تحدث صلاح سليمان نجم الزمالك السابق، عن فوز الأبيض بالأمس على زيسكو الزامبي، بهدف دون رد، في بطولة الكونفدرالية الإفريقية.
وكان الزمالك قد فاز بالأمس على نظيره زيسكو الزامبي بهدف دون رد، ضمن مباريات الجولة الأولى من بطولة الكونفدرالية الإفريقية.
طالع.. خالد الغندور: الزمالك لا ينافس على الألقاب.. وغير مُرشح للبطولة الأضعف في إفريقيا
وقال سليمان في تصريحات لبرنامج “لعبة والتانية” على راديو “ميجا إف إم”: “الحالة الفنية للزمالك بالأمس أمام زيسكو كانت سيئة ولكن هي مباراة تكريمية لمحمد صبري وكانت ملحمة من الجماهير واللاعبين لتكريم صبري”.
وأضاف: “مباراة زيسكو بالأمس كان ينقصها بعض التفاصيل وحالة اللاعبين كانت غير جيدة، ومستوى بعض اللاعبين متراجع مثل ناصر ماهر وأداؤه في هذه الفترة مثير للاندهاش”.
وتابع: “أحمد عبد الرؤوف مدرب جيد ولكن التوقيت ليس في صالحه، ووارد أن مباراة الأمس كانت تنتهي بالتعادل بسبب تراجع مستوى لاعبي نادي الزمالك”.
وواصل: “أحمد فتوح ومحمد إسماعيل أفضل لاعبي الزمالك في الوقت الحالي، وشيكوبانزا لاعب غير مفهوم وعنده لامبالاة غير طبيعية في المباريات”.
O Botafogo derrotou o Volta Redonda por 3 a 0 nesta quarta-feira (14), no Estádio Raulino de Oliveira, pela oitava rodada do Campeonato Carioca. Os gols do Glorioso foram anotados por Bastos, Savarino e Júnior Santos.
continua após a publicidade
Com o resultado, a equipe comandada pelo técnico Tiago Nunes entrou no G4, com 14 pontos conquistados. O Voltaço, por sua vez, estacionou nos oito pontos e ocupa a nona colocação.
➡️ Tudo sobre o Fogão agora no WhatsApp. Siga o nosso novo canal Lance! Botafogo
⚽ COMO FOI A PARTIDA?
Mesmo com menos posse de bola na primeira etapa, o Botafogo criou as melhores oportunidades. Savarino, que começou entre os titulares, foi o grande destaque. O venezuelano cobrou o escanteio que resultou no gol de Bastos, e aproveitou cruzamento de Hugo para marcar o segundo do Glorioso na partida.
continua após a publicidade
O segundo tempo foi de controle da equipe visitante. Com vantagem no placar, o Glorioso administrou o resultado e chegou ao terceiro gol com Júnior Santos, nos acréscimos. Janderson, do Botafogo, e Bruno Barra, do Volta, foram expulsos e cumprem suspensão automática. Contratação mais cara do futebol brasileiro, Luiz Henrique precisou ser substituído após sentir um incômodo na perna esquerda.
➡️O QUE VEM POR AÍ?
Na próxima rodada, o Botafogo encara o Vasco, no domingo (18), às 18h (de Brasília), no Estádio Nilton Santos, pela nona rodada do Campeonato Carioca.
continua após a publicidade
✅ VOLTA REDONDA 0 X 3 BOTAFOGO Campeonato Carioca – Primeira fase – Oitava rodada
Data e horário:Quarta-feira, 14 de fevereiro de 2024, às 19h (de Brasília) Local:Estádio Raulino de Oliveira, em Volta Redonda (RJ) Árbitro: André Rodrigo Rocha Assistentes: Raphael dos Reis e Daniel do Espirito Santo Parro VAR:Lucas Coelho Santos Cartões amarelos:Paulo Henrique, Bruno Barra e Danrley (Volta Redonda); Tiquinho e Gatito (Botafogo) Cartões vermelhos:Janderson (Botafogo); Bruno Barra (Volta Redonda)
Gols:Bastos, Savarino e Júnior Santos (Botafogo)
⚽ ESCALAÇÕES
VOLTA REDONDA Paulo Henrique; Wellington Silva (Raphinha), Augusto Bruno Barra e Sanchez; Léo Silva, Danrley (Michel) e Robinho; Vinícius Moura, Ítalo (Cristiano) e Vinícius Moura. Técnico: Felipe Loureiro.
