Arsenal's stellar summer window seems set to continue, as a new name has emerged for Mikel Arteta to consider…

What's the latest on Goncalo Inacio to Arsenal?

Having tied up a move for Kai Havertz, and progressing on deals for both Declan Rice and Jurrien Timber, it is now Spanish publication AS who are suggesting that Edu's latest transfer exploit will come in the form of Goncalo Inacio.

The Sporting CP centre-back has shone in his homeland of late, with the report detailing that the Gunners hold a serious interest in the 21-year-old titan.

However, his exit will not come cheap, with the Portuguese club expected to demand around €45m (£39m) in one full payment.

How good is Goncalo Inacio?

The team that Arteta is building in north London seems to now be reaching its final form, as a squad littered with players supremely confident in possession and perfectly aligned with his philosophy. William Saliba has taken to English football with ease after a string of loan spells, whilst the acquisition of Oleksandr Zinchenko helped knit the philosophy together perfectly, to outline just two examples.

Now, in Inacio, the Spaniard could add a truly outstanding centre-back into the fold, who has emerged as one of Europe's paramount ball-playing defenders.

In fact, when compared to other centre backs across the continent, he ranks in the top 1% for passes attempted and progressive passes, the top 7% for pass completion and the top 3% for progressive carries per 90, via FBref.

This youngster underpins a new generation of defenders, yet standing at 6 foot 1 boasts the physicality to dominate too. After all, he did maintain 1.4 interceptions and 1.9 clearances per game in the Liga Portugal last term, with the tactical analysis page Premier League Panel describing him as a "leader" with "immense recovery speed" earlier in June.

To pair this excellence with another signing in that mould could underpin Arsenal's back line for the next decade, as Timber closes in on his move to north London.

He also shines in these previously mentioned ball-playing attributes, yet his fleet-footed nature has often seen him progress into midfield as an inverted full-back.

Perhaps with Inacio punching high-quality progressive balls into the Dutchman, he could then exert his creative influences higher up the pitch, with this youthful combination sure to star for the foreseeable future.

After all, the 22-year-old also ranks in the top 1% of defenders in the next eight best leagues (outside of the top five) for progressive passes and carries per 90, as well as the top 4% for progressive passes received per 90.

He accepts the ball so willingly, and then has the quality to turn defence into attack in an instant. The presence of such a technically-gifted asset behind him would facilitate an increased number of opportunities to get on the ball and form a destructive unit.

With versatility in bucketloads and quality that belies their youth, this could be a double swoop that builds the platform for unlimited future success for Edu and Arteta.

Tottenham Hotspur were likely shocked to the core when Bayern Munich submitted their offer for Harry Kane, with Daniel Levy probably assuming most would be put off by the ludicrous £200m price tag that was placed upon his head.

The chairman has remained staunch on his stance regarding the England captain, and having rejected that first advance from the Germans, he stuck to his word.

However, with news continuing that a second bid will come, it seems that now a decision must be made on whether to cash in on the 29-year-old now or lose him for free next summer when his contract comes to a conclusion.

Should he opt for the former, perhaps he could seek to reinvest those funds in the future of his number nine position, handing Ange Postecoglou the tools necessary to truly kickstart his revolution in north London.

He will need more than the initial €70m (£60m) that the Bavarian giants offered though if he is to secure the £130m that Napoli will demand for Victor Osimhen. Despite that, the Lilywhites remain one of the listed interested parties in the striker.

Is Victor Osimhen better than Harry Kane?

Across Europe, there were few front-men who could compete with the imperious form of Kane as he found the net on 30 occasions in the league despite his club being in turmoil.

In fact, he even ranked second in the race for the European Golden Shoe, of which Erling Haaland unsurprisingly stands way out in front. However, just three places behind the £200k-per-week finisher is the Nigeria international, showcasing how the 24-year-old is not far behind the levels that the Spurs favourite has reached.

The former LOSC Lille marksman hit 26 Serie A goals last term alongside notching five assists, with his raw physicality offering a completely different style to Kane's. Journalist Colin Udoh had even branded the former a "monster of a player" as if to further emphasise this point.

