Liverpool owners FSG had scouts in South America to watch an in-demand new transfer target in action this week, according to an intriguing update.

Liverpool transfer news

The Reds will embark on a new era under Arne Slot this summer, once Jurgen Klopp moves on, and the Dutchman will want to sign players who are ideal for his style of play.

Ousmane Diomande is a player who has been constantly linked with a summer move to Liverpool, following a season that has seen him impress greatly for Sporting CP. The young centre-back is seen as a possible long-term heir for Virgil van Dijk at the heart of the defence, with the legendary Dutchman turning 33 in the summer and needing to be replacing one day.

Another report has claimed that the Merseysiders are pushing to sign Napoli striker Victor Osimhen in the summer transfer window, in what would be an audacious move for the Nigerian. He has a huge £111m release clause in his current deal, but it remains to be seen if anyone will stump up that amount of money for him, especially a Reds leadership who are known for their analytical approach in the market.

Meanwhile, there are also a number of exits that could happen at Liverpool this summer, with Joe Gomez one of the best players who is believed to be contemplating his future currently. He may want to be a regular elsewhere, possibly even at centre-back instead of full-back.

The likes of Joel Matip and Thiago are expected to depart when their contracts expire at the end of the season, while there is no guarantee that Mohamed Salah will definitely stay put currently. Liverpool need to plan for the long-term future when it comes to new signings, and a fresh update suggests that they are focusing on that.

Liverpool send scout to watch in-demand Brazil sensation

According to Scouts in Attendance on X, Liverpool had scouts present to watch Brazilian teenager Lorran in action for Flamengo on Thursday: "17yo Flamengo RW Lorran got his first senior start in 1-0 Copa do Brasil win v Amazonas on Thurs. Believe LFC are watching him now as well."

Lorran is a relatively unknown name, considering his age and the fact that he is playing in South America, but this is still an exciting update, nonetheless. There is always an element of intrigue about young Brazilian talents, considering the manner in which the likes of Pele, Ronaldo and Neymar have burst onto the scene down the years, so seeing Liverpool linked with one whets the appetite.

Lorran has already made 11 appearances for Flamengo, despite still only being 17 years of age, scoring once and assisting twice in that time. He is also a 13-cap Brazil Under-17 international, netting once in the process.

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The teenage attacker would come in as a long-term acquisition who could shine in the youth team at Liverpool to begin with, or be loaned out elsewhere, with the hope being that he matures into a formidable player over time.

أوضح متخصص سوق الانتقالات، فابرزيو رومانو، تطورات جديدة حول سبب تأخر تجديد عقد محمد صلاح مع ليفربول خلال الفترة الحالية من الموسم.

وسينتهي عقد قائد منتخب مصر ونادي ليفربول، محمد صلاح ، مع فريقه بنهاية الموسم الحالي، صيف 2025.

ولا تزال المفاوضات جارية بين إدارة الريدز ومحمد صلاح بشأن مستقبله مع الفريق، ولم يتوصل الطرفان حتى الآن إلى اتفاق نهائي.

ويحتل ليفربول صدارة ترتيب الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز برصيد 34 نقطة، بينما يتواجد الفريق أيضاً على صدارة ترتيب دوري أبطال أوروبا برصيد 15 نقطة.

اقرأ ايضاً.. ذا أثلتيك تفجر مفاجأة بشأن مستقبل محمد صلاح وموقف ليفربول

وقال فابريزيو رومانو لموقع “casino.org”: “مصادر ليفربول تؤكد أنهم يريدون مناقشة الأمر مرة أخرى ومحاولة إيجاد طريقة للمضي قدمًا”.

وأضاف رومانو: “في الوقت الحالي، لم يتم التوصل إلى اتفاق مالي بشأن الراتب والمكافآت وجميع تفاصيل العقد الجديد مع صلاح. لا يُنظر إلى طول العقد على أنه مشكلة أو قضية، لكن الراتب هو موضوع رئيسي حيث شهد صلاح بالفعل عرضًا كبيرًا من الدوري السعودي رفضه ليفربول في صيف 2022”.

