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Steven Kwan made a spectacular diving catch in center field to preserve the Cleveland Guardians' scoreless tie against the Detroit Tigers during the eighth inning of Game 2 of the ALDS. Only, not everyone was convinced he actually made the catch.

After a line drive off the bat of Wenceel Perez went out to center field, Kwan pursued the baseball and dove forward in order to make the play. Kwan managed to get his glove in between the ball and the grass while making a stunning diving catch for the final out of the inning. Some felt that he actually trapped the ball, however.

It's incredibly difficult to determine on the replay whether or not the ball touches the grass before entering Kwan's mitt. Even the announcers were at a loss, clearly unable to decipher whether it was a catch or a trap. Replay review ultimately determined that it was a catch, which ended the inning and preserved the scoreless tie.

The Tigers left two runners on as a result of Kwan's diving play, though there were many fans who felt that it should've been a base hit for Detroit.

Xabi Alonso addressed the latest injury to Real Madrid captain Dani Carvajal, with the setback set to rule the full-back out for the rest of the year. The Madrid head coach stated that "it was a surprise to receive that call from the doctor" the morning after he oversaw his side's dramatic 2-1 win over arch-rivals El Clasico. This is already the second time Carvajal has suffered an injury this season.

• Carvajal suffers another injury

  Carvajal marked his return to the field during the 2-1 win over arch-rivals Barcelona at the Santiago Bernabeu on Sunday, coming on as a substitute for the final 20 minutes of the encounter. While he helped Real Madrid maintain their slender one-goal lead over the defending La Liga champions, his display will be remembered for his verbal exchange with fellow Spain team-mate and Barca teenage superstar Lamine Yamal. 

  On Monday, the night after Madrid broke their four-game losing streak against the Catalans, the club posted a shocking medical statement regarding Carvajal after reports that he felt discomfort following the Clasico. “Following tests carried out on our captain Dani Carvajal by the Real Madrid Medical Services, he has been diagnosed with a loose joint in his right knee. Carvajal will undergo arthroscopy," the statement read. 

  The captain underwent successful arthroscopic surgery but has been ruled out of action until January 2026. It will be another test of mental endurance for Carvajal, who spent the majority of the 2024-25 action on the sidelines after suffering an anterior cruciate injury. The Clasico also marked his first appearance since the muscle injury he suffered during the derby against Atletico Madrid in September, which saw him miss five games. 

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  Alonso waiting for Carvajal for the second half of the season

  Speaking at a press conference on Friday, Alonso said: "Carva played 20 minutes, he did very well, he competed… and on Monday morning it was a surprise to receive that call from the doctor. We'll definitely miss him. And since it seemed we'd be counting on him… We think [he will be sidelined for] seven or eight weeks. We're waiting for him."

• Trent Alexander-Arnold's return couldn't have come at a better time

  Alonso will be concerned about not having the services of Carvajal. The 33-year-old is a serial winner and a true leader, a player who brings valuable experience as well as defensive solidity to the table. His absence will surely hamper the head coach's plans to an extent, as he was believed to be counting on Carvajal for the big occasions. 

  He will, however, be relieved about Trent Alexander-Arnold making a faster recovery than expected initially. The English international suffered an unfortunate hamstring injury on his Champions League debut for Madrid against Marseille in September, needing to be taken off within the first five minutes of the game. Since then, he has missed seven games due to the setback and remained an unused substitute in the defeat of Barca last weekend – his first call-up to the matchday squad since recovering.

  The upcoming fixtures also offer a prime opportunity for the 27-year-old right-back to cement his place as a regular in Alonso’s starting lineup. He is expected to feature against Valencia at the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday, and if all goes well, Alexander-Arnold could earn a starting spot against his former club Liverpool when Los Blancos visit Anfield in the Champions League next week. The England international has made just five appearances this season, totalling only 151 minutes. A consistent run in the starting XI could help him rediscover his form and build valuable momentum heading into the second half of the 2025–26 campaign.