It could be argued that given the relentless press Postecoglou will attempt to implement in north London, Osimhen even offers an upgrade on his technically-exceptional but somewhat sluggish current option.

The presence of this 6 foot 1 star in a title-winning side will likely also interest Levy too, as he desperately seeks to add some silverware to end the stigma surrounding his club.

Kane has spent 11 long years as a senior player in the capital, with little to show for it except for his chance to break the all-time Premier League scoring record.

However, should he turn that down in favour of guaranteed trophies in Germany, Postecoglou can be safe in the knowledge that, should they choose Osimhen as his replacement, he will see little downturn in terms of goalscoring.

Chelsea have already waved goodbye to a number of first-team regulars this summer, with more set to follow in the coming days as part of a mass squad overhaul.

While the likes of Kai Havertz, Mateo Kovacic and Manchester United-bound Mason Mount will be missed, others have either had less of an impact at Stamford Bridge (Kalidou Koulibaly) or simply have not played as much of late (N'Golo Kante).

One player who very much will be missed should he move on this window is long-serving captain Cesar Azpilicueta, who has once again been linked with the exit after an 11-year stay at the club, during which time he has won every trophy on offer.

Amid claims personal terms have already been agreed between Azpilicueta and Inter on a two-year deal, The Sun reports new Chelsea head coach Mauricio Pochettino is willing to let the defender leave for a nominal fee – or indeed, for free.

That is because Pochettino is already happy with the options he has available at right-back, with Reece James hopeful his injury issues are behind him, while Malo Gusto is now part of the squad after signing from Lyon in a £26m deal in January.

James will start the new Premier League season as Pochettino's first choice down the right, but Gusto showed last season at Lyon – whom he re-joined in January on loan for the remainder of the 2022/23 season – that he may well have a big part to play this season for the Blues.

Who is Chelsea full-back Malo Gusto?

Gusto spent two seasons as a first-team regular for Lyon, racking up 51 Ligue 1 appearances since the start of 2021/22 and catching the eye with his attacking play down the flank.

As pointed out by Football.london writer Bobby Vincent, the 20-year-old "is very dangerous going forward" and also "has an eye for a cross". That is very much reflected in the stats, with his 6.55 crosses per 90 minutes last season very similar to the number recorded by James at Chelsea (6.59), as per FBref.

There are other similarities between the pair, too, as they also completed a similar number of passes per 90 minutes last season (64.6 for James, 66.2 for Gusto) and also won a near-identical number of tackles (1.45 v 1.47), suggesting the France U21 international will be a good fit for Chelsea.

Using FBref's player comparison tool, there is a full-back even more alike Gusto in terms of their statistical profiles: Bayern Munich star Alphonso Davies.

The pair won a similar number of tackles per 90 last season (48.8% for Gusto, compared to 46.2% for Davies), hit the target from a similar number of shots (42.9% v 42.1%) and registered blocks at a similar rate (1.24 v 1.23).

They also had the majority of their touches in the middle third of the field (43.6 v 40.2) – highlighting where they spend most of their time – and played 4.80 and 4.85 passes into the final third per 90 respectively.

Whether it is the next Davies that Chelsea have signed or a younger version of James, it is clear that Gusto is a talented player who is capable of challenging for a first-team place once Azpilicueta's exit is finally sanctioned.

Sam Northeast for England! Kent fans will demand it once again after his unbeaten 173 at Hove, but is anyone in the England set-up listening?

