Would it be hyperbole to suggest that Kobbie Mainoo provided the best, or most significant, moment at Manchester United in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era?

Faced with an imperious Manchester City side in the 2024 FA Cup final, Erik ten Hag’s men defied the odds to claim a richly deserved 2-1 win, a year on from having tamely been defeated by their neighbours en route to treble glory.

Alejandro Garnacho had pounced early on to open the scoring, before fellow academy graduate Mainoo popped up at the backpost to add a second, slotting home perfectly following Bruno Fernandes’ ingenious reverse pass.

The then-teenager, like the thousands decked out in red at Wembley, roared in celebration, revelling in the crowing moment of a stunning, six-month rise from relative obscurity.

The Old Trafford faithful have been wedded to United’s golden boy since then, although there has been no such warmth from new boss Ruben Amorim.

What Amorim said about Mainoo after West Ham

From the highs of that Wembley showpiece, and his subsequent role in England’s run to the final at Euro 2024, Mainoo’s impact has plummeted since then, having hardly had a look-in following an injury-hit start to 2024/25.

Seemingly fighting a losing battle from the off following Amorim’s arrival in November 2024 – having failed to start the Portuguese’s first game in charge against Ipswich Town – the Stockport native has drifted onto the periphery, with 2025/26 proving particularly frustrating thus far.

The forgotten man, Mainoo is yet to start a single Premier League game this season, playing just 171 minutes in all, having been an unused substitute for the fourth time against West Ham United in midweek.

Speaking after that dismal 1-1 draw, Amorim went on the defensive regarding his treatment of the youngster, while laughing off suggestions that the midfielder could have been an “offensive” alteration.

Asked if he understood why Mainoo’s status as a homegrown talent made him such a talking point for fans and pundits alike, the 40-year-old replied:

Mainoo, unsurprisingly, is seeking a January exit amid his bizarre fall from grace, although he surely isn’t the midfielder INEOS should be looking to move on.

Man Utd must sell flop who's getting the Mainoo treatement

Perhaps the biggest source of frustration regarding Mainoo’s situation is that Amorim isn’t exactly blessed with regard to midfield depth, with his current squad boasting just four recognised, senior midfielders to choose from.

For much of 2025/26, the ex-Sporting CP boss has selected ever-present skipper, Fernandes, alongside the ageing Casemiro, with both Mainoo and Manuel Ugarte limited to mere late cameos off the bench.

Like the FA Cup final hero, Ugarte has also become a notable talking point amid his limited role under Amorim, despite having previously worked with the 3-4-2-1 boss in Lisbon.

Indeed, it was reported last month that the ex-Paris Saint-Germain man had been criticised by his manager in front of teammates at Carrington, following the Europa League final defeat.

Like Mainoo, who enjoyed just a mere last-gasp cameo in Bilbao, Ugarte was also something of an afterthought even as United toiled, having failed to even make it off the bench on the night.

Games

9

10

Starts

0

2

Goals

0

0

Assists

0

0

Big chances created

0

0

Key passes*

0.6

0.1

Pass accuracy*

87%

86%

Total duels won*

36%

60%

Balls recovered*

1.1

2.0

Dribbled past*

0.1

0.4

Much like Mainoo too, the Uruguayan has been forced to settle for a watching brief for much of this season, starting just twice in the top-flight, while notably being hooked at the break following an “embarrassing” display against Grimsby Town, in the view of writer Alex Turk.

Of course, there isn’t the groundswell of support for Ugarte like there is for his midfield colleague, with the decision to fork out almost £50m on the 24-year-old standing out as one of the worst decisions of recent years at Old Trafford.

Whether the £120k-per-week talent, again like Mainoo, is being helped by his manager is another matter, however, with Amorim hardly backing his man after revealing that Ugarte is “struggling” to adjust to life in the Premier League.

Either way, if it comes down to choosing between which peripheral midfielder needs to be shown the door, it should surely be Ugarte whom INEOS cash in on, with the safe and steady asset doing little to warrant a third-season stay in Manchester.

