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Tottenham Hotspur are now leading the race for an “unbelievable” Premier League forward, who could be a “key player” for Ange Postecoglou’s side, according to former scout Mick Brown.

Tottenham set sights on new winger

Tottenham’s injury crisis this season, which could arguably be attributed to Postecoglou’s style of play, underlined the need for the manager to bring in more strength in depth this summer, should he remain in his post beyond the end of the campaign.

With Son Heung-Min’s contract set to expire at the end of next season, it may be particularly important for Spurs to bring in a new winger this summer, and a number of targets have now been identified.

Most recently, Bayern Munich forward Kingsley Coman was added to the shortlist, with Florian Plettenberg revealing the Lilywhites would like to sign the Frenchman, although a move to Arsenal is more likely, and there are some concerns over his potential wage demands.

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Postecoglou’s side are also eyeing wingers from within the Premier League, and they have now joined the race for West Ham United’s Mohammed Kudus, while Chelsea’s Noni Madueke has previously been named as a potential target.

There has now been a new update on Tottenham’s pursuit of Madueke, with a report from Football Insider revealing they are now leading the race for the winger, and there is a belief they will be able to convince him to move across the capital this summer.

The report goes on to relay quotes from former scout Brown, who says: “Tottenham are one of the teams who have been looking at him, I think Aston Villa have been too.

“From what I hear, Tottenham believe they can tempt him to make that move because they’re prepared to offer him regular playing time.

“He’ll be given the opportunity to make a name for himself and establish himself as a key player.

“If he can play regularly at Tottenham, there’s no reason why he can’t do that.”

"Unbelievable" Madueke could be quality addition for Spurs

It would be a little strange for Chelsea to consider selling the 23-year-old this summer, given that he has shown clear signs of development this season, picking up seven goals and three assists in 25 appearances in the Premier League.

In light of the right-winger’s impressive performances, he received his first cap for England against Finland back in September, assisting Harry Kane’s second goal in the 2-0 triumph.

The England international also received high praise from former manager Mauricio Pochettino near the back end of last season, with the Argentine saying: “Noni Madueke, unbelievable. He did a fantastic job with the ball and without the ball.”

The former PSV Eindhoven man, who cost Chelsea £30m in 2023, could be an excellent signing for Tottenham this summer, so it is promising news that they are now leading the race for his signature.

Starc revealed words from a former Australia coach spurred him to push through pain barrier as he closes in on Dennis Lillee’s tally

Alex Malcolm05-Mar-20241:39

Clarke: Marnus needs to believe in himself

Mitchell Starc has the strong words of former Australia coach Tim Nielsen still ringing in his ears as he stands on the brink of a remarkable achievement.If he takes two wickets at Hagley Oval this week against New Zealand in the second Test he will surpass Dennis Lillee on Australia’s all-time leading Test wicket-takers list and move to fourth behind Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath and Nathan Lyon.Related

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As impressive as that is, Starc is arguably prouder of the fact he is set to play his seventh straight Test of a southern hemisphere summer. It is something he has not done in his 14-year international career. The closest he has come was 2017-18, where he missed one Test out of eight when Australia played five against England at home and three against South Africa away in the span of four months.A once fragile Starc has become Australia’s iron man, pushing through pain to play game after game for his country. He distinctly remembers a conversation on one of his early tours with Australia in 2010, that led him to realise that pushing through pain was part of the job.”I was still learning what all those pains were and obviously the reports get around from physios to coaches and I sort of got told to harden the f*** up a little bit,” Starc said. “Timmy Nielsen probably made me aware that early doors. Obviously, there’s plenty of times you need to be honest with the medical staff but other times you got to know when to push through things.”The last 12 months has been one of those times. Starc was Australia’s leading wicket-taker in the away Ashes last year despite only playing four Tests.He was supposed to go on the limited-overs tour of South Africa before the ODI World Cup but was withdrawn due to lingering groin soreness. Starc has never revealed the exact details of the issue nor has he outlined the pain he was in. He remains tightlipped on both.Mitchell Starc has often pushed through the pain barrier•Getty Images