Vithushan Ehantharajah at Hove16-Apr-2017
ScorecardSam Northeast’s reputation seems consigned to Kent•Getty Images

“Northeast for England!” It’s one thing for Kent fans to chant for their captain (and, to be fair to them, they’ve been singing that for a while). But when those chants are coming from his own dressing room, it does strike a different note. As Sussex slinked off when bad light ended play, Kent’s players, with a 426-run-lead in their step, were in full voice. They, more so than the fans, are annoyed he has been overlooked for as long as he has.Sam Northeast, a decorated youth cricketer, an England Lion and a regular “well what about” selection in many an England XI thrashed out over beer-soaked tables, must be close to the real thing. And it’s innings like today – a barbaric, unbeaten 173, which saw him race to 37 from 23 balls to quell Sussex’s early attack, before bringing up three figures in 123 balls – that will push him close to the front of the queue. It was his 17th first-class hundred and, remarkably, it is hard to peg this as his most devastating.Naturally, Northeast was fairly chilled about England talk, happy to let his record do the talking – 1,474 Championship runs since the start of 2016 at an average of 77.6, if you’re wondering. “There are a lot of people in my position around the counties,” he said. Kent seamer Mitchell Claydon, within earshot, interjected: “Not with 18,000 effing runs in a year-and-a-half,”. Northeast laughed: “See what I have to put up with?”Considering Northeast’s hot streak started during his first full season as club captain and that his role at Kent is wide-ranging – he plays a prominent role in team meetings, player contracts and overseas recruitment – it says a lot about his character that the extra distractions seem to have focused his work out in the middle.During the North-South series in the UAE, in which he scored a century in the second match, he had chats with Andy Flower and England assistant coach Paul Farbrace. There was a chance for a catch-up with Flower today: the ECB technical director was at Hove and spent time talking to Kent’s coach Matt Walker. Northeast, of course, was otherwise occupied.His England claim is not just limited to one format. Recently, he has been one of the standout domestic Twenty20 batsmen in the world. Across the last two seasons in the T20 Blast, he has scored 1,103 runs at an average of 40.9. It is telling, too, that when analysts involved in recruitment for franchises across the world crunch the numbers in search of the most valued picks, Northeast’s name often makes an appearance.But, for now, the England Test side need a middle order batsman. And as well as Northeast’s free-scoring nature aligning with Trevor Bayliss’s blueprint for the Test side, he would also bring with him a knack for big runs. Including today, his last six Championship hundreds have all exceeded 160. He does not have a double hundred to his name – 191 against Derbyshire and 190 against Sussex, both last season, are as close as he has come – but looked like he was on the way to addressing in the final session on Sunday, hitting two sixes and a four in the last four balls of the day to take him to 173 off 181 balls.He shared a stand of 123 with opener Sean Dickson which put Sussex in their place and then one of 161 inside 27 overs with Darren Stevens (71) that whipped them into submission. Sussex, a bowler and ideas light, simply had to accept the punishment that was being dished out. Together, Stevens and Northeast put on 52 off the last five overs.But without Dickson’s patience, Kent would be a long way from the position they currently occupy. His grafting 68 gave Darren Stevens and Wayne Parnell a platform for their 123-run stand in the first innings. Disappointed he was not able to convert that to three figures on day one, it looked like he would get there in the second innings.He was in complete control, knocking the ball about diligently to get to 89 but, again, fell short after being trapped in front by Ajmal Shahzad. When you consider he suffered a recurrence of the hamstring injury that kept him out of the opening fixture against Gloucestershire, it was a remarkable effort from the 25-year-old. Just as every good band needs a reliable bassist, Dickson’s calm and diligence allowed the more flamboyant around him to flourish.It’s still a good pitch, as Northeast and Stevens showed by the way they were able to hit through the line so well. “It would be nice if it was a bit cloudy in the morning,” said Northeast. “We’ve got a good bowling line-up here, with good variations and we’ll try a few things out there tomorrow.”

Cristiano Ronaldo plunged into an ice bath ahead of Portugal's final Euro 2024 qualifying game against Iceland.

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Ronaldo plunges into an ice bathPortugal face Iceland nextA Selecao have qualified for Euro 2024WHAT HAPPENED?

The Portugal and Al-Nassr star shared a photo on his Instagram story where he can be seen calmly meditating as he plunged into an ice bath ahead of the national's team final Euro 2024 qualifying match against Iceland. The Ronaldo-led side have already booked their place in Germany while maintaining a 100% win record through their nine qualifying matches.