وأكد رومانو: “الراتب لم يتحدد بعد وهذه هي المشكلة الرئيسية، وهذا هو السبب أيضًا في أننا نرى الكثير من الشائعات بما في ذلك باريس سان جيرمان”.

وأنهى رومانو قائلاً: “لا يوجد أي عرض أو حتى محادثات تجري الآن بين صلاح وباريس سان جيرمان، على عكس التقارير الأخيرة”.

Everton have often struggled within the transfer market, conducting deals that either see the club lose a lot of money or selling a player for well below his value.

Outgoings have been crucial for Sean Dyche’s side as they aim to avoid any further punishment for breaking the Premier League’s strict PSR rules.

He’s done an admirable job leading the club clear of any impending danger and securing their Premier League status for another season despite being hit with an eight-point deduction.

His side ended the 2023/24 campaign 14 points clear of Luton Town, with the club needing to build on their success in recent weeks ahead of their 33rd consecutive Premier League campaign which commences in August.

Whilst they’re not in the clear regarding any further punishments, the Toffees are in a solid place under Dyche, but it could’ve been even better had they kept hold of a couple of players who have gone on to develop into top-quality talents away from Goodison Park.

Ademola Lookman’s stats at Everton

Everton signed forward Ademola Lookman from Charlton Athletic for a fee in the region of £7.5m in January 2017, with the youngster touted as 'one for the future' by boss Ronald Koeman after he arrived at Goodison.

Arriving at the club as a 19-year-old, Lookman made an instant impact on the first-team, scoring on his debut in a 4-0 rout over Manchester City.

However, the goal against Pep Guardiola's side would be the only time he scored for the Toffees before leaving the club to join RB Leipzig on loan.

Despite his tender age, Lookman excelled in Germany, scoring five times in just 11 Bundesliga appearances – form that saw the youngster receive his maiden England U21 call-up.

Upon his return for the 2018/19 season, the forward was restricted to limited minutes for the Toffees, featuring for a total of 601 minutes throughout the entire campaign. Lookman subsequently rejoined RB Leipzig permanently in the summer of 2019, for a fee rumoured to be in the region of £18m – a deal that still brought a £10m profit for the Blues.

However, nearly five years on from his move away from Merseyside, the 26-year-old forward has taken his game to the next level – scoring 15 goals and providing eight assists in all competitions this season, which includes a hat-trick in the Europa League final triumph over Bayer Leverkusen.

Why Everton made a bigger mistake selling Anthony Gordon than Lookman

Despite Lookman’s exploits in the final victory, the club arguably made a bigger mistake allowing fellow winger Anthony Gordon to depart Goodison Park, with the youngster finally starting to flourish following his £45m move to Newcastle United in 2023.

The 23-year-old was expected to leave his boyhood club, in order to bolster the club’s battle against PSR, but that doesn’t take away from the fact he would’ve dramatically improved Dyche’s forward line.

Gordon has bagged 11 goals and ten assists in the Premier League in 2023/24, hitting double figures in both tallies for the first time in his professional career.

Gordon vs Lookman in 2023/24

Statistics

Gordon

Lookman

Games

48

43

Goals

12

15

Assists

11

8

Combined G+A

23

23

Stats via Transfermarkt

As a result of his excellent form, the “phenomenal” talent, as dubbed by Newcastle journalist Thomas Hammond, now boasts a transfer value of £68m, as per CIES Football Observatory Tool – a jump of £23m since his move just less than 18 months ago. Lookman, meanwhile, is said to be worth £42m less at 'just' £26m, according to CIES.

Gordon has also been included in Gareth Southgate’s provisional 33-man training squad ahead of the European Championships in Germany this summer, with the attacker staking a claim to be in the final squad given his superb performances for Eddie Howe’s side.

His move away from Goodison didn’t sit well with the supporters, but they simply can’t deny they would’ve loved to have kept hold of the youngster given his rapid progress at St James’ Park.

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Manchester United could be on the hunt for a new no.1 this summer just 12 months after signing Andre Onana for £50m, it has been reported.

