All posts by h716a5.icu

Nick Compton’s century guided Somerset to a four-wicket victory over theUnicorns in Group C of the Clydesdale Bank 40 at Wormsley.

01-May-2011
Scorecard
Somerset overcame the loss of Marcus Trescothick for a duck to beat the Unicorns by four wickets•Getty ImagesNick Compton’s century guided Somerset to a four-wicket victory over theUnicorns in Group C of the Clydesdale Bank 40 at Wormsley.Having won the toss and chosen to bat first, the home side posted a competitivetotal of 218 despite Ajantha Mendis’ three for 32.Somerset lost early wickets but Compton steadied the ship and Jos Buttlerpunched an unbeaten 30 from 23 balls to see them home.An opening partnership of 78 got the Unicorns’ innings off to a perfect start,Jackson Thompson leading the way with a flurry of boundaries.But when he was the first man out, trapped lbw by Mendis for 44 – made from 37balls, with seven fours and a six – it quickly became a double setback.Wicketkeeper Josh Knappett was the man removed first ball by Mendis, Buttlertaking the catch.The other opener, Michael Thornely, pressed on to 47 from 51 balls but, havinghit five fours, he offered a return catch to give the Sri Lanka spinner histhird wicket.Chris Benham and captain Keith Parsons – playing against his former club -rebuilt with a stand of 42 before the former was caught by Somerset skipperMarcus Trescothick off Gemaal Hussain.Parsons reached 41 before giving keeper Craig Kieswetter one of his threecatches and tail-enders Neil Saker and Glen Querl put on 25 in the later stagesto see their side to 218 for eight in their 40 overs.Saker quickly picked up the key wicket of Trescothick for a third-ball duck andthe latter’s opening partner Kieswetter fell to Querl for five, Knappett takingthe catches on both occasions.But Peter Trego made 21 and Compton and James Hildreth then put on 62 for thefourth wicket before Hildreth was run out by Querl.Compton lost Lewis Gregory for 11 but found another willing ally in Buttler ina sixth-wicket stand of 69.Compton completed his century from 102 deliveries and swiftly cracked a 10thfour to add to his two sixes, but his vigil was ended with 10 runs required whenSaker found a way through his defences.Buttler remained to finish the job, though, and Arul Suppiah emerged tocasually hit two of the four balls he faced to the boundary in a cameo of ninenot out.Saker took an impressive three for 33 and Querl (two for 47) also emerged withcredit, but Somerset always had enough in the tank as they wrapped up the winwith seven balls remaining.

England must decide whether to accommodate Kevin Pietersen in their squad for the third Test despite a week of damaging headlines