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  Alonso dealing with other injury issues

  Alonso’s project in the Spanish capital has got off to a flying start. Barring the 5-2 derby blemish against city rivals Atletico Madrid at the Metropolitano, Real Madrid have been nearly flawless. The team has shown renewed defensive solidity, while the attack, spearheaded by the unstoppable Kylian Mbappe, is clicking well and delivering in key moments, even if it hasn’t yet reached full throttle. Madrid have won 12 of their 13 matches this season, with their triumph over Barcelona finally breaking the club free from its big-game curse.

  However, injuries remain an uncontrollable factor, and one that could define how far Madrid go this season. They are currently missing the services of centre-back duo Antonio Rudiger and David Alaba, who are set to be unavailable for at least another month. The injury to Carvajal was also the 47th such instance of a defender getting injured in the past two seasons. 

  Fede Valverde has chipped in as a makeshift right-back in the absence of both Carvajal and Alexander-Arnold, and he has stepped up admirably. He, too, seemed to have been exhausted by the end of the Clasico, asking to be subbed off due to fatigue. The Uruguayan, one of the Madrid's cornerstones, hasn't been afforded enough rest. If he gets injured, the depth in midfield will be too thin. Even though rotation has been the name of the game for Alonso and his coaching staff, they will have to be extra careful in the coming weeks. The fitness condition key personnel could make or break Madrid's season.

Important stands with Matt Critchley and Simon Harmer prevent Hampshire taking control with ball

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay 22-Jun-2025Charlie Allison made it back-to-back centuries as he steered Essex into a commanding position on the first day of the Rothesay County Championship match against Hampshire at Chelmsford.Before his 140 against Surrey last month, Allison’s highest first-class score was 28. But the 20-year-old right-hander followed up his Oval heroics with 101 when the Championship resumed after its break for the Vitality Blast.He was the senior partner in a 107-run seventh-wicket stand with Simon Harmer, 16 years older, that carried Essex towards 292 for 8 at the close after they chose to bat. He also put on 66 for the fifth wicket with Matt Critchley, whose 71 came from 104 balls and included nine fours and a six.Kyle Abbott took his season’s tally to 35 wickets with three Essex scalps, but Hampshire let slip their morning advantage as a blustery, overcast day gave way to bright evening sunshine.Initially, it looked as if Essex’s travails of late – one win across both formats this summer – were being lain bare on a green wicket that gave encouragement to Hampshire’s seam attack. By midday Essex had lost three of their top four. Paul Walter mistimed a flick off his legs low to a diving square leg, Dean Elgar was beaten for pace by James Fuller and Jordan Cox ducked into a short ball from Eddie Jack and spliced the ball high to third slip.The premature departures did not preclude Essex handing county caps to the latter pair during the lunch interval. Former captain Graham Gooch handed one to Elgar while Cox received his from Jason Gallian, previously his cricket master at Felsted School, now chairman of the cricket committee.Back in the middle, Critchley was putting behind him his struggles with the bat in the Vitality Blast. He contributed 38 of the 53-run fourth-wicket stand with Tom Westley that included a six over long leg off Liam Dawson and a well-timed sweep for four, also off the England white-ball spinner.Westley was more circumspect, though the four fours in his 77-ball 28 were venomous in their execution and included one from his first ball through midwicket off Abbott and an imperious pull against Fuller. However, he departed lbw to one from Abbott that might otherwise have just clipped the top of the stumps.Under gathering grey clouds, Critchley reached his half-century from 84 balls amid a flurry of boundaries, the milestone four pulled through midwicket off Felix Organ. Another time he went in tiptoes to late-cut Jack to the third-man rope.Allison kept pace with Critchley and he launched Dawson effortlessly over extra cover for a six that brought up the fifty partnership in 13 overs. Later he hit another straight over the same bowler’s head. However, the stand was worth 66 when the wily Dawson had Critchley playing over a shorter-pitched delivery that looked as if it might have missed leg stump.Abbott had figures of 3 for 12 from 13 overs when he had Michael Pepper edging to the wicketkeeper. But that just brought together Allison and Harmer for a patient partnership that steadied Essex and ultimately gave them a measure of control.Harmer brought up the hundred partnership in 33 overs when he swatted Jack to the midwicket boundary. But with Allison on 99, he turned the ball to square leg, the pair hesitated and Harmer sacrificed his wicket as Jack’s throw went to the bowler’s end.Allison duly reached his century from 188 balls with 11 fours and two sixes, but one run later he dragged on to Organ and was bowled off the last ball of the day.