BOTAFOGO Gatito Fernández; Mateo Ponte, Bastos, Alexander Barboza e Hugo; Marlon Freitas, Tchê Tchê (Danilo Barbosa) e Eduardo; Savarino (Emerson Urso), Tiquinho Soares (Júnior Santos) e Victor Sá (Luiz Henrique) (Janderson). Técnico: Tiago Nunes.
Justin Broad anchors Northants after collapse, but Hampshire romp thanks to 11-sixes extravaganza
ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay13-Sep-2025
Chris Lynn landed the first-ever Finals Day hundred•Getty Images
Chris Lynn hit the first century in a Vitality Blast Finals Day to power Hampshire Hawks to a six-wicket (DLS) win over Northamptonshire Steelbacks in the second semi-final at Edgbaston.Lynn smashed an unbeaten 108 from 51 balls with five fours and 11 sixes as the Hawks galloped to a DLS target of 155 in 18 overs with 14 balls to spare. It was a chase pulled off virtually single-handedly as no other batter passed 12.The Steelbacks’ rain-interrupted innings had been lifted to 158 for seven from 18 overs by Justin Broad’s sixth T20 half-century – 61 not out from 39 balls – which dragged the innings back from the ruins of 86 for six. But Lynn’s hitting masterclass turned the chase into a cruise to book the Hawks a place in this evening’s final against Somerset.Hampshire chose to bowl and immediately struck a huge blow when David Willey edged his first ball, from Chris Wood, to wicketkeeper Toby Albert. Two more big wickets soon fell and Wood was again involved in each, this time as fielder. He was at third to take the catch when Ricardo Vasconcelos sliced Scott Currie, then took a stinging catch at short third when quarter-final hero Ravi Bopara edged a big drive at Sonny Baker.Bjorn Fortuin, who had played for South Africa against England in Manchester less than 24 hours earlier, added a wicket with his fifth ball when he bowled Tim Robinson. The Steelbacks were in a pickle at 65 for five when Saif Zaib pulled a Benny Howell long hop to Ali Orr on the mid-wicket boundary. It was an acrobatic grab by the fielder but Zaib may reflect that the catch should have been taken by somebody in the Hollies Stand.Smart work from James Vince ran out Lewis McManus just before the rain break, after which Broad and Luke Procter (30, 20) delivered some sparkling improvisation to added 70 in 40 balls.After DLS had trimmed the Hawks’ target, Lynn was soon making heavy inroads into it. Toby Albert and James Vince son sent up catches off the spinners but the Aussie thundered to a 24-ball half-century including 16 from four balls by Procter.Ben Mayes top-edged a reverse-sweep at Zaib and fell to a brilliant catch by George Scrimshaw but Lynn lifted Ben Sanderson for successive sixes to send his side into the last five overs needing a manageable 41. Four successive sixes off Lloyd Pope took Lynn to a 49-ball century and left the Hawks needing eight from the last three overs. They made it.
Glasgow Rangers head coach Danny Rohl was pictured holding up a shirt with Patrick Stewart and Kevin Thelwell little more than a month ago, and now he is the only one of those three men remaining at Ibrox.
The Light Blues announced on Monday that they have parted ways with their sporting director and CEO after the club’s dismal start to the season, and the failure of Russell Martin’s appointment.
Despite coming in after Martin won five of his 17 matches in all competitions, Rohl has won all four of his Scottish Premiership matches in the dugout so far, which is no mean feat.
The Gers had only won one league game before the German’s arrival at Ibrox, and goals from Emmanuel Fernandez and Mohamed Diomande against Livingston claimed a fourth straight victory for Rohl on Saturday.
Despite those four wins in four games for the former Sheffield Wednesday head coach, there is still plenty of work for the tactician to do to make sure that the Light Blues are competing for silverware moving forward.