George Dobell11-Aug-2012The stability that underpinned England’s ascent to No. 1 in the Test rankings is most noticeably absent as they select their side for, arguably, the most important Test they have played since the Ashes were decided at The Oval in 2009.For several years, the announcement of England’s Test squad has been a welcomingly predictable episode. Barring injury or prolonged loss of form, life contained few surprises.But not this time. This time, as England try to select a team that must beat South Africa at Lord’s in order to retain their No. 1 status, the selectors are faced with a major dilemma: do they drop their best player or retain him in the knowledge that his presence risks compromising team spirit. In short, do Kevin Pietersen’s positive qualities outweigh his negative ones?The news that he has exchanged texts with members of the South Africa team comes in the same week that his post-match press conference at Headingley revealed the extent of the tension between the two parties.There can be, at this stage, no doubt that Pietersen’s presence is a distraction in the dressing room. As if the speculation about his possible World Twenty20 inclusion was not enough, there is also doubt about his Test future and his relationship with other players. Whatever the content of text messages sent to players in the South Africa side, the episode has done nothing to diminish the growing division and suspicion building between Pietersen and his England colleagues. Some of them have been ambivalent about Pietersen for some time. This new episode – an episode viewed as a betrayal by some – means that ambivalence is now one of the warmer emotions expressed towards him.He is respected as a player, though. If there were any doubts over his unrivalled skills – in England, anyway – with the bat, they were dispelled in Leeds. Pietersen was magnificent. He played the sort of innings that would demand inclusion in any team.That should probably be the bottom line for the selectors. Rather than over-complicating the process with talk of principle or team spirit, the selectors should stick to picking the best 11 individuals and trust in the players’ professionalism. Just as Pietersen and Andy Flower managed to work together after the debacle that saw Pietersen sacked as captain – and he was sacked as captain whatever revisionist ECB spin may suggest – and Peter Moores sacked as coach, so the players should be mature enough to work with those with which they may not naturally socialise.In truth, recent stories amount to little more than playground tittle-tattle. Does it really matter if a few England team-mates laughed at a parody Twitter account or if Pietersen was mildly mocking of his team-mates in a private text message? It is surely more important that everyone within the England dressing room concentrates on winning the Test and does not use issues from the past week to further their own agendas against rival factions.There is little doubt that the selectors are torn, though. Their appetite for Pietersen-related baggage is more than sated. If they could afford to be rid of him, they would surely take that chance.There are faults on both sides. Pietersen has a legitimate gripe by complaining about leaks emanating from the ECB and it is hard not to wonder if, in a more sophisticated dressing room, he might not have been managed better. Surely Mike Brearley, for example, might have coaxed the best from him as he did such diverse characters as Sir Ian Botham, Geoffrey Boycott and Phil Edmonds. Perhaps a little more carrot and a little less stick might have worked wonders on Pietersen?England, it should be noted, have won without Pietersen before. He played little role in the Ashes success of 2009 and none in the recent ODI victories over Australia. He is no more irreplaceable than any other England player of the past and, just as West Indies managed without Sobers and Australia managed without Bradman, England will manage without Pietersen.Chris Woakes is an option should England want to include an allrounder in the side•Getty ImagesHe is not easy to replace, though. With Ravi Bopara still absent for personal reasons – an episode that may have damaged his own Test career irreversibly – there is no obvious replacement for Pietersen. Jonny Bairstow, fresh from his century against Australia A, might be considered, so might Eoin Morgan, who has the character if not the technique to flourish at this level.Chris Woakes is a more rounded solution. If Pietersen were dropped, Ian Bell, James Taylor and Matt Prior could shuffle up a position with Woakes coming in at No. 7. It is asking a great deal of anyone to come into such an important game against such high-quality opposition but Woakes has the ability, with bat and with ball, to shine. Just as importantly, he has a rock solid character that will not be flustered by the occasion. England will never have a moment of worry about the ego of Woakes.Graeme Swann is sure to be named in the team on Thursday – omitting him at Leeds was a huge error of judgement – with a late choice required over which of Steven Finn, Graham Onions and Tim Bresnan plays alongside Stuart Broad and James Anderson. All are likely to be named in the squad, with home ground advantage likely to favour Finn, despite a disappointing display at Leeds.Whatever is revealed in Sunday’s squad announcement, it seems we are coming to the end of the Pietersen story. In the long term, we may reflect on the episode as one of the great wasted opportunities in the history of England cricket. Talents like Pietersen appear rarely. That the ECB have failed to handle him – a man who must be considered one of their most precious resources – does not reflect well on them.Make no mistake, though. However much England cricket misses Pietersen over the coming weeks and months, he will miss it more. His premature departure, at this point seemingly inevitable, will leave him many years to reflect upon the mistakes that have led him so far along this path. He will surely come to regret that he has allowed his pride and a series of petty incidents to have built up into a career-threatening scenario.Pietersen might also reflect long and hard on his own role in his alienation. As Oscar Wilde almost said, to fall out with one team may be considered unfortunate, but to fall out with Natal, Nottinghamshire, Hampshire and England? You do not have to be a genius to work out the common denominator.

