Kylian Mbappe's injury has forced Xabi Alonso to launch a 'desperate' Real Madrid tactic in the fight to save his job against Manchester City. Alonso could turn to out-of-favour forward Endrick in the absence of their star attacker. The Frenchman was absent from Los Blancos' open training session the day before the game against Pep Guardiola's side at the Bernabeu.

Injury scare for Real Madrid ahead of Man City clash

A day before Madrid's crucial Champions League fixture against Premier League giants Manchester City, star forward Mbappe missed the club's open training session, alongside compatriot Eduardo Camavinga. While Alonso did not mention anything about injuries in his squad, in the training session following the manager's pre-match press conference, Mbappe was a notable absentee. 

Spanish radio station also reported that the France international had suffered an injury in his left leg, making him a serious doubt for the game with City at the Bernabeu.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesMbappe's injury major blow for Alonso

Mbappe has been Los Blancos' standout player in the 2025-26 campaign, with 25 goals across La Liga and the Champions League, plus four assists. He is also on course to break Cristiano Ronaldo's record for the most goals for Real in a calendar year. The Frenchman has been responsible for half of the team's goals in the Spanish top flight and a remarkable 75% of their goals in Europe's top competition, netting a stunning four strikes in his last continental outing against Olympiacos. 

Head coacg Alonso is under huge pressure following Madrid's dismal 2-0 defeat at home to Celta Vigo on Sunday, which also saw Alvaro Carreras and Fran Garcia sent off and key defender Eder Militao hobble off with a muscle injury that is set to keep him out for up to four months. The loss meant that their gap with league leaders Barcelona increased to four points. Alonso's side have won just two of their last seven games in all competitions.

Alonso focusing on Endrick

With Mbappe out injured, reported on Tuesday that the Madrid boss paid special attention to out-of-favour forward Endrick in the training session and even individually spoke to the Brazilian, something he never did since joining the club in the summer. 

The special attention towards the attacker clearly indicates that the youngster is likely to feature in the club's matchday squad to face City on Wednesday, which has been dubbed 'Plan Endrick'. If Endrick starts against the English giants, it will happen for the first time this season. If he comes off the bench, he would feature in a game for the first time since November 1, when he played a few minutes in the club's win over Valencia.

Other than Endrick, another forward option for Alonso ahead of the City clash is Gonzalo Garcia. The Spaniard has played more minutes than Endrick this season and is likely to get the preference ahead of the Brazilian in the European clash.

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Getty Images SportWill Endrick leave Madrid in January?

Endrick has been linked with a temporary move away from Madrid since the start of the new season and the player's frustration has only grown after repeatedly being ignored by Alonso. With just over six months left for the 2026 World Cup to start, the youngster is naturally desperate for game time and could consider moving away from the Bernabeu.

Endrick's father recently showed his support by writing on social media: "I know, my son, how hard you work and how much you dedicate every minute of your day. I know everything you're capable of. You're a winner and you're showing everyone that you're a true warrior. Your star will continue to shine, even though some try to dim your light. I believe your future lies right there."

It remains to be seen now how many minutes Endrick manages to accumulate in Mbappe's absence in December and depending on his opportunity, the teenager will take a final call on his future.

Marnus Labuschagne forced to open after back spasm forces Usman Khawaja off the field

Alex Malcolm21-Nov-2025

AFP/Getty Images

Usman Khawaja was unable to open for Australia after an ill-timed decision to leave the field to get treatment for back spasms just before England’s first innings collapse on the opening day of in Perth leading to a hasty reshuffle of their top order.After months of debate about Australia’s batting order and the selectors’ decision to reinstate Marnus Labuschagne at No. 3, he was forced to open anyway alongside debutant Jake Weatherald after Khawaja spent the last three overs of England’s innings off the field as they lost 5 for 20 in 23 balls to be bowled out for just 172.”I didn’t know about it until the ninth wicket when he still had 10 minutes or so [to make up],” Mitchell Starc said. “We got caught off guard a little bit with the wickets falling pretty quickly in the back end there. It’s just unfortunate that was the case. He’ll manage that overnight and see how we’re at tomorrow.”Khawaja, 38, had left the field several times in the first three hours of play and exited again with the score at 152 for 5 after 29 overs. Khawaja battled back stiffness through the day and had a back spasm the second time he left the field.Related

