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Manchester United are reportedly keeping tabs on AC Milan left-back Theo Hernandez as Erik ten Hag looks to bolster his defensive options.

What’s the latest on Theo Hernandez to Manchester United?

According to Italian news outlet Gazzetta dello Sport (via Sport Witness), the Red Devils are keen on making a move for Hernandez this summer, although the report claims any potential move will ‘only happen in the event of a sensational offer’ and in this regard, the Italian side are demanding at least €60m (£51m).

The Old Trafford side are said to be ‘pressing’ to sign the player as they want to ‘bridge the gap’ between them and Manchester City next season.

Could Theo Hernandez join Manchester United?

Ten Hag was able to call on both Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia last season as the club qualified for the Champions League due to finishing third in the Premier League, with Shaw especially performing extremely well.

The Englishman ranked as United’s fourth best player for overall rating, third for big chances created and seventh for tackles made per game, suggesting he was influential at both ends of the pitch.

With Malacia, signed just last summer, also featuring 39 times in all competitions, do United need another left-back? Making a move for Hernandez however could spell bad news for the Dutchman ahead of next season.

Indeed, last term, the Frenchman registered more goal contributions (seven to zero), progressive passes (128 to 44), shot-creating actions per 90 (2.82 to 1.22) and progressive carries (108 to 19) than the United defender, clearly suggesting that he would be a far better attacking option at left-back than the former Ajax man.

Malacia does hold the upper hand defensively however, winning more tackles (33 to 24) and more interceptions (25 to 21), yet if Hernandez does move to Manchester, he could improve on these attributes.

Milan coach Stefano Pioli lavished praise on the defender back in 2021, saying: “He can play both phases very well, with his physical abilities it is enough to stay in the game. He can very well become one of the best.

“He has only been playing continuously for a year and a half, I always tell him that he must not be satisfied with being talented.

“He has an incredible physical strength and quality, he must prove that he wants to become the best every day."

The praise doesn’t stop there, as Jacek Kulig even lauded him as a “beast” previously and he even starred for France at the most recent World Cup, averaging a Sofascore rating of 7.3/10 across six matches for his country as they finished runners up to Argentina, indicating that he can perform on the biggest stage of all.

A move for Hernandez may push Malacia further down the pecking order, yet it would certainly strengthen the squad that’s for sure.

Leeds United chiefs have internally discussed out-of-work manager Scott Parker as the Whites continue their search for Sam Allardyce's replacement.

Who could Leeds appoint as manager?

Following relegation from the Premier League, Leeds face an almighty task to find the perfect successor to Allardyce, who has left Elland Road by mutual consent.

It's been a season to forget for Leeds, who saw three different managers take the helm last campaign in Jesse Marsch, Javi Gracia and Allardyce – but none could steer them away from the Championship.

FC Lorient boss Regis Le Bris and West Brom's Carlos Corberan, among others, are reportedly in contention to replace Allardyce at Leeds, though hiring either boss could be difficult given their currently employed status.

Free agent managers could be a solution and there are plenty around, with former Rangers boss Steven Gerrard being linked with a move to Yorkshire.

Reliable journalist Phil Hay, writing in a piece for The Athletic, claims Leeds have internally discussed hiring another manager on the market in Parker.

The 42-year-old, who has previously managed the likes of Fulham and Club Brugge, is indeed a candidate among the Leeds hierarchy.

“Scott Parker has been discussed on the basis he won promotion from the Championship twice before, with Fulham and Bournemouth," Hay wrote."Leicester City are another possible destination for him.”

Hay also explains that Leeds wanted to take their time and draw up a viable shortlist of candidates before formally approaching any manager.

“Last week, Leeds’ chief executive, Angus Kinnear, began assessing and approaching potential managerial candidates with a view to establishing whether they were interested and what their demands would be.“The club wanted to be in a position where a viable shortlist was in place for the moment a formal offer could be made.”

Who is Scott Parker?

The ex-West Ham and Tottenham midfielder, despite being unceremoniously sacked by Brugge most recently, has actually received glowing praise from elite managers like Pep Guardiola for some of his work.

