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The 30-year old batsman was one of four uncapped players picked in a 16-man squad to face Pakistan from March 26

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Mar-2017Jason Mohammed, one of the only bright spots to emerge from a series whitewash by England, has been called up to the West Indies T20I squad for the first time. The 30-year old batsman struck back-to-back fifties earlier this month and could be vital to a team missing some of its biggest players.West Indies T20I squad

Samuel Badree, Carlos Brathwaite (capt), Jonathan Carter, Andre Fletcher, Jason Holder, Evin Lewis, Jason Mohammed, Sunil Narine, Veerasammy Permaul, Kieron Pollard, Rovman Powell, Marlon Samuels, Lendl Simmons, Jerome Taylor, Chadwick Walton, Kesrick Williams
In: Jonathan Carter, Jason Mohammed, Veerasammy Permaul, Lendl Simmons
Out: Dwayne Bravo, Johnson Charles, Nicholas Pooran

Chris Gayle has not played international cricket since the 2016 World T20. On top of that, Dwayne Bravo’s hamstring injury and Andre Russell’s ban took away two of the world’s best allrounders from Carlos Brathwaite’s side.But there was good news on Friday, when it was learnt that Kieron Pollard, Sunil Narine, Samuel Badree and Lendl Simmons were picked for two of the four T20Is against Pakistan from March 26. A WICB release listing the 16-man squad on Saturday confirmed all four men were available to play the entire series.Left-arm spinner Veerasammy Permaul also has the chance to be capped for the first time in T20Is. He picked up 12 wickets from eight List A matches in January and February and will likely be the understudy to legspinner Badree and offspinner Narine, both in the top 10 of the ICC bowlers rankings in the shortest format.Batsmen Jonathan Carter, who has recently become a regular in ODIs, and Rovman Powell, whose power-hitting has invoked comparisons with Russell, pushed the number of uncapped players in the squad to four. The experience of Marlon Samuels, Jerome Taylor and Jason Holder could offset that, although Holder has not played a T20I for West Indies since 2015.

Hamish Bennett said being patient and waiting for the Bangladesh batsmen to make mistakes worked for him, on his return to ODI cricket after three years

ESPNcricinfo staff18-May-20171:16

‘Didn’t expect another game after Hamilton 2014 – Bennett

It has been almost seven years since fast bowler Hamish Bennett made his ODI debut for New Zealand. In that series, he played two ODIs, against Bangladesh in Bangladesh, and New Zealand were humbled 4-0. Bennett remembers that series clearly, and was especially pleased that, on Wednesday, when he made his return to international cricket after three years – his previous ODI appearance was in January 2014 – New Zealand got the better of them.”It was a really good feeling,” Bennett said after New Zealand’s four-wicket win in the Ireland tri-series. “To be honest, I didn’t think I was going to get another game after Hamilton in 2014. But, especially good to win against Bangladesh after losing there 4-0, good to get one over them.”Bennett made his debut when he was 23, but had never managed to cement his place in the New Zealand first XI. Now, with a few first-choice players away at the IPL, Bennett slotted in and was simply happy to play with some of the friends he has made on the domestic circuit. “It was good to get out there. I’ve always wanted to play international cricket with Neil Broom, Tommy Latham and Ross [Taylor] as well,” he said. “So it was good to play a game for New Zealand with a couple of good mates.”That New Zealand had to chase only 258 was courtesy Bennett’s final two overs, where he conceded only three runs off the bat and took three wickets. His short-pitched deliveries against the Bangladesh middle and lower-order paid rich dividends, and he said that his plan to be patient and force his opponents to make mistakes held him in good stead.”You get lucky at the death sometimes – it goes one way or the another,” Bennett said. “It went my way today but my main job was to attack on that slower surface, it was just about trying to put the balls in the good areas. It was just about trying to contain them and get them to do something silly.”I think, in one-day cricket, you can afford to be a little bit patient with the ball because eventually the batting team will have to come at you. My mentality was just about trying to be patient and wait for them to make the play. I didn’t want to go searching too much, just wanted to keep building pressure.”Bennett, who was described by half-centurion James Neesham after the game as “one of the best death bowlers in New Zealand”, finished with figures of 3 for 31 and Bangladesh were kept to 257 for 9. But both players felt their team’s fielding effort was not up to scratch – the Bangladesh innings featured several misfields with players letting balls through or diving over them, overthrows that went to the boundary, and dropped chances – which left them chasing more than they should have been.”The target could easily have been a little bit less, we were a little sloppy, in the field,” Bennett said. “We should’ve kept them to about 230, but we never really had any run-rate pressure [in the chase], so it’s a fair reflection that 250-odd was a good score to chase.”Man-of-the-Match Neesham, whose 48-ball 52 shepherded New Zealand home with 15 balls to spare, said: “We bowled a bit better than 260-odd. If we’re honest with ourselves, our fielding let us down a bit, and 20-30 runs went abegging. You’ve got to chase the target you’re set and doing it with 12 balls to spare or whatever was ideal.”