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England then collapsed while he was stretching to overcome the spasm and it left stand-in captain Steven Smith calling for Khawaja to come back onto the field. Khawaja eventually did return to the field for the end of the innings but according to ICC rules had not returned for the equal amount of time he had been off and therefore was ineligible to open the batting.”I don’t think we really realised he wasn’t going to come out at the start of the innings. It was probably more unsettling for the Aussies,” Brydon Carse said after play.It is understood Khawaja did not have a prior back injury. However, Khawaja did play 18 holes of golf on Thursday, having missed Australia’s last optional training session, and also played several times earlier in the week. It is not unusual for Khawaja to play golf the day before a Test match. Scott Boland and Mitchell Starc, who took a career-best 7 for 58 on Friday, also played on Thursday along with several members of the coaching staff.It meant Weatherald faced the first over from Jofra Archer, although he may have done so anyway. Weatherald had not faced the first ball of an innings in each of his last 20 first-class innings before his Test debut, during a run of form that saw him earn his first Test cap.He was trapped lbw second ball by a searing full delivery from Archer that knocked him off his feet. His duck mirrored that of Nathan McSweeney’s on Test debut for Australia when opening against India at the same ground 12 months ago in very similar circumstances.Given the wicket fell so soon into the innings, it meant Smith walked out at No. 3 for the first time in a Test since 2017, although he had opened alongside in four Tests in early 2024 before returning to his preferred No. 4.Khawaja made his way to the middle at No. 4 after Labuschagne fell to Archer after tea. Like a few in the top order, he didn’t end up surviving long, gloving a superb delivery from Carse to the keeper for 2, as Australia followed suit in struggling with the bat and ended the day on 123 for 9.

Manchester United’s topsy-turvy campaign continued on Monday night but fortunately, it was all smiles in the end as they demolished a dreadful Wolves side 4-1 at Molineux.

Bruno Fernandes was in supreme form, scoring twice and registering an assist but he wasn’t the only player on the away side who stood out.

Bryan Mbeumo ended his run of games without finding the net while Mason Mount continued his impressive form as one of the leading men in Amorim’s attack.

Amorim speaks out after Wolves win

There has been a lot of debate surrounding the position of Fernandes this season. The club captain is an attacking midfielder by trade but has been used as a deeper-lying figure under Ruben Amorim.

That said, he’s still impacting things and arguably had one of his finest games under the young Portuguese manager to date when they travelled to Wolverhampton.

Speaking after the game, Amorim was delighted with the performance, although he was critical of the opening 45 minutes.

He told the press: “I think, once again, after we scored a goal we were a little bit sloppy on the ball and that gave a little bit of hope to the opponent.”

Amorim continued: “But, we created a lot of chances in the first half also. We should have finished that half in a different way and then at half-time they understood that we have everything to win the game, to win three points. And they did that.

“I think the pace, the quality that we showed in the second half, understanding that the moment of Wolves is really hard as a team, as a club, so we took advantage of that.”

Mount receives the acclaim from Amorim

This has been a season of rejuvenation for Mount whose time at Old Trafford has been a difficult one to date, largely due to injury.

However, after scoring against Wolves, it means the England international has now scored three goals in his last seven outings for United. Not jaw-dropping numbers sure, but it’s a return to some sort of prominence for a man who’s been on the periphery for so long.

Amorim was seemingly ecstatic with Mount post-game, telling reporters: “He can defend, he can attack, the quality when he touches the ball is really good, so it’s not a surprise for me,” Amorim said.

The manager continued: “He’s a different type of leader. It’s not like Licha (Lisandro Martinez), for example. It’s a guy that leads by example.”

Amorim concluded by summarising how the former Chelsea man is around the training ground: “It doesn’t matter the situation, Mason Mount is always the same thing – training, talking, dealing with people around Carrington. That is not easy, so he’s a very, very good player.”

While Mount has played as a striker on the odd occasion this term, he featured in an attacking midfield role with Matheus Cunha leading the line instead against Wolves. It seemed to work a treat for United on Monday evening.