Guardiola has previously called Parker an "innovative" manager when discussing England's most promising up-and-coming coaches.

Tottenham defender Ryan Sessegnon also holds the tactician in very high esteem, having sung his praises back in 2021 to talkSPORT:

"Everyone knows the relationship I have with Scott. He’s a top guy, top man and a top coach. He’s just an all-round great guy," explained Sessegnon."He obviously has a philosophy of play and sticks to it and all the players are buying into that. Recently, it hasn’t been so good for them in terms of results, but I think the performances and effort is still there."

There is no immediate threat to the Chennai Test as the TNCA is confident of staging the match as it it slated to start only after the seven-day state mourning for former chief minister J Jayalalithaa, who died on Monday night

Arun Venugopal06-Dec-20161:40

No paucity of venues for hosting Tests – Shirke

The BCCI is yet to decide on moving the fifth and final Test between India and England from December 16 out of Chennai following the death of Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa on Monday. Ajay Shirke, the secretary, said the board was seeking inputs from the host association – the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) – and monitoring the situation closely. He also said no deadline had been set for naming an alternate venue since it was an evolving situation.”We haven’t taken any decision with regard to the Chennai Test match,” Shirke told reporters after the meeting of the senior tournament committee in Mumbai. “It’s a very sensitive decision. We are keeping a close watch on the situation and we are taking the inputs from the local host association as to what is the mood and the sentiment of the people, and based on what evolves, the final decision for the match will be taken.”TNCA secretary Kasi Viswanathan, however, wrote to the board that Chennai was ready to host the Test. “We have communicated to the BCCI this morning that we won’t be able to host the ongoing Ranji Trophy game [between Odisha and Jharkhand in Natham near Dindigul] and Under-19 match because of state mourning for seven days and closure of schools and colleges for three days,” he told ESPNcricinfo. “But, we will host the Test match because after December 12 the [week-long] mourning period is over.”Shirke said there was no shortage of of back-up venues should the need arise. “We are monitoring the situation almost on an hourly or a daily basis,” he said. “The BCCI has got a number of alternate venues; in fact, there are new venues which have been added so there is no paucity of venues for hosting a Test match. Again, that should not be read as a decision [of the game] having been shifted.” It is understood that Pune and Bangalore are front runners to host the final Test if it is moved out of Chennai.The MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai last hosted a Test match three years ago against Australia, while its most recent international game came last year in an ODI against South Africa. During England’s tour of India in 2008, Chennai emerged as one the two alternate venues after the terror attacks in Mumbai forced the Test matches to be moved out of Mumbai and Ahmedabad.

ScorecardHeather Knight’s 74 from 46 balls took Western Storm close•Getty Images

England wicketkeeper Amy Jones and Australian star Ellyse Perry shared a fourth-wicket partnership of 83 as home side Loughborough Lightning beat Western Storm by five runs in a thriller, despite Heather Knight’s 74, the highest score in the Kia Super League to date.Jones and Perry came together at a perilous 31 for 3 to share the impressive stand, building a solid platform before accelerating to put Lightning in a great position. A flurry of wickets saw Storm slow the rate down, before an Eve Jones cameo saw Loughborough post 158 for 8 off their 20 overs.Western Storm were looking for a fast start but were pegged back by some tight early bowling from Loughborough. Knight’s excellent knock looked to have given Western Storm the platform to chase down the score, but when she was run out, the game went away from the visitors.”It felt really good and it was about trying to get a partnership together with Ellyse,” Amy Jones said. “Luckily I’d had a couple of opportunities in warm-up games so it was nice to push on a bit and get the win.”Knight was undoubtedly disappointed to fall short. “We just wanted to stay in the game as long as possible but a couple of wickets cost us but we can turn things around quickly and we can get back on track.”Nine runs off the first three balls of the match looked to have given Loughborough a great start, but a clever piece of bowling saw Lightning captain Georgia Elwiss lured out of her crease, to be stumped by New Zealand international Rachel Priest.Storm captain Knight then forced a mistake from one off Loughborough’s overseas stars, grabbing the wicket of Sophie Devine before Anya Shrubsole bowled Dane Van Niekerk after runs had begun to dry up.That brought together the partnership of Jones and Perry, who first consolidated for a period before their expansive range of shots began to show. The England wicketkeeper took the lead racing to 46 off 30 balls, departing to a Priest stumping again off Freya Davies.Perry was then involved in a mix-up that saw Paige Scholfield run out, but by then had taken on the momentum, hitting her 44 off 37 balls before holing out in the deep to Lizelle Lee.Eve Jones smacked a quick-fire 25, launching Georgia Hennessey for a six and then the very next ball, hitting another boundary, before departing to Shrubsole as the innings reached its end.The Western Storm chase wobbled early, as an excellent Powerplay saw Loughborough get the prize wickets of overseas stars Priest and Stafanie Taylor before Knight and Fran Wilson started the rebuilding process.Knight was the aggressor in the partnership of 78 with her England colleague but when Wilson departed, the task got harder, though the composure shown by the Storm skipper, suggested otherwise.However, the match turned when Elwiss got the faintest of touches on a Hennessey straight drive, to leave Knight stranded out of her crease and with it the chances of Western Storm. Sonia Odedra’s impressive spell of 2 for 20 was the pick of the Lightning bowlers, whilst Perry’s final over secured the victory.

