withdraw his team’s declaration after an umpiring error.The incident occurred in the 149th over of England’s innings, after the apparent dismissal of Mark Wood who was caught at mid-on off the bowling of Kagiso Rabada.Root waved his batsmen in with the score of 467 for 9, only to change his decision when Rabada’s delivery was shown by the TV umpire to have been a no-ball.England were handed the extra run as the players returned to the middle, and went on to add a further 31 runs in 20 deliveries, before Wood was this time legally dismissed for 42, leaving Ollie Pope unbeaten on 135.According to Law 15.3, pertaining to declaration and forfeitures, a captain’s decision “cannot be changed” once he has notified the opposing captain and the umpires.However, an MCC spokesperson told ESPNcricinfo that the “right decision” had been reached, given that the ICC’s playing regulations make provision for the use of replays to aid decision-making.”One should have some sympathy for Root,” the spokesman added, “because it is clear that, had the umpires not made an error in failing to call the no-ball, he would not have declared when he did.”Although the ICC’s playing conditions make no specific reference to erroneous declarations, clause 2.5.4 states that, in the event of a no-ball being called following a check by the third umpire, “the batting side shall benefit from the reversal of the decision, and the one run for the no-ball, but shall not benefit from any runs that may subsequently have accrued.”In other words, the state of the game resets to the point at which the error was made, therefore rendering the declaration void.There is one known precedent for a captain withdrawing his declaration – at Old Trafford during the 1921 Ashes, when England’s declaration was deemed illegal due to the match having been reduced to a two-day game due to a washed-out first day.The regulations in force at the time required the side about to go in to be given 100 minutes’ batting time before the close – a point that Warwick Armstrong, Australia’s captain, put to the umpires and his opposite number, The Hon. Lionel Tennyson, following an intervention from Hanson Carter, his wicketkeeper.Wisden’s match report called it “an unfortunate and rather lamentable incident”.

Steve Rixon wants to bring more intensity to Australia’s training regime, especially among the younger players, after being named the fielding coach on Tuesday

Brydon Coverdale28-Jun-2011Steve Rixon wants to bring more intensity to Australia’s training regime, especially among the younger players, after being named the fielding coach on Tuesday. Rixon believes the standards of fielding in the Australia team have dropped since the glory days when Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath were creating catching opportunities, and that’s something he wants to change.After a decade of working with the American Mike Young, the Australians will be drilled by Rixon during the next two tours, to Sri Lanka and South Africa. The initial short-term appointment is likely to become a longer association as Australia try to force their way back up from fifth in the ICC Test ranking table.Their slump was not helped by the Ashes debacle, which began with a draw at the Gabba, where the Australians dropped seven catches. Rixon said in a developing side, it would be all the more important for such key moments not to missed, with less experienced bowlers less likely to find edges and force mistakes over and over again.”We’ve got some world-class fielders, Ricky Ponting is one, Michael Clarke and Michael Hussey,” Rixon told ESPNcricinfo. “They’re three of the older boys. That tells me there are a lot of youngsters that need to get back to some simple basics in the field like they do in the other aspects of their game and see if we can’t move them forward. I have no question they are crying out to be helped and I think they will improve. But we’re definitely not leading the way in the fielding anymore.”If you think back to a lot of these eras, it was a little bit different when you had Warne and McGrath in your side, because even if you did drop a catch, it wouldn’t be too much longer before McGrath would give you another opportunity. That, to me, is something we’ve got to be realistic with. In the changing of the guard, you don’t have that … So what we’ve got to do is make sure that when we have an opportunity, we’re going to make the best of it.”And while the batting and bowling coaches, Justin Langer and Craig McDermott, have plenty of work to do in order to bring the younger players up to scratch and keep the veterans in form, the same can be said for Rixon. He said the struggles in Australian fielding could be traced to the quality of fielding at state level, and that was an area that needed to be addressed.”It is a reflection on our domestic game, which is a bit sad,” Rixon said. “I’ve seen some [domestic] games where the fielding is very, very good, and I’ve seen some games where the intensity level is down. Your intensity level comes from your preparation. If you prepare and train smart, you’ll probably find you’ve got a little bit of an edge.”It’s not by accident those three older guys I talked about turned out to be very good fielders. They’re all quite athletic, but more importantly, who does that little bit extra every time from a young age all the way through? These guys have done the extra work, so to me I just think there’s a little bit in that as well. So we need to focus on the intensity of training.”Rixon, 57, will be by far the most experienced member of Australia’s coaching staff, with 15 years as a first-class player and two decades as a mentor. That coaching resume includes four Sheffield Shield titles with New South Wales, two IPL triumphs and a Champions League victory with the Chennai Super Kings, and an impressive stint at the helm of New Zealand.Although his official brief is as the side’s fielding coach, Rixon is keen to help the side in other areas as they rebuild under the new captain, Clarke. He said he was looking forward to assisting the head coach Tim Nielsen in whatever ways he could as they aimed to arrest the slide down the Test rankings.”I’d be very surprised if they didn’t want to hear from that new set of eyes around the place,” he said. “It’s not about individuals, this is about a group going together and trying to get Australia back on track, to get away from looking at fifth position on a Test table ever again. We don’t want to ever be seen or thought of in the same breath or thought as, say, the West Indies after their reign at the top of the tree. We need to recover quicker than anything the West Indies have done.”