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Manchester United’s squad at present is full of top-level talent in numerous areas of the pitch, but Ruben Amorim has so far struggled to make use of the players at his disposal.

The hierarchy have constantly splashed the cash in recent years, with over £200m being spent on new attacking talents during the recent summer transfer window.

The likes of Bryan Mbeumo, Benjamin Sesko and Matheus Cunha all made the move to Old Trafford, but they have only posted a total of eight Premier League goals combined in 2025/26.

Amorim’s 3-4-2-1 system has seen Mbeumo operate in a somewhat unnatural central attacking midfield role, no doubt taking away his best asset – cutting inside off the right-hand side – away from him.

As a result, one player has indirectly suffered this campaign, with the manager recently coming under fire for his lack of faith shown in the player over recent months.

The latest on Kobbie Mainoo’s Man Utd future

Just a couple of years ago, Kobbie Mainoo was a key member of the United first-team squad, with the midfielder often starting at the heart of Erik ten Hag’s side.

He emerged out of the club’s academy setup, often popping up with key moments, as seen by his incredible achievements during the 2023/24 campaign.

The 20-year-old scored a late winner in the clash against Wolverhampton Wanderers, whilst also netting in the FA Cup final against Manchester City – resulting in a place in the England squad for Euro 2024.

However, his career has taken a nosedive over the last 12 months, with Amorim evidently not seeing the academy graduate as part of his long-term plans at Old Trafford.

Mainoo has featured in nine league matches to date, none of which have come from a starting role, leading to one journalist questioning the manager over the midfielder after yesterday’s draw.

The 40-year-old simply laughed when asked about bringing the youngster on to try and win the game at the Theatre of Dreams, which sums up the faith he currently has in him at present.

However, an escape route could well be on the cards for Mainoo ahead of the January transfer window, with Napoli constantly tracking the Englishman over a potential transfer.

The Man Utd player that Amorim is misusing in 2025/26

The reluctance to utilise Mainoo in 2025/26 is just one of Amorim’s biggest failures to date, with the youngster massively deserving the chance to thrive under his guidance.

However, his recent spell on the substitutes bench highlights the lack of faith shown in him by the manager, with a solution desperately needed in the coming months.

The same could also be said about numerous other players, as seen by the struggles endured within the final third of the pitch over the last couple of matches in the Premier League.

Mbeumo has now failed to find the back of the net in each of his last three outings, but the forward is set to go to AFCON throughout January, which could leave a huge hole in the Red Devils’ attack.

His month-long spell away from Manchester could open up the door for Bruno Fernandes to once again feature in the number ten position – a role that is no doubt his best.

The Portuguese international operated in an attacking midfield role during 2024/25, resulting in the 31-year-old registering 37 combined goals and assists across all competitions.

However, the £200m spending spree in attacking areas has resulted in the United captain dropping into a deep-lying number eight position, which has taken away his creative nature in recent months.

He still currently has a total of five assists in his 14 appearances this campaign, but there’s little denying he’s endured a drop-off from his form last season.

Bruno, who’s been dubbed United’s “best player post Fergie” by writer Kaustubh Pandey, has now had to contribute more defensively, as seen by his increased tally of tackles won per 90 compared to last season.

However, whilst he’s still managed to play a part in winning the ball back for his side, it’s come with an adverse effect – subsequently resulting in a lack of creativity in attacking areas.

He’s only scored twice in the Premier League to date, one of which was a penalty, highlighting his lack of impact in terms of goal contributions in 2025/26.

Games played

14

Goals scored

2

Pass accuracy

83%

Shots on target

0.7

Chances created

1.8

Tackles won

1.8

Duels won

4.6

Interceptions made

0.6

It’s clear to everyone but Amorim that the Portuguese star is better in an attacking role, which means one of the £200m additions may need to be sacrificed.

Such a move could open up a free role at the heart of the Red Devils side, which could allow Mainoo to have the run of games he needs to save his United career

However, if Amorim is unable to make such changes in the near future, it could result in the 40-year-old losing his job at Old Trafford in the near future – with such a decision an easy one for him to make.

