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Manchester United return to Premier League action tonight, but face an arduous task as they travel to Tottenham Hotspur.

Whilst many would expect another comfortable victory over Ryan Mason's woeful outfit, there almost has to be a reaction from the Lilywhites after their recent 6-1 hammering, especially in front of their home support.

Not to mention that Erik ten Hag's side remain ravaged by injuries, and are fresh off the back of a rough 120-minute FA Cup clash with Brighton and Hove Albion.

A win for either side could be crucial in turning the tide as they enter the run-in, with the Red Devils vying to secure Champions League football once again at Old Trafford, as Spurs seek to displace them. It should therefore make for an enthralling encounter, although the same was expected of their league last clash.

With those aforementioned stumbling blocks sure to prohibit the visitors from boasting their strongest lineup, it will be interesting to see how the Dutchman attacks this all-important fixture.

How will Manchester United line up against Tottenham Hotspur?

Ten Hag could make just three changes from the side that scraped past the Seagulls at Wembley, seeking to retain the core that led them to their second cup final of the season.

David De Gea will remain in goal, having kept Roberto De Zerbi's side largely quiet throughout their last game. He will sit behind a back four only slightly altered, as Harry Maguire comes back in as the sole change.

Although the £190k-per-week dud is often criticised, having been branded a "liability" by journalist Zach Lowy in the past, he remains one of few central defenders left fit and available.

This will see Luke Shaw return to full-back with Aaron Wan-Bissaka, as their penalty shootout hero Victor Lindelof starts again at the heart of defence, with Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane absent through injury.

Given Bruno Fernandes was forced off before that shootout, where he would have been keen to showcase his expertise, the Portuguese maestro remains a doubt for tonight's clash too.

This could hand Marcel Sabitzer another chance to impress, as the Austrian likely seeks to prove why Ten Hag should make his move a permanent one in the summer. He will sit just in front of the ever-present Christian Eriksen and Casemiro.

Anthony Martial's fitness woes in the past also present a concern, so the Frenchman would be a surprise inclusion to start two games in just five days, Therefore, Wout Weghorst may return to spearhead United's attack.

His size and pressing impetus could prove vital in affording space for Marcus Rashford and Antony, who will flank the Dutchman.

Predicted Man Utd XI (4-3-3): De Gea; Wan-Bissaka, Lindelof, Maguire, Shaw; Eriksen, Casemiro, Sabitzer; Antony, Weghorst, Rashford.

ScorecardAdam Wheater made his maiden first-class double-hundred (file photo)•PA Photos