If Arsenal supporters thought their side's summer spending spree was set to conclude with the arrivals of Declan Rice and Jurrien Timber, they have another thing coming.

According to Sky Sports reporter Dharmesh Sheth, manager Mikel Arteta is on the lookout for another right-sided attacker to complete his squad for the 2023/24 campaign.

Who have Arsenal signed this summer?

Rice and Timber's rather drawn-out arrivals will surely be confirmed in the coming days, with the pair joining for a combined £143m, on top of the £65m splashed out on Kai Havertz from Chelsea earlier in the window.

Granit Xhaka is the only first-team regular to have departed after the Swiss midfielder joined Leverkusen for a fee of £21.4m, so it is fair to say Arsenal's squad is a lot stronger – or certainly will be – than at the end of last season.

Arteta is seemingly not content just yet, though, as he is seeking a player who can give Bukayo Saka some competition on the right-hand flank.

If previous reports are anything to go by, Bayer Leverkusen's Moussa Diaby could be the man Arsenal and Arteta go all out to sign before the transfer window closes, according to Dean Jones on The Football Terrace (via TEAMtalk).

What positions can Moussa Diaby play?

Diaby is as versatile as they come, having played right across the forward line in his 41 appearances for Leverkusen in all competitions last season. It is out on the right the 10-cap France international prefers to play, featuring there 17 times last season, as per WhoScored.

The Frenchman scored 12 goals and assisted nine more in all competitions – the vast majority of those goal involvements coming when he was fielded out on the right.

That would therefore see him fit the criteria of the type of player Arteta is after, with Diaby – valued at around £50m, according to the Daily Mail – also showing last season he has an end product to his game.

As Leverkusen's sporting director Simon Rolfes put it in an interview with The Athletic earlier this year, Diaby is an "extremely fast, technically strong" player, one who is able to beat an opponent and also lead counter-attacks.

As per FBref, Diaby ranks in the top 19% of all attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe's top five leagues in terms of non-penalty goals per 90 scored last season (0.35), while he is in the top 20% for progressive carries per 90 (4.04).

To put that in some perspective, Saka – one of the best performers in the Premier League last season – was in the top 21% (0.33) for non-penalty goals and top 10% for progressive carries (5.04).

If Arsenal are to spend £50m on a player then it will be on someone who can seriously rival Saka for a starting spot, or at the very least provide a high-quality replacement when the Englishman needs a rest.

Given FBref's player comparison tool ranks Liverpool superstar Mohamed Salah as the player most like Diaby across Europe's top five leagues, it is fair to say Arsenal would be getting exactly that.

For example, the French phenom scored from 0.11 of his shots last season, compared to 0.14 for Salah, while they completed a near identical number of passes (24.7 v 24.6 respectively) and were also alike in terms of shot-creating actions per 90 (3.67 v 3.83), which factors in passes and take-ons leading to a shot.

