One of the Premier League’s breakout stars in the 2023/24 season has been Newcastle United’s Lewis Miley. The 17-year-old has risen quickly through the ranks at St James' Park to become a prominent first-team player under Eddie Howe.

The midfielder has played 26 times for the Newcastle first team this season, scoring once and registering three assists, including one in the Champions League at home against AC Milan.

There is little doubt that Howe wants to give youngsters more opportunities. Aside from Miley, the likes of Elliot Anderson have had a role to play under the former Bournemouth boss, and he has discussed a pathway for other youngsters, including Joe White.

Aside from academy graduates, Newcastle have also invested in talent further afield. Australian Garang Kuol is currently on loan at FC Volendam in The Netherlands, and he signed for the Toon from Central Coast Mariners in January 2023.

However, another player is coming through, also currently on loan, this time at Feyenoord, who might be right for a breakthrough season in 2024/25.

An exciting prospect on the wing

The player in question is 19-year-old Yankuba Minteh, a winger whom Newcastle signed from Danish side Odense BK for a fee rumoured to be around £5.8m. The youngster is already a full international with The Gambia and competed in the 2024 edition of the Africa Cup of Nations.

In terms of his profile, Minteh is a direct winger who loves to get on the ball and run at defenders with his sheer pace.

One of the most prominent features of Minteh’s game is when he drives into the opposition penalty box. He ranks in the top 1% of positionally similar players in leagues comparable to the Eredivisie for carries into the penalty area per 90 minutes this season, 6.49, according to Fbref.

Minteh also works very hard off the ball, as his Fbref numbers reflect. The 19-year-old ranks in the top 2% among attackers for tackles won, with 1.78 per 90 minutes.

To break this down even further, Minteh wins 0.80 tackles per 90 in the final third, showing he is a diligent presser, something which would stand him in good stead in Newcastle’s system.

In total, the left-footed winger has scored eight goals and registered three assists for Feyenoord this season. That includes a Champions League goal away to Celtic in the final group game. Impressive numbers indeed.

Minteh's first-team hopes at Newcastle

After impressing for Feyenoord this season, there is no doubt Minteh will be hoping to return to St James’ next season and stake a claim for a first-team spot.

Minteh’s impressive work out of possession, as well as his direct nature with the ball, would certainly be a benefit to him in Howe’s direct and intense Newcastle side.

With lots of first-team experience behind him, both in Denmark for Odense BK and this season for Feyenoord, plus international tournament football under his belt, there is no reason to believe why Minteh cannot break into Newcastle’s squad next season.

The 19-year-old will surely be hoping that he can follow the path set by the likes of Miley and become another exciting player for Newcastle under the tutelage of Howe.

In The Pipeline

Football FanCast's In the Pipeline series aims to uncover the very best youth players in world football.

West Ham United lost their Europa League quarter-final tie on Thursday night after drawing against Bayer Leverkusen at the London Stadium, unable to overturn the 2-0 deficit from the first leg in Germany.

Over a week ago, at Leverkusen, David Moyes' side fought valiantly; on home turf, West Ham produced a confident and controlled performance and will be devastated that they couldn't add to Michail Antonio's early goal, succumbing in the dying embers when Jeremie Frimpong's strike took a big deflection off Aaron Cresswell, Xabi Alonso's side's season-long unbeaten record still intact.

So… what now? The Hammers can take solace from their spirited approach in both legs and while Fulham won at the London Stadium last weekend as Moyes rested several players, the side are eighth in the Premier League and just two points off inconsistent Manchester United, who hold on to the final Europe-qualifying spot.

With just five games remaining this term, hitting a rich vein of form is now crucial, and with Jarrod Bowen fit once again, United might just craft a successful finish.

Jarrod Bowen's season in numbers

West Ham's talisman. The first signing of Moyes' second tenure at the club. The top scorer in all competitions this season with 19 goals. The clincher of the Europa Conference League trophy last summer.

Bowen has been lauded for his "unbelievable" goalscoring feats by talkSPORT's Simon Jordan earlier this season and has been so important throughout West Ham's brightest period in a generation.