For someone who does not see himself as a specialist batsman, Adam Wheater managed a fairly convincing impression of a cricketer with a considerable future in the role as Hampshire amassed their largest total in a Championship match in almost three years.Dropped by Hampshire at the end of May when first-team coach Dale Benkenstein decided he wanted 21-year-old Lewis McManus to take over as wicketkeeper, Wheater marked his second appearance since being recalled only as a batsman with a maiden double-hundred that showcased qualities he perhaps doubted he had.Naturally an aggressive hitter, strong on both sides of the wicket, Wheater turned his overnight 89 into a 147-ball century inside the first half hour, following a slightly delayed start, before taking advantage of an overworked Warwickshire attack to advance to 200 in just 79 deliveries more.He gathered 27 fours and hit three sixes, two of them off Keith Barker, who with Rikki Clarke willingly shouldered the extra burden created by Boyd Rankin’s absence with back spasms but found himself flagging at times on a pitch that remained stubbornly unresponsive.Wheater passed his previous best when he moved on from 164, the score he made for Essex against Northamptonshire in 2011, and went to 200 by reverse sweeping Jeetan Patel, whose stamina was also heavily tested in a series of long spells that added up to 48 overs in total.Wheater, who left Essex in 2013 to further his ambitions with the gloves, has found himself relieved of his duties behind the stumps for the second time since making the move, having previously had to make way for Michael Bates.Benkenstein now wants McManus to have an extended run, feeling that he brings more energy to the role and at the same time considers Wheater should focus on developing as a specialist batsman.”I rate Wheats’ batting but I’ve given him a very long run as a keeper and don’t feel he’s improved in a few areas I think are very important,” Benkenstein said recently. “But as a batter he’s still very young with a huge career ahead of him. Our top order are quite short of runs and he’s got a real chance of making his way in this team as a batter.”Wheater begs to differ, insisting that he wants to contribute more than one discipline to the team effort and that he will fight to win back the gloves again.”I was disappointed [with the decision] and the hierarchy at Hampshire know I want to keep,” he said. “I didn’t see that I was doing much wrong. I see myself as a keeper-batsman. I can’t bowl and I don’t just want to just be fielding. But having said that, when they asked me to play as a batsman in the top six I was going to take that rather than playing in the seconds. I feel I have battled to get back to where I was a couple of years ago with my batting and I feel in a good place.”That’s my role now, to score runs and it gives me a lot of satisfaction to be able to contribute as I have in this match. But things change quickly in cricket and as far as keeping is concerned all I can do is take any opportunity that comes along.”Wheater passed 5000 first-class runs during his partnership runs with Sean Ervine, who coincidentally reached the milestone of 10,000 during their 144-run stand for the sixth wicket.When Ervine chipped Patel straight to short extra cover to be out for 75, however, it precipitated an unforeseen flurry of wickets — five in the space of 20 deliveries with only nine more runs added — and reward for Patel and Josh Poysden, the young legspinner, who picked up the last three for career-best figures of 4 for 85.”Losing Boyd through injury was tough but we worked really hard as a unit,” Poysden said. “I thought we kept going and kept fighting and to get the last five wickets for nine runs was really nice as we finally got what we deserved.”On days one and two in first-class cricket you are not really expecting it to spin so I knew they were going to come quite hard at me when I bowled but that gives me a chance to get wickets so I never mind that.”Warwickshire’s reply got off to a stuttering start, Andrew Umeed leaving a ball from Gareth Andrew that came back and clipped off stump before Ian Bell played inside one from Gareth Berg, at which point 11 for 2 on the scoreboard would have been a considerable fillip for a makeshift Hampshire attack.Andrew claimed another success at the start of his second spell as Varun Chopra played down the wrong line but Jonathan Trott and Sam Hain added an unbroken 53 for the fourth wicket. Trott might have been out on 59 near the close, giving a chance off Berg that McManus might have taken had he been standing further back.

Angelo Mathews and Rangana Herath are the only men on tour to have played more than 30 Tests, but it is two inexperienced players who have buoyed Sri Lanka ahead of the first Test

Andrew Fidel Fernando at Headingley18-May-2016Angelo Mathews and Rangana Herath are the only men on tour to have played more than 30 Tests, but it is two inexperienced players who have buoyed Sri Lanka ahead of the first Test.Both are young players who were picked on potential, despite modest first-class records. A former captain of Sri Lanka’s Under-19 team, and a Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year, 21-year-old Kusal Mendis has been spoken of as a potential No. 3 for the series. He has now strengthened his claim on that role with two half-centuries in three warm-up innings.Mathews support for landslide victims

Angelo Mathews said his team extended “love and support” to the people affected by floods and landslides in Sri Lanka, following sustained torrential rains that have caused the Kelani river to burst its banks, leading to a feared death toll of 150.
“We’re so sad to hear about all the casualties and those who were affected by the landslides and floods. There are hundreds of thousands of people who were affected and we want to show our love and support. We will wear a black armband for all of them. Unfortunately we are here, but our thoughts and prayers will be with them. People have been really affected.”
The black armband will also be a show of support for bowling coach Champaka Ramanayake, whose brother has died of natural causes in the past few days. Ramanayake is expected to remain with the squad for the duration of the tour.