The offspinner Ashley Nurse is ready for what he has called the biggest match of his life, when India’s tour of the Caribbean kicks off with a Twenty20 international in Trinidad on Saturday

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Jun-2011Ashley Nurse, the West Indies offspinner, is ready for what he has called the biggest match of his life, when India’s tour of the Caribbean kicks off with a Twenty20 international in Trinidad on Saturday. Nurse, 22, debuted against Pakistan in April but didn’t take a wicket, and he’s hoping to prove that he belongs at the international level.”From the moment I got the call I was switched on,” Nurse said. “For me this is a very big game. I see this as the biggest match of my life. I got a taste of what things are like when I played against Pakistan and I’m very eager to play against India.”I’ve been told that we will have a full house on Saturday and as a player you always like to showcase your skills in front of a full crowd. For me this is a chance to show what I have and help to win another match for West Indies.”It has been a rapid rise for Nurse, who has not yet played first-class cricket and has played only one List A match, back in 2007. However, he has impressed in the shortest format, with a pair of five-wicket hauls from only 11 Twenty20 matches. A year ago, Nurse was not even part of the Barbados side.”I’m looking to observe the basics and stick to my line and length when I get a chance to bowl,” he said. “I believe I can make a contribution with the bat so I’m taking my batting quite seriously. I’ve been doing a lot of work trying to hit the ball as straight as possible and keeping my shape.”I have been working very hard on my overall game and doing a lot of work on my fitness as well. I feel much fitter and stronger than I did when I played against Pakistan. I feel good about myself and I’m ready for Saturday.”West Indies will field a relatively inexperienced side in the match, with Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard unavailable because they did not qualify by playing in the Caribbean Twenty20 tournament. Chris Gayle has not been chosen, and the board wants him to meet with the selectors before he is considered for international duties again.

The spinners, led by Piyush Chawla, gave India a back-from-the-dead victory over Australia

The Bulletin by Siddarth Ravindran at the Chinnaswamy Stadium13-Feb-2011
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Piyush Chawla has given the Indian selectors plenty to think about with his performance against Australia•Getty Images

