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Sidharth Monga on the small-town venues where Maharashtra have been playing their home games

Sidharth Monga in Nagothane10-Dec-2007

The Reliance Cricket Stadium near Nagothane is one of the many small-town venues where Maharashtra have been playing their home games © Cricinfo Ltd
The Reliance Cricket Stadium near Nagothane is situated 130 km from the nearest city: Mumbai. The population of the township that houses the ground is about 2000. There are villages surrounding the township, the nearest one being 10 km away. Yet, on a Sunday, anywhere between 800 and 1000 watched the Maharashtra-Delhi Ranji Trophy match, something big cities like Mumbai, with a population of 10 million, scarcely manage. And Virender Sehwag, the main attraction, did not even bat on the day.With a hill overlooking the ground and the winter sun staying mild for the majority of the day, it is fun to play and watch cricket here. A venue far away from the city and amid the hills is bound to evoke the exotic, which one needs to look beyond. Nagothane, staging it’s maiden first-class game, is one of the many offbeat, small-town venues in Maharashtra, where Ranji Trophy games are being held.Ratnagiri, Nasik, Aurangabad, Nanded and Karad are the other venues where they have been playing. After they played Bengal in the first round of the 2005-06 Ranji Trophy, they haven’t played a first-class game at Pune. “Maharashtra is a huge state,” says Ajay Shirke, the Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) president. “And it’s not feasible for the talent in the districts and small towns to come to us; we will have to go to them with the game. We realised that for the last two-three seasons we have been working on that.”The persistence has started showing feasible benefits. “Our Under-15 team has reached the semi-finals and is unbeaten so far. The pace spearhead of that team, Yuvraj Pawar, comes from Usmanabad. His parents know nothing about the game. We wouldn’t have got him had we just concentrated on Pune. A majority of the population doesn’t have the means to come to Pune and play with city players. We have recognsied it as our responsibility to take the game to them. You can see the senior team too: we have players from Aurangabad, Satara, Nasik. Some of them are the first players from their districts for the last 40-45 years.” Our Under-15 team has reached the semi-finals and is unbeaten so far. The pace spearhead of that team, Yuvraj Pawar, comes from Usmanabad. His parents know nothing about the game There is an unmistakable raw enthusiasm to the young Maharashtra side who have won two matches outright and conceded a first-innings for the first time, against Delhi. Players like medium-pacer Wahid Sayyed from Aurangabad might probably not have made it to the side, but for this policy. Jaideep Narse, former Maharashtra opener, who travels with the team now to assist with the sports mechanics, feels there has been a decisive shift with cricket going to the hinterland. “Earlier Maharashtra cricket was only Pune,” Narse, also from Pune says, “but now we play all over, even if that means doing away with the home advantage for the time being.”Bhupinder Singh, the national selector, only vindicated Narse’s point. Supposed to watch this match, he landed up in Pune only to find out they were playing in Nagothane.While staying beyond the exotic, as Sanjay Bangar’s said in his domestic diary, it is also necessary that players get a proper wicket to play, a proper outfield to field in, and a reasonable place to stay. The local journalists say the wickets at Ratnagiri and Nasik have been sporting. The Nagothane track has a good-length spot from where the ball misbehaves, but apart from that the wicket has done itself no disgrace. The batsmen can get runs if they can apply themselves, the bowlers wickets if they keep hitting the length. The outfield is better than some of the international venues in India. And the team have been put up in large resorts where one can lose one’s way while taking a walk.Shirke doesn’t refute there are “teething” problems, which will be resolved with time. On the day before the match, there was no-one at the ground to operate the super-sopper. On the first day of the match, when heavy dew caused an hour’s delay, an experienced groundstaff could have avoided the delay. It might have only required to time the removal of the covers better. The media-persons covering the match have no decent places left to stay, after the teams have populated the two available resorts. But overall, “teething” problems aside, while the BCCI is busy promoting the game in Singapore, Malaysia and such like, it is good to see a state association taking it to villages. And benefiting from that through the talent they generate.

While United's manager has used his selection headaches as an excuse for failure, the Merseysiders brushed aside their injuries to win another trophy

Liverpool's Carabao Cup win over Chelsea was a tale of both senior leadership and youthful exuberance. One defining image was the sight of Jurgen Klopp and Virgil van Dijk lifting the trophy together. Klopp shook the club up and rebuilt it in his image while Van Dijk's defensive steel completed their transformation, delivering the latest in a long line of trophies with a towering header deep in extra-time.