Lower down the order, 24-year-old Dasun Shanaka has made a push for the No. 7 batting position. Having made his name as a limited-overs hitter, Shanaka struck 112 from 132 balls against Leicestershire, to lift the visitors from 192 for 8 to 367 all out. His seam bowling may also be viewed as an asset – to be used when the frontliners have tired.”Dasun Shanaka was a standout for me, and so was Kusal Mendis,” Angelo Mathews said on the eve of the Headingley Test. “They are both still very young. Their first tour to England, and it’s never easy, but they’ve showed a lot of character in the first two practice games.”We’ve got lots of new players, but also 7 or 8 who were there in the 2014 tour. We’ve got a fearless set of players who are willing to take the English on.”Acclimatisation is one of the major pre-Test objectives for Sri Lanka sides touring England. Having had relatively good weather towards the south of England in the warm-up games, the forecast suggests they are in for a colder, wetter week at Headingley. Temperatures are not expected to climb further than the low teens, and rain is predicted to make an appearance during the weekend.”We all know that you can’t get comfortable in England straightaway,” Mathews said. “You’ve got to work your way through, so experience also counts. We’ve got so many guys who are touring England for the first time with the national team.”But no matter how long you spend in the cold you can never get used to it. We’ve had a few good days in Essex and also in Leicester, where the sun was out. Hopefully the nice weather will come back to us. Whether it’s the cold weather or the sunny weather, we do have to take on the challenge. The weather will be our main challenge.”Though no bowler in Sri Lanka’s seam attack has more than 80 wickets to his name, there is significant expectation on the likes of Suranga Lakmal, Shaminda Eranga and Nuwan Pradeep to cause trouble for England’s top order, in helpful bowling conditions. Dhammika Prasad has been ruled out of the match with a shoulder complaint, however.”Prasad’s injury is a setback for us,” Mathews said. “He’s our premier fast bowler. He’s performed well against England here at the same venue. He’ll be a big loss. Hopefully he can be ready and fit for the second Test.”Mathews will see some familiar faces across the battlements during this tour. England coach Trevor Bayliss had been Sri Lanka’s coach from 2007 to 2011. England’s current assistant coach Paul Farbrace had been Bayliss’ assistant in Sri Lanka as well, before he took the top job himself for two months at the beginning of 2014.”Those coaches have played a massive part in my career,” Mathews said. “Trevor was the first coach of my international career. He didn’t fiddle with my batting or bowling abilities too much. He just wanted me to go and express myself, play with a lot of freedom. Farby was the same. They are great human beings and great coaches, whom I really enjoy working with. We’ve seen the impact that they’ve had in the past 12 months with England.”

Jake Lehmann reeled off his third century of the summer as a young South Australia side held their own against New South Wales in the Sheffield Shield match at Coffs Harbour

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Feb-2016
ScorecardJake Lehmann’s 148-ball 122 included 14 fours and a six•Getty Images

Jake Lehmann reeled off his third century of the summer as a young South Australia side held their own against New South Wales in the Sheffield Shield match at Coffs Harbour.Following Lehmann’s hundred, Joe Mennie was able to dismiss Ed Cowan cheaply before stumps were drawn. Cowan was returning to the team after he missed their draw against Western Australia in Perth due to the after-effects of a blow to the helmet inflicted by a Joel Paris bouncer in Lincoln.The match is being held on the NSW north coast in memory of the late Phillip Hughes, and Lehmann marked it with a swashbuckling left-hander’s century as part of a concerted Redbacks counterattack that followed the loss of three early wickets.SA’s selectors had been the subject of considerable debate in Adelaide after the decision to drop the experienced but underperforming Tom Cooper and Tim Ludeman.Their replacements Jake Weatherald and Alex Carey both made strong contributions. Opener Weatherald made a sprightly 58 while the gloveman added 105 with Lehmann after the visitors had slipped further to 5 for 123.Another youngster, the second-game seamer Cameron Valente, helped add further runs with Lehmann, allowing the Redbacks to reach the fringes of 300.Arjun Nair, the teenaged finger spinner who became the Blues’ 738th first-class cricketer and 11th youngest debutant, claimed a pair of tail-end wickets to help round up SA’s innings.

Chelsea went through quite the overhaul in the summer, with an incredible number of departures to make room for a similar number of reinforcements to build Mauricio Pochettino a squad capable of making a return to the Premier League's top four. And, after a rocky start, back-to-back victories show that the Argentine is starting to guide the Blues back into top form in England's top flight.

When the January transfer window swings open, the London giants will undoubtedly be front and centre once again when it comes to the biggest deals. But they may also have to keep an eye on outgoings, having been left fuming by an approach for one of Pochettino's players.

What's the latest Chelsea transfer news?

The Blues were ruthless in the summer, bidding farewell to the likes of Mason Mount, Kai Havertz, and Mateo Kovacic all to rival clubs in the Premier League top six, to make room for Romeo Lavia, Moises Caicedo, Cole Palmer and others. With their squad now assembled, they would have hoped to have little need for reinforcements in January, but three wins in their first eight games proved that Chelsea are far from the finished article.