Onana struggling at United

Andre Onana's time at Manchester United has, by his own admission, been poor. The Cameroonian goalkeeper's arrival was heralded as a major upgrade on David de Gea, and while that has proved the case with the ball at his feet, question marks remain about his actual ability to keep the ball out of the net.

"It was a difficult time for me", the goalkeeper explained, "It took me six months or seven months not to play good just to feel good."

But the four goals that flew past him at Selhurst Park meant that he has now conceded 81 times in all competitions this season, which is a Manchester United record since the Premier League era began, and one that neither the squad nor Erik ten Hag can be proud of.

He also made a flurry of mistakes in the Champions League, which ultimately saw his side finish bottom of their group and exit the competition at the first hurdle.

Onana's Premier League season

Appearances

35

Goals conceded

55

Save %

74.6%

Shots faced per 90

17.46

Clean sheets

8

With three games left of the season, and Premier League title-hopefuls Arsenal up next, it is conceivable that Manchester United miss out on European football altogether for next season, while the best case scenario appears to be a spot in the Europa League.

But with the arrival of Sir Jim Ratcliffe, big changes seem set to happen this summer, and one of them could well be between the posts. It had previously been mooted that Manchester United were once again keeping tabs on long-term target Diogo Costa, but now a new name has entered the fray.

A new no.1 on the way?

Now, reports in Spain have linked Manchester United with a move for a new no.1, in the shape of Real Sociedad goalkeeper Alex Remiro. The Spaniard has enjoyed another fruitful season in Sociedad, keeping 13 clean sheets and helping his side to a Europa Conference League spot as things stand, though they will need to hold off in-form Real Betis in the final games of the season to ensure that they keep it.

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And his performances have not gone unnoticed, with Marca claiming that the Red Devils are interested in the 29-year-old and could line up a move for him should they decide to move on from Onana.

The shot-stopper has a release clause set at a massive 70m euros (£60m), but no-one is expecting him to move for anything like that amount should a deal materialise, though it is unclear to what extent United chiefs will be able to haggle that down in negotiations.

With Ten Hag's days at the helm seemingly numbered, the players he has backed could face tough futures at Old Trafford too, with Ratcliffe and Co seemingly plotting immediate replacements for some his underperforming stars.

The wicketkeeper-batter lost her NZC central contract earlier this month

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Jun-2020

New Zealand wicketkeeper Rachel Priest has announced her retirement from international cricket and has signed to play for Tasmania in Australia’s Women’s National Cricket League (WNCL).Priest was dropped from New Zealand’s central contracts list earlier this month having been part of the T20 World Cup squad. Overall she played 87 ODIs – including a top score of 157 against Sri Lanka in 2015 during which she scored both her one-day hundreds in the space of four days – and 75 T20Is in a career spanning 13 years.She had returned to the New Zealand set-up in late 2019 after a gap of more than two years.”Having been involved in the White Ferns environment for 13 years, most of it enjoyable, it is with much consideration that I have decided to retire from international cricket,” Priest said. “I am really looking forward to the next chapter of my cricketing journey with Cricket Tasmania and the Tigers program and feel very fortunate to be given the opportunity.”Speaking to the website, she added: “I’m in a position where I’ve played a fair amount of cricket at the age that I’m at around the world, so I’m certainly hoping to add some of that experience and bring a bit of the mongrel that [coach Salliann Briggs] spoke to me about.””Experience is massive but it’s also about trying to bring a positive belief into the team, where the girls can be whoever they want to be and back themselves when they perform.”Priest follows Heather Graham (Western Australia) and Naomi Stalenberg (New South Wales) in moving to Tasmania ahead of the 2020-21 season.Meanwhile, pace bowler Sammy Jo-Johnson has switched to New South Wales after nine years with Queensland. She was part of the Australia A set-up last season and also a key component of the Brisbane Heat’s second consecutive WBBL title. Her WBBL future remains undecided with her currently out of contract but the embargo period remains in place.”The [NSW] Breakers have lost some talented Australia players lately and have an exciting young squad so I hope my experience can help them on their journey,” she said. “I harbour an ambition to play for Australia and believe the Breakers can help me achieve that goal by playing a key role for them.”Cricket Australia confirmed yesterday that the women’s domestic competitions would retain their current format and number of matches having previously been considered under threat from cuts amid cost-savings forced by Covid-19.