For example, summer signing Oliver Antman failed to deliver once again in the win over Livingston and should be dropped from the starting line-up.
Why Danny Rohl must drop Oliver Antman for Rangers
Thelwell swooped to sign the Finland international for a fee of up to £4m from Go Ahead Eagles in the summer in an attempt to bolster Martin’s options on the flanks.
Unfortunately, the 24-year-old flanker has failed to deliver much in the way of quality at the top end of the pitch since his move to Ibrox in the summer, with no goals and three assists in 18 matches, per Transfermarkt.
In fact, Antman has no goals and one assist in 17 games since his two assists on his debut against Viktoria Plzen, which illustrates just how much he has struggled in front of goal in recent weeks and months.
The Finnish forward, as shown in the graphic above, scored for his country during the recent international break, to go along with an assist, which means that he has been more productive for his national side than for Rangers this season.
Rohl provided the former Eredivisie star with a chance to shine from the start on the right wing against Livingston on Saturday, possibly due to his international form, but he did not reward the manager with a strong performance to justify his inclusion.
Vs Livingston
Oliver Antman
Minutes
64
Shots
0
Key passes
1
Big chances created
0
Crosses completed
0/3
Dribbles completed
3/7
Duels won
5/13
Stats via Sofascore
As you can see in the table above, Antman made little impact at the top end of the pitch for the Light Blues, whilst he was also dominated by the Livingston defenders in physical contests.
With games against Braga in the Europa League and Falkirk in the Premiership coming up this week, Rohl must ruthlessly ditch the Finland international from the starting line-up to provide other players with an opportunity to impress.
Chalkboard
Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.
Antman has simply not done enough in the final third to suggest that he deserves a continued run of games in the team, as he has gone seven matches without a goal contribution in all competitions for the Gers.
With this in mind, the German head coach should finally unleash Nedim Bajrami from the start against Falkirk at the weekend, whilst he is unable to feature against Braga because Martin did not add him to the Europa League squad list.
Why Danny Rohl should finally unleash Nedim Bajrami for Rangers
Former sporting director Thelwell attempted to bolster the club’s options at the top end of the pitch with the signings of Djeidi Gassama, Thelo Aasgaard, Antman, Youssef Chermiti, Mikey Moore, and Bojan Miovski in the summer.
This shows that he attempted to replace Bajrami, who played in the attacking midfield and wide areas for Philippe Clement, as four of those players play in the Albania international’s main positions.
Per Transfermarkt, the £3.5m signing from Sassuolo has only played 196 minutes in all competitions. 24 players have played more minutes for the club, including players like Jeft and Cyriel Dessers, who left in the summer.
Bajrami was described as “anonymous” in a game last season by content creator Stevie Clifford, which now perfectly sums up his situation at Ibrox this season, as he has been so rarely used.
Now, though, Rohl should unleash the Albanian flop from the start in the Premiership because he has the potential to be an upgrade on Antman at the top end of the pitch, based on his form at times for Clement last season.
Whilst it would be disingenuous to suggest that Bajrami had an amazing debut campaign with Rangers, there were some promising signs in his performances domestically and in Europe that suggest that he has more to offer to the team.
Bajrami – 24/25
Premiership
Europa League
Starts
15
8
Goals
2
1
Big chances missed
2
0
Key passes per game
1.0
1.3
Big chances created
4
6
Assists
1
0
Stats via Sofascore
As you can see in the table above, the versatile attacker was not fairly rewarded for his creativity in the 2024/25 campaign, as his teammates only scored one of the ten ‘big chances’ that he created.
This season, Antman has only created two ‘big chances’ and delivered one assist in 12 appearances in the Premiership and the Europa League combined, per Sofascore, which suggests that Bajrami could provide more creativity than the Finnish flop.
Thelwell attempted to replace the former Serie B playmaker in the summer with a host of new signings, but these statistics suggest that the former Rangers chief failed to do so successfully.
This is why Rohl should ditch Antman to unleash Bajrami, who could offer more quality in the final third, when the Gers face Falkirk in the Premiership on Sunday, to see if he can ignite his Ibrox career under the German boss.