Cunha 2.0: INEOS to fast-track Man Utd bid for 'best winger in England'

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Marnus Labuschagne forced to open after back spasm forces Usman Khawaja off the field

Alex Malcolm21-Nov-2025

AFP/Getty Images

Usman Khawaja was unable to open for Australia after an ill-timed decision to leave the field to get treatment for back spasms just before England’s first innings collapse on the opening day of in Perth leading to a hasty reshuffle of their top order.After months of debate about Australia’s batting order and the selectors’ decision to reinstate Marnus Labuschagne at No. 3, he was forced to open anyway alongside debutant Jake Weatherald after Khawaja spent the last three overs of England’s innings off the field as they lost 5 for 20 in 23 balls to be bowled out for just 172.”I didn’t know about it until the ninth wicket when he still had 10 minutes or so [to make up],” Mitchell Starc said. “We got caught off guard a little bit with the wickets falling pretty quickly in the back end there. It’s just unfortunate that was the case. He’ll manage that overnight and see how we’re at tomorrow.”Khawaja, 38, had left the field several times in the first three hours of play and exited again with the score at 152 for 5 after 29 overs. Khawaja battled back stiffness through the day and had a back spasm the second time he left the field.Related

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England then collapsed while he was stretching to overcome the spasm and it left stand-in captain Steven Smith calling for Khawaja to come back onto the field. Khawaja eventually did return to the field for the end of the innings but according to ICC rules had not returned for the equal amount of time he had been off and therefore was ineligible to open the batting.”I don’t think we really realised he wasn’t going to come out at the start of the innings. It was probably more unsettling for the Aussies,” Brydon Carse said after play.It is understood Khawaja did not have a prior back injury. However, Khawaja did play 18 holes of golf on Thursday, having missed Australia’s last optional training session, and also played several times earlier in the week. It is not unusual for Khawaja to play golf the day before a Test match. Scott Boland and Mitchell Starc, who took a career-best 7 for 58 on Friday, also played on Thursday along with several members of the coaching staff.It meant Weatherald faced the first over from Jofra Archer, although he may have done so anyway. Weatherald had not faced the first ball of an innings in each of his last 20 first-class innings before his Test debut, during a run of form that saw him earn his first Test cap.He was trapped lbw second ball by a searing full delivery from Archer that knocked him off his feet. His duck mirrored that of Nathan McSweeney’s on Test debut for Australia when opening against India at the same ground 12 months ago in very similar circumstances.Given the wicket fell so soon into the innings, it meant Smith walked out at No. 3 for the first time in a Test since 2017, although he had opened alongside in four Tests in early 2024 before returning to his preferred No. 4.Khawaja made his way to the middle at No. 4 after Labuschagne fell to Archer after tea. Like a few in the top order, he didn’t end up surviving long, gloving a superb delivery from Carse to the keeper for 2, as Australia followed suit in struggling with the bat and ended the day on 123 for 9.

Beth Mooney’s unbeaten 94 helped Perth reach their target of 165 with seven wickets to spare

AAP06-Dec-2025Beth Mooney has led Perth Scorchers back into the WBBL finals, executing the perfect chase against Brisbane Heat and ending Melbourne Renegades’ title defence in the process.Needing 165 for victory in a must-win game at the WACA on Saturday, Mooney hit an unbeaten 94 from 61 to help Perth reach the target with seven wickets and four balls to spare. The victory ensured the Scorchers would have a home final, knocked the Renegades out of the top four and handed the Heat the first winless season in WBBL history.With one game to play in the season, Hobart are guaranteed top spot and hosting rights for next Saturday night’s final at Ninja Stadium. Perth and the Melbourne Stars are also locked into finals spots, with the winner of the Sydney Sixers and Adelaide at North Sydney Oval on Sunday morning to join them.The WBBL’s finals system has third and fourth face off in eliminator on Tuesday, before the winner of that plays against second on Thursday for a spot in the final.The Stars could have wrapped up second spot on Saturday morning had they beaten the Sydney Thunder at Junction Oval, only for them to be well beaten. Instead Perth are now in second, and will stay there if the Strikers beat the Sixers on Sunday.Facing a tricky chase after Georgia Redmayne’s 57 helped the Heat to 164 for 7, Mooney took control of the game at the WACA. Australia’s veteran opener regularly picked balls up off her pads and hit them over the legside to the rope, hitting 12 boundaries in a near-flawless knock. The Scorchers’ chase threatened to wobble late when Maddy Darke (24) and Sophie Devine (13) fell, but Mooney held her nerve and Freya Kemp’s late hitting saw Perth home.The leading run-scorer in WBBL history, Mooney now has scores of 105, 75 and 94* for the season and will enter the finals as one of the league’s most dangerous players.