But there were grave concerns for him during the World Cup, where he hardly trained and had to make slight changes to his run-up to mitigate against long-term injury.That he got through the tournament without issue was impressive. That he has been able to back up and play seven Tests in a row since is even more so.”I think a lot of work goes into that a lot of work that people don’t see or whether it be the rehab or the handling of niggles or there’s certainly sore mornings for a lot of people,” Starc said. “But I think that comes down to experiencing and knowing how to deal with certain things and finding ways through them to still make an impact with a team or perform and carry out your role.”Surpassing Lillee will be a monumental achievement. He is the only bowler in Australia’s top eight wicket-takers with a strike-rate under 50. Of the 27 men who have taken more than 350 Test wickets, only Dale Steyn, Waqar Younis and Malcolm Marshall have a better strike-rate than Starc.”It’s cool. It’s humbling,” Starc said. “It means I’m old. I’ve played a little bit of cricket.”Starc also has another landmark in sight. Tim Southee will become the latest pace bowler to bring up 100 Tests in Christchurch this week and Starc is 12 away. If his body and form hold up, he could join the club in 2025.”To play 100 Test matches as a fast bowler is a huge achievement for [Southee],” Starc said. “If I can get that far, that’d be nice as a bowler and again that’s probably showing a bit of age and experience but a bit of longevity as well and then the work to become resilient and to push through a few things. So if I can get that far it’d be a nice touch but at this stage, it’s one week at a time.”

قدم أسطورة نادي بايرن ميونخ، دعمه إلى الوافد الجديد بنادي ليفربول، فلوريان فيرتز، في ظل سوء مستوى الأخير مع الريدز حتى هذه اللحظة.

ونجح ليفربول في التعاقد مع فيرتز خلال فترة الميركاتو الصيفي الأخير، قادمًا من صفوف باير ليفركوزن مقابل حوالي 126 مليون يورو وبعقد مدته 5 سنوات.

لكن على الرغم من التوقعات الكبيرة التي كانت على فيرتز، فلم يستطع الأخير تقديم المستوى المطلوب منه حتى الآن مع النادي الإنجليزي بالفعل وتعرض إلى العديد من الانتقادات.

اقرأ أيضًا .. سلاح خطير.. ليفربول يمنح سلوت أسرع لاعب في أوروبا

لكن أسطورة بايرن ميونخ والكرة الألمانية، لوثار ماتيوس، يرى أن فيرتز سوف يتألق مع ليفربول وأن اللاعب بحاجة إلى الانسجام فقط مع الدوري الإنجليزي ليخرج أفضل ما لديه.

وقال ماتيوس في تصريحات إلى شبكة “سكاي سبورتس”: “ما يحدث مع فيرتز أمر طبيعي بعد انتقال كبير كهذا إلى خارج ألمانيا”.

وأضاف ماتيوس في حديثه: “لكنه لاعب رائع، سيعتاد على الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز مع مرور الوقت، وسيكون قادرًا على تحمل الضغوط الأكبر”.

واختتم نجم إنتر ميلان مسبقًا: “شعرت بنفس الشعور في إنتر ميلان في البداية، وأندي بريمه الذي لم تكن صفقة انتقاله ناجحة، قدم أداءً رائعًا فور انضمامه إلى إنتر، كان علي التأقلم مع كل شيء، ويعود ذلك جزئيًا إلى الضجة الإعلامية وارتفاع قيمة الصفقة”.

Arsenal are ready to swoop for a young centre-forward very soon, and it is believed Mikel Arteta’s side are in pole position to secure his signature ahead of the likes of Chelsea, Manchester City, and Liverpool.

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The club’s new sporting director, Andrea Berta, is set to target a new striker for Arsenal this summer.

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Berta put pen to paper on a contract to replace long-serving transfer chief Edu Gaspar around three weeks ago, according to Fabrizio Romano, and a new number nine is said to be high on the Italian’s agenda heading into this summer.

Fulham (home)

April 1st

Everton (away)

April 5th

Brentford (home)

April 12th

Ipswich Town (away)

April 20th

Crystal Palace (home)

April 26th

Arsenal have already identified targets, with the likes of Eintracht Frankfurt star Hugo Ekitiké, Newcastle United’s Alexander Isak and Sporting CP’s Viktor Gyokeres all linked to joining Arteta’s side before the start of next season.