It was the England international's whipped assist that found Antonio's head in the early phase on Thursday evening, an illustration of his multi-faceted skill set and the ability to breach even the most secure, steeliest defences in Europe.

He's a first-class player and his offensive tools will be vital in the weeks to come if West Ham are indeed to reclaim a qualifying spot and secure a fourth successive season on the continent.

However, his placement in the thick of the attacking action makes him the obvious pick, but there was another player in midweek who, if they hadn't already, underscored why they are actually Moyes' most important player.

Why Edson Alvarez is so important for West Ham

The man in question is Edson Alvarez, who missed the first leg against the newly-crowned German Bundesliga champions due to suspension – his absence was keenly felt.

Alvarez signed for the Hammers in a £35m deal from Ajax last summer in what is clearly the most direct replacement of Declan Rice's presence, with the Arsenal star leaving for a record £105m after winning the Conference League.

Matches played

37

Matches started

36

Goal

4

Assists

2

Pass completion

88%

Key passes per game

1.0

Tackles per game

2.1

Interceptions per game

1.7

Clearances per game

1.5

Duels won per game

4.4 (58%)

Dribbles per game

0.9 (61%)

A force of a midfielder, Alvarez ranks among the top 12% of positional peers across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for tackles, the top 15% for interceptions, the top 1% for blocks and the top 2% for clearances per 90, as per FBref, having also been hailed for his "unreal" form by journalist Jack Fawcett.

Replacing Rice was never going to be an easy task but Alvarez has excelled, completing 86% of his passes in the Premier League this season, as per Sofascore, averaging 2.6 tackles, 5.6 ball recoveries and 2.4 clearances per game, succeeding with 65% of his 0.9 dribbles per match and winning 51% of his 5.1 contested duels per game.

Against Leverkusen, the Mexico international made five tackles, won ten duels and took 72 touches, earning a player rating of 8/10 against Europe's most in-form team, with The Standard's Malik Ouzia saying: 'How he was missed when suspended in Germany. Read the game superbly to allow teammates to go hell-for-leather in the press.'

Alvarez is the glue that holds it all together, and while Bowen could be the spike-point at the front of the team, Moyes' Mexican general is the one who could make the real difference in these closing weeks of the campaign.

Phillips could never wear the shirt again if West Ham unleash 19 y/o star

This talent could soon follow George Earthy to the soil of the Premier League.

ByAngus Sinclair Apr 17, 2024

The fundraising match will now be played as a double-header with the Australia-England T20I

Andrew McGlashan05-Feb-2020

The Bushfire Cricket Bash fundraising match will now take place at Junction Oval in Melbourne on Sunday as part of a double-header with the Australia-England T20I after it was relocated from the SCG due to the heavy rain forecast for Sydney over the weekend.Torrential rain, which the region desperately needs, is forecast for Sydney from Friday right through the weekend with up to 50mm predicted for Saturday, when the double-header was due to take place alongside the Big Bash final.While the forecast suggests there is every chance the BBL final will also be a washout – which would hand the Sydney Sixers the title – Cricket Australia wants to ensure that no damage is done to the SCG in case a match can be played. Five overs per side would constitute a game.”It’s been a whirlwind 24-hours, but we’re really proud to say that there will be four fantastic games of cricket held over the weekend of The Big Appeal,” Cricket Australia CEO Kevin Roberts said. “We have moved the Bushfire Bash from the SCG because we want to provide every opportunity for the BBL09 final to be played on Saturday night. We have no doubt that the SCG pitch and outfield will be in great condition for the final.” The rescheduling of the relief match has required some changes to the squad with Shane Warne now no longer available to captain a team with Adam Gilchrist taking over. It has also been confirmed that Courtney Walsh will be involved in a playing capacity having originally been down to be a coach. Tim Paine will coach the Gilchrist XI.The match, which will be 10-overs per side due to start at 3.15pm, is still set to include Brian Lara, Wasim Akram and Yuvraj Singh among a host of names. The T20I will be brought forward to start at 11.40am.The fundraising weekend will now include four matches – two T20Is, the Bushfire Bash and the BBL final – with all profits going to the Red Cross appeal.There is no reserve day for the BBL final at the SCG, something that the Sydney Thunder captain Callum Ferguson said probably needed to be addressed. The Thunder will play the Melbourne Stars on Thursday and whichever team gets through would need the weather in their favour to have any chance of taking the title.”I absolutely believe there needs to be a reserve day,” Ferguson said. “At the moment it is what it is, and I believe we’ve got the right system barring maybe a reserve day, we need to make sure that we give it every chance of being played.”Bushfire Bash squad Ricky Ponting (capt), Adam Gilchrist (capt), Alex Blackwell, Brad Haddin, Brett Lee, Brian Lara, Courtney Walsh, Dan Christian, Matthew Hayden, Luke Hodge, Justin Langer, Phoebe Litchfield, Andrew Symonds, Nick Riewoldt, Elyse Villani, Shane Watson, Yuvraj Singh and Wasim Akram.