Toss: Punjab Kings opt to bat vs Delhi Capitals
Punjab Kings (PBKS) captain Shreyas Iyer chose to bat first in Dharamsala against Delhi Capitals (DC), in IPL 2025, with plenty at stake for both sides. He wanted to bat since the ground would be wet at the start of the game. The toss took place 75 minutes late at 8.15pm with a drizzle welcoming both teams.While Punjab Kings opted for the same batting XI for the fixture, DC made one change with legspinner Vipraj Nigam being left out for Madhav Tiwari. Tiwari is a 21-year-old allrounder who bats right-handed and bowls right-arm medium pace for Madhya Pradesh.The other change was Sameer Rizvi replacing Karun Nair. Nair’s had a forgettable time in the six games following his 89 against Mumbai Indians (MI).”The team is in high spirits and everyone is stepping up at the right time,” Shreyas said. “On top of the world to be honest, the way things are panning out.”Axar Patel said DC would’ve liked to field first since chasing with some rain around could be advantageous.”We’ve spoken about how we’ve been in a competitive position despite playing some poor games,” Axar said. “We’ve been speaking about the positives.”PBKS would have their playoff spot secured with a victory. Delhi Capitals need wins in all three remaining games to be assured of qualification, although they could still qualify if they go down tonight.Delhi Capitals bowling-first XI: Faf du Plessis, KL Rahul (wk), Abishek Porel, Sameer Rizvi, Axar Patel (capt), Tristan Stubbs, Madhav Tiwari, Mitchell Starc, Dushmantha Chameera, Kuldeep Yadav, T NatarajanDC bench: Ashutosh Sharma, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Mukesh Kumar, Vipraj Nigam, Tripurna VijayPunjab Kings batting-first XI: Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh, Josh Inglis, Shreyas Iyer (capt), Nehal Wadhera, Shashank Singh, Marcus Stoinis, Azmatullah Omarzai, Marco Jansen, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep SinghPBKS bench: Vijaykumar Vyshak, Harpreet Brar, Suryansh Shedge, Pravin Dubey, Yash Thakur

Kishan says the team was going for the record, after his unbeaten 106 got them to within two runs of the all-time highest IPL total

Shashank Kishore23-Mar-20252:46

Rapid fire: Are Kishan and SRH a perfect match?

Ishan Kishan said he picked up the phone quite soon after being bought by Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) for INR 11.25 crore (USD 1.34 million approx.) at the IPL 2025 mega auction. He wanted to know what it would be like to play for the IPL’s most explosive batting side.”I straightaway called Abhishek [Sharma] and asked, ‘what are you guys expecting, do I have to come and hit each and every ball?’ He was like, ‘on point, yeah, that is your job, you come here and you hit each and every ball, you just enjoy in this team.’ And that is the best part.Related

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“I could actually see, and I could actually feel it before we played this game,” Kishan said after his 106 not out off 47 set up SRH’s win against Rajasthan Royals. “It’s not that I got a hundred and I’m talking about it. But yeah, when I got here, the message was very clear. ‘If the ball is there, just go for it, have your fun, have your moment’ and that’s how I think we’re going to play the tournament. Even if we are in a very good phase, we would do the same thing each and every time.”Kishan’s century off 45 balls was the third-fastest by a Sunrisers batter after Travis Head (41 balls) and David Warner (43). His partnerships with Travis Head (85 off 38 balls) and Nitish Reddy (72 off 29 balls) helped Sunrisers post 286, two short of being the all-time record for the highest total in the IPL, which would have broken Sunrisers’ own record. They now have four of the top-five highest scores in the league’s history.”Someone came in the middle with a water bottle and said we need to cross this total [their record of 287],” Kishan said. “I was like, I did not know if there was a target set or something, but yeah, when you don’t achieve the goal, it’s something like you want to do it again. We did not do it today, so it’s good to have that target goal for us coming back. Some days [when] we get a good start, batters are set, we will try and definitely get a record total.”Ishan Kishan slammed what was his first IPL hundred•BCCI