The other takeaway was Liverpool's long cast of academy graduates, all born in 2003 or after, streaming off the bench and being utterly unawed by the occasion. As Gary Neville put it so succinctly: "Klopp's kids against the billion pound bottle jobs." Liverpool resembled the walking wounded last week, losing Diogo Jota, Cutis Jones, Darwin Nunez and Mohamed Salah in the days before the final, in addition to the already-missing Dominik Szoboszlai, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Alisson Becker.

And their injury crisis was aggravated during the game as Ryan Gravenberch, Andrew Robertson and Alexis Mac Allister were all forced off. But far from being knocked down by the absence of their best players, Liverpool rose to the occasion. "Liverpool have been absolutely sensational," Neville added. "Those young players have been incredible. Klopp must be so proud."

What a contrast to Neville's own club Manchester United, who had fallen apart against Fulham a day earlier after losing two players to injury. Erik ten Hag pointed to the key absences of Luke Shaw and Rasmus Hojlund as he sought to explain their latest dire home display this season, but he is beginning to sound like a broken record.

After all, Liverpool have demonstrated that injuries do not matter if you have a clear playing identity and rally behind your coach.

GettySenior players not helping out

Ten Hag had taken a chance on youth the day before by handing 19-year-old Omari Forson his full debut against Fulham to cover the absence of Hojlund. It meant there were four academy graduates in the line-up (including three from the 2022 FA Youth Cup winning side) and four more on the bench.

No one could accuse the Dutchman, whose young Ajax team took the Champions League by storm, of not believing in young players. The difference was that while the likes of Van Dijk, Wataru Endo and Luis Diaz led the way for Liverpool, United's senior players shrunk.

Marcus Rashford was anonymous at centre-forward and Bruno Fernandes was incapable of sparking any danger, save for long-range shots. Casemiro and Harry Maguire were clumsy in the tackle and Victor Lindelof again looked lost trying to deputise for Shaw, whose absence for several months has left United with no natural left backs.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesYou win nothing with (just) kids

After the Carabao Cup triumph, Klopp said: "I got told outside you don't win trophies with kids. Write it new." The German was referring to former Liverpool defender Alan Hansen's infamous declaration on in August 1995 after watching United sink to a 3-1 defeat at Aston Villa on the opening day of the season.

Those words came back to haunt Hansen at the end of that season when a United team containing David Beckham, Paul Scholes, Gary Neville, Phil Neville and Nicky Butt went on to win the Premier League title and FA Cup.

But Hansen's words have been taken out of context. He meant you can't win anything with kids. The catalyst of that great double winning side, after all, was Eric Cantona, who was still suspended at the time for kicking a fan but who galvanised the team when he returned in October.

United have a lot of exciting young players such as Alejandro Garnacho, Kobbie Mainoo and Hojlund, but they badly lack a talismanic figure like Cantona. Current captain Fernandes has not scored a league goal since November, while Rashford is a shadow of the brilliant player who scored 30 times in all competitions last season.

Getty ImagesPressing problems

Another huge difference between United and Liverpool could be seen in the way the two teams are set up and work as a unit. Reds youngsters are educated in the art of 'Gegenpressing' from an early age, allowing the likes of Bradley and Bobby Clark to fit so seamlessly into Klopp's team. But United's senior players seem incapable of pressing together, allowing Fulham to repeatedly play their way through them at Old Trafford.

Fernandes is a big part of the problem as he is a free spirit, often blindly chasing down opponents and ruining United's shape. Jamie Carragher said recently: "He's emotional. He runs 30 yards to close the goalkeeper down. People sometimes get kidded by it and say, 'look at him working hard'. No, he's killing the team."

Neville has also criticised Fernandes' free role. "He must be told to go and do what you want. Ten Hag is giving him the freedom to go there, there, there. And that means you can never have a combination or a pattern because you've got your main midfield player everywhere on the pitch."

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(C)Getty ImagesLost without Martinez

Ten Hag has acknowledged that not all of his squad fully get his methods or understand what he wants them to do, which becomes a huge problem when just a few key players like Shaw, Hojlund or Lisandro Martinez are unavailable.

"They know what the routines are but definitely things are changed [with injuries]," he said after losing to Fulham. "Not everyone [gets the ideas], other players coming in, different identities, different skills, that is what we have to adapt as a team."

But the fact that a number of players are unable to implement his style and demonstrate the 'automatisms' he talks about ultimately falls on him. More than 18 months into the job, it is still unclear what Ten Hag's playing philosophy is. It seems that with a full squad available, he wants his team to play on the front foot, with Martinez and Andre Onana starting moves from their own area.