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His astonishing assault in a low-scoring Ashes Test proved he never ceases to amaze

Alex Malcolm22-Nov-20253:17

Smith: Travis Head’s batting incredible to witness

“I’ll do it.”With three words, Travis Head set in motion a chain of events that had to be seen to be believed.There had long been a thought bubble floating around within Australia’s brains trust. What if Usman Khawaja opened in the first innings, when the pitch was fresh and at it’s most challenging in Australian conditions, and then swapped with Travis Head in the second when the surface was flatter and quick runs were needed?Related

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Head: 'It's not going to get much bigger than this'

Khawaja’s back spasms in Perth made that thought bubble a reality. After Australia fudged the order to replace Khawaja in the first innings without success, Head volunteered to do it in the second. And he delivered with an astonishing assault on England to win Australia a Test match they appeared to have no right to win only four-and-a-half hours earlier.It was mind-blowing batting, even by the standards of the man who has produced a career catalogue of crazy match-winning innings on the biggest stage. He was already an Ashes star thanks to his performances in 2021-22. He has already singlehandedly ripped a World Test Championship, an ODI World Cup and a Border-Gavaskar Trophy out of India hands.Now he has the second-fastest century in Ashes history, off 69 balls, to rip another opening Ashes Test in Australia from England’s grasp.Ben Stokes looked like he had seen a ghost when he was asked to sum up his feelings shortly after the winning runs were struck.”I mean, at the moment, I’m still in a little bit of wow phase, after what Travis Head has just done to us,” Stokes said. “That was a pretty incredible, special knock from Travis.”Head didn’t think so. Steven Smith, who was sitting next to Head at the press conference, was asked whether it was the best knock he had ever seen.”No it’s not. Not even close,” Head mumbled under his breath.Smith laughed before politely disagreeing with his vice-captain. “It’s got to be right up there,” Smith said. “Wow. That was incredible to witness. Trav took it on and played one of the great Ashes knocks.”There was a buzz around the ground when Head’s name was announced as he walked out to bat alongside Jake Weatherald, with Australia needing to score the highest total of the match to chase down 205.ESPNcricinfo LtdEveryone knew what Head was going to attempt to do, including England. But Head never ceases to amaze.He was three off 14 balls to start. He was beaten by a cracker from Jofra Archer second ball. His only runs were a clip off the toes behind square and a squeeze past gully. But credit to Head, there were no other loose shots in the 14. No flashing with hard hands like England’s batters had done earlier in the day. No attempts to hit the bowlers off their lengths as Stokes had believed was required on the Perth pitch.He waited, and waited, and then unleashed fury. The first genuine half-volley he got was whipped through midwicket. The next was driven through cover. For the first venomous short ball he leaned back and ramped it over the slips for six. On 22 he finally flayed one on the rise through cover. Another full wide ball was sliced over wide deep third to bring up Australia’s 50 in 9.3 overs.Pitching up wasn’t working, so England went short. Head went large. Mark Wood went at the body, Head stepped inside the line and flicked him over fine leg. The next was short and wide, Head thrashed it through point. The field started to spread. He tucked a single to deep square to bring up a 36-ball 50.But then he lost Weatherald after a crucial 75-run stand. The door was ajar for England to walk back into a game that had seesawed violently over two days. It coincided with drinks and Head hit pause, scoring a single off his next eight deliveries.Stokes seized the moment and took the ball. Mano-a-mano.Ben Stokes couldn’t find any answers•Getty ImagesThe talisman to trump all talismans, with his new-found mane, his ripped physique after swearing off alcohol, who trains like a beast and plays with unparalleled intensity against Australia’s everyman, father of two, with his bogan haircut, unkempt moustache and unashamed beer belly.Head struck four boundaries in five balls. Game over. He then flat-batted a 139.9kph Archer short ball over the sightscreen for the most jawdropping shot of the match to completely demoralise England.All that was left was for Head to receive two standing ovations from 49,983 that had a ticket to the show of a lifetime. The first when he reached his century off 69 balls. The second when he finally mis-hit one to deep square leg for 123 off 83.”It was obvious to us as a group, when Travis came out the top of the order there with Jake, that they’d sent Travis out there to play the role in which he was so successful at doing,” Stokes said. “And it was so hard to be able to continue with plans which we tried to implement, because he had an answer for everything. We went through three, four, five different modes to try and get the wicket of Travis, because when he was going, we knew that he was going to be the big one. But he just had an answer to absolutely everything. It was some knock.”Head said there were “no surprises” with what England came up with. What did surprise him was his form. He revealed he had some doubts. Head had been a quiet concern for Australia heading into the series after an extremely lean run of form in white-ball cricket which forced him to play a Sheffield Shield game that he hadn’t initially planned for. He duly failed in both innings, with scores of 9 and 15.”Conditions down there were pretty tough,” Head said. “But I had four or five days leading to that game. I hit during the game a fair bit with Stubbo (South Australia batting coach Steve Stubbings) and then here I trained all four days, which is unheard of.”Just to find a bit of rhythm and getting into things and once you walk out into this atmosphere, I was more worried about, am I capable of doing it still?”We had such a big lay off a Test cricket, your mind takes you to, okay, facing probably one of the better attacks I’ve ever faced, high quality, high pace, high speed, am I still cut out for this on a wicket that can be pretty intimidating at times.”He was more than cut out for it. He was head and shoulders above every other batter in the game. There will be calls for him to open permanently. Head said he had floated the idea with Australia’s hierarchy if needed after David Warner retired but has understood why he had been left at No. 5 in home conditions, where he has authored so many match-winning knocks for his country.The fear has been what they might lose in the middle order. But given the fear he has struck in England and Stokes, they may well utter three more words.”Let’s do it.”