Sam Billings and David Willey dragged England to a second victory against Ireland in three days and a series win after a middle-order collapse left them 137 for 6 in pursuit of 213.Curtis Campher, the South African-born allrounder, had added to his unbeaten half-century on debut with a more fluent 68 from No. 7 to lift Ireland up to a respectable total, but one that had looked some way short of par when Jonny Bairstow blitzed a 41-ball 82 to break the back of the chase.After a three-wicket burst in six balls from Josh Little, England were staring at the prospect of only a second ODI defeat to Ireland and a first on home soil, but Billings and Willey – the stars with bat and ball respectively in the first match of the series – added 79 in 14.4 overs to calm any nerves and seal a four-wicket win.Ireland knew they needed early wickets when defending, and Craig Young provided the goods after three balls, as Jason Roy slammed a long half-volley straight to extra cover. But it looked as though it would be a chastening evening for them when Bairstow got up and running. He effortlessly picked off anything short, full, wide or straight in blitzing England’s joint-fastest ODI half-century from only 21 balls, spanking Andy McBrine over long-off for six to bring it up.Campher struck in his first over for the second time in as many games, nipping one back through James Vince’s gate to peg back his middle stump, before trapping Tom Banton for a third time in his career – once for South Africa Under-19s in 2018, two in this series. Bairstow looked utterly unfazed by what was happening at the other end, racing towards his hundred, before Little’s spell changed the game on its head.Little, a bustling left-arm seamer with broad shoulders and a skinhead, had starred on ODI debut against England last year, taking 4 for 45 to rattle England in their World Cup build-up. Things had not gone to plan in between, with one wicket for 217 in his next 28 appearances, and he was wayward in his first spell after being drafted in for the injured Barry McCarthy.But in his second, he nicked off Bairstow with a length ball that he looked to force through the off side before spitting a volley in his direction. Then, he removed England’s captain for a duck, just as he had in Malahide, digging one in short which Eoin Morgan spanked straight to (guess who?) Campher at short cover.Three balls later it was Moeen Ali’s turn to give his wicket away, top-edging a short ball towards short fine leg where Tucker ran round to take the catch. Suddenly, England needed 76 to win with only four wickets in hand. Throughout Little’s spell, England’s stand-in coach Paul Collingwood had been speaking to Sky from their diary room; once Moeen fell, he was running for the dressing room.Before long, though, any nerves had been calmed. Billings was happy to play second fiddle to Willey, who pulled a towering six over long leg before whacking Campher for two boundaries to alleviate any hint of scoring pressure. They continued to rattle along to pick off the remaining runs with ease, Willey crunching Campher through square leg to seal the win with 17.3 overs to spare.Ireland’s 212 for 9 had looked short of par on a good batting wicket, primarily thanks to a middle-over squeeze from Adil Rashid and Moeen. Rashid took 3 for 34 from his 10 overs, ripping out Ireland’s middle order, while Moeen bowled typically tight lines to conceded only 27 from his eight. Reece Topley bowled with good pace in his first appearance since 2016 after a string of serious injuries, taking 1 for 31 from his nine overs.Andy Balbirnie had demanded “more application” from his batsmen at the toss, but there was little sign of that against the new ball. Gareth Delany was trapped plumb in front by a Willey nip-backer for a 12-ball duck, and with the onus on Paul Stirling to make a meaningful total, he only managed to slice the same bowler to Banton at backward point.The low moment for Ireland came when the fielding restrictions were lifted. Balbirnie had hit two sweet boundaries, a straight drive off Willey and a sweep off Rashid, when Morgan sprung a surprise by giving Vince his first bowl in a limited-overs international.He looked perfectly serviceable but totally unthreatening, but with Balbirnie’s mind scrambled, stuck between attack and defence, he pulled out of a cut shot to a back-of-a-length ball, edging tamely through to Bairstow. Vince grinned sheepishly, almost apologetic that he had taken his first international wicket; in the absence of fans, you could just about make out a collective groan from the away dressing room.Rashid then took control, bowling Kevin O’Brien with a googly that completely wrong-footed him. Harry Tector fell tamely, chipping half-heartedly to mid-on, while Lorcan Tucker’s dismissal was no prettier, heaving a legbreak from wide outside the off stump down fine leg’s throat while top-edging a sweep.That left Campher, the shining light on debut on Thursday, with the bulk of the hard work to do from 78 for 5. He dug in for a 60-run stand with Simi Singh, dragging Ireland towards a defendable score, before putting his foot down alongside McBrine. They added 56 in 7.1 overs: McBrine nailed an upper-cut and smacked Willey straight back over his head, while Campher got innovative and proved he had power in his locker as well as poise.He eventually fell swiping at Saqib Mahmood outside off, before Topley bowled a tight last over, ending with a sharp bouncer which McBrine edged behind to give him a first international wicket since the 2016 World T20.The third game may be an opportunity for England to take a look at fringe players like Liam Livingstone and Liam Dawson, while both teams will know that they could do with a win with World Cup Super League points on offer.