But when the Argentine is absent, as has been the case for most of the season, United seem only capable of playing on the counter, leaving Onana with little option but to launch the ball forward with long punts.

And without Hojlund, they have no one capable of holding the ball up and bringing others into play, leading to the hurried attacks they fashioned in the closing stages of each half against Fulham.

Burnley and manager Vincent Kompany are reportedly looking to sign an in-demand free agent.

Who did Burnley sign this summer?

The Clarets once again had an extremely productive transfer window ahead of their Premier League return, bringing in a whopping 15 players. However, the club have struggled to make an immediate impact back in the top flight, losing all three of their fixtures to date.

All of Burnley’s Premier League encounters have been played at Turf Moor, with Manchester City, Aston Villa and Tottenham all scoring three or more goals and taking home the points.

As a result, the Clarets sit bottom of the league, with fellow newly promoted side Luton Town also failing to pick up a point in any of their first three games.

Player

Former club

Fee

Zeki Amdouni

FC Basel

€18.6m

James Trafford

Manchester City

€17.3m

Aaron Ramsey

Aston Villa

€16.45m

Jordan Bayer

Borussia Monchengladbach

€15m

Sander Berge

Sheffield United

€13.9m

Wilson Odobert

Troyes

€12m

Dara O'Shea

West Brom

€7.8m

Michael Obafemi

Swansea City

€4m

Hannes Delcroix

RSC Anderlecht

€3m

Luca Koleosho

Espanyol

€3m

Nathan Redmond

Besiktas

Free transfer

Han-Noah Massengo

Bristol City

Free transfer

Lawrence Vigouroux

Leyton Orient

Free transfer

Mike Tresor

Genk

Loan transfer

Jacob Bruun Larsen

Hoffenheim

Loan transfer

With plenty of new players, time may well be required for Kompany to get the best out of his side, however, it looks as if those high up at Turf Moor are still looking at potential additions in the free-agent market.

Who wants to sign Jesse Lingard?

According to 90min, Jesse Lingard is a player who is in demand and has received offers from clubs in Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United States of America.

He is currently training with West Ham, who are considering offering a short-term contract, although Burnley and Everton are also thought to be interested in the attacking midfielder. However, the report states that if Lingard is to stay in England, it would be with the Hammers.

Lingard, who has scored two goals against Burnley in the past, would offer plenty of Premier League experience at Turf Moor, making 182 appearances in the competition for the likes of Manchester United, West Ham and Nottingham Forest.

Capable of playing in a range of attacking positions, the Englishman was hailed as "top-class" by former Red Devils boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and is 30 years of age, so you'd expect the player could have a number of years left at the top level.

It does look as if a move to West Ham could be on the cards, though, with David Moyes recently saying:

"He’s in really good condition – much better condition than he was when he first came in. I have to say, when Jesse joined us two years ago I think he scored nine goals in 15 games and was probably the difference between us getting into Europe for the first time. I want to give him every opportunity to get himself back in condition and see how he does."

However, should a move to the London Stadium fall through, Burnley could be in a position to make an offer, so his future could be one to keep an eye on.

Manchester City are considering a move to sign a new central talisman who has been made a top target by Pep Guardiola ahead of January, according to a fresh report.

Kalvin Phillips set to leave Man City

In the Premier League this season, Kalvin Phillips has made zero starts and just four substitute appearances (WhoScored – Phillips statistics), and as a result of being so far low down in the pecking order, there’s an expectation that he will be heading for the exit.

During his goal celebration in the Champions League 3-2 victory over Red Star Belgrade in midweek, Guardiola’s out of favour star looked very much like he was waving goodbye to supporters, and should he indeed leave in the coming weeks either on loan or permanently, the manager will have to enter the market to find a suitable replacement.

Bayern Munich’s defensive midfielder Joshua Kimmich has emerged as Thomas Tuchel’s second best-performing defensive player so far this season (WhoScored – Bayern Munich statistics), and his impressive performances appear to have brought him onto the radar of the hierarchy at the Etihad Stadium.

Back in October, TEAMtalk reported that the Sky Blues would be interested in a deal for the Germany international should he decide that he ever wants to leave the Allianz Arena, and if the following update is to be believed, they may have been given the perfect opportunity to land him.

Man City keen on Kimmich

According to Football Transfers, Man City are interested in Kimmich and have even made him their number one target to sign in January.

“Manchester City are looking to bring in Bayern Munich midfielder Joshua Kimmich as Pep Guardiola has put the German international at the top of his list of targets, FootballTransfers sources reveal.