Rangers boss Danny Rohl was left to settle for what he described as a “fully deserved point” at Tannadice on Wednesday night, although for a club of such stature, these are the type of games that the Ibrox side simply have to win.

Just a few days on from the drab stalemate against Falkirk, the Light Blues were left relying on a last-gasp Nedim Bajrami penalty to bail them out of trouble this time around, having been abject at both ends of the pitch on the night.

Indeed, Bojan Miovski’s dry spell continued, having scored just one Premiership goal since his return to Scotland, while the centre-back pairing of Nasser Djiga and Emmanuel Fernandez were all at sea up against a lively Dundee United forward line.

Rohl, undoubtedly, is paying the price for the chaos that came before him under both Russell Martin and Kevin Thelwell, with the summer recruitment yet again under the microscope.

With question marks over how much will be available to spend in January, the German coach will largely have to make do with what he’s got for now, albeit with key decisions needing to be made.

Record of every Rangers summer signing

Perhaps it is still too early to judge the business that was carried out this summer, although the transfer failures have already helped claim one manager and could well prove fatal for another, unless Rohl can turn things around.

Of course, the biggest backfire appears to be the £8m investment in Everton’s Youssef Chermiti, with a player who failed to score in two years at Goodison Park having since scored just once in his new surroundings.

Former Aberdeen talisman Bojan Miovski hasn’t exactly fared much better, it must be said, with just two goals himself in all competitions for the Glasgow side, ensuring that – perhaps unsurprisingly – captain James Tavernier still leads the way with seven goals from right-back this season.

Despite looking brighter since the change in the dugout, more was certainly expected of Tottenham Hotspur’s teenage sensation, Mikey Moore, with the Englishman joining Thelo Aasgaard and Lyall Cameron in having scored just once in 2025/26 thus far.

Oliver Antman, another marquee summer addition, hasn’t even got off the mark at all, while perhaps the biggest concern lies defensively, with regard to Djiga, in particular.

Rangers’ summer signings (25/26 stats)
Player	Games	Goals (Assists)
Djeidi Gassama	27	6 (2)
Thelo Aasgaard	22	1 (1)
Nasser Djiga	21	0 (0)
Oliver Antman	20	0 (3)
Jayden Meghoma	20	1 (2)
Max Aarons	19	1 (0)
Joe Rothwell	19	0 (2)
Bojan Miovski	18	2 (1)
Mikey Moore	17	1 (2)
Youssef Chermiti	15	1 (1)
Derek Cornelius	12	1 (1)
Lyall Cameron	9	1 (0)
Emmanuel Fernandez	7	2 (0)
Stats via Transfermarkt

Already seemingly looking finished at Ibrox, following a string of errors in recent months, the on-loan Wolverhampton Wanderers man has been this season’s key disaster, epitomising a transfer window that won’t be forgotten in a hurry.