Alex McLeish endured a very Jekyll and Hyde spell as manager of Glasgow Rangers, with periods of success intersected with some of the worst seasons in the Ibrox side's recent history, however, he must surely go down as one of the club’s finest-ever bosses considering the financial constraints he had to work with.

The Scot won five of the first six trophies available to him, including a stunning treble during the 2002/03 season, yet the next campaign was woeful as the Light Blues finished empty-handed while having to resort to free transfers and selling some of their best assets, notably Barry Ferguson.

Come the summer of 2004, it appeared as though Celtic would begin an era of dominance given they had just cruised to the league title months before and McLeish would have to do something very special to reclaim it.

He managed to lure Dado Prso to the club on a free transfer and signed Dundee forward Nacho Novo for just £450k. Little did he know that the Spanish dynamo would become one of his finest-ever signings with the Gers certainly hitting the jackpot with his arrival.

How did Nacho Novo perform at Rangers?

The 5 foot 7 forward enjoyed a wonderful six seasons at the Glasgow side where he won three league titles and five domestic cups.

He will certainly go down as a fan favourite and although he wasn't the most talented player on the pitch, the Spaniard had an endless determination which saw him chase down every lost cause and fight for every ball.

The forward netted the title clincher against Hibs in 2005 as Rangers sealed an unlikely league triumph, forming a ‘little and large’ partnership with Croatian giant Prso and despite the following two seasons ending trophyless, he still scored plenty.

Under Walter Smith, Novo often found himself deployed out wide, yet he didn’t complain and got on with the task at hand, earning the respect of every supporter.

Novo finished his Rangers career in 2010 and ended up scoring 71 goals in 255 appearances, even finding the back of the net against Celtic six times, enduring cult hero status as a result.

The Gers hit the jackpot on the striker, with every goal he scored costing the club just £6k, proving he was a wonderful investment.

Every team needs a player who won't just score goals, but will also show the utmost commitment. The former Gers man certainly fits the bill regarding these traits.

Three days after a heart-wrenching loss to table-toppers Gujarat Lions, Delhi Daredevils have a chance to bounce back against second-placed Kolkata Knight Riders

The Preview by Nikhil Kalro29-Apr-2016Match factsSaturday, April 30, 2016
Start time 1600 local (1030 GMT)3:26