Kishan came into the IPL on the back of middling form in domestic cricket. His record in IPL 2024 wasn’t outstanding either – a solitary half-century in 14 innings for 320 runs. At Sunrisers, he was to play at No. 3, a slight deviation from his role as an opener at MI. Asked about the role change, Kishan said he got clarity from the captain and coach.”They keep it very simple, to be very honest,” Kishan said “Like Pat [Cummins], he keeps it very simple, he knows if the player likes to attack from the beginning, he just backs it up. It’s not like if you go in there and get out trying to hit, it adds up any pressure. That’s the best part for any youngster.”If you watched Aniket Verma playing his first game, at that moment he was not thinking about coming back not out. He just went for each and every ball, so that is the sort of confidence when you get from your support staff, or I would say captain, it makes a huge difference. And that is what something every player is looking up to, so I would say it helped us a lot.”Kishan’s roaring start at SRH comes after a tricky year for him. Last year at this time, just prior to the IPL, he had been stripped of his BCCI central contract for seemingly not prioritising domestic cricket. Asked how that affected him, Kishan said: “Whatever the situation was, I think I was never a person who was thinking about those bad moments. I was very much in the present, like what’s needed. Yeah, I need to perform, I need to do good for me, whatever I’ll do, it will help me end of the day. So I just planned to get all the negative thoughts out and just think about what’s ahead, like IPL was coming up.”So, yeah, I was just doing my hard work and, like I said to my loved ones, it was more about my family, the fans who were always there, the ones who are here supporting me today. Like I said, my brother was there. So it was just for them. Coming to SRH, playing in Hyderabad, the first game, setting up a good total for the team, so all together it was a very happy moment for me.”

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O São Paulo segue sem muitas novidades quando o assunto são chegadas de novos jogadores nesta janela de transferências. Além disso, o clube quer cumprir o pedido de Dorival Júnior para não vender atletas importantes do elenco. Um número importante que serve para saber se um jogador pode ir para outro clube brasileiro ou não é o número de jogos que o atleta fez no Brasileirão.

+ Veja tabela do Brasileirão clicando aqui

A partir de sete partidas no torneio, o jogador não pode mais vestir a camisa de outra equipe na competição. O São Paulo tem quatro atletas que estão beirando esse número: Alan Franco, Diego Costa, Luan e Méndez. Os três primeiros fizeram seis jogos cada um e se completarem o sétimo, devem ficar no São Paulo até o final da temporada. O volante fez cinco partidas.

A situação mais indefinida é a de Luan. Mesmo com Dorival Júnior no comando do São Paulo, o camisa oito não vem ganhando chances. Contra o Bragantino, por exemplo, quando o Tricolor foi com um time alternativo, Luan não entrou como titular e ficou no banco de reservas durante toda a partida.

+ Para os tricolores paulistas apaixonados: produtos a partir de R$39,90 na FutFanatics!

Luan quebrou o ‘jejum’ de cinco partidas sem jogar quando entrou na segunda etapa contra o Palmeiras. O São Paulo não tem propostas oficiais por ele, mas o jogador segue com futuro indefinido.

Já Alan Franco, Diego Costa e Méndez devem cumpir a sétima partida sem problemas. O Cria de Cotia, inclusive, deve ser titular contra o Santos. O volante briga por vaga entre os titulares, por conta da lesão de Gabriel Neves, que fraturou duas costelas e será desfalque. Além do mais, o São Paulo não tem planos de vendê-lo ou emprestá-lo no momento.

Manchester City could make a sensational bid for an “insane” player, who they made contact with earlier this summer, it has been revealed.

Lijnders impacting Guardiola's style at Man City

Jamie Carragher believes former Jurgen Klopp assistant Pep Lijnders is having a real impact on Pep Guardiola’s style of play, with Man City now playing a high defensive line, and scoring goals on the counter-attack against Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Carragher said: “I couldn’t believe what I saw, the players were all jumping high up to try and catch the Wolves players offside. This is very Liverpool-like. It made me think how much influence is maybe the new coach having on this team.”