Diaby could therefore be the ideal signing for Arteta in his search for what he will hope is the final piece in a title-winning jigsaw.

Celtic's squad will continue to be in almost complete overhaul this summer, with Brendan Rodgers admitting via The Scottish Sun that he plans to get rid of several fringe players.

When did Brendan Rodgers take over at Celtic?

The Scottish Premiership outfit once more claimed the league title in 2022/23, courtesy of another impressive campaign led by Ange Postecoglou. Having led the Hoops to first place in both of his campaigns in charge, it meant that the Australian certainly had a successful tenure during his time at Parkhead. It also meant that he ended up on the radar of other teams – and he was eventually poached to manage Tottenham ahead of the next campaign.

It left Celtic needing to fill their managerial position once more, and the club settled on bringing Brendan Rodgers back to Scotland, re-signing their old coach in the middle of June 2023.

Having left Leicester, with the Foxes heading towards Premier League relegation, he was available to bring in free of charge – release fee wise at least – and the Hoops jumped at the opportunity to bring the former Liverpool man back to the club. During his last stint with the side, he managed to bag two Scottish Premiership titles, two Scottish Cups and three Scottish League Cups.

Even more impressive is that he also went unbeaten domestically during his first year at the helm – so fans will be delighted to see him back in the hotseat.

What's the latest Celtic transfer news?

He now has some work to do in order to get the squad back to his liking ahead of the 2022/23 season. He's already seen several deals take place under his leadership, with four incomings and three outgoings for the club already. They parted with a seven-figure fee to bring in Odin Thiago Holm from Valerenga for starters, and have also spent a similar amount to snap up Hyun-jun Yang from Gangwon FC.

Rounding out their business, they've added a winger in Marco Tilio and have signed 26-year-old Tomoki Iwata. They should still have plenty of funds available though, with the Hoops having sold Jota to Ittihad in the Saudi Pro League for a fee which hit nearly £30m. Conor Hazard has left for Championship Plymouth and Adam Montgomery has departed on loan.

And that certainly doesn't look like it will be the end of their transfer business. According to boss Rodgers, via The Scottish Sun, Celtic will offload even more of their squad players this summer, with the manager feeling that the squad needs to be cut down ahead of the new season. It's unclear which players will be shown the door, but he said: "We will be looking to trim the squad. That will be the natural process. I've already spoken to a couple of players and I'm sure I will do over the course of pre-season.

"You have to be honest with players. Even if it's a tough conversation, it's the most humane way and the most direct way to tell them the plan. If that's to move on and get playing football, then that's what they have to do."

Rodgers then clearly already has a vision in place about the type of squad he wants at his disposal. Having already won pretty much all there is to win with Celtic previously, you would trust him to mould the squad to his liking in order to repeat the feat in 2023/24.

Australia fast bowler Mitchell Starc says his side will have no trouble raising their game with their backs against the wall in a Group A Champions Trophy clash against England on Saturday