A round-up of the Ford Trophy matches that took place on February 1

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Feb-2012Central Districts steam-rolled Auckland by eight wickets with 22.4 overs to spare at Pukekura Oval, to surge into the top spot in the Ford Trophy standings. CD now have 22 points, two clear of Auckland, who are in second spot. They will be joined in the semi-finals by Otago and Canterbury, who suffered reversals in the final round of league games.CD’s decision to field proved the right one as the seam trio of Michael Mason, Adam Milne and Bevan Small scythed through the Auckland line-up. Tim McIntosh exited for no score, setting in motion a seemingly interminable procession of wickets. At one stage, Auckland were tottering at 61 for 7, with Small accounting for five of the wickets. Colin Munro resisted with 44 off 54 balls, and his 52-run stand with Bruce Martin hauled the score past 100. However, the target of 124 proved insufficient to stretch CD, with Jamie How (46 off 46 balls) setting the tone for a quick finish.Northern Districts ended their poor campaign on the high, overcoming Canterbury by four wickets to register only their second win in the tournament. Hamish Marshall and Anton Devcich were the heroes for ND, who finished bottom of the table despite their win. Chasing 235, ND ran into early trouble at 39 for 3, but Marshall (83 off 90) and Devcich (79 off 94) added 118 runs for the fourth wicket to steer ND towards victory, which was completed in the 45th over. Earlier, Graeme Aldridge and Jono Boult snared three wickets apiece as Canterbury struggled to break free after a sluggish start. Shanan Stewart’s 64 off 98 balls built the base for Canterbury, and Todd Astle smashed 78 off 61 balls to provide the closing fireworks. The target, however, proved inadequate after the Marshall-Devcich association.Jesse Ryder and James Franklin played headlining roles as Wellington ended their campaign with a 25-run win against Otago in Invercargill. Ryder’s breath-taking assault yielded 96 runs off 67 balls, and lifted Wellington from 59 for 4 in the 14th over to 179 for 5 by the time he was dismissed in the 28th. In the interim, he smote five sixes and 11 fours, laying to waste Neil Wagner’s (4 for 30) incisions in the early overs. Grant Elliott and Harry Boam ensured the momentum generated by Ryder wasn’t wasted, as Wellington rattled up 276 before they were bowled out in the 48th over. Otago seemed out of the game once they had stuttered to 87 for 6, but Derek de Boorder (64) and Jimmy Neesham attempted a reprisal of Ryder’s heroics. Their 109-run association sparked homes of a come-from-behind win, but a five-wicket haul from James Franklin meant Otago ran out of wickets with 15 balls to spare.

Durham batsman Mark Stoneman enjoyed another red-letter day against Sussex togive his side a measure of control on the first day of the CountyChampionship Division One match at Hove

31-Aug-2011
Scorecard
Durham batsman Mark Stoneman enjoyed another red-letter day against Sussex togive his side a measure of control on the first day of the CountyChampionship Division One match at Hove.The left-hander has now scored two of his three first-class hundreds againstSussex after making his debut against the county in 2007. He was out six overs before the close for a career-best 128 from 254 balls with 19 fours and a six as Durham closed on 360 for nine, with Callum Thorp unbeaten on 33.It was often hard going for the 24-year-old, who came in in the sixth overafter Michael Di Venuto was caught behind trying to force off the back foot togive James Anyon the first of three wickets. Stoneman had reached 49 at lunch but after completing his half-century in the first over of the afternoon he concentrated on watchful defence, particularly against Monty Panesar, and only added 14 runs in the next 100 minutes while 73 were being added at the other end.He broke free from the shackles briefly by taking 11 when Amjad Khan returnedto the attack and then tucked into the new ball with three boundaries in a rowoff Wayne Parnell and another eight runs in the next over from Khan beforecompleting his hundred with a boundary off Parnell, the 15th of his innings.It was no surprise that Durham opted to bat first on a slowish pitch but theydid not really impose themselves until a fourth-wicket stand either side of teabetween Stoneman and Benkenstein who added 99 in 30 overs, Benkensteincontributing 64 off 99 deliveries with 10 fours.The partnership ended unnecessarily when Stoneman dabbed the ball into theoff-side and set off for a high-risk single. Benkenstein’s momentary hesistationcost him as Murray Goodwin returned the ball accurately with the batsman wellshort of his ground.It was a much-needed breakthrough for Sussex, who struck again two balls laterwhen Ian Blackwell top-edged a sweep to square leg to give off-spinner ChrisNash only his fourth Championship wicket of the season. Anyon, the pick of Sussex’s seam attack, returned with the new ball to have Phil Mustard caught behind and Scott Borthwick taken low down by Luke Wells for a duck four balls later.Stoneman apart, none of the Durham top order had gone on after making decentstarts. Opener Will Smith was well held by the diving Matt Prior at second slip as theEngland wicketkeeper returned to domestic duty to play only his fourthChampionship game of the summer. Paul Collingwood found the boundary twice off the first 33 balls he faced by hitting Anyon through the offside for successive fours.The former England player also pulled Parnell for six but the South Africanleft-armer had his revenge when Collingwood played back and edged to first skip,where skipper Michael Yardy held a juggling catch.

