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While his team-mates have fallen to flashy shots, the India opener has built his innings on leaving the ball

Alagappan Muthu17-Dec-20241:58

Pujara: Rahul’s preparation is the reason he’s being successful

To leave or not to leave? And how much to leave?Marnus Labuschagne was chided for overdoing it in Perth. Virat Kohli has been chided for not doing enough of it all series. KL Rahul was almost ridiculed for one in the tour game ahead of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. He played no shot and let the Australia A offspinner Corey Rocchiccioli bowl him between his legs.If trying him out in that match – a last-minute decision after India lost 3-0 to New Zealand – was to gather information on whether Rahul was still good enough to merit a place in the side – he was no longer an automatic pick, missing two of India’s six home Tests this year – the only thing they would have learned was face-palming can hurt. Prior to his opening the batting in Perth, Rahul had made only four fifty-plus scores in 21 innings since the start of 2022; 16 of them ended before he could reach 25. The idea that he would be India’s best batter in Australia clearly took the scenic route towards making sense.Central to Rahul’s success has been his ability to judge which balls to play and which to leave, and considering where he was at the start of November, maybe the only way it could have gone was up. He has left 102 balls so far in five innings this series. It’s exactly how he produced two of India’s best centuries away from home in 2021. Those tours – to England (223 leaves) and South Africa (189) – are the only times he’s left more balls, and considering he could have five more innings in Australia, he has time to set a new benchmark.The 84 Rahul made in Brisbane on Tuesday deserves a place next to his 129 at Lord’s and his 123 in Centurion because he was the only Indian top order batter who could impose himself on the Test match.Related

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Australia had great success pitching the ball up at the Gabba because immediately it gave the batter the cue that they could come forward and drive. That’s hard-coded muscle memory. Only the bounce here is different. Yashasvi Jaiswal’s flick that led to his dismissal was to a full ball but it hit high on the bat. Kohli’s nick to the wicketkeeper was to a full ball that rose well past the middle of his diagonal bat and took his outside edge. Shubman Gill could have left the ball he fell to on line. Rishabh Pant could potentially have left the ball he fell to on length.That was the way this Test match was going, except when Rahul was on strike. You can impose yourself on the game by being defensive too.Rahul was extremely choosy about when he was willing to go on the front foot and drive. The ball couldn’t just be on a good or full length. It had to be a shameless, unconscionable, blatant half-volley. Otherwise, he tried not to engage. And if he had to, if the ball was in line with his stumps, he didn’t just meet it with soft hands, he almost pulled the bat away on impact so that the likeliest place the ball would end up is straight back on the ground instead of in the hands of the Australian slip cordon. Once, he actually overdid it and had to protect his stumps from danger as the ball rolled backwards.”He knows his gameplans really well and that is the example he is setting for the other batsmen to follow,” Cheteshwar Pujara said on ESPNcricinfo. “Because if you can bat like KL Rahul, the way he is defending the ball, the way he is leaving the ball, he’s playing close to the body. He’s picking the right balls to hit for four because whenever the ball is pitched up, which is right under his eyes, that’s when he’s driving. So he’s picking the right balls and that’s how you should be batting in Australia.”The rest of India’s top six tried to impose themselves as well. They came away with scores of 4, 1, 3, 9 and 10. Jaiswal, Gill and Kohli fell trying to hit boundaries and throw Australia off their lines and lengths. But in these conditions, success depends on seeing off the new ball, not taking risks against it.”The only thing you can do in the first 30 overs is to tighten up your defence,” Rahul said after India had scraped past the follow-on mark. “Try and respect that the first 30 overs is the bowler’s time and give them their time, leave balls, try and play as tight as possible and then really try to cash in once the ball gets older. So that’s my plan and that’s pretty simple.”That’s a good thing about playing here in Australia. If you get used to the pace and bounce, you can trust the bounce and you can leave balls on bounce and that’s something that they showed us in the last game and they did that really well. Yeah, so for me, I mean, [leaving the ball] as important [as scoring runs].”Rahul has an unusual leave. He brings the bat down from his back-lift inside the line of the ball and hides it behind his pad. He teases even his own bowlers with it in the nets. In Brisbane, he dealt it out to Jasprit Bumrah, who is better than most at making sure he keeps the stumps in play, and made the bowler grunt in frustration. The sound off the bat as the ball goes for runs is pretty cool. But the satisfaction of making all these world-class bowlers feel just a little bit annoyed with him has to feel pretty good too.