"We are told that the 28-year-old has fallen out with head coach Thomas Tuchel and his future at the Allianz Arena looks more uncertain – with the Citizens extremely hopeful of securing his services.”

Guardiola could land "passing master" in Kimmich

In the Bundesliga this season, Kimmich has won 16 out of his 22 tackles, which is the highest success rate throughout the whole of his squad, highlighting that he loves to get stuck into challenges to try and win back possession for his team (FBRef – Bayern Munich statistics).

The Rottweil native is also extremely calm and composed when he does have the ball at his feet, where he’s currently recording a 90.4% pass success rate in the league as it stands, and his ability to dictate the game from in front of the backline has previously seen him receive praise (WhoScored – Kimmich statistics).

According to football talent scout Jacek Kulig, Kimmich is a “passing master”, and having even scored once against Man City when having faced them in the past (Transfermarkt – Kimmich statistics), it comes as no surprise that Guardiola views him so highly and now wants him to become a member of the home side in the top-flight.

Last year, Trinidad and Tobago’s (T&T) cricketers dropped just one game in winning the President’s Trophy. In 2005, with one match in the preliminary round of the new KFC Cup in Barbados left to go today-against Guyana-the celebrated “Cinderella Kids” of

Garth Wattley09-Oct-2005

T&T coach gives clean chit to Daren Ganga, the captain © Getty Images
Last year, Trinidad and Tobago’s (T&T) cricketers dropped just one game in winning the President’s Trophy. In 2005, with one match in the preliminary round of the new KFC Cup in Barbados left to go today – against Guyana – the celebrated “Cinderella Kids” of 2004 have lost their title and are still looking for their first win of the tournament.The reason?”Mentally we just broke down,” team coach David Williams said yesterday.The ability to fight out of tight spots, especially when chasing targets, was strength of the 2004 squad. But in this tournament, T&T have been beaten by 14, 41 and two runs in the three matches in which they have batted second thus far. Friday’s six-wicket defeat to fellow strugglers Jamaica in a rain-affected 20-over affair was the only match where T&T had to set a target.Asked about the repeated failures, Williams isolated the area of “mental breakdown”.”It boils down basically to our batting. Mentally, we haven’t batted well at all. That contributed to most of the games that we lost. The bowlers have been doing a tremendous job. The wickets are very, very good here in Barbados. Ideal batting strips. For some reason, the batters can’t seem to get it right.”The current squad contains Dwayne Bravo, Mervyn Dillon and Lendl Simmons, players with West Indies experience who all missed the tournament last year won by a team given very little chance. And Williams yesterday conceded that many key men did not live up to expectations.”We have a lot of senior guys, guys who we expected to have got the job done,” the coach began. “We probably expected a bit more from Dwayne Bravo and Dillon. We probably expected more from both of them. I think Bravo could have done a bit better with the bat.”And Williams refused to blame the successive reversals on either a poor team spirit or the leadership of Daren Ganga. “I don’t think the team spirit was bad, we just didn’t click at the right time. Ganga has done his best. The captain can only do so much. The captaincy was decent. We had no problem with Daren.”The coach also declined to blame poor preparation for the results. “When we left Trinidad, I honestly felt the preparation was decent,” although he added, “More could have been done in terms of more practice matches. I don’t think the effort to give us more knocks was 100 per cent. But that is not an excuse.”The one other plea Williams did make, though, was for the more regular use of a psychologist in the preparation of future teams. “I think we need to get in a psychologist to help with the mental development of the players.” That is a recommendation Williams said he would make to the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board (TTCB). But for the moment, he is hoping his charges can lift themselves against the Final Four-bound Guyanese in an effort to avoid an embarrassing fifth defeat.”I don’t think this has ever happened,” Williams said. “They (the players) don’t remember a situation like that in the history of Trinidad and Tobago cricket. We are hoping we can pull this one off.”

Chelsea are set for a short pre-season after winning the Club World Cup final, with just five weeks separating their 3-0 win over PSG in New Jersey and their first Premier League game of 2025/2026 against Crystal Palace.

Chelsea hold talks with £100k-per-week England star this week

Enzo Maresca is prioritising one key area.

ByEmilio Galantini Jul 17, 2025

They have scheduled just two pre-season matches as a result of their CWC triumph, needing to fit a holiday in for both players and staff after what was a successful but very long campaign.