The Burkina Faso international has at least been consistent in struggling right from the off, with there perhaps more confusion over the shifting form of fellow new addition, Djeidi Gassama.

Martin's "shining light" now needs to be benched by Rohl

If there was just one positive from the brief Martin era, it was the early performances of young Gassama, with the ex-Sheffield Wednesday starlet looking particularly impressive in Champions League qualifying.

Four goals in just six games in that early round of European games suggested that Rangers had hit the jackpot with their £2.2m addition, with former England international Chris Waddle among those lauding him as a potential “bargain”:

From looking like the “shining light” under Martin’s watch, in the view of former Gers defender Alan Hutton, the France-born winger has frustratingly failed to kick on since then, with that Champions League form looking like a red herring on current evidence.

Indeed, since then, the underwhelming wideman has scored just once and provided only two assists in the Premiership, alongside chipping in with a further goal in the Europa League against Sturm Graz.

An asset in continental action, Gassama has been unable to replicate that form domestically, even despite reuniting with Rohl in recent weeks, following their prior link at Hillsborough.

The youngster was particularly poor during the draw with the Tangerines, having lost the ball 20 times from just 56 touches, while boasting a dismal pass accuracy rate of just 67%, as per Sofascore.

Part of a forward line that just isn’t clicking into gear, Gassama also squandered two big chances and completed just a solitary successful cross, having perhaps been fortunate to last the full 90 minutes in truth.

With young Findlay Curtis among those waiting in the wings, Rohl must forego any potential favouritism and shake things up next time around.

Gassama just isn’t looking like the player he did back in July and August…

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By
Dan Emery

Dec 3, 2025

Ruben Amorim was frustrated and angry with his Manchester United players after failing to beat West Ham at home and blowing the chance to move into the Premier League's top five. Diogo Dalot gave United the lead in the second half, only for Soungoutou Magassa to grab a late leveller following a corner and snatch a point for the relegation-fighting Hammers.

• United unable to beat 18th-placed West Ham

  United slumped to a second successive disappointing result at home following their shock 1-0 defeat against 10-man Everton in their last outing, failing to see off a West Ham side who have only won once away from home this season. Favourable results in the other mid-week games gave United the opportunity to move into fifth but they struggled to create many chances against Nuno Espirito Santo's side, with Bruno Fernandes failing to inspire the hosts and Ayden Heaven looking shaky in his first Premier League start of the season. 

  Amorim was in a spiky mood after the game, looking unimpressed with the questioning but also appearing to be running out of patience with his players.

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  Amorim: We should have closed the game out

  Amorim told a press conference: "Frustrated, angry, that is it. After the first goal, we lost some second balls. We tried to defend all the time far from the goal. It happened long ball, they win the second ball against three guys of us so we need to be better in the second half. We are losing because of the second balls, sometimes it is not more men in front. We are really inconsistent but if you look at the goal, we have a long ball, we have everything under control, we need to do better. I always have the feeling that we have to score more goals and I'm sure about that."

  The coach was particularly annoyed with his team for losing control of the game after Dalot had broken the deadlock. "We should have closed the game with the ball because the game was there to win," he told . "I think the overall performance was not perfect. We had our moments but we lost control in the game in some minutes in the first half and in the second half, especially after the goal. The game was clearly ours to win and we had an opportunity with Cunha to finish the game off. It is really frustrating because you look at the game, you have the game under control and we didn't win."

• Heaven taken off as on a yellow card

  Amorim made a surprising decision before kick off by handing 19-year-old Ayden Heaven his first league start of the season, dropping Leny Yoro following his shaky display in the recent win at Crystal Palace. But the coach then chose to haul Heaven off at half-time and replace him with Yoro. Heaven had been given an early yellow card for a rash tackle on Jarrod Bowen and had struggled against West Ham's centre-forward Callum Wilson.