Having kept at it in Delhi club cricket after losing his coach to Covid-19, the talented teenager’s world changed one day in December 2022 with the tap of an auctioneer’s hammer

Sreshth Shah13-Apr-2023In late 2022, former India pacer Pankaj Singh got in touch with Kolkata Knight Riders’ assistant coach Abhishek Nayar. Pankaj, the newly appointed Delhi Under-25 coach, had a recommendation to make. There was a new spinner, yet to play top-flight T20s, who was making heads turn in the Delhi circuit, and with IPL teams seeking new names for trials, Pankaj put forward the name of Suyash Sharma.Between IPL seasons, scouts from every franchise use their network of coaches and friends – mostly former cricketers – to find out about new talent. And Knight Riders were not the only side to learn about Suyash. Mumbai Indians – famed for their elite scouting that unearthed Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya and Krunal Pandya – were also interested, and the teenager went for trials at both franchises.At the Knight Riders trial, Suyash impressed, and their staff – Nayar, assistant bowling coach Omkar Salvi and analyst AR Srikkanth – quickly recognised X-factor potential. With the murmurs that an Impact Player rule could come into play, he seemed a perfect fit for Knight Riders. At the auction, he was bought for INR 20 lakh (USD 24,000 approx.). Knight Riders’ CEO Venky Mysore would go on to say that he felt relieved that the franchise did not have to splurge for Suyash, having kept aside a significant portion of their small auction purse – they went in with the least money to spend – for the spinner.Related

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That auction was the first time the wider cricketing world heard of Suyash before last week, when he made his IPL and T20 debut against Royal Challengers Bangalore, and finished with 3 for 30 in a match-winning cause.For most young cricketers, a debut like that is nothing short of a dream. But Suyash’s thinking is a bit different, it seems.”Wickets don’t matter so much to me,” Suyash told ESPNcricinfo after his debut. “For me, my bowling graph matters, to see how many good balls I have landed. Whether I take five or seven wickets, it does not matter. What matters is if I’ve bowled well, and if I have, then even a one-wicket spell gives me satisfaction.”

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Only 19, Suyash comes from Bhajanpura in northeast Delhi. He wanted to be a batter like his elder brother, but soon learned that to stand out in Delhi’s competitive age-group circuit, he had to do something different. So he switched to spin bowling. After working closely with Delhi-based coach Suresh Batra – a childhood coach of Virat Kohli’s – he developed a fast action like Rashid Khan and added a googly to his repertoire which, from the hand, is not discernible from his legbreaks.Then, when Suyash was 17, Batra succumbed to Covid-19. Left unmoored with no mentor, Suyash approached another Delhi coach, Randhir Singh, for help. Randhir roped Suyash into the DDCA club-cricket competitions, and he enrolled with Madras Club.Madras Club in Delhi is famous for being the place where Virender Sehwag made his runs in his formative years, but a lesser-known fact is that it has been a breeding ground for spinners. Yuzvendra Chahal and Pawan Negi made their mark here, as did other IPL spinners like Pardeep Sahu and Tejas Baroka.

“As soon as I began my walk home, the phones started ringing to say [it has happened]. My uncle was crying, my family were screaming with joy. It was an emotional moment.”Suyash Sharma on being picked at the IPL auction