Better than any Thelwell transfer: Rangers submit bid for "incredible" star
Rangers are reportedly the frontrunners to sign this star who would be a better addition than any Kevin Thelwell signing.
Head coach admits team remains a work in progress as attention turns to T20 World Cup
ESPNcricinfo staff29-Oct-2025
Charlotte Edwards speaks to the media after England’s semi-final exit•ICC via Getty Images
Charlotte Edwards, England’s head coach, says that her team’s flawed World Cup campaign has made her all the more hungry to instigate the necessary changes, after stating it is “time to look to the future” following a crushing semi-final defeat to South Africa in Guwahati.Speaking to Sky Sports, just moments after England’s 125-run defeat, Edwards acknowledged the brilliance of South Africa’s matchwinners – Laura Wolvaardt, who was Player of the Match for her 169 from 143 balls, and Marizanne Kapp, whose five-wicket haul included a first-over double-wicket maiden to wreck England’s hopes of achieving a 320 target.However, having stated before the tournament that a semi-final berth was the bare minimum that should be expected of her squad, Edwards did not shy away from the underlying fragility of England’s campaign. Despite qualifying in second place with five wins out of seven in the group stages, their performances against Bangladesh and Pakistan had already exposed the weaknesses in their batting, before the tournament favourites Australia maintained the stranglehold of last winter’s Ashes whitewash with an emphatic six-wicket win in Indore.Edwards took over from her predecessor Jon Lewis back in April, but held back from wholesale changes to her squad for this winter, instead focusing on improvements within the existing set-up. These were arguably on display at times during the campaign just gone, not least in a gritty performance to beat the tournament hosts, and fellow semi-finalists, India by four runs in their group-stage clash in Indore.However, with the World Cup marking the end of this four-year ODI cycle, and with a home T20 World Cup looming next summer, Edwards accepts that it’s time to step up the squad’s overhaul, starting with a series of training camps from December to March, at which the next generation will be given a chance to prove its readiness.”I’m a winner,” Edwards said. “I don’t like losing. When I came into this role, I knew it wasn’t going to change overnight. I’ve seen some really positive things to come out of this trip. I think we’ve performed a little bit better under pressure, but certain moments we haven’t seized, and that’s going to be an ongoing thing.”Overall, we are making progress, and that’s the most important thing. But ultimately, you’re defined on your results. And today we’re going out of a World Cup in the semi-final stage, where we were all hopeful we could really make that final.””I knew it wasn’t going to be a quick fix. We’ve got some areas we need to work on, but that probably makes me more hungry now to go back home and work with these players over over the winter period.”A number of England’s players are due to head to Australia for next month’s WBBL. Thereafter, however, Edwards has earmarked a series of training camps, in Oman and South Africa, at which the players will be pitted against one another in an arrangement similar to the North versus South fixtures that Andrew Strauss, England’s former men’s director of cricket, began in 2018.Nat Sciver-Brunt after the defeat in the semi-final•ICC via Getty Images
“We’ve got a new cycle now of ODI cricket, haven’t we, but first and foremost it’s the T20 World Cup,” Edwards said. “There’ll be a group of players that will be training from December through til March. We’re going to spend time with these players and hopefully upskill them, and hopefully they can deal with these occasions better.”That’s exciting for me. As an international coach, it’s rare to get time with players to actually advance their games. We’ve got an opportunity this winter to hopefully do that with some of our younger players. and I’m looking forward to getting that underway in December.”Edwards namechecked the likes of Freya Kemp and Dani Gibson, who missed this tournament through injury, while other names who will come into consideration for future campaigns include the likes of Tilly Corteen-Coleman and Davina Perrin, the breakout star of this year’s Women’s