It must be said, however, that keeping hold of important players could be the key. The latest Conor Gallagher transfer news revealed that the midfielder has already been approached over a January move, reportedly leaving Pochettino and Chelsea fuming.

According to Football Transfers, Steven Gerrard, the manager of Saudi Pro League's Al-Ettifaq, recently contacted Gallagher about a January move, which the midfielder turned down. Pochettino has reportedly been left angered by Gerrard's attempts to turn the heads of his players.

Having seemingly rejected the move, Gallagher looks set to stay put at Stamford Bridge, where he'll hope to help his side turn a poor start into a resurgent run of form in the race for a Champions League place.

How has Conor Gallagher performed this season?

Gallagher has been a surprisingly important part of Pochettino's side this season, starting in all eight Premier League games, including in recent back-to-back victories over Fulham and Burnley. His performances have resulted in some deserved praise, including from Pochettino, himself, who said, via The Mirror:

"Conor is a player who can run a lot and this is massive. He is a great professional and he can play in different positions as a No8, No10 or a No6. He is box-to-box, he can run and can finish and assist, like he did for Raheem Sterling [against Burnley]. We are so happy with him."

Meanwhile, Gallagher's stats have even been better than his fellow Chelsea midfielders in some key areas, as per FBref.

The former Crystal Palace loanee will only hope to get better under Pochettino, too, having reportedly turned down the chance to join up with Gerrard at Al-Ettifaq. Proving his commitment to the Blues, Gallagher now has the chance to become a vital player at Stamford Bridge this season, and for many more.

Considering how much of a difference Mikel Arteta has made to the trajectory of Arsenal, it’s currently difficult to revise any negativity surrounding the Emirates over the years.

Since the Spaniard’s arrival as manager of the club in December 2019 following the dismissal of Unai Emery, he has gradually transformed the sense of togetherness on and off the pitch in north London, subsequently improving results.

The Gunners took Manchester City to the wire last season, finishing second after spending the majority of the Premier League season leading the pack. While it wasn’t meant to be for Arsenal to be crowned champions, they were restored to the Champions League.

As many associated with the club know too well, it hasn’t always been rosy at the Emirates for both Arteta and those before him, as the club were away from Europe's premier competition for seven years before their return this week.

It wasn’t long ago that players would leave Arsenal for bigger things and even more recently that the squad lacked cohesion, however Arteta has induced a change in demographic, with young stars locking down their futures in north London.

Along with extending the contracts of their top talents, the Spaniard and Edu had an impressive summer of business, welcoming Declan Rice, Jurrien Timber, Kai Havertz and David Raya to the fold to bolster the side.

Gone are the days that the transfer windows were fuelled by anxiety of losing key players, although in hindsight, the Gunners allowed one player to leave far too soon in a talent that could have thrived under Arteta.

When did Serge Gnabry play for Arsenal?

In 2011, German youngster Serge Gnabry joined Arsenal’s academy from Stuttgart and spent five years associated with the north Londoners before ending his time in England to return to his homeland in 2016.

While he spent most of his time developing in the academy, the winger managed to secure 18 appearances for Arsene Wenger’s first team with his most notable performance coming against Tottenham in the FA Cup.

At 18 years old, Gnabry was influential against Spurs on a monumental occasion at the Emirates in 2014, seeing him lauded as “bright” and a player with a “good football brain” by Wenger in reaction to his display on the night.

The formidable French manager gushed over the teen, stating that he is a “strong believer” in his talents, as things looked as though they could blossom into something special for the youngster in north London.

The following year, things took a horrible turn for the winger, as he was left dejected after a loan spell at West Bromwich Albion, where he was handed just one Premier League appearance by Tony Pulis.

Speaking of his time in the Midlands, Pulis claimed that Gnabry was “nowhere near it” with reference to his ability to be good enough to represent the Baggies.

Eight years later and the 43-cap German international has won the Champions League and five Bundesliga titles with Bayern Munich, where he has been deemed good enough to play, with talent scout Jacek Kulig once backing him to become a "future legend".