As well as the aforementioned trio, Arsenal have been sporadically linked with homegrown stars like Ipswich Town’s Liam Delap, who former Tottenham manager Tim Sherwood recently urged Berta to sign.

“That is a no-brainer for me,” said Sherwood.

“I put Delap in front of [Ollie] Watkins, considering what Arsenal need at the moment. And he’s ahead of [Benjamin] Sesko, who Arsenal have been touting around for. Ipswich would be consigned to the Championship already without him. I think £40m would get him now.

“He would really develop under [Mikel] Arteta and give Arsenal something different, he’s strong, holds the ball up, runs from deep. He knows the league. I think he is an absolute no-brainer for Arsenal. If Ipswich get relegated, his value will still be up there, about the same price. £40m is nothing for Arsenal, he’s got a huge future ahead of him.”

Both Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz won’t be available for quite a long time after sustaining serious injuries, so a prolific new forward is quite simply imperative for Arsenal, with the only question being who is their most ideal fit.

Arsenal ready to make "imminent move" for Blackburn starlet Harvey Higgins

Alongside the senior team, Berta will be overseeing the development of their youth setup, and Arsenal reportedly have their eyes on one of England’s brightest, up-and-coming forward talents.

That is according to journalist Pete O’Rourke, who writes that Arsenal are ready to make an “imminent move” for Blackburn Rovers sensation Harvey Higgins.

The Gunners are apparently “in the driving seat” to strike a deal for Higgins, who is “regarded as one of the most exciting talents in the country”. The 16-year-old is also attracting attention from Chelsea, City, and Liverpool, but Arsenal are hoping to win the race for his services by swooping first.

Higgins could even end up replacing former Arsenal youth striker Chido Obi-Martin, who departed N5 for Man United recently and has already made senior appearances under Ruben Amorim.

The striker position at Manchester City has been full of heritage since the successful silverware-laden days at the Etihad.

While that infamous move for Robinho – the club’s very first marquee signing during the Mark Hughes era – didn’t turn out too successfully, the same cannot be said for a certain Sergio Aguero.

The Argentine is now known as one of the greatest foreign imports the Premier League has ever seen, scoring that title-winning goal which was just one of 260 goals he scored in City blue. He is a legend in these parts, a true icon of English football.

Well, they’ve now found someone capable of usurping Aguero’s record. Yep, you guessed it, it’s the relentless Erling Haaland.

Already a treble-winner, the Norwegian has found the back of the net on 118 occasions in 135 outings. He is certainly one of the best forwards of the modern era.

That said, he should watch out for Omar Marmoush who’s enjoyed a fine start to his time in English football…

What makes Marmoush so good

This January was an important one for the Citizens. For the first time in his tenure, Pep Guardiola was fighting for his life, seemingly unable to turn the tide on a run of form that saw them win just once in 13 matches. It was unheard of.

So, over the winter, they did their due diligence and splashed the cash to bring in the likes of Vitor Reis, Abdukodir Khusanov and Egyptian superstar Omar Marmoush.

The forward had scored 15 Bundesliga goals in 17 matches before switching Germany for England in a £59 move. Since then, he’s continued his menacing form.

The 26-year-old has so far featured off the left, up top and when Haaland has been fit, behind him.

That level of versatility is a key part of why Guardiola wanted to bring him to the Etihad over the winter and he’s rewarded the faith shown, notably scoring a hat-trick in the 4-0 win over Newcastle.

That remains the sole game in which Marmoush has contributed with goals but his general play has been eye-catching with teammate Haaland declaring that “you can see he has something special.”

However, the transfer may never have happened if City’s transfer strategy last summer headed in a different direction.

Man City have already sold a Marmoush upgrade

Marmoush’s signing was needed. Haaland, of course, is a man possessed but behind him, they lacked a certain degree of firepower with Kevin De Bruyne now in the latter stages of his career and Phil Foden – the Premier League’s Player of the Season for 2023/24 – failing to meet the same standards. He’s scored just ten times in 36 outings this season, a far cry from his 27-goal exploits of last term.

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In many ways, the sale of Julian Alvarez didn’t help. It certainly benefited the club’s coffers, raking in an enormous sum of £82m. Since then, he’s showcased why City should regret selling him.

This wasn’t your Gabriel Jesus level of back-up striker. He was a constant threat and helped himself to 19 goals and 13 assists last season. Replacing an output like that wasn’t going to be easy.