This is where Suyash polished his craft. He increased his pace and developed a strong wrist to allow his googlies and legbreaks to be delivered with the same speed. That made it tougher for batters to pick him, and he was unleashed as a non-paid amateur in the club circuit. That led to a Delhi U-25 call-up, and the IPL trials.But trials are relatively common for the innumerable amateur Indian players who dream big. For many, the stage is so big that they fail to impress, daunted by the watching scouts. If they do get past this first test, they are are left competing with Ranji-level players on the IPL auction list and, with no professional experience yet, there remains the question of whether such players could stand up and deliver under pressure with a million eyes watching on TV.So, despite the positive feedback from the trials with Knight Riders and Mumbai, Suyash knew an IPL contract was still far away. Suyash returned to the Delhi club circuit and tried to focus on that. But December 23, 2022, soon arrived, and it turned out to be the first day of the rest of his life.”I was returning from a trial match for the Delhi U-25 red-ball team,” Suyash says. “I was tired and had just got off from the rickshaw. I was watching the auction a few times but since my name was coming later, I didn’t catch mine.If you think mystery spin at the IPL over the years, Knight Riders and Sunil Narine probably come straight to mind•R Parthibhan/Associated Press”As soon as I began my walk home, the phones started ringing to say [it has happened]. My uncle was crying, my family were screaming with joy. It was an emotional moment.”Having struggled with his father’s battle with cancer for a few years, and the death of his coach, and taken the much tougher path towards becoming a recognised cricketer, now everything was falling into place.

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In the IPL, no team has been as obsessed with mystery spinners as Knight Riders. They’ve been a core part of the side’s plans right from the days of Ajantha Mendis, Sachithra Senanayake and KC Cariappa to more recently, when Sunil Narine was unconditionally backed despite an action change and Varun Chakravarthy was persisted with even after a horror IPL debut.At most other franchises, being the squad’s third mystery spinner would mean you’re a back-up of a back-up, but at Knight Riders Suyash could be more. His moment came when he was duly introduced in Knight Riders’ second game of the season, as an Impact Player, at the change of innings against Royal Challengers.

“I was prepared for this, but got nervous when I stood at my bowling mark. I cannot explain the feeling. When I had thought about my future debut, I was excited, but when I was there, I got nervous.”Suyash Sharma on debuting at the IPL

“I was prepared for this, but got nervous when I stood at my bowling mark,” Suyash says. “I cannot explain the feeling. When I had thought about my future debut, I was excited, but when I was there, I got nervous. At my run-up, there was so much [noise] from the crowd, that I got a bit flustered.”But I had been visualising my first ever ball for a long time. I practice visualisation a lot. So I wanted to start off with my best ball right from the first delivery.”Even though Suyash’s bowling wasn’t too accurate on debut, one thing that was undeniable was his ability to make the ball turn. Narine and Chakravarthy rely on variations to deceive batters but Suyash uses flight and sharp spin.Sporting a headband to keep his long hair out of his face, Suyash’s first ball to Dinesh Karthik was more half-tracker than good length, and two balls later when he repeated the same to Michael Bracewell, he was pulled for six. The first over went for nine and for a short moment it felt like maybe the step up to the IPL was a bit too much too soon.But he came back strongly to outfox both Anuj Rawat and Karthik in his second over, using his flight and turn to have them both top-edging slogs to short third. When Suyash hit Karn Sharma on his pads next over, he displayed the natural confidence he’s known to possess by going up to the captain Nitish Rana and demanding a review. Replays showed Karn was caught at first slip courtesy an edge, but even if he didn’t edge it, he was certainly lbw.Suyash Sharma takes off in celebration after bowling Gujarat Titans’ Abhinav Manohar in his second game•Associated PressHis spell impressed head coach Chandrakant Pandit enough for the youngster to get a special mention after the game.”He is just inexperienced but he has shown very good attitude,” Pandit said. “And it is fighting spirit that he has been showing in his camps.”Currently, Suyash has four different deliveries he is willing to talk about – the googly, the legbreak, the backspinner and the flipper. He says that he has been practicing more variations but will reveal them only when he’s ready. His challenge will be to stay mysterious as other teams actively look to demystify his bowling as he gets more game time.But that’s a challenge that Suyash is up for and he is in safe hands with Pandit, bowling coach Bharat Arun, and team-mates Narine and Chakravarthy guiding him. It’s been a while since an Indian spinner has drawn so much interest in such a short time, and if Suyash can keep focusing on his bowling graphs instead of the noise, it just might be the start of something significant.