Manchester City have been dealt a blow on the eve of the summer transfer window after it emerged that one of their stars is "very unhappy" at the Etihad.

Man City three games from double

Though it will not be the treble from last season, Manchester City are closing in on a Premier League and FA Cup double, though they could yet end up with nothing.

Trailing Arsenal by a single point heading into the final week of the season, Pep Guardiola's side play twice while the Gunners play just once, with City taking on Tottenham in north London before a home game against West Ham, while Arsenal play host to Everton on Sunday.

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A win in both games will be enough to crown City champions, while four points could also be enough should they win their game by three more goals than Arsenal win theirs by. They will then face Manchester United in the FA Cup final, which they will head into as overwhelming favourites against Erik ten Hag's side.

The permutations for the title

Manchester City (Vs Tottenham & West Ham)

Arsenal (vs Everton)

Title winner

Win, Win

Win

Manchester City

Win, Draw / Draw, Win

Win

Arsenal (as it stands on GD)

Win, Lose / Lose, Win

Win

Arsenal

Win, Lose/ Lose, Win or better

Draw

Manchester City

Beyond this season though, uncertainty lurks. Bernardo Silva has been strongly linked with a move to Barcelona for several seasons, and has a reported £50m release clause in his contract for such a deal to be set up this summer.

There are also questions over the future of Kevin de Bruyne, while the likes of Kalvin Phillips and Sergio Gomez could have played their last games for the club. Now, more uncertainty has arisen.

John Stones unhappy at Man City

That comes as centre-back John Stones is reportedly "very unhappy" with his situation at the club. The defender has started just one Premier League game since March, despite having shaken off the injuries that sidelined him for the first part of the campaign, with Ruben Dias or Manuel Akanji preferred in the heart of defence by Guardiola.

As a result, Football Insider claim that he is "very unhappy" and concerned for his England spot long term, a fact that has left his future at Manchester City "up in the air" as he heads into the final two years of his £250,000-a-week contract at the Etihad.

Though Guardiola, who has shared his love for the defender in the past, has made a habit of not standing in the way of players that want to leave, the 29-year-old might be hard to shift given his wages and likely transfer fee.

Stones came into his own last season, starring in a new role for the Cityzens and drawing widespread praise, including from ex-Bournemouth boss Scott Parker, who dubbed him a "freak".

“John Stones is a freak really, in the nicest possible way", he explained.

“At centre-half, he’s arguably one of your best defenders, if not your best defender. You put him in midfield now, you want an overload, he finds a pass, he finds a spare man, he’s safe on the ball."

Harry Kane’s wife Kate has revealed how a grumpy child ensured that her husband’s 100-cap celebrations with England did not “go to plan”.