Hundred.”We’ve targeted 13 to 15 players who we’re going to work really, really hard with,” she said. “[This tournament] was too early. The players that had got this far, we wanted to stick with them, but it’s exciting now. We’ve got a new group of players coming through. We’ll go home and reassess. We won’t make too many rash decisions, but we’ve got to look at the future now. And we’ve got some unbelievable talent coming through.”England’s defeat to South Africa was especially painful given that they had beaten the same opponents at the same venue in their tournament opener, after bowling them out for 69. This time, however, the match was played on a bouncier red-soil surface that was more conducive to the seamers, most notably Kapp with her match-sealing figures of 5 for 20.Asked whether there had been any temptation to tinker with the spin-heavy line-up that had brought them this far, Edwards replied: “Hindsight is a wonderful thing. We’ve stuck with that combination. It’s done us really well throughout the [competition].”England had seemed competitive, having reduced South Africa to 202 for 6 going into the final ten overs of their innings. But then Wolvaardt cut loose, adding 119 runs in partnership with Chloe Tryon, before Nadine de Klerk helped add the finishing touches.”At times, we just didn’t hit our straps today, certainly that back 10 really cost us,” Edwards said. “If we’d have kept them to 280, which probably was a par score, we may have been able to chase that down, but, yeah, it wasn’t to be.”It’s going to be a sad dressing-room,” she added. “I don’t think I’ll say too much tonight. I don’t think there’s anything you can say tonight that’s going to make things better. As we all know, life moves on very quickly. These girls will be off to Australia soon. But yeah, I’m hurting too.”
O São Paulo perdeu para o Fortaleza no sábado (13), em pleno Morumbis, e um jogador antes considerado titular absoluto foi barrado novamente do time: o lateral Welington, que também não jogou contra o Cobresal, pela Libertadores.
continua após a publicidade
➡️ Tudo sobre o Tricolor agora no WhatsApp. Siga o nosso novo canal Lance! São Paulo
➡️ A boa do Lance! Betting: vamos dobrar seu primeiro depósito, até R$200! Basta abrir sua conta e tá na mão!
O atleta está em imbróglio pela renovação contratual com o Tricolor, mas não tem atuado por decisão do técnica de Thiago Carpini. Michel Araújo ocupou a posição como ala, e o São Paulo jogou com três zagueiros (Arboleda, Diego Costa e Ferraresi).
– Em relação a futuro, contrato, é um assunto institucional, não me meto nisso. A minha escolha por não utilizá-lo nas últimas rodadas foi por entender que aquilo que eu entendia que era o melhor para o São Paulo, ele não estava entregando. Mas entregou em outros momentos e vai continuar nos ajudando e vai ter outras oportunidades explicou Carpini, após a derrota para o Fortaleza.
continua após a publicidade
– É um cara que tem a parte ofensiva muito forte, a parte defensiva são algumas coisas que precisamos ajustar. Entendi que nesses dois últimos jogos, com três zagueiros, tivemos mais respaldados. Temos outros atletas também, se está no grupo, está à disposição. Ele, em algum momento, pode ser chamado a participar – concluiu.
IMBRÓGLIO
Welington possui vínculo com o São Paulo somente até o fim do ano. Portanto, a partir de junho ele pode assinar pré-contrato com qualquer outra equipe e deixar o clube do Morumbis de graça na próxima temporada.
continua após a publicidade
Em 2023, inclusive, o jogador esteve em vias de acertar com o CSKA, da Rússia. Porém, os prazos da janela de transferências eram curtos, e a negociação não foi concretizada.
O garoto Patryck, de 21 anos, é o reserva imediato. Contudo, ainda tem pouca experiência no time de cima. O dono da posição no ano passado era Caio Paulista, que trocou o São Paulo pelo rival Palmeiras. O Tricolor planejava comprar o atleta em definitivo e, como isso não aconteceu, viu as opções no setor diminuírem.
حقق الدولي الفرنسي كيليان مبابي، لاعب الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي ريال مدريد رقمًا قياسيًا مميزًا بعدما نجح في تسجيل “هاتريك” أمام أولمبياكوس في المباراة التي جمعتهما ضمن منافسات دوري أبطال أوروبا.
ويحل ريال مدريد ضيفًا على أولمبياكوس في اليونان، في المباراة التي تجمعهما ضمن مباريات الجولة الخامسة لمرحلة الدوري، دوري أبطال أوروبا 2025-2026، على ملعب “جورجيوس كارايسكاكيس”.