Cole Palmer

7.33

Moises Caicedo

7.02

Enzo Fernández

6.95

Nicolas Jackson

6.88

Noni Madueke

6.82

via WhoScored

Chelsea will take on both Bayer Leverkusen and AC Milan on August 8 and August 10 respectively, but as things stand, these are the only friendlies they’ll play before facing Palace in the top flight a week later.

It remains to be seen how Enzo Maresca’s side will fare given their minimal preparation, but the Italian did get a chance to try out new tactics during their CWC campaign in the US.

He also managed to give some of his major summer signings a run-out. Joao Pedro seriously impressed at the tournament in particular, scoring three goals in three CWC games, including a brace in their semi-final against Fluminense and a goal in the final against PSG.

Despite Chelsea’s need to sell players and balance out the squad due to a pact with UEFA (Kaveh Solhekol), Maresca could still add more fresh faces before their new season kicks off against Palace.

This will be dependent on departures (Simon Phillips), but perhaps Djordje Petrovic’s £25 million move to Bournemouth has freed up space for AC Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan to come in.

The France number one was a serious target for Chelsea earlier in the window, and they tried to complete a deal for him before competing in the CWC. However, Milan and Chelsea failed to find an agreement, despite Maignan’s eagerness to join.

Despite reports to the contrary, Chelsea could go back in for Maignan before deadline day on September 1, with Robert Sanchez also told he’s free to find a new club away from Stamford Bridge (Graeme Bailey).

Mike Maignan very keen to join Chelsea, he's a top target

TEAMtalk have another update on the situation this week, claiming Maignan remains a top target for Chelsea.

The 30-year-old is also “enthusiastic” about joining Maresca’s side this summer, even if negotiations previously failed, with the main roadblock being Milan’s £22 million asking price – a figure deemed too high by Chelsea considering both his age and his contract situation.

However, given Maignan’s pedigree as one of world football’s most commanding shot-stoppers, £22 million is surely a price worth paying – especially if they sell Sanchez.

Every title-winning side in history have one thing in common – the presence of a world-class keeper. Maignan, who’s been lavished with praise by his fellow top-level players, arguably stands out as the best option by far this summer.

“He is physical, quick, he has clean technique. He is very strong. He is one of the best in the world,” said Liverpool keeper Alisson about Maignan’s quality.

“The quality of goalkeepers has really increased – Mike Maignan is within this elite.”

Will Luke reviews by Bill Frindall

Will Luke16-Jun-2006

Buy now

I must confess to a sense of trepidation in being asked to review thisbook. Bill Frindall’s on-air style as the BBC’s scorer has a required taste; his dry, laconic wit andinsistence on correcting messers Blofeld and Agnew on any anomalies intheir commentary takes his role as the “straight man” to hitherto unseenlevels.Happily, albeit 309 pages later, my opinion had changed. His somewhatboorish banter with his TMS colleagues is nowhere to be seen in thishis first autobiography. In fact, quite the opposite; he is engaging,charming and it is mostly a thoroughly interesting read.Making his debut in the TMS box in 1966, the impression of Frindall isof a man born to work with numbers, statistics and so forth. Yet inthe first 80 pages or so, it is his playing career which receives thebiggest attention. We learn that it was his father, who is spoken ofin endearingly cherished tones, who introduced him to cricket, wheremost days the pair (like many father-son teams) would play on the backlawn and “naughtily, on a remote putting green on Epsom Downs”.If Frindall senior was the central figure in a young Bill’s life, theRAF (and, later, John Arlott) became his substitute father-figureduring the 1950s where, seemingly, very little work was done where atall possible. “…life in the RAF was a delightfully cushy numberindeed. Members of the station cricket teams could even have theirboots and pads whitened by delivering them to the sports section”.For readers not overly enamoured with the “art” of scoring, Bearders(known throughout as Bill, Sir William, Bearders or Frindalius)fortunately only spends a single chapter detailing the history behindsome of the scoring world’s legends. But in fact, it’s an enlighteningread. Did you know, for example, that his scoring method – the linearsystem – is based on John Atkinson Pendlington (1861-1914)? Or that in1972, Frindall devised an adapted version of “the Pendlington” whichis now in use by first-class teams around the world? In an agebesotted with speed; the internet; with words such as “verdana” and”qwerty”, the old-fashioned and painstaking manual process of scoringseems kitsch. But I quite like it, again, in fact; his love of its arttranslates itself strongly in the book, something which at times comesacross as a chore over the airwaves in the TMS box.John Arlott, the “Voice of Cricket from 1946 until 1980” receives anentire chapter which, while not to be missed, is nevertheless a touch too syrupy for an autobiography. Clearly (and understandably), Arlott played a significant rolein Frindall’s life and indeed helped shape him as a man – they met twoyears after Frindall senior died – not to mention his career. However,the common thread of his love for Arlott is a shared thirst of the red liquid. Barely a sentence goes by that Arlott’s love of wine isn’t mockingly mentioned; there’s almost a sense of pride, relish and jealousy that Arlott had such a capacity, and it becomes ratherweary. Nevertheless, as anyone who enjoys a bottle of wine or ten willtestify, drink has a habit of fuelling good humour and the pair evidentlyspent countless days – Frindall under Arlott’s drunken wing – tasting andenjoying the grapes of France and Australia.Of great interest are the chapters devoted to his colleagues. Arlottapart, Brian Johnston, Christopher Martin-Jenkins, Jonathan Agnew,Shilpa Patel (production assistant to Peter Baxter with “a varies andfashionable wardrobe) all receive notable mention. Indeed, whileArlott and Johnners had a decidedly acrimonious relationship -recorded at length by the author – Frindall and Johnners had no suchproblems. In one particularly amusing anecdote, he transcribes acommentary stint between himself, Johnners and Fred Trueman whenwearing an Arabian headdress (ghutra an iqal).Humour, then, is the common thread running through the book. Devotedto cricket and to his colleagues, it was a welcome revelation into aman whose often grumpy interjections on the radio portray someone illat ease with his lot. Quite the opposite. Frindall, or Frindalius asAllott nicknamed him, has a hidden and infectiously witty side to himwhich, oddly, is almost like welcoming a new member aboard TMS. Cheers.Buy now from Cricshop