However, the Blues’ defensive frailties were on show in the 2-0 defeat against Tottenham Hotspur last time out, with James Trafford making an error leading to Joao Palhinha’s goal, while Rico Lewis won just two of the eight duels he contested.

Man City set to fight PSG for skyrocketing winger amid Donnarumma talks

The Citizens are ready to swat aside the Champions League holders…

1 BySean Markus Clifford Aug 26, 2025

Consequently, Pep may want to bring in a little more experience at the back, with Paris Saint-Germain’s Gianluigi Donnarumma emerging as a major target, and there is also interest in a new right-back, who Lijnders knows very well…

Indeed, according to a report from Caught Offside, Man City could make a sensational bid to sign Real Madrid’s Trent Alexander-Arnold in the January transfer window, with the former Liverpool man not exactly making a flying start to life in La Liga.

Dani Carvajal has managed to force his way back into Xabi Alonso’s side, which has led to doubts over Trent’s future, and City are monitoring the situation, having already contacted the right-back over a potential move to the Etihad Stadium earlier this summer.

The 26-year-old, who is reported to earn a base salary of around £276k-a-week at Real Madrid, has only made seven appearances for Real Madrid so far, but City are now in the picture for a shock move, with Guardiola in need of a long-term Kyle Walker replacement.

Trent would be "insane" signing for Man City

Given the recent history between Man City and Liverpool, the full-back linking up with Guardiola doesn’t seem like the most plausible of scenarios, although he has praised the atmosphere at the Etihad Stadium in the past.

The England international said: “People talk about City’s atmosphere and you know, hand on heart when we play them, the atmosphere is incredible, like we feel it. It’s intense.”

Lauded as “insane” by former footballer George Chomakov, the ex-Liverpool star has established himself as one of the best attacking full-backs in the world, while also impressing from a defensive point of view on occasion over the past year.

Statistic

Average per 90

Assists

0.22 (87th percentile)

Progressive passes

8.40 (99th percentile)

Tackles

2.64 (87th percentile)

Interceptions

1.23 (82nd percentile)

That said, even though Trent seemingly burned his bridges with Liverpool by leaving in the summer, a move to Man City seems relatively far-fetched, especially considering he is still in the very early stages of his Real Madrid career.

Chelsea are set for a very busy final month of the transfer window, as BlueCo set their sights on both strengthening the squad and shipping off a plethora of unwanted players.

Chelsea to bid for £192k-a-week star who Bayern have phoned "several" times

BlueCo remain busy in the market.

ByEmilio Galantini Jul 29, 2025

While the Blues are in no danger financially, having made millions through player sales, Champions League qualification and winning the Club World Cup in recent months, there is a looming threat from UEFA.

Chelsea have effectively been ordered to balance out their squad through departures, or risk not being able to register new signings for the Champions League next season (Kaveh Solhekol), coming after they were fined for breaching FFP rules.

Cole Palmer

7.33

Moises Caicedo

7.02

Enzo Fernández

6.95

Nicolas Jackson

6.88

Noni Madueke

6.82

via WhoScored

João Félix comes as the latest in a long line of Chelsea casualties after he agreed an initial £26 million move to Al-Nassr, with the Portugal international officially joining Kepa Arrizabalaga, Basir Humphreys, Noni Madueke, Marcus Bettinelli, Djordje Petrovic and Mathis Amougou out of the door.

Felix could soon be followed by many more, with Ben Chilwell, Renato Veiga, Tosin Adarabioyo, Christopher Nkunku, Axel Disasi, Benoit Badiashile, Trevoh Chalobah, Carney Chukwuemeka, Lesley Ugochukwu, Armando Broja, Tosin Adarabioyo, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Alfie Gilchrist and Nicolas Jackson all tipped to potentially leave Chelsea as well.

However, one exit reportedly advancing is that of Raheem Sterling and his potential switch to west London rivals Fulham.