There are set to be at least five seasons and it will be the first professional women’s cricket event in Saudi Arabia

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Nov-2025

FairBreak and Saudi Cricket have announced a five-year partnership to host the Women’s World T20 Challenge in Saudi Arabia from 2026. It is set to be the first professional women’s cricket event in Saudi Arabia. Saudi Cricket and FairBreak said in a release that the competition will feature players from more than 35 countries.FairBreak is a private company founded in 2013 that aims to improve gender equality in sport and previously hosted the FairBreak Global Invitational T20 in 2022 and 2023 in Dubai and Hong Kong respectively. A third edition was planned in 2023 in the USA but it was initially postponed to 2024 and eventually didn’t come to fruition.The FairBreak Invitational was fully sanctioned by the ICC and had six teams. It featured international stars like Chamari Athapaththu, Sophie Ecclestone, Laura Wolvaardt and Marizanne Kapp among others. However, the BCCI did not give No-Objection Certificates (NOCs) to the Indian players. It is also unclear as of now if any Indian players will feature in the new T20 tournament.The announcement said new T20 league is “in alignment with the ambitions of Saudi Vision 2030” and among its objectives are to develop women’s cricket talent through structured training programmes and pathways, to raise public awareness and inspire the next generation of players, to enhance international collaboration, and to bring in players from more than 35 countries.The Women’s World T20 Challenge will see Saudi Arabia increase its presence on the cricket map. The IPL auction was held in Jeddah in 2024 and the country was also poised to back a new Grand-Slam-style circuit of T20 tournaments. Saudi Arabia is also set to host some games in the future seasons of the ILT20.

Heung-min Son touches down in London next week to bid farewell to the Lilywhites fanbase at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Thomas Frank’s side are set to take on Slavia Prague in the Champions League, and what they could do with a prime version of Son and Harry Kane leading the line.

It’s fair to say that the world-class forwards have not been replaced since both departing in recent years, and that has been to the detriment of the new manager’s project.

Creatively, Spurs have not been at the races, but the need for an elite centre-forward has been just as severe. Talismanic figures like Kane are hard to come by, though.

Why Spurs are missing Harry Kane

It is not hard to work out why Tottenham miss their all-time record goalscorer, whose shooting skills are second to none and who, regardless, has so much more to his game than mere finishing.

Now a superstar with Bayern Munich, the Three Lions captain is one of the most prolific forwards in world football, actually described as “the best player in the world” by writer Mitch Fretton.

This might just be the case. Kane has posted 25 goals from 21 matches in all competitions this season. His Bayern side are runaway Bundesliga leaders already.

He is the star of the show, the cream of the crop. Just as he was at Tottenham.

How Frank must wish for such a player leading his line. Although saying that, the Danish coach does has a Kane-esque star in his ranks, even if this player is performing on the other side of the field.

Spurs have a new Kane-like talisman

There isn’t a single forward in Tottenham’s first team who would scratch the same surface as Kane in his north London pomp right now, but Cristian Romero is showing off talismanic properties, albeit in a different way.

The Argentina international has been something of a divisive figure at times down N17, boasting world-class talent but also an erraticness and rash streak that has pulled him away from the action at times.