Five key questions that Australia will need to answer during the three-match series

Andrew McGlashan25-Nov-20202:01

We like having an extra bowling option in ODIs – Langer

Does Green get a debut?There will be at least one change from the team that clinched the ODI series against England in September with the Glenn Maxwell-Alex Carey inspired run chase. Mitchell Marsh is sidelined by the ankle injury he sustained during the IPL, which means an allrounder is needed in the middle order. It might be that Steven Smith’s comeback – he missed the England series because of concussion – sees Marcus Stoinis slip down the order on the back of his impressive IPL 2020 campaign and share 10 overs with Maxwell (another option would be the recalled Moises Henriques). However, the name on everyone’s lips is the uncapped Western Australia allrounder Cameron Green although he has been picked on the strength of his first-class rather than one-day form: he has only played nine List A games for a batting average of 27.83 and seven wickets at 34.42. Justin Langer has made it clear that Green will only be selected if he can perform a full role with the ball as he continues his comeback to bowling following stress fractures of his back.Beyond the big threeMitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins make up a fine pace-bowling trio in any format. But depending on whether any of them are rested during the ODIs, it could be a chance to a have look at what’s just below them. Kane Richardson would normally be the first understudy, but he has opted out of the series to stay with his family in Adelaide, so it is Sean Abbott, Daniel Sams and Andrew Tye who are the pace-bowling reserves. The latter two are known more for – and selected on – their T20 skills, so Abbott could be in pole position. His one ODI cap to date came back in 2014 against Pakistan, but overall he has an impressive List A bowling record of 97 wickets at 24.87 and, while in a different format, was one of the standout players in the recent Sheffield Shield hub.Marnus Labuschagne bowls in the nets•Getty ImagesTop-order formA couple of key members of Australia’s top order come into the series with question marks over their form following the IPL. Captain Aaron Finch couldn’t get going for the Royal Challengers Bangalore and was dropped for a few matches towards the end of the tournament after a campaign where he made starts but did not convert. Smith was ever present as captain of the Rajasthan Royals, who finished bottom, and while he started with a brace of half-centuries and later added a third, it wasn’t his most convincing of tournaments. However, speaking on Tuesday, Smith said he had “found his hands again” and was ready to go. While the white-ball matches are important in their own right, it will be interesting to see if the India bowlers can score any points against Smith ahead of the Test series.Will Labuschagne bowl more?Marnus Labuschagne is settling nicely into Australia’s ODI top order at No. 4 – averaging 43.77 after nine innings – but with the second string of his legspin he has only sent down four overs. His bowling continues to be in the developmental stage and is perhaps more suited to the red-ball game where the occasional drag-down or full-toss does not really matter but, particularly with the next ODI World Cup being in India, his value will continue to increase if he can become a viable option for Finch. Australia tend to play with four frontline bowlers and then a collection of batting allrounders to fill the rest of the overs.The Maxwell factorTalking of the balance of the side, so much of that revolves around Maxwell. In the deciding match against England, he produced one of the best innings of his career – 108 off 90 balls – which followed 77 in the opening match of the series, which steered another recovery. They were his first ODIs since the disappointing 2019 World Cup and, even though he will be 35, he is a key part of the team’s strategy for 2023. Having been all over the order, it would appear the No. 7 position is now his home, albeit with the ability to move up if the situation dictates.

Arizona Diamondbacks slugging third baseman Eugenio Suarez is widely considered be one of the crown jewels of this year's trade deadline.

Suarez has been on a tear in 2025, racking up 36 home runs and an NL-best 87 RBIs through his first 105 games this year. His .898 OPS is his best in a season since 2019, when he hit a career-high 49 homers.

As the trade deadline approaches, with less than 30 hours to go until it passes, the market for Suarez is reportedly beginning to "shape up," according to MLB insider Mark Feinsand. Four teams have emerged as the primary contenders to land Suarez if Arizona does elect to deal him prior to Thursday's deadline—the Seattle Mariners, Chicago Cubs, Philadelphia Phillies and Detroit Tigers—per Feinsand.

With the Diamondbacks slipping out of playoff contention and having already moved on from Josh Naylor in a trade with the Mariners, it wouldn't be surprising to see them offload Suarez while his value is at its highest. Suarez is ranked No. 3 in 's among top trade candidates, ahead of Thursday's deadline.

All four of the aforementioned teams are in the mix for a playoff spot and could be true World Series contenders if they make the right additions at the deadline. Suarez would be a great pickup for all four. Of the rumored suitors, he's previously spent some time in Seattle, having played for the Mariners in 2022 and '23 and made his major league debut with the Tigers in '14.