Tillakaratne Dilshan, the Sri Lanka captain, has criticised his batsmen’s inability to take ownership of a modest chase during the fourth ODI against Pakistan

Umar Farooq in Sharjah21-Nov-2011Tillakaratne Dilshan, the Sri Lanka captain, has criticised his batsmen’s inability to take ownership of a modest chase during the fourth ODI against Pakistan in Sharjah, a defeat that cost them the five-match series. Chasing 201, Sri Lanka were on course to level the series at 155 for 3 before they collapsed, losing seven wickets for 19 runs.”It’s unbelievable to lose seven wickets for 20 odd runs,” Dilshan said. “[Shahid] Afridi batted and bowled well, but it was really disappointing to lose from a winning position. We were in a good position but we relaxed and no one took the responsibility. As a batting unit we should have finished the game.”As a captain I can’t do anything to change the players’ game. As a team unit we have to take responsibility.”Since the 2011 World Cup, Sri Lanka have lost Test and ODI series to England, Australia and Pakistan. Dilshan, however, said he didn’t think his leadership would come under scrutiny.”I don’t know what their [Sri Lanka Cricket] views are but I was appointed captain until the South Africa series [in December] so I didn’t think [about being removed] but lets see how things goes on.”Dilshan also called for the younger players in his side to take the opportunities they’re being given. “We are giving opportunities to the young players and they have to grab them. But at this point they aren’t and are throwing their wickets sometimes. They have to learn and show that they are ready for international cricket.”Sri Lanka have already lost the one-day series to Pakistan 1-3 with a match to go in Abu Dhabi, followed by a Twenty20 international on November 25. “We have to finish the series in a strong manner,” Dilshan said.

Nottinghamshire were denied the opportunity to take advantage of Hampshire’s poor four-day form after heavy rain washed out day one at the Rose Bowl

20-Jul-2011
ScorecardNottinghamshire were denied the opportunity to take advantage of Hampshire’s poor four-day form after heavy rain washed out day one of the Championship Division One clash at the Rose Bowl.Nottinghamshire, currently sixth in the table with three wins from nine games, were unable to get on the field after steady rain began in earnest just after 11am.The start of play had already been pushed back to 11.30am to allow the ground to recover from Hampshire’s one-day game with Durham the evening before, but the weather stepped in to further delay proceedings.Umpires Nigel Llong and John Steele made numerous trips to the middle throughout the day in a bid to get the game under way, but after a final inspection at 5pm, the persistent drizzle around the ground forced them to abandon play for the day.The sides did announce their teams, however, with Hampshire – still searching for their first win in the Championship this season – without influential skipper Dominic Cork due to an illness in his family and deciding to bat first. Fellow former England quick bowler Kabir Ali was also rested for the hosts, with Chris Wood and David Griffiths drafted in.Nottinghamshire made three changes, bringing in one-cap England seamer Darren Pattinson, Charlie Shreck and spinner Graeme White. Stuart Broad could yet figure if he is left out of England’s XI for the Test Match with India at Lord’s.

Shane Watson has reiterated his desire to stay at the top of the order for Australia but said that if he has to bowl more overs for the team he may need to be played in a different role

Daniel Brettig in Colombo 13-Sep-2011Shane Watson has reiterated his desire to stay at the top of the order for Australia but said that if he has to bowl more overs for the team he may need to be played in a different role.Watson has managed a highest score of just 36 during Australia’s ongoing Test series against Sri Lanka, but as a bowler has had a significant influence. He took three middle-order wickets in the first innings in Galle, which tilted the match decisively towards Australia, then offered excellent support to Trent Copeland and Ryan Harris as they sought to spoil the hosts’ efforts to save the Pallekele Test on the final day. This takes a toll on Watson’s batting, but he said he must find a way to better balance the two roles.”It’s easy to say that [my bowling is affecting my batting], but really in the end I’m in the team as an opening batsman; my primary job is to score runs and I’ve just got to get better at it,” Watson said. “There’s no doubt being an allrounder and bowling does take a lot more out of you than guys who just bat, but that’s part of being an allrounder.”I really do enjoy opening the batting and taking on the quicks with the new ball, but it does depend on what my role is. If the new dynamics of the team require me to bowl more, as I did in this [the Pallekele] Test match, then my role may change and I’m happy to bat anywhere to make sure we’ve got the best people in the right positions. I feel my body is really coping and handling the overs a lot better as well.”Watson enters the final Test against Sri Lanka in Colombo without the runs he believes his batting touch has warranted. In something of a microcosm of Watson’s Test batting career, first-innings scores of 22 and 36 gave Australia a start, but were not the match-shaping tallies he and the team crave.A career ledger of two Test centuries, against 15 half-centuries, rather sums up his present state of frustration, despite spending plenty of time in this year’s Indian Premier League at the feet of Rahul Dravid, who he quizzed in some detail about the art of concentration.”It’s been disappointing,” Watson said of his batting performances in Sri Lanka. “After not playing Test cricket over the last seven or eight months I’ve been really excited about getting into the Test cricket side of things, the batting especially. I’m hitting the ball alright. Hopefully I can turn that into a big score.”That’s the most frustrating thing, not being able to capitalise when I’m batting really well. I know within the team I’m a more senior player now so it is my job as a top-order batsman to be able to score big runs, and unfortunately I haven’t been able to do that consistently. It’s something I’ve got to get better at.”