Alan Gardner06-Jun-2017Mitchell Starc returned to stump-rattling form at The Oval on Monday afternoon and, although rain deprived Australia of victory over Bangladesh, he was quick to switch focus to what is effectively a quarter-final against England in their final Group A match at the weekend.Two no-results have left Australia on two points, still second in the group but set to be overtaken by the winner of Bangladesh-New Zealand on Friday. While England have already qualified for the last four, Australia are likely to be in a situation where victory means progression and losing means an early flight home.”Our record’s pretty good in tournament play,” Starc said. “I reckon we probably perform at our best when we know it’s a knockout situation, when we need to really step up. I think that brings the best out of a lot of our players, so I think everyone’s looking forward to this fixture.”Australia captain Steven Smith had invited extra scrutiny of his pace attack after calling their performance against New Zealand last week “one of the worst bowling displays that we’ve put on for a very long time”. Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins duly responded, albeit against a more limited Bangladesh batting lineup, with spells that were both parsimonious and penetrating.The innings culminated in Starc’s of 4 for 1 – Nos. 8, 9 and 10 dispatched neck and crop – to suggest he has slipped into a groove in what was only his second outing since March, having missed the last several months after he suffered a foot stress fracture on Australia’s tour of India.”I think we had a much cleaner performance with the ball all round,” Starc said. “We all contributed, we had a fair bit to talk about after the last fixture. It’s been pleasing to put that on the board and respond after the New Zealand game.”It’s just nice to play cricket again, it’s been a long time. Nice to get these two games under the belt and get some rhythm back, great for the group to end on that positive note with the ball, leading into a big game now against England.”While Bangladesh had mounted a spirited effort in the tournament opener against England, scoring 305 for 6 before losing by eight wickets, their batsmen struggled noticeably with the extra pace generated by Australia’s attack – something Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Mortaza said afterwards was an appreciable notch up.”It can be good and bad, obviously if you’re not on the money, like last week, it can go pear-shaped,” Starc said. “But we have got a bit of pace in the change-room so when we get it right, like we did today, we can close down the scoreboard and take wickets towards the back end as well. I think that’s something we’ve done pretty well over the last little period, being able to fight back with the ball if we haven’t started well.”There’s obviously been a lot spoken about it in the last couple of days and back home in some other series as well… We’ve always been able to fight back with the ball, so it was more of a complete performance today and hopefully we can do that on Saturday, as well.”Starc also referred to his productive new-ball partnership with Hazlewood, in which their contrasting styles allow them to pose searching questions of opposition batsmen. Although the tournament is only halfway through the group stage, Australia are so far the only team to twice take ten wickets in a match and Smith will be looking for an equally ruthless performance when they take on England, a familiar opponent and a team they defeated 3-2 in their last ODI meeting on these shores in 2015.”I don’t change my gameplan too much,” he said. “I like to stay pretty simple with the way I approach my cricket, regardless of where I am, it’s always pretty aggressive and I think I’m able to do that much easier when I’ve got Josh at the other end, who can hit a spot so consistently.”We change things depending on what conditions we’re presented, when we saw a worn wicket today we had to change our lengths a bit, obviously the spinner came in and there might have been a bit of turn. So we’ll assess the conditions. It might be a fresh wicket in Birmingham on Saturday. When we get there, we’ll talk about it, and talk about the lineup we’re facing as well.”We’ll just focus on what we need to do to beat England. We’ve played enough cricket against them over the last little while. We know a lot about their players.”

Chelsea have placed Crystal Palace star Michael Olise "in their list" of targets for the summer, according to reliable journalist Fabrizio Romano.

Who is Michael Olise?

Olise is naturally an attacking midfielder who has played his football in the Premier League and indeed at Selhurst Park since joining from Reading back in 2021, where he was an academy graduate. He's since gone on to become a regular feature of Roy Hodgson's first-team having made 31 starts in the top-flight last season.

Despite still having another three years to run on his contract, the 21-year-old established himself as the Eagles' second best-performing player with a WhoScored match rating of 6.99 during the previous campaign and this form has already attracted interest from two clubs in particular in the form of both Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain.

Mauricio Pochettino will know that he has to enter the market for central reinforcements before the end of the ongoing window having already lost the likes of Mason Mount, Mateo Kovacic and N'Golo Kante just to name a few, and if the following update is to be believed, the Frenchman has been highlighted as a new option.

Are Chelsea signing Michael Olise?

Taking to Twitter, Romano revealed that Chelsea have identified Olise as a serious summer target but are currently holding back to discover the possible extent of an injury that he sustained in June. He wrote:

"Chelsea and Manchester City have both Michael Olise in their list. Understand there’s release clause into his contract — around £35m. #CFC #MCFC Both clubs are waiting for clarity about his conditions as he picked up injury last month."

Chelsea owner Todd Boehly hasn't been afraid to empty his pockets so far this summer having recruited the likes of RB Leipzig's Christopher Nkunku and Villarreal's Nicolas Jackson for decent fees, and with Olise being available for just £35m, he would be an absolute bargain and a player that the chief should definitely consider making a move for.