ودخل ريال مدريد هذه المباراة بعدما تعادل مع إلتشي في الدوري الإسباني بنتيجة 2/2 وقدم أداءً باهتًا للغاية على المستويين الدفاعي والهجومي.
ونجح كيليان مبابي في تسجيل ثلاثة أهداف “هاتريك” في المباراة الجارية الآن بين ريال مدريد وأولمبياكوس ضمن منافسات دوري أبطال أوروبا لقلب تأخر فريقه بهدف إلى التقدم بثلاثة أهداف، (لرؤية هاتريك مبابي اضغط هنا).
واستطاع مبابي في تسجيل أهدافه الثلاثة في 6 دقائق و42 ثانية، إذ سجل على الترتيب في الدقائق (22، 24، 29) ليصبح بذلك ثاني أسرع هاتريك يُسجل في تاريخ دوري أبطال أوروبا.
يُذكر أن صاحب أسرع هاتريك مُسجل في تاريخ دوري أبطال أوروبا هو النجم الدولي المصري محمد صلاح، لاعب ليفربول، والذي أحرزه أمام رينجرز الأسكتلندي في غضون 6 دقائق و12 ثانية.
Gerald Coetzee picked up a pectoral muscle injury during the one-off T20I against Namibia
Firdose Moonda11-Oct-2025
[File photo] Gerald Coetzee has been set back by a series of injuries in recent times•AFP/Getty Images
Gerald Coetzee, the South Africa pace bowler, suffered a pectoral muscle injury in the one-off T20I against Namibia, which could put his participation in the white-ball leg of South Africa’s tour to Pakistan in doubt. Coetzee bowled 1.3 overs – but 13 balls all told with four wides – before he left the field after delivering one with extra zip.Cricket South Africa confirmed that Coetzee would take no further part in the match and would be assessed on his return home from Windhoek, where the match is being played.Coetzee has had a spate of injuries, especially recently. He was ruled out of the Champions Trophy with a groin injury but made his return to the national side in Zimbabwe in July. He has since played for South Africa A against New Zealand A and has been named in both the T20I and ODI squads for the Pakistan tour – the white-ball leg starts in late October after the two Tests. He has not played a Test since November last year, when he injured his groin and was ruled out of the rest of the Test summer.He is the second prominent South African fast bowler to be injured in the last week. Left-arm seamer Kwena Maphaka was ruled out of the Namibia match and the Pakistan tour with a hamstring strain, which he sustained while playing in a domestic first-class match last weekend.Despite those setbacks, South Africa have a strong pace contingent at their disposal. Both Nandre Burger and Lizaad Williams have made successful comebacks after recovering from a lower back stress fracture and knee surgery respectively. Kagiso Rabada, Marco Jansen, Corbin Bosch and Wiaan Mulder are their seamers for the Tests in Pakistan, the first of which starts on Sunday, while Lungi Ngidi will play in the white-ball matches. Ngidi has not been selected for the Tests, with South Africa anticipating spin-friendly conditions as they begin their World Test Championship title defence.
“Leave the football before the football leaves you” was the message that Jamie Carragher handed to Manchester United midfielder Casemiro in early 2024.
It was one of the aggressive forms of criticism we’ve seen on Sky Sports in recent years and it was arguably deserved.
The Brazilian was one of the best midfielders in the world at Real Madrid. He was a serial winner, a Champions League legend.
At Old Trafford, however, his career has started to wane. Who could forget Casemiro’s tired and laboured display against Crystal Palace at the back end of 2023/24?
He was dribbled past a remarkable eight times during that game. For no context, no player in the whole of that Premier League campaign was dribbled past on more occasions in one match.
Since then, however, Casemiro has enjoyed something of a revival under Ruben Amorim in 2025/26. Long gone are the days of Erik ten Hag fielding the veteran at centre-half. He looks like a proper midfielder again.
The Brazil international has been one of United’s most consistent players this term, scoring three goals and supplying an assist. Yet, that should not distract supporters from the fact that he is still a problem.