Why did Arsenal sell Serge Gnabry?

Looking at what Gnabry has achieved since his dreary spell at West Brom, it becomes more and more confusing as to why he was permitted to leave north London by Wenger.

In the summer of 2016, the winger was sold to Werder Bremen for a figure reported to be in the region of £5m, a move that allowed the youngster to gain consistent game time and show his worth in his homeland.

At the time, Gnabry was not considered to be on the cusp of senior football, certainly after his disastrous spell at West Brom that left him far from being ready to jump into the first team of the Premier League side.

A player of Arsenal’s academy and a forward that showed glimpses of his true potential, the German left the club on good terms to seek a new chapter in Bremen.

What is Serge Gnabry’s market value now?

Based on what the 18-year-old showcased against Spurs on that special night in his budding career, it should have been anticipated just how good the explosive talent would become, which he quickly demonstrated in the Bundesliga.

In the 2016/17 campaign, Gnabry contributed to 13 goals in the German top-flight for Bremen, scoring 11 and assisting two to announce himself as a player to watch.

After one season, the former Arsenal prodigy was snatched up by TSG Hoffenheim, where he took his form to the next stage in the 2017/18 campaign, scoring 10 goals and assisting seven in the league, which paved the way for him to be on the move again.

The summer of 2018 marked a pivotal moment in his career, as he signed for Bayern Munich for just €8m (£6.9m), where he has since become an integral member of the side having secured 159 Bundesliga appearances so far.

Revising his market value today tells a very different story to the figure he was sold by Arsenal for and the figure he was signed by Munich at, with CIES Football Observatory valuing him at €50m (£43m).

Why is he worth that much?

Along with cementing himself as a star in Bavaria, the 28-year-old has contributed to 94 goals – scoring 60 and assisting 34 in the league – which only tells half of the story of his success.

In the 2019/20 campaign, the German won the biggest domestic prize, claiming a Champions League winners medal in a tournament that he scored nine times in to assist in firing his side to the trophy.

Since leaving north London, the winger has returned to the capital on two notable occasions in the Champions League, showing his love for Arsenal by scoring a formidable four goals against Spurs in the group stages of that 2019/20 edition.

Gnabry tormented the Lilywhites after the showdown by tweeting “North London is RED”, however his time terrorising Premier League sides was far from over, as he advanced into the Round of 16 that term and scored two goals against Chelsea.

This year, normal service seems to be resumed in terms of his form against English sides, as he scored this week against Manchester United at the Allianz Arena.

It will be hoped that Arsenal don’t meet Bayern in the tournament this season, not just for their abysmal record against the German champions, but to avoid facing the same fate as the Premier League sides before them when up against Gnabry.

Wenger will look back in shock at the price he sold the winger for, with hindsight being a wonderful thing, particularly when it comes to business in football.

Transport for London has announced that it will name one of its London Overground lines after the Lionesses to honour the England team's achievements.

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• England women honoured with London Overground line
• 'The Lioness line' will run through Wembley
• Follows iconic achievements under Sarina Wiegman

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  TfL announced last year that it would be renaming six of its London Overground lines and on Thursday it was revealed that one of them will be known as 'the Lioness line', following the remarkable milestones that England have hit under Sarina Wiegman's charge over the last 18 months. The line will run from Euston to Watford Junction and through Wembley.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  It was at Wembley that the Lionesses won their first major tournament in the summer of 2022, lifting the European Championship trophy after beating Germany in extra time. They then followed that up last year with a run to the World Cup final, becoming the first senior England side to get there since the men won the tournament in 1966.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  When the Lionesses won the Euros in 2022, they did so in front of a crowd of 87,192. That is a record attendance for a Euros match, across both the men's and women's tournaments.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR THE LIONESSES?

  England will play their first fixtures of 2024 later this month, taking on Austria and Italy in a pair of friendlies in Spain.