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The 38-year-old looks to be in great shape both on and off the pitch. He has scored 16 times in 17 matches and provided nine assists for his club this season and was also on target for A Selecao in their recent 2-0 win over Liechtenstein in the Euro qualifiers.

WHAT RONALDO SAID

The superstar uploaded his Instagram story with the caption, 'G Night' with a 'cold face' emoji.

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WHAT NEXT FOR CRISTIANO RONALDO?

The Manchester United and Real Madrid legend will be next seen in action against Iceland on Sunday before heading back to Saudi Arabia where Al-Nassr will be playing against Al-Akhdoud in the Pro League on Friday. Ronaldo and Co currently trail leaders Al-Hilal by four points.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details4:11

Tait: Bumrah is consistent and unstoppable

Legspinner Karn Sharma and fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah picked up their best T20 bowling figures on the same day, combining to take 7 for 23 in seven overs to lift Mumbai Indians into their fourth IPL final with a six-wicket win against Kolkata Knight Riders.Sent in to bat on another difficult Chinnaswamy Stadium pitch, Knight Riders succumbed against excellent bowling plans to slump to 31 for 5 in seven overs. A 56-run sixth-wicket partnership between Suryakumar Yadav and Ishank Jaggi ensured they would get past their lowest total – 67, against the same opponents in 2008 – but their total of 107 was never going to present Mumbai a genuine challenge.Mumbai lost three wickets inside their Powerplay, before Krunal Pandya and Rohit Sharma steadied the chase with a 54-run stand. Krunal was unbeaten on 45 off 30 balls as Mumbai got home with 33 balls to spare.Bumrah, Karn demolish top order
Mumbai are among the best teams in the IPL at drawing up strategies against individual players. They proved this in the Powerplay.Bumrah had not taken the new ball this season, but he did so today. There seemed to be a reason for this – his exaggerated angle into the right-hander and the bit of extra bounce off his high-arm action can make it hard to hit down the ground. Down the ground is Chris Lynn’s go-to area, and even the presence of a fielder at long-on did not deter him – he only managed to pick him out, though, making contact with the ball off the high part of his bat.The exaggerated inward angle also did for Robin Uthappa, who has a pronounced tendency to plant his front leg across and play around his front pad. Bumrah, bowling a second over inside the Powerplay for only the third time this season, slipped one in nice and full, beat his inside edge, and pinged his front pad.In between those wickets, Karn took out Sunil Narine. Before this match, Narine had scored the bulk of his runs through mid-off, at a blistering pace: 78 – 36.45% of his 214 this season – off 24 balls. Mumbai had made note of this even in the previous meeting between these sides at Eden Gardens, stationing a man at long-off and getting their quicks to deny him the drive. He fell for a four-ball duck in that game, lofting a back-of-a-length offcutter from Tim Southee to extra-cover.This time, following broadly similar plans, Mitchell Johnson, Bumrah and Lasith Malinga gave him only 10 from seven balls – with six coming off one hit over square leg – before Karn came on to bowl the fifth over. The legspinner made a conscious effort to deny Narine swinging room, bowling at pads instead, and gave up only a leg-bye off two balls before he came back on strike. Frustrated, he ran down the pitch and was stumped slogging at the perfectly-pitched googly.Two more fell in Karn’s next over, the seventh of Knight Riders’ innings. Gambhir picked out deep midwicket and Colin de Grandhomme, camped in his crease to a googly he didn’t pick, was rapped on the back pad. Knight Riders were 31 for 5.A brief and inadequate fightback
Suryakumar and Jaggi stemmed the fall of wickets, but runs continued to trickle. By the end of the 12th over, Knight Riders were only 61 for 5. Then Suryakumar swept Krunal to the square-leg boundary and followed up by lifting him inside-out over extra-cover. Jaggi, who had been scoring at well below a run a ball till that point, also got into the act, whipping Malinga for two leg-side fours in the next over. Knight Riders made 22 off the 13th and 14th overs, but they were taking risks in order to score that quickly. Karn came back to bowl the 15th over, and Jaggi, getting too close to the pitch of the ball, whipped him straight to long-on.There was no real batting to follow, and Knight Riders only added 19 while losing their four remaining wickets, leaving seven balls unused. Johnson picked up two in the 17th over, Bumrah got his third in the 18th, and Malinga finished off the innings with a trademark dipping slower ball in the 19th.Krunal aces Mumbai’s chase
Mumbai only needed one partnership, and they got that courtesy Krunal and Rohit. They lost three wickets before that, though, two to Piyush Chawla. Like Karn, Chawla enjoyed the amount of grip he was getting off the surface; he foxed Lendl Simmons with a googly in the second over, and then bowled Ambati Rayudu after spinning a legbreak past his outside edge. In between, Parthiv Patel, who had hit three fours in racing to 14, top-edged Umesh Yadav to the keeper.Right from the time he walked in, there was a sense of awareness about Krunal’s batting. His first four was a paddle-sweep through the vacant short fine-leg area – Narine had moved that fielder to slip in a bid for wickets. Krunal showed ample signs that he was picking Narine’s variations out of his hand, scoring two fours in the 12th over – a dab to fine third man and a chip over the covers.Rohit pulled Nathan Coulter-Nile straight to deep square leg in the 13th over, but by then Mumbai only needed 20, off 46 balls. They would only need 13 to set up a summit clash against Rising Pune Supergiant.