He worked as interim director of cricket before being suspended on allegations of misconduct

Firdose Moonda25-Feb-2020Corrie van Zyl will return to work at CSA after the completion of his disciplinary process, although his role within the organisation is yet to be announced.Van Zyl was working as interim director of cricket before he was suspended in October last year on allegations of misconduct related to unpaid commercial rights fees to the South African Cricketers’ Association during the 2018 Mzansi Super League. Graeme Smith has since taken over as director of cricket in an acting capacity until he begins an IPL commentary stint in late March.Two other staff members, chief operating officer Naasei Appiah and commercial manager Clive Eksteen were suspended for the same reason. Their cases, along with that of four other members of staff including CEO Thabang Moroe, are expected to be decided by early March.Smith has indicated his interest in taking on the role permanently, which, if confirmed, would leave van Zyl to fill a different role at CSA. Van Zyl has worked as interim national coach and took the team to the 2011 World Cup, as general manager of cricket and in high performance.

When Manish Pandey first made a name in top-flight cricket, he was, in all the glorious irony, a top-order batsman in a team where Virat Kohli batted at No. 6. The year was 2009, and Pandey became the first Indian to score a century in the IPL. Eleven years on, Pandey is yet to find himself a safe stay in any Indian international side, and Kohli is a bona fide legend of the game.Pandey’s captain now, Kohli bats at 3, and has thrown Pandey’s international career a life line, choosing him ahead of Rishabh Pant, for a role at Nos 5 and 6. Pandey, who bats much higher in the IPL still, has been asked to adjust, and on Friday, he played a part in India’s march to a 4-0 lead in the five-match T20I series.With Shivam Dube being the only left-hand batsman in the side, it has inevitably meant that Pandey has had to bat at No. 6. In this game, he came in at 75 for 4, saw the situation worsen to 88 for 6, but kept picking up the ones and twos to stay in the game when the last four overs came. While the wisdom of not farming the strike with No. 10 Navdeep Saini is still questionable, Pandey kept the team alive instead of going for a low-percentage shot early on, which has been the team’s gripe with Pant.Manish Pandey plays an airborne slap through the covers•Getty Images