Marmoush will no doubt help over the forthcoming seasons but Alvarez has now proven himself as one of the finest forwards in European football.

He showcased that in the Champions League this week, taking his tally in the competition this term to seven in nine games – just one behind Haaland – with a breathtaking strike against rivals Real Madrid.

Alvarez danced past Eduardo Camavinga on the left, cut inside and then bent a delicious effort into the far corner. It was postage stamp stuff. Quite brilliant.

That goal means that the Argentine now has 22 for the season and it was hardly a surprise to see pundits and journalists alike wax lyrical.

Alvarez vs Real Madrid: UCL Last 16
Minutes played	90
Touches	35
Accurate passes	18/21 (86%)
Goals	1
Shots	1
Successful dribbles	1/3
Key passes	1
Ground duels won	3/8
Tackles	2
Stats via Sofascore.

Joe Cole suggested that “he’s a Ballon d’Or winner of the future” while Spanish football expert Neal Gardner simply stated that he is “the most complete striker in the world right now.”

That was corroborated by Argentine journalist Roy Nemer who even before this goal suggested that Alvarez was the “best forward in the world” this season.

It’s hard to dispute that claim considering he ranks inside the best 7% of positionally similar players in Europe’s big five leagues for progressive carries, the best 11% for progressive passes and the top 15% for tackles, underlining the fact that he can do most things incredibly well.

Usually, City get things spot on when sanctioning sales. However, in a campaign where they will miss out on the Premier League and Champions League, they did get this one wrong.

Still, Marmoush is here now and they will get to enjoy the fruits of his labour before too long.

Savio upgrade: Man City may regret selling 'the best winger in the world'

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Ross Kilvington

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Mitchell Starc was “jittery” on Tuesday evening as he followed the IPL 2024 auction at his home in Sydney. It had already been a busy day for Starc: he had mowed the lawn, walked the dogs, done his shopping rounds and made himself dinner.Starc waited anxiously for his name to come up for bidding in the fourth set comprising capped fast bowlers. His Australia captain and friend Pat Cummins had already gone to Sunrisers Hyderabad for INR 20.5 crore (US$2.569 mn approx.), surpassing the record set by England allrounder Sam Curran at the 2023 auction to become the IPL’s most expensive player ever.Related

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That distinction, several pundits and franchises heads had believed in the lead-up to the auction, would belong to Starc. Nearly two-and-a-half hours into the auction in Dubai, player Number 28’s name came up for bidding: Starc.Starc and everyone else following the auction wouldn’t believe what was about to transpire. Mumbai Indians owner Akash Ambani and his counterpart at Delhi Capitals, Kiran Gandhe, started the bidding. At the INR 9.4 crore mark, Gandhe pulled out. Enter Kolkata Knight Riders at the INR 9.8 crore mark. The Knight Riders had been favorites to bid for Starc on the eve of the auction. After all, they had signed him for INR 9.4 crore at the 2018 auction, but Starc had to pull out due to injury.After Mumbai, too, dropped out, Gujarat Titans locked into a bidding contest with Knight Riders. Several tense minutes followed as both franchises raised their bidding towards Cummins’ price tag. The auction room let out a sigh of excitement when Starc surpassed Cummins. Finally, after nearly 17 minutes of bidding, Knight Riders had Starc at INR 24.75 crore. The most expensive player tag had moved from Cummins to Starc in less than two hours.Starc was as gobsmacked as his wife Alyssa Healy, who was relaying updates from Mumbai where she is part of the Australia women’s tour of India, which starts with a one-off Test this week. In a chat with , Starc said he had been “intrigued” about how he would fare, and wasn’t prepared to end up making history.”I’m not sure any words would do it justice, really,” Starc said with a chuckle, asked to recount his reaction to Knight Riders’ winning bid. “Alyssa was over there with the Australian team at the minute, so her coverage was slightly ahead of mine here in Australia. So she sort of saw the numbers before I did, so I was getting the updates through her. But, yeah, a fair bit of shock, and certainly excitement with how it was all unfolding. But nothing that I could’ve ever imagined. Thoroughly thrilled to be joining KKR.”Starc has played only two seasons of the IPL – in 2014 and 2015, at Royal Challengers Bangalore, who had picked him up at INR 5 crore. He then decided to manage his workload for a few years before deciding to enter the auction ahead of the 2018 season. Even then the Knight Riders had bet big money on Starc who they believe has all the skills to be a serial match-winner. These included his ability to bowl in the 140-150 kph range while generating conventional and reverse swing, flooring batters and breaking stumps with toe-crushing yorkers, mix things up with a wicked slower ball, all this with the added threat of his left-arm angle, as well as provide depth to their batting with his lower-order hitting.Unfortunately, Starc hurt his tibia, ruling him out of the 2018 season. But six seasons later, Starc is happy to play in Knight Riders’ colours. “Firstly, it’s exciting to be back involved,” he said. “Secondly, it’s more of a bit of a shock and a surprise, I guess.”The Knight Riders had come to the auction with a remaining purse of 32.7 crore with the most slots to fill of any team – 12 including four overseas players. As soon as the auction began, they got to work by raising their paddle for West Indies allrounder Rovman Powell, who ended up going to Rajasthan Royals. The Knight Riders would eventually walk out with 10 new signings.0:34