The best team at ICC events since 2010 marched into its fourth final in seven tournaments to set up a summit clash against Pakistan, pitting the tournament’s best bowling sides against each other

The Report by Sidharth Monga15-Jun-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Kiss of death: Kedar Jadhav gives Tamim Iqbal’s leg stump a peck•Getty Images

The best team at ICC events since 2010 marched into its fourth final in seven tournaments to set up a summit clash against Pakistan, pitting the tournament’s best bowling sides against each other.Like they did in the 2015 World Cup quarter-final, first time semi-finalists Bangladesh went toe to toe with India for about 30 overs – even inched ahead perhaps – but came apart against the non-turning, part-time, extremely slow offspin of Kedar Jadhav. They slipped from 142 for 2 in 25 overs to only 264 on a fresh pitch at Edgbaston. While Jadhav brought down the total from the realms of 320, Jasprit Bumrah’s final spell of 5-0-27-1 shaved a further 20 off what Bangladesh looked good for.In response, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Shikhar Dhawan put up an exhibition, picking apart Bangladesh’s bowling with delectable stroke-play. Rohit brought up his first hundred of this tournament and moved to No. 2 on the run-scoring charts; Dhawan reclaimed the lead from Tamim Iqbal; and Kohli – who had been scoring runs despite not looking at his best – signalled a return to sublime form while becoming the fastest to 8000 ODI runs. It was an ominous sign for India’s opponents in what will be their third final appearance in the last four 50-over ICC events; in the other event they lost in the semi-final.There was a calm to how India chased down the target, the slickness of a team used to such situations. This was their sixth semi-final in ICC events in seven years. Veterans of big matches, they prefer to sit back while their oppositions work themselves into a frenzy; when they make a mistake, India swoop in.It looked like they had done that in the seventh over when Bhuvneshwar Kumar out-thought the aggressive Sabbir Rahman after he had raced away to 19 off 12. Having seen him chip down twice to clear mid-off, Bhuvneshwar started to mix bouncers and length balls. Bumrah did his bit by cramping Tamim Iqbal up at the other end. Thirteen straight dot balls brought the expected loose shot, and the wicket, to the sucker ball, reducing Bangladesh to 31 for 2.Mushfiqur Rahim kept attacking, dropping Bhuvneshwar over mid-off, but settled down soon, carrying the struggling Tamim. Signs were ominous for India – reminiscent of the World T20 semi-final last year – when Hardik Pandya overstepped when castling Tamim, who would have been out for 12 off 36 then.Instead Tamim and Mushfiqur batted perfectly against the India spinners. Mushfiqur is a hard man to bowl to for a spinner because his height means that good length balls end up getting cut or pulled. And he has the various sweeps to unsettle them when they start pitching it up. Tamim grew in confidence, too. Every time India strung together dot balls, either of them would hit a boundary. By the 25th over, they had added 111 in 19.1 overs. They had negated the main spinners, and had also taken 28 off Pandya’s three overs, which meant India now had a fifth-bowler problem.That fifth-bowler problem turned out to be their blessing in disguise. Bangladesh believed they should have hit four of the first 11 Jadhav deliveries for boundaries. They were short and they were juicy, but because Jadhav’s pace is off, they played with batsmen’s rhythm. Three of those were hit straight to fielders, and the fourth was rescued by a diving Bhuvneshwar at cover-point. Had any of these balls reached the fence, you can be pretty sure the 12th ball would have gone differently. Now, though, Tamim went for the slog sweep but the ball never arrived, and when it did it clipped