With so much interest in the 34-year-old, the Diamondbacks could receive quite the haul of prospects in exchange for Suarez, and it looks as if some teams may be more willing to meet their demands than others.

Section 140, Row 19, Seat 2.

At Rate Field in Chicago, that is the papal seat—the seat in which a priest by the name of Father Robert Prevost watched the Chicago White Sox win Game 1 of the World Series 5–3 over the Houston Astros on Oct. 22, 2005.

Prevost, who appeared briefly in a crowd shot during Fox's broadcast of that game, became Cardinal Robert Prevost in 2023. Two years later, on May 8, he was elected Pope Leo XIV—immediately making the White Sox unexpected preservationists of a historical moment that still seems unreal.

On Monday, Chicago unveiled artwork commemorating the first American Supreme Pontiff's visit. Fans at Rate Field can now see a rendering of the pope on a pillar outside Section 140—along with a No. 14 "Pope Leo" jersey.

In a development befitting the pope's South Side roots, the Archdiocese of Chicago announced Sunday it would host a celebration and Mass at Rate Field in his honor.

Now if only the team could get back on track…

Manchester United are plotting signings and now look to be on the verge of announcing their latest arrival at Old Trafford, according to Fabrizio Romano.

Man Utd prepare to take on Crystal Palace

The dust has settled on a disappointing defeat for Manchester United against Everton on Monday night, which will have left Ruben Amorim with plenty to stew over after being denied by a rigid block that refused to budge at Old Trafford.

Arguably, a change of shape or style would’ve heightened the chances of the Red Devils scoring. Still, some excellent saves from Jordan Pickford ended their five-match unbeaten run in the Premier League, and they will now need to reset against Crystal Palace on Sunday.

South London has proved to be one of the toughest destinations in the top-flight this campaign for clubs keen on points, albeit Manchester United will have no choice but to try and defy recent norms in their pursuit of continental qualification.

Come the January window, Amorim will hope to call upon the backing of INEOS in the hunt for new additions, and Wolverhampton Wanderers pair Joao Gomes and Andre are wanted at Old Trafford.

Casemiro could be on his way out at Manchester United, with Fabrizio Romano confirming that he may only be kept on under reduced salary conditions, as he said: “So now the desire is from Man Utd obviously to continue with Casemiro, but on different conditions.

“So the salary he has right now is a salary Manchester United don’t want to pay in the future. Not because of unhappiness with the player, but because they want to change the salary structure.”

With that in mind, the Red Devils could now be set to imminently sign a younger midfielder who shares similar traits with the Brazil international.

Man Utd set to sign Cristian Orozco

According to Romano on X, Manchester United are now close to signing Fortaleza midfielder Cristian Orozco for a fee in the region of £756,800 and he will arrive in England over the coming days to seal his move.

Despite never playing senior club football, scouts have compared him to the likes of Moises Caicedo and believe he could be the “next Casemiro” due to his “physically imposing” displays in the engine room.

Capped 13 times at Under-17 level by Colombia, he looks to be the latest in a long line of additions Manchester United have made over recent times with an eye for the future, similar to the likes of Chido Obi-Martin, Ayden Heaven and Diego Leon.

Man Utd plotting "bargain" deal to sign "imposing" Ligue 1 defender who scouts love

He could complete Amorim’s back three.

ByTom Cunningham Nov 27, 2025

With Casemiro soon to be into the final few months of his contract, the Red Devils may have now done the groundwork to land his long-term replacement.

It’s the news Manchester United supporters were dreading, but boss Ruben Amorim has confirmed £74 million summer signing Benjamin Sesko will endure a lengthy spell on the sidelines after picking up an injury in the draw with Tottenham before the international break. And in a worrying update, Sesko is in a race to return before fellow United striker Bryan Mbeumo heads off to play at the Africa Cup of Nations.

Misfiring start to life at Old Trafford

The Slovenian striker joined Man Utd from RB Leipzig in August, opting for Old Trafford over other interested clubs like Newcastle. The 22-year-old is seen as a key part of the future project under manager Amorim, possessing a rare combination of pace and physical dominance, but has scored only twice in 12 appearances. 