Manchester City starlet Oscar Bobb has signed a new contract with the club, keeping him at the Etihad until 2029.

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Bobb has impressed at CitySigns new contract until 2029Reveals what it's like to play under GuardiolaWHAT HAPPENED?

The 20-year-old Norwegian forward came through Manchester City's academy and has enjoyed a breakout season under Pep Guardiola this term. Bobb's two goals and two assists in 16 appearances across all competitions have been rewarded with a new five-year contract, City have confirmed, keeping him at the club until 2029.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesWHAT BOBB SAID

On extending his stay at the Etihad, the young forward said: "It’s an amazing moment and to know that I get the chance for at least a few years now to hopefully be a part of this club’s first team. It’s an honour. It’s something I really wanted when the opportunity came – it was the only thing I wanted to do. Being part of it for the last couple of months, I feel like I’ve developed more than ever – it was an easy choice.

“Playing with some of my idols growing up, it’s a dream come true. It’s strange talking to my friends at home who always ask, ‘how is it?’ and in a way it is crazy, but you do get used to it and you start seeing them as people. It’s nice.”

Bobb added on what it's like to play under Guardiola: "I grew up watching not only his early City teams but from his Barcelona and Bayern Munich days. The type of football he plays is amazing and how he improves players is a big factor for why everybody wants to play under him. He’s proven time and time again that he improves players – so intense, so hard working and a nice guy.”

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Bobb has already made several vital contributions to City in his breakout season. He scored his first senior goal for the club in a Champions League clash against Red Star Belgrade in December before netting the last-minute winner in the league against Newcastle in January, which was awarded the Premier League Goal of the Month. Bobb joins the likes of fellow academy stars Phil Foden and Rico Lewis in signing new deals as City look to cement their position at the top of European football for many years to come.

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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR CITY?

Guardiola's side come up against Luton in the FA Cup fifth round on Tuesday, where the Catalan coach will be able to count on Jack Grealish again after he passed a late fitness test. Bobb will be hoping to feature at some capacity in that fixture as Guardiola looks to rotate his side amid a busy schedule.

Manchester United have put a poor start to the season behind them as they have won successive matches for the first time, defeating Burnley and Crystal Palace and this should give them confidence.

Erik ten Hag would’ve hoped his side were going to kick on from a positive maiden term in Manchester for the Dutchman, yet it hasn’t quite gone to plan.

His summer arrivals haven’t really hit the ground running while a series of injury problems has left United short in key areas, most notably the defence and attack.

This has led the former Ajax boss to utilise the services of several youngsters in his first team so far, as Alejandro Garnacho, Hannibal Mejbri and Facundo Pellistri all stepping up when it matters most and giving Ten Hag something to think about.

The Old Trafford side are of course, famous for believing in young talent since the days of Sir Matt Busby and a plethora of academy graduates have played a key role in United’s success over the years.