the leg bail. India could sigh in relief: Tamim had taken 58 off the last 46 balls he faced.Jadhav and Ravindra Jadeja – 25 in his first four overs – now began to rush through the overs. Shakib Al Hasan slowed them down a touch with a cut boundary off Jadeja, but when he went to repeat it in Jadeja’s next over, he chose a ball not short enough, and MS Dhoni produced a sensational catch. The coup de grâce of this death by slowness came in the 36th over, when Mushfiqur chipped a dipping full toss from Jadhav straight to short midwicket. Bangladesh since Jadhav’s introduction: 10.2 overs, 37 runs, and three wickets to rip the heart out of the batting.Of the core Bangladesh batting, only Mahmudullah was left. With Mosaddek Hossain, he took Bangladesh to the final 10 overs with five wickets in hand and 207 on the board, but in the final 10 came Bumrah. He had had an ordinary start to this tournament, but, like in the South Africa match, he bowled quick, he bowled smartly, and he cramped Mosaddek for a return catch and then hit the base of Mahmudullah’s off stump with what looked like a laser-guided yorker.The bowlers had done their job once again in what has arguably been their best tournament in adverse conditions. The ball hasn’t swung, but you can see – for the first time arguably – that India bowlers have had defensive plans in place, and have executed them, especially Bhuvneshwar and Bumrah. Now it was up to the batsmen to make sure this good work didn’t go to waste.Bangladesh’s only chance lay in accessing India’s suspect lower middle order early, but on a flat pitch with no deviation off the straight, India’s top order took them to school. Every shot hit with ease was a message to the Bangladesh batsmen who had ended at least 50 short. If Dhawan went deep to punch them square, Rohit stood tall and played punch-on drives; if Rohit cut with ease, Kohli unleashed some vintage cover drives that had not quite been coming off in the league stages. It was as if there was a contest within a contest: who will play the most glorious shots. It all worked for India, who ended the chase in 40.1 overs.

Nathan Ake has thanked Pep Guardiola for the way the Man City boss dealt with the death of the defender's father.

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Ake praises Guardiola for supportDefender's father died in 2021Ake has turned City career aroundWHAT HAPPENED?

Ake's father tragically passed away aged 63 after a 13-year fight with prostate cancer. After the Dutchman scored in City's 6-3 Champions League win against RB Leipzig in September 2021, he learned that his dad had died during the match. Two years on, Ake has praised Guardiola for the emotional support he gave him.

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Nobody can deny that Guardiola is one of the greatest managers of all time. However, critics argue that the Catalan lacks emotional connection with his players and is therefore not a good man manager. Ake's form for City has improved significantly since his father's passing, and he believes that Guardiola played a role in that.

WHAT AKE SAID

As reported by the Mirror, Ake said: "I’m grateful to Pep [Guardiola] for all he means to me on and off the pitch. When my father passed away, he was fantastic. If I needed things or wanted time off, I just had to tell him. He gave me all the time and space I needed."

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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR AKE?

The arrival of Josko Gvardiol means that Ake is no longer the sure starter in defence he became last season. However, after penning a new four-year contract following City's treble success, he looks set to stay at the Etihad Stadium for the foreseeable future.

Arsenal seem set to continue their free-spending summer, having set their sights on a new target…

What's the latest on Benjamin Henrichs to Arsenal?