The Nike-sponsored "joy to watch", as lauded by Sky Sports pundit Clinton Morrison, racked up 13 goal contributions (11 assists and two goals) in 37 Premier League appearances last season, form which saw him receive five man-of-the-match awards, but he was equally a threat even when his name wasn't on the scoresheet.

The Hammersmith-born talent recorded a total of 242 crosses and 143 shot-creating actions over the course of the previous campaign, both statistics being the highest out of the whole of his squad, as per FBRef, showing his constant desire to get involved in the action and produce moments of quality for his fellow teammates in the final third.

Finally, Olise would be able to add wonderful versatility to the boss' ranks having operated in seven different positions since the start of his career, including four roles in the midfield, out wide on both the left and right flanks and even as a second striker, so should he put pen to paper, it would be a massive coup for Pochettino's new era.

Sussex will go into the break from Championship action still in the hunt for promotion from Division Two after completing a 231-run win over bottom of the table Leicestershire at Arundel to claim their third win in four games

ECB Reporters Network08-Jul-2017
ScorecardArundel has boosted Sussex’s promotion hopes•Getty ImagesSussex will go into the break from Championship action still in the hunt for promotion from Division Two after completing a 231-run win over bottom of the table Leicestershire at Arundel to claim their third win in four games.After Danny Briggs took a wicket in the first over on the final day Sussex had to be patient, but once skipper Mark Cosgrove was fourth out at 124 Leicestershire folded, losing their last seven wickets in 23 overs for 70 runs to leave them still searching for their first win of the season.The wickets were shared around but the match-defining spell was bowled after lunch by Chris Jordan, who took 2-14 in a five-over burst where he got the ball to reverse swing expertly to remove Cosgrove and Ned Eckersley.With an end opened up, Jofra Archer and leg-spinner Will Beer piled through. Archer, who took 11 wickets when Sussex won at Grace Road last month, picked up seven more in the match including 4 for 30 in the second innings. Only wicketkeeper Lewis Hill, who made 35, offered much resistance as Leicestershire were dismissed for 193 in 69.1 overs.Leicestershire began the day on 36 for 0 needing an improbable 425 and they suffered an immediate setback when Arun Harinath was caught off a top edge for 17.Paul Horton and Colin Ackermann dug in to put on 52 with Ackermann twice lofting Briggs over the top for six. But Archer returned to the attack before lunch to pick up both batsmen. Horton was leg before in the second over of his spell and Ackermann, who top scored with 43, nicked off.With only three wickets down Leicestershire might have harboured hopes of saving the game at lunch but Jordan produced a decisive burst. Cosgrove was beaten by late movement then Eckersley lost his off stump playing no shot.The gutsy Hill apart, the rest came quietly. Will Fazakerley endured a pair on his first-class debut when he gave a catch to Chris Nash at short leg. Nash had earlier spent time off the field when he was hit on the knee by Cosgrove.Rob Sayer was leg before to a ball which kept low and Matt Pillans gloved Archer’s bouncer to the keeper before Clint McKay drove Beer to short midwicket.Last man Richard Jones helped Hill but on 26 for the last wicket but they were futile blows and Abi Sakande wrapped up victory on the stroke of tea when he had Hill leg before for 35.

Sri Lanka’s bowling coach has drawn attention to the tendency to produce spin-friendly pitches in first-class cricket that are stifling the development of quick bowlers