Healy: IPL record buy a justification for Starc’s choices

Incredibly, the nine others apart from Starc were all signed at their base price. As Knight Riders CEO Venky Mysore said after acquiring Starc, you can “slice” the purse in different ways.But how do you make sense of a team spending INR 24.75 crore, or 75.69 % of the purse they started the auction with, on a single player? Starc was laughing himself. “They are amazing numbers, aren’t they?” He understands the pressure and expectatins that will come with the price tag as soon as the season begins. But he has qualities not many possess: vast experience, and the experience of winning World Cups in high-pressure situations. “I’m 33 now, so I’ve had to deal with a few ups and downs and pressures of certain games,” he said. “I would like to think that I can keep that in check, but that always comes with the territory when some of those numbers get added to the anticipation of an upcoming season as well.”It’s been a long time since I played in IPL in 2014 and ’15 and have obviously played a fair bit of cricket since then. A lot of it for Australia in different formats. There’s been a lot of white-ball cricket there [in India] across a few World Cup campaigns, and so that experience is there and a little bit of leadership if you like, in terms of the experience side of things in white-ball cricket that hopefully I can bring to bring to KKR as well and play my part there. And being able to bowl at different stages I think is something that’s held firm throughout.”While he sat out of the IPL, Starc never felt uneasy. His had chalked out his priorities, and had been focused on performing for Australia. He played a key role in a historic 2023, in which Australia won the World Test Championship final, retained the Ashes, and then overcame a dominant India in the final of the World Cup in front of a 90,000-plus crowd in Ahmedabad.Starc now believes he is ready for the IPL .”I’ve probably prioritised international cricket firstly for a long time whilst having a bit of a taste of IPL and Big Bash in Australia.” he said. “I’ve always held firm that I’ve wanted to play my best cricket for Australia and make myself available for Australia where I can. At the same time, the temptation to go back to IPL and how exciting it is to be involved in such a great tournament, big names, big players, big stages – it’s too hard to pass up. There’s a place to play all of it. it’s just being mindful and putting the work ethic in to be able to do all of it.”The Eden Gardens also holds good memories for Starc. On November 16, he took a three-for and then batted resolutely with Cummins in a tense chase of 213 against South Africa in the World Cup semi-finals. “I’m very much looking forward to playing as the home team and experiencing that home crowd [at Eden Gardens],” he said. “Some new colors to pull on and a new challenge to look forward to.”What can the passionate Knight Riders fan expect then from Starc? “Hopefully, more of the success that I’ve had over some time – swinging the new ball, reversing the old, and trying to smack those wickets.”As for the present, Starc is looking forward to meeting Cummins ahead of training on Wednesday as they get ready to join the rest of the Australia squad in Melbourne for the Boxing Day Test against Pakistan. “It could be an interesting conversation between the bowling group tomorrow and the gym,” he said, with a laugh.While he and Healy will spend the rest of 2023 indulging in a “Christmas of cricket” in different continents, Starc is happy to share the joy he and Cummins have experienced today with rest of the Australia squad. “The team chat has been going nuts,” he said. “The are all saying it’s our shout, so we’ll just go about our business and get ready for the next Test match. But a few of our Australian team-mates might be waiting for us to treat them.”