The 30-year-old spent 2024/2025 on loan at Arsenal after being frozen out by Enzo Maresca last summer, and according to a new report by TEAMtalk this afternoon, talks over a transfer to Fulham are seriously progressing.

Raheem Sterling close to agreeing Fulham move as Chelsea eye Alejandro Garnacho

As per the news outlet, Sterling is close to agreeing personal terms with Fulham as talks advance, and Chelsea are keen to get the England international’s sky-high £325,000-per-week wages off their books.

Maresca’s side are even prepared to shake hands on an outright sale worth £20 million – a price which Fulham see as a bargain – with Chelsea poised to take a £30m loss on the £50m they paid Man City for Sterling over three years ago.

What’s more, despite Chelsea’s advanced talks for RB Leipzig playmaker Xavi Simons, the club are planning to replace Sterling with Man United winger Alejandro Garnacho – following previous reports that they could also bid for the Red Devils ace amid their shortage of left-wingers.

The Argentine, called “unplayable” at times by new Tottenham boss Thomas Frank, would be an instant upgrade on Sterling, and it appears that Chelsea are maintaining their pursuit of Garnacho after considering a deal for him in January.

Leeds United head coach Daniel Farke is looking to follow in the footsteps of Marcelo Bielsa in the Premier League next season, as he attempts to avoid the drop.

The German boss was relegated with Norwich City in the 2019/20 campaign and sacked before he had the chance to be relegated again in the 2021/22 season with the Canaries, which means that he has yet to prove that he can keep a team in the division.

Leeds have already backed him more than Norwich did in the market, though, with a host of additions having already been made this summer, including Gabriel Gudmundsson, Jaka Bijol, Lucas Perri, Sebastiaan Bornauw, Lukas Nmecha, Anton Stach, and Sean Longstaff.

There is more work to be done in the market to improve the squad, however, after they missed out on a deal to sign Feyenoord winger Igor Paixao.

As well as chasing exciting deals like Paixao, though, Leeds should also be looking for functional players who can go under the radar whilst performing consistently, in the way that Stuart Dallas did for Bielsa.

Why Stuart Dallas was important for Marcelo Bielsa

The Northern Ireland international did not sign for Leeds when they were promoted to the Premier League, as he had already been part of the team in the Championship, but he is the kind of player the club could do with now.

Dallas was a bit of an unsung hero in the club’s first year back in the top-flight in the 2020/21 campaign, as the likes of Kalvin Phillips and Raphinha stole the headlines with their excellent performances on the pitch.

The experienced star provided great versatility for Bielsa with his ability to play in a multitude of roles across the pitch in the Premier League, whether that was at full-back, out wide, or in midfield.

Left midfield

96

Left-back

55

Right-back

46

Right midfield

33

Central midfield

24

Attacking midfield

7

Defensive midfield

1

As you can see in the table above, Dallas started 24 times or more in five different positions throughout his time at Elland Road, which shows that the manager could rely on him to fill gaps when needed.

The Northern Irish star also scored nine goals and provided two assists in his two seasons in the Premier League with the West Yorkshire outfit, which shows that he offered quality as well as versatility.

Leeds considering move for Championship star

According to LeedsUnitedNews, the club are now considering a move to sign £11m-rated Leicester City full-back James Justin, and he could be Farke’s own version of Stuart Dallas.

The report claims that Leeds United have a serious interest in the England international, who has emerged as a priority target for the Whites this summer.

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It states that the Championship champions want a full-back who can operate at left-back and right-back, and that Justin is one of the options under consideration at this moment in time.

Leeds are in the market to sign another full-back because Isaac Schmidt is said to be closing in on a season-long loan move to Werder Bremen, after just 12 months at Elland Road.

The report adds that Justin is now into the final 12 months of his contract with Leicester, which may open the door for the Whites to swoop in and secure his services before the end of the summer transfer window.

Why James Justin would be the new Stuart Dallas for Leeds

The Foxes defender may not be a glamorous signing or one that gets fans excited to watch him in action, but it could be a shrewd deal that makes a lot of sense.

Justin could arrive at Elland Road to be Farke’s own version of Dallas in the Premier League, as he has the quality and the versatility to be a very useful option for the German head coach.