Andrew Fidel Fernando in Pallekele12-Aug-2017Sri Lanka’s bowling coach Chaminda Vaas has become the latest insider to criticise the country’s domestic system, drawing particular attention to its tendency to produce pitches unsuited to quick-bowling.Of the top 15 wicket-takers in the most recent first-class season, 14 were spin bowlers. In the previous Premier League Tournament season (2015-16), the most successful fast bowler had been placed at 15th overall – only two seamers entering the top 20. It is not unusual for spinners to take the new ball in first-class cricket, where dustbowls are routinely prepared, especially towards the end of the season.”We can’t be satisfied with the way first-class cricket is,” Vaas said. “We need to make first-class cricket work for fast bowlers. We talk a lot about what ails first-class cricket, but no matter how much we talk, the issue hasn’t moved forward.”It is widely believed that it is partly because of the poor nature of domestic surfaces that Sri Lanka do not possess a well-honed battery of quicks. Promising fast bowlers are generally picked in the academy, but must largely develop at the A-team and international levels.”If we want to improve our cricket and increase the number of fast bowlers we have – if we want to do justice to our cricket – we need to make pitches that are suited to fast bowlers,” Vaas said. “If we do that I trust that our bowlers would be better off than they are now.”Sri Lanka’s meagre fast-bowling depth was of particular relevance in the ongoing Pallekele Test, in which Lahiru Kumara and Vishwa Fernando were the frontline quicks, following injuries to Nuwan Pradeep and Suranga Lakmal. Fernando is playing only his second Test match. Kumara, 20, is playing his seventh Test, but has played only three domestic first-class games in his career, having been in the Under-19 team only a year ago.”They need to play more, I think,” Vaas said. “If you take our first-class cricket, they don’t have enough first-class experience to play well. If you take quicks from any country, they start bowling well after they have played 20-25 Tests only. We can’t suddenly expect a lot from Vishwa and Lahiru Kumara. It’s with their mindset that they can improve. They need to practice a lot and play a lot of games. With that match experience only they will develop.”First-class surfaces have been unduly spin-friendly for at least five seasons now, and two seasons into their tenure, the SLC board headed by Thilanga Sumathipala has failed to bring about meaningful change to domestic pitches. Sumathipala has conceded the surfaces are a problem area, however. In an interview with ESPNcricinfo in May, he said the board would make improvements on that front.”Next year we’re going to have independent curators approving certain wickets,” he had said. “It’s all costing us money because we have to retain a lot of people.”According to Sumathipala, part of the problem is that some first class clubs – such as Badureliya CC or Ragama CC – do not have grounds of their own, and are forced to hire grounds for their home matches. Those venues, in turn, are not adequately maintained, said Sumathipala.”We’re putting the grounds on notice. By June or July, we’ll tell them they need to have good wickets ready by September. They have to put the top dressing and so on. It takes about three months. Hopefully next year we’ll have some better wickets. We’re importing rollers. We would like to have more of those three-ton rollers, because that is important to getting an even surface. We’ve asked our curators to go around and give the ground staff some training. We need to give some infrastructure assistance to the clubs. By the time we get to September, they’ll be sound.”His board, however, has done nothing to cut down the number of first-class sides, which may help ease pressure on the common grounds that are on rotation in domestic cricket.

Celtic officially kick off their 2023/24 Scottish Premiership campaign next weekend as they host Ross County at Parkhead on the 5th of August.

Who have Celtic signed this summer?

The Paradise faithful could see a number of fresh faces in action for the first time in a competitive setting as Brendan Rodgers has been able to make five new signings during the summer transfer window.

Marco Tilio, Hyun-jun Yang, Odin Thiago Holm, Hyeok-kyu Kwon, and Maik Nawrocki have all come through the door on permanent deals so far.

However, Australia international Tilio will not be involved against County next Saturday as the head coach has already confirmed that he is set to miss the start of the season through injury.

There could be further arrivals before the end of the window and one player who has been linked with a move to Glasgow is Red Star Belgrade dynamo Kings Kangwa, who is likely to cost around €3m-rated (£2.6m).

How many goals did Kings Kangwa score last season?

The Zambia international scored 12 goals across 45 appearances in all competitions last term and could be Rodgers' outstanding goal threat from midfield, which could make him a lethal partner for Matt O'Riley.

Kangwa found the back of the net eight times in 20 league starts for Red Star as he proved himself to be a reliable scorer from a number eight position.