Marcus Rashford has arguably been one of the finest players to emerge from the youth ranks in the previous decade as he has established himself as one of United’s best players and the Red Devils have certainly struck gold on him, especially considering his market value.

When did Marcus Rashford make his Manchester United debut?

During Louis Van Gaal’s final season in 2015/16, United dropped from the Champions League into the Europa League and headed into their second leg tie against FC Midtjylland trailing 2-1 from the first leg.

Due to various injuries, the Dutchman gave Rashford his first start for the club and he went on to score twice as the Red Devils won 5-1 on the night, and it was certainly the catalyst which sent the youngster on his way to stardom.

Indeed, just three days later, he netted a double on his Premier League debut against Arsenal to secure a 3-2 win, and it was looking like the teenager was going to be a regular fixture until the end of that season.

These performances laid the foundations for the career the Englishman has gone on to have, while his value has since skyrocketed following his embryonic stages at the club.

What is Marcus Rashford’s market value now?

Having cost United nothing due to working his way through the youth ranks, the winger is now currently valued at €62.3m (£54m) according to Football Transfers and this represents a stunning rise over the previous few years.

His value actually peaked at €82.7m (£71.5m) back in November 2021, yet if he continues to showcase the form which has turned him into one of United’s main goal scoring outlets since Ten Hag arrived, his value could return to this figure, or even surpass it.

The Dutchman won't be looking to sell him anytime soon, yet if the player wanted a move away from Old Trafford, they would stand to rake in a momentous profit on the 25-year-old as he looks to be heading into the prime years of his career.

Why is Marcus Rashford worth this much?

Although the 5 foot 10 sensation enjoyed a breakthrough first few months in 2016, it took him a few years to finally remain consistent enough in order to score ten or more Premier League goals during a single season.

This came during the 2018/19 campaign, scoring 17 goals across all competitions, and it was clear that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer – who took charge midway through that term – had a player he could trust to score 15 or more goals every season.

Returns of 22 and 21 efforts over the next two seasons indicated that Rashford was becoming the main man at the Red Devils, yet his form dipped during 2021/22, scoring only five times all season which saw the Norwegian sacked as the manager.

With a new era set to begin following the appointment of Ten Hag ahead of the 2022/23 campaign, it represented a fresh start for the 25-year-old, and it was one that he relished.

Across a total of 56 matches, Rashford scored 30 goals and grabbed a further 11 assists and this was his best total in a single season since he broke onto the scene at the back end of the 2015/16 campaign.

He ranked first across the United squad in the league for goals and assists (22), while also finishing top of the pile for shots on target per game (1.4) and successful dribbles per game (1.5) as he was arguably the star of the season for Ten Hag.

When compared to positional peers across Europe’s top five leagues, Rashford’s performances ranked him in the top 1% for total shots per 90 (3.84), the top 3% for non-penalty goals per 90 (0.53) and the top 9% for touches in the opposition penalty area per 90 (6.39) which is further proof that he is one of the finest forwards on the continent.

Although he has only scored once and registered two assists in seven games this term, he has been hailed for his performances, with analyst Statman Dave dubbing him “electric” due to his impressive first-half performance against Brighton and Hove Albion a few weeks ago.

If Ten Hag wants his reign at United to be a success, keep Rashford motivated will surely be his main task and this includes keeping him fit and happy while deploying him on his favoured position – the left wing.

Throughout his career, he has played 182 matches on the left wing, contributing 62 goals and 41 assists during those ties, and it is imperative that he continues to get utilised in this role.

The Old Trafford side have hit the jackpot on the talented winger, there’s no doubt about that and his rise from rough diamond into one of the best performers in the top flight suggest that there is hope for the majority of young players who are trying to emerge from the United academy.

Rashford is a beacon of hope for many people, both inside and outside the club and his value rising to stratospheric levels indicate that the club are still doing some things correctly.

A new dawn has risen in north London with Tottenham Hotspur now under the management of the Australian Ange Postecoglou.

And the early signs of the Big Ange revolution in N17 are extremely positive with the Lilywhites impressing many in the opening stages of the 2023/24 Premier League campaign.

With the positivity surrounding the club comes excitement from the fans who have had to endure an underwhelming few years under the likes of Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte.

Given Spurs fans will be keen to ride this wave of positivity, we at Football FanCast have taken a look at the social media accounts and podcasts every Spurs fan should follow to keep up to date with the latest news and views on their club.

Journalists Alasdair Gold Youtube & Twitter

Perhaps the most well-known Tottenham Hotspur journalist, Alasdair Gold has racked up over 230k followers on the social media platform X.