Agarkar: Contest between spinners of KKR and Daredevils

Big PictureThree days after a heart-wrenching loss to table-toppers Gujarat Lions, Delhi Daredevils have a chance to bounce back against second-placed Kolkata Knight Riders.Multi-coloured boots and convincing chases are this season’s fads. Considering their substandard history in the IPL, some could argue that a few of Daredevils’ sparkling performances this season belong in that category. But their consistency may have invalidated that argument. So far, Daredevils have mauled Kings XI Punjab, defended 164 against Mumbai Indians, chased 192 and almost pulled off an impossible heist in their previous game. However, their previous encounter against Knight Riders, on April 10 at the Eden Gardens, will be in the back of the players’ minds as they were rolled over for 98 to lose by nine wickets.Apart from horses-for-courses selections, Daredevils’ bowling attack seems settled. Legspinners Amit Mishra and Imran Tahir have constricted batsmen in the second half of the innings. Chris Morris and Zaheer Khan have used their varying styles to limit the damage in the end overs. Morris came in at No. 6 against Lions and engineered a superb turnaround, but do Daredevils have the depth to overpower oppositions with the bat?Knight Riders have beaten four teams, but both their losses came against Mumbai. Their management will now have to come up with a solution for their middle and lower-order fragility. Just enough was left to get past Rising Pune Supergiants. Against Mumbai, Knight Riders scored 52 off the last six overs, leaving themselves with a sub-par score to defend. Chris Lynn was brought in to establish balance in the side, but was used at No. 6.Form guideDelhi Daredevils LWWWL (last five matches, most recent first)
Kolkata Knight Riders LWWWLIn the spotlightDaredevils’ South African contingent – Quinton de Kock, JP Duminy, Chris Morris and Imran Tahir – has improved the balance of the side. Each of them has carried out his role, and their international experience could be what Daredevils need in the second half of the season.Andre Russell and Sunil Narine have not made an impact yet this season. Russell has five wickets in six games, after going wicketless in his last three matches, and has conceded 157 runs in 17 overs. He has scored only 77 runs so far from four innings with a strike-rate of 157.14. Narine has been eased into his remodelled action. He has five wickets in four games at an economy rate of 6.37, but Knight Riders probably need more from their West Indian stars.Team newsDaredevils may not need to change their side. If an additional seamer is required, Mohammed Shami could return for Shahbaz Nadeem.Delhi Daredevils (probable): 1 Quinton de Kock (wk), 2 Sanju Samson, 3 Karun Nair, 4 JP Duminy, 5 Rishabh Pant, 6 Chris Morris, 7 Pawan Negi, 8 Imran Tahir, 9 Mohammed Shami/Shahbaz Nadeem, 10 Zaheer Khan (capt), 11 Amit MishraWith Manish Pandey unavailable due to chicken pox, Knight Riders have tried Suryakumar Yadav and Shakib Al Hasan at No. 3. If they decide to persist with Lynn, he could be used at that position, considering he has plied his trade at No. 3 for Brisbane Heat in the Big Bash League. Piyush Chawla could return for Jaydev Unadkat, too.Kolkata Knight Riders (probable): 1 Gautam Gambhir (capt), 2 Robin Uthappa (wk), 3 Chris Lynn, 4 Suryakumar Yadav, 5 Shakib Al Hasan, 6 Yusuf Pathan, 7 Andre Russell, 8 R Sathish, 9 Piyush Chawla, 10 Umesh Yadav, 11 Sunil NarinePitch and conditionsWith the Feroz Shah Kotla’s short boundaries and the chasing record this season, both sides may prefer bowling first. In the previous game there, Daredevils plundered 113 off the last nine overs, chasing 173. The weather is expected to be dry, but temperatures could soar past 40 degrees Celsius.Stats and trivia Daredevils have conceded only three century opening stands in 123 innings so far Before Morris’ 32-ball 82 on Wednesday, his highest score in T20s was 41. He has played 110 matches

Sunderland travel to Norfolk on Sunday to face off against Norwich City at Carrow Road in the Championship off the back of three straight defeats.

The Black Cats have lost their last three games in the division – to Rotherham, Stoke, and Coventry – and conceded a staggering nine goals in those matches.

Tony Mowbray’s side now face a Norwich team with three wins and eight goals scored in their last three outings in the league, which illustrates the size of the task facing them this weekend.

The Canaries lined up with a three-man midfield of Jacob Sorensen, Kenny McLean, and Gabriel Sara in their last match against Millwall and they combined for two goals and one assist.