Indian fans who left the Chinnaswamy Stadium after watching Australia control the first 70 overs of the high-profile warm-up match on Sunday will be kicking themselves. An early finish seemed likely when Australia coasted to 116 for 1 in 21 overs after rolling over India for 214, and there was an early finish, but it was India who ran out victors as Australia lost their final nine wickets for 58 runs.A massive crowd befitting an actual World Cup game had turned up to cheer India, expecting much from the star-studded batting line-up, but it was the less-heralded spinners, led by Piyush Chawla, who gave them plenty to shout about. Chawla spun out four middle-order batsmen before Harbhajan Singh applied the finishing touches to a back-from-the-dead victory.Australia made a solid beginning to the chase as Shane Watson kick-started the innings with a bunch of boundaries. Ricky Ponting and Tim Paine then carried their side halfway to the target before things started to fall apart for Australia. Paine had lashed four fours in the first six overs but got bogged down after that, and fell trying to clear long-on, where Munaf Patel sprinted to his right to take a sharp catch. During the 67-run stand between Paine and Ponting, Chawla went for 22 runs in four overs.His second spell transformed the game. In his first over back – immediately after Paine was dismissed – Chawla had Michael Clarke playing-on for a duck. Four overs later, Cameron White chipped a legbeak to midwicket, and David Hussey picked up a golden duck, drawn forward by Chawla before being beaten by the turn. Australia had slid to 138 for 5, and the first Mexican wave of the day made its way around the ground as the fans found their voice again. Callum Ferguson probably had the worst time of the lot: in a nine-ball stay, he was nearly run-out, was dropped at first slip, inside-edged a drive to square leg, was beaten by a vicious turner from Chawla and finally nicked one to slip. Chawla’s second spell was 5-0-9-4, and it provided more questions for the Indian selectors.Harbhajan, who was off the field for a while, returned to remove Ponting through a quicksilver stumping from MS Dhoni, and the rest of the Australian batting folded. There was help for the spinners from the pitch but this was not the minefield the Australian batsmen made it seem.One consolation for Australia will be the gritty half-century from Ponting, in his first match since the Boxing Day Test. He began with a couple of Chinese cuts against the unlucky R Ashwin, who bowled far better than the scorecard indicates, but soon produced some convincing shots – an on-drive off Ashwin and a pull when Chawla dropped short. Even in a warm-up match, Ponting retained the intensity of old. Sreesanth had some advice for him after a delivery pushed out to cover, and added some more after a strident appeal for caught-behind on the next ball. Ponting wasn’t going to just ignore it; he walked up to Sreesanth and doled out some advice of his own. The innings itself wasn’t Ponting at his best, but he showed no signs of the finger trouble which sidelined him last month.The top scorer for India was also a player coming back from injury – Virender Sehwag, whose shoulder problem didn’t bother him during his half-century. He began with an effortless push past extra cover for four off a low full toss, but couldn’t provide his customary high-speed start since he was starved of strike: he faced only four deliveries in the first five overs. Sehwag was at his most attacking against Jason Krejza, skipping beyond leg and looking to cut four times in Krejza’s first over. He carved three fours off Krejza, and blasted him over long-off to reach his fifty, but the offspinner had his revenge by bowling Sehwag next ball.Before his dismissal Sehwag watched a procession of India’s specialist batsmen come and go, none of whom made big contributions. Gautam Gambhir never looked at ease in a short stay before edging to slip; Virat Kohli showed glimpses of class in his 21 before chopping John Hastings to backward point; Yuvraj Singh walked after an indecisive response to a bouncer – initially looking to sway out of the way before feathering the ball to the keeper; Dhoni was bowled for 11, prolonging his fallow spell in one-dayers.At 113 for 5, with the seniors dismissed, Suresh Raina had a chance to stake his World Cup claim by reviving the innings. He survived the short balls Australia fired at him initially but didn’t last very long, nicking Brett Lee as he attempted an on-the-up drive. Once again, it was left to Yusuf Pathan to ensure India put up a fight, and he did with an unusually patient 32 (after being 18 off 34 at one stage).India made it past 200 thanks to some late resistance from Ashwin and Ashish Nehra but Australia would have been happy with their bowling performance, barring the huge number of wides. Brett Lee was in top form, accurate and slipping in the bouncers and yorkers at pace; Krejza had a decent outing against batsmen looking to attack him, and even their lowest-profile bowler, Hastings, provided two significant breakthroughs.India’s batting, which is their strength, has one more chance to get it together, against New Zealand on Wednesday, when they will have the re-assuring presence of Sachin Tendulkar at the top of the order.