That comes from German writer Florian Plettenberg, who details Mikel Arteta's interest in German international Benjamin Henrichs.

The RB Leipzig star is described as a merely backup option for the Gunners, but remains a fine asset who would certainly bolster a squad searching for more squad depth.

Writing on Twitter, the Sky Sports man noted: "Talks between Arsenal and the player's management took place. Gunners considering Benjamin Henrichs as a backup target. Arteta, with a very good opinion about the German national. Contract at Leipzig until 2025; important player for coach Rose."

The 26-year-old still has two years left on his £63k-per-week deal.

Who is Benjamin Henrichs?

Having spent time in both his homeland and France in various stints, the defender has now settled as an important cog for a strong Leipzig outfit.

Although once regarded as a top attacking full-back as a youngster, he has swiftly grown into a mature, solid asset, who can often be relied upon.

As such, when compared to others in his position across Europe, he ranks in the top 16% for interceptions, 8% for tackles and 2% for blocks per 90, via FBref.

Such imperious defensive work could even be said to surpass Ben White's, who made a big impact last term whilst deputising on the flank.

In those three aforementioned attributes, he instead sits at the lower end of the spectrum, having made 0.68 interceptions, 1.77 tackles and 1.36 blocks per 90. The latter is supposedly his most impressive statistic, and yet he only ranks in the top 29% for it, via FBref.

However, that is not to suggest that Henrichs does not offer some potent attacking threat too.

Although a staunch stalwart, he does have the facilities to push on, which Arteta would likely develop even further to help him realise the potential he once had. Back in 2017, journalist Stefan Bienkowski even wrote: "Benjamin Henrichs is every young, talented, attacking full-back you've ever seen."

After all, just last season in the Bundesliga he would maintain a 61% dribble success rate, 78% pass accuracy and 0.7 key passes per game, via Sofascore. Whilst not outstanding figures, they paint the picture of a consistent performer who will seldom let his side down.

The all-around nature of his game would make him a fine asset to balance Oleksandr Zinchenko on the opposite flank and allow their system to continue flourishing.

The Ukraine international excelled stepping into midfield as the north London outfit pushed for the Premier League title, with his 88% pass accuracy, 80.3 touches and 0.7 key passes per game (via Sofascore) given the platform to succeed from White's defending.

He would maintain the joint third-highest pass completion rate of anyone within his squad too, to emphasise his importance in dictating the play.

Given Henrichs outperforms the England international in these defensive situations, plus has some creativity to push forward should a low-block be frustrating Arteta, he would mark an instant upgrade to allow even more freedom for his potential new 26-year-old teammate.

Manchester United supporters have revealed how they had to put up with a ticket farce, disgusting puddles and missing the last train in Turkey.

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• Red Devils enduring tough time in Europe
• Difficult conditions in Istanbul
• Clinging to hope of reaching the last-16

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The Red Devils faced Galatasaray in their latest Champions League fixture. More mistakes from Andre Onana on the field ended up costing Erik ten Hag’s side dear, with the Premier League heavyweights throwing away a commanding lead on two occasions to end up drawing 3-3.

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  United are now in serious danger of missing out on a place in the last-16 – or even the consolation prize of a spot in the Europa League – with few positive experiences being enjoyed in European competition. That was certainly the case for their fans when another trip to Istanbul was taken in.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  One United fan has detailed the hellish ordeal that travelling supporters had to contend up with before, during and after a meeting with Galatasaray. There was chaos at the turnstiles during the entry process, leading to many missing kick-off, while conditions inside were not up to much on a rain-soaked evening. Fans were then kept behind for well over an hour afterwards, forcing them to seek alternative transport back to their respective accommodation.

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• WHAT NEXT FOR MAN UTD?

  United have one more fixture to take in during their Group A campaign – against Harry Kane and Bundesliga title holders Bayern Munich – with the Red Devils needing a win in that contest and a draw between Galatasaray and FC Copenhagen in order to snatch an unlikely place in the knockout rounds.