Meanwhile, no Celtic midfielder managed more than six Scottish Premiership strikes and Japan international Reo Hatate was the only one with more than Aaron Mooy's four.

This suggests that the talented hotshot has the potential to be a fantastic signing for the Hoops as he could provide a greater goal threat than Rodgers' current options in that role, which could add another weapon to the manager's arsenal ahead of next season.

The 24-year-old ace, who journalist Callum Castel hailed as "impressive" for his country, could thrive alongside O'Riley as the former MK Dons maestro is an exceptional creative midfielder who could provide the £2.6m-rated talent with the opportunities he needs in front of goal with his superb passing ability.

Last season, the Denmark international produced a superb 2.1 key passes per match for his side in the Premiership, which was more than any other player within the squad, and ended the campaign with a club-high 12 league assists.

O'Riley has the quality to consistently open up opposition defences to create chances for his teammates, which was proven in his performances. That is why he could be a lethal partner for the Zambian finisher, as the pair could link up for goals on a regular basis in Scotland.

Kangwa also averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.24 across 32 league outings for Red Star last term, which would have placed him third for Celtic – only behind O'Riley (7.30) and Jota (7.45), who has since moved on to join Al Ittihad in Saudi Arabia.

This suggests that, if he can translate that form over to the Premiership, the 5 foot 6 maestro could be one of Rodgers' top-performing players whilst also being able to strike up an excellent relationship with O'Riley in the middle of the park, which is why he could be a shrewd signing this summer.

Aston Villa are still battling a number of other Premier League clubs for the signing of Juventus youngster Samuel Iling-Junior this summer and are ready to make a "concrete" bid, according to a new transfer update.

How old is Samuel Iling-Junior?

The Englishman joined Juve from Chelsea back in the summer of 2020, having enjoyed a long spell in the Blues' academy that led to him being touted as one of the best young players in Europe.

Iling-Junior has continued to work his way up the pecking order in the three years that he has spent in Turin, now making 18 appearances for them, scoring once and assisting twice in that time. While far from a regular for his current side, it is a testament to the progress he has made, considering he is still just 19 years of age.

A big future could await the former Chelsea youngster, assuming he continues on his current trajectory, but it remains to be seen if that will be a Juve or not.

Villa have already had one of the most productive summer transfer windows in years, having brought in some fantastic players, whether it be Pau Torres at centre-back or Youri Tielemans in the middle of the park, but they may also be on the lookout for young talent who can be long-term signings well into the future.

That's where Iling-Junior comes into play, with the Villans seemingly battling a number of rivals for his signature in the coming weeks.

Could Aston Villa sign Samuel Iling-Junior?

According to Calciomercato [via Sport Witness], Villa are ready to making further ground in their efforts to sign the teenager, but Everton are also interested in snapping him up. Indeed, is believed the Midlands side are now "willing to present a concrete offer" for the player.

Brighton and Wolves are mentioned as potential suitors, too, with a return to England certainly on the cards, should Juve decide to accept an offer this summer.

His agent, Frank Trimboli, has reportedly "kept all doors open" for Iling-Junior, in terms of possible options, and it could be that a bidding starts, with Juve wanting €25m (£21.4m) to at least consider a sale.

This could be a really astute piece of business by Villa if they see the three-time capped England Under-20 international as a genuine target this summer, considering the heights he could reach in the coming years. Juve boss Massimiliano Allegri has described him as "my pleasant discovery", clearly rating him as a player, while legendary Italian attacker Alessandro Del Piero has also praised him.

Iling-Junior is a left-sided midfielder by trade, and could come in as an immediate option off the substitutes' bench for Villa, putting his physical stature and trickery to good use against tiring legs, before eventually becoming more of a fixture in the starting lineup, should his development continue in a positive trajectory.

It is never easy to predict how a young player's career is going to pan out, with injuries and dedications levels so key to them reaching their potential, but in Unai Emery, Villa have an ideal manager to nurture Iling-Junrio, and the fact that Monchi sees him as good summer target also says a lot about what a big talent he is.