Pakistan coach Mickey Arthur is hopeful that the time of the year will help them overcome the loss of legspinner Yasir Shah for the Tests against Ireland and England

Andrew McGlashan25-Apr-2018Pakistan coach Mickey Arthur is hopeful that the time of the year will help them overcome the loss of legspinner Yasir Shah for the Tests against Ireland and England.Yasir has taken 89 wickets in the last two years – more than double Pakistan’s next most successful bowler in the period – but was ruled out of this tour due to a hip injury. Shadab Khan, the 19-year-old legspinner, who has impressed with the white ball but has played just one Test, has huge shoes to fill although there remains a chance Pakistan will decide to go without a specialist spinner given the early-season conditions which are likely to prevail.There has been a significant decline in Pakistan’s Test fortunes since the shared series against England in 2016 which helped them to the No. 1 ranking. They are now languishing at No. 7 following series defeats against New Zealand, Australia and most recently Sri Lanka – their record with Arthur as coach is 11 defeats and six wins from 17 Tests – and are going through a transitional phase following the retirements of batting stalwarts Younis Khan and Misbah-ul-Haq.There are four uncapped batsmen in the squad and the absence of Yasir has shorn Pakistan of a senior figure with the ball while also leaving them with their least experienced spin attack to face England in at least 40 years.”Any team would miss Yasir,” Arthur said ahead of the team’s first warm-up match against Kent. “He has the ability to hold the attack and control the game. Shadab is incredibly exciting but also I am not sure that spin is going to be a huge factor given it’s early season in England, so we have covered ourselves in the seam department. But Shadab can clean tails up because he has all the tricks. It is going to be exciting to see how he goes.”Yasir is a big loss but we have him at the National Cricket Academy [in Lahore] and he is getting fit, his stress fracture is healing and it’s really important for us to have him fit and firing for the Australia and New Zealand series later in the year.”Pakistan’s bowling attack will rest heavily on Mohammad Amir, who arrived in the UK on Wednesday having been granted his visa after a short delay. Two years ago he made his return to Test cricket at Lord’s, following his spot-fixing ban, and since then has not earned the rewards his bowling has often deserved with 44 wickets at 37.25. How Pakistan catch will be a critical factor, with Amir suffering significantly from missed chances, although there is also a belief in the team management that the amount of white-ball cricket he has played has led him into bowling too short with the red ball.”He’s our No. 1 bowler, we back him in tough situations. He generally gets it done for us,” Arthur said. “We need him to get the ball swinging, we need him to get his length slightly fuller and if he gets that he’s going to ask a lot of questions.”Amir’s workload has also become a topic of debate in recent times, with the indication that he may sit out some Test cricket to preserve him for the 2019 World Cup and beyond. Arthur said that Pakistan have “three weeks off” between now and the World Cup, leaving a balancing act between building a new era for the Test side while keeping an eye on the demands of the limited-overs game.”We have had the workload debate for a long time now and every team has to do the same. We only have three weeks off in our calendar now before the World Cup next year, so we’d be silly not to arrive here with our bowlers fit and we know who they are – we have identified them – so we just have to manage them because ultimately want the best team to play in that 2019 World Cup.”But also for us it is so important to win Test matches – we are a young team and we need to get our Test team right and to do that we have to build a core of players who can play at any given time. We are trying to resurrect our Test side, we feel we’ve got our white-ball cricket where we need it now, so we are really excited about this series, really excited to see these young guys come out and perform. There’s some incredible talent in our dressing room, so let’s hope it all goes well for us.”

Celtic are closing in on securing the signature of defender Gustaf Lagerbielke this summer, according to reports, as Brendan Rodgers looks to reinforce his defensive options in the Scottish Premiership.

The former Leicester City manager got his second spell at the club off to the perfect start, defeating Ross County on the opening day of the season, before overcoming Aberdeen on Sunday lunchtime.

What's the latest on Gustaf Lagerbielke to Celtic?

The Scottish Premiership champions are close to securing the signature of Elfsborg centre-back Lagerbielke for a fee of around £3m, according to Anthony Joseph of Sky Sports, who has reported that the defender is set to undergo a medical next week, before finalising terms on a long-term contract.

"Celtic are closing in on the signing of Elfsborg centre-back Gustaf Lagerbielke for a fee of around £3m. The 23-year-old is due to arrive in Glasgow during the week to undergo a medical and finalise terms on a long-term contract."

The 23-year-old looks set to become the seventh name through the door at Celtic Park this season in what has been a fairly successful window for those at the club.

There have been departures, of course, with the exit of Jota to Saudi Arabia side Al-Ittihad and defender Carl Starfelt to Celta Vigo, but, that aside, Rodgers can be pleased with his reinforcements.