Pandey ended up with an unbeaten 50 off 36 balls, which gave India just about enough to win the game. Pandey spoke about the challenge of batting lower down the order where you either have to start hitting from ball one or rebuild an innings, which calls for a different temperament.”I have to start preparing my mind as a No.6 batsman because normally I bat up the order, No. 3 or No. 4,” Pandey said. “Here with the competition up top, you just have to wait for your chances, exactly how it used to happen before this. There were hardly six or 10 balls that I would play before. Today was the opportunity, and I’ve been preparing myself as to how to bat No.6 and what kind of shots I can play, what kind of bowlers, and how many overs are left. You’ve got to start preparing when you’re sitting outside. You need to calculate.”It’s not an easy position to bat at No.6, where you know you’re the last main batsman and you have to play with the bowlers if anything happens up top. That’s what happened today. I was pretty clear about my role. I thought I’ll probably be there at the crease by the end of the 20th over, and I thought I did that pretty well, and I’m happy with that.”Pandey said you have to curb yourself at that position. “I start thinking about percentage cricket,” he said. “I have to curb down on my shots a little bit. I can’t be very expressive as soon as I go in, even if the wicket is really flat. But I just have to play those twos, look to rotate the strike. I’ve been working on that and today I thought it came off really well. These are small things that I’ve to work on.”If you want to bat [at] 6, then you have to be pre-ready. The game is already set for you at No.6 and you just have to sometimes go and perform at the speed that the previous batsmen have set for you. But today was an opportunity, because we lost a couple of wickets early. Unluckily, Washy [Washington Sundar] got out early. We could have had a partnership there. Shardul [Thakur] batted well and [Navdeep] Saini gave me a little bit of a stand there. Batting was quite good today.”Despite this being a World Cup year, Pandey said he was not going to start at No. 6 for his IPL franchise just because that seems to be the only position available in the Indian line-up. “I would still bat No.3 when I go back to the IPL,” Pandey said. “It gives me more of an opportunity and more chance to spend time on the wicket. It gives me little more extra time when I bat, with the way I bat. Competition here is too tough, and I’ve got to make my place, have to squeeze in. So even if they give me No.6, I’m happy to take it. I’d love to keep contributing this way and helping my team win.”That’s the only way it works. The top three are over-crowded at this moment, and there is a tough competition for slots down the order too. “I have no choice [with the role given to me by India]. I have to be good with it.”

MatériaMais Notícias

Com cinco rodadas disputadas – quatro jogos adiados ainda precisam ser realizados -, o Campeonato Brasileiro já se aproxima da marca de 100 gols e mil finalizações. Nas 46 partidas disputadas até o momento, foram 99 bolas na rede – média de 2,15 por confronto – em 995 tentativas de finalização, segundo dados do Footstats.

Destaque individual para Gilberto, do Bahia, artilheiro da competição até o momento com quatro tentos. Rodrigo Muniz, do Flamengo, Edenílson, do Internacional, e Yago Pikachu, do Fortaleza, aparecem logo atrás, com três. Coletivamente, no entanto, o ataque mais positivo é o do Red Bull Bragantino, que já estufou as redes adversárias 13 vezes. O Palmeiras e o Tricolor do Pici vêm na segunda posição, com nove.

No topo da lista de jogadores que mais arriscaram arremates, no entanto, estão dois que ainda não aparecem entre os primeiros na artilharia: Marinho, do Santos, e Artur, do Red Bull Bragantino. Ambos marcaram dois gols em 20 tentativas. O atacante do Peixe é quem mais acertou o alvo, oito vezes, seguido pelo camisa 7 do Massa Bruta, e Muniz, do Rubro-Negro Carioca, todos com sete. Confira o ranking:

JOGADORES COM MAIS FINALIZAÇÕES CERTAS NO BRASILEIRO 2021
– Dados do Footstats

1º – Marinho – Santos – 8
2º – Artur – Red Bull Bragantino – 7
Muniz – Flamengo – 7
4º – Caio Paulista – Fluminense – 6
Gilberto – Bahia – 6
Bruno Henrique – Flamengo – 6
Gabriel Pirani – Santos – 6
8º – Hulk – Atlético-MG – 5
​Kaio Jorge – Santos – 5
Gustavo Scarpa – Palmeiras – 5
Natanael – Atlético-GO – 5
Edenílson – Internacional – 5
Pikachu – Fortaleza – 5

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There was a moment, about 75 minutes into West Ham United's clash against Newcastle United on Tyneside when the travelling support was in full voice, the voluble Hammers overwhelming their beleaguered hosts.

West Ham's campaign has been affected by defensive deficiencies and this was certainly on show at St. James' Park, with David Moyes' side squandering a 3-1 lead to hand Newcastle a lifeline in their fight for European qualification.

It was a true thriller, one of those matches they whack on a billboard to advertise the Premier League and all it entails, but West Ham will not care about that; they succumbed to pressure, lost a commanding position and now have a tenuous hold on seventh spot in the top-flight.