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Prolific striker has become a centurionReached landmark in clash with FinlandJoined by family for special occasionAFPWHAT HAPPENED?

The Three Lions’ record-breaking captain became an international centurion when facing Finland in the UEFA Nations League. He was presented with a special gold cap before a ball was kicked at Wembley, as he became the 10th man to hit that mark – and the first since Wayne Rooney in 2014.

AdvertisementTHE GOSSIP

Kane was joined on the field by his family, but not every member of that clan made an appearance on the pitch. His youngest child, Henry, is not yet ready to grace such an occasion. His other son, Louis, also decided that the noise and excitement was too much for him.

WHAT KATE KANE SAID

Kane’s daughters, Ivy and Vivienne, put fingers in their ears to try and cancel out the cheers from the crowd as their father took centre stage. They were joined in the stands by Louis as they watched the game unfold – but Kate has shared an image of Harry trying to console and distract his unimpressed son. She added alongside that post: "100 caps. Wow. A magical night for us as a family. Doesn’t always go to plan with kids though!"

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WHAT NEXT?

A memorable night for Kane saw him add two more goals to his historic tally for England. He is already his country’s all-time leading scorer and now has 68 efforts to his name through 100 appearances.

Moeen Ali’s 33-ball 61 in vain as England fall short in last-ball finish

Danyal Rasool01-Sep-2020Pakistan 190 for 4 (Hafeez 86*, Haider 54, Jordan 2-29) beat England 185 for 8 (Moeen 61, Riaz 2-26) by five runsA 100-run partnership between two men two decades apart in age saw Pakistan eke out their first win of the tour on the day before they are due to return home. It denied England a sixth consecutive T20I series win, while Pakistan pick up a first away win in any format since the ODI World Cup last year. The 39-year old Mohammad Hafeez was the standout star of the win, caressing an unbeaten 52-ball 86 to power his side to 190, while a valiant fightback, spearheaded by Moeen Ali’s 33-ball 61, fell just five shy of powering England to a stunning win.It was a series that came down to the final ball, quite literally, and when Tom Curran lifted Haris Rauf for a gorgeous six over extra cover off the penultimate delivery, England needed one more such blow to seal a series win. Babar Azam panicked, while a swarm of fielders rushed to pester the fast bowler with all kinds of advice. He blocked it all out and sent down an unplayable yorker at 90mph to secure the win, the final two balls a microcosm of Pakistan on tour, and Pakistan in general. One minute down, next minute up.It was Hafeez, perhaps unfairly lumped in with Shoaib Malik as an example of the visitors’ failure to adopt modern T20 practices, who provided the ballast to get the innings back on track after a faltering start. With Moeen having removed Fakhar Zaman early, and Curran knocking Babar’s stumps back soon after, England were enjoying the perfect Powerplay. Hafeez stablised the innings while Haider Ali, with the impudence of youth, went hell for leather, but once he lofted Adil Rashid for a six over midwicket, he roared straight into top gear. Helped, at times, by England bowling to his strengths and missing their lengths, Hafeez plundered 69 off the next 34 balls to spearhead the innings, taking them to within touching distance of the total that proved just short on Sunday.Pakistan began this tour two months ago in a protective bubble, but when, on the final day, they removed the bubble-wrap off their youngest squad member, they discovered quite the player residing within. Haider began his T20I career looking like a man who knew how this format needed to be played, clearing his front leg off the second ball he faced, depositing it over cow corner. Time and again, when England appeared to set a field willing to yield a single to him in that area, he declined the deal, opting to go over the top instead. Having sat out and watched England ease to a target of 195 two days ago, he didn’t need complex statistical information to recognise a boundary would be handier than a single. Within no time, he had become the first Pakistani to score a half-century on debut, one that came in just 28 balls.Wahab Riaz gets a hug•AFPPakistan decided to leave out Mohammad Rizwan, so often sensational behind the stumps, in favour of Sarfaraz Ahmed, for a greater perceived ability with the bat. But while he didn’t feature in the first innings, but when a key moment arose, Sarfaraz froze. Quite literally, and somewhat inexplicably, when Shadab fooled the out-of-form Moeen to leave him stranded outside his crease, Sarfaraz failed to gather properly. Time stood still as Moeen looked back and watched helplessly, waiting to see the bails whipped off, while Sarfaraz appeared to cradle the ball, unable to get it to his hands, and then to the stumps. With England so far behind in the game, it seemed like a comedic footnote. When Moeen stormed to a half-century half an hour later, no one in green was grinning.While the defeat might sting, Moeen’s return to form may yet prove the biggest positive for England. When, in the 16th over, he hit three sixes in four balls off Shadab, expending less energy than it presumably takes most people to butter bread, the idea this was a man out of form and bereft of confidence stretched credulity. When he displayed his T20 smarts with a couple of sneakily stolen boundaries off Shaheen Afridi in the 18th, to bring England within touching distance of victory, he seemed indispensable. Now, he may well be.England’s first ten overs with the bat, though, was perhaps what cost them most dearly. With the game being played on a fresh pitch and a very short boundary on one side, the hosts would have fancied a chase of 191, but that became significantly more challenging when Afridi bowled Jonny Bairstow with a perfect outswinging yorker that took the base of the off stump with it. Dawid Malan fell trying to clear the square leg boundary, only for Fakhar Zaman to pluck it out of the air on tiptoe, but Tom Banton kept the momentum going. With his captain Eoin Morgan, he struck up the sort of partnership that might have put them back on track, notably never letting the normally economical Imad Wasim settle, spanking four fours off his first seven balls.It would all end horribly, though, with Morgan, in the form of his career, dismissed in the worst possible way. Brilliant work in the circle saw Azam cut off what should have been a boundary, and Morgan, cantering towards the other end, found himself stranded mid-pitch. It put even more pressure on Banton to ensure he went deep, but he fell five balls later to Haris Rauf, trapped in front and ruled lbw on review. It meant asking a shade too much of the lower order, even if, on a tour where social distancing dominated the conversation, England got uncomfortably close.