Match Timeline

Things are already looking incredibly different at Manchester United with the dark cloud of 3rd-year-syndrome-Jose- Mourinho now a thing of the past.

Despite Paul Ince’s deluded opinion that just about anyone could pull things around at United – including himself, strangely – Ole Gunnar Solskjær has worked absolute wonders to get the players back on board and inject a bit of identity back into their game.

Paul Pogba is finally showing signs of consistency and quality to back up his dabbing frenzies, Anthony Martial is his opportunity to shine, Marcus Rashford is being played in the correct position, and Victor Lindelöf has firmly rescued himself from the “flop” pile. Even the draw against Burnley showed signs of classic Ferguson-era Manchester United.

What will excite fans the most, however, is Solskjær’s work off the pitch. One of the club’s most prized positions, Anthony Martial, has already signed a contract keeping him in Manchester until 2024 (source: manunited.com). A miracle, given just how reportedly close he was to leaving just a few months ago.

Now, attention is turned to their next superstar, Marcus Rashford.

The forward’s contract is due to expire at the end of next season with an option to extend for a further year if the club so wish. Reports from the Telegraph suggest that United are preparing to double Rashford’s current wage to more than £150,000 a week with bonuses in an effort to secure his services for the foreseeable future.

There’s every reason for United fans to be excited about this. Solskjær’s faith in Rashford as the starting striker has been repaid with the young forward returning six league goals in eight games, and showing signs of a developing lethal partnership with Paul Pogba – who has also been given a new role as the designated number 10.

The times are most certainly changing at Manchester United. For Rashford too, things could really be on the up.

If Everton find themselves in Europe next season, this could be a huge summer for both Marcel Brands and Carlo Ancelotti.

The Toffees haven’t been afraid of spending in recent years and they could splash the cash again in a few months time.

What’s the word?

According to The Daily Mail, Everton are leading the chase for Metz midfielder Pape Sarr.

The 18-year-old has caught the eye with his battling performances in Ligue 1 this season and had already been capped at international level by Senegal.

Manchester United and Chelsea are also thought to be interested in Sarr’s signature so it won’t be a straightforward chase.

Everton will also need around £27m to prise him away from France and bring him to the Premier League.

It’s understood the Toffees will also have to rival Newcastle and Aston Villa for his signature.

Replacing Gueye

When Everton sold Idrissa Gueye to PSG, they let a huge asset go.

This was a player who laid the foundations in the middle of the park, a man who could tackle brutally and stride forward with immense energy.

He has since become a pivotal cog for the Parisians and played a key role in knocking Bayern Munich out of the Champions League a few weeks ago.

The Merseyside outfit have since struggled to replace him. Carlo Ancelotti did bring Allan to the club last summer but he’s not been long back from a muscle injury that saw the Brazilian miss 13 matches.

However, the addition of Sarr would go a long way to finally replacing Gueye. Not only do they hail from the same nation, but they display very similar qualities.

Speaking about the teenager previously, his teammate at Metz, Lamina Gueye said: “He is a really talented youngster who is very serious in training or during matches. He’s always been like that. He works hard.”

Metz captain John Boye added: “He has great potential. We are all the time pushing him, encouraging him, talking to him and giving him confidence. He has it all.”

So far this term, Sarr has registered an impressive 2.1 tackles per game, while winning 1.1 aerial duels per match and keeping a pass success rate of 84.2.%.

A quick look at Gueye’s stats tells you the similarities. The former Everton man has prevailed in 2.3 tackles and completed 90% of his passes.

More discipline will come with Sarr’s performances as he gets older and it wouldn’t be a great surprise if he finds his passing improving, just as it has done with Gueye.

Allan hasn’t been a bad signing for Everton but the teenager in question here would undoubtedly give Ancelotti’s men a bit of extra bite and energy in midfield.

AND in other news, Everton must complete swoop for “unbelievable” £20m gem, he plays “like a soldier”…