However, his early impact was hampered when he sustained a knee injury during the 2-2 draw with Spurs earlier this month. Sesko came on as a second-half substitute but was forced off prematurely following a hefty challenge from Micky van de Ven, leaving United with 10 men as they had used all their substitutes. Initial fears of a serious, long-term injury, such as an ACL tear, were allayed by scans, but the injury ruled him out for several weeks. 

Amorim confirmed Sesko would be sidelined for "a few weeks" but expected him to return around the same time other forwards leave for the Africa Cup of Nations in December.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportAmorim: 'I don’t want to say for sure'

"He is going to be a few weeks out," the United boss said. "Not that serious, we have to be careful. He is feeling better." And on whether Sesko will be back before Mbeumo heads off to play at AFCON, he added: “It’s going to be more or less the same time – I don't want to say for sure but when they are going to the camp I expect to have Ben back." 

And Amorim provided an update on Harry Maguire and Kobbie Mainoo, saying: "Maguire is not ready. Kobbie didn’t train today but I think we could see Kobbie tomorrow so we’ll see. There is an opportunity for other players like the Under 21s. We will see it is not ideal. They are so important in our team."

'Cash in' on Fernandes

While Amorim remains desperate for his star striker to return, the club have been told that they should not ignore any "stupid" transfer offers from the Saudi Pro League for Bruno Fernandes. Interest from that part of the world was shown in the Portuguese midfielder over the summer, but the Portuguese decided to stay at Old Trafford. 

Former United defender Wes Brown said: "He’s getting to that age now where he still wants to be part of it, but you can’t just dismiss everything because that’s not how the world works. I don’t think anyone would take it too personally if that did happen. He’s done everything he can to try and help the team. At some point it will come to that crunch if someone comes in – probably talking Saudi with that money. If that happens again, whatever happens you can’t blame Bruno. You have to accept that he did right by what he needed to do and then move on again."

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Getty Images SportMonday showdown with Everton

United can extend their five-match unbeaten run when they host Everton on Monday. After a patchy start to the season, the Red Devils have found form under and sit seventh in the Premier League table, just a few points off the Champions League places and in-form forward Mbeumo, who has four goals in his last four league games, will be crucial to United's attack. Everton are winless away from home since August, and United are strong favourites to secure a vital home victory.

D’Arcy Short, the former Australia batter, has agreed a return to Gloucestershire for next season’s T20 Blast.Short, 35, finished as the leading run-scorer after the group stage of this year’s Blast, with 551 at a strike rate of 136.04, although his form wasn’t enough to propel defending champions Gloucestershire into the quarter-finals, as they finished seventh in the South Group.”It’s so great to see D’Arcy back for the 2026 Blast,” Mark Alleyne, Gloucestershire’s head coach, said. “After a slow start, he proved to be such a brilliant addition to the Glorious, becoming the leading run-scorer across the two groups.”He is much more than that, though, as some of his innings can really put the opponent on the back foot. His bowling, too, can offer an option to complement our attack, so we look forward to his return with huge anticipation.”Short, who made the last of his 31 Australia appearances in 2020, said: “I’m excited to be coming back to Gloucestershire for the Blast again. I loved my time last year. The club makes you feel welcome, and hopefully we can build on last year and have success and make it into finals.”

Manchester United minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has given head coach Ruben Amorim three years to prove himself and insists he will not run the club on “knee-jerk” reactions.

The Portuguese is approaching the first anniversary of his appointment at Old Trafford, but his position has been under constant scrutiny since he took over on November 1 last year.

He has failed to record back-to-back Premier League wins during that time, coming 15th last season – their worst top-flight finish since 1974 – and things have not improved much since the summer as United were knocked out of the Carabao Cup by League Two Grimsby in August.

That has led to suggestions Amorim’s job is under threat, but Ratcliffe said the 40-year-old was a “good guy” and had time to turn things around.

“He has not had the best of seasons. Ruben needs to demonstrate he is a great coach over three years. That’s where I would be,” he told The Business podcast, produced by The Times and The Sunday Times.

“The press, sometimes I don’t understand. They want overnight success. They think it’s a light switch. You know, you flick a switch and it’s all going to be roses tomorrow.

“You can’t run a club like Manchester United on knee-jerk reactions to some journalist who goes off on one every week.”

Ratcliffe has owned just under 30 percent of United through his chemicals company Ineos since February 2024, taking over control of football operations at the club.