The football.london journalist often provides the inside scoop on all things Tottenham ranging from transfer news to injury updates and provides a range of content across multiple channels.

Indeed, Gold’s work spans from live blogging from Spurs matches home and away to his hour-long videos posted to his YouTube channel.

If you want to keep up with all things Spurs, this man provides content accessible through almost every means – even a WhatsApp update feed.

Charlie Eccleshare, Athletic correspondent

One of The Athletic’s Tottenham correspondent’s, Charlie Eccleshare also provides a range of written content which caters for just about every Tottenham fan’s need.

The journalist provided breaking transfer news over the summer but also offers longer-form articles which take a deeper dive into some of the underlying topics concerning the north London club.

Fans can find Eccleshare on the social media platform X as well as The Athletic’s weekly Spurs podcast.

Dan Kilpatrick Twitter

Similarly to the likes of Gold and Eccleshare, Dan Kilpatrick is one of the most well-known Spurs correspondents with a significant following on the likes of X.

Kilpatrick covers the north London side for the Evening Standard and also writes a variety of articles which span from the latest information coming out of the Premier League club to how Postecoglou has transformed the side he inherited – for example.

As is the case with most of the well-respected journalists, Kilpatrick can also be found speaking all things Tottenham on The Tottenham Way podcast.

Michael Bridge from Sky Sports

Self professed Tottenham fan, Michael Bridge is often seen hitting the screens on Sky Sports News where he is frequently providing his insight into the latest rumblings around N17.

As well as providing the latest news coming out of Spurs, Bridge is no stranger to providing his personal opinion on what is happening around the club.

As well as featuring on the UK’s biggest sports broadcast, Bridge can also be found on X and often featuring on the Last Word on Spurs YouTube channel.

Social Media

The Spurs Web Twitter

Football news is a constant cycle and keeping on top of the latest breaking news can prove to be a daunting task – especially in the transfer window.

However, X’s biggest unofficial Tottenham news account remains The Spurs Web who provide a range of posts to accommodate for every Spurs fan’s needs.

The account aggregates news from a huge variety of news outlets from across the globe as well as providing fans with topical discussions and even throwback clips to remind fans of some of the club’s best moments.

Even the likes of former Spurs defender Jan Vertonghen are known to like the occasional post from this account.

The Spurs Express Twitter

Similarly to The Spurs Web, The Spurs Express account aims to provide their followers with the latest news surrounding the club from across the world.

Across the international break, the account looked to offer fans an insight into how some of their players were performing for their respective countries with a statistical breakdown of some of their performances.

There is very rarely a quiet day when it comes to Tottenham Hotspur and following accounts such as this feels like a necessity for any Spurs fan.

Lilywhite Rose Twitter

There are a number of big Tottenham news accounts out there who offer a similar service, however, Lilywhite Rose does provide fans with something completely different.

It can be easy to get caught up in the big signings clubs make in the transfer window, but it is important to consider the next big talents coming through the club’s ranks.

The likes of Harry Kane have emerged through Tottenham’s youth system and the Lilywhite Rose account on X aims to keep on top of the latest news coming out of the club’s academy.

Ran by BBC contributor John Wenham, the account provides a keen insight into the latest news to emerge from the youth levels, youth players away from the club on loan and even offering debate on matters concerning Postecoglou’s first team.

Chris Cowlin Youtube & Twitter

Potentially best known for his content produced during the construction of the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Chris Cowling is a match-going fan who provides a range of content from that very perspective.

On top of providing videos from the stands, Cowlin also provides a variety of Spurs-related content on his YouTube channel and relays the latest news and quotes involving the club on his X account.

A Spurs content creator who covers just about all bases.

Matt Hayes Youtube & Twitter

If the likes of Charlie Eccleshare’s work does it for you, then dropping Matt Hayes a follow will likely cure your fix for detailed analytical pieces concerning the Lilywhites.

Indeed, this Spurs fan often takes a deeper look into topical discussions surrounding the north London club to provide fans with a more in-depth understanding of the club they love.

As well as sparking debate on X, Hayes is also a frequent panelist on the Last Word on Spurs YouTube channel.

Ricky Sacks Twitter

Host of the Last Word on Spurs, Ricky Sacks is a regular face on Sky Sports when it comes to providing the voice of the fans on all matters Tottenham.

The podcast host can be found on X where he shares links to the latest shows coming to the LWOS channel as they host some familiar names to discuss the latest happenings in north London.