After being outplayed on the first two days, Madhya Pradesh ended the third in a better position by restricting Rajasthan’s first-innings lead to 123, and then setting up a strong second innings

The Report by Amol Karhadkar in Jaipur19-Nov-2012
ScorecardAfter being outplayed on the first two days in Jaipur, Madhya Pradesh ended the third in a better position by restricting Rajasthan’s first-innings lead to 123, and then setting up a strong second innings. They may now escape with a draw, and not suffer outright defeat.Fast bowler Ishwar Pandey and wicketkeeper-opener Naman Ojha made MP’s recovery possible. Rajasthan were dismissed 379 due to Pandey’s six-wicket haul, and then Ojha’s unbeaten century took MP to 200 for 1 at stumps, ahead by 77. With the green wicket not offering much assistance to the bowlers, and without a quality spinner, Rajasthan may find it difficult to force a result on the final day.Pandey had taken four wickets on the second day, including those of stand-in captain Vineet Saxena, Ashok Menaria and centurion Rashmi Parida. He claimed two more on the third morning. Resuming at 306 for 6, wicketkeeper Sidhant Yagnik and Madhur Khatri began the day well for Rajasthan, hitting four boundaries in four overs. But then Pandey settled into a nagging line to left-hand batsman Yagnik, who edged one in the ninth over of the day to keeper Ojha.Before Rituraj Singh could get his eye in, Pandey put in some extra effort, and the additional bounce had Rituraj edging his delivery to Zafar Ali at second slip. Though Khatri, primarily in the side as an offspinner, played an effortless knock, he ran out of partners on 47 when Anand Rajan bowled last man Aniket Choudhury to earn his 100th first-class wicket.Rajasthan’s lead wasn’t a small one, especially with more than a day and a half remaining in the game. After a disastrous performance by MP’s top order on the opening day, when they were reduced to 71 for 5 in the first session, the openers had to come good to earn one point. Ojha and Ali learnt from their first-innings mistakes to put on 134 before Ali was trapped lbw by Rituraj.Ojha, however, was the star of the day. In the first innings, he had poked at and edged a delivery that moved away from off stump. This time, Ojha didn’t flash his bat outside off for the first hour. He preferred to leave as many balls as he could.Ojha didn’t go into a shell either; he chose the balls he wanted to score off. Soon after he reached his fifty, he went after the part-time spinner Ashok Menaria, hitting two sixes over long-off and cutting to the point boundary. In the next over, however, Ali was dismissed. With Pankaj Singh and Rituraj steaming in, Ojha, batting on 78, defended for the next hour.Only in the last over of the day, when Khatri was brought on, did Ojha attack again. He stepped out to hit a six over long-off and then swept the next ball through square leg for a boundary to raise his ninth first-class century.”[Ojha] was terribly disappointed after being dismissed in that manner (in the first innings),” MP coach Mukesh Sahani said. “We had a chat about it. He realised that he hadn’t justified his position of being among the senior players in the team by getting out in that manner. It was heartening to see him rectifying it.”Despite playing first-class cricket for 12 years, Ojha has not fulfilled his batting potential “I haven’t converted as many starts into hundreds as I should have but over the last few years, I have realised the need for scoring big hundreds and have been working towards it,” Ojha said. “Since I came to the Ranji Trophy days after playing the Champions League [for Delhi Daredevils], it took time for me to switch into the first-class mode. But now that I have, I hope I can continue for the rest of the season.”After stumps, most of the MP squad played a game of football until the light faded, unlike other days. Though the team had conceded three points with the first-innings lead, their relieved faces indicated that their primary objective at the start of the penultimate day – to avoid being in a position to concede an outright victory to Rajasthan – had been achieved.