That still left the Glazer family, who have been the subject of numerous fan protests over their handling of the club since taking over in 2005, in overall charge.

Glazers "really passionate" about United, says Ratcliffe

Asked what would happen if the Glazers told him to sack Amorim, Ratcliffe said: “It’s not going to happen.”

The Ineos boss added the Glazers were happy for him to take charge, adding: “That probably sums it up. We’re local and they’re the other side of the pond.

“That’s a long way away to try and manage a football club as big as complex as Manchester United. We’re here with feet on the ground.

“They get a bad rap…but they are really nice people and they are really passionate about the club.”

Ratcliffe has come in for criticism of his own after controversial cuts designed to drive down costs saw around 450 jobs axed and the removal of perks like subsidised staff lunches.

“The costs were just too high. There are some fantastic people at Manchester United, but there was also a level of mediocrity and it had become bloated,” he said.

“I got a lot of flak for the free lunches, but no-one’s ever given me a free lunch.

“The biggest correlation, like it or not, between results and any external factor – is profitability. The more cash you have got, the better squad you can build.

“So a lot of what we have done in the first year is spend an awful lot of time putting the club on a sustainable, healthy footing.

“We’re not seeing all the benefits of the restructuring that we’ve done in this set of (financial) results (United last month reported record revenues of £666.5million for last season but a loss of £33million for the financial year) and we were not in the Champions League.

“Those numbers will get better. Manchester United will become the most profitable football club in the world, in my view, and from that will stem, I hope, a long-term, sustainable, high-level of football.”

Only one Premier League match is likely to be staged on 26 December this season, with the beloved tradition of watching football on Boxing Day set to be all but abandoned. While the dates and times of the Christmas fixtures are still to be finalised, a new report indicates the English top flight are being forced into a difficult position over the long-standing tradition.

Boxing Day this year could see the fewest top-flight games since 1945

A new report from states that the ritual of watching football on Boxing Day is under threat this season. The report indicates that with 26 December falling on a Friday this year, nine matches are likely to be delayed until the weekend (Saturday, 27 December and Sunday, 28 December) and also the following Monday (29 December). Should this be the case, it would mean the fewest top-flight games on Boxing Day since the Second World War.

Only three top-flight matches were held in 1993, when Boxing Day fell on a Sunday that year, while there were just two in 1981 – the lowest number since the end of the war in 1945. However, all ten Premier League fixtures took place when 26 December last fell on a Friday, in 2014.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportPL being forced into difficult position due to existing broadcast contracts

The report says that there may only be one Premier League fixture on Boxing Day this year due to broadcast contracts. While the dates and times for the fixtures are still yet to be finalised, Premier League officials have reportedly been forced into the difficult position because broadcast contracts require them to play on 33 weekends every season, with only five rounds of midweek fixtures.

The Premier League are believed to be in need of both Saturday, 27 December and Sunday, 28 December to fulfil its contractual obligations, due to the expansion of UEFA’s European competitions and the FA Cup now occupying more weekends – a consequence of the decision to scrap replays.

English Football League and National League will uphold beloved tradition

The reports concludes by saying clubs and broadcasters typically expect to be notified of agreed fixture dates at least six weeks in advance, with matches up to 20 December confirmed thus far. The identity of the fixture to be staged on Boxing Day is yet to be determined, with the contentious issue still being debated.

While the Premier League is poised to go in a different direction this year, both the English Football League (EFL) and the National League will uphold the tradition, with all of their games still scheduled for Boxing Day. There will then be another round of EFL matches on Monday, 29 December, while the majority of Premier League teams will return to action for another set of games from Tuesday, 30 December.

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AFPOnly four teams were not involved on Boxing Day in the 2024-25 season

In 2024-25, there were only four Premier League teams who were not in action on Boxing Day, with the matches between Brighton and Brentford and Arsenal and Ipswich Town being held on 27 December instead.

The matches which took place on 26 December last season:

Bournemouth vs Crystal Palace

Chelsea vs Fulham

Liverpool vs Leicester

Manchester City vs Everton

Newcastle vs Aston Villa

Nottingham Forest vs Tottenham

Southampton vs West Ham

Wolves vs Manchester United