But he’s still an immense player, evidenced when he came up trumps as Spurs salvaged a draw at St. James’ Park on Tuesday evening, scoring a brace against Newcastle United.

Romero is hardly a similar player to Kane, but they share some similarities that suggest Romero could be the club’s new version.

They are both leaders. Kane was never anointed as Tottenham’s first-choice captain due to Hugo Lloris, but he’s undoubtedly a top leader. In this, Romero and him are alike, with the Argentine both a vocal and lead-by-example skipper, so imposing and aggressive in the heart of the defence.

The 27-year-old is a “monster” of a player, as dubbed by journalist Charlie Eccleshare, with Sofascore recording that he has averaged 2.5 tackles and 5.7 duels in the Premier League this season, winning 64% of the latter.

Micky van de Ven, lauded by some as Tottenham’s best player, has not yet achieved the same kind of defensive mastery, averaging only 1.1 tackles per game and winning just 51% of his duels.

It’s clear in this regard that Romero boasts surpassing quality, more roundedness, more completeness. As per FBref, he ranks among the top 10% of Premier League defenders this year for goals, the top 7% for successful take-ons and the top 5% for tackles per 90.

Let’s hope he remains under Frank’s wing over the coming years. On the basis of the evidence, the head coach is going to need him.

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Tottenham Hotspur could be about to fork out a hefty sum to land a new attacker for Thomas Frank.

By
Ethan Lamb

Dec 3, 2025

Manchester United are now on red alert in the race to sign a Real Madrid star ahead of Manchester City in a shock £69m deal next year.

Amorim "angry" at "frustrating" West Ham draw

Like the rest of Old Trafford, Ruben Amorim was left angered by Man United’s 1-1 draw against West Ham. The Red Devils were in control for the large part and deservedly got their opener through unlikely goalscorer Diogo Dalot in the second-half, but that’s when things started going wrong.

With seven minutes remaining, the visitors sent a timely reminder of United’s struggles courtesy of Soungoutou Magassa, who scored his first Premier League goal to snatch a point for West Ham.

Amorim, left frustrated at full-time, told reporters: “Yeah, it’s frustrating, it’s angry. That’s it.”

The former Sporting CP manager also pinpointed where things went wrong, saying: “Yeah, but there are second halves that we lose control of the game.

“Today, I think it was not that case. Maybe after the first goal, we lost some second balls and Matheus [Cunha] won one or two second balls there and made it a transition.

“We try to defend all the time far from the goal because we knew it. They tried to make a cross, win a corner. Like it happened, long ball, they win a second ball against three guys of us in the defence. So, we need to be better in the second half.”

Any assumption that United have turned a corner under Amorim is quickly evaporating and the Old Trafford boss desperately needs further reinforcements in 2026.

Midfield stars such as Conor Gallagher and Elliot Anderson have already been mooted, but United could still set their focus on welcoming Rodrygo from Real Madrid. The Brazilian is attracting plenty of interest and could yet swap the Bernabeu for the Premier League.

Man Utd on red alert in Rodrygo race

According to reports in Spain, Man United are now on red alert in the race to sign Rodrygo next year and could land the talented winger ahead of rivals Man City, as well as a number of other Premier League sides.

The Brazilian has struggled for game time under Xabi Alonso – starting just three La Liga games all season – and looks destined to leave Real Madrid next year.

Sparking a flurry of interest, Madrid reportedly value their winger at around €80m (£69m). Whether INEOS and others deem that fee reachable for a player who’s yet to impress Alonso remains to be seen, however.

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The Red Devils have joined the race for a new attacker, who has made an impressive start to the campaign.

ByDominic Lund Dec 5, 2025

At his best, Rodrygo played a key part in Madrid’s success in the Champions League and in La Liga. Now, he’s been cast aside to hand United the opportunity to land arguably their best signing yet under Amorim.

Dubbed “spectacular” by former Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti in 2023, Rodrygo is still just 24 years old and is full of potential – even if he’s forced to realise it with a move to Old Trafford in 2026.