Sunderland, meanwhile, deployed Dan Neil as their only recognised central midfielder, with attacking midfielders Alex Pritchard and Patrick Roberts filling out the midfield, in the 5-1 loss to Stoke.

Will Pierre Ekwah start vs Norwich?

The dominance that the Canaries could have in the middle of the park should lead to Mowbray altering his team by unleashing Pierre Ekwah to combat the potential threat of their opponents.

Since joining from West Ham United in January, the Frenchman has only made four appearances as a substitute in the Championship but the nature of the game on Sunday could be perfect for him to come in to solidify the midfield.

The rarely-seen gem, who was described as “all-action” by journalist Jonty Colman, could provide physicality and some defensive steel in the middle of the park in an attempt to stop the likes of Sara and Sorensen from dictating and deciding the match.

Mowbray once hailed the ace’s physique, saying:

“His left foot is really smooth, and yet I have been trying to encourage him to bring his physicality because he is a big lad – he’s not a small, skinny, frail, kid. He’s got huge physical attributes that he should bring to the party.”

The 21-year-old has not had an opportunity to showcase his quality in the first-team at Sunderland so far, with just the four cameos, but did catch the eye in the EFL Trophy for West Ham’s U21s earlier this season.

In three appearances in the competition, Ekwah averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.00 and made two tackles and interceptions per match whilst winning 54% of his duels.

This shows that the potential is there for the youngster to be an imposing force in midfield, whilst his two key passes per game in the EFL Trophy means that he could also provide a threat on the ball that forces the Norwich players to drop off to deal with his quality in possession.

Therefore, Ekwah must be unleashed from the start at Carrow Road to bolster Sunderland’s midfield and prevent another Stoke disaster from taking place.

Insider ExWHUemployee has revealed that West Ham United goalkeeper Alphonse Areola has now “resumed training” after his recent injury and may return at the start of next month.

What’s the latest on Alphonse Areola and his West Ham injury?

The Frenchman has been out recently with a hamstring injury and consequently hasn’t been able to feature in the club’s last two Premier League games.

As result, in the recent draw against Newcastle United, manager David Moyes opted to name third-choice goalkeeper Joseph Anang and academy stopper Krisztian Hegyi both on the bench at St James’ Park – he did the same against Chelsea last weekend, too.

However, following a new update on Areola on The West Ham Way podcast, it seems as though the goalkeeper may be back on the bench shortly to provide more senior depth to Lukasz Fabianski.

Indeed, Ex revealed that the 29-year-old is close to returning although likely won’t play until they face Manchester United in the FA Cup.

He said: “Areola has also resumed training. He’s unlikely to feature for us until the Manchester United game, but obviously, it will be good for him to get back on the bench and get some training in before that game.”

What does the Areola injury mean for WHUFC?For now at West Ham, Fabianski remains very much the number one goalkeeping option for Moyes, with the Pole starting all 22 league games so far this season.He is, however, 37 years old now and with Areola completing a permanent transfer to the club from Paris Saint-Germain last summer (signing a five-year deal), it suggests the Frenchman will be the first pick in years to come.This term, though, the 29-year-old has mainly had to settle for minutes in the cup competitions. For instance, he has started every Europa Conference League game.Taking that into account, even if he is fit enough to play, he probably won’t come into the side for another few weeks until West Ham take on Man United in the fifth round of the FA Cup on 1st March.

Glasgow Rangers have enjoyed some moderate success in the transfer market over the previous couple of years, particularly in terms of moving players on for vast profits.

Since January 2022, the Gers have managed to sell Nathan Patterson (£16m), Joe Aribo (£10m) and Calvin Bassey (£23m) for fees much higher than what they signed for. Such events have allowed the club to establish a solid player trading model which enables them to reinvest transfer fees earned back into recruitment.

These sorts of deals won’t occur every window, but Michael Beale will know that the vast majority of players who join the club see Rangers as a stepping stone to either the Premier League or to a team performing consistently in the Champions League.

The key is to sign prospective talent at a low price and develop them, before moving the player on for a vast profit. Although this method looks like it is coming back to the fore at the Ibrox side in recent seasons, it hasn’t always been like this.