  "Of course it was the yellow card," Amorim explained. "And we tried to press high and leave one centre back with a striker all the time so any foul there could be a yellow. And we missed Ayden in the set pieces, so we need to be smarter when we play the game."

  Goalscorer Dalot added: "Obviously we are disappointed. We have to control much more of the game, especially at Old Trafford. We cannot get as anxious as we got after the goal, we were more sloppy with possession. We had the game there, it shouldn’t be like this. We knew they would be looking for counters and set plays and it’s more our fault than credit to West Ham. We cannot drop too many points – we want to be in the top four or five, we have to be there. That’s why the disappointment is even bigger."

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  United must respond to setback against winless Wolves

  United four days to lift themselves after the disappointment of the West Ham draw and try to make amends when they visit Wolves, who have taken just two points all season and are on course to accumulate the lowest points total of any team in Premier League history. United have a patchy record against Wolves, however, with Amorim losing both games against the west Midlands side last season.

Kagiso Rabada has been ruled out of the second India vs South Africa Test match, in Guwahati from Saturday, after not recovering sufficiently from the rib bone stress injury that had kept him out of the opening Test of the series in Kolkata.”The injury has been closely monitored by the Proteas medical team, and due to ongoing discomfort in the affected area, Rabada has been withdrawn from the remainder of the tour,” Cricket South Africa said in a statement on Friday morning, a day off from the start of the game. “He will continue the initial phase of his four-week rehabilitation program with the Proteas medical team before returning to South Africa at the conclusion of the second Test.”This will put him out of the white-ball series in India that will follow the Tests.As reported by ESPNcricinfo, Rabada had not bowled since sustaining the injury in training last Tuesday in Kolkata and did not train on Wednesday in Guwahati.Simon Harmer, with an eight-wicket match haul, was South Africa’s bowling star in Kolkata, and they had Keshav Maharaj as the second spinner there with Marco Jansen the fast-bowling frontman and Wiaan Mulder and Corbin Bosch chipping in. Mulder, though, bowled just five overs in the Test, and while Bosch bowled more, he had just the one wicket – of Rishabh Pant in the first innings – to show for his efforts. Bosch made a valuable contribution of 25 runs from No. 9 in South Africa’s second innings, though.Lungi Ngidi is the other fast bowler in South Africa’s line-up.

The 180-run stand between Greaves and Kemar Roach was the highest for the seventh wicket in the fourth innings of a Test

Namooh Shah06-Dec-2025202* Justin Greaves became the fourth West Indies player, and the seventh overall, to score a double-hundred in the fourth innings of a Test, which he did against New Zealand in the Christchurch Test.Greaves is also the first visiting batter to score a fourth-innings double-hundred in New Zealand.388 Balls faced by Greaves is the most by a West Indies batter in the fourth innings of a Test. George Headley held the record previously, when he faced 385 balls against England in Kingston in 1930.457 for 6 West Indies’ total while chasing against New Zealand in the Christchurch Test is the second-highest team score in the fourth innings of a Test. The highest such score is 654 for 5 by England in the timeless Test in Durban in 1939.923 Runs scored across the last two innings of the Christchurch Test is the fourth-highest runs in the last two innings of a Test, and the highest since 1969.163.3 Overs batted by West Indies in the second innings is the second-most overs they have faced in the fourth innings of a Test, just behind the 164.3 overs they faced against England in Kingston in 1930. It is also the most overs New Zealand have ever bowled in the fourth innings, going past the 146.4 overs against England in 1997.The number of overs West Indies batted in the second innings in Christchurch is also the first time that a team faced more than 150 overs in the last innings of a Test in New Zealand.385 runs added by West Indies batters after the fall of the fourth wicket is the highest ever in the last innings of a Test, going past the previous best of 310 runs by New Zealand against England in 1973.West Indies’ effort in Christchurch included a 196-run partnership between Shai Hope and Greaves, followed by a stand of 180* between Greaves and Kemar Roach. That made it only the third instance of two 150-plus partnerships in the last innings of a Test, and the first since 1979.180* runs scored and 409 balls faced in the partnership for the seventh wicket between Greaves and Roach is also the highest ever in the fourth innings of a Test for the seventh wicket or lower (where balls faced data is available).233 Balls faced by Roach for his career-best first-class score of 58*. That makes him the first batter to face 200-plus balls batting at No. 8 or lower in the last innings of a Test.138 Innings taken by Roach to score his maiden Test fifty is the most by a batter. The previous highest was 131 innings by James Anderson.72 Number of consecutive dot balls Roach played in his innings between the 128th and 200th ball, which is the third-most in a Test innings. Peter Nevill with 90 dot balls and Steve O’Keefe with 76, both in the second innings of the Pallekele Test against Sri Lanka in 2016, are ahead of Roach.