The 27-year-old star has started at least 11 matches in his club career as a centre-back, a right-back, a left-back, a left midfielder, and as a right midfielder, which shows that he can be used in a multitude of ways by the boss.

He can cover both full-back positions, be utilised as a wing-back, cover at centre-back, and play on the wing when needed. This could make him almost the perfect squad signing as a player who can cover in five or six different positions when needed.

Appearances

36

Goals

2

Assists

2

Tackles + interceptions per game

2.9

Dribbled past per game

0.6x

Ground duel success rate

59%

Aerial duel success rate

55%

Justin, as you can see in the table above, is also coming off the back of a solid season of performances in the Premier League, in spite of his team’s relegation from the division.

The English ace, who was described as an “adventurous” full-back by pundit Tony Cascarino, chipped in with four direct goal contributions in a team that got relegated, which suggests that he can offer a decent threat at the top end of the pitch.

His defensive numbers were also far from dreadful. Justin held his own in duels on the deck and in the air, whilst rarely being dribbled past by opposition wingers, which suggests that he is a solid operator out of possession.

As a back-up to Jayden Bogle and Gudmundsson in the full-back positions, the versatile Leicester star could come in as a fantastic squad option and as Farke’s own Dallas, performing admirably in a clutch of different roles across the pitch when called upon in the Premier League.

49ers lining up Leeds swoop for £17m star who's as exciting as Paixao

Leeds United are eyeing up a £17m-rated winger who could be just as exciting as Igor Paixao.

ByDan Emery Jul 30, 2025

Manchester United are making progress in their mission to strengthen under Ruben Amorim and could now be set to move forward in their pursuit of a high-pedigree defender, according to a report.

Manchester United urged to break the bank for quality additions

Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha would fit the definition of breaking the bank for elite talent, but Premier League giants Manchester United are aware that more signings are needed to match the output of their domestic rivals on the market.

Reports suggest Manchester United would be willing to offer £22 million for Valencia midfielder Javi Guerra, which would be another signal of intent, though Rio Ferdinand believes the Red Devils should go all out for Brighton & Hove Albion’s Carlos Baleba to bolster the spine of their team.

He stated: “Who would you go and get?”, and there’s only one name I’m thinking about, I’m going to be honest, guys, who I think fits the bill for what we need.

“He’s an Amorim-type player as well. Physically, he’s great. He can drive with the ball, he can take it in all areas, very good tactically, great energy, great legs, Premier League experience, central midfield… Baleba.”

Without putting too fine a point on it, Manchester United’s lack of solidity in the Premier League last term was evident for all to see, hence why Amorim is also targeting defensive reinforcements in the form of Lucas Beraldo.

Manchester United’s defensive frailties in 2024/25

Goals conceded

54

Defeats

18

Clean sheet percentage across 38 league matches

26%

Ultimately, a failure to secure the back door is a recipe for chaos, leading to a growing appetite for an overhaul within the Red Devils’ backline.

After months of searching, Manchester United could now have found one part of a solution to remedy the well-documented faults within their rearguard.

Manchester United make contact for Inter defender Benjamin Pavard

According to Transferfeed, Manchester United have made contact by enquiring about Inter Milan defender Benjamin Pavard, who may be allowed to leave San Siro this summer for a fee between £26.1 million and £30.5 million.

Despite the Nerazzurri not officially listing the France international for sale, they are looking into potential replacements for the ex-Bayern Munich star, including Genoa’s Koni De Winter.

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Manchester United could be about to forget about Benjamin Sesko with another move elsewhere.

Posts ByEthan Lamb Jul 25, 2025

Labelled “brilliant” by Les Blues boss Didier Deschamps, Pavard, who is outfitted by Adidas, registered one goal and a solitary assist in 37 appearances last campaign, operating almost entirely in central defence.

The 29-year-old also won 78 duels in Serie A, cementing himself as an important factor behind Inter’s ability to go deep both in domestic competitions and the Champions League.

Now, it appears he could be set for a new challenge in the prime of his career, which has piqued Manchester United’s interest as they look to seal a marquee deal to strengthen their backline.