He’s now 33 years of age and cannot be trusted to play for 90 minutes. Because of that, the transfer chiefs at United are considering launching a big-money move for a new midfielder in 2026.
The search for a Casemiro heir at Man United
While many problems linger in the air at Old Trafford, the biggest arguably lies at wing-back and in the centre of midfield.
United bolstered their attacking line significantly in the summer with the additions of Benjamin Sesko, Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha but the midfield went untouched. That needs to change in January or next summer.
There are three players who appear to be at the forefront of their minds. Nottingham Forest’s Elliot Anderson would appear to be the dream target but he is also being chased by rivals Manchester City and could cost a fortune.
Crystal Palace’s Adam Wharton is another long-term target and could finally make his big move in 2026. He gave Casemiro the runaround during United’s 2-1 win on Sunday. Samuel Luckhurst noted that the Brazilian looked “haunted” by his experience at Selhurst Park just a couple of years ago.
The other target is Brighton midfielder Carlos Baleba but his form has taken a downturn in 2025/26 and he doesn’t look like a player worthy of a previous £100m price tag.
Wharton vs Man Utd on Sunday
Touches
48
Accurate passes
23/29 (79%)
Key passes
1
Accurate crosses
1/3
Shots
1
Tackles won
3/3
Interceptions
1
Clearances
2
Recoveries
7
Duels won
5/7
Stats via Sofascore.
Anderson and Wharton would be the ideal solution to United’s woes and according to the numbers, it’s the former who should be the priority target.
He’s a bigger threat in the final third but he doesn’t shirk his defensive duties. He’s won more duels and made more ball recoveries per 90 minutes this season than his England colleague. According to Thomas Tuchel, he’s “one of the best midfielders in the Premier League”.
Yet, what if United had already signed their answer to Wharton and Baleba?
Man United have found their own Wharton and Baleba
United have taken a vested interest in improving their youth ranks since INEOS completed their takeover of the club.
Towards the beginning of 2025 they signed young Malian midfielder Sekou Kone in a bargain deal and while he is yet to appear for the first-team just yet, he has endured an injury-hit first few months at Carrington and looks a real superstar in the making.
There is also left wing-back Diego Leon, the young defender who looks well set to replace either Patrick Dorgu or Diogo Dalot in that position before too long.
The latest talent who looks set to arrive is a 17-year-old midfielder by the name of Cristian Orozco.
It was reported last week that United were set to complete a move to sign the teenager, with Orozco flying to the UK over the weekend to formalise a $1m move from Colombian side Fortaleza.
So, who is the budding youngster? Well, he’s notably been compared to both Casemiro and Moises Caicedo. Already it’s clear to see why comparisons are also being made to Baleba, the man Brighton actually tasked with replacing Caicedo at the Amex.
Having captained Colombia at U17 level, he already boasts natural leadership skills but it’s his skillset in and out of possession that makes him so exciting.
Como scout Ben Mattinson has outlined that Orozco is capable of ‘controlling the game from deep in midfield’. His best attributes are his press resistance and footwork to turn past defenders, while he’s ‘so composed under pressure’ and is capable of ‘recycling possession’ superbly well.
On that evidence, it’s easy to see why comparisons to Wharton are being made. The Palace midfielder is one of the most press-resistant midfielders in the English top-flight and that was clear for all to see when he supplied the pass that led to Palace’s penalty on Sunday. He evaded his marker with ease and then picked out a punchy forward pass.
Orozco, however, isn’t just about making things look pretty. Further labelled as “a midfield destroyer with leadership maturity far beyond his age” by one analyst on social media, he also brings the best of Baleba who is more defensively minded than Wharton.
United’s new signing is unlikely to provide them with too much threat in the final third but like Wharton he’ll evade the press and manoeuvre the ball nicely. Like Baleba, he’s also capable of sitting in front of the defence and breaking up play.
The teenager certainly isn’t ready for first-team football just yet but INEOS could well save themselves a fortune in the transfer market here.
Not just Zirkzee: Man Utd star who was a "waste of time" is now undroppable
This Man Utd player starred in their 2-1 win away to Crystal Palace