Glasgow Rangers head coach Danny Rohl took on an unenviable task when he decided to join the club to replace Russell Martin, who had won just five of his matches in charge.

The German head coach has had to take over a side that was incredibly low on confidence and turn things around without any signings, which he did with four straight Scottish Premiership wins.

However, the Gers were unable to make it five after they were held to a 0-0 draw by Falkirk at Ibrox on Sunday, and the manager made it clear that underperforming players will face consequences.

One of the team’s underperforming flops who will not make the starting line-up for the clash with Dundee United on Wednesday is Oliver Antman, who has been ruled out for two months through injury.

Why Danny Rohl must replace Oliver Antman

Even without the injury, the Finland international should have been dropped by Danny Rohl because he failed to deliver a quality performance for his side from the start against Falkirk.

Antman ended the 2024/25 campaign with a return of seven goals and 17 assists in all competitions for Go Ahead Eagles, per Sofascore, yet his time at Ibrox has been barren in comparison.

In 20 appearances for Rangers, per Transfermarkt, the Finnish forward has failed to provide a goal or an assist in 18 different games, providing three assists in the other two outings.

The 24-year-old flop played 57 minutes against Falkirk on Sunday without registering a shot on target or creating a ‘big chance’ for his teammates, per Sofascore, and his absence through injury will now provide others with an opportunity to nail down that position.

The Rangers talent who could end Antman's Ibrox career

The Light Blues head coach could end Antman’s Ibrox career by finally unleashing academy graduate Findlay Curtis as a starter on the flank, as the Scottish youngster could nail down that position and leave the ex-Eredivisie star starved of minutes.

In The Pipeline

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

Rohl must give the 19-year-old star his first senior start in the Premiership this season on Wednesday night because his output this year suggests that he deserves more minutes on the pitch for the Gers.

Minutes

15

Crosses attempted

1

Fouls won

2

Pass accuracy

100%

Clearances

3

Tackles won

1/1

Ground duels won

3/4

Aerial duels won

1/2

Curtis, as shown in the table above, showed that he has the physicality to compete at first-team level in his cameo off the bench on Sunday, winning four of his six duels and winning two fouls.

The teenager starlet, who was dubbed a “Boy Wonder” on Premier Sports against Panathinaikos in July, has also shown glimpses of his exciting quality at the top end of the pitch this term, with three goals in 259 minutes of action.

Curtis, who scored off the bench against St Mirren in the Premiership in August, has not started a game for the first-team since he started both of the games against Panathinaikos in July, despite scoring two goals since then.

His lack of minutes, as a starter or off the bench, has been fairly surprising, particularly given Antman and the team’s general form, which is why now is the time for Rohl to finally unleash him from the start.

If the Scotland U21 international can get a run in the side and provide goal contributions on a regular basis for the Light Blues, the underperforming Antman would surely struggle to get back into the team given his lack of form this season.

Therefore, Curtis, who delivered four goals and three assists in eight B team matches at academy level, could be the player who ends the Finland international’s career at Ibrox, as the winger, who can play either flank, could snatch his place in the squad away from him.

A "spell on the sidelines" is needed for the "best player" at Rangers

This Glasgow Rangers star who was called the team’s best player should be dropped from the starting line-up.

ByDan Emery Dec 2, 2025

However, it is, firstly, down to the Rangers manager to provide the academy graduate with the platform that he needs to kick on and end Antman’s career at the club, starting with the league clash with Dundee United on Wednesday night because of Antman’s injury.