Amorim's £150k-p/w star just had his worst game for Man Utd vs West Ham

Trey Yesavage made his postseason debut on Sunday against the Yankees. The 22-year-old righty came into the game with just three MLB starts on his résumé and dominated the top-scoring regular season offense in baseball in Toronto's 13-7 Game 2 win.

Yesavage, who has an incredibly cool name on top of a nasty arsenal, showed very early in the game that he was not going to be intimidated or thrown off his game by anything New York did and lived up to his name in the process.

In the very first at-bat of the game, Yesavage jumped out to a 1-2 count against Yankees leadoff hitter Trent Grisham who hit 34 home runs this season. Grisham took his time getting back in the box for the fourth pitch of the at-bat and Yesavage did not move. With the ball in his hand inside his glove he stood on the mound like a statue while he waited for Grisham to step to the plate.

Once Grisham was ready Yesavage delivered an 85-mph splitter that made Grisham whiff.

Yesavage finished with 11 strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and the Blue Jays offense did the rest and Toronto now leads the series 2–0.

The Angels were considering multiple former franchise stars to become their next skipper, but they reportedly ruled out two big names in their managerial search after Ron Washington and interim Ray Montgomery's departure.

According to a report from 's Bob Nightengale, Los Angeles has informed five-time All-Star Torii Hunter that he is no longer in the running to become their next manager. Earlier Monday, the New York Post's Jon Heyman reported that Albert Pujols have broken off talks on the role as he receives interest from the Orioles and Padres for their openings.

Neither former franchise star possesses experience as a manager at the MLB level, but Pujols has found quick success as a manager in his native Dominican Republic. He's slated to manage their national team in the 2026 World Baseball Classic. Hunter joined the Angels as a special assistant to general manager Perry Minasian last year.

Who are the other candidates for the Angels' managerial vacancy?

Los Angeles could still look to a former player with Kurt Suzuki still in the mix, according to MLB.com's Rhett Bollinger. Suzuki has served as a special assistant to Minasian as well. Bollinger mentioned Rangers special assistant Nick Hundley, Cubs bench coach Ryan Flaherty, former Orioles manager Brandon Hyde as well as former Twins skipper Rocco Baldelli as additional candidates linked to the Angels.

The Angels finished last season 72-90 and missed out on the playoffs for the 11th season in a row.

MatériaMais Notícias

Vasco e Fluminense voltam a se encontrar nesta quinta-feira (11), às 20h30 (de Brasília), no Maracanã, pela partida de ida da semifinal da Copa do Brasil 2026. O clássico chega embalado por expectativas distintas do confronto anterior entre as equipes, disputado em 20 de outubro pelo Brasileirão, quando o Cruzmaltino venceu por 2 a 0, com gols de Rayan e Nuno Moreira. Apesar do curto intervalo entre os duelos, o cenário vascaíno passou por transformações significativas — tanto dentro de campo quanto no momento vivido pela equipe.

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➡️ Vasco x Fluminense: onde assistir, horário e prováveis escalações do jogo pela Copa do Brasil

Momento de instabilidade no Vasco

Se naquela ocasião, o Vasco vivia sua melhor sequência no Campeonato Brasileiro, agora o time de Fernando Diniz atravessa uma fase delicada. A equipe venceu apenas um dos últimos oito jogos, acumulando pressão e dúvidas para o mata-mata. A vitória sobre o Flu no Brasileirão era a terceira das quatro que colocaram o time em posição de brigar por uma vaga na Libertadores.

➡️ Cruzmaltino encerra Brasileirão 2025 com contraste entre ataque eficiente e defesa vulnerável

Mudança no meio-campo

Outra alteração importante está no setor de meio-campo. No clássico de outubro, Tchê Tchê atuou ao lado de Barros, mas a vaga era uma das indefinições de Diniz. Desde a goleada contra o Internacional, Thiago Mendes assumiu a posição do ex-jogador do Botafogo e vem atuando como titular da equipe.