Cricket Kenya has withdrawn its revised contracts, which the players had declined to sign, instead offering them annual contracts as was the system previously

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Jun-2011Cricket Kenya has withdrawn its revised contracts, which the players had declined to sign, instead offering 20 players – 13 now and seven more by the end of July – annual contracts as was the system previously.The contracts include two reviews, scheduled in August and February, to monitor the players’ performance. Senior players like Jimmy Kamande, Thomas Odoyo, David Obuya and Maurice Ouma, who were part of Kenya’s World Cup squad, are not on the new contracts list released by the board.The board chief, Tom Sears, said the contracted players have the ability to contribute in more than one area of the game. “There is a blend of experienced players who have competed in World Cups and other ICC events, and some young players who have come through our development programme and age-group teams,” he said. “We have selected multifaceted players who have the ability to excel in more than one of the three disciplines – batting, bowling and fielding.”He also said a lot of emphasis is being laid on fitness. “We have to aim to excel in the two areas we have complete control of – fielding and fitness, and achieve genuine world class standards in these areas. If we achieve this collective performances and results will improve.”The newly contracted players will be subjected to regular fitness testing and expected to attain specified standards. The door is open to any player … if they can show they have the potential to reach the standards we expect.”The current central contracts expired on May 31, and the players reportedly refused to start training for the upcoming inaugural East African Premier league in Uganda, until their concerns with the new system were addressed. The board had announced four-month contracts for 12 players to cover the league to be played in August. At the end of the league, the selectors were to recommend a minimum of 12 players for nine-month central contracts, which were to be reviewed every three months by the selectors and coaching staff to monitor the players’ progress. The review would have determined whether a player was retained or let go.The change in the contracts system was part of a transformation being implemented in Kenyan cricket following their dismal World Cup campaign. Kenya went through the tournament without a win, after which coach Eldine Baptiste resigned, captain Kamande was sacked, a new selection panel was instituted and the domestic cricket structure was overhauled.List of centrally contracted players: Ragheb Aga, Runish Gudhka, Tanmay Mishra, James Ngoche, Shem Ngoche, Alex Obanda, Collins Obuya, Nehemiah Odhiambo, Lucas Oluoch, Elijah Otieno, Rakep Patel, Hiren Varaiya, Seren Waters

Manchester United legend Roy Keane singled out Anthony Elanga for praise during the Red Devils’ 3-0 Premier League victory over Brentford. 

The lowdown: Much-needed positivity

The Red Devils ended their 2021/22 home campaign on a high as Ralf Rangnick’s side ran out comfortable winners at Old Trafford.

Bruno Fernandes opened the scoring in the first half before a Cristiano Ronaldo penalty was followed by Raphael Varane’s first goal for the club to cap a much-improved display.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-man-utd-news/” title=”Latest Man Utd news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

Sitting in the studio watching an important night on and off the field, United legend Keane was impressed by one bright spark in particular…

The latest: Keane praise for Elanga

Speaking at half-time during Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football [via Manchester Evening News], the midfielder who made 471 appearances for the club was full of praise for Elanga after the 20-year-old provided the assist for the first goal.

Keane gushed: “Just the movement from Elanga, he’s very positive. Very good movement, but poor defending.

“That’s what you want from young players. You got to mix your game up, when to go short, when to spin. It’s a good ball from Dalot.

“Right into the area and Fernandes, very simple but very effective. Lovely ball (from Elanga). He’s definitely got a bright future. Everything he does, on the pitch, is always positive.”

The verdict: Green shoots

Elanga has certainly been a rare beacon of positivity from what has been an otherwise dismal season for the red half of Manchester.

Predominantly operating as a right winger, the twice-capped Sweden international has created three big chances, completed 0.6 dribbles and taken 1.1 shots per game on average in the Premier League (Sofascore).

Overall, Elanga has scored three times and provided two assists in 25 appearances across all competitions and seems almost certain to play a major part in Erik ten Hag’s impending rebuild.

In other news: Man Utd star could make sensational summer exit…find out more here