Following promotion to the Premiership in 2016, the Light Blues endured some woeful decisions in the transfer market, with managers such as Mark Warburton and Pedro Caixinha wasting money on a collection of expensive flops who rather rinsed the club dry.

One such example is Carlos Pena and his 18-month stint as a Rangers' player will surely go down as one of the worst deals in their recent history.

How much did Carlos Pena cost Rangers?

Caixinha went into his first transfer window as manager of the Gers with an ambition to build a side which could finally end Celtic’s hegemony of Scottish football. While he could be praised for his adventurous proposal, it ultimately failed.

He signed players such as Fabio Cardoso, Dalcio and Eduardo Herrera in a bid to topple Celtic, yet they all failed to settle in Scottish football, departing within two years of arriving in Glasgow.

Pena was the most expensive signing that summer however, costing the club a fee in the region of £2.2m from Guadalajara and even after just a few matches, it was clear that the Mexican was miles off the pace. He struggled to adapt to the physicality of Scottish football as Caixinha’s reign turned into a nightmare of epic proportions.

How much did Carlos Pena earn at Rangers?

It was reported that Pena was earning around £26k-per-week upon signing for the Light Blues and this was a staggering amount considering they had spent just one season back in the top flight, finishing third behind Celtic and Aberdeen.

This money would have been better off going towards a player who was slightly younger and may have had a brighter future ahead of them, or indeed, someone with plenty of experience in European football who could have adapted much faster than Pena.

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Not only did it turn out to be Caixinha's worst-ever signing, but it is arguably the biggest waste of money since Rangers returned to the Premiership seven years ago, and his performances on the field didn’t exactly warrant the massive weekly outgoing either.

How did Carlos Pena perform at Rangers?

The short answer is indeed a hard no, yet it is perhaps more beneficial to take a deeper look into just how poor he really was at the club.

Having won 19 caps for Mexico, which included appearances at the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Copa America, first impressions of the attacking midfielder seemed promising, yet that swiftly changed when he took to the field wearing a Rangers shirt.

Across his first nine matches for the Gers, he did manage to score five goals, including a double against St Johnstone, yet his overall performances were disappointing, with the player really struggling to adjust to the game in Scotland, and he looked a shadow of the player that had registered 62 goal contributions – 50 goals and 12 assists – over 192 matches for Club Leon in the years prior to him arriving in the Premiership.

Having cost £2.2m in June 2017, Pena ended up costing Rangers a staggering £440k per goal, having made only 14 appearances in total before moving on from the Glasgow side at the beginning of 2018.

What happened to Carlos Pena next?

He agreed to join Mexican side Cruz Azul on loan in January 2018 as his Gers nightmare was coming to an end, and it was Caixinha who signed him, having been sacked from the Ibrox side in October the previous year after just six months in charge.

Their sporting director Eduardo de la Torre praised Pena, saying: “We have been in talks with Carlos and Rangers for ten days.

“He is a player our coach knows very well and he told us to get him. Pedro knows what Carlos can give the team.”

He obviously didn’t watch him in a Rangers jersey. Another loan spell at Necaxa for the 2018/19 season was agreed, yet this was cut short and Steven Gerrard finally terminated his contract in February 2019, a full 85 weeks after he joined the Gers.

Rangers Review journalist Derek Clark didn’t hold back when criticising the player, saying: “Disastrous transfer in what was an equally disastrous spell for the club.”

This was said last year after the Court of Arbitration of Sport justified the reasons behind the Light Blues cutting Pena’s stay in Glasgow short, and it ended a near three-year look into the matter.

Rangers are in a far better place now than they were back in the summer of 2017, and while there will be the odd transfer blunder here and there, it doesn’t happen nearly as frequently as it did in the first few years following promotion.

Pena was an abysmal signing during an abysmal period for the club and it's one which arguably set the Gers back further when they really needed to settle down and build a proper side capable of challenging for honours.

£2.2m was an awful lot of money in 2017, especially with the club not in European competition and following the recent success stories of Aribo, Bassey and Patterson, Beale could look forward to developing his players well with a view to securing lavish transfer fees once some of them are ready to report the club.