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➡️ Tudo sobre o Gigante agora no WhatsApp. Siga o nosso canal Lance!

Inversão no ataque

O ataque também mudou. A partir da partida contra o Internacional, Fernando Diniz decidiu inverter seus extremos. Nuno Moreira, que atuava pela esquerda, passou a jogar pelo lado direito, enquanto Andrés Gómez foi deslocado para a esquerda. A mudança se manteve mesmo na partida contra o Mirassol.

➡️ Rayan abre o jogo sobre renovação com o Vasco para 2026: ‘Ainda não foi assinado’

Problema na lateral

Para o clássico da Copa do Brasil, o Vasco terá um desfalque importante: Lucas Piton. O lateral-esquerdo sofreu lesão no joelho esquerdo e está fora da partida. Assim, Fernando Diniz deve novamente improvisar Puma Rodríguez no setor. O uruguaio, lateral-direito de origem, já atuou pela esquerda em outras oportunidades e terá a missão de repetir o bom desempenho nesta oportunidade.

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Apesar da vitória recente no confronto direto, o Vasco chega ao reencontro com o rival em um momento bem diferente daquele vivido há dois meses. A queda de desempenho, somada às mudanças estruturais na equipe e ao desfalque de Piton, cria um ambiente de desafio para Fernando Diniz.

Para acompanhar asnotícias do Gigante da Colina, acompanhe o Lance! Todas as informações e acontecimentos atualizados em tempo real.

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كشفت شبكة سكاي سبورتس اليوم الأربعاء، عن حقيقة مغادرة محمد صلاح صفوف نادي ليفربول خلال الفترة المقبلة والانتقال للعب في أحد أندية الدوري السعودي للمحترفين.

محمد صلاح يرتبط بالرحيل عن صفوف ليفربول خلال الفترة المقبلة، وذلك في ظل الخلاف الذي حدث بين اللاعب وإدارة النادي الإنجليزي والمدرب آرني سلوت.

واتهم محمد صلاح إدارة ليفربول بعدم تنفيذ الوعود المقدمة له، إلى جانب اعترافه بأن علاقته مع المدرب آرني سلوت قد تدمرت بالكامل.

وأدت تصريحات محمد صلاح إلى استبعاده من قائمة ليفربول لمباراة إنتر ميلان يوم أمس الثلاثاء، وذلك في إطار منافسات بطولة دوري أبطال أوروبا.

اقرأ أيضًا .. وارنوك عن أزمة محمد صلاح: كأس أمم إفريقيا فرصة لتهدئة الوضع مع ليفربول

وذكرت الشبكة، أن محمد صلاح بالفعل مطلوب من قبل أندية الدوري السعودي، ومن بين أبرزها الهلال وكذلك اتحاد جدة، لكن هناك بعض الشروط التي قد تمنع حدوث هذه الخطوة.

وأضافت الشبكة، أن أندية الدوري السعودي تريد ضمانات، بأن محمد صلاح جاهز بشكل تام من الناحية الفنية والبدنية، وذلك لاتخاذ خطوة التعاقد معه.

وأوضح المصدر، أن أندية الدوري السعودي قد غيرت استراتيجيتها وأصبحت تستهدف اللاعبين الشباب بدلاً من النجوم الذين يقتربون من نهاية مسيرتهم الكروية، لكن محمد صلاح استثناء.

وأردفت الشبكة، أنه في الجهة الأخرى فإن محمد صلاح لم يبد رغبة حقيقية في اللعب في الدوري السعودي، وإنما يريد التركيز بشكل أكبر على استكمل مسيرته في أوروبا.

وتابعت الشبكة قولها، إن محمد صلاح لم يغلق باب اللعب بأحد أندية الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز ولا يرى الدولي المصري أن الانتقال إلى الدوري السعودي خطوة مناسبة حاليًا، في حين لم يتلق الريدز كذلك عرضًا رسميًا لضم اللاعب.