Looking to once again win the Scottish Premiership, too, Celtic will only be strengthened by the reported pending arrival of Lagerbielke.

Who is Gustaf Lagerbielke?

Standing at 6ft 3in, Lagerbielke appears to be an imposing central defender, and at 23 years of age, may only get better if he completes the reported move to Celtic this summer.

The Hoops are getting a defender at the top of his game, too, as proven by the fact that his valuation is the highest that it's ever been during his career to date. According to Transfermarkt, Lagerbielke is currently worth €1.2m (£1m), having been worth just €900k (£777k) last year.

With that said, Celtic are swooping in at the best time, before that valuation goes up even more at Elfsborg after another impressive campaign last time out.

Making 15 appearances for the Swedish side last season, Lagerbielke played a key role as his side won the Allsvensken league, edging out Malmo FF by one singular point.

You'd expect that Rodgers will be keen to get a deal done as quickly as possible at Celtic Park, given how thick and fast the fixtures are coming to start off what he hopes will be a successful season.

Speaking after his side defeated Ross County on the opening day, the former Liverpool manager said, via the BBC:

"Once we found our space and combinations we scored a couple of really good goals and played some fantastic football. The two goals we gave away are soft."

An added bonus on the opening day was Rangers' shock defeat against Kilmarnock, handing Celtic an early advantage in the title race.

After already welcoming plenty of reinforcements this summer, they're certainly a side to watch with great interest, too, particularly if they add colossal central defender Lagerbielke before the transfer window slams shut. With weeks remaining before deadline day, though, Celtic will be keen to get the deal done as quickly as possible.

The England coach said he had not been involved in any planning for the on-field verbals and does not believe they send a good image to the next generation

George Dobell in Adelaide03-Dec-2017England coach Trevor Bayliss has admitted he is not comfortable with the sledging that has characterised the early days of the current Ashes series and feels stump microphones should be “turned down” in an attempt to avoid negatively influencing the next generation of cricketers.After Australia flustered Jonny Bairstow in Brisbane with talk of him head-butting Cameron Bancroft, England have hit back in Adelaide with the umpires stepping in between James Anderson and Steven Smith at one point on the first day and Stuart Broad roaring in the face of Peter Handscomb after dismissing him in the opening over on the second day.But Bayliss, previously close to many of the Australia players as coach of New South Wales and Sydney Sixers, categorically denied he was involved in any plans to sledge the Australia players”Personally, from my point of view, I’m probably not [comfortable with the sledging],” Bayliss said. “And it’s certainly not something I’m involved in planning.”But it’s just the way the game is these days. I’d like to see the stump microphones turned down. I don’t think they are necessarily a great thing for young kids watching at home. I don’t think anyone has to listen to what is being said. But it’s grown men playing a very competitive sport and sometimes those emotions boil over.”It’s just red blooded young males competing against each other. Most of the time it’s fairly light hearted. Sometimes there’s a lot more made of it in the press than what happens in the field.”Meanwhile, Bayliss said Joe Root would make the same decision over bowling first if he won the toss again. Accepting that England had “bowled a little short” on the first morning, Bayliss felt they had subsequently adjusted well.”He wouldn’t do anything different,” Bayliss said. “It’s well documented that one of our challenges is taking wickets on flatter wickets. So Joe wanted to give our guys the best opportunity to take 20 wickets. It didn’t work out, although I thought we bowled pretty well.”Look, it wasn’t an easy decision. It wasn’t taken lightly. But for us to win games, you want to take 20 wickets. Joe thought if we bowled first on a fresh wicket it would provide our best opportunity. We bowled pretty well and didn’t get the results we thought we deserved.”And, while Bayliss accepted that Australia’s attack had more pace, he felt England still had the weapons to make inroads on surfaces such as the one in Adelaide.”It’s well documented they’ve got three guys who are quicker than ours,” he said. “But it doesn’t mean they’re impossible to play. You’ve still got to be able to move the ball.”Certainly on that wicket, the bowlers we’ve got are more than capable of taking wickets and creating chance. The bowlers we’ve got are the bowlers we’ve got. There is no point wishing someone could come along with a click of the fingers.”