It all changed when Kalvin Phillips was introduced, 69 minutes in.

Kalvin Phillips' performance vs Newcastle

Phillips probably arrived at the London Stadium in January brimming with hope, sanguine in his conviction that a nightmare spell with Manchester City was behind him, and that he could strut his stuff at the highest level with avidity once again.

It's quite remarkable, genuinely astounding, how bad he has been in an Irons shirt, seemingly making an error every time he takes to the pitch.

At Newcastle, Phillips conceded the penalty that allowed Alexander Isak to net his brace, halving the deficit after 75 minutes. He completed 13 touches across 21 minutes of action; he lost the ball five times, completing four of nine attempted passes, as per Sofascore.

This is beyond rusty, this is beyond a blip. Phillips is beset with a staggering loss of confidence that has seeped into his industrious skill set, like a pot of oil spilled into a body of water, tainting it, spoiling it.

There's a claim, however, that the England man's adjudged foul on Anthony Gordon was soft, sparking the comeback, and Phillips was certainly not the main culprit on a bleak afternoon in the North East.

Pre-match, Vladimir Coufal claimed that he had his sights set on breaking his Premier League assist tally in a single campaign against Eddie Howe's side.

He didn't walk the walk, let's say that…

Vladimir Coufal's game in numbers

Coufal has been an excellent signing for West Ham, following Czech countryman Tomas Soucek from Slavia Prague in 2020 for a bargain £5m and since chalking up 144 appearances for the club, registering 20 assists.

Minutes played

89'

Touches

39

Accurate passes

20/29 (69%)

Key passes

1

Possession lost

12x

Tackles

1

Duels won

1/4

Penalties committed

1

Dribbles attempted

0

Dribbled past

1

The right-back's metrics on the afternoon make for grim reading, however, having been bullied in the duel and wasteful in possession to compound an early foul to give Newcastle the lead, Isak converting the first of two spot-kicks.

His display was so poor that The Evening Standard's Malik Ouzia branded the 31-year-old with a 4/10 match rating, writing of his performance: 'Rash when diving in on Gordon to concede early penalty and sloppy in possession for much of the afternoon.'

With the likes of Ben Johnson waiting in the wings, Coufal – whose 5.6 Sofascore rating was the worst of any player on the day – arguably should be dropped against Tottenham Hotspur on Tuesday night, with that Premier League fixture now heightened. It's all on the line.

Phillips may never wear the shirt again if West Ham unleash exciting teen

David Moyes’ January addition has not been up to scratch in east London…

ByAngus Sinclair Mar 20, 2024

Inconsistency has marred West Ham's campaign but this is not the time to wallow in despair. Moyes will berate his troops after a dismal collapse, and so he should, but there is quality enough to forge a successful finish to the season and now the Hammers must rally.

Whilst the Scottish Premiership is no longer in their hands, Rangers could still pick up their second piece of silverware under Philippe Clement this season, especially after receiving an injury boost ahead of their Scottish Cup semi-final against Hearts.

Rangers injury news

The Gers suffered injuries at frustrating times this season, with Abdallah Sima proving to be a particular miss before only returning to the side recently. The same can be said for Oscar Cortes, who has seen his loan move disrupted by spells on the sideline. And as the season nears its conclusion, Clement will need as many of his stars available as possible if Rangers are to turn things around in the Scottish Premiership.

Clement's 2/10 Rangers man shouldn't wear the jersey again

Rangers suffered another dismal showing in the league during their midweek clash against Dundee

ByRoss Kilvington Apr 19, 2024

The manager did confirm that his side are still unlikely to have Ridvan Yilmaz available for this weekend's semi-final clash, however, saying via Rangers Review: "Ridvan Yilmaz will be back relatively soon, he is training individually on pitch but not back with the squad yet."

That doesn't mean that there wasn't any positive news though, with Clement confirming that Mohamed Diomande will be back against Hearts in a major boost for the Gers' hopes of putting an end to their bad form and reaching the Scottish Cup final. Before his injury, Diomande was beginning to show his best form and can now pick up where he left off.