Cristiano Ronaldo released a short biographical documentary on YouTube that captured the incredible journey of his football career.

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• Ronaldo releases tale of his rise to stardom on YouTube
• Reveals he wants to be remembered
• Ronaldo received special award from UEFA last month

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The documentary shows the journey of a small boy in Madeira who grew up to be one of the most decorated players in the history of the game. In the short film, Ronaldo speaks about how he wants to be remembered and what still motivates him at 39 to keep scoring goals for club and country and win awards.

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  The Al-Nassr star was recently honoured with a special award at the 2024-25 Champions League draw as UEFA recognised him as the competition's all-time highest goalscorer. The Portuguese star netted 140 times in 183 appearances.

• WHAT CRISTIANO RONALDO SAID

  The film starts with Ronaldo on his way to receive UEFA's special award where he is being asked how he would like to be remembered, to which the player says, "I will say, unique player. In life, a good man. For me, it's the most important thing."

  He then added, "Honestly, never. I never thought one day I'd be on this stage. I always believed that I was going to be a professional player. But the rest, no. My whole life, it's about challenge. I left my house as an 11-year-old to live in a big city. So for me, it's easy. I change Madeira to Lisbon, Lisbon to England., England to Italy, Italy to I'm back in Spain. For me, it's not a problem, it's part of my life. I'm used to having this kind of a life."

  Later in the video, he was asked about his feelings about getting the award to which the former Real Madrid and Manchester United star said, "For me, it's a pleasure. To be recognised in this competition for all-time top scorer. It's a unique trophy for a unique player, I'm joking. So I'm happy. When I receive trophies, I am always thinking of my family, especially my kids. They still see daddy receiving awards, daddy scoring goals and playing football. For me, it's amazing. It's my motivation to carry on playing."

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  WHAT NEXT FOR CRISTIANO RONALDO?

  After being left out of the club's King's Cup clash against Al Hazm on Monday, the veteran star is expected to be back in action on Friday as Al-Nassr take on Al-Wehda in a Saudi Pro League clash.