Chelsea are now determined to move ahead of Real Madrid in the race to sign a “phenomenal” £50m defender who’s been compared to Sergio Ramos, according to a report.

Blues considering defensive rebuild

The Blues have continued their approach of signing up-and-coming talents, recently sealing out-of-window moves for Sporting CP youngster Dario Essugo, who operates in central midfield, alongside 17-year-old winger Geovany Quenda, who is set to arrive in the summer of 2026.

However, there are also indications Enzo Maresca’s side could look to upgrade their defence this summer, with targets being identified at both full-back and centre-back.

There could be a departure from the west Londoners’ usual focus on youth, with a deal for 28-year-old Nottingham Forest right-back Ola Aina now being worked on, following the defender’s impressive performances in the Premier League this season.

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Another Premier League defender enjoying a solid campaign is AFC Bournemouth’s Dean Huijsen, with David Ornstein recently revealing the centre-back is being looked at closely by the Blues ahead of a potential summer transfer swoop.

There has now been a further update on Chelsea’s pursuit of Huijsen, with a report from Spain revealing they are now determined to move ahead of Real Madrid in the race for the 19-year-old’s signature.

Maresca’s side could be the club most willing to shell out the €60m (£50m) release clause included in the defender’s Bournemouth contract, despite widespread interest in his signature, with Newcastle United, Bayern Munich and Liverpool also keen.

Interestingly, the report states the Blues could look to make an ‘aggressive’ offer to ensure they win the race for the Spaniard, which may include tabling a more financially appealing contract than Madrid would be willing to offer.

"Phenomenal" Huijsen likened to Ramos

The teenager spent time with Malaga as a youth player, where he attracted attention from the likes of Real Madrid and Barcelona, so it is perhaps a little surprising he ultimately ended up at Bournemouth, arriving on a six-year deal last summer.

However, the youngster’s decision to sign for the Cherries has been validated by the amount of game time he has received this season, making 23 appearances in the Premier League, during which time he has scored two goals.

The Spain international’s goal-scoring ability has drawn comparisons to Madrid legend Ramos, who was his idol growing up, and he once scored 12 goals in half a season during his time with Malaga, despite featuring at centre-back.

Football talent scout Jacek Kulig lauded Huijsen as “phenomenal” after a solid performance against Newcastle United earlier this season, and his performance on several key defensive metrics over the past year indicates he could be a fantastic signing for Chelsea.

Statistic

Average per 90

Interceptions

2.16 (99th percentile)

Blocks

1.66 (87th percentile)

Clearances

6.73 (96th percentile)

Lamine Yamal sent out a clear message to his naysayers as he headed off into vacation mode after starring in Barcelona's domestic double.

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Yamal sends message to his critics Posted a series of photos on social media while enjoying vacation Well-deserved break for youngster after playing big role in Barca's success Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Yamal wrote the latest chapter of his book of confidence, all that while enjoying a nice helicopter ride and then hitting the beach, as he sent a defiant message to his naysayers after starring in Barcelona's domestic treble success and playing a key role in Spain reaching the final of the Nations League.

AdvertisementWHAT LAMINE YAMAL SAID

The soon-to-be 18-year-old took to Instagram to post a series of photos in a carousel, one of which read: "They complain about the bad ones and abuse the good ones."

Getty/GOALTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Yamal is one of the favourites to lift this year's Ballon d'Or accolade, and he only further rubber-stamped his credentials following an impactful performance in Spain's dramatic 5-4 semi-final win over France in the Nations League. After the game, the Barcelona superstar attended the press conference with his usual nonchalance. Former Real Madrid and Spain midfielder Guti, however, was not too pleased with the young winger sporting his cap backwards while addressing the media.

“I don't know if this is the first time I've seen a guy with a cap backwards. I don't like that because he's with the Spanish national team!", Guti told . “When he goes to Ibiza, or wherever he wants, he can do it. But not with the Spanish national team at a press conference. I don't like it.”

Yamal's message on his social media platforms seems to be his way of answering his critics.

Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR LAMINE YAMAL?

The youngster is set to return to action next month, when the entire Barcelona squad will gather to begin their pre-season.