Having missed the last two games through injury, which saw Rangers fail to win on both occasions, Diomande's importance cannot be ignored as the Gers prepare to end the season in the best way possible. In pursuit of that task, this weekend's semi-final will be key.

"Great" Diomande has become instant key at Rangers

It says it all that Rangers failed to secure all three points in the two games that Diomande missed recently. The midfielder's return comes at a vital time with the importance of the final phase of the Scottish Premiership season not lost on anyone. But Diomande's focus should be on more than just the current campaign.

At 22 years old, the January arrival has the opportunity to kick on even further in Clement's first full season in charge come August, becoming a central figure under the Belgian in the process. Captain James Tavernier will certainly believe in the midfielder's ability to do just that, having handed him credit early on in his Rangers career.

Tavernier recently said: “We’re always asking questions and we’ve got a variety of how we can score now, which is really good for the team and Dio popped up at the edge of the box and it was a great strike, it was a great goal.

“The likes of Dio coming into the team, starting today getting a goal from himself. Credit to himself, he’s really settled in really well and Oscar (Cortes) has came in and Fabio (Silva), so we’re working really well as a team."

أجبر الدولي المصري عمر مرموش، أساطير كرة القدم الألمانية، على مدحه والإشادة بما يقدمه مع فريق كرة القدم الأول بنادي آينتراخت فرانكفورت.

مرموش هذا الموسم انفجر مع فرانكفورت، ويتصدر ترتيب هدافي الدوري الألماني برصيد 11 هدفًا متساويًا مع هاري كين مهاجم بايرن ميونخ.

لوثار ماتيوس، أسطورة كرة القدم الألمانية، وصاحب الكرة الذهبية 1990، وبطل كأس العالم في نفس العام، يرى أن عمر مرموش هو أفضل لاعب في العالم الآن.

طالع أيضًا | ماتيوس: انتقال عمر مرموش إلى بايرن ميونخ قد يكون ناجحًا بشرط واحد

وفي مقال عبر موقع “سكاي” كتب لوثار ماتيوس: “مع عمر مرموش وهوجو إيكيتيكي يمتلك فرانكفورت اثنين من أفضل المهاجمين في العالم. يكملان بعضهما البعض بشكل رائع”.

وأضاف: “إذا كان هناك تصويت لأفضل لاعب كرة قدم في العالم كل ثلاثة أشهر، فيمكن أن يكون عمر مرموش حاليًا مرشحًا للجائزة، والفوز بها”.

وأكمل: “مرموش هذا الموسم في فئة خاصة، لا يتألق فقط في الدوري الألماني، ولكن أيضًا على المستوى الأوروبي، ويمكنه أن يتطور أكثر في المستقبل”.

واختتم: “يجب القول بوضوح أن مرموش يستفيد من الفريق مثلما يفعل هاري كين في بايرن ميونخ، يتواجد في مكان يحصل فيه على الكرات وكل ما عليه الإنهاء بالطريقة الممتازة”.

Portugal's track cyclists paid tribute to Cristiano Ronaldo by imitating his 'Siu' celebration after winning gold in Olympic games.

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Portuguese cyclists did the 'Siu' celebrationWon gold medal in Paris OlympicsRonaldo will be back in action on WednesdayWHAT HAPPENED?

Portuguese cyclists Luri Leitao and Rui Oliviera helped Portugal win their first-ever Olympics gold medal in track cycling. After achieving the historic feat in Paris and receiving their gold medals, the duo performed their country's sporting icon Cristiano Ronaldo's famous 'Siu' celebration.

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The iconic celebration has become a trademark for the 39-year Al-Nassr star that sees him perform a mid-air pirouette before exclaiming "si!" (sometimes spelt "siu") – which is Spanish for "yes!" – upon landing. It is an expression of delight at scoring. After Ronaldo jumps and lands, supporters normally join the player in roaring the word, producing a booming sound reverberating throughout the stadium.

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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR CRISTIANO RONALDO?

The former Manchester United and Real Madrid star will be back in action on Wednesday as Al-Nassr begin the new season with a Saudi Super Cup semi-final clash against Al-Taawoun.